Forum

Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:08:06 -0700
From: "Save Jeju Island Global Campaign, Save Jeju Island--No Naval Base Campaign" <noreply@list.signon.org>
Reply-To: "Save Jeju Island Global Campaign, Save Jeju Island--No Naval Base Campaign" <matthew_hoey@savejejuisland.org>
Subject: 1200 Police Descend Upon Gangjeong Village

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. The village Chief Kang
Dong Kyun was released, 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 May 19.

The villagers and activists say that they are ready for nonviolent
resistance to the forceful removal of their bodies from Gangjeong village.
They are there to protect the land and defend the villagers of their right
to preserve their community and way of life.

Please, take 3 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.org

2. Email the International Secretariat of Amnesty International and urge
them to send human rights monitors to Gangjeong Village immediately:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/contact

3. Please forward this petition to 5 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 goal by Thursday, July 28th.

http://signon.org/sign/save-jeju-island-no-naval?source=s.em.cr&r_by=393253

If we want world peace, we must take action together as a global community
to save this island from becoming an ecologically majestic UNESCO world
heritage site to a naval base staging Aegis warship destroyers preparing for
war.

Here's an excerpt of a letter from Brother Song from 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 50 innocent farmers became law-breakers and were
punished. More than 50 million won has been paid in fines. And I also went
to prison for the first time in my entire life. I was a coward young man
hiding myself in the times of military dictatorship during the 1970s~1980s.
For atonement I served in places in Ache, 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

www.savejejuisland.org