Opposition to RIMPAC war games

The Rim of the Pacific international military exercise, or RIMPAC as its known, is held every two years on land, in the air, and on the seas around the Hawaiian Islands. In the past, RIMPAC has included more than two-dozen participating countries.  It began on August 17.

This year will mark the 27th iteration of RIMPAC. Such military exercises are increasingly a show of force by the US and its so-called Pacific coalition aimed at China.

The training will be conducted exclusively at sea, with a minimal presence of personnel on land, where the virus could be spread to or from the local community. That is a significant change from past version of RIMPAC, which incorporated numerous social gatherings, shore leave for sailors, and large, land-based war games.

RIMPAC 2020 features 26 participating countries including Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

Protests were held in Hawaii with supporting events also held on Jeju Island, South Korea outside the naval base built there in recent years despite intense opposition by the Korean people. The protests on Jeju Island continue on a daily basis - now for the 4,848th consecutive day.