Bodies found in Chilean mine

A number of bodies found in an abandoned mine near the Chilean capital of Santiago may be those of people who have "gone missing" since the military coup in 1973.
'They were discovered last week by Bishop Enrique Alvear, Auxiliary or Santiago, who went to the mine after a priest had been given the information by a former member of DINA, the Chilean secret police.
Bishop Alvear reported the situation to the Supreme Court, which ordered an investigation.
Because this is to be carried out in secret, however, neither Bishop Alvear nor the members of the Vicariate of Solidarity who accompanied him to the mine were able to give further details of what they discovered. But other sources have indicated that more than 20 bodies were found.
Altogether 618 cases of missing persons have been listed by the vicariate, which monitors the human rights situation in Chile on behalf of the Santiago archdioce. It has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its work with political prisoners.
In July the Chilean Government refused to carry out a promise to investigate each case, and denied responsibility for the missing persons. Consequently the bishops again began submitting documented cases.
More than 2,000 people took part in a recent international symposium in Santiago on man's rights and responsibilities. They included representatives from many different Churches, the International Commission of Jurists, the UN Human Rights Commission, and the InterAmerican Human Rights Commission.
The symposium was organised by the Catholic Church in Chile and was held in Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral. • Security forces, saying they were searching for kidnappers of a businessman, have killed three men, including Fr Ernesto Barrera Motto in El Salvador. The three men were killed in Ciudad Delgado in suburban San Salvador, where Fr Motto was the parish priest.