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12 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 95/1998
Labour activist Tian Chua was reportedly arrested in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, last night. According to some accounts, he was taken away in an unmarked car. The arrest reportedly occurred when police broke up a protest against the continuing detention of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.
This is not the first time that Tian Chua has been arrested. When briefly held in police custody this September, he was beaten by his interrogators.
"We are surprised and concerned by the arrest of Tien Chua last night," commented Vic Thorpe, General Secretary of the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). "He is a dedicated and effective campaigner for labour rights in Asia and is widely respected by his colleagues in the region and beyond. Certainly, he is not an advocate of violence. As on previous occasions, his arrest is presumably an error by the lower echelons of the Malaysian authorities. We call for immediate action by the authorities to correct that mistake and to ensure that Tian Chua is released unharmed.
"Tian Chua is due to take part in an important ICEM seminar in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 2-3 December," Thorpe added. "That meeting will be analysing the impact of globalisation in the region. Participants will include Daisaku Kouchiyama - who is President of the ICEM Asia-Pacific region and the Japanese Vice-President of our international, our Australian Vice-President John Maitland and myself. Globalisation is a matter of great concern in the region, not least to Malaysia and its government. We wish to discuss this important subject fully with Tian Chua, and we expect him to be free and in good health, so that he can travel to Jakarta."
This is not the first time that Tian Chua has been arrested. When briefly held in police custody this September, he was beaten by his interrogators.
"We are surprised and concerned by the arrest of Tien Chua last night," commented Vic Thorpe, General Secretary of the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). "He is a dedicated and effective campaigner for labour rights in Asia and is widely respected by his colleagues in the region and beyond. Certainly, he is not an advocate of violence. As on previous occasions, his arrest is presumably an error by the lower echelons of the Malaysian authorities. We call for immediate action by the authorities to correct that mistake and to ensure that Tian Chua is released unharmed.
"Tian Chua is due to take part in an important ICEM seminar in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 2-3 December," Thorpe added. "That meeting will be analysing the impact of globalisation in the region. Participants will include Daisaku Kouchiyama - who is President of the ICEM Asia-Pacific region and the Japanese Vice-President of our international, our Australian Vice-President John Maitland and myself. Globalisation is a matter of great concern in the region, not least to Malaysia and its government. We wish to discuss this important subject fully with Tian Chua, and we expect him to be free and in good health, so that he can travel to Jakarta."