Dr Sudath Gunasekara19.7.2016.
Dear all Patriots,
I earnestly request you all to read the following article by Senali Waduge immediately.
Thereafter I would suggest that we all lodge our strongest protest against this sinister betrayal by the government done without informing the Parliament and force the Government to withdraw permission given to USA to start this project on our soil. Then sack
America needs this in the center of the Indian Ocean to control South and South East Asia as it will soon lose Okinawa in Japan and Diago Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Once it is establish you can never send them back and this little Island will be a battle ground for all global power politics. Where is our non-align policy, Independence and national sovereignty? This will be a threat not only to us but to the whole of Asia
Please react immediately.
US Militarization of Sri Lanka : Sri Lankans to provide Canteen Services
Shenali Waduge Lankaweb 19.7.2016
There are over 1000 foreign US military bases and installations. The 4 losers of World War 2 host the biggest bases located in Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea. The newest strategy is to set up smaller detachments across the nations where US geopolitics pivots to. It is as a result of such bases in Diego Garcia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other Gulf states that the US was able to militarily intervene in targeted nations and thereafter set up bases in them. The recent announcement of US State Dept awarding a USD155m contract raises many questions that draw serious ramifications internally for Sri Lankan society and externally for the rest of Asia given the destructive nature of US military.
The Daily FT http://www.ft.lk/article/554084/US-to-construct-a—155-m-embassy-complex-in-Sri-Lanka has reported the construction of a USD155m contract awarded by the US State Dept to Caddell Construction Co to be built in 2 years in a 6 acre area (possibly joining the present US embassy with the former British high commission located right in front of Temple Trees) How is it that Sri Lanka came to know of this very important news only after the US State Department awarded the contract to a fellow US construction company?
Why has the GOSL kept this secret from the general public?Why is there no Parliamentary debate on this?Given that there is no Opposition, what has the Joint Opposition to say about this and why are they keeping mum too? Should such an important decision not be shared with the public and public opinion sought on the matter BEFORE agreeing with the US?
All of the US bases have a history of problems. These bases serve to proliferate weapons, they undermine both international stability and have resulted in increase in internal violence of some sort or the other. The bases have created social problems – rise in rapes by US military personnel, increase in prostitution with female sex industry thriving (high end and poor), increase in drugs, violent crimes by foreign soldiers, a country losing value of prime land in and around the complex, issues of pollution and health hazard caused by testing non-conventional weapons inside the compound.
The most shocking part is that NONE of these crimes committed by US personnel can be charged for criminal offence as the US military are granted immunity under SOFA or status of forces agreement which defines the legal status of US personnel and property in territory of another country covering the criminal, civil jurisdiction, carrying of arms, tax and customs relief, damage claims for US by the host government. The general understanding is that it is in the interest of the host country that the US base is set up. However the agreement provides the US and not the host government a host of rights. US forces are not accountable for anything in a host country. In 1998, host governments processed 5092 cases against US personnel under SOFA.
30% of Okinawa Island in Japan is occupied by US military since World War 2. Locals have been protesting since and the US response was to build another base in 2004 which was luckily stopped due to environmental concerns being raised. In Puerto Rico 2/3 of the island is occupied by US, inhabitants were expelled from their homes to facilitate US bomb testing. We know too well how the Chagossians were virtually carried from the homes and evicted by the civilized British to set up a base for US in Diego Garcia. These people were dumped in Mauritius and even after winning a court order the British Government used Executive Orders and ignored it.
So if a Sri Lankan is raped, killed, molested, kidnapped etc the victims will have no justice whatsoever. If anyone is in doubt they can ask the 65,000 Okinawans from Japan who protested demanding the removal of US military from their Island. It is good to note that despite the people of Japan demanding its government to close the US base, Japan cannot because of the agreement in place. Therefore, if any base has been allowed, Sri Lanka will NEVER be able to remove it.
http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2016/06/65000_protest_us_military_in_o.html
The US also has more than100 bases in Korea and here too US military are not accountable for any crimes they commit. In 2002, two teenage girls on their way to a birthday party were run over by a US tank – the driver was repatriated where a US military court found him ‘not guilty’. In 2006, 2600 car accidents were reported in Korea involving US servicemen. Koreans could not claim damages. Korean Insurance companies refused to cover damages too.
The Netherlands hosts 7 US bases one which has nuclear warheads. Two bases monitor and intercept drug-transport on the Caribbean Sea and another serves as reconnaissance flights over Colombia making the Netherlands indirectly involved in the Colombian conflict. The bases allow US to bring arms and materials to the country without reporting to Dutch customs!
But then the CIA is famed for smuggling drugs! The present Pakistan-India-Sri Lanka and East Asia is a narcotics hotbed!
http://humansarefree.com/2015/02/overwhelming-evidence-that-cia-is.html
All of US bases areplatforms for military manoeuvres – aerial bombings on Pakistan are launched from Diego Garcia, the base in Ecuador is used for covert military actions on Colombia, the bases in Iraq and Turkey have served as intelligence centres against Iran and Syria. Bases have also been used for extra-judicial transport, imprisonment and torture of people. Guantanamo Bay is the perfect example while there are numerous other secret centres across Middle East and Europe. Some bases are even used to test nuclear arsenal, while others are for intelligence operations such as the world-wide network of ‘Echelon” bases that monitor all email, phone, data communications traffic.
These bases serve to overthrow governments – of the over 300 overseas military interventions & invasions by US were possible because of the US military facilities in various nations.
US & NATO has managed to surround Iran by occupying Iraq & Afghanistan and placing bases in 8 neighbors of Iran with 3 US-backed nuclear powers in Israel, India and Pakistan and Turkey deploys US nuclear warheads. Iran has every right to protect its nation and its sovereignty. What nation wants to be attacked this way?
Does Sri Lanka want to be an enemy to our friends in Asia?These bases will certainly be used against Russia, China, Iran and even India (though India foolishly thinks itself to be a proud partner of the West – non-whites are never ‘partners’ but kept to serve the interests only)
Do we in Sri Lanka boasting of being a non-violent and non-aligned nation wish to encourage such SADISM by a country whose hobby is bulldozing nations and blowing them to pieces?
This is not a game of Cowboys and Indians!
These are all early warnings for Sri Lanka.
These bases host not only US military but US citizens – soldiers, civilians, and others that include their families. Why are so many 7 star hotels emerging in Sri Lanka, we do not have people to afford such luxury. These hotels are meant for the families and the top brass and other very senior officers who will be regularly flying in from all parts of the world.
The new US base is said to have a US marine residence and a warehouse among other sophisticated items. Why would an embassy need a Marine Residence? And a warehouse to store what? These are dead giveaway for the ultimate creation of a US military base pretending it to be a US embassy complex. The momentum obviously came when in November 2015 Daya Gamage reported that when Samantha Power visited Sri Lanka, she envisaged ‘enhanced military relations’ which is beyond the sale of military equipment and training (it was not given when we needed it and now we don’t need it as the conflict is over)
When scores of foreign military set up virtual residence in Sri Lanka, the GOSL will say these are opportunities for our people. What are the opportunities…we will have to send our women as prostitutes oh yes and they can make money selling their bodies, we will have men and women serving as stewards and waitresses, do parents spend so much on education for their children to be servants in our own country! But then there will be plenty of cocktail circles where the local lackeys will squirm in front of their superiors boasting of hobnobbing with them. What else are we likely to get out of this can anybody please elucidate!!!
In the end we would have become distanced from our historical friends choosing to become their indirect enemy and when we are ever in need of help we would have no one to come to our aid. Irony is that even those that helped the US to get their prize catch would also end up getting the boot one fine day as Saddam, Suharto, Ngo Diem, Pinochet & Osama found out too late.
Why would Sri Lanka knowingly want to suffer the same hassles that nations with US bases are going through?