site.btaBrigade Commander Dismisses Allegations of Civilian Damage Caused by Firing Practice at Tsruncha

April 23 (BTA) - The command of 68th
 Special Forces Brigade has not received any information about
cracked walls or other damage caused to civilian buildings by
firing practice at the Tsruncha training area in the
southwestern Pazardjik Region, the Brigade Commander, Brig. Gen.
 Yavor Mateev, told BTA on Tuesday.

Mateev was reacting to a demand raised by residents of Tsruncha
and two other villages in the area to close down the training
area. According to the protesters, frequent firing practice
using "heavy machinery - tanks and artillery" has been
tormenting them and has caused cracks on the walls of their
homes. Bulgarian National Radio reported on Monday that locals
had signed a petition giving Defence Minister Krassimir
Karakachanov a month to shut down the training area. The
petitioners threatened that if their demand is not met, they
will block a road near the training area.

Brig. Gen. Mateev told BTA that when training at Tsruncha, 68th
Special Forces Brigade uses light weapons, not tanks. It is
impossible for light weapons to inflict the alleged kind of
damage or to be heard from such a long distance, he said. He
noted that this is the main training area for the brigade which
is stationed in Plovdiv.

Mateev commented: "We are military men, but we see that, as
elections draw near, various people and organizations begin to
raise demands in one way or another, which no one would pay
attention to if they were voiced at a different moment."

No one has actually approached the command of the brigade with
any demands about its operation, the general further said.

He dismissed fears of chemical and radiological contamination as
 "complete misunderstanding" and "absurd." "Pistols and assault
rifles do not produce radioactive particles. There are no
weapons and military equipment in Bulgaria which can release
radioactive substances," Mateev said. RY/VE