AMY GOODMAN: As we move on to another issue in the Caribbean, U.S. officials have been pushing a plan to build a series of satellite military bases throughout the Caribbean. Pentagon and Coast Guard officials say they need the bases as part of the war on drugs. But the move has sparked widespread opposition in the Caribbean, especially on the island of Petite Martinique, a small island of 800 people that is part of Grenada.

We’re joined now by professor Paul Clement. He’s an economist in New York at the Fashion Institute of Technology, but he’s also the public relations officer for the Petite Martinique Interest Group. He is from that island.

And we welcome you to Democracy Now!

PAUL CLEMENT: Thank you very much, Amy.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, it may surprise some to know that the U.S. wants to establish a new base in this tiny island of Petite Martinique. Tell us a little about what’s going on there.

PAUL CLEMENT: Yes. Petite Martinique is only 586 acres. On January 19, 1996, U.S. marines appeared on the children’s playground, which is the only flat piece of land on that island, planting stakes. They were approached by the people, because the people were alarmed. And they were told by the U.S. marines that they were coming to the island to build a U.S. Coast Guard base. So the people protested, and the prime minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell, later came to the island and told the people that the base will be built in April of 1997. The people continued to protest. And last month, in April 1997, what happened was the three Coast Guards were dispatched with over 100 — a Special Services Unit, which is called the SSU, heavily armed policemen. And the people sat down on the site. And what happened was a clash between the police and the people. Several people were brutalized, and two persons were arrested. What we had following that is the landing of over 100 U.S. marines with over 30 motorized vehicles on the island. This island has a population of 800 people. The adult population is 400. So we’re actually looking at an increase, immediate increase, in the population of around 25% just in one day. The clash between the police and the people led the opposition parties in Grenada — that is, four opposition parties came together, which is historic in the history of Grenada, to formulate a resolution that was sent to the president of the United States, as well as Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, condemning and asking for consultation and dialogue between the people and the government. The government have so far refused to acknowledge any type of dialogue, approve any type of consultation with the people in this matter. So the people are continuing to protest.

AMY GOODMAN: Do you know why the government chose Petite Martinique — the U.S. government — to build a base on?

PAUL CLEMENT: Well, Dennis Carter, the U.S. representative on Grenada, on a Voice of America program on March 26, 1997, told the world that the purpose of this project on Petite Martinique is — and I quote — “for a training venue for United States troops” to support projects such as military exercises, such as Tradewinds and Carib 97, which is military exercises between the United States troops and Caribbean forces.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, we have to break, but when we come back, I just want to ask you quickly how people are organizing on Petite Martinique right now and what they’re asking for people in the U.S. to do, and get a phone number from you. And then we’re going to move on to the issue of Zaire, with the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko leaving Zaire. Is this it for him? And finally, we’ll remember Paulo Freire. You’re listening to Democracy Now! We’ll be back in 60 seconds.

[break]

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, The Exception to the Rulers. I’m Amy Goodman, and we’re just finishing up our conversation with economist Paul Clement from Petite Martinique. He heads up the Petite Martinique Interest Group, and I was just asking you what the people of Petite Martinique are asking people of the United States to do.

PAUL CLEMENT: The people of Petite Martinique are asking the people of the United States and the people of the world to write to President Clinton, to contact their congressmen, like Major Owens in Brooklyn, and put pressure on the U.S. government, since the U.S. government is sponsoring that, and also environmentalists, because the latest news coming out of the island is that the U.S. Marines did not come prepared to handle the waste materials, and the people are suffering from eye irritation and nausea because of the mixing of human waste and being burnt on the island. And this is in the middle of the — smack in the middle of a community, such as Times Square, that would be similar to burning human waste in the middle of Times Square. And the people are asking the world to support them. And the telephone number you can call, 718-756-8948, or —

AMY GOODMAN: One more time.

PAUL CLEMENT: 718-756-8948, or an email address, savepm@aol.com. That’s savepm@aol.com.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you again, Professor Paul Clement, economist and head of the Petite Martinique Interest Group.

PAUL CLEMENT: Thank you very much.