Q&A: ''Guam Remains Functionally a US Colony''

Interview with Julian Aguon, Chamoru activist MELBOURNE, Jul 21 (IPS) - The tiny island of Guam -- officially an unincorporated territory of the United States -- is soon to be inundated with thousands more U.S. military personnel as the world’s superpower realigns its forces. In this first of a two-part interview, indigenous Guamanian activist Julian Aguon spoke with IPS on issues surrounding the build-up. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, Guam has a long history of being invaded. Spain first claimed the island in 1565, but it was not until a century later that colonisation began. During this time the indigenous Chamoru were decimated, declining from an estimated 150,000 to 3,000 people, 100 years after settlement. The U.S. wrested control of Guam from Spain in the 1898 Spanish-American War. After being occupied by Japan... [read full story]