U.S. GIs fighting in Philippines

[Flashermac]

And more propoganda ...

 

http://tinyurl.com/2votbf

[Guest lazyphil]

thanks for the links flasher

[Guest lazyphil]

Anymore similar links flash?

[Central Scrutinizer]

LP,

 

Forget these numbnuts Phil. Anyone who takes a random rape attack by a few US Servicemen (which happens regretably) and then states that this is considered a 'perk' by American servicemen is a total nitwit the should not even be recognized as having made a statement worthy of reply. Consider the source.

 

As for the rest, almost all countries have laws for their servicemen whereby they will be prosecuted under martial law and punished under military law by their peers/superiors. The US is no different and very adamant on trying and punishing their troops who break the laws under which they serve. Is it fair and do they receive special treatment or do they receive the punishment they justly deserve? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. There should be a better way to do this. Some way that would even out the obvious biases in place if these men are tried under the courts where the offense occurred, or under their own military courts where some may think they are treated too leniently.I've seen military trials go both ways, severe punishments used to send a message to the troops, and, to me, some have handed down extremely lenient punishments which I thought to be an arrogant disregard to the people against whom the crimes had been committed. It is not as balanced as I would like to see it.

 

But to suggest that US servicemen have carte blanc to rape and pillage is a disgusting accusation, and far from the truth. When caught doing these dispicable crimes most American servicemen are treated harshly and receive stiff sentences.

 

The US military does take this seriously though, and they do not want to set a precedent of allowing anyone but themselves to be the law over their servicemen. That is why they are pressuring the Phillipine government.

 

Cent

[Fidel]

LP, Forget these numbnuts Phil. Anyone who takes a random rape attack by a few US Servicemen (which happens regretably) and then states that this is considered a 'perk' by American servicemen is a total nitwit the should not even be recognized as having made a statement worthy of reply. Consider the source.

 

Hi Cent. Under the constitution of the Philippines, the serviceman should have been tried under local law and held in their custody. This to me seems only fair. In other countries where the US has military bases, Korea for one, the US sometimes "allows" their hosts to try rapist servicemen, nice of them, eh?

 

The fact of the matter is Cent, rape is a huge problem in the US military. In Iraq many female US troops have been raped by their male counterparts.

 

In Japan there have been many cases of rape, including the gang rape by US soldiers of a 12 year old girl and in Korea a rape of a 67 year old woman.

 

There have been multiple cases of rape by US troops in every country in which the US has bases. Maybe you don't consider this an issue.

 

Let's not forget the gang rape of the 14 year old Iraqi girl who's body was then burned to destroy the evidence or the multiple cases of rape, sodomy and sexual assault by US troops and private contractors in Abu Ghraib.

 

The case involving the 14 year old girl took months to come to light... because it was covered up. How many private contractors have been tried for rape, sodomy and torture? How many more crimes are taking place against those under US occupation that never come to light?

 

I can provide links to back up all my claims if you really want me to, but I suggest you simple enter the words "US soldier rape" in google. You'll find all the info their.

 

Cent, if you and LP want to take your defense of US troops to the point where you're willing to defend or dismiss their war crimes, fine. Go ahead.

 

 

 

[Flashermac]

http://tinyurl.com/2h3nnc

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Fidel,

 

Exactly where do I dismiss or condone American troops committing crimes? Are you having problems with reading comprehension? Exactly where do I say that they should not be punished? Hm? I said that the US Military will fight for the right to be the ones who try and punish its soldiers when they commit crimes. And, when they are caught committing crimes such as rape, they ARE usually punished and punished according to military rules and laws which are very strict from what I remember. US military prisons are not an easy time of it. They are not the same as civilian prisons. As you said, sometimes, lately, the US government has made exceptions to the rule that US Servicemen will be tried by the US military for any crimes they commit against civilians. S. Korea being one. I don't remember if they have the same agreement with the Phillipine government. I don't think so, but it may have changed since the pull out.

 

So, nowhere do I condone such behavior. What I said was anyone saying that the criminal behavior of some US servicemen means that all American soldiers consider raping civilians as a 'perk' is just spouting an idiotic inflammatory statement, which is not true in the least, and the source of such a stupid idiotic statement should be taken into consideration. But then, maybe you agree with such a stupid statement? If so I'll take that into consideration as well when reading anything further from you, that is, if you ever actually write something of your own rather than just another copy and paste post.

 

See you over Dog's some day in the future. We can drink a beer and sip a Powers and discuss these things in person.

 

Cent

[Guest lazyphil]

<>

 

Exactly, thats what I thought was so fucking arrogant of Fidel. Still hes on a quest of sorts. Funny he didn't care to comment on the Pakistani UN peacekeepers, again they are a minority commiting such crimes in the Pakistani Army.

[Flashermac]

If you want to go back a ways ...

 

THE SCOTSMAN

22 Dec 2002

 

Peacekeeper jailed for porn films

 

by DECLAN WALSH NICOLA BYRNE IN DUBLIN

 

AN IRISH soldier serving as a United Nations peacekeeper in Eritrea has been caught making pornographic videos of local women and is now serving a jail sentence in Ireland, it was revealed last night.

 

The UN has launched an investigation into the scandal which has again plunged the organisationâ??s peacekeeping duties into controversy.

 

In the wake of the highly damaging revelation, the Eritrean government has condemned the activities of the Irish defence force and questioned its continued presence in the war-scarred state in the Horn of Africa.

 

Yesterday a government spokesman said: "These people call themselves peacekeepers, when in fact all they want is a long holiday and a chance to fool around with our women. They did not respect our country, our culture or our people."

 

The soldier in question returned to Ireland last month and yesterday the Irish army said he would be dismissed.

 

An army spokesman said: "As soon as his commanding officer became aware of his behaviour he was charged with conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline."

 

The private has already been sentenced to 16 daysâ?? detention by an army court, and is still serving the sentence.

 

The statement added: "He is likely to be dismissed from the force."

 

His videos were filmed last March. Their main â??starâ??, a 22-year-old Eritrean woman believed to be a prostitute, is in custody facing obscenity charges in her home country.

 

The tapes are understood to have been discovered when the soldier, a man in his forties and a native of the west of Ireland, showed them to friends.

 

The woman is believed to have worked at a brothel which opened outside the Irish â??greenâ?? camp in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, shortly after the Irish peacekeepersâ?? arrival last December.

 

She befriended the soldier at the centre of the scandal and became his girlfriend, she told police. The woman named the man and said he was a captain, although the Irish army has denied that this is the manâ??s rank.

 

In an interview from her prison cell, she said the soldier had told her he was making the video for "remembrance" and would marry her and bring her to Ireland, where he said he owned a hotel.

 

"He was telling me what to do in the films in many different ways," said the woman.

 

After filming, the soldier would take the woman and her friends swimming at the Intercontinental Hotel, which she considered a "great treat" as it is normally the preserve of foreigners.

 

According to Eritrean authorities, the videos consisted of "disgusting sexual acts".

 

Several other women who are alleged to be prostitutes in the capital have also been arrested since the scandal emerged.

 

Some hotels and night clubs which were popular with peacekeepers, foreigners and prostitutes have also been closed.

 

The multinational peacekeeping force in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was established two years ago after a ceasefire in the two-year border war between the two countries.

 

This is the Irish armyâ??s first time in Africa since the 1960s when it served in the Congo. The defence forces pride themselves on their peacekeeping role, which has included stints in the Lebanon and Cyprus.

 

In a statement, UNMEE said it considered the allegations concerning the videos very serious, and that it was conducting an investigation.

 

"The mission has zero tolerance towards such acts, and will do its utmost to quickly and thoroughly establish the facts," it said.

 

"The sexual or psychological exploitation of locals by UN staff or their representatives, will never be tolerated."

 

However, a report commissioned by the UN itself noted this year that prostitution has soared since peace was declared in Eritrea and the UN peacekeepers arrived there.

 

Over the past two years, Italian, Danish and Slovak peacekeepers have all been expelled in separate incidents for having sex with minors.

 

Irish troops were issued with orders to respect local sensitivities and to abide by a strict code of conduct.

 

A senior source within the UN in Asmara said the Irish soldierâ??s behaviour had caused deep embarrassment. It is the latest in a catalogue of scandals over the years, which have seen UN peacekeepers involved in murder and rape.

 

The UN source said: "People have been told not to talk about it or discuss it. Itâ??s a very sensitive issue. But of course everybody is talking about it."

 

A third of adults in Eritrea are HIV positive and on their arrival in Africa, the UN forces are shown explicit videos about the effects of HIV and Aids.

 

Peacekeepers are issued with male and female condoms and warned off visiting the numerous brothels which have mushroomed in the capital.

 

However, with little for the troops to do in the city, the outgoing commander of the Irish camp, Lieutenant Commandant David Prendergast admitted that boredom was one of the biggest problems facing his unit.

 

But he rejected the claim by the Eritrean government that the Irish base was a holiday camp.

 

"It is not that by any means," he said. "It is a major task in the management of personnel and it is difficult for the soldiers because they are away from home."

 

Built in the art deco style by Italian colonists in the 1930s, Asmara looks more like a suburb of a European town than an African city.

 

Although it is poor and struggling to recover from the war, the clean streets are paved with smooth tarmac, and there is little crime. The story of the videos has consequently made front page news.

 

Last weekâ??s edition of the Eritrean Profile newspaper, published by the governmentâ??s ministry of information, also points the finger at other peacekeepers in the city and says it has evidence that they are engaged in activities similar to those of the Irish soldier currently in jail.

 

With friends like these â?¦

 

UNITED Nations peacekeeping troops have been involved in a catalogue of crimes and scandals across the globe.

 

During the UN peacekeeping mission to Somalia, it was claimed Canadian, Belgian and Italian soldiers were involved in torture and murder.

 

An inquiry by the Canadian government of a young Somali man in 1993, found that he had been murdered by its troops and that a senior officer had lied in an attempt to cover up the atrocity. Two soldiers were jailed.

 

In Belgium, newspapers published photographs of two soldiers holding a Somali boy over a fire. Three paratroopers were prosecuted, but were acquitted by a military tribunal.

 

An Italian magazine published photographs showing soldiers from the countryâ??s elite paratroop regiment apparently torturing a naked Somali with electrodes and sexually abusing a Somali woman. Two generals who had commanded the Italian force in Somalia resigned.

 

In January 2000 the United Nations were sued for the first time in its history for alleged complicity in the crime of genocide which drove hundreds of thousands Rwandan Tutsis from their homes.

 

Two Rwandan women accused the UN, which was meant to be defending their families, of handing them over to their killers or running away.

 

The families of these women were slaughtered during the 1994 genocide in which 800,000, mostly Tutsi people, were slaughtered by Hutus.

 

In Bosnia, more than 20 peacekeepers were ejected from the mission for theft and corruption. Nearly four dozen others were sent home after allegedly abusing mental patients at a hospital. Canadian peacekeepers were accused of rape, beatings and sexual abuse of a teenage handicapped girl.