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Indigenous People of Guam Hold Self-Determination Summit Amidst Military Buildup
by Mark Liu
1/3/08
On December 29th, the University of Guam hosted a self-determination summit put on by Chamorros, the indigenous people of Guam. The summit was titled, “Protecting Our Way of Life and Ensuring Our Survival.” The conference sought to united and educate Chamorros across generations, as well as raise awareness over the military buildup planned for Guam.
On the 220 square mile island of Guam, a U.S. territory, there are plans to expand a U.S. military base that already occupies a third of the island. With a population of 168,000 people, Guam could see 40,000 new military personnel and their family members added to their island according to a Stars and Stripes newspaper article. Beginning in 2012, 8,000 marines and their dependants are scheduled to be relocated to Guam from Okinawa. In addition, the U.S. military is looking to expand the Naval and Army units on the base. The overall plan is still awaiting Congressional approval.
The growth of the military base on Guam is due in large part to the success of grassroots resistance to other military bases located in Asia. In 2005, Japan successfully negotiated an agreement with the U.S. to reduce troops in Okinawa. The agreement sights the displeasure of Okinawan residents with the military base as a factor for the reduction of troops. Troops in South Korea are also slated to be cut back in 2008 according to a local Micronesian paper.
There are also signs of resistance from the people of Guam as well. Besides the conference held last week, many of the concerns over the U.S. occupation have been raised to the United Nations’ Special Political and Decolonization Committee by Chamorros now living in the U.S. Despite U.S. military’s large presence in Guam, Chamorros who make up about a third of the population of Guam now are left without any meaningful federal voting rights (Guam is allowed to elect a non-voting member to Congress). Victoria Guerrero, a writer who now lives in the Bay Area, was one of the people to present to the committee on behalf of Guam. “[UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari] really believes that Guam deserves the right to self-determination,” says Guerrero. Despite the fact that Gambari was sympathetic to the delegation, he stated that there was no realistic way for the U.N. to pass a resolution, because the U.S. would veto it according to Guerrero. Nonetheless the recommendation was made to send a U.N. delegate to Guam.
With the influx of immigration into Guam along with the military buildup, there are many questions the community faces. Dr. Richard Wyttenbach-Santos, an attendee of the conference, stated, “The island's become so diffused and so multicultural - is Chamorro self-determination a lost cause? And how do we get non-Chamorros to understand that this is the homeland of the Chamorro? Under international law they have the right to vote on their self-determination."
To learn more about the situation in Guam visit:
http://www.apexexpress.org/news/index.php?op=read&id=311&type=1
and
http://decolonizeguam.blogspot.com/
Military Bases on Guam
