U.S. Navy plans June war games on Isla Nena

[Nacionalista]

Here is a new thread that deals with current Vieques issues. The newest development is that the Gobernor of Puerto Rico will perform a referendum in Vieques for them to decide the island future.

What do you think the outcome will be?

U.S. Navy plans June war games on Puerto Rico isle

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy plans to begin its latest round of war games on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques around June 13, the U.S. commonwealth's governor said on Wednesday.

In response, Gov. Sila Calderon will call for a vote by Vieques residents within 90 days to decide whether they want the island used by the U.S. military as a
bombing range, she said.

The Navy's use of the 33,000-acre (13,360-hectare) island off Puerto Rico's east coast for target practice has sparked widespread protests in the U.S. territory
since a civilian security guard was killed in a botched bombing run more than two years ago.

Vieques has served as a bombing range for 60 years. The Navy says it is critical to U.S. battle-readiness, but residents say the bombing has damaged their health
and the island's air and water quality.

Citing a letter from the Navy, Calderon said on Wednesday that up to 18 days of training on Vieques would begin on or shortly after June 13.

"The notice by the Navy wounds and offends the sensibility of our people," she said. "This struggle is testing our collective spirit of resistance, and now more than ever we have to remain firm in our position."

In a letter to the commonwealth State Department, the Navy said it would undertake aerial bombing practice and marine war games but not ship-to-shore shelling in this latest exercise.

A key element of its Vieques training, the ship-to-shore shelling is at the heart of a commonwealth lawsuit against the Navy because it allegedly violates a new law toughening restrictions on noise along Puerto Rico's coast.

Existing presidential directives and congressional legislation calls for a Nov. 6 referendum in which Vieques residents will decide whether they want the Navy to leave by May 1, 2003, or remain indefinitely in return for $50 million in economic aid.

Calderon said she would call a local referendum for Vieques' 9,600 people with those two options plus a third one, the immediate halt of war games.

While the result of the local referendum, which is expected to be held within 90 days, will not be binding on the federal government, Calderon said it was time for the world to hear the opinion of Vieques residents.

Hundreds of Puerto Ricans have been arrested for infiltrating the bombing range during increasingly angry protests against the bombing practice since the death
of security guard David Sanes Rodriguez in April 1999.