COLOMBIAN MILITARY FIRES 388 IN HUMAN RIGHTS EFFORT

BOGOTA, Colombia, Oct. 16 - In the first major purge of the armed forces
here, Defense Minister Luis Fernando Ramirez today announced the dismissal
of 388 officers and noncommissioned officers to professionalize the
Colombian military.

Ramirez said the dismissals are part of an effort to polish the military's
human rights image, but he did not directly accuse any of those fired of
abuses.

"It's a decision without precedent in the history of the armed forces,"
said Gen. Fernando Tapias, Colombia's highest-ranking military officer.

Human rights advocates agreed, although they emphasized that the military
has room for further improvement.

It was not immediately clear whether the measure will fulfill human rights
conditions in the $1.3 billion U.S. anti-narcotics aid package for Colombia
and its neighbors. President Clinton can override that provision if he
deems national security is at stake.

The funding, which includes $644 million in military hardware and training,
has increased concern about the Colombian military's role in a complex war
with two major guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries, foes that
are financed to some extent by the illegal drug trade. All of the armed
groups have been accused of torturing and killing civilians who they
believed were sympathetic to another faction, and of assassinating human
rights activists investigating abuses.

Today's mass firing was made possible by a decree recently signed by
President Andres Pastrana allowing the defense minister to dismiss officers
who are deemed unfit for duty. Previously, only the police were allowed to
conduct such purges, and thousands of agents suspected of corruption or
abuse of power have been fired during the past six years.

"It is a significant step in the right direction," said Jose Miguel
Vivanco, executive director of Human Rights Watch/Americas, which has
documented ties between the armed forces and right-wing paramilitary groups
that terrorize peasants. "But the real test is criminal prosecution."

The highest-ranking officers included in the purge were two lieutenant
colonels and 15 majors. More than three-fourths of those fired were
noncommissioned officers.

Vivanco urged the armed forces to stop resisting civilian authorities who
are investigating accusations of human rights abuses against the top tier
of officers.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who has long insisted that the United States
not give money to foreign armed forces with dubious human rights records,
commended the Colombians' action. But he said he, too, is concerned that so
few of those disciplined are high-ranking officers.

"Human rights crimes are often carried out with orders from above," Leahy
said. "The officers who gave those orders should also be held accountable."

Colombian human rights activists attending a peace conference in San Jose,
Costa Rica, aimed at bringing together the factions in their country's
armed conflict, were skeptical.

"It is a small gesture that will not lead to profound change," said Jesus
Balbin of the Popular Training Institute.

The timing of the purge, occurring the same day the three-day conference
opened, makes it look suspiciously like appeasement for the international
community, he said--an accusation Ramirez denied.

The United States did suspend military training and support for two
battalions last month after learning that three soldiers had been accused
of human rights violations, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said.

Neither of the battalions was part of the anti-narcotics brigade that is
being trained and equipped with U.S. funds, she said.