[CPEO-MEF] Puerto Rican Groups Vow To Continue Vieques Protest- Washington Post]

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

washingtonpost.com
NATION IN BRIEF


Monday, January 13, 2003; Page A22


Puerto Rican Groups Vow To Continue Vieques Protest
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Rican protest groups promised to keep up
civil disobedience against imminent U.S. war games on Vieques, despite
Friday's announcement by the Navy that it will soon end 50 years of
battle training on the tiny island May 1.

"Civil disobedience continues to exert pressure," ex-gubernatorial
candidate David Noriega said yesterday. "On May 1, the lands will still
be contaminated and will still be in federal hands. That's the next
battle."

Twenty nine days of battle training scheduled to begin today may be the
last performed by the Navy in Vieques.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group was scheduled to practice aerial
bombing and ship-to-shore shelling exercises. Only "dummy" bombs will be
used on the range, a condition imposed after a civilian security guard
died in April 1999 during a botched bombing run by a Marine Corps jet.

-- From News Services
For story go to :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A47844-2003Jan12?language=printer




© 2003 The Washington Post Company

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~