SANTIAGO STADIUM: 1973 ...
Third Committee.

Pinochet's terror condemned by UN

UN committee vote
indicts junta terror

By a vote of 98-14 the United
Nations’ Third Committee adopted
the strongest yet condemnation of
the repression of human rights in
Chile by the fascist military junta.

The resolution which was
sponsored by 33 countries, in-
cluding 10 western European
countries, now goes to the General
Assembly for consideration. It is
virtually assured passage in that
body.

In addition to the 14 negative
votes, three countries abstained
from voting. Significantly they
were the United States, France and
the Federal Republic of Germany,
all of which have extensive trade
links with Chile.

The resolution expressed _in-
dignation that ‘‘constant and
flagrant violations of human rights
have taken place and continue to
take place in Chile.”

Though it was overwhelmingly
endorsed, there were attempts to
scuttle the resolution, including an
announcement by the junta that it
intended to release nearly all
political prisoners still being held.

One prisoner not to be released.
however is Luis Corvalan, general
secretary of the Communist Party
of Chile.

The Third Committee resolution
made note of the announcement
but did not modify or soften its
opposition to the junta in any way.

A second attempt to divert at-
tention from the resolution was
launched by countries friendly to
the junta which introduced an
alternate resolution that would
have the United Nations withdraw
from dealing with Chile and would
have left the Chilean problem in
the hands of the Organization of
American States. This resolution
was dismissed in the Third
Committee by a vote of 60-40.

The resolution itself invited
“member states, United Nations
agencies and_ international
organizations to take steps which
they may consider appropriate as
a contribution to the restoration
and safeguarding of human rights
and fundamental freedoms in
Chile.**

As well,
upon the Chilean junta to “‘restore
and safeguard, without delay,’’
basic human rights and freedoms.

The adopted resolution urged all
UN member states to ‘‘consider
the consequences of the various
forms of aid extended to the

4

it specifically called.

Chilean authorities.’” This aspect
of the resolution is seen by many as
a prelude to the call for an
economic boycott of Chile.

The resolution spelled out a
number of specific actions which
the junta should immediately
undertake, including the ter-
mination of the state of emergency
in the country, the immediate
release of all political prisoners,
the restoration of citizenship to
exiled Chileans, and the
restoration of legal trade unions.

Theresolution also reiterated the
jong standing UN call to the junta
to “‘put an end to torture and other
forms of cruel, inhuman and
degrading treatment or punish-
ment.”’

South Africa a ‘powder
mi keg’ says ANC speaker

“For many years now, the South
African regime has been sitting on
a powder keg. Today that powder
keg is about to explode.”’

In this way, John Makatini, head
of the African bureau of the
African National congress,
predicted that violent change in
South- Africa was imminent. He
was speaking to a Vancouver
audience of about 150 people on the
first stop of a cross Canada tour by
ANC members, bringing with him
reports on events in South Africa
and an assessment of the future
direction of events in that country.

Makatini was originally
scheduled to speak along with
Sikose Nji, an eyewitness to the
Soweto uprisings of last June, but
she was detained by Canadian
Immigration authorities and
refused a visa to enter Canada.

He warned his audience that the
South African regime of prime
minister Jan Vorster could be
likened to Hitlerite Germany.
Makatini cited a 1942 speech by
Vorster in which he described the
philosophy of his National Party.
“Christian Nationalism is called
Fascism in Italy and National
Sociialism in Germany.”’

Makatini said that many thought
that fascism was defeated in 1945
but, “We (the ANC) are convinced
that it is rearing its ugly head in
South Africa today.”

He sharply condemned _ the

“duplicity” of certain western
countries, Canada included, “for
voting to condemn the policies of
South Africa while at the same
time bolstering that regime.’’
Makatini was particularly critical
of countries such as France which
he said “‘were arming South Africa
to the teeth, even to the point of
selling that regime nuclear
reactors knowing full well that

South Africa is not a signatory to”

the non-proliferation treaty.”’

He cited as an example of
western involvement in South
Africa the fact that during the
Soweto uprisings French
helicopters hovered over the
crowds spraying tear gas.

Makatini reviewed some of the

many international and. United
Nations sanctions imposed against
South Africa over the years, in-
cluding an arms embargo in 1963
and the adoption of a resolution
calling for economic sanctions
against South Africa passed by the
United Nations General Assembly
in 1964. -
, Since the adoption of that
resolution,” he stressed, ‘‘western
economic involvement in. South
Africa has increased. This can be
seen as preparing the ground work
for actual military intervention
under the guise of protecting
economic interests as_ the
Americans did in Viet Namm

“The sweat and the blood of the
African people is being tran-
sformed into billions of dollars of
profits to be defended by western
interests”’ he charged.

Makatini said that the events in
Soweto ‘‘were not riots as the
western press says, but were
uprisings. Those events were the
beginning of revolution in South
Africa.’’ He conceded that as yet,
such uprisings were still sporadic,
but said that the spread of. the
uprisings through the country last
June showed positively that ‘‘there
exists a revolutionary situation in
that country.”

He said that the ANC had called
upon the international community
to actively support the uprisings
and provide material assistance to
the African people.

Makatini reported that the ANC
was ‘‘heartened’’ by the decisions
of the 31st session of the United
Nations which declared the South
African regime illegitimate and
recognized the legitimacy of the
national liberation movement. As
well, the UN has recognized the
legitimacy of armed struggle by
the liberation movements of South
Africa, and declared June 16 as the
International Day of Solidarity
with the South African people.

It is in the United Nations that
Canada has a particular role to
play, Makatni said, and noted that

_ the

aT ENE AT

JOHN MAKATINI

Canada will assume a seat on the J
security council in the near future.’
“The security council will have to
deal with a resolution calling for 4p
total arms embargo on South D
Africa, and the Canadian people 4,
can pressure the government Ohi
Canada to support that resolution.
With the pressure from the people
of Canada, the government o .
Canada can be forced into playing
a less negative role in the United
Nations.”’

Canadian trade
movement to take up the questi or
of a boycott of South African goods.
He said that the ANC had launched
such a campaign in 1959, but now),
feels that it is the time to step up
that boycott, and referred to the
actions of the Italian trade union
movement which refused to ser-
vice South African planes oF
handle goods destined for South’
Africa in the wake of the Sowetd,
massacres.

He said that this is the type of
action which the ANC hopes that
the Canadian trade union
movement will consider, and
suggested that such an_ action
might be centred around the June
16 day of solidarity.

South Africa pushing sales of Krugerrand

‘An investment in oppression’

Consumers in this country are
being asked to invest in human
oppression.

What is perhaps worse, they are

being asked to make that in-

vestment as a gift ‘‘toa loved one.”’
It involves purchasing a

Krugerrand, a coin of pure gold

weighing exactly one troy once.

Its origin? — South Africa. The
Krugerrand is minted of gold taken
from the apartheid mines of the
Vorster regime. Crushed within it
are the lives of countless thousands
of Black miners, an average of
three of whom die on each shift in
the gold mines of the country.

Yet coin dealers across North
America — and elsewhere — are
selling the coins, and although they
are not being promoted in this
country with the same _ high-
powered campaign as in the U.S.
where $4 million has been allotted
for advertising, the purpose is
nevertheless the same to
provide much-needed funds for the
internationally isolated racist
government of South Africa.

A cursory check of Vancouver
dealers carried out this week
revealed that the coin is readily
available through most regular
coin outlets in the city. One dealer,
Monarch International, reported
that it carried the coin but was

* PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DECEMBER 3, 1976—Page 10

se csbpals out of stock’’ and
suggested another dealer which
did have supplies.

Department stores also reported
having the coin. The Hudson’s Bay
coin and stamp department even
quoted a price of $159.50 — sub-
stantially more than the current
gold price of $130 per ounce. °

The prime market for the

Krugerrand is the investment-
conscious middle class and the
advertising campaign has been
devised accordingly.

Although Canadian official

opinion has presumably dictated —

that the sales campaign be on a
much lower profile in this country,
much of the U.S. advertising,
where the campaign is_ highly
visible, reaches a Canadian
audience via American television
stations. And prime time is being

used. ee
One such television ad shows a

man placing a Krugerrand pen-
dant around a woman’s neck as a
voice says: ““Youmay have givena
loved one: a gift in 14 carat or even
18 carat gold. But did you ever give
an ounce of pure gold?”

‘But none of the ads tell the
prospective buyer of the origin of
the coins, their history — or the
purpose of their sale.

Created by the South African
Chamber of Mines as a replica of a

THE KRUGERRAND .

discontinued coin, the Se a
is named after a president of South
Africa, Kruger, whose comments
in his memoirs that “‘the savages
must be kept within bounds”’ have
been embodied in the apartheid
system.

Behind the drive to market the
coins is the instability of the South
African economy and the _in-
creasing isolation of South Africa
as a result of the brutal repression
of demonstrations in the Black
townships.

Inflation in the country is run-

‘hopes to sell one million of the
coins. The marketing drive has

. the gold of apartheid.

ning atan annual rate of 11 percent
while the foreign trade deficit has
reached a staggering $2 billion and
continues to climb.

Substantial overseas sales would
go a long way towards alleviating pp
some of South Africa’s financia’
difficulties and the Vorster regim®

been stepped up to achieve thosé
sales by Christmas.

Only a state like South Afric)
could so pervert the ‘spirit 0
Christmas.