Crimean news95.
(Mass media review for January 29 -February 3, 2001).
Articles are abridged.
“Pamyat
Merkuriya” ship sinks in the Black Sea
MES* claims
that the boat violates all navigational rules.
Consequences
of "Pamyat Merkuriya" vessel's tragedy.
Searches for
the lost have been unsuccessful so far.
Disaster of
"Pamyat Merkuriya" ship gets more and more clear.
Political
action according to criminal case.
"It's a
great honor to be a Kurultay delegate".
Session on
the elections of Kurultay IV delegates.
Coiner group
detained in Sevastopol.
Black Sea tragedy.
“Pamyat
Merkuriya” ship sinks in the Black Sea
On the 26
January, the ship named "Pamyat Merkuriya", coming from
Istanbul, has sustained damage and has
sunk.
Some
private company boats responded the distress signal and started rescue the
crew.
According
to preliminary data there were 51 people on board the overloaded boat : 25 crew
members and 26 passengers. 14 of them died, their dead bodies were taken back
to Sevastopol. 32 persons are alive; they were rescued during rescue
operations; the only live raft can convey 10 men.
Vladimir Pasyakin,
"Krymskaya gazeta" ("The Crimean newspaper"), #18 (16119),
January 30, 2001, p.1.
MES*
claims that the boat violates all navigational rules.
"Pamyat
Merkuriya" boat has sailed "violating all navigational
rules". The ageing and low-tonnage
ship was supposed to hug the western coast of the Black Sea. However, it
chooses the shortest way across the sea. The searches of 5 persons still lost
at sea carry on by planes.
"Krymskaya
gazeta" ("The Crimean newspaper"), #19 (16120), January 31,
2001, p.1
Our information: MES stands for the Ministry of Emergency
Situations.
Consequences
of "Pamyat Merkuriya" vessel's tragedy.
According
to recent information, the sinking of the "Pamyat Merkuriya" the
Black Sea, 160 kilometers far from Sevastopol, induces the death of 14 persons;
32 persons have been rescued and 5 persons are still lost at sea.
On the 28
January, at 4.00 p.m. "Pamyat Merkuriya" (home port - Sevastopol)
ship was reported not to have reached its destination point. The ship,
operating between Yevpatoriya and Istanbul, have left Istanbul on Friday.
At 7.00 p.m.
on Sunday, motor ship "Victor Lebedev" discovered a raft and a motor
boat with 14 crew members and passengers aboard, among whom were 8 perished.
At 22.42
p.m. motor ship "Geroi Sevastopolya" discovered 2 rafts with 23 alive
crew members and passengers aboard.
At 6.00
a.m. on Monday, motor ship "Omega" discovered a boat with 3 injured
who reported the death of 6 persons, who were aboard.
Preliminary
analysis states that the sinking is due to overloading. An expert's have said
that the shipment was not properly attached on the deck and that the ship
changed its position during its travel, which cause damages.
The
survivors have all suffered from cold.
Interfax-Ukraine,
"Krymskiye izvestiya" ("The Crimean news"), #20 (2269),
January 31, 2001, p.5.
Searches
for the lost have been unsuccessful so far.
"Pamyat
Merkuriya" ship completely sinks in 7-10 minutes, from what the third captain assistant, Vitaliy Bondar,
says.
The tragedy
happened at about 8.00 p, the 26 January, he said. He states that, "there
was a jolt at first and then the ship suddenly heeled over", and after the
jolt, the ship completely sank.
The crew
managed to send a distress signal.
People were
compelled to dive into cold water as they were unable to reach the rafts
because of the storm. They can board the rafts only after diving into the
water.
Searches of
lost at sea remains unsuccessful.
Interfax-Ukraine,
"Krymskiye izvestiya" ("The Crimean news"), #20 (2269),
January 31, 2001, p.5.
Disaster
of "Pamyat Merkuriya" ship gets more and more clear.
Rescuers
refuse to stop the searches of lost at sea. They will continue as long as it is
rational and as long as a little hope to find people alive remains .
In Crimea,
the funeral of the victims has started.
The
Commission, arrived in Sevastopol to examine the causes of the sinking is
working hard. The accident was due to overloading and to bad location of the
freight on the deck. Ship's total capacity is 260 tones, though they have
loaded 329,6 tones in the Istanbul port. 60 more tones were left on the shore.
Captain's second assistant objected to such a loading. The shipment was
incorrectly placed: the light one was placed down rows and the heavy one - up
rows, which cause a imbalance.
The ship
have leaved straight the Istanbul port to his home port, but not in a littoral
zone; therefore the searches are so difficult.
Captain of
the ship "Pamyat Merkuriya", Leonid Ponomarenko, have been put under
surveillance at the hospital.
In the
opinion of the ship owner, the boat was not overloaded at all. Distress buoy worked properly. The
Novorossiysk rescue center heard its signal has it was broadcasted on the
26January.
The damage
was due to overloading and ship loading’s violation of rules. The captain is
also legally responsible for that. He may be sentenced to 3-15 years in prison
according to the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Vladimir, Pasyakin,
"Krymskaya gazeta" ("The Crimean newspaper"), #21 (16122),
February 2, 2001, p.1.
Politics
Political
action according to criminal case.
On the 25
January, a sitting of Collegiums of Supreme Court took place in the Supreme
Court of Crimea. Together with criminal cases, sitting participants were to
hear the Court of Cassation of public protection of convicts on case about
blocking railways in Dzhankoy on June 12, 2000.*
The 8
December 2000, the tribunal of Dzhankoy convicts the participants in railways
blocking of political action. We should remind that these actions were a
response to a full inactivity of district and state administration in solving
the Crimean Tatars' problems in Dzhankoy district. Our compatriots are been
found guilty and were sentenced to 2 years in prison. The sentence don’t
mention the motives and reasons for what the Crimean Tatars have taken such
extreme measures. Arguments provided by public protection weren't considered as
a justification document either. This was the reason for people to appeal to
the Supreme Court with a Cassation Appeal and notice in the official report.
The consideration in Causational institution was postponed as it was necessary
to study remarks to the minutes.
F.Tarsinova, "Golos
Kryma" ("The Voice of Crimea"), #6 (377), February 2, 2001, p.1.
Our information: *See "Crimean news 83, 86, 88,
89" about this case.
"It's
a great honor to be a Kurultay delegate".
New
"Regulation on the elections of the delegates to Kurultay IV of Crimean
Tatar people" was ratified at the last session of Kurultay III. There is
staying for short while before the elections. We put several questions to the
chairman of Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people, M.Dzhemilev concerning up-coming
elections.
-…Do you
intend to take part in the elections?
-…I will
participate in elections because it's a great honor to be the delegate of a
higher representative organ of the nation. In accordance with our new rules,
the same person can be a candidate on majority system, can be registered on the
list of an organization, or can join a block as well…
-…Don't
you think that a war of compromise mat be generated by such a way of electing
delegates?
-…It is
possible. But it all depends on moral qualities of those who will participate
in elections… There will be some compromise documents to some extent. I have
doubts about the possibility to avoid compromises.
-… Mass
Media means that the proportional system will generated agitation in the CMI.
Is it possible that an opposition appears among those who recognize Kurultay ?
-…That is
why I mean that the most appropriate variant is that those who recognize
Kurultay join one block. I don’t mean that every organization must have its own
list… The most important is the person, a specific men expected to be useful no
matter what organization he belongs to.
-…Do you
think of creating a block and heading it?
-…No, I
don't. My position doesn't allow me to, I head the representative organ of a
whole nation. I'll still join a block or list.
-…What
is your opinion about not joining any block but just observing it from aside?
-…There is
something else I'm worried about. Block formed under support of Mejlis may be
the only to collect 10 thousand signatures, which means that there will be no
competition. I am interested in creating another block, able to collect
necessary amount of signatures and I am extremely interested in people's
working in accordance with our principals. Otherwise, if people who want to
sabotage Mejlis join it, we will express our viewpoint. I can't rule out that
people working for spoiling Mejlis's aspirations will create their own block.
In this case of competition my authority will be necessary. So will Refat
Chubarov's and other famous people's authority.
Leylya Alyadinova,
"Golos Kryma" ("The Voice of Crimea"), #6 (377), February
2, 2001, p.1.
Session
on the elections of Kurultay IV delegates.
On the 25
January, session of Central electoral commission on the elections of Kurultay
delegates took place. Projects of documents concerning the participation in the
electoral campaign of Kurultay IV delegates were elaborated. They also examined
and ratified the criteria for determining Crimean Tatar political, social
organizations and their blocks which were allowed to participate in delegates'
election on proportional system. They also confirmed the models of statements
for getting signing papers, lists of candidates of the delegates from
organizations and electoral blocks, candidates' statements about their
willingness to be elected according to this list.
They
ratified compositions of regional electoral committees and an approximate
estimate of expenses as well.
Leylya
Alyadinova,"Golos Kryma" ("The Voice of Crimea"), #6 (377),
February 2, 2001, p.1.
Criminal chronicles.
Coiner group detained in Sevastopol.
A group of
five forgers of money was detained in Sevastopol. They forged grivnas and US
dollars using highly-advanced copying and computer technologies.
A student
of Sevastopol university was in league with them: he takes care about the false
money. Members of the criminal group have stolen the equipment they used to
produce false money. To give the false
money to the money pushers, the forgers have made a hiding-place under the
threshold of house of culture
.
The group
was arrested when these members try to dispose 150 baknote. The equipment of
the forger group, 164 false banknotes of national and foreign currency, loan
receipts, and also 12 bullets of Makarov pistol were confiscated.
Interfax-Ukraine,
"Krymskiye izvestiya" ("The Crimean news"), #19 (2268),
January 30, 2001, p.7.