Navy suspends bombing in Vieques

In March the Navy suspended its plans to use the training 
range on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. The Navy 
continued to use the waters off Puerto Rico for other 
training but will not use Vieques for practice bombing and 
gunfire training. This decision follows almost two years of 
intense protesting by the people of Puerto Rico after a 
civilian guard was killed in a bombing exercise in April 
1999. The new governor of Puerto Rico, Sila Calderon, joined 
the effort of the protestors, lobbying the u.s. government 
and military to stop the bombing after she won the election 
with her opposition to the u.s. navy's occupation of 
Vieques. MIM is under no illusions that the governor of 
Puerto Rico supports an end to u.s. occupation of Puerto 
Rico. But her opposition to the navy bombing Vieques 
reflects the strong popular pressure to get the u.s. navy 
out of Vieques. And because of this Calderon makes a good 
temporary ally. At the same time, anti-imperialists must 
continue to demand that the u.s. not only stop bombing 
Vieques but cease all operations in Puerto Rico and return 
Vieques to the Puerto Rican people. And we must go further 
and demand the u.s. end it's new-colonial domination of the 
entire country of Puerto Rico.

Notes: Weekly News Update on the Americas, Issue #579, March 
4, 2001, wnu@igc.org.