Raytheon out of Wales

Welsh Assembly laying welcome mat for Cluster Munition Bomb ...As it turns out, though, Raytheon’s actual record concerning cluster munitions may prove to be less damning than its critics claim. Raytheon’s spokesman ...

Now then.... there are a few errors in this report so...listen

The intention was to go to Llanwit Major to raise awareness of the opposition to the Privatised Military Academy in face of an ongoing well funded propaganda exercise by MOD/Metrix/John Smith MP and No politicans prepared to speak out.
Campaigners where in different locations in Llanwit Major on that day in extremely bad weather and were faced with intimidation and surveillance from a disproportionate police presence. The campaign against the privatisation of all UK military training to arms dealers has been almost entirely been an e-campaign. There have been sucessful protests at the OU offices in Cardiff, the Senedd and in Cardiff City Centre hampered by the massive police surveillance and control.

The allegation that we haven't responded to contact from the college is NOT true. In fact I wrote and sent booklets and had no reply. I would be very happy to speak/meet them any time so please email no2militaryacademy@inbox.com

The 'ire' of Llanwit Major was from ONE shop owner who has business from MOD and therefore is expressing self interest. War profiteers ire is to be expected.

Facts about Raytheon -
Raytheon is the fifth biggest arms manufacturer in the world and are directly implicated in war crimes: In 2003, a Raytheon device hit the Shu'ale market in Baghdad in 2003, killing at least 62 civilians. In 2006 a Raytheon device hit Qana in Lebanon in 2006, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children. By welcoming Raytheon, our politicians are complicit with war crimes.

Bush to Nasrallah: An Offer Hezbollah cannot refuse? Part III: the ...The People's Voice - Nashville,TN,USA('Birdie' was the nickname for the M-43 Raytheon manufactured cluster bomb which was widely used by Israel against civilians in 1978, 1982, and to a lesser ...
Bush to Nasrallah: An Offer Hezbollah cannot refuse?Atlantic Free Press - Groningen,Netherlands

Raytheon Company produces, according to its own web-site JSOW (Joint Stand Off Weapon), and cluster munitions to these: “JSOW integrates the BLU-97 combined effects bomblets and the BLU-108 sensor fused weapon submunitions for area targets or armoured vehicles”. These are considered as cluster weapons.
The small explosive devices or bomblets are certainly key components in a cluster weapon. These consist of components such as the explosives themselves, the surrounding canister and a detonation mechanism or fuse which make the explosive charge detonate. The canister which contains bomblets is, as a rule, specially designed for this purpose and must therefore be regarded as a key component in a cluster bomb. This also consists of several sub-components. All canisters will have a mechanism or a fuse which makes the canister open and drop the smaller explosive devices. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0623-01.htm

Hundreds and possibly thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed or maimed by outdated, defective U.S. cluster weapons that lack a safety feature other countries have added, according to observers, news reports and officials. Bruce Mueller, a former Army lieutenant colonel who made managed the fuse program for defense contractor Raytheon. Cluster munitions have a high dud factor and are used also for that purpose to lay a minefield as Israel did during the last hours of the brief 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon. The streets were littered with cluster munitions - this saw some of the most extensive use yet of cluster munitions, mostly by Israel, in highly populated areas. Some dated back to 1976.

Civilian casualties caused by these weapons, both during the war and after, have refocused global attention on the weapons' most frequent users and producers, including in recent or ongoing conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Later this month, around 90 countries are expected to sign the Ban on Cluster Munitions Treaty at a conference in Dublin, Ireland. The likely signatories include some of Europe's biggest traditional users and stockpilers of the weapons, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom? - the most frequent user that has entered the process. Read more here

Katie Harrison's very comprehensive daily updates on the proceedings of the Dublin Conference on the WILPF website There is a cluster munition survivor's blog a CMC/ Handicap International 'Ban Bus' blog,

Watch this programme on Cluster bombs (video) http://www.hd.net/drr306.html%20Dan Rather Reports Bombs Left Behind
Long after a cease fire in the Iraeli-Lebanese conflict, thousands of unexploded bombs--cluster munitions--still cover the battlefields and are wounding many unintended victims--civilians.

Raytheon and cluster munitions report on the connections between the banks and the producers from Netwerk Vlaanderen. here

A military academy is NOT the best option for the local economy - privatising military training is a dangerous option - Who are Raytheon and other to be answerable to? Who will monitor what is going on?

And likely to fail as other privatisations have been e.g. railways and COST the British tax payer more.

The union PCS who represent the curerent trainers oppose the plan.
Young people in S Wales are more likely to pressed in to military service to fight for illegal wars.

The whole project is unethical..what happened to a vision for an ethical foreign policy?

The only winners are the arms dealers Raytheon and friends. They profit - We pay!

More info

Raytheon Cluster Bomb Protest ! on Flickr - Photo Sharing! A protestor holds a placard during a Ban Cluster Bombs Protest outside Raytheon in Derry on Wednesday afternoon calling for a ban on the use of Cluster ...
Sign the petition here

Weapons firm’s role in St Athan academy condemned (UK) see here

Cluster Bombs, Landmines, Nuclear Weapons and Depleted Uranium Weapons
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML

The assortment of Raytheon weapons also includes cluster munitions. ......

News

US subverts the cluster bomb ban Boston Globe, US Its efforts in Dublin are really about undermining the treaty itself. US allegations that the cluster ban treaty would undermine NATO are another ......US "bullying" hurts cluster bomb ban work-activists ReutersTime to stand up for what we believe Globe and Mail Campaigners call on US to stop bullying negotiators on cluster ...