Just as delegates at the Fifth Ministerial of the World Trade
Organization were being welcomed with close attention to
protocol, thousands of and indigenous people from around the
world filled the streets of Cancun in a peaceful march to
present our views on the problems in agriculture worldwide.
We were welcomed with an imposing police presence, which had
surrounded the city and erected high fences.

While those inside were discussing the elimination of so-
called trade barriers, enormous barriers were being raised to
silence the voices of the people affected by policies WTO
has adopted.

The repression of the peasants in Cancun today reflect the
lack of democracy in the practices of WTO, which negotiates
agreements that benefit transnational corporations, often
against the interests of the people. At each Ministerial
Human Rights and the rights of citizens appear to be further
and further from the concerns of this organization.

Even in these circumstances, the farmers' movement put forth
a Declaration containing eight priorities, the outcome of the
Farmers' and Indigenous Forum, which ended in the same city
today. Among the highlights were urgent demands to get WTO
out of issues of food and agriculture, that eliminate
genetically modified foods be eliminated, and that future
policies support the principles of food sovereignty and
justice.

Our hearts mourn the death of our fellow farmer, Lee Kyong
Hae, who in an act of desperation ended his own life. This
act of self-immolation proves even more that the WTO means
death, sorrow, and impotence.

One more time we flatly and emphatically demand that the WTO
takes the Agricultural Agreement (AoA) out of its agenda. We
do not want one more death. We do not want people to continue
to die of hunger; we do not want our land to die. WE DO NOT
WANT ONE MORE DEATH.

We demand respect for our grief, the grief of farmers
worldwide, and the grief of the 120 Koreans who have
struggled hard to come here, to Mexico, to Cancun, to show
their opposition to the WTO and to fight for food
sovereignty.

We propose that the negotiations at the convention center be
suspended out of respect for the deceased.

At great cost we understand this sacrifice of life in life,
this immolation committed by our friend Lee Kyong Hae has
left us speechless and heartbroken but with a great
commitment to continue to fight for life.

We want this to be taken into account. We, farmers who ask to
be heard, do not want this death to be in vain; we want a
solution to the despair in which large part of the farmers
are living because of these international treaties.