Daechuri residents held their last vigil, but the fight against base expansion goes on. The March 24 vigil was the 935th since the villagers began the nightly gathering to protest their expulsion from their land. Last month, villagers were forced into an “agreement” to leave their land by the end of March. (see previous articles).
Several hundred supporters came to Daechuri for the last vigil, to honor the residents' struggle and continue the fight against the base expansion. During the vigil, residents celebrated and remembered their village and the amazing community that has grown to fight alongside them, and denounced and mourned the impending destruction of their homes. The mood was not the satisfaction and peaceful resolution that has been presented in the mass media. When the vigil ended with a long wordless shout, as it has every night for two and a half years, the shout lasted much longer than usual, and some residents and supporters cried when it finally ended.
Residents expect to actually leave sometime in April. They will stay in temporary housing until their new homes, in a new village, are ready. One of the villagers' main demands, once they accepted the governments' final ultimatum to leave or be forced out with nothing, was to be able to live together in a new village.
Some activists who have made Daechuri and neighboring Doduri their homes will continue to live in the villages. These activists have the support of Daechuri villagers and will continue their fight against the base expansion. The activists, and supporters from around Korea, will hold their third meeting in Daechuri on Saturday, April 7. The KCPT coalition of Korean social movements will also continue to oppose the base expansion.
For photos of the last vigil, and an excellent video with images from Daechuri, see http://antigizi.or.kr/zboard/view.php?id=news&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=413
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