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American Morning

Protesters Hope to Prevent Bombing of Vieques Island

Aired April 27, 2001 - 10:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: In other news, a bombing range used by the United States Navy is coming under fire from an army of protesters. About 1,000 protesters began rallying yesterday in hopes of preventing the resumption of bombing and shelling exercises on the eastern end of the island of Vieques. The Puerto Rican island has been used as a bombing range for about 60 years. The bombing has been suspended for some time.

Now they're trying to start it up again and CNN's John Zarrella is there with this late breaking development -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stephen, well, they apparently have managed to at least stop some of the bombing for a time. There were some A-4 attack planes that have been flying out of Roosevelt Roads, we are now told, which is the naval base over on, near San Juan. And they had been doing bombing runs as part of these exercises.

But apparently about seven demonstrators managed to make it to a small island called Ayiqui (ph) just off the coast. Security forces are on their way out there now, naval security forces, to remove those protesters according to our producer, Alison Flechsner (ph), who's on that side of the island with the U.S. military. And once they get those protesters off, they say they will resume the bombing.

We've also been told that about 20 to 25 other protesters have managed to make their way into the hills and into some of the scrub brush that's back here that's part of this military installation and they, too, are planning acts of civil disobedience and to stay there.

A few minutes ago we had a human chain form here. The protesters, about 150 of them, are saying that they're waiting for more protesters to arrive within the next hour and then they say they plan to try and cut through that concertina wire and the fence and to try and force their way onto the Camp Garcia military base here.

So, we will continue to keep everyone posted as to developments as they change and they are certainly changing fairly rapidly here on Vieques Island.

This is John Zarrella reporting live from Vieques Island, Puerto Rico.

FRAZIER: One question, John, before you go. I know that there's some security there, but not a whole lot. Is the navy saying, or does the navy even know yet, and is it telling you how those seven protesters managed to elude all the security and get onto that small island?

ZARRELLA: That's a real interesting question. The navy, this is such a large area here and in the dead of night we imagine is when they managed to sneak over there on a small boat. Now, that's just speculation. It wouldn't be the first time that that's happened here in the past couple of years in particular and in the '80s and '90s when protests have taken place here over this bombing facility. And so there are all kinds of ways on this island to sneak into the base.

It would be almost virtually impossible for the military, even with the patrols that they have and with the U.S. Coast Guard also helping, to keep everyone out who might want to try and get on the base to make a statement -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: John, we're grateful for that update. Thanks very much. We'll look forward to more of them as the day wears on. John Zarrella on the island of Vieques.

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