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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!usc!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: GUATEMALA: ARMY ACCUSED OF BOMBING CIVILIANS
- Message-ID: <1992Sep1.082315.386@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
- Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
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- Organization: PACH
- Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 08:23:15 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 66
-
- /** reg.guatemala: 81.0 **/
- ** Topic: IPS:Army Accused of Bombing **
- ** Written 11:17 am Aug 28, 1992 by hrcoord in cdp:reg.guatemala **
- From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
- Subject: IPS:Army Accused of Bombing
-
- /* Written 12:06 am Aug 28, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
- Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
- print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
-
- Title: GUATEMALA: ARMY ACCUSED OF BOMBING CIVILIANS
-
- guatemala city, aug 25 (ips) -- the guatemalan government has denied
- accusations by a multipartite commission that the national army had
- bombed the civilian population in the country's central region.
-
- in a press conference early this week, the commission, which is
- composed of representatives of different ethnic and civic groups,
- said the army had bombed one month ago the towns of angeles and
- pueblo nuevo ii in an area known as 'triangulo ixil', located some
- 180 kms northwest of the capital.
-
- prelate heinz joachim held of the german evangelical church, who
- is a member of the commission, said he had visited the towns in the
- central region of quiche. he said evidence that the areas had been
- bombed could be seen everywhere.
-
- held, who spent two days in the area, said thousands of people in
- the area ''have been cut off and deprived of the basic necessities
- needed to survive''. most of the inhabitants here are said to be
- indigenous members of the popular resistance communities (cpr).
-
- but guatemalan defence minister gen jose garcia said the bombing
- accusations heaped on the army could not be proved in unpopulated
- areas. ''these towns do not exist,'' he said.
-
- ''if at this moment, without making any fuss or previous
- announcements, we were to take a helicopter and check on the cpr who
- are supposed to live in this area, we would find that they didn't
- exist,'' garcia said.
-
- human rights lawyer and commission member cesar alvarez however
- said that both towns are populated by some 24,000 people who had
- lost their homes during the country's 30-year civil war.
-
- held said these towns ''existed'' and had been burned down and
- looted during the 1980's.
-
- government reports say majority of the 40,000 people displaced by
- the war all over the country are indigenous peoples of the popular
- resistance communities (cpr) which the military has repeatedly
- accused of being the guerrilla base.
-
- alvarez has offered to accompany guatemalan president jorge
- serrano on a visit to the devastated areas. ''once the president
- realises the truth, he would think about it and reconsider the
- government's attitude toward these people,'' alvarez said.
-
- held said a report on his visit, which would be released in
- germany, includes a proposal for the guatemalan government to set up
- an official commission that would seek solutions to the predicament
- of the people in these areas. (end/ips/trd/gr/ls/cir/92)
-
-
-
- ** End of text from cdp:reg.guatemala **
-