Corps orders standdown after alleged rape

[unhappycamper]

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer, right, talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, left, at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, on Feb. 13. Schieffer told Okinawans on Wednesday that he took "seriously" the arrest of an American Marine on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old schoolgirl, seeking to quell anger stirred by memories of a crime that sparked massive protests in the 1990s.


Corps orders standdown after alleged rape
By Joseph Coleman - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Feb 14, 2008 19:45:43 EST

TOKYO — The U.S. military in Japan has ordered a review of its guidelines against sexual assault and could impose new curfews or other restrictions following a Marine’s arrest on suspicion of rape, the top commander said Thursday.

The announcement came after U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer traveled to the southern island of Okinawa on Wednesday in an effort to quell rising anger over the case, in which a Marine is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, commander of U.S. forces in Japan, said he ordered a task force representing all of the military services to examine sexual assault education programs and come up with recommendations for improvements.

The review will take two to four weeks, he told a news conference.

The Corps also ordered a standdown for all Marines in Japan and began two days of training “on ethics and leadership” to tighten discipline.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_curfew_080214/



uhc comment: Yesterday's thread on the standdown --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=11429

[LiberalFighter]

1. This is not the first time this has happened