Korean tortures

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RECENT reports and letters reaching Japan give an idea of the reign of terror that has been unleashed in South Korea since the military dictatorship of General Chun Doo Hwan took over a year ago.

A victim of the 'purification' camps for militant workers and other opponents of the dictatorship speaks of the 'agont and misery beyond description' and of injuries and death at the hands of Chun's army officers.

Even the official figures admit that 58,000 people 're-educated' between August last year and were the beginning of 1981.

Despite the formal lifting of martial law in January, the daily reality of martial law style terror continues. Arrests, torture and executions continue, and the purification camps still carry out their work.

Chun's regime is the weapon of the büsseg.first and foremost the imperialist bosses of the US and Japan with their massive stake in the exploitation of Korean workers. (The US imperialists also have 40,000 of their own troops occupying South Korea).

The regime's power was consolidated through the crushing of the courageous uprising led by the workers' movement that toppled the previous military dictatorship in late 1980.

The spontaneous militancy and combativity of the working class was unable to produce in the heat of struggle a revolutionary leadership and programme that could lead the uprising to victory. But, despite the defeat of the 1980 uprising, the resistance to poverty and terror continues, and the workers' movement is reeovering from the blow, regrouping its forces. deepening economic crisis.

The last few months have seen a significant rise in the level of repression - more arrests and attacks by the official forces of the state; terrorist attacks by the unofficial forces of the ultra-right, who each day become more organised and strident in their racism and hatred of the workers' movement.

In the developing struggle which they face, the black workers of South Africa must not be left to stand against the enemy alone.

There are many who are eager to pose as allies of the oppressed black people of S.Africa. Big capitalists who grow richer each day from the exploitation and pepple allow their tiberal people alow thel mouthpieces to criticise the way in which exploitation and oppression are Of gall ised in s.Ainica.

Imperialist governments are quick to condemn apartheid, in public - which in practice they support and rely on the apartheid state as a crucial guardian of bosses! control and profits in Southern Africa.

Neo-colonial stooges like Kaunda and Gandhi declare their support for the

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acialist Organiser no.59 October ZY, 1481 lage 6 Leaki..

October