The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 78/No. 15      April 21, 2014

 
Cuba’s aid to victims of Ukraine
nuclear disaster ‘is unparalleled’
(front page)
 
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, exploded and burned for 10 days. Because the plant lacked a secure containment vessel, massive amounts of radioactive material were released into the atmosphere. Twenty-eight firemen and emergency workers were killed from acute radiation syndrome. At least 1,800 children later contracted thyroid cancer because Moscow didn’t immediately evacuate the area and did nothing to ensure residents didn’t eat vegetables or give milk produced in the area to children.

In contrast to the callous indifference from Moscow, the government of revolutionary Cuba brought thousands of children to the island for treatment. Reprinted below is a recent article from Prensa Latina about the Cuban program, which continues to treat Chernobyl victims today.

BY ELIZABETH ALVAREZ VELÁZQUEZ  
KIEV, April 7 — The Ukrainian Women’s Association for Energy Resources delivered a letter of appreciation today to the Cuban embassy in Ukraine for the assistance provided by Cuba to more than 20,000 children from areas affected by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

During the meeting held at the Cuban embassy, speaking on behalf of the organization, Lilia Piltiay highlighted “the gesture from a small country, unprecedented in its international scope and human significance.”

Piltiay presented the letter of appreciation to Cuban Ambassador Ernesto Senti and other Cuban diplomats in the presence of former members of the Komsomol (communist youth league of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union), who organized the first trips in March 1990, along with parents and young people who had received treatment in Cuba.

Some of those in attendance recalled with emotion the pleasant surprise they had felt when the first group of 139 children arrived on March 29, 1990 and were received at Jose Marti International Airport by the leader of Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

They said that currently there are thousands of young people living normal lives, fully integrated in society thanks to solidarity from Cuba, which provided medical assistance to some 25,000 children.

For his part, Ambassador Senti highlighted the willingness of the Cuban government and people to continue this project in conditions that correspond to current events, for the sake of the youngest generations in Ukraine.
 
 
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Workers learn about Cuban 5 through Bronx Library exhibit
State Dept. anti-Cuba ‘twitter’ plot exposed by AP
Who are the Cuban 5?
Exhibits of paintings by Antonio Guerrero
 
 
 
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