Mexico:
Chiapas ready to explode

Four campesinos affiliated with the Zapatistas have been killed in the 
past several weeks, 20 wounded and hundreds displaced as paramilitary 
violence spins out of control in Mexico.

Antonio Mejia, identified as a Zapatista leader, was the most recent 
victim. Government-supported paramilitaries are responsible for his death. 
While his wife was able to identify the killers, none have been arrested.

The most recent murder follows a pattern of escalating violence in the 
region.

On July 31, 40 armed men affiliated with a paramilitary group seriously 
wounded seven Zapatista supporters who were building a school. While the 
wounded were able to identify their attackers, no official investigation 
has been opened.

Tensions have been increasing in recent months as the state government 
offers financial assistance to individuals with land titles. Much of the 
land in areas of Zapatista influence is communally held and governed by 
autonomous authorities, but paramilitary groups opposed to the Zapatistas 
are increasingly claiming the land for individual use.

Chiapas Governor Pablo Salazar was elected last year on a platform of peace 
and negotiation but appears to have abandoned his commitment to 
reconciliation in favour of playing to his constituency.

The federal government also has a hand in the increasing tensions. 
Autonomous communities report dramatic increases in troop movements and 
there appears to be support, if not outright co-operation, between the 
military and paramilitary groups.

Zapatista supporters report paramilitary groups are often armed with 
weapons whose use is strictly limited to the army.

In addition, at the encouragement of Grupo Pulsar and Conservation 
International, a US-based group funded mainly by international 
corporations, the federal government is threatening to displace a number of 
indigenous communities, including several Zapatista communities, from 
environmentally protected areas.

Furthermore, Federal troops and State authorities turn a blind eye to 
extensive illegal logging in the area by paramilitary.

After 21 months in power, Mexico's President Vicente Fox delivered his 
second state of the union address in which he pleaded with Congress to join 
his political agenda.

The speech was full of high-minded calls for democracy and liberty, but 
short on concrete solutions for the poverty that affects almost two-thirds 
of the population.

Members of Congress interrupted Fox several times with catcalls, whistles 
and a huge banner that read "From lie to lie."

From the beginning of his presidency, Fox linked his future to the United 
States, pushing for export-oriented development and foreign investment.

Mexico exports about one-third of everything it produces, with about 90 per 
cent going to the US. However, Fox's loyalty to President Bush has resulted 
in few benefits for Mexico, and the economy has been in recession despite 
campaign promises of seven percent annual growth.