Washington Seeks Chile Probe Into Burn Death of U.S. Resident

The Reagan Administration said Tuesday that last week’s death in Chile of a U.S. resident was preceded by a “deeply disturbing” pattern of events, including the refusal of Chilean authorities to permit his transfer to a first-class hospital.

The U.S. Embassy in Santiago tried for three days to arrange the transfer of Rodrigo Rojas de Negri, 19, to another hospital better equipped to treat the severe burns he suffered when he was attacked on July 2, State Department spokesman Bernard Kalb said.

Rojas, a resident of Washington, D.C., returned to his Chilean homeland in May. According to human rights activists, Rojas and a companion were beaten, doused with flammable liquid and and set on fire apparently by soldiers last Wednesday during anti-government demonstrations. He died on Sunday. His companion, Carmen Quintana Arancibia, 18, remains in serious condition after an operation on Monday, relatives said.

Army Denies Role

The Chilean army has denied that its personnel was involved in the incident. However, in Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday, the mothers of the two victims held a news conference at the Chilean Human Rights Commission, in which they charged that soldiers had indeed doused their children with gasoline and set them on fire.

“I want to make clear that they were soldiers; they were soldiers, that is the most important thing, they were soldiers,” said Veronica Denegri, the mother of Rojas, who was granted special permission to return from exile in Washington.

A Santiago court agreed to a request from the government and from relatives of the burn victims to appoint a special judge to investigate the case. The United States also asked for an investigation. Judge Alberto Echeverria took charge of the case on Tuesday.

Speakes Comments

At the White House, spokesman Larry Speakes told reporters that the U.S. Embassy is seeking more information from the government on the death of Rojas.

“Clearly we are looking for information, and we want justice to be done,” Speakes said.

Uldaricio Figueroa, minister-counselor of the Chilean Embassy to the United States, said that Dr. Raul Guzman, director of the emergency clinic where Rojas was sent for treatment, said he recommended that Rojas not be transferred to a first-class hospital.

Guzman told reporters in Santiago that a transfer could endanger Rojas’ life because he was suffering from respiratory burns, according to Figueroa. The diplomat added that this information was passed on directly to Rojas’ mother, who had lived with her son in Washington for the past decade.

Question of Legalities

Kalb said that in response to U.S. efforts to arrange for Rojas’ transfer to another hospital, family representatives were told this would not be possible because he faced unspecified legal problems.

“It was subsequently determined that, in fact, no legal charges were pending against Rojas but still authorization for his transfer by the hospital director was not forthcoming,” Kalb said.

He said embassy officials have been unable to provide a medical judgment regarding the implications of the “unexplained failure to permit Rojas’ transfer.”