>From: "Jay Moore" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Saturday, June 17 7:07 PM SGT >Protesters invade US base in South Korea >MAEHYANGRI, South Korea, June 17 (AFP) - > >Hundreds of protesters opposed to a US bombing range in South Korea clashed >with riot police on Saturday leaving dozens of people hurt, witnesses said. > >Protesters, who included local inhabitants, radical students and union >members, tore down fencing around the Koon-Ni range, near Mauhyangri, which >is used by the US air force for bombing and target practice. > >About 500 protesters then breached police cordons inside Koon-Ni to get onto >the facility and started shouting: "Destroy the base." > >It was the second violent protest in 11 days at Koon-Ni, on the western >coast about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Seoul. > >The demonstrations have come at a bad time for the South Korean authorities, >with the American military presence increasingly controversial as ties with >North Korea improve. > >President Kim Dae-Jung defended the presence of 37,000 US troops in South >Korea during his historic summit this week with North Korean supreme leader >Kim Jong-Il. > >Most of those injured Saturday received blows from riot police wielding >batons and shields. Several were seen being led away with bleeding head >wounds. > >Anger built up during the day as police put up blockades to stop about 3,000 >demonstrators getting near to the range to stage a rally. > >Students and other radical demonstrators then climbed over nearby hills to >get to the perimeter fence. About 1,000 police were deployed inside the >perimeter in the failed attempt to keep out demonstrators. > >Opponents chanted "Yankee Go Home" and "We don't need US troops here." Some >banners highlighted the success of the inter-Korean summit as a new reason >for the US forces to go home. > >Local villagers are demanding the relocation of the 5,000 acrehectare) >range, which opened during the 1950-53 Korean War. They have rejected >government offers to be relocated. > >They say that at least nine people have died in accidents linked to the >facility, including four children who were playing with an unexploded bomb >in > >Exploding bombs and noise from US warplanes have caused roofs to cave in, >cracked walls and left many residents with hearing problems, they say. > >Protestors also tried to tear down fences around Koon-Ni during the last >demonstration on June 6. > >"We have been plagued by noise for 50 years. We cannot endure it any >longer," Oh Moyong-Hwang, a 44-year-old farmer who lived near the range, >told AFP in a recent interview. > >The US military has about 37,000 troops in 20 bases in South Korea and >operates several ranges provided under a mutual defense pact. > >Even before Kim Dae-Jung's three day visit to Pyongyang, which produced a >landmark accord to take measures to improve relations, the US military had >faced mounting public criticism over the social impact of their presence. > >On Friday, a South Korean court sentenced a 22-year-old US soldier to eight >years in prison for the murder of a bar hostess. He remains in US military >custody until the sentence is confirmed by a higher court. > >Political pressure is now expected to mount, however, after the summit as >the South Korean public are given greater freedom to show friendship toward >the North. > >North Korea has been demanding the withdrawal of US forces ever since the >Korean War was halted with an armistice, but never formally ended. > >But Washington and Seoul have insisted there was no question of an immediate >withdrawal. The South Korean president said he told the North's leader this >week the US presence was crucial for security throughout Northeast Asia. > > __________________________________ 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] ___________________________________
