Cable briefs

Press, 18 February 1986, Page 6

Cable briefs

Girl self-taught A Thai girl, aged eight, whose handicaps of lameness and harelip kept her out of school has taught herself to read and write in six languages, Thai television reports. Nacharee Theepawat said she had started to study Thai, French, English, Chinese, German, and Japanese after being refused entry to school. Officials told her father that she would have trouble making the trip to and from school.— Bangkok. Riots kill 13 Riots killed at least 13 people in racially-segre-gated South African townships during the weekend—Johannesburg. Wreckage found Taiwanese naval vessels have found the wreckage of a China Airlines Boeing 737 which crashed into the sea near the Penghu (Pescadores) islands, says an airline official. No survivors or bodies of the 13 aboard have been found near the wreckage, spotted about 60km east of Penghu.—Taipei. Passengers missing More than 200 people were listed as missing and Bangladeshi police said many were feared dead after a motor launch capsized and sank in a collision on the Rupsa river near the southern port of Khulna.—Dhaka. Naked bathers flee Twenty-five naked bathers had to flee into the street when fire broke out in a public bath-house in central Tokyo. An elec-

trie wire short-circuited, and spread flames through a two-storey wooden building, sending 15 men and 10 women out on a cold night.—Tokyo. Quails burned About 200,000 quails, the meat and eggs of which are considered a Chinese delicacy, were burned alive in a poultry-farm blaze in Hong Kong. Press reports said the birds, valued about SHKISO,OOO ($36,025), died when an electric fault sparked a blaze in the quail batteries.—Hong Kong. Airline anniversary Celebrations to mark the fiftieth birthday of Ansett Airlines have been held at airports throughout Australia. The late Sir Reginald Ansett began the company as a one-man road passenger business in 1931, and the airline was established in 1936. The company now has more than 8000 employees. Sir Reginald remained chairman of the company to his death in 1982. Ansett is now jointly owned by T.N.T., controlled by Sir Peter Abeles, and by the News Corporation, controlled by Rupert Murdoch. Travellers flying Ansett received birthday cake and a miniature bottle of muscat— Melbourne. P.M. appoints son Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s son will join his father’s Cabinet under new Government appointments. The Prime Minister’s Office said Lee Hsien Loong, aged 34, had been appointed Acting Minister for Trade and Industry.— Singapore.