Henoko diary -from the dugong sea-

After the Greenpeace's campaign ship Esperansa left Okinawa on October 2007, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Environment restarted the survey in the water of Henoko to conduct the environmental impact assessment for constructing the new airbase runaway at Henoko air base.

More than one-third of the mainland of Okinawa has been occupied by US military bases. Not only Henoko air base, but also many US military bases are developing simultaneously against the local will. Deforesting a huge area of Yambaru-forest to construct US helipads in Takae is one of the cases.

One of Greenpeace's supporters has been joining the 24-hour sitting-in at Takae to protect the forest and protest the construction. He also has operated a petition site:

Save Okinawa Woodpecker and Rail from US Military Helipad

Please take a good look and join this petition. Your 2-minutes signing-up effort does make a huge difference to save the untouched local ocean and forest.


Also please printout the petition sheet and sign directly to it, as the formal form that Japanese Diet only accepts is the direct-signing-in petition.

Printout

About 5800 have jointed this petition since this September. The dead line is on the end of this year, and the target number is 15000. This petition will be brought to the Diet at the beginning of year 2008.

I´m terrible about summing things up. I tried to write a little synopsis of our activities in Okinaka over that past few days but I keep returning to one day in Henoko that reminded me why I need to be here and what I will be taking back with me to the States. So here goes operation ¨Sam blogs 2.0¨. but anyone who want´s to skip the rambling can scroll to the bottom where I´ve included a ¨just the facts ma´am¨ account of our visit.

I have a confession to make. I can be a terrible cynic sometimes. Not to the extent that I don´t find value in the things we do with Greenpeace, but sometimes the obstacles are so great and the opposition so strong and the public so apathetic that it can I feel like we´re throwing stones at the sea. It´s hard for me to think of a greater challenge than the one facing the Okinawan people in Henoko. They are trying to protect their sea and the creatures in it not from a private corporation or even just their own government. Their adversary is the full weight of the United States military and everything that goes with it. The guns the money, the Pentagon, the White House, and 60 years of Japanese complicity. Very David vs Goliath... or maybe more like David vs Goliath, Goliath´s extended family, their kennel of mutant attack dogs, and their fleet of big ass tanks made of skulls that shoot poisonous snakes or fire or something else really threatening. (just work with me here: them scary)

Sailing into Henoko the other day to meet with the local people. Seeing that big military base before us, I suddenly felt terribly small. We´d taken two of our rigid hulled inflatable boats (rhibs) since the water was not deep enough for the Espy, and all I knew was that we´d be going to a camp where a group of Okinawans have been staging a sit in in opposition to the base expansion for ten years. I´ll admit I was worried it would just be depressing. Another small group of people chucking stones at the sea. I´m happy to report that I got schooled but good.

As we rose over each wave driving toward the shore, I could see one, then two, then three motor boats before us. ¨ok, cool.¨ I thought ¨they´re coming to say hi¨ But as we got closer I saw one bright flag go up in the water behind each boat, then another, then another till we could see that each boat was towing a string of eight people in bright yellow kayaks holding a series of colorful flags that spelled out ¨peace¨ in English and ¨life¨ in Japanese. They glided towards us, curving to the left then the right and finally surrounding us. Some people were young, some people were very old. They waved at us as they tossed about in the surf, each kayak pulling on and supporting the others. I was struck by a tangible hope. Here was this small group of people without a big international organization, without a big fancy ship, who spent every spare moment of their free time or their * retirement* nobly standing their ground before the most powerful forces in the world saying that they they would not give up, that they believed in a green and peaceful future and that together they would not be intimidated.

The eldest member of the sit in drove the point home today. He said that by himself he is too old and fragile to move about by himself and cannot walk more than 10 steps, but that when he had to walk to his local polling station to vote, his wife stood infront of him, he placed his hands on her shoulders, and together they walked all the way keeping time by singing a song about a snail, his wife being the head, and he representing the shell home. I thought of them supporting each other, moving so slowly, but with such purpose that is was only a matter of time until they arrived where they were going.

I looked at the base again with it´s barbed wire fences and its buildings so imposing and solid on the shore and then looked at our brightly coloured band rising and falling with each wave and together we suddenly seemed so powerful. We were light and flexible before that hulking base. I though of the 30,313 activists who petitioned in support of these people and the hundreds of thousands of volunteers and millions of Greenpeace supporters around the world and realized that we´re not throwing stones at the sea, we are the sea. That base can´t run from us and it's only a matter of time before we reach the shore and wash it away.

just the facts ma´am:

The crew delivered 30,313 signatures from around the world to the department of defense in Naha.
The executive director of Greenpeace Japan and The captain of the Esperanza met with the mayor of Okinawa city to discuss the destruction of unique coral reefs.
The crew of the Esperanza and campaigners from Greenpeace Japan joined the protesters in Henoko in front of the proposed site of the base expansion for two days in solidarity.
Greenpeace divers discover a dugong trail in the sea grass at the site of the proposed base expansion proving the dugong still relies on this area for survival.

Samantha's blog

Two minutes of your time could save the 12 Dugongs of Okinawa forever!
Send us your messages by September 26th to stop the air base and save the dugong.

http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/index_en_html

Currently there are over 6200 messages being sent to Greenpeace Japan.
Here are some of the messages:

We cant keep destroying our natural world. There are many other possibilities for a location for this base.　We ask you to listen to the many voices in Japan who ask you to stop this project!!!!　Our children deserve a chance to experience these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.　Many people are looking for holiday options that provide encounters with our beautiful sea creatures. SOS Save Our Sea creatures!!!!!!!!! (09/12)

While issues of joint international investment in various types of infrastructure or capital projects are an essential part of economic sustainability and growth, this should not supercede the need to protect those areas of the natural environment that offer extensive opportunities for research in biology and conservation.
It is also a test of the competencies of regional planners and environmental engineers to find equally amiable solutions to this problem, in terms of growth and conservation.
The issue concerning the dugongs habitat will be a test for the Japanese, that will ultimately demonstrate to the world where they stand in terms of unbridled expansion versus a sustainable approach to development. (09/12)

Japan is one of the most innovative countries in the world. The inventions and culture of Japan is beloved and has inspired millions. These actions are below Japan. By doing this, Japan would not only be dishonoring itself, but the rest of the world. Look for another answer. Japan is better than this. (09/11)

The defence of our amazing ocean biodiversity and the people and creatures who depend upon them is much more important than an aristrip for US war makers. (09/11)

The conservation of the environment and its flora and fauna is our responsability for the future generations.　Keeping the dugongs and their habitat is our duty.Coral reefs are already in danger, so we don't need to make more damage. The more so that we know now the impact to these fragile ecosysthems. Ignorance is not an option here.So with this message, I hope that this message will touch you as a human being.
Concerned in Tokyo (09/11)

Remember that extincion is forever, and there will be no way to recover from all the damage caused by this construction.　By the way, is it so necessary?　Can it be moved to somewhere else where it does not cause so much damage? If you think about it, destroying is pretty much easier than creating (or mantaining in this case!) but the bigger the effort in keeping life, the bigger the rewards... many, many people will be grateful to you if this air base is not built, because you are protecting the life of the reef, animals and above all, the people that survives of it.　Thank you very much for reading this letter. I hope you will make the best decision to preserve the duggon and all the other beings there. (09/11)

the 12 last dugongs are more precious than construction of an airstrip. Saving dugongs and other species is saving the planet and is also allowing the future generations to enjoy a better world. You have the power to make it better. thanks,(09/11)

Greenpeace Japan brings all of these messages to Environmental Ministry and Defense Ministry on September 27th.

Please send us messages if you have not done yet.

Please let your family and friends know about this issue.


Two minutes of your time could save the 12 Dugongs of Okinawa forever!
Send us your messages by September 26th to stop the air base and save the dugong.

At 7:30 in the morning, construction workers and divers appeared at Camp Schwab. At around 8 a.m. eight work vessels appeared to travel to each scaffold. They came to replace the safety lights top of each scaffold, but after negotiating with us, it was agreed upon that our members would replace these items so that they would not touch the scaffolds.
Rumors concerning the possibility that an airbase would be built within Camp Schwab coincide with the impending return of Futenma to Japanese jurisdiction. Just as they had attempted this morning, the work-crews are persistent in preparing the scaffolds to implement their bowling experiments on the Henoko seafloor.