By Andrew Cawthorne
HAVANA, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Havana issued a furious condemnation on Monday of a U.S. pilot's weekend invasion of Cuban airspace to drop anti-communist pamphlets that called President Fidel Castro "an old dinosaur'' and urged a popular revolt.
In a lengthy and vitriolic statement, the government portrayed the incident as the latest ``counter-revolutionary'' provocation, tolerated by its ``imperialist'' neighbour and probably aided by Cuban-American exiles in Florida.
``This grotesque provocation took place as always in Havana, the capital of Cuba, the little revolutionary neighbour which for four decades has been the target of blockade, pirate attacks, and political, economic and military aggressions,'' the statement said.
``It is imperialism's right to never tolerate offences, but instead spend its time threatening, attacking and offending any other country in any corner of the globe, especially when it's a Third World country.''
South Vietnamese-born pilot, Ly Tong, 51 -- dubbed ``the Vietnamese James Bond'' for his daredevil flights during the Vietnam War -- dumped thousands of anti-Castro leaflets from a Cessna 172 during a swoop over Havana on Saturday morning.
It was the first unauthorised flight into Cuban airspace since 1996, when Havana shot down two planes flown near the Caribbean island by the Miami-based exile group, Brothers to the Rescue. Four pilots were killed in that incident.
Cuba scrambled two MiG fighter jets in response to Saturday's flyover, while the U.S. air-force sent up an F-16 on its side of the Florida Straits to monitor the situation.
CUBA PRAISED FOR SHOWING RESTRAINT
Tong returned safely to Florida, where he voluntarily surrendered his pilot's certificate. U.S. aviation authorities, who are investigating whether to press charges against him for breach of air space regulations, praised Cuba for avoiding a confrontation and showing ``restraint.''
Monday's government statement was the first mention of the incident in Cuba's state media. Many Havana residents, however, saw the plane as it flew along the city's coastline, or picked up the pamphlets before they were collected by police.
``Of course, we condemn this sort of provocative action. But I'd like to say also that we feel ridiculous that the world has information about this incident long before we Cubans are allowed to by our own government,'' one Havana resident said.
Monday's communique was signed by ``the revolutionary leadership'' and titled: ``Mad, drugged or mercenary?'' in reference to the pilot.
``From the north, in mischievous and brutal fashion, a new offensive came on Saturday,'' the statement began. As well as being New Year's Day, Saturday was also the 41st anniversary of Castro's 1959 Cuban Revolution.
The statement quoted extensively from Tong's pamphlet, including a section urging ``all Cuban patriots to stand up and declare the death of the inhuman and tyrannical regime.'' It omitted the section calling Castro ``an old dinosaur.''
Havana scathingly referred to Tong as ``a residual of the faeces that was the Saigon Army'' and said his ``stupid counter- revolutionary provocation'' would merely reaffirm Cubans' patriotic and revolutionary sentiments.
``Should we make an energetic diplomatic protest? Why? That would be a waste of time,'' it added.
Tong was shot down over North Vietnam in 1975 and imprisoned for five years, escaping barefoot through the jungle. U.S. authorities said he moved to the United States in 1984 and became a citizen in 1988. He now lives in the New Orleans area and had been staying with friends near Miami.
In 1992, he hijacked a Vietnam Airlines A310 Airbus from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, where he forced it to drop leaflets calling for strikes and demonstrations to build a free Vietnam. He then strapped on a parachute and jumped.
Tong was jailed by the Vietnamese until 1998. He told the Miami Herald he was unconnected to Cuban exile groups and motivated solely by a hatred of communism: ``The most important thing I try to do is energise the Cuban people to rise up and overthrow the Havana tyrant.''
10:38 01-03-00
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