Radio Havana Cuba, August 27, 1999 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Friday, August 27, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBA WITHDRAWS IN PROTEST FROM WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2.- U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK 3.- WE WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE A NEW WORLD 4.- PRESIDENT OF THE CARIBBEAN ASSOCIATION OF FORENSIC SCIENTISTS SAYS CUBA IS DOING EXCELLENT WORK IN THE FIELD 5.- SANTIAGO DE CUBA IMPROVES ITS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM CUBA WITHDRAWS IN PROTEST FROM WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS Houston, August 27(RHC)-- The Cuban delegation to the World Boxing Championships in Houston, Texas withdrew in protest late Thursday night. The dramatic move sent shock waves throughout the amateur boxing world. The decision was prompted by biased decisions of referees and the refusal to heed Cuba's call for fair play. Earlier this week, the Cuban Boxing Association had formally filed a complaint against the arbitrary treatment received by several Cubans who were deprived of their victories in semi- finals. The complaint led to the suspension of a judge and the banning of four others from participating in bouts were Cuban boxers were involved. But the calls for fairness went unheeded and the Cuban delegation pulled out of the tournament after boxer Juan Hernandez Sierra was clearly robbed of his gold medal. Cuban boxing officials asked that the bout of heavyweight fighter Felix Savon be postponed until the International Amateur Boxing Association could review the video of Hernandez Sierra's match with Russian Timur Gaidalov. That request was denied and Savon did not enter the ring, thus losing his title to U.S. boxer Michael Bennett. An article in this morning's edition of Granma newspaper accuses the International Amateur Boxing Association of having relations with professional scouts and allowing professional boxers to attend amateur tournaments. Granma notes that Cuba began denouncing these irregularities as early as 1997 during the World Boxing Championships in Budapest, Hungary -- where there was talk of judges accepting bribes and the word "mafia" was heard more than once. The Granma article adds that the boxing tournament is the climax of "a summer of harassment against Cuban athletes" and asks whether some of the judges were upset with the Cuban boxers who rejected attempts to bribe them in both the Winnipeg Pan American Games and the Houston World Boxing Championships. Meanwhile, Cuba's Sports Institute (INDER) issued a statement supporting the Cuban Boxing Association's decision to withdraw from the Houston competition. The note, signed by INDER President Humberto Rodriguez Gonzalez, appears in Friday's edition of Granma newspaper. The statement refers to the biased decisions "made by a group of unscrupulous judges and referees" who, with the support of the International Amateur Boxing Association, eliminated Cuban boxers Manuel Mantilla, Waldemar Font, Diogenes Luna, Alexis Rubalcaba, Maikro Romero and Juan Hernandez Sierra. The president of Cuba's Sports Institute also underscores the importance of working against professionalism and commercialization in sports and maintains that although the team failed to win the World Championships, it won a far more important victory: that of morality and dignity. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK Havana, August 27(RHC)-- U.S. Democratic Representative Danny Davis from Illinois and Democratic Representative Nicholas Lampson from Texas will visit Cuba next week with the objective of getting a first-hand look at life on the island. Both U.S. officials have expressed their opposition to Washington's economic blockade against the island. Representative Davis is scheduled to arrive on Sunday. The stated objective of his visit is to learn more about Cuba's health care system and other social achievements. Representative Lampson from Texas is slated to arrive in Havana on Monday with an accompanying delegation of U.S. farmers and plans to meet with Cuban leaders. Two other U.S. congressional representatives recently visited the island -- Thomas Daschel and Byron Dorgan -- exploring possibilities of bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. WE WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE A NEW WORLD Mexico City, August 27(RHC)-- The President of the Federation of Cuban Women, Vilma Espin, said that now more than ever, Cubans believe in the possibility of utopia and feel that we will be able to create a new world. The Cuban official made the statements during the closing of the Third Regional Conference of the Democratic Federation of Women in Mexico City on Thursday. The meeting was attended by representatives from more than 40 women's organizations. During the conference's final session, delegates analyzed the situation of women in Latin America, globalization and neo-liberal economic policies. In the meeting's Final Declaration, women delegates expressed a strong condemnation of Washington's almost 40-year-old blockade against Cuba as well as their firm solidarity with the Cuban people. The statement also expressed support of the lawsuit against the United States for 40 years of aggressions against the Cuban Revolution. PRESIDENT OF THE CARIBBEAN ASSOCIATION OF FORENSIC SCIENTISTS SAYS CUBA IS DOING EXCELLENT WORK IN THE FIELD Havana, August 27(RHC)-- The President of the Caribbean Association of Forensic Scientists, Cheryl Corbin, said that Cuba has more experts working in criminology than other countries of the region. Corbin, who also works with the United Nations agency for Drug Inspection in the Caribbean, praised the island's advances in the field -- from laboratory research to the National Anti-Drug Commission. She pointed out that Cuba has programs at the international level and praised the island's techniques and experience, which are used to benefit its Caribbean neighbors. The Caribbean Association of Forensic Scientists has 19 member nations and will hold its first meeting in September of next year. SANTIAGO DE CUBA IMPROVES ITS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM Santiago de Cuba, August 27(RHC)-- 98.6 percent of the population of eastern Santiago de Cuba receive medical attention from family doctors and nurses -- including over 200,000 inhabitants of mountainous regions. In the municipality of Tercer Frente -- prior to 1959 -- poverty, malnutrition and the lack of medical assistance in the region was common place. So far this year, in that same region, there has not been one single death of a child under five years of age, no maternal deaths and the number of low-birth weight children is the lowest in the province. [c] 1999, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org rhc-eng-14034 1999-Aug-27 17:46:42