Melel News Synthesis: 6/9 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Originally published in Spanish by Melel Xojobal Translated by irlandesa Press Synthesis Wednesday, June 9, 1999. *********************************** HARASSMENT *********************************** La Jornada. HARASSMENT BY ARMY IN CHENALHO DENOUNCED. Indigenous from the municipality of Chenalho denounced that, on June 3 and 4, soldiers made incursions into the communities of Santa Martha, Saclum and Atzamilo, under the pretext of looking for marijuana. They added that the only purpose of these incursions is to try to provoke confrontations with the indigenous population. *********************************** La Jornada. XI'NICH DEMANDS AN END TO HARASSMENT CAMPAIGN. In a press communique, the X'Nich organization demanded that the federal and state governments cease the police-military operations in Los Altos and Selva regions. They added that government programs and resources are being used as part of a counterinsurgency campaign, and as support for the official candidate for the President of the Republic. *********************************** COUNTERINSURGENCY *********************************** La Jornada. DENUNCIATION THAT GOVERNMENT HAS INTENSIFIED COUNTERINSURGENCY CAMPAIGN. The Fray Lorenzo de la Nada Human Rights Center denounced the persecution campaign the governmnet has initiated against zapatista sympathizers. They added that, in the following cases, indigenous have been detained for prefabricated crimes, and their human rights are being denied during their detention and incarceration. * In April, Jeronimo Gomez Santiz, of the community of El Pavorreal, was detained for the crime of kidnapping. * On May 25, two zapatistas from La Laguna, 17 de Noviembre Autonomous Municipality (Altamirano), were detained as allegedly guilty of having stolen some cows from a PRI campesino of the same community. * On June 1, in El Limonal, municipality of Chilon, the leader of the Xi'Nich organization and campesino Jesus Hernandez were detained, accused of heading a zapatista checkpoint. * On June 2, three Public Security trucks, accompanied by a group of paramilitary PRI's, arrived in the community of El Censo, and violently detained Miguel Hernandez Santiz, whom they accused of being a zapatista, and they took away two CB radios from him. The following day, they detained Joaquin Hernandez Sanchez, accused of battery and robbery with violence, crimes that were committed by another person with the same name, against residents of Ampliacion Taniperla, where paramilitary groups are operating. * This Monday, in the community of Pavorreal, Francisco Gomez Autonomous Municipality (Ocosingo), Jose Santiz Gomez was detained, accused of battery, and, despite the fact that he can make bail, the judge has not informed him of this right. They also added that residents of Taniperla reported that every afternoon six Public Security trucks, headed by paramilitaries, are patrolling the outskirts of that community and of El Censo, and they are searching their backpacks, asking if they are zapatistas. ************************************* CHIAPANECO CONFLICT ************************************* La Jornada. BISHOP SAMUEL SAYS SITUATION IN CHIAPAS HAS DETERIORATED. One year from the dissolution of the National Intermediation Commission (Conai), the Bishop of San Cristobal, Samuel Ruiz Garcia, said that the situation in Chiapas has deteriorated, and that the disappearance of that intermediatory body was accompanied by a harassment campaign by the federal government. *********************************** La Jornada. DEPUTY SAYS COCOPA SHOULD STOP MILITARY OFFENSIVE AGAINST EZLN. Federal PRD Deputy and Cocopa member, Gilberto Lopez y Rivas said the coadvisory body must act rapidly, in order to put a halt to the police-military offensive going on in the Selva, Los Altos and Northern zones of Chiapas. He added that it is important to hold a meeting with the Secretary of Govermnemt, Diodoro Carrasco, so that he can inform them of the government's position on the chiapaneco conflict. He added that the situation is dangerous, because of the Federal Army's proximity to the Montez Azules zone, where zapatista insurgent positions are located, since this could provoke confrontations or the displacement of indigenous to the mountains. ********************************** El Universal. NOBEL PRIZEWINNER SAYS IT IS IMPORTANT TO RESOLVE CHIAPANECO CONFLICT DURING THIS TERM. During a forum on the Indigenous Woman and Violence, being held in Mexico City, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Rigoberta Menchu, said that it is urgent that a peaceful solution be found for the chiapaneco conflict, before this term is up. She added that autonomy is the only option the indigenous peoples have in order to survive in the face of the dominant system that they have to confront. ********************************* OFFICIAL POLICIES ********************************* Cuarto Poder. ANNOUNCEMENT THAT PATROLS IN LAS CANADAS WILL CONTINUE. The Assistant Prosecutor for Justice in the state, Francisco Demez Hernandez, said that the patrols in Las Canadas will continue, in order to guarantee political and social stability in the zone. He also called on indigenous to refrain from actions that affect the rule of law, otherwise, the law will be enforced. ******************************** Cuarto Poder. ARMY's PRESENCE REQUESTED IN LAS MARGARITAS. The Government delegate in the Border region, Francisco Torres Vera, said that residents of twelve communities in Las Margaritas have requested the presence of the Federal Army, in reponse to the continuous threats and attacks they are receiving from the EZLN. He explained that last weekend some 200 alleged zapatistas kidnapped two engineers responsible for the construction of a road, and they took them to the community of La Realidad, seat of the San Pedro de Michoacan Autonomous Municipality. ******************************** El Universal. UN REPRESENTATIVES VISITING CHIAPAS. Representatives from 15 cooperative agencies of the United Naitons reported they are visiting Chiapas in order to identify the most urgent needs of the indigenous and campesino communities, and to be able to allocate resources for their development. They added that they would be holding a meeting on Wednesday with representatives from the government and from indigenous and campesino organizations, in order to learn about the most urgent programs that they can finance. ******************************* JUSTICE ******************************* Cuarto Poder. ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS ALL IS CALM IN TILA. The state Attorney General, Eduardo Montoya Lievano, said that, following protest acts by the population over the murder of the indigenous, Candido Arcos Torres, everything is calm in the municipality of Tila. He also denied that the homicide had to do with differences between Abu Xu and the Peace and Justice paramilitary group. ******************************* COMMUNITY CONFLICTS ******************************* Cuarto Poder. MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES REITERATE WILLINGNESS TO DIALOGUE IN CHENALHO. During a meeting held with representatives from the state government, municipal and traditional authorities of the municipality of Chenalho reiterated their willingness to dialogue with EZLN sympathizers and support bases, in order to achieve peace and reconciliation in that region. They also committed themselves to allowing the return of indigenous to their communities who have been displaced for two years. ******************************** RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS ******************************** Sin Linea. SOLUTION SOUGHT TO CONFLICTS BETWEEN PROTESTANTS AND TRADITIONALISTS IN CHAMULA. The Secretary for Indigenous Poples' Affairs (Seapi), Gustavo Moscoso, said that state and federal authorities, human rights organizations and the Organization of Evangelical Peoples of Los Altos (Opeach), met, in order to seek a solution to the problems between Protestants and traditional Catholics of the region. He explained that, in this first meeting, they dealt with the issue of the more than one hundred evangelical children who, because they are Protestants, are not accepted into schools in the region. ********************************* NATURAL RESOURCES ********************************* El Universal. INDIGENOUS LEADER DENOUNCES DESTRUCTION OF SELVA LACANDONA. The Lacandon leader, Carmelo Chambor Yuc, denounced the existence of clandestine sawmills, the trafficking in fauna, the burning of forests and excessive felling in the Selva zone. He explained that neither the federal Prosecutor for Environmental Protection, nor the state government, has wanted to intervene, despite the constant denunciations that have been made in this regard. He added that these problems are primarily seen in lands currently occupied by the Federal Army and the by the Department of Justice of the Republic. ******************************** NATIONAL EVENTS ******************************** El Universal. GUERRERO INDIGENOUS DENY BELONGING TO EPR OR ERPI. Nahua indigenous of the Alto Bases in the state of Guerrero denied accusations made against them by campesinos in the communities, of belonging to the EPR or the ERPI. They explained that the problem arose when those persons lost an agrarian suit in 1997. That is why they are threatening to massacre several campesinos in order to recover those lands. They added that they have requested intervention by the CNDH [National Human Rights Commission], by religious authorities and by Governor Rene Juarez Cisneros, in order to avoid the spilling of blood and the detention of innocent perosns. *********************************************************** NUEVO AMANECER PRESS-PRENSA NUEVO AMANECER-N.A.P. To know us visit our web page in Spanish in Mexico at: http://www.nap.cuhm.mx/nap0.htm E-mail: General Director: Roger Maldonado A Press in support of the work in defense of Human Rights ================================================================= 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-06.10.99-04:15:15-19172