U.S. Set to Aid Brazil Drug (Plane) Shootdown Plan - Officials

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington is likely to help Brazil in its plan to shoot down planes suspected of smuggling drugs after determining it has enough safeguards to prevent accidental killings, senior U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

The air drug interdiction program is controversial because Peru's air force mistakenly fired on a small plane in 2001, killing a U.S. missionary and her daughter.

The Peruvian jet was alerted to the presence of the missionary plane by another plane carrying an American CIA-contracted crew and a Peruvian liaison officer.

The incident prompted Washington to cut off support for drug interdiction programs in Peru and Colombia until last year.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-brazil-usa.html

[teryang]

1. The plan is illegal

That's why it is controversial. It is a violation of aviation law. It amounts to little more than summary execution.

Think about it, Brazil is going to rely on intelligence data (supplied by Washington) to shoot down civilian aircraft suspected of smuggling.

Now there's a foolproof plan.

[RaulGroom]

2. Come on, what could possibly go wrong?

http://dir.salon.com/news/feature/2001/04/24/plane/index.html

BTW, to me the first one can be a "mistake" if we're being generous. If such policies continue, the second one is just negligent homicide, that is, murder.