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Declaration of ULTIMATUM
of the People of Vieques
to the Unites States Navy
Approved by the Assembly of the People of Vieques
celebrated the 31st day of July, 1999 in Vieques, Puerto
Rico.
The People of Vieques, with the unanimous support of all of Puerto Rico´s
community sectors and with the support of the Puerto Rican Government,
demands that the Unites States military forces in Vieques, Puerto Rico
cease permanently all war practices, exercises and other activities; the
immediate departure of all its personnel, equipment ad artifacts from
the island municipality; and the return of all presently occupied territories
by any branch or department of the U.S. armed forces to the Municipality
of Vieques.
We proclaim our inalienable right to build a future of peace and well-being
and continue the historic and heroic struggle that for more than six decades
has taken place without respite to end the abuse of the U.S. Navy in Vieques.
We reaffirm the commitment of the people of Vieques and of all Puerto
Ricans to support the right of our fishermen and fisherwomen to defend
our sea resources.
We accuse the U.S. Navy of polluting our air, water and land and contributing
significantly to the high level of cancer and other diseases related to
the degradation of the environment that affect our population. We make
them responsible for all the dead, wounded, ill and other victims of their
military activities during these six decades, and for the profound psychological
damage caused to our children.
We deplore the use of depleted uranium, napalm bombs and other chemical
and toxic weapons condemned by international public opinion because of
their adverse impact on health and the environment.
We demand that the United States government clean up all waste and toxic
materials from the island of Vieques, as well as the decontamination of
the areas used for military practice, including the removal and defusing
of the bombs and ammunition.
We accuse the US Navy of thwarting, for more that half a century, the
healthy development of our economy, forcing our people to emigrate in
search of work and well-being, wit the resulting family disintegration.
We demand from the US government a just indemnification for the use of
the land, the damage done to the population of Vieques and to the environment,
as well as for the cost of the decontamination of all of Vieques territory.
We declare that the Navy is an usurping entity of our territory, whose
presence and activities violate the natural right of the people of Vieques
to enjoy our natural resources and the right to peace.
If the Navy does not respond to the demands of our people, we declare
the intention of all the people of Vieques and of millions of Puerto Ricans
in solidarity throughout the Puerto Rican Archipelago and in the United
States, to participate in, and support, the acts we carry out inside the
territories restricted by the US military forces in Vieques.
We hold the US government responsible for any harm or injury against any
Puerto Rican who exercise his or her right to defend our land.
Furthermore, we declare that repression or arrests will not weaken the
determination of the Puerto Rican-Viequense people to rescue from the
United States Navy the territorial patrimony that belongs by historical
and natural right to the people of Vieques.
This Declaration of Ultimatum will be given to the military officers
in Vieques, the President of the United States, the United Nations and
the Governor of Puerto Rico.
Approved by the Assembly of the People of Vieques celebrated this 31st
day of July, 1999 in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
We, the undersigned, assembled in Vieques on July 31, 1999, in representation
of the Puerto Rican-Viequenses civil society, endorse the Declaration
of Ultimatum of the People of Vieques addressed to the United States Navy.
- Ismael Guadalupe Ortiz - Comité Pro Rescate
y Desarrollo de Vieques Rda.
- Lucy I. Rosario Medina - Iglesia Metodista
de Vieques
- Gladys Rivera Cintrón - Alianza de Mujeres
Viequenses Victor Emeric - Partido Popular Democrático, Vieques
- Javier Torres Ortiz - Juventud Viequense
Unida Luis Ramos Cepeda - Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño,Vieques
- Carlos Ventura - Asociación de Pescadores
del Sur de Vieques Ramón Figueroa - Coordinadora Todo Puerto Rico con
Vieques
- Rubén Reyes - Fideicomiso de Conservación
de Vieques Jesús Delgado Burgos - Concilio General de Trabajadores
- Rafael Rivera Castaño, MD - Centro Cultural
Yaureibo de Vieques Federico
- Torres Montalvo - Central Puertorriqueña
de Trabajadores
- Carlos Ruiz, FMPRJosé M. Rodríguez Báez - Zona
de Resistencia Playa Yayí - Federación de Trabajo de PR
- Ricardo Jordán - UTIER, Comité Sindical
ViequenseGermán García Torres - Liga de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico
- Adrienne Adams Colón - Asociación de Maestros
de Puerto Rico, Vieques
- Juan Camacho - Congreso Nacional Hostosiano
- Leonardo Velázquez - Guardián Mayor, Iglesia
Episcopal Todos los Santos, Vieques
- Doris Pizarro - Nuevo Movimiento Independista
- Lcdo. Eduardo Villanueva - Colegio de Abogados
de Puerto Rico
- Iglesia Episcopal de Puerto Rico
- Concilio Evangélico de Puerto Rico
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