CHIAPAS UPDATE: November 11-December 10, 2001

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CPTnet

December 20, 2001

CHIAPAS UPDATE: November 11-December 10, 2001

November 11

Chenalho County

The team visited the municipalities of Yashgemel and

Colonia
Puebla, in preparation for an upcoming delegation.

People in
Puebla were dealing with rumours of a potential

Zapatista attack
on their community on October 29 or 30, and the

accusation of
witchcraft against one of their pastors. (See

forthcoming
release, “Sorcery and Politics.”)

November 12

Chenalho

The team stopped in the Autonomous Community of Polho

to
set up a visit for the delegation. They were not able

to set up a
visit at the Majomut military base. In the evening the

team had a
meeting with the Mesa (the governing bodyof the

Abejas) in
Acteal, regarding the creation of a non-violent

response
team and the upcoming delegation.

November 13

  Chenalho

Team members arrived in Tzajalchen, and had a rugged

hike to
the milpa (cornfield) of an Abejas member. In the

evening, the
team met with two Abejas regarding the idea of setting

up a
non-violent response team, which community members

thought
was a good idea

November 14

 Chenalho

The team traveled from Tzajalchen to Nuevo Yibiljoj,

stopping
in at Majomut to visit the military there to get an

answer
regarding the request for a delegation visit.

Although the
military assured the team that the base was solely a

social labour camp (which the Mexican military says

provides
social services to the local residents) residents know

that this is
the primary military base of the municipality, with a

large
number of troops and vehicles.

November 15

 Chenalho

The team traveled to X’oyep, and on the way stopped in

at the
base in Majomut. They again received no response

regarding
the request for a meeting with the delegation. In

X’oyep, the
team visited with an original community member (i.e.,

someone
who lived there before there was a refugee camp) , who

has had
close connections with the team. While helping to

clean yucca,
the team discussed preparations for the delegation and

the idea
of the non-violent response team.

November 18-19

San Cristobal de las Casas (SCLC)

The team worked on last minute plans for the SCLC

component
of the delegation, along with the orgnaization

Cloudforest
Initiatives. On the 19th, in the afternoon, the team

was visited
by John Worrell and Linda Ammons, who have

worked in Palestine and and were part of a CPT Hebron

delegation several years ago.

November 20

 San Cristobal (SCLC)

Angie Freeman and Cliff Kindy had a visit from Alicia

Gomez
(SERPAJ), who shared that six people who had been

instrumental in perpetrating the Acteal massacre,were

released
from prison on November 17. Four of the six returned

to the
village of Los Chorros.

November 21

San Cristobal/Los Chorros

Kindy, along with John Worrell and Linda Ammons, left

early
for Los Chorros to check on the current situation, and

determine
if the delegation should shift plans to go there. From

the visit,
they learned that the ex-prisoners were afraid to

leave their
houses, and that the whole community was scared.

November 22

 Acteal

The team and delegation attended the monthly memorial

service
in Acteal. The team had a positive meeting with Mesa

members,
who encouraged the team to visit other non-violent

groups in
other parts of Chiapas.

November 23

Polho

The team and delegation had a meeting with coffee

cooperative,
Maya Vinic, where they heard about the the problem of

low
coffee prices and plans of the cooperative. On the

way to Polho,
they stopped in at the Majomut Military Base for an

unscheduled
visit and conversation. The military did not want to

meet with
the group but acknowledged the earlier attempts to set

up a
meeting.

November 24

Polho/Puebla/Yashgemel

The delegation heard from a community member in Polho

about
the history and philosophy of the autonomous community

before
the team accompanied delegation members to Puebla and

Yashgemel. The delegation started planning an action

that
would involve buying coffee at a fair price and taking

it to
Nestle to be sold.

November 25

Puebla/Yashgemel

Kindy, along with delegation member Randy Meyer,

traveled
overland to Los Chorros to talk about the possible

action and
potential for a visit with the ex-prisoners, making

sure to talk
with both Abejas groups there. The delegation and

team learned
of the economic hardship and food shortage the

returned
communities are facing.

November 27

Los Chorros

The team and delegation work through details of the

action.
By night, the first of the coffee started coming for

the action and
prayer (See December 3 release, “Paying the Price of

Justice.”)

November 28

SCLC

The team, delegation, and coffee made their way back

to SCLC.
Freeman and Kindy had an evaluatory check-in, and made

the
decision to start the process of closing the project

in Chiapas
(See December 10 release, “A light on the future and

an
invitation to pray.”)

November 29

 SCLC

The team began preparations to close the CPT Chiapas

project,
as the delegation prepared for the action at Nestle.

November 30

 Chiapa de Corzo/SCLC

The team, delegation and coffee traveled to the Chiapa

de Corzo
(near Tuxtla) to request that Nestle buy coffee at a

fair price.
(See December 7 release, “From Los Chorros to

Nestle.”) The
delegation left to return to their home countires.

The action was
not covered by television because ex-Beatle George

Harrison’s
death dominated the news.

December 1-2

 SCLC

The team started visits to NGOs and partners to let

them know
of the decision to close, and were met with

understanding and
support. The Nestle action was covered in ‘Expreso

Chiapas’.

December 3

 Acteal

The team traveled to Acteal to meet with the Mesa

regarding the
project closing. The Mesa was conducting elections

when the
team arrived.

December 4

 Los Chorros

The team shared stories and pictures from the Nestle

action with
both groups of the Abejas. Plans to meet with the

released
prisoners fell through.

December 6

 Acteal

The team accompanied MCC country representative, Sara

King,
and four others people to Acteal for the day. The

team received
a letter of introduction from the Abejas for upcoming

meetings
with other non-violent groups in Chiapas.

December 7

 Bachajon/Palenque

Team traveled first to Bachajon (near Ocosingo) to

meet with
members of Jyomblej, an indigenous, non-violent group

and
made connections for future visits.

December 8

Palenque/Ocosingo

Team found the office of the Xi’nich (The Ants),

another
non-violent group, and learned of another, the ORCAO

in
Ocosingo, which they also visited.

December 9-10

SCLC

Freeman and Kindy work on the final steps of closing

the project
for an interim period of three months

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