Text Fwd: Korea’s Afghan base under rocket attack

Korea Times
Korea’s Afghan base under rocket attack
02-09-2011 20:10


By Kang Hyun-kyung

Korea’s provincial reconstruction team (PRT) base in Charikar, Afghanistan, came under rocket attack early Wednesday (KST) but no casualties were reported, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

A foreign ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity that five rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) were fired at the base _ two were found outside, while the remaining three were inside.

So far no armed forces or individuals have claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Upon a request from the Korean authorities shortly after the incident, local police arrived on the scene to investigate the case. The government plans to work together with the local police to investigate the rocket attack.

The PRT base in Charikar, the capital city of the northern Afghan province of Parwan, is a brand-new facility in which a total of 369 South Koreans, including 277 troops from the Ashena unit, are stationed.

Previously, they were based in another PRT site in Bagram and relocated to the new one in Charikar this January after construction was completed.

Korea was scheduled to hold an opening ceremony for the newly-built base on February 14. But the foreign ministry official said this was subject to change. Officials from the foreign ministry plan to discuss the matter with their counterparts from related ministries.

The rocket attack coincided with Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin’s visit to the PRT site. Kim is on a five-day trip to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates to show support for Korean troops stationed there.

Kim arrived in Afghanistan, Monday, and inspected the condition of the troops there protecting the base and civilian aid workers.

Kim separately met Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and his Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak.

Wardak said the rocket attack came hours after Kim’s visit to the base. He remained cautious on whether the attack targeted the defense minister, pointing to the fact that Kim’s schedule was not made public.

This is the third attack on Korean PRT, following ones last June and this January, respectively. In June, two rockets were fired at site in Charikar, which was then under construction. No workers were harmed in the attack.

In the second attack, rockets were found approximately 400-meter outside the site. Due to the location, the foreign ministry said it was not clear whether the attack targeted the PRT or not.

The team was dispatched to help reconstruct the war-torn country through medical, health and vocational training and rural development assistance. The Ashena unit is tasked with guarding Korean reconstruction workers and 40 police officers.



See also Yonhap News

Text Fwd: NATO Tightens Relations With South Korea, Weighs In On Conflict

Stop NATO

Malaysian National News Agency: Bernama.com
Bernama (Malaysia)
July 6, 2010


NATO Wants To Increase Cooperation With South Korea, Non-Members

-Speaking of cooperation, Brengelmann noted NATO's show of support for South Korea in light of the sinking of its warship Cheonan....The diplomat said some NATO members also serve on the U.N. Security Council and that the NATO members will try to ensure any Security Council action on the Cheonan sinking will represent their views expressed in the NATO statement.


SEOUL: The world's biggest military alliance, NATO, is looking to increase cooperation with South Korea and other partners beyond Europe and North America to meet global challenges such as proliferation and piracy, a senior NATO official said Tuesday.

"Our security interests and security interests of countries like Korea coincide today more than ever," Dirk Brengelmann, NATO's assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
....

Brengelmann was to wrap up his two-day stay in Seoul later Tuesday following the third annual policy consultation talks between South Korea and NATO. Brengelmann's NATO delegation will also visit Japan and China for similar policy talks.

The German diplomat, who had served in missions in Haiti and Britain before being appointed to his current post in March this year, pointed to South Korea's reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan as an example of cooperation. Seoul has joined NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the war-ravaged nation.

"We share interest when it comes to sound security policy," Brengelmann said, noting that it was "a happy coincidence" that he was in Seoul only a few days after South Korea launched its Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan.

The official lauded South Korea for taking a "comprehensive approach" to its Afghanistan efforts by sending troops and police forces along with civilian reconstruction workers.
....
"The Korean PRT is a good example of what we call the 'civ-mil (civilian-military) comprehensive approach' in trying to make sure that your military efforts are being complemented by other sides," he added.

Speaking of cooperation, Brengelmann noted NATO's show of support for South Korea in light of the sinking of its warship Cheonan.

On May 20, when a Seoul-led multinational probe blamed North Korea for the March 26 sinking that left 46 sailors dead, a NATO statement said it "strongly condemns the North Korean actions" that led to the sinking. The statement also argued the North's action constituted "a clear breach of international law."

The diplomat said some NATO members also serve on the U.N. Security Council and that the NATO members will try to ensure any Security Council action on the Cheonan sinking will represent their views expressed in the NATO statement.

Seoul referred the Cheonan sinking to the Security Council on June 4, hoping to censure Pyongyang for the alleged attack.

Debates have emerged as to whether South Korea should pursue a binding resolution rather than a presidential statement, but Brengelmann opined that the format is less important than the content.

"Normally, a U.N. Security Council resolution is the stronger of the two, but the presidential statement has its values," Bregelmann said, echoing the sentiment often expressed by South Korean diplomats.

"I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that. I'd rather go for the content in either one, and look for the content, but not so much on the format of the statement."
____________________________________________________________
Stop NATO
Blog site

Text Fw: NATO Welcomes South Korea As 46th Afghan War Troop Contributor

* Text informed by Rick Rozoff on April 22, 2010 (also in Stop NATO)

Australian Government Department of Defense

22/04/2010

REPUBLIC OF KOREA JOINS ISAF as A NON NATO CONTRIBUTING NATION

The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, today acknowledged that the NATO Secretary General has formally welcomed the Republic of Korea (ROK) as the 46th contributor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Following an offer by the South Korean Government in November 2009 to deploy a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to Parwan province, the relevant certification processes have been completed and the ROK has been officially recognised as a non‑NATO ISAF Contributing Nation.
“Australia is committed to the NATO-led ISAF mission to stabilise Afghanistan, with around 1550 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed there,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

“We warmly welcome the Republic of Korea as a non-NATO ISAF Contributing Nation and look forward to assisting the ROK PRT prepare for its deployment.

“The ROK team will comprise 50-70 civilians, 30-50 police officers and 200-400 infantry troops. The troops will be tasked with protection of the PRT and will not play a combat role.”

Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Our military contribution is part of a Whole-of-Government effort to deny Afghanistan as a training ground and operating base for global terrorist organisations; stabilise the nation through a combination of military, police and civilian efforts; and train the Afghan National Security Forces to a level where they can take security responsibility for Oruzgan Province themselves.


Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: (02) 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664

Text Fwd: S. Korea chooses location of PRT base in Afghanistan: source

* Image source: US Army War College (through Google)

* Image source: Springhar.org (through Google)

Yonhap News
2010/01/10 16:12 KST
S. Korea chooses location of PRT base in Afghanistan: source


SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has selected Charikar, the capital of the Afghan province of Parwan, as the location to station its independent Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and security troops, a government source said Sunday.

South Korea plans to send some 350 troops to Afghanistan this year to protect South Korean civilian workers there. It currently has dozens of workers in Afghanistan as part of an international PRT operation, and plans to increase the number to about 120.

"The Afghan government has recently proposed a state-owned lot on the northern outskirts of Charikar as the site of a South Korean PRT," the government source said, requesting anonymity. "The South Korean government has accepted the offer following an initial inspection by Seoul officials."

"The proposed site has a mountain in the rear and a waterway and a road in the front. The final decision will be made after a secondary inspection by South Korean military officials."

The source said the proposed PRT site, which covers about 400,000 square meters, is located about 2.5 kilometers north of Charikar. Parwan is directly north of Kabul.

Text Fwd: S. Korea submits motion to redeploy troops to Afghanistan despite Taliban’s threat

* Image source/caption: same as the belwo
'Protesters carry signs and march through Manhattan during a protest
against U.S. President Barack Obama’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize
while presenting a justification for escalation in Afghanistan in New York City, Dec. 10 (REUTERS).'

Hankyoreh
S. Korea submits motion to redeploy troops to Afghanistan despite Taliban’s threat: As Koreans living in Afghanistan express concerns of possible retribution, the Defense Ministry announces the dispatch of an inspection team next week
Posted on : Dec.11,2009 12:33 KST

On Wednesday, one day after the Lee administration’s formal announcement of its plan for renewed deployments to Afghanistan, the Taliban issued a statement warning of “dire consequences.” The Defense Ministry in response is maintaining its plan to continue to push forward with deployment and submit an agreement plan to the National Assembly on Friday to redeploy armed forces to protect Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) units in Afghanistan.

In their warning statement, the Taliban says that the redeployment of South Korean forces is a breach of the promise South Korea made in 2007 when Korean Christian missionaries were abducted in Afghanistan to permanently withdraw forces from the country.

Lee Tae-ho, senior official of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), said, “South Korea finished its mission in Afghanistan in December 2007 and withdrew its troops, and it is unheard of for a country that withdrew its forces to send them back again.” Lee added, “There is no consensus among the people for troop redeployment.”

The Lee administration issued an official denial in response in which it said that it had never made the promise for permanent withdrawal during the 2007 negotiations for the release of the hostages. The statement stresses that the future deployments are for protecting South Korea’s PRTs, which have been sent to assist in reconstruction and restoration efforts following a resolution by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the request of the Afghanistan government, and not combat troops for fighting the Taliban.

Even after the Taliban warning, the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and Lee administration officials have been unanimous in declaring that there have been “no changes at all in the deployment plan.” Hwang Jin-ha, head of the GNP’s Second Policy Coordination Committee, said, “Intimidation tactics like this are both typical and commonplace of terrorist group maneuvers to block deployment that we were expecting.” Hwang added, “It is full-scale psychological warfare aimed at splitting public opinion just before the National Assembly attempts to pass the deployment agreement plan.”

Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said, “The troops deployed will be stationed in relatively secure regions of Afghanistan and because we will have thorough security measures in place for their activity we foresee no major problems.” Next week, the Defense Ministry together with the Joint Chiefs of Staff plans to send an independent inspection team to Afghanistan to decide which weapons to send with the deployed troops.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Moon Tae-young also says that necessary measures will be taken as the security measures for PRTs are strengthened. The ministry explained that South Korean residents in Afghanistan are taking security precautions through individual contacts and that businesses operating in the area on construction projects and the like have been holding security meetings to increase security.

Some who are actually living in Afghanistan, however, are expressing concern that the possibility of retribution from the Taliban has increased following the South Korean government’s announcement of its redeployment plan. The Samwhan Corp. Union, which is working on a highway project in Afghanistan, says that the project site has become “more dangerous” since the redeployment announcement. The company is working on laying asphalt for roads in seven locations in northern Afghanistan and there are currently some 100 Korean employees present there.

A representative from the Samwhan Corp. Union describes the situation as so difficult that it is impossible to even get through to the work site by telephone. The representative suggests, “The government needs to guarantee the safety of the workers facing the dangers of working in Afghanistan, and not simply assert that ‘it is secure.’”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Posted on : Dec.11,2009 12:33 KST Modified on : Dec.11,2009 13:02 KST
© 2006 The Hankyoreh Media Company.

Hankyoreh
Dispatching S. Korean troops to Afganistan made it on South Korea-U.S. summit‘s agenda:
LFP spokesperson reconfirms the fact after Cheong Wa Dae denies the exchange
Posted on : Jun.22,2009 12:42 KST

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.”

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

• Below is the unofficial translation of the statement loaded in the site, Left 21

[아프가니스탄 재파병 반대 시민사회단체 연석회의 성명서]
2009년 12월 8일

[Statement by the Civilian Alliance
Against the Redeployment of Troops to Afghanistan]
Dec. 8, 2009

아프가니스탄 파병 동의안 국무회의 통과 규탄한다.

We Denounce the Passage of the Proposal for the Agreement of Dispatch to Afghanistan by the Cabinet Meeting.


오늘(8일) 국무회의에서 ‘국군부대의 아프가니스탄 파견 동의안’이 통과됐다. 우리는 재파병에 반대하는 국민 여론을 무시할 뿐 아니라, 지난 2007년 아프가니스탄에 재파병하지 않겠다는 국민과의 합의를 완전히 뒤집고 일방적으로 아프간에 재파병을 추진하는 이명박 정부의 비민주적이며 반(反)평화적인 결정을 강력히 규탄한다.

Today, on Dec. 8, 2009, the ‘Proposal for the Agreement of the South Korean Troop Dispatch to Afghanistan’ was passed by the cabinet meeting. We strongly denounce the Lee Myung Bak government’s decision to drive for the re-dispatch to Afghanistan, which is anti-democratic and anti-peace, and that is not only ignoring the public opinion to oppose the re-dispatch but also totally reversing down [the former government’s] decision that it would not re-dispatch to Afghanistan.

설상가상으로 국민의 안위를 걱정해야 마땅할 대통령이 재파병이 부를 재앙을 외면한 채 “국민이 필요 이상의 걱정을 하고 있다”고 했다. 그러나 무엇이 “필요 이상의 걱정”이란 말인가? 국민들은 2007년 아프가니스탄 파병 정책 때문에 윤장호 하사를 잃었고, 그해 여름에는 23명의 선교사들이 피랍됐을 뿐 아니라 2명이 목숨을 잃었다. 또, ‘테러와의 전쟁’에 동참한 대가로 한국이 테러 대상 국가가 된 지 오래다. 자이툰 부대가 “기름밭 위에 있다”며 피 묻은 이라크 인들의 석유에 눈독을 드리더니 이제는 국민 생명은 안중에도 없고, 아프가니스탄인들을 학살하면서 무엇을 얻으려는 것인가?

Furthermore, the President who must concern about the safety and well-fare of people, while ignoring the disaster that the re-dispatch would bring, told that “The people are concerning about, more than they need.” However, what is the “concerning about, more than need”. The people lost the staff sergeant, Yoon Jang-Ho in 2007, for the policy of dispatch to Afghanistan, and two people lost their lives [by being killed] when the 23 [Christian] missionaries were abducted in summer, same year. It has been long time that the South Korea has become the target of terror, for her involvement in the ‘war on terror’, as well. While the Zaitoon troop unit saying, “We are on the oil field”, the South Korea has coveted the Iraq oil tainted by the Iraqis’ blood, now the government with no concern of the lives of its people, what does it aim for, killing the Afghans?

그동안 우리는 아프가니스탄 파병이 ‘재건’이 아니라 점령 지원임을 분명히 밝혀 왔다. 미국 의회 내에서조차 아프가니스탄 ‘재건’은 실패했다는 것이 공공연한 사실이다. ‘재건’ 사업은 부패로 얼룩져 복마전이 된 지 오래다. 그런데도 정부는 국민을 속이며 또다시 “파병되는 군이 전투병이 아니라 지역 재건을 돕는 재건팀”이라고 우기고 있다.

For a time being, we have announced that the dispatch to Afghanistan is not ‘reconstruction’ but the support for occupation. Even in the United States Congress, it is the open fact that the ‘reconstruction’ of Afghanistan has failed. It has been long that the ‘reconstruction’ business, smeared with corruption, has become an abode of demons, Still then, the government, deceiving its people, again asserts that “The dispatched is not the combat troops but the reconstruction team that helps the provincial reconstruction.”

그렇다면 정부는 왜 500여 명으로 구성된 지역재건팀(PRT)을 특전사로 구성하고, 이들을 중화기로 무장한 채, 베트남 전쟁 이후 최초로 전투 헬기까지 함께 보내는가? 정부가 아무리 아프간 재파병 필요성을 강변하며 국민을 설득하려 해도 결국 학살 전쟁을 뒷받침할 파병이라는 진실을 가릴 수는 없다. 또한 아프간 철군을 약속했던 국민과의 합의를 일방적으로 파기한 정치적 책임 또한 절대 피해 갈 수 없을 것이다.

Then, why the government send the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), composed of 500, with the special combat troop, arming it with heavy weapons, and even together with the combat helicopters? Even thought the government, forcefully asserting the need of the re-dispatch to Afghanistan, tries to persuade its people, by all means, it can never hide the truth that it is the dispatch to support the massacre war. Nor it can avoid its political responsibility that it unilaterally abandoned [the former government’s] promise to its people of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

우리는 이명박 정부에 엄중히 경고한다. 이명박 정부는 즉각 아프간 재파병 추진을 중단하라. 지역재건팀(PRT)도 경찰도 이를 보호할 경계 병력도 모두 명백하게 국민과의 약속을 어긴 아프간 재파병이라는 점에서 절대 정당화될 수 없다. 국회는 이러한 아프간 재파병을 손쉽게 찬성해서도 묵과해서도 안 될 것이다. 아프가니스탄 재파병에 반대하는 제 시민사회단체들은 아프가니스탄 재파병을 저지하기 위해 강력히 투쟁할 것이다. 끝

We severely warn against the Lee Myung Bak government. Lee Myung-Bak government, immediately stop the re-dispatch to Afghanistan. Any of the PRT, police, and the security troops to protect the two can never be justified, in the sense that it is the re-dispatch to Afghanistan, which clearly violated the promise with people. The National Assembly must neither easily be in favor of [the proposal] nor be silent with it. All the civil organizations opposing the re-dispatch to Afghanistan will strongly and firmly fight to stop the re-dispatch to Afghanistan.


2009년 12월 8일

Dec, 8, 2009

아프가니스탄 재파병 반대 시민사회단체 연석회의

Civilian Alliance Against the Redeployment of Troops to Afghanistan,
South Korea


* Related blog:
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/12/68-organizations-denounce-passage-of.html
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
68 Organizations Denounce the Passage of the ‘Proposal for Agreement of the Dispatch to Afghanistan’ by the Government Cabinet Meeting.

Text Fwd: [Statement] Is the Lee Government, By All Means, to Submit the Proposal for the Agreement for the Dispatch, to the National Assembly?

* Below is the unofficial translation of the statement by the Civilian Alliance Against the Redeployment of Troops to Afghanistan, composed of 68 organizations in South Korea, on Nov. 30, 2009.


[성명]이명박 정부는 기어이 국회에 파병동의안을 제출하려는 것인가?
2009년 11월 30일

[Statement] Is the Lee Myung Bak Government, By All Means, to Submit the Proposal for the Agreement for the Dispatch, to the National Assembly?
Nov. 30, 2009

이명박 정부는 다음 주 국무회의를 거쳐 12월 국회에 파병동의안을 제출하기로제출하기로 했다. 재파병을 결정한 직후 정부는 신속하게 국회 동의안까지 제출할 심산이다. 그러나 국민의국민의 과반 수 이상이 재파병에 반대하는데도 “불통” 정부는 한나라당이 다수인 국회에 파병 동의안을파병 동의안을 제출해 기어이 학살 전쟁에 군대를 재파병하겠다는 것인가?

The Lee Myung Bak government has decided to submit the proposal for the agreement for the dispatch, to the National Assembly, in December, after the passage by the cabinet meeting next week. The government, right after its decision to re-dispatch to Afghanistan, is intending to promptly submit the proposal for the agreement to the National Assembly, as well. However, while more than half of the [South Korean] people oppose the re-dispatch, is the “no understanding” government, by all means, willing to re-deploy the troops for the massacre war, by submitting the proposal for the agreement for the dispatch, to the National Assembly where the majority is the Grand National Party (* the conservative right wing party)?

우리는 재파병에 반대하는 국민 여론을 무시할 뿐 아니라, 지난 2007년 아프가니스탄에 재파병하지 않겠다는 국민과의 합의를 완전히완전히 뒤집고 일방적으로 아프간에 재파병을 추진하는 정부의 비민주적이며 반(反)평화적인 결정을 강력히 규탄한다.

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 [South Korea] would not re-dispatch to Afghanistan.

지난 11월 12일 정부는정부는 국민 몰래 아프가니스탄 현지로 정부합동실사단을 파견했다. 실사단 파견 직전까지만 해도 외통부외통부 장관 유명환은 “이달 중 파견하기 쉽지 않을 것 같다”며 시치미를 땠다. 실사단은실사단은 아프가니스탄에서 무엇을 했는가? 점령군인 미군, 나토군의 지휘를 받는 국제안보지원군(ISAF), 부정선거로 당선한 카르자이카르자이 정부 인사들을 만나 아프가니스탄 현지의 사정을 알고 돌아왔다고 했다. 그러나그러나 대다수 아프가니스탄인들이 점령에 반대하고 있다는 사실은 왜 말하지 않는가? 이미 점령에점령에 반대하는 탈레반 세력이 아프가니스탄의 80퍼센트를 장악하고 있다.

Last November 12th, the government dispatched the joint research and investigation team to Afghanistan, without informing to people. Even right before the dispatch of [it], Ryu Myung-Hwan, the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Department feigned it, saying that “It will not likely to dispatch [the joint research and investigation team] within this month.” What did the joint research and investigation team do in Afghanistan? They say that they did meet the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ordered by the NATO, and the honoraries of the Karzai government who were elected by the illegal votes. But why do they not tell the fact that most Afghans oppose against the occupation? Already the Taliban who oppose against the occupation has grasped 80% of Afghanistan.

실사단은 파병 예정지로 손꼽히는 파르완 주(州)가 “가장 안전한안전한 지역 중 하나”라며 또다시 국민을 속이고 있다. 그러나 파르완 주(州)는 지난 3년3년 동안 탈레반이 상시적으로 출몰하는 지역으로 이미 탈레반이 장악한 지역에 속한다. 1주일에1주일에 한 번 이상 탈레반이 공격하는 지역이자 아프가니스탄에서 “미군의 무덤”으로 불리는 지역이다. 게다가게다가 2007년 윤장호 하사가 파르완 주(州)에 있는 바그람 기지 앞에서 경비를 서다 폭탄폭탄 공격으로 사망하지 않았는가?

The joint research and investigation team is again deceiving people, saying that the Parwan state that has been pointed out as a planned area for the dispatch is “one of the most safe regions” However, the Parwan state is where the Taliban has routinely appeared for last three years and already belongs to the region that the Taliban has occupied. It is the region where the Taliban attacks more than once a week and is called the “Tomb of the United States Forces” in Afghanistan. Furthermore, wasn’t the staff sergeant, Yoon Jang-Ho killed by the bomb attack, while he was standing as a security, in front of the Bagram air force base in 2007, was he?

폭력과 인권유린으로인권유린으로 악명 높은 바그람 기지 근처로 군대를 파병하겠다는 것도 위험한 발상이지만, 미군들이미군들이 많으니 안전하다는 외통부의 설명은 이 정부가 얼마나 국민 목숨을 하찮게 여기는지 보여보여 준다. 테러의 주된 표적이 미군과 미군기지이기 때문에 미군 사망자 수가 급증하고 있다.있다. 미군 곁으로 파병하겠다는 것은 자살행위나 다름없다.

It is a very dangerous idea to dispatch the troops to near the Bagram AFB infamous for violation and abuse of human rights but the explanation by the Foreign Affairs and Trade Department, that the area is safe because there is a lot of the United States force, shows how the current government takes the lives of people worthlessly. The causality rate of the United States forces is increasing because the main target of terror is the United States force and its bases. It is nothing but the suicide act to dispatch the troops to the area beside which the United States force is staying.

정부가 아무리 아프간 재파병 필요성을 강변하며 국민을 설득하려 해도 결국결국 학살 전쟁을 뒷받침할 파병이라는 진실을 가릴 수는 없다. 또한 아프간 철군을 약속했던약속했던 국민과의 합의를 일방적으로 파기한 정치적 책임 또한 절대 피해 갈 수수 없을 것이다.

Even though the government tries to persuade people, emphasizing the need of re-dispatch to Afghanistan by all means, it can never hide the truth that it is the dispatch to support the massacre war. Also, it can never avoid its political responsibility that it unilaterally abandoned its agreement with people with whom [the former government] had promised the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

우리는 이명박 정부에정부에 엄중히 경고한다. 이명박 정부는 즉각 아프간 재파병 추진을 중단하라. PRT도 경찰도경찰도 이를 보호할 경계병력도 모두 명백하게 국민과의 약속을 어긴 아프간 재파병이라는 점에서 절대절대 정당화될 수 없다. 국회는 이러한 아프간 재파병을 손쉽게 찬성해서도 묵과해서도 안 될될 것이다.

We severely warn against the Lee Myung Bak government. Lee Myung bak government, immediately stop the drive for the re-dispatch to Afghanistan! In the sense that the PRT, the police, the security force to protect the two are all meant to re-dispatch to Afghanistan, which clearly violates the promise with people, they can never be justified. The National Assembly of Republic of Korea must be neither easily in favor of it nor silent of its opinion.

아프가니스탄 재파병에 반대하는반대하는 제 시민사회단체들은 아프가니스탄 재파병을 저지하기 위해 강력히 투쟁할 것이다. 정 부는 최근 이와 관련한 기자회견 및 촛불문화제에서 과도하게 진압하며 탄압을 해 왔다. 정부의 그 어떤 탄압도 우리의 반전평화 열망을 봉쇄하지는 못할 것이다. 우리는 아프간 재파병을 반대하는 다양한 반전평화 행동들을 더욱 더 적극적으로 펼쳐나갈 것이다. 아프간 재파병을 중단하라. 끝

The civil social organizations opposing the re-dispatch to Afghanistan will strongly fight to stop the re-dispatch to Afghanistan. The government, related to that matter, has severely cracked down and oppressed the people in press interview and candle light culture event. No oppression can block our aspiration for anti-war and peace. We will more actively drive our various activities for peace and anti-war, opposing dispatch to Afghanistan. Stop the re-dispatch to Afghanistan!

Nov. 30, 2009

아프가니스탄 재파병 반대 시민사회단체 연석회의
The Civilian Alliance Against the Redeployment of Troops to Afghanistan

반전평화연대(준), 이명박 심판! 민주주의 민중생종권 쟁취 공동투쟁본부, 건강사회를위한약사회, 건강사회를위한치과의사회, 경계를넘어, 국제노동자교류센터, 기독교사회선교연대회의, 나눔문화, 남북공동선언실천연대, 노동건강연대, 노동인권회관, 녹색연합, 농민약국, 다함께, 대학생나눔문화, 대학생다함께, 동성애자인권연대, 문화연대, 미친교육반대청소년인권보장청소년연대, 민가협양심수후원회, 민주주의자주통일대학대표자협의회(건), 민주노동당, 민족자주평화통일중앙회의, 민주노동자전국회의, 민주화운동가족협의회, 민족문제연구소, 민족민주열사희생자추모(기념)단체연대회의, 보건의료단체연합, 불교평화연대, (사)민족화합운동연합, 사월혁명회, (사)전국민주화운동유가족협의회, 사회당, 사회진보연대, 우리마당, 우리민족연방제통일추진회의, 예수살기, 615공동선언실천청년학생연대, 21세기한국대학생연합, 2005년파병철회단식동지회, 인도주의실천의사협의회, 자본의위기전가에맞서싸우는공동투쟁본부, 전국농민회총연맹, 전국민족민주유가족협의회, 민주공무원노동조합, 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 전국빈민연합, 전국여성농민회총연합, 전국여성연대, 전국학생행진, 전쟁없는세상, 조국통일범민족연합남측본부, 진보신당, 참여연대, 참된의료실현을위한청년한의사회, 통일광장, 팔레스타인평화연대, 평화네트워크, 평화와통일을여는사람들, 평화여성회, 평화의친구들, 평화재향군인회, 한국대학총학생회연합, 한국노동사회연구소, 한국진보연대, 한국청년단체연합(준), 한국청년연합, 한국카톨릭농민회(21일 현재 67개 단체)

Text Fwd: South Korean companies face increasing attacks in Afghanistan

* Image source: same as below
'U.S. Army SPC Soliz of 3/509 Infantry 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo
fires a weapon during a training session at FOB Tillman, Afghanistan, Nov. 11. (REUTERS)'

Hankyoreh
South Korean companies face increasing attacks in Afghanistan
Nov. 12, 2009

Observers say attacks are a warning to the South Korean government to reconsider its decision to redeploy troops to Afghanistan

It has been confirmed that militants in Afghanistan have attacked the road construction site managed by a South Korean company around the same time that the Lee administration announced its decision to re-deploy troops to the country. The attacks hint at the fact that the security of employees of South Korean companies in Afghanistan, as well as that of re-dispatched troops and Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) personnel, will be in danger.

According to remarks from some government officials, the militants in Afghanistan have attacked the road construction site managed by a South Korean company identified by the initial ‘S’ three times over the past month, which consisted of two attacks last month and one attack this month. ‘S’ company currently has 80 employees in Afghanistan.

The South Korean government announced on Oct. 30 its plans to re-deploy 300 members of the military and police officers with 130 to 150 PRT personnel.

The first attack occurred on Oct. 8 when eight militants armed with guns and grenades attacked a construction site located in northern area of Afghanistan. The militants threatened the employees of the sub-contracted company and burned the company’s heavy equipment.

The second attack occurred five days after the first on Oct. 13 when ten militants attacked other road construction sites managed by South Korean companies and fled after burning two trucks and opening fire on a minibus with a machine gun.

On Nov. 5, militants attacked a depository, however, Afghanistan police officers were able to repel the militants after fifteen minutes of fierce fighting.　There were no casualties of South Korean employees because they were not at the site.

The militants have not demanded money. Thus, the South Korean government has been considering the possibility that the militants received orders from Taliban to target South Korean companies in order to send a warning. A Foreign Ministry official, however, denied those claims and said, “We do not believe that these attacks were ordered by the Taliban because they were small-scale attacks and there were no casualties.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Text Fwd: S. Korea will send additional PRT peronnel to support reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan

* Image Source/ caption: informed as below

'Villagers search for the bodies of their relatives after U.S. airstrikes in Ghanj Abad of Bala Buluk district of Farah province May 5, 2009. Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed in U.S.-led airstrikes while sheltering in homes from a battle on May 4-5 in western Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on May 6. (Xinhua)'

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/353674.html

S. Korea will send additional PRT personnel to support reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan
The government also promises 5 million dollars worth of equipment, and aims to dispatch medical aid and job training teams by January

The government announced on Tuesday that it would send an additional 60 personnel for a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) for reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, increasing the members to 85, including the 25 who are already in the country. The scale of South Korea‘s aid will also be expanded to 74.1 million from the 30 million dollars that had already been committed over a period of the next three years.

In a cabinet council meeting on Tuesday, the government settled the revised assistance package for Afghanistan. The additional dispatch of PRT personnel serves as the backbone. The government approved 19.5 million dollars be paid out of the reserve fund to build a hospital and job training center in which the new additional PRT personnel will work.

The 60 new additional personnel will consist of 30 medical assistance personnel, 12 Taekwondo training coaches, and 10 computer, automobile, electricity and construction teaching personnel. Former and currently serving police officers will be sent as Taekwondo training coaches for Afghanistan police training. The authorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade say, “If the hospital and job training center can be built before the end of the year, we will dispatch medical aid and job training teams starting next January.”

The government has also decided to provide 5 million dollars worth of equipment including 300 police patrol auto-bikes and 100 ambulances. The government will send equipment to Afghanistan in late July. The government is considering contributing additional assistance to Afghanistan beyond the content of the revised assistance package announced on Friday. However, if the government decides to dispatch troops to Afghanistan again while expanding the funding of reconstruction for Afghan, it would be criticized for engaging in a diplomatic policy towards the U.S. that has no practical benefits.


Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]