U.N. APPEAL TO SOUTH AFRICA

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29083, 21 December 1959, Page 15

U.N. APPEAL TO SOUTH AFRICA

Use Of Violence Deplored I (riJS. Prats Auoctation—Copynght) (Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, December 20. The United Nations committee on South-west Africa has cabled the South African Government expressing its “gravest concern” over last week’s riots in Windhoek, in which 12 Africans were killed. In its cable, the committee also called on the Union Government to stop “the deplorable use of force” in the removal of Africans from Windhoek to a new residential area.

The cable was sent on behalf of the nine members of the committee. The committee decided to send the cable at a secret session on Friday after the Irish delegate, Mr Eamonn Kennedy, had proposed that the committee should publicly express “its deep concern over the regrettable incidents" in the Windhoek location. The cable, sent to the South African Minister of External Affairs, Mr Eric Luow, called on the South African Government to stop any further forced removal of residents of Windhoek, which it said was in “complete disregard of human rights and dignity." South-west Africa, a former German territory, is administered by South Africa under a mandate from the League of Nations. The United Nations, as the League’s successor, seeks to have the territory placed under a United Nations trusteeship, but South Africa does not recognise United Nations authority in the matter. Mr Kennedy suggested that the committee should follow up its cable with some other action, including a possible resolution to the General Assembly. As the Assembly is not due to meet again until next September, he suggested yesterday that the contents of any such resolution should be forwarded to the Union Government and circulated to all United Nation members.