>Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Civic groups, local residents rally near U.S. Koon-ni training range > > > Thousands of civic group members and residents living near the >controversial U.S. Koon-ni training range held a protest yesterday, >demanding the facility's closure and compensation for damage and suffering >resulting from decades of drills. > > Clashes with riot police during the demonstration left several >participants with minor injuries, villagers said. > > Some 2,000 people, including local residents, civic and labor group >members and university students, gathered for the rally at about 1 p.m. in >the west coast village of Maehyang-ri in Hwasong, Kyonggi Province, 50 miles >southwest of Seoul. > > After the rally, the participants formed a 1-km "human chain"from >Maehyang-ri village to the main gate of the U.S. Air Force's Koon-ni >training range. > > They refrained from forcibly occupying Nong Island, where the U.S. >military bombing range is located. > > "Originally, we were planning to occupy Nong Island yesterday to >protest the government's insufficient follow-up measures, but we decided to >put off the occupation plan in hopes of solving the problem in a peaceful >manner," said Han Seong-sook, an anti-nuclear activist for the Korea >Federation for Environmental Movement. > > The Koon-ni range, granted to U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in 1955, covers >a 23.73 million sq. meter sea and land area, with one bombing range on Nong >Island, off the coast of Maehyang-ri village, and one strafing or firing >range on the coast near Maehyang-ri. > > In the rally, the participants issued a statement calling for the >closure of the range. > > They demanded the National Assembly reinvestigate the Maehyang-ri >incident, while also calling for the launch of a joint probe of the case by >government and civic group officials and the immediate release of Chon >Man-kyu, head of the committee representing Maehyang-ri residents. > > South Korean riot police took Chon into custody last Friday for tearing >down a red flag that signals the imminent release of bombs at the range and >trespassing on the facility. > > After a 19-day suspension, bombing training was briefly resumed at the >Koon-ni range Friday. Owing to repeated threats by civic groups and local >residents to forcibly occupy the bombing range, however, training was once >again suspended until today. USFK will likely extend the training suspension >to June 14, when the historic inter-Korean summit ends. > > Responding to noise complaints, the Defense Ministry and USFK said >Monday they are considering moving the Koon-ni strafing range from the coast >near Maehyang-ri onto the tidal flats off Nong Island. > > The ministry also said it would proceed with a plan starting this year >to relocate local residents living near the U.S. facility on an individual >basis, provided they accept the idea. > > > >Updated: 06/07/2000 >by Kang Seok-jae Staff reporter > >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > > >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > The Socialism From Below listserve was created by the New Socialist > Group to discuss and debate socialist activism, share news relating to > revolutionary struggles around the world, assist in organizing projects > of socialist renewal and on the ground activism. Views expressed on > the SFB list do not necessarily represent the views of the New Socialist > Group as an organization or those of its members. For more information on > the New Socialist Group and its politics and its activities contact > [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit www.web.net/~newsoc >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >To join or leave the Socialism From Below list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
