N.Z. CURFEW CONSIDERED

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31802, 5 October 1968, Page 1

N.Z. CURFEW CONSIDERED

f Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

MEXICO CITY, October 4.

New Zealand’s Olympic team manager, Mr L. Hosking, is considering whether a curfew should be placed on New Zealanders visiting Mexico City after dark after last night’s machine-gun fire on student demonstrators.

The British team and some others imposed a 6 p.m. curfew today, though no official instruction or advice has come from the village commandant. Mr Hosking said: “To date there has been no necessity for a curfew and occasional organised groups have visited the city. However, in view of the latest disturbances the matter is under review.” Today Mr Hosking was to confer with the village commandant and other Olympic team officials. The Australians, who share a games village bujjding with the New Zealand team, have not imposed any curfew or restrictions on team members visiting Mexico City. The British, Swedish and German teams are the only three so far known to have acted. The chief cause of anxiety

is the students’ threat to take direct action if they are forbidden to hold protest meetings similar to the one broken up by bullets last night. There is no cause for anxiety at present for the safety of any member of the New Zealand team. The New Zealand cyclists and the hockey team travelled a good 15 miles or more across the city to Magdalena Mixhuca and back today quite undisturbed and without seeing any sign of last night’s troubles. This could be said of all others in the team who have to travel beyond the Olympic village to their training venues. The village itself, 12 miles away from the city, is quite untroubled and learns of the student troubles only from news broadcasts and newspaper headlines, mostly in Spanish.