Above Photo: San Diegans Join Protest at Rancho Mirage, obrag.org.
More than 1,000 protesters are expected for the upcoming diplomatic summit meeting between President Barack Obama and Southeast Asian world leaders at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage in one week.
Protests have been planned over Obama’s aggressive deportation policy, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and the dreadful human rights records of some of the visiting nations, according to protest organizers, who estimated how many people will show up. The largest confirmed demonstrations will oppose the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments, but authoritarian leaders from other nations will likely be met with opposition also. Protester groups said they will stand united against the oppression and corruption that is rampant throughout the governments of Southeast Asia.
“A lot of Asians – Cambodians, Laotians, Vietnamese – who live in this country, once they get a taste of democracy, and freedom and justice, they look at their home country and begin to wonder if the government over there is the right government,” said Veasna Roeun, of the Cambodia-American Alliance protest group, which expects to bring 500 to 800 people. They will oppose the attendance of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is widely viewed as a violent dictator.
Obama has invited Sen and other foreign leaders for a special gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which includes the countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. An agenda for the summit has not been released.
Presidential visits have become a routine occurrence in the Coachella Valley in recent years, but the US-ASEAN summit will have more moving parts – and more controversial people – than any previous visit. In addition to Obama, the valley will host officials from 10 other nations, each with their own entourages. A horde of protesters and a gaggle of journalists will never be far behind.
The end result, considered as a whole, will be one of the most logistically complex diplomatic gathering operations in the history of the Coachella Valley. Even if Obama decides to spend his nights at Sunnylands, the visiting diplomats are most likely going to stay in nearby hotels, requiring regular motorcades in and out of the Annenburg estate. One local hotel, the Double Tree in Cathedral City, has confirmed it will have increased security for a “large government group” related to the Obama visit, but declined to disclose any other information.
Learn More About The Action Here:
http://www.flushthetpp.org/california-the-world-united-against-the-tpp/