Chile, ‘Repairing an Injustice,’ Reburies Allende

Chile unearthed the remains of former Marxist President Salvador Allende from a humble grave Tuesday and reburied his body in the capital in a solemn ceremony 17 years after his death in a military coup.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Santiago with banners, flags and portraits to pay homage to Allende, who 20 years ago Tuesday became the first Marxist president freely elected in the Western hemisphere.

His remains were placed in a marble mausoleum at Santiago’s main cemetery, where other Chilean presidents and dignitaries are buried. The military, which toppled Allende in the bloody 1973 coup, was conspicuously absent from the ceremonies.

The event was marked by appeals to preserve Chile’s newly restored democratic rule.

“We express our will to favor the future of our country, which demands from us to unite beyond the disputes that separated us in the past,” President Patricio Aylwin said in a speech at the cemetery.

Aylwin, an elected civilian who was a political foe of Allende, succeeded Gen. Augusto Pinochet last March, putting an end to 16 1/2 years of authoritarian military rule. Pinochet, who led the coup against Allende, remains commander in chief of the army.

Allende died during an attack on his presidential palace on Sept. 11, 1973. The military said he committed suicide rather than surrender.

Allende’s remains were unearthed early in the day from a modest family tomb in the city of Vina del Mar. In Santiago, thousands of people lined the streets to view the flag-draped coffin. The procession drove past the presidential palace, the Catholic cathedral and, finally, the cemetery.

Right-wing politicians said the ceremony was an attempt to gain political advantage for the government and the left. But the government said the reburial was “repairing an injustice toward a man who was a legitimate president of Chile.”

Aylwin was booed when he recalled in his speech that he had opposed the Allende government.

Raising his voice, the 71-year-old president replied: “To those who are booing, I say: The only language that will allow us to understand each other is the language of truth.

“The horror and suffering that Chile has gone through should never happen again,” he added. “It’s a task for all Chileans to prevent it, and we will be able to do so only if we reject hatred and violence.”

Allende’s widow, Hortensia Bussi, said Tuesday’s ceremonies “should be seen as a contribution to reconciliation.”

Security around the ceremonies was tight. Four bombs went off overnight in Santiago, causing minor damage to two military monuments and two shops, but no injuries. A right-wing group claimed responsibility.