Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom
Vol. IC, No. 115 Ann Arbor, Michigan -Monday, March 20, 1989 Copyright 1989, The Michigan Daily
Salvadorans
.vote for Pres.
amid combat
At least seven killed in
election day violence
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) - Salvado-
rans voted for a new president yesterday as rebels op-
posed to the election attacked military posts and army
troops countered with rockets and rifle fire.
At least five guerrillas and two soldiers were killed
in fighting in nine provincial towns, said military of-
ficials and witnesses. Two journalists and a Dutch
television photographer also were reported killed.
Early voter turnout appeared diminished by the
combat and a rebel-imposed transport ban. But Roman
Catholic churches were crowded with Palm Sunday
worshipers, at least some of whom planned to vote
later. By midday, there were long lines at the down-
town polling stations.
Turnout was light in smaller towns.
"With these problems, it's better to stay home,"
said Jose Carlos Ortiz. He spoke in front of his home
in the capital as guerrillas retreated from an assault on
a military outpost three blocks away.
Sporadic rifle fires echoed from the slope of the
Guazapa volcano north of the capital, a guerrilla
stronghold, as troops from the army's elite Bracamonte
battalion pursued the insurgents. Two air force heli-
copters raced toward the volcano and fired rockets into
the mountainside.
Guerrillas of the Farabundo Marti National Libera-
tion Front are waging a 9-year-old war against the
U.S.-backed government.
Salvadorans voted to elect a.president from among
seven candidates. Fidel Chavez Mena of the incumbent
See Salvador, Page 8
'M' on way to
Sweet 16 after
91-82 V1
BY STEVE BLONDER
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY
ATLANTA - Despite cameras
and microphones being focused on
Michigan since the team departed
Ann Arbor, the Wolverines over-
came the distractions to knock off
South Alabama 91-82 yesterday after
a 92-87 victory over Xavier.
The victories, coupled with North
Carolina's 88-81 win over UCLA,
sets up a rematch of last year's.
regional semifinals Thursday in
Lexington, KY.
"We knew we would be the center
of attention, and we've had cameras
on us every time we've turned
around," center Terry Mills said.
"When we first got here, you
wouldn't think we were coming to
play basketball, it was more like we
were making a movie."
The starring role belongs to Glen
Rice. The All-American scored 36
points against the Jaguars; including
seven during a 10-4 run which put
Michigan up to stay, 86-80.
"On both ends of the court he was
phenomenal," Mark Hughes said.
"When it comes to crunch time, you
look for Glen."
Friday, he scored seven straight
Michigan points to put the Wolver-
-
ictory
ines up for good, 86-83.
Rice connected on 16-25 from the
field and scored 12 of Michigan's
first 22 points Sunday after subpar
9-22 shootingagainst Xavier.
"We tried to keep the ball out of
his hands, but that is hard to do
when you run into 255 and 260-
pound players," South Alabama
coach Ronnie Arrow said.
Up for supporting actor awards
are point guard Rumeal Robinson
and Mills.
Robinson scored 23 points Friday
and 12 yesterday on 5-8 shooting.
"It's apparent we need Rumeal on
the floor for us to be at our best,"
interim coach Steve Fisher said.
"When he got into foul trouble, it
took us out of the rhythm we
needed."
While Robinson was sitting on
the bench with two fouls, South
Alabama capped off a 19-4 run to
turn a 20-9 deficit into a 28-24
advantage with 9 minutes, 42
seconds remaining in the first half.
Robinson came back in, and
Michigan led 29-28 when the junior
picked up his third offensive foul of
the half. The Jaguars outscored
Michigan 19-14 for the rest of the
half while Robinson was on the
See Sweet 16, Page 13
Michigan's Glen Rice was head and shoulders above South Alabama during Sunday's
second-round matchup in Atlanta. Rice led Michigan into the third round by pouring in
36 points.
El Salvador faces turn
BY VERA SONGWE
Daily News Analysis
first in a five-part series
Yesterday the Salvadoran elec-
* enra American Form,
focus on: El Salvador
torate held its first round of elections
to select a new president. If no can-
didate receives a majority of the
votes, a run off between the two top
contenders will take place in one
month.
From 1980 to 1988, the U.S.
pushed for reform and provided $3.15
billion in economic aid and military
alsistance to support various
"centrist" governments in El Sal-
vador.
El Salvador, the smallest country
in Central America, is about the size
of Massachusetts, inhabited by five
million. Though it is the fifth
largest recipient of U.S. aid, El Sal-
vador is one of the poorest countries
in Central America. For more than
seven years now, the country has
been a perpetual battlefield.
President Jose Napoleon Duarte
of the Reformist Democratic Party
took over rule in 1984. In the early
years of his presidency, death squad
murders declined significantly, report
Salvadoran government officials.
The Salvadoran government and
military - backed by U.S. aid -
put the opposition group, The
Farabundo Marti National Liberation
Front (FLMN) on the defensive.
In turn, the U.S. Congress con-
ing poin
tinued to approve significant in-
creases in economic aid under less
stringent conditions, especially in
military assistance requests.
But FLMN, which arose in 1970
to bring democracy to El Salvador,
now controls over half the country
and is active in all its 14 provinces.
Though FLMN has been
derecognized by Duarte and the U.S.,
its concerns are voiced through the
Democratic Revolutionary Front,
which has been in formal alliance
with FMLN since 1980.
The outcome of the elections will
with election
determine whether or not the U.S.
will change its policies in El Sal-
vador.
Julie Laser, a University alumni
who visited El Salvador last year
said she believes the U.S. should no
longer fund the military.
"I would like to see them fund
grassroots organizations that benefit
the people and let the people of El
Salvador make their own political
decisions," said Laser, a member of
the Latin American Solidarity
Committee.
But Former Secretary of State for
Inter-American Affairs Elliot
Abrams said, "Duarte inherited a
country that never had a free gov-
ernment and made it a better democ-
racy."
Laser said, however, that democ-
racy does not exist.
"The elections are very corrupt,
the lines are extremely long. People
are very fearful that if they do not
vote they would be suspected of be-
ing guerrillas.... It's an incredible
chaos," she said.
Group charges mainstream
media bias in mock Free Press
BY JOSH MITNICK
Readers who purchased copies of
The Detroit Free Press from vending
machines on campus Friday morning
found copies of an insert which
announced "U.S. AT WAR IN EL
SALVADOR" and criticized the me-
dia for allegedly distorting the Sal-
vadoran "reality."
About 3,000 copies of the
"Detroit Free Free Press" were
printed and wrapped around vending
machine copies of the Free Press and
of The Daily early Friday morning
by an anonymous group.
One person who helped publish
the inserts said that in addition to
educating the public about El Sal-
vador, the paper was distributed to
question the quality of the media's
news reporting from Central Amer-
ica, not only the Free Press's. The
person requested anonymity.
"The media has continually por-
trayed the administration's line on El
Salvador without trying to evaluate
the situation in an independent way,"
he said.
Another person who distributed
the inserts claimed that the press
misleads the American public be-
cause it gets most of its information
from Capitol Hill and the State
Dept. "They (the media) should be
going to the opposition sources" for
another version of events, she said,
also asking to remain anonymous.
"Media bias" has disassociated the
violence of El Salvadoran death
squads from its government when, in
fact, U.S. Senate intelligence reports
have linked El Salvadoran govern-
ment to this violence, she said.
She added that the publication of
the inserts was intended to coincide
with the alleged "meaningless" elec-
tions yesterday in El Salvador.
Communications Prof. Jimmie
Reeves agreed that there is a problem
with the media's coverage of El Sal-
vador. He added that the publishers
of the insert were probably correct in
saying that the situation was under-
reported.
"It's like the American media has
amnesia - they only respond where
the administration points them,"
Reeves said.
Communications Prof. Dick
Cambell described the incident as an
attempt by somebody in the
"margins" trying to be heard by the
American mainstream. "Someone
that holds the minority opinion is
always going to have trouble getting
access," he said.
At this time The Free Press has
not announced plans to press
charges. But University Law Prof.
Jessica Litman said the incident
could have legal ramifications under
trademark laws.
Because the insert used the same
See Free Press, Page 5
Amy Printip, a Tuscarora from Shawnee, Oklahoma, competes in the Women'sl
yesterday at the Ann Arbor Pow Wow.
Native Americans hold
JESSICA GREENE/Daily
Fancy Shawl Dance
Abolitionist Party aims
to terminate MSA.
17th
annual Pow Wow at Coliseum
BY ALEX GORDON
A fifth party is running in the
Michigan Student Assembly elec-
tions. Although it has the same
immediate goal of the other parties
- to get elected - its proposed
agenda would be a radical departure
MQ A ninngninc V
LSA representative candidate
Jesse Walker said, "MSA's purpose
is not to be a student government,
but a student assembly." He said it
should become a voluntary organ-
ization like the MSA committees,
and be more of a place where con-
cerned students could come to or-
ganize.
BY VINCE WILK
Native Americans from across
the United States and Canada
gathered in the University Coli-
models for the young. This will
help encourage them to continue
the traditions. There is nothing in
the education (system) to help
wore traditional costumes. Men
wore clothing made of leather and
other animal skins, colorful
feather headresses, and ornate jew-
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