Ngu Takao Nogami, Asahi Shimbun
EHIGASHI, kwiSithili saseOkinawa-Owayesakuba nguMarine wase-US uMatthew Hoh wakhe wakhonza ilizwe lakhe kwiSithili sase-Okinawa, ekhokela uqheliselo lwemfazwe ehlathini apha.
Namhlanje, uHoh kunye namanye amahlanu amagqala omkhosi wase-US ajoyine uqhanqalazo lwemihla ngemihla ngokuchasene nokwakhiwa kweehelikopta zase-US Marine kwihlathi elinye.
Bathi kuyageza ukutshabalalisa ihlathi elikhulu kumantla e-Okinawa ukuze kuqhutywe umlo.
Amagqala angamalungu eVeterans for Peace (VFP), iqela elilwa nemfazwe yase-US. Bazibandakanya noqhanqalazo olukufuphi neTakae, isithili saseHigashi, ukususela ekupheleni kuka-Agasti. UHoh kunye nabanye ababini ababesakuba ngamajoni aselwandle ase-US kwiqela babekade bemi kulo mmandla usemazantsi.
Abaqhankqalazi bafuna ukumiswa kweprojekthi ye-helipad kwaye baqhubeka nokungquzulana ukususela ngoJulayi kunye namakhulu amapolisa odushe athe ahlanganiswa evela kulo lonke elaseJapan.
La magqala athi aqhele ukulandela oko wayexelelwa ngurhulumente waseMelika ngaphandle kokubuza imibuzo xa eselula. Nangona kunjalo, baqala ukuchasa imisebenzi yomkhosi emva kweMfazwe yase-Iraq ka-2003 kunye nezinye iingxabano ezibandakanya i-Afghanistan neVietnam.
Umsebenzi wokwakha ii-helipad ezine uqhubekile kufuphi ne-Takae ukususela ngoJulayi emva kokuba imisiwe ngenxa yenkcaso yendawo. Ii-helipad ezimbini, ezigqitywe ngo-2014, ngoku zisetyenziswa yi-US Marines.
Iprojekthi ye-helipad isekelwe kwisivumelwano samazwe amabini kwi-1996 ukubuyisela isiqingatha somhlaba we-Camp Gonsalves, i-7,800 yeehektare zase-US Marine Corps indawo yoqeqesho lwemfazwe yasehlathini ehamba nge-Higashi kunye nelali yaseKunigami engummelwane.
Omnye umqathango wesivumelwano yayikukuba ii-helipad ezintandathu-nganye iimitha ezingama-75 ububanzi-ziya kwakhiwa embindini wehlathi kufuphi neTakae ukuze zitshintshe ezo zikwindawo ukuze zibuyiselwe eJapan.
Hoh, 43, ulazi kakuhle ihlathi. Wayekhokela imikhosi kwi-drill kabini ngenyanga kwindawo yoqeqesho kwi-woodland, kodwa wathi imithambo enjalo inokuqhutyelwa eUnited States.
Iinkokeli zaseJapan kunye ne-US, waqhubeka, ziya kuqonda ukuba ziphosakele ngokupheleleyo malunga neprojekthi ye-helipad ukuba zibeka unyawo ehlathini, elichaza ukuba lihle kwaye lingenalo ukulingana kwihlabathi.
UHoh uthe wabona iindidi zezilwanyana ehlathini ngelixa wayeziqeqesha.
Wongeze ukuba yena kunye nabanye oogqirha bezilwanyana bazimisele ukutsala ingqalelo yehlabathi kwinto eyenzekayo eTakae kwaye baqaqambise umlo wabantu base-Okinawan ngokuchasene nobukho bomkhosi wase-US.
I-Okinawa, emele i-0.6 yepesenti yobunzima bomhlaba wesizwe, ilikhaya kwiipesenti ezingama-74 zeziseko zase-US eJapan.
Amagqala ayemele ahambe e-Okinawa ngoSeptemba 9 ukuya eUnited States.
Igqiza lamagqala asekwe emva kokuba iVFP igqibe ngamxhelo mnye kwingqungquthela yonyaka ka-Agasti ifuna kumiswe iprojekthi yehelipsi.
Eli qela likwacela ukurhoxiswa kokufuduswa okucwangcisiweyo kwemisebenzi ye-US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma e-Ginowan ukuya kwisithili saseHenoko saseNago, zombini kwi-prefecture, kunye nokubongoza i-tilt-rotor Osprey isuswe kwi-airfield ye-Futenma. I-Futenma kuphela kwesiseko sase-US e-Japan apho iinqwelomoya ze-Osprey ezinomsindo zisasazwa khona. Iinqwelomoya zeOsprey ziye zabandakanyeka kwiingozi ezininzi phesheya kolwandle, kunye nokufa kwabantu.
Elinye lamalungu abalaseleyo e-VFP ngumlawuli bhanyabhanya ophumelele iAcademy Award-Oliver Stone. Lo mbutho, owasekwa ngo-1985, unamalungu aqikelelwa ukuba amalunga nama-3,500. Inceda uqhanqalazo oluchasene neziseko zomkhosi wase-US kwihlabathi liphela kwaye ikhuthaza uxolo.
Amapolisa oqhushululu abasuse ngenkani abaqhankqalazi ukusukela ngasekupheleni kukaJulayi njengoko bezama ukuthintela iprojekthi ye-helipad ngokuhlala kunye nangezinye iindlela.
