FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (August 23, 2018 – Hagåtña) Judge Ramona Manglona’s ruling on Wednesday in which she acquiesced to the military’s argument that there is no connection between the Guam military buildup and the proposed training in the CNMI is disappointing and unacceptable.

We had hoped that justice would have been served in court, however it appears that history is repeating itself by placing destructive imperial pursuits and interests over those of the people of the land.

We remain hopeful that Earthjustice will pursue the lawsuit in the higher courts, and we will continue to offer support to our brothers and sisters in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian will continue to stand in solidarity with the Tinian Women’s Association, Guardians of Gani, PaganWatch, the Center for Biological Diversity, and their legal representatives, Earthjustice. 

PLSR shares the concerns of Earthjustice, which has stated that “Staging massive, live-fire war games on the islands of Tinian and Pågan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands would severely disrupt communities on Tinian and shatter the dreams of families who want to return to live permanently on Pågan.”

Tinian will be subjected to high-decibel noise and restricted access to fishing grounds, cultural sites and recreational beaches. Pagan will be subjected to ship-to-shore naval bombardment, and destruction to native forests, coral reefs, and prime farmland.

The parallels between the proposed destruction in Guam and the Northern Marianas are significant.

Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian (PLSR) is a direct action group dedicated to the protection of natural and cultural resources in the areas identified for DOD live-fire training on Guam. For more information, please email Litekyan.opa@gmail.com.