European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 a the stars and stripes Friday november 22, 1991lawmakers question repatriation policy to Haiti by Cox news service Washington a As . Ships continued to Pluck a growing number of haitian boat people from Caribbean Waters members of Congress on wednesday criticized the Bush administrations policy of returning the refugees to their embattled Island nation. But president Bush defended the repatriation calling the haitians a economic Bush said that to admit the haitians to the United states could prompt a mass exodus at sea. A i done to want to have a policy that acts As a Magnet to risk these Peoples lives a Bush said. As the refugee population Rose to More than 2,800, Federal officials continued to search for ways to manage the crisis including diverting 32s haitians to Honduras and other Caribbean countries from the . Naval base at Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Coast guard rear adm. William p. Leahy warned that at the present rate of interdiction cutters cruising the haitian coast will be loaded to capacity in two Days despite an increase in the Force wednesday from seven to 15 cutters. Administration officials also estimated that 50 percent of the refugees setting out from Haiti in Small boats and rafts for the 600-mile journey to South Florida Are lost at sea. The administration has halted the repatriation of refugees to Haiti in compliance with a temporary restraining order issued tuesday by a Federal judge in Miami. The order issued by . District judge Donald Graham is in effect through monday. Prior to the judges order the coast guard delivered 538 haitians Back to Haiti. The state department re sorted through tuesday that a total of 2,819 haitians and been picked up most of them now living on coast guard cutters at sea. Immigration officials have determined that 85 refugees of 1,600 interviewed Are eligible for political Asylum and can be admitted to the United states. Lawmakers called for the administration to find a better policy claiming that decade Long practice of re turning haitians to their violent Homeland risks lives and appears discriminatory against the Black refugees. A your foreign policy ought to be consistent. It ought to be fair and evenhanded a said rep. Romano l. Mazzoli Day. A we should not return any haitians to Haiti right now that a the Bottom at an emotionally charged hearing wednesday before a House judiciary subcommittee on immigration administration officials defended their actions. A we work hard at being uniform consistent and evenhanded. There is nothing racial about this a said Gene Mcnary commissioner of the immigration and naturalization service. Deputy assistant Secretary of state Robert s. Gel Bard said there is no evidence that haitians who have fled and been returned to their Homeland have been persecuted. Rep. Charles b. Rangel d-n.y., among the fiercest critics of the policy questioned whether the administration would treat boat people from Ireland the Way it has treated the haitians. Paul Hudson of families of pan am 103-Lockerble talks to the Media in 103 families official argue Over Syria role in blast Washington a families of victims of the pan am flight 103 bombing clashed wednesday with under Secretary of state Lawrence Eagleburger when they expressed displeasure at president Bush a dismissal of possible syrian involvement. On the Day that two libyan officials were indicted last week on murder and conspiracy charges Bush commented that Early in the investigation a a lot of people thought it was a the syrians took a bum rap on this a the president said. A some of the relatives were offended by that remark a said Paul Hudson of Albany n.y., president of families of pan am 103-Lockerbie. Victoria Cummock of Coral Gables Fla., said Eagleburger reacted heatedly to the families comments. A the Felt we were calling he and his president liars a she said. However Eagleburger said that when a member of the group complained about the presidents comment he responded a you have not called the president and me liars but you kind of come close to it. I just want Vou to know we Are not in the business of lying to the american Hudson said Eagleburger a in defense of the president said that he did not mean that there was potentially no involvement merely that at this Point there was not shown to be Hudson a group was one of three that met with officials for a briefing. Officials told the families that the United states was talking to other countries to determine what economic sanctions could be taken against Libya. The family members said they urged officials to impose a Swift and meaningful sanctions on Lybia. A bomb planted on flight 103 exploded dec. 21, 1988, Over Lockerbie Scotland. All 259 people on the flight and 11 on the ground were killed. A Hospital laxity blamed in deaths of some patients a Washington a serious medical problems at veterans hospitals including unsupervised interns and inexperienced medical personnel have caused patients to die congressional investigators say. A i examined Chart after Chart where attending physicians rarely examined patients or did not examine them at All a said Mary Ann Curran a congressional health care investigator. A nurses allowed patients with life threatening illnesses to anguish for hours even Days without Curran told a House subcommittee wednesday that she found serious medical problems at All six department of veterans affairs hospitals she visited. And she said a broader examination of records found 30 a hospitals had High numbers of patient complications and other indicators of substandard care. A officials disputed the findings. A at this moment we really do provide first rate care a or. James Holsinger jr., chief medical director of the department said in anticipation of the hearing. Curran a health care specialist for the congressional general accounting office conducted her investigation for the House government operations subcommittee on human resources and intergovernmental relations. She told the panel that the most serious problem found at the six medical centers was the Lack of supervision of residents and interns a problem she said had a severe consequences for a we discovered several cases of patients who had died because of errors made by unsupervised interns or residents a she testified. Curran said the investigation also found that a doctors who were untrained and inexperienced in emergency responses such As resuscitation and that Basic infection control was inadequate. She said Many problems were caused by a the Lack of continuity of care to a in one Case a patient lost a leg because he was not checked regularly. In another Case a patients body was cold upon examination by a doctor indicating that the patient had been dead for several hours before anyone discovered him a she said. Curran said the worst Case she found was at Cheyenne wyo., where a patient was diagnosed for bladder cancer and scheduled for surgery. While the patient was awaiting surgery the staff urologist resigned in a contract dispute and the patient was allowed to go untreated for 45 Days. When his condition was recognized by a surgical officer the patient had lost 30 pounds and his cancer had spread to other parts of his body. He was transferred to the Denver a Hospital where he soon died Curran said. A the patients demise was expedited by the Lack of treatment a Curran said. A the medical care provided to this patient who was unnecessarily restrained in bed against his will whose suffering was allowed to continue amounted to Curran added that this a is not an isolated Case but an example of uncorrected systemic rep. Ted Weiss d-n.y., the subcommittee chairman said a there is a pervasive attitude among the hospitals and the Central office to cover up findings of poor patient retired general denies charges Tampa Fla. Apr a retired four Star army general pleaded not guilty wednesday in an alleged $40 million scheme to defraud the government by Selling defective parts for military munitions. Retired Gen. Wallace h. Nutting who commanded the 3rd army div in Germany from 1977 to 1979, entered innocent pleas to counts of conspiracy to defraud the government making false statements and two counts of obstructing Justice. A the charges Are incomprehensible said Nutting a attorney Sandy Weinberg. . Magistrate Elizabeth Jenkins be the trial tentatively for january. If convicted the 63-year-old Nuttin would face up to 20 years in prison am $1 million in fines. Nutting was among 10 people indicted last month As part of sooner defense c Florida alleged plan to sell part for military munitions they knew did meet specifications. They were accuse of falsifying test results
