[Peace] vieques

[Dlind49 at aol.com]

Navy Detains 2 Priests on Vieques
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Filed at 1:25 p.m. ET


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- U.S. Navy security officers detained two Roman 
Catholic priests on Vieques for trespassing on Navy lands Tuesday as fighters 
jets dropped dummy bombs on the island during military exercises.

The arrests brought to 11 the number detained for trespassing since the 
latest round of exercises began Sept. 3 on the Puerto Rican island, Navy 
spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Kim Dixon said.

Activist Ismael Guadalupe said five other men entered the Navy's bombing 
range on the island's eastern tip Monday in an effort to prevent the 
exercises. He said they remained there Tuesday morning and were in contact by 
cellular phone.

The Rev. Nelson Lopez of Vieques identified the two detained priests as the 
Rev. Mauro Simpson, 77, and the Rev. Felix Montalvo, 58. Both came from the 
Sweet Name of Jesus parish in the town of Humacao on the main island of 
Puerto Rico.

Lopez, a Catholic priest who has participated in past demonstrations against 
the military exercises, said the two priests entered Navy lands through a 
hole in a fence.

A squadron of F-14s and F-18s launched from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. 
Truman were dropping 25-pound inert bombs, Dixon said. The current round of 
training is to last about two more weeks.

The military has used the bombing range for more than six decades. Opposition 
grew when a civilian guard was killed by two bombs dropped off-target in 
1999. Since then, only inert bombs have been used.

Opponents say the exercises harm the environment and health of Vieques' 9,100 
residents. The Navy denies the claims.

Hundreds of people have tried to thwart the exercises by invading the range 
and have been arrested, jailed and fined.

President Bush has promised the Navy will withdraw its forces from Vieques by 
May 2003.