VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #0838/01 2592042
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 152042Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3709
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 3522
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 2088
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 1034
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0413
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1771
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 5671
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 4030
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1901
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000838 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, EEB/IFD, INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON CI
SUBJECT:  CONCERTED EFFORT TO CURB VIOLENCE ON 1973 COUP ANNIVERSARY 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The 35th anniversary of the September 11 military 
coup was marked with violence, but less than in previous years. 
Interior Minister Perez Yoma told the Ambassador that the police, 
using intelligence and preventive measures, had done a good job 
minimizing protests, particularly in traditionally violent-prone 
areas.  Unlike in 2007, there were no deaths and fewer arrests. 
President Bachelet commemorated the death of President Salvador 
Allende in a ceremony at La Moneda with his two daughters by opening 
two recently-restored rooms where he died in 1973.  A day earlier, 
Isabel Allende dismissed a new theory that contended a second weapon 
may have been used in the death of the ousted president.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
GOC Readout:  Better Than Last Year 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Interior Minister Perez Yoma told the Ambassador on 
September 12 that the security forces had done well to keep violence 
to a minimum on the September 11 coup anniversary.  There were no 
deaths, fewer arrests, and less violence.  He credited increased 
police intelligence and preventive measures, noting the police had 
successfully prevented subversive activity in traditionally-violent 
districts.  For example, Villa Francia, which has been a hub for 
violent activity during the past 30 years, was tranquil for the 
first time on September 11. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Perez Yoma said violence did spread to some new areas, 
concentrated largely in other southern, poorer sectors of Santiago. 
The police have detected links between the hostile perpetrators and 
drug traffickers, who may be attempting to establish fiefdoms 
through armed activities.  The Ambassador asked about the weaponry 
used by the assailants, given that two Carabineros had received 
gunshot wounds.  Perez Yoma said most of the trouble makers were 
young kids with home-made shotguns. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Interior Minister added that the coup anniversary date 
has become an unexplainable -- once per year -- festivity of 
violence.  Small cells of individuals instigate the violence, loot 
local stores, and cause senseless damage in usually peaceful 
communities.  More than 20 Carabineros were injured during the 
violent protests and one youth is in serious condition. 
 
¶5. (U) The police seized an estimated 3,000 weapons prior to 
September 11, and detained more than 800 individuals leading up to 
the anniversary date.  Interior Vice Minister Harboe ran an 
operation center to monitor and react to developments in Santiago 
and throughout the country.  The Vice Minister told the media there 
were children as young as 10 and 12 years old taking part in the 
protests, and he lamented parents would allow them to participate in 
such destructive and dangerous activities. 
 
Restoration of Salon Blanco 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) In a ceremony at La Moneda on September 11, President 
Bachelet commemorated the 35th anniversary of Allende's death by 
opening two newly-restored rooms where he spent his last moments 
before taking his life in 1973.  Bachelet toured the Salon Blanco 
with Allende's daughters, Isabel and Maria Paz.  The room featured 
the leader's original desk, a portrait, tapestry and a rotary phone 
from the period. 
 
Isabel Allende Confirms Cause of Father's Death 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7. (U) The death of Salvador Allende in 1973 has been part of the 
mythology associated with the military coup, notably outside of 
Chile.  It is commonly accepted in Chile that President Allende 
committed suicide (using a weapon given to him as a gift by Fidel 
Castro) rather than surrender in 1973.  A forensic expert recently 
raised doubts about the suicide, claiming that a newly-available 
autopsy report suggests there is evidence of wounds from a second 
weapon. 
 
¶8. (U) Isabel Allende on September 10 quickly refuted the theory, 
stating that no military were present on the second floor of La 
Moneda when her father died in 1973.  Moreover, she noted she 
believes the version of her fathers' advisors who were with him 
until the end.  She admitted that in 1973, and for several years 
after, she had her doubts about the cause of her father's death, but 
today she and her family consider the issue closed. 
 
A Day that Divides 
------------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment:  Thirty-five years since the 1973 coup, Chilean 
youths continue to instigate violence and destroy property on this 
controversial and disruptive anniversary.  Workers depart early and 
stores and businesses close to avoid the demonstrations.  The 
derelict activities appear less driven by ideology than by a desire 
to participate in dangerous, anti-establishment behavior.  While the 
September 11 news has largely become a police story, several 
political commentators contend that until Chilean society dialogues 
about the significance of that day, little will change on future 
September 11 anniversaries. 
 
SIMONS