[Inclosure.—Translation.]
Doctor Rico to
Mr. Beaupré.
Ministry of Foreign Relations,
Bogotá, September 15, 1903.
Mr. Minister: It has been ascertained from
the information given us by the minister of war, that as soon as
notice was received, on the 19th of August last, of what had
happened in Honda on the two days preceding, against the Turks
residing there, orders were given for the guard at Guaduas to
immediately reinforce the battalion of
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260 men at that place, to give their aid to
the civil authorities in the suppression of the riot.
Notice has been given to the minister of government as well as the
minister of war of the representations made by your excellency and
the other foreign representatives; in this matter, and means have
continued to be employed for the reestablishment and preservance of
peace and order in that place.
The second of said ministries has ordered, through the medium of an
employee of the national police, the investigation of the criminal
acts which have been committed against the Turks in Honda, with a
view to punishing those to blame and recovering; and protecting the
property which said foreigners say they have lost. The local
authority states that some of said property has already been
recovered, and that several persons who were present at the riot and
were imprisoned have been set at liberty under a heavy bond,
promising not to again attempt a riot against the Syrian colony and
to present themselves to the authorities each time they are
ordered.
In presenting what I have said to your excellency, I refer to your
polite notes of the 20th of August and the 8th of the present month,
the first relative to the complaints of Simon Chemas, Wehbe Chemas,
and Abdalla Chemas, and the second to Ricardo Deeb, Syrians by
birth, to whom your excellency gives protection as naturalized
citizens of the United States. I ought to add that, to Chiquinquira,
where the first of said individuals lives, the ministry of
government has been informed that the president of the tribunal of
Tunja has gone to investigate what happened in that place.
If it be considered that, already arriving in the country
temporarily, or with a desire of permanent residence in it,
foreigners have always been well received in Colombia, whose laws
favor and protect them in their persons and property equally with
natives, and that, notwithstanding that manifestations against the
Turks have been suppressed from the very beginning, these have been
occurring frequently, it is plainly recognized that there exists and
grows in society a spirit of repulsion against these individuals, as
stated in the first of said notes, in which your excellency asks the
employment of means to secure to the Syrian citizens of the United
States the protection of their lives, their homes, and their
property, guaranteed by the treaty between the two nations.
The government regrets that sentiments adverse to the Turks should
have been produced in the country, and is always disposed to protect
them in their persons and interests; but, notwithstanding
precautions which were taken to prevent conflicts of the character
of those which happened in Honda and Girardot, those manifestations
may perhaps continue, and are made inevitable, by appearing suddenly
in places where there is not sufficient guard, or in places
separated from those points where forces exist to give protection
and reestablish order, and it ought to be borne in mind that if such
should happen, it could not be imputed to a failure to comply with
the treaty except in the cases in which, being able to give such
protection, it should not be done with complete efficiency.
I beg, etc.,
