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Para ver esta página en español, oprima aquí. Governor Seeks Quicker PulloutCourt Upholds Sharpton's SentenceCalderon OK’s Vieques VoteExercises Begin AgainMotion To Halt Bombing DeniedNavy To Ignore Local ReferendumAmnesty Int’l Urges Restraint***** Puerto Rico Governor Seeks Quicker Vieques Pullout June 14, 2001 SAN JUAN - Puerto Rico 's governor guardedly welcomed on Thursday President George W. Bush's decision that the Navy must leave the small island of Vieques by 2003 but said she would seek a quicker halt to bombing exercises there. "The president is going in the right direction, and we have to give him credit for that, even though it's not where we want to be," Gov. Sila Calderon said after Bush announced that the Navy would withdraw and find another place for target practice. Calderon said she was glad that the exercises would end, "but we deplore that the intention to continue with the military exercises and bombings for two additional years." "This situation doesn't leave me with any alternative but to continue with my actions to get the Navy to leave before 2003," said Calderon, who has sided with protesters in seeking an immediate halt to bombing exercises that opponents say are harmful to the environment and residents' health. "I think there's space in the future to improve what Bush has offered," she said. ***** Court Upholds Sharpton's Sentence June 14, 2001 BOSTON (AP) -- A federal appeals court Thursday upheld the convictions and sentences of the Rev. Al Sharpton and three New York politicians who were arrested for trespassing on government property during a demonstration against Navy bombing exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. Sharpton was given a 90-day sentence because of a prior conviction for civil disobedience. The three others were each sentenced to 40 days. They claimed they were denied the right to choose their own attorney and were not given enough time to prepare for their trial. They were tried, convicted and sentenced in one day in a federal court in Puerto Rico. ***** Governor Approves Bill For Vieques Referendum June 13, 2001 Vieques, Puerto Rico, Jun 13 (EFE).- Puerto Rican Gov. Sila M. Calderon signed a bill Wednesday authorizing a referendum exclusively for Vieques residents to express their position on U.S. Navy training exercises on that tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico. The referendum will be held on July 29 and will allow residents to pick from three options regarding the future of the training exercises: the immediate and permanent suspension of the exercises, the cleanup and return of the Navy property to Puerto Rico or the continuation of the exercises using dummy munitions until May 1, 2003. The bill was approved Tuesday night by the Puerto Rican Congress, with votes in favor cast by the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), and votes against cast by the opposition New Progressive Party (PNP). The U.S. government has already scheduled a referendum for Nov. 6, although it only offers two options: the suspension of the exercises on May 1, 2003, and the indefinite continuation of live-fire exercises in exchange for a payment of $50 million. The Puerto Rican government, however, has said that the result of the July referendum , in which the first option will likely win, will serve to rally international support to pressure the United States to suspend the exercises. ***** Exercises Begin On Vieques Again June 13, 2001 VIEQUES, Puerto Rico (AP) -- A fresh round of U.S. Navy exercises began off the coast of Puerto Rico's Vieques Island on Wednesday with 11 ships and 10,000 sailors practicing battle formations. Despite pleas from residents and Gov. Sila Calderon, bombing of the range would begin Monday, Navy spokesman Lt. Corey Barker said. ``We have the strongest Navy in the world and we need to keep our sailors trained in these type of conditions to keep it that way,'' said Barker. ``The actual bombing on Vieques Island is only a small, but important, piece of the puzzle in combat training.'' Calderon arrived on the small island Wednesday afternoon to attend a prayer ceremony with residents who want the bombing to stop. It was her first time on Vieques for the maneuvers since she took office in January. ``I wanted to be here to express to the people of Vieques that the Puerto Rican people are with you and that you are not alone,'' she said. Wednesday's exercises were taking place more than 50 miles south of Vieques, Barker said. The maneuvers, which include the aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, involve ships practicing attack formations, evading submarines and tracking torpedoes and planes. To prepare for this round of maneuvers, about 200 officers are to stand guard around the fence dividing Navy from civilian lands and any protesters who try to enter the restricted area will be arrested, Puerto Rico's Superintendent of Police Pierre Vivoni said Wednesday. During exercises in April and May, the Navy criticized Vivoni for not helping Navy security control the protesters. ``We will be more proactive in preventing any violations of the law,'' he said. ***** Motion To Halt Bombing Denied June 13, 2001 SAN JUAN (AP) - U.S. District Court Chief Judge Hector M. Laffitte denied the preliminary interdiction filed by the environmentalist group lead by attorney Robert Kennedy Jr. to halt the U.S. Navy exercises in Vieques. Laffitte's determination states that "at this moment," it is not probable that the defendants will prevail on the argument that the naval forces violate the Endangered Species Protection Law. The decision was issued four days after the defendants filed a legal petition at the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to order the district court judge to resolve the petition filed eight months ago. ***** U.S. Navy To Ignore Local Referendum June 12, 2001 SAN JUAN (AP) - Rear Adm. Kevin Green said the U.S. Navy will ignore the Vieques referendum proposed by the Puerto Rico government for July and will concentrate their resources on the one approved by the federal government instead. Green described in published reports the referendum proposed by Gov. Sila Calderon as a "poll," and insisted that the effective consultation is the one sponsored by the Navy in November. "It is among the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's prerogatives to conduct any polls they need. The official referendum, to be celebrated by federal mandate, will be in November, and that's the one we are focusing on," Green sustained. On the other hand, Green said he was "very proud" of the way the military personnel treated the civil disobedience protesters detained for trespassing Navy land in Vieques during the last round of exercises and added that any future intervention would be conducted the same way. ***** Amnesty Int’l Urges Restraint By IAN JAMES June 12, 2001 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Amnesty International accused the U.S. Navy on Tuesday of using heavy-handed tactics against protesters on the island of Vieques and urged authorities to show restraint during upcoming demonstrations. Protests are likely to coincide with a new round of exercises scheduled to begin Wednesday in waters around the Puerto Rican island. During the last bombing exercises in late April and early May, about 180 people were arrested on charges of trespassing on government property. "Dozens of people reported being subjected to unnecessary force and ill-treatment by Navy personnel," the London-based human rights group said in a statement. The Navy has denied authorities acted improperly.
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