European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes Friday May 26,1989 v Teddy joins the Force a policeman in Bern Switzerland presents a Eddy Bear wednesday to a 10-year-old girl. The presenta Tion introduces new helpers for the City s Force stuffed animals. They re in use by the Bern police to help Calm frightened children such As those who have become lost or have liven Imol cd in accidents. Idea of soviet Navy s superiority simply wrong researchers claim Stockholm Sweden a Independent re searchers on thursday rejected the idea that the soviet Navy has an advantage Over the . Fleet and said it was time for the superpowers to talk about orderly reductions in naval forces. Given that both navies Are going to come under changes. They might find it advantageous to Cooper ale said Richard fieldhouse co author of the Book titled superpowers at sea an assessment of the naval arms race which was released thursday. Written with Shunji Taoka a senior military correspondent for Japan s Asahi Shimun newspaper the Book was sponsored by the Stockholm International peace research Institute a respected Independent group funded mostly by the swedish parliament. The United states has been reluctant to discuss naval reductions. The United states believes a Strong Navy is necessary mostly because oceans separate it from its allies. While there is mistrust on both sides the soviets have been particularly secretive about their naval Power especially their nuclear forces. The common misperception that the soviet Union is Superior to the West in naval Power is simply wrong fieldhouse said. Although arms negotiators have made Progress on other fronts they have virtually ignored the world s navies which carry up to one third of All nuclear weapons the authors say. In 1988, the United states had 1,791 ships or Navy planes Able to carry nuclear arms and the soviet Union had 760, the report says. The . Navy with 9,277 nuclear warheads ranks by itself As the third largest nuclear Power in the world and outnumbers All other navies combined the Book says. The soviet total was 6,391, compared with 296 for Britain 292 for France and 24 for China. In submarines the soviet Union and its allies have a numerical advantage Over the United states and its allies 370 to 312, the Book says. However up to 240 of the soviet Union s 339 nuclear capable submarines will have to be retired because of old age by the year 2000, and it is Clear that the soviets do not intend to replace All of them the authors say. A . Plan to retire three types of the Navy s nuclear missiles ahead of schedule indicates that they Are not essential the authors say. Many people justify the size of the Allied navies by the size of the soviet Navy Field House told reporters. The Point is the soviet Navy is not growing. In a sense there s an encouraging trend on a National or unilateral basis said Field House an american who worked on nuclear weapons research. While Money problems will Force both superpower navies to work with less reductions of troops and weapons in Europe arc also Likely to change the role of navies at least in the Atlantic Field House said. Increasing the political control. Would Likely open them to More accountability and scrutiny per haps with less secrecy and More Public debate the authors say. But they argue that prospects for talks arc dim. The . And soviet navies do not want to give up any of the flexibility or Freedom that they so cherish and that seem antithetical to the very idea of controls the Book says. 2 s. Korean Farmers kill selves after failing to find brides Seoul South Korea a two Farmers agonized and embarrassed Over their failure to find brides killed themselves in separate incidents news reports said thursday. Hong Ching Dong 23, set himself on fire and Park in to 32, look farm pesticides after failing to find brides in separate villages in a province about 80 Miles soul Casl of Seoul the Korea Herald said. Both died monday. They were tragic victims of the worsening state of Rural life said an editorial in thursday s Herald. Young koreans especially women have flocked to cities in recent years to find jobs in offices  developed industries depriving Many Rural communities of women of marriage age. Farmers depend on wives and children to help with farm labor. Solution to this plight lies not in Stopgap measures of persuading and luring some women to some Vil Lages said the newspaper s editorial. It said improvement in income living standards and educational and recreational activities were needed to keep Young people on farms. About 7.2 million of the nation s 42 million people remain in farming and one third arc Over age 50. Half a million Farmers mostly Young people left Rural communities last year to seek work in cities. World today e. German Street cleaner escapes in vehicle to West Munich West Germany a an East German cleaning a Road near the West German Border suddenly gunned the engine of his Street sweeping vehicle and safely escaped from his communist Homeland on wednesday police said. Even though two East German Border guards were overseeing the 62-year-old Man while he was working there were no reports of any shots being fired said a statement by the bavarian Border police. The worker who was not identified was operating the Street cleaner on an East German Road near the West German checkpoint at us Senhausen about 75 Miles Northeast of Frankfurt. According to bavarian Border police he suddenly stepped on the Gas and drove the vehicle Over to the bavarian Side. The Man s wife was visiting in West Germany and he decided to join her after she told him she would not be returning to East Germany the police statement said. 50 detained in Philippines for rally at rebel s funeral Manila Philippines a police arrested 50 people who chanted anti government slogans Sang rebel songs and unfurled banners of the outlawed communist party on a City Street thursday during a funeral March fora guerrilla. Patrolman Fred Dizon said the arrests came during a procession for Teodoro de la Cruz an alleged Mem Ber of the Alex Bongcayao brigade the Manila Wing of the new people s army. No charges have yet been filed said the area s police commander Brig. Gen. Manuel Rosas. Roxas said his men were interrogating the marchers and May file charges of inciting to sedition. Do la Cruz was killed in a shoot out with policemen on May 15 after suspected rebels shot and killed a Village official outside Manila. Police also arrested two other people who later con fessed to the murder of the Village councilor. On wednesday police announced that one of the attack ers Florante Catapia hanged himself while in custody. Pollution fighting plan proposed in Holland the Hague Netherlands a the dutch caretaker government on thursday published a 21 year plan to counter environmental pollution but warned 80 percent of the nation s forests May die even if the measures arc put into effect immediately. The National environmental policy plan is one of the most ambitious projects in the seven year govern ment of Premier Ruud Lubbers which on May 3 be came the Western world s first to fall Over an Environ mental Issue. The 250-Page environmental plan which contains approximately 200 pollution fighting measures is Likely to be a major Issue in elections scheduled for sept. 6. The environmental program expected to Cost 6.6 billion guilders $2.9 billion a year by 1994, spells out targets for cleaning up the heavily polluted dutch environment by the year 2010. Burmese rebels Welcome offer to negotiate peace Bangkok Thailand a burmese guerrilla groups waging a 40-year-old War for greater autonomy thursday said they welcomed the government s reported willingness to negotiate a cease fire. Gen. Chavalit Yong Chaiyuth an army chief in neighbouring Thailand said wednesday that burmese Leader Gen. Saw Maung had accepted in principle the proposal made by a thai army delegation led by Gen. Pak Akka Nibur the Deputy supreme commander. An official of Burma s rebel National democratic front which joins 10 ethnic rebel groups and claims to control half the country said the rebels did not Trust the government to make peace but if there is a Chance we must take that  a representative of the Karen National Union the largest member of the front accepted the idea of a truce