Zapatista Communities Evicted For ‘Ecotourism’ Centres

February 2, 2010 by glasgowchiapassolidaritygroup 

Zapatistas denounce the eviction and destruction of an indigenous

community and accuse the government of aiming to set up ecotourism

centres.

'Reforestation' is the pretext used by the authorities to perform the

operation against the EZLN support bases.

Hermann Bellinghausen, La Jornada Sunday 31 January 2010, p. 7, originally

published in Spanish.

San Cristobal de las Casas, Jan 30. The Good Government Council (JBG) 'the

way ahead' (el camino del futuro), based in the Caracol of La Garrucha, on

Friday denounced the eviction and destruction of the indigenous community

of Laguna San Pedro, in the autonomous municipality of Ricardo Flores

Magon, which took place on 22nd January. The government's explicit

intention is to "reforest" the area and establish private ecotourism

centres in the Montes Azules, within the area of the biosphere reserve.

While they were burning the houses of the indigenous people, the JBG

relates, the Zapatistas were forced to board official helicopters to be

transferred to the city of Palenque, where they endured "hunger and cold"

in a hostel until they received attention from independent civil

organizations.

As has happened before, the raid was preceded by an opportune

"application" on behalf of the Lacandon authorities based in Lacanjá

Chansayab, the legal owners of six hundred thousand hectares of the

forest, who are habitually pressing for the expulsion of the inhabitants

of Montes Azules.

Before the eviction, forces sent by "the bad federal and state (PRD)

Government of Juan Sabines Guerrero, and the municipal president of

Ocosingo, (PAN), Carlos Leonel Solórzano, conducted an operation using

federal police, accompanied by officials of the Federal Procurator of the

Environment (Profepa)" who with four helicopters flew over the village of

Laguna San Pedro "to terrify the population", said the JBG.

They state that state and federal police, army troops, government

officials, cameramen and journalists participated in the action. Once

arrived, the officials "talked with the men and women while the police

took the opportunity to burn the houses of the Zapatista support bases".

How is it possible that "the bad government speaks of dialogue while their

police and army burned the belongings of the compas," questions the JBG

from the Caracol of 'Resistance towards a new dawn' (Resistencia hacia un

nuevo amanecer). "How is it possible that the bad government evicts

indigenous people of Chiapas and Mexico while occupying their land for the

construction of ecotourism centres for the use of people from other

nations."

It should be mentioned that, after the eviction, the state government

announced that in coming days they were going to evict the population of

six more villages, including 6 de Octubre, another Zapatista community, as

well as Nuevo San Gregorio, Rancheria Corozal and Salvador Allende, among

others. They will join el Suspiro, Buen Samaratino, Nuevo Salvador Allende

and the aforementioned Laguna San Pedro, which the government call San

Pedro Guanil.

The former PAN governor of Yucatan, Patricio Patron Laviada, head of

Profepa, visited Chiapas in recent days and agreed to these actions with

the Secretary of Government of the state, Noe Castanon Leon, who on

Tuesday, 26th published the agreement to "reforest" and establish an

ecotourism centre within the Montes Azules biosphere reserve, presumably

to be undertaken by settlers from Nueva Palestina, secondary members of

the so-called "Lacandon community" and unpunished perpetrators of the

massacre at Viejo Velasco Suarez in 2006, also in Montes Azules.

The "ecotourism development" is part of the investment projects of the

businessman Moises Saba, who died weeks ago in a helicopter crash outside

Mexico City. Another project of his was the production of biodiesel on a

thousand hectares of rainforest. It appears that his projects are going

ahead, at least through the agency of the state and federal government.

According to Castanon Leon, they will promote the "sustainable uses" of

natural resources with projects of "community development" (for the

Lacandon and their partners), "environmental education and tourist

circuits of the Mayan route (la ruta maya)".

The JBG accuses the government of "lying and cheating, while Indian homes

burn," while the newspapers talk about the relocation of the Zapatistas of

Laguna San Pedro, they have their homes destroyed, their cooperative store

looted, and suffered the loss of their fruit trees, corn, beans, clothing

and tools of work. The material damage amounted to 585 thousand pesos, in

addition to the loss of their land, which, as the Zapatistas usually say,

is priceless.

Mexico must investigate torture of two peasant farmers

Amnesty International

28 October 2009

The Mexican authorities must carry out an impartial investigation into the torture of two members of a peasant organization in Chiapas State, after they were arrested without a warrant, Amnesty International has said.

Roselio de la Cruz González and José Manuel de la Torre Hernández , who are currently held in a state prison, were blindfolded, bound and beaten during their interrogation, their lawyer said.

Roselio de la Cruz was beaten and threatened with death, while officials held a plastic bag over the head of José Manuel de la Torre until he almost suffocated. He was then forced to inhale water until he passed out.

Both men were forced to sign papers which they were not allowed to read.

Amnesty International also expressed its concern for a third member of the same organization, José Manuel Hernández Martínez, who is being held 2,000km away, where he is unable to see his lawyer and family.

All three men are accused of illegally occupying land in 2005.

Roselio de la Cruz González and Manuel de la Torre Hernández were both detained by Chiapas state police on 24 October.

The arrests took place during a raid in the Venustiano Carranza municipality on the homes of several members of Organización Campesina Emiliano Zapata (“Emiliano Zapata” Peasant Organisation, OCEZ).

José Manuel Hernández Martínez, a fellow OCEZ member, was arrested on 30 September.

On 16 October he was moved to a federal prison 2,000 km away. This is too far for his family and lawyer to visit him, meaning he is effectively held incommunicado.

Amnesty International has urged the Mexican authorities to:

• guarantee  that Roselio de la Cruz and José Manuel de la Torre will not be tortured further or otherwise ill-treated;
• conduct an impartial investigation into their torture, with those responsible brought to justice;
• ensure that the two men are either released immediately, or charged promptly with a recognizably criminal offence and tried fairly according to international standards, with any evidence obtained through torture ruled inadmissible;
• ensure that José Manuel Hernández Martínez has immediate access to his family and lawyer.

MEXICO: Farmer murdered, family is accusing a group afiliated to the PRD party

Farmer and landowner of a small piece of land Manuel Cadena Gonzáles, 35 was assassinated on the 14th of September. His family and the People's Front of Anahuac are accusing the group Fransisco Villa Popular Front, (FPFV) which is affiliated to the moderate leftist Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD). Four days earlier his mother was injured during an attempt of the FPFV to occupy the piece of land.
Following the assassination there were protests against the PRD government of the Federal District.

Farmers Under Fire (Worldwide)

sources: indymedia mexico [2] , Enlace Zapatista

Mexico: 5 farmers arrested during DF police operation

Translated from the EZLN Committee of the 6th declaration webpage

Aug 6, 2009

We reject and we condemn the actions of stealing of land and repression of the Government of the Federal District against coop members and peasants of Tláhuac.

The signatories we reject the repression against members of the Front of Villages of the Anáhuac during the operation ordered by the government of the Federal District this August 5, 2009, in the village of San Francisco Tlaltenco, Tláhuac, Mexico City.

Despite of having legal resources that protected them, farmers and coop members were violently ousted of their own land by an impressive operation of grenadiers and mounted police, taking prisoners 5 people, including a minor.

The GFD intends to legalize the stealing of lands, ignoring the environmentalist organizations warning calls, the refusal of the neighbors of Tláhuac and of many other citizens that we understand the importance that Tláhuac has as nature reserve because of its productive cooperatives of indispensable food for Mexico City and as a zone producing the 30% of the drinking water supplied to the city.

The line 12 of the Metro does not mean necessarily development or progress. It forms part of an ambitious urbanization plan of the southern-east part of the city, of which businessmen and politicians intend to obtain benefit. It's indispensable a public debate on the nature, reason, effects and environmental and social costs of these megaprojects.

We protest energetically against this action of stealing of land, we require the immediate liberty of the persons under arrest and we support the coop members and residents of Tláhuac that are opposed to the megaproject.

Consejo de Ejidos y Comunidades Opositores a la Presa la Parota (CECOP), Coordinadora Regional de Autoridades Comunitarias (CRAC) Consejo Autónomo Regional de la Zona Costa-Chiapas , Consejo Indígena Popular de Oaxaca-Ricardo Flores Magón, Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra (FPDT), Frente Popular Francisco Villa Independiente-UNOPII, jóvenes en resistencia alternativa, Red Ecologista Autónoma de la Cuenca de México, Red en defensa de la Ciudad de México, Ecomunidades, Regeneración Radio, Resistencias Enlazando Dignidad Movimiento y Corazón Zapatista, Voces Oaxaqueñas Construyendo Autonomía y Libertad, Unidad Obrera y Socialista (UNIOS), Unión Cívica de los Pueblos de la Montaña y Costa Chica de Guerrero, Asociación Cívica Nacional Revolucionaria, Círculo Autónomo Feminista, Cooperativa 666, Taller Integral Arquitect@z, Cooperativa Libertas Anticorp, Casa de la Cultura Independiente Benito Juárez, Materu Kurhinta.

MEXICO: Assassination of indigenous farmer, member of the Other Campaign

Translated from the website of the Greek magazine Resistencias

One killed and four injured, among them one seriously, is the result of the attack that suffered farmers of the ejido Mijiton, in the municipality of San Cristobal, by other farmers that refuse to participate in the communal works. Ejido Mijiton participates in the zapatistan Other Campaign and opposes the plans for the expropriation of its lands in order to construct a highway linking San Cristobal with Palenque. According to an article in the Indymedia Chiapas, the perpetrators are members of an evangelist religious organization called "Alas de Aguila" (Wings of the Eagle), which is functioning as a paramilitary organization called "Ejercito de Dios" (Army of God) and have borrowed slogans from the Guatemalan Kaibiles, that had perpetrated the worst massacres in the neighbor country. [This information is not mentioned in the statement of the residents of the ejido, though]. In any case as leader of the perpetrators is accused Carmen Diaz Lopez, who in 2002 was expelled from the ejido, accused of trafficking paperless immigrants, when 65 Central American immigrants were found at the yard of his house. The authorities of the ejido had delivered them to the official authorities along with Diaz Lopez, but he was released. Furious then, the residents of the ejido had burnt his house and had expelled him. Diaz Lopez tried to present the incidents as part of a religious conflict and managed to polarize the evangelists on his side.

According to a denouncement of the ejido, the recent attacks begun in the afternoon of 19^th of July when residents of the ejido tried to measure fields in the area of Chixtetik but were prevented by 40 men of Diaz Lopez that arrived in 11 vehicles, armed with machetes, wooden sticks and stones. Worth to mention that in the same area Diaz Lopez had pale and cultivated land, while this is the spot to be expropriated for the construction of the highway. The residents of the ejido were forced to withdraw under the threats of Diaz's group. Meanwhile, in the morning of the same day, a resident of the ejido was kidnapped and transferred to the house of an evangelist priest, member of Diaz's group.

In the evening of 20^th of July, 8 masked men on a pick-up truck, shot against another pick up truck belonging to another resident of the ejido. In the morning of 21 of July a group of residents from the ejido, responsible to watch the fields, was attacked with wooden sticks and stones by a group of 60 people that are refusing to participate in communal works. In the meantime, the same pick up truck, without number plates arrived, with 5 persons, among them 2 armed with R-15, that shot twice. Then, driving in high speed they hit and killed the 31-year-old member of the ejido Aurelio Diaz Hernandez. Another 5 people were injured from the attack of the pick up truck and the blows of the perpetrators, having fractures at the arms and legs and wounds in the head.

Behind the supposed to be religious clashes in Chiapas, there are hidden the existing problem of land (worsened by the rapidly increasing population and the fact that the agricultural production has not been modernized, resulting insufficient), and major economic interests, like the ones hidden behind the construction of the San Cristobal - Palenque highway. And of course, the attempt of the government to divide the indigenous people and to use some paramilitary indigenous groups, instead of the army, against the most radical ones (Zapatistas, Other Campaign).

G.K.

sources: Indymedia Chiapas, La Jornada, CIEPAC

Mexico: Rural leader murdered in Sinaloa

Translated from La Jornada

Pedro Lugo used to walk in the mornings; wife and children found his corpse shot.

The PRD condemns the crime; requires the state and federal governments to take measures against violence and impunity

Javier Valdez Cardenas, Correspondent

Culiacán, Sinaloa, 16 of May. Unknown gunmen shot to death the rural leader Pedro Lugo Rivera when he was near his house, in the community of Ocoroni, municipality of Sinaloa, reported the ministerial police of the state.

The leader used to go for walking in the mornings but this Saturday he got unusually late. His children and wife they went to seek for him and they found him a few kilometers from the house, with bullet wounds in thorax and abdomen.

Lugo Rivera was a leader of the Peasant National Confederation of the PRI. Then he entered at the front of Defense of the Agricultural Producers, next to various leaders perredistas, and recently he worked in the region along with Juan Figueroa Sources, local representative of the PRD.

Ramón Lucas Lizárraga, perredista state leader, condemned the murder and he demand the state and federal governments to adopt measures to fight the violence and to put an end to the impunity. "Every act of this nature is reprehensible", maintained.

Also he deplored that the violence reign in Sinaloa and recalled that besides Lugo Rivera, they were murdered Rogelio Zamora and another militant in the municipality of Narrowness on November 14, 2008. "The government should apply the necessary measures so that these cowardly murders don't remain unpunished", demanded.

The rural leader of Ocorini also collaborated with the National Union of Autonomous Rural Organizations in the movement against the farm chapter of the NAFTA, and he fought for changes in the social politics of the government.

In October of 2004, along with other leaders and rural organizations of Sonora, Michoacán, Puebla, Guerrero and Sinaloa, he participated in a protest in front of the Office of the secretary of Agriculture, Stockbreeding, Rural Development, Fishing and Alimentation (Sagarpa) in the Federal District, to demand endorsement to their farm projects.

On that occasion, Lugo Rivera said that the coop members of Ocorini continued expecting the lands of irrigation that they were promised 26 years ago in exchange for donating 5 thousand 400 hectares for a dam. "They despoiled us and 350 families lost their plots", denounced at that time.

He exposed that beside that the coop members carried a five-year period requesting to the federal government works of irrigation and a project of farm development for the region, but the Sagarpa asked them 50 million pesos –the half of the cost– to get to work. And he asked: "¿From where are we going to raise that money?"

Police abuses in two regions

Translated from La Jornada

Carlos Garcia and Javier Valdez, correspondents

Lion, Guanajuato., 22 of January. The attorney general's office of Justice of Guanajuato reported that Vicente Palomo Rodriguez, of 54 years, accused of cattle robbery, died suffocated, presumedly by hand of two ministerial police officers that arrested and interrogated him in the installations of the Public Department of the municipality of San Felipe.

According to the department, Palomo Rodriguez was arrested on Tuesday and arrived at 15 o'clock to the Center of Social Retraining of San Felipe, where three hours later died hung.

The Attorney's office of state Justice dismissed and imprisoned the two presumed murderers, initiated a prior inquiry and offered to pay the funeral expenses.

The subcoordinador of the Ministerial Police of the state, José Muñoz; the deputy commander of the corporation, Javier Sandoval, and the delegate of zone, José Rock, they refused to reveal the names of the defendants.

In the meantime, in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Felizardo Flores, father of 23-year-old José Manuel Flores, assured that federal police officers struck the youth to death on Wednesday night, as soon as they detained him for driving in excessive velocity along a road close to the community Costa Rica.