Malaysian-born US soldier files lawsuit over Iraq
deployment
Wed, Sep 10, 2008
AFP
A Malaysian-born US Army soldier has launched a legal bid to
prevent being sent to Iraq, claiming deployment to the warzone
would conflict with his religious beliefs, lawyers said
Friday.
Calvin Lee Chee Keong, a 26-year-old Malaysian who has permanent
residency in the United States, said in a lawsuit filed in Los
Angeles that he had been duped into joining the military by
recruiters in 2004. Lee, a Buddhist, said he had been told he would
never have to leave the United States during his three years
military service or go to war, lawyers for the American Civil
Liberties Union said.
However, he sought conscientious objector status after discovering
that his service was being extended and his unit was being deployed
to Iraq, the ACLU said in a statement.
"Every action of killing is so evil and wrong, I don't want to do
any evil things and see any suffering happening right in front of
my eyes," Lee said in the statement.
The Department of the Army rejected his conscientious objector
application without explanation, despite recommendations for his
release by Army officers, a chaplain and a mental health
specialist, the ACLU said.
"Based on the record, the Army has no basis in fact and no good
reason to refuse Calvin?s application," said Deborah Karpatkin,
Lee's attorney.
"As Calvin wrote in his CO application, he learned in the Army that
America is about seeking religious freedom."
A spokesman for the Army declined to comment.
Lee, who is currently assigned to the 58th Combat Engineer Company
based at Fort Irwin, California, joined the Army in 2004 after a
recruiter approached him at a job fair in San Francisco, the ACLU
said.Despite his uneasiness, Lee continued to work, turning down
promotions in rank and salary as he felt his faith required, the
ACLU said.
By November, Lee applied to a Malaysian temple to live as a monk
after the end of his Army service, which was originally scheduled
for September, the ACLU said.
But in December, the Army informed Lee that his term of service was
being extended and his unit would be deployed to Iraq, the ACLU
said.
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