Mexico Week In Review: 12.16-12.22

[cisdc]

Mexico Week In Review: 12.16-12.22
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Published since 1994, 'Mexico Week In Review' is a service of the
Committee of Indigenous Solidarity (CIS).  CIS is a Washington, D.C.
based activist group committed to the ongoing struggles of Indigenous
peoples in the Americas.  CIS is actively supporting the struggles
of the Indigenous peoples of Mexico while simultaneously combating
related structures of oppression within our own communities.

To request free searches of our news archive or to contact us
directly, write: cisdc at zzapp.org

"Para Todos, Todo; Para Nosotros Nada"
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CHIAPAS: BASQUES ACCEPTS MARCOS' DEBATE PROPOSAL

In a series of recent letters from the Zapatista National Liberation
Army's (EZLN) spokesperson Subcomandante Marcos, the most important
being a proposal to debate Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, the
Zapatistas have taken the political argument to the international
level, bypassing recalcitrant national politicians.  Garzon is widely
known for his attempts to prosecute former Chilean dictator Agosto
Pinochet for human rights abuses. Officially, the Zapatistas maintain
their silence vis-a-vis the Mexican state.  Their demands remain the
complete approval of an Indigenous rights law consistent with the San
Andres Accords.  While the Fox administration refuses to respond, the
Zapatistas continue to build an alternative society in the jungles of
Chiapas based on the concept of autonomy.

Additionally, the Zapatistas build on their already solid moral
authority by condemning ETA terrorist tactics, calling for a
ceasefire, and inviting the Basque separatist movement to enter into
a dialogue.  If the ETA accepts the ceasefire, the Zapatista movement
will grow substantially in international stature.  If not, Marcos
made the effort and will be applauded for doing so.  As the challenge
to Garzon moves the debate around autonomy out of the Mexican context
and into the international sphere, it can only increase pressure on
the Mexican government to take the Zapatista movement seriously.
Already many international personalities and intellectuals are
responding positively, encouraging Garzon to make the debate a
reality, and pressuring the Mexican government to meet the Zapatista
demands.  On Saturday (12/14), Batasuna, the Basque separatist party
recently outlawed by Garzon for their "representation" of the ETA,
accepted Marcos' debate proposal.

For an Indigenous movement that is no match militarily for the
Mexican army, the Zapatistas have demonstrated again and again a
political brilliance and creativity that has no parallel in the staid
and traditional political circles that govern Mexico (and the world).
The Zapatistas offer a breath of fresh air in a world that appears
headed for destruction.

Source: Mexico Solidarity Network Weekly News Summary: 12/09-15
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CHIAPAS: EVICTION THREATS AGAINST NINE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Human rights and Indigenous organizations from the conflict-ridden
state of Chiapas are currently up in arms over what they believe to
be imminent government plans to forcibly evict Indigenous families
from their settlements in the Montes Azules biosphere, the nation's
most important nature reserve. According to rights group reports,
soldiers have been stationed in the area, apparently waiting
government orders to eject nine Indigenous communities from protected
land they have illegally occupied, many in the last 10 years.
"Soldiers are occupying key locations, going on patrols and making
surveillance flights over the communities in question," Patricia
Gomex, spokeswoman for the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights
Center, was quoted as saying by Spanish press agency EFE. "Conducting
police and military action will once again put at risk the peace of
the region and the country, unleashing consequences that no one can
predict," another activist warned in a press statement signed by
several rights groups and sent out Wednesday (12/18).

Meanwhile, government officials denied rumors of a military operation
to evict settlers. According to Reforma daily, one community of some
30 families agreed to leave the area peacefully after direct
negotiations with the head of the federal Environmental Prosecutor's
Office, Jose Ignacio Campillo. Campillo said the departure of all
remaining illegal squatters will be negotiated next year. "These
people have deforested part of the zone and are gravely violating the
law," Jaime Alejo Castillo, a spokeman for the Environment
Secretariat (Semarnat) told thenewsmexico.com. "They could be subject
to penal action. ... We can't allow any more settlements (in the
reserve)." The government and mainstream environmental organizations
blame the Indigenous in Montes Azules for destroying the sanctuary
through their common use of slash and burn agriculture. But
Indigenous and human rights groups urge authorities to consider the
factors pushing so many people to settle there. "The government seems
to be forgetting why (the settlers) are there," a spokesperson for
the San Francisco-based human right's organization, Global Exchange,
said in an interview. "They are brought to the area by outside
pressures such as a need for land or because they have been displaced
by paramilitaries."

Chiapas' overwhelmingly poor Indigenous population has been living on
the fringes of society for nearly 500 years. From the Spanish
conquest to the present day, the state's Indigenous have suffered
economic and political marginalization, losing most of their ancient
lands to their conquerors and powerful private interests. Land
scarcity and high unemployment have been exacerbated by a lingering
crisis in the nation's farming sector and declining global farm
prices, forcing many small farmers to sell whatever land they have
left. When an army of Indigenous rebels took over towns in Chiapas on
Jan. 1, 1994, gleaning international attention, sympathizers hoped
for some change in the downtrodden status of the region's Indigenous.
Although the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) has continued
to resist government intervention and campaign for Indigenous rights
from its autonomous bases, an upsurge in military and paramilitary
activity in response to the movement has led to the displacement of
thousands of Indigenous from their homes. Many of these internal
refugees have sought protection in the jungles of Montes Azules,
where two "Zapatista" strongholds are located.

While government authorities assure the planned relocations
correspond strictly with environmental concerns, Indigenous groups
and activists say they are not so sure. "We are not against the need
to preserve the important natural resources of this region but (we
are aware) of powerful national and international economic interests
hidden behind scientific concerns, to exploit these resources," said
NGOs in the press release. Montes Azules is rich in natural resources
such as timber, water and petroleum and has sparked the interest of
pharmaceutical researchers with its vast array of plant and animal
species. But while in the 1960s timber and petroleum were the main
attraction for investors, today biodiversity and hydroelectric power
are the zone's principal eye-catchers. Two biological research
stations in the reserve, run by the environmental group Conservation
International and biotech company Grupo Pulsar, bear witness to
growing outside interest in the genetic riches yet to be discovered
in this unique tropical environment. The government also revealed
plans earlier this year to build a series of hydroelectric dams along
the region's powerful Usumacinta River. Environmentalists say the
project could cause immense destruction of exactly the same forests
the government says it is fighting to protect. "In reality we don't
see any interest from the government in protecting the natural
resources," said the Coordination of Autonomous Organizations of the
State of Chiapas (COAECH) in a communiqué. "This is clearly reflected
by the extraction of natural resources and the bio-prospecting
activities going on in the region."

Source: TheNewsMexico.com: 12/20
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INDIGENOUS WOMEN BAN ALCOHOL IN THEIR VILLAGES

As the Corona beer truck with its clinking bottles lumbered into the
Indigenous village of San Rafael Tampaxal, high in the mountains of
central Mexico, angry women ran out of their homes, shouting in both
Spanish and their native Teenek language: "Get out! Get out!" Raising
their fists, the women, many carrying babies in colorful shawls tied
around their hips, surrounded the truck and forced the driver back
down the cascading mountains before he could unload even a bottle -
much to the chagrin of their husbands. Fed up with their men
stumbling home drunk or falling over in a stupor in their corn
fields, the women of this remote Indigenous village in the central
state of San Luis Potosi have taken matters into their own hands,
refusing to allow any more alcohol to be sold in their community of
250 people. Huasteco women - whose customs don't allow them to own
land unless they are widowed or orphaned - traditionally don't drink
alcohol and rarely hold positions of power. Huastecos are also called
Teenek after their language. But the women's defiance has spread like
a wildfire through these lush mountains. Since their bold stand more
than a year ago, women in at least 10 Huasteco villages have
persuaded their leaders to ban alcohol and another dozen communities
are considering it. "A lot of men are not happy with this," said
Marcelina Martinez, 34, who helped turn back the truck from San
Rafael. "They seem sad. But, oh well. At least now they spend time
with their families, so in the end things are better. They didn't
want to listen to us, so we had to get angry."

Over the past decade, Huasteco women have taken on a greater role in
their communities as an increasing number of men leave to find work,
often in the United States. Many women now manage the family budget -
which may have led to the alcohol bans. The region relies heavily on
coffee, and growers are earning much less amid plummeting world
prices. "Before, if a man arrived home drunk, his kids could run over
and find something in his bag. But now, the little bit that men make
they spend on drinking and it's affecting the children," said Sabas
Estrada, 36, whose village of Santa Rita, down the hill from San
Rafael, is considering banning alcohol. Women say they also found
support from the region's new government. President Vicente Fox's
National Action Party (PAN), known for its conservative family
values, took power in the Huasteco most populous municipality of
Aquismon two years ago and has cracked down on moonshine. The
cane-based liquor, known as aguardiente or yuco, flows like the
rivers through these mountains, which are surrounded by sugarcane
fields.  PAN authorities have set up roadside checkpoints and raids
on illegal distilleries. Officials recently confiscated 11,000 liters
(2,900 gallons) of bootleg in one week. "Moonshine sellers around
here are as powerful a mafia as drug traffickers," said Raul
Hernandez, the alcohol inspector of Aquismon. "There are hundreds
making it in their villages, in their homes, in outhouses, even in
caves." Liquor is an integral part of Indigenous ceremonies in
Mexico. Like many tribes, Huastecos pour alcohol on the ground as an
offering to Mother Earth before planting. At festivals honoring each
village's patron saint, men dance to the traditional music of violins
and guitars and then drink until dawn.

Women rarely drink, even at festivals, but they recognize alcohol as
an important part of their traditions. Because of that, most dry
towns lift their bans during celebrations. Some even allow families
to serve liquor at birthday parties and weddings. But inspectors
acknowledge such allowances have complicated attempts to control
alcohol use. "When we go to their homes and find beer, they always
say, 'Well, it's for a birthday party.' But I say, 'You can't be
having a birthday every day,'" said Isidoro Hernandez, 38, Las Armas
village commissioner.

"Alcohol has its positive aspects. For one, it's the only drug that
the government has legalized," said Ruben Hernandez, 23, a San Rafael
schoolteacher. "If they want to combat alcoholism they should fight
it at its roots and close down the factories. But they pay a lot of
taxes, so nobody will touch them," he said. Still, women say their
bans have made a difference. As darkness fell over San Rafael, young
men sat on the main plaza, chatting and chugging Coca-Colas. "My
husband now is home early instead of stumbling in at 2 a.m. or
falling over drunk on the floor in the local store, where I used to
find him," Martinez said, washing clothes outside her thatched-roofed
hut. "The beer truck still passes by but it never stops here. I think
the driver is scared of us."

Source: Associated Press: 12/18
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HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION URGES U.S. TO NOT TREAT MIGRANTS AS "ENEMIES"

Authorities urged U.S. citizens and officials to reflect on the value
of the work done in their nation by immigrants from south of the
border and to respect them rather than treat them as "terrorists and
enemies." Marking the International Day of the Immigrant, the
National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) also reported that, along the
Mexico-California border alone, more than 3,000 Mexican immigrants
have died since Operation Guardian went into effect nine years ago.
This initiative of the U.S. Border Patrol includes the use of
military surveillance equipment to track border crossers. Most of
those who died perished from drowning, dehydration, heat stroke or
freezing in deserts and mountains chosen as immigration routes due to
their remoteness.

The CNDH has released a report on Mexican citizens who try to solve
their economic problems by relocating to the United States, and
called on governments "to protect and defend immigrants' individual
rights." But despite the contribution of these workers to the U.S.
economy, "they are accused of being terrorists and enemies," national
ombudsman Jose Luis Soberanes said. The CNDH said the number of cases
involving discrimination against undocumented workers has been on the
rise. "In contrast to the ever-increasing public awareness of the
factors involved in immigration and its economic importance ...
abuses committed against those seeking a better life abroad are
becoming an even more serious problem," the CNDH said. The commission
urged U.S. citizens and officials "to reflect on the situation of
those forced to look for better living conditions abroad." The CNDH
said recent statistics indicate that Mexican immigrants to the United
States - especially those hired as farm workers - work an average of
11 hours per day, even though "salaries can be up to 60 percent less
than the minimum wage." "And when a migrant worker does not possess
documents authorizing his stay in the United States, the treatment
they receive can be similar to that of an earlier era, prior to the
abolition of slavery," the CNDH said. "They are subjected to
xenophobic and discriminatory practices," the document read.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Relations Secretariat said the consultative
council of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) would begin
advising the government on immigration policy. The council, a group
made up of some 100 representatives of Mexican communities in the
United States, is "a reasonable reflection of the talent and
plurality of our communities," IME president Candido Morales said.
"We aren't interested in imposing any point of view in particular;
the diversity of the people who make up the council is an encouraging
and stimulating sign, which demonstrates the vitality of the
communities they come from," Morales said.

Source: EFE: 12/19
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HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP LISTS ABUSE BY U.S. BORDER PATROL

The Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) met with Border Patrol and
INS officials to discuss dozens of cases of alleged abuse reported by
members of the Hispanic community. Network coordinator Fernando
Garcia told EFE he had briefed the officials on the complaints lodged
against their agents and inspectors, including alleged raids on
private property. "We left a copy of the report and we expect the
agency to investigate the complaints," he said. To document the
alleged cases of abuse, the BNHR, which has links with the American
Friends Service Committee, the social arm of the Quakers, conducted a
fact-finding campaign in parts of southern New Mexico, El Paso and
outlying areas inhabited mostly by low-income Hispanics.

El Paso Border Patrol spokesman Douglas Mosier said his agency had
arranged the meeting with BNHR to learn about the report, which lists
about 80 cases involving some 230 incidents of alleged abuse of
authority. "We are interested in learning about the complaints," he
said, adding that investigations would be launched if warranted.
Mosier described the meeting with the immigrant rights advocacy group
as a first step toward "working together for the good of the
community and its safety." An immigration attorney, Lynn Coyle, has
said she would review all of the complaints to determine whether
grounds exist for civil or criminal suits.

The Border Patrol was the target of 75 percent of the complaints,
followed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and
other agencies. "We are truly concerned about the patterns reflected
in the complaints reported to us during the campaign and which did
not exist during the first campaign in 2000," Garcia said. In at
least 25 incidents, government agents raided homes to search for
someone, Garcia said. One complaint recounts how Border Patrol
agents, INS inspectors and the country sheriff's office detained
about a dozen people during a parents meeting at an elementary school
in Vado, New Mexico.

Source: EFE: 12/21
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RUNNERS CARRY TORCH TO US FOR PATRON SAINT AND IMMIGRANTS

Runners with the "Guadalupe torch" relay reached New York city
Thursday, 45 days after the first group set out from the Mexican
capital to call attention to the plight of four million undocumented
Mexican immigrants living in the United States. "May the Virgin (of
Guadalupe) soften the heart of President George W. Bush in order for
him to legalize the status of Mexican immigrants" was the prayer said
by the runners when they reached San Patrick's Cathedral in New York.
Various groups ran 5,000 kms through several Mexican states and along
the east coast of the United States carrying the torch -- which was
lit in the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City, the country's most
important Roman Catholic Church -- as well as a large painting of Our
Lady of Guadalupe. The Dec 12 feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the
patron saint of Mexico, who was also declared by the Vatican the
Queen of the Americas, is one of the most important religious events
of the year for many Mexicans.

Groups of 50 to 100 runners, mainly from Mexican or Mexican- American
families divided by the U.S. Mexican border, took part in the relay.
The participants, nearly all of whom were new to running, were named
by Catholic priests as "messengers for the dignity of a people
divided by borders", as their shirts stated. Around 20 million
Mexicans and people of Mexican descent live in the United States,
including an estimated four million undocumented immigrants. Mexican
President Vicente Fox says the immigrants are "heroes", because
through their hard work, often in substandard conditions, they
improve their own lives and those of their families.

The Guadalupe torch relay was an initiative of the New York
city-based Asociación Tepeyac, a cultural organization that defends
the rights of Mexican immigrants. The first group of runners set out
from the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City on Oct 29, after
receiving the blessing of Bishop Norberto Rivera. "Fox and Bush are
two people. We are millions, and we elected them and we want them to
listen to us, because we want the border to disappear, and for us to
be brothers and sisters," said Bishop Josú Iriondo, representative of
the New York bishops, at the start of the relay. The executive
director of Tepeyac, Joel Magallan, said the torch run is a
centuries-old Mexican religious tradition that has its roots in
pre-Hispanic Indigenous culture.

The issue of Mexican immigrants in the United States had moved to the
top of the agenda of bilateral relations last year, and is a question
that Fox sees as central to his government's foreign policy. But
binational talks on the issue were pushed to the backburner after the
Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The Fox
administration continues to insist on the need to regularize the
situation of the Mexican immigrants living in the United States, but
the U.S. government is only interested in the question of security
and guaranteeing trade flows between the two countries. "If Fox is
unable to convince Bush of the pressing need to come up with
solutions to the immigration question, I hope the Virgin of Guadalupe
will," said Adán Zanez, a young Mexican who took part in the torch
run.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which links Canada,
the United States and Mexico, guarantees the free cross- border
movement of merchandise, money and businesspersons, but does not
regulate immigration. Around 300 million people cross the border
between Mexico and the United States every year, making it the
world's most heavily- trafficked frontier. Around 1.5 million Mexican
immigrants have settled in the United States over the past five
years, and only one of every four who leave Mexico come back here to
live, according to a study by Mexico's National Migration Institute.

Source: IPS: 12/12
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RECORD AMOUNT OF REMITTANCES SENT FROM U.S. TO MEXICO

Despite the effects of a sluggish U.S. economy, Mexican immigrants
who work north of the border have continued sending remittances home
at a record pace. According to a Pew Hispanic Center and
Inter-American Development Bank report, Mexicans in the United States
are expected to send a record 13 billion dollars this year to
relatives back home. Total remittances by all Latin American
immigrants, meanwhile, are expected to exceed 18 billion dollars by
the end of 2005. "The figures are evidence of a kind of economic
activity that is resistant to the U.S. business cycle," the report
read. The skyrocketing figures are also the result of economic crises
in Latin America, the document continued. Remittances benefit the
border region because some of the money sent to families in border
cities - such as Ciudad Juarez and Brownsville - is collected in
Western Union outlets north of the border, said Ernesto Portillo,
president of Melek Corp. in El Paso.

By collecting the wire transfer at a U.S. outlet, Mexicans can
receive dollars and obtain a better exchange rate than they can at
outlets in Mexico, which pay in pesos. "They receive the money here
and spend it here," said Claudia Hernandez Burciaga, an elementary
school teacher in Ciudad Juarez who travels monthly to El Paso to
collect her remittance money. Hernandez's husband works as a cook in
Atlanta and sends her money each month. "He sends the money to the
Western Union in El Paso and I pick it up there," she said. Hernandez
added she spends almost all the money on food and clothing for her
and her children in El Paso, where she has found that basic items are
cheaper.

Prior to last year's terrorist attacks, Melek Corp. was averaging
2,500 transactions per month in its three main branches, Portillo
told the El Paso Times. Following the attacks, this figure dropped to
approximately 1,850. Currently, the number of transactions is again
on the rise. An average of 2,030 transactions are carried out per
month, with each transaction averaging 345 dollars. According to the
report, which was released in Washington, the remittances are a
reflection of the "profound human bond between people who come here
to work for long hours at low wages and the families they left
behind." According to the report, the cheapest way to send money to
Mexico is through the U.S. Postal Service, which charges 8 dollars
for a 300-dollar transaction. The money can be sent through the
Postal Service's "Dinero Seguro/Safe Money" program and picked up at
any Bancomer bank in Mexico. Wells Fargo Bank, meanwhile, is one of
the more expensive options, charging 37 dollars to send the same
amount. The number of transactions tends to increase during the
Christmas holidays and on May 10, which is Mother's Day in Mexico.

Source: EFE: 12/16

end: Mexico Week In Review: 12.16-12.22
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