Political Turmoil in Colombia Republic

Grey River Argus, 9 November 1949, Page 5

Political Turmoil in Colombia Republic

(Rec. 8.10) LONDON', Nov. 8 The correspondent of the United Press at Bogota, capital of Colombia republic in South America, says: The newspaper, ‘EI Liberal” claimed that political rioting ,at one point, in northern Colombia, had reached the proportions of a pitched battle, involving over sixteen hundred men. The newspaper said that 120 soldiers and one thousand armed Conservatives had besieged five hundred provincial policemen and liberal villagers in the village of Guaca. Othei- sources in Colombia have reported that unrest over the Presidential election, which are due on November 17, is continuing. Liberal and Conservative leaders have made violent accusations against each other, and the situation generally was said to be tense. The Liberal paper “El Liberal” said that about one hundred persons were each day fleeing across the border into Venezuela to escape persecution in Colombia.