European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes sunday july 10, 1988 arming civilians in Panama a photo panamanians of the so called dignity battalions 1 were handed weapons Friday to defend their country from us.  the militia trained by Panama s defense Force was formed after president Rea Gan ordered us. Forces in the canal zone strength ened to protect american facilities and civilians. Officer who shot Black teen fired from Montreal police Force Montreal a a Montreal police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black teen Ager Las year was fired Friday by City police chief Roland  a Case that stirred angry protests last november among the City s 120,000 Blacks Constable Allan gos set was dismissed from the Force because of negligence in the arrest of 19-year-old Anthony Griffin. Bourget told reporters he accepted last month s recommendation by the police Force s disciplinary com Mittee that the 16-year Veteran be fired. The committee said Gosset pointed his gun at grif Fin without justification then fired killing him with a single Bullet to the forehead. Gosset 38, shot Griffin outside a police station after the youth bolted from custody. He obeyed an order to Stop but was shot As he turned to face Gosset. Gosset said the gun went off accidentally but he was suspended from his Job and charged with manslaughter. An All White jury acquitted him in february but the prosecution has appealed the verdict As Canadian Law allows. Black Community protests prompted Quebec Justice minister Herbert Marx to order inquiries by the que Bec police commission and human rights commis Sion. The police commission concluded june 9 that gos set was negligent thoughtless and lacking in vigilance and judgment but found no evidence the shooting was racially motivated. There Are Only six Blacks among Montreal s 4,481 police officers. Both the commission and the police department internal disciplinary committee recommended gos set s dismissal. Gosset and a policewoman arrested Griffin after answering a complaint from a taxi Driver who said a customer refused to pay a fare. A Check of Griffin s identity showed he was wanted on charges of breaking and entering. 13 Caribbean leaders ask . To Stop meddling in their affairs St. Johns Antigua a the leaders of 13caribbean nations have accused the . Justice department of interfering in their regional affairs As it cracks Down on drugs and urged president Reagan to halt the meddling. Members of Carico the Caribbean Community and common Market ended five Days of talks Fri Day without taking a position on Haiti s coup but they agreed to work toward eliminating obstacles to Region a Trade by oct. 1. The leaders drafted a letter to Reagan saying the Justice department was overstepping its jurisdiction by investigating alleged drug traffickers in Panama and the Caribbean. The contents of the letter were not revealed but Antigua Deputy prime minister Lester Bird said i would be signed by the Carico Secretary general to represent All the leaders. Bird announced it would protest what the Leader considered a derogation of their local Laws and . Violations of their sovereignty As the Reagan administration seeks to win favor in an election year. Some of the leaders criticized Bird for making the announcement prematurely. Prime minister James Mitchell of St. Vincent and the grenadines said it was bad  the Caribbean has Long been a source and an important conduit for drugs coming into the United states. Cocaine from South America traditionally passe through Caribbean ports before entering the United states. Much marijuana is also grown in the area. From the Start of the meeting monday it was apparent the leaders were unlikely to reach unanimous agreement As required by Carico rules on what Posi Tion to take on the haitian military government that ousted president Leslie Manigat in a coup june 19. World today wild Rabbit population hits 200 million in Australia Sydney Australia a Australia s wild rabbi population now exceeds 200 million or about 13 Rab bits per citizen the government funded Bureau of agricultural and resource economics said Friday. Noel Flavell an economist with the Bureau said the Rabbit population was booming because the myxomatosis virus which had Cut Down the Rabbit population since it was introduced 30 years ago has become less effective. The rabbits costs Australia around $55 million in lost agricultural production according to a Bureau report. Flavell said the mortality rate of myxomatosis infected rabbits had dropped from 99 percent to around 60 percent in recent years. Officials Are looking into developing a new lethal Gene to further reduce the wild Rabbit population he said. Australia s population is about 15.4 million. Italy fires kill 1, Hurt 3 crops Woods destroyed Matera Italy a fires swept through Woodland Farmland in the Southern italian Region of Basilica to killing one Man and severely burning three others officials  fires were believed to have been started by temperatures that reached 100 degrees fahrenheit. The casualties were members of the state Forest corps. Military civilian and voluntary workers have been fight ing the fires in Basilicata 275 Miles South of Rome. By Nightfall the blazes were not under control. Earlier fires destroyed 120 acres of Corn and 50 acres of Woods in the area causing More than $300,000 Worth of damage. Sex Bank of Boston officer arrested in fraud Case London a a former vice president of the Bank of Boston Max Buteau has been arrested in London by Scotland Yard fraud squad officers and charged with conspiring to defraud the Bank police reported. A spokesman for the american Bank Wayne Taylor speaking in Boston said the total amount involved in the alleged fraud is 17 million pounds $29 million. Scotland Yard said in a statement that the 39-year old Buteau is accused of issuing false guarantees of payment to foreign and Domestic corporations to enable funds to be drawn against them Between oct. 21, 1987, and feb. 16,1988. Taylor said Buteau who lives in London and worked at the Bank s Branch at Victoria in Central Lon Don resigned last month. Chinese Bank to Issue great Wall Mastercard Beijing a the Bank of China and .-based Mastercard International agreed Friday to Issue a great Wall Mastercard for extending credit in for eign currencies to chinese going abroad. The new card China s first foreign currency credit card will supplement the Bank s 2-year-old great Wall credit card which can be used inside China when Mak ing purchases in chinese currency the Yuan. Chinese who have Legal income in foreign currency and foreign currency accounts with the Bank of China can apply for the new card the official Xinhua new Agency said. Chinese based offices of foreign companies foreign ers who live in China and chinese foreign joint Ven Tures also can apply for the card it said. The new card can be used in More than 5.4 million shops hotels and restaurants worldwide that accept Mastercard. Venezuelan troops kill rebels during Kidnap try Caracas Venezuela a venezuelan troops killed five purported members of Colombia s National liberation army on Friday As they attempted to kid Nap a venezuelan rancher military officials said. The Border confrontation was the second in Les than a month. The clash occurred in los Tot Mitos a sparsely populated area 420 Miles Southwest of Caracas and about 9 Miles from the Border with Colombia the officials said. According to regional military commander  Camejo Arias a venezuelan anti Kidnap Ping commando had been placed on Alert since mid night thursday after the military gained intelligence of the planned kidnapping