EI"Salvadoreani’student speaks to UPEI

By Ruth Edgett Armando Paredes speaks iSpassiona‘tely about the

trifein his country; of the overnment-sponsored death quads, Br the violence and he closure of his university. It’s not surprising these vents no longer cause him 0 Show shock or 'grief. The iolence in his home country. f El Salvador began two- nd-a-half decades before he as born and shows signs of ontinuing for some time to ome. Although he is currently a edical student in Canada, aredes has more than a econd-hand view of what is . appening to his people. He’s een there. _He is the repre- entative to Canada of the eneral Association of alvadorean University Stu- ents (AGEUS) and is con- ucting a cross-country tour 0 make Canadians aware of he situation in his country. He told a small Monday athering at the Chaplaincy entre his speaking engage— ents at various universities re designed for four pur- oses: to raise awareness of anadians to the situation of tudents and the people of El alvador; to gain support for he campaign to reopen the nivcrsity; to get financial upport for the university edical campaign and to tell eople Salvadoreans don’t vant military intervention or overnment assistance from ther countries. . V The struggle in the tiny atin American country egan with the depression of he 19305. Peasants began to evolt. They wanted food and n end to the crisis in a ountry whose economy de— ended largely upon coffee xports. ' From that time, students of he university have assisted he struggle against suc- essive governments. As a esult, the university was losed for the third time in une of 1980, its president as killed, and the killing ontinues of students and rofessors who dare to defy e government. Despite the closure of the niversityand destruction of any of its buildings, some “my members continue 0 volunteer to teach about third of the students in ake-shift classes. The stitution remains a legal ’ my with its own governing Ody, . The university was closed T he first timein 1964. It as s ut down again in 1971 1" reopened after the, vernment located enough~ 0-mrlitary professors to low “a military system on

mpus. Guards were in-"

alled, and students were t allowed to hold meetings. Naturally, this action lead

I many fights between?

hursdiy. Decuss

92'1"“ and rebellious stu— dents. and in 1975, the stu— dents staged a riot.

They had seen television shows in which riot squads with truncheons and tea gas were sent to disperse pro- testors. They were ready for some violence, said Paredes.

“But we never expected that they were going to kill us”.

Instead of clubs and gas, the students were met with military tanks and fire arms. Paredes said the students were ambushed and attacked.

“My best friend was killed by a tank when they.(moved, against our demonstration,” he recalled. ‘

Paredes said he is confi— dent the university will again reopen if enough inter- national pressure is brought to bear on the government. To add to that, “our parents are getting mad," he said.

The university students in El Salvador are not the leaders of the popular revo-

lution against the govern-

ment, said Paredes. But, he said, they play an important part in assisting the peasants of the countryside to better fend for themselves. The medical students are ‘pro-

. viding medical traing for the

peasants Who don’t have access "to clinics controlled largely by the rich elite and the government, he said. As well, other students have carried out literacy training.

Paredes gave listeners a brief history of the revolution in El Salvador. He said Canada at one time sent troops to support the govern-

ment of the 19305, but they _

didn’t participate in actual fighting.

The United States has been actively involved in his country since the mid—19605 and the Cuban Revolution, he said. At that time, the US. began sending aid to E' Salvador, some of it in the form " of unf'e “War for“

products and a sterilization program for women. Paredes said the US. sent doctors who were- paid by the job to sterilize women who didn’t know what was happening. Later, husbands were angry with their wives because they couldn’t have children, some— thing the Sals/adoreans be- lieyed was a God-given right.

It was around this time that general strikes were occurring. Workers and professional unions would band together in strikes ‘with crippling effects. ,

Paredes said university stu- dents 5:52!" to ' ‘ r" "* social changes and violence in their country, and the more they analyzed the causes, the more politically involved they became.

Despite concerted efforts by successive governments to put down the revolution by banning unions and organi- zations and by outright murders of anti-government people, the revolution wil continue, said Paredes.

He said‘ death squad killings designed to show people sympathetic to the revolution what could happen to them only serve to strengthen the resolve of younger Salvadorcans against the g0vernment.

Tens of thousands 0" people have already died El Salvador since the revs“:- tion began, said Paredes; h ." he said the fight springs from the people who will continue to battle for their freedom.

He said he expects militar} intervention from the United States. In fact, he said, he can foresee the US. using the El Salvador conflict as an excuse to heighten East-West

tension to the point of a -

world war.

Whatever happens, he

said, “we are not afraid.”

“We are committed to go on to the end and have a free country for the first “Pie in El Salvador.”

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Therefs something happeningup at the

d sun’office

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A handful of students are working away at creating a new student newspaper to meet the needs of UPEI. Why not come up and join us. We need writers, illustrators, cartoonists, reviewers, and more. Come to our staff meeting on

Wednesday at 6 pm and find out more! We’re on the 4th floor of the Main building.

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