Guam Landowners oppose US troop build up
By Online Editor
10:59 am GMT+12, 19/02/2009, Guam
Guam Landowners Association says it is opposed to United States plans for a military buildup in the territory, reports Radio New Zealand International.
The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japan’s Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone signed a deal in Tokyo this week to transfer 8000 U.S. Marines and their families from Okinawa to Guam by 2014.
Association’s representatives Antony Sablan said the people of Guam haven’t been asked if they support an influx of soldiers into the territory, which would boost the island’s population by about 10 percent.
Mr Sablan believes Guam would not only lose land but part of its identity.
“We are a foster child of a foster parent, where our resources are getting raped by our foster parent. Somebody has to step up to the plate and take the step to say ‘ hey, you can’t take advantage of this small group of innocent people’.”
Mr Sablan said the international community should step in and protect the people of Guam.
Meanwhile, Guam’s Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to what a planned military buildup will mean for the US territory’s economy.
“The United States and Japan signed a deal Tuesday to relocate 8000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa in Japan to Guam.”
The bulk of the relocation costs are to be covered by the US and Japan, but Guam will have to meet some of expenses arising from an infrastructure upgrade.
Guam’s Chamber’s chairman Frank Campillo said the relocation would bring many economic opportunities.
“We’ll see a huge amount of construction activity: we need to improve our island infrastructure, the streets, the waterways, the distribution of electricity, we need to build new housing. We understand there’ll be between 8 and 10 billion dollars of construction activity.”
Mr Campillo said there would also be long term benefits for the people, such as better health and education services and improved infrastructure
SOURCE: RNZI/PACNEWS
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