Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 17:45:34 
Subject: (LA@) fires in Chiapas

================[ Distributed Message ]================
          ListServer: chiapas- (Stewards' Chiapas Support Listserv)
                Type: Not Moderated
      Distributed on: 17-MAY-98, 12:46:30
 Original Written by: IN:alkrauss@pacific.net.
 =======================================================
 
 For whatever speculation it's worth, I am posting an article from a Mexican
 newspaper/journal which was sent to me by friends who are living near San
 Cristobal. I am not including their e-mail address because of the
 possibility of electronic surveillance, even though the article is not
 directly talking about the autonomy issues.
 
 However, one might wonder if the article isn't referring to a planned
 campaign to toss baby and bathwater in one big "solution" to the "indigene"
 problem - read, "final solution" in its European historical context.
 
 Quoted:
 
 La Jornada, May 13, 1998
 
 Without precedent, the proliferation of fires in the area of conflict
 
 Hermann Bellinghausen, envoy, Altamirano, Chiapas, May 12.
 
 "Fiiire, fiiire" voice the men of the communities calling each other to
 take up machetes, shovels and pails; the hill is on fire.
 
 An epidemic of fires, beyond all precedent, is sweeping away the orests
 as well as the vegetable plots, the coffee plantations, the milpas and
 animals of the communities. Mostly they seem provoked. They start at
 places where no one burns for agriculture. They destroys forests that no
 one dared cut down, that were part of the communities' patromony. They
 do not respect ditches nor protections, because the hands that fire them
 do not rest, they are ubiquitous, invisible, unpunished, they have bared
 the surface.  To see each other's faces; so that no one can hide.
 
 Never before a layer of smoke had covered such a large extension of the
 Chiapas territory.
 
 The peasants are astounded, indignant, sad and worried. Although
 government officials are trying all kinds of somersaults to blame the
 peasants (see the case of the coffee plantations set on fire in
 Taniperlas), they are accusations no one believes.
 
 In the Altamirano canada there are places where, at noon, one cannot
 distinguish another person two meters away, as it happens in the
 communities10 de Abril and San Miguel Chiptic. But there is worse: the
 Sierra ofCorralon is ablaze, from Morelia to La Garrucha at the canada
 of Patihuitz .Smoke shoots up from everywhere.
 
 Officially, up to now there are 46 thousand hectares burnt down in
 Chiapas. Also officially, at this moment 35 fires are being fought
 against. The largest at the selva and frontier regions. In the area of
 the Montebello lakes, between La Trinitaria and La Independencia, three
 thousand hectares are burning, and one thgousand two hundred at the
 Taniperla ejido. Between Pueblo Nuevo and Sitala, at Tila, in the
 northern region, the Capalna hill is ablaze. The fires have affected the
 Palenque National Park and large  forested areas at Las Margaritas,
 Chanal and Comitan. At the El Bosque and Bochil, between Los Altos and
 the North, fires spring up when it is less expected. And in Chenalho.
 
 These are not the traditional burnings of the agricultural cycle, it is
 not
 that the peasants have become more careless nor that they harbor evil
 intentions.
 
 For the communities, the fires are an omen of hunger.
 Putting aside the great fires of Copainala and Cintalapa, and the fires
 that can be associated with urban speculation, as in Ocozocuautla, the
 largest concentration of fires coincides with the "conflict zone", that
 is,
 where the indigenous population lives, where there exist autonomous
 municipalities, where the EZLN and their suupporting bases move;
 hundreds of resisting communities.
 
 Although there are no existing proofs (which is typical) the incendiary
 proliferation in zones of conflict is "normal" during contra-insurgency
 campaigns. It has been seen in Central America, in Vietnam and in
 Cambodia; it can be seen in Colombia and Indonesia. Why should it not be
 seen in Chiapas, if the mannuals are the same? And besides, there are so
 many fires in the Republic, there's no reason why a few more should be
 noticed.
 
 The moors of tomorrow
 
 The roads that lead to Morelia, to Belisario Dominguez, to the
 mountains,
 show their desolation. The inhabitants of Morelia speak with sadness of
 the scenery lost. Coughing, injected conjunctivitis, children's runny
 noses, lung pains, spitting, hurting noses. The permanent smell of
 bonfire on the clothes.
 
 "The blaze appears as distributed" says a peasant. "below the trees and
 in bonfires near the coffee plantations. Everything is dry and as soon
 as
 the wind blows it sets all evenly afire".
 
 "People from here it is not"', he says,"how can it be. But who does it,
 we don't know.".
 
 At the environs of La Laguna, near Altamirano, there are almost no
 forests. At La Laguna a new air strip of the armed forces is eing set
 up,
 that the peasants fear can be turned into an air base.
 
 At the autonomous municipality 17 de Noviembre, many recently founded
 towns ("New Population Centers") are being affected by the absurd
 burnings.
 When the smoke disperses, the moors will remain. And if the rains, as it
 is feared, are delayed, the moors will last.
 __________________________________________________
 Translated from Spanish by Maria Elena Hope
 
 End of Quoted article







Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 04:00:51 +0000
Subject: (LA@) Re: Fw: CHIAPAS VILLAGE BRUTALLY INVADED BY 3,000 ARMED

  
SPANISH FROM ENLACE CIVIL,A.C. SAN CRISTOBAL, CHIAPAS.

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY  irlandesa FOR NUEVO AMANECER PRESS


Municipality of Nicolas Ruiz, State of Chiapas
June 3, 1998

To the CONAI
To the COCOPA
To the Human Rights Commission Fray Bartolome de Las Casas
To the National and International Press
To Civil Society
To the General Public

We report that at approximately 5:30 in the morning on Wednesday, June
 3,
we were brutally attacked by close to 3000 armed troops, among them the
Mexican Army, the State Public Security forces, State and Federal
 judicial
police, and local White Guards known as "los chinchulines."  We are
going
to give you some of their names ["los chinchulines"], because they are
the
primary perpetrators of the violence in the Municipality.  Their names
are
the following:  Abel Lopez Zuniga. Mario Moreno Gonzalez, Amancio
Constantino Cardenas, Jorge Diaz Jimenez, Antonio Zuniga Lara, Maclovio
Diaz Lopez and Narciso Lopez Diaz, among others.  They received direct
advice from the office of the Secretary of the Government, Areli Madrid
Tovilla.  During the operation they wore hoods in order to not be
identified by the community, because they were pointing out the homes of
people the army would enter and beat everyone within, giving no
importance
as to whether they were women or children.  When the houses that were
pointed out were empty, they looted them.

When they invaded the community in this operation, they threw tear gas
and
fired high powered guns in all directions, and thus we do not know if
any
among are people are dead.  What we are sure of is the great number of
wounded, men, women and children.

They destroyed furniture, took money, personal documents, electric
appliances, etc., for which we demand a total loss for personal goods,
furniture and property in the amount of 300,000 pesetas.

In our community we are approximately 5000 residents.  Of these 200 were
detained, men and women.  We also report that some of our companeros
have disappeared, since we made a count of all the residents, and we do not
know where some are.  We are afraid that these companeros could be tortured
or killed.

The operation, which began at 5:30 in the morning up until this moment,
was
carried out with the entire community under siege, with no one being
allowed to leave or enter here.  They cut off our means of
communication,
like telephones.  They are maintaining air and land patrols.

We ask human rights' organizations to intercede before the federal and
state government for the withdrawal of this operation in our
Municipality,
because we do not believe it is just that a community be attacked just
for
the pleasure of a group of persons who do not want peace, like the
"chinchulines."

We are asking that these persons be tried,  because we know they have
police records, including Mario Moreno Gonzalez and Abel Lopez Zuniga
and
Jorge Diaz Jimenez.
That the integrity and human rights of those who are under siege by the
army in this community be respected.

Sincerely

The People of Nicolas Ruiz, Chiapas

ENLACE CIVIL A.C.
Calle Ignacio Allende 4
29200 San Cristobal de Las Casas
CHIAPAS-MEXICO

e-mail:  enlacecivil@laneta.apc.org

NOTICE:In accordance with Title 17 USC section 107, material
appearing in Nuevo Amanecer Press is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this
information for research, education and advocacy purpuses
on human rights issues. Nap is registered in USA as a non-profit
organization. NAP advisory team is in Mexico.
**NAP keeps automatica copies of ALL outgoing messages.
Tampering with NAP's idetificator will be referred to the
proper authorities for prosecution.
NAP 








World Homeless Union wrote:
 
 1. SIPAZ Urgent Action Alert
 2. homefree: Call for Solidarity Activists in
 Chiapas
 
 Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 12:55:56 -0400
 Subject: E; SIPAZ Urgent Action Alert
 
 URGENT ACTION ALERT - New attacks on the peace
 process in Chiapas SIPAZ, April 17, 1998
 
 With this letter, we express our preoccupation
 provoked by the events that have occurred in Chiapas
 during the last days and months: facts that point
 every time more to an open war between the Mexican
 government and the EZLN.
 
 (For abbreviations and technical terms please see
 below)
 
 THE EVENTS
 
 On the 10th of April representatives of various
 Zapatista-sympathizing communities installed the
 autonomous municipality "Ricardo Flores Magón" in
 the community of Taniperlas, municipality of
 Ocosingo. At this event, national and international
 observers were present.
 
 Early morning the following day, at the request of
 the governor of Chiapas, Roberto Albores Guillen,
 close to one thousand members of the Mexican army
 and police as well as migration officials carried
 out an operation there, detaining 12 international
 observers and 9 Mexicans with the goal of
 dismantling the newly installed autonomous
 municipality.
 
 The international observers were presented to the
 migration officials by members of the Mexican Army.
 On the night of April 12th they were deported
 to their home countries, in application of Article
 33 of the Mexican Constitution:"...the Mexican
 executive has the exclusive power to demand
 that abandon national territory, immediately and
 without the necessity of any previous judgment, any
 foreigner whose presence it judges to be
 inconvenient. The foreigners must not, in any way,
 interfere in internal matters of the country." The
 interior ministry informed that the charges against
 them were: "multitudinous offenses" and "supporting
 the installation of illegitimate authorities". Any
 possible penal responsibilities of the observers are
 being investigated.
 
 The charges against the detained Mexicans are among
 others: deprivation and damages of property,
 rebellion, usurpation of official authority
 functions and delinquent association. One day after
 their detention, they joined the association of
 political prisoners "La Voz de Cerro Hueco".
 Although the government claimed that it had
 respected the human rights of all detained, various
 human rights organizations denounced irregularities
 during the detentions and expulsions. The Mexicans
 were detained without a warrant for arrest.
 
 In fear of a dismantling of all autonomous
 municipalities, the Zapatista support bases joined
 together in these municipalities to "defend the
 autonomy". Moreover, the National Indigenous Council
 announced the creation of new autonomous
 municipalities in other Mexican states.
 
 On the 14th of April, migration officials detained
 three international observers in the municipality of
 Altamirano. These observers were present at a
 roadblock close to the community 10 de Abril.  On
 April 15th they were expelled from the country,
 again in application of Article 33 of the
 Constitution.
 
 During previous weeks, authorities had carried out
 another police-military operation with 1500 members
 in one of the quarters in the north of San Cristobal
 de Las Casas, searching for illegal arms and stolen
 cars.
 
 OUR PREOCCUPATION
 
 On March 15, the Governor of Chiapas, Roberto
 Albores Guillen, signed the "State Accord for Peace
 in Chiapas". In this document the state government
 committed itself to maintaining and strengthening
 the state of law and not accepting more illegal acts
 of any actor in the conflict. By this it refers
 to road blocks, land invasions and the installation
 of autonomous municipalities. In the case of
 Taniperlas, the governor ordered the operation to
 "break the vicious circle of impunity".  It should
 be remembered that to date the government hasn't
 succeeded in disarming the paramilitary groups which
 remain with impunity.
 
 Some analysts view in this action against the
 autonomous municipalities a direct attack at the
 EZLN itself. Furthermore, they believe that in this
 way the Mexican government wants to resolve the
 conflict unilaterally and by way of confrontation
 and demonstrate that the political struggle beyond
 the institutions of the ruling party PRI only leads
 to repression.
 
 The militarization in Chiapas continues to grow, in
 particular in the zones of Zapatista influence. Also
 the state government resorts to police operations
 with a strong military presence in an intent to
 solve problems. Although the government talks about
 distention and reconciliation, its attitudes
 generate more tension and polarization. Furthermore,
 in spite of a strong military presence, the
 paramilitary groups continue to be active in
 Chiapas.
 
 On the other hand, we note that the Mexican
 government is more strict in the application of
 Article 33 of the Constitution (about the expulsion
 of foreigners). It seems that now being present as
 an international observer of acts that the
 government considers illegal is equal to
 participating in them and a reason for expulsion
 without the right of defense.
 
 Since Labastida Ochoa assumed the Ministry of the
 Interior, we have observed a hardening in the
 attitude of the government, faced with "the silence
 of the EZLN". In March the federal government sent
 its own unilateral initiative on the Law about
 Indigenous Rights and Culture to the Congress,
 leaving to one side the EZLN, the CONAI and COCOPA.
 Moreover, representatives of the government and the
 PRI questioned the impartiality of the CONAI and the
 work of the COCOPA.
 
 We are very concerned about the comments government
 representatives made disdaining the EZLN. The
 Ministry of the Interior expressed in the beginning
 of April that "the EZLN doesn't represent the
 indigenous people in Mexico". On April 15, President
 Zedillo manifested that "the EZLN is the principal
 paramilitary group in Chiapas". Both declarations go
 against the spirit of the Law on Dialogue,
 Conciliation and Dignified Peace in Chiapas, that
 states in its first article: "...the EZLN will be
 considered a group of persons identified as an
 organization of Mexican citizens, in majority
 indigenous, that disagree for different reasons."
 
 GLOSSARY:
 
 COCOPA:
 Commission of Concord and Pacification, integrated
 by senators and delegates of all parties in the
 Congress.
 
 CONAI:
 National Commission of  Mediation, integrated by
 persons of morally recognized prestige in Mexico,
 presided over by the bishop of San Cristobal de Las
 Casas, Samuel Ruiz García.
 
 EZLN:
 Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
 Autonomous municipalities: Zapatista initiative that
 consists of the implementation of authorities and
 own systems of conflict resolution in the
 communities and regions of their influence.
 According to the Mexican government these
 municipalities violate the Constitution.
 
 PRI:
 Institutional Revolutionary Party. Political party
 that has dominated Mexico since the 1920s after the
 Mexican Revolution.
 
 RECOMENDED ACTIONS:
 
 Please write as soon as possible faxes and letters
 to the authorities listed below, asking them:
 
 - that they take into account that peace can not be
 imposed but should be negotiated between all parts
 in the conflict (on national as well as on state
 level).
 
 - that they stop disqualifying the other actors in
 the conflict, which only leads to a worsening of the
 situation.
 
 - that they order a substantial reduction in the
 militarization in Chiapas and that they do not allow
 the use of the Mexican Army in operations of a
 police and civil character. Also that they avoid
 disproportional police and military operations that
 don't contribute to distention in the state.
 
 - that the juridical procedures for the detained in
 Taniperlas are followed in strict compliance with
 the law.
 
 - that they recognize and respect the work of human
 right defenders and international observers that
 offer their help to promote the peace process.
 
 We hope you will respond to our petition.
 
 The SIPAZ team San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas
 
 ----------------------------------------------------
 Addresses:
 
 C. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon
 Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos
 Mexicanos Palacio Nacional
 06067 Mexico DF, Mexico
 Fax: (int-52) (5) 271 1764 / 515  4783
 E-mail: webadmon@op.presidencia.gob.mx
 
 Francisco Labastida Ochoa
 Secretario de Gobernación (Minister of Interior)
 Bucareli 99, 1er piso
 Col. Juarez 06699 Mexico DF, Mexico
 Fax: (int-52) (5) 546 5350 / 546 7380
 
 Gobernador del estado de Chiapas
 Lic. Roberto Albores Guillen
 Fax: (int-52) (961) 209 17
 
 International Service for Peace (Servicio
 Internacional para la Paz or SIPAZ) is a response
 from the international community to the shared sense
 among many Mexican sectors that international
 opinion can contribute to the search for peaceful
 solutions, through dialogue, to the conflict in
 Chiapas.
 
 El Servicio Internacional Para la Paz o SIPAZ es una
 respuesta concreta al consenso existente entre
 muchos sectores mexicanos de que esta participacio'n
 internacional puede contribuir positivamente a
 trave's del dia'logo, para alcanzar una solucion
 paci'fica y justa en el conflicto de Chiapas.
 
 SIPAZ Servicio Internacional para la Paz Calle
 Dr. J. Felipe Flores, 38
 Santa Lucia, San Cristobal de las Casas
 Chiapas, 29250, Mexico
 Tel/Fax (967) 80381
 E-mail sipaz@laneta.apc.org
 http://www.nonviolence.org/sipaz
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
 
  Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 08:45:15 +0200

 Subject: Call for Solidarity Activists in Chiapas
 
 Call to Action - They ain't called the mal gobierno
 for nothing!
 
 http://burn.ucsd.edu/~homefree
 
 We are calling for international action in response
 to the Mexican government's recent attack on the
 Autonomous Municipality of Ricardo Flores Magón, in
 Taniperla, Chiapas, the false arrests of 17 Mexican
 citizens, the deportation of 15 foreigners and other
 massive military operations. The Mexican government
 wants us to believe that they are doing nothing more
 than enforcing the law. However, Luciano, a
 spokesperson from the community of Polhó, voicing
 the belief of Zapatista base communities, said that
 the government's real goal is to remove all the
 foreigners "so that we are left abandoned, and so
 that they can make another Acteal right here." The
 government has also shown that it is willing to
 silence Mexican observers through imprisonment and
 charges of serious crimes.
 
 It is urgent that the international community reacts
 and sends its support to Chiapas. We are urging a
 three-part response to the illegal arrests of
 Mexican citizens and the xenophobic campaign of
 expelling foreigners.
 
 First, we ask that you call, fax, e-mail or go in
 person to condemn the arrests and demand the
 immediate liberation of the following unjustly
 imprisoned Mexicans: Tomas Sánchez Gómez, Luis
 Menéndez Medina, Nicolás López Vásquez, Justino
 Sánchez López, Sebastián Chulin González, Antonio
 López Vásquez, Mateo González López, Nicolás
 Mazariego Pérez, Sergio Valdés Ruvalcalba, Tomas
 Sánchez López, Miguel Hernández Pérez, Antonio
 Rodríguez Jiménez, Fidelino Cruz Mendoza, Manuel
 Hernández Pérez, Andrés Gutiérrez Hernández, César
 Rodrigo Nuñez, y José Alfredo López Méndez. (See
 Attached Sample Letter)
 
 As a second response, we are initiating the "Free
 Flight Home Campaign" http://burn.ucsd.edu/~homefree
 to resist the Mexican government's attempts to
 remove all witnesses of the escalating repression.
 Our proposal is that for every foreigner expelled,
 human rights organizations and solidarity groups in
 each country commit to sending 10 new international
 volunteers to Chiapas to observe in the EZLN
 autonomous municipalities. These volunteers should
 be willing to be deported and not leave until they
 have their "free flight home." This campaign has a
 two-fold objective: 1) to provide a constant
 presence of international observers in the
 threatened autonomous communities 2) to show the
 government that their tactics do not scare us
 and will not impede the necessary role of
 international observers in this conflict. In fact,
 we will take advantage of their generosity in paying
 the airfare of our return flight!
 
 Finally, the Mexican government has publicly stated
 that international observers can easily obtain a
 visa and that they are welcome to visit Chiapas.
 Let's put it to a test! We're calling for an
 organized campaign to flood embassies and consular
 offices with applications for observer visas
 (FM-3) and an organized documentation of the
 responses. Contrary to their rhetoric, many FM-3
 applications have been denied or indefinitely
 delayed.
 
 The Mexican government's goal is to conceal their
 dirty war against the people of Chiapas. We must
 expose and condemn this repression on an
 international level.
 
 ----------------------------------------------------
 Sample Letter
 
 Dear_______________:
 
 I am writing to express my concern and outrage over
 the campaign of increasing government-sponsored
 violence against the autonomous indigenous
 municipalities in Chiapas. The number of people
 detained by the Mexican government has risen to 32
 in the past four days - 17 Mexican citizens and
 15 international observers.  This number does not
 even take into account the 59 political prisoners
 organized into the Voz de Cerro Hueco.  Action
 must be taken now to stop this wave of repression
 and to obtain the release of all political prisoners
 in Chiapas.
 
 On April 11, 1998, following the inauguration of the
 Autonomous Municipality of Ricardo Flores Magon,
 members of the Mexican Army, Public Security police,
 immigration, and state and federal judicial police
 attacked the community of Taniperla, Chiapas.  Nine
 Mexican citizens were arbitrarily detained and
 charged with damage of private property, usurpation
 of authority, unlawful association and robbery. The
 commander of the police forces beat one person.  The
 detainees were held incommunicado for a number of
 hours before their transfer to San Cristóbal de las
 Casas. They are currently being held in Cerro Hueco,
 the state prison in Tuxtla Gutierrez.
 
 The following day in Taniperla, the Mexican Army and
 Public Security police fired shots and threw tear
 gas grenades into a campesino demonstration. The
 campesinos of the region were demanding the
 immediate withdrawal of the soldiers and police.
  This attack resulted in two injuries.  Three
 community members and four human rights workers were
 also detained.
 
 The human rights organizations Fray Pedro de la Nada
 and Fray Bartolome de Las Casas denounce the illegal
 apprehension of the detainees.  I am joining their
 call in demanding:
 
 1. The guarantee of the physical integrity and
 security of the people detained.
 
 2. The immediate liberation of the prisoners: Tomas
 Sánchez Gómez, Luis Menéndez Medina, Nicolás López
 Vásquez, Justino Sánchez López, Sebastián Chulin
 González, Antonio López Vásquez, Mateo González
 López, Nicolás Mazariego Pérez, Sergio Valdés
 Ruvalcalba, Tomas Sánchez López, Miguel Hernández
 Pérez, Antonio Rodríguez Jiménez, Fidelino Cruz
 Mendoza, Manuel Hernández Pérez, Andrés Gutiérrez
 Hernández, César Rodrigo Nuñez, y José Alfredo López
 Méndez.
 
 3. An investigation into the arbitrary detention of
 the aforementioned people and the sanctioning of
 those responsible.
 
 4. An end to the political, military and police
 offensive against the 38 existing and all future
 autonomous municipalities in the state of Chiapas.
 
 Sincerely,
 
 ----------------------
  Faxes can be sent to the following numbers:
 
 Presidente de la Republíca
 Secretaria de Gobernación
 Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León
 Lic. Francisco Labastida Ochoa
 Fax: (52 5) 515 17 94 or (5 25) 277 23 76
 Fax: (52 5) 546 53 50
 
 Procuraduría General de la República
 Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado
 Dr. Jorge Madrazo Cuellar
 Lic. Carlos Rodolfo Soto Monzón
 Fax:  (52 5) 626 4419  or (52 5) 626 4147
 Fax: (52 961) 65373 or (52 961) 65376
 







 
World Homeless Union wrote:
 
 EMERGENCY CARAVAN FOR PEACE TO CHIAPAS, MEXICO HEADS FOR
 THE BORDER
 
 PRESS CONFERENCE FEATURING REV. LUCIUS WALKER, JR.,
 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IFCO/PASTORS FOR PEACE
 
 Wednesday, April 15 at 9:00 a.m. at departure point:
  Cursillo House 602 Urban Loop San Antonio, Texas
 
 On Easter Sunday, fiveteen IFCO/Pastors for Peace
 volunteers traveling in five vehicles carrying over 25,000
 pounds of foodstuffs, medicine, blanket and medical
 supplies arrived in San Antonio to make the final
 preparations for their humanitarian mission to Chiapas,
 Mexico.  During Holy Week, the Emergency Caravan for Peace
 to Chiapas, Mexico participated in educational events  and
 collected urgently needed humanitarian aid, in 40 cities
 throughout the United States.  The Caravan for Peace will
 cross the Mexican border into  Reynosa, Tamaulipas on
 April 15.  Caravan participants will be traveling with the
 FM3 visas required by the Mexican government to enter the
 national territory for humanitarian purposes.
 
 Caravan volunteers are determined to deliver all of the
 nearly 13 tons of aid they have collected throughout the
 US, despite the continued reports of arrests, expulsions
 and detentions suffered by US citizens and international
 human rights observers in Chiapas.  On Saturday, April 11,
 three Americans were detained by immigration officials in
 a predawn raid of Taniperlas. Nearly 800 police and
 soldiers invaded the community to break up a meeting
 of an autonomous town council that had been established by
 members of the community.
 
 The US citizens, Travis Blaizo Loller, Jeffrey Wright
 Conant and Michael John Sabato, were harassed, videotaped
 and threatened with murder before being detained.   The
 Americans were deported to San Francisco on Sunday, April
 13.
 
 "As we prepare to cross the border into Mexico,
 IFCO/Pastors for Peace is extremely concerned with the
 continuing practice of arrests, detentions and expulsions
 of US citizens and other foreign nationals," stated Rev.
 Lucius Walker, Executive Director of IFCO/Pastors for
 Peace.  "We are calling for world attention to be focused
 on Chiapas at this time.  Given the current situation, a
 voice of peace and reason is desperately needed.  Peace
 cannot be achieved through violence and intimidation."
 
 The Emergency Caravan for Peace plans to arrive in Chiapas
 on April 19 and participate in a week-long educational
 program.  With the help of the Diocese of San Cristobal de
 las Casas, the caravan will deliver aid to indigenous
 communities in the municipalities of Altamirano, Las
 Margaritas, Larrainzar, Ocosingo, Chenalho, Pantelho,
 Palenque and Polho.  The caravan also plans to meet with
 Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia and Bishop Raul Vera as well as
 members of human rights organizations and NGO's in San
 Cristobal de las Casas.
 
 "We hope to make a contribution toward peace in the region
 when we deliver urgently needed material aid," Rev. Walker
 added.  "We appreciate the assistance of Mexican Consulate
 staff in New York in the process of procuring FM3 visas.
  However we are aware that foreigners continue to be
 expelled.  We hope that our humanitarian activities will
 not result in our deportation.  As is our usual practice
 should our humanitarian mission be impeded, we will call
 upon the international community for support."
 
 The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization
 (IFCO) is a national ecumenical agency whose mission is to
 help forward the struggles of oppressed people for
 justice, dignity and self-determination.  As a special
 action/education project of IFCO, Pastors for Peace helps
 raise awareness in the United States about the realities
 of our neighbors in Mexico, Central America and the
 Caribbean coordinating an international network of church
 and solidarity organizations to carry out humanitarian aid
 shipments, study tours, construction brigades and
 educational events.
 
 PASTORS FOR PEACE
 P.O. Box 408130
 Chicago, IL 60640-8130
 (773) 271-4817 tel
 (773) 271-5269 fax
 p4p@igc.apc.org (email)
 








    
Subject: (LA@) Re: Mexico now beating street children

World Homeless Union wrote:
 
 From: "Ana de Lara - Casa Alianza"
 
 
 April 16th, 1998
 
 BEATING OF TWENTY STREET CHILDREN IN MEXICO CITY BY POLICE
 
 On Tuesday, April 14th, at approximately 17:00 hours, a
 group of about 20 street children (boys and girls between
 the ages of 12 and 18) were in the Alameda Central of
 Mexico City (in front of the Diego Rivera mural). This is
 a group of street children with whom Casa Alianza has
 been working closely for more than a year - they are just
 two blocks from our Casa Alianza program site. They live
 in the sewers close to the plaza at the end of the Alameda
 closest to the metro Hidalgo.
 
 The boys were being attended by a group of volunteers from
 a Mexican agency, who were handing out food. Out of the
 blue police patrol car number C-186, together with a
 Granaderos (riot police) bus No. 17525 stopped at the
 point where the street children were eating. The uniformed
 authorities got out of their vehicles and immediately
 started to hit the street children with their truncheons
 and the butts of the weapons they were carrying. Several
 of the street children received significant beatings,
 which needed medical treatment (provided by Casa Alianza
 staff).
 
 Both street children and nearby merchants heard at least
 "several" shots fired by the Granaderos riot police.
 Luckily, no-one was wounded. A photographer captured the
 action and the wounded children and the children were able
 to identify the police agents from the photos.
 
 According to witnesses, one of the policemen threatened 10
 year old street child Fransisco Ivan Maya Lopez by holding
 a pistol to the boy's head.
 
  Approximately 10 children were loaded onto the Granaderos
 bus (Pedro Anaya; Luis Hernandez; Silvino Lopez; Hector
 Cruz; Juan Ulises Garcia;  Raymundo Armas; Guadalupe
 Segura; Mario Perez; Homero Lopez; y Adan Chagoyan), all
 between 14 and 16 years old.
 
 As the police bus drove away down Avenida Hidalgo to Paseo
 de la Reforma Norte, witnesses saw the riot police kicking
 the children inside the bus. Further down Reforma at the
 Glorieta de Simon Bolivar, the Granaderos took photographs
 of the detained children.
 
 Casa Alianza staff called the "Ministerio Publico Movil" -
 a mobile Public Prosector's Office - which arrived to the
 Casa Alianza program on Avenida Reforma No. 111, and took
 statements from six street children who were treated by
 our medical staff. Many of the children had head wounds).
 Casa Alianza made formal complaints for each of the
 children, including thirteen year old Araceli.
 
 The Granaderos riot police bus took the ten detained
 children to the Sixth Agency of the Public prosecutor's
 Office (Ministerio Publico) where file Sexta/116/9804 was
 opened, and the children were charged with damage to
 private property and resisting arrest. All they were
 doing was eating a sandwich....
 
 According to press reports, the Mayor of the Cuauhtemoc
 district of Mexico City, Jorge Legorreta, considered the
 actions as an "normal confrontation" (La Jornada, 16 de
 abril de 1998).
 
 Please send a polite e-mail message to the following
 Mexico City media (I do not have e-mails for the
 authorities) expressing your concern for the beating of
 the street children by police authorities - your wanting
 an immediate investigation into the violence against
 street children by the police - your interest in receiving
 a public response to your concerns from the authorities.
 
 E-MAIL ADDRESSES:
 
 Mexico City Times 
 La Jornada 
 Mexico Corrspondent, Washington Post
 <74511.2345@compuserve.com>
 NOTIMEX 
 Mexico City News 
 Reforma 
 
 And a copy please to me 
 
 Bruce Harris














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