Chile must not forget dictatorship era crimes

General Pinochet saved his country from a Stalinist nightmare that would have been worse than his own regime. That coward Allende showed his true pathetic nature by committing suicide. The General used methods that no Christian can approve. He also voluntarily stood aside and permitted the restoration of liberal democracy in his nation. No Latin American communist ever did the same. I hope he repented of his many misdeeds. The left never see themselves as sinful and in need of repentance.

Thank you Ramona for reminding us of the horrors faced by Chileans during the very brutal Augusto dictatorship. Dr Salvador Allende was not a Stalinist disaster as claimed by Bob. It is true that he had a very difficult task to provide education, health care and social services to the poorest Chileans in the more remote parts of the country. This was especially so because of the lack of cooperation by senior officers in the armed forces. Alberto Bachelet, a former brigadier general of the Chilean air force was imprisoned and tortured by the military after the coup because he used his position to transport humanitarian support to Chileans in remote places. He died as a result of his treatment. His daughter, Michele, while a refugee studied medicine at Sydney University and later became Chile's president. However,Brigadier Bachelet was only one of many thousands who were butchered by the Pinochet fascist regime Another was the famous and very popular political folk singer, Victor Jara. Bob needs to be aware that the Chilean people suffered greatly because of the crimes and human rights abuses committed by the Pinochet regime, which were continually condemned by Chilean bishops. Opus Dei was one of the few religious organisations that condoned the overthrow of democracy The real nightmare occurred during the time of Pinochet's dictatorship. And we should never forget the role of the CIA in assisting the military in the overthrow of Chilean democracy and ASIS (Australian Secret Intelligence Service) which helped the CIA.

An excellent article Ramona. The way back to a genuine democracy after any totalitarian government is often a rocky one. Turkey still has real problems accepting that the Armenian Genocide took place whereas Germany accepted the horrors that had happened under Nazism. Hopefully Chile will go down the German rather than Turkish path. You cannot redeem the past until you accept and attempt to make amends for it. Chile's military cannot be allowed to flout civilian norms.

Bob, I would wager that you have never been anywhere near Chile, or ever met a Chilean person. Your comment is as absurd as it is offensive to the victims of the Pinochet regime. I wonder if you feel the same way about Franco. Did he save Spain from a 'Stalinist' nightmare? I suspect you think he did. What about Mussolini? He certainly got those trains running on time and kept Italy safe from godless communism. Now, what about that other fellow, the one who rescued his country from an unstable socialist government and, of course, the inevitable Stalinist future? Allende was not a Stalinist or a coward but Pinochet was almost certainly a fascist. You need to visit the city cemetery in Santiago in Chile. Head right from the front gates towards a place that was once known as Patio 29. There, Bob, you will see what a real nightmare, the one perpetrated by Pinochet, looks like.

History tells us that if we ignore past events, we are destined to repeat the same mistakes again. Today's Syria is a classic example Chile like many Central and South American Republics , has a long history of authoritarian rule, usually by right wing dictatorships or the Military. Since World War II, most South and Central American, and many South East and East Asian Countries ; for example, the Marcos (Philippines), Lon Nol (Cambodia) Diem (South Vietnam) Rhee (South Korea) regimes have been financed and supported by the CIA in an attempt to impose US policy and as a reaction to a perceived Communist threat to US Interests in the affected regions . As a result the peoples of these nations have suffered grievously. Salvador Allende (Chile) was democratically elected by the people, sick of the excesses of previous right-wing dictatorships. Sadly in the" cold war climate" of the time, that did not sit well with the US. Augusto Pinochet, like many dictators past and present , used what ever force was necessary to gain and stay in power .He stayed in power as long as he had US support. The moment he lost that support, his days were numbered, as was the case in almost all examples I have mentioned . He was guilty of crimes against humanity and sadly like other tyrants before him, has never faced trial for his excesses. I doubt very much he volunteered to resign, he just saw the writing on the wall and 'plea bargained' his exit.

Latin American political history, including the national struggles for liberation from the Spanish and Portuguese colonial governments, is very different from ours. As far as I am aware, Salvador Allende was never a Marxist of any sort. He and his government certainly attempted to address some of the enormous socio-economic problems Chile faced. The coup led by General Pinochet was a result of the powerful opposition to Allende's reforms by certain sectors of the community backed by the armed forces and supported by the CIA in the days the USA regarded any leftist movement in Latin America as being de facto 'Marxist'. Hopefully, the USA has moved on from there. It certainly seems not to have attempted to overthrow the populist government of Evo Morales in Bolivia. I regard Trump as an aberration and hope that the USA, a great and powerful nation which could do so much for the world, does not go down the path of supporting vicious dictators on mistaken 'anti-Communist' grounds again.

Bob, if anyone followed in the footsteps of Stalin, it was Pinochet - not Allende. Allende was democratically elected and had a mandate. Pinochet did not.

And by the way Bob, Pinochet didn't voluntarily stand aside! He relinquished military rule after a brutal murderous 11 year fear campaign where innocent people were slaughtered. He was voted out. Pinochet murdered innocent civilians, NOT Allende, Have you heard of Catholic social teaching?