ariels@tekecs.UUCP (Ariel Shattan) (09/07/83)
According to NPR (National Public Radio), KAL 007 is the fourth civilian
airliner to be shot down. The first was in 195x (x = 8 or 9) when Bulgaria
shot down an Israeli airliner, the second was when Israel shot down a
Libiyan airliner, the third and fourth involved Korean airliners and the
Soviet Union.
The international agreements with respect to a civilian airliners and
security threats were drawn up and signed after the Bulgarian incident.
There was an add-on agreement that stated that the signators would
under no circumstances shoot down a civilian aircraft (force down, yes;
shoot down, no). The Soviet Union signed the original agreement, but did
not sign the no-shoot-down agreement. So, in the case of KAL 007, the
USSR was not breaking any rules that it had previously agreed to uphold.
(This is not an excuse or an apology for the actions of the USSR. DO NOT
accuse me of condoning the killing of 269 innocents! This is simply
information that may be germaine to the argument at hand.)
Also, today's paper (the Oregonian) said that the radar tracks of the
US 707 spy plane and KAL 007 crossed at least once. Perhaps the act
was not as cold-bloodedly murderous as it first appeared. For the
sake of this planet I sincerely hope that it was all a horrible
mistake (otherwise it's time to kiss your loved ones goodbye...).
Ariel Shattan
Tektronix, Inc
Wilsonville, OR kfl@5941ux.UUCP (09/12/83)
Last week's Time magazine also listed a couple of small South African pasanger planes that were shot down by surface-to-air anti-aircraft missles by Rhodesian rebels.