Paramilitaries in Pincer Movement Against Zapatista Bases In Montes Azules

La Jornada Monday, May 1, 2000.
Hermann Bellinghausen, correspondent.
San Cristo'bal de Las Casas, Chiapas

The institutional pincer movement seems to be closing in on the communities near Montes Azules, as well as on those located in the Biosphere Reserve. Based on false accusations, state as well as federal authorities have created a "ground floor" for eventual forceful actions against villages in resistance, or against those which are simply not pro government.

With the backing of paramilitaries from the MIRA group in Taniperla - and now, from the other side of the Biosphere reserve, with the declared support of the ejidal commissioner of the Lacandones - threats are taking shape in front of everyone.

As the Ricardo Flores Mago'n Autonomous Municipality denounced: "The Laguna Ocotal ejido is marked to receive the first blow," then to be followed by San Jacinto Lacanja', Flor de Cacao, 30 de Marzo and other autonomous communities, within and outside of the reserve limits.

The same day - and at the same time as federal Preventive Police Commissioner, Rear Admiral Wilfrido Robledo Madrid, was admitting in the Senate of the Republic that they were "reviewing" sending the PFP to the Selva Lacandona - the new Community Property ejidal commissioner of Lacanja' Chansayab, Margarito Chan Cayu'n, was asking for government protection for purported threats by EZLN support bases coming, he said, from Amador Herna'ndez (an ejido which has been resisting Army occupation for 8 months. In order to make those threats, the people from Amador Herna'ndez would have to "leap over" a military camp which has artillery and helicopters).

It is worth clarifying that the Tzeltal community of Amador Herna'ndez and the traditional settlements of the Lacandon people are divided by the San Felipe and Jalapa sierras, which are the backbone of the Montes Azules. That is, they separate them geographically by a great distance. Closer by - and with evidence - the autonomous authorities of Flores Mago'n have been pointing out an armed PRI group that is ravaging the Monte Libano canada, expelling autonomias of various communities, through the use of violence: "The situation is causing us worry and, at the same time, fear," the autonomias stated in a document released here.

"Since they do not come in reasonably, but in the opposite manner, taking over our villages, killing our children, burning down our houses which cost us so much to build. They come in raping women, arresting many companeros with made up crimes."

The Flores Mago'n Autonomous Council has repeatedly denounced the paramilitaries from El Censo, Taniperla, Busilja' and Palestine. Doing so one more time, the council stated: "It is not right that they destroy in just a moment what caused us so much work to build, in order to carry out their objectives, under the pretext of protecting the Montes Azules biosphere, and to come in with the support of the federal Army and the PFP." They are, they add, "paramilitaries who the government has already organized," and which are headed by councilors Homero Herna'ndez Gonza'lez, Pedro Chuli'n Jime'nez and Jose' Cruz Di'az from the Santo Domingo, Taniperla and El Censo ejidos, respectively.

Threats From Many Fronts
EZLN support bases say they are being surrounded: "With the use of low helicopter overflights, planes, modern weapons and special counterinsurgency forces who have increased their land patrols. Civilians are being forced to have their belongings searched. They are being interrogated at military checkpoints, on the roads and even along the paths. There is no freedom of movement for all Mexicans. All these violent acts are signs of war against those who are fighting for right and reason."

Nonetheless, according to Commissioner Margarito Chan, zapatistas are finding the time to threaten the communities on the other side of the Biosphere Reserve, since "they are pouncing on the Lacandones in order to collect payment." And they even state: "Here the comunero companeros do not want to fight anymore, that's why we are warning the government." Blaming burnings and clearings on zapatista and ARIC Independent Tzeltal communities, he said "if the government does not see that justice is served," the 1250 Lacandones from Lacanja' Chansayab, Metzabok and Naja' "will have to take justice into their own hands."

In agreement with the steps being taken by the Semarnap and the spokesperson in Mexico for the World Nature Forum (WWF), Guillermo Castilleja, Commissioner Margarito Chan is asking for government "action" against the Tzeltal communities. (Incidentally, the forestry department in the Semarnap is headed today by Jorge del Valle, who, before learning about forests, worked in Chiapas for the Department of Government and was government delegate at the San Andres dialogues. He has been participating in the "containment" of the zapatistas since 1994).

If the fires in the Selva Lacandona are most certainly not being caused by the communities under legal (and paramilitary) threat, they are the ones who are being dislocated and punished. In addition, the federal Army is entering into the Biosphere Reserve for "reforestation" purposes, in accordance with the Special and Emergency Action Plan for forest fires. In other words, the Army, as well as the PFP, have their "justifications" for 'operating' in the Montes Azules.

Official bodies have not, in any instance, made mention of the looting of caoba and cedar trees which has been denounced by the autonomias, and which is being carried out by PRIs from Palestina, "and they pass through the checkpoints without any problems."

The Lacandon commissioner also mentioned - outside the script - the ravages of militarization in their own communities, where the consumption of marijuana and alcohol have increased, "especially in Lacandon minors between the ages of 12 and 18." Regarding this, he said: "I don't know how it can be solved. We don't know who to go to."

Translated by irlandesa