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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 1988)
News Digest By the Associated Press Edited by Bob Nelson Violence continues in Burma 100 killed as troops fire on demonstrators RANGOON, Burma — Soldiers loyal to the new military government opened fire on thousands of demon strators who surged into the streets Monday to protest a military coup. About 100 people were reported killed in Rangoon. Demonstrations also broke out in other cities, including Mandalay. Witnesses and other reports said a total of about 150 people, including 17 soldiers, had died in the violence that swept Burma alter Sunday’s coup. The military placed the death toll at 23 Monday, but gave no details. Military commander Saw Maung engineered the newest change in power in Burma by overthrowing civilian President Maung Maung. Undaunted opposition leaders vowed that students, Buddhist monks and striking civil servants would continue to demonstrate for democ racy. Maung Maung’s whereabouts remain unknown. A Western diplomat familiar with Burma said from Bangkok, Thailand, that “We’re into possibly one of the final acts now ... a naked confronta tion with the army.... Either the stu dents win or the army wins.” The soldiers were trying to enforce a ban on public gatherings imposed immediately after the coup by Saw Maung, the defense minister before the coup and a right-hand man of former President Scin Lwm. Sein Lwin resigned Aug. 12 after riots in which hundreds of protesters report edly died. Protesters blame the country’s sole legal party, the ruling Burma Socialist Program Party, for 26 years of repression and economic ruin. Other analysts believe the military may have acted to simply assert its traditional authority. Reports indicated soldiers shot at mostly unarmed protesters near the main government administrative building, the U.S. Embassy, Sule Pagoda and Rangoon General Hospi lal. An Asian diplomat said 67 people were admitted Monday at Rangoon General Hospital. Witnesses said corpses were taken away by military trucks while resi dents dragged some of the dead and wounded into their houses or put them in three-wheeled taxis to be taken to hospitals. In Washington, the Reagan ad ministration said it was reviewing assistance programs to Burma that total $14 million annually to deter mine whether aid should be cut off in light of the coup and violence. The United States urges Burmese military authorities immediately to cease shooting at demonstrators and calls upon those demonstrating to refrain from provocative actions,” White House spokesman Marlin Fii/water said. Military spokesman Kyaw Sann said the clashes began Sunday night when “the violent mob attacked secu rity forces with catapults and jinglees (metal dans) and the troops had to disperse the mob by shooting in many parts of the town.” Kyaw Sann said crowds Monday raided two police stations, stealing rifles, pistols and ammunition. There were reports protesters, some carry ing swords, spears and crossbows, were taking the weapons of fallen soldiers. Polish cabinet resigns in face of criticism WARSAW, Poland — The gov ernment of Prime Minister Zbigniew Messner resigned Monday after sharp criticism of its management of the economy. A lawmaker called on par liament to legalize the Solidarity labor federation. The resignation of Messner and all 19 government ministers was an nounced in a speech by Messner to the Sejm, or parliament. It was the First time in Poland’s postwar history the entire govern ment stepped down. Messner said the resignations would make it easier for parliament to make “proper deci sions” about the government’s future. Messner, prime minister since 1985, defended the government’s performance but conceded “mis haps” in not standing up to inflation ary wage demands. Inflation caused a wave of labor strikes in April. A second wave in August ended when authorities and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa agreed to hold broad-based talks next month that may include the topic of legaliz ing Solidarity. Under Poland’s system, the Com munist Party led by the Politburo is the actual seat of power and appoints the government through its majority in parliament. The government is responsible for executing the party’s goals. The party leadership has main tained that its goals for reforming the economy and political system have been correct but the implementation by Messner’s government has been faulty. Recent articles in the Soviet press also have criticized die Polish government The outlawed Solidarity federa tion “should regain its proper place in the trade union movement,” Ryszard Bender, independent parliament member from L^ublin, said during a debate in parliament on the economy and government “Apart from associations, apart from Solidarity...there is also a need to have new political parties,” he said. It was apparently the first call in parliament tor legalizing the union since Solidarity was suppressed in the 1981 by the imposition of martial law. Bender urged Poland's leader, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, to make a joint statement with Walesa, “the first Nobel Peace Prize lauieate in Polish history,” concerning Poland’s “most vital interests.” Jaruzelski smiled slightly but had no other visible reac tion to the remarks. In his speech, Messner appeared to question die recent emphasis on dia logue with the opposition. “We are paying for (the strikes) now with escalation of demands and greater chaos in the market, loss of authority of management. We again have be come a symbol of anarchy in die world,” he said. “Political methods of solving tensions cannot mean toler ance for law-breaking.” About 30 deputies spoke after the government’s resignation, with sev eral endorsing the planned talks with the opposition. But Bender was the only speaker openly calling for rein statement of Solidarity. Immediately prior to Messner’s speech, parliament heard a critical report from a committee set up to monitor the government’s perform ance in implementing economic re form. Its chairwoman, Kryslyna . Jandy Jendroska, cited the dismal performance of the economy in the areas of inflation, production, hous ing, agriculture, taxes and invest ments. She urged that more “coalition forces” from outside the party be brought into government, including experts in the economy. The criticism of the government echoed statements at a Communist Party plenum Aug. 27-28, during tfje wave of strikes. ATTENTION ALL BUSINESS MAJORS MARKETING CLUE PRESENTS: TOM SLOVER VICE PRESIDENT, DIVISIONAL MERCHANDISE MANAGER VOLUME SHOE CORPORATION (OPERATING NATIONALLY AS PAYLESS SHOESOURCE) "LET'S GO ON A SHOE BUYING TRIP TO CHINA" SEE WHAT INTERNATIONAL MARKETING AND NEGOTIATING IS ALL ABOUT Complimentary Appetizers will be served. ""—• ii i». oi'.ii in urn. >•'.» .ii.ivui »«•»:»»* turn )»» •> * * ... 100,000 children homeless on any single night, study finds WASHINGTON — At least 100,000 of America’s children are homeless on any given night and that doesn’t include those who have run away from home or been kicked out by their parents, the National Academy of Sciences estimated Monday. While male alcoholics and former mental patients still make up a large portion of the homeless, the fastest growing group of people with no place to live are children under 18, said the academy’s Institute of Medicine. “The committee feels strongly that the growing phenomenon of homeless children is nothing short of a national disgrace that must be treated with the urgency that such a siluali >n demands,*’ said the report. One recommendation aimed directly at helping children: Federal support for enriched day care and Head Stan programs should be expanded and coupled with outreach effons to make homeless parents aware of help available for their children. A recommendation for the homeless in general: Permit the use of food stamps at restau rants so prepared meals will be available to people who don’t have kitchens. The committee formed by the institute to do the study, which was ordered by Congress, applauded changes that allow use of fowl stamps at shelters and soup kitchens. But it said operators of those facilities need to be educated in the principles of sound nutrition and the special nutritional needs of the homeless. The committee also sought to dismiss fears of city government officials who might con clude that increasing their efforts to help the homeless would only draw more homeless people to their cities. The great majority of homeless people are long-term residents of the city where they live, the committee said. What’s more, it said, what causes homeless people to move to another city is the prospect for work, not the prospect for welfare. If jobs aren’t available, they tend not to stay long. As for homeless children, the report said there arc no national studies pinning down the numbers, bui using “even the most conserva tive estimates” would mean that: • On any given night, 735,000 people in America have no home in which to sleep and must resort to streets, shelters, institutions or • >>»)»> M < f 4 4 v 4 * 4 ^ , , other makeshift quarters Citing research by the Alliance Housing Council, a homeless advo cacy group, the committee concluded that 1.3 million to 2 million people will be homeless for one night or more in the course of a year. • Most of the 735,000 homeless on any given night are alone, but at least a quarter of them are members of families .and 55 percent of the family members are children. Thus, the report concludes, “a minimum of 100,000 children are homeless on any given night of the year" and that figure counts only children in intact families and leaves out “runaway, throwaway or abandoned children." The study did not detail how it concluded that “children under the age of 18, usually as part of a family headed by a mother, are the fastest growing group among the many sub populations of the homeless. The report said most homeless children are in families headed by the mother and it found that homeless mothers frequently have no one to call on even in severe emergencies. The study says the mtqor causes of home lessness are: • A decrease in the number of housing units for low-income people - 2.5 million fewer than in 1980 - while the number of people who can only afford such units has increased because of skyrocketing housing costs. • A tightening of eligibility for public assis tance programs as well as a decline in the value of such assistance. • Policies of state mental hospitals, general hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and some jails and prisons that have fewer people admit ted and free some who were previously held. “One result of these factors is that the system for providing temporary shelter for people who arc homeless has been burdened beyond its capacity,” with people staying for months rather than days, the report says. Alcoholism, drug abuse, menial illness and the fatal disease AIDS often results in people losing jobs and homes, it noted. Many diseases are complicated by home lessness and illnesses such as exposure, hypoth ermia, skin disorders. In addition, accidents, muggings and rapes are often the result of the victim having no home, the study says. * • • ' •»#*•«• I • i • 1