San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico -- Meeting with a ten-member
Christian Peacemaker Team here Monday, a displaced "Bee" expressed
uncertainty about his group's continued nonviolent stance.

The Bees are a six-year-old ecumenical pacifist group of Tzotzil Maya
Indians in Chenalho county, Chiapas. Forty five of their members were
brutally murdered by a paramilitary group December 22. Not a single
shot was fired in return. Facing continued threats from paramilitary forces,
desperate conditions in improvised refugee camps, and the Mexican
government's lack of will to assure a safe return to their home
communities, the group is in the process of re-evaluating the efficacy
of relying only on nonviolent means in their struggle for dignity and
survival.

"Do we as North American pacifists have anything to say to The Bees?"
asked a delegation member from Dallas, TX. The question is more than
academic. The Bees' have paid a heavy price for their commitment to
nonviolence. Their life's path is still being carved out in the
decisions they make together. For them nonviolence is more a creative
action than abstract philosophical choice.

"They hope to keep their nonviolence but they have to have justice. We
are trying to learn from their struggle, seeking ways to deepen our
commitment and sharpen our witness," said a delegation participant from
Baltimore (Md).

The team, meeting with church, human rights and other groups here hopes
to pay a visit to Acteal, site of the December 22 .massacre.