With hordes of Korean Christians descending on Kabul to participate in the “2006 Afghanistan Peace Festival,” some 35 Koreans are claiming they were subjected to a group beating by pipe-wielding local police at Kabul’s international airport after they were denied entry into the country.
The Korean Foreign Ministry, however, says there was only some minor scuffling, and no such group beating took place.
14 Comments
As soon as you wrote
I was going to comment that it was only a matter of time before these fools were beaten or killed but you followed up with this
Which took the wind out of my sails.
this is undoubtedly one of the stupidest things I have ever heard anyone try and do, kinda funny though … anyone that dumb deserves to get beaten with a pipe.
I’ve got a few mates set to go to a march of sorts over there too, difference being they will be carrying rifles and doing something constructive toward actually creating peace in the country :p.
And on a side note is it widely known in Korea that the military forces in Afghanistan are now NATO led/constituted with a British general in charge ? I ask because it is still reported as US-led and I wonder if this is because the change is only recent or maybe it’s a concerted effort to take creedence from the military presence there (given what seems to be the prevailing opinion of the US military these days).
peace.
Hojuin, what’s the prevailing opinion of the U.S. military these days?
The U.S. still has its U.S.-led anti-Taliban operations in other parts of the country (to which the Oz SAS has been and may still be a party). The NATO-led force covers Kandahar and points south.
Peace [whenever I see this, I consider it the Internet equivalent of a Korean driver raising his hand after he's cut you off].
This story sounds a bit fishy. My sense is they got bitch slapped a bit but pipes…… Sounds of hyperbole.
I wonder if anyone got a home run . . .
Looks like they’ve given new meaning to the phrase “pass the peace pipe”.
Wedge: By prevailing opinion of the US military I was referring to what seems to be (to me a no-longer-resident of Korea) a sense of antagonism and general unease among Koreans toward the US military (particularly I would guess among communities with strong enough views to go on a Christian peace march in Afghanistan).
Fair and salient points about the US and NATO forces in the country though I think (but will most definitely stand corrected if necessary) oversight of all foreign forces in Afghanistan now rests under NATO auspices (though obviously operational command in different regions will be pragmatically separate).
peace. (make of this ending what you will I like the vibe it puts out so I use it)
The irony is that France has a large[ish] force there – I don’t think they woulda sent men if it was a US-led initiative…
It’s all an exaggeration…what happened was a customs officer got an ink smudge on an ajuma’s Burberry plaid “Go to Abroad Jump-suit.” As you might imagine, all hell broke loose.
Korean Christians will flex their muscles. They will not be passive players any more. Roughly one third of Koreans are Christians - Catholics and Protestant.
Actually, Korean Christians had a plan to march in Jerusalem this summer but it got cancelled due to Lebanon excursion by Israel.
Maybe next year..
Apparently, the SK Foreign Ministry is calling bullshit on this one, saying that there were embassy officials at the airport, and no beatings were witnessed. Of course, the Foriegn Ministry just might be trying to downplay the event, but I think it more likely that the christian group is playing for publicity for what would otherwise be a non-event. Of course, if they’re there to preach, they basically deserve whatever they get.
Beating or no beating, the idea of these morons deliberately putting themselves in harms way is appalling. If one or more are taken hostage what happens then? How many others will have to risk their lives to try and get them back? Or are these people happy to become headless martyrs?
Although I’m a Christian, I have no problem admitting that some Christians are just extremely stupid and embarrassing.
if only jeong myeong seok had been in the group…