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Sierra Madre Peasants Armed To Repel Agressions
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(from Tiempo, Wed, 10th May, 1995.)
El Triunfo (AEI) - The armed peasants that operate in the Sierra
Madre mountains of Chiapas and are in control of a number of coffee
estates, are prepared to repel "any attacks action" on the part of
"white guards or police elements".
They say they don't belong to the Zapatista National Liberation Army
(EZLN), although they cover their faces with scarves and balaclavas
so as not to be recognized.
Taking refuge behind barricades built from sacks of sand and gravel
under huts of timber and corrugated iron, from which hang camouflage
trousers and shirts and army-style boots, the peasants, who don't
wear a uniform and say they belong to the Emiliano Zapata Peasant
Organization National Plan of Ayala Co-ordinating Committee
(OCEZ-CNPA), received a group of journalists to explain to them that
their struggle is for land, not political power.
(Translator's note: the National Plan of Ayala was initiated by the
original Zapatistas and was a land reform program, giving the land
back to the peasants.)
They explained that they are awaiting the dialogue on the 12th of
May, in San Andres Larrainzar, between the government and the EZLN
in order to decide what action to continue with. "We back the
civil resistance actions called by the EZLN, but we're not militants
of that group. If we were, we would be in the Lacandon forest."
A committee of approximately thirty people - who didn't give their
names "because there are no leaders here" - with reservations
towards the correspondents, from whom they demanded clear
identification, with name, telephone number and address, said that
Abel, who the small landowners of the region and the civil
authorities refer to as Commandante Abel, isn't in the area. "He's
probably in Frontera Comalpa, San Cristobal or Las Nubes."
Before arriving at the site of the interview, after a two and a half
hour journey through the depths of the Chiapan mountain range, we
came to a board with black writing on it: "No entry for trucks
between 9pm and 4am. EZLN", with a rifle painted below it. On the
other wall it said: "Respect to the taking of land" and the face of
subcommandante Marcos, to whom they offer their support.
Since the 10th of April this group has been in possession of the
properties San Luis Andes and Buenos Aires, both owned by Mario
Garcia Trevino, who's also landlord of the Gavilancillo, Bandera
Argentina, El Recuerdo and La Fortuna estates. The peasants
announced that they will initiate the occupation of other estates if
their demands for agrarian reform are not listened to.
From the top of a large rock, a lookout pointed out directions to
the local and national media representatives. Meanwhile, passing
along the road unmolested, there were trucks of the Conasupo
Solidaridad, which supply basic products to rural shops in San
Antonio Miramar and Hoja Blanca, in the Chiapan sierra.
The peasants are accused of being Zapatista guerillas by the
propietor of the Las Nubes estate, Manuel Ferrara Gutierrez, who's
asking for the intervention of the Mexican army. Holding rifles,
shotguns and some sort of machine gun, the peasants are momentarily
agressive. They point out that they work in the civil resistance and
they "intend to take some coffee estates if the government will not
solve the agrarian problems by means of dialogue".
A total of about 150 peasants, all armed, keep watch over the 500
hectares which comprise the San Luis Los Andes and Buenos Aires
estates. They say they come from San Antonio Miramar, Jamaica
(a village, not the island - translator), San Joaquin, Caban~as and
other extremely poor communities in the municipalities of Escuintla,
Acacoyagua and Motozintla.
At the site of the interview there was a white three ton truck with
the legend "This unit is property of the EZLN" on the sides. We were
refused access to a building constructed of material which stood out
among the huts.
"Abel is one of us but he's not here now. They say he's the
commander of the group, but he's only one more comrade who's
struggling for land, dignity and justice for the peasants."
Before saying goodbye, the men warned the press that they would come
looking for them if they didn't "tell the truth".
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