Okinawa Base Issue (compiled stories)

The pact is broadly opposed in the Philippines, as it reverses a 1992 decision by the Philippine government, under pressure from the public, to kick the U.S. out of its last permanent base in the country, located in Subic Bay. Social movements in the Philippines have long opposed U.S. power over their country, which includes more than five decades of direct colonial rule and the backing of dictator Ferdinand Marcos…

Residents say that the U.S. military, and the agreements protecting it, is deeply destructive to local communities. Soldiers commit atrocities with impunity, said Salvador. And the military’s environmental destruction and waste dumping harms ecosystems and public health. This includes a U.S. Navy ship’s damage last year to Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, which the U.S. still has not paid reparations for.

“There are also concerns about the displacement of many communities because the U.S. military is already building facilities in several parts of the country, including Oyster Bay in the Pelawan Islands, which is home to indigenous communities,” Salvador continued. “The U.S. military has not been fully been held responsible for the damage it has done.”

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/17/justice-jennifer-protests-sweep-philippines-following-us-marines-alleged-murder