OLIVIAN STUDENTS DECLARE UNIVERSITY "FREE TERRITORY"
The proclamation of the tin miners at Oruro and Huanuni, stating that the region constitutes "free territory," was answered by dictator Barrientos in his customary manner. He sent in troops. Shooting began June 24 and unofficial figures put the toll at 21 dead and 70 wounded.
On June 26 the miners at the Catavi and Siglo Veinte mines downed tools. The workers at the San José, Huanuni and Potos{ mines held meetings to decide what action they would take.
The occupation of the mines does not seem to have succeeded in "pacifying" the Bolivian people. On June 29 the students at Santa Clara held an animated meeting that ended with them declaring their university "free territory."
During the meeting they demanded the withdrawal of the troops from the mining centers, an end to the state of siege, and an increase in the miners' wages which were slashed by Barrientos.
They also demanded that Barrientos and his minister of government Arguedas hand in their resignations.
The students then organized a street demonstration in which they made speeches and distributed leaflets calling for a struggle to overthrow the government. They marched to the local headquarters of the Partido Revolucionario Auténtico but were met by police who broke up the demonstration through the use of tear gas and fire hoses.
The military regime appeared to becoming rattled by these events. On July 4 the Ongania government in Argentina leaked to the press that it had turned down "for the time being" a request from Barrientos for Argentinian troops to be used against the guerrillas who have been operating in southeast Bolivia. The news that Barrientos was seeking foreign troops to bolster his regime created a sensation in Latin America. It showed how shaky the general himself estimates his regime to be.
As an excuse for appealing for foreign troops, Barrientos is alleging that Che Guevara is the leader of the guerrilla front. The July 5 New York Times said that Barrientos had "resurrected" the "legend" of Che Guevara being in Bolivia. The Paris daily Le Monde has reported that Régis Debray's lawyer was the first to put the report into circulation.
Whatever the facts, Barrientos can be congratulated for providing a beautiful example of the terror the very name of Che Guevara strikes in the heart of a typical Latin~American dictator.
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