FREEDOM UPHELD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21946, 14 February 1946, Page 7

FREEDOM UPHELD

REFUGEE^ PEOPLE SOVIET DEMANDS FAIL UNO ASSEMBLY VOTE (10 a.m.) ' LONDON, Feb. 13. M. Vyshinsky (Russia), in a passionate speech, to-night urged the United Nations’ Assembly to pass the Soviet proposals regarding refugees which was rejected at the committee stage. M. Vyshinsky said the Russian delegation had approved the committee’s report which recommended that refugees who objected to return to their own countries should not be compelled to do so, but the Russian delegation proposed an addition. M. Vyshinsky, pounding the table with his first, said: ‘‘Some refugee camps are being transformed into centres for anti-democratic Fascist propaganda which is being carried out by lying, terror and calumny.

“The Soviet asks that the camps must not be used for propaganda against the interests of the United Nations and the interests of the refugees' countries. Steps should be taken to see that quislings, traitors and war criminals should be returned to their countries or to the countries where they committed their crimes. There are many oilicers administering the camps who are of highly suspicious and sometimes criminal character.” Mrs Roosevelt’s Objections M. Vyshinsky proposed the following addition to the report: “The personnel of refugee camps should first of all be composed of representatives of the States whose citizens are refugees." Mrs. Roosevelt, who opposed the Soviet proposals in the committee stage, did so again in the General Assembly in a speech punctuated by bursts of applause from the delegates and the public gallery. She said the United Nations was trying to consider the rights of man with a broader outlook. She added that none had disagreed in the committee that those who had taken an active part against their country should be returned and punished. “But there are differences,” she said. “Some persons fought against their countries’ enemies but are unwilling to return because they disagree with the present Government of their country. I think we have shown in the past few days that we do not intend to have refugee camps used as places for political agitation.” (Mrs. Roosevelt was referring to a raid by the occupation constabulary on camps near Nuremberg and Munich.) “Restrictive of Human Rights”

Mrs. Roosevelt concluded: “The Russian amendments arc restrictive of the human rights of freedom.” M. Winiewicz (Poland) supported the Soviet amendments and expressed regret that the report did not refer to the view expressed in committee that Allied soldiers who contributed to the common victory and had elected not to return to their own country should now be ranked as refugees. They deserved something more than the status of destitute exiles in an alien land. Yugoslavia also supported Russia. Mr. Hector McNeil (Britain), expressing Britain’s opposition to the amendments, said: “Propaganda” was a subtle, elusive term of which no delegate had offered a definition. Britain had rejected the amendments on the principle that one person could not be the accuser and judge of another. He asked what was the purpose of asking that the supervisor should be of the same nationality as the supervised. Mr. McNeil added: "I am proud of many refugees to whom Britain has given asylum. There are none of whom I am prouder than Karl Marx.” Intolerance Cause of War Mr. P. Fraser (New Zealand) said that no man loving freedom would agree that those objecting to the Government of their country should be placed under the subjection of those they opposed. It was not tolerance that brought the world to war but intolerance. The voting on the first Soviet amendment. namely, that propaganda against the United Nations and its members or against the return of refugees to their country of origin should not be permitted was 31 against and 10 lor, with two abstentions. The second Soviet amendment, namely, that personnel of refugee displaced persons’ camps should first of all be composed of persons of the nationality of refugees was lost by 29 votes to eight, with eight abstentions. The third Soviet amendment, namely, that quislings, traitors and war criminals should not be regarded as refugees and should immediately be returned to the country of their crimes was also lost by 26 votes to 10 with six abstentions. The assembly adjourned.