KCPT Statement On the Erection of Barbed Wire
from November 9, 2006
Stop the human rights violations and political repression of Pyongtaek residents!
Re-open negotiations with the residents immediately!
Yesterday and today (November 8th and 9th), the Korean Ministry of Defense erected additional barbed wire in the area around Dachuri. This act, which started with the military occupation of Dachuri in May, demonstrates clearly the government’s intention to prevent the cultivation of 1,00,000 pyeong (1 pyeong = 3.058 square meters) of farmland, which until now has been alive with crops.
The barbed-wire blockade is meant to ensure that the residents are completely isolated and left alone with only their own will and resources to carry out the struggle against the base expansion. In this respect it resembles the Segregation Wall constructed by the Israel government in the West Bank encircle Palestinians and rob them of their land. This is yet another act of oppression on top of the politically motivated trial and excessive two-year sentence given to residents’ representative Ji-Tae Kim, which were a method to further agitate the residents of Dachuri and threaten the residents of Doduri into moving out and splitting from the struggle. It is an increase in the level of policing even beyond the illegal inspections carried out on the village perimeter in order to control passage in and out. All of these steps together are none other than the exertion of national violence to completely isolate Dachuri residents from the outside world and through this segregation cause their struggle to wither.
In order to erect the barbed wire, soldiers blocked resident students’ school bus in a total disregard for their right to attend classes. As one resident said, even though it is our tradition to continue on the path of learning by any means, even to set up tent-schools during wartime, the Ministry of National Defense prevented students from attending school in order to construct its segregation wall.
In addition, within the barbed wire, rice plants ripened to gold are waiting to be harvested. Despite the fact that the rice is worth several hundred thousand dollars, the MND cares not in the least bit that it will go to rot. Rather they are only concerned with moving forward with their plan at any cost.
Having installed additional barbed-wire, the MND now intends to start in earnest on leveling the ground for the base expansion. Yet, given the possibility of further reductions in the number of U.S. troops stationed in Korea, it is clear that the 2,850,000 pyeong allotted for the base is excessive. And given the fact that this matter was left to be settled later after the conclusion of the annual Korea-US security meeting, the government’s merciless stance towards the residents who are opposing its policies is clearly erroneous.
No matter what violent methods the government tries to use, whether to meet U.S. demands or to stick to its own course, the fact that the base expansion project is part of the U.S. plan for Strategic Flexibility and being carried out to construct a base for military aggression does not change. On the contrary, that the government is using violent means to steal golden farmland and turn it into an American base only demonstrates even more clearly the mistake in its policy. The government must stop the human rights violations and immense repression of the residents immediately and re-open negotiations to settle the problem through dialogue. This is the only path consistent with the basic right to live in peace guaranteed by the constitution and the only way to prevent the tragedy of war from coming to this land.
*Release residents’ representative Ji-Tae Kim immediately!
*Stop the erection of the Segregation Wall around the village immediately!
*Re-open negotiations immediately and through dialogue end the base expansion!
*We condemn the Noh administration for its human rights violations and repression against the residents!
*Abandon the building of base for military aggression and move forward on the road towards peace in Korea!
November 9, 2006
Korea Coalition against US base expansion in PyeongTaek (KCPT)
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