Text Fw: South Koreans await help after U.S. helicopter damages their homes

* Image Source/ caption*

1. Pyeongtaek Peace Center
2, 3, 4 Courtesy of the Images by Kang, Sang-Won

_Image caption from the article below:

‘Kim Jong-chan's says his gate, fences and greenhouse were broken down Wednesday by gusts from a U.S. Army helicopter outside Camp Humphreys, South Korea.’

‘Pyeongtaek resident Kim Si-nam says his house was left uninhabitable after a U.S. Army helicopter kicked up strong wind gusts, blowing off part of his roof. Kim lives next to Camp Humphreys.’

‘Sgt. 1st Class Krishna M. Gamble, right, spokeswoman for the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade at Camp Humphreys, talks to Songhwa-ri villagers Wednesday after a U.S. Army helicopter reportedly damaged about a dozen homes in the village.’



* The article below was thankfully informed by Kang Sang Won, the Director of the Pyeongtaek Peace Center.


http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61013

South Koreans await help after U.S. helicopter damages their homes
By Franklin Fisher and Hwang Hae-rym, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, February 28, 2009

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — Residents whose homes took a thrashing from air gusts thrown down by a big helicopter outside the U.S. Army’s Camp Humphreys appealed Thursday for quick help from the U.S. military in getting them into shelter and repairing their homes.

"If they are our real ‘neighbor’ as they claim, they should take immediate measures," said Lee Soon-gyu, head of Songhwa-ri, a village of about 60 households and 300 people just outside the perimeter of Camp Humphreys, which is in Pyeongtaek. Many of the residents are aging rice farmers.

An Army spokesman said Thursday the U.S. military is taking serious steps to help those residents affected.

The blast of air from the helicopter’s beating rotors cut through the village like a buzz saw Wednesday, ripping at roofs, fences, walls, doors, windows, pottery and other objects of domestic life, according to residents.

The incident occurred around 12:15 p.m. as the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter was leaving Camp Humphreys with a piece of excavation equipment slung underneath.

"We have no place to go right now," said village resident Kim Si-nam, 63, who stayed at a hotel Wednesday night because the roof tiles were ripped from his home.

Kim and his wife were scrambling Thursday to find a place to spend the night, he said.

"But I don’t know where to go. I feel so dreary, bewildered and scared," Kim said. "My wife said she wants to move out of this town, and I want to."

Said Kim of the U.S. military: "I am just hoping they can fix my home or arrange the accommodation for us."

Lee said it was as if the village had been hit "with a bomb" in wartime.

"Our town looks so devastated," he said.

Lee said that although the U.S. military has said it is working closely with local officials to help the residents, it’s up to the Americans to take the lead in getting the displaced into temporary shelter and fix the damage quickly.

Kim Jong-chan, 74, said the helicopter was carrying a "vehicle" of some type and appeared to be tilting to one side as if struggling with its load.

The roaring of the Chinook’s engines along with the dust kicked up by the wall of rushing air left him "a bit frightened," Kim Jong-chan said.

"I could hardly open my eyes later," he said.

His greenhouse was blown down, as were the gate and some fencing at his house, he said.

"Whenever the U.S. helicopters are taking off, the windows, doors of my house, are rattling hard," he said. "I cannot watch TV. Now I am really an old man. I take these annoyances for granted. But this was the biggest I’ve ever experienced."

Kang Sang-won, head of the civic group Pyeongtaek Peace Center, said his organization has frequently urged the U.S. military to change its air routes and has expressed concerns about the altitudes at which the helicopters fly.

But the U.S. military has dismissed the group’s concerns, Kang said.

Army Maj. Vincent Mitchell, spokesman for the 2nd Infantry Division, said he had no immediate information on Kang’s allegations, but that the U.S. military’s flying practices adhere to rules agreed upon between the United States and South Korea.

"We work closely with the Republic of Korea on the way we operate in this country, and so we do everything we can to be good neighbors," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the Chinook was assigned to the division’s 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade and at the time of the incident was hauling a piece of equipment used in excavation work.

He said he couldn’t readily discuss further details.

"All the details, everything, will come out in the investigation that is under way," Mitchell said.

Responding to residents’ concerns about getting help with shelter and home repairs, Mitchell said the Army was "cooperating fully" with Pyeongtaek city officials.

"And we are going to do everything to ensure that any damage we may have caused is rectified, and the people affected by this are put back into their homes [and that] their homes are restored to their former condition," he said.

"I can’t get into specifics, but I do know that we are undertaking actions to ensure that those persons that have been affected are helped," Mitchell said.

Video & Articles Fwd: US Helicopter damaged the Village in the Pyeongtaek

* The three videos above and the Ohmynews article were thankfully informed by Kang, Sang- Won, the director of the Pyeongtaek Peace center.

The two videos above include Kang, Sang-Won's interview with the village people whose fences, gates, and roofs were damaged by the accident around 11:50 am on February 25, 2009(Wednesday) when the CH47 Helicopter which was moving in low flight, from the base to Songwha-2 ri. destroyed of about 10 houses, including Mr. Lee, Si-Baek’s (63). The Pyeongtaek Peace center and the village people in Songwha-2 ri would urge the investigation by the 2nd Combat aviation brigade of the U.S. base in Pyeongtaek, soon.

The third video is about the position of the 2nd Combat aviation brigade of the U.S. base in Pyeongtaek.


For more photos in the Korean article by Kang, Sang-Won

http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/view/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0001077126&PAGE_CD=

The accident that damaged the roofs and walls of a samll village in the Pyeongtaek happened on Feb. 25, 2009

* Other Korean websites *

http://www.peacept.org/bbs/zboard.php?id=peacept_act&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=109


http://www.peacept.org/bbs/zboard.php?id=peacept_act&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=108


http://www.spark946.org/bugsboard/index.php?BBS=spark_7_1&action=viewForm&uid=100

http://www.spark946.org/bugsboard/index.php?BBS=spark_7_1&action=viewForm&uid=99

http://www.spark946.org/bugsboard/index.php?BBS=spark_7_1&action=viewForm&uid=97


http://usacrime.or.kr/
The site informs two articles as below:

http://news.sbs.co.kr/section_news/news_read.jsp?news_id=N1000550780

http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=003&aid=0002544506

Text & Image Fw: Officials at Osan lift ban on 8 local bars

* Image Source: Pyeongtaek Peace Center*
Pyeongtaek Consolidation plan map

Fwd: From the Pyeongtaek Peace Center

Officials at Osan lift ban on 8 local bars Owners promise to curb violence, prostitution and underage drinking By Franklin Fisher, Stars and Stripes Pacific edition, Thursday, February 19, 2009

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Officials here have lifted a ban on eight local bars after the owners promised to keep them free of prostitution, underage drinking and other unsafe or illegal conditions, the Air Force said Tuesday.

Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing commander Col. Thomas H. Deale lifted the ban Monday after the owners spelled out in writing the things they’d do to keep the bars free of crime and violence, said wing spokeswoman 1st Lt. Malinda C. Singleton.

"They said that they’re really going to work to police themselves," she said.

The affected bars are the Stardust, Young Chon, Eagles and Golden Gate clubs, and the Chicago Club, Blood Club, Club Sting, and UN Club.

Deale had put the eight off-limits after Air Force police allegedly turned up evidence of "bar fining."

Bar fining is a practice in which a patron pays the club to allow a bar girl to leave the premises for an agreed-upon period. Authorities say bar fining is typically a symptom of prostitution.

In two letters sent to Osan’s Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, the owners promised "to ensure that their entertainment environment does not support illegal activities," Singleton said. Osan officials would not release copies of the letters to Stars and Stripes.

The owners said they’ll move to avert bar fining, barroom violence and underage drinking, Singleton said.

In addition, she said, the owners will post signs in their clubs "letting U.S. personnel know that bar fining is not allowed."

Owners or their representatives had also held three meetings with the control board.

And they had help from Pyeongtaek city hall and the Korean National Police in finding a way to resolve the ban, Singleton said.

Based on those meetings and letters, the board recommended to Deale that he lift the ban, she said.

The disciplinary control board advises the wing commander on conditions at clubs or other off-base venues that can pose harm to U.S. servicemembers and their families, and the wing commander can put such places off limits.

Yi Sang-chul, manager at the Young Chon Club and a member of the Songtan Special Tourism Association, said club owners welcomed the news. The association represents bar and hotel owners in the Shinjang Mall area of Songtan, a section of Pyeongtaek in which Osan Air Base is located.

The off-limits ban had forced the Young Chon to close for three weeks starting Jan. 22, said Yi.

Yi Jin-yong, owner of the Golden Gate, said he lost weeks of business because of the ban, but still had to pay rent on the property.

"Now we can work … off-limits finish," he said. "That’s good."

Text Fwd: 60th NATO Anniversary Celebrations in Europe

* Image source/caption from*

Space4Peace(Organizing Notes)Feb. 19, 2009

The people of Vicenza, Italy have vigorously opposed plans for a new US air base in their community

130 Czech mayors rallied in Brussels yesterday at the European Union in opposition to US plans for a Star Wars radar base in their country


60th NATO Anniversary Celebrations in Europe to Draw Massive Protests,
By Bruce Gagnon Feb. 19, 2009

2009 is the 60th anniversary of NATO and the US-led alliance is planning big celebrations in Europe to promote their expanded global role as an extension of US foreign and military policy. In 1999, seeking to justify its existence after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, NATO acknowledged that it was seeking to orient itself according to a new fundamental strategic concept. From a narrow military defense alliance it was to become a broad-based alliance for the protection of the vital resource needs (oil/natural gas/etc) of its member states. Besides being mired in Afghanistan today, NATO is now expanding eastward as a tool in the aggressive US program to surround resource rich Russia. There are even discussions now within NATO to take the alliance into the Asian-Pacific to help the US militarily surround China.

From April 3-5, 40 heads of state and government leaders, including President Obama, will come to Strasbourg, France and Baden-Baden, Germany for 60th anniversary events. In response to these events activists from throughout Europe are planning protests in Strasbourg during the period of April 1-5. In order to plan these events 500 activists from 19 countries met at Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg, on February 14-15.

The No to War - No to NATO coalition issued a statement after their meeting that reads in part: "60 years are more than enough – this is the consensus uniting the participants of the peace, anti-globalization movements, leftist parties and organizations, Trade Unions, and student initiatives. They stand against the war policy of NATO, against today's wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East, against the intervention strategy and reinforce their claim to 'No to NATO'. They refuse to accept the EU linked with NATO and ask for a drastic reduction of military spending: we do not want to pay for your crisis , nor for your wars."

NATO of course is responding by trying to keep the protests away from Strasbourg. They have arranged for the city government to outlaw protests. In response No to NATO says, "We want to express our rejection of this kind of politics and want to give the citizens of Strasbourg and the social movements the opportunity to publicize their rejection without any obstacles. These are the demands for the prefecture which turned down the proposal of the NATO Preparatory Committee to demonstrate against NATO in the inner city of Strasbourg on 4th of April. The implementation of the NATO Summit will turn Strasbourg into a fortress; this is not acceptable for its own citizens and for the thousands of peaceful demonstrators form all parts of the world.

"Extraordinary security parameters will be enacted: the establishment of a red zone, the labeling of the citizens, the establishment of an all-encompassing new video surveillance system. For us this staging of heads of states in the city centre of Strasbourg – a closed off city – and its inhabitants who will be unable to have a normal daily life, having no freedom of movement, is unbearable and makes it impossible for us to unveil NATO's real face. Whereas the citizens will pay for the summit and the glorified presentation of NATO their dissenting opinion is to be marginalized."

For activists back here in the US it should be reassuring and exciting for us to see so much effort being organized to shut down the US empire. But we have to do our part as well. We can start by calling for the closing of US bases and for major cuts by Congress in the Pentagon's bloated budget. None of us have to do this on our own. When we work together as a globalized movement we can really begin to make progress.

These are the kinds of issues that will be featured at the upcoming Security Without Empire: National Organizing Conference on Foreign Military Bases that will be held at American University in Washington DC on February 27-March 2. The Global Network will be one of 20 peace groups sponsoring this important event. Key peace movement activists from around the US and all over the world will be attending and presenting. A protest vigil at the Pentagon will kick off the weekend beginning at 4:00 pm on February 27.

For registration information see the conference web site at: www.projectonmilitarybases.org

Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
http://www.space4peace.org
globalnet@mindspring.com
http://space4peace.blogspot.com (Blog)

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Text Fwd: MORE ON MILITARY BASES CONFERENCE

* Image from the original source* Pyeongtaek

MORE ON MILITARY BASES CONFERENCE:
By Bruce Gagnon, Feb. 18, 2009, Space4Peace(Organizing Notes)

* More than 100 years after the colonial Spanish-American war, the U.S. has military bases in Guam, the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico. More than 60 years after the end of WWII and 50 after the end of the Korean War, we have 124 base sites in Germany, 124 in Japan, and 87 in South Korea. Even as we recognize the central importance of diplomacy, new bases are being acquired in Latin America, Central Europe and Central Asia.

* Overseas bases are too expensive, especially in a time of economic crisis.
- Costs are estimated at around $140 billion per year.
- Unlike domestic bases, overseas bases suck taxpayer money away from the US.
- They suck money away from critical needs at home and abroad.
- Much of the spending enriches private base contractors like corruption-plagued KBR.

* Our overseas basing structure is damaging our national security not making us safer.
- As in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan, overseas bases become lighting rods for attacks on the US, encouraging resentment, radicalism, and anti-Americanism. Even in countries like Japan and Germany, their negative impacts on “host communities” have resulted in suffering, resentments and protests.
- Overseas bases often harm the nation’s reputation, engender grievances and anger, and create antagonistic rather than cooperative relationships with other nations.

* Overseas bases do not stabilize dangerous regions of the world. They destabilize them.
- They encourage skyrocketing levels of militarization.

- They enlarge the security threat to other nations who respond by boosting military spending.

* Overseas bases increase the likelihood of war
- They encourage our leaders to opt for military rather than diplomatic resolution of conflicts by making it easier and thus more likely to resort to deadly, catastrophic wars, like the war in Iraq, or military interventions in countries like Nicaragua or Somalia.

* Overseas bases inflict terrible costs on local communities and nations.
- Some of the costs include environmental damage, health hazards, social and cultural disruption, increased violence against women, crime, and prostitution.

* Overseas bases inflict painful costs on military families, separating personnel from loved ones and disrupting family life with frequent deployment shifts around the globe.

* Overseas bases lead us to support dictators and repressive, undemocratic regimes.
- Examples include Uzbekistan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

* Congress should hold hearings to examine the overseas basing structure, including its constitutional responsibility to approve SOFAs which are, functionally, treaties.

* We must begin to close our overseas bases to help ensure our and others security. Closing military bases also necessitates cleaning up and removing military toxics so that these sites can safely be put to other uses.

These are the issues that will be featured at the upcoming Security Without Empire: National Organizing Conference on Foreign Military Bases that will be held at American University in Washington DC on February 27-March 2. A protest vigil at the Pentagon will kick off the weekend beginning at 4:00 pm on February 27.

For registration information see the conference web site at: www.projectonmilitarybases.org

posted by Bruce Gagnon |

* Related blog*

http://space4peace.blogspot.com/2009/03/full-dc-trip-report.html

Text fwd: [Korean Translated: For the Czech Rep. people] Solidarity message from Japanese citizens, Feb. 18, 2009

Solidarity message from Japanese citizens, 18th Feb. 2009

To friends in Europe who are against the Missile Defense system and the Space Shield

* This is also in http://www.space4peace.org/actions/gnconf_09/papers%20and%20reports.htm#two
as part of the Papers/Reports of the GN's 2009 conference

We are several citizen groups which are respectively committed in peaceful ways to movements of anti-MD system and anti-US Bases in Japan. We would like to convey, by this message, our solidarity with all who are against the deployment of the US MD system into the eastern Europe. We, who live with the various problems arising from many US bases occupying our homeland, always look enviously at the unified efforts in the anti-radar movement by citizens and the League of Mayors in Czech Republic. Your movement has encouraged us a lot and we thank you for that.

Japanese government introduced the MD system in Dec. 2003, and ever since, its deployment has been accelerated here along with the US’ deployment of its own MD system in Japan.

In June 2006, a transferable type of X-band radar was deployed by the US for the first time throughout the world in Shariki, a small, sparsely-populated town in the most-northern prefecture of Aomori on the main land of Japan. This was followed by its globally-second time-deployment into Israel in Sep.2008.

The US X-band radar in Japan is aimed at detecting possible ballistic missile launches from North Korea to Hawaii, making the Japanese main land and islands “a shield “ for defending the USA. This X-band radar in Shariki is guarded by BlackWater Worldwide, a US private military company infamous for its war crimes in Iraq War.

Along with this deployment, the US demanded a limited-flight-zone around Shariki for indefinite duration. This special demand was made just for one military facility, which was also for the first time. This zone has already turned out to be problematic, as the investigation of a maritime accident in the nearby sea was hindered due to the privileged agreement.

Japanese government has become deeply involved in the US MD system through the current joint
development with the US of the improved model of SM3 (Standard Missile 3), an improved intercepting missile loaded on an aegis cruiser. Presently, five US’ aegis cruisers based on Yokosuka, and two aegis cruiser belonging to our Maritime Self Defense Force are equipped with SM3, making the number of the latter four in the near future. As for PAC3 (Patriot Missile 3), it has been deployed in the US base in Kadena, Okinawa and in five bases of ASDF around Tokyo. Finally, ASDF is going to deploy PAC3 in its 11 bases throughout Japan. To our great anxiety, through this joint SM3 development and licensed production of PAC3 in Japan, Japanese private military companies have become one with those in the US, thus newly emerging in Japan as the Japanese military-industrial complex.

At the same time, the MD system in Japan has greatly eroded both the pacifism and the peace-oriented principles based on the Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan which stipulates the renunciation of war as a sovereign right and non-maintenance of armed forces with war potential. Specifically the MD system has watered down the three principles prohibiting exporting weapons, and also the principle stipulating peaceful use of the space.

Contrary to the propaganda by both the government of US and that of Japan, the US MD system, which would enable an easier first strike by making counter-attack powerless, should be called “a device for prompting pre-emptive attack.” And actually because of this nature, it has been causing chain reactions of armament expansion in northeastern Asia.

However, we will not just wait and see, letting this happen. Here in Japan, anti-MD movement is spreading through experienced local campaigns in PAC3 deployment areas. In the forthcoming April, the 17th international conference of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space will be hosted by its Korean Committee in Seoul, South Korea. We consider this a meaningful step towards turning the northeastern Asia, which is still under the atmosphere of the Cold War, into a nuclear & missile-free region. Those in South Korea who are against the US-Japan MD system and like-minded those in Japan will soon start cooperating.

Not only in Japan but in the world as well, poverty has spread because of economical and financial crises.
We should invest our taxes in getting rid of poverty or in environmental conservation, not in military spending. It is missile-reduction, not the Missile Defense, that is most necessary to us.

Let us keep up our efforts in order to realize our goal in common - a world free of the Missile Defense and missile attacks.

In solidarity,
Koji Sugihara ( No! to Nukes and the Missile Defense Campaign )

Endorsing groups:

No! to Nukes and Missile Defense Campaign / Tokyo
Peace Voice Action Network / Saitama
No to Patriot Missile! Action Committee against Narashino Base / Chiba
Yokosuka Peace Fleets / Kanagawa
Nonnuclear Citizen Declaration Campaign Yokosuka / Kanagawa
No! AWACS Society Hamamatsu / Shizuoka
No War Network / Aichi
Citizen Action Net Work Nagasaki / Nagasaki
Committee against the Co-use of Tsuiki JASDF Base by SDF and U.S Military and
Relocation of U.S Marines to Tsuiki Base / Fukuoka

_일본 시민 들의 체코 연대 메시지
Solidarity message from Japanese citizens_
2009 년 2 월 18일
미사일 방어 시스템과 우주 방어 시스템에 반대하는 유럽 동료들에 대한 일본 시민들의 연대 메시지

우리는 일본 내 미사일 시스템과 미군 기지에 반대하며 평화적인 방법으로 싸우는 것에 사명감을 갖고 각각 일해온 몇 개의 일본 단체들이다. 우리는 이 메시지에 동유럽내 미국의 미사일 시스템을 배치하는 것에 반대하는 이들과의 연대를 보낸다. 우리 조국을 점령하는 많은 미국 기지들로부터 일어나는 문제들을 겪는 우리는 체코 공화국의 시민들과 시장 연맹의 레이다 설치 반대 운동의 결속된 노력을 부럽게 바라본다. 당신들의 운동은 우리에게 용기를 불러 일으켰으며 우리는 그 것에 감사한다.

일본 정부는 2003년, 12월, MD 시스템을 소개했고 그 이후 미국의 일본내 MD 시스템 배치와 함께 그 배치가 가속화되었다.

2006년 6월, 일본 본토의 가장 북쪽에 있는 아오모리 관구의 작고 인적드문 마을, 샤리키에 사상 초유로 전이 능력를 가진 X-밴드 레이다가 배치되었다. 이 것은 2008 년 9월 이스라엘에 사상 두 번째로 배치되었다.

일본 내 미국X-밴드 레이다는 북한의 하와이로의 가능한 탄도 미사일 발사들을 탐지하는 것에 목적을 둠으로서 일본 본토와 섬들을 미국을 방어하는 “방패”가 되게 했다. 샤리키의X-밴드 레이다는 전 세계적으로 이라크 전쟁 범죄로 악명높은 미국 군사 사유 업체 블랙 워터에 의해 경호된다.

이 배치와 함께 미국은 샤리키 주위에 한정되지 않은 기간 제한 비행 구역을 요구했다. 이 특별한 요구는 단지 한 군사 시설을 위해 만들어지는 것일 뿐만 아니라 처음으로 요구된 것이다. 이 지대는 근처 해상 사고 조사가 특혜 협정때문에 방해받은 것등 이미 문제가 있는 것으로 드러났다.

.일본 정부는 최근 이지스 순양함 에 장착되는 요격 미사일인 개선된SM3 (Standard Missile 3) 모델등 미국과의 공동 개발을 통해 미국의MD 시스템에 깊숙히 참여하게 되었다. 현재 요코스카에 기반한 5개의 미국 순양함, 우리 해상 자위대에 속한 2 개의 이지스 순양함에SM3가 장착되어 있는데 후자의 숫자는 가까운 시일내 4개가 된다. 패트리어트 미사일3( PAC3, Patriot Missile 3) 로 말할 것 같으면, 그 것은 오키나와 가데나와 도쿄 주위ASDF의 5 개 기지들에 배치되었다. 최종적으로ASDF는 일본 전역을 통하여 11개 기지에 배치될 예정이다. 걱정스럽게도 일본 내SM3 공동 개발과PAC3특허 생산 개발로, 일본 사유 군사 기업들은 미국의 사유 군사 기업들과 하나가 되면서 일본 군산 복합체로 수면에 떠오르고 있다.

동시에 일본의MD 시스템은 평화 주의와 일본 헌법 9조에 기반한 평화 원리 원칙을 퇴행시켰는데 후자는 주권으로서의 전쟁을 포기하고 전쟁 잠재력있는 무장 병력을 유지하지 않는 것을 명기한다. MD 시스템은 무엇보다도 무기 수출을 금지하는 세 원칙들과 우주의 평화로운 사용을 명기하는 원칙을 퇴색시켰다.

미국, 일본 양국의 선전과는 다르게, 미국의MD 시스템은 대항 공격을 약화시켜 선제 공격을 더 쉽게 하는데 “선제 공격을 추진하는 장치”로 불려져야 한다. 그리고 사실 바로 이 본성때문에, 동북아에 무기 확장 연쇄 반응을 일으켜 왔다.

그렇지만 우리는 이 일이 일어나도록 보고만 있지는 않을 것이다. 여기 일본에서는PAC3 배치지역에서 경험있는 지역 캠페인들을 통하여MD 반대 운동들이 확산하고 있다. 다가오는 4월, 우주 무기와 핵무기를 반대하는 전지구적 모임Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space이 공동 주관하는 17 번 째 국제 회담이 대한민국 서울에서 한국 준비 위원회가 마련하는 가운데 열린다. 우리는 이 것이 아직도 냉전의 공기 아래 있는 동북아를 핵과 미사일이 없는 지역으로 전환시키는 의미있는 발걸음으로 여긴다. 대한민국의 미국-일본MD 시스템에 반대하는 이들과 일본의 같은 생각을 가진 이들은 곧 연대 협력을 시작할 것이다.

일본 뿐만 아니라 전 세계에서 경제와 재정 위기로 가난이 번져가고 있다. 우리는 군사 지출 아닌 가난을 제거하거나 환경을 보존하기 위해 우리의 세금을 투자해야 한다. 우리에게 가장 필요한 것은 미사일 방어아닌 미사일 축소이다.

미사일 방어와 미사일 공격으로부터 자유로운 세계라는 공통 목표를 실현하기 위해 우리의 노력을 지속적으로 하자-

연대의 인사를 보내며

코지 수기하라( 핵과 미사일 방어에 반대하는 캠페인)

배서 단체들

핵과 미사일 방어에 반대하는 캠페인/ 도쿄

평화 목소리 행동 넷워크/ 사이타마

패트리어트 미사일 반대 ! 나라시노 기지에 반대하는 행동 위원회/지바

요코스카 평화 함대/카나가와

비핵 시민 선언 캠페인 요코스카/카나가와

No! AWACS 사회 하마마추/시즈오카

전쟁 반대 넷워크/아이치

시민 행동 넷워크 나가사키/ 나가사키

SDF와 미군의 슈이키JASDF 기지 공동 사용과 슈이키 기지로의 미 해병대 이전을 반대하는 위원회/ 후쿠오카

* 위의 원문 사이트는 아래 몇 사이트와 함께 제 영문 블로그에도 실렸읍니다.

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/search/label/Czech%20Republic%2FPoland%2FEastern%20Europe

* 그외 현재 브뤼셀에서 열리는 유럽 연합 의회를 맞아 체코 시장 130여명이 브뤼셀까지 버스를 타고 미국 미사일 방어망 시스템의 하나인 레이다 설치에 반대하는 시위 관련 기사, 4월 초 프랑스 스트라스부르그에서 열리는 NATO 반대를 위한 유럽 전역 움직인에 관련된 기사들을 다음 사이트 들에서 참고하실 수 있읍니다.



http://space4peace.blogspot.com/2009/02/us-catching-hell-on-foreign-policy.html
U.S. CATCHING HELL ON FOREIGN POLICY, Thursday, February 19, 2009

http://www.nenasili.cz/en/3107_meps-mayors-and-the-nonviolent-movement-rejects-star-wars-in-europe
MEPs, MAYORS AND THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT REJECTS “STAR WARS” IN EUROPE

http://www.nenasili.cz/en/3097_18th-february-news-from-bruxelles-and-other-cities
18th February: News from Bruxelles and other cities

http://www.nenasili.cz/en/3091_130-czech-mayors-protest-us-missile-defense
130 Czech Mayors protest US Missile Defense 17.2.2009 - Jan Tamáš

Text Fwd: 130 Czech Mayors protest US Missile Defense

* Image Source from"
18th February: News from Bruxelles and other cities, Feb. 18, 2009
February 18, 2009, Bruxelles (Belgium), Budapest (Hungary), Florence (Italy), Milan (Italy)

The Czech Republic and Poland: US Trojan Horses to divide Europe?
Prague, February 16, 2009

Three buses filled with Czech Mayors from the League of Mayors against the Radar and activists from the Nonviolence Movement will travel to Brussels to meet Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday and to protest against the “Star wars” plan. They have been invited to attend a public hearing about the controversial US Missile Defense enlargement into the Czech Republic and Poland. While in Brussels they will meet with several MEPs, Belgian Senators and the Vice-president of the European Parliament Luisa Morgantini. They will also attend a public rally against the radar held outside the European Parliament building.

Dozens of Czech Mayors will be accompanied by citizens from across the country and what originated as a plan to invite 40 people is now a two day trip of 130. The mayors represent a delegation of a total of 130 Czech mayors who publicly oppose the project. The trip of the mayors is also supported by 13 of the total 14 heads of regional governments as well as many mayors from other European countries. As polls show, approximately 70% of Czechs are also against the plan.

„ It’s not by chance that after the fall of the Berlin wall, the United States rapidly opened the doors of NATO to ex-socialist countries. In this way they were able to train the military and political leaders so that they would be closer to their interests.

At the beginning of 2009 one of these “Trojan Horses”, the Czech Republic, took over the Presidency of the European Union; precisely for this reason we are carrying the protest to the heart of the European Parliament and we will ask it to express itself on this fundamental question”, said Giorgio Schultze, Europe for Peace.

A press briefing will take place prior to the departure of the buses in Rokycany at 7pm tomorrow (Tuesday, February 17) in front of the Winter Stadium.

Program for Wednesday, February 18 in Brussels:
10:00 first rally outside the European Parliament (Luxembourg Plaza)
12:00 meeting of delegation with the members of the Belgian Senate
14:00 main demonstration and event “The invisibles” (Luxembourg Plaza)
14:45 Jan Tamas (Nonviolence Movement) and Josef Vondrasek (Mayor of Rozmital) will speak at the GUE/NGL meeting in the European Parliament
15:30 meeting of delegation with MEP Jill Evans
16:00 meeting of delegation with vice-president of the EP Luisa Morgantini
16:30 – 18:00 public hearing in European Parliament, building ASP, room 1G3
19:00 departure of the 3 buses back to Prague

The protest will be supported by many people across Europe with events taking place simultaneously in Madrid, Copenhagen, Berlin, Rome, Palermo, Florence, Milan, Turin, Budapest and Buenos Aires. Many international organizations are also supporting the protest, including Mayors for Peace, Pax Christi International, World Without Wars and Europe for Peace.

The Nonviolence Movement formed from the activity of a group of Czech humanists in December 2007. It aims to nonviolently oppose the US missile defense base planned to be installed in the Czech Republic. The movement gained wider recognition with the hunger strike of two of its founders Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar in May 2008, the following sequential hunger strike with more than 160 participants, as well as international conferences on the US Missile Defense and disarmament. Its website is www.nenasili.cz.

The League of Mayors against the Radar was founded in August 2007 and currently unites 54 mayors. Its website is www.StarostoveProtiRadaru.eu

Contact information:
Jan Tamáš, Ph.D.,
tel. +420 776 785 839,
jan.tamas@humanisti.cz

www.nonviolence.cz
www.nenasili.cz
info@nenasili.cz

* related articles*

18th February: News from Bruxelles and other cities, Feb. 18, 2009

Solidarity message from Japanese citizens, Feb. 18, 2009

*related blog*

Space4Peace(Organizing Notes), February 19, 2009

U.S. CATCHING HELL ON FOREIGN POLICY

Text fwd: International petition: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE:

Forward from the Lift the Sanctions Campaign

International petition: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE:
http://www.iacenter.org/africa/zimbabweopenletter


First, let us begin by saying thank you. Thank you for demonstrating to and for African people and the world the courage and conviction that must be had to be self-determining in the face of insurmountable odds. Odds that would have crushed others with any less will to be free.

The road you chose for national liberation, which was carved through your first and second Chimurengas (armed liberation wars), cut an enduring path for us all to follow. At this moment in time, when all the enemies of Africa have attempted to circle their wagons around you and crush your right to land and sovereignty, your leadership and the veterans of your struggle have rallied you to unite. The words of one of Africa's greatest patriots are so fitting to your struggle at this time ...

"No brutality, mistreatment, or torture has ever forced me to ask for grace, for I prefer to die with my head high, my faith steadfast, and my confidence profound in the destiny of my country, rather than to live in submission and scorn of sacred principles. History will one day have its say, but it will not be the history that Brussels, Paris, Washington or the United Nations will teach, but that which they will teach in the countries emancipated from colonialism and its puppets. Africa will write its own history, and it will be, to the north and to the south of the Sahara, a history of glory and dignity."
--Patrice Lumumba's last letter, December 1960

Lift the Sanctions Now!

As anti-war, community, political, youth, trade union activists and Pan Africanists along with other people of good conscience of all nationalities inside the U.S. and worldwide, we are declaring our full solidarity with the heroic struggle in Zimbabwe to defend the right to full independence and sovereignty. At the heart of this struggle is the ongoing fight for the control of African land, illegally and brutally stolen beginning in the late 19th century by racist British colonizers led by Cecil Rhodes.

The Lancaster House Agreement--signed by the representatives of the ZANU-ZAPU guerrilla movements and the British government in 1980--promised to legally transfer ownership of the millions of acres of arable land from a handful of very privileged white farmers back to the Zimbabwean people. The British government reneged on this promise while the people of Zimbabwe patiently waited for reparations in the form of land reform to happen. When their patience ran out after waiting 20 years for legal justice, the people had no other recourse but to expropriate the land themselves by any means necessary.

As a result of taking back what is rightfully their birthright: the land, the people of Zimbabwe have had to bear the full brunt of unmitigated ire and disdain on the part of the U.S. and British governments and more recently, the European Union governments. This disdain is reflected in the political demonizing of government leaders, notably President Robert Mugabe, who has defended the Zimbabwean people's right to the land.

Defending the people's right to the land, the fruits of their labor and the country's resources means recognizing the right to self-determination and sovereignty without any imperialist interference. This is President Mugabe's "crime" in the eyes of the imperialist governments and their media. Behind this demonizing of President Mugabe lies the real crime--the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S., Britain and other Western countries that have resulted in the collective punishment of the Zimbabwean people.

These cruel sanctions for almost a decade have caused massive unemployment, malnourishment, hyperinflation, deeper poverty, lack of health care and fuel, the deterioration of the infrastructure and much more. A recent cholera epidemic that has claimed the lives of thousands could have been prevented if water purification chemicals had not been banned under the sanctions.

These genocidal attacks on the human rights of the people of Zimbabwe are very reminiscent of the sanctions imposed on the Palestinian population in Gaza by the U.S.-backed Zionist state of Israel. Let's be clear--President Mugabe is not to blame for the economic crisis in Zimbabwe; it is the sanctions.

These economic sanctions along with other austerity measures imposed by the IMF and the World Bank are acts of aggression against the people of Zimbabwe with a goal of igniting political instability and regime change. We unequivocally denounce these sanctions as war crimes and the officials who initiated them as war criminals. Even as a national unity government has been implemented, the sanctions remain in place.

The people of Zimbabwe, like the people of Gaza, Iraq, Somalia and elsewhere, are inspiring examples of resisting all forms of imperialist war and occupation. Millions of people around the world are facing an unprecedented economic crisis, including the U.S., where foreclosures, evictions, layoffs, utility shut-offs, lack of health care, tuition hikes and much more are skyrocketing at an alarming rate. We face the same enemies at home as do the people of Zimbabwe--the worldwide clique of bankers and bosses who put their greed for profits before meeting people's needs. Our solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe is not just moral in character but also material in character. Their victory is also our victory.

It is in this spirit of international solidarity that we will continue to work hand in hand with our sisters and brothers in Zimbabwe to demand from the U.S., British and other imperialist governments:

• End the Economic Sanctions Now!
• Full Land Reform for the Indigenous Zimbabweans!
• Respect the Democratically Elected Leadership!
• Stop the Demonizing!
• Hands Off Zimbabwe!

Text Fwd: Anger In Kyrgyzstan Over Plane Noise, Fuel-Dumping At US Base Vital To Afghan War

Forward from: Stephanie Westbrook, nousbases@lists.riseup.net, Agatha Haun

* Image caption from the original source*

US military planes , are seen at Manas US military base in Bishkek airport Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev last week announced the closure of the base, which is a crucial staging post for coalition operations in Afghanistan. The U.S. began using the Manas base in December 2001. (AP Photo/Igor Kovalenko) (Igor Kovalenko - AP)

Anger In Kyrgyzstan Over Plane Noise, Fuel-Dumping At US Base Vital To Afghan War

Peter Leonard,
Associated Press, Friday, February 13, 2009; 10:56 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/02/13/AR20090213
01234.html

Mramornaya, Kyrgyzstan - For many in this ramshackle village just outside
the last U.S. base in Central Asia, news the Americans may be leaving
hasn't come a moment too soon.

Villagers voice grievances about pollution, airplane noise and the killing of a
Kyrgyz citizen by an Air Force serviceman. Some also fear the American
presence could drag their country into a regional conflict.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev took Washington by surprise this
month in announcing the closure of the Manas air base, which the U.S.
wants as a springboard for sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan

Bakiyev's government has accused the U.S. of refusing to pay enough for
the base and has gotten a better offer from Russia. But the opposition of
ordinary Kyrgyz to the base would make it easier to evict the Americans.

Bakiyev is under pressure because of the deepening economic crisis and is
expected to call early presidential elections this year. The injection of
Russian cash could help him prop up his popularity through increased
social spending.

One of the most contentious issues surrounding the base is the fatal
shooting of truck driver Alexander Ivanov in late 2006 as a routine security
check was conducted on his vehicle. U.S. officials claimed Ivanov
threatened the serviceman with a knife. Bakiyev has cited the case as a
reason for closing Manas.

Ivanov's widow, Marina Ivanova, says she is angry that the senior airman
responsible for her husband's death has not been held accountable and
says the $55,000 she received from the U.S. government as compensation
is inadequate. ... Villagers in Mramornaya say fuel dumped by aircraft
landing at Manas is causing skin conditions and other illnesses, while killing
off their crops. "We used to have pears, apples and tomatoes growing
here," said Zima Osmonova, a history teacher. "Now all the trees here have
dried out and the crops don't grow any longer."

Osmonova also complained about the plane noise. "If there was an
earthquake, I wouldn't know the difference," she said.

Some villagers also are concerned that the base could one day be used to
launch a strike on Iran, prompting a retaliatory attack against Kyrgyzstan.

Text Fwd: U.S. commitment to Pacific region showcased in India

* image caption from the original source *

_A Luftwaffe Eurofighter conducts aerobatic maneuvers during a demonstration over an F-16 Fighting Falcon at the Aero India 09 air show at Air Force Station Yelahanka, India, on Feb. 9. The F-16, along with the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker, F/A-18 Hornet and Eagle Vision ground satellite system, are on hand at the air show, demonstrating U.S. capabilities and commitment to the Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Sam Highley)

_Gen. Howie Chandler, Pacific Air Forces commander, watches a C-17 Globemaster III demonstration at the Aero India 09 air show at Air Force Station Yelahanka, India, on Feb. 11. General Chandler is among a number of U.S. senior leaders at the air show, which runs through Feb. 15. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Sam Highley)

http://www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123135069

by Maj. Sam Highley
13th Air Force Public Affairs

2/11/2009 - AIR FORCE STATION YELAHANKA, India -- About 150 U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense civilians are among the thousands of people from around the globe taking part in the Aero India 09 air show here.

A cross-section of U.S. military aircraft and equipment, including the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Hercules, F-16 Fighting Falcon, KC-135 Stratotanker, F/A-18 Hornet and Eagle Vision ground satellite system, are on display at the show, which began Feb. 11 and lasts five days.

This year's Aero India, which is organized by India's Ministry of Defence and hosted at the air force station here near Bangalore, India, boasts participation from more than 590 exhibitors from 25 different countries.

Col. Ray LaMarche, Director of Plans, Programs and Requirements at 13th Air Force, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and the air boss for U.S. forces participating in the event, said Aero India is a perfect venue for the United States to demonstrate its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region.

"India is the world's largest democracy, and both the United States and India are committed to a stable Pacific theater," Colonel LaMarche said. "So our countries already share some basic beliefs, and events like this allow our respective military leaders to meet and discuss common challenges."

This special bond between India and the United States was recently highlighted by President Barack Obama, who released a statement Jan. 26 for India Republic Day highlighting the nations' shared belief in democracy, liberty, pluralism and religious tolerance.

"It is our shared values that form the bedrock of a robust relationship across peoples and governments," the president said in the statement. "Those values and ideals provide the strength that enables us to meet any challenge, particularly from those who use violence to try to undermine our free and open societies."

The developing partnership between India and the United States was on full display at the air show, as Indian military officers had the opportunity to see the U.S. military aircraft there up close through demonstration and orientation flights, as well as static displays.

Maj. Mike Dinwiddie, a C-17 pilot from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and the mission commander for the Globemaster III at Aero India 09, said the interaction with the Indian armed forces and representatives from other regional militaries was a highlight of the show.

"This show is really about building relationships," Major Dinwiddie said. "By making these connections now with other countries' airmen, we're preparing ourselves to work together better down the road when it really counts."

The demonstrations also furthered efforts to promote the standardization and interoperability of the equipment and processes used by partner nations in the Pacific theater, Colonel LaMarche said.

"We're building the knowledge base that will benefit us in the future," the colonel said. "When crisis strikes, we have to be able to share data, speak the same tactical language, and plan in parallel if we want to respond successfully. Events like Aero India go a long way toward making that happen."

Promoting interoperability and building relationships was made all the more easier by the remarkable hospitality of the event organizers, according to Capt. Steven Massie, a C-130J pilot at Little Rock AFB, Ark., who came to Aero India to demonstrate the latest version of the Hercules airlifter.

"Our Indian hosts have welcomed us and taken great care of us this entire time," Captain Massie said. "It's an honor to be here, to talk about what we do for a living, and to just see this great country."