CPTnet
November 8, 2001
CHIAPAS UPDATE: September 4-9, 2001

[Note: The CPTnet editor apologizes to those following the Chiapas team
closely for the lateness of this update. Breaking events in other projects
caused some of the updates to get pushed back. Three more Chiapas updates
will soon follow.]

Tuesday September 4, 2001
In the morning, team members in Yaxgemel had a conversation with
a man in which they mentioned that the return of the Abejas (the Bees) had
been very peaceful. The man responded, "It is peaceful because you are
here."

While the team was meeting 40 or 50 men gathered at the Abejas office
nearby. Lynn Stoltzfus inquired about what was going on. They told him that
the Mesa Directiva of Las Abejas, people from local and state government and
officials from the electric company (also government run) were there to
discuss hooking up the returned Abejas with electricity, since their lines
had been cut while they were displaced.

While walking around town in Puebla, Matt Guynn, Charles Spring and
Keith Young met a man named Lorenzo who invited them to meet with him the
next day. Later one of the Abejas shared with them that Lorenzo was a
paramilitary.

After the meet in Yaxgemel Rusty Dinkins-Curling and Stoltzfus returned
with new team member Shirley Way to Chuchtic, where they helped to restack
some of the lumber behind the church. The people of the community then had a
meeting
which lasted well into the night.

Wednesday September 5, 2001
 In Puebla, Guynn, Spring and Young visited with Lorenzo. One of the Abejas
men went with them. While they talked, they asked him about the conflict.
He said that some of them had gone off the path in 1997 and they needed to
go back and find where they went wrong. The meeting was very cordial, ending
with prayer and lots of singing as Lorenzo brought out his guitars. The
Abejas man who went with them said he believed that Lorenzo was sincere in
repenting. He said he would like to go
back and with the team to visit with Lorenzo and other paramilititaries.

Later, the team met with Leonardo, the head of the Securidad Publica (a
highly militarized version of state police) stationed there in Puebla. He
told them that they were there because the community asked them to come,
especially the Municipal Agent (whom many of the Abejas say is
paramilitary). He said their presence was to reduce violence, that much of
Chiapas was peaceful now but certain communities were still having problems.
He said over and over again that they were not doing anything wrong. "Nada
malo, nada chueco." (Nothing bad, nothing tricky.)

In Chuchtic, Lynn Stoltzfus and Shirley Way helped a man clear some dirt
away from his kitchen. In Yaxgemel Karis Engle and Carol Spring played
volleyball with some of the teachers from the school and talked with them
afterward. They had misconceptions about CPT which Engle and Spring were
glad to clear up.

Thursday September 6, 2001
The Abejas had a series of meetings in each return locality with the Mesa
Directiva (board of directors) of Las Abejas and local government education
officials to take census of the children of the returned desplazadas
(displaced people.) The Abejas hope to negotiate with the state to
coordinate the education of
their children with the state education system.

In Puebla, the team met with the Municipal Agent (appointed by the county
government to oversee Puebla) but were unable to talk about much that was
substantive. They told him that they represented 4000 congregations in the
US and Canada and that they reported to these churches what they see and
hear and that people in these churches were praying for the people of
Puebla.

Friday September 7, 2001
Way and Caroline (from Frey Bartolome de Las Casa, a peace and justice
agency of the Catholic Diocese of San Cristobal) went to Puebla and joined
the team for breakfast. Nicolas, an Abeja, told them of what it was like
just before the displacement in 1997.

He described how, in May of '97, some
Zapatistas, upset over how the Municipal President decided to distribute
state funds allocated to the county, set up a road block near Takiokum (on
the way back from Puebla) to block the way of the municipal president. The
municipal president and those with him moved some of the stone the
Zapatistas had put in the road and went on. Later some of the PRIistas from
Puebla went and removed the rest of the stones. On there way back they were
met by a group of Zapatistas who beat them. The men returned home and later
a deputy secretary to the Governor of Chiapas told the people of Puebla that
if some animal is stealing one's crops, one should shoot them and it is the
same way with the Zapatistas, the people should arm themselves and shoot
them too. The municipal agent then told all the men of Puebla that they
should get a gun. If they didn't have enough money they should sell their
land.

Some of the Abejas refused because they didn't have enough money and they
would starve without their land. Some refused because they were opposed to
violence because they obeyed the scriptures. Six of the Abejas leaders who
refused were arrested and publicly interrogated and beaten. Still they
refused to cooperate. At one point, when asked why, Nicolas said that it was
because they were following the Word of God. A Pentecostal pastor told him
that in a time of war they
should not follow the Word of God.

The threats and harassment continued until the Acteal Martyrdom, when 45
Abejas were killed by paramilitary while praying and fasting for peace on
December 22, 1997. After the killings in Acteal, the Frey Bartolome Human
Rights Center organized a move for the people there and they left for X'oyep
on the 28 of December, where they lived as refugees until their return on
the 28 of August 2001, almost 4 years later.

 Saturday September 8, 2001
At 9AM Young, Moore and Dinkins-Curling attended an ecumenical prayer
meeting including all the churches of Puebla. Most of the ministers in
Puebla participated, along with Presbyterian missionary Al Schreuder and
Catholic Bishop Filipe Arizmendi. Many spoke of peace and unity in the Body
of Christ, some said there are many churches in Puebla, but one God they all
pray to, several choirs and musical groups sang and there were even a few
prayers. At one point Presbyterian missionary Al Schreuder shared his
Tzotzil hymnal with Bishop Arizmendi and they sang together.

 The spirt was upbeat and the r