Arabs residing in South Korea on Thursday called for the democratization of Arab states as defiant demonstrators have been waging oft-bloody anti-government movements.
As reports surfaced that the control of Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi was growing tenuous under pressure from rebels in the African nation, one Libyan citizen here said he hoped his country would adopt "a political system that the majority of the people want to see."
"These recent protests have revealed the dictatorship by Gadhafi to be much worse than previously thought," the Libyan said of the 40-plus years of the regime. He added he feared he would be easily identified back home "because there are so few Libyans in South Korea" and that he won't get involved in any anti-government activities here out of fear of safety of his parents back in Libya.
"I only received a limited education at school and I've regretted that I had been so ignorant of reality," the Libyan added. "It's sad that Arabic states haven't been able to achieve democracy, which should only be a matter of course."
The Libyan protests have come on the heels of the dethroning of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt following 18 days of protest earlier this month.
Four Arabs, including a Libyan, a Yemini and a Tunisian, had been scheduled to attend a press conference by South Korean civic groups in front of the Libyan embassy in Seoul Wednesday, in order to push the South Korean government to voice its support for Libyan protesters.
But none of the four showed up. The Yemeni citizen who had planned to attend said he had received a threat.
"I was captured by an Arab TV station during a rally here," the Yemeni said. "And someone claiming to be a police officer sent me a Facebook message, saying my family would be put in danger if I continued to attend anti-government demonstrations here."
Another Libyan citizen who decided not to come said he'd heard earlier that the international media coverage of the Libyan government's attacks on protesters in the capital Tripoli "was not true" and he no longer had reasons to denounce the Gaddafi regime.
Libya has drawn international criticism for its bloody crackdown on the uprising, with military fighter jets reportedly bombing opposition-led cities and killing civilians. Demonstrators in Yemen and Bahrain have vowed to keep fighting for their cause, and the Islamist opposition in Jordan announced plans to hold a "day of anger" on Friday to demand reforms at the top.
While the U.S. and the European Union prepared to impose sanctions on Libya, some Arabs in Seoul said the international community should support the democratic movements.
"We the Arabs want to enjoy freedom and peace in real life, not just in the Koran," said Omar Mohammed, an Iranian. "I hope (other countries) won't simply worry about their own interests, such as oil supply from the Middle East, and won't be so calculating in dealing with the Arab states."
An Iraqi native who has lived in South Korea for more than a decade said the Libyans' struggles reminded him of Saddam Hussein's rule with an iron fist.
"At the time, there was no communication with the outside world, and so no one really grasped the extent of the suffering under the dictatorship," the Iraqi said. "Today, people should take advantage of opportunities opened up by various media."