Sixth Report from Gangjeong 8th March 2012

I am so tired as the last 2 days have been very intense so excuse me if this is a bit rambling. The evening of 6th March was a busy time as the town was called for an emergency meeting to decide what to do as the dynamite was to be delivered the next day. The Mayor called on the whole village to come out with their cars and lorries and block the roads early the next morning to try and stop it being delivered. I heard later that around 20 vehicles were used by the village and several hundred people blocked the road at 2 or 3 places. It is difficult to know how many people were arrested – around 10 I think and most were released that evening. The police are trying not to arrest many people and just removed them and confiscated their vehicles. When the villagers have time they will try and get them back.

I was part of the sea based group. We were 14 people who were to kayak and swim into the blasting area during the early hours of the morning. My friends found me a wetsuit and after a couple of hours sleep we were up at 3a.m. and went to a secret launching place and using 4 double kayaks paddled quietly along the rocky coast, into the destruction security area. It was a bright moonlit night and very beautiful and I love kayaking. We managed not to be seen in the bright lights of the area as we were all in black and my bright white hair carefully hidden in a hat which kept me warm too! We landed around 5a.m. and hid ourselves close to the blasting area amongst the huge tetra-pods. We were to stay hidden until around 8 – 10 a.m. The kayaks returned. There was to be another group kayaking in at 10 a.m.

The tide was coming in and the water rising so we kept having to change places trying not to get trapped. We eventually emerged with our flags and tried to get closer to the precise area of the blast but of course there were loads of riot police and also coastal police swarming over the area nearby and we did not manage to stop the blast. The second wave of kayaks did not manage to get to us either so there were just 3 of us (2 Koreans and myself) those first 6 hours or so but later on Benjie and the others evaded all the police boats and got in by swimming close to the rocks as the police boats have to avoid damage by keeping further out. One police boat did get damaged and was out of action for the day.

Eventually 14 of us were very visibly protesting right in front of the the blast area. We spent most of the day on the rocks unable to stop the blasting. It was really horrible watching it – to be so close but unable to prevent it. Most of us were crying but also determined to do what we could knowing that the combined protests of the day would be raising the political stakes, at least.

We were informed, by mobile while we on the rocks, that the Governor of Jeju had made a written public announcement to the Department of Defence. He called for a hearing process, part of a pre-condition for cancelling the licence or making a stopping order, and he said if he did not get the hearing he would consider cancelling the Navy license for concreting over the rocky coastal area (which he does have the power to do).

We swam back to the port at around 5 p.m. tired and cold and some of us immediately went around to the blockade site to join the blockade in our wet suits. We heard that many politicians from opposition parties had arrived throughout the day, making their statements of support – lots of speeches – and there was a huge amount of national media attention.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, it was back to the village peace centre to hear about the political and media success of the day despite the blasting going ahead and to discuss plans for the next day. Which is today - 8th March - International Women's Day.

This was the day when not only would more dynamite be delivered (apparently it has to be brought each day as they do not allow it to be stored on site) but also when a right wing conservative, nationalist, pro-base group would be coming over from the mainland to protest in favour of the base. The Mayor was scared there would be violent confrontations and urged that we keep peaceful.

I was sound asleep by 11a.m. But was awakened by the village siren calling us all out again at 4 a.m. A large 'caisson' (large concrete block of roughly 15 stories high) had arrived to be placed in the sea to start the breakwater. We saw it later on in the day - horrifyingly large and intrusive, dominating the sea-scape. And, like yesterday, there were around 25 sea vessels on the water again including the Korean navy, coastguards and police boats.

Today, I decided to join the land group not the sea group. This turned out to be a good choice as the swimming group could not get very far, unfortunately, and eventually returned to land to join the blockade.

I arrived in the dark to find a police bus across the road with rows of riot police blocking our entrance to both gates but was able to follow villagers climbing down off the road to make their way along the river-side, and climb back up the rocky steep bank with the needed help of a rope that had conveniently been attached to some trees. Thus we were able to join the others who had gathered early to start the blockade. People who still had vehicles managed to go round by back routes so soon there were several hundreds of us sitting in the road before the destruction gate. The police got another bus and blocked the road the other side of the bridge. This was a help later on as it kept the police between us and the pro-Navy base group.

The morning passed fairly quietly and very productively as I was in demand to do tons of press interviews for the Korean TV, radio and printed media because of the rock occupation yesterday. Of course there were no international or British press there! The interviews were good and very thorough and allowed me to cover lots of the most important issues like the threat to the local water supply, affects on local agriculture and fishing, the protected environment being destroyed, what real security is about, as well as the need to transform away from a war culture and the problems of militarisation and the dangerous super-power confrontation between the ever-expanding US/NATO military empire and China, the US's stated intent to "contain and control" China and enforce corporate globalization and free trade etc etc.

The villagers asked the Navy to come out and explain themselves, made speeches, sang songs, handed out hot food and drinks, and kept everyone's spirits up. I was asked to speak again and explained that many people around the world were with them and shared their pain, they were not alone and that concerned friends were protesting at the Korean Embassy in London. They all cheered and clapped.

Thanks Lucy and Camilla for making the effort – it all makes a difference and helps keep the villagers
spirits up.

After many people had spoken, including the leader of the major opposition party, the Mayor once more asked for the Navy to come out and talk to us. With no response he then said we had to enter the base and lots of pushing and shoving began. At this I managed to join a small group of Catholics protesting at the base of the gate behind the main riot police line and somehow wriggled into the base via a small open door. A Korean Jesuit priest managed to get in after me but others were just too late and the police managed finally to push against the crowd and close the gate leaving me and the priest inside! I was able to stand very visibly on a high piece of ground, waving my earth flag and the priest made a dash for the gate and clambered up it. Amazing. He stayed there, way out of reach. The police brought loads of cushions and it looked like they might try and push him off which would have been really dangerous but he just climbed down the other side – so nimble and neat, even the police were smiling and we all cheered of course!

Meanwhile the shoving and pushing continued for a long time and then finally calmed down. Police came up and questioned me, told me I was illegally trespassing and breaking the law, and as usual I shook hands with all the police, said I was legally there on village land with their permission and was trying to stop preparations for a war of aggression that the US was planning against China, smiled, said I was a global citizen and today I was called 'Stop the Blasting of the Gureombi Rocks', was nonviolent and not a threat to anyone. After quite some time lots of policewomen came and carried me out of the gate, where I joined the Catholics who were still at the base of the gate.

Around 1p.m. the right wing crowd arrived but could not pass over the bridge to us because of the police and so we did not have to confront them directly. Instead they made loads of high volume speeches and played nationalistic tunes, There were not more than a hundred of them and they only stayed for a couple of hours, which was a great relief. Meanwhile some of the villagers and protesters had dressed up as beautiful women, some in national costume (including some men) and passed out flowers to everyone to celebrate women's day. Lots of jokes were made and everyone had a good time.

More interviews kept me busy until the Mayor called the blockade off, the police went home, and we all marched with our banners to the port to look at the caisson and protest at that site for an hour.

It is now 10.30 p.m. and the village meeting for the next days plans is still being held but I have decided to go to bed and catch up on the plans for tomorrow in the morning. Good-night. Angie.