Final Declaration of WFDY Seminar “With the struggle of the youth, neither bases, nor political and military blocks!” - Lisbon (Portugal), May 21

Click here to read the Final Declaration of WFDY Seminar “With the struggle of the youth, neither bases, nor political and military blocks!” - Lisbon (Portugal), May 21

Solidarity with Polish communists!

Statement of World Federation of Democratic Youth (www.wfdy.org)

Following the recent events and laws approved in Poland, from June 8 on the communist symbols will be forbidden in the country. This act, covered and supported by the so self-proclaimed “democratic” European Union, represents an attack to the communist forces of Poland and of the whole world, but also to all those who are true lovers of peace, democratic liberties and rights.WFDY reminds everyone that decision was taken last year, as the president of USA and the remaining NATO members were agreeing on sending 30.000 troops more to continue the occupation of Afghanistan. As a dark coincidence, the decision is being implemented now, as USA is implementing military disposals throughout the lands of Poland to “prevent” any military action coming from East, i.e. Russia.

Once again, as in the wars and occupations of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq, imperialism uses “democracy” and “prevention” to impose its domination suffocating all those who resist against its dominant voice.

Furthermore, in times where the historical limits of the capitalist system are so clear as in the framework of this international crisis, it is necessary for the dominant forces to smash all sources of protest and, specially, all forces that can present an alternative to this inhuman and irrational order in which we live.

WFDY considers this a matter of much more than just
the communist forces. For their revolutionary project communists may be the first to be attacked, but after them surely all others who aim to raise their voices against dominance will be smashed. This means that to stand by the Polish communists in this battle is much more than fighting back the prohibition of some symbols, but it is in fact an act of struggle for true democracy and right to an alternative.

Therefore, WFDY calls upon all its member and friend organizations, as well as the partners of the coming 17th World Festival of the Youth and Students, to vehemently protest against this measures in a week of actions from 8 to 15 of June, demanding from their national governments and the government of Poland concrete action to take back all this measures.

The banning of the Union of the Communist Youth of Czech Republic (KSM) was not successful due to the struggle of the Czech youth alongside with thousands of people all around the world, proving it is upon us and our struggle and solidarity to rise to the challenge and fight back: we will defeat imperialism!

First Nations Students Live In University

Protest funding cuts that will lead to school's death

by GARSON HUNTER - reprinted from The Dominion

Suggestive of an eagle in flight, the First Nations University of Canada building was designed by architect Douglas Cardinal, whose work reflects his Metis and Blackfoot heritage. The building officially opened in 2003. The property is located within Wascana Centre Authority and owned by First Nations University of Canada Inc. Under its Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement Agreement with the federal and provincial governments, Star Blanket Cree Nation is seeking reserve status for the 32.5 acres of land. The main campus is in Regina, located within the Treaty Four area, on Cree-Saulteaux land. There are also FNUC campuses in Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

YCL Ontario condemns Netanyahu visit

The Young Communist League of Ontario condemns the presence of the leading war criminal of Apartheid Israel in our province. Netanyahu is in Toronto to white-wash the Israeli state’s crimes and in Ottawa to shake hands with the Prime Minister of Canada, who is guilty of his own war crimes in Afghanistan. We wholeheartedly support all progressive youth’s participation in mass actions to send a clear message: “War Criminals Not Welcome Here”!

This May, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people on the 62nd anniversary of the Nakba. “Nakba” means “catastrophe” in Arabic, but Zionist military forces at the time referred to it as “cleansing”. This horrific crime against humanity uprooted 750,000 Palestinians and turned the vast majority of Palestinian residents of what is now Israel into refugees who are still denied their right of return to their land. Netanyahu has continued and expanded the Nakba with his support for the ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem and the West Bank through the creation of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

The vast majority of the world, through the UN, has opposed Israeli expansionism for over 40 years as one of the principle road blocks to peace in the region. This is the view most commonly held by Canadian youth, but it is not being reflected in Harper’s unconditional support for the most extreme pro-Zionist and genocidal measures taken by the Israeli state.

Netanyahu is also currently responsible for continuing war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s crimes during last year’s 3 week massacre of 1,400 Palestinians (including over 300 children) have been detailed in Judge Richard Goldstone’s report to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Goldstone, a Jewish South African Judge, found that Israel had used disproportionate force, targeted Palestinian civilians, used them as human shields, destroyed civilian infrastructure and had used weapons made illegal under international law.

Netanyahu is now increasing the casualties in Gaza as a result of the ruthless siege. Human Rights groups from around the world have referred to Gaza as the “world’s largest open air prison” and have repeatedly called on Israel to lift the siege in order to allow international aid to reach a society in tremendous need of reconstruction. Israel’s actions today in regards to the siege have been correctly described as “collective punishment”, which is a war crime under the Geneva Convention.

The Young Communist League of Ontario also condemns Netanyahu’s Israel of maintaining and strengthening its Apartheid policies in the occupied territories and inside Israel itself. We stand with South African anti-Apartheid veterans, such as Desmond Tutu, Ronnie Kasrils, COSATU, the ANC, the South African Communist Party and the Young Communist League of South Africa, in refusing to be intimidated and referring to Israel’s racist policies by their name as defined in international law - “Apartheid”.

Tory Minister Jason Kenney and his gang of federal and provincial reactionaries are trying to suppress a growing people’s movement by attacking Canadian democratic rights and labelling any criticism of Israel as “hate-speech”. We stand in solidarity with “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid” who are struggling against the corporate censorship taking place within Toronto Pride and with students who are fighting university administrations and Conservative student groups’ attempts at censorship on campuses. The truth is that growing numbers of Jewish Canadians and young peoples of all backgrounds are speaking out against Israel’s policies and joining the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Netanyahu’s Apartheid Israel.

The Young Communist League of Ontario understands that Israel’s policies cannot be analyzed in isolation. The likes of war criminals such as Netanyahu and Harper can only be understood when looking at their role as agents of American Imperialism, whose military expenditure is as much than all other countries on earth combined. Israel is American Capital’s guard dog in the Middle East, while Canada is its side kick and accomplice in the dirty war in Afghanistan. It is capitalism and corporate interests that create war, racism and economic injustice around the world. Ultimately the way forward to win global, just and lasting peace is through the overthrow of the economic system which leads to global conflict.

War Criminals Not Welcome Here! Youth unite for Peace and Socialism!

Statement of the YCL - Ontario Provincial Executive Committee

Protests to meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Toronto and Ottawa

Rebel Youth Magazine urges you to please consider joining these protests:

On May 30th and May 31st, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Canada for meetings with officials in Ottawa and Toronto, and to kick off the May 30 "Walk with Israel" in Toronto. This will be the first visit of a sitting Israeli Prime Minister to Canada since Yitzhak Rabin's visit in 1994. According to JTA news agency, "Since [Canadian PM Stephen] Harper's election, Israel and Canada have strengthened their political, military and economic ties, and Harper has a record of strong pro-Israel statements." Netanyahu's acceptance of Harper's invitation is widely seen as a sign of gratitude for the Canadian Prime Minister's staunch defence of Israeli policies.

Netanyahu stands accused of having authorized serious human rights violations, including extra-judicial executions, torture of Palestinian political prisoners, and collective punishment in the form of hundreds of housing demolitions during his first tenure as Prime Minister (June 1996-July 1999). Both then and during his current term as PM, he has supported the intensification of Israeli colonies (settlements) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories -- which violates the Fourth Geneva Convention -- and elements of the military occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank which violate international law.

CJPME considers that Netanyahu's visit to Canada inappropriately suggests support, and gives legitimacy to the right-wing policies of the Netanyahu government.

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Note that the following activities are not organized by Rebel Youth, but by local solidarity groups active in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Please contact those groups directly (as per the information provided below) if additional information is required. Please join in solidarity to oppose the Israeli occupation of Palestine and take a stand for justice, peace and human rights.

TORONTO:

The rally will take place on Sunday, May 30.

Details:

Assemble at 9:00 a.m. | Rally begins at 9:30 a.m.
At the Canadian National Exhibition, northeast corner of Strachan Avenue and Princes Boulevard (click here to see a map), opposite Princes' Gate, on the east side of Strachan Avenue.

To get there by TTC: Take the subway to Union Station; then take the 509 Harbourfront streetcar going into the CNE; get off just before Princes' Gate. Please note: the TTC begins running at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Parking for cars and buses is available nearby.

Buses are available for Mississauga participants from Palestine House. Buses depart at 8:30 a.m. (3195 Erindale Station Rd., (north of Dundas), Mississauga)

Recommended slogans for the banners are "War criminals not welcome here" and "Free Palestine".

OTTAWA:

The rally will take place on Monday, May 31.

Details:

Assemble at 4:30 p.m. | Rally begins at 5 p.m.

At the Human Rights Monument, corner of Elgin and Lisgar Streets.

Publicity materials can be downloaded via the following links:

English poster
French poster
Bilingual flyers

MONTREAL (Bus to Ottawa):

For those interested, a bus will be leaving from Montreal to Ottawa at 1 p.m., on Monday afternoon, May 31 and will be back to Montreal around 10:30 p.m. (A contribution of $10 is advisable, though not mandatory.)

Departure from Montreal: 1 p.m.

Concordia University (Hall Building, 1455 Maisonneuve West - metro Guy-Concordia). Please reserve your seats (as they are limited):
protestnetanyahu@gmail.com or 514-659-0106.

Thanks!

Statement by YCLSA National Secretary, Buti Manamela, on behalf of the YCLSA Jobs for Youth Summit held on 20-21 May 2010

23 May 2010, Johannesburg

The Young Communist League of South Africa (uFasimba) held a successful "Jobs for Youth Summit" from the 20th to the 21st of May 2010 in Johannesburg. The Summit was attended by more than 250 delegates representing 84 youth organisations from most political youth formations. They constituted of civil society, NGO`s, young professionals and business organisations, disabled and women organisations, students, unemployed graduates and organisations of unemployed youth.

The Summit was addressed by the Ministers of Economic Development, Trade and Industry and Higher Education and Skills Development. The Secretary of Defense (Mpumi Mpofu) and the General Secretary of Cosatu (Zwelinzima Vavi) also addressed the Summit.

We are satisfied that the Summit has been able:

* To look into the state and causes of youth unemployment in South Africa;
* To engage with government, private sector and civil society plans on economic policy landscape, IPAP 2, education, skills development and youth employment creation;
* To assess progress in youth skills development and discuss a way forward;
* To determine a youth perspective on youth employment creation, Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action; and
* To Mobilise young people to speak with one voice in the struggle against unemployment

Jobs for Youth Coalition

The Summit declared to establish a "Jobs for Youth Coalition", which will serve as its secretariat for the implementation of the Summit resolutions. The immediate task of the Coalition will be to represent South African young people at the forthcoming Youth Employment Summit (YES) to be held in Sweden from 2-5 June 2010, the World Youth Conference to be held in Mexico in August and the World Federation of Democratic Youth Festival to be held in South Africa from 13 December 2010.

The Coalition will also draft a "Jobs for Youth Charter" to be unveiled during the commemoration of the Youth Month (June). The Coalition will seek to lobby government, private sector, finance agencies such as IDC and Khula, Sector Education and Training Authorities, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Presidency and institutions deemed to be instrumental in job creation for young people to endorse the Charter.

The other role of the Summit will be to immediately convene Provincial Youth Summits in order to broaden consultation. The provincial summits will also serve as platforms to pressurise provincial governments to commit to youth employment targets.

Changing the Structure of our Economy

At present, South Africa`s economy is still significantly reliant in many areas on the import of fully manufactured or processed goods as if the country is not rich with natural resources. Even the advanced manufacturing sectors of our country`s economy are still characterised by high levels of components import or the import of Complete Knock Down (CKD) or Semi Knock Down (SKD) kits. Our country`s economic production remains largely embedded in the colonial legacy of extraction and export of unprocessed minerals, agricultural products, marine resources and other raw materials, and the import of finished goods. To the youth, who constitute 70 percent of the persistently high unemployment rate, this is tantamount to the export of direly needed jobs.

The Summit agreed that in order to create a platform for youth to be absorbed into the labour market, government has to drastically change the structure of our economy to focus more on economic growth that is geared towards supporting initiatives aimed at manufacturing goods locally and value-adding. We noted that high unemployment rates amongst young people is not a new trend, and that even when South Africa recorded high growth rates, unemployment was still at the same level. We have to change the economy from being service and consumption oriented into a highly productive economy.

Ownership of the economy

The Summit expressed concerns over the slow pace of changing the ownership patterns in our economy. As it is now, most of the economic sectors rely on BEE Charters which only commits industries to not more than 30% black ownership. This has serious implications for both the economic and political stability of our country as it continues to exclude the majority from the mainstream economy. Action needs to be done in advocating for policy changes that should result in turning the situation around. The same, unfortunately, goes for land redistribution, which was a cause for concern for the delegates, and called on government and landowners to accelerate this process.

The summit called for the government to take a lead in social mobilisation to implement economic transformation, equitable development and job creation. It is generally agreed that this must involve measures to develop productive forces and provide support to achieve complete value-added manufacturing and processing of finished goods at least in all the areas of our vast natural resources. As the youth, we believe that this will go a long way in contributing to job creation.

The Summit agreed on the need for government, through the Industrial Policy Action Plan II, to support youth led innovation as part of the drive towards strengthening manufacturing.

Reducing the Cost of Job Hunting

The youth are troubled by the high cost of looking for jobs, establishing youth enterprises and lack of adequate support to real entrepreneurs as opposed to tenderpreneurs.

The way in which public service jobs and economic opportunities that are offered by the state are advertised, is as disadvantageous to the presently disadvantaged young people as the way private sector jobs are advertised mainly through the private media and cutting edge information and technology systems. Unemployment, complexities of mobility and lack of access to technology represent barriers of access to information on both public and private sector jobs and economic opportunities offered by the state. This is coupled with a high cost of applying for jobs.

The Summit called on the Department of Labour to include in its services at its Labour Centres information on vacancies, train them to prepare professional CV`s, help them to prepare for job interviews, be a platform to access information technology and access to email and internet.

Focusing on Quick Gains

In order to create more than 650 000 jobs immediately, the Summit called on government to fill in vacancies in all spheres of government and public enterprises. This will cost the state and its public enterprises not more than R6.5bn, which is the total spent on the government led lay-off schemes and rescue packages. It was also agreed that companies that were closed down as a result of the global economic recession, should be resuscitated as worker-controlled co-operatives supported through government. The Summit committed to identify such companies, organise the affected workers and help them rebuild this companies. This has happened before, for instance, in Argentina in the late 90`s when the economy plummeted, and workers took over the running of deserted factories, some of which are still sustainable today.

Education and Skills Development

The Summit agreed to endorse the call by the Minister of Higher Education on the reconfiguration of the SETA`s, the need for their partnership with public FET and Higher Education institutions and their concentration on apprenticeships and artisan training. The Summit noted the fact that more than R180bn was invested in infrastructure towards the building of roads and stadiums in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup, and the fact that this will need maintenance. Artisans and Apprentice should be at the centre of this maintenance. The Summit called on the Minister of Higher Education to commit into targets for the training of such.

The Summit also welcomed the National Student Financial Aid (NSFAS) Review Committee Report and called for the immediate implementation of its recommendations as this will create access to further and higher education for needy and deserving students. This should target the more than 2 million young people who are neither working nor learning.

National Service proposed by Defence

The Summit also endorsed the National Service as proposed by the Minister of Defence and committed to recruit young people to participate in the introductory phase in September at Saldhana Base. The Summit further urged the Minister and government to discuss the role of the military during peacetime. There are engineers who should be helping service delivery distressed municipalities, doctors who should be preventing mortality death in public hospitals and so forth. This constitutes an important element if we are to have new recruits into the military.

As the youth we believe that a transformed curriculum, quality education, properly guided training and skills development based on the needs of the people and the economy are important in the development of productive forces. In this regard the summit noted with concern our economy`s low levels of investment, in Research and Development (R&D) as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) both in public and private sectors.

Whereas still important under the circumstances our country faces, Import Substitution Industrialisation (ISI) strategies and the welcome Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) schemes such as the Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP) cannot be relied upon on a sustainable, long-term basis or forever.

R&D are central in breaking new grounds in the areas of discoveries, inventions, innovations, designs, in ultimate two words, product development. These are part of the important economic activities our country needs to cure the "Dutch Disease" it`s suffering from and thereby beneficiate its vast natural resources, alter ownership and control in the economy and advance real, mass empowerment. These measures stand to contribute positively to the defence of our country`s national sovereignty, at least first from imperial restructuring that is imposed through such other measures as investment conditionality`s which are demanded by global governance institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but as well as MNC`s. The youth across the political spectrum who attended the summit are prepared to defend our country`s national sovereignty and have a shared sense of patriotism, thus committed to working together on what unites them.

Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action

The Summit noted the failure of the majority of BEE deals to truly empower youth, women and people with disabilities. We are very concerned that many BEE beneficiaries may actually be tokens meant to facilitate the procurement of government tenders, and have absolutely no interest in the daily operations of their companies by just being shareholders. The Summit also raised objection to the growing tendency towards tenderpreneurship at the expense of youth entrepreneur. The delegates resolved to support youth initiatives that seek to promote black ownership of the economy, and will be involved in projects that train young people in enterprise and co-operative development.

Green Jobs

The summit noted that most of the green jobs products are not manufactured in South Africa but are instead largely imported. Were these products to be manufactured locally, for instance, in the production of solar geysers, more than 200 000 jobs and hundreds of co-operatives and SMME`s would be created. The green jobs area is thus an important area for South Africa to develop productive capacity, but not only as part of youth employment creation strategy but also as part of sustainable development strategy and the avoidance of an ecological dead-end.

For more information

Contact
Gugu Ndima
National Spokesperson
076 783 1516

The sinking of the Cheonan: Another Gulf of Tonkin incident

By Stephen Gowans

While the South Korean government announced on May 20 that it has overwhelming evidence that one of its warships was sunk by a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine, there is, in fact, no direct link between North Korea and the sunken ship. And it seems very unlikely that North Korea had anything to do with it.

That’s not my conclusion. It’s the conclusion of Won See-hoon, director of South Korea’s National Intelligence. Won told a South Korean parliamentary committee in early April, less than two weeks after the South Korean warship, the Cheonan, sank in waters off Baengnyeong Island, that there was no evidence linking North Korea to the Cheonan’s sinking. (1)

South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Tae-young backed him up, pointing out that the Cheonan’s crew had not detected a torpedo (2), while Lee Ki-sik, head of the marine operations office at the South Korean joint chiefs of staff agreed that “No North Korean warships have been detected…(in) the waters where the accident took place.” (3)

Notice he said “accident.”

Soon after the sinking of the South Korean warship, the Cheonan, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young ruled out a North Korean torpedo attack, noting that a torpedo would have been spotted by radar, and no torpedo had been spotted. Intelligence chief Won See-hoon, said there was no evidence linking North Korea to the Cheonan’s sinking.

Defense Ministry officials added that they had not detected any North Korean submarines in the area at the time of the incident. (4) According to Lee, “We didn’t detect any movement by North Korean submarines near” the area where the Cheonan went down. (5)

When speculation persisted that the Cheonan had been sunk by a North Korean torpedo, the Defense Ministry called another press conference to reiterate “there was no unusual North Korean activities detected at the time of the disaster.” (6)

A ministry spokesman, Won Tae-jae, told reporters that “With regard to this case, no particular activities by North Korean submarines or semi-submarines…have been verified. I am saying again that there were no activities that could be directly linked to” the Cheonan’s sinking. (7)

Rear Admiral Lee, the head of the marine operations office, added that, “We closely watched the movement of the North’s vessels, including submarines and semi-submersibles, at the time of the sinking. But military did not detect any North Korean submarines near the country’s western sea border.” (8)

North Korea has vehemently denied any involvement in the sinking.

So, a North Korean submarine is now said to have fired a torpedo which sank the Cheonan, but in the immediate aftermath of the sinking the South Korean navy detected no North Korean naval vessels, including submarines, in the area. Indeed, immediately following the incident defense minister Lee ruled out a North Korean torpedo attack, noting that a torpedo would have been spotted by radar, and no torpedo had been spotted. (9)

The case gets weaker still.

It’s unlikely that a single torpedo could split a 1,200 ton warship in two. Baek Seung-joo, an analyst with the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis says that “If a single torpedo or floating mine causes a naval patrol vessel to split in half and sink, we will have to rewrite our military doctrine.” (10)

The Cheonan sank in shallow, rapidly running, waters, in which it’s virtually impossible for submarines to operate. “Some people are pointing the finger at North Korea,” notes Song Young-moo, a former South Korean navy chief of staff, “but anyone with knowledge about the waters where the shipwreck occurred would not draw that conclusion so easily.” (11)

Contrary to what looks like an improbable North-Korea-torpedo-hypothesis, the evidence points to the Cheonan splitting in two and sinking because it ran aground upon a reef, a real possibility given the shallow waters in which the warship was operating. According to Go Yeong-jae, the South Korean Coast Guard captain who rescued 56 of the stricken warship’s crew, he “received an order …that a naval patrol vessel had run aground in the waters 1.2 miles to the southwest of Baengnyeong Island, and that we were to move there quickly to rescue them.” (12)

So how is it that what looked like no North Korean involvement in the Cheonan’s sinking, according to the South Korean military in the days immediately following the incident, has now become, one and half months later, an open and shut case of North Korean aggression, according to government-appointed investigators?

South Korean president Lee Myung-bak is a North Korea-phobe who prefers a confrontational stance toward his neighbor to the north to the policy of peaceful coexistence and growing cooperation favored by his recent predecessors. His foreign policy rests on the goal of forcing the collapse of North Korea.

The answer has much to do with the electoral fortunes of South Korea’s ruling Grand National Party, and the party’s need to marshal support for a tougher stance on the North. Lurking in the wings are US arms manufacturers who stand to profit if South Korean president Lee Myung-bak wins public backing for beefed up spending on sonar equipment and warships to deter a North Korean threat – all the more likely with the Cheonan incident chalked up to North Korean aggression.

Lee is a North Korea-phobe who prefers a confrontational stance toward his neighbor to the north to the policy of peaceful coexistence and growing cooperation favored by his recent predecessors (and by Pyongyang, as well. It’s worth mentioning that North Korea supports a policy of peace and cooperation. South Korea, under its hawkish president, does not.) Fabricating a case against the North serves Lee in a number of ways. If voters in the South can be persuaded that the North is indeed a menace – and it looks like this is exactly what is happening – Lee’s hawkish policies will be embraced as the right ones for present circumstances. This will prove immeasurably helpful in upcoming mayoral and gubernatorial elections in June.

What’s more, Lee’s foreign policy rests on the goal of forcing the collapse of North Korea. When he took office in February 2008, he set about reversing a 10-year-old policy of unconditional aid to the North. He has also refused to move ahead on cross-border economic projects. (13) The claim that the sinking of the Cheonan is due to an unprovoked North Korean torpedo attack makes it easier for Lee to drum up support for his confrontational stance.

Finally, the RAND Corporation is urging South Korea to buy sensors to detect North Korean submarines and more warships to intercept North Korean naval vessels. (14) An unequivocal US-lackey – protesters have called the security perimeter around Lee’s office “the U.S. state of South Korea” (15) – Lee would be pleased to hand US corporations fat contracts to furnish the South Korean military with more hardware.

The United States, too, has motivations to fabricate a case against North Korea. One is to justify the continued presence, 65 years after the end of WWII, of US troops on Japanese soil. Many Japanese bristle at what is effectively a permanent occupation of their country by more than a token contingent of US troops. There are 60,000 US soldiers, airmen and sailors in Japan. Washington, and the Japanese government – which, when it isn’t willingly collaborating with its own occupiers, is forced into submission by the considerable leverage Washington exercises — justifies its troop presence through the sheer sophistry of presenting North Korea as an ongoing threat. The claim that North Korea sunk the Cheonan in an unprovoked attack strengthens Washington’s case for occupation. Not surprisingly, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has seized on the Cheonan incident to underline “the importance of the America-Japanese alliance, and the presence of American troops on Japanese soil.” (16)

Given these political realities, it comes as no surprise that from the start members of Lee’s party blamed the sinking of the Cheonan on a North Korean torpedo (17), just as members of the Bush administration immediately blamed 9/11 on Saddam Hussein, and then proceeded to look for evidence to substantiate their case, in the hopes of justifying an already planned invasion. (Later, the Bush administration fabricated an intelligence dossier on Iraq’s banned weapons.) In fact, the reason the ministry of defense felt the need to reiterate there was no evidence of a North Korean link was the persistent speculation of GNP politicians that North Korea was the culprit. Lee himself, ever hostile to his northern neighbor, said his “intuition” told him that North Korea was to blame. (18) Today, opposition parties accuse Lee of using “red scare” tactics to garner support as the June 2 elections draw near. (19) And leaders of South Korea’s four main opposition parties, as well as a number of civil groups, have issued a joint statement denouncing the government’s findings as untrustworthy. Woo Sang-ho, a spokesman for South Korea’s Democratic Party has called the probe results “insufficient proof and questioned whether the North was involved at all.” (20)

Lee announced, even before the inquiry rendered its findings, that a task force will be launched to overhaul the national security system and bulk up the military to prepare itself for threats from North Korea. (21) He even prepared a package of sanctions against the North in the event the inquiry confirmed what his intuition told him. (22) No wonder civil society groups denounced the inquiry’s findings, arguing that “The probe started after the conclusions had already been drawn.” (23)

Jung Sung-ki, a staff reporter for The Korean Times, has raised a number of questions about the inquiry’s findings. The inquiry concluded that “two North Korean submarines, one 300-ton Sango class and the other 130-ton Yeono class, were involved in the attack. Under the cover of the Sango class, the midget Yeono class submarine approached the Cheonan and launched the CHT-02D torpedo manufactured by North Korea.” But “’Sango class submarines…do not have an advanced system to guide homing weapons,’ an expert at a missile manufacturer told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity. ‘If a smaller class submarine was involved, there is a bigger question mark.’” (24)

“Rear Adm. Moon Byung-ok, spokesman for [the official inquiry] told reporters, ‘We confirmed that two submarines left their base two or three days prior to the attack and returned to the port two or three days after the assault.’” But earlier “South Korean and U.S. military authorities confirmed several times that there had been no sign of North Korean infiltration in the” area in which the Cheonan went down. (25)

“In addition, Moon’s team reversed its position on whether or not there was a column of water following an air bubble effect. Earlier, the team said there were no sailors who had witnessed a column of water. But during [a] briefing session, the team said a soldier onshore at Baengnyeong Island witnessed ‘an approximately 100-meter-high pillar of white,’ adding that the phenomenon was consistent with a shockwave and bubble effect.” (26)

The inquiry produced a torpedo propeller recovered by fishing vessels that it said perfectly match the schematics of a North Korean torpedo. “But it seemed that the collected parts had been corroding at least for several months.” (27)

Finally, the investigators “claim the Korean word written on the driving shaft of the propeller parts was same as that seen on a North Korean torpedo discovered by the South …seven years ago.” But the “’word is not inscribed on the part but written on it,’ an analyst said, adding that “’the lettering issue is dubious.’” (28)

On August 2, 1964, the United States announced that three North Vietnamese torpedo boats had launched an unprovoked attacked on the USS Maddox, a US Navy destroyer, in the Gulf of Tonkin. The incident handed US president Lyndon Johnson the Congressional support he needed to step up military intervention in Vietnam. In 1971, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon Papers, a secret Pentagon report, revealed that the incident had been faked to provide a pretext for escalated military intervention. There had been no attack. The Cheonan incident has all the markings of another Gulf of Tonkin incident. And as usual, the aggressor is accusing the intended victim of an unprovoked attack to justify a policy of aggression under the pretext of self-defense.

1. Kang Hyun-kyung, “Ruling camp differs over NK involvement in disaster”, The Korea Times, April 7, 2010.
2. Nicole Finnemann, “The sinking of the Cheonan”, Korea Economic Institute, April 1, 2010. http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/kei/issues/2010-04-01/1.html
3. “Military leadership adding to Cheonan chaos with contradictory statements”, The Hankyoreh, March 31, 2010.
4. “Birds or North Korean midget submarine?” The Korea Times, April 16, 2010.
5. Ibid.
6. “Military plays down N.K. foul play”, The Korea Herald, April 2, 2010.
7. Ibid.
8. “No subs near Cheonan: Ministry”, JoongAng Daily, April 2, 2010.
9. Jean H. Lee, “South Korea says mine from the North may have sunk warship”, The Washington Post, March 30, 2010.
10. “What caused the Cheonan to sink?” The Chosun Ilbo, March 29, 2010.
11. Ibid.
12. “Military leadership adding to Cheonan chaos with contradictory statements”, The Hankyoreh, March 31, 2010.
13. Blaine Harden, “Brawl Near Koreas’ Border,” The Washington Post, December 3, 2008.
14. “Kim So-hyun, “A touchstone of Lee’s leadership”, The Korea Herald, May 13, 2010.
15. The New York Times, June 12, 2008.
16. Mark Landler, “Clinton condemns attack on South Korean Ship”, The New York Times, May 21, 2010.
17. Kang Hyun-kyung, “Ruling camp differs over NK involvement in disaster”, The Korea Times, April 7, 2010.
18. “Kim So-hyun, “A touchstone of Lee’s leadership”, Korea Herald, May 13, 2010.
19. Kang Hyun-kyung, “Ruling camp differs over NK involvement in disaster”, The Korea Times, April 7, 2010; Choe Sang-Hun, “South Korean sailors say blast that sank their ship came from outside vessel”, The New York Times, April 8, 2010.
20. Cho Jae-eun, “Probe satisfies some, others have doubts”, JoongAng Daily, May 21, 2010.
21. “Kim So-hyun, “A touchstone of Lee’s leadership”, The Korea Herald, May 13, 2010.
22. “Seoul prepares sanctions over Cheonan sinking”, The Choson Ilbo, May 13, 2010.
23. Cho Jae-eun, “Probe satisfies some, others have doubts”, JoongAng Daily, May 21, 2010.
24. Jung Sung-ki, “Questions raised about ‘smoking gun’”, The Korea Times, May 20, 2010.
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid.
27. Ibid.
28. Ibid.

Most of the articles cited here are posted on Tim Beal’s DPRK- North Korea website, http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~caplabtb/dprk/, an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Korea.

Updated May 23, 20110.