AUT: War supplies Stockpiled in Chiapas (fwd)

["Harry M. Cleaver" <hmcleave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 05:30:19 -0700
From: Warwick Fry <wfry10@xxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: chiapas-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Multiple recipients of list <chiapas-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: War supplies Stockpiled in Chiapas

Wednesday 29  September 1999
"War supplies" stockpiled in Chiapas.

· Teargas, Flamethrowers  and Projectile Canisters
· Statement of Students, Workers, and Members of Non-governmental Aid
Organisations  (NGOs).

ALFREDO JIMENEZ R

Translated by Warwick Fry

Shortly after four weeks of observation in Chiapan communities, a group of
students, Telmex and CFE workers, as well as Non Governmental Aid
Organisations  (NGOs), discovered and denounced the presence of 'war
supplies'  such as;  flamethrowers, tear gas canisters with the condition
"for use of the US Army only" printed on them,  as well as containers of
missiles and ammunition.

The report was presented by the main groups of observers, like Veronica
Ruiz,  Jorge Salinas Jardo, Fabian Bojorquez and Miguel Rejo, and others,
resulted in their expulsion from the state under the pretext that "the
problems of Chiapas must only be resolved by the Chiapans". There were
complaints of persecution, injury, wounds, blows, threats and espionage,
and this bearing in mind that the army holds 266 positions and one soldier
for every nine inhabitants.

In an interview shortly after a press conference in the National Centre of
Social Communications, the  observers came to the conclusion  that the
military camp in Amador Hernandez is a final step in linking with the
principal bases in Ocosingo, Comitan, Guadalupe Tepeyac and San Quintin,
which have become an enormous pimping brothel network,  taking in young
girls of 11 to 15 years of age.

They indicated that in their tour of the zone paramilitary repression was
detected, extending over 27 areas, and that within the municipalities of
Ocosingo, Comitan, Amador Hernandez , La Trinitaria and La Independencia
alone,  as well as other thousands in the conflictive zone, they have
pillaged, carved out and contaminated vast zones of this lung of Mexico.

In a document presented to the meeting with the media, the observers said
that they were 'certain' that the Federal Government must enact the San
Andres Agreement, as signatories, to renew dialogue and negotiations, and
suspend military and paramilitary movements in the state.

Each group of observers, they remarked, was subjected to intensive
inspection, they were spied upon, obstructed and threatened with arrest,
and eventually the  Governor Albores  Guillen afforded them the option of
leaving the area never to return.

They pointed out that freedom of movement is a myth, and that  locals,
foreigners, indigenes,  and observers, are placed under strict controls of
inspection at the control points and  roadblocks, where there are not only
soldiers, but  personnel from the  Judicial Federal Police, National
Migration Office,  state police, and Federal Police. The pretext for every
inspection is the "battle against drugs".

The accounts of observers in every one of the tours of San Cristobal, Las
Margaritas, Amador Hernandez -autonomous municipalities - have this in
common : "Ongoing vigilance, persecution promised. Occasional attacks and
beatings."

Students of the National School of Anthropology and History were affected
by tear gas, the canisters labelled  "To be used only by US military forces"

They complained that they were beaten and threatened with death when often,
they were found taking photographs. They uncovered the use of armoured
vehicles in taking communities like  San Jacinto Lacanja,  whence 200
fedeal troops arrived between the  15th and 16th of September..  On the
17th of  September, in  el Limar, in the Municipality of  Tila, they
observed four persons dressed in blue, masked, and presumably members of
the paramilitary group Pas y Jusiticia, behead an old man. They were also
able to  observe cans of nerve gas and munitions being taken in to the
Municipal Palace  (Town Hall) of San Cristobal. They  made a cry to  other
observer groups "don't abandon the indigenous people"  - as the violence
against them would recur as soon as those who  certified  what was going on
 were no longer present.

	They recommended: Resolution of the conflict would only occur with the
implementation  of the accords and the immediate withdrawal of the Army.










---------------------------------------------------------------
Warwick Fry (wfry10@xxxxxxxxxx)
School of Humanities, Media and Cultural Studies
Southern Cross University
P.O. Box 157 Lismore NSW 2480 Australia
Ph: 61 2 66875994 (h)


"I just logged on to check my E-mail, and then it was Thursday."



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