(reporters flown in) is given prominence in this report while an
alternative interpretation --that of Father Romo-- is virtually dismissed
as "less clear-cut". Do you remember the story that circulated some time
ago, from someone who claimed to have a video of government people
dressing up like Zapatistas and standing by dead peasants? That story was
never verified.
However, US counterinsurgency techniques have long
included creating such "set-ups" to make the enemy look bad, in the eyes
of the press(world) or just in the eyes of local people. You can read
about an attempt to create a situation very much like this one in
Vietnam, years ago, in the Pentagon Papers. More particularly in the
"Lansdale Team's Report on Covert Saigon Mission in '54 and '55"
filed by CIA agent Edward G. Lansdale. I only have the NYT version of the
papers at hand but let me quote: "The first rumor campaign was to be a
carefully planted story of a Chinese Communist regiment in Tonkin taking
reprisals against a Vietminh village whose girls the Chinese had raped,
recalling Chinese Nationalist Troop behavior in 1945 and confirming
Vietnamese fears of Chinese occupation under Vietminh rule; the story ws
to be planted by soldiers of the Vietnamese Armed Psywar Company in Hanoi
dressed in civilian clothes."
Given the general character of the Mexican Army's terror campaign in
Chiapas, together with the fact that its officers have been trained by
the US in counterinsurgency methods, it should not be hard to imagine
that they would not be content with a "rumor campaign" but would go so
far as to commit murder to achieve their propaganda aims. By the way,
Lansdale (the agent cited above) tells detailed stories in his book IN
THE MIDST OF WARS about committing murders for such propaganda purposes.
Nor is it hard to believe that local villagers, closely allied with the
PRI/Army could have done such dirty work for their own purposes and
blamed it on the EZLN.
What IS hard to imagine, is that the EZLN would abandon its most
fundamental strategy --grassroots and widespread political support based
on the general perception that it represents the interests of the
community against a vicious state which does not-- for some petty
vengence. Indeed, given the general situation as it has developed, it is
hard to imagine any motivation which could possibily provoke such actions
as those of which it is now accused. It simply makes NO political sense.
All in all, it is the government's position which looks highly suspicious
and Father Romo's comments which have the ring of truth --regardless of
whether he has all the details right. And beyond his comments
--understandable given the degree of internal antagonism the PRI/Army has
been able to create in many communities-- we can also keep the really
nasty possibilities of counterinsurgency psywar in mind.
DATE=5/9/95
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-178204
TITLE=CHIAPAS / MASSACRE (L)
BYLINE=JAMES BLEARS
DATELINE=MEXICO CITY
CONTENT=
INTRO: INDIGENOUS PEASANTS IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO, HAVE ACCUSED
ZAPATISTA REBELS OF TORTURE, RAPE, AND MURDER WITHIN DAYS OF WHEN
THE PEACE TALKS ARE DUE TO RESUME. JAMES BLEARS REPORTS.
TEXT: THE ACCUSATIONS COME FROM PEASANTS LIVING IN THE JUNGLE
VILLAGE OF MARVILLAS IN CHIAPAS, CLOSE TO THE GUATEMALAN BORDER.
THEY SAY THE ZAPATISTAS TOOK TWO MEN AND A WOMAN. THEIR BODIES
WERE LATER FOUND. ALL HAD BEEN TORTURED: THE WOMAN WAS RAPED,
AND THEN THE THREE WERE SHOT DEAD.
THE PEASANTS CLAIM THIS WAS REVENGE BECAUSE MOST OF THEM HAVE
PREVIOUSLY REFUSED TO JOIN THE ZAPATISTAS. THEY HAD THEN BEEN
DRIVEN OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND FORCED TO FLEE.
THE ALLEGED ATROCITY OCCURRED AFTER THE PEASENTS HAD DARED TO
RETURN. MORE THAN TWO-HUNDRED VILLAGERS HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED IN A
HUMID JUNGLE CLEARING BY GOVERNMENT AND ARMY REPRESENTATIVES WHO
HAVE FLOWN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS IN BY HELICOPTER TO HEAR
THAT GRISLY TALE.
THE PEASANT FARMERS, OR CAMPESINOS, ARE DIGNIFIED SIMPLE PEOPLE.
AND ALTHOUGH FULL ADVANTAGE WAS BEING TAKEN OF THEM SO THEY COULD
TELL THEIR STORY, IT'S OBVIOUS THEIR ACCUSATIONS CAME FROM THE
HEART AND NOT BEING COACHED.
HOWEVER, ANOTHER LESS CLEAR-CUT VERSION IS BEING PROVIDED BY
FATHER PABLO ROMO, WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE HUMAN
RIGHTS COMMISSION IN CHIAPAS. HE SAYS THAT ONE THEORY DOES
INDEED IMPLICATE THE ZAPATISTAS. 42 OUT OF THE 430 VILLAGERS
JOINED THEM LAST YEAR AND THE WILD LOCAL TERRAIN MAKES IT EASY
FOR THE GUERRILLAS TO SLIP BACK INTO THE AREA UNDETECTED.
BUT HE SAYS ANOTHER THEORY IS THE THREE MURDERS WERE THE RESULT
OF BITTER LOCAL RIVALRY. THE SLAIN MAN WAS THE BROTHER OF THE
VILLAGE LEADER. HE, TOGETHER WITH HIS WIFE AND SON WERE ALSO
KILLED, BUT THEY HAD ONLY RECENTLY COME TO LIVE IN THE AREA.
THEY WERE SEEN AS OUTSIDERS WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN SPECIAL
PRIVILEGES, IN SPITE OF SEVERE SHORTAGES AND ACUTE PRIVATION.
FATHER PABLO ALSO SAYS THE ARMY'S PRESENCE NEARBY IS THREATENING
THE DELICATE BALANCE OF THIS MARGINAL COMMUNITY. HE CLAIMS THE
ARMY IS DAMAGING THE ECONOMY BY BUYING LARGE AMOUNTS OF LIQUOR
FROM VENDORS LOYAL TO THE GOVERNMENT AND ALSO THAT PROSTITUTION
HAS STARTED.
HE GLOOMILY ADDED THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY ATROCITIES WHICH ARE
BEING INVESTIGATED IN CHIAPAS, AND THE VERY REMOTENESS OF THE
AREA TOGETHER WITH THE LACK OF EYEWITNESSES MAKES IT ALL THE MORE
DIFFICULT TO SOLVE.
THE TEARFUL SURVIVING CHILDREN OF THE VICTIMS REMAIN ADAMANT
ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSASSINS, BUT THE REALITY IS THEY WILL
PROBABLY NEVER KNOW FOR SURE.
IT IS AGAINST THIS TURBULENT BACKGROUND THAT THE PEACE TALKS
BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ZAPATISTAS WILL RESUME ON FRIDAY.
(SIGNED)
Source: Voice of America
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