World briefs

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 2, 2001

Parliament censures Indonesian leader

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's Parliament censured President Abdurrahman Wahid on Thursday over his alleged involvement in two corruption scandals, taking the first step toward a possible impeachment vote.

The decision to rebuke Wahid was reached through an agreement among legislators instead of a vote, but it appeared to have overwhelming support. The move will initiate a months-long process that could culminate in the country's top legislative body voting to remove him.

In a significant short-term victory for Wahid, however, Parliament rejected calls from some members to convene an emergency session of the top legislative body, the People's Consultative Assembly, to begin immediate impeachment proceedings.

A legislative investigating commission issued a report this week charging that Wahid was involved in the theft of $4.1-million from the government's food-distribution agency by people who claimed to be acting on his behalf, including his personal masseur. The report also accused the president of failing to declare a $2-million gift from the sultan of Brunei.

The report did not contain any evidence that Wahid benefited personally from either scheme. The president has denied any wrongdoing but has refused to provide testimony to the investigating commission, arguing that he is answerable only to the assembly, not to Parliament.

Confusion hampers aid efforts in India

BHUJ, India -- As some international rescue teams abandoned the search for possible earthquake survivors Thursday, a lack of coordination appeared to hamper the other task: feeding and housing the living and treating their wounds.

Aid was reaching many people, but bundles of blankets, bags of rice and lentils, cartons of mineral water and other supplies were heaped outside the railway freight office in Ahmedabad, the main staging point for the relief effort.

"It's beginning to clog up the system, because there is no coordination," said Ken Maclean of Catholic Relief Services. "In some cases you have people just throwing stuff off of trucks. And that is not a good way to distribute relief supplies."

So far, 14,241 bodies have been recovered, officials in Gujarat state said. They estimated the final toll from Saturday's tremor would reach 35,000.

Mexican customs chief fires top management

MEXICO CITY -- In a dramatic move against corruption, Mexico's customs chief announced Thursday he had fired nearly all of the agency's upper management.

Jose Guzman, who took over the agency in December, said he had fired 45 of the agency's 47 supervisors around the country -- and expected to fire the remaining two -- after finding "complete disorder" in offices in both border and port cities.

"We found personnel who were totally disconnected from the agency, administrators who felt that they were independent," Guzman said. "They didn't take orders from anyone, they weren't meeting the requirements of the law, and they weren't properly supervised."

Guzman said that at least 30 of the 47 administrators are suspected of being involved in graft and that all are being investigated by the federal comptroller's office.

The customs director promised a complete overhaul of the customs agency, widely accused of extorting money from people and collaborating with criminals.

Milosevic placed under round-the-clock watch

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Former President Slobodan Milosevic has been placed under 24-hour police surveillance amid demands here and abroad that he be arrested, Serbia's police chief said Thursday.

Serb Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic did not say whether Milosevic -- who lives in a Belgrade villa guarded by both the military and police -- will be arrested or extradited to the U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, which has charged him with war crimes.

But the Associated Press, citing unidentified police officials, said the security guards, formerly loyal Milosevic, now regularly report to the new pro-democracy government on the former leader's whereabouts amid fears that he may flee the country or go into hiding.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright