Spy base attackers in court
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Three peace activists, accused of deflating one of Waihopai spy base's domes with sickles today, have been remanded in custody on criminal damage and burglary charges.
But police told Blenheim District Court they were considering charging the men with sabotage under the Crimes Act, an offence which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' jail.
Damage to the Marlborough base, run by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), is estimated at more than $1 million.
Samuel Peter Frederick Land, 24, of Hokianga, Adrian James Leason, 42, a teacher from Otaki and Peter Reginald Leo Murnane, 67, a Dominican friar from Auckland, have all been charged with intentionally damaging a satellite dish, the property of the GCSB, and entering a building with the intention to commit a crime.
At today's bail hearing, Judge Richard Russell remanded Leason and Murnane in custody without plea to reappear in court on Monday. Land's bail application was adjourned until Monday and he was also kept in custody.
The three men were arrested early this morning, after allegedly using bolt cutters to cut through three security fences and one of two 30-metre domes covering satellite interception dishes was deflated.
They were part of a group called Anzac Ploughshares which aims to spread the message of disarmament by disabling warplanes and military equipment. The group's name comes from a biblical reference to turning swords into ploughshares.
Described as a satellite communications monitoring facility, opponents of the base say it is part of Echelon, the worldwide network of signals interception facilities run by American and British intelligence agencies and contributes to the war in Iraq.
As they were taken from the court into the police van, Land said he was going on a five-day hunger strike, and Leason said he would pray for those in Iraq, where one million people had died, the Marlborough Express reported.
"The war in Iraq takes some explaining," Murnane said.
GCSB deputy director for corporate services Hugh Wolfensohn told the Express the attack had caused more than $1 million damage, but the base was still operating.
"There's been no significant reduction in work. Obviously there's been some (reduction) because we've got an antenna out of action."
He did not know when repairs would take place.
GCSB director Bruce Ferguson told Radio New Zealand the activists had penetrated three fences before deflating the dome. Alarms were activated when the dome was contacted but CCTV footage was no help due to heavy fog, he said.
"I think it was exquisitely good timing for them, rather than planning, in that respect," he said.
Air Marshal Ferguson said the security breach was "deeply disturbing" and remedial measures would be put in place to ensure it did not happen again.
Two two-metre cuts were sufficient to deflate the dome. Then the activists ran around the base of the aerial randomly slicing at other areas, he said.
The domes, made of a rubberised material, acted purely as a "waterproof jacket" to protect the antennae from adverse weather.
A Ploughshares spokesman, Manu Caddie, said planning the attack on the base involved a lot of texting, emails and phone calls, which were not intercepted.
"I guess it shows that the system doesn't work that well."
But Air Marshal Ferguson said the GCSB Act of 2003 specifically forbade targeting of New Zealanders or New Zealand permanent residents.
"We are in the business of collecting foreign intelligence. . . satellite collection is there to collect foreign intelligence for the briefing and use of the New Zealand Government," he said.
Prime Minister Helen Clark condemned the attack "as a senseless act of vandalism".
She said the Government had received no comment from other countries regarding the breach.
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You people are all stupid!!!
"Why didn't they know about it???" If you actually know anything, you should know that the GCSB DOES NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT spy on it's own citizens, hence, they SHOULDN'T have known this was coming! Thats a good thing, and proves they are truthful when saying they don't spy on their own citizens... And your saying the system doesn't work... get real! Why would the government spend money on a facility that doesn't prove its worth?
These bases are run all over the world, by countries that are enemies to the US, stop bleating on about it being RUN by the US. It is in partnership.
The base is CRITICAL to New Zealand... and has been run well before this so called 'war-on-terror' so if you are going to focus on that one issue you are living under a rock with both your eyes poked out!
Also the GCSB cannot make comment on what they have helped stop or to protect, and therefore people will never know its worth to the security of New Zealand, they only make assumptions when they hear of the few things that go wrong. The people that work for the GCSB deserve the utmost praise and respect for working on the very frontline of defence for the society of New Zealand.
What a bunch of idiots! Though it would have been interesting if they got the chance to use the truck. Those nutters must be in with the other idiots that played up in lyttleton a few weeks ago.
Obviously, it's of the Echelon spy network. Clearly it's used by the USA to spy on us on what we eat and watch and stuff. Because that's worth spending money on. There is no possible way that it could be just used to aid communication with satellites used to coordinate our own kiwi military.
Seriously, they are just two big radar dishes in giant bubbles - it's not like they have stuck at the heart of the American Military - they just made some more work for our own armed forces. Which is probably just as well, because (other then the SAS) it's not like our military has much to fill in their time anyway.
So have we established that ripping the big curtain acually halted the 'spying' on our citizens? No. My god if it took two months to decide to cut some fabric and reveal the radar beneath how long would we have had to wait for an attack with any consequence. Our national defence system appears to be fairly secure from the Ploughshares and their primitave vandalism methods.
I love Americans but I hate their political system.
For those supporting this base - are you comfortable with the fact that all the reasons for the invasion of Iraq are now proven lies? Millions of innocent people have been murdered. Would you feel different if you held a dying child in your arms?
Are you comfortable with killing these people for your oil? Corporate profits? Regional control?
I wish these guy's could do stuff that doesn't hit we tax payers, because personally that just annoys.
This is the same global network that concocted the lies about Ahmed Zaoui. The base does, however, give the US an advantage over NZ businesses through the gathering of inside information and our government is so hell-bent on a free trade deal with the US that it would give away anything for it. This global network aids and abets the anti-democratic 'war on terror', which includes support for Israel's war crimes and breaches of international law. If the purpose of the base is not the furtherance of peace, justice and the observance of international law it should be scrapped.
I live in london, where interception of communications could have stopped the 7/7 attacks from happening, yes in NZ you may not be under direct threat, but keep in mind there are plenty of us Kiwis abroad, and if you arent planning to hurt anyone, (or kill innocent people) then who cares if international governments monitor your emails or texts!
Point #1: The 'black convoy' will just be the GCSB's work vehicles, they used to drive past my quarters at base woodbourne every morning, everyone local knows about them!
Point #2: Waihopai is a Kiwi strategic asset, it's run, and owned by the NZ Govt. They may work with the international community but are definitely not run by it.
These protesters will be part of the same idiot mass that think tax cuts are a good idea, but will they be happy when things like healthcare are no longer free?
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Notch one up for the freedom fighters of noody land. If they were inflatable, why didn't they use a gun or bow and arrow or sling shot. Somehow I feel safer they're behind bars.