Bishop Ruiz Ambushed in Chiapas Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Thu, 06 Nov 1997 15:11:58 -0600 source: CIACH As a service to our subscribers, we are sending the English translation of a recent CONAI communique: URGENT PRESS RELEASE 4 November 1997 BISHOPS OF SAN CRISTOBAL ARE AMBUSHED IN A PASTORAL VISIT TO THE NORTHERN AREA OF THE STATE OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO Today, 4 November, at 18:40 hours, Bishops Samuel Ruiz and Raul Vera were ambushed on a country road, between the communities of Guadalupe Jolnopa and Belisario Dominguez, in the state of Chiapas, along with a group of 60 people who were following in two open-bed trucks behind the vehicles used by the bishops. The caravan received several bursts of weapons fire from a hill some 100 meters away. The attack took place within the Crucero ejido (communal property), known to be an operations center for the paramilitary group "Paz y Justicia". Injured in the attack were: JOSE PEDRO PEREZ PEREZ, 25 years old, JOSE VAZQUEZ PEREZ, 30, both catechists, and MANUEL PEREZ PEREZ, majordomo of the Tabernacle of Our Lord of Tila. In addition to the two bishops, those riding within the ambushed vehicles included the parish priest of Tila, two nuns, various catechists and worshipers of the parish, the doctor of the parish clinic, who immediately attended the wounded and made a report of the situation. The doctor later placed the wounded under observation. Bishops Ruiz and Vera, O.P., were undertaking a pastoral visit in the troubled Northern area of Chiapas and were returning to the municipal capital of Tila, after having celebrated mass and a celebrated a confirmation ceremony in the community of Guadalupe Jolnopa, within Tila parish. Several weeks ago, when the Bishops' pastoral visit to the region and to Guadalupe Jolnopa was announced, Paz y Justicia began to threaten that they would block roads so as to prevent the journey from taking place. A similar threat was announced when Bishop Vera was to visit the community of El Limar, in the municipality of Tila in May 1996. We fear for the security of the Bishops during their visit to the area, since the visit will last until Sunday 9 November. Similarly, we do not rule out systematic aggressions against priest, nuns and catechists of the parish that the Bishops plan to visit. We conclude that this is one more manifestation of what Paz y Justicia announced after the visit of Bishop Vera to the area in May 1996, i.e., attacks against the communities visited, which has, since May, left a wake of violence, including clinics destroyed, cooperatives ransacked, homes destroyed, churches profaned and 4,120 people displaced, in addition to the murder and disappearance of various people. This aggression against the Bishops, far from being isolated, appears to be part of a plan of aggression against the Catholic Church. Against the will of the communities that they profess to represent, some local authorities are barring the visit of Catholic priests and other pastoral agents to several communities, and churches continue to be arbitrarily locked shut. The Dioceses of San Cristobal, social and non-governmental organizations have repeatedly denounced the unanswered aggressions of paramilitary groups who carry out activities with the protection of state and local authorities. We have also denounced, within the framework of non-compliance of the San Andres accords, the existence of a low-intensity warfare and the lack of government in the state, systematically denied by governmental. THE ATTACKS AGAINST OUR BISHOPS AND THE PERSONS IN THEIR COMPANY IS ONE MORE ACT THE CONFIRMS THE DRAMATIC SITUATION THAT OUR STATE IS SUFFERING, AS WELL AS THE INEFFICIENCY OF THE SPECTACULAR MEASURES ANNOUNCED BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT TO BRING ABOUT DETENTE IN THE TROUBLED REGIONS OF CHIAPAS. Dioceses of San Cristobal de las Casas Centro de Informacion y Analisis de Chiapas, A.C. (CIACH) Flavio A. Paniagua 107 Barrio de Guadalupe 29230 San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, MEXICO Tel/Fax: en Mexico 01 967 86581 fuera de Mexico +52 967 86581 Correo-e: ciach@laneta.apc.org NUEVO AMANECER PRESS- N.A.P. Non Profit organization translating and distributing information in support of the work in defense of human rights. General Director: Roger Maldonado-Mexico Asistant Director: susana saravia Ugarte Director Spain: Darrin Wood amanecer@aa.net ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-11.07.97-09:12:25-25643