A NEW pressure group which aims to stop military live firing on Dartmoor has declared its first protest a ?huge? success in a newsletter released last week. The Military Veterans Against Dartmoor Abuse group (MVADA) comprises 44 former servicemen who believe military live firing in the national park is not being combated effectively by existing opposition pressure groups. In its first newsletter, MVADA claims it will will continue to take direct action to highlight the damage it claims the military is causing on the moor. In the letter, it says its first protest, when members ?held fast? to dug-outs around training areas in the northern part of the moor, meant the military were confined to a small area of land ? proving there was no need for them to hold the ?huge? areas for training they currently hold. The organisation also claims they could have saved the lives of four Danish tourists who had wandered onto the firing ranges near Cranmore Pool in early June. ?They were unaware that live firing took place in any of Europe?s national parks ? and were baffled that it could happen when we told them,? the newsletter stated. MVADA remains tight-lipped about its members, who they say range from former paratroopers and Royal Marines to ex-county regiment personnel. All have so far chosen to remain anonymous. Lt Col Tony Clark, who is in charge of live firing on Dartmoor, has always maintained the use of Dartmoor was vital for training purposes. The military works in close partnership with other agencies and advertises firing times extensively to warn moor users when it is unsafe to cross ranges.
