The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, December 07, 1989, Image 1

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    exas A&M
he Battalion
WEATHER
TOMORROW'S FORECAST:
Sunny with increasing cloudiness
in the afternoon.
HIGH: 72
LOW: 58
1.89 No.68 USPS 045360 12 Pages
College Station, Texas
Thursday, December 7,1989
oga! Toga!”
Students kick back and watch the movie “Animal Wednesday was the last class day of the semes-
House” in the DG quad Wednesday night, ter, and they relaxed before studying for finals.
Rebels surrender days
after attempting coup
MANILA (AP) — Mutinous rebels in the Makati
business district surrendered Thursday, seven days af
ter launching a coup attempt against President Corazon
Aquino, the government’s chief negotiator said Thurs
day.
“This is unconditional surrender,” Brig. Gen. Arturo
Enrile, superindendent of the Philippine Military Aca
demy, said after negotiating throughout the night with
rebel leaders. “The problem is already finished.”
Enrile said that the rebels began to leave their posi
tions from several high-rise buildings in the financial
district of this capital and should be out of the area by
late morning. They were to be taken to the Philippine
Army’s headquarters at Fort Bonafacio about 12 blocks
away.
It was not clear if Enrile’s announcement marked the
end of the coup, because rebels on Wednesday still held
the Mactan Air Base in Cebu, 350 miles south of Ma
nila. At least 79 people have been killed and 570 others
wounded since Friday.
The surrender came one day after about 1,800 for
eigners, including more than 200 Amerii-^ns, were
evacuated from rebel-held luxury hotels in Makati, and
Aquino declared a national state of emergency to deal
with the crisis.
The government agreed the rebels will be treated
“humanely, justly and fairly,” Enrile said. But he added
they would “suffer the consequences” for launching the
sixth coup attempt against Aquino since she came to
power in February 1986.
He did not elaborate. Most rebels and their leaders
responsible for previous coups have been acquitted or
given light sentences.
Rebels agreed about midnight to give up, Enrile said.
“We all agreed that if they returned to the barracks . . .
fifiT
I his is unconditional surrender. The
problem is already finished.”
— Arturo Enrile,
Philippine general
it would be good for the nation as a whole.”
He added that the rebels’ political demands, which
included the resignation of Aquino, “were non-negotia-
ble.”
President Aquino early Wednesday evoked the “peo
ple power” revolution in appealing for support against
mutinous soldiers bent on overthrowing her govern
ment.
Jrirst non-Communist takes over as E. German head of state
EAST BERLIN (AP) — The mili
ary issued its first warning Wednes
day in response to the turmoil that
has convulsed East Germany, and a
lon-Communist took over as head
f state to end a 40-year lock the
Communists held on the presidency.
The government had reports of
lid a angry citizens storming army instal-
ations, and military leaders pledged
o repel any attempts to seize weap-
fflni®)ns and munitions.
Manfred Gerlach, leader of the
Liberal Democratic Party, replaced
itartii Egon Krenz as interim president,
iron the first time a non-Communist has
Kami become president since East Ger
many’s founding in 1949. Gerlach’s
party recently broke off its long alli
ance with the Communists after
weeks of spearheading reforms.
The Communists scheduled their
emergency session for Friday, a
week earlier than planned, to over
haul the party’s structure.
Shedding such “Stalinist” opera
tions as the Central Committee and
ruling Politburo is one possibility.
Breaking up the party is another.
A 25-member committee of Com
munists now runs the nation.
The National Defense Council, in
charge of the armed forces, quit on
Wednesday, less than 24 hours after
the leaders of the once-dreaded se
cret police quit.
Tne official ADN news agency re
ported late Wednesday the suicide
of an official caught two days earlier
trying to leave a government build
ing with two suitcases stuffed with
East German and West German
money.
ADN did not give his name, but
said he was connected to the case of
fugitive Alexander Schalck-
Golodkowski, the former top East
German foreign trade official ac
cused of running a weapons-selling
ring.
Manfred Seidel, the No. 2 official
in that scandal-plagued office, was
arrested on suspicion of smuggling
$ 110 million out of the country.
The Christian Democrats, a small
party that recently broke with the
Communists, said growing financial
scandals were making East Germany
look like a “banana republic.”
The government announced a
partial amnesty Wednesday, follow
ing hunger strikes spreading to pe
nal institutions nationwide. It ap
plies to those sentenced to three
years or less and excludes prisoners
convicted of “rowdiness,” a term
once applied to pro-democracy dem
onstrators but also sometimes used
for more serious offenders.
For days, reports surfaced of fu
rious citizens barging into secret po
lice offices, including storming one
building in the southern city of Gera
on Wednesday.
A citizens committee pressing for
reforms in Leipzig occupied re
gional state security headquarters
there on Monday, and an ADN re
port suggested the activists still con
trolled the building.
The assaults were meant to stop
destruction of documents needed in
prosecuting former Communist offi
cials.
An investigative commission rec
ommended criminal charges against
former secret police boss Erich
Mielke, 81, for police attacks against
demonstrators in October that
touched off the revolutionary
changes.
The government, headed by re
formist Premier Hans Modrow, said
late Wednesday “indications”
emerged that people were storming
army installations.
No details were given, but the
government appealed for “calm and
restraint” and asked people not to
enter army posts.
atio:
ison
is Wi
liia
Bomb explodes near police station, kills 35
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A
truck bomb containing half a ton of
litdif dynamite exploded outside secret
police headquarters during morning
rush hour Wednesday, killing at
least 35 people and wounding hun
dreds.
The bomb, presumably the work
of drug gangs, was the most power
ful to strike the capital since Colom
bia’s cocaine traffickers began a
wave of terror after the government
declared war on them 16 weeks ago.
A spokesman for President Virgi-
lio Barco said the bombing might be
the start of a new campaign of mass
killings by the drug traffickers, but
that the government would fight on.
The blast, which tore open a
crater 20 feet deep and destroyed or
heavily damaged a score of build
ings, occurred less than 24 hours af
ter government investigators said a
bomb caused the crash of a Colom
bian jetliner last month that killed
107 people.
No one claimed direct responsibil
ity for Wednesday’s explosion, but
Gen. Faruk Yanine, Bogota police
chief, said it was undoubtedly the
work of drug traffickers.
A statement from the so-called
Extraditables delivered to newspa
pers and radio stations in Medellin,
base of the most powerful drug car
tel, said,“We will stop the war only
when the Senate understands the
people must be our judge.”
The reference was to a bill that
would permit a national referendum
on extraditing drug trafficking sus
pects wanted in the United States.
The House of Representatives ap
proved it Tuesday night.
Barco’s government opposes the
measure, contending the drug bar
ons would step up terrorism before a
referendum to frighten voters into
rejecting extradition.
In their statement, the Extradita
bles said:
“The president should not fear
what the congress decides, because
the congress is the voice of the peo
ple, and the voice of the people is the
voice of God.”
The bomb went off at 7:30 a.m. in
an area crowded with people bound
for work on foot and in cars.
,ocal businesses, charities hope holiday goodwill
iolsters seasonal donations for area’s less fortunate
By Julie Myers
Of The Battalion Staff
;aini
md# 1
stas Local businesses and charities are counting on
ndt ;he Christmas spirit to increase seasonal giving
ifor the less fortunate.
r Twin City Mission will collect clothing dona-
rip; ions for the needy from 10 a.m. to dark in the
College Station Kroger parking lot Monday
hrough Saturday until Dec. 31.
“We’re hoping the location will be convenient
Tor students who have donations but can’t seem
to make it to our other locations,” Twin City Mis
sion Executive Director J.C. Thomas said.
September and October were good months for
he mission, and Christmas time is usually a bet-
Cei?
offers safety tips to holiday shoppers, travelers
ter-than-average time of the year for charitable
organizations, Thomas said. But, the supply of
necessities never seems to meet the demand,
Thomas said.
“It’s only a good month if people don’t take
their giving for granted and assume we will get
the food, toys or money from someone else,”
Thomas said. “Get in the habit of cleaning out
your closets and making donations.”
In addition to its downtown Bryan and College
Main locations, the non-profit mission has added
a third donation site across from First National
Bank on Texas Avenue North. The Unique Shop
stocks Twin City Mission’s best new and slightly
used items, including new handmade Indian
blankets valued at $120 and sold for $45.
Other local organizations accepting donations
include the Brazos Church Pantry and the
Bryan-College Station Eagle Cheer Campaign,
which is in its 14th year.
Last year the campaign provided 14,000 bags
of food and collected $25,000 to purchase food
staples.
Anyone who wants to donate food items can
deliver their gift to any Bryan-College Station
public school. Only non-perishable, labeled and
unopened food will be accepted. Homemade
food will not be accepted.
The Red Cross Adopt-A-Child and Adopt-A-
Family program is also seeking donations. Call
822-2157 for more information.
'AC'' 'iyj./'-SpH
The aftermath
Darwin Lytle, a junior Political Science major bottles some bon
fire ashes Wednesday afternoon.
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)
\
;rV
By Julie Myers
Of The Battalion Staff
The holidays are a busy time of year for
Families, shoppers — and thieves. Lt. Bert
Kretzschmar, University Police Department
Crime Prevention Unit supervisor, recom
mends the following safety tips.
Away from home:
Travel
• Travel with someone you know when-
sver possible.
• Carry enough money for telephone
ind emergency use, but never carry or dis
play large amounts of cash.
• Drive with doors locked and windows
Jp, or at least partially up.
• Park in well-lit, busy areas, close to
ivhere you are going. Check behind seats
before you re-enter the car.
• Before long car drives, check tires,
inti-freeze, water and oil.
• Plan your route in advance, partic-
darly on long or unfamiliar trips. Have
enough gas and money to get there and
Jack.
J
• If you see another motorist in trouble,
signal that you will get help and then go to a
telephone and call the police.
• Be particularly careful and alert when
using undergrouhd and enclosed parking
garages.
• Have your car or house key in hand as
you approach ypur vehicle or home. Once
inside, lock the door behind you.
• Never attach a name or address to
your key ring. Keep car keys separate from
other keys.
• Store valuables out of sight and lock
them in the trunk or take them with you
when the car is parked.
• Out-of-state license plates tell thieves
that the trunk is full. When you stop at
night, unload the trunk.
• When it is necessary to leave your key
with the car while parking in a commercial
garage or lot, leave only the ignition key.
Duplicates can be made of other keys allow
ing access to the car, its contents, and your
residence.
• Avoid parking in public lots for ex
tended periods of time. The Texas Crime
Prevention Institute at Southwest Texas
State University estimates a car is five times
more likely to be stolen from an unattended
lot. Shopping center and apartment park
ing lots are frequent targets of auto thieves.
• License registration cards, vehicle
identification papers and checkbooks that a
thief could misuse should never be left in a
car.
• Accessories such as CB radios and an
tennae, stereos and hub caps should be en
graved with your driver’s license number. A
sticker warning that items of value have
been marked should be placed on your car
window to deter burglars. These are avail
able at Crime Prevention Units. Use special
brackets that enable the stereo, car phone
or CB to be removed and placed in the
trunk.
• Record your license and vehicle identi
fication numbers and keep them in your
wallet.
Shopping
• Be extra careful with purses and wal
lets. Carry a purse under your arm. Keep a
wallet in an inside pocket.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
Pay for purchases with a check or credit
card when possible.
• Safeguard your credit cards as you do
cash. Don’t leave them in pockets, sitting
around the house, dormitory or hotel
room, in the car’s glove compartment, or in
an open purse left in a shopping cart.
• Make a list of all credit cards with their
numbers and issuer’s names and telephone
numbers. Keep it in a secure place at home.
• Tear up carbons the store ordinarily
discards. An individual can take a carbon
from the trash, copy the number, and use it
for a mail order purchase.
• When the credit card is returned,
make sure it is yours.
• Notify issuers immediately if your card
is lost, stolen or misused.
• Examine monthly receipts carefully.
Keep all receipts from credit card trans
actions and check them against the bill.
• Watch the card during transactions
and make sure it is used to print only one
slip.
• If you can select your own Personal
Identification Number (PIN) to access an
automated teller machine, don’t use your
birthdate, social security number or ad
dress. If you lost your wallet with your card
in it, these are the first ones a criminal
would try. Use something personal, like an
old address or a friend’s birthday, that you
can remember easily and doesn’t appear on
any cards you carry. Don’t write the PIN on
the bank card or on a slip of paper in your
wallet.
• Don’t overburden yourself with too
many packages. This makes it hard to react.
• Stay alert. Keep your mind on your
surroundings, who’s in front of you and
who’s behind you. Don’t get distracted. If
you’re worried about crime, ask a friend to
accompany you when you go out.
• Communicate the message that you’re
calm, confident, and know where you’re
going. Stand tall, walk purposefully, and
make quick eye contact with people around
you.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel un
comfortable in a place or situation, leave.