Evening star., 1949-04-10

been called upon TO intervene III
lives and liberty of hundreds oil
cause, as they expressed it. "Dr,
Mora presented such forceful ar.
guments and took such a deter.
mined stand that any suggestion
Of postponement or delay woulc
have been embarrassing"
Other Complaints
| Be that as it may. the com.
plant against the Venezuelan
military junta is only one Of sew.
eral international moves against
Latin American revolutionary
governments and military dicta.
torships now pending. Twice ir
recent months representatives OIL
the government Of Haiti have
complained before the inter.
American body that the govern.
ment Of President Trujillo of the
neighboring Dominican Republic
Is aiding and abetting a revolu-
tionary movement against theii
country. Colonel Astrel Roland
former high officer in the Haitian
Army. accused of high treason tc
his own country" is a refugee in
the Dominican Republic. The
colonel has been using the govern
ment-controlled radio in Trujillc
City to threaten and foment re.
volt against the constitutions.
government in his homeland.
Haitian representatives have
charged before the OAS that by
harboring Roland and providing
him with facilities for his cam
paign, the government Of the Do.
minican Republic was transgress.
ing the inter American treaty Of
reciprocal assistance better
known as the hemisphere de.
fense pact, signed at Rio de ia.
neiro in July of 1947 and now in
effect. The council politely re.
ferred the matter to "the Inter
American Commission on Methods
for the Peaceful Solution Of Con.
ficts." Whereupon the gentle.
men Of this imposing committee
suggested that the two govern.
mentS themselves get together and
iron out their differences.
1t is explained that the matter
was turned over to this small com.
mittee because the all-important
council feels it should keep itsel1
free to deal with what one officia.
called larger and more far.
reaching questions, Meantime
Col. Roland's radio campaign has
continued. In fact, Haitian dip.
lomats insist that the broadcasts
have created such unrest ane
commotion among the illiterate
and ignorant masses that the gov
ernment has been compelled tt
impose a state of siege in order to
prevent serious disorders. At any
rate. the OAS has been called
upon once again to take action.
Issue Over Ownership
The Dominican government in
sists that the radio station over
which Roland speaks is private
ly owned station and that, after
all, the Dominican government
must respect freedom of speech
According to the Haitians, the
station Is owned by President
Trujillo's brother. In any case
any one acquainted with the COM
plete government domination OF
every institution and activity
within the Dominican nation
knows that, If Col. Roland's
campaign did not enjoy the oficial
sanction of President Trujillo
the broadcasts would not and
could not continue. Even If this
were not true, the Haitian gov
erpment, with due regard for the
rules and procedures of the hem
isphere organization. has pre-
sented its charges and is entitled
to have them thoroughly investi-
gated and sifted for truth.
The Colombian government
threatens to hail the Peruvian
military junta before the United
Nations General Assembly. unless
the .PeruvianS agree to grant q
safe-conduct visa to Victor Paul
Haya de la Tore, Peruvian op-
position leader. now in asylum in
the Colombian Embassy in Lima.
Haya de IA Tore took refuge in
|the Colombian Embassy in jan
uary, following the overthrow of
the government Of President Luis
Bustamante Rivero late last year.
There has been a long -estab-
lished tradition that ousted Of
flcials and political leaders of a
Latin American country threat
ened with arrest or violence may
take refuge in the legation OF
embassy of a friendly nation and,
upon request of the government
in whose embassy they are housed
receive safe-conduct visas across
the frontier into exile.
Colombian Regime Adamant
At the Sixth International Con.
ference of American States, held
in Havana in 1928. this tradition
was put into a convention which
has been formally ratified by q
majority Of the southern repub-
lies. including Peru. A second con-
vention on the question, amplify-
ing the previous one in many re.
spectS,. was drawn up in Monte
video in 1899. Although the Peru
Wan delegates also signed this one
no Peruvian government has vel
formally ratified 1t.
The Peruvian authorities insist
that Haya de. la Tore is not just
a political refugee but common
criminal" The Colombians coun-
ter with the statement that the
Montevideo Convention of 1885
states "the judgement Of political
delinquency" concerns the state