[TO: aml, keystone]
島川です。
21日付の米軍ニュース(American Forces Press Service)が、前日の国防総省
の News Briefing を取りあげて、米軍のプレゼンスに反対する日本と韓国の
「反米デモンストレーション」に対する警戒を呼びかけています。
記事は、国防総省報道官のブリーフィングの要約を中心に作られています。
曰く：
この「地域」で反米デモが増加しエネルギッシュになっているのは、「たぶ
ん」沖縄サミットがあるためであり、また韓国の国内事情のせいである。反
対派は好機と見て活動を強めているが、日韓両政府と、両国の市民の圧倒的
大多数はアメリカ軍のプレゼンスを支持している。
駐留米軍は地域の繁栄・平和・安定の基礎を提供しており、人びともこれを
理解している。
ベーコン報道官言：米軍は両国が「アメリカのプレゼンスなしには不可能で
あろう非軍事的な経済成長への投資と繁栄の水準を享受」することを可能に
している。
コーエン国防長官言：「我われは、日本と南朝鮮の主権国家の意志と招待に
よってそこにおり、また、そこに留まるつもりである。」
「多数の反米事件」として例示されているのはすべて「南朝鮮の基地の近傍」
でのことで、特に6月25日にソウルの商店街で起こった、陸軍の軍医が他のふ
たりと歩行中に刺殺されたという事件を挙げています。在韓米当局は、旅行は
少なくともふたり以上のグループで行なうこと、「怒れる群衆」に近づかない
こと、疑わしいことがあればすぐにMPに通報することを求めていると伝えてい
ます。
この米軍ニュースの記事を読んだ米兵は、日韓での「一部反米暴徒」の襲撃を
恐怖するかもしれませんね。ベーコン報道官の殺人事件に対する言及は、「反
米デモ」との関連を強く示唆しながらも、一応は、直接的に「リンク」するも
のとは言えないと述べていますが、米軍ニュースでは、反米事件のうちで「最
も暴力的」だったのはこの殺人事件である、という文脈で「リンク」をさせて
います。
この米軍ニュースの書き方のほうが、ベーコン報道官のもってまわった言い方
の真意を伝えているものでしょう。そもそも、米軍ニュースの記事は国防総省
の公式ページに「news」コーナーで Briefing と共に掲載されているものです
から、「公式見解」の役割分担であるとも言えます。日韓の反基地・反軍運動
をむりやり暴力的反米運動として描こうとしているのも、その影響をできるだ
け過小評価したいということでしょう。
以下、American Forces Press Service の記事と、DoD Briefing の当該部分を
添付します。
1) Forces Press-----------------------------------------------------------
<http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2000/n07212000_20007211.html>
Service Members see 'Spike' in Anti-American Demonstrations
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2000 -- American military personnel
are urged to pay more attention to force protection in
light of a "spike" in demonstrations against the American
presence in Japan and Korea.
The increase in demonstrations against the American
presence in the region is probably due to the summit in
Okinawa, Japan, and because of some recent political
developments in South Korea, Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon
said at a briefing here July 20.
Opposition groups "are episodically more energetic," he
said. "But the governments remain steadfast for the
presence of the American military in the Asia-Pacific
region."
Japan and South Korea's governments and the vast majority
of the citizens of those two countries support the presence
of American troops in the region, Bacon said. "We have
nearly 100,000 troops forward deployed in Asia. They
provide the foundation for prosperity and peace and
stability in the area, and I think people realize that."
U.S. troops have made it possible for these countries to
"enjoy a level of prosperity and [make] an investment in
non-military economic growth that would have been
impossible without the American presence," he said.
"We are there at the invitation and the will of the
sovereign governments of Japan and South Korea and we
intend to remain there," Defense Secretary William S. Cohen
said during a recent trip to the region.
A number of anti-American incidents have occurred near
bases in South Korea, Bacon said. The most violent was the
murder of Army Dr. (Maj.) David Berry, June 25. Berry was
stabbed to death while walking with two other doctors in
Itaewon, a popular shopping area in Seoul. U.S. Forces,
Korea officials said a 37-year-old out-of-work construction
worker was charged with the crime.
Other attacks have been made against American service
members, a Korean national working for U.S. Forces Korea
and the spouses of American service members, Bacon said.
American officials in Korea have urged U.S. personnel to
travel in groups or at least in pairs, Bacon said. They
have urged personnel "to be more aware of the situation
around them and not to get into big crowds or angry
crowds," he said. "They've urged them to report any
suspicious activity to MPs immediately."
In South Korea, U.S. military police will increase their
liaison with Korean National Police in areas frequented by
Americans.
2) DoD Briefing-----------------------------------------------------------
DoD News Briefing
Thursday, July 20, 2000 - 1:34 p.m. EDT
Presenter: Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD PA
<http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2000/t07202000_t0720asd.html>
Q: On a different topic, back to South Korea, U.S. forces in Korea today
apparently issued a warning or recommendation to U.S. troops to restrict
their movements in Korea and that they were going to step up security
patrols and that sort of thing.Could you bring us up to date on this
announcement and why it has been issued and what has led to this?
Bacon: Well, as you know, an American major was murdered in the shopping
district of Itaewon recently and there have been other -- there have
been
demonstrations against Americans and there was an attack against two
spouses
of American servicemen, also in a shopping area.
So in response to this, the commanders of U.S. forces in Korea have
reiterated
their long-standing security policies, and one of those is that soldiers
and
other personnel are supposed to maintain a buddy system; in other words,
not
travel around alone but travel in groups or, at least, in pairs. They've
urged
them to be more aware of the situation around them, not to get into
big crowds
or angry crowds. They've urged them to report any suspicious activity
to MPs
immediately. They have also given them cards to carry around that contain
reporting information so they can get through to MPs or law enforcement
agencies very quickly. And we have also enhanced patrols in various
areas in
Korea, areas where Americans tend to go -- security patrols to help
the local
authorities look out for Americans.
There have been periods from time to time when there have been some
demonstrations against the American presence. The American presence
continues
to be strongly supported by the South Korean government but, as you
know,
South Korea is a democracy and there are opposing views expressed
occasionally, and we seem to be in one of those periods now.
I can't say that there is a link between the murder of the American
doctor,
the Army major, on the one hand and the demonstrations on the other
hand. I
think it's premature to say that. But I'd say murder is not a rational,
democratically allowed activity, and demonstrations are.
Q: But when you combine this also with events in Okinawa, do you see
any
trend of anti-U.S. military sentiment in the Pacific?
Bacon: In the Pacific? I don't think I see anything particularly new
in the
Pacific. I think that we have a situation where the governments of
South Korea
and the government of Japan and the vast majority of the people support
our
security presence there. We have nearly a hundred thousand American
troops
forward deployed in Asia, and they provide a foundation for prosperity
and
peace and stability in the area. And I think people realize that. I
think that
the presence of American troops has been a very stabilizing force and
has made
it possible for other countries to enjoy a level of prosperity that
they
wouldn't -- and investment in non-military economic growth that would
have
been impossible without the American presence.
There have always been pockets of resistance. And I think that that's
what
we're seeing in these two countries. It -- the pockets, the resisters
are
episodically more energetic sometimes than they are at other times.
And I
think because of the summit in Okinawa and because of some recent political
developments in South Korea we're seeing perhaps a little spike in
some of
the resistance groups. But as I say, the governments remain steadfast
in
their support of the American presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
(中略)
Q: With the current concerns of troop safety in the Pacific, the GAO
yesterday
released a report that said that the DoD is not fully funding a lot
of anti-
terrorism projects, and Pacific commands were particularly underfunded.
Does
the Pentagon plan to push the services to improve funding?
Bacon: Well first, the GAO report made a sweeping conclusion that force
protection is much better now than it was three years ago, when they
did
their last report. And of course, force protection is a prime responsibility
of all commanders, and it's one to which we've devoted a huge amount
of
attention and resources since 1996 when the Khobar Towers tragedy took
place
in Saudi Arabia. We agree with a number -- with two of the recommendations
in the GAO report. We did not agree with their finding that there were
large
numbers of unfunded projects. And in fact, in the letter we sent back
to the
GAO, we specifically challenged that finding that there were unfunded
projects.
We did, though, agree with some other recommendations about training
and
responding to vulnerabilities. And we welcome any study that helps
us focus
more efficiently on force protection, and we greet this study with
that
spirit.
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島川雅史 mshmkw@tama.or.jp
mshmkw@jca.apc.org
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