Cable Briefs

Press, 23 July 1980, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Witnesses expelled The society of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Iran has been closed and its eight foreign missionaries have been expelled, an Iranian Witness has said.' The. spokesman estimated the number of Iranian Witnesses at about 20. [Earlier, the National Guidi ance (Information) Ministry ' issued a statement on the conduct • of foreign missionaries and said religious missions would be expelled if they had any political connections.—Teheran. Oil-well attacked Iraqi forces attacked oil installations in Iran’s oilproducing Kermanshahr [Province this week, setting {fire to an oil-well that was i still burning, the Iranian Pars news agency reported. The fire was at the main : crossing point on the Iraqii Iranian border. Pars said the Iraqi forces mortared the : area during the night, also damaging the local gendarmerie station. Iranian ; gendarmes, . supported by [Revolutionary Guards, .returned the Iraqi fire,' Pars said.—Teheran. Minister resigned | The Turkish Interior Minister (Mr Mustafa Gulcugil) has resigned after a week of ! political violence in which a : former prime minister Mri ' Nihat Erim, and a member ■of Parliament were killed. 1 His ’ resignation deepened [Turkey’s political and 'eeo.n{omic. problems. Mr Gulcugil : was repbnsible for internal security but the Government, the police and the military — enforcing martiallaw in half the country —| [have been unable to prevent, jan upsurge in hit-and-run I i political assassinations by extremists of both Left and [Right. — Ankara. Korean purge South Korea’s militarybacked Government has announced that 6811 civil servants and officials of Statebacked organisations had been sacked for corruption or incompetence. The Government Administration Minister (Mr Kim Young Hyu)l said the anti-corruption purge would be extended to Government-organised ?fishieries and agriculture unions later this month and teachers early next month. The dismissed officials had not been arrested and would not i have to answer criminal! [charges, he said. They could, ibe re-employed by the pri--1 vate sector.—Seoul.