Editorials
Friday, December 13, 1996
Blame for military
barracks explosion
A report absolving the general in charge of a military housing complex in Saudi Arabia of blame for the terrorist explosion there last June that killed 19 Americans and wounded 500 is reminiscent of the handling of the Beirut Marine barracks bombing in 1983. In that disaster, which killed 241 servicemen, President Reagan personally assumed responsibility for the lapse of security that permitted the bombing to succeed, with such devastating results.
Reagan's statement that he did not feel U.S. commanders should be punished "for not fully comprehending the nature of today's terrorist threat" blunted the impact of a report by an investigative panel headed by retired Adm. Robert L.J. Long, a former commander in chief Pacific. That report assigned direct blame for inadequate security to two Marine commanders at the scene. It cited failures of command, intelligence and policy.
But all that was overshadowed by the president's statement. By assuming responsibility, the president in effect cleared all the officers who had a role in the debacle. That did nothing to strengthen command accountability.
In the current situation, a Pentagon investigation in September singled out the general in charge of the housing complex for failing to adequately safeguard the complex against terrorist attack.
But now the Air Force has reportedly concluded that the commander took reasonable measures and should not be punished. The finding is expected to be announced later this month.
Certainly the Pentagon should refrain from making a scapegoat of an innocent commander. But it's obvious mistakes were made and they resulted in loss of life. After the bombing of the Marine barracks, the military should have found ways to avoid similar disasters. Yet it's happened again, and again it appears that nobody will be punished. How many explosions will it take before someone is held accountable?
Admission of Burma
THE military regime in Burma is facing its most serious challenge in the streets since it crushed pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988. Hundreds of student protestors have been detained.
Several current ASEAN members have authoritarian governments, but the current regime in Burma is harsher than any of them in its rejection of democracy. Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and other leaders resent Western pressure and want to adhere to a policy of non-interference in members' internal affairs. But this attitude ignores the need to defend the rights of all peoples. It would be a step backward for ASEAN to accept Burma unless the government eased its repression.
Money laundering
UNTIL last year, Hawaii's money-laundering laws subjected only drug offenders to confiscation of their property, purchased with illegally gained money. The 1995 Legislature extended the law to other crimes, and an Oahu grand jury this week used the law to indict a woman accused of operating a prostitution ring. The money-laundering law hopefully will be effective in prosecuting criminals whose illegal profits have been turned into valuable assets - and serve as a deterrent to others. It should not be used to deplete the resources of those whose main incomes have been earned legally.
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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor