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Guam
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PARTNERS - Guam
KEY FACTS ABOUT GUAHAN
Guahan is the Chamoru name of Guam. It means "we have." It is the southernmost island of the Mariana Islands, the largest island in Micronesia. It has a total land mass of 212 square miles, excluding reef formations.
- In 1521, Guahan was used a stopping point to restock ships of Spanish colonial expeditions between Asia and the Americas.
- In 1898, Guahan was sold to the U.S., along with Cuba, Philippines, Puerto Rico under Article 3 of the Treaty of Paris.
- In WWII, Guahan was attacked by Japanese and occupied for 3 years. The U.S. retook the island in 1944, until today. According to the census data compiled by the National Priorities Project, between 2004-2006, army enlistment from American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands has doubled. They are the nation's poorest territories.
- On October 7, 2008, a Chamoru delegation testified Guahan's inalienable right to self determination, as affirmed by General Resolutions 1514 and 1541, and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- On August 13, 2007 a group of Guam's maga 'haga and others voiced against the increased military build up of Guam at a meeting with U.S. Congressional Representatives.The U.S. Military plans to expand military construction on Guahan in order to house troops that will be transferred from Okinawa. Construction will begin 2010 to 2014.
- Health, environmental, cultural, social and political impacts of Increased militarization on Guam will contaminate drinking water, reduce biodiversity, infringe on human rights to self-determination of the indigenous people, decrease political voice of Mariana's local populations, increases the targeting of island by potential adversaries, increase rapid loss of indigenous culture, and increase cost of living for indigenous peoples.
Sources:
Hita Guahan! Chamoru Testimonies to the United Nations New York, NY – 2008
Chamoru Delegation Recommendations to the United Nations Fourth Committee: Special Political and Decolonization Committee, 7 October 2008
La Plante, Matthew D. U.S. Territories: A Recruiters Paradise. Salt Lake Tribune, 8/5/07
Guam's Women Leaders Say No to U.S. Military Build-Up, Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW5aFuw5MDM. Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3e1jM0fKrE@feature=related
Military/Civilian Buildup Data Fact Sheet
Factsheet: Impacts of Increased Militarization of Guam
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Ladrones de la Isla/Thieves of the Island by Sabina Perez tells of Guam's incorporation into U.S. national military defense scheme.
Hita I Manao'tao Yini Na Tano by Lisalinda Natividad speaks to the impacts of militarism and colonialism on Guam.
genuinesecurity.blogspot.com holds reports of the 7th International Women's Network Against Militarism gathering which took place in Guam.
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