91 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
91 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
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Sierra Madre Peasants Armed To Repel Agressions
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(from Tiempo, Wed, 10th May, 1995.)
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El Triunfo (AEI) - The armed peasants that operate in the Sierra
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Madre mountains of Chiapas and are in control of a number of coffee
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estates, are prepared to repel "any attacks action" on the part of
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"white guards or police elements".
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They say they don't belong to the Zapatista National Liberation Army
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(EZLN), although they cover their faces with scarves and balaclavas
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so as not to be recognized.
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Taking refuge behind barricades built from sacks of sand and gravel
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under huts of timber and corrugated iron, from which hang camouflage
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trousers and shirts and army-style boots, the peasants, who don't
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wear a uniform and say they belong to the Emiliano Zapata Peasant
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Organization National Plan of Ayala Co-ordinating Committee
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(OCEZ-CNPA), received a group of journalists to explain to them that
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their struggle is for land, not political power.
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(Translator's note: the National Plan of Ayala was initiated by the
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original Zapatistas and was a land reform program, giving the land
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back to the peasants.)
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They explained that they are awaiting the dialogue on the 12th of
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May, in San Andres Larrainzar, between the government and the EZLN
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in order to decide what action to continue with. "We back the
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civil resistance actions called by the EZLN, but we're not militants
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of that group. If we were, we would be in the Lacandon forest."
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A committee of approximately thirty people - who didn't give their
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names "because there are no leaders here" - with reservations
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towards the correspondents, from whom they demanded clear
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identification, with name, telephone number and address, said that
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Abel, who the small landowners of the region and the civil
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authorities refer to as Commandante Abel, isn't in the area. "He's
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probably in Frontera Comalpa, San Cristobal or Las Nubes."
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Before arriving at the site of the interview, after a two and a half
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hour journey through the depths of the Chiapan mountain range, we
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came to a board with black writing on it: "No entry for trucks
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between 9pm and 4am. EZLN", with a rifle painted below it. On the
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other wall it said: "Respect to the taking of land" and the face of
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subcommandante Marcos, to whom they offer their support.
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Since the 10th of April this group has been in possession of the
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properties San Luis Andes and Buenos Aires, both owned by Mario
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Garcia Trevino, who's also landlord of the Gavilancillo, Bandera
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Argentina, El Recuerdo and La Fortuna estates. The peasants
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announced that they will initiate the occupation of other estates if
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their demands for agrarian reform are not listened to.
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From the top of a large rock, a lookout pointed out directions to
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the local and national media representatives. Meanwhile, passing
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along the road unmolested, there were trucks of the Conasupo
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Solidaridad, which supply basic products to rural shops in San
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Antonio Miramar and Hoja Blanca, in the Chiapan sierra.
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The peasants are accused of being Zapatista guerillas by the
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propietor of the Las Nubes estate, Manuel Ferrara Gutierrez, who's
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asking for the intervention of the Mexican army. Holding rifles,
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shotguns and some sort of machine gun, the peasants are momentarily
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agressive. They point out that they work in the civil resistance and
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they "intend to take some coffee estates if the government will not
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solve the agrarian problems by means of dialogue".
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A total of about 150 peasants, all armed, keep watch over the 500
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hectares which comprise the San Luis Los Andes and Buenos Aires
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estates. They say they come from San Antonio Miramar, Jamaica
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(a village, not the island - translator), San Joaquin, Caban~as and
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other extremely poor communities in the municipalities of Escuintla,
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Acacoyagua and Motozintla.
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At the site of the interview there was a white three ton truck with
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the legend "This unit is property of the EZLN" on the sides. We were
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refused access to a building constructed of material which stood out
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among the huts.
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"Abel is one of us but he's not here now. They say he's the
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commander of the group, but he's only one more comrade who's
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struggling for land, dignity and justice for the peasants."
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Before saying goodbye, the men warned the press that they would come
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looking for them if they didn't "tell the truth".
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