Radio Havana Cuba, December 22, 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 Wednesday, December 22, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- MORE THAN 50,000 CUBANS MARCH PAST U.S. INTERESTS SECTION IN HAVANA TO DEMAND RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ 2.- CUBAN PARLIAMENT CONCLUDES FOURTH ORDINARY SESSION 3.- CUBANA DC-10 AIRCRAFT CRASHES WHILE LANDING IN GUATEMALA CITY 4.- NATIONAL TEACHER'S DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE ISLAND 5.- NORDIC BRIGADE TOURS SOUTH-CENTRAL CIENFUEGOS PROVINCE MORE THAN 50,000 CUBANS MARCH PAST U.S. INTERESTS SECTION IN HAVANA TO DEMAND RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ Havana, December 22(RHC)-- More than 50,000 Cuban students and workers marched past the U.S. Interests Section in Havana this morning to again demand the immediate return of Elian Gonzalez, the six-year-old Cuban boy being held in Miami against the wishes of his father. During the third day of renewed protests in front of the U.S. diplomatic mission, virtually all of the demonstrators carried posters or wore T-shirts with the image of the child. Today's protest came exactly one month after Elian's mother placed the boy on a boat in an effort to illegally enter the United States, which ended in tragedy when she and nine others drowned. The child was found clinging to an inner-tube and picked up by fishermen off the coast of Florida. Over the past several weeks, the entire Cuban nation has mobilized to protest the injustice of Elian's retention in Miami by distant relatives, when he is claimed in Cuba by his father and maternal and paternal grandparents. The Cuban government has repeatedly reiterated that Elian's case is the direct result of U.S. legislation that encourages illegal Cuban immigration by granting automatic residency to any undocumented Cuban who touches U.S. shores. CUBAN PARLIAMENT CONCLUDES FOURTH ORDINARY SESSION Havana, December 22(RHC)-- The Fourth Ordinary Session of the Cuban Parliament's Fifth Legislature concluded Tuesday at Havana's International Convention Center. During Tuesday's parliamentary session, presided over by Cuban President Fidel Castro, lawmakers ratified the patriotic slogan "Homeland or Death" -- which has guided the Cuban Revolution since 1960. It was also unanimously approved that the year 2000 be referred to as the "Year of the 40th Anniversary of the Slogan Homeland or Death," marking 40 years -- on March 5th -- since Fidel Castro first used the slogan during the funeral ceremony of victims of a terrorist attack on the ship La Coubre. CUBANA DC-10 AIRCRAFT CRASHES WHILE LANDING IN GUATEMALA CITY Guatemala City, December 22(RHC)-- A DC-10 aircraft, operated by Cubana Airlines, crashed on Tuesday when attempting to land at Guatemala City's International Airport. A report issued by the Cuban Civil Aeronautics Institute noted that at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, a Cubana Airlines charter flight from Havana to Guatemala City, with 296 passengers and 18 crew members aboard, crashed on the runway at La Aurora International Airport. Most of the passengers on board were Guatemalan students at Havana's Latin American Medical School, returning home to spend the Christmas and New Year's holidays with their families. According to initial reports, some 270 passengers received minor injuries, while 20 others were hospitalized. The death toll from this tragedy stands at 26, including nine passengers, eight crew members and nine Guatemalans on the ground. Among the eight members of the crew killed were Jorge Toledo, pilot; Cecilio Hernandez, co-pilot; Jose A. Leyva, flight engineer; Pedro Pablo Concepcion, mechanic; Elsio Jimenez, operator; Ovidio Fonte and Moises Borges, security; and Johana Toledo, flight attendant. The nine passengers killed were Marcos Vinicio Coronado, Guatemalan businessman; Daniel Alarcon, Guatemalan diplomat assigned to the embassy in Havana; Alberto Albezu Longo, a Cuban who resided in Guatemala; Telma Banavente, a Guatemalan citizen; and Celeste del Rosario Soch, a Guatemalan medical student. Another three passengers killed in the tragedy have not yet been identified. The Cuban Civil Aeronautics Institute is working together with Guatemalan aviation authorities to determine the exact cause of the crash. NATIONAL TEACHER'S DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE ISLAND Camaguey, December 22(RHC)-- Today, December 22nd, is celebrated throughout Cuba as National Teacher's Day. Every year on this date, students give gifts to their teachers and express their appreciation for their hard and selfless work. Today, hundreds of students met in Camaguey for the national activity to commemorate Teacher's Day. The festivity, held at the Rafael Fortun Sports Center, also commemorated the educational and sport achievements of the province of Camaguey. The General Secretary of the Workers' Union for Education, Science and Sports, Jose Casals, told reporters that the event will pay tribute to the excellent educational system provided by the Cuban Revolution. He added that the meeting is another opportunity to once more demand the return of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez to his father and grandparents in Cuba. NORDIC BRIGADE TOURS SOUTH-CENTRAL CIENFUEGOS PROVINCE Cienfuegos, December 22(RHC)-- One hundred brigadistas making up the 33rd Contingent of the Nordic Brigade have arrived in south-central Cienfuegos province as part of a tour of the Caribbean island. The brigadistas -- from Norway, Britain, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden -- arrived on the island to do volunteer work in construction and agriculture, expressing support for the Cuban people and their Revolution. The brigadistas brought with them donations of school materials and other useful contributions. During their stay in Cienfuegos -- known as the Pearl of the South -- the visitors have toured the city's historic district, the popular Rancho Luna Beach Resort, the Carlos Rafael Rodriguez University, a local power plant and the provincial hospital. The brigadistas' agenda in Cienfuegos also includes meetings with local authorities. [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-7127 1999-Dec-22 18:28:50