TKeBattalion
)l. 89 No.25 USPS 045360 14 Pages
WEATHER
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College Station, Texas
Thursday, October 5,1989
Aides say army rebels
held Noriega in coup
Attackman John D. McTasnoy (number 16)
tries to get around defenseman Blair Allison
Photo by Fredrick D. Joe
during a lacrosse inter-squad scrimmage on
Wednesday.
PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) —
Rebel officers trying to depose Gen.
Manuel Antonio Noriega captured
him and held him for hours but re
leased him after loyal forces warned
the rebels would “face the conse
quences” if he was harmed, a No
riega aide said Wednesday.
Later, thousands of people, many
of them public employees, demon
strated in front of the building to
show him support. Noriega leaned
out a second-story window, hanging
onto a grating, as he smiled and
waved.
Lt. Col. Arnulfo Castrejon, direc
tor for the Defense Forces Security
and Defense Committee, told re
porters that while being held Tues
day, Noriega “had tried to calm his
captors . . . trying to avoid blood
shed.”
Lower-ranking officers attempt
ing the coup were defeated after
loyal forces surrounded Defense
Forces headquarters and counterat
tacked.
“The surrender came when the
loyal officers took command of the
combat units and gave the rebels a
last chance to release the com
mander and members of his staff or
face the consequences,” Castrejon
said. “The general was a hostage for
four hours.”
Later Castrejon said Noriega was
held five hours. It was not clear if
Noriega was held when the final as
sault was made by loyal troops.
“He was confident that elite forces
and the special forces and rest of the
officers and soldiers of the Defense
Forces were going to solve the prob
lem immediately, as it happened,”
Castrejon added.
Castrejon did not say who coordi
nated the rescue and counterattack
operation.
U.S. officials, speaking on condi
tion of anonymity in Washington,
said earlier Wednesday they were
mystified by the decision to let No
riega go.
If things had goqe right for the
Congress criticizes Bush
for failing to help in coup
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
Bush administration said
Wednesday it was not asked and
did not promise to aid in Tues
day’s failed coup against Panama
nian leader Manuel Antonio No
riega but reserves the right to use
military force on its “own timeta
ble.”
Amid sharp criticism from
Congress that the United States
should have stepped in to help
topple Noriega, officials said the
administration was in the dark
Tuesday about what was happen
ing in Panama, with no details
about the coup’s chances of suc
cess. There were suggestions,
though, that a clear effort to re
store democracy might have
brought U.S. help to the rebels.
U.S. officials, asking not to be
identified, said the rebels had No
riega in custody for four to five
hours but then let him go, an ac
count substantially confirmed by
Noriega aides in Panama.
In the Senate, Jesse Helms, R-
N.C., proposed an amendment to
an anti-drug bill to authorize
Bush to use U.S. troops to force
fully remove Noriega from power
and bring him to trial in the
United States on the drug
charges already pending against
him. The move was seen as sym
bolic, since Bush already has such
powers.
Noriega blamed the uprising
on the United States, saying,
“The proof is that American
troops closed access routes to the
barracks, just as they closed the
Pan-American Highway.”
Marlin Fitzwater said Wednes
day, “We did move forces in a po
sition to secure the causeway and
the bridge of the Americas as a
means of protecting U.S. citizens
who were on the base. Those are
the major access routes to our
base.”
Defense Secretary Dick Che
ney told reporters on Capitol Hill
that it was not clear at the time
that Noriega was being held, but
the Bush administration now be
lieves that was the case.
“Clearly they were not of the
mind to turn him over to us,”
Cheney said.
Cheney said, “It was not a pro
democracy group that had taken
over the PDF. It was more of a
power struggle within the PDF it
self.”
rebels, “Noriega would have been at
night court in Miami listening to a
judge telling him he was being de
tained without bail,” one U.S. official
said wistfully.
In Panama City, neighbors said
they saw Noriega enter Defense
Forces headquarters with members
of his staff Tuesday morning, and
that the shooting began about 10
minutes later. They spoke on condi
tion of anonymity.
During the fighting Castrejon
made a TV announcement saying
Noriega was in an undisclosed loca
tion and was in radio contact with his
troops.
ebanese terrorist
ientenced to 30 years
br 1985 hijacking
Search for missing crew continues
in Gulf gas pipeline, boat explosion
Hazardous material experts check for chemical leaks in water
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Leb
anese hijacker convicted of comman-
Beering a jetliner in Beirut in 1985
Vith two Americans aboard was sen
tenced Wednesday to 30 years in
prison.
Fawaz Younis, grabbed by FBI
agents aboard a yacht in 1987 and
Irought to the United States to stand
|rial, told U.S. District Court Judge
Aubrey Robinson that “I am not a
nember” of any terrorist group.
Younis said the two Americans on
|he Jordanian airliner were “treated
i friends” by the hijackers during a
0-hour ordeal over the Mediterra-
hean Sea that ended with the 70 pas
sengers and crew members being
freed. The hijackers then blew up
phe aircraft.
The judge ordered Younis to
erve 30 years for hostage taking, 20
fears for aircraft piracy and five
fears for conspiring to take hos-
ages, following his March 14 convic-
iion by a jury on three of six criminal
[charges. The sentences are to run
[concurrently.
After the sentencing, Younis’s at-
Itorney, Frank Carter, promised to
appeal the case on “20 different is
sues.” He said that the question of
U.S. jurisdiction is a critical one and
that “I don’t think it (the hijacking)
had anything to do with Americans
whatsoever.”
Assistant U.S. attorney Ramsey
Johnson urged Robinson to impose
a sentence of life imprisonment, but
the judge said he wouldn’t because
no one was killed in the hijacking.
Jordanian sky marshals aboard the
plane were beaten, but there was tes
timony at Younis’s trial that he or
dered the violence stopped.
But the judge said a lengthy sen
tence must be imposed because time
“will never wipe out in the minds” of
the passengers and crew the “terror”
they experienced.
U.S. Attorney Jay Stephens called
the sentence “substantial” and “fair,”
adding that it “vindicates the vic
tims” and sends a “clear message” to
anyone “who would engage in acts of
international terrorism.”
Having spent the last two years in
custody, Younis will be eligible for
parole in eight years, Stephens said.
SABINE PASS (AP) —Two haz
ardous waste material experts
boarded a fishing boat that struck a
gas pipeline and exploded in the
Gulf of Mexico to check for any
missing crew members and danger
ous chemicals, officials said Wednes
day.
Members of the U.S. Coast
Guard’s Atlantic Area Strike Team
boarded the “North Umberland”
about 6:15 p.m. to “check for traces
of anhydrous ammonia, which the
fishing vessel used as a refrigerator.”
“We haven’t heard from them, so
we don’t know if they have found
any bodies,” Lt. Cmdr. Mark Simp
son said. “They’re going to be work
ing until dark.”
Meanwhile, Coast Guard officials
suspended their search for eight
people missing after the boat ex
ploded just before dark Tuesday.
Three people were killed and three
others injured in the accident.
Two Coast Guard cutters were out
to keep other vessels away from the
“North Umberland.”
Mike Benson, spokesman for the
National Transportation Safety
Board in Washington, said the
agency was sending a team to investi
gate. The five-member team was ex
pected to arrive in nearby Port Ar
thur late Wednesday.
A small fire continued to burn 18
hours after the 160-foot “North Um
berland” apparently hit the 16-inch
natural gas pipeline, triggering a
spectacular blaze that sent flames
hundreds of feet into the air, Lt.
Scott LaRochelle said.
The main blaze burned itself out
Wednesday morning, after the pipe
line was turned off.
The hazardous material experts
from Mobile, Ala., have equipment
to test the air and water in the area.
LaRochelle said anhydrous ammo
nia is used on board fishing boats to
preserve a catch.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart
ment personnel were inspecting
beaches because prevailing currents
would send survivors or victims to
ward the shore, the Coast Guard
said.
Two victims and three survivors
were spotted by private helicopters
Tuesday night. A third was found
just after noon Wednesday.
The three injured survivors re
mained hospitalized in nearby Beau
mont.
Lori Kerr, a spokesman at Baptist
Hospital, said names of the victims
were not being released immedi
ately.
She identified one as a 53-year-
old man from Sulphur, La., with
burns over 68 percent of his body.
His condition was listed as critical.
The other two, both in good con
dition, were identified as a 28-year-
old from Cameron, La., suffering
burns to his face and arms, and a 31-
year-old from Lake Charles, La.,
suffering from shock.
The Cameron, La.-based “pogy
boat” caught pogy or menhaden, in
edible fish used for poultry feed and
fertilizer, said Barney White, spokes
man for Houston-based Zapada
Heynie Corp., which owns the boat.
The explosion was offshore from
the tiny seaside village of Sabine
Pass.
Marcos’ controversial reign,
death strikes close to students
jEPA sues four Texas cities for toxins
in public sewage treatment systems
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal
[lawsuits have been filed against four
[Texas cities — San Antonio, Beau-
jnioru, El Paso and Nacogdoches —
[accusing them of failing to control
[toxic industrial discharges into pub-
jlic sewage treatment systems, the
lJustice Department said Wednesday.
San Antonio and Nacogdoches,
[however, settled their cases with the
Yell practice
Thursday night yell practice
[times for out-of-town football
games will be changed from 7:30
pm. to 7:15 p.m. beginning to-
night.
The time change will be per-
nanent.
Environmental Protection Agency
with a consent agreement and will
pay fines of $225,000 and $60,000
respectively, for past violations.
In addition, the EPA has pro
posed penalties against Brownsville,
$125,000; Galveston, $125,000; and
Mineral Wells, $125,000. EPA said
federal administrative penalties had
also been decided for Amarillo,
$25,000; McAllen, $65,000; and
Waxahachie, $20,000.
Beaumont City Manager Ray Ri
ley called the lawsuit naming his city
“totally unwarranted” and “totally
inappropriate.”
Riley said he believes Beaumont
was sued because of a “technical de
ficiency” several years ago .in imple
menting a pollution control grant.
He said the city had not assigned a
specific person to conduct some test
ing, although the procedures were
being done by several employees.
“There was no pollution, merely a
technical deficiency in procedures,”
Riley said. “We cannot understand
why they would go to the extreme
limits of filing a lawsuit.”
In El Paso, Mayor Suzie Azar ac
knowledged the city is out of compli
ance but has been acting in “due dil
igence” since early this year to put in
place by early 1990 a formal permit
ting, inspection and enforcement
program.
“We do hope we can come to a
consent decree and resolve the prob
lem and pay the fine and move on
with getting a pretreatment pro
gram in place,” Azar said, adding
that the city has been warned the
fine could range from $557,000 to
$2.3 million.
By Cindy McMillian
Of The Battalion Staff
The death of Ferdinand Marcos, exiled former
president of the Philippines, was a distant event to
many Americans, but struck closer to home for some
Filipino students.
Marcos, who ruled the Philippines for more than
20 years before being ousted in February 1986, died
Sept. 28 in Honolulu without going to trial for U.S.
criminal charges that he plundered his country's
treasury.
Though his family and Philippine opposition
leaders urged Philippine President Corazon Aquino
to allow him to be buried in his homeland, Aquino
refused and the Federal Aviation Administration in
Washington prohibited any aircraft from flying his
remains out of the United States for the Philippines.
Emmanuel Fernando, advisor to the Philippine
Students Association, said he wished Marcos would
have help>ed the Philippine government in locating
the money missing from its treasury before his
death.
“I don’t have any particularly deep sorrow about
his death, just that he died before this matter about
his hidden wealth was resolved,” Fernando said.
“The government hasn't found where the money is,
and now it might never be solved.”
Fernando lived in the Philippines when Marcos
first took p>ower as president in 1964, and was also
there when martial law was declared.
Fernando said he couldn’t speak for the students,
but he did not think Marcos was a good president.
“I don’t think he did a good job,” he said. “I be
lieve things are better now that Marcos is not there.”
Cherith Letargo, president of PSA, spent 24 years
in the Philippines under Marcos and was educated
under his martial law. She said that even when mar
tial law was ended in the 1980s, the people had no
rights and were still under his control.
“I would say the majority of our students feel
happy about his death because of what he did to the
country,” she said. “His death might quell his sup
porters so the new government can move on.”
Ariel Malicse, public relations officer for PSA,
said that Marcos’ death might make him something
of a hero or martyr. Marcos’ influence will fade
eventually, Malicse said, but people who support
him will still speak his beliefs for now.
His supporters in the government, including Vice
President Salvador Laurel, might try to take advan
tage of the situation to further Marcos’ beliefs, Ma
licse said. Laurel w-as supposed to run for president
after Marcos was exiled, he said, but Aquino had
more popular support. Aquino’s government has
survived six armed attempts to overthrow it.
Both students said that Aquino should not allow 7
Marcos to be buried in the Philippines because it
might lead to unrest.
“It will cause instability,” Malicse said. “Most of
the country still considers Marcos a criminal.”