MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' anger at Argentine net invaders

Falkland Islands authorities and British servicemen whose comrades fell in the 1982 South Atlantic conflict expressed anger and disappointment at Argentines putting Spanish names to places on the Islands on a new internet website, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Three-dimensional satellite maps on Google Earth, which can be opened by anyone who downloads free software, allow people to insert their own place names.

"The Argentinians like to try every trick in the book to make out the Falklands are theirs" said Sukey Cameron the Islands representative in London quoted by the Daily Telegraph.

"It is a bit disappointing that an international organization like Google has allowed this to happen. It seems to be part of the relentless push by the Argentinians to claim our sovereignty", added Ms. Cameron underlining that "it is internationally recognised that the Falkland Islands are British territory".

Argentinians have gone into the Google Earth site and changed Port Stanley to Puerto Argentino, the name used by the invaders during their 74-day occupation in 1982. Similarly, Port Louis has become Establecimiento Puerto San Luis and Johnson Harbour is down as Establecimiento Puerto Johnson. Internet links confirm that the names have been added to the site by Argentines.

No entry about the Islands has been placed by any of the 2,900 British residents on the Falklands.

British servicemen and women e-mailed Google demanding that the names be changed back to their British ones. A spokesman for Google said: "We will look into this and get back to you."

The website produced a protest last week from the government of Taiwan after the island was referred to as a province of China.

Apparently so far there has been on comments from the Foreign Office.