Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
WVWS on Norwegian Press on RIMPAC
http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/uriks/Selv-om-vi-er-gode-pa-cocktailpartyer_-er-vi-forst-og-fremst-en-krigsmaskin-7626822.html#.U9XdfIWBi9x
TRANSLATION (from Google Translate)
"Although we are good at cocktail parties, we are first and foremost a war machine '
HONOLULU (Aftenposten): The Norwegian frigate "Fridtjof Nansen" has risen far the river delta in the world's largest naval exercise.
KRISTOFFER RØNNE BERG Evening Post's correspondent in the United States
Oppdatert: 04.jul. 2014 13:09
Admiral Harry Harris mysteries mot sun and sighed low to fremmøtte journalistene on the quay at Pearl Harbor.
- Dere vet, leaders are welcome y asking the questions will leaders want, and we have to answer them as best we can. But reach, we tatt six U.S. hittil and they have all been about China. The 20 other country will take part in this exercise, said Harris in a voice that was both mild and severe at the same time.
But the admiral does not stream to prevent China takes most part av oppmerksomheten when Rimpac, the world's largest naval exercise, reach will be launched.
It is the first time the Chinese will take part in the exercise, as the country's official bodies lenge has Ansett as a tiltak directed at their own ambisjoner in East Asia. To reach China takes part in the US-led exercise interpreted in the U.S. as be an important skritt in riktig direction to cut emissions spenningen who oppstått-operation between the Chinese and a number of other countries in this part of the Nordic world.
Fornøyd Søreide But Harris's right - there are many other countries that are included. India, Japan, Brunei, Chile and Australia are among those who have made the trip to Pearl Harbor.
And for the first time is also the Norwegian Navy represented. As the only European countries, Norway has sent a vessel all the way to the other side of the earth.
- It be noted, says Defence Ine Eriksen Søreide, who attended the opening of the navy exercise this week.
She says that the Norwegian frigate "Fridtjof Nansen" is sent to Hawaii both to gain practical experience at a level and scale that never occurs in Europe.
- But it is also a vital national security element here. We have long wanted to take Americans' attention increasingly to our region in the north. And then it's important that we can show them that we are willing to accept our share of the collective burden distribution, not only through budgets, but also by participating in geographical areas that are important to Americans, she said.
Changes attention
Admiral Harris told Aftenposten that he totally agrees.
- What is happening in the Pacific are important for Europe and what is happening in the Arctic is of importance to us here in the Pacific, he said.
Since 2011, the U.S. government made it clear that they want to focus increasingly on Asia, which has been Norway and other NATO countries to realize that the alliance with the Americans no longer something we can take for granted.
Both Søreide and Chief Haakon Bruun-Hanssen is pleased that the Chinese also participate this year. - We are very easy to point to China as an adversary. But because we want to have stability in the Pacific region. We wish you this should not evolve into an area with a military arms race, but rather an area where there is cooperation, says defense chief.
Monday invited the Norwegians to receiving the "Fridtjof Nansen". The menu was whale meat, cured meat, smoked salmon and other specialties. And among the many white-clad guests were Zhao Xiaogang, commander of the four Chinese ships participating.
- He was very nice and for contact. He said he was happy to be invited and that he wanted me to take a trip on board to him, which I intend to do, says Commanding Officer Per Rostad on the Norwegian frigate.
- Norway should have stayed home
He agrees that exercise offers a unique training opportunity for the crew. In addition, they show off the Norwegian technology in the form of NSM missile, to be launched on 10 July in the hope that some of the housemates will flock to the King's customer list.
- Although we are good at cocktail parties and receptions and stuff, so we are first and foremost a war machine, said Rostad.
This point is Kim Compoc very aware of. She was born and raised in Honolulu and strongly dislikes the 25,000 naval personnel are gathered in his home town.
- This illustrates the militarization of our society, which we must put an end to. The main purpose of this exercise is that the defense industry wants to make more money. Moreover, this is an environmental disaster. Does anyone think of the carbon footprint of this exercise creates? I wish Norway and the other countries had remained at home, says Compoc, which has strongly involved in the case through the organization Women Voices, Women Speak.
Follow Chris on Rønneberg Correspondent The World
Statement by Womenʻs Voices, Women Speak Kollin Elderts March
July 11, 2014
We are Womenʻs Voices, Women Speak and we are here today to express our support for the family of Kollin Elderts. It is with heavy hearts that we deliver this statement. We know that their grief has surely not lessened since that horrible night in November 2011 when this precious young person was brutally murdered. No amount of solidarity will bring back this son, brother, cousin, friend. Nevertheless, we know that at times like these, we must let this family know that they do not grieve alone. This Kanaka Maoli family does not walk to that American courthouse alone. As a compassionate community, we walk with this family today, encircling them with the care and protection of our bodies, protection we could not offer to dear Kollin that night Christopher Deedy took his life away.
Our friends at the Parents of Murdered Children recently reminded us that once your family has been impacted by deadly violence like this, you never feel secure again. Imagine that? To never feel secure again. That is how it feels when your child is murdered. Now imagine that it is the government – this illegal occupying government - who did the killing, and now that same government refuses to call it murder.
As we march today, we know very little can make things better for the Eldertsʻ family. But unfortunately, we are reminded that there are many things that can make it worse. And going through two trials is surely making things worse. Having Christopher Deedy still on the job and with his badge and carrying this gun is making things worse. And having to listen to media and the defense team make disparaging remarks about Kollin is making things worse.
Why was Christopher Deedy not tested for drugs and alcohol? Apparently, as a special agent, he could refuse to do so! He also had the good fortune of being alive to tell the tale. Poor Kollin, on the other hand, is subject to any number of allegations about his behavior that night, but he is no longer here to defend himself. This is a violation of his basic human rights and dignity. While we are outraged by his murder, we are also outraged by the way he is now bombarded with these insults against his character.
We are an organization that stands for “genuine security.” What does that mean to us? It means that we believe quality food, water, housing, and education are the highest priorities for human beings to feel safe and secure in a genuine way. We also believe that people’s fundamental human dignity should be honored and cultural identities respected. We are an organization that stands up against militarism, and any notion that the US military is a “natural” presence here.
The APEC conference represents the opposite of these priorities. They represent the 1%, the mega-rich, the corporations, those with the money to protect their assets and their agenda. And sure enough, a militarized police force was hired at great expense - at our expense - to protect their agenda. With Christopher Deedyʻs help, they knew they could aim their guns at anyone suspected of getting in their way and shoot with impunity. Many of us did not know how serious they were about this agenda until they took Kollin away from us.
Why is it important to think about security? Because this government commits these heinous acts in the name of “national security” or “regional security” or “public safety” – and they depend on us not to complain or protest or call them out on their lies. But we are here to let them know we demand Justice for Kollin Elderts! We demand genuine security, genuine peace and genuine sovereignty for our families, our communities, and our precious island home.
Mahalo and mālama pono.
We Need To Ask Hard Questions About RIMPAC
By Kim Compoc and Shelley Muneoka
"We need to ask hard questions about the environmental cost of 48 ships, six submarines, and hundreds of aircraft invading our shores. What is the carbon footprint of RIMPACʻs live-fire training, sunken ships, explosive ordnance disposal, and expended fuel? What are the impacts on the military personnel who are exposed to such toxins every day?"
http://hawaiiindependent.net/story/we-need-to-ask-hard-questions-about-rimpac
"We need to ask hard questions about the environmental cost of 48 ships, six submarines, and hundreds of aircraft invading our shores. What is the carbon footprint of RIMPACʻs live-fire training, sunken ships, explosive ordnance disposal, and expended fuel? What are the impacts on the military personnel who are exposed to such toxins every day?"
http://hawaiiindependent.net/story/we-need-to-ask-hard-questions-about-rimpac
Support HB 1775, support real security for Hawai’i!
People Over Profits Rally
Hawai’i State Capitol
1/29/2014
By Khara Jabola Carolus
Imagine an American-controlled city on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Here the trees are black and the mountains are flat, barges of trash from Japan are dumped into the central bay, people have to rally for breathable air, and the capitol is so congested that drivers spend an average of 1,000 hours a year stuck in traffic. Here journalists are slaughtered for their words, entire villages are wiped out by hurricanes that exceed all weather scales, and the government is the country’s largest human trafficker. Here, if you’re like me, the daughter of a former American serviceman and a Filipino woman, your whiteness is your mother’s scarlet letter because people will always wonder if she’s your nanny, a mail-order-bride or what the American soldiers called a “LBFM PBR” --- that is, a Little Brown Fucking Machine Powered By Rice.
Thankfully, these islands are not Hawai’i. Unfortunately, they are real. They’re the Philippines today.
Hawai’i is connected to the Philippines by its history of conquest and because the militarization of our everyday lives is connected to the U.S. imperialist project abroad. I’m here to talk today about people to people solidarity and the next wave of militarization in Hawai’i.
The future of Hawai’i is above us. In fact, 2014 has been dubbed “the year of the drone” for Hawai’i. Drones can be used for a myriad of applications such as invasive species control, search and rescue, and even pizza delivery but we must fully examine the policies and stakeholders behind the push for domestic drone use. The benefit to society is undeniable but the threat is also enormous.
This past December, without the people’s input or consent, Hawai’i was approved as a drone testing site for the Federal Aviation Administration’s drone program, which will integrate drones into our airspace by 2015. The Electronic Frontier Foundation anticipates that 30,000 drones will be flying inside the U.S. by 2020 as a result of the opening of airspace through the FAA test program. On the mainland U.S., it is now common practice for federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security to loan Predator drones to state and local law enforcement for everyday crime prevention. In the past three years, it has loaned out Predator drones at least 700 times. One such loan was used for the first drone-assisted arrest in 2011. Note that this Predator-assisted arrest targeted the political activity of individuals perceived as threats to the status quo.
The Predator drone is the infamous hunter/killer model used to terrorize our brothers and sisters living through the horror of U.S.-led wars in the Philippines, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.
The U.S. Congress estimates that ten to thirty percent of drone casualties abroad are innocent civilians. One Pakistani child recently testified before U.S. Congress: “Now I prefer cloudy days because the drones don’t fly. When the sky brightens and becomes blue, the drones return and so does the fear."
The push for domestic drone use is being driven by a campaign to rid the U.S. of drugs and unauthorized economic refugees crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. This supposedly contributes to the security of our communities.
In Hawai’i we know all too well that expanded law enforcement means increased incarceration and increased insecurity for our communities. If Hawai’i was an independent country, it would be the 5th largest jailer in the world. Native Hawaiians and Filipinos account for over half of those imprisoned in Hawai’i, most for drug-related offenses. The number of incarcerated women in Hawai’i is double the national number and women are the fastest growing segment of prison populations in every state under U.S. control. One third of these women are incarcerated for drug offenses.
Militarized law enforcement is not a solution to substance abuse--- which is a public health problem, nor is it a solution to poverty, houselessness, lack of education, and other so-called aggravating factors for criminal activity. Militarization will never bring genuine security to Hawaii and drones are a wasteful giveaway of taxpayers dollars to defense contractors. To reject drone surveillance is to reject the fiction that the only way for our economy to thrive is by fomenting wars and developing war industries.
Currently, there are no laws protecting us from drone surveillance by law enforcement. This Legislative session there are a number of drone bills but HB 1775 is where the protection of Hawai’i’s high standard of privacy, the protection of economic refugees, and the fight for indigenous self-determination intersect.
• It restricts law enforcement use of drones to emergency and lifesaving situations
• It bans drone collected evidence from state courts to preempt backdoor collusion x fed’l
agencies and state law enforcement)
• It bans weaponization of drones
• And it sets up a robust reporting regime that keep legislators and the public engaged
Join me in saying no to economic dependence on unsustainable industries that profit from the stolen land and labor of other island people.
No militarized policing!
No mass surveillance!
No mass incarceration!
Support HB 1775, support real security for Hawai’i!
Hawai’i State Capitol
1/29/2014
By Khara Jabola Carolus
Imagine an American-controlled city on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Here the trees are black and the mountains are flat, barges of trash from Japan are dumped into the central bay, people have to rally for breathable air, and the capitol is so congested that drivers spend an average of 1,000 hours a year stuck in traffic. Here journalists are slaughtered for their words, entire villages are wiped out by hurricanes that exceed all weather scales, and the government is the country’s largest human trafficker. Here, if you’re like me, the daughter of a former American serviceman and a Filipino woman, your whiteness is your mother’s scarlet letter because people will always wonder if she’s your nanny, a mail-order-bride or what the American soldiers called a “LBFM PBR” --- that is, a Little Brown Fucking Machine Powered By Rice.
Thankfully, these islands are not Hawai’i. Unfortunately, they are real. They’re the Philippines today.
Hawai’i is connected to the Philippines by its history of conquest and because the militarization of our everyday lives is connected to the U.S. imperialist project abroad. I’m here to talk today about people to people solidarity and the next wave of militarization in Hawai’i.
The future of Hawai’i is above us. In fact, 2014 has been dubbed “the year of the drone” for Hawai’i. Drones can be used for a myriad of applications such as invasive species control, search and rescue, and even pizza delivery but we must fully examine the policies and stakeholders behind the push for domestic drone use. The benefit to society is undeniable but the threat is also enormous.
This past December, without the people’s input or consent, Hawai’i was approved as a drone testing site for the Federal Aviation Administration’s drone program, which will integrate drones into our airspace by 2015. The Electronic Frontier Foundation anticipates that 30,000 drones will be flying inside the U.S. by 2020 as a result of the opening of airspace through the FAA test program. On the mainland U.S., it is now common practice for federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security to loan Predator drones to state and local law enforcement for everyday crime prevention. In the past three years, it has loaned out Predator drones at least 700 times. One such loan was used for the first drone-assisted arrest in 2011. Note that this Predator-assisted arrest targeted the political activity of individuals perceived as threats to the status quo.
The Predator drone is the infamous hunter/killer model used to terrorize our brothers and sisters living through the horror of U.S.-led wars in the Philippines, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.
The U.S. Congress estimates that ten to thirty percent of drone casualties abroad are innocent civilians. One Pakistani child recently testified before U.S. Congress: “Now I prefer cloudy days because the drones don’t fly. When the sky brightens and becomes blue, the drones return and so does the fear."
The push for domestic drone use is being driven by a campaign to rid the U.S. of drugs and unauthorized economic refugees crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. This supposedly contributes to the security of our communities.
In Hawai’i we know all too well that expanded law enforcement means increased incarceration and increased insecurity for our communities. If Hawai’i was an independent country, it would be the 5th largest jailer in the world. Native Hawaiians and Filipinos account for over half of those imprisoned in Hawai’i, most for drug-related offenses. The number of incarcerated women in Hawai’i is double the national number and women are the fastest growing segment of prison populations in every state under U.S. control. One third of these women are incarcerated for drug offenses.
Militarized law enforcement is not a solution to substance abuse--- which is a public health problem, nor is it a solution to poverty, houselessness, lack of education, and other so-called aggravating factors for criminal activity. Militarization will never bring genuine security to Hawaii and drones are a wasteful giveaway of taxpayers dollars to defense contractors. To reject drone surveillance is to reject the fiction that the only way for our economy to thrive is by fomenting wars and developing war industries.
Currently, there are no laws protecting us from drone surveillance by law enforcement. This Legislative session there are a number of drone bills but HB 1775 is where the protection of Hawai’i’s high standard of privacy, the protection of economic refugees, and the fight for indigenous self-determination intersect.
• It restricts law enforcement use of drones to emergency and lifesaving situations
• It bans drone collected evidence from state courts to preempt backdoor collusion x fed’l
agencies and state law enforcement)
• It bans weaponization of drones
• And it sets up a robust reporting regime that keep legislators and the public engaged
Join me in saying no to economic dependence on unsustainable industries that profit from the stolen land and labor of other island people.
No militarized policing!
No mass surveillance!
No mass incarceration!
Support HB 1775, support real security for Hawai’i!
Okinawa’s Revolt: Decades of Rape, Environmental Harm by U.S. Military Spur Residents to Rise Up
"Nearly 70 years ago the United States took over the Japanese island of
Okinawa after one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. More than
200,000 people died, mostly Japanese civilians. Today the United States
operates 34 bases on the island and is planning to build a new
state-of-the-art Marine base, despite mass protests. A multi-decade
movement of Okinawa residents has pushed for ousting U.S. forces off the
island, citing environmental concerns and sexual assaults by U.S.
soldiers on local residents. Broadcasting from Tokyo, we are joined by
two guests: Kozue Akibayashi, a professor and activist in Japan with the
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Women’s
International Network Against Militarism; and John Junkerman, a
documentary filmmaker currently working on a film about U.S. military
bases in Okinawa."
View Video and read more on Democracy Now:
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/16/okinawas_revolt_decades_of_rape_environmental
View Video and read more on Democracy Now:
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/16/okinawas_revolt_decades_of_rape_environmental
Article from Star Advertiser: "State expanding outreach" to improve isle military facilities
"A new airstrip at Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii island, a return to
live-fire training at Makua Valley on Oahu, a strong
state-military-business partnership, and military "liasons" in Hawaii
and Washington, D.C. are being pursued as the state seeks to maintain
$8.8 billion in annual military expenditures amid defense budget cuts." -
Star Advertiser, January 8, 2014
http://www.staradvertiser.com/s?action=login&f=y&id=239223231&id=239223231
http://www.staradvertiser.com/s?action=login&f=y&id=239223231&id=239223231
Seeds Planted in 2013; Cultivate Dreams for 2014.
Women
from Hawaii have been participating in the International Women's Network
Against Militarism (IWNAM) meetings for 9 years now. This network has existed since 1997, or for
16 years.
This
past November 2013,Terri Kekoʻolani, Kim Kuʻulei Birnie and Ellen-Rae
Cachola, attended the internal meeting of the International Women's Network
Against Militarism in Baguio, Philippines.
Women from Puerto Rico, U.S., Hawaiʻi, Guahan, Philippines, Okinawa, and
South Korea were in attendance. We
clarified our vision, mission, goals, developed our leadership structure and
activated working group committees.
Some
of the issues we discussed were the use of the Pagan Island for live-fire
training by the U.S. Department of Defense, and the return of the U.S. Navy to
Subic Bay Naval Base, as well as the projected development of a new naval base in Oyster
Bay, Palawan, Philippines.
Women from Hawaii reported on the presence of the
military in Hawaii as a continuation of colonization. The expansion of the
Pohakuloa Army training base, Ospreys in Mokapu, and Aegis Missile System in
Kauai are just some of the facilities that contextualize why there is
increasing Hawaiian houselessness, military housing subsidies, military vehicle
accidents, violence against women/LGBT and military recruitment in the schools.
We
also talked about how our resistance is based on values of
decolonization,
or empowering communities to reclaim their culture and their
relationship to
the land to protect one another from perpetual militarism and violence.
We have done
this through participation in the AHA Wahine conference, delegation
report backs after the 2012 network
meeting, submission of a letter of appeal to Hawaiian representatives
attending the UNESCO World Conservation in Jeju, production of a
Passionista
Fashion Show, support for legal and cultural work to reclaim Makua and
Kahoolawe, development of the Peace and Justice Crew at Farrington High
School, and presentation of our film.
Often, it is
easier to talk about security issues happening "over there," but our
goal is to continue to talk about security here at home. On
October 26, 2013 and December 29, 2013 we
screened the film, Living Along the Fenceline, on two occasions. First, to educate people on the
relationship of militarism to domestic violence. Second, to talk about militarism and colonization.
This
year, we have created ways people can practically participate
in the movement for genuine security, through supporting and
participating in our international research, education, campaigns,
finance
and communication committees. But more than just busy work, we use this
film as
an organizing tool to raise community discussion on how people see
militarism pervade their lives, and what
they are willing to do to make a change.
Let us know if you’d like to have the film screened in
your community, or to collaborate in other ways, by commenting here or on our Facebook page.
We
are embarking on a journey to make the topic of ending militarism
relevant to the various communities that we come from, so that we can
come to
meaningful conversation with each another and build relationships; so we
can
have a stronger reach beyond ourselves. Together we can be that critical
mass to let those who govern us know--we are ready for peace and
justice. We are not going to wait for someone to give it to us.
Berkeley joins Steinem & Stone in seeking Justice 4 Jeju.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2013
Berkeley joins Steinem & Stone in seeking Justice 4 Jeju.
Contacts:
Paul Liem: 510-414-5575 pliem@mindspring.com
KJ Noh: k.j.noh48@gmail.com
Christine Ahn: christineahn@mac.com
Stephanie Miyashira 524-2624
Councilmember Max Anderson 981-7130
Councilmember Kriss Worthington (510) 981-7170 kworthington@cityofberkeley.
Berkeley
made history by becoming the first City in a growing international
movement of environmentalists and peace activists to stand up for
villagers on Jeju Island in their long struggle to oppose a massive
naval base being built on the beautiful island.
Gloria Steinem emailed the Berkeley City Council: "…There
are some actions for which those of us alive today will be judged in
centuries to come. The only question will be: What did we know and when
did we know it? I think one judgment-worthy action may be what you and I
do about the militarization of Jeju Island, South Korea, in service of
the arms race.”
Jeju
Island is UNESCO’s only triple honoree: a Global Geological Park, a
Biosphere Reserve, and a World Heritage Site. This environmental jewel
was designated an “Absolute Conservation Area” by the Korean Government,
was proclaimed an “Island of Peace”, and voted one of the “New Seven
Wonders of the World.”
Affected
local villagers have engaged in seven years of principled non-violent
struggle, facing endless beatings, arrests, fines, and imprisonment.
Most recently, Sister Stella Soh, the first Catholic Nun in Korean
history to be arrested for an act of conscience, was arraigned in a
Korean court.
Stephanie
Miyashira, an activist in a wheel chair, broke down in tears as she
implored the council to support the cause of peace. She agreed with
Oliver Stone, who stated : “I deplore the militarization of Jeju Island. I deplore the building of the base. This is leading up to a war, and we cannot have another war here. We have to stop this thing.”
Christine Ahn, a scholar at the Korea Policy Institute, wrote in a heartfelt and moving letter to Berkeley City Council that she had named her daughter Jeju because of her passion for the cause of the peace activists on the island.
Berkeley’s
Resolution calls on the US Military "to cease supporting the base which
will gravely harm the fragile ecology, damage the livelihood of the
people of Jeju, and make this Island of Peace a pawn of the great powers
and a magnet for military conflict.”
This historic vote will be celebrated in a press conference at 6:30 PM on December 17 at Berkeley Old City Hall steps, 2134 MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley 94704
Contacts:
Paul Liem: 510-414-5575 pliem@mindspring.com
KJ Noh: k.j.noh48@gmail.com
Christine Ahn: christineahn@mac.com
Stephanie Miyashira 524-2624
Councilmember Max Anderson 981-7130
Councilmember Kriss Worthington (510) 981-7170 kworthington@cityofberkeley.Living Along the Fenceline, filmscreening & dialogue
Womens
Voices, Women Speak invites you to a screening of the award-winning
documentary "Living Along the Fenceline," as part of DVAC's Domestic
Violence Awareness Month programming series.
Friday Oct 25, 2013
6-8pm
The Arts at Marks Garage
1159 Nuʻuanu Ave
Featuring stories of women in Hawai'i, Guam, Philippines, Okinawa, Texas, Vieques and South Korea, this film highlights how the culture of violence in the military infuses daily life around the bases. But in women's resistance to violence, alternative ideas of peace and genuine security continue to emerge.
The film has won Best Feature Documentary, Toronto Female Eye Film Festival 2013, and has been shown at the Guam-USA International Film Festival, and Jeju Women's Film Festival. More information on the film, see http://www.alongthefenceline.com/
Brandy Nalani McDougall, Native Hawaiian poet and scholar, will open the screening with her powerful poetry, so plan to arrive early!
*Post-film discussion
*Live additions to the Passionista! Real Kine Security Blanket
*Tabling by organizations engaged in local genuine security efforts
Sponsored by Womens Voices, Women Speak, International Women's Network Against Militarism, Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking, Domestic Violence Action Center, Filipino Law Students Association,Oceania Rising, and Hawai'i Peace and Justice.
Learning together builds movement - please share with your friends and family!
Friday Oct 25, 2013
6-8pm
The Arts at Marks Garage
1159 Nuʻuanu Ave
Featuring stories of women in Hawai'i, Guam, Philippines, Okinawa, Texas, Vieques and South Korea, this film highlights how the culture of violence in the military infuses daily life around the bases. But in women's resistance to violence, alternative ideas of peace and genuine security continue to emerge.
The film has won Best Feature Documentary, Toronto Female Eye Film Festival 2013, and has been shown at the Guam-USA International Film Festival, and Jeju Women's Film Festival. More information on the film, see http://www.alongthefenceline.com/
Brandy Nalani McDougall, Native Hawaiian poet and scholar, will open the screening with her powerful poetry, so plan to arrive early!
*Post-film discussion
*Live additions to the Passionista! Real Kine Security Blanket
*Tabling by organizations engaged in local genuine security efforts
Sponsored by Womens Voices, Women Speak, International Women's Network Against Militarism, Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking, Domestic Violence Action Center, Filipino Law Students Association,Oceania Rising, and Hawai'i Peace and Justice.
Learning together builds movement - please share with your friends and family!
MARSHALL IS: New biography details brave anti-nuclear campaigner's life
Darlene Keju's
courageous story of growing up on islands downwind of the 67 US nuclear
tests conducted at Bikini and Enewetak, as told by her husband Giff
Johnson.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Item: 8340
By a special correspondent
MAJURO (Pacific Media Watch / Marshall Islands Journal): The powerful story of a woman from the Marshall Islands who championed the cause of nuclear weapons test survivors when others were silent, and who implemented innovative community health programmes and services that gave hope to a generation of troubled youth is detailed in a just-released biography, Don’t Ever Whisper - Darlene Keju: Pacific Health Pioneer, Champion for Nuclear Survivors.
MAJURO (Pacific Media Watch / Marshall Islands Journal): The powerful story of a woman from the Marshall Islands who championed the cause of nuclear weapons test survivors when others were silent, and who implemented innovative community health programmes and services that gave hope to a generation of troubled youth is detailed in a just-released biography, Don’t Ever Whisper - Darlene Keju: Pacific Health Pioneer, Champion for Nuclear Survivors.
Written by Keju’s husband of 14 years Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal,
the weekly newspaper published in Majuro, the 443-page book has been
published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing and is available through
Amazon.com.
The new book on Darlene Keju's life.
“This book is a story
of a personal transformation of a young lady who once knew little
English to an advocate for her people, the victims of the weapons of
war,” writes Fr Francis X. Hezel, SJ, in the foreword to the new book.
“Then the further
transformation to educational innovator, whose programme had
far-reaching effects throughout her island nation.”
'Courage to dream'
Hezel, who founded the Jesuit think tank known as the Micronesian Seminar in the early 1970s and is now based in Guam, says the book is the “tale of a woman who loved her people, seeing them as so much more than victims of nuclear irradiation and colonial despoilment.
Hezel, who founded the Jesuit think tank known as the Micronesian Seminar in the early 1970s and is now based in Guam, says the book is the “tale of a woman who loved her people, seeing them as so much more than victims of nuclear irradiation and colonial despoilment.
"For those of us who
have cheered on island Micronesia through the years, it is a welcome
change to read a tribute to someone who is home grown.
"Although no saint or flag-waver, Darlene shared with Mother Theresa and Greg Mortenson (of Three Cups of Tea
fame) the courage to dream daringly along with the commitment and
patience to settle for one step — one family, one atoll — at a time.”
The book tells of Keju
growing up on islands downwind of the 67 US nuclear tests conducted at
Bikini and Enewetak, and then narrates Keju’s struggle as a teenager
moving to Hawaii with little English ability.
She ultimately earned a
master’s degree in public health, and used her US education first to
expose to the world a United States government cover up of its nuclear
weapons testing programme in the Marshall Islands, and later to inspire
young Marshall Islanders to make changes in their personal behavior to
transform the health of their communities.
Global stage
Keju took to a global stage at the World Council of Churches Assembly in Canada in 1983 to tell the world about the health impact of the American nuclear tests, and of the US Army’s discrimination against Marshall Islanders at its missile-testing base at Kwajalein Atoll.
Keju took to a global stage at the World Council of Churches Assembly in Canada in 1983 to tell the world about the health impact of the American nuclear tests, and of the US Army’s discrimination against Marshall Islanders at its missile-testing base at Kwajalein Atoll.
“Darlene’s speech in
Vancouver opened many people’s eyes, particularly in the churches, to
the suffering of the people of the Marshall Islands and other parts of
the Pacific in the wake of nuclear testing,” said Rev Ekkehard Zipser,
an official with the Protestant Church in Germany, who is quoted on the
book’s back cover.
“The consciousness of people in Europe concerning the Pacific only really began to awaken after that speech.”
“So that people can
watch Darlene’s riveting speech at the World Council of Churches
Assembly, I recently posted a video of her talk on YouTube,” said
Johnson.
“Thirty years later, it
is still one of the most powerful presentations ever delivered by a
Marshall Islander about US nuclear testing here.”
Her contention that
many more islands than the four acknowledged by the U.S. government were
exposed to nuclear test fallout was controversial at the time.
But formerly secret US
nuclear test-era documents that have come to light in recent years — and
are detailed in this biography — confirm Keju’s contention of
widespread fallout contamination in the Marshalls.
Marginalised young
Don’t Ever Whisper also tells the inspiring story of how Keju went to bat for marginalised young people in the Marshall Islands, a largely ignored population with low self-esteem and a penchant for expressing their frustrations by suicide and other anti-social behavior.
Don’t Ever Whisper also tells the inspiring story of how Keju went to bat for marginalised young people in the Marshall Islands, a largely ignored population with low self-esteem and a penchant for expressing their frustrations by suicide and other anti-social behavior.
She established the non-government group Youth to Youth in Health
that empowered young people and their communities to take control of
their own health and economic well-being through work that was praised
as a model for the Pacific by the US Public Health Service and the
United Nations Population Fund.
Keju died of cancer at age 45, but Youth to Youth in Health, now in its 27th year of operations, continues programmes and services for at-risk youth that Keju pioneered.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
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Military Sexual Violence: From Frontline to Fenceline
By Annie Isabel Fukushima and Gwyn Kirk, June 17, 2013
As more U.S. military women break the silence about sexual violence committed by their comrades in arms, it is clear that sporadic “scandals”—at the Tailhook Naval Aviators’ Convention (1991), Aberdeen Proving Grounds Ordnance Center (1996), the U.S. Air Force Academy (2003)—are not isolated incidents, but spring from the mycelium of U.S. military culture and ideology. Read more...
As more U.S. military women break the silence about sexual violence committed by their comrades in arms, it is clear that sporadic “scandals”—at the Tailhook Naval Aviators’ Convention (1991), Aberdeen Proving Grounds Ordnance Center (1996), the U.S. Air Force Academy (2003)—are not isolated incidents, but spring from the mycelium of U.S. military culture and ideology. Read more...
De-Militarize Hawaii
Opinion-Editorial by hauMĀNA - originally published in Honolulu Civil Beat
http://www.civilbeat.com/posts/2012/09/28/17257-de-militarize-hawaii/
De-Militarize Hawaii
If you’ve heard the long, blaring commercials, the mountain-rattling roar of fighter jet engines and perhaps even the practice blasts of simulated bombings and the “wall of fire” over the past weeks then you are likely aware that the annual Blue Angels air show is this Saturday at Kāneʻohe Marine Corp Base (KMCB).
Colonel Brian Annicharico, the Commanding Officer at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi describes the airshow as “A myriad of professional, civilian and military aerobatic demonstrations as well as military static displays.” But for many of us who call Hawaiʻi home, the upcoming air show is so much more than a “demonstration of aerobatics.”
Rather, it is a stark reminder of how military power in Hawaiʻi has heavily impacted our history, our land, and our people.
For many Kānaka Maoli, this blatant display of U.S. military might triggers the collective memory of our people to recall the landing of U.S. Marines in Honolulu on January 16th, 1893 to assist in the overthrow our beloved Queen, Liliʻuokalani. This military power that suppressed freedom of speech and protest against the overthrow of our Queen, is the same military power that continues to occupy the lands and minds of our people here in Hawaiʻi today.
Hawaiʻi’s value to the U.S. was, and continues to be, measured in its strategic usefulness as a military outpost and training ground. Since the 1893 landing of U.S. Marines in Honolulu, military presence and power in Hawaiʻi has grown exponentially. Currently, the military controls nearly 240,000 acres of land in our islands, upon which 161 military installations are housed. On Oʻahu alone, the military controls over 85,000 acres, or approximately 22 percent of the island’s entire land mass. This has contributed to a multitude of environmental and social justice issues across our ʻāina, including, but not limited to the contamination of our land and water resources with unexploded ordinances and depleted uranium.
For those of us who trace our genealogies back to the land and seas of Hawaiʻi, it is extremely problematic and painful to witness the military’s continued exploitation of these ancestors of ours for their live-fire training exercises. In this sense, the air show on Saturday with all its aerobatic displays, simulated bombings and walls of fire is more than just a reminder of the physical impacts of the military in Hawai’i but is also symbolic of an extreme power divide that renders those who are genealogically connected to this ʻāina, virtually powerless.
But powerless we are not. Throughout history, people whose only weapon in hand is aloha for their ʻāina have united in great numbers, and have indeed made great strides towards global peace and justice. Our own history tells the story of a group of people who united, struggled and succeeded in stopping the U.S. Navy’s bombing of Kahoʻolawe. The fight for land and culture that allows people and places to thrive continues. Merely three weeks ago, 100,000 people in Okinawa and 10,000 people in Japan gathered in protest of the arrival of twelve MV-22 Osprey aircraft, expressing serious concerns over the safety and well-being of their people.  Currently, the U.S. military is proposing to station 24 MV-22 Osprey aircraft to train over the densely populated area of Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu, and on our sacred Mauna a Wākea at the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi island. This is double the number of aircraft that Japan is protesting against. Building a movement and strengthened voice focused on love for the land, aloha ʻāina, is absolutely critical to curbing the continuation of military expansion in Hawaiʻi, which will only work to consume the economic, environmental, and social values of this, our home.
This Saturday a group of students and community members will gather at the intersection of Likelike and Kamehameha Highway between 8 and 9am to demonstrate our solidarity with those who envision an independent and de-militarized Hawaiʻi whose lands, traditions, natural resources, people and deities are respected, allowed to flourish, and are protected from exploitation as training grounds for U.S. military activities around the world.
We will give space and voice to a message of Aloha ʻĀina in opposition to one that works to normalize the exploitation of land and people through the glorification of war and violence. We also stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Okinawa, Japan, Guam and others from around the great Pacific, who are currently engaged in resistance efforts against military expansion in their own countries.
Ours is a message of peace and it is with a deep and intimate sense of aloha for our ʻāina that we stand here today, steadfast in our opposition to any and all actions that compromise the well-being of our ʻāina and our people - past, present, and future. We invite you to join us in doing the same.
Me ke aloha ʻāina, hauMĀNA Student Movement For Aloha No Ka Aina
Noʻeau Peralto, Hawaiian Studies
ʻIlima Long, Hawaiian Studies
Kaiwipuni Lipe, College of Education
Eric Tong, Oceanography
David Kealiʻi MacKenzie, Library & Information Science, Center For Pacific Island Studies
Meghan Leialoha Au, Hawaiian Studies
Waianuhea Walk, Hawaiian Studies, Hawaiian Language
Pūlama Long, Hawaiian Language
Eri Oura, alumni, Political Science
Ileana Haunani Rueles, Sociology
Elise Leimomi Davis, Public Health
Ka'ano'i Walk, Hawaiian Language
About the author: hauMĀNA is the UH student branch of Movement For Aloha No Ka Aina (MANA), a Hawaiian Independence Movement-building organization established to achieve independence and social justice through direct action, political education, economic development, international diplomacy, and public advocacy, with a cultural and spiritual foundation.
Protest in Solidarity with Gangjeong Villagers (Korean Consulate, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi)
Yesterday, 6 September 2012, Hawaiʻi Peace & Justice organized a protest in front of the Korean Consulate in Honolulu. This protest was organized in SOLIDARITY with the Gangjeong villagers of Jeju island who are fighting against naval base construction -- read more about this at www.savejejunow.org and read Womenʻs Voices Women Speakʻs request for solidarity at http://wvws808.blogspot.com/2012/09/solidarity-requested-of-hawaii.html
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Soo Sun (in the black) is talking to the Korean consul general --- NO NAVAL BASE ON JEJU ISLAND!
Korean Consul General
Soo Sun of Hawaiʻi Peace & Justice made these awesome cardboard costumes -- Steve rocked the red crab outfit!
Thatʻs a Samsung bulldozer threatening the livelihoods of all of these wonderous creatures of Jeju island
Iksoo sporting the fish! see the tear drop? naval base construction is destroying the habitats of all these rare marine animals!
Renie letting the Pali Hwy commuters know why we were there!
To the Delegates of the World Conservation Congress (from Hawaiʻi Peace & Justice)
CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE
UPDATE: IUCN OFFICIALLY BLOCKS PARTICIPATION BY JEJU VILLAGERS WHO OPPOSE NAVAL BASE CONSTRUCTION NEAR CONVENTION
OPEN LETTER #3.
TO: IUCN Leadership, Participants, and Global Environmental Organizations.
FROM:Emergency Action Committee to Save Jeju Island
***********
UPDATE:
IUCN OFFICIALLY BLOCKS PARTICIPATION
BY JEJU VILLAGERS WHO OPPOSE NAVAL
BASE CONSTRUCTION NEAR CONVENTION
IUCN leadership still refuses to
criticize Korea's destructive naval base, though construction work is
killing rare soft corals, numerous endangered species (including from
IUCN's Red List), and destroying indigenous communities and livelihoods.
This stance from IUCN defies its traditional mission, conserving nature
and a "just world."
NEW RESOLUTIONS ARE NEEDED FOR EMERGENCY VOTE OF ALL IUCN MEMBERS
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ABOUT A MONTH AGO, this committee was joined by dozens of
co-signers from around the world, in circulating open letters to the
leadership of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN), and its associated members. The statements were remarking on
recent actions of IUCN that directly conflict with its important
historical mandates.
While continuing to proclaim its devotion to protecting Nature,
including the planet’s endangered places and species, IUCN leadership
has ignored or whitewashed projects that are assaulting these wonders,
and undermining human rights and sustainable livelihoods. For example,
the organization inexplicably planned its giant September convention
only a few minutes’ bus ride from one of the world’s great current
outrages---the construction of a large new naval base near the village
of Gangjeong, on Jeju Island, the “jewel” of South Korea. The naval
base project, meant to become home-port for Korean and U.S.
missile-carrying warships 300 miles from China, is threatening one of
the planet’s last great soft coral reefs, and other coastal treasures,
killing numerous endangered species (including one on IUCN’s famous Red
List), and destroying centuries-old sustainable communities of local
farmers and fishers. The Gangjeong villagers have
been protesting the base project for years, and are being met with
daily police brutality. Such activities represent all that IUCN has
traditionally opposed.
Then, a few days ago (August 22), an official letter arrived
from IUCN leadership informing the indigenous villagers that their
application to host a small Information Booth at the convention was
denied, though dozens have been granted for corporations and other
groups. No explanation was offered. (More details below.)
In our earlier communiques we referred to public statements from
IUCN Director-General, Julia Marton-Lefevre, supporting the Korean
government’s environmental policies, including its decisions vis-à-vis
the military base and the infamous Four Rivers Project (also discussed
below.)
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Her praise encompassed the government’s seriously flawed
“Environmental Impact Assessment” (EIA) for the base project. This,
despite that the EIA ignored three of the most critically endangered species at Gangjeong, the Red-footed Crab, Sesarma intermedium; the Jeju Freshwater Shrimp Caridina denticulata keunbaei),
endemic to Jeju Island, and the Boreal Digging Frog pictured here (an
IUCN Red-List species.) It also ignored effects upon Korea's only pod
of Indo-Pacific Bottle-nosed Dolphins which swim regularly through the
area. Neither did it explore crucial impacts upon 40 species of soft
coral, including nine that are seriously endangered, and five that are
already protected by CITES (Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). This activity takes place
only 250 meters from a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Tiger Island.
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(In an upcoming letter we will report on a far more authoritative environmental impact statement now being conducted, secretly,
by a team of well-known, non-governmental volunteer scientists from
several countries---some with prominent IUCN member organizations. They
have already documented a spectacular enormous coral garden, 7.4
hectares large, within a mile of where the destruction is now advancing.
The only other place in the world where there may exist a soft-coral
forest of this magnitude is in the Red Sea. (The divers are operating
secretly because the government deported several prior researchers.)
On a related matter, the Director General has praised the government’s “Four Rivers Restoration.” Alas, however, this is not “restoration.”
As the Korean environmental community has made clear, it’s a re-routing
of Korea’s four great wild, winding rivers into straight-line channels,
partly encased in concrete, combined with extensive dam
building, and dredging, to make them more business-friendly. The effects
on riparian communities are devastating. In four years the population
of Korea’s migratory birds, such as white-naped cranes, has been reduced
by two-thirds and in many areas, the rivers have become algae-infested
cesspools. At the recent Ramsar Convention in Bucharest (July, 2012),
the World Wetlands Network announced a “Grey Globe Award” to the Four
Rivers project, ranking it among the five worst wetlands projects in the world. The IUCN community should publicly denounce it, too.
Throughout the run-up to the Convention, neither Director-General
Marton-Lefevre, nor President Ashok Khosla, has expressed any
disapproval of the above ongoing assaults on Nature. Neither have they
made mention of the police beatings and arrests of the indigenous
protestors from Gangjeong village who are trying, every day, to protect
Nature’s treasures from being destroyed---activities that the IUCN was
actually created to protect.
90% AGREEMENT
The response to our earlier e-mailers was enormous, with at least
90% of respondents supporting our positions---including many from
mid-level IUCN leadership. In a brief burst of democratic openness, the
IUCN’s web-page reprinted our letters, while responding with
generalities about its great concern for Nature, and democratic process,
and it opened the page for public comments. But after the first 20
comments appeared, all of them critical of IUCN’s position, the
responses were erased off the page. On the other hand, the Korean
government's manifesto on its dubious "green" development policies
continues to be displayed. So much for democracy.
IUCN also announced that it will propose that attendees pass a proclamation (“Nature+”)
concerning the glories of Nature, but which still does not mention
what’s going on ten minutes away, and while also denying permission for
the local community to formally state their views in the Congress
meetings. Up to this moment, the leadership of IUCN continues to avoid
any expression of concern or even awareness of the impacts on Nature and
community, just down the street, though such concerns are central to
the organization’s mandate.
Why is IUCN leadership remaining so silent? For the
leadership, it may be more of a financial and political matter than one
of conservation or social justice, which is what IUCN was supposed to
be about. There is also an underlying reality: A large percentage of the cost of this WCC convention in Jeju is being covered by the very people building the military base. Those would be the Korean government, and several giant global corporations, notably Samsung.
Having accepted the funding, it is difficult to criticize the funders.
But the organization has gone still further. IUCN has granted the
Korean government (the “Korean Organizing Committee of the 2012 WCC,”
the chair of which, is Lee Hongkoo, the former Prime Minister of Korea, a
supporter of the base) approval-power over any South Korean
organizations wanting to present alternative views. These include
whether to grant permission to speak on the issues at the meeting, even
when they are invited to do so by bona-fide IUCN member organizations,
or merely to host an information table at the event. (See #2 below.)
IUCN has also agreed to partner with its Korean financial sponsor in
constructing and presenting the formal program of the Convention. So
now, the government, eager to advertise its green initiatives, will be
represented on every one of the five “prime-time” plenary panels of the
convention, either by government or corporate officials. It is the only
country in the world to be so
privileged. None of those panels will focus on the Gangjeong military base construction, or the Four Rivers fiasco.
Finally, the questions become these: Whose IUCN is this? Does the complicity of IUCN leadership truly represent IUCN membership? Can anything
useful still be achieved at the WCC in Jeju? On the latter point, we
actually think YES, there still is. We call upon the IUCN participants
to use the occasion to take stands on the following:
FOUR STEPS TO
CHALLENGE MILITARY BASE DESTRUCTION & TO RE-ESTABLISH IUCN'S
HISTORIC MISSION TO PROTECT NATURE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
#1. Assembly Resolutions: Shut the Base; Make a New EIA; Stop the Four Rivers Project.
Since our prior letters, our committee has become aware of the
great work of several independent groups of environmental attorneys,
representing IUCN-member organizations. They are working toward a
series of Draft Resolutions to be presented at the WCC Assemblies,
including all members. Among them are these:
Shut the Base. The first Resolution will demand
that Korea end its military base construction, and that all ravaged
lands be restored to their former condition. The Resolution will speak
in behalf of the endangered species, the rare soft corals, the sacred
sites, and the local villagers who are putting their lives on the line
to protect these treasures.
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It will also describe the many IUCN rules and prior decisions that
have been violated. These include, for example, the important principles
of the Earth Charter passed by the 2004 Congress, as well as the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention on
Biological Diversity, the World Heritage Convention, the UN Declaration
on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic and Social
Rights, among many others.
New Environmental Impact Assessment. A second Resolution may demand preparation and acceptance of a new Environmental
Impact Assessment of the naval base construction near Gangjeong---free
of government control and censorship---that will include a truly
accurate assessment of the dredging and other impacts on the soft coral
reefs, and the killing of rare species that are all absent from the
government’s document. (As indicated above, a new independent EIA is already being prepared by several outraged IUCN scientists.)
End The Four Rivers Project. A third Resolution
will demand that Korea immediately discontinue its notorious Four Rivers
Restoration project, and begin to actually restore the great rivers to their prior condition.
There is one potential complication. Unsurprisingly, the attorneys
were told by some IUCN management not to bother with these motions.
They will be “too late,” past deadline, they were told. And yet, the
historical record of IUCN offers many examples of last minute
submissions. They have always been permitted if they raise new, urgent, unforeseen
issues, and if at least ten IUCN members co-sponsor the request. There
are already more than ten willing IUCN co-sponsors. And they certainly
qualify as urgent new matters for IUCN. If we don’t stop this
destruction now, by the time IUCN meets again in four years, the corals,
the Boreal Digging Frogs and other species, and many local people will
be dead. We must not let that happen.
#2. Let the Gangjeong People Speak.
Information Booth Crisis. As briefly mentioned
above, the Gangjeong villagers, working to save habitats, biodiversity,
and the Red-List species from the military’s destruction, applied a few
months ago through official IUCN channels for permission to set up one
“information booth” among the dozens of others that have been okayed
within the convention center throughout the meeting. That would seem a
benign enough request, but a runaround ensued. Instead of routinely
okaying the application, the IUCN passed it to the Korean government
(the KOC, mentioned above) which is heavily invested in silencing
any and all opposition to the base or the Four Rivers project. Korean
newspapers have also been silenced on these matters. Repeated efforts
over recent weeks to confirm permission for the information table were
ignored. Finally, a few days ago, they received an official letter from
the Director of
IUCN’s Constituency Support Group, Enrique Lahmann. He said this:
“Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate your request for an
exhibition booth at the WCC.” That’s it. No reason was given. And no
explanation of how this fullfills official IUCN proclamations of
democracy and inclusiveness.
No Protest Allowed Within Two Kilometers.
Meanwhile, the Korean government announced that it would not permit any
demonstrations or even picketing within two kilometers of the
Convention. So, no information table inside. No demonstrations
outside. Where are we again? Isn't South Korea supposed to be a
democracy?
During the upcoming Assemblies, IUCN leaders must at last
denounce the government for these appalling moves, and permit the
villagers, who are actually doing IUCN’s work, to not only have their
information table inside the convention, but if they so choose, to go
ahead and demonstrate freely outside, just as if this were a democratic
society.
Addressing the Full Assembly. All of the above is not enough. The Gangjeong community should be permitted ----no, invited by
IUCN leadership---to address the opening and/or closing plenary of the
IUCN convention, to provide the full story of this local disaster and
what they are going through. If the government resists, the IUCN
leadership should insist. We all need to hear from the indigenous local
farmers and fisher-people, and the custodians of the sacred sites,
about what they have seen and experienced. Everyone needs to
hear this. After all, we are meeting on their indigenous soil, on their
island, on the coast that has nurtured them for thousands of years.
So, our own group inquired as to the possibility of the villagers
speaking at the assembly, but we were told by IUCN officials, as above,
that all South Korean presenters have to be approved by the government.
Here’s some good news. Several IUCN member groups have already
(quietly) invited local leaders to participate in some of the groups’
own scheduled workshop panel time to tell the Gangjeong story. (In
our next letter, we will brief you on who is speaking and at what time.
By delaying this announcement, we hope to avoid government crackdowns
against the groups.)
#3. Go Visit the Destruction Sites, and the Sacred Sites.
Members of our committee, and our Korean colleagues, will be
arranging tours of Gangjeong village, the sacred sites that are
threatened, and the front-lines of the ongoing confrontation between the
villagers and the police at the construction site. It is horrifying and
inspiring. (If you want to join those outings, please respond to: gangjeongintl@gmail.com.) It’s very easy to get there---ten minutes by local bus.
#4 Institutional Self-Examination.
Finally, we suggest that all IUCN members take this moment to
assess what is happening in Jeju, and to initiate a process of
institutional self-examination, questioning and re-organization. None
of us can afford to lose the moral and ethical leadership of one of the
world’s greatest organizations. We need to do whatever is necessary to
assure that IUCN will revive its historical mandate to place Nature
first, and to protect social justice.
Thank you for your attention.
Please let us know if you want to see the proposed resolutions;
we will forward you the final texts when they are complete. We can also
forward you the new independent Environmental Impact Assessment, when it
is completed. And you can sign up for a visit and tour of Gangjeong
Village and the military construction site. (OUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS
BELOW.)
EMERGENCY ACTION TO SAVE JEJU ISLAND
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:
Christine Ahn
Global Fund for Women; Korea Policy Institute
Imok Cha, M.D.
Jerry Mander
Foundation for Deep Ecology; International Forum on Globalization
Koohan Paik
Kauai Alliance for Peace and Social Justice
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT GROUP:
Maude Barlow
Food and Water Watch, Council of Canadians (Canada)
John Cavanagh
Institute for Policy Studies (U.S.)
Vandana Shiva, Ph.D.
Navdanya Research Organization for Science, Technology and
Ecology (India)
Douglas Tompkins
Conservation Land Trust, Foundation for Deep Ecology (Chile)
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
Tebtebba Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for
Policy Research and Education (Philippines)
Anuradha Mittal
Oakland Institute (U.S.)
Meena Raman
Third World Network (Malaysia)
Walden Bello
Member, House of Representatives (Philippines)
Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher
Environmental Protection Authority (Ethiopia)
Lagi Toribau
Greenpeace-East Asia
Mario Damato, Ph.D.
Greenpeace-East Asia
Debbie Barker
Center for Food Safety (U.S.)
Pierre Fidenci
Endangered Species International (U.S.)
John Knox
Earth Island Institute (U.S.)
David Phillips
Int'l Marine Mammal Project, Earth Island Institute (U.S.)
David Suzuki
The David Suzuki Foundation (Canada)
Robert Redford
Actor, founder of Sundance Institute (U.S.)
Mary Jo Rice
Int'l Marine Mammal Project, Earth Island Institute (U.S.)
Bill Twist
Pachamama Alliance (U.S.)
Jon Osorio, Ph.D.
Chair, Hawaiian Studies, Univ. of Hawaii (U.S.)
Sue Edwards
Institute for Sustainable Development (Ethiopia)
Galina Angarova
Pacific Environment (Russia)
Bruce Gagnon
Global Network Against
Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space (Int'l)
Andrew Kimbrell
Center for Food Safety (U.S.)
Jack Santa Barbara
Sustainable Scale Project (New Zealand)
Gloria Steinem
Author, Women’s Media Center (U.S.)
Medea Benjamin
Code Pink, Global Exchange (U.S.)
Randy Hayes
Foundation Earth (U.S.)
Noam Chomsky
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.)
Renie Wong
Hawaii Peace and Justice (Hawaii)
Kyle Kajihiro
Hawaii Peace and Justice and DMZ-Hawaii (Hawaii)
Terri Keko’olani
Hawai’i Peace and Justice and International Women's Network Against
Militarism (Hawaii)
Wayne Tanaka
Marine Law Fellow, Dept. of Land & Natural Resources (U.S.)
(signing independently)
Tony Clarke
Polaris Institute (Canada)
Sara Larrain
Sustainable Chile Project (Chile)
John Feffer
Foreign Policy in Focus (U.S.)
Victor Menotti
International Forum on Globalization (U.S.)
Arnie Saiki
Moana Nui Action Alliance (U.S.)
Nikhil Aziz
Grassroots International (U.S.)
Lisa Linda Natividad
Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice (Guam)
Rebecca Tarbotton
Rainforest Action Network (U.S.)
Kavita Ramdas
Visiting Scholar, Stanford U., Global Fund for Women (India)
Raj Patel
Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First (U.S.)
Alexis Dudden
Author, Professor of History, Connecticut University (U.S.)
Timothy Mason
Pastor, Calvary by the Sea, Honolulu (U.S.)
Katherine Muzik, Ph.D.
Marine Biologist, Kulu Wai, Kauai (U.S.)
Claire Hope Cummings
Author, Environmental attorney (U.S.)
Ann Wright
U.S. Army Colonel, Ret., Former U.S. Diplomat (U.S.)
Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ph.D.
Educator, Singer-Songwriter (U.S.)
Yong Soon Min
Professor, University of California, Irvine (U.S.)
Eugeni Capella Roca
Grup d’Estudi I Protecció d’Ecosostemes de Catalunya (Spain)
Jonathan P. Terdiman, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco (U.S.)
Evelyn Arce
International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (U.S.)
Brihananna Morgan
The Borneo Project (Borneo)
Frank Magnota, Ph.D.
Physicist (U.S.)
Delia Menozzi, M.D.
Physician (Italy)
Aaron Berez, M.D.
Physician (U.S.)
Begoña Caparros
Foundation in Movement: Art for Social Change (Uganda)
Antonio Sanz
Photographer (Spain)
Cindy Wiesner
Grassroots Global Justice (U.S.)
Gregory Elich
Author, “Strange Liberators" (U.S.)
Joseph Gerson, Ph.D.
American Friends Service Committee (U.S.)
Piljoo Kim, Ph.D.
Agglobe Services International (U.S.)
Peter Rasmussen
He-Shan World Fund (U.S.)
Wei Zhang
He-Shan World Fund (U.S.)
Harold Sunoo
Sunoo Korea Peace Foundation (U.S.)
Soo Sun Choe
National Campaign to End the Korean War (U.S.)
Angie Zelter
Trident Ploughshares, (UK)
Ramsay Liem
Visiting Scholar, Center for Human Rights, Boston College (U.S.)
Kerry Kriger, PhD
Save The Frogs (U.S.)
Marianne Eguey
Jade Associates, (France)
Claire Greensfelder
INOCHI-Plutonium Free Future (U.S.-Japan)
Laura Frost, Ph.D.
The New School (U.S.)
Chris Bregler, Ph.D.
New York University (U.S.)
David Vine
Assistant Professor, American University (U.S.)
Simone Chun
Assistant Prof., Gov’t Department, Suffolk U., Boston (U.S.)
Matt Rothschild
Editor, The Progressive magazine (U.S.)
Henry Em
Professor, East Asian Studies, NYU (U.S.)
Eric Holt-Gimenez
Institute for Food and Development Policy (U.S.)
Maivan Clech Lam
Professor Emerita of Int'l Law, CUNY (U.S.)
Mari Matsuda
Professor of Law, Richardson Law School, Univ. of Hawaii (U.S.)
Beth Burrows
The Edmonds Institute (U.S.)
Aileen Mioko Smith
Green Action (Japan)
Susan George, Ph.D.
Transnational Institute (The Netherlands)
Marianne Manilov
The Engage Network (U.S.)
S. Faizi
Institute for Societal Advancement, Kerala (India)
Syed Ashraf ul Islam
Ministry of Food & Disaster Management (Bangladesh)
Manaparambi Koru Prasad
Kerala Local Self Government Department (India)
Hernán Torres, Director
Torres Asociados Ltda. (Chile)
Carlo Modonesi
Environmental Biologist, Parma University (Italy)
Andrej Kranjc
Secretary-General, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Slovenia)
Ning Labbish Chao
Bio-Amazonia Conservation International (U.S.)
Perumal Vivekanandan
SEVA (India)
David Newsome
Environmental Science and Ecotourism, Murdoch University, Perth (Australia)
And:
Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and
Citizen Institute for Environmental Studies (South Korea)
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