Guam calm, working to ensure safety

HAGATNA: Guam Governor Eddie Calvo downplayed North Korea’s threat to attack his Pacific island state, but said the United States territory was “prepared for any eventuality” in a televised speech yesterday as tensions escalate in the region.

In a televised address, Calvo said Guam was working with Washington “to ensure our safety.

“I want to reassure the people of Guam that currently there is no threat to our island or the (neighbouring Northern) Marianas,” he said.

Guam, home to about 6,000 US troops, is located midway between the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea, and houses two US military installations — the Andersen Air Force Base and the Naval Base Guam.

Calvo said there were “several levels of defence” strategically placed to protect Guam and he had been assured by the White House that a strike on the territory would be considered an attack on the US.

“They have said America will be defended.

“I also want to remind national media that Guam is American soil and we have 200,000 Americans in Guam and the Marianas. We are not just a military installation.”

On the streets of the capital here, there was a sense of calm.

“It’s not like there’s anything we can do anyway. This is a small island. There’s nowhere to run to,” resident James Cruz said. AFP