The locals of Pagan and Tinian fear that their idyllic Pacific paradise, which forms part of the US-associated Northern Mariana Islands, will be destroyed and transformed into a home for fighter jets and artillery fire, amid Pentagon plans to develop "new live-fire military training areas."
It's thought that simulation wars would be carried out between America and its allies as part of the US' plans to bulk up its military presence in the Pacific, following concerns over China's build-up in the region.
100K SIGNED����will YOU?: DO NOT BOMB the inhabited US islands of Tinian & Pagan���� @USNavy https://t.co/oBiR3jmicE pic.twitter.com/mtsCSvwjQI
— i_AM_theChange (@i_AM_theChange) June 6, 2015
The plans would see about 8,000 US Navy Marines use all of the island of Pagan, which has been largely uninhabited since a volcanic eruption in 1981, plus about two-thirds of Tinian for live-fire exercises for at least 16 weeks a year.
Come show support tonight at 6 @ the Commerce building in Capitol Hill for the commencement of no leasing Pagan&Tinian to the military!
— dirty dan (@klteno) June 9, 2015
Military Training Would Endanger Wildlife, Force Out Residents
The islands, which are home to 2,800 American citizens, are some of the most biologically diverse in the world and have been labeled a "biological treasure house" by environmentalists due to the presence of endangered fruit bats, birds, spiders and lizards.
However campaigners, including Tinian resident Arley Long say that that the US military plans will work towards "obliterating their rare coral ecosystems, wildlife, and important historic artifacts."
OUR ISLANDS ARE OUR HOMES. SAVE PAGAN AND TINIAN. #STAYINYOURLANE pic.twitter.com/3ar93XsIJB
— Ha'ani (@nanjauregay) April 30, 2015
On top of the environmental damage, Long addressed the devastating human impact of such proposals, writing in an online petition to US President Barack Obama that "the islands' residents would be relocated, kicked off their ancestral land for the sake of bomb testing."
Because some of the houses of Tinian's residents are already leased to the US military, there are fears that the some may be forced to move out of their homes and into 25 square kilometers of the island, left for civilian use.
"Our pristine beaches would become theaters for elaborate live-ammunition military exercises, and our people's traditions and culture would be all but extinguished."
While the petition has so far gathered the support of 109,000 people, campaigners are pushing for greater awareness to meet their target of 150,000, so it will be presented to Mr Obama.
UK-US Military Bases: A History of Islander Repression
The debate surrounding the proposals to use Pagan and Tinian for military purposes by the US has striking similarities to another case involving the native Chagos islanders, who were forcibly removed from their Indian Ocean homes by the UK government, in what is considered to be a huge, unsolved blight on Britain's human rights record.
At the height of the Cold War, between 1967 and 1973, an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 Chagossians were forcibly removed from the islands to make way for the construction of a US military base on the archipelago's largest island Diego Garcia.
After nearly 50 years in exile from their homes, the Chagossians are still no closer to being able to return, after David Cameron's government reneged on a promise to find a resettlement solution for some of the larger Chagossian islands, such as Diego Garcia.
The similarities between the two situations, and the treatment of the Chagossians, who labeled the early American servicemen stationed on the islands as "savages" has led locals to fear the worst when it comes to any proposed US military operation on Pagan and Tinain.
Locals are calling out to try and raise awareness of their situation in the hope it will be opposed by US senators.
"Now, we are crying out to make sure our homes are not demolished, and our 4,000 years of history are not lost forever," the local Arley Long said.
"We only have one home. We can't let it be destroyed."
