[Marxism] Mexico Gives Oaxaca 48 Hours, Threatens Military Action

[Walter Lippmann]

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

Mexico Gives Oaxaca 48 Hours, Threatens Military Action

Mexico, Oct 2 (Prensa Latina) Authorities from the Secretary of Government
of Mexico announced on Monday that next Wednesday they will define a way to
restore order in Oaxaca state, with military intervention possible.

During the weekend, the threat of interference by troops increased, after
military planes and helicopters were identified flying over the capital of
that district.

Sources say those flights were routine, and official Carlos Abascal, in
direct communication with cabinet of public security, asserted that the
exercise will depend on the response to the announcement delivered last
Friday to peacefully reopen relations.

The government proposal was officially passed on to the Oaxaca Peoples
Popular Assembly (APPO), offering a 25 thousand peso budget increase to
boost Oaxaca teachers to the same level as the rest of the country and
development of that zone, but still has received no response.

APPO has agreed to dialogue with the condition that the federal government
includes the resignation of the state governor Ulises Ruiz.

ln gdb crc mf
 
sent by Tim Murphy (activ-l)

Reuters - Oct 1, 2006
<http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=N01291351&WTmodLoc=World-R5-Alertnet-2>

Mexico protesters angry at Oaxaca copter flyovers

OAXACA, Mexico, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Military helicopters stepped up flyovers
on Sunday above the protest-racked Mexican colonial city of Oaxaca, where
activists who have seized parts of the city fear a government offensive to
expel them.

The helicopters, which first appeared on Saturday, swooped low over the
center of the popular tourist town, angering striking teachers and leftists
who have blocked streets for months and want state Gov. Ulises Ruiz to
resign.

"They are trying to frighten us, but we will not be intimidated," said
Flavio Sosa, a leader of the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca, the
left-wing alliance behind the protests. "We're not just tense, we are
furious."

President Vicente Fox has said he will resolve the standoff before he leaves
office at the end of November, and has not ruled out the use of force if
talks fail.

The protests have scared off most tourists drawn by Oaxaca's colonial
architecture, indigenous culture and modern art. Burnt out vehicles and
activists brandishing sticks now fill many streets.

The helicopters were of a type used by the Mexican navy and were accompanied
by a military plane. Sosa said a government official told him the aircraft
were doing reconnaissance.

The protesters accuse Ruiz, who belongs to a traditional wing of the party
that ruled Mexico for 71 years until 2000, of stealing an election,
corruption and heavy-handed tactics in dealing with his opponents.

He angered many Oaxacans when he remodeled the city's much-loved central
plaza with little consultation and ripped up trees in the process.

Ambushes and paramilitary-style drive-by shootings have killed five
activists since the conflict began more than four months ago. The activists
say Ruiz ordered the shootings.

Ruiz denies involvement and says he will not step down.

Oaxaca state, famed for beaches, highland towns and elaborate cuisine, is
also one of Mexico's most impoverished regions. Tensions often run high
between its poor Indian population and authorities.

       
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