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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 7. April 9 1979

Salient Cover-up

Salient Cover-up

Dear Editor,

The SRC of March 21 featured a long and heated debate on the situation in Indochina. In my opinion the cartoon on the front page of Salient dated March 26, which dramatises this debate, gives a false picture. The motion discussed was;

"That this Association condemns the Vietnamese invasion of Kampuchea".

A great deal of hostility was expressed toward this motion. A considerable sentiment for abstention from the vote was also expressed, (on the grounds that international affairs are 'irrelevant' to students). This changed, however, in connection with an amendment which made the motion read;

"That this Association condemns the Vietnemese invasion of Kampuchea and the Chinese counterattack on Vietnam and calls for the withdrawl of all forces to within their own territory."

This motion was passed domfortably. That is not surprising. What is surprising, however, was the fact that the supporters of the original motion supported the amendment.

The surprise that this causes can only be understood if we realise that the movers and vocal supporters of this motion were also the supporters of the motion immediately following it, which read;

Drawing of two men at a bar wanting to leave

"That this SRC views the Chinese counter-attack on Vietnam as a reaction to the continuous Vietnamese raids on Chinese territory, and [unclear: furthermon] as a step to counter Vietnamese expansionism and Soviet Union aggression in South-East Asia".

And the movers of these motions are known as avid defenders of every zig and zag that the Chinese government makes.

The discomfort they must feel over their [unclear: condination] of the Chinese action explains the falsification of the debate as presented in the SRC cartoo There is no mention of the amendment. Reading the cartoon you would believe that "the combine forces of goodness", (ie Cassidy, Wilson, Morris a other supporters of the original motion), had emaged completely victorious.

I do not support the motion in it's amended or unamended form. But I do believe that Salient owes it to students to report these debates honestly and accurately.

Yours,

Dean Hazelwood