CHIAPAS, MEXICO: A Community lives in fear
Date: Mon, 24 Aug, 1998 10:23 AM EDT
From: cptmx [at] laneta [dot] apc [dot] org
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To: klaskern [at] aol [dot] com
CC: cptmx [at] laneta [dot] apc [dot] org
CPTnet
August 25, 1998
CHIAPAS, MEXICO: A Community lives in fear
Juana was the young woman who was asked by her community to cook for us during
our recent visit. Her community, La Revolucion, situated on a small plateau
high in the mountains of the north zone of Chiapas, has existed there for just
over four years. The community consists of 755 indigenous
people, mostly Chol speakers.
Juana told us of their constant fear of a joint police/paramilitary invasion.
This fear is rooted in previous incursions of these forces to try to push them
off their land, and has completely overshadowed their efforts at economic
development. She told us that they have recently abandoned, at least
temporarily, a women's cooperative project raising chickens for market, after
losing all their chicks during an invasion in April 1998.
Two members of Christian Peacemaker Teams, Pierre Gingerich and William Payne,
along with Mark Taylor of Princeton Theological Seminary, recently visited La
Revolucion in order to make an assessment of the present conditions of the
community.
La Revolucion is led by five people chosen by the community. They have been
working since 1989 to obtain legal title to this formerly German-owned coffee
plantation that went into decline in the 1980s. Many of the present members
of the community either worked on the plantation in the past, or are the
children or grandchildren of former workers. We heard how the former working
conditions were incredibly foul, essentially slave conditions. They worked
long hours (14 hours per day) for small amounts of company script, redeemable
only at the company store.
In 1994, after five years of being thwarted by corrupt state officials,
seventy families decided to move onto the former plantation and begin their
life there. By 1997 they had signed a letter of agreement with the former
owner for them to take over the land, but having legal status has not ended
the police and paramilitary menaces directed at their community. Since
this time they have welcomed many other poor families to be part of their
community, including 45 families from the nearby town of Paraiso who were
forced off their own land by the local state-sponsored paramilitary group, Paz
y Justicia.
During the four days we were there, the community received two separate
reports from neighbouring communities concerning new developments of this
kind. They learned that the police (Seguridad Publica), in concert with Paz y
Justicia, have been making inquiries concerning La Revolucion, n what seems an
effort to plan another big offensive against this fragile community. In one
location, an hour walk from La Revolucion, they inquired as to the best paths
into the community (there is no road access).
The offensive against them needs to be seen within the larger context of
global economic change. The old plantations are dying out. There is a
struggle going on concerning whether the indigenous people, the former
workers, will be able to rebuild a communal way of life on the land, or
whether the land will be turned over to large, often foreign interests. These
interests want to develop large scale mechanised agribusiness operations as is
already happening in western Chiapas and elsewhere in Mexico.
Also, the tie of the indigenous people to their lands impedes other
transnational exploitations such as timber and mineral development. In fact,
recent reports indicate that the Mexican government's plan for the area
includes turning it into another big 'maquiladora' region because of the
potential for cheap labour, if only the indigenous people can be moved off
their land. Nestles, for example, has announced a large expansion of
their powdered milk plant near the state capital. For this to be successful
though, they need workers willing to accept minimal pay and land on which to
raise the cattle. Again, the agenda is getting the indigenous off the land.
WHAT CAN BE DONE:
This fragile, blossoming and exciting community built on principles of
cooperation and mutual aid is asking for outside support in the midst of the
present crisis situation. Below are a few things you can do:
1. The community is in desperate need of food, having sustained the loss of
their spring crop due in part to drought and in part to destruction by the
police/paramilitary operations. They also need medicines, especially
antibiotics for eye infections and anti-malarial medications. Contributions of
cash are equally effective in addressing these needs. Assistance should be
made through Fray Bartolome, contact information below.
2. They are looking for additional visits, especially from international
human rights observers. This is particularly important, as they are
presently fearing an imminent invasion and presence of foreign witnesses may
deter raids. Arrangements should be made to visit them through the Fray
Ba