European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes world monday tuesday july 4/5, 1994 Bangkok police to probe death of . Tourist from the associated press Bangkok Thailand a police Are reopening an investigation of the death of a Colorado tourist who an american pathologist said May have been murdered a newspaper reported sunday. The Bangkok Post said the Deputy police chief Gen. Pong Ammart Amatayakul had assigned two officers to work with /embassy officials to investigate the death of Charles Betcher. Betcher 4?, of Vail Colo died May 16 while on a scuba diving vacation on the Southern resort Island of Shuket. Shuket police said he died of wounds he inflicted upon himself in jail. Belchers family has challenged the e police account. A Colorado pathologist or. Rob Kurtzman said thursday that a 3-Inch Cut on Betchers head was a consistent with a blow by a narrow hard object a the Vail daily reported that a . State department investigation into Betchers death concluded he was killed in police custody. Shuket police said Betcher was arrested after he tried to set fire to a Gas station and broke a porcelain figurine in a shop. Meteorite stuns town Sydney Australia a a meteorite hit the township of broken Hil in far Western new South Wales on saturday night causing earthquake like vibrations throughout the area. Hundreds of distressed residents called police saying they had seen a huge White Bright Light plummeting toward the ground. Scientists confirmed it was a meteorite. Ugandan beaten by thugs Frankfurt Germany a two suspected Neo nazis attacked a 25-year-old ugandan Asne waited for a Streetcar breaking his jaw and seriously bruising him police said Friday. Police said the Man was sitting on a Bench at a Streetcar Stop thursday in the suburb of Sachsenhause when the attack took place. The Tso Young men walked up and without warning one of them began kicking and beating the ugandan Yelling a Nigger out a while his colleague stood watch to prevent others waiting at the Stop from interfering. None of them did police said. The attackers escaped. Vietnam vet on Hanoi duty Hanoi Vietnam a a Vietnam War Veteran will head the new . Diplomatic Mission in Hanoi a senior state department official told communist leaders saturday. James Hall 54, head of the departments office of Vietnam Laos and Cambodia was presented to communist party Secretary general do muoi As the top envoy to Hanoi. Hall was introduced by assistant Secretary of state Winston lord part of a us. Delegation on a four Day visit to Vietnam to assess Progress in accounting for americans missing in action in the Vietnam War. Russia faces water woes Moscow a a third of All russians suffer ill effects from contaminated drinking water each year and half the population drinks substandard water government experts say in a newly published study. The environment ministry reached its conclusions after conducting the first nationwide Survey of russians drinking water the Moscow times reported saturday a Day after the ministry released its study. The experts found that one in three russians suffers annually from intestinal disorders caused by infected or polluted drinking water caused by widespread water pollution outdated purification facilities and dirty pipes the report said. 1 albanian sex ruler guilty Tirana Albania a albanians last communist ruler Ramiz Alia was convicted saturday and sentenced to nine years in prison for violating the rights of albanians even As he moved toward. Democratic reforms. Alia 68, was passive As the verdict and sentence were read out in a stifling Tirana courtroom. Alia took Over after the 1985 death of albanians longtime stalinist ruler Enver Hoxha. Alia remained president after the first free elections in 1991. Although Alia tolerated More Freedom tried to decentralize the Economy and worked to revise the country a harsh penal code he is reported to have ordered Security forces to open fire on a group of demonstrators in 1991. Haiti invasion not near key Clinton adviser says Washington a a . Military invasion of Haiti is not imminent but the administration is prepared to take action to protect american lives in that country president Clinton a senior adviser on Haiti said sunday. William Gray Iii speaking on lbs face the nation said that there were signs that tougher sanctions imposed five weeks ago were beginning to bite and that a the United states is not contemplating an imminent invasion of  v a surge of haitians fleeing their country coupled with the haitian military Defiance of the latest sanctions has Given prominence to the possibility of using . Military Force to drive Haiti a military leaders from Power and restoring democracy. Sen. John Mccain r-ariz., said that while the Pentagon opposes military intervention a within the state department and the White House they Are clearly making plans toward an  \ a i think it would be a terrific mistake a Mccain said on the same program. Gray while stressing that the sane tons must be Given time to work also warned the military officers who overthrew democratically elected president Jeari Bertra rid Aristide in 1991. A your word to the coup leaders is you simply must step Down. Do it now and save your country and save the institutions that you represent the military because we Are committed that we Are not going to allow a group of thugs to take  added that in Light of growing human rights violations in Haiti a there is great concern that we must be prepared to protect the thousands of americans in the country. Sen. Bob Graham d-fla., also said on lbs that the situation in Haiti is a horrendous and deteriorating a and that the military option must be considered because a the alternative to doing so is to accept that fact that our near neighbors. Will be subjected to an unending reign of  a it also is an acceptance of the fact that an old style military coup will be allowed to stand and take Over a democracy in the Western  Gray denied that the recent increase in haitian boat people was a result of the Trade embargoes causing economic deprivation in the Western hemispheres poorest nation. A the refugees Are demonstrating the severe repression and deterioration of human rights and political freedoms and not simply an economic tightening of the noose a he said. Some 7,000 haitians have fled Haiti in the past two weeks. V tired coast guard members Laboured saturday in . Coast guard personnel aboard the Cutter Tampa carry a dehydrated haitian refugee rescued from a Small Sailboat off Haiti last week. Their biggest Rescue Mission since world War ii intercepting boats jammed with haitians and bracing for a new surge in refugees. The refugees Are taken either to a ship off Jamaica or to the recently reopened facility at Trie . Naval base at Guantanamo Bay Cuba where they can make formal applications for Asylum. Diplomats say they believe bigger boats Are being readied for thousands More haitians to try to escape their impoverished and repressive Homeland. Until the reopening of Guantanamo most boat people had set sail from the Southwest Peninsula that reaches toward Jamaica. But the availability of Guantanamo makes departing from the North More feasible and thus is Likely to increase the flow said a diplomatic source. The Diplomat who is familiar with the number of boats being built on the Island said he foresees a surge in the next few weeks. Boat organizers particularly in the North Are aggressively promoting voyages he said on condition of anonymity. Iranian Les . Nicosia Cyprus apr iranian helicopters showered Flowers sunday on the persian Gulf Waters where 290 people died six years ago when an Iran air Airliner was shot Down by a . Warship Tehran radio reported. The broadcast monitored in Cyprus said several officials including transportation minister Akbar Tor Kan and Hassan Shaflik head of the state owned airline joined the victims relatives aboard three iranian Navy ships for the ceremony. The officials and relatives shouted a death to America a and a death to Israel a As the Navy helicopters dropped Flowers on the crash site the radio said. On july 3, 1988, the guided missile Cruiser Vincennes shot Down an Iran air Airbus shortly after it took off from Bandar a a Abbas in Southern Iran. The Vincennes commander capt. Will Rogers said his Crew thought the Airliner was an attacking iranian fighter. All 290 people aboard the aircraft were killed. With Iran and Iraq at War at the time the Gulf was a combat zone where merchant ships and Oil tankers were regularly targeted by both sides. Iran says the shooting was no mistake. It has accused the United states of a cover up and called for Rogers to be prosecuted. . Officials blamed Iran for the incident at the time saying the Vincennes had been operating in inter National Waters and was defending Neutral ships from iranian gunboats when the unidentified aircraft appeared on its radar screens. But there has been some discussion in the United states about whether the Vincennes was in International Waters at the time of the incident or in iranian Waters. After years of preparation Iran and the United states Are expected to face off in september when the International court of Justice hears the Case. J Iran has demanded a condemnation of Washington and compensation for survivors the airline company and the iranian government