WASHINGTON: PENTAGON DIRECTS YANKEE INVASION OF PERU

The New York Times reports that the U S Defense Department is conducting a new military strategy in Peru. Fujimori was called to Washington on February 1st. to discuss the Clinton administration's concerns over his recent failures. The Pentagon's new military strategy directs the large scale military invasion of Peru under the false pretext of "war on drugs." The real targets are the Base Areas of the Peasants and Workers Government led by the Communist Party of Peru (PCP). The Pentagon's strategy is a significant expansion of the United States military involvement against the Peruvian people and the People's War led by the PCP. The US government attempts to divert attention from its recent defeats and failures against Saddam Hussein, Cuba, and other guerrilla wars in Somalia and the Philippines. According to a Pentagon official, Peru is "the source and heart" of the World Proletarian Revolution.

The Yankee propaganda campaign portrays Peru's poor peasants as "evil producers of coca leaves" who must be subject to "interdiction programs and interception of coca shipments." Under the shameless disguise of "drug interdiction," the Pentagon is deploying hundreds of Navy Seal and Army Green Beret units in Peru's Andes and Amazon regions. At the same time, more than 100 patrol gunboats outfitted with M-60 machine guns and special biological weapons are being deployed for combat operations in Peru's rivers. Low-flying anti-guerrilla planes support the operations of the US troops and Peruvian units. A senior civilian Pentagon policy maker stated 'it is time to give the Peruvians a little push, they have been fumbling for months." A State Department official also explained "You still have to deal with the insurgency. What you are talking about is imposing control over areas that the central government has never controlled"(New York Times, February 3, 1997)

The hypocrisy and lies of the Clinton administration and the Pentagon have no limits. Peru's armed forces, led by Fujimori's clique of narco-Generals, is world renown for their heavy involvement in the cocaine trade. During 1996, convicted drug dealers (Vaticano, etc.) and corrupted army officers have repeatedly confirmed that Fujimori's Generals work for Colombian cocaine cartels. Military planes and Navy ships have been found transporting large quantities of pure cocaine to the United States. This continues. Furthermore, even former government officials have provided conclusive evidence showing that Fujimori's main advisor and head of SIN (secret service), Montesinos, is perhaps one of the biggest drug barons in Latin America. Fujimori's government is submerged in cocaine, up to the neck. Thus, the Pentagon's propaganda of military operation for "drug interdiction efforts" is a ridiculous tale. If they want to "interdict drugs" all they have to do is interdict Fujimori's Generals or interdict themselves, because as Mr. Clinton admitted on the June 5, 1997 "Conference on Drug Interdiction" (Key West, June 5, 1997), the United States is one of the major drug-producing countries along with Colombia and Mexico.

It is extremely clear that the Pentagon's new strategy is a direct response to the recent powerful advances of the People's War, led by the Communist Party of Peru and its Central Committee. The Yankee invasion aims at destroying the PCP's Base Areas throughout Peru. The reactionaries tried their absurd tale of "peace accord," and failed. Imperialist low intensity warfare is another failure. Now the escalation is reaching full direct intervention, and the imperialist criminals shall fail again. They want to give "a little push," but they will get a big push, and will be crushed. While the imperialist armies bring their weapons to Peru, the source of weapons for the People's War is in the battlefields. Peru's war of national liberation is entering a new stage, and the Yankee invaders shall find the mother of all Vietnams. The heroic Peruvian people, warriors for just causes, led by the COMMUNIST PARTY OF PERU, shall triumph and hoist before the oppressed masses of the world, the luminous red flag, the symbol of STRUGGLE AND VICTORY!

LIMA STREET VENDORS INTENSIFY STRUGGLE AGAINST THE OLD STATE

Violent clashes and street battles intensified during the last six months. On March 24, thousands of street vendors clashed against special forces units. Lima's Municipal government led by the reactionary Alberto Andrade, has prohibited all street vending in the Central Business District. The regime is trying to expel the street vendors out of the city boundaries. The clash left hundreds of vendors arrested or wounded and 50 military injured. The PCP People's Army detachments conducted armed agitation and propaganda. The street vendors continue to refuse to pay abusive tax increases, are intensifying their massive mobilizations initiated in July, 1996 in demand of basic health care, social security benefits, the end of the constant tax extortions imposed by Fujimon's regime, and their right to work on the streets. (EuroNews, March 24, 1997). Again, on May 13-14, 1997 Lima's Mayor ordered his paramilitary forces to launch a brutal and cowardly attack with tear gas and gun fire, against thousands of street vendors and their families (children and women included). They work near the main market (mercado central). Several humble vendors and their relatives were massacred, and some were wounded. This time the masses responded in kind against their oppressors. Thousands of street vendors, their wives and children, helped by young city workers, shouting the slogan RESIST AND FIGHT, launched a massive counterattack with bricks, stones, and other hand made weapons (e.g., Molotov cocktails) surrounding and pounding the repressive forces from all sides. After four hours of continuos battle, the criminal municipal police was defeated. By this time, the people's solidarity was growing, large contingents of unemployed workers and students were approaching the battlefield in support of the street vendors. As a result, the genocidal armed forces and police backed off from their plans of murdering the street vendors.

Due to the massive unemployment and underemployment (estimated in 87.9%), thousands of people and their children work as street vendors. A recent survey indicates that most of them (street vendor plus family) make an average income of eight dollars per day (it barely pays for a meal.)

LIMA: PEASANTS CLASH AGAINST REACTIONARY ARMY

For the second time in a week, large masses of peasants, mainly the poor, violently clashed with Fujimori's military units in Lima's shanty towns (pueblos jĒvenes). The poor peasants, led by the PCP, have conducted large-scale land invasions in zones around the city of Lima. [EFE, March 30, 1997.]

NATIVES AS CHEAP LABOR AND CANNON FODDERS WHILE SHELL PLUNDERS GAS OF CAMISEA

As imperialism tried to do away with the Ashaninkas in the Amazon area, the imperialist Shell is promoting and funding NGOs (APEP, CAAP), the Catholic Church, and the murderous armed forces to organize, control and manipulate the native population. In the jungle portion of the Department of Cusco (near Camisea) there are hundreds of members of the Machiguenga nationality who have been living neglected and abandoned by the old State for hundreds of years. The highlands of Cusco have a strong influence of the People's War and this is the real target of the reactionaries, who under the ridiculous disguise of "educating and modernizing the Indians" in defense of their "identity," "environment" and "culture" has begun subtle work of colonization on behalf of the imperialist corporations. Part of this scheme consists of setting up a small factory to process peanuts or mani) in order to bring the native population under their control, exploit them as a cheap labor, and train them as paramilitaries against the Maoist guerrillas.

No matter what the reactionaries do, Shell and other imperialist blood suckers will surely be smashed by the revolutionary storm sweeping throughout Peru. [Source. El Comercio, May 5, 1997]