Press Conference near the Blue House… Denouncing Seizure and Haul by the Police the previous night
Sewol Ferry Victims’ Families, “Stop Compulsory Winding-up the Court of Inquiry!” Press Conference near the Blue House… Denouncing Seizure and Haul by the Police the previous night
Heo Sooyoung
June 27, 2016
The Committee of 4.16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Victims’ Families (4.16 Families Committee) again urged the government that the government stop trying the compulsory winding-up the Court of Inquiry (the Inquiry).
The 4.16 Families Committee held a press conference before Chungwoon-dong Community Service Center near the Blue House, and announced its stance, saying, “The Inquiry period is supposed to be until February 2017, not till June this year, even upon the current special law for the Inquiry.”
The families and members of various civic organizations, doing their Sit-In on the street in front of the Government Seoul Complex at Gwanghwamun Gate from the 25th, marched to the front of Chungwoon-dong Community Service Center and held a press conference, and went back to their Sit-In place on the street before the Complex.
The 4.16 Families Committee, at the conference this day, emphasized, “It is a complete miscalculation if President Park, Geun-hye thinks that she can abruptly finish the Inquiry through abruptly dismissing the Inquiry. The Sewol Ferry suspicion will get enlarged and will return to President Park and the Saenuri Party. It is the will of the people and that of Heaven to guarantee the extension of the Inquiry period.” [In fact, the committee says the government had previously interrupted the investigation of the Inquiry for about one and a half year through various ways.]
Head of operation of the 4.16 Families Committee Jun Myung Sun asked at the conference, “Didn’t President Park say that she would humbly accept the will of the people after the 20th general election?” and deplored, saying, “It is never to be done to simply read like a parrot what some other person wrote and then forget what she herself just said as soon as starts stepping away.”
One night prior to the press conference, the police forcefully seized some things such as tent and shade canopy and others at the Sit-In place on the street before the Government Seoul Complex, insisting those were not reported to the police in advance, and hauled four Families members by force. They again confiscated a vinyl rug the Families were bringing into the place the following morning. One policeman even made a scene of swiftly taking the rug and sprinting away while others were blocking the Families members.
The 4.16 Families Committee and the People’s Alliance of 4.16’s Promise clarified, saying, “Although we had clearly notified our Sit-In to the Seoul Police Agency keeping the Law on Assembly and Demonstration, the police obstinately broke into the place and violently acted,” and demanded, “The police release the four Families members right away, and those in charge apologize.”
Heo Sooyoung heoswim@naver.com
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