Cable briefs

Press, 4 May 1981, Page 8

Cable briefs

Kampuchea vote Radio Hanoi has announced that Kampuchea’s pro-Vietnamese leaders won overwhelming victories in the first national election since Vietnam invaded Kampuchea in late 1978 and helped rebels overthrow the Pol Pot regime. Although final results of the voting were not expected until tomorrow, Vietnam’s official Radio Hanoi said first returns gave President Heng Samrin a 99.5 per cent endorsement in his district in the capital of Phnom Penh. Kampuchea’s 3.3 million voters were presented with a carefully pruned list of 148 candidates for 117 National Assembly seats.—Phnom Penh.

Voyage resumes The SS Norway, the world’s largest passenger liner, has resumed its passage to Miami after being stranded for 24 hours with 1780 people aboard. The 310 m ship was stranded without water and electricity throughout the 24 hours. Passengers received free beer, soft drinks, and ice cream, and most slept on the deck to escape the confines of their stuffy cabins. The captain said the ship’s power failed after one of its three boilers stopped and the other two boilers could not handle the sudden heavy load.—S.S. Norway. 22,000 flee More than 22,000 people have fled their homes to escape rising flood waters in the Ogaden region, Ethiopian officials have said. Colonel Belette Ergette, Ethiopia’s head of emergency and relief operations, said that the Shebelle River had flooded a large area. He appealed for international aid. The floods have ended a three-year drought.—Addis Ababa.