CPTnet
26 July 2011
KOREA URGENT ACTION: Sign petitions, contact international community regarding construction of U.S./South Korean naval base on Jeju Island.
CPT has a fraternal relationship with the Korean peace
organization, The Frontiers. Suha Oh from The Frontiers produced the ten minute
video about CPT available on the website (See https://www.cpt.org/about/cpt_video.) Frontiers associates Paco Michelson and
Hee Eun Park, who have gone through CPT training, were preparing to leave for
Jeju Island on Sunday.
For background information on the struggle of people on Jeju
Island to prevent a U.S./South Korean naval base from being constructed there,
go to https://signon.org/sign/save-jeju-island-no-naval?source=c.url&r_by=362758Thanks
and sign the petition. Below is an
update and request for further action.
Dear friend,
As you read this, 1,200 police in
riot gear are descending upon Gangjeong village, the site of resistance to the
US/ROK naval base; 500 are from the mainland peninsula and 700 from Jeju.Last week, undercover police
arrested three leaders. They
released village Chief Kang Dong Kyun, but Brother Song Kang Ho and Ko Kwon Il
still remain in prison along with peace activist Choi Sung-hee, who has been in
prison since 19 May 2011The villagers and activists say
that they are ready for nonviolent resistance, including the forceful removal of
their bodies from Gangjeong village.
They are there to protect the land and defend the rights of the villagers
to preserve their community and way of life.Please, take three minutes and do
three simple actions:1. Contact Un General Secretary Ban
Ki Moon and let him know that he cannot ignore the grave human rights
violations taking place in his homeland against the villagers of Gangjeong
village: ecu@un.org2. Email the International
Secretariat of Amnesty International and urge them to send human rights
monitors to Gangjeong Village immediately: https://www.amnesty.org/en/contact3.
Please forward this petition to
five friends and family. Four
Americans will be traveling to Gangjeong village on July 28 . That
morning, we will hold a press
conference outside of the Blue House and deliver this petition to the
South
Korean President Lee’s administration. We need to have 10,000
signatures. As of now, we have nearly 2,300. You can help us reach the
10,000 signatories goal by
Thursday, July 28th. https://signon.org/sign/save-jeju-island-no-naval?source=s.em.cr&r_by=367997If we want world peace, we must
take action together as a global community to save this island, an ecologically
majestic UNESCO world heritage site, from becoming a naval base that stages Aegis
destroyers in preparation for war.Here is an excerpt of a letter from Brother Song in prison:
If the Navy and government listened
to local residents and proceeded with proper steps, the villagers would not
have fought against the naval base construction for five years. The Navy pushes the construction of the
naval base regardless of the destruction of the Gangjeong community. Not knowing the law, more than fifty
innocent farmers became law-breakers and were punished. More than 50 million won [Korean
currency] has been paid in fines. And
I also went to prison for the first time in my entire life. I was a cowardly young man, hiding
myself in the times of military dictatorship during the 1970s-1980s. For atonement, I served in places lie Aceh
[an autonomous region under Indonesian rule], Haiti, and all kinds of conflict
areas over the world. Now I am
trying to stop the insane construction of this naval base for the sake of the
justice of our nation and the peace of Northeast Asia, as well as to keep the
promise to the global society of preserving the ecosphere.Please take action now. We must spring into action now.
In solidarity,
The Global Campaign to Save Jeju
Island
