The Government intends to dismantle Zapatista autonomous municipalities

Originally published in Spanish by the Center for Political Analysis and
Social and Economic Investigations A.C. (CAPISE).
http://www.capise.org.mx/?qnode/47

September 25, 2007


The Government intends to dismantle Zapatista autonomous municipalities

In an offensive of a ferocity unprecedented in the last 9 years - since the
government of Roberto Albores Aguillen and Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leo'n
ordered the dismantling of the Zapatista autonomous municipalities - the
autonomous Zapatista communities are suffering a brutal attack on the part
of the Mexican State through their agrarian institutions, "Public Security"
instances, the Mexican Federal Army and the formation of paramilitary
groups. The increase of aggressions and the intents of land seizures and
forced evictions are getting alarmingly worse.


The SEDENA

The documental and field investigation carried out by CAPISE on the
permanent military positions presents us with the following military
distribution in each military zone of the state of Chiapas.

29 Military camps in the 39th Military zone. (Selva and North Zone)

23 Military camps in the 31st Military zone. (High and North Zone)

14 Military camps in the 36th Military zone. (Coast Zone)

13 Military camps in the 38th Military zone. (North Zone and border region)

In total 79 permanent military camps are noted in the state of Chiapas, 56
of them in the indigenous territory of Chiapas.

9 (nine) Infantry battalions (BI). (The 20th - 101st - 13th - 91st - 31st -
18th - 21st - 38th - 73rd BI)

3 (three) Motorized Cavalry Regiments (RCM). (The 4th - 18th - 15th RCM)

6 (six) Light Infantry Companies (CINE). (The 4th - 15th - 8th - 11th -
12th - 1st)

1 (one) Artillery Regiment (RA). (The 3rd RA)

1 (one) Combat Engineer battalion (BIC). (The 2nd BIC)

1 (one) Military Training Center (CAR)

1 (one) Special Communications battalion (The 1st BCE)

4 (four) Special Forces Units (The 91st BI GAFE, the 101st BI, the 13th BI
and the 1st BCE) these four units are practically dispatched throughout the
Selva and Los Altos zone of Chiapas.

Each military Unit is distributed over several permanent military camps
within the indigenous territory of Chiapas.

Although at national level the government of Felipe Caldero'n has practically
militarized all "Public Security" institutions and yielded control of the
country to the military, in the state of Chiapas the re-composition of the
SEDENA on indigenous territory is particularly alarming. Troop quantity has
been reduced to be replaced with "quality" military forces, effecting the
disbanding of conventional military units on indigenous territory and
substituting them with high level Elite Special Forces.

The control of the territory and the administration of the natural and
biologic resources of the region are a fundamental part of the dispute. The
Zapatista project and independent government in free self determination as
indigenous communities continue to be regarded by the Mexican State as
internal enemy.

The strategy in the most defined formation of the antizapatist Contra is
clearly endorsed and concealed by federal institutions such as: the Agrarian
Prosecutor's Office (PA); the Secretariat for Agrarian Reform (SRA); the
National Defense Ministry (SEDENA), and the Public Security institutions on
Federal, State and Municipal level, as well as the Congress of Union, all
closely interlinked.


The Agrarian Prosecutor's Office (PA) and the Secretariat for Agrarian
Reform (SRA)

The part currently played by the agrarian institutions in the framework of
the counterinsurgency war has become relevant, strategic, and guarantees the
concretization of the land seizures against Zapatista communities.
"Legalizing" the seizures of thousands of hectares land and territories has
carried the conflicts between official indigenous organizations and
paramilitary organizations against Zapatista communities and authorities to
the outmost limit.

The Agrarian Prosecutor's Office (PA) endorses alleged communitarian
Assemblies where it authorizes and certifies the Ejido conversion of land
recuperated by the EZLN in 1994, subsequently enrolling these new ejidos in
the PROCEDE, and assigning them to members of official indigenous groups and
paramilitary organizations.

Hundreds of families and dozens of Zapatista communities are in serious
danger of being robbed of and violently displaced from their lands and
territories, among them:

Community: Ejido Mukulum Bachajo'n
Official municipality: Chilo'n
Autnomous municipality: Olga Isabel
Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 1.580 hectares (concretized
expropriation)
Caracol: Morelia

Region: Second Trust Package (the Ejido Mukulum Bachajo'n was package One).
Official municipality: Chilo'n
Autonomous municipality: Olga Isabel
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 1.420 hectares
Caracol: Morelia

Community: Rancheri'a el Nance
Official municipality: Altamirano
Autonomous municipality: Vicente Guerrero
Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 1.569 hectares
Caracol: Morelia

Community: 24 de Diciembre
Official municipality: Margaritas
Autonomous municipality: San Pedro de Michoaca'n
Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 525 hectares. (concretized
eviction)
Caracol: La Realidad

Community: San Juan del Ri'o
Official municipality: Ocosingo
Autonomous municipality: San Manuel
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 380 hectares.
Caracol: La Garrucha

Community: San Alfredo
Official municipality: Ocosingo
Autonomy municipality: San Manuel
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 140 hectares.
Caracol: La Garrucha

Community: Casa Blanca
Official municipality: Ocosingo
Autonomous municipality: San Manuel
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 160 hectares.
Caracol: La Garrucha

Community: Miguel Hidalgo
Official municipality: Ocosingo
Autonomous municipality: San Manuel
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 180 hectares.
Caracol: La Garrucha

Communities: Crucero Agua Azul, San Miguel Agua Azul, Ignacio Allende,
Primer Progreso, Segundo Progreso, Embarcadero, Parte Majas, Salto del Trige
and Bolon Ajaw
Official municipalities: Chilo'n and Tumbala'
Autonomous municipality: Olga Isabel
Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 2.580 hectares
Caracol: Morelia and Roberto Barrios

Community: 20 de Febrero
Official municipality: Ocosingo
Autonomous municipality: San Manuel
Number of hectares threatened by forced eviction: 230 hectares. (concretized
eviction)
Caracol: La Garrucha

Community: Nuevo Rosario
Official municipality: Ocosingo
Autonomous municipality: Francisco Go'mez
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 180 hectares.
Caracol: La Garrucha

Community: Nueva Revolucio'n
Official municipality: Roberto Barrios
Autonomous municipality: Akabalna'
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 1.200
hectares.
Caracol: Roberto Barrios

Community: San Patricio
Official municipality: Ocosingo
Autonomous municipality: Francisco Go'mez
Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 400 hectares.
Caracol: Roberto Barrios

Subtotal of hectares designed for seizures and evictions: 10.544 hectares.

The present list of populations subjected to and threatened by being robbed
and violently displaced from their lands and territories totals less than a
half of the threatened communities; this enumeration is only partial.

The threats of seizures and evictions are accompanied by daily aggressions
against Zapatista support bases of the types: threats, arbitrary detentions,
damages of private property, lesions, injuries under the use of prohibited
arms, robberies, abuses of office, etc. In a particularly shameful and
selective form, federal and state authorities adopt political prisoners to
use them in illegal and illegitimate negotiations, attempting to trade
releases for evictions.


Today, in clear and open form and actions, the Mexican State has unleashed
an open and frontal war against the Zapatista indigenous communities.

The Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations
demands:

I. The immediate cessation of all types of aggressions against the Zapatista
communities.

II. The immediate withdrawal of all permanent military camps from the
indigenous territory of Chiapas.

III. The immediate release of all political prisoners.

IV. The definitive cancellation of any new intention of forced evictions
within the indigenous territory of Chiapas.

V. The immediate opening of an investigation against authorities of the
Agrarian Prosecutor's Office and the Secretariat of Agrarian Reform, to
assess and determine responsibilities with regard to the abuses of office
and the corruption of government officials.

VI. The opening of an investigation to determine responsibilities regarding
the performance of the Mexican Federal Army with regard to its links to
paramilitary groups in the indigenous territory of Chiapas.

VII. The immediate halt of the counterinsurgency war carried out against the
indigenous Zapatista communities.


To the national and international communication media.
To all reporters.

First and only. Another war exists, a mediatic war. The strategy: silence.
We respectfully appeal to you and invite you to break the silence. In the
Mexican Southeast exists repression, imprisonment, impunity and media
silence against the Zapatista indigenous communities. We are inviting you to
break silence, only that, inviting you.

Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations A.C.
(CAPISE)