18 Mar 2010

Guam group to use Obama visit to lobby against US military moves

1:50 pm on 18 March 2010

An indigenous group in Guam says it hopes the US President's visit next week will reveal to him how unsuitable Guam is for the impending military build-up.

The US military has taken up one third of Guam's land mass in preparation for US troops to be relocated from Japan.

The female leader of Nation Chamorros, Debbie Quinata, says indigenous people are being ignored, their local environment ruined, and future generations will suffer.

She says her group is hoping for an opportunity for dialogue with Barack Obama when he visits Guam.

"We'd like to get his attention to the size of our island and the fact that we are not enthusiastic with the planned realignment. The islands not big enough to accommodate such a large, ambitious move. So I think that that's the one very important issue we'd like to bring to his attention."

Debbie Quinata of Nation Chamorros in Guam