
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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