Sunday, Jun 15, 2003
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CARACAS (Venezuela): Venezuela troops and police fought pitched street battles on Friday with supporters of the President, Hugo Chavez, who tried to disrupt an Opposition rally in an impoverished area of Caracas considered a government stronghold. At least 14 people were injured. Police and National Guardsmen atop armoured personnel carriers lobbed teargas to disperse about 100 supporters of Mr. Chavez before the Opposition marchers could arrive in the eastern Caracas neighbourhood of Petare. The `Chavistas,' as the President's supporters are known, fought back fiercely and also looted a nearby police station. One police officer and three civilians sustained gunshot injuries, police sources said. At least 10 people were slightly hurt by flying objects, he added. Twenty-five children were evacuated from a nearby hospital because of the choking tear gas. Two blocks away, a few dozen opposition protesters who had arrived early cheered the security forces on — then fled from the scene. Moments after the skirmishes, hundreds of opposition marchers surged toward the scene. Speakers at a makeshift stage urged them on, shouting, "We'll keep protesting through the tear gas!" (in the picture, a police officer helps an injured colleague during clashes in Caracas on Friday). — AP Czechs vote to join E.U. PRAGUE: Czechs overwhelming voted on Saturday to join the European Union in a binding referendum, early results showed. With 50 percent of the vote counted, 76 percent of voters approved the measure. Exit polls on Czech television also supported a huge win for forces hoping for E.U. membership. ``This is a victory for the Czech people,'' said the Prime Minister, Vladimir Spidla, an enthusiastic E.U. supporter. ``The Czech Republic will ... be part of a family of European nations and exercise its right to live on equal footing with others,'' he added, alluding to fears that Czechs would sacrifice sovereignty by joining the growing trade bloc. Many Czechs believe joining the E.U. will bring long-term economic benefits and raise living standards for future generations. Some, however, expressed doubts ahead of the vote on whether the country — which overthrew communism in 1989 and split from Slovakia four years later — is ready to hand over its fate to an outside power. Some 15,000 polling stations nationwide were open on Friday and Saturday to the country's 8.2 million voters. The binding referendum is the first ever held in the Czech Republic and has no turnout requirement. — AP Thousands flee Aceh fighting BANDA ACEH (Indonesia): Fierce fighting between rebels and troops firing mortars has forced at least 10,000 villagers in Indonesia's Aceh province to flee their homes, witnesses and media reports said on Saturday. The refugees, many of them carrying cooking equipment and valuables, have taken shelter in a camp on a soccer field close to Bireun in north Aceh after they fled their villages on Friday, state news agency Antara reported. North Aceh has seen daily clashes since the military launched an offensive four weeks ago to crush the rebellion in the province on the northern tip of Sumatra island. ``I heard shooting getting closer to my house,'' said one refugee, identified only as Mustafa, Antara reported. ``We were very frightened and worried about stray bullets.'' Witnesses said some of the refugees had been transported to the camp — which is equipped with tents, toilets, running water and medical facilities — in military trucks Earlier, authorities said they were considering forcibly evacuating villagers from known rebels strongholds to make it easier for troops to target the insurgents. — AP Adventurer seeks rescue TOKYO: A British man, attempting to row a boat across the Pacific, sought rescue from Japan's coast guard on Saturday after his rudder broke and he was forced to abandon his trip. Mick Dawson called Japanese authorities via a satellite telephone, a coast guard spokesman said on condition of anonymity. The coast guard dispatched a patrol boat and a search plane to locate Mr. Dawson, who was about 560 km off the coast of Miyagi prefecture (State) in northern Japan. Heavy fog prevented the plane from spotting Mr. Dawson. Mr. Dawson, who had set off from Japan's eastern coast for San Francisco on June 2, has plenty of food and water and is not injured, he added. A former member of Britain's Royal Marines, Mr. Dawson successfully rowed across the Atlantic in 2001 with his brother, according to a web site about his Pacific crossing attempt. ``I've spoken to Mick last night and this morning and he's absolutely fine,'' said his brother, Stephen Dawson, in Lincolnshire, eastern England. ``He was very despondent and disappointed, obviously, but he is a good yachtsman and knows safety is the most important thing''. — AP
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