/* Written 9:56 PM May 7, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs April 28 - May 4" ---------- */ WEEKLY BRIEFS, April 28 - May 4, 1991 Labor Day Protest The Serrano government came under sharp criticism at the Labor Day demonstration in Guatemala City, attended by workers, campesinos, indigenous persons, widows, orphans and students. Radio Guatemala Flash described the demonstration as a protest "against President Serrano." Almost all the unions said the government was repressive and the "enemy of the working class," according to the broadcast. Labor leader Byron Morales said workers have received only lies and systematic repression under the current government. Morales heads United Labor and Popular Action (UASP), an organization that brings together 14 grassroots and labor organizations. According to Prensa Libre, protesters accused the government of trying to convince people that the State is in great financial difficulty so as to justify harsh economic measures. These measures, which have brought about massive layoffs, were promised to international lending institutions, according to the newspaper. Reactions to URNG-Government Negotiations President Serrano said on Monday that he was proud and satisfied with the results of the first meeting between his government and insurgents. Assistant Army Chief of Staff Edgar Augusto Godoy, who participated in last week's meeting in Mexico City, said it served to break the ice between the two delegations. In an interview over television Notisiete Sunday evening, URNG Commander Gaspar Ilom said the current conditions make it possible to progress in the search for a definitive solution to the civil war. Ilom emphasized, however, that neither the signing of a ceasefire nor the incorporation of URNG members into public political activity is the central issue of the negotations. Rather, the URNG seeks to resolve the critical problems from which the armed struggle arose. Congressman Mario Taracena of the Party of National Advancement (PAN) said the agreements reached last week were encouraging signs of a peace process he described as irreversible. Taracena added that the efforts made by both sides have created a climate of optimism in the country. Byron Morales of the United Labor and Popular Action (UASP) cautioned that agreements reached between the government, army and the URNG must translate to concrete progress in creating the conditions for genuine democracy. El Grafico columnist Carlos Rafael Soto commented on Monday that the only clear result of the meeting is that the highest level military officials sat at the same table with the URNG leaders, recognizing insurgent forces as an army. It is not the meeting but the military officials' change of attitude that is historic, Soto contended. Twenty Thousand Army Casualties in Last Decade A former military official revealed that the Guatemalan army has suffered 20,000 casualties in combat with guerrilla forces during the last ten years. The statement by General Arturo de la Cruz, vice-minister of defense during the Cerezo government, appeared in Monday's edition of El Grafico. His announcement marks the first time a military official has admitted to such high losses for the army. He said the Army Chiefs of Staff maintain statistics on soldiers killed or injured. De la Cruz said it is time to end 31 years of armed conflict and claimed to be the first army general to propose dialogue with the guerrillas. He said the continued fight against the insurgents has been achieved at the cost of officers and soldiers, adding that the morale of army troops has weakened over the last decade. General Murdered Army General Anacleto Maza Castellanos died on Thursday night from gunshot wounds received in a Guatemala City neighborhood. He was shot in front of a relative's house by two unidentified men traveling in a pickup. The army has attributed the murder to common crime. General Maza had served as Commander of the Guatemalan Air Force and directed military intelligence. He was designer at Aviateca airlines when it was still state-owned. During the Cerezo government he was military attache at the Guatemalan embassy in the United States. Protest Over Murder of Popular Leader A grassroots leader was killed Monday evening in front of her Guatemala City home. Twenty-eight year old Dinora Perez was shot by two men who then escaped on a motorcycle. Her murder was widely denounced this week by politicians and grassroots activists. Perez was on the board of directors of the Foundation of Rural Projects in Guatemala (FUNDAGUA) and advised other grassroots organizations. In the last elections Perez was a Congressional candidate with Popular Alliance-5, a group that backed Rene de Leon for president. She was also director of the Maria Chinchilla Institute, a public high school. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) said the circumstances of the murder suggest death squad activity. The National Council of the Displaced in Guatemala (CONDEG) said the murder was committed by paramilitary groups and is another example showing that state terrorism continues unchecked in Guatemala. The murder was also vigorously denounced by the Association of University Students State Workers Step Up the Pressure State workers will implement eight measures on May 8 to pressure the government to respond to demands for a wage increase. The announcement was made in Saturday's edition of Prensa Libre by the National Federation of State Workers' Unions (FENASTEG). Thirty unions representing government employees held general meetings Friday to discuss the government's response to their demand for a monthly increase of 300 quetzales (U.S. $60). The content of the measures has not been revealed, but they could include a nation-wide strike. Over Thursday evening's Notisiete news broadcast President Serrano said there are no public funds to raise state workers' wages. Serrano explained that everything possible is being done to improve the critical financial situation, but a wage increase is impossible. State workers, however, say that the private sector owes the government 9 billion quetzales (U.S $1.8 billion) in unpaid taxes. IGSS Workers Fired More than a thousand workers at Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS) medical facilities have been fired, according to unionists Victor Alvarado and Edgar Ovalle. The two members of the ad hoc committee which coordinated a strike in February said the firings were illegal, since they were based only on a temporary ruling by the labor court. IGSS Director Virgilio Alvarado said on Friday that only 80 workers had been fired for participating in an illegal strike. The workers are charged with violating the rights of those entitled to IGSS medical services. Alvarado said that, because of the institute's difficult financial situation, a study would be made to see whether it was necessary to fill the now vacant positions. Appalling Treatment of Workers Comes to Light Recent reports revealing deplorable conditions in foreign- owned factories known as maquiladoras have caused widespread indignation among Guatemalans. The factories are assembly sites for products made from pieces imported from other countires. They are owned by South Korean or U.S. businessmen. On April 18 the Guatemalan Congress approved a resolution demanding the government investigate accusations made against the owners of the maquiladoras. Some are charged with violating human rights and labor and immigration laws. On Tuesday of this week, Bank of Guatemala President Federico Linares indicated he regarded the issue as a delicate one, saying maquiladoras have generated 70,000 jobs and 105 million dollars in hard currency. Radio Guatemala Flash on April 6 reported Labor Minister Mario Solorzano's confirmation that the country's laws are flagrantly violated in the majority of the more than 100 maquiladoras in Guatemala. Solorzano said workers are forced to work up to 21 hours a day without receiving extra pay, sometimes behind locked doors. The workers are mostly women. The conditions were likened to slavery conditions, sometimes including beatings. Communities in Resistance Protest Army Offensive In response to recent reports of a new army offensive, the Communities of Population in Resistance (CPR) issued a call for the government and army respect their homes, crops and belongings. In an April 27 communique the CPRs asked that national and international human rights organizations be present in their communities if the offensive is launched, to testify to the army violence against them. URNG Commander Pablo Monsanto had announced only days before that, according to insurgent intelligence, an army offensive named "Strength for Peace 1991" was to be initiated May 6. The communities surviving in hiding in northern Quiche say they constantly suffer army persecution and repression, and have since 1982. It is they who have borne the brunt of each army offensive, because they live in areas known as zones of conflict. The army has bombed their communities, destroyed their crops and homes and kidnapped and killed their neighbors, the CPRs reported. A report by a multi-sector commission that traveled to the remote area by helicopter in late February concluded that the residents of these communities are deprived of their basic constitutional rights. They are denied personal safety, health, education, decent housing, freedom of expression, and the right to freely trade and travel. In its report released on Friday the commission repeated the intention of the CPRs to continue to live in resistance until their demands are met. CUC Celebrates 13 Years Thousands of campesinos, students, unionists, human rights activists and indigenous persons attended an event in honor of the thirteenth anniversary of the Committee for Campesino Unity (CUC). The special ceremony at the Santiago Indigenous Institute near Guatemala City was led by Mayan priests. Also in commemoration of the CUC anniversary, Nicaraguan musician Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy gave a special performance at the Miguel Angel Asturias Theater. Arzu Meets with Quayle According to Friday's Prensa Libre, Foreign Minister Alvaro Arzu met with U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle this week. They discussed Serrano's plan for total peace, according to Arzu. The foreign minister said his primary objectives are to help to improve his country's image, improve the balance of payments and solve the economic crisis. ***************** In the U.S. and Canada subscribe to Weekly Briefs by sending check or money order to: ANI PO Box 28481 Seattle, WA 98118 Subscription fees in the U.S. and Canada: $9 for 3 months, $18 for 6 months, $36 for one year. Elsewhere, contact: CERIGUA Apartado Postal 74206 CP 09080 Delegacion Itzapalapa Mexico, D.F. 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