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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1981)
LaCour. “TW lectoffic- jontalce to turn l-’82 edi- v'ship will will begin 7 p.m. in 'at8p,m, e and dip terinarian their own f-the-year a banquet State THE BATTALION THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 1981 Page 9 Dancer freed from Chinese embassy United Press Internationa! HOUSTON—A Chinese ballet dancer was freed from his coun try’s consulate Wednesday even ing, ending 21 hours of detention because he wanted to remain in this country with his American wife of three days. Li Cunxin, 20, of the Peoples Republic of China, emerged from behind the steel-gated embassy and said an agreement had been reached which would allow he and ,his wife, Houston Ballet Academy /student Elizabech Mackey, 18, to j stay in the United States. I “I’m happy to stay with my wife | and in America, ” Li said. He added consular officials were “very nice to me and now I would like to do something nice for China and America. ” The dancer, his wife and five men dressed in formal wear then departed in five black limousines in which they had driven to the consulate late Tuesday to seek an extension of Li’s visa. Li’s lawyer Charles Foster, who had charged earlier in the day the detention was illegal, said a feder al court hearing scheduled Friday to hear the consulate’s reasons for the action was now unnecessary. John Kirkland, president-elect of the ballet company, said the talks were “constructive and sen sitive negotiations for Li’s needs as a dancer and the future of the cul tural exchange programs for the United States and China.’’ Li had been scheduled to fly to China Wednesday, and after the couple went to the consulate, Mrs. Li chose to remain with her husband. Cunxin has won extraordinary praise for his dancing with the Houston Ballet in Houston, and most recently in New York he was singled out by Anna Kisselgoff, dance critic of The New York Times, for his style. He arrived in Houston in June 1979 to attend the Houston Ballet Academy’s six-week summer ses sion on scholarships provided by the ballet foundation. The bride’s mother, Janet Mackey, who said she flew to Houston for the wedding but stayed away from the justice of the peace ceremony because Li and her daughter were concerned ab out attracting too much attention. “They felt it would be safer if only a few people were there. Only a witness went,” said Mrs. Mackey. “It was with my blessing. He s a wonderful, kind, lovely situation is different (in that young man who loves my daughter very, persons have less experience early very much. with the opposite sex.)” She said the couple fell in love during Li’s visit to West Palm Beach in November 1979. Houston Ballet Artistic Dire ctor Ben Stevenson said the ballet had been unaware of the romance. He said Li had great potential as a dancer and possibly great vulnera bility to romance because of his strict Chinese upbringing. “As a dancer, he is incredibly talented. He has really star poten tial,” Stevenson said. “Both (Chinese) students are very hand some, conscientious, and tremen dously popular with everyone. “I think he is the type of guy that a woman could sweep off his feet. They (Chinese exchange stu dents) are too shy. In China, the Bother's Bookstore PAYS TOP DOLLAR FOR USED BOOKSI At the Southgate 696-2111 Men charged with planning island government takeover on g out it was “The House hat’s the way vas tentative- id Sharp and ed since then iry 100 votes, passage of an idum amend- omise. s of the mea- reate a “Cali- ler which vo- i tax ceiling! iper school 9 uth United Press International NEW ORLEANS — Financial icking for 10 mercenaries ested on charges that they plot- to overthrow a Caribbean is- ind’s government apparently ame from within the United Kates, a Treasury agent said Wednesday. The men arrested in a remote area north of New Orleans late donday were ready to invade fominica, a tiny island republic D miles southeast of Puerto ico, officials said. An assortment of automatic Weapons, dynamite, plastic explo- ives, blasting caps and fuses con- hcated from the group indicated k plot was serious, said Michael fall, a special agent with the dureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms. Hall said he did not know who financed the operation but there was no indication the money came from outside this country. “As far as we know at this point, the financing is not coming from Dominica,” he said. “We’re poss- fc\y looking at some individuals in icU.S. as backers.” --mimi A letter released Wednesdayby a representative of Dominican Prime Minister Mary Eugenia Charles, however, tied alleged coup leader Michael Eugene Per due of Houston to former Prime Minister Patrick John and the head of Dominica’s army. John and the army chief were arrested in March on a charge of plotting to topple Charles’ moderate govern ment. The letter, allegedly sent by the Dominican army’s deputy com mander to an army official, was intercepted by Dominican police March 6, said Lennos Hon- eychurch, Charles’ press sec retary. “Somebody will give you a number to call Mike Perdue in Texas, collect call,” the letter said. It mentioned John in the coup attempt, saying, “I have already settled payment.” Political unrest has led to the declaration of a state of emergency and a parliamentary bill to dis mantle the army. The mercenaries were charged with violations of federal neutral ity statutes and firearms laws. FBI spokesman Cliff Anderson said evidence could be given to a federal grand jury as early as Thursday. | Agents- posing -rs. ; seamen accepted $15,-GOO to provide a boat for the operation. The mercenar ies were arrested as agents said they gathered to embark on the coup attempt. Hall did not rule out the possi bility others were involved in the plot. The eight other mercenaries were identified as Michael Stanley Norris, 21, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Wolf gang Walter Droege, 31, Toronto; Robert William Prichard Jr., 30, Raleigh, N.C.; William Burnett Waldrop Jr., 33, Braxton, Miss.; Christopher Billy Anderson, 41, Oklahoma City; Joe Daniel Haw kins, 37, Smith County, Miss.; George Taylor Malvaney, 21, Jackson, Miss., and Larry Lloyd Jacklin, 22, Listowell, Ontario, Canada. Hallmark Cards and Gift Center Texas Legislature passes drinking bill £ United Press International AUSTIN — The Texas Senate jinanimously approved Wednes- ay a third attempt at resolving ifferences between the two louses on a bill raising the mini mum drinking age in Texas to 19. The House followed suit an our later with a 119-26 vote to kcept the conference committee leport. The House and Senate have leen negotiating for more than a nonth concerning a House mendment to the bill presuming er and liquor retailers to be illy of knowingly selling to a inor if they sold alcoholic bever- iges to a person under 19 without becking his or her identification. The latest proposal by the con ference committee deletes that provision, and changes only the minimum legal age from 18 to 19. "We tried our best to put some enforcement language into the bill, but we were limited to one part of enforcement and that was asking for identification,” said Sen. Bill Sarpalius, D-Hereford. “We tried it twice — once with the House version and once with the Senate version, and it just didn’t work.” Sarpalius said a survey of the House shows 106 members will go along with the latest proposal. “It’s been a battle, but I think we’ve finally won it,” he said. 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