Post by Bruce on Apr 30, 2008 13:35:56 GMT 12
From TVNZ web Page:
tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1753583
"Spy base attacked in security breach
Apr 30, 2008 8:52 AM
An extraordinary breach of security at one of New Zealand's most sensitive security installations has seen an attack on the Waihopai spy base near Blenheim.
Three men have been arrested after breaching security at the base and cutting open one of the plastic domes protecting a satellite dish.
An inflatable cover of the dome has been deflated and draped over one of the satellite dishes inside.
The protest group Waihopai Anzac Ploughshares has claimed responsibility for getting through security to tear the statellite dish cover.
It's Echelon spy network they are opposed to, claiming the network is part of the US government's global spy network used in the war on Iraq. Echelon collects and analyses signals.
A press release on behalf of Ploughshares details exactly what went into the protest. At 6am they cut through three security fences, deflated one of the dome's covers using sickles, then knelt down beside it to pray. It took security guards half an hour to even realise anything had happened.
The protesters have been arrested and taken to Blenheim police station.
Prime Minister Helen Clarke says it was a senseless act of vandalism and it will be dealt with by the criminal justice system. Clark says she has spoken about the incident with the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) which provides foreign signals intelligence to the government.
This isn't the first time protesters have targeted the spy base. As far back as 1988, people have been doing so.
In 2003 around 100 people attended an anti-war rally in Blenheim's Seymour Square before heading to the base. That protest was organised by the Anti-Bases Campaign group which also believed the base was providing information to assist the Americans waging war on Iraq.
But in recent years the Anti Bases Campaign has abandoned direct action.
If those involved in Wednesday's act are charged under the Terrorism Act, they face up to 14 years in prison. If they're charged for vandalism, they face a maximum of six years.
Global Peace and Justice Auckland released a statement on Wednesday congratulating Ploughshares on its protest, calling it "a fine example of courage and effective anti-war action".
Spokesperson John Minto said the deflated dome is a powerful symbol of resistance to New Zealand's role in supporting the so-called war on terror being waged by the US.
Minto claims the satellite dishes at the base are focused on communications satellites above the Pacific equator and monitor cell phone, fax and email communications of New Zealanders and other Pacific countries.
He says they are part of an international network of similar bases operated on behalf of the US National Intelligence Service."
(end of quote)
If Waihopai was so critical to military ops in Iraq, wouldnt it be guarded better?
tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1753583
"Spy base attacked in security breach
Apr 30, 2008 8:52 AM
An extraordinary breach of security at one of New Zealand's most sensitive security installations has seen an attack on the Waihopai spy base near Blenheim.
Three men have been arrested after breaching security at the base and cutting open one of the plastic domes protecting a satellite dish.
An inflatable cover of the dome has been deflated and draped over one of the satellite dishes inside.
The protest group Waihopai Anzac Ploughshares has claimed responsibility for getting through security to tear the statellite dish cover.
It's Echelon spy network they are opposed to, claiming the network is part of the US government's global spy network used in the war on Iraq. Echelon collects and analyses signals.
A press release on behalf of Ploughshares details exactly what went into the protest. At 6am they cut through three security fences, deflated one of the dome's covers using sickles, then knelt down beside it to pray. It took security guards half an hour to even realise anything had happened.
The protesters have been arrested and taken to Blenheim police station.
Prime Minister Helen Clarke says it was a senseless act of vandalism and it will be dealt with by the criminal justice system. Clark says she has spoken about the incident with the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) which provides foreign signals intelligence to the government.
This isn't the first time protesters have targeted the spy base. As far back as 1988, people have been doing so.
In 2003 around 100 people attended an anti-war rally in Blenheim's Seymour Square before heading to the base. That protest was organised by the Anti-Bases Campaign group which also believed the base was providing information to assist the Americans waging war on Iraq.
But in recent years the Anti Bases Campaign has abandoned direct action.
If those involved in Wednesday's act are charged under the Terrorism Act, they face up to 14 years in prison. If they're charged for vandalism, they face a maximum of six years.
Global Peace and Justice Auckland released a statement on Wednesday congratulating Ploughshares on its protest, calling it "a fine example of courage and effective anti-war action".
Spokesperson John Minto said the deflated dome is a powerful symbol of resistance to New Zealand's role in supporting the so-called war on terror being waged by the US.
Minto claims the satellite dishes at the base are focused on communications satellites above the Pacific equator and monitor cell phone, fax and email communications of New Zealanders and other Pacific countries.
He says they are part of an international network of similar bases operated on behalf of the US National Intelligence Service."
(end of quote)
If Waihopai was so critical to military ops in Iraq, wouldnt it be guarded better?
A hammer and sickle would probably do the job.
