1. More from Puerto Rico(2001/09/22)
  2. Vieques Protests Lose Momentum(2001/09/30)
  3. Governor: Navy Should Leave Vieques(2001/10/02)
  4. Flares Fired at US Navy Helicopter(2001/10/04)
  5. Governor Gets Support on Vieques Stance(2001/10/11)
  6. Vieques Referendum Ruled Unconstitutional(2001/10/18)
  7. Total Support and Solidarity for the Zenon Family(2001/11/02)
  8. Report from the Vieques Peace and Justice Camp -- With or without a referendum, civil disobedience will continue(2001/11/01)
  9. Viequenses take to the streets to demand Executive Order from President Bush(2001/11/06)
  10. Report from the Vieques Peace and Justice Camp(2001/11/10)
  11. Vieques Activist, Son Plead Innocent(2001/11/02)
  12. U.S. Study: No Toxins in Vieques(2001/11/06)
  13. Declaration adopted at the Japan Peace Conference 2001/Nago,Okinawa(2001/12/02)

More from Puerto Rico

Dear friends,

Last night as I listened to President-select Bush I wondered if he, too, had read this e-mail (circulated to the EYCA group by Guillermo and Dale), since he mentioned the number of nationals of other countries. However, I noticed that neither the Prez nor author Wayne Madsen make mention of the fact that over 800 of the victims listed as US citizens were Puerto Rican, and who knows how many other Latin@ US citizens, albeit second-class ones.

In some sense, even bringing this to our collective attention seems rather petty in view of the tragic reality of the events. After all, does it really matter? But, thatfs precisely the question I am left with: does it really matter who the victims were, what national, cultural and racial groups they belonged to? I happen to think it does. But moreover, I really wonder: would the people across the US whom seem so ready to go to war still be willing to do so if they realized that most of those lost were not like most of them? I tend to believe they wouldnft.

Regardless of whether this fact matters to them or not, their outrage about the gAttack on Americah, as the news media labelled it, and their indignation is about the mindless loss of human life is very real. I also believe the public outrage and the impulse to strike back has more to do with peoplefs fear and sense of vulnerability as their collective illusion of invincibility came crumbling down along with the twin towers.

These feelings and impulses I can understand and relate to all too well. After all, I, too, feel outrage and the impulse to strike back, except these feelings are directed at the US Armed Forces and it subordinates in Washington for its bombing of Vieques, or its own state-sponsored terrorism against the people of Panam¨¢, Dominican Republic, el Salvador, Nicaragua, Hait¨ª, Grenada, Chile, Colombia, Iran, Irak, the Balkans, Vietnam, Korea, Japan... According to Larry Mosqueda, Ph.D., in the following article, the number of victims caused by US military actions may well exceed 8,000,000 people since World War II.

Now, we all know that fear, anger, and the impulse to fight is a natural human reaction to danger; itfs hardwired into our reptilian brains. But the values, beliefs, insights-that same thing called gcivilizationh that Bush referred to last night-that have been programmed into my frontal lobes give me options, choices that enable me to respond over and above my reptilian-brain reactions. And I, like thousands of others here in Puerto Rico and millions worldwide, choose PEACE!

While Puerto Ricans are inextrincably linked to the US and its people, politically, economically and emotionally, those of us seeking peace and the end of US militarism are extremely concerned about the negative impact the US reaction to last weekfs horror will have on our struggle in Vieques. You should know that the US Navy war preparations will resume on Monday, Sept 24th, less than two months after 70% of the people of Vieques voted for their immediate and permanent cessation. On Monday in Vieques, once again the US Navy will shoot their big guns, deploy their fighter planes, launch their cruise missiles, and spray their uranium depleted ammunition upon us as they have done in preparation for every major military goperationh in the past 60 years, assaults cleverly mass-marketed with brand-names such as gOperation Just Causeh, gDessert Stormh, or now gInfinite Justiceh.

So, as we join the people of the US in our shared mourning by observing a moratorium on civil disobedience actions, we shall explore other ways of continuing our struggle for peace, even while the destructive powers of the USS John F. Kennedy are unleashed upon our land and waters in preparation for what they intend to do on a much greater scale to our Islamic brothers and sisters in Afghanistan or wherever they finally chose as an acceptable target. We, like so many millions of people around the world will continue to resist the assault, the cancer, the destruction. We will continue to fight the fear, the rage, the helplessness, the hopelessness, and even the impulse to retaliate in self-defense, as these always and only threatens to undermine our principled actions, our vision of peace, and our process of self-determination.

And we will continue to call upon our friends in the US, people like you, to demand that your government put an end to this insane cycle of terrorism, whether gretail h or gwholesaleh, whether here in Vieques, over there in NYC and Washington DC, or somewhere in Afghanistan, or anywhere else around the world.



Peace to you,

attachment

Governor: Navy Should Leave Vieques

The Associated Press
Tuesday, October 2, 2001

WASHINGTON ?? Puerto Rico's governor insisted Tuesday that the Navy must stop training on its Puerto Rican bombing range no later than 2003, despite a pending House bill that would allow the Navy to stay longer.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Washington, Gov. Sila Calderon said she supports President Bush's decision to quash a November referendum that would ask residents of Vieques island whether the Navy should stay or go.
She also urged that a firm date be set for the Navy's withdrawal. Bush said before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that the training would stop by May 2003.
A House defense bill approved last week, however, would let the Navy stay until a comparable site is found. The House and Senate are to work out a compromise law soon.
Calderon said she sees "a real threat" by some in Congress to let the Navy and Marines use Vieques indefinitely. "This is the real danger that is hanging over Vieques, and for us it's unacceptable," she said.
The Navy has bombed the eastern tip of Vieques for six decades, training sailors for conflicts from World War II to the Persian Gulf War. Opponents say the bombardment harms the environment and health of Vieques' 9,100 residents, which the Navy denies.
Calderon said all parties recognize the situation has changed for Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, after last month's terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
"Our position has to be based on a dramatically different reality, which is the national unity against terrorism," she said.
In a nonbinding referendum in July, 68 percent of Vieques voters said the Navy should leave immediately.

Vieques Protests Lose Momentum

By Lilliam Irizarry
Associated Press Writer
Sunday, September 30, 2001

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico ?? The hundreds of protesters are down to 20, and noisy demonstrations that captured the world's attention have given way to quiet prayer sessions.
The terrorist attacks against the United States have blunted the movement to halt U.S. Navy bombing exercises on Vieques, slowing its momentum and creating disunity.
"The terrorist acts are the best excuse that those who aren't very committed to this fight have found to paralyze it," said Sixto Perez, the leader of one anti-Navy group on the Puerto Rican island.
The camp protesters have put up outside the gates of the Navy's Camp Garcia was unusually quiet Sunday after the first week of bombing exercises since the Sept. 11 attacks. About 10 people were there.
At the protest camp's busiest moment on Saturday, about 20 people bowed their heads in prayer. One woman shouted "Navy Get Out!" across the chain-link fence, but no one echoed her.
During previous training exercises, hundreds turned out to shout anti-Navy slogans and break through Navy fences. Hundreds have been arrested and jailed for trespassing since 1999, when a Puerto Rican guard was killed by errant bombs on the range the Navy uses for target practice.
Most protest groups agreed not to break into Navy land after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, partly for security and partly in solidarity with victims of the attacks, which killed dozens of Puerto Ricans.
Some protesters, including Perez, disagree with that decision.
But Puerto Rico's newspapers, usually filled with Vieques coverage, have been paying scant attention. And the U.S. territory's Gov. Sila Calderon, who opposes the Navy bombing, has said little.
About 12,000 sailors are participating in the exercises, which include jets dropping non-explosive bombs and ships firing inert shells at the Caribbean island's range. The Navy switched to inert ammunition after the guard's death.
No protesters have been arrested since the attacks, although some cut a section of fence Friday, Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Goode said. Increasing security, the Navy posted sailors with a machine gun across the fence from the protest camp.
"People are afraid because after the attacks there are armed people at the entrance, and since there's an agreement that no one should enter, why go?" said 38-year-old schoolteacher Ana Lopez.
The Navy has bombed the eastern tip of Vieques for six decades, training sailors for conflicts from World War II to the Persian Gulf War. Opponents say the bombardment harms the environment and health of Vieques' 9,100 residents ? accusations the Navy denies.
In a nonbinding referendum in July, 68 percent of Vieques voters said the Navy should leave immediately.
A binding federal referendum scheduled for November would ask islanders whether the Navy should leave in 2003 or stay and pay $50 million for public works projects.
President Bush said before the attacks that the Navy should leave by May 2003. But last week, the House of Representatives approved a defense bill to cancel the referendum and let the Navy stay until a comparable site is found. The House and Senate are to finalize the wording in coming weeks.

Flares Fired at US Navy Helicopter

By Manuel Ernesto Rivera
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, October 4, 2001

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico ?? Protesters on two small boats fired flares at a Navy helicopter during training exercises off the Puerto Rican island of Vieques Thursday, the Navy said.
Two flares were fired at the SH-3 Sea King helicopter as it chased the boats in a restricted area off the island, said Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Goode, a Navy spokeswoman.
She said the flares did not hit the helicopter and there were no arrests.
The Navy has used the bombing range on the eastern tip of Vieques for six decades. Opponents say the bombardment endangers the environment and health of the island's 9,100 residents. The Navy denies the charges.
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested for trespassing on the firing range since 1999, when errant bombs killed a Puerto Rican security guard on the range.
President George W. Bush said earlier this year that the Navy should end its training on Vieques by May 2003, but a bill recently approved by the House would require the Navy to stay until a suitable replacement range is found.
Current exercises began Sept. 24 and some protest groups have stayed away since the Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York and the Pentagon.
Activist Aleida Encarnacion said, however, the two boats involved in Thursday's activities carried at least six protesters. She said her husband, anti-Navy activist Carlos Zenon, directed the protest action.
Meanwhile, about 200 Vieques residents marched to demand the Navy's withdrawal from Vieques as part of a one-day strike, disrupting some businesses, government officies and schools.

Governor Gets Support on Vieques Stance

By Judy Sarasohn
Thursday, October 11, 2001

Puerto Rico Gov. Sila Calderon met with Vieques protest leaders earlier this week and won at least grudging support of her efforts to end the Navy's use of the island of Vieques for bombing exercises. She's in a particularly difficult situation now with lawmakers and defense officials arguing that Vieques is needed more than ever for training as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Calderon supports the Bush administration's proposal to scrap the November referendum on stopping the exercises and to impose a May 3, 2001, exit date for the Navy. But if Congress doesn't include a firm date in the defense authorization legislation, she would oppose killing the referendum.
According to the San Juan Star, Robert Rabin, one of the protest leaders, said they were now satisfied with Calderon's explanation of her efforts to press the Bush administration. "Without being more specific," the newspaper reported, "the governor explained that Republican lobbyists working for the Puerto Rican government had [been] actively advancing the government's position in the White House, said Rabin."
But some of the protesters have been critical of Calderon's lobbyists. One of those protesters is Jose Paralitici, head of All Puerto Rico With Vieques Committee, who was a key supporter of Calderon during her campaign. He wrote her Aug. 26 about an earlier meeting he had with her when he "emphasized the necessity to increase and to make more efficient the lobbying efforts of the government with the White House of President Bush."
Paralitici wrote that he did not want "to take away their merits," but he was critical of your "lobbyists Charlie Black and others." He proposed the hiring of Republicans Carlos Rodriguez, a California Republican, who Paralitici said is a close friend of Bush adviser Karl Rove and lobbyist Gerald Solomon, a former Republican House member from New York.
"There is 'access' and then there is access," Paralitici wrote.
He may be unhappy with Charles Black Jr., a Republican strategist and chairman of BKSH & Associates, but Black does have access with Rove and others in the Bush administration. His lobby shop helped organize Calderon's meetings in Washington earlier this year, including one with Josh Bolton, Bush's deputy chief of staff.
The governor's office wasn't able to comment in time for this column. But Black hasn't lost his client.
Vieques "hasn't been a major lobbying assignment of mine," said Black, who previously defined lobbying as working Congress.
He said the Vieques protesters haven't been fair to Calderon, who "has stood fast under a lot of pressure."
And Black noted about Paralitici, "He's not my client."

Vieques Referendum Ruled Unconstitutional

By Ivan Roman
The Orlando Sentinel
Thursday, October 18, 2001; Page A32

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A Puerto Rico judge has ruled that an unprecedented referendum on the Navy's future in Vieques is unconstitutional, complicating what seems to be an uphill battle to carry out the vote.
With the Nov. 6 referendum three weeks away, it looks unlikely that it will happen. Besides the judge's ruling, there is a congressional push to cancel the vote. The local head of elections, citing the legal wrangling, said it could be too late to hold the balloting.
In a seemingly contradictory stance, Gov. Sila Calderon (D) said she will appeal the judge's ruling immediately, but she will continue pushing for Congress to scrap the vote and write into law a May 2003 deadline for the Navy to leave Vieques and its controversial target range.
Calderon said she is supporting President Bush's position to lawmakers, who are trying to smooth out conflicting provisions on Vieques as they hammer out a compromise on defense spending this week.
"I don't want the referendum to go forward, but I'm defending it until it's replaced with a federal law protecting the 2003 date," she said.
In the federally mandated referendum, Vieques's 5,000 voters would decide whether the Navy should leave by May 1, 2003, or stay and conduct bombing exercises indefinitely using live fire in exchange for $50 million in economic aid.
Navy officials have long objected to the referendum, fearing it would set a precedent for military installations worldwide.
Puerto Rico Superior Court Judge Sonia Velez Colon ruled that federal law simply called for voters to say whether they would allow bombing to continue with live fire with no date attached, and that the local law setting up the referendum went much further.
Those inconsistencies render it invalid and nonbinding to Congress, she wrote, and the use of local public money for that nonbinding vote would be unconstitutional.
Stating that the judge is interpreting the federal law too literally, Puerto Rico Justice Secretary Annabelle Rodriguez said the government would ask the Puerto Rico Supreme Court to settle the issue quickly.
"We obviously disagree with her position," Rodriguez said. "That's precisely the importance of this referendum, that it provides for an exit date. It's the only thing we have with a set date."

Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 17:22:05 -1000
Subject: News from Vieques, Puerto Rico

Comite Pro Rescate y Desarrollo de Vieques

Total Support and Solidarity for the Zenon Family

Members of the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CRDV) denounced the arrest by federal agents today of Carlos Zenon and his son, Yabureibo. According to spokespersons for the Vieques group that struggles to end the US Navy presence on this island municipality, these arrests are part of a campaign of repression by the US government against those who work for human rights and aginst militarism.
CRDV spokespersons expressed their total support and solidarity with the Zenon family as with all those arrested for participating in this struggle for peace and demilitarization on Vieques. They warned the community to be attentive to the situation of Taso (Carlos) and Yabu, since the federal agents are capable of barbaric behavior, especially now that they are armed with the new anti terrorist laws.
The Vieques community organizations are currently preparing to confront with civil disobedience the Navy's plans to bomb here again as soon as the end of this month. The Vieques groups suggested that the arrest of the Zenons at this precise moment, when the US military has created a state of histeria with its "war against terrorism", is part of a plan to threaten and frighten the Viequenses. What the Navy has not yet learned, the Viequenses say, is that this community cannot be bought and will not be scared into giving up. The group denounced as a violation of the right to free movement, the conditions of house arrest imposed on the two.
These arrests are part of a process of civil disobedience in which close to 1500 people have been arrested for participating in this campaign designed to block Navy bombing exercises in Vieques. More than one hundred Viequenses fishermen, university students, religious and political leaders, merchants, veterans, women, old folk are among those arrested.

Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 12:17:19 -1000
Subject: Vieques, Puerto Rico
Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques
P.O. Box 1424 Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765
31 de octubre de 2001

Report from the Vieques Peace and Justice Camp
With or without a referendum, civil disobedience will continue

The principal community organizations of the Vieques struggle the Vieques Women's Alliance, Vieques Youth United, Catholic and Methodist Churches, Popular Democratic Party, Monte Carmelo, los Jinetes por la Paz (Horsemen for Peace), Luisa Guadalupe Camp, Camp Milivy and the Committee for the Rescue and Devlopment of Vieques (CRDV), among others work hard to improve the tools of the struggle before the threat of new maneuvers in November. The Vieques groups also confront the federal referendum, created by the Navy to confuse and divide. Our people have begun a campaign to promote a critical participation in the referendum, to convert this event in another claim for peace on Vieques. The Navy's decision to postpone the referendum until January, was announced the day after our organizations held a press conference about the start of our campaign to defeat the Navy at their own game. According to Vieques leaders, the people here are prepared and willing to beat the Navy in the bombing zone, in the ocean, in the jails, the courts and in any referendum on the issue.
Last month, the diverse organizations in the struggle began a process of meetings to improve the coordination of protest actions and civil disobedience. In the coming weeks a meeting will be held between the groups here and the support groups from the main island of Puerto Rico to continue strengthening our efforts toward demilitarization and peace.

THE MORATORIUM ON CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IS OVER.

The Vieques organizations declared a moratorium during the past maneuvers in solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York and as a security measure for our people in light of the wave of repression and increased tension. The moratorium received the support of the immense majority of the groups in Vieques, in Puerto Rico and in the US. Vieques Mayor, Damaso Serrano, in messages sent from federal prison, where he serves a four month sentence for his participation in civil disobedience, congratulated our organizations for declaring the moratorium that demonstrated to the world the humanitarian nature and the solidarity that characterizes the people of Vieques.
On Saturday, 27 October, a group of champion athletes from Puerto Rico, in coordination with the CRDV, held a Gathering of Runners, Walkers for Peace on Vieques from the Aire, Water and Sky. Zoraid Diaz, principal coordinator of the activity, described it as an oasis of peace for the people. The activities began at Sun Bay beach flying kites under the direction of the Vega Alta kite team who brought not only small kites for children but three impressive kites of 20, 30 and 40 feet length. Suddenly, a small plane flew over the area and dropped a chain of margaritas(flowers) as a symbol of peace and love. The chain was received with cheers and applause from the participants.
Around 1PM, the children, adults, champion class horses, bicycles and other vehicles, paraded from the Public Beach to the Peace and Justice Camp. Once at the camp, the Metropolitan Choral Group 35 beautifull voices offered a concert for peace. Our disobedient parish priest, Father Nelson Lopez, offered a message to the approximately two hundred people participating. Judith Conde, leader of the Vieques Women's Alliance; Ismael Guadalupe, CRDV; Emilio Garcia of the Vieques Veterans for Peace and the Millivy Resistance Camp, among other leaders of the struggle, gave messages about the importance of unity and militancy in the face of new threats of renewed bombing.
During the Choral concert, we received a phone call indicating that several vehicles carrying military personal were approaching the camp area to enter the Navy base of Camp Garcia. We immediately called our people to the street for a massive picket that impeded the military vehicles from arriving at the gate. The vehicles, together with their PR police escorts, were forced to turn around and return to where they had come from. In this small, but important victory we reminded all of the necessity to continue the struggle in the bombing zone, at the fence, in jail, in the courts, in any referendum on the issue and in the streets of Vieques. On Saturday evening, the Metropolotican Choral Group participated in the vigil at the PJC, sharing the stage with actress and lawyer for the Vieques cause, Roxana Badillo, who read several poems dedicated to the struggle for peace and freedom in Vieques and Puerto Rico.
Last week we began a new project of dissemintation through Channel 28, television Viequense. The channel can be seen in all of Vieques and in several towns in the Eastern part of Puerto Rico. With the support of the channel's owners and donations from solidarity groups, we began transmitting two hours Monday through Friday from 8 to 10 PM. Memebers of the Vieques Women's Alliance and community leaders who played important roles in the 29 July referendum Jose M. Emeric, Eva Torres, Te*filo Berm*dez, entre otros Viequense artists, merchantes and other representatives of our community participate in this project that allows us to announce the actvities of the struggle and provides and important space for community participation in the public discussion on the problem of militarism in Vieques. Our technician and PJC filmaker, Andres Nieves, together with Nilda Medina (CRDV) have taken on the great responsibility to produce this important program for peace on Vieques.
Some of the upcoming activities related to the struggle for peace on Vieques are: The preparations for civil disobedience as well as the continuous program of activity organized by the CRDV and the Peace and Justice Camp, demand an enormous sacrifice by committee members and the great number of people from the community who support this work. We also need funding to continue this long struggle in defense of dignity and for peace. All donations are greatly appreciated and should be sent to the Committee's address listed above.

In struggle, in solidarity,
CRDV

Viequenses take to the streets to demand Executive Order from President Bush

Tue, 6 Nov 2001
ViequesLibre

English Summary:
In the press release below, the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques and other Vieques organizations inform that they have taken to the streets of Vieques today to gather signatures from Vieques residents demanding that President Bush issue an Executive Order for the cease and desist of all military activities in Vieques and the Navy's exit from Vieques.
Today was supposed to be the date of the "federal" referendum in Vieques, but the Secretary of the Navy recently postponed it until January 2002. The celebration of the referendum is up in the air, as Congress is currently considering its elimination.
However, the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques -through events like the ones held today in Vieques- wants to emphasize that President Bush can -and must- order the Navy to leave Vieques without firing one more bullet or dropping one more bomb. That demand -along with demands for the decontamination of the lands and their return to the people of Vieques- won the referendum held last July 29 in Vieques with 70% of the vote. That option would not be included in the "federal" referendum, if it were to be held. Yet President Bush can implement the Viequenses' demand without a referendum.

Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques
PO Box 1424 Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765
Telefax (787) 741-1717 E mail: bieke@prdigital.com
10 November, 2001

Report from the Vieques Peace and Justice Camp

In these times of war, it is our responsibility to struggle harder for peace ? peace in Vieques, peace in the US, peace in Afghanistan, peace for the world. In Vieques we have lived war during six decades. We now the horrible sounds of military aircraft, bombs exploding, war ships cannon fire. Our family members die from the toxic components of the projectiles and other tools of war, more frequently that in the rest of the Puerto Rico archipelago. We donft want any more war in Vieques ? we donft want any more war, period!
The terrorist attacks of September are among the most barbarous acts of our times. We denounce those acts with all the energy of our hearts. But we cannot, even for an instant, succumb to the hawkish rhetoric of the militarists of the US or the Taliban, who embrace violence ? from their different perspectives ? as a method to resolve conflict. We scream out for peace, peace and more peace.
Peace for Vieques is synonymous with the cessation of all military activity, the decontamination of our lands, water and air, the return of our territory and sustainable, healthy development in a Free Vieques. In this direction we march.
In September, the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CRDV), called for all community organizations of the struggle to begin a process of dialogues to unite efforts to become more effective in this battle for justice and peace. Saturday, 3 November, we held the third meeting of this series, with the participation of the Vieques Womenfs Alliance, the Vieques Youth United, the Catholic and Methodist Churches, the Horsemen for Peace, Mount Carmelo, Luisa Guadalupe Camp, Millivy Camp, Peace and Justice Camp, the Municipal Government, among others.
Seeking to improve the coordination of our work and share human and material resources, the meetings have offered the leadership of our struggle an important opportunity to converse face to face and to share our hopes, concerns, ideas and constructive critiques, thereby strengthening the base of this heroic battle for Vieques. We now prepare for a meeting with the solidarity organizations from the main island of Puerto Rico, to extend this process of dialogue about the struggle.
The evening of 3 November, we celebrated a special vigil at the Peace and Justice Camp, with the presence of a Delegation from the Okinawa Peace Network. Yoshikazu Makish, (architect), Shinya Oshiro (singer) y Higashioma Takuma (fisherman), through translation from Japanes to English to Spanish, spoke and sang about the struggle of their people and the solidarity between Vieques and Okinawa as a source of spiritual and material strength in our work for peace. They presented visuals of the US military presence in Okinawa and the struggle for demilitarization - many similarities to our situation. Sheila Velez, from the Puerto Rican Bar Association, coordinated the groupfs visit to Puerto Rico and the two days with us on Vieques.
As part of the efforts to internationalize the struggle, six Viequenses traveled to Okinawa and other parts of Japan in the past year and a half, and our Myrna Pagan (CRDV), leaves son for that country to participate in the Japan Peace Conference. Ismael Guadalupe (CRDV) leaves this week for California and later travels to Cuba to bring the issue of Vieques to a series of international forum. At the end of November, Nilda Medina, also of the CRDV, will travel to the Pacific island of Guam, together with Wanda Colon, of the Caribbean Project for Peace and Justice, where they will represent the Vieques struggle at an international meeting of indigenous women.
And we are preparing for the next civil disobedience actions and to continue the wide range of strategies we have used over the years ? educational work in Vieques, dissemination of the Vieques case in the rest of Puerto Rico, in the US and in other countries; lobbying in Washington, the United Nations and in other international settings. On Thursday, 8 November, Jorge Colon and Josie Pantojas, of the Coordinating Group All Puerto Rico with Vieques, offered a workshop on civil disobedience via the Program for Peace on Vieques that the CRDV transmits on Channel 28, Vieques television. People interested in participating in the civil disobedience workshops can call the Committee to check the calendar of activities. Next week we hope to have on the program the ex president of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, Eduardo Villanueva and lawyer Sheila Velez, to speak on possible implications for our struggle of recently approved anti terrorist laws.
On Saturday, 10 November, a delegation from the Technical and Professional Group in Support of Sustainable Development on Vieques (TPGV) will be in Vieques to meet with the Vice Mayor and other members of the Mayorfs working group. The TPGV is made up of environmental scientists, lawyers, economists, planners, architects, sociologists, health experts, engineers, geographers, among others, that have produced two volumes of guidelines about the development of a Free Vieques. The TPGV grew out of an initiative of the CRDV in July, 1999, and in these two years has attracted the active participation of the Vieques Womenfs Alliance and the Vieques Youth United. The principal goal of this process is to help guarantee that a Vieques freed from the Navy is a Vieques for the Viequenses and other Puerto Ricans ? and not for speculators and developers. A very important aspect of the work of this Support Group is the discussion and creation of mechanisms to promote genuine community participation in land use planning for the lands already rescued from the Navy and lands that will be rescued.
We work hard on the protest ? but we also concentrate efforts on the proposal of a future Vieques that will offer a dignified, just and peaceful existence for our people. We are enormously thankful for these great efforts by all the members of this marvelous team that includes many of Puerto RicoLs most highly respected experts in the area of social and economic development. Our struggle has been ? and continues to be ? a model of peaceful struggle against militarism. We also hope to be a model of sustainable development in the context of community self-determination.

Vieques Activist, Son Plead Innocent

The Associated Press
Friday, November 2, 2001; 6:36 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ?? An anti-Navy activist and his son pleaded innocent Friday to trespassing in restricted U.S. Navy waters off the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.
Carlos Zenon, 65, and his son, Yabureibo Zenon Encarnacion, 21, are opposed to the Navy's use of the island as a bombing range.
The son was arrested at home by FBI and Puerto Rican agents, police said. He appeared later Friday before a federal judge in San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital.
His father, a fisherman, was not arrested but walked into court during his son's hearing and his case also was heard with both pleading innocent.
The two were released after posting bail of $5,000 each. Federal Magistrate Gustavo Gelpi ordered them to stay home between 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. unless the Navy is conducting bombing exercises, in which case they have to remain inside during the day as well.
The magistrate also forbade the elder Zenon from going fishing in his boat, at which point the activist said: "I won't accept that." He did not say whether he would appeal.
The two were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury, the FBI and the U.S. territory's federal prosecutor said. If convicted, they could face a maximum penalty of six months in prison and fines.
The Navy has used a bombing range on the eastern tip of Vieques for six decades, training sailors for conflicts from World War II to the Persian Gulf War. Opponents say the bombardment harms the environment and health of Vieques' 9,100 residents. The Navy denies the accusations.
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested for trespassing on the firing range since 1999, when errant bombs killed a Puerto Rican security guard on the range.
FBI spokesman Eric Rivera said the charges against Zenon and his son date to Oct. 4. Videos submitted before the court show Zenon in one boat and his son in another, both being pursued by Navy vessels and a helicopter.

U.S. Study: No Toxins in Vieques

The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 6, 2001; 9:43 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ?? A U.S. agency evaluating health effects of Navy bombing exercises on Vieques island announced Tuesday that it hasn't found any evidence that the training introduced toxic substances into the soil or water.
"The work we do is to try to find evidence that ... a toxic substance has reached the population and we have not found evidence of that in soil and water studies," said environmental scientist Gary Campbell of the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Campbell, speaking at a Rotary Club luncheon in San Juan, defended the independence of the research, saying it was in no way influenced by the U.S. Navy.
The Navy has used a bombing range on the eastern tip of Vieques for six decades. Opponents say the bombardment harms the environment and health of Vieques' 9,100 residents, allegations the Navy denies.
Another study by his agency looking at the possibility of any negative health impact from airborne particles in Vieques will be finished in December, said Campbell.
A third study looking at the possibility of contamination through the food chain will be done in January, he said.
The Navy began using dummy bombs on the Vieques range after 1999, when off-target bombs killed a local civilian guard on the range, igniting mass protests. The range is some 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the nearest populated areas of Vieques.
Panelists of the International Symposium / the Japan Peace Conference 2001 (Nago City, Okinawa, November 29 - December 2, 2001) coming from 7 countries made the following appeal to the international community.

Appeal to the International Community for the Elimination of Terrorism, Stopping Military Attacks and for the Support to the People of Afghanistan
-- Towards a 21st Century of Peace and Jusstice --

Terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001 showed that the elimination of international terrorism had become an important and indispensable task for peace and security of the world of the 21st century.
From the stand point of the movement for peace, disarmament, justice, development, democracy, and human rights, we reaffirm that the terrorist attacks were a heinous crime against international community and humanity, which could never be justified for any reason. We call upon all nations and governments, various civil movements, in unity, to make every effort to eliminate terrorism by bringing perpetrators to justice based on interenational law and the UN Charter.
A war of retaliation led by the U.S. and the U.K. has destroyed people's lives and social infrastructure in Afghanistan and caused a serious crisis with a growing number of refugees in the region and their massive death from hunger and poor health. Simultaneously, the war has brought divisions in the international public opinion for the elimination of terrorism, making it more difficult to achieve it. This war was not in accordance with international law and the UN charter. It is also dangerous that the Bush Administration suggested possible military attacks against other countries under the pretext of "fighting terrorism".
Whatever the immediate consequences of this war may be, it is clear that it has brought serious conflicts and adverse currents for world peace. We demand that military attacks against Afghanistan be stopped immediately, and they must not be expanded to other countries. Other US allies should reconsider and stop their cooperation in US led military operation.
The possible use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear arms, as well as the retaliation against the use of such weapons has posed a grave threat to peace and human survival. Hiroshima and Nagasaki should never be repeated anywhere for any reason. We demand the urgent elimination of nuclear weapons as well as the observance and implementation of the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions.
We cannot stay indifferent to the problems behind international terrorism.
We're required to solve the problems of poverty, hunger, excessive foreign debt, and widening gap between the rich and the poor. An even handed approach must be taken to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestine problem, based on the relevant UN resolutions and the right to national self-determination. As long as these problems are not adressed seriously, international unity against terrorism would be weakened, thus terrorist could find space to thrive. Eliminating international terrorism cannot, however, await a solution to these problems.
Having experienced two world wars, today's world is not a place which easily condones both indiscriminate massacre and an unilateral domination by force.
The 20th century has established such norms of international community as peace, independence, equality, justice, and human rights. Standing on these achievements, we will surely be able to eliminate international terrorism.
We firmly believe that the efforts to this end will contribute to the establishment of a world order of 21st century of peace and justice, based on the UN Charter.
We appeal to the international community to take the following urgent actions in unity: We call upon the peace movements, citizens' movements and NGOs of the world to press the UN Security Council members as well as all the UN member states to take the above-mentioned actions, and to solicit international support to this appeal.
This appeal will be sent to the General Secretary of the United Nations and to all UN member states with the signatures of representatives of peace and other civil movements as well as of NGOs.

Signed by: *Names of organizations are indication purpose.

Island Cousins Network