Category: News

armenianow.com
August 13, 2004
Safe at Home?: Survey looks at homeland security
By Zhanna Alexanyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
The Armenian National and Military Research Center has released a survey
projecting the republic’s defense capabilities.
“Armenia’s National and International Security in 5-10 Years” is information
gathered from 50 experts and 2,021 citizens through Armenia.
Stephan Safaryan, the center’s expert in state-legality and home policy
questions, presented the results of the survey.
“Our point was to estimate from society’s point of view what dangers they
expect in the coming 5 to 10 years,” Safarian said.
The survey found that 76 percent of experts think Armenia has no national
security. But only 27.5 percent of citizens agreed with the experts.
“Such a big difference is apparent, because experts are very informed and
know today’s situation and many other issues that become dangerous for
Armenian security,” Safaryan said. “Experts can analyze deeper and know the
dynamics of problems to reach an opinion that security cannot be guaranteed
even partly.”
How do experts and citizens assess security issues?
The number one danger (44 percent of experts and 47.5 percent of citizens)
is renewed military action with Azerbaijan.
The second concern for experts is the presence of Russian military bases in
Armenia (though they don’t foresee any problems in the coming five years or
so). Average citizens in the survey, however, concluded that only Russia
could guarantee Armenia’s safety.
General citizens are also concerned about the possibility of civil war,
sparked by political discord.
About 22 percent see serious conflict within the next five years.
“Society understands that all peaceful methods of the political games are
over and only harsh methods remain,” said Safaryan.
Experts and citizens agreed that flawed elections could lead to serious
security problems in the coming five years. Thirty percent of experts saw
this as Armenia’s number one security issue.
“Comments in the questionnaires say that another October 27 (the date of the
1999 Parliament assignations) is possible,” Safaryan said. “The reason is
that the real criminals are still not identified.”

Addis Tribune (Addis Ababa)
Aug 13 2004
Ethiopian Culture Revisited
ANALYSIS
Richard Pankhurst
The History of Writing in Ethiopia
Papyrus Writing and Stone Inscriptions

The history of writing in Ethiopia dates back to extremely early
times. Some scholars believe that use may have been made in Ethiopia,
as in ancient Egypt, of papyrus, which, then as now, grew abundantly
around Lake Tana. No examples of Ethiopian writing on papyrus,
however, have thus far been found.
Many royal inscriptions on stone were nevertheless later produced by
Aksumite rulers, in the early centuries of the present era. Some of
the most important, written in Ge’ez, South Arabian, and Greek, were
erected by the early fourth century King Ezana. He used them to
describe, and glorify, his victorious expeditions in various parts of
the country, as well as to Nubia and South Arabia.
Parchment
Parchment, made from the skins of sheep, goats, cattle, and even
horses, later came into extensive use, particularly after Ethiopia’s
conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century. This period
witnessed the translation into Ge’ez, as well as the writing on
parchment, of the Bible and other religious texts, mainly translated
from Arabic and Greek.
Letter Writing
Parchment, in the medieval period, was also used in Ethiopia for the
writing of letters. One such epistle was a famous communication from
Emperor Zar’a Ya’qob (1434-1468) to the Ethiopian community in
Jerusalem. The text was written in Ge’ez on four sheets of parchment.
The continued writing of letters on parchment was noted a century or
so later the Portuguese traveller Francisco Alvares. After visiting
Shawa in the 1520s, he reported that Ethiopian letters were written
on parchment, and to avoid the risk of loss in transit, were often
despatched in duplicate.
The strength of tradition was such that Ethiopian Christian
manuscripts continued, on the other hand, to be written on parchment.
On parchment-making see the impressive exhibition in the Institute of
Ethiopian Studies organised by two decicated and committed British
scholars: Anne Parsons and John Mellors.
Paper
We cannot tell exactly when paper first made its appearance in
Ethiopia. The first reference to its import into the country is by
the French traveller Charles Poncet, who visited Ethiopia at the
close of the seventeenth century. He mentions paper, in 1699, as one
of a number of commodities imported into the country, as well as
Sennar, in what is now Sudan. The imports he describes all came by
way of the western route to Gondar, the then capital of the Ethiopian
Empire, There is, however, is no reason to suppose that imports did
not entered the area by way of the Red Sea port of Massawa, and, the
Gulf of Aden ports of Tajura, Zayla and Berbera.
Harar
The great Muslim walled city of Harar, because of its relatively easy
access to the sea, was able to import paper much more easily than was
the highlands of the interior. The result was that while Ethiopian
Christians made use of Bibles and other religious works written, in
Ge’ez, on parchment, the Muslims of Harar, as well as their
co-religionaries in the lowlands to the East, had Qorans and other
Islamic texts written, in Arabic, on paper.
Magic Scroll
One exception to the above statement deserves mention: a century
Ethiopian magical scroll, now housed in the Institute of Ethiopian
Studies Library. Unlike all other scrolls with which we are familiar
it is written on paper.
Continued Letter-writing on Paper in the Highlands
The use of paper for letter writing in the Christian highlands seems
to have gained currency in the eighteenth century. The Armenian
jeweller Yohannes Tovmachean, who visited Gondar in 1764, for example
reports that, when he left two years later, Empress Mentewwab, the
Regent for her grandson Emperor Iyo’as, gave him “ten sheets of
paper”. These were printed only with the seal of the King and Queen,
so that “whoever sees our seals will receive you graciously, and
whatever you write beneath them will be performed”.
Ethiopian royal letters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
were likewise invariably written on paper. The latter had thus
replaced parchment – except for the writing of religious manuscripts,
which latter continued to be written on parchment, right down to the
twentieth century – and to this very day.
The relationship between parchment and paper in the highlands can
vividly be illustrated by the tax records of Emperor Tewodros II
(1855-1868). These were looted from Maqdala by the Napier expedition
of 1867-8, deposited in the British Museum (later the British
Library), and more recently published two by Richard Pankhurst and
Germa-Sellassie Asfaw. One part of this material was written in on
spare pages of a parchment manuscript; the other part on loose sheets
of paper.
Printing
The travels of Ethiopians abroad, and most noticeably to Rome,
created considerable European interest in Ethiopic, or Ge’ez,
writing. This resulted in the setting up in Rome of the first
printing press with a font of Ge’ez letters. This pioneer press
printed a Ge’ez Psalter (on paper) as early as 1513.
Presses for the printing of religious texts in Ethiopian languages
were later established, in the early nineteenth century, by the
British and Foreign Bible Society, and other missionary organisations
in Europe. The first printing press in the Ethiopian region was,
however, founded by an Italian Lazarist Father, Lorenzo Bianchieri,
at the port of Massawa, in 1863, during Emperor Tewodros’s time.
The increasing use of paper was further symbolised by the
introduction, by Emperor Menilek II in 1894, of postage-stamps,
printed of course on paper, as well as by the establishment at his
palace at about the same time of a small printing-press.
The first Amharic newspaper, if such it can be called, was a
hand-written news-sheet, produced in Addis Ababa at the end of the
last century by an Ethiopian enthusiast and scholar, Blatta Gabre
Egziabher, from Hamasen (now Eritrea). The tragedy is that no copy of
this work survives: if any reader knows to the contrary plese contact
me IMMRDIATELY!
THE first duplicated publication, the Bulletin de la Léprosie de
Harar, was started shortly afterwards, in Harar in 1900. It was
replaced, in 1905, by Le Semeur d’Ethiopie, a small missionary
publication in French, which occasionally included special items in
Amharic.
The first real Amharic newspaper, Aimro, had meanwhile been founded,
in Addis Ababa in 1902, by Mr A.E. Kavadia, a Greek.
The coming of these and later printing-presses, and the founding of
these and other newspapers meant, very simply, that paper in Ethiopia
had come of age.
Parchment, however, has by no means beem dethroned – it may well be
that there are currently a third of a million, if not half a million,
such manuscripts in the country today, as well as perhaps five
thousand in foreign libraries, in London, Paris, Rome, Princeton, and
elsewhere.
These manuscripts, wherever they are, represent an important part of
Ethiopia’s historic culture – which must be preserved, through
microfilming, as well as preservation in the Institute of Ethiopian
Studies Library.
It is Imperative that the microfilming of Ethiopian manuscripts,
began many years ago by the Ethiopian Manuscript Microfilm Library,
EMML, in Collegeville. Minnesota, be continued; also that microfilm
copies be made of the Ethiopian Manuscripts in foreign libraries.
Several countries, including Sweden, Switzerland, and the former
Soviet Union gave copies of Ethiopian manuscripts in their respective
countries to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies – as did the British
Council (though there are still further manuscripts in Britain to be
copied).
International Co-operation
Relevant Links

East Africa
Ethiopia
Arts, Culture and Entertainment

But more such copying is needed, if the Institute is to be really a
centre of Ethiopian Studies.
Here is an important field for international cooperation, in which
foreign Embassies and Cultural Institutes can collaborate, so that
Copies of Ethiopian Mmanuscripts in their respective countries can be
studied in Ethiopia, and thus contribute to the expansion of
knowledge.

Associated Press
Aug 13 2004
Study: Glendale leads state in multiracial residents
GLENDALE, Calif. – Glendale has the state’s highest percentage of
people who identify themselves as multiracial, according to a new
study.
Using the 2000 Census, the Public Policy Institute of California
concluded that more than 10 percent of the Los Angeles suburb’s
200,000 residents identified themselves as multiracial. That was 2.6
percentage points more than the California city with the second-most
multiracial people, Hayward.
One factor in the number was an effort to get Glendale residents of
Armenian descent to note their background on 2000 Census forms.
For the first time, the 2000 Census allowed Americans to identify
themselves as multiracial – for example, an Armenian-American could
have checked both the white and the “some other race” category, or
written in “Armenian.”
Glendale has the largest Armenian population of any city in the
United States, and local leaders hoped a higher profile would help
them benefit from government and social programs for minority groups.
“That has drawn a lot of attention to the Armenian community and
Armenians are a political force to be reckoned with as a result of
those efforts,” said Ardashes Kassakhian, director of government
relations for the Armenian National Committee of America, Western
Region.
The study found that multiracial Californians make up 5 percent of
the state’s total population, twice the percentage in the rest of the
nation.
“The face of the United States is changing very rapidly and Glendale
is a very good example of what is to come,” said Glendale Mayor Bob
Yousefian, whose 15-year-old son is half Armenian. “You put different
races and ethnicities together and they’re going to mix. It’s
natural.”
Thousand Oaks and Newport Beach were the two least multiracial cities
in the state, with less than 2.8 percent of residents identifying
themselves as multiracial, the study found.

Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia)
August 13, 2004 Friday
Chakhoyan evades detection
WEIGHTLIFTING: Sergo Chakhoyan can be a difficult man to find.
The great hope of Australian weightlifting at the Olympics has been
locked away training in Armenia for much of the year in the hope he
can win his adopted country its first weightlifting gold medal at a
Games since Dean Lukin in 1984.
In the 85kg division he will be challenged by hometown favourite and
triple Olympic gold medallist Pyrros Dimas and a handful of other
competitors for the top prize but must be considered a show given his
No.1 ranking and third place at last year’s world championships.
The 34-year-old is scheduled to arrive in Athens tomorrow for
competition which begins on August 21.

armenianow.com
August 13, 2004
Holiday from War: Iraqi-Armenian family enjoy brief reunion in Armenia
By Suren Deheryan
ArmeniaNow reporter
In March of last year, when the United States invaded Iraq, ArmeniaNow
reported on two Iraqi-Armenian students who watched on television from
Yerevan while their home was under attack (click here). Andranik and Mihran
Sedrakyan were university students here, but their parents and younger
brother were in peril as bombs fell on Baghdad.
Sixteen months later the boys were reunited with their mother and brother
who left Baghdad for a visit to Yerevan (they were also joined by their
grandfather, who came from the United States).
When war broke out, the boys gave up studies for news
It is 12 hours before Rina Sedrakyan and 14-year old son Sevak will board a
flight from Yerevan to Aleppo. Once in Syria, they will take a 16 hour taxi
ride through desert, dust and numerous armed posts to reach Baghdad.
Rina dreads the trip, but looks forward to seeing her husband and sister.
She has worried about them, especially since the August 1 attacks in their
city near an Armenian Catholic church.
During two months in Armenia the mother/wife/sister came to understand the
anxiety her sons Mihran, 24, and Andranik, 25, experienced. For seven months
after Baghdad came under attack, the boys were cut off from communication
with their family. They were in Yerevan to attend university. But for four
months they didn’t go to class, spending time instead watching news reports
of war in their home.
Peace is far from Baghdad, but Rina, 44, could not wait for more convenient
times before seeing her sons. With great effort she and Sevak came to
Yerevan in June and stayed until last Sunday.
“Finally I saw my sons, my father and had a wonderful time together in
Armenia,” Rina said, while packing for the return. “Now it’s time to go
back. I’ve left my husband and my sisters in Baghdad and I’m very anxious
for them.”
Anxiety reached new levels when Christian churches were bombed in Baghdad
two weeks ago.
“We go to the Armenian Apostolic church and up to this moment Armenians
could go to churches every time during every ceremony,” Rina said. “But
after this incident I think most of us would be afraid to go to our
churches. It means that we are in danger too.”
Rina says now the family will also avoid going to the Armenian community
club, where they have always gone for swimming, exercise and different study
groups.
After a restful reunion in Armenia, Rina was dreading the return to a war
zone.
“It’s wonderful, peaceful and safe in Yerevan,” Rina said. “Here all of us
are Armenians and we can go out without any yashmak. Our evening walks here
were worth everything. As a woman in Baghdad, I don’t risk to go anywhere
alone for two years.”
Rina’s second trip to Armenia was 26 years after the first
Each Yerevan night Rina could rest without the interruption of explosions –
a luxury she been denied since March last year in her own city.
(According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, there were some
20,000 Armenians in Iraq in 2003, about 10,000 in Baghdad. Today the
ministry has no accurate data as the Armenian Embassy in Iraq has
temporarily stopped its activity.)
According to the Department of Migration and Refugees of Armenia more than
100 Armenian refugees from Iraq have moved into Armenia since the war
started.
Rina said a few Armenians have died during attacks – those who worked for
international agencies. Some of her relatives had worked for American
organizations, but left their jobs after three Armenian women were killed
while working for the Americans.
The Sedrakyans say war has become a normal way of life in Baghdad. Life
continues, people go to work, children to schools, sometimes it is possible
to meet even wedding parties.
“This year we took part in three Armenian wedding parties in Baghdad,” Rina
said. “Three of the brides were from Yerevan. Their husbands have worked in
Yerevan and brought their girl-friends with them to Baghdad. This of course
is a brave deed on behalf of the girls.”
In 1978 Rina and Sedrak Sedrakyan reversed that pattern, as they came to
Yerevan to get married.
At that time Sedrak’s brothers were studying in Yerevan, so the couple
decided to have their wedding here.
They had hoped to return for their 25 th anniversary last summer, but the
events in Baghdad ruined those plans. Instead, they spent their anniversary
in their basement.
Sedrak wanted to be with his family in Yerevan, but was afraid to leave the
house unattended during such troubled times.
Rina found Yerevan to be beautiful, she said, “but 26 years ago there were
no beggars here, now there are many in the streets”.
Mother and son Sedrakyans took candles from Holy Etchmiadzin to put in the
Armenian church in Baghdad.
“I had brought candles from the Armenian church in Baghdad and lighting them
here I begged for peace for Iraq,” Rina said. “Now I’ll take candles from
here and hand them to the Armenians so that they’ll also light candles of
our saint Etchmiadzin in the Armenian churches of Baghdad.
“We beg for peace and a quiet life from God. Life in Baghdad is like an
animal’s life; we eat, drink and sit at home. We think only of staying
alive.”

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Aug 13 2004
DEFENSE MINISTRIES OF AZERBAIJAN AND GREAT BRITAIN SIGN MEMO ON
MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
[August 13, 2004, 16:02:08]
Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Colonel-General Safar Abiyev met
with Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland in Baku Laurie Bristow and Military Attaché to Georgia and
Azerbaijan Christopher Nann to sign the memorandum on mutual
understanding between the two countries.
He expressed satisfaction with the existing cooperation between
Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom in political, economic and other
spheres. It is very remarkable that the memo on mutual understanding
we are to sign today will lay the foundation for our military
cooperation, he said.
Ambassador Bristow noted for his part that the two countries had been
cooperating in military sphere even before within the framework of
the NATO Partnership for Peace program, and that, both counties’
units are now serving side by side in Iraq. The memo according to him
will promote intensive development of the military cooperation
between Azerbaijan and UK.
I believe, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev responded, that the signing
of the memo will serve strengthening of independence and security of
Azerbaijan. Then, the Minister exchange views with the British
Ambassador on the political and military situation in the Southern
Caucasian region. Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, he expressed concern over the fact that the
international community had not yet recognized Armenia, which had
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijan’s territories as an aggressor.
The Minister also informed the guests on Azerbaijan’s integration
into the European security structures, intensification of the
country’s activities within the NATO Partnership for Peace program
and implementation jointly European countries of large-scale economic
project.
Ambassador Bristow expressed his government’s belief in fair
resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and noted that the
United Kingdom is very interested in long-term security in
Azerbaijan.
In conclusion, Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Colonel-General
Safar Abiyev and Ambassador Laurie Bristow have signed the memorandum
on mutual understanding and Defense links between the Republic of
Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.

armenianow.com
August13, 2004
Learning Curve: Doctoral candidate takes critical look at Diaspora-Armenia
relations
By Vahan Ishkhanyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Eight months ago ethnographer Hrak Varjapetian and his family moved from
America to Armenia to research a complex question: What are the similarities
and differences between native Armenians and Diaspora?
Varjapetian is defending his doctoral thesis at the University of Wisconsin.
While interacting with his distant relatives, the ethnographer has also
focused a good deal of attention on the significance of statues and
memorials in Armenia.
A family making observations . . .
It is significant, he says, that monuments in Armenia are larger, more
imposing and, simply, more “monumental”.
“When the Armenian community is surrounded by Armenians it feels safe and
only then it can feel confident and can have monumental memorials,” says
Varjapetian, a native of Lebanon.
To make his point, Varjapetian compares the David of Sasun statue in
Yerevan, with the one in Fresno, California. The American version is much
less significant and “in contrast to Yerevan’s, the horse and David are
thin, weak and close to death”.
While there may be many practical reasons behind the way the hero is
depicted, the ethnographer sees it as an example that the mere size of
monuments reflects a society’s confidence and sense of security.
Another point of his research is that in Armenia people are experiencing the
Armenian reality. And, objects that might hold great significance for
Diaspora are part of the normal environment in Armenia.
“They sell both rock pictures and cross stones copies, because they are on
their soil. We haven’t ever seen rocks and cross stones in Diaspora. We only
heard about them or saw in photos,” Varjapetian says. “For Diaspora,
Armenian history starts with (expulsion from Western Armenia). If we learn
our identity from materialistic objects, Diaspora learns through oral
history.”
Varjapetian moved to America 30 years ago. He says that both in Armenia and
Lebanon, Armenians are in safe surroundings and among many generations of
relatives. But when a Lebanese Armenian goes to America or France he loses
his confidence and sometimes becomes angry at his father’s authority, who
had to be his protector.
So, in Los Angeles, Lebanese-Armenian writers, Vahe Berberian and Ishkhan
Ginbashian in their works ridicule the fathers’ role and sometimes throw
them from their pedestals. So, too, Armenians who emigrated to Paris in the
1920s rebelled against the older generation and national values. (For
example, in Shahan Shahnuri’s novel “Retreat Without a Song” the Armenian
hero sees Narekatsi to be the reason of the nation’s collapse.)
In contrast, the ethnographer observes, native Armenians stick more closely
to traditional values and morals.
There is also a big difference in understanding of Genocide, Varajeptian
says.
“Everything that people (living in Armenia) don’t like they call ‘genocide’,”
Varajeptian says. He uses the displacement of residents for North Avenue
construction as example.
“So many people say to me, that my father was born here, so how I can live
in (the Yerevan district) Masiv? And they also say, ‘as Turks did, now our
Government does an eviction, and this is genocide’. But for Diaspora,
Genocide is a historical event”.
While native Armenians need no reminders of their place, many Diaspora –
especially third generation – need to go back to their roots for some
identity.
He gives an example of an American writer Mishlin Aharonian-Markomin, whose
mother is an Armenian. He is the author of books about Genocide.
“Mishlin’s grandmother was born in Kharberd and she told him about Genocide.
Once Mishlin said to a Turk from Kharberd, that his mother is also from
Kharberd and an eye-witness of Genocide. The Turk said that there was no
genocide. So the question rose: either the mother lies or the Turk. While
clarifying that question his identity will be created”.
Varjapetian has relatives in Armenia and says it is a rich resource for an
ethnographer. But he does not want to live here because, in general, he says
Armenia is a rude place.
“At Vernisage a book-seller sells books in a cover,” he says. “I want to
take the wrapper off to look and maybe then buy. But the seller doesn’t
allow, saying ‘Can’t you see it from the pocket. If not don’t buy.’ Or a
woman puts a telephone outside and wants 100 drams for a call. After calling
you give money, 150 drams, 50 you want back and she throws it into your
face. Little things add to each other and become things that you can not
stand.”
His wife, Silva Dakesian, an English editor, is mostly dissatisfied with the
people’s rudeness. “When I came first it was very nice, I was happy that we
understood each other,” she says. “But then I started to notice that
Armenian Armenians and Armenians from Diaspora do not understand each other.
People give very coarse answers. For example, once I went to the library to
look for a book and the librarian shouted rudely. Then as she knew that I am
not from Armenia, she became very polite. Or in the yard of an art gallery I
was looking at a statue of Lenin. A manager passed and I asked where the
head of Lenin is, he said somewhat rough, ‘Why the hell do you need it?'”
The couple’s children, 10-year old Arev and 8-year old Nur, attended a
school in Yerevan and the most important thing for them was learning the
Armenian language.
“Now I can speak with my parents in America in Armenian and nobody will
understand it,” says Arev.
But, like his mother, Arev isn’t pleased with what he found among Armenian
society. Especially, he was sad to see children mistreat animals.
“They hit cats with stones,” the boy says. “They put out the eyes of one cat
from our yard. If you take a cat from the street you must take good care of
it without harming.”
Meanwhile, his sister, Nur, says she feels sorry for so many beggars in
Armenia. And the little Lebanese-Armenian-American says it inspires her to
be like a certain African-American.
She says she will become a follower of Martin Luther King, and set the poor
free from being outcasts.

Associated Press Worldstream
August 13, 2004 Friday 12:11 PM Eastern Time
Nagorno-Karabakh hands over detained Azerbaijani soldier
YEREVAN, Armenia
Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh announced Friday that an Azerbaijani
soldier detained a week ago in the separatist enclave was handed over
to Azerbaijan.
Anar Samyedov, 21, was seized on Aug. 6 in the northeast part of the
enclave’s border after allegedly crossing the demarcation line,
Nagorno-Karabakh officials said.
His detention was immediately reported to the International Committee
of the Red Cross and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in
Europe.
Armenian-backed forces won control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a largely
ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, in a 1988-94 war that killed
some 30,000 people and drove a million from their homes.
Despite a cease-fire, Armenian-backed forces and Azerbaijani troops
continue to face off across a demilitarized zone, and shooting
occasionally erupts.

La Opinion
August 13, 2004 Friday
Tragico accidente en autopista 210;
Tres personas fallecen y cinco resultan heridas; nino pierde un pie
al caer sobre las vias
Agustin Duran; Reportero de La Opinion
Tres personas murieron y cinco sufrieron lesiones ayer cuando una
camioneta todoterreno volco sobre la autopista 210 en Pasadena.
Varias personas fueron expulsadas del vehiculo, entre ellas un nino
que cayo sobre las vias y perdio una pierna al ser arrollado por un
tren de la Linea Dorada del Metro.
El vehiculo, Ford Expedition 2003, sufrio el accidente alrededor de
las 10:00 de la manana a la altura de la salida Sierra Madre sobre
los carriles en direccion este de la autopista 210, la cual
permanecio cerrada completamente hasta la 1:15 de la tarde, cuando se
abrieron dos lineas. El resto de los carriles fueron reabiertos a las
4:06 de la tarde, lo que provoco embotellamientos de trafico de hasta
4.5 millas de largo.
Hasta el cierre de esta edicion se habia reportado que los heridos se
encontraban en el hospital Huntington Memorial y en el Hospital
General del Condado-USC.
De los cinco heridos, dos estaban en estado grave, incluido el nino
que perdio la pierna, y tres tenian heridas de menor gravedad. Los
pasajeros eran todos mujeres, con excepcion del nino.
“No sabemos como perdio el control el conductor; aparentemente dio
varias vueltas y expulso a varios pasajeros de su interior”, explico
Ricardo Quintero, portavoz de la Patrulla de Carreteras de California
(CHP), que llego minutos despues del accidente cuando casi todos los
pasajeros estaban fuera del vehiculo.
“Dos de las victimas murieron en el acto y la tercera en camino al
hospital”, agrego. “El nino cayo en medio de los carriles de la Linea
Dorada y el tren le paso por encima de una pierna”.
De acuerdo con las autoridades de la Direccion Metropolitana de
Transporte (MTA), el conductor del tren trato de hacer todo lo
posible para detener los vagones, pero sin embargo fue imposible
detener el convoy completamente.
“El tren viajaba del este a oeste y se dirigia a la ultima estacion
cuando el conductor se dio cuenta de que habia algo en las vias. No
pudo distinguir que era inmediatamente, pero de todas maneras trato
de detenerse. Sin embargo, no fue posible y el nino fue embestido,
explico Jose Ubaldo, portavoz de MTA.
“Es muy dificil detener un tren que viaja a 50 millas por hora con el
peso que lleva”, agrego. “Afortunadamente, el menor, de unos 8 anos
de edad, salio con vida y fue transportado inmediatamente a un
hospital local”.
En cuanto a los pasajeros del Metro, ninguno quiso recibir asistencia
medica o ser transportado a un hospital para revision.
La Linea Dorada permanecio cerrada por espacio de una hora.
Por su parte, Lisa Derderian, del Departamento de Bomberos de
Pasadena, dijo que este es uno de los peores accidentes que su
departamento haya presenciado.
“Desgraciadamente tuvimos varias fatalidades. Hasta el momento se
siguen investigando las razones del accidente”, explico Derderian,
para luego agregar que dos de las victimas en situacion critica
habian recibido golpes en la cabeza y fracturas; mientras que los
otros dos heridos solo habian sido tratados por el impacto emocional.
La identidad de las victimas no fue dada a conocer. Varias personas
ajenas al incidente mencionaron que posiblemente las victimas eran de
origen armenio. Se desconocia si eran familiares.

Assa-Irada
Aug 13 2004
Armenian-Russian military training due in Armenia
BAKU
A joint Armenian-Russian military training will be held in Armenia on
August 24-27, says chief of the Armenian Armed Forces Headquarters,
first deputy defense minister Mikael Arutyunian.
He said that an enforced Armenian regiment and officers from the
102nd Russian military base in Giumri, Armenia will participate in
the training.
Various types of arms, including attack and destructive aviation and
artillery will be used.
Arutyunian added that the goal of the training will be to coordinate
interaction in defense.*