Cuban exile firework show lights up Havana horizon

Posted on Saturday, 08.11.12

Cuban exile firework show lights up Havana horizon
By PETER ORSI
Associated Press

HAVANA -- Red, white and gold balls of light shimmered low on the
horizon off Havana's seafront Malecon boulevard Saturday night in a
maritime fireworks display launched by Cuban exiles hoping to inspire
protest.

The fireworks were clearly visible from the coast and lasted about an
hour. People who saw it said they were mystified by its origin.

"It's curious, because you don't see that often on the Malecon," said
Jose Antonio Camejo, who was fishing for red snapper from the seawall
along with family members.

Told it was organized by Cuban exiles from Florida, he shrugged and
said, "They must be celebrating something."

The small Florida nonprofit group the Democracy Movement said earlier
that they would park their vessels 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) from
Havana, safely outside the 12-mile territorial water limits.

The exiles timed the show to coincide with a summer carnival that can
draw thousands to the Malecon, and they called the show a peaceful
display of solidarity with their compatriots.

"When you see the lights of freedom, walk toward the seawall as a silent
protest against censorship of expression," said the Democracy Movement's
Ramon Saul Sanchez. "And when you're there, among the people, think of
freedom, murmur 'freedom' and if you deem it prudent, demand freedom."

Cuban authorities scaled back the carnival festivities after torrential
rains Saturday soaked Havana and left huge puddles on the Malecon.
Several hundred people still came out to laugh and canoodle on the
seawall, and families queued up for sizzling barbecue chicken.

One young girl cried out the colors of the fireworks as they exploded:
"yellow!" "white!" and "green!"

Like similar previous displays, the fireworks did not elicit any
discernible protest from Havana residents.

But the shows are an irritation for the Communist-run government, which
considers them provocative, subversive and even potentially dangerous.
Cuban officials did not respond to requests for comment, but have
criticized Washington in the past for not blocking the actions.

In 1996, the Cuban military shot down two small planes carrying exile
activists, killing four people. Cuba maintains the aircraft violated the
country's airspace, though the exiles deny that.

Sanchez said he had been in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard, which has
patrolled previous sea missions to guard against an international
incident, and given assurances that they would remain outside the
12-mile maritime limit.

U.S. officials have said they don't encourage or condone such
activities, but lack legal authority to block them.

Sanchez said a second message behind the display was to demand greater
Internet access on the island, which lags the rest of the world despite
the completion of an undersea fiber-optic cable last year.

"The Cuban government has just installed the cable from Venezuela that
allows 3,000 times more technical capability of connection, and yet it
has not translated into benefits for the Cuban people in terms of
access," he said.

Cuba blames its creaky Internet on Washington's 50-year-old economic
embargo.

Sanchez said his group has organized 26 flotillas since 1996 including a
similar fireworks show last December to mark International Human Rights
Day, and another one in March when Pope Benedict XVI visited the island.
A second show planned for later during the pontiff's visit was called
off due to high seas.

Sanchez said the group does not accept any government money and holds
fundraisers to finance its activities. A sympathetic provider let the
group purchase the fireworks at cost, which came out to $3,600. The
other main expense was fuel.

He said the lead vessel alone, dubbed "Democracia," was expected to
consume more than $2,100 in gasoline to make the trip across the roughly
90-mile Florida Strait and back.

Follow Peter Orsi on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Peter-Orsi

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/11/2946212/cuban-exiles-plan-fireworks-show.html