28 February 1995
TO: The International Environmental Community
FROM: NATIVE FOREST NETWORK--Eastern North American Resource Center
RE: Urgent Environmental & Indigenous Rights Crisis Action Alert
ONE OF MEXICO'S LAST RAINFORESTS UNDER SIEGE
The Selva Lacandona, one of Mexico's and North America's remaining
tropical rainforests is currently being enclosed by the Mexican
military in their attempt to crush the indigenous uprising in the
state of Chiapas. The Lacandon tropical rainforest is rich in
biological diversity. It is the home of many different species
including jaguars, spider and howler monkeys, harpy eagles and neo-
tropical migratory songbirds. The Selva Lacandona is part of a larger
rainforest ecosystem reaching through Guatemala to Belize in
Central America. This entire tropical rainforest ecosystem is
second only in the Americas to the Amazon rainforest region.
Two weeks ago the Mexican military followed the Zapatista National
Liberation Army (EZLN) to the Selva Lacandona. Fearing reprisals
from the approaching military, an estimated 20,000 of the
indigenous population and peasants have followed the EZLN into the
Lacandon rainforest. International and domestic human rights
groups have complained that Mexican government forces have
engaged in extra judicial killings, torture, illegal searches, and
unconstitutional arrests as they carry out president Ernesto
Zedillo's orders to suppress the rebellion.
The whole crisis is rooted in an ecologically disastrous development
model that is expanding with the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA). Two of the central questions brought up in this
emergency are: who controls the land and what do they use it for?
A monetary crisis swept through Mexico when the Mexican peso fell
recently. Clearly the US and Wall Street are worried about Mexico's
financial stability. As the Mexican situation worsened, Chase Bank,
specifically its Emerging Markets Group, which has billions at risk
in Mexico, called on the Mexican government to crush the Zapatista
insurgency. Chase's January 13, "Political Update on Mexico" states,
"The government will have to eliminate the Zapatistas to
demonstrate their effective control of the national territory and
security policy." Last week US president Clinton approved a $20
billion aid packet to bail out the Mexican economy and big US
investors. This aid packet is guaranteed by Mexico with oil
revenues. PEMEX (Mexico's national oil company) has declared that
the Selva Lacandona covers one of Mexico's richest oil fields.
If the Mexican government continues its military operations and
enclosure in the Lacandon, we face the potential genocide of the
indigenous people and the eventual ecocide of the rainforest. This is
an international outrage and the parties sponsoring this assault on
the indigenous people and the rainforest should be aware that the
whole world is watching and voicing their opposition.
The Native Forest Network is urging people throughout the world to
contact President Zedillo of Mexico, President Clinton of the United
States, and Chase Bank of New York to demand that the Mexican
military pull out of the rainforest, immediately stop the war on the
EZLN and respect the rights of indigenous people and legitimate
democracy. Please contact the United Nations to express your
concerns and to demand that a UN delegation be sent to the area to
investigate these environmental and human rights atrocities. Also
consider participating in community mobilizations and educational
activities that voice these concerns to the people and institutions
responsible for this current crisis.
-------
Ernesto Zedillo
Presidente de la Republica
Palacio Nacional
06067 Mexico D.F. Mexico
FAX: 525-271-1764
President Bill Clinton
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500 USA
(202)456-7639
FAX: (202)256-4562
Switchboard: (202)456-1414
Charles Ballard
Chase Manhattan Bank
1 Chase Plaza, 19th floor
NY, NY 10081 USA
1-800-AT-CHASE
FAX: (716)258-6339
Boutros Ghali
United Nations
New York, NY 10017 USA
(212)963-1234
*******
For further information, please contact:
NATIVE FOREST NETWORK
Eastern North American Resource Center
POB 57
Burlington, VT 05402 USA
(802)863-0571
(802)863-2532 Fax
email: peacejustice@igc.apc.org