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Show BUZZ & BIG LEAGUE SCHEDULES/ B-4, B-5 Utah Centennial — CheSalt Lake Tribune 1896-1996 Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871 VOLUME 251 NUMBER 169 TODAY'S READERSHIP: 412,900 Bank Heists May Be Funding Militias GIVING UP A GANG ISN’T EASY By JudyPasternak LOS ANGELES TIMES COLUMBUS, Ohio — For nearly two years, a gang of bank robbers roamed the Midwest, displaying a warped sense of humor, a fondness for pipe bombs and sympathyfor the militia movement. Utahn Would Lose Power, Pals, Money Depending on the season, theyleft their bombs in a Santa’s hatornestled in the grass of an Easter basket. In one holdup, they wore caps that said ATF, as in the Bureauof Alcohol, Tobaccoand Fire- ByJoshua B. Good ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE arms — the agencyinvolved in the siege at Waco, Texas, in 1993. They rented a getawaycar in the name of an FBI agent Ai Hongphakdywas 11 when he stole a bike. At 13, he ripped off a car. Shortly after his 15th birthday. he attacked a involved in the 1992 shootings at Ruby can Army. years after his family came to Utah from a refugee camp in Thailand. They started out as a break-dancing crew — busting moves to the rhythmic beat of " i It was not long, though, before Hong- phakdy and his friends — who came to Utah with their families to escape com- SCRIPPS-MCCLATCHY WESTERN SERVICE ahead as a 72-year-old Republican challenges a 50-year-old Democratic presi- ‘Trent Nelson/The Sait Lake Tribune Fatherhood maygive Ai Honapiakey a reasonto leave the Oriental Posse. munist regimes in Southeast Asia — be- gan breaking into cars, busting heads and shooting stolen guns...Three members of the Possé have been convicted of murder, and another is wanted for the killing of Nic Dirkson, a 17-year-old clerk shot at a Midvale Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant during an argument in Novemberoverhis stolen carstereo. . Salt Lake Tribune spent weeks with Hongphakdy and others in the 40- strong Oriental Posse to chronicle gang H life, and the difficulty of escapingit. Becoming a father helps some walk away, says Susan Mirow, a psychologist for Utah's youth corrections. “It's an accepted way of changing WEx-gangster tumslife around Teen'sfast lane led to prison AAT AAT President Clinton — who turns 50 in August — the Kansas Republican will be- the home'ofa proctor, wheré he can be closely ‘supervised. One afternoon, comethe oldest president to assumeoffice in U.S. history. He turns 73 before land him in prison. He currentlylives in my baby, it’s time for me to moveon.’ Hongphakdy's parents, Bounthay their boy grow up. They were saddened when Hongphakdy was arrested March kisses the baby’s forehead and coos to him. “He's going to be good now,” Ait Endasays, glancing overat her son. the gang],” she says. ‘‘Kids have told me, ‘I have my woman,I'm gonna have and Ait Enda, hope the baby will help 16 — a monthafter his son was born — for hiding a sawed-off shotgun in the family's well-kept home, wherevisitors must remove their shoes upon entering. “Mytears are going to be blood corn- If Senate Mejority Leader Bob Dole wins his November showdown against an adult, which would almost certainly Hongphakdyenjoys a rare visit home, an electronic-monitoring bracelet shackled to his ankle. He stares out the window while his mother, holding tiny Asin on her lap, one’s life without repercussions [from dent in a race that will determine who leads America into the next century. “Tused to be heartless,” Hongphakdy says, “I didn’t care for nobody, not my mom, nobody. And sometimes I feel like I'm gonna change. Then other ing out, I ery so much," says the boy's times i feel like running and doing something crazy.’ mother. Hongphakdy's long juvenile rap sheetcouldleadto his being certified as @ See GANG LIFE, Page A-16 cus of argument, controversy and talk- that (aw)suit fits. ___PageC-1 Theage issue already has becomea fo- Jokes about Dole’s age are flying. Making the roundsis the anecdote that 97, is being considered as a running mate experience. He hasreieased half a centu- @ See DOLE’S AGE,Page A-21 WThepolitics of the presidential veto Environmentaiists want to add millions of acres to wnat is now treatedas wildemess. Utah's congressional delegation wants to trim it by about a million. Below are proportional day bythe Senate. Andfor once, environmentalists and the delega- much area each proposal — if lumped tion agreed on something: The former had out- together — would cover in relation to Utah's size: % gunnedthelatter. “Tt was a mismatch,” Utah GOP Sen. Bob Bennett said. “They didn’t have the best argument, but they hadthe best horsepower.”” The outcome could have gone either way at any aca Tiion s (10.5%) time. Asit turned out, the legislation protecting 2.1 million acres of Utah's red-rock canyons and desert never was put to a vote. Environmental groups support designation of 5.7 million acres. Grouped with 50-plus lands measures in an omni- Wilderness Coalition Proposal busparksbill, 49 of 100 senators voted against ending debate on the package, effectively killing the popular provisionsin the bill in crder to block Utah wilderness. Needing 60 votes to proceed, the entire package then waspulled from the floor The fight was tired and sweaty. And no one characterizes it as over. “Theybeat us on a parliamentary move. It’s not the war, though. That was just a battle,” said Rep. Jim Hansen, whoas head of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Landsis the delegation’s designated lands hitter. “Waris whenit passes both houses and goesto the president and he vetoes it. If you ask whether we have enoughvotesto override a veto in the present Congress, I would say no.” So goes the brainstorming among the delegation now, with the dust still settling. Some of the strategy being kicked about depends on future political events. Some will come from analyzingthe defeat. Leading up to the showdown, it was the environ- @ See WILDS BILL, Page A-6 % Millard ‘Mesaaee Beaver fi = — ah Grand ever | Ci __/ _ Piute |Wayne Garfield Escalante San Juan 3.2 miltior J6 Lottery...... BarberiBell.. C3 Business.. Classified Ads K-10 Editorials... AA Goodman... F2 landers <5. 42 Dole, keenly aware of the potential fallout of the age question, is countering it bystressing his physical healtharf his representations of how ae) Comat Attitude because he makes Dolelook young. and Recreation Areas egation’s wilderness bill was bushwhacked Wednes- Fremont Island has a fascinating humanhistory. PageJ-1 South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond, Gand snc rasGiooianeias After 18 years of inventorying and wrangling, a summer of public hearings, monthsof veto threats and a two-dayfilibuster, the Utah congressional del- SUNDAY show humor. | (GD BLM Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) Managedas wilderness until a bill s passed MHIEB ExistingForestService ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Allin all, it was a wild week for Utah’s wild lands. 10 UTAH Sue-happy inmate is looking for a GOP Loses Round, By Laurie Sullivan Maddox Arts: Page F-1 WEATHER Inauguration Day. That's the life expec- Lt. Scott Atkinson, who heads the But Fight Isn’t Over Donny Osmondwill help christen a new Provo theater. tancy of a U.S. male bornin 1996. cae 4, Police say the 245 Asian gang membersin Salt Lake County are becoming increasingly violent. Yet for teen-agers like Hongphakdy, belonging to the gang brings power, money and respect. The INSIDE WASHINGTON — Howoldis too old to be presidentof the United States? The answer may emerge in the months and constantly picked fights. To protect themselves, the Laotians turned from dancers to gangsters. Thebeatings stopped. @ See BANDITS, Page A-8 By Muriel Dobbin rap music Other youngsters — whites, blacks and Latinos — called them “Chinks,’ f to notorious groups whose goals they Race Is Young, But Dole Already Faces ‘Old’ Issue Hongphakdywas 10 when the group of Laotian boys formed in 1989, seven F bandits may provide the first solid evidence that large amountsof stolen money the government, the slaying of Jews and the deportation of blacks. Authorities believe they and their partners have provided more than $500,000in ill-gotten gains Law-enforcement officials and trackers of the extremist right say the gang’s strong | ies, following the example of The Order, a right-wing revolutionary group that stole millions during the 1980s. If investigatorsare correct, the Midwestern bank The two suspects — Richard Lee Guth- another nameaswell: the Aryan Republi- He wants to get a job and start a new life. But the pull of the Oriental Posseis ' cists. Authorities have suspected that somein the “patriot movement” are committing crimes to build up their treasur- edly are dedicated to the overthrow of Now, with two suspects in custody, federal officials believe the robbers went by move his young family into his bedroom. story will open an important windowon the financing of militant white suprema- rie Jr. and Peter Kevin Langan — alleg- papers, theysigned themselvesthe “MidWestern Bank Bandits.’ Now, at 17, Hongphakdy’s probation officer has given him an ultimatum: Get out of the gang or go to prison. It would seem thetimeis right. Six weeks ago his girlfriend, Phuong Tang, gave birth to a baby boy. And after introducing little Asin to his parents, Hongphakdy got their permission to McVeigh, Nicholsin Coloradejail AS Mandy Weaveroffers to mediate A-14. MUtahn's daughter holed up at ranch A-44 continueto flow to hate groups today. Ridge, Idaho Inletters and cartoons mailed to news- gangrival with a knife. i (> 143 South Main Street (801)297-2045 SALT LAKECITY, UTAH84111 Copyright 1996 SUNDAY March31, 1996 A-24 Movies... 2 FAO C8 | Personal Ads. J4 Pures 16 StarGazer.. KAT Travel HA | What Happens Now To All That Land? By Mike Gorrell and Laurie Sullivan Maddox ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The demise of Utah wilderness legislation should have little impact on the lands at the center of the bitter and prolongedfight. Then again, if the bill designating 2.1 million acres of wilderness had passed both houses of Congress and been signed into law, “life would not have changed substantially either,” noted Kate Kitchell, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Moab District manager We have no specific projects waiting in the wings to develop those lands” that were left out of the withdrawn bill but still are among 3.2 million acres of BLM territory protected as wilderness study areas (WSAs), she said The same holds true at the BLM’s Cedar City District office. “Wedon't havea list of people at the doorwaiting to do something,” said district manager Jerry Mer- edith. “Most of the areas that are in [WSAs] haven't had a lot of demand on them in the past. That doesn’t meanthere won't be in the future. Passage ofthebill might haveaffectedactivitiesat BLM’s Kanab area office, said manager Verlin Smith. It would have clarified how much mainte- acres (5.9%) nancecan be done on few dirt roads bordering the Current Widernes Study Ares study areas and cleared the way for issuance of rights of way through BLMlands. But since Utah's Republican congressional delega- tion decided to pull the bill Wednesdayin the face of insurmountable Senate opposition, BLM business will proceed as usual — complete with all the uncer: tainty incumbent in having to consider differing lev els of potential wilderness acreage in land-management decisions. There are the 3.2 million acres in WSAs. There are the 2.1 million acres in the just-with: drawn bill there are t lution 1500, the e 5.7 millionacres in House Reso- zens’ proposal” backedbyenvi: @ See 7 LANDS,Page A-@ |