Chiapas, Zapatista Community attacked and sacked

Posted on Thursday, June 06 @ 12:18:36 PDT
http://genoaresistence.org/webnuke/html/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=780

Originally published in Spanish by Enlace Civil, A.C.
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Translated by irlandesa

From: Enlace Civil, A.C. enlacecivil@laneta.apc.org Date:
Monday, June 3 2002 16:45:49 —0500

San Pedro Buena Vista, Municipality of Cítala, Chiapas.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SAN CRISTÓBAL DE
LAS CASAS, CHIAPAS.

In submission by the undersigned,

We are all Tzeltal-speaking campesinos who are active
members of the zapatista support bases, and, as a
consequence of the marginalization and extreme poverty in
which we had been existing, we have been in possession of a
30-hectare predio since 1994, as a result of the movement by
the zapatista compañeros, who spilled their blood so that we
might have a better way of life and more opportunities.

We have been working these lands along with our families,
but over the last few days, and at the present time, we have
been suffering outrages, which we are denouncing to you. Our
homes were looted by about 60 persons from Sitim, Mojon
Tsui, Guadalupe Xanail and Ranchería Batsibiltic, of the
Municipality of Chilón. They beat our wives and took off
with 20 hundredweights of coffee.
The campesinos have been beaten by these persons, who are
campesinos like ourselves. They are active in the PRI and
PRD parties. On Saturday, May 25, at about 8:00 AM, those
attackers appeared with firearms, machetes and sticks. They
evicted our women from their homes in an aggressive manner,
and they stole all the cooking utensils, recorders,
machetes, mattocks, de-pulping machines, maize, beans,
coffee, chickens, turkeys, hammocks and money.

We are presenting our plea for your swift intervention in
these problems, we are demanding that the government pay for
everything that has been lost, and that the government
members be removed as soon as possible, because the
zapatista bases do not want problems. We are urging your
intervention, in order to avoid the spilling of blood, since
28 residents have been displaced, and we are attaching the
names of the PRI and PRD government members.

The Leader of Sitim, Municipality of Chilón, Chiapas.

1. Tomas Gómez Hernández (primary leader) 2. Miguel Gómez
Hernández 3. Domingo Gómez Hernández

Community of Guadalupe Xanail, Municipality of Chilón

1. Miguel Ángel Zaragoza Morales 2. Delmar Zaragoza Morales
3. Pascual Zaragoza Morales 4. Antonio Morales Aguilar 5.
Miguel Zaragoza Gómez

Ranchería Mojon Tsui

1. Tomas Gómez Aguilar 2. Francisco Guzmán Lopez 3. Miguel
Gómez Pérez 4. José Gómez Pérez 5. Fernando Guzmán Cruz 6.
Manuel Guzmán Gómez 7. Fernando Guzmán Hernández 8. Manuel
Pérez Aguilar 9. Juan Pérez Sánchez

Ranchería Batsibiltic, Municipality of Chilón

1. Sebastián Aguilar Vázquez This gentlemen acts as the
lawyer for all the problems which take place among them.

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