European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday june 26, 1994 world the stars and stripes Page 13 British drug smuggling suspect Sandra Gregory sits in a Bangkok Thailand prison after appearing in court Friday on drug Rahl King charges. Woman rues to so Bangkok Thailand a one of two britons on trial for heroin trafficking said Friday that she  have taken the risk if she had known How severe the punishment could be. Quot i had no idea the sentence was going to be 25 years a said Sandra Gregory 29, of Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire. A if i had known i never would have done  Gregory talked with reporters during and after a trial hearing Friday. She said she was transporting the drugs for Robert lock 30, of Cambridge when thai customs officials arrested them last year. While lock sat shackled and mostly quiet during the testimony Gregory was surrounded by British reporters As she thumbed nervously through a Magazine and talked quietly with reporters. Gregory and lock were arrested in february 1993 after the British embassy notified authorities that lock May have been trafficking heroin. Gregory pleaded guilty to the charge of Possession but innocent to trafficking. She said she agreed to transport the heroin for lock but did t intend to sell it. Lock has pleaded innocent to both charges. A it Wasny to mine it was his a Gregory told a reporter. A i was just carrying it for him. He was going to pay  Gregory expressed dismay that the trial was so slow. A if i had been sentenced a she said tearfully a i could have asked for a Pardon six months  the two were arrested at Bangkok Airport while waiting for a flight to Tokyo. Police said Gregory was carrying 150 Grams 5.3 ounces of heroin inside her body. Customs officers said they searched her Only because she was with lock. Gregory said she is being treated As Well As could be expected in jail a for a third world country. But it certainly w Oulen t be acceptable in  a i miss my family a she said. In Thailand Possession of More than 100 Grams 3.5 ounces of heroin is punishable by death. Officials said no Western prisoners have been executed in Thailand in recent decades and the sentence is Seldom imposed against thais Vietnam hiking prices to Cut deficit Hanoi Vietnam apr Vietnam is raising prices on electricity gasoline and Cement to boost revenues and help cover a budget shortfall hampering its Public works projects an official report said saturday. The government also has required All ministries provinces and cities to increase tax Revenue by 10 percent Over the original annual plan the state run Vietnam news Agency reported. Hanoi still lacks $545 million needed to pay for three fourths of the 5,460 construction projects it planned for 1994. Funds Are scarce due to problems and delays in obtaining Domestic and International Loans As Well As to the Small amount of capital raised so far through the Sale of Treasury Bills the paper said. Disclosure of the deficit seemed to contradict a fiscal forecast by Deputy prime minister Phan Van Khai that the Vietnam news Agency reported earlier this month. Khai predicted that government Revenue would grow by 50 percent in the first half of the year enough to cover Public spending and investment needs the Agency said. Vietnam a finance ministry started this month to Issue six month Treasury Bills. The securities Are part of an Effort to tap into As much As $2 billion Worth of Gold and currency that vietnamese Are believed to be holding outside the banking system. The ministry will crack Down on tax evasion and stiffen the fight against smuggling to reduce the amount of lost tax Revenue the news reported the government meanwhile has vowed to tighten controls on spending. Vietnam could save As much As $145 million if it reduces spending by 5 percent the paper said. Canadian commander cleared Petawawa Ontario up it. Col. Carol Mathieu the former commander of the Canadian airborne regt Battle group in Somalia was found innocent by a court martial Friday for his actions during . Operations in Somalia last year. Mathieu was charged with negligence and breaking the rules of engagement for ordering soldiers to shoot somalian looters. He was the highest ranking officer charged in the fallout from the Mission. During the six month Mission three somalian citizens were shot and killed by Canadian peacekeepers and one somalian teen Ager was beaten to death. Mathieu 44, said he feels relieved and vindicated by the verdict at Ca. Nadian forces base Petawawa Quot in a Happy but i was sure of the outcome from the Start. I had done nothing wrong a he said. The prosecution had charged that Mathieu was wrong to order looters shot because the lives of Canadian soldiers were not in danger. But the defense successfully argued that Mathieu had not ordered that looters be shot a at All costs Quot but had demanded that Security be tightened at the Canadian compound in Belet Huen. Mathieu said Friday the orders were justified under the volatile conditions in the East african nation. A we would have had dire cons of Encis if we were not in control of inc situation a he said. Mark is always try but College courses Mark registers for a course a few Days before leaving. He brings his books and tapes with him and takes his exams when he returns. A going try should not prevent you from completing a degree. 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