Vieques Protesters Arrested 06:01EDT By CHRIS HAWLEY Associated Press Writer 05/04/00 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIEQUES, Puerto Rico (AP) U.S. marshals began arresting protesters at a disputed U.S. Navy bombing range today, including a U.S. congresswoman. In Washington, the Justice Department issued a statement saying, "this morning federal agents began removing a group of trespassers who have been unlawfully camped out on Vieques.''
In the dark before dawn, masked FBI agents in dark uniforms arrived at the gates of the bombing range on Vieques, and the Navy commander ordered them to move.
"You must leave the property immediately ... If you do not leave promptly, we will have to remove you,'' Adm. Kevin Green, the training ground commander, said over a megaphone at 5:15 a.m.
Within minutes, four helicopters, one with red lights blinking, swept over the range where dozens of protesters have been camped out for more than a year to block the Navy from bombing.
Demonstrators on the range include religious figures and two Congress members from the U.S. mainland as well as Puerto Rican nuns and independence and labor leaders who have camped on the bomb-littered range for 382 days.
The vast majority of protesters have said they would surrender peacefully. But some militants have threatened to scatter into the bush around unexploded ordnance they have marked out posing a threat to themselves and any pursuers.
Anti-riot police advance Earlier, outside the gates where dozens of other protesters have prevented military personnel from entering the camp, about 40 Puerto Rican anti-riot police in bulletproof vests advanced toward demonstrators and set up a line in front of them. The demonstrators sat in circles and sang.
The Navy says the Vieques range is vital to national security and is the only place its Atlantic fleet can conduct simultaneous air, sea and amphibious training using live munitions. It has been blocked since stray bombs killed a civilian security guard in April 1999, unleashing pent up frustrations throughout Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of 4 million Spanish speakers.
A raid to clear the base has been expected since Monday, when three U.S. warships, reportedly carrying 1,000 Marines, arrived in the Vieques area, looming ominously offshore before retreating a little farther to sea. The Marines reportedly would secure the range's perimeter once protesters are removed.