And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 15:11:08 -0600 (CST) >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Chiapas95-english) >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: En;Jornada,The Condition of REfugess from San Juan, Dec 16 > >This message is forwarded to you as a service of Zapatistas Online. > > >From: "NUEVO AMANECER PRESS" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "N.A.P. E-2" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 09:00:46 +0000 >Subject: SAn Juan de la Libertad/La Jornada >Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN SPANISH BY LA JORNADA >**************************************** >TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY irlandesa FOR NUEVO AMANECER PRESS >************************************************************ > >La Jornada >December 16, 1998. > >Hermann Bellinghausen, correspondent, San Juan de la Libertad, Chiapas, >December 16. > > Under the threat that they are going to be done to "as they were in >Acteal", since "the guns are already aimed at them", the residents of Union >Progreso find themselves hidden in the mountain, with empty hands and eyes >wide with surprise, in fear, anger and tears. Last night they fled for >six hours in the darkness. It was raining. A grenade, thrown by State >Public Security agents, had exploded; its thunder was heard in the >neighboring towns of Los Platanos and San Antonio El Brillante. > >Wet, trembling with cold, starving and unable to sleep, covered from head >to toe with spines from the prickly shrubs which clung to them in their >anguished ascent through the fields and plantations, almost shoulder to >shoulder, the families (except for one) from the persecuted community >receive the journalists and human rights observers on a steep and wet >hillside. Their hideout. > >Many of them are bruised, since the quagmire of the route they took from >Union Progreso is appalling, and they stumbled often. A young girl fell >from a bridge into a narrow river, two meters below. > >A hasty accusation (up to this point, with no evidence) from the chiapaneco >Attorney General, Montoya Lievano, and an efficient publicity campaign by >Albores' government, was all that it took to produce this suffering in all >these people. > >They insist that the persecution is not justified. They had nothing to do, >they say, with the ambush in the road in Los Platanos that cost the life of >a minor and left seven wounded, among them a PRI leader in that community, >three days ago. > >"They are persecuting us because we sympathize with the EZLN organization," >says the municipal agent of the town, "Since they can't convince us, they >want to kill us." > >"On the run in the mountain." > >The community of Union Progreso is deserted. The domestic animals are >running loose or tied up - those that were left like that last night at >8:30, when the new police attack began against the town. The lights are on >in the houses. Smoke rises from one of the houses, where a stove was left >burning in the solitude. > >As will be recalled, last June 10 several men from this community were >assassinated by the police and soldiers, in a previous attack. On that >occasion, the forces of order "dismantled" the San Juan de la Libertad (El >Bosque) Autonomous Municipality. This time it is assumed they were >executing arrest warrants, related, presumably, to Sunday's ambush. > >The sole PRI family, who live in the outskirts of Union Progreso, remains >in the community, as if nothing were happening. They are the only ones who >deny that the police entered last night, and they are also the only ones >who did not hear any grenade explosion, which occurred 200 meters from >their house. An older man, his wife and their children, seem >extraordinarily calm. Even amused. > >According to those in refuge in the mountain, "they are friends of the >paramilitaries in Los Platanos," and they are happy "because they've been >promised the lands and the animals." > >"The PRI's, in their meetings in Los Platanos, asked the Federal Army to >come here to kill us, so they could take our houses, animals and >belongings," said one of the spokespersons for the fugitive community. > >"Those persons say they want to do to us like in Acteal," he added. "We >don't believe it's possible. We aren't guilty of anything. But for >several days now they say those of us who are the representatives are >looking down the barrel of their guns, so that we will stop our struggle." > >"But we are seeking the general interest," the man added, with his face >covered. "My personal life doesn't concern me. I can stay wherever they >leave me, but I feel sorry for the children, the young people, the women." > >Another man says: "It is an absolute lie, what the government is accusing >us of, that we hid after assassinating the PRI's. It's they themselves who >are divided and are killing each other. Or it might have been the police >who killed them, in order to blame us." > >According to several witnesses, on the same morning as the ambush, a group >of police officers appeared in the area surrounding Alvaro Obregon: they >were armed and said they were "lost". > >Nonetheless, according to the fugitives, "we couldn't have known who did >it, we were in the community, peaceful." > >"Yes, we heard the shots," the municipal agent says, "but we didn't know >what it was until afterwards, until we found out that there was a car in >Bochil, covered with blood. But we didn't think they were going to blame >us." > >After yesterday's attack, he said, "we realized it was true what they were >saying about the threats. We don't want the same thing to happen that >happened in Acteal, but the government is setting up the paramilitaries in >order to finish the people off." > >An older man adds: "Day after day we try to join with those who agree to >be with the PRI in the community. But now we see their plans. They always >join with the government, and now they were going to spread the lie so that >the Public Security police would be sent against us." > >Voices in the Mountain > >"Since they see us as small, they want to screw with us," says another >voice on the hillside. "But ya basta with the suffering." > >And another voice: "There are many rumors. The people don't want to go >back to their houses. They can't sleep, work, eat. Out of fear." > >And another: "Some of the children are sleeping standing up." > >And another: "They say that if we let the Federal Army in, they'll stop >screwing with us." > >A little girl of about ten, her face and body covered with bloody >erysipelas [a severe staph skin infection with fever], gazes sadly at the >journalists. By her side, another man (only the men speak) says that the >negotiations with the Department of Government were just about to be >concluded, for the indemnifications for those who died on June 10. "We >were going to deliver the documentation to San Cristobal today. The >Secretary of Government told us to hurry it up, to make sure the money for >our dead got out before the vacations." > >And with a gesture of futility, he adds: ""But since we ran, we didn't >take the papers." > >Another voice: "We don't believe in their peace. Everytime the EZLN >representatives talk, the attacks come. Who's to blame? The government." > >And he says about last night's attack: > >"That is how the government carries out the San Andres Accords." > >An old man: "We want the crisis to be over, we can't live like this. The >attack in June came when we were harvesting the maize. Now, when we're >cutting the coffee down." > >In fact, a dozen day laborers from another region, who were working with >these campesinos in the gathering of the coffee, accompanied them now, in >refuge. > >"The coffee is falling. We could lose it." > >They are not making bonfires because the police could see them. > >"How are we not going to be afraid," the municipal agent says. "Bullets >hurt." > >Last night they fled without lighting their way with lamps, so that the >Public Security police would not be able to follow them. Today they do not >know if they will be sleeping, practically standing up, on this >inhospitable hillside. ""Tomorrow, " a young man says, "we don't know if >they're going to kill us or put us in jail." > >And he stops himself in order to contain his tears. "I don't have children >yet, but I am sad for the children who are suffering from cold, hunger and >exhaustion, who have fled to the mountain." > > >___________________________________________________ >NUEVO AMANECER PRESS-N.A.P.To know about us visit: >http://www.nap.cuhm.mx/nap0.htm (spanish) > ******************* >In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107,this material is distributed without profit or >payment to those who have expressed a prior interest. This information is for non-profit research and >education purpuses only. **We encourage you to reproduce this information >but please give credit to the source, translator and publication. thank you.** >General Director:Roger Maldonado-Mexico Director Europe: Darrin Wood-Spain >Advisor and Special Correspondent:Guillermo Michel-Mexico. >NAP Coordination:Susana Saravia >*************[EMAIL PROTECTED]************* > >-- >To unsubscribe from this list send a message containing the words >unsubscribe chiapas95 to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Previous messages >are available from http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html >or gopher://eco.utexas.edu. > &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment ...http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ `"` `"` `"` `"` `"` `"`
