Ten arrested in Queensland military exercise protest

BRISBANE - Ten protesters have been arrested trying to disrupt a joint Australian and United States military exercise in central Queensland.

Six protesters carrying makeshift coffins were arrested about 11am yesterday after allegedly scaling a fence to conduct a memorial service.

A further four were later arrested for blocking access to the military base.

Police said the group was charged with trespassing on commonwealth land while trying to blockade the entrance to the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area in Rockhampton.

The training area is where the Talisman Sabre military exercise between Australia and the United States began yesterday.

"They allegedly scaled the fence at the base with makeshift coffins and were asked a number of times, both by defence personnel and police personnel, to leave the property," a police spoksewoman said.

"They refused to leave and were subsequently arrested and charged with trespassing."

Protester Ciaron O'Reilly said the memorial service was aimed at remembering those killed in the Iraq war.

"They brought with them 10 replica coffins with names of Iraqi and US military dead, so they conducted a memorial service while blocking the road and about 10 others were there in support," he said.

The group - three males and three females all aged between 28 and 50 - were bailed to appear before Rockhampton Magistrates Court on June 27.

The other four protesters - two men and two women - were charged with disobeying a lawful direction after blocking access to the base.

They will also appear in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on the same date.

"Despite the arrests, the protest remains peaceful," the police spokeswoman said.

About 50 protesters remain on site tonight.

Rally organiser Robin Taubenfeld said protesters were concerned about the economic, social and environmental impact of such military exercises.

She said they had been successful in stalling military vehicles and troops into the area, hanging banners on the gates and laying out strips of cloth on the road to represent a pedestrian crossing.

"This is to show people are the priority," Ms Taubenfeld said.

"It's a symbolic thing saying the road is for pedestrians, not the military."

Talisman Sabre 2005 is a joint training exercise involving 6000 Australian and 11,000 US personnel.

Protests will continue over the long weekend.

- AAP