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To: Sdgla who wrote (1985)	6/28/2007 7:01:13 PM
From: kumar	Respond to of 4152

at the same time (July 4), there will 2 Indian Navy ships in the US - 1 in Boston, MA and the other in Norfolk, VA

To: Sdgla who wrote (1985)	6/30/2007 5:10:51 AM
From: kumar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4152

Trade unions, parties protest USS Nimitz visit 30 Jun, 2007 l 1202 hrs ISTlIANS timesofindia.indiatimes.com CHENNAI: Political parties, trade unions, environmentalists and many concerned citizens of Tamil Nadu have stepped up their opposition to the arrival of the USS Nimitz, even as the aircraft carrier draws closer to Chennai harbour for its four-day goodwill visit to India from July 1. The American warship is now around 10 nautical miles from the Chennai coastline but protests from several quarters has led the Indian government to carry out a safety assessment of the nuclear-powered ship. A high-level security team has been aboard the Nimitz since Thursday for the assessment. Apart from the safety concerns, political leaders are also sceptical about India reversing its past policy opposing the transit of nuclear weapons in its neighbourhood. MDMK leader Vaiko said: "...as Kalpakkam and Koodankulam atomic power stations are located on Tamil Nadu's coast, there is a fear that the visit of a nuclear-powered warship to the port here would endanger the country's security." Communist Party of India (CPI) MP D Raja added: "We are surprised to see a reversal of India's age-old policy of not allowing warships into its territorial waters." AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa had earlier noted: "This is a serious issue and the possible radiation hazards to the people of Chennai cannot be taken lightly." But defence ministry officials and the US government have rubbished the radiation aspect, pointing out that Nimitz has some 6,000 personnel on board and that any radiation leak would affect the ship's crew first before causing damage to others. Meanwhile, Vel Murugan, a lawyer here, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) at the Madras High Court "to urgently discuss the entry of US nuclear-powered warship USS Nimitz". The court, however, refused to admit the petition, saying the Nimitz visit "was a matter between two countries", and that a court could not interfere. But Murugan plans to approach the court again. "This is not only about the USS Nimitz, it is a larger issue and needs to be sorted out," he said. Left-led trade unions like the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), port workers federations and several groups like the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation and the People's Union for Civil Liberties plan to stage a protest at the Chennai port on July 2. The US government, however, has asserted that the nuclear safety record of US nuclear-powered warships has been outstanding and that there has been no nuclear accident in the 56-plus year history of the programme.

To: Sdgla who wrote (1985)	7/2/2007 11:53:12 PM
From: kumar	Respond to of 4152

USS Nimitz in India : timesofindia.indiatimes.com ON BOARD USS NIMITZ: Amid protests on shore and controversy raging across the country, the USS Nimitz CVN 68 docked outside the Chennai port at 6.45 am on Monday, ushering in a breeze of excitement and a series of events in the city for its 4,600 crew members. Batch by batch the sailors, trainers and other staff on board are being brought to the city to see what India is like and to witness a major event in Indo-US relationship. Aged between 18 and 40, for most of them it was first visit to India. The youngsters queued up all along the day, waiting to be taken in a ferry to the port, 5 km away. A whopping $1 million will be spent on each day of the stay and entertainment of this huge contingent in Chennai. One of the biggest ships in the world — it stretches to 4.5 acres and has 23 storeys — hosted a reception in the evening for special Indian invitees on its hangar, which covers the entire length of the ship. A group of reporters from Chennai was taken on board, where the carrier fleet was lined up. It included one of its biggest carriers, E-2C Hawkeye 2000, equipped with early warning systems on weather, specialised computers providing command and control to all air wing assets. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F/A-18A/C Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and SH-60F/H Seahawk too formed the line-up. But ask any sailor where the nuclear weapons are, they would reply: "Frankly, I have not seen any of them on board!" An equally evading reply came from the commander of the Carrier Strike Group 11, Rear Admiral John Terence Blake, who addressed the media at the Carrier Wing: "We don’t disclose the presence or absence of weapons on board. The US policy is that we don’t routinely deploy nuclear warheads." There are two reactors on board that generate the power for the floating city. Blake said none of the nuclear waste is discharged into the sea. The Nimitz has its own radio station, TV channel and newspaper ‘Nimitz News’. "We have 40 journalists and media personnel on board. We double-up as both journalists as well as photographers," said MLSN Duane Devorak.