PROTEST U.S. NAVY OCCUPATION OF VIEQUES
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 1, 12 PM
NAVY RECRUITMENT CENTER
44 WINTER ST. BOSTON

"Saludos desde Puerto Rico,
Compa/neras in the Boston area are organizing this.

PROTEST U.S. NAVY OCCUPATION OF VIEQUES!
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 1, 12 PM
NAVY RECRUITMENT CENTER
44 WINTER ST. BOSTON

"The U.S. government, which is about to embark on another massacre of
hundreds of thousands of Iraqis under the pretext of "fighting terrorism"
and "eliminating weapons of mass destruction", is *yet again* subjecting the
people of Vieques Puerto Rico to its own brand of terrorism. Since January
13, it has been bombing the island and carrying out military maneuvers which
have had nothing but negative effects on the health, natural resources and
general well being of the Vieques residents.

Vieques is an island municipality of Puerto Rico, located off of that
country's eastern coast. It has a population of 9,400.
Due to the fact that Puerto Rico has been a colony of the united states
since July 25 of 1898, the united states congress has been able to impose
laws on the Puerto Rican people, granting the u.s. navy the "right" to
expropriate land in Vieques for the construction of a naval base. Since
then, the u.s. navy has been acquiring land in Vieques by *unilaterally*
determining how much they should give the residents to compensate them for
the loss of their land, depriving them of the choice not to sell said land,
and giving them 24 to 48 hours to vacate their homes. In this manner, they
managed to gain control of 26,000 of the 33,000 acres of land in that
island, at the expense of thousands of people who'd lived on that land for
generations.

The land under the u.s. navy's controll is not used for any purpose that
benefits the people of Vieques. It is instead used to rehearse the
bombings, invasions, and coups which the u.s. government visits on people
all over the globe, like the invasion of Panamá, the invasion of Granada,
the assaults against the people of Palestine and Lebanon, the attempted coup
against President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, and the attacks against the
people of Colombia. The latest in these murderous and intrusive rehearsals, is the U.S.
government's use of Vieques to prepare for its *criminal* assault on the people of Iraq.

The navy's operations in Vieques have left a legacy of forced migration,
destruction of the island's eco system, a stagnated economy, and illnesses among the
remaining inhabitants which include but are not limited to respiratory problems and cancer.

The major environmental and health problem affecting the Vieques residents
comes from the navy's use of depleted uranium in its bombing practices.
Depleted uranium is a biproduct of the process of making nuclear fuel. It
is radioactive and extremely toxic. In Iraq, where the u.s. government
first used depleted uranium on a wide scale, doctors have been reporting
dramatic increases in rates of cancer among children, and birth defects.

The people of Vieques suffer from high levels of cancer and other serious
health problems. Studies carried out by the Puerto Rico Department of Health
have shown that from 1985 to 1989 the rate of cancer in Vieques rose to 26%
above the rest of Puerto Rico.

From the main island to Vieques, the people of Puerto Rico repudiate the
navy's rampant disregard for the lives of the Viequences and that island's
natural resources, as well as the use of their land as a weapon against
others around the world. That is why the navy's presence in Vieques has
been protested from the moment they assumed control over the island. That
is why since 1999, over 800 persons have faced imprisonment in protests and
acts of interference with the navy's bombing practices. Since the
initiation of these latest maneuvers, people from all walks of life in

Vieques and the main island have been converging on the restricted zone of
Camp Garcia to disrupt the navy's misuse of their land.

We call on those who are concerned about human rights around the world and
the protection of the environment to condemn the u.s. government's
colonization of Puerto Rico, and its genocidal and toxic practices in
Vieques."

[Traprock Note: No contact information was provided.]

Page created January 28, 2003 by Charlie Jenks