
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 5, 1994                    TAG: 9406030085 
SECTION: DAILY BREAK                     PAGE: G3    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN 
DATELINE: 940605                                 LENGTH: Medium

ON THE ROAD TO SINGAPORE? IT'S BEST TO BE AWARE OF THE LAW

{LEAD} THE STATE Department is reminding travelers on the road to Singapore of that country's strict laws and penalties in the wake of the caning sentence meted out to American Michael Fay, who was convicted of vandalism.

``There are some pretty stiff fines - like $500 - for things that would be considered minor here - jaywalking, littering, spitting - or that you wouldn't expect, like the importation and sale of chewing gum,'' said State Department spokesman Gary Sheaffer.

{REST} Not to mention that overstaying your visa could be punishable by caning. ``That's probably more directed at illegal workers than tourists, but it's on the books,'' Sheaffer said.

To access State Department info: (202) 647-5225 by phone; (202) 647-3000 by fax; (202) 647-9225 by modem.

\ BETWEEN THE LINES\ For country-western fans who've longed to put it all on the line, resorts in Laughlin, Nev., are banding together to form the world's longest line dance. Dancers are invited to take part in 2.6 miles of jeans and boots that will stretch from Highway 95 in Arizona across the Laughlin Bridge to Harrah's casino in Laughlin. The event is part of River Days, a June 16-19 festival that includes barbecues and country and western music. Info: (800) 227-5245.

\ LEGROOM REDEFINED\ TWA, which created its much-advertised Comfort Class in coach last year by taking 40 seats out of its cabins, is putting 34 seats back in planes flying its most popular routes this summer.

The airline is re-installing the seats on only 10 planes (the 747-100s) out of its fleet of 189 ``to meet high market demand'' for the summer, mostly on overseas flights, said spokesman Don Fleming. The rest of the fleet will retain Comfort Class.

Most of the flights with more legs and less room this summer fly out of New York: to Athens, Rome, Madrid, Milan, Paris, New York to St. Louis to Honolulu, one flight daily from New York to Los Angeles and St. Louis to Gatwick, London. Ask about Comfort Class when you make a reservation.

\ FOLLOWING THE TREND\ Norwegian Cruise Line has decided to devote roughly half of its passenger space to non-smoking cabins and has designated an entire smoke-free dining room on the four NCL ships that have more than one - Norway, Seaward, Windward and Dreamward.

Public areas such as lounges and bars will have separate non-smoking areas that will comprise at least half of each room. All public corridors, staircases and elevators have been declared non-smoking areas.

\ BLACK PARIS\ A 14-day tour of ``Black Paris,'' following the ``Harlem Renaissance Trail'' - the favorite haunts of black expatriate American artists and writers who came to Paris in the '20s - leaves from New York on Sept. 16. Participants will visit the hangouts of such luminaries as Josephine Baker, Sidney Bechet, Langston Hughes and James Baldwin, visiting restaurants where black artists gathered, and the galleries and clubs where their work was honored. Cost: $6,227, including air fare on the Concorde, luxury hotels, breakfasts, five dinners and entry fees. Info: Accent Travel, 15 West 39th St., New York 10018; (800) 562-2236.

by CNB