Norwegian minimum-security prisoners to be released due to Y2K

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Published on July 16, 1999

At this rate, they'll be set in 2002

By Bryce G. Hoffman

TIMES STAFF WRITER

THERE IS GOOD NEWS from the Russian Y2K front this week: One-third of the nation's critical computer systems will be ready for the Year 2000 by the time Jan. 1 rolls around.

Unfortunately, the former Evil Empire says it does not have enough money to fix the rest. But, hey, something is better than nothing, right? And important systems -- like those that run the Russian Central Bank -- are among those that have been fixed, officials say. It is only the machines in places like the Defense Ministry that are still awaiting needed repairs.

If this does not leave you feeling reassured, you might want to think about sending a check to the Kremlin. The Russian government says it has no idea where to find the money it needs to make the rest of its computers Y2K-compliant, but it is taking donations.

SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME: Some Norwegian prisoners now have a reason to celebrate, thanks to the millennium bug. Prison officials there say concern about potential power disruptions may prompt them to release some inmates who do not pose a threat to society.

The companies that provide electrical service in Norway's Vestfold County say they cannot guarantee the lights will stay on after midnight on Dec. 31 because of potential Y2K problems with their systems. As a result, prison officials say they will probably release the residents of that district's minimum-security prisons.

It was not immediately clear whether the prisoners would have to return to serve out the remainder of their sentences.

Those serving time in the region's high-security institutions will be moved to other parts of the country.

DROPPING LIKE FLIES: The list of airlines that have canceled all flights on Jan. 1 is growing.

This week, it was Poland's national airline, LOT, that said it will ground all of its planes on New Year's Day.

"The management has decided to cancel all flights on this sensitive day because of the possibility of complications or problems with the airline's infrastructure," company spokeswoman Monika Krajczynska told Reuters. "We want to be mistake-free and that's why we are taking this step."

Asia Vietnam Airlines has already announced that it is keeping its planes in its hangars on Jan. 1 and Indonesia's PT Garuda says it is considering a similar policy. In Britain, regional carrier Jersey European Airways has also thrown in the towel.

Britain's Virgin Atlantic Airways has also canceled all flights on New Year's Eve, but the company insists this decision has absolutely nothing to do with the Y2K problem. The company says it just decided to give its employees a "special night off."

Yeah. Right.

Most large Western carriers have dismissed the idea of canceling flights because of Y2K, saying there is no cause for concern on the part of the flying public. Many airline officials are also going to great lengths to convince potential customers that this is true. Some have promised to fly with their families in tow on New Year's Eve, just to prove the point.

Personally, I favor the Chinese government's approach to the whole question of Y2K airline safety.

The Chinese Communist Party has ordered the chiefs of each of the nation's domestic and international carriers to spend all of New Year's Day in the air on a plane randomly selected from their own fleets. Party officials said they wanted to make sure Chinese airline officials were taking the Y2K problem seriously.

Talk about an incentive program!

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), July 18, 1999

Answers

"SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME: Some Norwegian prisoners now have a reason to celebrate, thanks to the millennium bug. Prison officials there say concern about potential power disruptions may prompt them to release some inmates who do not pose a threat to society."

Thats good... would hate to have them miss out on the Looting Party of the Millennium!!

"It was not immediately clear whether the prisoners would have to return to serve out the remainder of their sentences."

Well.. heck... just ask them.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), July 18, 1999.


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