European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday november 7, 1s91 the stars and stripes a Page 3hundreds die in philippine storm Manila Philippines apr Flash floods triggered by tropical storm Thelma unleashed landslides in the Central Philippines and officials said wednesday that More than 750 people had been killed. Officials said the death toll was an estimate because they could not Cope with the extent of the devastation. The philippine red Cross said it received unconfirmed reports placing the death toll at More than 2,000. Most of the deaths occurred tuesday in Imelda Marcos Home province of Leyte about 350 Miles Southeast of Manila. Vilma Tan the regional director of the office of civil defense said More than 600 people had died in one Leyte City Oroc which has a population of about 160,000. Red Cross and civil defense officials said 135 More were killed in other parts of Leyte and another 52 died on Negros Island. No reports have been received from the Island of Samar where the storm came Shore wednesday. Tan said so Many bodies were littering the streets of Oroc that officials were hauling them away in wheelbarrows. Mass funerals were held because officials lacked sanitation equipment. A i saw one Van with bodies piled on top of each other with legs and arms protruding out a said Tan by Telephone from the provincial capital Taloban. Thelma a relatively weak storm struck Samar on tuesday with winds gusting to 46 Mph forcing Marcos to cancel a planned trip to Leyte on wednesday. After sweeping across the Central Philippines the storm weakened to a tropical depression wednesday. The storm dumped nearly 6 inches of rain in 24 hours on Steep mountains in Leyte that were so heavily logged there was Little to prevent the slides and inundation. Floodwaters heavy with mud and de a resident of Leyte province leads his pigs to safety tuesday after tropical storm Thelma destroyed his Home background. Bris tumbled Down the slopes toward Oroc at High tide swelling Waters quickly in shanty settlements near the coastline. That prevented Many of the residents from escaping quickly Tan said. She said that a makeshift morgue had been established at or mock a health clinic and that thousands of residents were unaccounted for. A you can see bodies along the streets under houses and in creeks in Oroc a she said. A bodies Are lined up at the City health  Tan said the floods from the hillsides were so Rich with mud that they cracked the Walls of the City Hall. The entire Island was without electricity wednesday she added. She said at least two major Bridges Between Oroc and Taloban about 45 Miles to the Northeast had been swept away. Winston Garcia a provincial official on the Island of Cebu said officials there also received a radio message front Oroc mayor Maria Victoria Locsin appealing for help. A to Roc is completely Cut off Quot he said quoting Locsin. A the Bridges arc completely out. There is not much food in the area. On Negros Island provincial gov. Daniel Lacson said first reports showed that More than 400 Homes had been destroyed. More than 2,000 people in the provincial capital Bacolod had been forced from their Homes but no figure was available . Stance on mias disturbs vietnamese envoy Washington a Vietnam a ambassador to the United nations said tuesday that his government could quickly Settle questions about missing americans if the United states would Stop making that a condition for normalizing relations. Ambassador Trinh Xuan Lang refused to comment however when asked whether that meant his government was withholding information on missing americans. Lang spoke to reporters As a special Senate committee opened a new investigation into the Fate of the 2,273 americans still listed As missing in action from the Vietnam War. A spokesman for the state department told the panel that the United states will watch Vietnam a cooperation and Pace the move toward Normal relations accordingly. A we Are in control of the process a the panel was told by Ken Quinn Deputy assistant Secretary of state for East asian and Pacific affairs. Earlier the chief . Mia Hunter John Vessey told the committee that the probability of finding live american prisoners had declined considerably since 1987, when he was named the presidents emissary to Hanoi for pow Mia matters. The Only conclusive evidence uncovered since then was confirmation of the death of americans Vessey said. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said every Lead about american mias is Pur sued but studies of recently released photographs and purported eyewitness accounts had failed to produce any evidence that american prisoners were still alive in Vietnam. Cheney also said people who present false information should be called to account. Outside the hearing room Vietnam s ambassador noted the link the United states was making Between Resolution of the Mia Issue and normalized relations. A on our Side we understand that statement in a different Way that Means the Resolution of the Mia issues depends also on the Pace and the scope of the willingness on the american Side to achieve normalization of relations a the ambassador said. Asked if that meant his government was withholding information on missing americans Lang paused for a couple of seconds and said �?o1 Don t want to comment on  Lang then was asked if his government could resolve the Issue quickly if the United states dropped it As a condition of Normal relations. A yes Quot he replied. The ambassador later told Senate staff members his remarks had been somewhat misinterpreted according to sen. John f. Kerry d-mass., the chairman of the committee. Tuesday was the opening Day of hearings for the special committee established by the Senate just a couple of months ago and Given a year to investigate the Mia  gets 18-month jail sentence in thefts by Meridith Winder . Bureau an air Force delivery Driver assigned to Raf upper Heyford England has received an 18-month jail term following a two Day general court martial on charges of stealing car parts and other items a base spokesman said. A six officer jury also recommended that sgt. Erik r. Weathers of the 20th Supply so be demoted three grades to airman Basic ordered to forfeit $250 a month for six months and Given a bad conduct discharge. In the court martial last thursday and Friday Weathers pleaded guilty to and was found guilty of a one count of attempting to convince briton David s. Sutton to commit perjury. A one count of conspiracy to commit larceny of Mili tary property. A two counts of larceny of military property of a value in excess of $1,500 and $400, respectively. According to court records Weathers conspired with airman 1st class Leone Dmartino in Between Jan. 15 and March 31 to steal military property including automobile engines carburettors and fuel pumps valued at More than $1,500. Weathers stole the Auto parts in March. Then from March to april he took eight cold weather jackets and six pairs of flying boots valued at More than $400, said spokesman Richard Colley. In april Weathers tried to induce Sutton a British acquaintance of nearby Syresham to commit perjury at Demartino a court martial. Weathers wanted Sutton to testify that Sutton and sgt. Huber j. Carrillo or. Placed the stolen engines in do Martinow a garage without de Martinovs knowledge the spokesman said. Legal officials think that Carrillo a name was chosen at random to implicate him Colley said. Sutton relayed this information to authorities and testified about Weathers attempt at the trial. Dmartino was convicted in july of conspiracy to steal military property theft of military property wrongful appropriation of property and attempting to sell military property. He was Given a four year jail term a bad conduct discharge demoted to airman Basic and ordered to forfeit All pay and allowances. Dmartino was a surgical service specialist at the base Hospital. The 26-Ycar-old Weathers will serve his confinement at Raf Lakenheath. He a been in the air Force since february 1984 and assigned to upper Heyford since april 1986