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9.13 Police invade Daechuri and Doduri, demolish over 60 houses

22,000 riot police and 450 contracted construction workers and thugs invaded and occupied the villages of Daechuri and Doduri today at dawn. Police demolition equipment managed to wipe out 68 of the 90 houses that the Korean Ministry of Defense had threatened to destroy, but villagers successfully defended some houses.

The Ministry of Defense had promised to only destroy empty houses. But several squatted and renovated houses, as well as one long-term resident's house, were knocked down. A backhoe also destroyed a farming warehouse with expensive farming equipment inside, including a 100,000 USD tractor.

Children from Daechuri were unable to go to school today, because of the police lockdown of the the roads leading to town. In the village, police controls kept elderly residents from entering their homes and fields, and 10 residents received minor injuries at the hands of the police and their contractors. Some of the contractors also insulted (“bitch”, etc) elderly residents who were fighting to stop the demolitions or to reach their homes.
 

Many outside supporters were kept from entering the village by tight police checkpoints over the past several days, and 21 were arrested this morning trying to enter to defend the village. But despite their overwhelming numerical disadvantage and several arrests in Daechuri, villagers and supporters struggled all day to defend the village. The police's first target in Daechuri was the Human Rights house. Several human rights activists had tied themselves to the lookout tower on the roof of the building and threw out the ladder, and residents barricaded the building to keep the cops from coming up. But the police eventually managed to enter, and dragged out and arrested the activists before smashing up the house and all of the beautiful murals that it contained.

But around 40 other people who climbed onto the roofs of other buildings kept the police from destroying 13 houses in Daechuri. At one house right at the entrance to town, police stood off for hours with two people sitting on the pointed top of the house's sloping roof. The house was surrounded by villagers. After several failed attempts to force the two activists down, police promised to let them go free (and then destroy the house) if they came down on their own. But villagers already learned during previous attacks what a cop's promise is worth, so they stood their ground and insisted that the police leave. Eventually the police were forced to give up and leave the house standing and activists free.

Residents will probably now try to regroup after today's demolitions, and continue preparing their harvests and getting ready for any future attacks. Residents and supporters across Korea will also continue organizing for the national march in Seoul on September 24 (and supporters in other countries will continue preparing solidarity actions for the same day).. Hopefully there will be plenty of solidarity actions on September 24 in other countries too....

http://saveptfarmers.org/blog

In the morning S.K. semi-official news agency Yonhap reported following:

S. Korea demolishes houses for U.S. base expansion

Hundreds of workers on Wednesday began demolition work at a site designated for expanded U.S. military facilities south of Seoul, police said.

Before the work started at 7 a.m., police officers made the rounds of 90 houses in four villages from which people were evicted to make sure that no one remained there. But 40 houses were excluded from the demolition work because the remaining occupants and protesters were still inside them.

About 15,000 riot police barricaded the roads leading to the villages to prevent civic and student activists from gaining access to the contested areas.

According to police, some 10 protesters chanted "Stop forced eviction! Negotiate U.S. base relocation again!" at the top of an empty house near Peace Park in Daechuri, one of the villages marked for U.S. base expansion.

Earlier this year, military engineers erected a 29-kilometer-long wire fence near Camp Humphreys, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, to halt farming and ensure eviction.

The Pyeongtaek City government designated 2.85 million pyeong (one pyeong equals 3.3 square meters) as a restricted area for military facility protection at the request of the Defense Ministry.

The land has been earmarked to enable Camp Humphreys to triple in size by 2008 and become the U.S. military's chief installation in South Korea.

The U.S. military plans to relocate its Yongsan Garrison in downtown Seoul and the 2nd Infantry Division near the border with North Korea to Pyeongtaek...

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060913/610000000020060913112542E5.html

The chronology of the latest developments since the early morning you can read here(in Korean):

경찰, 철거용역 대추리 입구 진입...마을파괴 임박

경찰과 철거 용역들의 투입이 임박한 가운데 대추리에는 현재 긴장이 고조되고 있다.

대추리 입구에는 수십대의 경찰버스와 관광버스에 나눠 탄 경찰병력과 철거용역들이 배치돼 있는 상태다.

평택지킴이, 청년 등 수십명은 2시 경부터 철거가 예상되는 건물 옥상에서 두 세 명씩 팀을 이뤄 경찰과 철거용역들의 투입에 대비하고 있다.

이들은 건물 옥상에 '강제철거 중단' 현수막을 내걸고 끝까지 '마을파괴'에 맞설 것이라고 밝히고 있다.

13일새벽3시 50분 현재 도두리에서 대추리 입구까지 20여대의 경찰버스와 관광버스가 줄지어 있으며 원정삼거리에는 경찰 4-50명이 탑승한 관광버스를 평택지킴이 2-30여명이 막고 있다.

경찰과 철거용역들은 대추리 1반쪽에 집중돼 있으며 4반쪽에는 아직 경찰과 철거용역들은 보이지 않고 있다.

<13일 새벽 4시 30분>

경찰 배치 거의 완료...대추리, 도두리 농성 준비 들어가

새벽 4시 30분 현재, 대추리ㆍ도두리 '마을파괴(빈집 강제철거)'를 위한 경찰병력과 용역의 집결이 분주하게 진행되며, 거의 완료단계에 이른 것으로 보여 긴장감이 더욱 고조되고 있다.

도두1리 방향의 마을입구에는 약 30여 대의 경찰버스가 집결, 일부는 도두리에 남고 일부는 대추리 방향으로 이동했다.

경찰버스 뒤에 따라붙어 도두리로 들어온 관광버스에는 사복경찰과 용역으로 보이는 사람들이 내려서, 마을회관 근처에서 철거 준비를 하고 있다. 이 소식을 들은 도두리 지킴이들은 마을회관 옥상에서 농성 준비를 하고 있다.

한편, 내리 방면에서 안성천 철조망 안으로 들어온 경찰버스들이, 농로를 따라 도두리와 대추리로 계속 진입하고 있는 중이다.

철거대상 빈집은 대추리 4반에 집중돼 있어, 대다수의 지킴이들은 여기에서 철거에 대비하여 바리케이트를 치고 있다. 이에따라 1반쪽에 있던 경찰버스들도 4반으로 이동하고 있다.

<13일 아침 6시>

대추리 비상사이렌...경찰, 철거용역들 진입

5시 57분 현재 비상사태를 알리는 사이렌이 울리기 시작했다.

내리 방면에 있던 경찰 병력이 차에서 내려 논길을 따라 대추리를 향해 들어오고 있다.

아메리칸 타운 공장 뒤쪽에는 포크레인 등 중장비와 경찰, 용역 들이 대기하고 있고 도두리 문무인상에서 대추리 4반 방향으로 경찰 수천여명이 열을 지어 들어오고 있다.

정부관계자에 따르면 현재 전투경찰 180여개 중대가 동원된 것으로 알려졌다.

경찰 간부들이 흩어져 대추리와 도두리의 빈집들을 확인하고 있으며 조만간 마을파괴 작업에 들어갈 것으로 보인다.

도두리 방면 철거용역들은 흰 철모를 쓰고 있으며 일부 용역은 경찰용 방패까지 지급된 것으로 보인다. 이들 철거 용역들 사이에는 피켓을 든 아주머니들의 모습도 눈에 띤다.

13일아침 5시 50분 현재 도두리에는 중장비가 진입해 있고 대추리, 도두리에 소방차와 구급차 30여대가 들어와 비상사태를 대비하고 있다.

지붕에 올라가 있는 지킴이들은 "사람이 살고 있어요. 강제철거 중단하라"는 구호가 적힌 플랜카드를 들고 '마을파괴 중단하라'며 소리치고 있으며 마을 주민들은 근심과 불안함이 가득한 얼굴로 도두리에서 대추리로 들어오는 입구로 모여들고 있다.

마을에는 계속 사이렌이 울리고 있다.

<13일 아침 7시 10분>

경찰 호위 받으며 철거용역들 '마을파괴' 시작

"우리 가슴에 진실을 안고 있는 한 우리는 당당합니다. 오늘 우리 한 없이 당당해 집시다."

그야말로 한 줌도 안되는 주민들과 지킴이들의 모습이 이처럼 당당해 보일 수 있을까.

경찰들이 아침을 먹고 있는 사이 평화 공원에 짧은 결의대회를 진행한 주민들과 지킴이들은 "오늘 하루 당당하게 보내자"며 서로를 다독였다.

문정현 신부는 "우리는 약하지만 누구보다 강하다"며 가슴에 진실을 담고 있는 한 이 싸움은 꼭 이긴다며 주먹을 치켜올렸고 주민들도 큰 함성과 박수로 한껏 결의를 다졌다.

평택 범대위 오두희 집행위원장은 "이날의 치욕과 분노를 똑똑히 보고 전국 방방 곡곡에 진실을 알려내자"고 당부했다.

긴 밤을 뜬 눈으로 지샌 주민들은 비상을 알리는 싸이렌이 울리자 차라리 마음이 편하다는 표정이다. 동이 트기 전부터 평화공원에 모였던 주민들은 마을을 뒤덮고 대기중인 경찰 병력을 보며 쌓아뒀던 분통을 터뜨렸다.

"여기 빈집이 어딨어? 나쁜놈들아" "왜 이 땅을 미국놈들한테 줘야하냐"

결의대회가 채 끝나기 전에 대추리 1반, 4반 방향으로 경찰들이 움직이기 시작해서 주민들이 황급히 나뉘어져 용역들과 경찰들의 움직임을 차단하기 위한 행동에 나서고 있다.

1반 입구로 들어오는 경찰과 철거용역들을 주민, 지킴이 등 100여명이 막아 보았으나 숫적으로 상대가 되지 못했다. 7시 10분 경 대추리 1반 옆 미군기지 담장 근처의 집들이 파괴되기 시작했다. 주민들은 철거용역들에게 막대기를 들고 항의해 보려 했으나 철거용역들은 엄청난 숫자의 경찰에게 호위 받고 있는 상황이다.

대추리 4반 입구에는 주민들이 바닥에 은박지를 깔고 연좌시위를 벌이고 있다.

한편 오전 7시를 기해 도두리에서도 마을파괴가 시작됐다. 6시 30분 경 도두리 1반과 2반 방향으로 포크레인을 앞세운 용역들이 진출 하는 것과 동시에 약 3천여명의 경찰 병력들은 도두리 마을 입구는 물론 골목골목을 봉쇄했다.

도두리 1반과 2반의 집들 지붕에서는 건물 잔해에서 나오는 먼지가 나오고 있으며 주민들은 넋을 잃고 바라보고 있다.

주민들은 "내 눈에서 눈물나면 너희들은 피눈물 난다", "우리 집에 털끝 만큼만 닿기만 해봐라" 등을 외치며 항의했지만 마을을 둘러싼 경찰에게는 들리지 않는 듯하다.

<13일 아침 7시 50분>

마을파괴 순식간에 진행...경찰, 평화전망대 진입시도 위험 상황 발생할 수도

경찰과 철거용역들의 마을파괴가 순식간에 이뤄지고 있다.

13일 아침 7시 10분 경 대추리와 도두리에서 일제히 시작된 마을파괴는 비교적 저항이 적은 도두리의 경우 상당히 빠르게 진행되고 있으며 대추리에서도 첫 번째 집이 불과 20분만에 완전히 파괴되었다.

대추리의 두번째 집을 철거하기 위해 경찰들이 집을 완전히 에워싸고 안에서 격렬하게 저항하는 할머니들을 다 끌어내 가옥파괴에 나섰다.

13일아침 7시 40분 현재 대추분교 앞 길은 경찰들이 장악하고 있으며 지킴이들과 주민들의 이동을 막고 있다.

한편 인권활동가 다섯명이 고공농성중인 평화전망대에도 경찰이 투입됐다. 1반과 4반으로 경찰과 철거 용역들이 진입해 주민들과 평택지킴이들의 시선이 분산되자 마자 벌어진 일이다.

경찰 500여명은 평화전망대가 있는 집 주변을 완전히 둘러싸고 진입을 시도하고 있다. 옥상으로 통하는 계단에는 의자와 가구 등 집기가 켭켭이 쌓여있어 경찰들의 진입이 쉽지 않은 상태다.

맨몸으로 진입이 어렵다고 판단한 경찰은 포크레인을 동원해 대문 입구를 부수면서 진입을 시도할 것으로 보인다.

인권지킴이 다섯명은 평화전망대에 사슬로 몸을 묶은 채 '강제철거 중단하라', '사람이 살고 있다' 등의 구호를 외치며 완강하게 저항하고 있다. 아울러 주민들도 전망대 집 주변으로 몰려와 격렬히 항의하고 있다.

비교적 철거대상 가옥이 많이 분포된 4반에는 경찰 간부들이 흩어져 집을 확인하고 있으며 조만간 가옥파괴에 나설 것으로 보인다.

<13일 아침 9시>
경찰, 인권활동가 연행 후 평화전망대 파괴

경찰들의 호위 아래 용역 50여명이 절단기와 소화기, 플라스틱 방패를 들고 평화전망대 진입을 시작했다. 중장비 한 대가 건물을 철거하기 위해 대문 밖에서 대기하고 있는 상황에서, 용역들이 2층으로 진입해 가구들을 마당으로 떨어뜨렸다.

이 과정에서 강제철거를 중단하라는 지킴이들의 절규와 유리창이 부서지는 소리가 뒤엉켜 처절한 상황이 연출됐다.

용역들과 경찰이 옥상에 진입했고, 용역들이 전망대 주변을 둘러싸자 사복경찰들이 망루에 올라가 지킴이들의 몸을 묶고 있는 밧줄을 풀어내고 연행을 시작했다.

지킴이 한 명당 4명이 경찰이 붙어 이들의 팔을 뒤고 꺽고 몸을 눌러 무력화시킨 뒤 폭력적으로 연행했다.

한 여성 지킴이는 사지가 들린 채 옥상계단으로 끌려내려오는 위험천만한 상황이 벌어지기도 했다.

지킴이들은 폭력적인 연행과정에서도 끝까지 '강제철거를 중단하라'는 구호를 외치면서 강제철거의 부당함을 호소했다.

이들이 연행되자마자 밖에서 대기하고 있던 중장비가 무자비하게 건물을 무너뜨리기 시작했고, 옆집에 살고 있는 방효태 할아버지는 이 광경을 망연자실하게 쳐다보기만 할 뿐이다.

무리하게 진행되는 철거하는 과정에서 전봇대가 아무렇게나 쓰러지거나 파편이 튀는 등 위험한 상황이 벌어지고 있다.

<13일 아침9시 50분>

경찰.용역 마구잡이 마을파괴..."전기 끊어놓으면 어쩌란 말이냐"

포크레인 3대가 동원돼 마을파괴가 진행되고 있는 대추리 4반 일대에는 이른 아침부터 주민들의 거센 불만의 목소리가 나오고 있다.

현재 4반 일대의 연립주택들이 모두 철거됐으며 나머지 집들도 경찰의 보호속에 용역에 의해 철거가 진행되고 있다. 평화공원 옆길에 위치한 건물들을 철거하기 위해 포크레인이 들이닥치자 시민들은 앞을 가로막고 몸으로 강제철거에 저항했다.

이에 경찰과 용역들은 포크레인 앞을 가로막은 주민들을 하나둘씩 끌어내 결국 평화공원 옆 건물들에 대한 강제철거를 시작했다. 주민들은 철거가 시작되자 "전기선을 끊으면 어떻게 하냐"면서 "다 끊어 놓으면 아래 사람은 어떻게 사냐"고 경찰을 향해 소리쳤다.

경찰 책임자는 그러나 "곧 조치를 취할 것"이라면서도 "모르겠다"는 말로 일관하며 자리를 급히 피했다. 이를 지켜보던 대추리 주민들은 "노무현이 뭔가 했다는 것을 보여주고 싶어서 이러는 것"이라며 "미군한테 땅을 줬다는 것을 보여주려고 한다"고 말했다.

정든 이웃집이 속수무책으로 헐려나가는 것을 본 주민들은 이성을 잃고 포크레인 앞으로 달려들었고 건물 잔해 위에 그대로 드러누워 버렸다.

대추리 이민강 할아버지는 포크레인으로 달려들었지만 이내 경찰들에게 두 팔을 붙들려 끌려나왔다.

"나는 이미 죽은 목숨이야. 나는 이제 뵈는 게 없어. 저것들 다 죽여버리고 싶어." 눈에 핏발을 세우며 달려들던 이 할아버지는 분을 삭히지 못했고 끝내 지킴이들의 부축을 받으며 물러났다.

생가(사람이 사는 집) 바로 옆에 있는 집이 철거되면서 생가의 농작물이 심하게 훼손되는 일도 계속 벌어지고 있다.

김영녀 할머니의 배추밭과 콩밭은 경찰과 용역들의 발에 짓이겨져 흉물스러운 모습을 드러냈다. 김 할머니는 "가만히 놔두면 잘 영글어 갈 것들을 저렇게 밟아놓았다"며 지팡이를 휘두르면서 경찰들 앞에 그대로 누워버렸다.

"왜 나가라고 해. 늙은이 나가면 거지 되는 데 가만 살게 냅두지 왜 자꾸 나가라고 하는 겨" 김 할머니는 주저 앉은 채로 발버둥을 치며 있는 힘을 다해 경찰들에 흙을 집어 던져 봤지만 분이 풀리기에는 너무나 미약한 몸짓이다.

주민들은 "이렇게 우리 마을 뭉개놓은 노무현은 언젠가 응분의 댓가를 받게 될 것"이라며 이를 갈고 있다.

대추리에는 현재 1반과 4반의 집중적으로 건물철거가 이루어지고 있다

<13일오후 12시 45분>

경찰, 사람 올라간 지붕 방패로 부숴...아찔한 상황

경찰이 사람이 올라가 있는 지붕을 방패로 부수며 위험한 마을파괴를 진행하고 있다.

13일오후12시 40분 경 대추리 1반 마을 초입에 위치한 가옥을 철거하기 위해 경찰이 진입했다. 평택경찰서 소속 황 모 형사의 집으로 알려진 이 집에는 현재 평택지킴이 두 명이 올라가 '강제철거 인권침해'라는 구호가 적힌 현수막을 들고 서있고 이들을 끌어내기 위해 경찰이 지붕에 올라간 상태다.

지킴이들은 경찰의 연행 시도에 끝내 저항할 것으로 보이며 취재진들까지 함께 올라가 위험한 상황이 연출되고 있다. 지붕위로 올라간 경찰이 방패로 지붕을 부숴 지붕 반이 없어졌으며 지붕은 상당히 얇아 자칫하면 무너질 수도 있어 보인다.

여기에 할머니 한 분이 반파된 지붕위로 올라가 기왓장을 던지며 경찰들에게 "이 땅 주민들은 다 죽고 미군들만 살면 되는 거냐. 나는 이판 사판이다. 너무 억울하다. 이장 내보내라. 이장이 뭘 잘못했냐. 멀쩡한 시민들 왜 가두느냐"고 소리치며 저항해 상당히 위험한 상황이 지속되고 있다.

그러나 경찰은 미란다 원칙을 고지했고 지킴이들을 연행할 태세다.

<13일오후 2시 30분>

평택지킴이-경찰,용역 대치 상황 지속

대추리 1반 입구에 위치한 가옥을 둘러싸고 두명의 평택 지킴이와 경찰 용역들간에 일어난 대치상황이 소강상태로 접어들었다.

가옥 지붕위에서 시위를 하던 두명의 평택 지킴이와 주민 할머니 한분을 끌어내리기 위해 경찰들이 지붕 일부를 방패로 부수기도 했으나 할머니의 격렬한 저항에 못이겨 지붕 밑으로 내려갔다.

할머니는 한 때 실신하기도 했으나 이내 정신을 되찾고 경찰과 철거용역들을 향해 항의하고 "노인양반들을 어디서 살라는 말이냐", "대추리 이장을 왜 가두냐, 제대로 못하는 정치인들이나 가두지"라고 외쳤다.

한편 2시현재 철거용역들은 원집결지로 철수한 상태며 경찰 병력도 일부 철수한 상태다. 그러나 소규모의 경찰병력이 대추리 1반 주위를 여전히 포위하고 있으며, 가옥 앞에는 20여 명의 주민들이 모여 연좌 항의하고 있다.

당분간 대치상태는 계속될 전망이다.

<13일오후 4시 10분> 

경찰 대추리에서 병력 철수...평택지킴이들 옥상에서 내려와

13일오후 3시경 대추리 1반에 잠시 긴장이 조성됐다. 마을 곳곳에 약간명의 경찰 병력을 남긴 채 마을을 빠져나갔던 경찰병력과 용역, 포크레인 등이 대추리1반으로 다시 들어오기 시작했던 것.

경찰은 오후 4시 대추리 1반에서 병력을 철수시켜 상황은 종료됐다.

대추리 4반은 잔류하고 있던 일부 병력이 오후 3시 반 경 모두 철수하면서 지붕으로 지난 밤 지붕에 올라갔던 지킴이들이 내려오기 시작했다. 약 12시간 만에 땅을 밟는 것이다. 한 낮의 뜨거운 햇볕에 지칠대로 지쳐있던 모습이었지만 결국 자신들의 올라간 가옥을 지켰다는 사실에 기쁜 표정들이다.

한 지킴이는 "집을 무너뜨리는 모습을 볼 때는 내 마음도 무너지는 듯 아팠다"면서도 "그래도 내가 올라와 있던 이 집은 지킬 수 있어서 다행"이라고 소감을 밝혔다.

또 다른 지킴이는 ""포크레인이 툭 치면 와르르 무너지는 모습이 너무 가슴 아팠다"며 "한마디로 야만적이라고 밖에 할 수 없다"고 분개했다.

철거가 시작될 무렵부터 여태까지 지킴이들과 지붕에 올라 농성을 벌였던 문정현 신부도 건강한 모습이다. 문 신부는 농성 시 확성기로 경찰들을 호통하기도 하고 밑에 주민들이나 아는 얼굴이 있으면 손을 흔드는 등 여유있는 모습을 보이기도 했다.

"연행될 각오하고 올라가니까 마음이 참 편하더라"는 문 신부. 지난 5월 4일 대추초등학교 철거 때에 이어 두번째 고공농성었다.

"집 무너지는 모습을 본 심정은 대추초등학교 무너지는 걸 봤을 때와 똑같았다. 야만적인 행위이다. 그래도 내가 올라와있는 집만이라도 끝까지 사수해서 다행이다. 집을 부쉈다고 우리 마음도 부쉈다고 생각하는 건 큰 오산이다. 우리는 정당성을 가지고 끝까지 싸울 것이다."

한편 이날 새벽 6시부터 9시간 동안 약 2/3 가량의 철거가 진행된 것으로 파악되고 있다. 팽성 대책위는 국방부에 철거잔해 청소를 위한 장비를 놓고 갈 것을 요구하고 있으나 국방부는 이를 거절한 상태다. 이날 강제철거에 저항해 연행된 지킴이 수는 인권지킴이 4명을 포함해 모두 7명인 것으로 파악되고 있다.

사진: 민중의소리   

Another detailed report, including many videos, about today's developments/attacks in/on Daechuri and Doduri you can read here(Voice of People):

Map of Daechuri. Red dots: houses expected to be destroyed(60 were

already destroyed today). Inside the red lines: residential quarters.

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Following "story"(it was published 9.12 in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth) needs actually no further comment.. it just might suspect a really "funny" future(^^)!

Al-Aqsa leader: Another 9/11 'on its way'

American-trained leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in West Bank declares 'beginning of collapse' of US 'empire'; says wishes every day was September 11

The September 11, 2001, terror attacks were the beginning of the collapse of the American empire, and it is only a question of time before the next "great big event" strikes the United States, a senior Palestinian terror leader who received American training warned during an interview with WorldNetDaily Tuesday.

"The Americans even now are doing everything to bring our hostility and hatred to higher levels and bring us to wait impatiently for the next great big event," said Abu Muhammad, a senior leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. "They deserve one more coup of this kind (like 9/11), and I am sure it is only a question of time. September 11 was the beginning of the collapse of this empire of evil."

The al-Aqsa Brigades, the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' party, is responsible for scores of deadly shootings, hundreds of rocket attacks, and – together with the Islamic Jihad terror group – every suicide bombing inside Israel in the past two years.

Abu Muhammad also is a member of the Palestinian Authority's Preventative Security Services, which has received training and weapons from the United States and Europe. Abu Muhammad says like many members of the Preventative Security Services, he personally received training from the CIA.

Many al-Aqsa Brigades leaders also are members of Fatah's security services, including Abbas' Force 17 personal security detail. The US largely considers Fatah and its security branches to be "moderate."

‘Overwhelmed with joy’ over attacks

Abu Muhammad said he wished "every day was another 9/11."

America, he declared, deserved the Sept. 11 attacks: "Our 19 heroes got the revenge of all the Muslims in the world and all the poor and exploited people and nations," he said. "Americans must know that their loved ones were killed because of the policies of their state and government."

Abu Muhammad went on to claim the US supports the killing of Palestinians and Muslims throughout the world.

"But not only Muslims. See what the Americans made in Latin America and see their support to the apartheid regime in South Africa," stated Abu Muhammad.

The US-trained terror leader said he was "overwhelmed with joy" when he first heard the World Trade Center and Pentagon had been attacked.

"I do not think that I ever lived moments of joy, happiness and great feelings of pride and honor like I felt when I saw the divine planes hitting the twin buildings," he said. "It was one of those moments that Allah appears and tells the believers, 'See I do not forget to punish the non-believers. Those who keep killing the Muslims and stealing their lands and their oil.”

"September 11 was a great day and the first minutes after the people understood what happened, Palestinians went out into the streets and started distributing candies and started hugging one another," he said. "Everybody felt that Allah gave us a present and that history will never be the same because Islam finally got rid of all the handcuffs that restricted and prevented it to express itself and its capacities."

Another 9/11 on way

Abu Muhammad warned another 9/11 is "on its way," because, he claimed, America failed to draw the "proper conclusions" from the mega-attack.

"Instead of asking themselves the right questions about why did this happened, the Americans occupied Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "They intensified their support of the Zionists and seem not to understand that they are bringing their end about with their own hand.

"In the Quran, it is written that the non-believers will destroy their homelands and their houses with their own hands."

Still Abu Muhammad conceded that since the 9/11 attacks, the position of Islamists has been damaged.

"There is no doubt that for the moment it seems the attacks harmed the situation of the Arab and the Islamic world," he said. "America is occupying Arabic and Islamic states because of the attacks that gave the Americans the excuses to deepen its control on the Arab and Islamic world and its oil.

"But on the other hand, the Americans are in a very grave situation in Iraq, in Afghanistan and their war against what they call terror. The democratization campaigns that they are leading are for the moment bringing opposite results. We are sure that Allah will help us defeat the Americans and collapse this empire.”

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3302896,00.html

Originally the report, based on a interview with "Abu Muhammad"(Al-Aqsa Brigades/Fateh), was published 9.11 in WorldNetDaily, a very, very reactionary(you also can say ultra right wing) US internet magazine.

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KCNA(조선통신) wrote today following:

Emergency appeal released in s. Korea

The All-People Measure Committee for Checking the Expansion of the U.S. Military Base in Phyongthaek, south Korea reportedly made public an emergency appeal on Sept. 7 denouncing the moves of the "government" and the "defense ministry" to remove dwelling houses from the zone designated for the expansion of the U.S. military base in Phyongthaek. The "government" and the "defense ministry" are stepping up preparations for forcing the evacuation of houses, turning a deaf ear to the voices of various social strata demanding a stop to the evacuation scheme, the appeal said, and went on:
    Nothing can justify the scheme of the "government" and the "defense ministry" to expand the U.S. war base in Phyongthaek by expelling its inhabitants who have engaged in farming all their life.
    It is the way of defending human rights, lives and peace to frustrate their moves to destroy villages and remove houses.
    Only unity of the people can curb the evacuation scheme, the appeal noted, calling upon the people to gather in Phyongthaek so as to defend Taechu-ri and Todu-ri with their united strength.

And of course there is..

..Unbreakable Faith of Korean People(*) in Socialism.. (KCNA wrote some lines later)!!

BTW.. please keep in mind: in s. Korea(not in ROK, not in South Korea..) there is just a "government"..^^

* Please remember that there is only ONE "Korean People"!!

If you have such friends, you don't need enemies anymore!! (Sorry!!^^)

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Nearly right now, exactly five years ago I was sitting at my computer, few hours before my night shift at my work place ended, and beside me in the TV CNN was running. And I got the possibility to follow in "real time" the events in NYC - I saw the first, later also the second, plane crashing in the WTC, North and South Tower(and a short while later the Pentagon was hit)..

Now five years later I found following documentary - "Obsession: Radical Islam's War against the West" - what, partly, is trying to explain the reasons why such events were/are happen, caused by Islamic "resistance fighters". Of course this docy might be very controversially, but in my opinion there are some "truths" in it.

BTW.. it's very interesting that even "serious" mainstream media, such as the German daily Berliner Zeitung, are writing about the "real reasons" of the "hate of the Islamic world against the West" - "the hate of oppressed nations against their oppressors". But especially the countries in the Middle/Near East were just few decades under western rule(of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918). Why all the nations who were centuries under western colonial rule, where millions of people were killed by the colonial powers[in Africa, India... VIETNAM(!!!)] never started the "total war" against the west/their former, but in many cases also their present, oppressors??

Anyway here it(the documentary, but just a trailer) comes:

Here, unfortunatelly only with French(^^!!) subtitles(the original English stuff disappeared a few weeks ago), you can watch the entire(1h17min) documentary:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1432100742477106895

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Latest News From The Front Line

Alert!!! The countdown has begun for the demolition of the houses (9.06, Voice of People)

The government is scheduled to destroy the vacant houses in Daechuri and Doduri sometime next week. By interviewing several police officers, we expect that the D-day will be Wednesday(13th). However, a staff member from the Ministry of National Defense has said, "we cannot confirm what day it will be" though he didn't deny a demolition plan for next week. Another staff member said, "As I know, it will start between the 11th to the 13th". Along with the demolition of the vacant houses, the government is going to follow through with the removal of the residents soon.

KCPT is planning to hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Ministry of National Defense at 5 p.m. every day starting September 7th (Thu.). They said, "We will gather as many people as possible to Daechuri and Doduri to stop the demolition. Each solidarity group is going to hold a protest in Cheongwadae and the Ministry of National Defense building. They will declare themselves strongly against the demolition." KCPT added, "We are scheduled to have simultaneous candlelight vigils in Seoul, Pyeongtaek, and other cities. Cyber vigils will be started as well."

More signs that new police attack is imminent: national protest tour kicks off (9.10)

An unmarked Ministry of Defense car cruised around Daechuri Friday afternoon. Shorty after, helicopters did several low fly-overs above the town. In the past, surveilance visits by the Ministry of Defence have been followed two or three days later by a police attack on the town. This time, the helicopters and the oficials in the car were probably gathing information to decide which houses to destroy next week.

The "empty houses" targetted for destruction have been cleaned, renovated, and reclaimed by residents and supporters. They've been converted into housing, a broadcast center, a community restaurant (where I've been helping out), the Tea House (a symbolically very important gathering spot in the center of town), an art museum, and offices for the residents committees to work in. The Defense Ministry could be planning to destroy any or all of these in the upcoming attack on the villages.

Also on Friday the 8th, a series of protests around Korea kicked off in Seoul and at nearby US military bases. Some residents will continue on until the national march in Seoul on September 24. Others joined the protests for the first few days and will now return to the village before the police arrive this week. Some supporters have also begun to arrive, to help defend the villages against the demolition.

And last but not least, three days ago a supporter of the struggle in Daechuri, actually he is a current resident there, wrote following lines:

"the tenacious win"

living in the autonomous village of Daechuri, I often hear the villagers say 'the tenacious win.'
They know they will not give up until they win this struggle.
the enemy that we are up against is the state, and the US military.
neither of them is easy to confront.
but the villagers who still live in here are not scared of the strongest military in the wolrd.
whenever they encounter a military vehicle, they go
"how dare you to come to this village, you destroyers? get the hell out right now or we're gonna kick your butt outta here."

i don't know when we get the victory, but it's very soothing to see these tenacious fighters.
there is no place for the state assholes in this village.
this is where i live.
and they are my neighbors.
i am proud of them.

(http://blog.jinbo.net/dopehead)

For more informations please check out:

www.saveptfarmers.org

http://antigizi.or.kr

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Former US gov't official: "If S.K. don't want us(USFK) here... then we can be out in a number of months"

For to get some good ammunition for the struggle against USFK we, sometimes, just should listen and use the stuff what we can get from the "enemy", like following.

Just yesterday I found it on the web site of the Daily NK magazine(of course certainly, Daily NK is complete reactionary, but how Lenin said: to fight the enemy we must study the enemy..^^).

Just check it out:

Chuck Downs is an U.S. author, independent consultant, and former Pentagon official who frequently appears on television news programs to discuss North Korea policy. He has held a number of important positions in government during his career, including Deputy Director for Regional Affairs and Congressional Relations in the Pentagon’s East Asia office and Assistant Director of the Office of Foreign Military Rights Affairs, where he was deeply involved in the planning and negotiation of key overseas basing agreements with foreign governments. He later served as Senior Defense and Foreign Policy Advisor to the House Policy Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. He retired from government service in 2000.(Daily NK,9.06)

He gave Daily NK an interview with some very interesting contents.

"Q: There have been some rumors among Korea bloggers that in October, after the next talks on the future of the alliance, that an accelerated downsizing or even a full U.S. withdrawal from Korea could be announced. Have you heard those rumors? Do you think there’s anything to them?

A: I wouldn’t call them rumors. For a long time, there have been discussions between both countries on troop deployments. South Korea has resisted a fast timetable of reductions, but Secretary Rumsfeld wants these things to happen on a faster timetable. That’s what he has always said. I think Rumsfeld and his people still want to proceed on that accelerated path. So this is not a new push by Rumsfeld. Perhaps the reductions have recently become even more desirable from the point of view of the Pentagon.

It’s clear that the SK government wants to give lip service to the alliance, but its point of view is at odds with the basic rationale for the alliance. You can’t have an alliance when one side tries to portray the other as an oppressive presence. When this develops, as it did in the Philippines, there is no alternative but to accelerate the reduction in the American presence. The government in South Korea is now limiting us in ways that reduce our capabilities and change our obligations in a legal sense. In such situations, the U.S. tends to respond extremely quickly. When the host government isn’t stridently calling for us to stay and address a common threat, it’s hard for us to justify continuing the troop presence.

No one ever thought we’d leave the Philippines, either, but our presence is always based on how the host country views our forces. If the host country starts doing things like changing the basic command structure, it’s a fundamental shift in the way the alliance works. You will hear the U.S. side say that it will move quickly to do what the host government wants. You can’t do something good for the host government that the host doesn’t recognize as a good thing. We are not the Soviets and this isn’t the Warsaw Pact. We are not a colonial power. If the host country doesn’t want us there, we won’t stay.

Now, I don’t think this means a pull-out from Korea completely, but if we hear the South Korean government say that we are there to work for our own interests, but not theirs, then we can be out in a number of months.

When you are in a foreign country, that country is in charge. We never stay in a foreign country against that country’s will — ever. The Korean pro-U.S. right thinks we should be pushing against the Roh government, for arrangements that favor the U.S. That’s all fine, but it doesn’t work that way. We do what the government in place wants done. It’s the task of the Pro-Americans in South Korea to get their government to promote a strong alliance and arrangements that favor one. We won’t do something against their government’s objectives..."

...and so on

The entire interview(of course there is a lot of b.. sh.. in it, but also some interesting stuff..) you can read here:

http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02500&num=1062

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"Updates from Daechuri

Preparations for Massive March September 24

Residents and supporters in Daechuri enjoyed a short-lived celebration earlier this week. The ultra-conservative Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that the US military had decided to completely revise their master plan for base expansion. That wouldn't change the overall shift in US forces (unfortunately), but a revised master plan could mean that Doduri and Daechuri would be spared from displacement. But later that day, the Korean Ministry of Defense rejected the article as groundless. The USFK (US Forces in Korea) also denied any changes in their plans. Still, some activists and residents hope that the USFK really are considering changing the original base expansion plan designed by US military engineers.  If they were, they certainly wouldn't want the news to get out, to avoid encouraging residents and supporters. Hopefully this article is a sign the USFK and the Korean government are seriously weighing the costs of pushing through the base expansion as it now stands, and that with enough outside pressure and continued resistance on the ground in Pyeongtaek, they will leave the communities untouched.

In Daechuri and Doduri, resistance continues full force.  September 1st marked two-years since dozens of residents were beaten and arrested outside a bogus public hearing set up by the Ministry of Defense. Since their first candlelight vigil to demand freedom for those arrested, they have continued to hold their candlelight vigils every night in the villages. For the second anniversary vigil, the supporters living in the villages presented a song and a "struggle in Pyeongtaek crossword puzzle". Residents and supporters watched the "Sound of the Fields", a community-run program presented every night at the vigil, that shows daily life and resistance in Daechuri and Doduri.

I came to Daechuri for the first time last Sunday. Since then, I have been living in one of many empty houses that have been cleaned and renovated by residents and supporters. Over 20 supporters from around Korea have moved to Daechuri and Doduri and have reclaimed houses that were abandoned by those residents who chose not to stay in the villages. The idea is partly to make it harder for the government to demolish those houses as a first step toward demolishing the entire village. The house where I've been staying is being converted into a "human rights center", with murals and banners around different human rights themes in each room.

The government has announced that the village will be completely destroyed by the end of October. But Daechuri doesn't give the impression of a place under a death sentence, or a village that has accepted its fate. Even though the state has blocked access to their fields and destroyed their greenhouse, residents are planting cabbage and radishes now in their gardens. The cabbage, used to make the Korean dish Kimchi, will be ready to harvest in November.

Last winter, residents declared autonomy and renounced their Korean citizenship. Beyond the powerful symbolic impact, the residents enforce their rejection of the Korean state in some small but very concrete ways. When a Korean military truck wanted to pass through the town one day last week, I saw a few residents lay a blockade across the road and stand in front of the truck. Eventually the soldiers were forced to turn around and leave. The villagers refuse to willingly let the institution that has attacked them, and that wants to destroy them, into their town.

The towns, along with a range of Korean social movements that make up the KCPT, are busy preparing a massive national march in Seoul on September 24.  The KCPT has called for solidarity actions abroad(in the U.S., the U.S. Pyeongtaek committee is organizing demonstrations, and a number of groups have issued solidarity statements)."

http://www.anarclan.net (Anarclan English Board, "Update from Daechuri..")

*****

But finally it's not really clear for me, what will be happen on 9.24 in Seoul and on 9.23, also in Seoul!!??? For 9.23 the "National Anti-war Movement" is calling for a "massive" rally, starting at Seoul Stn.. And what's the next day? (Sorry that I don't understand, that I'm a little confused..^^) 

*****

RESIST!

An International Peace March to

STOP the U.S. Military Base Expansion

in Pyeongtaek!

*****

For more infos about Daechuri/Pyeongtaek please check out:

http://www.saveptfarmers.org

http://antigizi.or.kr

..and about the anti-war rally/demo on 9.23:

http://www.antiwar.or.kr

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After the S.K. gov't and media were downplaying a possible nuclear test by the DPRK for a while, like usual, at least since last week it seems that they're alarmed by some strange developments in the North.

Here just some of the latest S.K. reports about the issue, published in the last week:

Seoul alert after Pyongyang warns of 'countermeasures'

(Yonhap, 8.27)

South Korea's government and military was kept on alert Sunday following the North's warning one day earlier that it would respond to U.S.-imposed financial sanctions with "countermeasures."

North Korea said in a Foreign Ministry statement released Saturday that it would take all necessary countermeasures against what it calls intensifying U.S. financial restrictions on the communist country. The warning came amid reports of the North's alleged steps to conduct its first nuclear test.

Government and military sources said the North's spoken-of countermeasures would include nuclear tests or additional long-range missile launches, adding that Seoul is preparing itself for such "worst-case scenarios." The North test-fired the latest missiles despite international appeals not to do so in early July.

Officials were also put on alert by the report of a pro-Pyongyang newspaper published in Japan earlier on Saturday. "We are not able to conclude that North Korea will not conduct a nuclear test to bolster its deterrent effect against the U.S. if the Bush administration decides to take a tougher stance (against the North)," the Chosun Sinbo said in a commentary, which often represents the North's official position.

The sources agreed that the North, which already declared it possesses a nuclear deterrent on Feb. 10 last year, is capable of carrying out the nuclear test.

"The North might have received the know-how of how to conduct a nuclear test from Pakistan, and constructing the underground tunnel for the nuclear test is not so difficult," said Kim Tae-woo, a senior researcher of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a state-run research organization.

The government is closely monitoring developments around the clock to see whether the North will carry out a nuclear test. Earlier this month, it dispatched six soldiers to a local earthquake detection center to check for any signal of such a test...

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060827/610000000020060827162202E9.html

Nuclear Test Could Backfire: Experts (K. Times, 9.01)
 
South Korea’s preparation for an action plan to cope with a possible North Korean nuclear test does not indicate any imminence of the worst-case scenario, but is rather meant to send a strong warning signal to Pyongyang, according to experts.

Should the North go ahead with the test, however, it would spoil almost everything for the already isolated country _ producing additional sanctions by the United States and Japan and soured ties with China and Russia, they added...
 
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200609/kt2006090118383711990.htm

And today's(9.03) K. Times wrote this(even German, UK, Israel.. media were reporting about the same issue):

Missile Activity Detected in North
 
An interceptor missile, launched from the Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, moves to its target in California on Sept. 1. / AP-Yonhap 
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have detected suspicious movements of large trucks at a North Korean missile launch site, a sign for a possible missile test, a government source said on Sunday.

The move came after the U.S. military announced over the weekend it had successfully intercepted a dummy long-range warhead that in some respects, according to defense experts, resembled a warhead from a North Korean rocket.

``I was told that intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States have recently spotted several large vehicles moving around at the launch site located in Kitaeryong, Kangwon Province, the source was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency in Seoul. ``Now, we do not exclude the possibility of the North conducting additional missile-firing.''

...

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200609/kt2006090316594310440.htm

But actually there are more important and serious issues/"problems" between S.K. and the DPRK:

North Seeks New Partner for Golf Courses ^^

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9.01, WORLD PEACE DAY..

..with special greetings from the int'l jihad

by Sheikh Terra & The Soul Salah Crew

ae~ of course I know that's not funny, not really..

btw.. although this clip was recorded two years ago, till now it is a "smash hit" in the communities of young muslims(at least in u.k.).

(Kuffar, arabic = infidel, someone who is not believing in "god", a.k.a. Allah)

Actually 9.01 is marking the World Peace Day, for to remember the beginning of the WW II by Germany/the German Nazis - the most extreme/massive mass murder ever in the human history.

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URGENT CALL FROM PYEONGTAEK

Stop US Military Base Expansion in Pyeongtaek!

On May 4, 2006 South Korean military troops and riot police officers put up a barbed wire fence along parts of Daechuri and Doduri in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, and began occupying the land.  The SK government proclaimed that farming is “prohibited” in the villages of Daechuri and Doduri because they are designated as a special protection area for military facilities. 

Residents are now required to go through inspection at checkpoints to enter their village where they have lived for generations. The South Korean government also announced that all residents must move out of their homes by June 30, or face forced eviction.

The two peaceful villages Daechuri and Doduri, Pyeongtaek suddenly became a restricted zone for civilians.  Residents are required to present their resident card in order to enter the village and all others are denied access, at will, by the police.  The entry restriction is to pave the way for the upcoming construction of the US base expansion, for which the South Korean government is ruthlessly committing violence against its people and denying people’s basic right to stay in and right to enter their own neighborhood.

The US base has brought tremendous tension between the people of Korea and their government.  The South Korean military troops and police officers are committing a  serious crime against its people by using physical force and violating people’s basic human rights.  Thus, the Pyeongtaek people’s community and their peaceful way of life are gravely undermined.

In 1952, the Daechuri and Doduri residents were once more evicted out of their homes in the middle of the night by US military troops that brought bulldozers to build an air force station.  At the time, the displaced residents could not bring their belongings nor bring the burial stone of their ancestors (that Koreans consider sacred).  But people were determined to live in their hometown so they began building a community in the periphery of the new air force station.  It was the seawater that these displaced people converted into a fertile farmland by bringing soil from outside and rehabilitating it with their hand, little by little.  The land now produces Korea’s top quality rice.  It took Pyeongtaek residents more than 50 years to cultivate the land that they consider as their life.

The government falsely proclaims that the farmers will be adequately compensated if they surrender ownership of their land and move out.  What is missing in this equation is the quality of life, that cannot be compensated with money.  The farmers who are mostly in their 60s, have built a thriving community in Pyeongtaek.  Life outside of Pyeongtaek is unimaginable. In fact, the elderly farmers have nowhere else to go.   How is it possible for elderly people to suddenly make a living outside of what they are most familiar with and have so much love for?  Who dares place any monetary value on the life that these farmers have created for themselves at all odds.  In Doduri, this land grab is even more serious because the farmers here are tenant farmers who cannot even be compensated for the land that they do not own.  In fact, they are the people who have incurred high debt to become tenant farmers and have built their homes in this town.

The Korean government cannot compensate for the loss of the Pyeongtaek farmers' quality of life.

On May 4, 2006 South Korean military and riot police officers along with hired thugs destroyed a local elementary school that the residents had built with their hearts and hands more than 50 years ago. Despite poverty, people collected bags of rice to pay for construction supplies and gladly took on hard manual labor to construct the school--all for the love of their children.  People wept as they watched their beautiful school demolished into pieces.  The demolition signaled a loss of their collective memories of their lives together in a thriving community that they had created for themselves.  This was a horrific act of violence committed by the Korean government.  This states loudly that the government has every intention to carry out their plan of forced eviction of the Pyeontaek farmers.

So, what is the real reason behind the US military base expansion in Pyeongtaek?

Last January, the foreign ministers of Korea and the US have agreed to the terms of the strategic flexibility of the US Forces in Korea (USFK).  This will radically change the characteristic of USFK from defensive to offensive by realigning and transforming them into a swift mobilization force that can be “rapidly” deployed anywhere in the world to intervene in conflicts outside of Korea.  Under the Bush administration’s plan of pre-emptive strike the Second Division Infantry stationed near the DMZ border will be transferred to Pyeongtaek in order to contain North Korea and China.  By agreeing to the strategic flexibility of the USFK the Korean government is acknowledging that Korea can intervene in conflicts without the consent of the Korean people.  This places Korea under a tremendous threat of war.

Therefore, the expansion of the US military base in Pyeongtaek will force Korea to become a training ground for US military troops, thus threatening peace not only in Korea but also in all of Northeast Asia.

The new plan will not only realign USFK but cost $110 billion dollars to strengthen military capability.  Ironically, the cost of transfer, clean-up and military build-up is being placed on the Korean government.  The money will come from the tax dollars of the Korean people.  The military base expansion in Pyeongtaek is not only taking land and housing from the farmers but it is also taking money from the Korean people.

By 2008 the number of USFK will be reduced to 25,000 troops.  Primary responsibilities including defense from NK will be shifted to the Korean troops while the operational command will be transferred to the commander of the Korean military.  There is talk about eliminating Korean-US Joint Command Office and further reducing or transferring the 8th Army of USFK.  As such, the USFK will continue to reduce its size.  This would imply that there is no need to expand a US military base whatsoever when existing bases can be used.   It is evident that the primary purpose of the expansion in Pyeongtaek is to provide a military base that serves a different purpose (than as agreed to in the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty).  The Pyeongtaek base expansion will be served to increase US military build-up and aggression.

The two issues of strategic flexibility and additional reduction in military troops were not reflected during the review of the agreement at the Assembly.  The Assembly did not have any opportunity to review or approve(?).  The Korean government failed to present accurate facts; thus, it is necessary to hold a hearing to review the problems of the agreement and to renegotiate the details of the military expansion.

Under these circumstances, KCPT(Pan-S.Korea solution Committee against US base extension in Pyeongtaek) demands that the Korean government re-review and renegotiate the plan.  The Korean government must provide accurate facts and review the expansion plan in entirety, as well as withdraw its plans of forced eviction.  All problems of the agreement must be resolved, including immediate removal of the barbed wire fence. The government must also make a sincere public apology to the public for committing violence against its people and immediately release all prisoners.

Should the government continue with its plan without coming to a sound resolution, a fierce resistance from the people will be unavoidable.

The Korean government announced that it will begin elevating the expropriated Pyeongtaek land in October.  The land is currently not suitable for use by the military.  This elevation of soil is expected to be as high as 2 to 3 meters, which means a significant amount of soil must be brought in from nearby mountain or ocean.  This is detrimental to the environment. 

Despite the clear evidence of problems and opposition from the people, the South Korean government claims that it must proceed with the expansion plan in order to safeguard its alliance with the US.  This is a contradiction.  When the Roh Moo Hyun administration fails to serve its people and places them under a threat of war, it seeks to maintain  foreign relations with another country?

To counter this injustice, KCPT is gearing up for two major events in the near future.  On September 24, the fourth major Peace March will be held calling for support from people nationwide and from all sectors.  Following this Peace March will be a Day of International Solidarity on October 21.

In order to adequately prepare for another major crack-down from the South Korean government, we urge you to hear the urgency of this matter and to share this story of the  resistance of Pyeongtaek farmers with your communities.  We must tell the entire world of the injustices of the US government.  It is planning a massive military build-up in Korea.  Once again, the US war agenda will continue to destroy people’s lives.

In order to understand this struggle we ask that you join the people of Pyeongtaek in Pyeongtaek.  It is important that you become an eyewitness to the struggle in the place of struggle.  Hearing the stories of resistance directly from the farmers will inspire you.

We know that the military power is overwhelming, but that will not stop us.  We must all take part in this struggle to put a stop to this inhumane venture.

Our message of solidarity needs to be delivered not only to the Korean government but also to the US government.

Our message needs to reach the Congress and the mainstream media.

If needed, we will send a delegation from South Korea to the US to carry out this mission. 

We hope that all of us can work together strategically in order to place real pressure on the US government to renegotiate this agreement.

As we are fully aware, the US military is occupying communities around the world.  It is creating war and causing destruction, death, pollution, illness and grave suffering.

The US needs to stop investing its taxpayers’ hard earned money into building up its war machine.  It is about time that taxpayers’ money be spent on education and on serving the needs of the community at large.

The suffering of all people must end now!

For more informations please check out:

http://www.antigizi.or.kr

http://www.saveptfarmers.org