U.S. Navy Leaves Vieques Bombing Range; Activists Now Focus on Cleanup of Navy's Toxic Legacy

Robert Rabin, of Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, interview conducted by Between the Lines' Denise Manzari

On May 1, the U.S. Navy ended its 60 years of bombing exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. Hundreds of protesters broke through a fence at the bombing range of Camp Garcia after the midnight deadline, waving the island's flag and shouting "Vieques si; Navy, no."

Some witnesses charge hooded protesters burned Navy vehicles and destroyed government property there. Almost 25,000 acres on the east side of Vieques, roughly two-thirds of the island, were expropriated through a series of U.S. laws at the beginning of the second World War. The Navy took immediate possession of all lands needed for military purposes and used the island of Vieques, described by the Navy as "the crown jewel in the Caribbean" for bombing, artillery and for amphibious landing exercises. Families and farmers had to leave the area with little or no compensation.

Organizers have long claimed the military exercises on Vieques caused the population of 9,000 there to suffer one of the highest cancer rates in Puerto Rico, in addition to other chronic illnesses. The last three years brought intensive campaigning, demanding the Navy leave Vieques, triggered by the accidental death of 24-year-old David Sanes-Rodriguez on April 19, 1999. More than a thousand demonstrators have been arrested for engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience and other forms of protest. Israel Medina and Ismael Guadelupe remain incarcerated, though both will be released on May 13 and on June 10 of this year. Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderon announced she will ask Congress to put Vieques on the National Priority List for an environmental cleanup of the bombing range.

Robert Rabin is with the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques. He spoke with Between The Lines' Denise Manzari about the vigilance necessary to ensure a thorough cleanup of the explosives and toxic waste left behind by the Navy.

For more information, call (787) 741-0716 or visit the committee's Web site at www.viequeslibre.org

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

http://66.175.55.251/btl051603.html

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).

*

betweenthelines@snet.net

*

©2003 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.

**