[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: benjamin ramos <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 4:01 AM Subject: [mobilize-globally] Vieques Bombing on June 13th? U.S. Navy plans June war games on Puerto Rico isle SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy plans to begin its latest round of war games on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques around June 13, the U.S. commonwealth's governor said on Wednesday. In response, Gov. Sila Calderon will call for a vote by Vieques residents within 90 days to decide whether they want the island used by the U.S. military as a bombing range, she said. The Navy's use of the 33,000-acre (13,360-hectare) island off Puerto Rico's east coast for target practice has sparked widespread protests in the U.S. territory since a civilian security guard was killed in a botched bombing run more than two years ago. Vieques has served as a bombing range for 60 years. The Navy says it is critical to U.S. battle-readiness, but residents say the bombing has damaged their health and the island's air and water quality. Citing a letter from the Navy, Calderon said on Wednesday that up to 18 days of training on Vieques would begin on or shortly after June 13. "The notice by the Navy wounds and offends the sensibility of our people," she said. "This struggle is testing our collective spirit of resistance, and now more than ever we have to remain firm in our position." In a letter to the commonwealth State Department, the Navy said it would undertake aerial bombing practice and marine war games but not ship-to-shore shelling in this latest exercise. A key element of its Vieques training, the ship-to-shore shelling is at the heart of a commonwealth lawsuit against the Navy because it allegedly violates a new law toughening restrictions on noise along Puerto Rico's coast. Existing presidential directives and congressional legislation calls for a Nov. 6 referendum in which Vieques residents will decide whether they want the Navy to leave by May 1, 2003, or remain indefinitely in return for $50 million in economic aid. Calderon said she would call a local referendum for Vieques' 9,600 people with those two options plus a third one, the immediate halt of war games. While the result of the local referendum, which is expected to be held within 90 days, will not be binding on the federal government, Calderon said it was time for the world to hear the opinion of Vieques residents. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans have been arrested for infiltrating the bombing range during increasingly angry protests against the bombing practice since the death of security guard David Sanes Rodriguez in April 1999. 18:34 05-30-01 Vieques Exercises to Resume in June .c The Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - The U.S. Navy intends to resume exercises next month on the Vieques island bombing range despite continuing protests, Puerto Rico's governor said Wednesday. The Navy notified Puerto Rico that it will hold its next exercises as early as June 13 and they will last no more than 18 days, said Gov. Sila Calderon. In the Navy's last exercises on Vieques, from April 27 to May 1, about 180 people were arrested for trespassing on Navy land in protests seeking to stop the exercises. The U.S. District Court for Puerto Rico has not tried all the arrested. More than 40 protesters, including New York activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, have been sentenced to jail terms up to four months. The Navy has used its range on Vieques, which has a population of 9,400, for six decades and says it is vital for national security. Critics say it poses a health threat, which the Navy denies. Opposition to the exercises grew after a civilian guard was killed on the range in 1999 by two off-target bombs. The Navy has since stopped using live ammunition, and islanders will vote in November whether the Navy must leave in 2003 or can stay, resuming the use of live ammunition. AP-NY-05-30-01 1847EDT Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
