Page 2-Wednesday, January 17, 1979-The Michigan Daily Port recaptured Y BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Troops fighting for the toppled Cambodian government recaptured the country's deepwater port of Kompong Som, while its naval forces battled with Viet- namese gunships off the southwestern coast, reliable sources here said yesterday. The sources reported that the vital port city was recaptured on Monday, but that Vietnamese forces retaliated. by bombarding it with the heaviest air strikes of the three-week war. THE SOURCES could not verify whether Kompong Som, 136 miles southeast of Phnom Penh on the Gulf of Siam, was still in the hands yesterday of forces loyal to fugitive Premier Pol Pot. The new Cambodian provisional government announced shortly after seizing the capital with the help of their Vietnamese allies on Jan. 7 that Kom- pong Som had been taken that same day. Kompong Som is the country's only deepwater port and served as the major port-of-call for Chinese ships bringing in supplies to their Cambodian allies. RELIABLE SOURCES also reported bitter sea battles near several islands northwest of Kompong Som. They said' the Vietnamese launched a fierce at- tack and had possibly captured Kong Island, one of the largest islands in the area. bytam Western sources in Bangkok reported earlier this week that the islands were a major center for Cambodian forces trying to set up guerrilla bases to com- bat the Vietnamese forces. Officials of the former government have also been reported taking refuge in the Car- damom and Elephant mountains of southwest Cambodia. It was not known whether Kong Island or any others in the area had been captured by the Vietnamese, the sources said. THE SOURCES who reported the sea battle said the Cambodian navy - con- sisting of about 50 gunboats armed with heavy machine guns and mortars - had remained loyal, but it wasn't b odians known how many vessels were at the scene of the battle. Thai intelligence sources reported that the Vietnamese had at least four vessels in the waters near Kong Island and that the Cambodians had suffered some losses at sea. At the Thai-Cambodian border, reporters said they saw flames rising from the key Cambodian town of Poipet and heard sporadic explosions. THAI FRONTIER police said some- one had set fire to Poipet, located just across a bridge from the Thai town of Aranyaprathet on the northwestern frontier. Vietnamese forces had earlier been reported to be within six to 12 See LOYAL, Page 5 Moslem hijackers free 79 passengers A * Budweise® * Florida * Breakout DETROIT TO FT. LAUDERDALE NLY $139.00* BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Six Moslem hijackers released all the passengers and crew members of a Lebanese airliner early today, ending a seven-hour drama they had staged to protest the disappearance of a religious leader. The hijackers freed the 66 passengers and nine crew members after their leader told a hastily organized airport news conference that Libya was responsible for the missing Imam Mousa al-Sadr. AFTER THE brief statement, the hijackers left the Boeing 707 and surrendered to Lebanese authorities. The leader told the news conference that the 54-year-old Imam had been kidnapped in October by the Libyan regime of Col. Moammar Khaddafy "in defiance of all international laws." He added, "It is a crime that will not go unpunished." Authorities - who initially said three Moslem gunmen had hijacked the Mid- dle East Airlines jet as it was en route yesterday from Beirut to Amman, Jor- dan - later said there were six hijackers. THE PLANE had returned here after unsuccessful attempts to land in Turkey or Cyprus, and the hijackers freed 10 of their hostages, most of them women and children. After releasing the 10, the hijackers said they wouldn't harm the others if Lebanese authorities arranged a news conference for them with the am- bassadors of all Arab nations present. Even as preparations were under way for the conference, the hijackers released an additional 20 passengers who were said to have been very ner- vous. The government had not assembled the ambassadors for the conference. IN ACCORDANCE with the ACU-I BOWLING TOURNAMENT Sat. Jan. 20 9:30 am Michigan Union Lanes hijackers' demand, the plane was refueled on a secluded runway, which was cordoned, off by police. The hijackers reportedly said at one point they wanted to take the plane to Libya to demand "the release of our beloved inam." But an airport spokesman said Lebanese Interior Minister Salah Salman talked them into holding the news conference instead. Among those on board the plane were Lebanese parliament member Mah- moud Ammar, his wife, and Abdul Waddoud Hajjaj, the Lebanese correspondent of Newsweek magazine. The airport spokesman said the crew members were all Lebanese and most of the passengers were Arab nationals. The jet was hijacked yesterday af- ternoon 50 minutes after it had depar- ted from Beirut. ACCORDING TO the officials, the skyjackers said they were members of an organization called Amal - hope. The group was founded by al-Sadr during the 1975 civil war between Lebanon's Moslems and Christians. The imam has been missing since he flew to Libya in October to attend the anniversary celebrations of Khadafy's 1969 coup against the pro-Western monarchy. There have been rumors that al-Sadr quarreled with Khadafy, but Libyan of- ficials denied the reports and said the imam left Libya a week after his arrival. The hijackers first told the air- port control tower they were Palestinians planning to take the plane to Larnaca airport on Cyprus or to the Turkish capital of Ankara. THE PLANE circled over Cyprus for an hour before it headed back for Beirut. Salman and Health Minister Ibrahim Sheito negotiated with the skyjackers. They said the leader of the trio told them, "We want to make our voice heard in the world. We are Sadrists and want the imam back." A.l:though Khadafy's government hs insisted the imam departed from the- Libyan capital of Tripoli following the anniversary celebration, Shiite leaders privately expressed their belief that he is being held by Libyan authorities. Many Arab heads of state and even Palestinian guerrilla leader Yasser Arafat undertook mediation efforts with Libya to determine the fate of the missing imam, but there were no con- crete results., Fp I I ROUND TRIP JET FARE Leave March 2-Return March 10 For Reservation Information Call Toll Free-1-800-848-9155 In Ohio Call-1-800-282-3432 * Includes non-stop, round trip flight on Boeing 737 " Low rates on ocean front hotel rooms available " Reservations for National Rental Cars available " February 9th deadline, call early- space is limited TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS BY STUDENT SUNFLIGHTS, INC. * Plus $10.40 Federal Transportation Tax Treat yourself ...to an award -Winning* .i .i t \ --"i/ . ._,.- - , // 1 Vii' r 1 ,ti I R. t Y y _ .." ' $ 8 6 -pack 4 a / f .fj# { / - / Quench your thirst for news from campus to international, happenings from sports to cultural, plus our regular features, editorials, TV guide, and Sunday magazine. Subscribe to the Michigan Daily-Delivered before 8 a.m. to your dorm or door Tuesday- Sunday - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - LEAVE BLANK Yes, I would like to s u b s c r i b e to THE LEAVE BLANKI 1 MICHIGAN DAILY. I agree to be billed later (pre-payment necessary for subs. outside of Ann Arbor, Mich.) ONE SEMESTER ____ TWO SEMESTERS ---_ PERMANENT (autombtically renewed each term) _ SCHEDULE OF PRICES: i For Circulation Dept. Use Only $12 SEPT. thru APRIL (2 Semesters) I $13 by Mail outside Ann Arbor I.,E Stencil Typed $6.50 per Semester IINumber of opers__. $7.00 by Mail outside Ann Arbor Amount Due $ _ Date Staiied (Please Print) Last Name First Middle Initial I Code. 3 t I I I.D. No._Phone No.__ _-(circle one) I I 4: J-Ap. 1: S-D Number Street Name Apt. No. I 5: J-Au. 2: S-Ap. 6: J-D 3: S-Au. T \1IF ' 1\\ t i n~ f G