ID :
199654
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 02:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/199654
The shortlink copeid
Defoliants or not
The Korea Times
(Yonhap) - A joint Korea-U.S. investigation team has found little traces of defoliants but lots of other cancer-causing chemicals around Camp Carroll.
The interim report must come as a relief for both American soldiers and Korean residents living in and around the U.S. military base, where drums of Agent Orange were allegedly buried 30 years ago.
Unfortunately, the news falls short of putting those involved completely at ease, and with reason.
First of all, the joint team has yet to probe the area pinpointed by the U.S. whistleblower Steve House, a former serviceman who worked in the base about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The officials say they will investigate the area by the end of the month, but residents are not sure why it should take so long.
This leads to a second suspicion ??? about method. People are wondering why investigators don't dig up the ground instead of undergoing the tedious process of gathering water and soil samples. Such doubts deepen as the previous search has found traces of metals, a possible sign of drums.
There should be little doubt about the U.S. military's vows to make fair, transparent probes this time around. Yet it is also true any impression of foot-dragging might cause unnecessary misunderstanding, not least because the U.S. Forces Korea have hardly acknowledged the possibility of their environmental contamination unless locals first raise such suspicions.
We pay respect to the courage and good conscience of House and two other former U.S. soldiers who came forward to confess their past mistakes, albeit on orders from above. The U.S. and Korean governments should spare no efforts so that these individuals' altruism and self-sacrifice will not be in vain. Even if the defoliants had been excavated and moved somewhere else later, they must make public the location and process. Merely saying they were "moved out and dispose of" won't do.
The ongoing defoliant probe should serve as an opportunity for the two governments to raise environmental consciousness and to specify the responsibility, including the costs of a cleanup, for possible contamination. They also should modify the current status of forces agreement (SOFA) where necessary in this regard.
One should caution against politicizing the issue or efforts to let it drive a wedge into the U.S.-Korea alliance. The best ways to prevent these are swift probes and clear and open disclosure.
(Yonhap) - A joint Korea-U.S. investigation team has found little traces of defoliants but lots of other cancer-causing chemicals around Camp Carroll.
The interim report must come as a relief for both American soldiers and Korean residents living in and around the U.S. military base, where drums of Agent Orange were allegedly buried 30 years ago.
Unfortunately, the news falls short of putting those involved completely at ease, and with reason.
First of all, the joint team has yet to probe the area pinpointed by the U.S. whistleblower Steve House, a former serviceman who worked in the base about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The officials say they will investigate the area by the end of the month, but residents are not sure why it should take so long.
This leads to a second suspicion ??? about method. People are wondering why investigators don't dig up the ground instead of undergoing the tedious process of gathering water and soil samples. Such doubts deepen as the previous search has found traces of metals, a possible sign of drums.
There should be little doubt about the U.S. military's vows to make fair, transparent probes this time around. Yet it is also true any impression of foot-dragging might cause unnecessary misunderstanding, not least because the U.S. Forces Korea have hardly acknowledged the possibility of their environmental contamination unless locals first raise such suspicions.
We pay respect to the courage and good conscience of House and two other former U.S. soldiers who came forward to confess their past mistakes, albeit on orders from above. The U.S. and Korean governments should spare no efforts so that these individuals' altruism and self-sacrifice will not be in vain. Even if the defoliants had been excavated and moved somewhere else later, they must make public the location and process. Merely saying they were "moved out and dispose of" won't do.
The ongoing defoliant probe should serve as an opportunity for the two governments to raise environmental consciousness and to specify the responsibility, including the costs of a cleanup, for possible contamination. They also should modify the current status of forces agreement (SOFA) where necessary in this regard.
One should caution against politicizing the issue or efforts to let it drive a wedge into the U.S.-Korea alliance. The best ways to prevent these are swift probes and clear and open disclosure.
