unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (09/19/89)
Severely Difficult Time For East Germany Posting Date: 09/18/89 Source: UNITEX Network, Hoboken, NJ, USA Host: (201) 795-0733 ISSN: 1043-7932 CBS Evening News Thursday September 14, 1989 Tom Fenton East Berlin, East Germany This week, 13,000 East Germans have fled across Hungary's border into the West. Next month, East Germany will mark its fortieth birthday, and the state controlled press reported today that Gorbachev will join the festivities. Rumors are sweeping East Berlin that Party leader Honecker is dying. The man who has ruled East Germany with an iron hand for 18 years hasn't been see in public for weeks. No action has been taken to stem the exodus, and the Hungarian travel agency in East Berlin is still open. Hungarian officials have been meeting with the East Germans, but the Hungarians have refused to close down their border. Meanwhile, East Germans continue to seek refuge in West German embassies throughout Eastern Europe. In Prague, they've been jumping over the embassy fence. Most fleeing are young, skilled, and highly motivated, the kind of people no country can afford to lose. Everyone in East Germany complains, but public descent is rare and small demonstrations are instantly repressed by the police. Those left behind are increasingly bitter. * Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501) --- Patt Haring | United Nations | FAX: 212-787-1726 patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | BBS: 201-795-0733 patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange | (3/12/24/9600 Baud) -=- Every child smiles in the same language. -=-