Protests Already Underway in Vieques Island
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a developing situation in Puerto Rico. The Navy has gotten the go-ahead from a federal judge to once again conduct some bombing exercises on that island, despite Puerto Rican claims that the bombing jeopardizes lives and may even be making islanders sick. Well, right now protesters are camping outside the military base on Vieques Island. CNN's John Zarrella is there and, John, I understand you're seeing some beefed up security by the Navy.</s>JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly right, Carol. And I can tell you, you know, for the past 60 years the U.S. Navy has used Camp Garcia, which is behind me here in the distance, as a training base, as a bombing range for amphibious assaults by Marine landing teams, for aircraft to come over to practice bomb runs and, of course, for military shelling from ship to shore. But it was two years ago when a civilian security guard was killed here by an errant bomb. And since then, although the Puerto Rican people have never really been happy about what's gone on here -- since then, they have really become very upset. And efforts got underway to try and halt the bombings that have gone on here routinely, as I said, for 60 years on Vieques Island. And, as you mentioned, just the other day the judge in Washington -- a federal judge said, no, there are no grounds to halt the bombings. The Navy can go ahead and resume bombing, and so that's exactly what they're expected to do this morning at about 9:00 a.m. From 9:00 a.m. until late into the evening we are told two destroyers, part of the USS Enterprise task group, are offshore here. They may begin some ship-to-shore bombing. And after that there may also be some aerial attacks by planes from off of the Enterprise. It's going to last about three days, perhaps seven days -- these military exercises -- before this task group moves on, we believe, either into the Persian Gulf or the Med. But that's not going to sit well with the people here. There were demonstrations here on the island -- in San Juan, on the main island, yesterday. And here last night many people began to gather here at Vieques and protests already are underway. There are about 30 or 40, maybe 50 people here this morning who have already begun their protests. You can see them gathered here; some people slept through the night. But we expect that there will be many, many hundreds who are going to be coming here later today. And we will, of course, keep you apprised of all the developments from here in Vieques Island. This is John Zarrella reporting live, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico.</s>LIN: Thank you very much, John. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com