U.S. Resumes Training on Vieques Amid Claims Protesters Are on Range

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico —  U.S. Navy warplanes on Monday dropped dummy bombs at the military training ground on Vieques Island, fulfilling a pledge to resume operations despite protesters’ claims that some of their colleagues were still on the bombing range.

The training, the first on the island in more than a year, came after 224 protesters were peacefully removed from the range, most of them during a raid by federal agents Thursday.

The protesters want the United States to stop using the island for its training, saying decades of bombing have harmed their health, stunted tourism, harmed endangered species and destroyed fishing grounds, coral reefs and mangroves.

But President Clinton and Puerto Rico’s governor had agreed that limited operations would resume. The renewed operations Monday were “in accordance with the presidential directives concerning training at Vieques,” Navy spokesman Robert Nelson said in a prepared statement.

Two A-4 Skyhawk warplanes each dropped six 25-pound Mark-76 nonexplosive bombs into the range, Nelson said. The exercise completed a certification process for range personnel and was required before the range could be used by Atlantic fleet aircraft and ships, he said.

Nelson said the Navy knew of no demonstrators still on the range.