THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 31, 1995 TAG: 9501310301
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The U.S. military will begin Wednesday to move roughly 7,500 Cuban refugees being held in Panama back to the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
``We will move about 500 (refugees) a day on five aircraft,'' said Gen. Barry McCafferey, head of the U.S. Southern Command. The operation must be completed by March 6, the expiration date for an agreement that permitted the U.S. to bring them to Panama last September.
Three Norfolk-based ships had been expected to take part in the transfer as well, but a military source said they probably will not be used. The ships, the Portland, the Austin, and the LaMoure County were to carry several hundred Cubans judged security risks for a plane ride.
About 280 refugees have been labeled as serious security risks. They will be handcuffed and flown in groups of 40 to Guantanamo Bay, where they'll be separated from the other refugees.
``We have a series of nonlethal measures to take to address problems should they arise,'' the general said. ``It would range from picking you up and putting you on the plane, to responding with appropriate force'' which includes the use of pepper spray and stun guns.
McCafferey added that although the refugees don't want to go back to Guantanamo Bay, ``we don't anticipate violent nor massive resistance.''
So far, keeping the Cubans in four camps in Panama, along with providing them the basic amenities and limited educational programs, has cost the United States about $22.5 million. McCafferey said that once the transfers back to Cuba are completed, the operation will have cost about $40 million.
Roughly 5,000 American military personnel are taking part in the transfer. They're trained to handle any security situation that may occur, including the need to use deadly force, although McCafferey emphasized the use of nonlethal force for almost any problems such as refusal to return.
When this transfer is complete, the Guantanamo Bay facility will be the semi-permanent home to nearly 29,000 Cuban refugees. Unlike Haitians who were held at Guantanamo Bay for several months then returned as Jean Bertrand Aristide re-established his government in Haiti, Cuban refugees cannot forcibly be sent back to Cuba.
That long-standing policy, combined with the Clinton administration's refusal to accept Cubans who don't apply for U.S. residency through established offices in Cuba, means that the U.S. military must take care of these refugees until the U.S. policy changes, or until all the refugees voluntarily return to their homes. by CNB