Former activists who fought the construction of Narita airport have collected nearly 100 million yen since July through a fundraising drive to pay 103 million yen in civil damages for the 1978 siege of the air traffic control tower, they said Saturday.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='200' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='/images/photos2005/nn20051030a2a.jpg' WIDTH='200' HEIGHT='131'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Airport officials can be seen taking refuge on the roof of the control tower at Narita airport after it was seized by leftwing activists in March 1978. </B></FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>Many of the former 'comrades' chipped in after they saw information on the Internet about the fundraising drive, which had been posted by the activists after most of them began having their salaries withheld in March because they had failed to pay damages set in a 1995 court decision.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The early stages of the Narita airport construction project were marked by violent clashes between police and leftist rebels supporting the farmers who owned the land.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The protest movement was sparked by the government's failure to consult with the farmers before authorizing the project in 1966.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>On March 26, 1978, just four days before the international air hub was slated to open, the leftwing activists broke through security to occupy the control tower and vandalize equipment. The incident delayed the airport's opening by almost two months.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Seventeen key members in the case spent time in prison, ranging from three to 10 years, for endangering aviation and other charges. One killed himself after serving time.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The 16 former activists said most of them have left the anti-Narita movement and now have families.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>In a July 1995 ruling by the Supreme Court, they were ordered to pay around 44 million yen in damages for the siege. They did not pay and said they did not receive any demands for payment after the last collection letter dated August 1996.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>But in March, their employers were notified to withhold their salaries to pay the damages that by that time had ballooned with interest to more than 100 million yen.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'With the statute of limitations soon to run out, we want the damages to be paid,' a Narita airport official said. 'Withholding –

poses no legal or social problem, and we could be subject to criticism if we did not seek payments."

The former activists turned to the Internet in July to begin raising funds after some of them were told by their employers to quit their jobs, they said.

About 2,000 contributions -- ranging from 1,000 yen to 100,000 yen -- were received with messages, they said.

"I am right now bogged down with work every day, but my 3/26 (the date of the control tower siege) has never ended," one message read.

The dues will be paid in full Nov. 11, the activists said.

One of them, Kenichi Nakagawa, a 58-year-old salaried worker, said, "It is like a wave. (The fundraising campaign) gave opportunities for friends from the old days to meet each other in various places and to be encouraged."