European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes saturday december 30,1989 Latvia to abolish Rule making communists guiding Force Moscow a the latvian parliament on thursday decided it will join its Baltic neighbor Lithuania in abolishing the communist party s constitutionally guaranteed supremacy local activists and journalists said. Parliament voted 220-50 to eliminate a Section in the Constitution that makes the communist party the leading and guiding Force of soviet society said Viesturs Koziolm of the latvian people s front news paper Armoda. Eriks Schriks. Chief of the official news Agency lat inform confirmed that decision. Lithuania and most of Eastern Europe already have shed such provisions. Koziolm said the latvian parliament voted after a Stormy debate that lasted More than three hours. Sarmite Al crts spokeswoman for the grass Root popular front movement said the decision must be made final at parliament s next session Jan.  language will be adopted then on Constitution Al amendments legalizing alternative political parties. The change is expected to reduce the party s grip on Al spheres of life in the Republic. Like its neighbors Lithuania and Estonia Latvia has a Broad has cd movement Sockin Independence from the soviet Union which forcibly annexed All three nations in 1940. Lithuania also legals cd alternative political parties. Lithuania s precedent setting action dec. 7 to drop its version of article 6 was the first threat to the communist party s guaranteed supremacy in the soviet Union. Since then the Issue has Arisen in the National Congress of people s deputies and the parliaments of two other republics Estonia and Armenia All of which have similar provisions in their  of them have taken a formal vote on the Issue but Estonia is expected to do so in  lithuanian legalization of a multiparty system also helped push the lithuanian communist party into breaking with the National communist party last week. The lithuanian communists instead formed separate party which favors Independence. That move infuriated Many Kremlin communists and the National party s Central committee decided to Send its Leader. President Mikhail Gorb Chov to Lithuania next week to discuss the  thursday Lens of thousands of lithuanians ral lied to support the lithuanian communists against the Kremlin. The television news show Eremya said thousands of people gathered in Vilnius Kaunas and Klaipeda to hear bold uncompromising speeches supporting the party  of the demonstration in Vilnius showed a huge crowd on the Central Gediminas Square num Bering More than 50,000.the latvian parliament also considered reinstating the Flag and National Anthem of the Independent latvian Republic that existed Between the two world wars said la inform s Schriks. The vote was postponed to the next session in  Estonia the parliament approved hefty taxes on alcohol and tobacco to finance pay raises for teachers doctors journalists and others in social and cultural work said estonian radio commentator Peep  stipends also will Rise he said. The retail Price of Beer will double while the aver age Price of tobacco products will Rise 50 percent and other alcoholic beverages will increase in Cost by 20 percent. Kala said. Outboard Fiat Lothar i Etersen of Kiel West Germany lakes a lest ride in a Fiat Bambino that he converted into an amphibious chicle. Happily sharing the Outing in Kiel Harbor Are his twin nephews Dennis and  spent 1,200 hours reconstructing the Fiat. It s powered by a 3-Horsepowcr outboard motor. World today s. Korea May pick up Cost of relocating . Bases Seoul. South Korea a South Korea agree Din principle to Bear the estimated s3 billion needed to relocate All . Military facilities out of Seoul Theyon Hap news Agency reported Friday quoting government  said a final decision will be made at .-South korean talks in  countries have been discussing the relocation after agreeing in principle on moving All .  out of the capital by 1996, including an in Hole Goli  i Ici lilies consist mainly of army Headquarters and upon units in Yon san. Covering 670  South koreans say the location hampers City  said the facilities will be relocated in Taejon in Central South Korea instead of Osan originally Sug i itch by the american  43,000 . Troops Are in South Korea under a 1954 Mutual defense treaty. Japan s defense spending to increase official says Tokyo a improved soviet military capabilities and . Demands for Tokyo to pay the costs of stationing american troops in Japan have made in creased defense spending necessary a senior govern ment official said  Shig Cic the foreign ministry s National Security affairs director said that although Japan i aware of what s happening in the world including so Viet initiatives toward troop reductions improvements in the soviet s regional military Power must be  qualitative improvement in soviet forces in Asia has been quite substantial he said. Therefore we still think we have to make continuing efforts in the defense  wild elephants trample villager in Sumatra Jakarta Indonesia up wild elephant rampaging through a Village in South Sumatra Tram pled a woman to death earlier in the week a news report said  saw the 50-year-old widow Symirah Tram pled to death when a Herd of eight elephants stampeded into Suk Adana in the Central Lamtung District on Indonesia s southernmost Sumatra  Kompas newspaper quoted Yili Agurs As saying thai Symirah could not do anything when she was twisted by an elephant s trunk and thrown before she was trampled to  tried to drive the animals away with traditional methods such As torches and beating Drums but the elephants ignored the attempts villagers said. Teams comb Rome area for Panther on prowl Rome up a Shepherd s discovery of a decapitated sheep near the City s main milk producing plan thursday spurred on the search for a Black Panther reportedly on the prowl near a major freeway for the past 48  of police Many armed with automatic weapons aided by tracker dogs and zookeepers were pressed into action with sedative injections at the ready. They combed the outlying Urban areas around the eternal City without Success for the  clattered overhead and Mobile cages were prepared in Case the Panther was sighted and captured. Police believe that the animal May be a Domestic Pelt hat either escaped or was set free. They appealed for the owner to come  said that alarmed several citizens reported sightings of the Panther throughout the Day thursday. Israeli army to probe shooting of 2 palestinians Jerusalem a the army Fri Day ordered an investigation into the shooting of two 12-year-old palestinians in an assault on masked Arab a Day ear Lier in the occupied Gaza strip. The army said the shootings were Acci dental. Both boys were reported in Good condition at Gaza City s Shifa Hospital. Also Friday a palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel was hacked to death by masked arabs in Gaza s Khan Yunis refugee Camp Arab reports said. The slaying of Ahmad Mohammed Abu Shah much 56, came a Day after Palestine liberation organization Leader Yasser Arafat s mainstream Fatah faction called for restraining slayings of alleged collaborators in a leaflet distributed in Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Friday s death raised to at least 164 the number of palestinians killed by Fel Low arabs during the 2-year-old Palestin Ian uprising against israeli Rule of the occupied lands. Most were suspected of collaboration. A total of 640 palestinians have been killed by israelis in the uprising and 43 israelis also have died. The army said Friday about the 12-year-Olds that soldiers detected four masked Arab youths in Gaza City and fired according to  apparently children were near the group of masked people and therefore injured by gunfire it added. One masked youth also was wounded. Under army rules Troy s can shoot atthe legs of masked palestinians who flee despite soldiers orders to halt and warn ing shots fired in the air