MEXICO: CHIAPAS: RELATIVES RECEIVE BODIES OF MASSACRE VICTIMS скачать в хорошем качестве

MEXICO: CHIAPAS: RELATIVES RECEIVE BODIES OF MASSACRE VICTIMS

(14 Jun 1998) Spanish/Nat Hundreds of friends and relatives of those killed in the latest massacre in Mexico's southern state of Chiapas gathered on Sunday to receive the bodies for burial. Nine people died on Wednesday when police officers, backed by army troops, tried to disband an unofficial town council set up by rebels in the municipality of El Bosque. It was the first time rebel fighters had taken on government troops in two years. The coffins were delivered to relatives of the victims of Wednesday's clashes by the authorities on Saturday night. A ten-man human rights team brought the coffins in a truck on Saturday afternoon to Union Progreso, a highland village in southern Chiapas state. Some of the coffins were open, and many bodies were so mangled, they were virtually unrecognizable. Grieving villagers stood and watched as the coffins were laid out on the ground for identification. Many of them wore ski masks or bandanas indicating their sympathies to the Zapatista Liberation Front. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "My friends. I think it is important that we show the faces of the of the killers - those who killed our friends. Are you with me comrades?" SUPER CAPTION: Anonymous Zapatista rebel The group launched an uprising in 1994 to demand better conditions and rights for Indians. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "Is that good? What is going to happen here is the same thing as before. The government will carry on waging a campaign against the Zapatistas. Fine, we will also continue to fight. We are not going to give up the fight now. We are going to carry on as best we can - do we all agree friends?" SUPER CAPTION: Anonymous Zapatista rebel Tensions are running high in Chiapas as peace talks between Zapatista rebels and the government remain on hold. Wednesday's clashes were among the deadliest since the Zapatista rebels' January 1994 uprising for Indian rights and greater democracy. Most of the fighting took place in the community of Chevajebal. This woman's husband was arrested army troops who stormed their house during the clashes. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "Well we were inside our house when the soldiers came in. They shot at my husband and took him away. It was not our fault - we were just at home." SUPER CAPTION: Maria Jimenez, Chevajebal villager A partial peace accord was signed in 1996 between the Zapatista rebels and the government, but talks have since broken down. Last week, Catholic Bishop Samuel Ruiz resigned as key mediator in talks between the two sides. Ruiz had served as leader of the National Mediation Commission (CONAI) since the Zapatistas took up arms four and half years ago. He resigned last Sunday - a move which meant the end of CONAI, which was disbanded hours after he quit. Ruiz blamed his resignation as mediator on the government and its unwillingness to return to the negotiating table after the breakdown of talks in 1996. At least 40-thousand federal troops now patrol the state of Chiapas. The government has been accused of links to vigilante groups that have clashed with Zapatista supporters, including a band that massacred 45 rebel sympathizers in the town of Acteal late last year. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...