European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday. January 22. 1992 the stars and stripes a d Page 15 words can Hurt Maria Elena Cruz Varela a dissident cuban poet shown in a photo taken last fall was recently forced to eat her own words a literally. A pro Castro mob invaded her Havana apartment and according to a fellow dissident forced her to Swallow copies of her pamphlets. The poet s Mouth was injured in the attack. Tourism in Philippines Down 3.5% last year Manila. Philippines up a the number of tourists visiting the Philippines dropped in 1991, with americans increasingly shying away the government said monday. A tourism department report said tourist arrivals through the first 11 months of 1991 fell 3.5 percent to 926,775, compared with the 838.647 for the same period in 1990. Tourism Secretary Rafael Alunan has forecast that tourist arrivals will end 1991 slightly below the 1 million Mark compared with More than 1.02 million in 1990. He attributed the drop to the persian Gulf War which curbed tourism worldwide the eruption of mount Pinatubo in june and the negative image of the country abroad. The government plans to launch a major push to lure More tourists to the country this year concentrating marketing efforts on its Southeast asian neighbors. . Tourists posted the most severe drop at 6.3 percent from 180.136 arrivals in 1990 to 168.661 in 1991. Breakup of Black sea Fleet angers Loyal russian sailors Black sea Fleet i Ini and a a. I is on a i a via Moi i of a Tomania by Deborah Sevari the associated press aboard the mini sweeper tb-438 Marat Iba Dullin had it made a at 28. Captain of his own ship in the soviet Navy s prestigious Black sea Fleet. But the breakup of the soviet Union has jeopardized the Young officer s command. Iba Dullin says he would rather resign than serve Ukraine which wants his ship and has demanded that Fleet officers and sailors swear allegiance to the ukrainian leadership. Quot if we Are taken Over by Ukraine. Ill become a Farmer and my men will leave the Iba Dullin said in an interview in his cramped quarters aboard the minesweeper. A their opposition to the ukrainian oath is like the rapid breakup of the soviet armed forces is potentially the most dangerous consequence of the collapse of the country they served. The Black sea Fleet a with 45 cruisers 28 submarines. 3,300 Small and medium sized ships. 150 air planes and 85 helicopters a was considered part of the soviet strategic forces with the task of countering the . 6th elect in the Mediterranean. After weeks of bitter quarrelling Russia and Ukraine have agreed to Divide the Fleet. Vessels considered of strategic importance will be placed under the command of the new Commonwealth. The rest will go to Ukraine which initially claimed the whole Fleet. But deciding the Fate of each ship in the Fleet which is based in the ukrainian pen t of Sevastopol will be hard. A any ship can be used for strategic purposes Quot Iba Dullin said. Quot for the politicians the Fleet is like a big cake and they Are trying to figure out How to Cut the 21-Man Crew aboard the 147-foot minesweeper consists of seven nationalities mainly from Russia. Ukraine and Central Asia a mirroring the mosaic that made up the soviet Union. The i i year old tb-428 is still covered with symbols of the old soviet Union. In the officers mess a picture of former soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev hangs next to Vladimir Lenin. Every morning the Crew raises the Fleet s White Flag with its red Star and red Hammer Anil sickle bordered at the Bottom with a Blue Stripe. Iba Dullin a tatar from the Steppes of Central Russia says his Crew would agree to serve under a Commonwealth command. Other sailors working along the wharves that line the Oil streaked Harbor also thought the Fleet should go to the Commonwealth or even Russia. Quot the ships should remain under the unified command Russia Moscow Odessa Sevas Topol and Poti Ciui sors 45 submarines 28 Small and medium ships 3,300 air planes 150 helicopters 85 naval infantry Otti cers 6 troops 3,000 1 01 cd Lack sea Sevastopol Poti a Quot t Yuuki y Aumi Nia s x a i i v in limit Tor strategic slut bios a win .1 Cai of the Commonwealth although i have nothing against Ukraine Quot said . Anatoly Stepanov himself a ukrainian. A for me As a russian there is Only one Choice i will swear Only to the said Alexei Lebedev a 21-year-old naval Cadet. The inability of politicians to agree on the late of the Fleet is demoralizing to Young sailors from across the former soviet i Inion. Quot we done to know whom we Are serving. I think Russia should have the Fleet. A Uki Aiman Fleet is a joke. Ukraine can t feed us or pay us Quot said 9-year-okl Sailor Andrei re Litrov. A ukrainian. Although then pay is High i than average Lile is hard m Sevastopol a City of 400,0 1 1 people. Sevastopol remains a closed City a remnant of old soviet style secrecy. Naval guards at checkpoints outside the City allow Only people with permission to enter. Inside Sevastopol there Are Long lines for milk and food. There Are few of the Small private shops that have started to appear in open cities. Running water is available Only for a few hours a Day. Iba Dullin said Many sailors work on the Side re pairing ears or doing Odd jobs to make extra Money. As if to Back that up. An officer nearby was leading through the help wanted ads of the local acadians watch French culture Wither Gardner mass. A first the children stopped answering in French. Then the Church school dropped a halfday of classes in the language. Now even the acadian social club uses English at its meetings. But when the Cable to company shut off its French language Channel from Quebec Many of the churchgoing hockey worshipping French canadians in this City got mad. They mounted a Campaign to restore the French station and with it a lost piece of themselves. Quot its like someone takes a gun and shoots you when you have something like that Quot said Louis Leblanc the Stocky bearded Leblanc spoke while watching a card game at the acadian social club. The club illustrates the plight and sorrow of this isolated people whose cultural identity is melting away by generations. An acadian Flag a Fiance s Blue while and red background with a yellow Star flaps in a cold Winter wind beside the american Flag. Inside men Plav cards and banter in French. Yet the bartender says apologetically he can t speak the language. Even reckoning the number of Gardner residents of French Canadian heritage poses a Cross cultural dilemma. Federal census figures put it at 1,193. Or 6.6 percent of the total population of 17.90 1. Acadians dispute the figure putting their numbers at 30 percent to 40 percent of this Northern Massachusetts City. Thuv Point out entire pages of Cormier. Blanc and other common acadian mimes in the local phone Book. Their ancestors came to the Region m the 1750s. When the British expelled thousands of French speaking people from Acadia the former French Colony that now includes land in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and new Bruns Wick. Some expelled acadians trekked to Louisiana where their descendants Aie known As cajuns. Another wave of new Bini Wmk Resi dents journeyed 400 Miles South to work in Gardner s furniture Mills around 1915. Quot they be been known to be persecuted and pushed around and always held to their religion and. Culture and. Pride Quot said Henry ares a French Leach or and City resident whose quebecois he rage gives him a sight la distanced it i Spe Etive on the acadians Val our Lect. A building will a powerful irame. Linn and thick accent said he pm l understand win the Cable company tinned olt the French Channel Quot it makes us wonder it Llic have something Aga Isi us of l on Hope not. He said u e 11 e i said i sikh has slowly Laded Tom the local roman Alcolu. School and even Mam Hanim a club Dick woe born m the new land w e be i Icik h. And we love my French he said of the men mostly in then his or older surrounding him at the acadian club u i k no 211 Vecais 11 Oil now. I Rcv won t Caie about the i ten he Val Cormier an acadian club Ollie i said members began to hold then of Lucial sessions m English a Tew cais ago. L ast year Liev anglicized the club name to make it Capici to tile lax documents and the like is ideals said Llic pleaded with the Cable company to res Ioie the Channel which was cancelled Jan. I. Be cause Many cd daily shut is depend on it Loi weekly Catholic masses m French. I Rcv said Thuv also loved the Channel s broadcasts of National a locked league games i he acadians to Politi Poi Cal. Went to a Tiv Council meet my dec Ltd to demand then station s in tit 11 i lie meeting Diew about 9 people a record crowd in event Vecais i Lank i i i is. W Lio manages the Aiea s a hic Visioni svs Icin. Said the Channel Pio i armed at k51i a ill Schibi Ooka. Quebec was pulled my inv because its weak signal often produced a Pool Pic till c
