Nine municipalities reject radar base

Citizens in nine municipalities in the Pribram and Rokycany districts have overwhelmingly voted against the building of a proposed US radar base in the nearby military area of Brdy. In nine local referenda held on Saturday, voters were asked whether town representatives should take every legal measure possible to prevent the construction of the base, which America wants to build as part of its proposed missile defence system against so-called rogue states like Iran. Large majorities in all the polls were against the base. This latest round of referenda now means that 19 municipalities in the Central Bohemian and Pilsen regions have held polls that rejected the idea of building a radar facility in Brdy, but these plebiscites have no legal impact on the actions of the Czech government. Local inhabitants complain that they have not received sufficient information on the radar base and its possible impact on their health, environment and local administration.