[AI] Fw: BlindNews: Blind Calling for Exclusive Rights in Massage Business

Mayavan Gopalakrishnan <gopalakrishnan_vip@xxxxxxxxxxx> · Sat, 3 Jun 2006 08:43:26 +0100 (BST)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "BlindNews Mailing List"
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To: <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 7:38 AM
Subject: BlindNews: Blind Calling for Exclusive Rights
in Massage Business

> Korea Times
> Thursday, June 01, 2006
>
> Blind Calling for Exclusive Rights in Massage
Business
>
> By Lee Hyo-sik, Staff Reporter
>
> CAPTION: A blind person falls to the ground after
colliding with police 
> during a rally in Pusan, Thursday, protesting the
recent ruling by the 
> Constitutional Court that declared the current law
granting the blind 
> exclusive rights to work as masseurs was
unconstitutional.   /Yonhap
>
> A group of visually impaired people and their
advocacy organizations have 
> been staging demonstrations across the country in
protest of the 
> Constitutional Court's decision to allow non-blind
people to become 
> masseurs.
> Nine blind masseurs continued their protest on the
southern side of Mapo 
> Bridge in Seoul for the fourth consecutive day
Thursday, protesting the 
> court's ruling that a law granting blind people the
exclusive right to 
> work as masseurs is unconstitutional.
>
> Last week, the court declared the law
unconstitutional, saying people's 
> freedom to choose occupations comes before the
exclusive right to a 
> certain job for the blind.
>
> Under the current law, only the blind and
individuals with severe visual 
> impairments are permitted to work as masseurs.
>
> In protest of the decision, a 40-year-old masseur
attempted to set himself 
> ablaze during a street rally in central Seoul on
Monday, while four 
> masseurs jumped off Mapo Bridge into the Han River
on Tuesday.
>
> Several dozen blind people also jumped onto a subway
track at Myongdong 
> Station, blocking train operations for about 40
minutes.
>
> A group of blind masseurs and their supporters held
a press conference 
> yesterday, urging the government to come up with
policy measures to ensure 
> job security for the blind in light of the
Constitutional Court's 
> decision.
>
> They argued the decision to allow non-blind people
to become masseurs 
> would deprive the visually disabled of their only
means to make a living 
> because as a result the massage business will become
more competitive.
>
> According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare,
some 184,000 individuals 
> are registered with the government as either blind
(55,000) or with a 
> certain degree of visual impairment.
>
> About 1,073 legal massage parlors are operating
nationwide and some 6,000 
> visually handicapped people are estimated to work as
masseurs.
>
> Since the court's ruling last week, the government
has been scrambling to 
> devise measures aimed at helping the blind who work
as masseurs sustain 
> their livelihoods.
>
> Health and Welfare Minister Rhyu Si-min met with
leaders of masseurs' 
> organizations and civic groups on Tuesday.
>
> Ryu told the leaders that the government would do
its best to safeguard 
> job security for blind people who make a living as
masseurs, while asking 
> them to refrain from acting out dangerously.
>
> leehs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> 06-01-2006 18:12
>
>
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200606/kt2006060118125011980.htm
>
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