This a RAPID RESPONSE ALERT prepared by the South and
Meso-American Indian Information Center of Oakland, calling all
ALLIES of Indigenous Peoples to support non-violent solutions to
the confrontation in Chiapas.
We also refer you to carnet.mexnews topic 97, a letter prepared by
Mexican human rights and indigenous organizations. Carnet.mexnews,
topoic 107, prepared by Jesuit priests working with Guatemalan
refugees, has in-depth analysis as well as fax numbers to use.
The following is a copy of the letter that SAIIC sent to President
Salinas Gortari. We ask you to please write your own letter of
concern regarding this critical situation.
Mr. CARLOS SALINAS DE GORTARI Oakland, California
President of the United States of Mexico January 4,
1994 Palacio Presidencial El Zcalo Mexico DF Mexico
With great deliberation and respect:
In the name of the SOUTH AND MESO AMERICAN INDIAN INFORMATION
CENTER (SAIIC), we address ourselves to you, Mr. President, in
order to express our concern and consternation over the recent
acts of violence that have been taking place in Chiapas. We
gravely manifest the following:
As we have received information from reliable sources present at
the zone of conflict, informing us that during the last two days,
troops of the Mexican army have been detaining, beating, and
otherwise repressing civilians and indigenous leaders of
Tojolabal, Tzotzil, Tzeltal, and Chole communities;
And as these activities contradict the calls to dialogue that the
Mexican government has loudly proclaimed, while on the other hand
the army continues its offensive in a campaign of repression that
entails severe abuses and violations of the human rights of the
communities mentioned above;
As, according to official sources, the number of casualties is
held to be 57, while sources from the zone itself affirm that the
number of casualties has reached at least 130;
As we believe that the path of violence is not the best means to
resolve the conflict; and we alsodoubt that those responsible for
inciting and leading the uprising are Indigenous Peoples; yet we
are certain that these uprisings are the result of many years of
oppression, abuse, and denial of the ancestral rights of the
Indigenous Mayan Peoples who inhabit the region;
For all of the above reasons, we demand of the government for
which you are responsible, Mr. President, the following:
1) That the army immediately cease the attacks, detentions, and
abuse of defenseless civilians of these Indigenous communities;
2) That there be an immediate cease-fire, and that there be
dialogue and negotiations between the government, the rebels, and
the Indigenous authorities of the communities.
3) That a High Commission be formed that shall include
representatives from the United Nations, and from both national
and international independent Indigenous organizations to
participate as observers and as witnesses in the negotiations for
peace, and to investigate the violations of human rights.
4) That the border with Guatemala not be militarized, as that
course of action would affect Indigenous refugees from Guatemala.
It needs to be up to the refugees themselves to choose if they
want to flee Mexico.
5) Given that both the recent NAFTA treaty as well as the
modification of Article 27 of the new Mexican Constitution
endanger Indigenous landholdings, we demand an inmediate and full
enforcement of Article 4 of the Constitution, which has been tied
up in bureaucratic maneuvers, and which can offer certain legal
protections to Indigenous landholdings. We also demand the full
enforcement of Covenant 169 of the International Labor
Organization, which Mexico has already adopted on paper.
Mr. President, we await full reparations for the historical
injustices that the Mayan Peoples have suffered and continue to
suffer today. The indigenous organizations of the world, as well
as international organizations, will be watching to see what
happens in Chiapas. We will be at your disposal to contribute in
any way that we can towards the attainment of a just peace.
Respectfully Yours,
SAIIC BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
cc: Coordinating Body of Indigenous Nations and Organizations
of the Continent (CONIC) and other indigenous organizations
world-wide.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations
United Nations and its component organizations
PLEASE WRITE. YOUR ACTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE.