Webinar: US Bases- protection or infection?
A Forum on the Negative Effects of Imperialist Military action on the health of people in Southeast Asia, East Asia & the Pacific - Organized by PHM SEAP Co-sponsored by the PHM War, Conflict, Occupation and Migration Thematic Circle
The attacks lead by US-Israel in the Middle East, especially in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine, are some of the most devastating man-made disasters in recent history. They have led to massive destruction in the Middle East, but also shaken the world, through the oil and energy crisis following in its wake. And the fear of the general public now is – with the ongoing conflict, and the US aggression in Latin America, who is next?
Though a good distance from the heart of the conflict, the Asia Pacific has always been a venue for tactical maneuvering by imperialist Powers – particularly, the United States. Just in the Indopacific territories alone are numerous military bases controlled by the United States. They are used for monitoring the region, as strategic locations for supply refills, docking areas for their troops, and possibly launching pads for using force against others. Each of these pose an immense risk for people in the region. While they are sold as protecting people, in fact, they pose a massive health risk. From Changi in Singapore, to Clark and missile-launching sites in Cagayan in the Philippines, Naval bases in Sasebo and Yokosuka and Marine bases in Iwakuni and Okinawa in Japan, and Darwin in Australia, the intelligence facility at Pine Gap, the AUKUS agreement and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the US, Australia, Japan and India. All this military action and hardware threatens the health and wellbeing of the region.
In this Webinar, we will discuss the dangers posed by these existing bases, and what the implications of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East have for our region.
Date & Time: May 20, 2026, 10:00AM – 11:30PM UTC (6:00 to 7:30 PM Singapore time, 8PM to 9.30PM Melbourne time)
Platform: Zoom Webinar. Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/
Flow and Speakers:
Moderators:
Chan Chee Khoon (PHM Malaysia)
Maricar Piedad (IBON Foundation, PHM Philippines)
Opening Remarks: Bringing awareness on a war that is physically far from SEAP, but the consequences felt are dire – Jamie Dasmariñas, Regional Coordinator
4 speakers who will speak for 15 minutes each
The Health Risks of Bases, and AUKUS Agreements and the Defense Industry
Richard Tanter, Nautilus Institute – Australia
US Bases in Okinawa, and the Public Health Risks they pose
Ms. Ai Abe, Visiting Researcher and Part-time Lecturer at the University of the Ryukyus
The Economics of War, and the Sociopolitical repercussions of Imperialist War Games in the Global South of the Asia Pacific, and what this means for the People
Professor Judy Taguiwalo, Philippine Center for Anti-Imperialist Studies
Brief History, and the Current Circumstances of the Asia Pacific Territories, the Gulf Wars and the US-Israel Strikes on Iran, and the Implications of such Warfare to the Asia Pacific
Adj. Professor Warwick Powell, Queensland University of Technology
Open Forum / Reactors’ Panel
Synthesis & Call to Action: Maria Hamlin-Zuñiga (Coordinator, PHM War, Conflict, Occupation and Migration Thematic Circle)