CPTnet
November 23, 2001
Chiapas Update: September 29 - October 22, 2001

[Note from the Chiapas team: ³In this update our team had been
concurrently operating and keeping log entries in several different
communities.]

Saturday September 29

San Cristobal
Cliff Kindy, Keith Young and Bob Holmes traveled to X'oeyp to accompany the
return of Abejas refugees to Los Chorros on September 30.

Sunday September 30

Return from X'oyep to Los Chorros (See October 6 Release, ³Abejas March
Where Federal Police Fear to Tread )

At 6:30 am the 205 returning refugees, accompanied by internationals,
diocesan workers, the Red Cross, a Chiapas civil
protection group and hundreds of other Abejas began the long walk to Los
Chorros through mud in the pouring rain. Emerging out onto a road, Red
Cross trucks took the loads off the backs and out of the hands of the tired
walkers. Dinkins-Curling and Shirley Way arrived about noon just as the
throng, now a thousand strong, reached Los Chorros. There was no opposition
or hostility
encountered along the way or upon on entering the village.

The rain stopped. The Bishop celebrated Mass for everyone, followed by
speeches, a meal, music and dancing. Only the five CPTers and two FrayBa
(Fray Bartolome Human Rights Center) volunteers from Switzerland stayed on
with the returnees.

Monday October 1

Los Chorros
A Public Security officer told CPTers that the Public Security men were
present in plainclothes at the celebrations on the previous day. He also
said they do plainclothes patrols to other communities.

The team later learned that twelve Abejas families did not return to Los
Chorros, fearing reprisals for having given information about the
paramilitaries to the PGR (Attorney General's Office). During the day, the
team and FrayBa members walked through the lower barrio. At a meeting with
the Abejas later, this situation was discussed and CPT and the FrayBa
volunteers were asked not to walk far without Abejas accompaniment.

Tuesday October 2
Los Chorros

Holmes and Kindy worked together with an Abeja farmer terracing his coffee
field and were told that this year it was hardly worth the effort since he
would receive only five pesos per kilo, down from thirty pesos in the past.
They then helped another returnee hoe and machete the high weeds around his
new/old home. He told the story of his family's flight from paramilitary
violence in 1997.

Young, Way and Myriam Kleiner from FrayBa also helped a returning farmer
weed his coffee field. During his displacement he returned only once a year
to harvest a light crop. Later, a Public Security police officer questioned
Kleiner about how many internationals were in Los Chorros--where they lived
and with what families. She was shaken up by the encounter.

Wednesday October 3

Los Chorros
As there were no work assignments, the CPTers and FrayBa volunteers walked
with some Abejas women up the road past the military base
observing Humvees coming and going. The group picked lemons.

In the afternoon Young taught a lesson in basic Tzotzil vocabulary. At 5 pm
prayer the Abejas prayed for those who remain displaced from Los
Chorros, peace between the various groups here, and that the US not begin a
war in Afghanistan.

Thursday October 4

Los Chorros
Way and Kindy observed the testing of the children of the returnees by the
government officials to determine in which grade level they belonged. They
had received schooling during their displacement in X'oyep in the Tzotzil
language. The test was given in Spanish. As the test began, the students
spontaneously stood to pray and sing
in the manner they are accustomed to begin every class, much to the surprise
of the government officials.

Puebla
Young and Holmes visited returnees. No problems were reported since the
return in the previous month. They heard the story of one man who paid the
paramilitaries (³paras") 1000 pesos in order to protect his home and
family (from the paras). He hid when they came to persuade him to carry a
gun. He said was glad the Abejas were back.

After evening prayer, the Abejas
leaders asked Holmes (who is a Catholic priest) to bless three sick members
of one family. Holmes
himself became sick shortly after.

Friday October 5
The team traveled to Acteal to join in the prayer and fasting for the
election process. On their journey to Acteal, Young and Holmes stopped in
Yashgemel and Chuchtic where the families visited reported no problems since
their return.

Saturday October 6

Acteal
From 7am to noon the team fasted and prayed with the Abejas for the
elections on Sunday. This entailed meeting in the church every hour on the
hour for about ten minutes of prayer in common. Jose Vasques, an Abeja, was
running for President of Chenalho Municipality (county) promising a
"different government" if he wins. In the afternoon Young and Kindy
approached some Mesa Directiva (the governing board of the Abejas) members
volunteering their services for monitoring polls on Monday. In the evening
Francisco came and asked the team to cover the Majomut polling station.

Sunday October 7

Election Day
Even though there is a large army base and many paramilitaries
in Majomut, 500 people gathered to vote at the school by 8 am. There
was no indication that anyone was been hindered or pressured in any way from
voting.

Kindy and Young decided to move on to the Yibeljoj polling station while
Holmes and Way remained at Majomut. People voted when they heard their
names read out. The first reading of the list was finished by 11 am. Jose
Vasques was almost last to vote. Latecomers had until 6 pm to vote.

Monday October 8

Acteal
Jose Vasques lost the election with 33% of the vote. Kindy helped put up
forms for a new building being erected in Acteal.

Tuesday October 9
Young and Holmes attended a
meeting at the FrayBa center to plan the accompaniment for the return to
Canolal on October 11.

Acteal
It rained all day and news of the bombing of Aghanistan arrived. Kindy was
asked if all US people supported the war against a weak country already in
the midst of a disaster.

Wednesday October 10

San Cristobal
Holmes welcomed Shelly Nativ, an Israeli peace worker arriving from
Guatemala.

Acteal
Kindy and Dinkins-Curling traveled to Chuchtic and visited with
Pedro, an education promoter, and his family. No problems were reported
there nor from Puebla