Peace groups Stop US troops from arriving in Darwin
about 4 years in greenleft
Healthcare
Kerry Smith
Issue
1258
Australia
COVID-19
Australian Defence Force
United States defence forces
March 24, 2020
Peace groups want the deployment of United States marines to Darwin stopped, arguing there should be no exceptions for military personnel in the COVID-19 crisis.
On March 23, the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) sent a letter to the Minister for Defence Senator Linda Reynolds saying it was too risky for 2500 US marine personnel to arrive in Darwin next month.
IPAN said that the restrictions on non-Australians arriving in the country should be applied consistently. “There should be no special exceptions made on the basis of whether or not an individual happens to be a member of the USA’s armed services”, said spokesperson Justin Tutty.
“Any marines in Darwin should immediately be returned to the USA, and no further marines permitted in Australia in the foreseeable future.
“We note that US forces in Europe already have cases of COVID-19 among their number. Clearly, military personnel are no more or less likely than ordinary citizens to contract or transmit the disease, which is indiscriminate in who it infects.
“We have therefore called on the minister to preclude the arrival of the marines scheduled to arrive in Darwin from the beginning of April, and asked her to indicate that they will not be coming during this time of crisis.
“Furthermore, the movement of foreign personnel through Pine Gap is particularly urgent for the people of Alice Springs, who include many vulnerable indigenous people ...
“The emergence and spread of the COVID-19 requires that the government take this step to protect the nation from the spread of Coronavirus.”
Meanwhile, Reynolds said on March 23 that Australian troops will relocated from Iraq and Afghanistan “temporarily” to an unspecified Australian base in the Middle East, and that those close to the end of their deployment would return to Australia.
Image: Mr Punch and Prof Ratbaggy (Emeritus) @punch-webcomic.blogspot.com
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