Rebel artillery turned in, armed rebels, anti-Yankee rally, aftermath of bomb blast, wounded in hospital.




Initials



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Tension continue at a high level in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. On Sunday night (3 October) eleven persons were wounded when a terrorist bomb went off in a Santo Domingo bar. Rebel civilians are still armed...several groups have been holding anti-Yankee rallies...and the office of a magazine were attached Wednesday (6 Oct) in another terrorist incident.

Under the terms of the Dominican settlements, the rebels were required to surrender their weapons to the government. Some days ago they surrendered a number of naval cannon, with considerable fanfare. It is reported however that they had ammunition for the clumsy, fixed mount weapons. The weapons are considered useless for street fighting. Some other weapons have been turned in, but most remain in the hands of civilians. Rifles and light machine guns have ben reported throughout the city...and armed men can be seen on the streets. Some of them accept jobs as guards at Santo Domingo banks. They are not paid for the work, but they are permitted to retain weapons. Other simply have not turned in the weapons issued to them when the hostilities broke out.

A number of groups have held anti-Yankee rallies in recent days, among them the Popular Dominican Movement shown in our film. This group, which reopened its headquarters on Sunday is an avowedly Marxist-Leninist organization. It is reported strongly sympathetic to Peking.

The terrorist attack came Sunday night. A time bomb was planted behind the jukebox at a bar on the second floor of a building in the heart of the city. The bar was popular with American troops. Seven soldiers were wounded in the blast and four Dominicans. The wounded soldiers were taken to a field hospital. two were completely dear as a result of the blast, one suffered from head wounds, and the others were injured in their hands and legs. Three of the men were released Monday afternoon.