South Korean Police Siege on University Students Continues
April 30, 2011
SEOUL, South Korea -- Police continued their siege on a prestigious Seoul university Sunday, determined to arrest some 1,000 students responsible for a week of bloody and violent protests. The students at Yonsei University, trapped inside a science building, have refused to surrender unless they are guaranteed free passage home. They have requested salt, saying many of their members were dehydrated from the extended battle in the sweltering summer heat. Previous requests for food and medical care were denied. The students said they were hungry and suffering from injuries, and several were having difficulty breathing from constant exposure to tear gas. Many of the leaves on trees lining the campus have shriveled and turned brown from the persistent bombardment of the gas. Police have refused to allow journalists to enter the building. Medics and relatives of the protesters also have been rebuffed. Police have not stormed the building because it houses flammable and explosive laboratory chemicals, and high casualties were feared. The trapped students were among the 7,000 who gathered last week for a pro-unification rally that the Seoul government had outlawed because of its pro-North Korean content. The government has declared that it will shut down the sponsoring student group, Hanchongryon, permanently, by punishing leaders and participants to the full extent of the law. Seven branch offices of Hanchongryon, the largest student group in South Korea, were raided by police Saturday and Sunday. Clashes began a week ago when police attempted to disperse the students and prevent the rally. Daily raids of the campus began Wednesday.
VastPress 2011 Vastopolis
