Maltese director of Greenpeace blocked from entering South Korea

Three Greenpeace senior staff members accompanying the organisation's international director Kumi Naidoo were today denied entry and deported from South Korea. One of the members was the Maltese executive director of Greenpeace East Asia, Mario Damato.

Damato, a lawyer by profession, headed the Greenpeace Mediterranean unit in Malta before being stationed at Greenpeace's Hong Kong offices.

In a statement, Greenpeace said the deportation marked the Korea government's "growing willingness to suppress voices speaking out against its nuclear energy expansion ambitions."

Naidoo and Damato were visiting the country to promote the launch of an anti-nuclear campaign with the tour of Greenpeace's ship M/Y Esperanza scheduled for April.

The two were also to meet with the Mayor of Seoul Park Woon Soon, the Mayor of Incheon Song Young Gil, local politicians, media, and other NGOs. However, Damato and two other staff were stopped at immigration and will be deported back to Hong Kong.

"Yet again we see that democracy and nuclear power don't mix. The nuclear industry cannot stand public scrutiny, and the people of South Korea should be asking themselves what do the industry and government have to hide?" Naidoo said in a comment released by Greenpeace.

The international environmental NGO said the deportation of Damato and two senior Greenpeace staff overseeing development of its Seoul office was the latest in a string of moves by authorities to quash criticism of its nuclear expansion plans. The first occurred in August, 2011, when following a Greenpeace announcement that it would be opening an office in Seoul, the government declared it would be spending an additional 10 billion won ($9 million US) promoting nuclear energy.

"Our deportation is a wake-up call for the people of South Korea of what they can expect if their country expands its already unhealthy reliance on nuclear power and allows this kind of crackdown to continue," said Damato from the detention centre inside Seoul's Incheon International Airport. "It is absolutely unacceptable for the authorities to shrink the democratic space and pressure legitimate voices of concern. We will resist any attempt to silence us."

Greenpeace is demanding a meeting with the relevant government authorities regarding the deportation of its senior staff members.