Vieques, Puerto Rico: The site where the United States
tests its Depleted Uranium bullets

The Depleted Uranium bullets used by the United States in the wars that took place during the 1990s were tested and have been used since the 1980s in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The United States Navy set in 1939 a military base in this Puerto Rican Island to rehearse military maneuvers and to test new arms of destruction. This situation has lead to a rise in Vieques' cancer rate, which has been reported to be more than 26% higher than the cancer rate of the rest of Puerto Rico.

A road built by the Navy. If one looked closely it was evident that this landscape was not what originally there was in this area.

The Government of Puerto Rico and the people of Vieques have demanded the U.S. Navy to leave Vieques immediately. However, the United States choose to use might over right and in May 4, 2000 F.B.I. agents, with the support of military personnel, arrested around 200 peaceful demonstrators who set camps insidethe Navy zone. For a whole year they served as human shields to prevent the bombing of the Island.

In spite of the will of the people to oust the U.S. Navy, the United States resumed the bombings. Now that Europeans are engaged in the Depleted Uranium debate, we demand that the terrible effects that this substance had produced in Vieques' environment and population be also taken into account.

NATO member nations are not devoid of responsibility for this state of things as they have also sent their troops to practice there. We call upon the citizens and politicians of the European Union to refuse to send their fleets and troops to Vieques and to demand the President of the United States to immediately halt all military exercise in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

For more information please contact:

*Europe-
l'Association Boricua à Paris
phone: 01.56.58.02.59
e-mail: taina@rocketmail.com

*Vieques, Puerto Rico-
Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques
P.O. Box 1424
Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765
phone:. (787) 741-0716
fax: (787) 741-0358
e-mail: bieke@coqui.net

*Internet
website: http://www.viequeslibre.org
e-mail: viequeslibre@viequeslibre.org