Pubdate: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 Source: Beacon Journal, The (OH) Copyright: 2001 The Beacon Journal Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.ohio.com/bj/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/6 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?172 (Peruvian Aircraft Shooting) THE PRICE OF WAR Drug Interdiction Is Not A Gentle Game. Has It Worked? For years, the United States has been calling its attempt to stem the flow of drugs (and the use of them), a war on drugs. The horrible collateral consequences of that war -- the downing of a missionary plane by the Peruvian air force -- should call into question not only the actions of those involved but also the credibility of the U.S. interdiction program. A Peruvian A-37 jet, acting on information from an American surveillance plane but ignoring the U.S. crew's reservations regarding the status of the plane, fired on and killed missionary Veronica Bowers and her 7-month-old daughter, Charity. Kevin Donaldson, pilot of the pontoon plane also carrying Bowers' missionary husband, Jim, and their 6-year-old son, Cory, managed a river landing despite wounds in both legs. Until this incident, U.S. officials had been praising the collaboration with Peru that sought to stop coca from being shipped from Peruvian fields to Colombia for distribution to the United States by the drug cartels. Now, the program of forcing (or shooting) down suspected drug traffickers has been suspended and will be re-examined, according to Secretary of State Colin Powell. It should be. The re-examination can begin with the procedures followed (or ignored) when an American surveillance plane locates a plane that might be carrying drug traffickers. The Peruvian officer aboard the U.S.-owned Cessna jet ignored the protestations of the American crew, although the Americans leave it to Peruvian military and aeronautic officials to determine the status of any suspicious planes that they identify. (U.S. personnel usually try to identity aircraft by their tail numbers. They did not this time for fear the plane would flee Peruvian air space before interceptors could be sent up.) The Peruvian pilot shot first, and now, later, questions are being asked. He either accelerated or omitted procedures required to identify a plane and to force it down. In the past six years, Peruvian pilots have shot down 30 planes and made the sky dangerous for drug traffickers - -- but at a price. The U.S. participated, knowing and accepting the risk that such an incident could occur in a ``war.'' In 1997, Peruvians also shot down a plane without following proper procedures. That time, it was a drug plane. This time, innocent civilians died. The U.S. State Department calls the war on drugs in Peru a success. Production of coca, the raw material of cocaine, is down 60 percent. Two questions: Are Americans still getting cocaine? Is the price too steep? - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk