REFORMS LIKELY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29469, 22 March 1961, Page 15

REFORMS LIKELY

Portuguese Colonies

(Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 21. Portugal was preparing sweeping reforms for its African possessions. Angola and Mozambique, the “New York Times” said today. The newspaper, in a dispatch from Luanda, Angola, said the two territories were to receive economic, financial and administrative autonomy. The changes would take effect within the next few weeks, the dispatch said. Attacks in the United Nations on Portugal’s colonial policy and outbreaks of violence in Angola in the last six weeks apparently had convinced the Portuguese authorities that they must reform overseas rule quickly or risk having it reformed violently, the “New York Times” said.

Under the proposed reforms, each territory will have a resident Minister of Cabinet rank instead of the present Governor-General, who is ruled closely by the Government in Lisbon.

A Luanda message says all security forces in northern Angola, where murder and pillaging were reported last week, have been placed under military command, GovernorGenera! Alvaro Silva Tavares announced. A night curfew was clamped on Luanda.