Residents of this area of Los Altos of Chiapas, zapatista and PRI indigenous, pointed out that they do not have any problems with each other, and that they are living harmoniously. They noted in several statements that the ones who have planted the marijuana in this zone are a minority of PRI militants, in association with municipal agents. Out of fear of new military incursions under the pretext of fighting drug-trafficking, some communities in this region of the municipality of Chenalho agreed to destroy the marijuana plants in their villages.
"We don't want the drug to be used as a pretext for new incursions by the Army, then we'd have the war started again," said Gustavo Jimenez Santiz, Aldama resident. During a trip through the zone, several statements were gathered from tzotziles, who described the situation in this mountainous zone of Chiapas. The President of Aldama's Security Council, Pedro Ruiz Hernandez, states that the problem of the marijuana planting comes from a small group: "The majority of the indigenous in Chenalho do not plant marijuana, neither zapatistas nor PRI's, those who plant the bad weed are some campesinos affiliated with the PRI, but we don't know who gave them the seeds, or who they sell the harvest to. There are rumors that it's the soldiers, we don't know anything."
Close by here, in Citzilnam, 8 kilometers from San Andres, the tzotziles in the community destroyed two crops, and, in reprisal, the weed growers destroyed a tomato plot belonging to a zapatista companero. "On Monday morning the community went to destroy the drug crops, some 50 meters large, and others 25 meters. The same night, the marijuana owners went and cut down my tomato plot, which is some 75 meters long," denounced Jose Hernandez, owner of the affected land. This campesino, who also grows coffee, maize and jitomate, guided us to his destroyed plot. Jose displayed the cut plants, and picked some withered fruit as proof of his denunciation. "They finished off my tomatoes and destroyed 50 meters of hose I use to water the land." "We're afraid they'll take reprisals against us. Even some PRI's whose lands adjoin those planted with marijuana have had to flee the village, because they had been threatened by those same PRI's who are planting the drug," Jose added.
Ten days ago, federal Army troops entered Aldama in order to destroy marijuana plants that some campesinos were growing. The residents are fearful, because there has been a rumor going around that "the soldiers are going to come back to kill the zapatistas and the PRD members," noted Gustavo Jimenez. There is tension in this zone of Chenalho following the military incursion. The Army maintains a checkpoint and a military camp in San Andres, just 8 kilometers from Aldama, and another in Santiago El Pinar, 15 kilometers away. Concerning the "bad herb" plants, Alberto Gomez, a resident of Aldama, tells us that the illegal plant "was planted this year by a small group of campesinos in the region, who feel protected by the PRI authorities." He added that, in previous years, no one planted marijuana, "because the zapatistas keep watch on the mountains, but this year they couldn't do that because of the Army mobilization." Alberto recalls that the military have had plans to set up in Aldama and in other villages, but "the people have rejected them." "It's bad that a minority puts the community's security at risk," says Antonio Santiz, a campesino from Santa Marta whom we found on the dirt road that leads to that location. The President of Aldama's Community Property, Pablo Santiz Perez, states that, during the January 11 Army incursion, "the soldiers destroyed several plants, not just in Aldama, but in Santa Marta and in San Jose Caridad, both with a PRI majority," he said. These villages are located in a canada in front of the mountain known as La Ventana, which was set on fire by Army troops last year. "Several campesinos went to put out the fire, and when we went to come back, a half kilometer from the mountain, we saw the soldiers going back to set it on fire," denounced Alberto Gomez, and he added that, for years, "There have not been any problems or confrontations here between PRI's and zapatistas."
During the interview in the Aldama municipal agency, the President of the Security Council emphasized: "Here we don't have any problems between zapatistas and PRI's. Everything is calm. There are no confrontations between campesinos. That's why we're suspicious about what's going on here, because it's not like Acteal or Los Platanos. Here we have an act passed by the 11 communities of the region, that says the PRI's and the zapatistas are going to work together in harmony. That's why we're suspicious about what's happening with the marijuana planting. Because they're just a few who are planting it, the majority of us are coffee growers. We don't want it to serve as a pretext for starting the war again." Alberto Gomez, who transports merchandise through various locations in the zone, agrees: "in this region there aren't any problems between the PRI, zapatista or PRD indigenous." He explains the background of the drug. "Before, it wasn't planted. Then they began convincing some campesinos to plant it, they brought them seeds, they seemed to be soldiers, but I haven't seen them."
Next to Aldama is Santa Marta, a community where the existence of a training camp for paramilitaries has been denounced - as well as, by times, the frequent arrival of police and military personnel to instruct the paramilitaries in the use of weapons and irregular war tactics, which includes sessions with pornographic films and some prostitutes - Alberto Gomez recollects. In May 1997 there was almost an armed confrontation between paramilitaries and zapatistas in the community of Atzamilho, very close to Aldama, "but it was avoided, and the communities in this part of Chenalho met and signed an agreement to work together," recalls the president of Aldama's Community Property...After the Acteal massacre, of December 22 last year, the representatives of the 11 communities in the Magdalenas region met again, and they ratified the non-agression agreement. The community property commissioner shows the act, dated January 3, 1998, signed and sealed by the authorities of the communities of Aldama, Santa Marta, San Pedro Cotzilnam, Saclum, Xuchen, Atzmilho, Xuxulumho, San Antonio Caridad, Revolucion Fiu, San Jose Fiu, Slumka.
"The only objective of this assembly is to look at and to analyze the problem raised in the Acteal parish in Chenalho, Chiapas," the document reads. "A short time after receiving all the information from the municipal agents from the different communities, an accord was reached: "1. We, as PRI's, do not want confrontations with our zapatista brothers. 2. We, as PRI's from the 11 communities belonging to the municipality of Chenalho, know nothing of the motive behind the massacre in the Acteal parish of the same municipality. 3. Anything which might happen in this community we wish to resolve through dialogue, and not confrontation. Such was the case in May 1997, it was resolved through dialogue. 4. We, the PRI's of the 11 communities, desire peace and calm for our families." In another document signed by the 11 communities, there is added: "We the PRI's do not wish to block the path begun by the zapatistas in 1994," and in another accord it says: "anyone who decides, or is convinced, to participate in another group (be it zapatista or PRI), is free to go with any group." In the act signed June 22, 1997, the indigenous in the zone add: "we do not want any corrupt person to scare the people in the road, everyone should be free to go wherever they wish (in reference to the assaults and the checkpoints set up by the paramilitaries of Chenalho at that time)." The President of the Security Council concluded firmly, "there is no reason for blood to be spilled here between the indigenous themselves, that is why we are worried about what is being started with the drug."
Before, there were PRI criminals...
Alberto Gomez, a young shopkeeper, recounts that "it is a minority planting the marijuana, everyone knows them, they are PRI's, the municipal agents know about this, but they don't do anything out of fear that those who are planting the marijuana will kill them, because they feel protected." Jose Hernandez, of Cotzilman, noted for his part the municipal agents of several communities who have been implicated in the planting of the drug. "We don't know if the money they're getting is for the poverty, or in order to buy other things, like arms. Nor do we know where the seeds come from for planting the drug. They're probably bringing them from the other side. It's not the zapatistas nor the majority of the PRI's who are planting marijuana," says Hernandez, an elderly indigenous. Crime in the area has been tied to minority PRI groups, Alberto Gomez states. He recalls that two years ago there were frequent assaults on local roads. "They were armed and wore ski-masks, and they said they were zapatistas. Until one day we - the drivers, PRI's and zapatistas - organized. Then we laid a trap for them, we just took away some grenades and arms they were carrying. We turned them in to the autonomous authorities in San Andres Sacamchen, and the only punishment they received was being exhibited one Sunday throughout all of the San Andres plaza - since it was market day -; they were taken, along with their weapons, and they were shown to the people: 'these are the assailants from the road, know them.'" "The last time we stopped those robbers," Alberto recalls, "one of them confessed that, according to him, he had been hired by the State to carry out the attacks, and that they had told him to dress like that and to say he was a zapatista." "Thta's how they were blaming the zapatistas for the criminals; but after we caught them, then all the people knew that it was PRI's who were making the assaults, we all knew, that's why they don't do anything anymore," the young shopkeeper said.
Originally published in Spanish by Enlace Civil and the FZLN <enlacecivil@laneta.apc.org> <floresu@spin.com.mx> _________________________ Translated by irlandesa Date: Tuesday, January 26, 1999 13:18:05 -0600 From: fzln <floresu@spin.com.mx>