PYEONGTAEK, South Korea - Hundreds of workers bulldozed homes in a South Korean village Wednesday to make way for the expansion of a U.S. military base set to become the Americans' new headquarters, despite strong objections from protesters.
The South Korean government's move follows sometimes-violent protests in which riot police have faced off against residents and anti-U.S. demonstrators in the village of Daechuri inside Pyeongtaek city, about 40 miles south of Seoul.
Several dozen residents and activists occasionally scuffled with hundreds of riot police in helmets and shields as workers demolished the houses. Twenty-three anti-U.S. activists were arrested as they tried to break through a police barricade blocking the road leading to the base site.
No serious injuries were reported.
"Stop the forced removal of houses," activists chanted on the rooftop of an empty house that was scheduled to be destroyed.
Prime Minister Han Myung-sook instructed officials to proceed with the demolition work while ensuring the safety of residents, calling it unavoidable to enable the relocation of the U.S. military, according to her office.
Several villages around Pyeongtaek, a city of 360,000 people, have to be razed for construction of the base. The government has offered residents financial compensation to move out of their homes, but some have objected strongly to the plans.
In May, the government evicted protesters from the village by force, but more than 220 residents and anti-U.S. activists remained in some 100 houses — about half of the houses in the village, according to an activist group opposed to the expansion plans.
The demolition work was completed later in the day, with about 90 empty houses leveled as planned, said an official at the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency who gave only his surname, Lee.
Lee said no occupied houses were destroyed. But some residents claimed the workers demolished several occupied houses, sparking strong protests.
Residents, mostly in their 60s and 70s, vented their anger against the expansion plans and vowed not to leave their home, throwing dirt and wielding wooden sticks against police.
"What can I do for a living if I leave? I should live here by protecting our land," said Hwang Pil-soon, a 76-year-old farmer, adding that she doesn't need government compensation.
Some 16,000 police were deployed during the demolition. A helicopter hovered over the site.
The United States plans to move its military headquarters from Seoul to Pyeongtaek by 2008 as part of a consolidation of its forces.
About 29,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to help defend it from communist North Korea. The two Koreas remain in a state of conflict as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060913...A0EJnMTjIFvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-
Yeah real good U.S and S.Korean policy they got going there. And what about the people who need to find new homes, now, have to find new work now because of what the Americans wanted.
The South Korean government's move follows sometimes-violent protests in which riot police have faced off against residents and anti-U.S. demonstrators in the village of Daechuri inside Pyeongtaek city, about 40 miles south of Seoul.
Several dozen residents and activists occasionally scuffled with hundreds of riot police in helmets and shields as workers demolished the houses. Twenty-three anti-U.S. activists were arrested as they tried to break through a police barricade blocking the road leading to the base site.
No serious injuries were reported.
"Stop the forced removal of houses," activists chanted on the rooftop of an empty house that was scheduled to be destroyed.
Prime Minister Han Myung-sook instructed officials to proceed with the demolition work while ensuring the safety of residents, calling it unavoidable to enable the relocation of the U.S. military, according to her office.
Several villages around Pyeongtaek, a city of 360,000 people, have to be razed for construction of the base. The government has offered residents financial compensation to move out of their homes, but some have objected strongly to the plans.
In May, the government evicted protesters from the village by force, but more than 220 residents and anti-U.S. activists remained in some 100 houses — about half of the houses in the village, according to an activist group opposed to the expansion plans.
The demolition work was completed later in the day, with about 90 empty houses leveled as planned, said an official at the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency who gave only his surname, Lee.
Lee said no occupied houses were destroyed. But some residents claimed the workers demolished several occupied houses, sparking strong protests.
Residents, mostly in their 60s and 70s, vented their anger against the expansion plans and vowed not to leave their home, throwing dirt and wielding wooden sticks against police.
"What can I do for a living if I leave? I should live here by protecting our land," said Hwang Pil-soon, a 76-year-old farmer, adding that she doesn't need government compensation.
Some 16,000 police were deployed during the demolition. A helicopter hovered over the site.
The United States plans to move its military headquarters from Seoul to Pyeongtaek by 2008 as part of a consolidation of its forces.
About 29,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to help defend it from communist North Korea. The two Koreas remain in a state of conflict as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060913...A0EJnMTjIFvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-
Yeah real good U.S and S.Korean policy they got going there. And what about the people who need to find new homes, now, have to find new work now because of what the Americans wanted.
