Reuters AlertNet Lite - Indian leftists tell US carrier Nimitz to "Go back"

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

Indian leftists tell US carrier Nimitz to "Go back"

02 Jul 2007 14:20:40 GMT
Source: Reuters

CHENNAI, India, July 2 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Indian communists, shouting "Go back", held a noisy demonstration on Monday in the southern city of Chennai to protest the port call of USS Nimitz, the first U.S. aircraft carrier to visit India.

The nuclear-powered Nimitz's visit this week has been termed a landmark step in India-U.S. ties and a sign of a closer diplomatic and military relationship between the two powerful democracies.

But India's vocal communists say the visit is a move by Washington to bring New Delhi under its strategic umbrella.

"By allowing the ship, the Manmohan Singh government has compromised on India's independent foreign policy and shown itself to be a spineless government," David Pandian, a senior communist leader, told reporters outside the Chennai port.

Nearby, protesters shouted "Down with U.S. imperialism" and burnt effigies of the huge ship -- which can carry 90 aircraft, including the F-18 "Super Hornet" -- as well as the U.S. flag.

Dozens of policemen, many carrying bamboo canes, monitored the protest but made no arrests.

Under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, Washington and New Delhi have seen a blossoming of military, economic and diplomatic ties, triggering unease among the powerful communists who help shore up the federal coalition.

Some port workers in Chennai, off which the Nimitz is anchored, have also expressed environmental fears about the nuclear-powered ship.

New Delhi has stationed an Indian naval vessel to monitor radiation levels in the air and water around USS Nimitz.

The U.S embassy has said the safety record of American nuclear-powered warships was "outstanding".

AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article Send comments

Countries

Small country map
© 2004 Europa Technologies Ltd.

Reset map

• India profile
· View map

MORE >>

NGO latest

• Lens into Sri Lanka Crisis from Refugee Camps in India
CRS - USA

• National Survey Finds Strong Support for Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants
AFSC - USA

• Flut in Indien: Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe bittet um Spenden
Diakonie Emergency Aid - Germany

• ACT Alert: Heavy Rains and Flash Floods in Andhra Pradesh, India
ACT - Switzerland

• Appeal update: April & May 2007 Flooding and Tornadoes
CWS

MORE >>

Latest news

• FEATURE-Baghdad garage where drivers swap Shi'ites, Sunnis

• Saudi clerics warn against Palestinian concessions

• U.S. plays down report of imminent al Qaeda attack

• Fresh arrests over British bomb plot, seven held

• Kashmiris protest "staged" killing, 24 hurt

MORE >>

Last updated:Mon Jul 2 14:22:49 2007