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December 5th, 2008
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'Other' radar begins trial operation

Despite polemic over history and environs, base nears completion

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 28th, 2008 issue

Ondřej Bouda/The Prague Post
Sokolnice Mayor Jiří Životský says villages near the NATO radar have been denied any say in its presence.
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Sokolnice, South Moravia
As all eyes are fixed on the anticipated June signing of a Czech-U.S. treaty to build a radar base at the Brdy Military Base 90 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Prague, controversy over a lesser-known radar base is playing out on the other side of the country.
The new base, built by the Defense Ministry and to be under NATO control, is now being completed in Slavkov, south Moravia, the site of the Battle of Austerlitz of the Napoleonic Wars. Construction began in 2005, and the base is scheduled to begin trial operations June 1.
More than 20 surrounding towns and villages as well as conservation and historic groups have battled the radar since construction began, but, at this point, locals have mostly given in to the inevitable. “We have been excluded from judicial proceedings against the radar. Any further efforts on our part would be wasted,” said Jiří Životský, mayor of Sokolnice, about 2 kilometers from the base, adding that a 2004 court case against the installation had been dismissed.
Prime location
The new three-dimensional radar was built on the site of an old Soviet radar station. “The old technology was no longer able to satisfy the needs of a modern army, so a new radar had to be built to fulfill our commitments toward allies in NATO,” said Jan Pejšek, spokesman for the Defense Ministry. While the ministry contends that no better site could be found, local radar opponents disagree. “At first, they told us that they never considered other possibilities, only later did they say that no other suitable spot was found,” said Životský.
While local fears about health and environmental impacts have been dispelled by the ministry, concerns about preserving the area’s historic value are more difficult to dismiss.
The countryside surrounding the base is considered a heritage site because of the Battle of the Three Emperors in 1805, in which some 40,000 soldiers lost their lives. Their bodies are buried in mass graves throughout the battlefield.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a Mound of Peace was built, sponsored mainly by the Russian government, to serve as a reminder of achieved unity between formerly hostile nations. In 1992, the Czech government decided the whole area would become a heritage site dedicated to peace.
“Because of the protected status, citizens living in the area need to fulfill a long list of requirements — including a skyline impact study — if they want to build anything,” said Životský. “To many, the radar seems a mockery since the Army built it despite disapproval from the relevant institutions.”
The Defense Ministry argues that the radar cannot be seen from the battlefield memorial. “It is only 25 meters [82 feet] tall, and it’s 850 meters away from the mound,” Pejšek pointed out. “In addition, the two sites are separated by a forest, so there is no direct line of sight.”
But that is just about the only place from which the radar cannot be seen, according to locals. Otherwise it cannot be overlooked. “It is true the Soviets had a radar here too, but, during communism, we could do nothing about it,” said Životský. “We hoped democracy would give us a say, but it’s just as bad as the old times. We were excluded from court proceedings and our objections were invalidated.”
Miroslav Jandora, an organizer of annual Napoleonic battle re-enactments in the area, went even further. “They have no respect for the dead,” he said. “The radar is built on stolen soil over the bodies of thousands of dead soldiers. The area serves as a memorial to peace and to build a military installation on the spot is mockery.”
Jandora said that the ground was confiscated or forcibly bought below market value during communism, and that owners never received compensation as the land was obtained in the interest of national safety. “The Army gets a whole bunch of exemptions if it declares something to be a key security issue. However, it does not have to prove its claims,” said Jandora, who added that a recent project to build wind turbines in the area had been scrapped due to concerns over changing the landscape. “I don’t understand why the laws are not the same for everyone.”
Share and share alike
Two municipalities continue to opposed the radar and a regional court may yet decide in their favor. Although most other municipalities have given up the fight, one piece of news got everyone on their feet again. When locals learned that the government is willing to pay 1.5 billion Kč in compensation to villages around the planned U.S. radar at Brdy, they also wanted their share. “The government is not playing fair with us. People here feel betrayed because we never got a dime,” said Životský. Area mayors have united once again, this time with their counterparts near Nepolisy, where another NATO radar base has been in use since 2007 and where surrounding municipalities saw no compensation either. “Ideally some politically neutral solution can be found,” Životský said. “The government could sponsor infrastructure, education, environment or some other publicly beneficial and much-needed investment in the area.”

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at obouda@praguepost.com


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Reader's comments:

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[18:19 29/05/2008] : "It is true the Soviets had a radar here too, but, during communism, we could do nothing about it"

NOT just a radar dear sir, but the Russians had nukes on Czech soil!
This will have to be downplayed. The fact is that a NATO radar IS nearing completion, Russians not only had radar, but nukes in the Czech Republic.
Nukes from rogue states cannot hit the United States, but they can hit the Czech Republic!

Now, after the Czech Republic elects its 278 members to speak on behalf of its people, and they don't like what they have decided, they want a say?
That's not the way it works!

Go on a hunger strike, see if that helps, or, realize that your beef is with the way YOUR political system is set up!
Change that first. Don't try to put the cart before the horse...

The hunger strike will only come off as it should: look at me, give me attention.
This is like Klaus stating that global warming is not real. What is not real is the fact that the Czech Republic JUST had the warmest winter EVER in history, right?!
Best to err on the side of caution, both with the radar and the climate.
Anyway, both are done deals (radar will be built, climate is warming, and Klaus is no ecologist and should stick to economics for his views are his only, no one else in power agrees, nor do scientists) with stragglers trying to gain a name for themselves by shirt-tailing on the issues.

"pay 1.5 billion Kč in compensation to villages around the planned U.S. radar at Brdy, they also wanted their share".
BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Call a spade a spade...they don't give a darn about the health risks (zero to none) nor the possibility of being a first target (laughable) . THEY WANT MONEY!

Philip
San Fran
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