Chamorro activists extend support to Korean counterparts

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan

Variety News Staff  Thursday, March 23, 2006

Guam’s anti-bases activists on Tuesday lent support to their Korean counterparts, who are holding peaceful protests against the negotiations between the U.S. Defense of Defense and the Korean government.

“As the native people of Guahan, we understand your position, as we are actively confronting our own governmental leaders in the planned U.S. military buildup of our island,” Nasion Chamoru “maga’lahi” Ben U. Garrido and “maga’haga’” Debbie K. Quinata stated in a letter to Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea.

South Korean and U.S. officials have jumpstarted the discussion on the force realignment agreements between the two countries.

SPARK representatives came to Guam in January to protest the ROK-U.S. Security Policy Initiative meeting secretly held on Naval Base.

Washington and Seoul have signed agreements on the relocation of USFK bases including Yong-san Garrison, and the partial reduction of USFK, which was accomplished through close ROK-U.S. consultation.

Korean activists are holding a series of demonstrations, beginning yesterday, to protest the ROK-U.S.-Japanese military exercises dubbed Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration and Foal Eagle from March 21 to 25.

Nasion Chamoru staged its own demonstration at the ITC intersection in Tamuning on Tuesday afternoon to protest “the planned reoccupation of our homeland as well as the continued acts of aggression by U.S. forces and their allies, placing us all in harms way.”

“As you know, the relocation of 8,000 Marines from Japan to Guam is the subject of secretive negotiations between the U.S. and Japan governments,” Garrido and Quinata stated in the letter to SPARK.

“We hold that these governmental officials, our own included, are acting negligently by pushing the militarization of our homelands over public dissent,” they added.