68 Organizations Denounce the Passage of the ‘Proposal for Agreement of the Dispatch to Afghanistan’ by the Government Cabinet Meeting.

* Photo by Koh Sung-Jin, Tongil News (same article below)Dec. 8, 2009

The yellow papers say. “Oppose Dispatch, Stop the Occupation”
The red board says, “ Oppose the Re-Dispatch to Afghanistan: For the humanity rather than false national interests”(University Students’ Sharing Culture).”

* Image source: Yonhap News, Dec. 8, 2009


* Image source: Korea Times, Dec. 8, 2009

68 Organizations Denounce the Passage of the ‘Proposal for Agreement of the Dispatch to Afghanistan’ by the Government Cabinet Meeting.

Tongil News, Dec. 8, 2009,
Koh, Sung-Jin reporter (kolong81@tongilnews.com)

* Below is unofficial translation of the most parts of the article above.

The Civilian Alliance Against the Redeployment of Troops to Afghanistan, composed of 68 organizations, strongly denounced the South Korean government’s decision to carry the proposal for the agreement of the dispatch to Afghanistan, through the government cabinet meeting, in the press interview at 1pm, Dec. 8, at the building of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), Seoul.

The organizations announced through its press interview statement that said, “We strongly denounce the government decision that is anti-democratic and anti-peace, which unilaterally drives for the re-dispatch to Afghanistan, while not only ignoring the public opinion opposing the re-dispatch but also totally reversing down the [former government's] agreement with its people in 2007 that the [South Korea] would not re-dispatch to Afghanistan.”

The organizations told that“ We have announced that the dispatch to Afghanistan is not for the “reconstruction” but for the support for the occupation. […]. They criticized the government, saying that “Still. The government is deceiving people, saying again that the deployed troops are not combat troops but the reconstruction team helping the provincial reconstruction”.

Following it, the organizations saying. “ Then, why the government composes the 500 of the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) with the special combat troops, arming them with heavy weapons, and even dispatch the fighter helicopter for the first time since the Vietnam war?”, heightened their voice that “Even though the government tries to persuade people, emphasizing the need of re-dispatch to Afghanistan by all means, it can not hide the truth that it is the dispatch to support the massacre war”.

Lee Tae-Ho, Secretary for Cooperation, PSPD saying that [the government] “did not include the PRT in the proposal” told that “We can not but highly concern about [its proposal], in the sense that the government, repeating its claim that the PRT is not the multi-national force but the civilian agents, announced that it would not need the agreement by the National Assembly, on the matter of the dispatch of the PRT in the future, as well.”

Saying that, “While the government is abnormally operating the PRT, the PRT is the ISAF itself, in Afghanistan”, he pinpointed out that “ Does it fit to the general [principal] of the international society the government says, that it does not need the agreement by the National Assembly to dispatch the troops, under the [false] cause of protection of the PRT?”

Saying that ”While other countries are planning to withdraw, [the South Korean] government broke up the existing custom to get the agreement for dispatch [by the National Assembly], every year, and it defined the dispatch term of two years and six months”, he appealed that “Obviously, it is the subject for the hearing [by the national Assembly]. The National Assembly must pinpoint out, in detail, regarding the issue of the dispatch to Afghanistan, which is [by the decision of the government] obstinate and irresponsible, reversing down the agreement with the people by [the former government].”

[…]

* Related blogs

Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Text Fwd:[Statement] We Denounce the Passage of the Proposal for the Agreement of Dispatch to Afghanistan by the Cabinet Meeting.

Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Text Fwd: [Statement] Is the Lee Myung Bak Government, By All Means, to Submit the Proposal for the Agreement for the Dispatch, to the National Assembly?
(Unofficial translation)

Blog Collection: No Korean Troops in Afghanistan


* Related articles

Yonhap News
S. Korea finalizes plan for troop deployment to Afghanistan
Dec. 8, 2009

Korea Times
360 Troops, Police Officers to Be Dispatched to Afghanistan
By Jung Sung-ki, 12-08-2009

Joongang Ilbo (Informed by StopNATO, with the title of 'Afghanistan: NATO To Get First Contingent Of South Korean Troops')
Government details plan to send troops to Afghanistan
Up to 350 soldiers will guard Korean aid workers
By Yoo Jee-ho, December 9, 2009
“We must reach a participation agreement with ISAF, and I attended a
conference with foreign ministers of ISAF members last week to consult with NATO
representatives. The ISAF is taking steps to bring us on board and we expect to
become a member within the next couple of weeks.”