Published Tuesday, September 24, 1996, in the Miami Herald.

Exiles planning flotilla, cruise off Cuba

The Democracia Movement is planning another sailing by a flotilla of private boats to waters off Cuba, to coincide with an expected visit to the island by Pope John Paul II, the group's founder said Monday in Miami. However, the Vatican has not announced that the Pontiff plans to travel to Cuba.

Ramon Saul Sanchez said his organization also plans to charter a cruise ship and sail it Dec. 20 to a point 12 miles off the coast of Havana, within international waters. There, singer Willy Chirino would do a concert while a laser show is aimed at the capital. Christmas messages would be broadcast by radio to Havana, along with a call for island Cubans to stage a nationwide labor stoppage, Sanchez said.

A go-no-go decision on the cruise will depend on the number of Miamians willing to make the trip and will be made in mid-October, he added.

© 1996 The Miami Herald.