Evening star., 1961-12-20
GOA
Invaders Capture General
Hint Some Fighting Still
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United Nations in New York,
repeatedly said prior to his de-
parture that the military gov
ernment had to organize and
clear roads of mines and that
1t would be some days before
journalists would be allowed to
enter.
The news ban left the out
side world dependent on Of
ficial Indian reports Of the
capitulation of Portuguese rule
in the city and the reception Of
the invading troops, tanks and
warships by its residents.
After the Portuguese govern
!. ment disputed the Indian claim
yesterday of complete victory,
an Indian spokesman admitted
early today there had been last
ditch resistance near the Goan
port of Mormugao. But, he
said, the last Portuguese SOL
diers surrendered shortly be-
fore midnight last night. He
said 500 laid down their arms
at that time, in addition to
some 1000 Portuguese troops
reported to have surrendered
earlier.
Men0n Puzzles Diplomats
Mr.. Menon told newsmen
during a stopover in Cairo that
he was returning to New York
to place India's case clearly be-
fore the United Nations.
Diplomats at U. N. headquar-
ters in New York were puzzled
by Mr.. Menon's haste. The
General Assembly planned to
recess today until mid-January,
and the Soviet Union yesterday
vetoed a Western ceaSefire
resolution in the Security Coun-
Gil as India was completing it's
conquest. No further arraign-
ment of India in the Council
or the Assembly was expected.
The Communist bloc and the
ASian-African nations have ac-
claimed the action by Prime
Minister Nehru's forces while
the United States, Britain, and
other Western nations strongly
condemned it.
Mr.. Menon said his govern
ment was grateful to the Cairo
government for denying the use
Of the Suez Canal to Portu-
guese ships carrying war ma
terial to the embattled en-
claves. He added that India
had been forced to "liberate"
them because IA years of ne
gotiation with Portugal had
proved futile.
Mr.. Nehru told newsmen
that the ease with which India
took over the three enclaves
and the lack of casualties-the
government said it lost eight
dead and that Portuguese cas-
ualtieS were "small"-proved
the correctness of the Indian
assessment of the situation"
"The colonial administration
had cracked up and the people
wanted and welcome India"
Mr.. Nehru added. He said U.
N. critics of India were "obvi-
ously ignorant of the facts now
as we'll as in the last dozen
years or more"
Government reports reaching
Bombay said peace prevailed
throughout Goa and that Por-
tuguese soldiers and residents
of the enclave were being as
Sured of their safety. The Por-
tuguese Governor of Damao,
Maj. Antonia Pint, was re-
ported injured in the resistance
and flown to Bombay for treat
ment.
Indians Reply to Critics
Indian newspapers reacted
strongly to Western criticism
Of the military operation.
The Hindustan Times asked,
what offends more against
the principle of a peaceful solu-
ton of an international prob
lem-to allow the existence of
a state of cumulative violence
or to end it by the use OF
strictly limited force?"
India charged Portugal with
holding the enclaveS by violent
repression but Portugal de-
MED it.
The strong stand by United
States Delegate Adlai Steven
son in the Security Council
debate was particularly resented
by Indians. The Indian EX-
press said:
I'm the flight of misplaced
rhetoric and fancy, Mr.. Adlai
Stevenson was led to describe
India's action as the first act
in a drama that could end with
the death of the United Ma
tons
ut is nothing of the sort {.
Mr.. Stevenson should realize it
is the last act in a drama that
must sound the death knell OF
colonialism in Asia and Africa" :"
Abroad, a group of nearly
5000 whites and blacks demon
strated against India in front
of the British Consulate in
Luanda, capital of the Portu-
guese African territory of An
COLA. Police dispersed the crowd
shouting anti-Indian slogans.