European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes sunday August 27, 1989 hungarians say refugees using czechoslovak route Budapest Hungary a hungarian authorities admitted for the first time Friday that East Ger mans desperate to flee to the West Are crossing illegally from Czechoslovakia into Hungary in a bid to get to Austria and Freedom. The admission came in a report from the state news Agency Mai. It said 14 East germans were caught illegally crossing the Border from Czechoslovakia the Only country East germans May visit without getting permission from their communist government. East germans who made it to Austria or to Buda pest had earlier told Western reporters that refugees were risking two illegal Crossings from Czechoslovakia and then into Hungary but to Date there had been no official word. In a signal that Hungary is finding the flow of East German refugees increasingly problematic Mai also announced that units from the armed workers militia have been sent to the Border with Austria to beef up patrols and Stop East germans fleeing West. Meanwhile More than 100 East germans fleeing their Homeland defied the increased hungarian Border controls and crossed illegally into Austria austrian authorities said saturday. The Austria press Agency quoted unidentified Law enforcement officials As saying that the East germans crossed into Austria overnight individually or in Small family groups. Hungarian officials have declined to say whether pressure from Warsaw pact ally East Germany had encouraged the tightening of Border controls. An estimated 5,000 East germans have reached the West across the hungarian austrian Border since the exodus began in the second half of july. Hungary began dismantling barriers along the Border in May but Many escapees report still risking their lives sur mounting barbed wire and other obstacles. Those crossing into Austria also include unspecified numbers of romanians. The Austria press Agency said Friday that 10 romanians managed to get across near Korbisch on Lake Neusidl. Hungary has been giving Asylum to romanian Citi Zens most of them ethnic hungarians since january 1988. Several of the romanians Are desperate to go farther West but find it difficult to get entry visas. Budapest s government daily newspaper Magyar Hirlan in Stark contrast to East German Media printed comments from some of the 150,000 to 200,000 East germans vacationing in Hungary to explain Why some want to flee Westward. We Don t think we arc treasonous would be defectors a doctor teacher couple from Dresden was quoted As saying. We asked in vain for passports to go to Greece and Italy and to show our children Europe s history but we were always turned Down they reportedly said. We would have resumed. Tell us what kind of government is it that cannot Trust its own citizens even after 40 years video distributor s Snake stunt angers animal officials shops London a hundreds of video rental shops received promotional kits Friday for a horror movie with live snakes inside the packages and outraged Ani Mal Protection officials called the stunt cruel and  Royal society for the prevention of cruelty to animals called on Cinema International corp. To take Back the 700  snakes were in danger because instructions accompanying the kits had incorrectly said they did no need to be fed for their planned monthlong stay in the stores the society said it said it was receiving dozens of Calls from unhappy shop  Brett pics marketing manager said the snakes were intended to be kept in shops to promote a thriller about voodoo called the Serpent and the  chinese rat snakes were bred domestically and the company began sending them out thursday from its London Headquarters he said. The snakes Silver with Gray stripes Are not Poison Ous but might carry harmful parasites if they came from abroad. Spca spokeswoman Diana Jones said. They need to be fed weekly she said. While admitting the arc d been some confusion Cic denied that the snakes would harm anyone or be  be sent out 700 in Clear plastic aerated boxes As conversation pieces Brett said. Snakes make wonderful  18-Inch to 24-Inch snakes used in the promo Tion came from a company called animal actors which assured Cic that they did not have to be fed for three months be  Cane Cic s marketing assistant said whenever we launch a new video title we normally Send to our distributors posters sleeves and cardboard cutouts. With this film we decided to Send snakes. In marketing terms it s called live Points of  some recipients weren t impressed. We Felt Complete and utter horror said a London video shop manager who refused to be identified to protect his relations with the distribution company. I deplore any living creature used for  he said the Snake which just appeared out of the Blue had been returned to the distribution company s animal  said the snakes were hand delivered m boxes marked live animal and he claims that shop own ers were warned by ads in the Trade press and Calls from sales  the end of the month they were to be collected by the company although if shop owners were Unap. By they could Call an emergency number and have them picked up. Superintendent Freddie Drew of the Royal society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shims one of the snakes. I have spoken to three shop owners who were less than Happy Brett said. If we find we were wrong about feeding then obviously we will take action on that and pull them Back  Jones said the Spca was urging unhappy owners to demand that the company take them Back and if they did to the Spca might take some. We Don t have the resources to take care of hundreds of snakes she said. World today London bound jumbo goes to Montreal in Alert London a a British airways jumbo Jet with 291 passengers flying from Chicago to London s Heathrow Airport diverted in mid night to Montreal following a false alarm fire Alert the airline reported. An airline spokesman said flight ba298, a Boe ing 747, had taken off Friday night from chicag bound for Heathrow when a warning Light on the night deck indicated a tire in the cargo hold. The Captain decided to divert to the nearest available Airport which happened to be Mon Treal As a natural precaution said the spokes Man. It turned out there was no fire and the warn ing Light had come on because of an electrical fault he said. Hermit still going Strong after 40 years in Forest Moscow up a religious Man who was alienated by official policy toward christians decades ago became a Hermit and has lived for More than 40 years on a River Bank deep in a Central russian Forest a newspaper said Friday. Anton Smirnov 74, lives in a mud hut with one Small dirty window and no Chimney along a River in Russia s Smolensk Region the newspaper a Ovetskaya Rossia said. In his youth the Small Gray bearded Man at tended a local Church school it said. After world War ii he objected to official constraints on worship and led to the Woods to practice his religion without interference. Smirnov said he eats whatever food he can find once a Day and goes Barefoot throughout the year. Another Christian who initially lived with Smirnov died the newspaper said. Women losing ground in parliamentarian roles Geneva a the proportion of women in the world s parliaments dropped to 12.7 per cent by the end of june close to the level of 15 years ago a private Survey says. Since the beginning of last year that figure has dropped from 14.6 percent according to figures published by the Geneva based inter parliament tary  s parliament has the highest proportion of female legislators 38.1 percent up from 30.1 percent in january 1988, a summary of the Survey said. Norway and Romania were each listed next highest with 34.4 percent each Fol Lowed by Cuba East Germany Finland and Denmark. Sharp drops were registered in the soviet Union where the percentage fell from 34.5 to 15.3 after elections last March and Poland whose proportion dropped from 20.2 to 13.3 percent. In France the share of women deputies declined from 6.4 to 5.7 percent the Survey said. In Venezuela the number of women holding parliamentary scats More than doubled from 3.9 percent to 10 percent while in Ecuador h Rose from 1.4 percent to 4.2 percent during the 18 month period  participation in Mexico s parliament Rose from 10.7 percent to 14.7 percent in Bolivia from 3.1 percent to 6.9 percent and in Canada from 9.9 percent to 13.2 percent the Survey said. Soviet offshore Gas find May be richest recorded Stavanger Norway a a giant off Shore natural Gas Field discovered by the soviet Union in the Arctic last year is probably the richest Ever found a norwegian newspaper has reported. A new Well drilled to assess the Barents sea find showed it could be several times larger than the Norway s troll Field previously the biggest known offshore Deposit reported the Stavanger Afien Bladt.  from Norway s private and Kjof Nansen Institute told the newspaper that they Learned details of the find during a visit to mos cow s Academy of science. The newspaper said the information was confirmed by other norwegian sources