Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1982)
Amnesty group reports on political killings LONDON (AP) — Thousands of people, especially in Central America, were killed last year on the orders of their governments, Amnesty International said in its annual report Wednesday. It urged international action against political killings ‘ Governments must not be allowed to evade responsibility when they choose to obliterate suspected opponents," the London-based human rights movement said in the 367-page review of political imprison ment, torture and executions in 121 nations in 1981 The Nobel Peace Prize-win ning organization stuck to its tradition of refusing to make comparisons or identify the world’s worst offenders against human rights The report ranged frgm ca taloging "continuing repression against all forms of dissent" in the Soviet Union to expressing concern at a record 924 people on death row in the United States It cites El Salvador. Guatemala and Syria for civilian killings by troops or officially approved "death squads." Amnesty said Iran, where Is lamic courts condemned an average 13 people a day, in cluding children, to death by firing squad during the second half of 1981, topped the 34 na tions where death sentences imposed by courts were carried out. The organization, which op poses capital punishment, said 3,278 prisoners were known to have been executed during the year — nearly treble the number in 1980 These officially announced figures included 2,616 people in Iran and 96 in white-minority ruled South Africa but left out. for example, an estimated ' hundreds" sentenced by mili tary courts in Pakistan and similar executions in other countries Oh to be where palms sway, steel drums play... now it’s Jamaican ganja season DUNCANS, Jamaica (AP) — Heaped at the end of an airstrip between the Jamaican coastal resorts of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, a rusted DC-3, a stripped Piper Cub and an engineless Cessna lay in a field of red peppers "They were just too loaded down with dope,” says Samuel Bazin, 24. a tour guide in the Mon tego Bay area He says the field, adjacent to the blue-green waters of the Caribbean, is a well known landing strip for planes picking up mar ijuana "Ganja," as the Jamaicans call it. is the island's No. 1 crop. Grown in the Jamaican interior by reclusive natives called Maroons, marijuana is being har vested now, and federal drug agents say most will be shipped or flown 700 miles north to hidden off-loading sites in southern Florida. , Those planes that don't make it — such as the three at Duncans — are often grounded through negligence and greed, locals say The marijuana is hastily transferred from the planes, which are looted of valuable airplane parts, before the well-to-do traffickers abandon the planes. "It's just written off as a ioss," srys FBI special agent Jim Freeman in Miami It's the cost of doing business " Freeman recently visited Kingston s police chief to plot a U S -Jamaican attack on the large scale drug trade, which originates primarily in Colombia and Jamaica Prime Minister Edward Seaga says marijuana is still the island s chief source of revenue Officials estimate island ganja growers reap an estimated $11 billion annually — more than Jamaica's foreign debt — on about 2,000 acres of cultivated land In 1980, 97 suspected pot planes suffered crashes or were seized at island landings spots That figure declined to 46 in 1981, Jamaican StatfStiCS iri\jiCat6 By September of this year, there have been 13 crashes or seizures — 10 in August, officials say But Jamaican authorities dehy marijuana traffickers are active on this island this year. "There's not much ganja around,. California, that's where it is now, with their sensimilla," says Jamaican consul Sidney Abrahams in Miami Sensimilla — seedless marijuana mostly grown in Northern California — is "better (quality) weed than that grown in Jamaica," he says But Freeman cautions: "Things aren’t ,as quiet as some want us to believe '' At the Montego Bay airport, locals openly approach tourists outside the terminal with offers to sell "spliffs" — a cigar-sized marijuana cigar ette For $20, they offer ganja "guaranteed to make you fly." Unemployment on the island is 35 percent Prices for its top export commodities — bauxite, sugar and bananas — have fallen as much as 25 percent from 1980 ievels Seaga has said that without the island’s marijuana underground business, his island na tion would be bankrupt All but a few hundred of the condemned Iranians died in an "upsurge of executions ’ after the June 20 ouster of President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr. said the report More than 3,800 people are known to have been ex ecuted since the February 1979 revolution which brought Aya tollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power, it said The 21-year-old group, which has long campaigned for the release of political prisoners, focuses its latest report on dis sidents and threatened minori ties in nations which resort to political killings The victims, dead or "disap r peared." were "countless.” the review noted This is a report about people, not statistics. " Such killings, said Amnesty, took place in countries with widely differing political philo sophies — from right-wing Cen tral American regimes, through Syria's socialist Baath govern ment to the world's largest democracy, India In El Salvador, the report said, refugees' testimony confirmed reports that identified regular security and military units as responsible for widespread tor ture, mutilation and killings of non-combatant civilians from all sections of society ” Oregon and Washington file to block off-shore drilling SALEM (AP) — Oregon and Washington filed briefs with a federal court Monday in an effort to block the Interior Department from going ahead with plans to let oil leases off the northern California coast The states argue that the leases should not be approved because of potential environmental problems and the econ omic losses they could suffer if an oil spill polluted their coastal waters The offshore leasing program was approved earlier this year by Interior Secretary James Watt The briefs were filed in the states' lawsuit before a federal court in Washington, D C The brief quoted Oregon Gov Vic Atiyeh, who in April said Watt had failed to consider the environmental effects of the leasing plan on Oregon and Washington Both Oregon and Washington depend heavily on tourism and fishing, and an oil spill could cause them serious damage, Atiyeh said The states argue that Watt's failure to consider the environmental problems means his decision lacked the proper balance between the possible.discovery of oil and the potential damage a spill would cause. The briefs said the Interior Department's environmental impact statement on the leasing program was inadequate because Oregon an,d Washington were excluded from the review Finally, they say the leasing program violates prc - • sions of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act. Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer said, "The interior secretary's plan is drafted as if the environmental effects of offshore drilling stop at state borders Because there is no proposal to lease lands off the Oregon and Washington coasts, Secretary Watt completely failed to consider the effects of offshore drilling in neighboring states." The case is expected to be argued in December before a three-judge federal panel in Washington, D C. MEETINGS Th« University Marketing Association will hold a meeting today at 4 30 p m in 243 Gilbert Alpha Kappa Pal Business Fraternity Is now accepting pledges. General information and pledge materials are available at the AKP cottee sales in the east stairwell of Gilbert before 10:30 am. or during themformational/ pledge test I meeting tomorrow night at 7 in 336 Gilbert The last pledge test will be held Wed . Nov 3 at 7 p m in 336 Gilbert PI Lambda Theta, national honor society tor Educa tion majors, will be holding a meeting tomorrow night at 7 in 151 Education The meeting will include introduc tions, goal-setting for the year and a talk by Dr Fay Haisley All Education majors welcome There Is a Druids meeting tonight at 6: >5 in the Carson Gold Room For more information contact Dan Gossack at x6248 MEChA will have a meeting today at 4 pm in 16-D EMU All Chicano and Latin American students are welcome. BLOOM COUNTY (OOK..m. you IfYWSlARt eoufcio utep rpuw&tOHtv AGAIN, imgonna Keep honkin' veRSHNOZ. aeNwm. HARASSING *YN066? I HWNH' ANYWAY, FOKS r josr *#wr ewRyeopy ID UNOERSmNC’CN£ thing A«vr we... I by Berke Breathed ICCNTWWrTOGOEwaciD WXSWN61DN K)R1H£ WweR... 0R1H6 GWM0UR...0R1H6 SiX GiN FfZZ WNCH65...ft/T RK OHUY 0N6 ...Ves, DOONESBURY otx FiestveAKef. mmrnsAN ixpaxiBAooe of FAYi resume Pl£ASC THANKS. FKANK. VOU'FZ a sum. 8UTIUMYA. / by Garry Trudeau and yojut mn about -me aw MY. moo BACK A WNS MAY rte MOON THIS CttAlY &JY m IF IDIPN7TBLL. There will be a meeting tor all women Interested In forming a Women's Community Center to serve the Eugene-Springfield area tonight from 6 30 to 8:30 at the Eugene Public Library We»are currently a small, diverse group of women, exploring the need for and interest in establishing a space devoted to assisting women in the pursuit of their physical, emotional, spiritual and econ omic goals For further information, please contact Wren Davidson at 342-6369 OSPIRG (Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group) Consumer Hotline will hold a meeting tomorrow night at 7. OSPIRG office is located in the EMU Everyone is welcome to attend For more information call OSPIRG at 686-4377. The EMU Board House Committee will meet today at 4:30 p m in 108 EMU. The committee will deal with space allocation in Suite 1, EMU ORCA will meet tonight at 7 in Century B, EMU, Members wishing to ride in the van to HP should attend and sign up. Contact Greg Stewart at 342-8528 tor more information SPEAKERS Slate Representative Mary McCauley Burrows and Oregon Taxpayers Representative Dan Gritting will discuss Ballot Measure Three: Constitutional Real Property Tax Limit Preserving 85 ot Districts' 1979 Revenue Will voter approval of this measure affect your college education? This question and others will be addressed today from 12:30 to 1:30 p m in 108-109 EMU Open to all. Sponsored by Episcopal Campus Ministry Peace and Justice Forum. Call 484-1707 for more information British Broadcasting Corp. Correspondent Pamela Creighton will be speaking to Women In Communica tions tonight at 7 in 221 Allen The public is welcome Dwight Lang will speak on “Sex, Race, and Class Inequality In the Academic Hierarchy" today from 3 to 4 p m in 605 PLC as part of the Fall Term Presentations sposored by the Center tor the Study of Women in Society MISCELLANEOUS All University students Interested In learning more about the Issues of nuclear war and the nuclear freeze are invited to a free showing of The Last Epidemic" in Carson Hall Gold Room tonight at 7:30 Off-campus residents welcome Creme Dyment Dormitory Big Brother Court tryoute will be held tonight from 7 to 8 All residence hall men are welcome to tryout Call backs will be held tomorrow night Episcopal Camus Ministry communion worship ser vice will be held today at 4:30 p m at Koinonia Center Chapel, 1414 Kincaid All baptized Christians are welcome to attend Bible study following the service will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m Call 484-1707 for more information. "Hard Time Lunches" — a benefit for Salvadoran Refugees, will be held today from 11:30 a m to 2p m at 1236 Kincaid Authentic, homemade Salvadoran food will be served and there will be live Latin music Cost is $1.50. Eckankar: “A Way of Life" presents an Informative program, “Life, It's All Learning." Learn how to realize one's divine self and discover the direct path to God Realization tomorrow night at 7:30 at the Eugene Public Library, 100W. 13th For more information call 343-2657 The Golden Gate Poets (Kush, John Curl, Andrew Hayes and friends, all from the San Francisco Bay Area) will perform their works on Monday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p m at the Homefried -Truckstop. 790 E 14th This is part of their tour of the Pacific Northwest Polarity: A Weekend at the Coast LCC Heceta House Nov 5, 6, and 7. Preregister at LCC Downtown Center by Nov 1 Cost is $35 (includes vegetarian meals and lodging). Call Judith Lindsay, M A at 344-1101 or 343-1937 for more information Learn how to buy, store and cook with bulk foods. Sponsored by Head Start For more information contact Michelle Kane at 689-9290 or 935-1005 Attend the People's Law School this week and learn all about wills. The class is free and meets tonight from 7 to 9 p m at Patterson Community School. 1510 W 15th Learn how a will is prepared, whether a will is necessary and how to avoid problems There is no cost or registra tion For more information contact Sue Heinl at 342-6056 Gay men’s Health Issues. First in a series of presen tations on saxually transmitted diseases concerning the gay community: Kaposi's Sarcoma ("Gay Cancer") will be held tonight from 7 to 10 p.m at Keystone Cafe. 5th and Lawrence Presented by a Eugene doctor, com municable disease specialist. There is no charge for this series
