Obama delays trip to Guam: President to remain in D.C. for health-care reform legislation
By Laura Matthews • Pacific Sunday News • March 14, 2010
A three-day delay in President Obama's start of his trip to Asia won't prevent him from stopping on Guam.
Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo said the president is still planning to stop by the island.
"The president decided to delay his departure for the final effort to pass health-care-reform legislation," Bordallo said yesterday via press release. "The White House has not released any new details of the President's visit to Asia, but I have been assured by White House staff that the President is still intending to visit Guam."
Bordallo said health-care reform is one of the president's "top legislative priorities" and added that she knows once that work is done "he will certainly appreciate the warm welcome that he will receive on Guam."
According to USA Today, Obama is delaying the start of his trip to Asia -- which includes a stopover in Guam -- by three days from Thursday, March 18, to Sunday, March 21.
Also, the first family will not be accompanying him on his trip, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed in the report.
According to the Associated Press, Obama's trip will run March 21 to March 26 because Gibbs insisted that Congress act on the health legislation by March 18, which was Obama's original departure date.
Acting Gov. Michael Cruz said he knows the president's visit to Guam is still on the agenda and Adelup will continue to work with the White House in preparation for the visit.
"We were informed late last night that the President's trip has been delayed," Cruz said. "At this point, a visit to Guam remains on President Obama's agenda and we have not been notified otherwise. We will continue to work with the White House and the president's advance team to prepare for his visit."
But Cruz isn't the only one preparing for the presidential visit.
The Guam Visitors Bureau is ready to give Obama a warm Guam welcome and host an island-style fiesta if it gets clearance to do so. It is also looking to shower the president with souvenirs.
Others are hoping that Obama will have enough time to address the community.
Several local senators have sent letters to the president asking him to meet with the local community.
In addition, the political action group We Are Guåhan submitted a petition with more than 11,000 electronic signatures asking President Obama to speak with the local community when he makes his visit. We Are Guåhan said it sent its petition to the White House on Thursday via e-mail and through the postal service.
Obama is scheduled to meet with Gov. Felix Camacho and it is still uncertain if the president will make a public address or discuss buildup issues with other members of the government or community.
Showing posts with label Indonesia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indonesia. Show all posts
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Papuan Tribal Leaders Demand Closure Of US Mine In Indonesia
Papuan Tribal Leaders Demand Closure Of US Mine In Indonesia
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 13:46
Tribal leaders in Indonesia's restive Papua province Tuesday called for the closure of a massive US mine linked to allegations of rights abuses, as they buried a slain rebel leader.
Some 400 people followed the casket of Free Papua Movement (OPM) commander Kelly Kwalik, who was shot in a police raid last week, through the streets of Timika to his grave beside a local church.
Kwalik's death has triggered days of anti-Indonesian protests and calls for independence for the ethnic Melanesian region on the extreme east of the Indonesian archipelago.
Anger has also been directed at US miner Freeport McMoRan, which operates a huge gold and copper mine north of Timika that has long been at the centre of allegations of rights abuses against ordinary Papuans.
Kwalik, who was 60 when he died after spending 30 years fighting for Papuan independence, claimed to have been dispossessed by the mine and was accused of several deadly ambushes against Freeport workers.
Police blame him for a series of attacks this year which killed three people including an Australian mine worker on the road north of Timika. In 2002 he allegedly killed two American Freeport employees in similar circumstances.
Kwalik denied the allegations and some analysts believe the Indonesian security forces launched the attacks as a way of extracting more protection money from Freeport.
"Freeport is responsible for the death of Kelly Kwalik and that is why Freeport must be shut down," Papua Customary Council spokesman Dominicus Serabut told mourners ahead of Kwalik's burial.
"General Kelly Kwalik was not involved in the shootings in the area of Freeport Indonesia," he added.
Poorly-armed OPM guerrillas have waged a war of independence for four decades, often launching hit-and-run attacks against Indonesian troops with traditional bows and arrows and World War II-era rifles.
Kwalik's casket was draped in the outlawed "Morning Star" flag of Papuan independence, a last act of defiance given stiff penalties up to life in prison for anyone waving the separatist standard.
Some 800 people attended a funeral mass on Monday but disagreements among tribal leaders delayed the burial.
Indonesia gained sovereignty over the Papua region in 1969 in a UN- backed vote widely seen as rigged.
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 13:46
Tribal leaders in Indonesia's restive Papua province Tuesday called for the closure of a massive US mine linked to allegations of rights abuses, as they buried a slain rebel leader.
Some 400 people followed the casket of Free Papua Movement (OPM) commander Kelly Kwalik, who was shot in a police raid last week, through the streets of Timika to his grave beside a local church.
Kwalik's death has triggered days of anti-Indonesian protests and calls for independence for the ethnic Melanesian region on the extreme east of the Indonesian archipelago.
Anger has also been directed at US miner Freeport McMoRan, which operates a huge gold and copper mine north of Timika that has long been at the centre of allegations of rights abuses against ordinary Papuans.
Kwalik, who was 60 when he died after spending 30 years fighting for Papuan independence, claimed to have been dispossessed by the mine and was accused of several deadly ambushes against Freeport workers.
Police blame him for a series of attacks this year which killed three people including an Australian mine worker on the road north of Timika. In 2002 he allegedly killed two American Freeport employees in similar circumstances.
Kwalik denied the allegations and some analysts believe the Indonesian security forces launched the attacks as a way of extracting more protection money from Freeport.
"Freeport is responsible for the death of Kelly Kwalik and that is why Freeport must be shut down," Papua Customary Council spokesman Dominicus Serabut told mourners ahead of Kwalik's burial.
"General Kelly Kwalik was not involved in the shootings in the area of Freeport Indonesia," he added.
Poorly-armed OPM guerrillas have waged a war of independence for four decades, often launching hit-and-run attacks against Indonesian troops with traditional bows and arrows and World War II-era rifles.
Kwalik's casket was draped in the outlawed "Morning Star" flag of Papuan independence, a last act of defiance given stiff penalties up to life in prison for anyone waving the separatist standard.
Some 800 people attended a funeral mass on Monday but disagreements among tribal leaders delayed the burial.
Indonesia gained sovereignty over the Papua region in 1969 in a UN- backed vote widely seen as rigged.
Friday, October 30, 2009
PACOM's 'Allied Nations' Strategy Will Drive Guam's Base Tactics
PACOM's 'Allied Nations' Strategy Will Drive Guam's Base Tactics
Adm. Willard: Multilateralism Is The Name Of The Game
Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Friday, 30 October 2009 15:37
GUAM - As Guam prepares for the military buildup, we can expect new and refurbished forces based here in the Territory to integrate evermore seamlessly into a pan-Pacific alliance of nations that are mutually committed to protecting human and economic freedom.
According to a recent interview of Adm. Robert F. Willard, the new Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, multilateralism and multinational alliance is the name of the game in a world where multiple threats call for multiple partners.
"We are looking for as many partners ... as we can find in the region," Willard said in an interview with the American Forces Press Service.
Here is the original AFPS story from October 28, 2009:
U.S. Dept Of Defense - Willard Looks To Partnerships In Pacific
Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard made his Hollywood debut as the Soviet MiG pilot who challenged Tom Cruise's character - known by the call sign "Maverick" - to an exhilarating dogfight before meeting his demise in the 1986 "Top Gun" blockbuster.
While serving as operations and executive officer at the Navy's "Top Gun" Fighter Weapons School at the time, Willard was aerial coordinator for the movie. That got him a short, but pivotal, on-screen appearance as the pilot of an F-14 fighter jet painted black and embellished for the movie with a MiG-style fin flash on its tail.
"I kept looking back over my shoulder, and another missile was on its way," Willard recalled of the dogfight scene in which he ultimately was shot down. "It was very exciting."
More than two decades later, in his new role as the top U.S. officer in the Pacific, Willard doesn't have the luxury of being able to fixate on a single, Warsaw Pact-type threat. His vast region of responsibility, which stretches across half the world's surface and includes half its population in 36 countries, enjoys a relative peace. But its tensions, like its volatile geology, are bubbling just at or slightly below the surface.
North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs and China's military buildup and lack of transparency loom large. Terrorist activity threatens Indonesia, the Philippines and most recently, India. Other challenges range from piracy to the proliferation of technology for weapons of mass destruction.
Willard sat down with reporters last week in Seoul, South Korea, just two days after assuming command, to discuss these and other challenges and his vision for U.S. Pacific Command.
"I love this region of the world," he said. "The Asia-Pacific region, to me, is extremely complex [and] has a great history associated with it."
As he spoke, Willard had yet to set foot into his new headquarters office at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, perched on a mountain with a majestic view of Pearl Harbor. After consultative sessions in South Korea last week and an off-site defense chiefs conference in Hawaii this week, Willard said, he was looking forward to getting settled into his new office and getting down to business with his new staff.
North Korea is high on his priority list.
"A nuclear-armed North Korea, and a North Korea that chooses to provoke and ... may be on the brink of succession - all those things make North Korea worthy of our attention now," he said. "North Korea needs to be watched very closely."
Meanwhile, China is expanding its military might at "an unprecedented rate," Willard said, exceeding U.S. intelligence estimates every year for the past decade. Equally troubling, China also has obtained "asymmetric capabilities that are concerning to the region," including anti-access capabilities, ballistic missiles and sophisticated weaponry.
And even the historically rock-solid alliance with Japan is demanding more attention these days, as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's new government reassesses security agreements made by previous administrations.
Willard told reporters he's intent on strengthening the five U.S. alliances in the region and bringing new partners, including China, into the fold.
China abruptly halted all military-to-military engagement when the United States announced arms sales to Taiwan in October 2008. But now that China has demonstrated a willingness to re-engage, Willard wants to increase the interface and take the relationship to a new level.
"China is not our enemy," he said. "We look forward to a constructive relationship with China and their constructive contribution to the security of the Asia-Pacific region."
Willard said he'll work to promote more multilateralism in a region that historically has been characterized by bilateral relationships with the United States. "Ten years ago, the Asia-Pacific was, by and large, a place where ... countries were very comfortable talking one-on-one with the United States or with other partners, but rarely together," he said.
Although that's been improving, Willard said, current challenges facing the region demand even closer cooperation. He pointed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the power of like-minded nations engaging together, as valuable lessons for the Pacific.
"We are looking for as many partners ... as we can find in the region," he said.
As he takes on these challenges, Willard brings to the job extensive experience in the Pacific, both operationally, as a Navy pilot, and in command positions.
Most recently, he spent two and a half years commanding U.S. Pacific Fleet, the world's largest fleet command, with its 180 ships, 1,500 aircraft and 125,000 sailors and Marines. He previously commanded the Fighter Squadron 51 "Screaming Eagles"; the amphibious flagship USS Tripoli; the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln out of Everett, Wash.; Carrier Group 5 aboard USS Kitty Hawk; and 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan.
While he's already putting his experience to work, Willard conceded that the top Pacom job demands an entirely different focus.
"This is a more strategic level of command than the components are, and as a consequence, it will be a little different level of engagement," he said. "It's a new experience for me, and I very much look forward to it."
To help in preparing himself, Willard spent the past couple months consulting with think-tank and Asia experts and working with a small transition team to ensure a smooth transition to his new post.
He noted during his Oct. 19 assumption of command ceremony the vast changes that have taken place in Asia and the Pacific in recent decades. The one constant, he said, has been Asia's growing importance, not just to the region, but to the world.
Willard said he'll work tirelessly to ensure Pacom lives up to the challenges, and sends an unmistakable message of U.S. commitment to Asia and the Pacific.
"Our nation's interests are here," he said.
Adm. Willard: Multilateralism Is The Name Of The Game
Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Friday, 30 October 2009 15:37
GUAM - As Guam prepares for the military buildup, we can expect new and refurbished forces based here in the Territory to integrate evermore seamlessly into a pan-Pacific alliance of nations that are mutually committed to protecting human and economic freedom.
According to a recent interview of Adm. Robert F. Willard, the new Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, multilateralism and multinational alliance is the name of the game in a world where multiple threats call for multiple partners.
"We are looking for as many partners ... as we can find in the region," Willard said in an interview with the American Forces Press Service.
Here is the original AFPS story from October 28, 2009:
U.S. Dept Of Defense - Willard Looks To Partnerships In Pacific
Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard made his Hollywood debut as the Soviet MiG pilot who challenged Tom Cruise's character - known by the call sign "Maverick" - to an exhilarating dogfight before meeting his demise in the 1986 "Top Gun" blockbuster.
While serving as operations and executive officer at the Navy's "Top Gun" Fighter Weapons School at the time, Willard was aerial coordinator for the movie. That got him a short, but pivotal, on-screen appearance as the pilot of an F-14 fighter jet painted black and embellished for the movie with a MiG-style fin flash on its tail.
"I kept looking back over my shoulder, and another missile was on its way," Willard recalled of the dogfight scene in which he ultimately was shot down. "It was very exciting."
More than two decades later, in his new role as the top U.S. officer in the Pacific, Willard doesn't have the luxury of being able to fixate on a single, Warsaw Pact-type threat. His vast region of responsibility, which stretches across half the world's surface and includes half its population in 36 countries, enjoys a relative peace. But its tensions, like its volatile geology, are bubbling just at or slightly below the surface.
North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs and China's military buildup and lack of transparency loom large. Terrorist activity threatens Indonesia, the Philippines and most recently, India. Other challenges range from piracy to the proliferation of technology for weapons of mass destruction.
Willard sat down with reporters last week in Seoul, South Korea, just two days after assuming command, to discuss these and other challenges and his vision for U.S. Pacific Command.
"I love this region of the world," he said. "The Asia-Pacific region, to me, is extremely complex [and] has a great history associated with it."
As he spoke, Willard had yet to set foot into his new headquarters office at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, perched on a mountain with a majestic view of Pearl Harbor. After consultative sessions in South Korea last week and an off-site defense chiefs conference in Hawaii this week, Willard said, he was looking forward to getting settled into his new office and getting down to business with his new staff.
North Korea is high on his priority list.
"A nuclear-armed North Korea, and a North Korea that chooses to provoke and ... may be on the brink of succession - all those things make North Korea worthy of our attention now," he said. "North Korea needs to be watched very closely."
Meanwhile, China is expanding its military might at "an unprecedented rate," Willard said, exceeding U.S. intelligence estimates every year for the past decade. Equally troubling, China also has obtained "asymmetric capabilities that are concerning to the region," including anti-access capabilities, ballistic missiles and sophisticated weaponry.
And even the historically rock-solid alliance with Japan is demanding more attention these days, as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's new government reassesses security agreements made by previous administrations.
Willard told reporters he's intent on strengthening the five U.S. alliances in the region and bringing new partners, including China, into the fold.
China abruptly halted all military-to-military engagement when the United States announced arms sales to Taiwan in October 2008. But now that China has demonstrated a willingness to re-engage, Willard wants to increase the interface and take the relationship to a new level.
"China is not our enemy," he said. "We look forward to a constructive relationship with China and their constructive contribution to the security of the Asia-Pacific region."
Willard said he'll work to promote more multilateralism in a region that historically has been characterized by bilateral relationships with the United States. "Ten years ago, the Asia-Pacific was, by and large, a place where ... countries were very comfortable talking one-on-one with the United States or with other partners, but rarely together," he said.
Although that's been improving, Willard said, current challenges facing the region demand even closer cooperation. He pointed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the power of like-minded nations engaging together, as valuable lessons for the Pacific.
"We are looking for as many partners ... as we can find in the region," he said.
As he takes on these challenges, Willard brings to the job extensive experience in the Pacific, both operationally, as a Navy pilot, and in command positions.
Most recently, he spent two and a half years commanding U.S. Pacific Fleet, the world's largest fleet command, with its 180 ships, 1,500 aircraft and 125,000 sailors and Marines. He previously commanded the Fighter Squadron 51 "Screaming Eagles"; the amphibious flagship USS Tripoli; the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln out of Everett, Wash.; Carrier Group 5 aboard USS Kitty Hawk; and 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan.
While he's already putting his experience to work, Willard conceded that the top Pacom job demands an entirely different focus.
"This is a more strategic level of command than the components are, and as a consequence, it will be a little different level of engagement," he said. "It's a new experience for me, and I very much look forward to it."
To help in preparing himself, Willard spent the past couple months consulting with think-tank and Asia experts and working with a small transition team to ensure a smooth transition to his new post.
He noted during his Oct. 19 assumption of command ceremony the vast changes that have taken place in Asia and the Pacific in recent decades. The one constant, he said, has been Asia's growing importance, not just to the region, but to the world.
Willard said he'll work tirelessly to ensure Pacom lives up to the challenges, and sends an unmistakable message of U.S. commitment to Asia and the Pacific.
"Our nation's interests are here," he said.
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