Nueva Prensa Agency
News Summary
ANP, August 26
1)Underground electrical breakage affects sections of
Havana
Havana, August 21, (Mercedes Moreno, ANP)
The power supply to extensive areas of Havana was shorted by breakages
in
the underground network. The electric company issued a release asking for
the
customers to drastically reduce consumption.
Technicians with the Havana Electrical company are feverishly working
to
restore service which has blackened since the early morning the area from
Belascoain to Industria streets and from Reina to Malecon.
According to the workers the network is extremely old and is
overcharged by
the increased demand. All of which tend to increase the problems.
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2) Health Ministry boast reorganization of emergency
services.
Havana, August 21 (Mercedes Moreno, ANP) The Cuban Health Ministry
announced that it has reorganized the Emergency services in a limited
number of
provinces. This reorganization responds to the lack of services being
offered by
the majority of local health providing institutions.
The official news media boasted this August 21 that five provinces are
already offering comprehensive emergency services. The territories
becoming
pioneers in this modality are Cienfuegos, Santi Spiritus, Villa Clara,
Holguin
and Pinar del Rio.
The services comprise all emergency services including acute medical
interventions. The population is anxious to experience an improvement in
issues
like; availability of supplies, blankets, medicines, and food for the
emergency
patients.
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3) Abuses against shelter occupants.
Havana, August 21(Mercedes Moreno, ANP) The vicissitudes endured by
those
families who have become homeless as result of their houses caving in, or
being
demolished due to being declared unhabitable, seems to have no end. Their
plight
is reflected by situations like that of Enrique Perez Gonzalez the young
father
of a six- year-old.
This family has been told to vacate the shelter where they have been
living
since their home was demolished. Perez Gonzalez has received final notice
that
he must move within the next 72 hours to another government shelter
located at
Poey #1, in the community of the same name. The removal of this family to
the
ill furnished new location is an arbitrary decision of the shelter
administration.
Enriquez Perez, together with another six families, used to live at a
building located in Neptuno Street, between Aguila and Amistad, which in
1996
was declared unhabitable and later demolished due to its crumbling
structure.
All other shelter members at Poey #1 considered the transfer order to
be
arbitrary. Not only because of its disregard for the burden placed in the
six-year-old, but also, because no explanation has been offered as to why
the
shelter administrator, Mr. Juan Ramirez, a Communist Party operative, and
Popular Power representative, made the decision in only 72 hours.
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4)Taxi drivers' gasoline quotas are reduced
again.
Havana, August 21 (Mercedes Moreno, ANP) Those citizens, who rent
their
vehicles as Taxis to the government, will now receive a reduced gasoline
quota.
The assigned quantity has been dropped to 15 litters (3.75 gallons) from
the
previous daily five gallons. In addition, all drivers need to pay a 120
pesos
daily license fee, despite the high price of repairs, maintenance, and
spare
parts.
According to most cabbies; this new measure will force them to buy the
extra fuel in hard currency.
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5) Independent Unionist recalled for questioning.
Havana, August 21, (Omar Rodriguez Saludes, ANP) - Vicente Escobar
Barreiro, director of the Cuban Unionism Studies Institute was recalled
for
today at 8:30 P.M. by the Singular Vigilance System (Sistema Unico de
Vigilancia), organization that unifies the Party, the Army and all other
political and "voluntary" organizations dedicated to preserve
the
interest of the Cuban government.
Escobar Rabeiro told the ANP that in order to comply with the citation
he
will be present at that organization's offices at Lealtad Street, between
Sitios
and Maloja, of the Central Havana community.
This trade unionist, Mr. Escobar Barreiro is also an executive member
of
the Cuban Workers Council one of the existing Cuban independent unions.
Mr.
Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos leads the CWC.
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6) Opposition Party expresses its condemnation of
terrorist activities.
Havana, August 21 (Omar Rodriguez Saludes, ANP) - The Cuban Democratic
Solidarity Party issued a release condemning the explosions that blasted
several
hotels in Havana. The blasts resulted in damages to the Hotels and slight
injuries to innocent bystanders.
The press release by the Party vividly rejects terrorism independently
of
the source, or political goals pursued by the terrorists. It flat out
discards
violence as a tool for political struggles and reiterates its faith in
civic and
nonviolent means in achieving the goal of a Democratic Cuba. "Our
struggle
is nonviolent," states the note. "It consists of spreading our
opinions just like we sustain them."
The document signed by the executive board of the Party, also condemns
the
unmovable, dictatorial, and anti-Cuban attitudes of the Cuban government,
which,
as affirmed by the document; "chooses to play deaf to the patriotic
roar of
a segment of the populace who has displayed an exemplary peaceful
political
behavior."
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7) Harassment against Guantanamo Youth movement.
Havana, August 22, (Omar Rodriguez Saludes, ANP) - The delegation of
the
Cuban Democratic Youth Movement (Movimiento Cubano Jovenes por la
Democracia) in
Guantanamo province is being harassed and persecuted by the State
Security.
Informed to ANP Heriberto Leyva Rodriguez, vice-president of that
organization.
Mr. Leyva Rodriguez reported that July 31, the activist Rafael
Fonseca,
Yordys Garcia, Juan Rodiles, Carlos Herrera, Jackelin Caballero and Dr.
Walter
Estrada, were visited at their homes by State Security operatives to warn
them
against showing themselves in public while the province was visited by the
delegates of the XIV World Youth and Students Festival.
Disregarding the threats the Youth organized a peaceful rally
demanding the
release of Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina the youth leader incarcerated in the
Guantanamo Combine Prison. They were surrounded by the political police in
the
neighborhood of the Nguyen Van Troi Stadium and the peaceful display was
interrupted by the agents.
Likewise, on August 2, when they attempted to contact foreign
delegates to
the Youth Festival Mr. Juan Carlos Herrera was arrested and kept in
isolation
for two days while being interrogated by the political police at the
fourth
precinct of that City.
The state security operative Manuel Ceballos, who was in charge of
the
interrogatories warned Juan Carlos Herrera, that he would be indicted on
the
crime of disorderly conduct and "enemy propaganda." According to
Heriberto Leyva the document that generated such charges was none other
than the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Juan Carlos Herrera was released
shortly
after the foreign delegates departed on August 4, but not before he was
fined.
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Translated directly from the Spanish electronic version by R. Rikki.
Distributed by Cubanet