NATION/WORLD
Wednesday, March 12, 1997
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7A
Russia to be reorganized
Yeltsin vows to shake up government
The Associated Press
MOSCOW — President Boris Yeltsin ordered his Cabinet overhauled yesterday, following through on promises to shake up a government that has been unable to pull Russia's fledgling market economy out of its rut.
The newly invigorated Yeltsin, who last week castigated his government for lying motionless while the economy drifted, only guaranteed the jobs of two Cabinet members — Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and his new top deputy, Anatoly Chubais.
Yellsin gave Chermyrdyn a week to reorganize the government. He
Boris Yeltsin
said it should be trimmer, with a smaller Cabinet and fewer ministries, although it was not clear how many officials would lose their jobs.
The Russian government has seemed rudder-
less since at least July, when an alling Yeltsin won re-election to a second term and then dropped largely but of sight because of heart trouble and a bout with pneumonia. Only in recent weeks has he appeared to be fully back in control.
In the meantime, the economy has stalled on the difficult road from communism to capitalism. Millions of workers, both in government and private industry, have gone for months without pay. Taxes have gone uncollected and public disgust has grown.
"The president wants to take some steps following his recuperation which would show him out and about on top of things," said lawmaker Grigory Yavlinsky.
But, he said that a personnel reshuffle alone would solve neither economic issues nor internal policy problems."
Yeltsin repeatedly has pledged to fix pressing problems since becoming Russia's president in 1991 but often has not delivered and has blamed his ministers for the shortcomings.
The Russian leader promised a shakeup in his State of the Nation Speech, and followed that with yesterday's order, saying Chermomyrdin would work out the details of the decree.
In addition to Chernomyrdin, the Cabinet consists of 33 ministers and deputy premiers. Government representative Alexander Voznesensky said that the decree also might apply to at least some of the heads of 19gov-
ermment committees and 23 federal agencies.
However, the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted another government representative as saying the only officials who would lose their jobs were those whose departments are being eliminated.
While 'Yeltsin will be seeking quick improvements to social and economic problems, he also has stressed the urgency of military reform. That could result in the ouster of Defense Minister Igor Rodionov, who already was rumored to be on the way out.
The Russian stock market soared yesterday, rising 3.3 percent after news of the government reshuffle was announced.
Chernomydyni, a reliable but colorless premier who has demonstrated strong survival skills, told reporters that the changes would lead to the deepening of reforms in all directions.
"Everything will be all right," he assured Russians.
Depleting bison population in Montana causing concern
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — With more than half of Yellowstone's wild buffalo herd destroyed, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said yesterday that continued killing of the animals is threatening the survival of a national symbol.
Babbitt has been sharply critical of Montana state officials who for months have waged war on buffalo that wander outside of Yellowstone National Park, killing or sending to slaughter 1,049 of the animals so far this winter.
Hundreds more are believed to have died within the park from the severe winter weather that also has caused more of the animals than expected to wander into surrounding forage areas in search of food.
"The continued killing by the state of Montana could threaten the future of this national symbol and the biological integrity of the last wild herd," Babbitt said in a statement.
Montana Gov. Marc Racicot called Babbitt's remarks shameful and said they show he does not understand the problem.
"I'm really tired — and I think the people of this country and I know Montanans are tired — of this same rhetorical posturing," Racicot said.
Montana officials contend that they have no choice but to kill the animals if they leave the park because of fear that they may spread disease to livestock. Some
bison carry brucellosis, a disease that causes livestock to abort their calves.
Even the threat of such disease can cause havoc to a state's livestock industry, the officials said. Oregon, for example already has barred Montana cattle from its borders unless they are tested for the disease.
Interior officials said Babbitt planned to offer new proposals next week about ways to deal with the buffalo and concerns by Montana officials about the spread of brucellosis. A news conference about the subject was canceled yesterday because of what aides said were scheduling conflicts.
Babbitt has been in a long tug-of-war with the state about how to deal with the problem. In a settlement of a lawsuit filed by Montana against the agency, the Interior Department agreed to a plan in which bison leaving the park are killed or captured for slaughter, either by state officials or by park rangers.
Interior officials said that 68 buffalo have been killed since Feb. 26, when Babbitt sent Racicot a letter urging a halt to the killing and suggesting some alternative short-term solutions aimed at stopping the slaughter.
But Montana officials have accused the National Park Service of not doing enough to control the Yellowstone bison herd, which they said had grown too large. They also have complained
about inadequate research into developing a brucellosis vaccine for wild buffalo.
Andy Rohrback/KANSAN
Babbitt said that the unusually severe winter has driven a large number of the animals out of their historic winter range and beyond the Yellowstone boundary.
Although there are buffalo found elsewhere, the Yellowstone bison are the only truly wild herd in existence, Interior officials said. Babbitt said that if the killing persisted, the future of the herd was in jeopardy.
Racicot disputed that, noting that the park's top bison researcher, Mary Meagher, has said that thinning the herd to about its current level may ensure the herd's future in a park incapable of supporting a larger number of bison.
"I'm surprised and mystified by the secretary's lack of knowledge," Racicot said. "I don't think that he has a full grasp of all the issues."
Wisconsin dealer convicted of stealing military equipment
The Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. — A military surplus dealer was convicted yesterday of masterminding the biggest theft of fighting equipment ever from a U.S. base — a $13 million heist that included a tank and 17 armored personnel carriers.
Leo Anthony Piatz, nicknamed Tanker Tony, was found guilty of all counts of conspiracy, bribery and conversion of government property.
Platz, 37, could get up to 125 years in prison and $2.75 million in fines at his sentencing next month.
Prosecutors said Platz used bribes, phony documents and help from six accomplices to drive off with at least 153 vehicles from Fort McCoy, located 95 miles northwest of Madison. Five others charged in the scheme face trial in June.
In addition to a Vietnam-era Sheridan tank and the personnel carriers, the stolen vehicles included an airport runway snowblower truck, a crane and other heavy equipment. They were taken between 1994 and 1996.
Prosecutors said that the vehicles were sold to museums and collectors.
Piatz was also accused of trying to lease a missile launcher to 20th Century Fox for use in filming the Desert Storm movie Courage Under Fire, but the studio decided against the deal.
Most of the equipment has been returned to Fort McCoy.
Citizens demand war payments
Latin Americans seek apology
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Latin Americans interned in U.S. camps during World War II because of their Japanese heritage appealed to President Clinton yesterday to let them share the financial redress made to Japanese Americans.
Under a little-known World War II program, more than a dozen Latin American countries shipped 2,264 citizens of Japanese heritage, mostly from Peru, to U.S. internment camps for possible barter with the Japanese for American prisoners of war. No such prisoner exchanges occurred, however, and after the war, many of the Latin internees weren't accepted in their home countries.
They went to Japan or stayed in the United States.
At a news conference, Nishimoto and two other former internees — all U.S. citizens now
The White House had no comment about the group's request.
— displayed 4,000 signed form letters to Clinton from American, Peruvian and Japanese citizens. The letters urged Clinton to issue an executive order to compensate Japanese-Latin Americans who had been denied because they weren't U.S. citizens when they were intermed.
"This callous denial of redress is inexcusable ...," the letter said in part. "Please act now, and don't make them wait another day for justice long overdue."
ment about the group's request. Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., is supporting the new redress claims and said that if Clinton doesn't act, lawmakers will likely introduce legislation to seek compensation for the Japanese-Latin Americans interned.
"This is a true story that belongs in the believe-it-or-not chapter of American history," said Becerra. "It seems to me that any time a government believes it can barter for human beings, it must pay a price."
Drug trader suspect skips bail in Thailand
The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand — The chief suspect in the biggest heroin shipment ever seized in the United States — enough to supply every American addict for a month — has skipped bail in Thailand.
A Thai court granted bail despite a U.S. extradition request, and the United States urged Thai authorities yesterday to take Li Yun Chung back into custody as soon as possible. The police said they feared he already had fled to neighboring Burma, making it extremely difficult to apprehend him.
Li has been at large since a senior criminal court official, apparently violating customary procedures, granted him $200,000 ball Feb. 7 without notifying prosecutors or presiding judges.
Li was indicted in U.S. District Court in New York in May 1996 in connection with 1,070 pounds of heroin seized at a warehouse in Hayward, Calif., in 1991. The heroin was destined for New York.
The drugs, hidden in a shipment of plastic bags, were the biggest heroin
seizure in U.S. history, with an estimated street value of $1 to $3 billion.
The 90 percent pure "China white" heroin was estimated by then-Customs Commissioner Carol Hallett as enough to supply the 700,000 heroin addicts in the United States with as much as they desired for a month.
Li would face life imprisonment if extradited and convicted on the U.S. narcotics trafficking and criminal enterprise charges.
Authorities have linked him to other heroin shipments to the United States and to 162 pounds of heroin seized in March 1996 in Singapore.
Li did not reappear as ordered, and the court seized the $200,000 bond — three land deeds police said turned out to be worthless.
Bail was granted by the criminal court's deputy director general, said Maj. Gen. Viraj Jutimatta of the Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau. Disciplinary action was likely to be brought against the official, whom Viraj did not name. He has not been charged with any crime.
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