For over four years, the Korean villages of Daechuri and Doduri have
defiantly resisted the seizure of their homes and fields for the expansion
of an United States Army base. On September 13 at dawn, 22,000 riot police
invaded and occupied the villages. Police demolition equipment managed to
wipe out 68 empty houses. But the vastly outnumbered villagers and
supporters put up a fierce resistance, and managed to stop the cops from
destroying many of the houses that the Ministry of Defense had threatened
to destroy.
face.jpg, image/jpeg, 150x113
Fifty years ago these communities lost their land as 2 foreign forces
(first Japanese, then American) built and expanded the base. Now the US
military wants to push them off their land again. The US base expansion is
part of an aggressive
transformation of US global military strategy. The main mission of the
US Forces in Korea will be not just to defend against North Korea, but to
contain China and act as a rapid deployment force for the entire
Asian-Pacific region.
Some villagers, weary of the struggle against the base expansion, have
accepted the compensation money and left. Others were intimidated into
fleeing. But many farmers and their families have refused to surrender
their homes and livelihood to a foreign power's imperial ambitions. They
have been joined by supporters from around Korea. Abandoned houses have
been transformed into an art museum, homes for new residents, a
community-run restaurant, a broadcast center producing a nightly news report and offices for residents' committees and supporting organizations. Artists and residents have covered the walls of empty and
squatted houses with murals and anti-base graffiti.
Outraged and disillusioned with the corrupt bureaucracy of an indifferent
government, in February, farmers marched to city hall and burned their
"residency cards", renounced their Korean citizenship and declared
Daechuri an autonomous region. They have since been organizing the daily
life and the defense of their land and community through general councils,
independently of the local government.
But in March, police
and army launched a series of violent attacks on the villages, ripping
up rice fields and destroying
their irrigation system. In May a massive police
attack managed to cut off villagers' access to their rice fields and demolished
their elementary school and community center.
In the most recent attack, thousands of riot police and 450 contracted
construction workers and thugs invaded and occupied the villages at dawn.
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.
Children from Daechuri were unable to go to school the day of the attack,
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 threw insults
(“bitch”, etc) at 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. Yet 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 built by
residents on the roof of the building, 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 tied themselves 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. Elderly
villagers hurried to surround the house, and one villager climbed onto the
roof with the activists. 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 had 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.
Although the attack was a heavy blow, especially the overwhelming
destruction of houses in the village of Doduri, the villagers have taken
their successful defense of some of the houses as a victory. Residents
played traditional drum music in the streets after the police
finally left, and villagers have reaffirmed their resistance to the base
at the continuing nightly candlelight vigils. As the Ministry of Defense's
October 31 eviction deadline approaches, villagers continue to work in
their gardens, organize the defense of their land, and prepare for a major
national march in Seoul on September 24. Residents and supporters in Korea are
asking for solidarity actions internationally on that day, especially
urgent since the threatened deadline is only a month and a half away.
more info: SavePTfarmers, Antigizi
video of the September 13 attackFifty years ago these communities lost their land as 2 foreign forces
(first Japanese, then American) built and expanded the base. Now the US
military wants to push them off their land again. The US base expansion is
part of an aggressive
transformation of US global military strategy. The main mission of the
US Forces in Korea will be not just to defend against North Korea, but to
contain China and act as a rapid deployment force for the entire
Asian-Pacific region.
Some villagers, weary of the struggle against the base expansion, have
accepted the compensation money and left. Others were intimidated into
fleeing. But many farmers and their families have refused to surrender
their homes and livelihood to a foreign power's imperial ambitions. They
have been joined by supporters from around Korea. Abandoned houses have
been transformed into an art museum, homes for new residents, a
community-run restaurant, a broadcast center producing a nightly news report and offices for residents' committees and supporting organizations. Artists and residents have covered the walls of empty and
squatted houses with murals and anti-base graffiti.
Outraged and disillusioned with the corrupt bureaucracy of an indifferent
government, in February, farmers marched to city hall and burned their
"residency cards", renounced their Korean citizenship and declared
Daechuri an autonomous region. They have since been organizing the daily
life and the defense of their land and community through general councils,
independently of the local government.
But in March, police
and army launched a series of violent attacks on the villages, ripping
up rice fields and destroying
their irrigation system. In May a massive police
attack managed to cut off villagers' access to their rice fields and demolished
their elementary school and community center.
In the most recent attack, thousands of riot police and 450 contracted
construction workers and thugs invaded and occupied the villages at dawn.
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.
Children from Daechuri were unable to go to school the day of the attack,
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 threw insults
(“bitch”, etc) at 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. Yet 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 built by
residents on the roof of the building, 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 tied themselves 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. Elderly
villagers hurried to surround the house, and one villager climbed onto the
roof with the activists. 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 had 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.
Although the attack was a heavy blow, especially the overwhelming
destruction of houses in the village of Doduri, the villagers have taken
their successful defense of some of the houses as a victory. Residents
played traditional drum music in the streets after the police
finally left, and villagers have reaffirmed their resistance to the base
at the continuing nightly candlelight vigils. As the Ministry of Defense's
October 31 eviction deadline approaches, villagers continue to work in
their gardens, organize the defense of their land, and prepare for a major
national march in Seoul on September 24. Residents and supporters in Korea are
asking for solidarity actions internationally on that day, especially
urgent since the threatened deadline is only a month and a half away.
more info: SavePTfarmers, Antigizi
video of the September 13 attack
www.saveptfarmers.org
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