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Vol. IV, No. 50 January
16 - 22, 2005 Quezon
City, Philippines |
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Copyright 2004 Bulatlat bulatlat@gmail.com |
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Tsunami Relief as a
Subterfuge? The Pentagon Scrambles to Reenter its Old Air Base in Thailand
By Sirinapha
Is the
tsunami aftermath a "window of opportunity" for bolstering the Pentagon's
presence in Southeast Asia? The Thai people reject the proposed build-up
of the American military at Utapao air base and in the Gulf of Thailand.
The tragedy of the natural catastrophe in the Indian Ocean should not
serve as a pretext for strengthening the U.S. military presence in the
region.
The
Pentagon has announced it is returning to its old Vietnam War haunts at
Utapao Royal Thai Naval Air Force Base 90 miles south of Bangkok on the
Bay of Thailand. In this clear escalation of the American military
presence in Southeast Asia, the ostensible plan is to set up a "command
center" for the tsunami emergency relief effort. Utapao air base will
serve as a staging base for U.S. military and rescue aircraft. The
emergency relief operations appear to provide a windfall opportunity for
beefing up the American military presence in Southeast Asia, part of the
expanding Pentagon strategy of "forward positioning," establishing sites,
so-called "air cargo hubs," where American forces can stash equipment and
enter and leave as desired.
During the Vietnam War, Utapao functioned from April 1967 as a major
staging base for B-52s carrying out bombing raids over North Vietnam, and
KC-35 stratotankers of the Strategic Air Command. Many American GIs served
there [1].
Despite Thailand's neutrality on the war in Iraq, Thai Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra allowed Utapao to be used by American warplanes flying
into combat in Iraq last year, and into Afghanistan earlier. There is also
speculation that Utapao, with its infamous facilities for 'sophisticated
interrogation' (a holdover from the Vietnam era), is probably where
various al-Qaeda suspects have been secretly grilled.
The command center will be largely operated by the 3rd Marine
Expeditionary Force. The naval air base, also now functioning as a local
airport, is located a short drive from the tourist mega-center of Pattaya,
whose roots also go back to the
Vietnam
era. The U. S. Navy is also dispatching the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier
strike group and the USS Bonhomme Richard expeditionary strike group to
the immediate area offshore [2].
Is all this military redeployment to bolster 'humanitarian aid' efforts?
The Thai people reject a build-up of the American military at Utapao air
base and in the Gulf of Thailand. In this hour of calamity, they are
grateful for all support -- but not when tethered to a huge reentry by the
Pentagon onto Thai soil. The tragedy of the present havoc in the Indian
Ocean should not serve as a pretext for strengthening the U.S. military
presence in this disaster-striken region.
[1] For sites on Utapao air base and the American military, see
http://amer-thai2001.tripod.com/id30.html ;
http://www.utapao.org/ (Utapao Alumni Association) ;
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/utapao.htm
[2] See "Hundreds of Americans Missing,"
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/28/us-quake.ap/index.html
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© 2004 Bulatlat
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