www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Prime ministers of Ukraine and Russia meet — page 3. • “Searching for Place” describes DP experience — page 7. • Veriovka: the dance company that sings — page 11. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXVIII HE No.KRAINIAN 48 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2000 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine Body found outside Kyiv may be Gongadze’s T U Famine-GenocideW recalled at St. Patrick’s Cathedral by Roman Woronowycz uprising in the early 1990s in Georgia. In Kyiv Press Bureau addition, the medical examiner confirmed The Rev. Myroslav Medvid addresses annual gathering that the contents of the corpse’s stomach KYIV – More controversy developed by Andrij Wowk matched the food that Mr. Gongadze ate on Special to The Ukrainian Weekly around missing journalist Heorhii the day of his disappearance. Gongadze on November 15 when a close In an interview given to the Kyiv news- NEW YORK – Hierarchs, clergy and associate identified a headless body found paper Fakty on November 16, Mr. faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic and the in a wooded region outside Kyiv as being Vorotinsev had not only supported the facts Ukrainian Orthodox Churches gathered at that of Mr. Gongadze. as presented by Ms. Prytula but stated that the landmark St. Patrick’s Cathedral here Officials of Ukraine’s Ministry of he believed the body was covered with a on Saturday, November 18, to solemnly Internal Affairs, who increased the mystery chemical to make the body decompose recall the victims of the Great Famine in surrounding the body when they silently more quickly so as to make it appear older. Ukraine with an ecumenical memorial and quickly moved it from a local morgue He also added that the corpse was not service and addresses. to Kyiv hours after the positive identifica- merely moved to Kyiv, but stolen from The event was organized by the tion became public, have refused to either under his eyes by law enforcement offi- Ukrainian Congress Committee of confirm or deny the identity of the corpse cials. America (UCCA), in remembrance of the until after extensive tests including a DNA Two days after Ms. Prytula’s visit, law 7 million to 10 million Ukrainians who matching are conducted. enforcement officials arrested the Tarascha died in 1932-1933 as the result of the “An authoritative team led by chief medical examiner for prematurely Famine engineered by the Soviet govern- forensic expert Yurii Shupyk visited the divulging information and issuing a death ment. Among the attendees was Ukraine’s site,” explained First Vice Minister of certificate. Procurator General Mykhailo ambassador to the United Nations, Internal Affairs Mykola Ghiha on Potebenko, who announced the arrest dur- Volodymyr Yelchenko. Responses to the November 16, “but they have not identified ing a weekly press briefing, said Mr. service were sung by the Dumka the body as Heorhii Gongadze.” Vorotinsev had no right to discuss sensitive Ukrainian Chorus of New York City. State militia officials initially reported information with journalists before a final After the service several notobale that the body, which was found in a identification had been made. speakers addressed the more than 1,500 Andrij Wowk wooded area outside the town of Tarascha “You may not be aware of this, but there people in attendance. Receiving perhaps in the southern part of Kyiv Oblast, The Rev. Myroslav Medvid addresses appeared to be that of a much older man (Continued on page 17) (Continued on page 3) the faithful at St. Patrick’s. and probably had been buried for a lengthy period of time, but Mr. Ghiha retracted that statement and said extensive chemical, biological, histological and DNA analysis would have to be complet- Bush Presidential Library’s ed before identification is made. He said the process would take at least a week, first ethnic day spotlights although other state militia officials said it could take up to a month. Ukraine and Ukrainians Mr. Ghiha could not explain why Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Tarascha’s medical examiner, Ihor Vorotinsev, not only gave every indication COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Over 300 people attended that they body was that of Mr. Gongadze, the Bush Foundation’s inaugural ethnic day on Saturday, but also issued a death certificate to Olena November 4, at the George Bush Presidential Library and Prytula, the editor-in-chief of Mr. Museum. Dubbed “Ukraine: Its Traditions and Culture,” the Gongadze’s controversial Internet newspa- Ukraine Day event featured cultural displays, demonstra- per, Ukrainska Pravda. He said only that tions, performances and entertainment provided by the the death certificate was issued under pres- Ukrainian American Cultural Club of Houston (UACCH) sure from people present at the morgue and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America with the editor. (UNWLA) Branch 118 of Houston. Ms. Prytula, however, explained in a The day’s events were highlighted by a panel discussion statement released on the Ukrainska of dignitaries and experts: Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Pravda website that she was convinced the Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States; Roman corpse belonged to the missing journalist. Popadiuk, executive director of the Bush Foundation; She stated that while the body was all but Gregory Buchai, honorary consul for Ukraine in Houston; impossible to identify because it was badly Lt. Cmdr. Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, NASA mission special- disfigured, Mr. Vorotinsev made detailed ist; and Dr. Alexander Litvinchuk, research scientist at the drawings of jewelry found on the body, Texas Center for Super Conductivity. The moderator was which closely resembled the unique accou- Eugene A. Kuchta. trements that Mr. Gongadze wore, includ- The panel discussion, slated to last one hour, lasted nearly ing a bracelet, a ring and a talisman that two hours due to an abundance of questions from the audi- hung around his neck. ence. During the spirited question and answer period the Internal Affairs Ministry officials have deputy consul general of Argentina, Alejandro Mueronuec confirmed that metal decorations were (Alexander Myroniuk), informed the audience that his par- found on the body and would be presented ents had immigrated to Argentina from Ukraine. Other ques- to Mr. Gongadze’s wife for identification Wilton Tifft tioners/commentators also announced their Ukrainian her- after they are analyzed. itage. Ms. Prytula said the medical examiner Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Kostyantyn Throughout the afternoon, a magnificent display of also showed her an x-ray of the right arm, Gryshchenko (center) at the George Bush Presidential Ukrainian arts and culture was on view, organized and pre- which contained metal fragments, and a Library with Dr. Roman Popadiuk (right), executive sented by the UACCH and UNWLA Branch 118. A pysanka bullet slug removed from it. Mr. Gongadze director of the Bush Foundation, and Gregory Buchai, had suffered a grenade wound in his lower Ukraine’s honorary consul in Houston. (Continued on page 12) right arm during combat in the Abkhazia 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2000 No. 48 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Putin compounds a demographic disaster Kyiv reveals IMF’s ‘three conditions’ in it whom I would have swept out of the by Paul Goble Russia would fall from the seventh government with a broom – I say that open- RFE/RL Newsline largest country in the world in terms of KYIV – Valerii Lytvytskyi, an adviser to ly,” the Associated Press quoted President population to the 14th. Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko, Leonid Kuchma as saying at Kyiv Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Mr. Pochinok also noted that the announced on November 16 that Ukraine University on November 17. “And it’s suggestion that increased immigration extremely high death rate and low birth must comply with the International impossible to understand what it is that from former Soviet republics could help rate in Russia are “incomparable” with Monetary Fund’s “three conditions” before drives the prime minister to defend these solve Russia’s demographic crisis may the demographic situation elsewhere in sending an official request to the fund to people – I do not understand that,” Mr. trigger new problems in both those coun- Europe, and he noted that in the last year resume its $2.6 billion loan, Interfax report- Kuchma added, but mentioned no names. tries and Russia itself, as well as in rela- average male life expectancy in Russia ed. Mr. Lytvytskyi said the Verkhovna Rada Ukrainian commentators say Mr. Kuchma tions between the two. fell below the pension age “for the first must adopt, “at least in the second reading,” is under pressure from influential “oli- Speaking in the Siberian city of time ever.” This means that Russia may a 2001 budget bill with a deficit not exceed- garchs” to fire Vice Prime Minister Yulia Novosibirsk on November 17, Mr. Putin soon face not unemployment, but a lack ing 3 percent of the gross domestic product Tymoshenko, whose activity in the energy said that “we could have a perfect oppor- of workers for the economy, he argued, (GDP), according to IMF calculation meth- sector has considerably reduced their shad- tunity to attract labor resources from the adding that such a shortfall would repre- ods. The Parliament must also adopt a law ow deals. (RFE/RL Newsline) former USSR through immigration.” sent an additional restriction on on banks and banking activity in Ukraine, Moscow, he added, would have to rigidly Moscow’s ability to maintain a sizeable and the government must submit to the Labor Ukraine set to rule? control where such migrants settled, not- military force. Parliament a list of enterprises subject to KYIV – A congress of Labor Ukraine on ing that “in our country, the immigrants Mr. Pochinok told the Duma that the privatization.