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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1995)
Thousands protest new government in Mexico WORLD the new government. MEXICO CITY {Al’) Ton* of thousand* of Mox ii giu surged into a down town pia/a Thursday in an angry protest over an eco nomic crisis that threaten* the pocket book* of the pour and the credibility of Down with capitalism' the demonstrators chanted. "No to inflation!" At least 30.000 people took part in the protest, the bigger t since the peso was abruptly devalued by nearly a third beginning in late [December, rais ing the speeder of runaway inflation Groups representing labor unions, teachers, bus drivers, leftist political groups and others earned banners and chanted slogans denouncing the recent peso devaluation. "Punish those responsible for the devaluation!" they shouted as they marched, jamming evening rush hour traffic for miles through downtown Mex ico City. There were no immediate reports of violence Police did not intervene ns the demonstrators massed on the capital's main plaza, known as the Zocalo. The peso's abrupt slide began Dec. 20, capping a year of political turbulonce marked by assassina lion* and a guemlla revolt that still smolders in the southern state of Chia|Mi* Since then, the peso has lost nearly 35 percent of its value, making imports mart' expensive An emergency economic plan worked out by gov ernment. businesses and labor leaders will hold wage increases to 7 percent for 1995 The govern ment also is predicting inflation will reach an aver age rate of 15 9 percent in 1995. meaning a loss of port hasing power for most Mexicans "The devaluation is going to hurt us," said one demonstrator, teai her Juan Amanay. 35 The }»e<> pie in the government are just looking after their own interests." “Lower salaries mean our children won t have anything to eat." said housewife luana Garcia. 51 The poorest working Mexicans will get a 3 per cent wage hike to soften the effect of the plan Busi nesses. meanwhile, are to refrain from excessive price hikes. Critics say there is little new in the plan, how ever, since the 7 percent salary cap had boon agreed to previously, and the pledge for businesses to "mit igate" price hikes isn't mandatory The peso strengthened slightly Thursday after Mexico's new finance minister announced sober ing new projections of low economic growth and briefed Wall Street on steps to combat the curren cy crisis. Russians, Chechens trade fire in on going battle GROZNY, Russia (AP) — Boris Yeltsin's promise to halt air attacks on Grozny was less than a day old when Russian fighter jets swooped over the ruined Chechen capital on Thursday and bombed the presidential palace Russians and Chechens traded heavy fire around Grozny 's main train station, where burned-out tanks and I todies lay abandoned on the streets. Warplanes also reportedly made bombing runs outside Grozny and heavy shelling pounded outlying villages as Moscow continued its fight to reassert control over the mostly Muslim, oil-rich southern repub lic. The palace in the center of Grozny was hit by at least one rocket, touching off a fire in the upper stories of the tall concrete building, said Western journal ists who witnessed the attack. Only the basement and first floor of the palace were occupied — by Chechen defenders and wounded from both sides. Wit nesses said there appeared to txt nocasuahlM Chet ben President Dzhokhar Dudayev was report edly in a hunker elsewhere in the city It was the third air strike of the day on Grozny. Compara tively, however, Thursday's attacks were light, perhaps ham pered by the fog that blanketed the c ity. Rocket and gun fire rnttled the railway station, hut clashes were far less intense than in recent days Chechen fighters strolled freely through central Grozny on the sixth day of Russia's bungled offensive to take the c ity and quash the republic's 3-year-old independence drive. Yeltsin's promise on Wednes day to stop the bombing was his second of the Chechen cam paign — and the second to be followed by air strikes the next day. Last time, warplanes destroyed much of downtown Grozny, including an orphan age Hut with dissension spreading in the Russian army over the military debacle, it was difficult to determine whether Yeltsin approved Thursday’s air strikes Yeltsin ordered the bombing halt in the face of growing criti cism at home and abroad of his heavy-handed offensive Hundreds, perhaps thou sands, of civilian* ami fighters have lag'll killed or wounded in the 1-weokold invasion The Red Cross estimates 350.000 people are now refugees The war grew even uglier after Russia failed to take the capital in a New Year's Kve tank assault and was humiliated by out gunned hut spirited Chechen defenders, who drove the Russ ian troops from the center of the city. Russian warplanes dropped cluster bombs pat ked with shrapnel on several villages In Shall, Ui miles from Grozny, they bombed a roadside market Tuesday, then struck again as people were helping the wounded. An hour Inter, they hit the maternity ward of the local hospital Estimates of the death toll in Shall ranged ns high as 100 dead with scores more wounded. Russia's human rights com missioner. Sergei Kovalyov, arrived in Moscow from Grozny on Thursday accusing his gov ernment of "ruthless" and "mas sive" human rights violations Yeltsin is also under intense criticism from foreign govern ments Freshman Interest Groups LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GET INVOLVED AND HELP OTHERS? 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