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| Compensation Offered for Plane Shot Down in Peru |
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Posted by FoM on March 21, 2002 at 07:28:03 PT By Christopher Newton, The Associated Press Source: Associated Press 
The Bush administration will compensate the family of an American missionary and her infant daughter who died when their plane was shot down over Peru last year. The White House expressed regret for the deaths but stopped short of admitting responsibility. "It should never have happened," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said in a statement released Wednesday on the eve of President Bush's trip to Latin America. A Pennsylvania-based missionary group's Cessna float plane was shot down by a Peruvian military jet in April after a CIA-operated surveillance plane misidentified it as a possible drug-smuggling flight. American missionary Veronica Bowers, 35, and her 7-month-old daughter, Charity, were killed. Her husband, Jim Bowers, and the couple's son, Cory, escaped serious injury. Pilot Kevin Donaldson, who sustained serious leg wounds, crash-landed the plane on the Amazon River. Jim Bowers, along with Veronica Bowers' parents, Donaldson and the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, jointly have been trying to reach a settlement with the government. Donald Davis, an attorney representing the missionary group, said the families and the group had asked the government for $35 million, but settled for a smaller sum that he described as satisfactory. Davis declined to reveal the amount, but said the deal was finalized. "Our government is compensating the victims of terrorist attacks, so it seems very appropriate that the government compensate innocent victims of negligence on the part of the United States," Davis said Wednesday night. The Peruvian government has agreed to buy the Baptist group a new plane and to pay Donaldson's medical expenses, Davis said. The families of those on board could not immediately be reached Wednesday night. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while no price could be assigned to losses suffered by victims and their families, the government was prepared to provide "appropriate compensation." The official did not know how much the government was willing to pay or how much the victims and their families would be eligible for. Stopping just short of an apology, the White House statement said: "The United States government and the government of Peru deeply regret this tragic event and the resulting deaths of Veronica and Charity Bowers and injuries to Jim and Cory Bowers, and their pilot, Kevin Donaldson." The government is not admitting liability or assigning blame to the CIA by issuing the statement or offering a settlement, the U.S. official said. The action is the result of a request by the families for a statement of regret, the official said. "We offer our sincere condolences to the victims and their families. Neither government believes that Mr. Donaldson was responsible for this incident," Fleischer's statement said. Davis said getting the two governments to acknowledge that Donaldson was not at fault had been a sticking point in the settlement talks. "At first, there were things being said that made it sound as though the pilot did something that made the plane appear suspicious in a way that warranted the action taken," Davis said. "That was not the case." While not assigning blame, a U.S.-Peruvian inquiry concluded that procedural errors, language problems and an overloaded communications system contributed to the downing. The U.S. crew later realized the flight was innocent, but couldn't stop the Peruvians from shooting. A Senate committee recommended in October that the CIA no longer run drug interdiction flights over Peru, blaming errors by the Peruvian air force and poor U.S. management of the program. The interdiction flights were suspended after the tragedy, and Fleischer said no decision has been made about whether to continue them. Shortly after the plane was shot down, Bush called the incident a "terrible tragedy" but defended the U.S. action. He leaves for Latin America on Thursday and visits Peru on Saturday. Complete Title: Government Prepares To Offer Compensation for Plane Shot Down Over Peru Source: Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News Millions Sought From U.S. in Plane Downing U.S. To Start Peruvian Drug Flights U.S. Shares Fault In Peru Incident Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #4 posted by qqqq on March 21, 2002 at 17:29:54 PT |
| ..."While not assigning blame, a U.S.-Peruvian inquiry concluded that procedural errors, language problems ...... "......... .."The government is not admitting liability or assigning blame to the CIA by issuing the statement or offering a settlement, the U.S. official said. "... ......behind the scenes,,some shrub advisor,,or the Dubster himself said;;"Cut 'em a check.....give 'em whatever it takes to make sure they dont mess up the new Colombian thing!.....make sure the media gets paid too...I dont want to hear anything else in the news about this....I dont care if ya gotta whack Geraldo,or find kiddy porn on Stone Phillips hard drive!....Handle It!"..... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by mayan on March 21, 2002 at 16:53:29 PT |
| How can anyone possibly compensate for those murders? It's too late for compensation. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by null on March 21, 2002 at 11:53:39 PT |
| good point schmeff. taxpayers also footed the bill for the program that shot down the missionary plane. sadly: a car bomb exploded outside the U.S. Embassy in Peru today, killing 9. Let us hope that Peru does not become another Columbia. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by schmeff on March 21, 2002 at 08:44:46 PT |
| The Bush Administration is not compensating the missionaries. The American taxpayer is paying the bill. Since I'm helping to foot the bill, is it too much to expect that I will be informed of how much the bill is? Will America's Secret Government ever be held accountable for the lies, killings and dirty little secrets? [ Post Comment ] |
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