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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1996)
s, - __! i &susai aam*, ^ E\)(^S X^lGEST Wednesday, April 17,1996 Page 2 _ i . 31 Colombian soldiers killed in ambush BOGOTA, Colombia—Colom bia put its army on maximum alert Tuesday after a rebel ambush of a military convoy killed 31 soldiers and wounded 18 near the border with Ecuador. The attack occurred at sunset Monday on a fog-covered road out side the town of Puerres, 350 miles southwest of the capital, Bogota. About 150 rebels exploded dy namite on the road as the six-vc hicle convoy passed by, then opened fire with machine guns and gre nades before fleeing into the sur rounding jungle, the military said. Defense Minister Juan Carlos Esguerra said soldiers throughout the country were placed on maxi mum alert, and the army was con sidering calling reservists back to active duty to fight the rebels. President Ernesto Samper con demned the ambush, saying it “has put all of Colombian society in mourning” and called for a full in vestigation. “This can not be considered an act of war. It was very simply a crazy, barbarous, and cowardly ter rorist attack,” he said from the presi dential palace in Bogota. Samper said his administration would consider implementingemer gcncy security measures, but he gave no details. The ambush was in an area where the anny was deployed to guard against attacks on the Trans-Andcan oil pipeline. No damage to the pipe line was reported. “It was such a surprising attack that we weren’t able to defend our “It was such a surprising attack that we iveren’t able to defend ourselves. ” WILLIAM CORAL Colombian soldier selves,” said one soldier, identified as William Coral. Wounded by gre nade shrapnel, he was being treated at the Ipiales Hospital in southern Colombia. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the largest and oldest of the rebel groups fighting the government for 34 years, was believed responsible, Army Gen. Mario Hugo Galan told RCN radio. He ordered reinforcements into the jungle region to try to ferret out the rebels. Armed forces commander Holdan Delgado and army com mander Harold Bedoya flew to the ambush site Tuesday morning. Guerrillas control vast areas of rural Colombia and have frequently targeted state-owned oil installa tions. But they rarely attack large cities and pose no real threat to the government. Several guerrilla groups have stepped up attacks in recent weeks. Samper asked Congress on Mon day to extend special emergency powers to tight rebels and crime. The powers case search restric tions and increase sentences for criminals. Kaczynski defense seeks dismissal HELENA, Mont. — Theodore Kaezynski’s lawyer asked a judge to block the prosecution of the Unabomber suspect, saying Tuesday that government leaks have jeopar dized his chances for a fair trial. Michael Donahoe said the release of information from unidentified fed eral sources demonstrates a “lynch mob mentality” on the part of federal investigators. The result was a “lethal media blitz” that “poisoned the entire population of grand jurors within the United States against Mr. Kaczyunski,” he wrote in his motion. Donahue, one of two court-ap pointed attorneys for Kaczynski, said the prosecution should be halted until the court can decide whether the leaks will prevent a fair trial. “The government should not be al lowed to proceed before various grand j uries throughout the country that have been permanently poisoned by the government’s outrageous conduct in disclosing to the media the highly in criminating nature of evidence taken from Kaczynski’s cabin,” Donahoe said. “In Mr. Kaczynski’s case, the pos sibility that he could ever be afforded anything that might remotely resemble that (fair trial) process has been for ever lost.” U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell did not immediately ruleon Donahoc’s petition, which sought a delay in any grand jury proceedings against Kaczynski. A federal grand jury will hold its regularly scheduled meeting Wednes day in Great Falls and is expected to hear evidence against Kaczynski. The lone charge filed against him thus far makes no mention of the Unabomber attacks that killed three people and injured 23 over the past 18 years. Lovell scheduled a hearing for 3:30 p.m. Friday to consider whether to pursue Donahue’s motion by calling witnesses, and told both sides to pre pare written briefs. Kaczynski ,53, was arrested April 3 after federal agents, tipped off by his suspicious brother, began searching his mountain cabin near Lincoln. Leaks about the case began appear ing as soon as a search of Kaczynski’s home began April 3. Most claimed that evidence collected there tied Kaczynski to the Unabomber bomb ings. Donahoe’s motion also requested a hearing to question Justice Depart ment officials about what they have done to prevent leaks. He also asked Lovell to dismiss a charge of possess ing bomb-making materials, and re quested the return ofhundredsof items taken in a search of Kaczynski’s cabin. Should the government contend it is not responsible for the leaks, Donahoe said he will put reporters on the stand and ask them to identify their confidential sources. “If past practice is an indicator, the effort will be a futile one,” said Dick Winfield, who has practiced media law in New York for 30 years. Winfield said Donahoe’s intent may be to scare federal officials into believing they may be discovered as sources. Israel targets Palestinian refugee camp BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israeli heli copter gunships targeted Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp Tues day, widening their 6-day-old on slaught against Iranian-backed guer rillas. Israeli aircraft also bombarded Beirut, killing a 2-year-old girl, after a rocket attack on northern Israel. Despite a flurry of diplomatic ac tivity involving the United States, France and other countries, there was no sign of a letup in Israel’s offensive aimed at stopping the rocket attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas. From hideouts in the valleys of south Lebanon, the guerrillas fired more volleys of Katyusha rockets into north ern Israel, drawing more Israeli airstrikes. Five civilians were killed and 20 wounded on Tuesday. All told, 46 people have been killed and 166 wounded on both sides since the hos tilities began Thursday. Most of the dead have been Leba nese civilians. The attack before dawn Tuesday on the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp near the port of Sidon was the first on a Palestinian target since Israel began the offensive. The three Cobra gunships fired six rockets, gutting the house of Palestin ian guerrilla leader Col. Munir Makdah, who escaped unhurt, police said. Two of his bodyguards and one of their wives was wounded. Makdah opposed the 1993 peace accord between the Palestine Libcra t ion Organization and Israel, and broke from the group to form his own militia. He later allied with Hezbollah. Israel hopes its raids, which have forced 400,000 refugees to flee north toward Beirut, will pressure Lebanon and Syria to disarm Hezbollah. iE 11 Li m Then sell them for up to 30% of cover price! Page One Bookstore 206 N 13 under the Douglas 3 Theatres 474.6316 9TH ANNUAL hoe^wn Workshops 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. $20.00 Dance 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. $5.00 __ APPL YNO Will Student Summer Employment in Housing May 4 - August 23 Custodial.....S5.70/hour Building Maintenance.....$6.10/hour Building Painter.....$6.10/hour Weekend schedules and occasional overtime available! Apply in person between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to: •Mike Leupold at Cather-Pound-Neihardt Maintenance •Mike Kansier at Harper-Schramm-Smith Maintenance •LaVern Priest at Selleck Maintenance •Lyle Harris at Abel-Sandoz Maintenance •Jerry Lokie at Burr-Fedde Maintenance For further information, call Central Housing Maintenance, 472-3753. Clinton, Hashimoto reaffirm U.S.-Japanese military alliance TOKYO (AP) — Seeking to calm security jitters. President Clinton pledged Wednesday to keep 100,000 American troops in the Asia-Pacific region to preserve peace and stability. Japan strongly welcomed Clinton’s pledge. In a swift follow-up to sponsoringa peace initiative for the Korean Penin sula, Clinton signed a joint declaration with Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto reaffirming U.S.-Japan se curity ties. The two leaders said the alliance is the cornerstone “for maintaining a stable and prosperous environment for the Asia-Pacific region as we enter the 21 st century.” They pledged close co operation on defense matters, includ ingjoint production of a jet fighter, the F-2. Still, about 4,500 demonstrators shouted slogans and waved effigies in a Tokyo park Tuesday to protest the U.S. military presence in Japan. A cardboard effigy of Clinton was printed with the words, “Give me more land, more people, more money!” Netwraskan Editor J. Christopher Haln 472-1766 Managing Editor Doug Kouma Assoc. News Editors Matt Waite Sarah Scalet Opinion Page Editor Doug Peters Wire Editor Michelle Gamer Copy Desk Editor Tim Pearson Sports Editor Mitch Sherman Arts & Entertainment Editor Jeff Randall Photo Directors Scott Bruhn Travis Heying http://www.unl.edu/DailyNeb/ FAX NUMBER 472-1761 The Daily NebraskanfUSPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer sessions. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 9 am. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public also has access to the Publications Board. For information, contact Tim Hedegaard, 436 9253.9 am.-11 p.m. Subscription price is $50 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St,Lincoln, NE 68588-0448. Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1996 DAILY NEBRA8KAN
