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Molotov Cocktails Thrown at U.S. Military Base in South Korea
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| A protester next to dolls representing 2 South Korean schoolgirls who were crushed to death |
SEOUL,
November 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Molotov cocktails were
thrown into a U.S. military base in South Korea Thursday, November 28,
amid simmering anger over the acquittal of two U.S. soldiers accused
of killing two schoolgirls crushed to death by a 50-ton vehicle in a
road accident.
Police
stepped up security around the U.S. embassy and other American
installations across the country following anti-U.S. protests that saw
protestors breaking into a U.S. military base and firebombing another
facility in recent days, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Early
Thursday, two Molotov cocktails were thrown over the wall of Camp Page
in the eastern city of Chuncheon, local police told AFP by telephone.
“The
two Molotov cocktails landed on the ground inside the high wall but
they caused little damage. Nobody was hurt,” a police officer said.
“Two
other Motolov cocktails fell on the flower bed outside the wall and we
retrieved the burning debris. When we got there, the attackers had
already gone.”
Yonhap
news agency said the Molotov cocktails were believed to have been
thrown by students who were driving past the base.
The
case has fuelled anti-U.S. sentiment in South Korea, which hosts
37,000 U.S. troops under a mutual defense pact dating back to the
1950-1953 Korean War.
South
Korean activists have staged regular protests outside U.S. military
bases since the deaths of the two schoolgirls, burning American flags
and scuffling with riot police.
Under
an accord between Washington and Seoul, U.S. forces have legal
jurisdiction over U.S. troops committing crimes in South Korea while
on duty. The South Korean government asked for jurisdiction in this
case but was denied.
On
Monday, some 20 students hurled 10 Molotov cocktails over the main
gate of Camp Grey, a small U.S. support post in southwestern Seoul.
One student was arrested following the attack.
A
day later, around 50 activists were arrested after breaking into a
major U.S. military base in northern surburbs of Seoul.
The
attacks came after two U.S. soldiers were “cleared” in U.S. court
martials last week at Camp Casey, north of Seoul.
They
were accused of negligent homicide in the deaths of 14-year-olds Shim
Mi-Son and Shin Hyon-Sun, who were crushed to death in a road accident
on June 13.
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| A protester shouts a slogan during an anti-U.S. rally near the Yongsan U.S. Army Base in Seoul |
General
Leon LaPorte, commander of the 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea,
indicated that the U.S. forces would take measures to ensure safety of
servicemen and their families against violent protests.
“As
the commander of all the forces in Korea ... I have the responsibility
to ensure the safety of the service members and their families. I take
that responsibility very seriously,” LaPorte told journalists on
Wednesday, November 27.
“If
required, I will have to initiate some actions so that we could ensure
that our service members and family members are not exposed to
violence,” he said.
He
made the statement at a joint press conference with U.S. Ambassador to
Seoul Thomas Hubbard during which Hubbard conveyed words of apology
from President George W. Bush over the deaths.
Activists
want the two soldiers to go on trial in a Korean court.
Yonhap
news agency said that since Tuesday 4,400 extra police had joined the
1,900 already guarding U.S. installations.
Meanwhile,
the two U.S. soldiers issued public “apologies” Wednesday before
freely departing for the United States.
Sergeant
Fernando Nino offered his “deepest and most heartfelt condolences”
to the families of the 14-year-olds girls who were crushed to death by
a 50-ton vehicle on June 13.
“I
am so sorry for the grief and pain you have felt at the loss of your
daughters,” said Nino, the vehicle’s navigator and commander.
“Even
though it was by accident, I have to live with the anguish of knowing
that two individuals died as a result of the accident,” he said in a
statement:
The
second soldier, Sergeant Mark Walker, also expressed “great
remorse” over the deaths.
“I
know my mental turmoil is surely nothing compared to your sadness and
pain. In my year here in Korea I have really come to love and respect
the Korean people,” he said.
Walker
was at the wheel of the tank track vehicle that ran over the girls as
they walked past a military convoy on their way to a birthday party.
But he was also found “not guilty”.
U.S.
military authorities said both Nino and Walker would leave South Korea
soon.
“Walker
was to be transferred to the United States after ending his mission
here, and Nino has filed for retirement,” a U.S. military spokesman
told AFP.
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