[Nasional-e] Fw: Seized Maine Medical Supplies Released by US Customs!
Ambon
nasional-e@polarhome.com
Fri Dec 6 00:12:10 2002
----- Original Message -----
From: "IFCO/Pastors for Peace" <ifco@igc.org>
To: <Recipient list suppressed>
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 5:12 PM
Subject: Seized Maine Medical Supplies Released by US Customs!
> Please Circulate
>
>
> PRESS
> RELEASE 12/3/02
>
> Medical Supplies Released by US Customs!!
> Let Cuba Live Intends to Reship to Cuba !!
>
> During the early hours of Tuesday, December 3, three pick up trucks
> driven by members of the Maine based Cuba solidarity group Let Cuba Live
> left the midcoast area and headed north to Coburn Gore on the Maine /
> Canada border.
>
> The members who participated in the trip were Tom Whitney and Robert
> Kolker from South Paris, Peter Robbins from Sedgwick, and Steve Burke
from
> Warren.
>
> The small caravan retrieved a significant portion of the medical
> supplies that were seized by US Customs during the second of two direct
> challenges that the group mounted against the US blockade of Cuba that
> occurred on August 18, 2001. The first challenge took place on July
> 2. Medical equipment seized during this action still remains in the
> possession of US Customs.
>
> On both occasions the group steadfastly refused to apply for a license
> to ship humanitarian aid to Cuba via Canada. Let Cuba Live will not
comply
> with the terms and conditions of a blockade that the group believes
> creates suffering and hardship for the Cuban people. The group also feels
> the the blockade is immoral and, under international law, illegal.
>
> During both shipments when US Custom officials attempted to prevent
aid
> bearing caravans from continuing on to Canada, activists left their
> vehicles and physically carried boxes of supplies and medical equipment
> across the border and delivered it into the arms of members of Canadian
> support groups who were waiting on the other side. Roughly half of the aid
> from both of these shipments was carried piece by piece across the border
> in this fashion and is in Cuba today.
>
> The release of aid seized on the second shipment occurred after months
> of negotiation between the attorney for Let Cuba Live, Phil Worden of
> Northeast Harbor, and officials from The Office of Foreign Assets Control
> and US Customs. Essentially, the government agreed to release the aid
and
> Let Cuba Live agreed not to attempt to move the aid across the border
into
> Canada at this time. In addition, Let Cuba Live has agreed to forfeit the
> aid seized on the first shipment. Custom officials had
> these materials stored in a warehouse in New York state where they
> subsequently ran up storage fees of over $8000.00. Since the group was
> unwilling and unable to pay a fee for services they did not contract
> for, they felt their only option was to sign off on the seized aid from
> the first shipment to regain the aid that was seized on the second
shipment.
>
> "This is really a shame" said Tom Whitney a member of Let Cuba Live
and
> a pediatrician, "they will probably dispose of the remaining aid by
tossing
> it in a landfill somewhere, there was a lot of used but serviceable
medical
> equipment in that shipment like newborn monitoring stations, that could
> be saving lives in Cuba today"
>
> Let Cuba Live is still determined that the medical supplies will be
> delivered to Cuba without applying for the license that is required under
> the terms of the blockade.
>
> At a recent Let Cuba Live meeting Judy Robbins of Sedgwick
> summarized the groups position, "From the beginning of this effort Let
> Cuba Live has stated its intention to deliver the humanitarian donations
> from the good people of Maine to Cuba, where each and every piece of
> medical aid is valued and put to its best use. Let Cuba Live continues to
> oppose the U.S. blockade against Cuba and to work for normalized relations
> between the two countries."
>
> Let Cuba Live has contacted a New York based organization called
> Pastors for Peace that it has enjoyed a working relationship with for many
> years. Pastors for Peace has a national support base and has been
> successfully sending humanitarian aid to Cuba since 1992, in direct
> defiance of the US blockade.
>
> Pastors for Peace ships their aid by truck caravan into Mexico or
> Canada and then to Cuba. It has been a challenging and
> confrontational task at times. In 1996, the Reverend Lucius Walker, the
> organizations director, and several supporters engaged in a 94 day "Fast
> for Life" in front of the US Capitol in order to win the release of over
> 400 computers that were seized by Customs. The computers finely reached
> their intended destination and are now being used by InfoMed, the Cuban
> medical information network.
> Let Cuba Live will turn the aid that was seized at Coburn Gore over to
> Pastors for Peace. The aid will be incorporated into the 14th US / Cuba
> Friendshipment Caravan. Members of Let Cuba Live will join the
> Friendshipment and accompany the aid to McAllen, Texas. In July the
> Caravan will, once again, attempt to clear US Customs with their cargo
and
> enter Mexico. If they are successful, the caravan will proceed to
Tampico,
> Mexico where the shipment that will include school buses, ambulances and
> tons of school and medical supplies will be loaded on a Cuban freighter.
> The "caravanistas" or drivers will board a plane and fly to the
island
> to participate in a 10 day tour that will help them to gain a better
> understanding of the countries culture and institutions.
>
> Congressman John Baldacci has, on several occasions, expressed his
> support for the work of Let Cuba Live and the aid shipments to Cuba. In
an
> interview with the Portland Press Herald in July 2001, Baldacci said"I
> don't like to see people suffering. It's in our own hemisphere, not
halfway
> around the world."
>
>
> For more information call Steve Burke - 207-273-3247
>
>
> IFCO/Pastors for Peace
> 402 W 145th Street, New York City, NY 10031
> 212-926-5757; fax: 212-926-5842; email: ifco@igc.org;
> web: http://www.ifconews.org
>
>
>