[CPEO-MEF] Vieques Digest 6/22/01

[bieke@coqui.net]

#1) United States Legislators call for immediate end to bombing in Vieques

#2)observance of Father's Day

#3)Viequenses in the bombing range

#4) Viequenses score victory with civil disobedience

#5) URGENT CALL FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE



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#1)



June 16, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

United States Legislators call for immediate end to bombing in Vieques

The Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CPRDV) received a
copy yesterday of a letter sent to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,
written by Vermont Senators James Jeffords (Independent) and Patrick J. Leahy
(Democrat), urging the "immediate and permanent cessation of plans to carry
out naval exercises during this coming week."

Jeffords left the Republican Party recently due to the "insensibility" of
that party to social necessities: "I didn't leave the party; the party left
me and abandoned its basic principles, established by Abraham Lincoln."
expressed Jeffords when he made the change. The case of Vieques exemplifies
the insensibility towards poor communities which Jeffords criticized upon
leaving the party currently in power. Jeffords'action significantly altered
the balance of power in the legislative branch, offering more influence to
the Democratic Party in congressional committees such as Armed Forces.

Viequenses also received a copy of the declaration by James P. McGovern
(Democrat), Congressman from Massachusetts. "What the U.S. Navy is doing in
Vieques is wrong. It is wrong for the U.S. Navy to conduct bombing exercizes
in Vieques. It is wrong for Puerto Rico, and it is wrong for the United
States," says the letter titled Stop the Bombing in Vieques.

The expressions by these three important U.S. legislators join similar
expressions by more than a hundred members of Congress who were visited by
the "People's Lobbyists" during February 2001, as well as by influential
Republican leaders such as New York Governor George Pataki.

Spokespeople for the viequense committee pointed out that they would continue
with the campaign of political pressure, in the United States as well as at
the international level, directed toward achieving the immediate and
permanent cessation of all military activity, decontamination of the island
municipality, and the return of the lands to the people of Vieques.



#2)

June 17, 2001
PRESS RELEASE

As part of observance of Father's Day, the Committee for the Rescue and
Development of Vieques (CPRDV) denounces the imprisonment of tens of viequense
and Puerto Rican fathers, for civil disobedients for the peace of Vieques. The
Navy's arrogance and the Federal Court's complicity has left tens of families
without their fathers' presence in a day of such importance for family unity.
So cruel is this situation for viequenses, that Jos=E9 "Cheo" Molina, arrested
in the bombing range in April, could not attend the funeral of his father, who
died yesterday and was buried today, Sunday, in Vieques.
The Peace and Justice Camp is receving a vist from an international Quaker
delegation from the pacifist organization American Friends Service Committee
(AFSC). Represenatatives from the Philippines, Hawaii, Guatemala, Brazil,
Puerto Rico and the United States travelled to Vieques to witness the bombing
by the U.S. Navy and to learn of the sentiments of the people of Vieques.
According to Wanda Col=F3n Cort=E9s, Director of the Caribbean Project for
Justice and Peace, the delegation is part of a process of internationalization
of the case of Vieques, which exemplifies the global clamor for
demilitarization and the building of peace.
Kyle Kajihiro, from AFSC in Hawaii, explained that the case of Vieques has
extremely important implications for the Hawaiians'struggle for
demilitarization and decontamination of this Pacific Ocean archipelago.
Similarly, the people of the Philippines demand that the United States
government clean up the lands which US armed forces occupied for decades, said
Baltazar Pinguel, AFSC delegate from the Philippines who was a political
prisoner during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Raberto Rabin, from
CPRDV, pointed out that such efforts to internationalize the case of Vieques
have had a significant impact in these past two years of intense struggle.

#3)

June 18, 2001 PRESS RELEASE

Viequenses in the bombing range


The Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CPRDV) and Vieques
Youth United (JVU) announced that four brigades of civil disobeients are inside
the bombing range in order to impede the bombing exercises that the United
States Navy has announced for today. In coordination with the National Hostos
Congress (CNH) and All Puerto Rico with Vieques, the CPRDV helped over twenty
people to enter the restricted area.
University students, lawyers, engineers, and teachers are among the members of
the first two brigades, which took the names Lula Tirado and Lisa Rosa. Lula
Tirado, renowned activist against the military presence and founding member of
the CPRDV, died of cancer a few years ago. Lisa Rosa died at the age of 15
years of leukemia, , one of many young viequenses who were victims of different
types of cancer, which environmental and health experts associate with military
contamination.
The members of the Lula Tirado Brigade are Attorney Valgina Rodriguez, resident
of Vieques; pharmacist Frances Guzman Lago and Edgar Sanchez, physical
education teacher in Vieques. The Lisa Rosa Brigade indludes viequense youths
Ismael Guadelupe Jr., Dara Guadelupe, Ivan Torres and Miguel Perez, all members
of Vieques Youth United (JVU).
Two other groups, one of three and the other of seven members, entered in lands
used by the Navy for their war practices, with the objective of remaining in
the range and impeding the bombing practices. The larger group took the name
Juancho Molina Brigade, in honor of the recently deceased father of our
political prisoner for peace, viequenses Jose "Cheo" Molina, imprisoned in the
federal prison in Guaynabo for his participation in civil disobedience actions
in April.
The members of these last two groups are Alberto Millan, Joe Martinez, Raymond
Soto, Disraelly Gutierrez, Alejandro Garcia, Roberto Cisco, Jose Davila,
Wilfredo Ortiz and Ramon Lopez. Kim Porter, North American pacifist and
activist for immigrant rights in the state of Florida, also participated in
this civil disobedience action.
Entrance of the disobedients (into the military area) are programmed to
continue as long as the maneuvers last, according to CPRDV spokespersons.

#4)

June 20, 2001
PRESS RELEASE
Viequenses score victory with civil disobedience


Members of the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CPRDV)
attributed last night's cancellation of bombing announced by the Navy to the
continuing process of civil disobedience. Eight people were arrested just after
7 PM, the hour that the Navy supposedly was to initiate its bombing practices.
According to the Special Commissioner of Vieques, Dr. Juan Fernandez, the
military informed him and Radames Tirado, Sub-Commissioner of Vieques, that the
bombing was cancelled due to bad weather.
Spokespersons for the CPRDV seriously questioned the Navy's explanation. Robert
Rabin, member of the community organization, suggested that "the only bad
weather that the Navy had was a rain of civil disobedience, which caused the
cancellation of the bombing last night and the postponement of exercises during
various days." Navy reports indicate that they have only been able to practice
their bombing exercises for one day since the start of maneuvers last
Wednesday, and that they have fired only 50 bombs out of 1,800 that they plan
to drop from combat planes.
For her part, Nilda Medina, also a spokesperson for the CPRDV, applauded the
action of the disobedients, those from Vieques as well as from the Big Island
(Puerto Rico) and the United States. "The Navy underestimates the capacity, the
creativity, and the courage of our people. In spite of the world's most
sophisticated technology, this superpower cannot stop this struggle, because we
go with truth and justice on our side," said the veteran activist for peace for
Vieques. According to the CPRDV, around 50 people have been arrested, and
around 25 more are still inside the military lands. They pointed out that civil
disobedience actions will continue until the maneuvers are concluded.
They also informed that Ismael Guadelupe, founding member of the CPRDV,
travelled today to New York, where he will present the case of Vieques at the
United Nations during deliberations of the Decolonization Committee this coming
week. For several years the case of Vieques, and the problems caused by the
military presence, has been presented before this international body. Recently
a delegation from the Puerto Rico Bar Association presented the case of Vieques
before the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights in Geneva,
Switzerland.

#5)

22 June, 2001


URGENT CALL FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
The US Navy threatens to continue its bombing practice next week. So far,
around fifty people have been arrested in the navy's restricted areas in
Vieques. The actions carried out by our people have blocked the bombing during
this week, allowing the Navy to drop only 100 out of 1800 bombs they plan to
shoot at our island.


WE CALL ON ALL THOSE WHO LOVE PEACE AND ARE READY TO PARTICIPATE IN CIVIL
DISOBEDIENCE ACTIONS TO COME TO VIEQUES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO BE INCLUDED IN
THE LIST OF OUR FORCES IN DEFENSE OF PEACE ON VIEQUES.



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