(Via Milinet)
Dallas Morning News
July 8, 2000
Marines Get Strict Set Of New Rules
Okinawa orders come amid anger over molestation case
By The Associated Press
OKINAWA CITY, Japan - No liquor, a strict curfew and uniforms at
all
times: Those are the temporary rules laid down for U.S. Marines
on
Okinawa after a serviceman was charged with molesting a
14-year-old
girl in her own bed.
The commander of the Marine Corps announced the rules Friday,
saying
they are meant to guarantee security during the Group of Eight
summit
of industrial nations on Okinawa from July 21-23. He said they
were
discussed before the 19-year-old U.S. Marine was arrested
Monday.
However, the curfew and alcohol ban were not imposed on the Air
Force, Army or Navy units on this southern Japanese island, said
Eudith Rodney, chief spokeswoman for U.S. forces in Japan.
The new rules come amid intense local anger over the molestation
case. Okinawans have held several small protests and rallies in
recent days, and the Marine commander, Lt. Gen. Earl B.
Hailston, has
met with top elected officials in Okinawa and apologized.
The case that started the uproar centers around a Marine lance
corporal based at Futenma Marine Corps Air Station.
Police say the Marine is suspected of wandering into an unlocked
apartment in Okinawa City and creeping into the bed of the
junior
high school student. The girl's mother, awakened by her screams,
says
she found the drunk, half-naked Marine on top of the girl,
kissing
and fondling her.
The woman took her daughter from the room and called police, who
reported finding the Marine asleep in the girl's bed. The
serviceman's name was withheld by police because people under
age 20
are considered minors in Japan. The military has declined to
identify
him.
On Monday, police charged the serviceman with indecency and
unlawful
entry - charges that carry up to seven years in prison.
Under a mutual security treaty between Japan and the United
States,
about 47,000 U.S. military service people are stationed in
Japan,
nearly two-thirds of them in Okinawa.
Resentment of the U.S. presence on this island 1,000 miles
southwest
of Tokyo is already substantial, with Okinawans complaining
about
congestion, noise and crime. The trouble was exacerbated by the
1995
rape of a 12-year-old girl by two Marines and a Navy seaman.
That
crime sparked widespread demonstrations, and the men were
convicted.
"GIs get drunk on the cheap liquor in the military clubs and
they
come off base and start problems, especially involving women,"
75-year-old shop owner Naoshi Katsuta said Friday.
The new Marine rules are meant to curtail problems, at least
during
the economic summit. They are stricter than a 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
curfew
the military leveled on its forces in Okinawa after the 1995
rape and
kept in place until last fall.
Under the new rules, all Marines and sailors connected with the
eight
U.S. Marine bases in Okinawa will be forbidden to drink alcohol,
on
or off base, from July 20 to July 24. The service members will
be
required to wear their uniforms wherever they are.
From July 14-24, all Marines will be required to remain on
their
bases, or in their off-base homes, in Okinawa after midnight.
When President Clinton arrives at the economic summit, he is
expected
to thank Okinawans for hosting the thousands of U.S. soldiers
stationed here. Nonetheless, the molestation case could increase
the
intensity of demonstrations against the U.S. military presence.
On
Friday, a Tokyo-based group, the Federation of Japanese Women's
Organizations, demanded a cut in U.S. military bases on Okinawa.
|
