www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Ambassador to U.N. discusses Ukraine's role — page 3. • Multiculturalism policy is threatened, ethnic groups react — pages 5-6. • Chervona Ruta Festival; Operation Peace Shield — centerfold. THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIII No. 27 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 2, 1995 75 cents/$2 in Ukraine Democratic leader Violence erupts in the Crimea, overshadowing elections by Marta Kolomayets He told reporters during a news conference on June 27 that, at seeks FCC hearing Kyyiv Press Bureau the time of the violent episode, criminal gangs had armed them­ selves and were ready to fight Crimean Tatars. KYYIV - Local elections on the Crimean peninsula were over­ There has been ethnic tension in the area since Crimean Tatars on CBS broadcast shadowed by violence that broke out over the weekend of June 23- began returning to their ancestral homeland in the early 1990s, after 25 in this resort region in the south of Ukraine. by Roman Woronowycz being deported from the peninsula by Stalin in 1944. Their return Clashes between Crimean Tatars and local militia left four peo­ has not always been looked upon favorably by the residents, mostly JERSEY CITY, N.J. —A Democratic ple dead over the weekend, prompting Ukrainian President Leonid ethnic Russians, of the Crimea, who considered it unfair for them to leader of Congress is calling for the Kuchma to issue a decree on fighting corruption on the peninsula come back and stake out land taken away over 50 years ago. Federal Communications Commission to and to dispatch special forces to the region to maintain order. More evidence of the ethnic strife was observed on June 26 near hold public hearings on the matter of The conflict was triggered on June 23, when a skirmish broke out Sevastopil, when some 150 young residents gathered on the out­ two petitions filed against CBS by between Crimean Tatars who refused to pay protection money to a skirts of Sudak, a nearby suburb, voicing anti-Tatar sentiments. Ukrainian Americans protesting a story local gang in the village of Shchebetovka. Two Tatars were killed. "The Crimea is located at the crossroads of the interests of many the broadcaster aired in October 1994 on During a funeral procession on June 25 from Shchebetovka to its popular "60 Minutes" program. Sudak, some Crimean Tatars began storming local trade points, bars (Continued on page 12) Rep. David Bonior (D-Mich.), the and restaurants belonging to the local gang responsible for the Democratic minority whip, who is deaths of their colleagues. Ukrainian American, wrote a letter to FCC It remains unclear who gave the order to open fire during the Chairman Reed E. Hundt on June 23 funeral procession, resulting in the deaths of two more Crimean Poll shows language question expressing his disapproval of a "60 Tatars and injuries to seven policemen, said Mustafa Jemilev, leader Minutes" segment titled "The Ugly Face of trje Crimean Tatar Mejlis (Council). "The events here look like is regional, not nationality issue of Freedom" and asking that the FCC con­ Budennovsk," he added. duct a thorough investigation. "The current conflict in the Crimea is not inter^ethnic," said by Marta Kolomayets "The story was deeply offensive to Refat Chubarov, a member of the Crimean Parliament's presidium, Kyyiv Press Bureau those of us of Ukrainian ancestry," wrote "however, it can be a prelude to a new civil war caused by a conflict KYYIV - Thirty-seven percent of ethnic Ukrainians and 72 Rep. Bonior. "Portraying us as 'genetical­ between the despair of some people and the greed of others." percent of ethnic Russians living in Lviv, Kyyiv, Donetske and ly anti-Semitic' and 'uneducated peasants, The Crimean government issued a statement late Thursday Symferopil consider it necessary to give the Russian language deeply superstitious' is untrue." evening, June 29, noting that "attempts by the mass media, includ­ official status in Ukraine, according to a recent poll conducted The congressman, by asking for a pub­ ing Russia's Channel One, to portray the Crimea as a potential hot lic hearing on the two petitions, filed sepa­ by Democratic Initiatives, a research center based here. spot are not grounded in reality. They are aimed at frightening off A poll conducted by Democratic Initiatives in May, surveying 400 rately by Alexander Serafyn of Detroit in people wishing to come to the Crimea for vacation." November 1994 and Oleh Nikolyszyn of citizens in the four cities, found that the language issue is not a nation­ Ukrainian government leaders in both Kyyiv and the Crimea, ality issue, but a regional matter. In Lviv, where 78 percent of the res­ Providence, R. I., in April of this year, has including President Kuchma, have characterized the unfortunate in effect called for the case to go before an idents are ethnic Ukrainians, 76 percent consider Ukrainian their incidents as "purely criminal." native language. In Kyyiv, where 74 percent of the population is eth­ administrative law judge, a move that Mr. Kuchma told Interfax-Ukraine he is worried that each time would allow individuals to make public nic Ukrainian, only 58 percent consider Ukrainian their native tongue. the situation seemed to stabilize in the Crimea, some kind of provo­ In Donetske, 43 percent of the population consider themselves statements and would force CBS to pub­ cation appears. He told the news agency that the militia had found licly defend itself. ethnic Ukrainians, but only 20 percent consider Ukrainian their cartridges of a foreign make at the site of the incident. native tongue, while 80 percent consider Russian their native lan- The FCC also can deny the Serafyn and "The conflict was triggered by crime," said Crimean Andriy Nikolyszyn petitions or internally review Senchenko. He added that the situation remains tense. (Continued on page 8) them and instruct CBS in corrective action, which would be merely a slap on the wrist. Both petitions are asking the FCC to deny CBS transfers of license in their respective viewing areas. Mr. Serafyn's Readers vote to keep Svoboda a daily petition states that the "60 Minutes" pro­ Statement by UNA Executive Committee Report on Svoboda subscribers' poll gram was inaccurate and biased to a To the Esteemed Members of the UNA and Readers of the degree that granting it a license would As requested by the Executive Committee of the UNA, on not be in the public interest. Mr. Svoboda Daily: June 23 at the UNA Home Office, we conducted a review of Nikolyszyn also says that CBS has failed The most recent annual meeting of the Ukrainian National all questionnaires regarding the future of Svoboda that were to meet its public interest obligations Association's General Assembly, which took place in May returned to the Home Office by that newspaper's sub­ and that CBS is responsible for news of this year, examined ways to cut expenses for the multi- scribers. These questionnaires were given to us for review by distortion. faceted fraternal activity of our organization. Oksana Trytjak, who was directed by the Executive Committee to open the envelopes containing filled out ques­ This is Rep. Bonior's second foray Special attention was focused on the problem of the large tionnaires, organize them and count the responses. into the dispute between CBS and the and constantly growing costs of our UNA publications, Ukrainian American community. Shortly which for many years have needed significant financial sup­ On the basis of the sorted questionnaires presented to us, after the broadcast the congressman had port. That is why this meeting approved the proposal put and the daily count of responses received between May 31 sent a letter to CBS voicing his displea­ forth by the Executive Committee to appeal directly to the and June 23, 1995, we confirm that 4,860 responses were sure with the way Ukrainians were por­ readers of Svoboda to determine whether that newspaper received at the Home Office. That figure includes 2,892 sub­ trayed. He explained to The Weekly why should remain a daily for which they would pay $75 as UNA scribers who voted for Svoboda as a daily, 1,642 who voted he contacted the FCC: "I thought that the members, or $100 for non-members, or whether Svoboda for Svoboda as a weekly, and 326 respondents who sent in FCC should be made aware of the com­ should become a weekly whose subscription would be $40 questionnaires without clearly indicating a preference, as pletely inadequate response by CBS to for members and $60 for non-members. well as those who expressed a wish to terminate their sub­ Ukrainian American concerns. Sometimes In the last week of May a questionnaire was sent to all read­ scriptions to Svoboda. you have to hit them over the head for ers of Svoboda; the newspaper wrote about the importance of Summarizing the results of the poll, we can state that 60 them to hear." this questionnaire daily. The deadline by which the question­ percent of the respondents voted for a daily, 33 percent for a The impact of the letter should be naire was to be returned was set at June 19; However, the weekly, and 7 percent did not express an opinion on the future of Svoboda. heard, said an immigration attorney who Executive Committee accepted responses through Friday, June works with the FCC but wished to remain 23; on that day the Executive Committee asked Auditor Iwan Iwan Wynnyk Walter Sochan anonymous. He explained that Mr. Wynnyk and Honorary Member of the General Assembly Bonior as minority whip is the second or UNA Auditor Honorary Member (Continued on page 4) of the UNA General Assembly (Continued on page 4) THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 2, 19S5 No.