The following story appeared in today's the April 9, 1998 New York Times:

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico, April 8 (Reuters)

Hundreds of Mexican police officers and soldiers raided Indian

houses in the southern state of Chiapas early today, searching for

illegal weapons, officials said.

The Attorney General's Office said that eight people were

arrested, many guns were seized and 20 stolen cars recovered.

People in the Attorney General's office said the raids were prompted

by the detention three days ago of three people in the area found to

be carrying grenade launchers and ammunition.

Local residents complained of heavy handed treatment. "The

soldiers broke down the doors of some homes and were carrying lists of

people," said Donacio Lopez, a resident of La Hormiga. "They took away

eight Indian leaders".

Chiapas has been tense since January 1994, when rebels in the

Zapatista National Liberation Army took up arms to demand more rights

for Mexico's nine million Indians.

The tensions peaked last Dec. 22 when paramilitaries linked to

local elements of the ruling Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI)

massacred 45 Indians as they prayed in the highlands village of

Acteal.

These occurrences are of great concern to Global Exchange because they

show a continuing pattern of the use of excessive force against

political opponents of the government, while at the same time the

government fails to take effective action to disarm paramilitary bands

loyal to the PRI that continue to grow and proliferate throughout the

state.

La Hormiga is an urban refugee community located on the northern edge of San Cristobal.

Non-governmental organizations send the following report

concerning the same incident: K'inak Antezetik, Marta Figueroa and

Guadalupe Cárdenas (COLEM), Chiltak, Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray

Bartolomé de Las Casas, Centro de Investigación y Acción de la Mujer,

Concepción Villafuerte (Tiempo) and Formacion y Capacitation.

An operation took place with the participation of members of the

army, municipal police, municipal transit authorities, federal and

state judicial police and highway patrol and immigration agents. 22

Hummer vehicles, 5 military transport trucks, about 46 public security

vehicles, at least 10 judicial police vehicles, one vehicle from the

federal public ministry, at least 7 patrol cars of transit and highway

police, one white helicopter (colibri). 7 illegal detentions took

place as well as illegal searches of homes. The number of people from

these police and army agencies was between 2,500 and 3,000.

In the raids illicit acts occurred such as searches, breaking down

of doors, damage to the properties, confiscation of belongings like in

the home of Mr. Salvador Perez Perez, who stated that the authorities

took $30,000 pesos, a cellular phone, a CB radio, all his electronic

appliances and a radio antenna. They intimidated and threatened minors

and women beating some. Members of the army took videos of certain

homes once these were illegally searched.

Some members of the press were prohibited from conducting their

work. Many citizens were denied free transit.

• The restoration of law and order is necessary in Chiapas. The immediate application of justice is imperative.

• Law and order can not tolerate laws being broken or the violation of human rights.

• It is the responsibility of the state and federal police to carry out

  apprehension orders issued legally by a competent judge. Not the army, not the immigration officials and not the

  municipal police nor the transit police.

• It is the responsibility of the State to ensure the security and

  tranquillity of all people.

• The raids in this country are unconstitutional and violate the principle of legality. (art.14 and 16 the

  constitution)

  n Every detention should take place completely applying the law, in other words, there should be a search warrant

  issued by a competent judge. (art. 16 and 21 Constit)

No one should be bothered personally in their home nor their

belongings without a judicial order issues by the competent

authorities (article 16 and 21 Constit.)

In light of these facts and considerations: Given that the raids

were illegal, the operation which took place today is in violation of

the law and the rights of the citizens; it generates a climate of

terror and intimidates the population and does not contribute to the

establishment of law and order.

The raid demonstrated clearly that there is a need for at least

357 members of all these agencies to apprehend each one of the

transgressors detained. In other words, the force used is exaggerated

considering the results obtained (now what is left to do is for a

judge determine the responsibilities). By not meeting the minimum

requirements established by the law for the detention of presumed

criminals they are being given a full basis for impunity, as they can

easily prove the illegality of the detentions and proceeding.

This raid was similar to the ones which took place in the

community of Buenos Aires in Mexico City, and is counterproductive,

because it takes away the authority of those institutions which should

be responsible, and illegally involves other institutions, like the

Mexican army whose responsibility is to protect national sovereignty.

We, the civilian groups, urge:

1. The authorities to comply fully with the law and justice and that they not show

   off their strength when what is necessary is an end to impunity.

2. That every operation respect all rights of all people.

3. That every operation be carried out by the appropriate authorities.

4. That every operation seek to protect the security and physical

   psychological and moral integrity of everyone, particularly women and children

We urge the authorities to consider that publicity does not

substitute for justice nor respect for anyone's life.

One bad operation generates more illicit acts and impunity by

those who purport to be trying to eradicate them because it turns the

delinquents into victims and it undermines law and order.

These types of raids generate more explicit and increasing

violence, and contradicts the speech by the interim governor, or is

evidence of his true purpose.

TESTIMONIES

The following testimonies are the result of two interviews in

Tzotzil, translated into Spanish, of Mrs. Maria Jimenez Santiz and

Andrea Mendez Jimenez, witnesses of the operation:

"Today Wednesday April 8, at about 3:00 AM I heard noise close to

the highway, when they arrived near my house. I got up and saw that

there were many people on the road. I went in my house to tell my

family and my husband got up, and went to the door. It is then that

he saw people enter the corral of my house. Pushing the door they

entered without an order. They took the children out, threatening them

with their weapons, that they were going to hit them if they did not

hurry up. They took four children out, Salvador of 7 years, Mario of

9, Mateo of 12 and Andrea of 17 with her baby of four months who was

naked and therefore exposed to the weather. They took my husband

Manuel Mendez Gomez who is in charge of the water system of the

neighborhood and works as a peon de albaqil. I don't know if they

beat my husband, because he stayed inside the house a few more

minutes, with the agents. The search of my house took about 20

minutes. When I entered the house I noticed everything had been

searched and turned around. I saw how they would pull on my husband

when they were taking him away.

Andrea's daughter denounced the following: "When they entered the

coral they said that who ever spoke would be killed. They pointed

their weapons and they took my father, Manuel Mendez Gomez, and my

brother, Marcelino Mendez Jimenez, and a man Francisco 67 years old,

who rents a room of the house. My sister Margarita got closer to see

where they were being taken and it is when the soldiers told her "the

women get out" and at that moment they came in and searched the house,

taking video and throwing things and the papers. They went out of the

house, yelling: "if you walk through the streets we will attack you".