Pyongtaek Activists Face Expulsion
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The government will implement plans to drive out activists and farmers refusing to vacate lands needed for a new U.S. military installation in Pyongtaek, Kyonggi Province, as early as Thursday, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
The government will send unarmed military engineer units and policemen to the area near Camp Humphreys, to seize control of the Taechuri Primary School that protesters have turned into a makeshift headquarters, a ministry spokesman said.
Soldiers are also setting up barbed wire fencing in certain parts of the area, he said. The fence is some 20 kilometers long and 1.8 meters high.
Last month, the Suwon District Court gave the green light for the ministry's forceful takeover of the government owned lands until May 7.
Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung reaffirmed the government's position on the issue, saying that a further delay in the agreed deal could undermine diplomatic relations between the two allies.
``I feel very, very sorry to see a social controversy arising over the base relocation plan, a national project agreed on between Seoul and Washington, and later approved by the National Assembly,'' Yoon said in a press conference.
The minister stressed the government has sought compromise with Pyongtaek residents in a sincere manner, citing a total of 150 rounds of talks with farmers and activists since 2004, including three last month.
The decision to send forces came after protesters failed to respond by Tuesday to the Defense Ministry's ultimatum for talks between representatives from the ministry and farmers over the base expansion plan, which is part of an agreement between Seoul and Washington struck in 2004.
The government purchased 9.4 million square meters of farmland in the region last year for the U.S. military's primary compound on the Korean Peninsula to open by 2008 under the 2004 pact.
Some villagers moved out but others, led by the progressive group, have opposed the plan. One of their main tactics was to plant a new spring crop on the land.
The planting of a rice crop is significant because a court ruling in an unrelated case could block the government from disturbing the crops once the stalks grow past four to five centimeters.
The ministry argues the previous ruling might be invalid since it informed farmers in advance that the site is legally owned by the nation.
The government has continued efforts to stop farming but failed. Each time, government officials called off the effort in the face of scuffles between protesters and police.
Under the 2004 agreement, the United States is required to gradually hand back 170 million square meters of land housing 42 military bases and facilities across the country by 2011. In return, Seoul promised to offer 12 million square meters of land to expand Camp Humphrey and Osan Air Base in Pyongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
05-03-2006 17:08
|
|
