[asia-apec 1550] In Solidarity with the Korean People For Reunification and Against Bases

[BAYAN]

>From the:  












People’s Assembly, USA 
passembly at yahoo.com 


DECLARATION AND CALL TO ACTION  FOR SOLIDARITY WITH THE KOREAN PEOPLE FOR
REUNIFICATION OF KOREA  FOR REMOVAL OF U.S. TROOPS AND BASES FROM KOREA

All people who yearn for peace, everyone working for peace and justice in this
world, join the Korean people in joyously welcoming the recent steps toward
the
reunification proclaimed in the June 15th Declaration from the North-South
summit, held in Pyongyang, between President Kim Dae Jung of  the Republic of
Korea (ROK) and General Secretary Kim Jong Il of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea
(DPRK).

This is an historic accomplishment for the Korean people. But it is also a
critical step toward lessening tensions and promoting world peace  for all
humankind. Above all, it goes far in removing the main excuse on the part of
the U.S. Pentagon for planning to build ballistic missile defenses  which
would
violate the ABM Treaty, unleash a renewed nuclear arms race, increase the
first
strike capability of the U.S. and escalate the danger of nuclear war. The
justification for these proposed missile systems has been to counter a
so-called "threat" from "rogue" North Korea. But now, even  the term "rogue"
has had to be toned down to "state of concern" as it becomes abundantly
clearer
to people everywhere that the DPRK poses no threat to  peace.

Thus, the decades-long struggle of the Korean people for reunification, that
began to take shape at the recent summit, has substantially advanced
efforts by
the peace movement to stop the  deployment of ballistic missiles systems,
namely the theater missile defense and the proposed national missile defense
and for banning nuclear weapons.

We understand that this critical progress in Korea toward peace and stability
must be defended and built upon.

The presence of 37,000 U.S. troops and at least 97 bases in South Korea, on
land seized without compensation, along with the frequent military maneuvers;
the 50-year long daily testing of weapons by the U.S. Air Force near the
village of Mae Hyang-ri; and the destruction of the environment through such
things as dumping toxic substances into the Han River, the drinking water
source for the millions in and around Seoul-all this must end if the efforts
for peace and reunification, and thus for world peace, are to be fully
realized. The continuing state of war with North Korea and the refusal by the
U.S. to sign the peace treaty, along with the continuing existence of the SOFA
agreement
which gives the U.S. virtual control of South Korea, remain major obstacles to
achieving
those goals.

Therefore we demand that the U.S. rescind the SOFA agreement, that the U.S.
military leave Korea, that all war games in the region be ceased, and that the
U.S. sign the peace agreement.

It is obscene that hundreds of millions of dollars which have gone to maintain
this military might on the Korean peninsula, have filled the pockets of the
arms
manufacturers, instead of being used for human  needs, healthcare, schools,
feeding hungry children or for the development of two-thirds of humanity who
subsist in abject poverty. 

Peace also depends on truth. We demand that the full truth about the massacres
and atrocities committed by the U.S. military in Korea be revealed. These
genocidal crimes against humanity must be acknowledged and compensation
must be
extended to the victims and their families.

Associated Press accounts recently have reported on revelations from
declassified official documents confirming horrific massacres of Korean
civilians by the U.S. military acting under official orders, during the Korean
War. The stories of the U.S. massacres at No Gun ri have been in the center of
these press revelations. These begin to corroborate the testimony of victims
and their families. However, they represent only  the tip of the iceberg.
These
massacres of civilians are being investigated by the Korea Truth Commission
which includes an International Investigation Commission.

We cannot afford to wait for 50 years for declassified U.S. documents to
confirm such atrocities. Many, besides the Korean people, knew of these
atrocities at the time, just as many today know of the rampage massacres of
Colombian villages by paramilitary forces backed by the military and funded
and
trained by the U.S. We remember My Lai and the Phoenix program  in Vietnam, we
remember the hundreds of villages wiped out by U.S.- backed and trained forces
in Guatemala, we remember how U.S. General McCaffrey ordered the massacre of
retreating Iraqis, including civilians, AFTER the cease fire in the Gulf War, 
we remember how hundreds of thousands of trade unionists, Communists, and
activists were slaughtered in Indonesia, fingered by the CIA, we remember the
U.S. culpability in the genocide in East Timor,  we remember the bombing of
civilians in Yugoslavia, and so forth.

So getting at the truth, however painful, is not only important for theKorean
people, it is indispensable for the U.S. people so they can act to stop such
inhuman acts and imperial wars in the future, all of which are funded by their
taxes and are carried out in their name in order to back upthe imperative
drive
for corporate profit. Only by understanding the 
truth can we help guarantee it will never happen again. Only in this way
can we
begin to achieve a world of peace with justice.

We would welcome statements of support and solidarity and we urge you to take
action to help carry out the goals expressed in this Declaration. 


FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

International Center for Peace and Justice, icpj at igc.org

Karen Talbot, Director of ICPJ is an advisor to the International
Investigation
Commission of the Korea Truth Commission. In July she participated in a 9-day 
Investigation Commission delegation to South  Korea.

The delegation visited massacre sites, the weapons testing site a Mai
Hyang-ri,
and took part in many rallies and meetings with the people.  A report of the
trip will be available soon, as well as a major article on the subject giving
background about the Korean War and the massacres.

We will keep you informed about future actions. We expect these will include
international days of action. . Please inform us of any steps you or your
organization plan to take.

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