Chilean presidential front-runner heads ceremony at former Pinochet detention centre

Thursday, September 12th 2013 - 01:02 UTC

Full article 17 comments

Former Chilean president and current front-runner in the November election Michelle Bachelet headed a ceremony at former detention centre Villa Grimaldi as part of the country’s commemoration of the coup led by General Augusto Pinochet against Socialist president Salvador Allende on 11 September 40 years ago. Read full article

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Mr Ed
Bachelet was able to flee to the safety of East Germany, which was rather strict about border controls, but let in and out those it favoured and trusted. Has Bachelet ever commented on or commemorated the victims of Communism? It would be nice to know, so that no misleading impression might be given of her views.

As for Bachelet's father being loyal to the Constitution, perhaps the writer meant to say 'Allende'. The Chilean Congress had ruled Allende's régime unconstitutional in August 1973.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 02:31 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Gonzo22
Pinochetists are not happy at all.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 08:13 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Condorito
@1 Mr Ed
“The Chilean Congress had ruled Allende's regime unconstitutional in August 1973”
You are quite right.

Re Bachelet: She is too smart politically to alienate the left by openly criticizing the socialist ideology or legacy.

However, actions speak louder than words and given that her and her “socialist” predecessors pushed forward and deepened Pinochet's liberalizing economic reforms with great zeal, there can be no doubt that Bachelet views socialism as a sheepdog for herding all the leftie sheep to the ballot box.

PS: I have this idea that when she is back she might start testing the water on the part-privatization of CODELCO.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 09:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Casper
This is remarkably thorough inventory into the events surrounding 9/11/73. I'm impressed.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 10:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ElaineB
I shall be in Chile for the election and I am looking forward to it.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 11:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Mr Ed
@3 Condorito, I would agree that she has been far more sensible than her political friends and her past might suggest.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 11:56 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Sergio Vega
It has been a very colourful show about the Sept 11th 1973......But the history didn´t start that day but on 1967 when the Chilean PC Congress stated the only way to the power would be the violent way and declared a under covered war against the valid institutional system until they won the election with just a 30% of the votes which leaded the society to the cliff based on a odious Gvt. after took over the office Allende on March 1970 when he declared that his Gvt. won´t be for the whole society but for his followers....and in the facts he accomplished his words becoming the destroyer of the social, legal & economic system......The Congress, General Controller and Supreme Court declared that Gvt. as illegal because it used to use insistence decrees, fakes strikes and violence to expropriate private properties (factories, farms, newspapers, even little business and commerce) so the majority of the society asked the Armed Forces to take part in the solution of the crisis that avoid a rising environment of civil war......
The Sept 11th 1973 WAS A CONSEQUENCE of those facts described above with all the collateral effects that a coup d'etait have.....In effect, human right were broken but it was from both sides not as leftist tell the tale....both sides were cruel and violent because one of them (Allende´s Gvt.) was trying with undercover trained armed militias against the Constitution and the other (the Armed Forces) was defending it with its legal armed officers on uniforms....
The tale after that day was of reconstruction of a destroyed and divided nation that become the best in the region, admired and envied for the most countries of the world even after 20 years of bad managed Gvt. from the leftist alliance that received a country with the best growing rate in its whole history....
But won´t be possible a reconciliation while the hate and lack of recognition of the responsibility from the Unidad Popular had while it was at the office between 1970 and 73 persist..
Sep 12th, 2013 - 12:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
A lefty grown up then?

Pity we still have the old bank robber who isn't worried about inflation and as of this week, devaluing the currency either, though “only if Brazil does it first”.

Well done Chile. We were thinking of settling there but my wife was put off by the child killing gangs of the police, I was amazed that still went on, AND of course the earthquakes.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 12:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Condorito
@ Chris
I am with you on the earthquakes, but you lost me on “the child killing gangs of the police” ??
Sep 12th, 2013 - 01:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Think
(9) Condorito

He's surely refering to Rio de Janeiro's and São Paulo's “Child Killing Police Gangs” ......
As every well educated Anglo knows, both the above mentioned places are located in the city of Chile, capital of Bolivia.....
Sep 12th, 2013 - 03:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
@ 9 Condorito

This goes back to 2006 / 2007 when we were looking for an alternative to Australia which was looking to be out of the question for us financially due to UK govt. Actions on many fronts.

I read on the internet an article in a paper concerning Police carrying out extra-judicial killings on gangs of “feral children” who were causing (or were blamed for causing) serious crime including murders in order to survive. It was reported that the children were shot in the head by Police with pistols.

I have tried desperately to recover this item, including interrogating my 500 Mb Buffalo disk on which I stored all my Australia data but I cannot find it. We were very surprised at the article, which had a photo of one area where deaths of children were reported, and decided that we just could not spend our money in a country that did things like that.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 03:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Condorito
@11 Chris
It's not ringing any bells. I might have missed it but I have to say it doesn't sound like a Chilean event.
Sep 12th, 2013 - 04:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Think
(12) Condorito

You say...:
“@11 ChrisR...: It's not ringing any bells. I might have missed it but I have to say it doesn't sound like a Chilean event.”

I say...:
You didn't miss nothing...
Of course it doesn't ”Ring any Bells !!!
On the other hand, it does sound quite Cuckoo...
As most of Turnip ChrisR's assertions about South-American affairs....

And now if you two excuse me....., I'll have to go and tend my lambs from those huge packs of dark eyed, lank haired, cobber skinned Chilean feral small children, constantly crossing the Andes into Argentina in their desperate search for survival......
Sep 13th, 2013 - 12:21 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Anglotino
I'm amazed that Bachelet didn't do more for reconciliation when she was president.

Didn't she have 4 years to do something more to help heal this?

Hopefully, if she does win, she will perhaps put ideology a little to the side and do more this time round.
Sep 13th, 2013 - 07:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Condorito
@13 Think
“I'll have to go and tend my lambs from those huge packs of dark eyed, lank haired, cobber skinned Chilean feral small children, constantly crossing the Andes into Argentina in their desperate search for survival......”

I've heard your less worldly countrymen make similar claims in all seriousness.
Sep 13th, 2013 - 10:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Think
(15) Condorito

You say...:
“ I've heard your less worldly countrymen make similar claims in all seriousness.”

I say...:
Indeed, some of my less worldly Countrymen do....
Luckily there are many worthy Countrymen of mine that think differently....
Like this curita in today's paper...:
”La ideología capitalista liberal nos impone el mérito y la competencia como la premisa para adquirir derechos de vida digna…….
La mirada cristiana, claramente sostiene que el derecho a la vida digna en este mundo no consiste en hacer méritos, sino en el simple hecho de haber nacido……
Si hay refugiados es porque hay perseguidores que se arrogan el derecho de decidir quién queda dentro del sistema, irrespetuosos de la libertad de vivir y morir con dignidad de todo ser humano……”
Marcelo Ciaramella.
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-228926-2013-09-13.html
Sep 13th, 2013 - 12:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
@ 12 Condorito

Yes, it would seem that I misunderstood the situation. I do greatly regret the inadvertent aspersion put onto Chile, a country I respect and admire above all those in SA, including Uruguay at the governmental level, and I apologise unreservedly.

Back then of course I, like the majority of people in Britain knew very little of SA and despite the ludicrous post of TB&ToldTofCB @13, I always write the truth as I have found it or apologise immediately when I am in error.

Thank you for your forbearance. :o)

It would have made no difference to our final decision given the major earthquake that occurred in Chile in February 2010 whilst we were on holiday in Uruguay checking out the chances of settling there in our retirement. The TV pictures of it were horrendous.
Sep 13th, 2013 - 01:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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