(Fwd) UPDATE--HONDURAN INDIGENOUS/BLACK MOBILIZATION

[raquel@sdnhon.org.hn]

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Forwarded by:   	raquel@sdnhon.org.hn
Forwarded to:   	raquel@sdnhon.org.hn
Date forwarded: 	Mon, 26 Oct 1998 06:43:24 +0000
From:           	conpah@conpah.sdnhon.org.hn
To:             	hondurasindigenas@yahoo.com
Date sent:      	Fri, 23 Oct 1998 11:05:12 
Subject:        	UPDATE--HONDURAN INDIGENOUS/BLACK MOBILIZATION
Send reply to:  	hondurasindigenas@yahoo.com
Priority:       	normal
Organization:   	United Methodists, Honduras


23 October, 1998

** Hunger Strike Lifted. Entrance To Copan Ruins No Longer Blocked
** Partial Accord Signed between Government and Indigenous Leaders
** Peaceful Actions Continue til Government Fulfills Commitments
** International Members of Commission of Guarantors Threatened

MOST NONVIOLENT ACTIONS SUSPENDED AND NEW ACCORD SIGNED

On Oct. 11th, 1998, some 5000 indigenous and black initiated 
nationwide nonviolent protests to encourage the Honduran Government 
to fulfill its promises under the May 1997 Accord signed by then-
president Carlos Roberto Reina.  That Accord specified land turnovers 
to the Indigenous, outlined ways to protect human rights, and 
detailed plans to respond to urgent social needs of the most 
marginalized members of this poor nation.  The protests included 
holding 24-hour vigils at the United Nations Headquarters in 
Tegucigalpa, the National Congress building, the Consulate of 
Portugal (where President Carlos Flores participated in the VIII 
Iberoamerican Summit), and the Vatican Embassy.  A Hunger Strike took 
place at these last two locations.  Outside the capital, Garifunas 
protested at the Land Reform office in La Ceiba, and members of the 
Maya Chorti nation occupied the entrance to their Ancestral 
Ceremonial Grounds at Copan Ruinas as well as three tracts of land 
held by large landowners in the Department of Ocotepeque.

The 19 point Partial Agreement signed last night between the 
Government and Indigenous/Black leaders outlines ways the Government 
plans to turnover more land, respond to human rights, protect the 
environment, and other concerns, but it is sorely lacking.

In previous years, the Honduran Government has signed a number of 
accords with the Indigenous and Black leadership.  It has had a poor 
record on compliance.  For this reason, the Confederation of 
Autochthonous Peoples of Honduras (CONPAH) have not ruled out 
reinitiating direct nonviolent actions in the future to ensure that 
the Government lives up to its word.  Members of the Maya Chorti will 
allow the public to have access to the Ceremonial Grounds at this 
time, but will probably maintain vigil near the entrance until key 
components of this recent agreement are put into practice.  It is 
likely that the peaceful encampment of three areas of land in 
Ocotepeque will continue, since so little has been offered by 
the Government.

The May 1997 accord grants 2,000 hectares of land for the Chorti 
in Copan and 7,000 hectares in Ocotepeque.  To date only 363 hectares 
(18% of what was promised) have been granted in Copan and 161 
(2.3%) in Ocotepeque.  If the Government lives up to this latest 
agreement in the coming weeks, it will have turned over 1,354.5 
hectares (68%) in Copan, but only 400 (5.7%) in Ocotepeque.  For this 
reason, it is likely that the Indigenous will keep taking actions to 
persuade the Government to live up to its promises.

Threats Against International Workers

When the peaceful demonstrations began two weeks ago, some right-wing 
politicians and media accused international religious workers of 
being the prime movers behind the  protests.  They called for their 
deportation.  Among them was Alvaro Fernadez, named as a Guarantor in 
the 1997 Accord and supported by Caritas, a Catholic Social Ministry. 
He has accompanied the Chorti people in Copan for years.  In the 
wake of recent protests, efforts are continuing to seek his 
deportation.  He has suffered a great deal of intimidation from large 
landowners in the area, including having the nuts of the wheels of 
his vehicle loosened.

This past week, another international member of the Commission of 
Guarantors was the target of intimidation.  In a visit to Copan, 
Andres Thomas Conteris, whose human rights advocacy work in 
Honduras is sponsored by the United Methodist Church, was the target 
of surveillance by large landowners.  A unknown man associated with 
Rafael Gonzalez, the landowner who is the primary suspect in the 
April 1997 killing of Chorti leader Candido Amador, approached Thomas-
Conteris and photographed him and his vehicle even after being asked 
not to.  Later that night a car with darkened windows with two men 
inside was parked directly in front of Thomas-Conteris' residence in 
Tegucigalpa.  He was not home at the time, but guests staying there 
felt very intimidated.  These actions and others have been denounced 
to the authorities.

But more than any threat against international workers in Honduras, 
it is the Indigenous and Black peoples who most  suffer from threats 
and intimidation when they take peaceful action.  When the limelight 
from this most recent set of protests dims, the danger will increase 
for the native people who continue to strive for justice.

CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY.

Please write to express your support for the just demands of the 
Honduran Indigenous and Black people and urge the government to fully 
comply with the May 1997 Accord, especially in Ocotepeque.  Ask that 
there be no repercussions against international church workers who 
have been accompanying the Indigenous and Black peoples, especially 
Alvaro Fernandez.  Most importantly, insist that the autochthonous 
peoples be protected from possible reprisals by large landowners.

Contact: 

Embassy of Honduras:  e-mail embhondu@ix.netcom.com

Write or Fax:

Ing. Carlos Flores Facusse, Presidente de la Republica, Casa de
Gobierno, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  Fax (504) 237-8521 or (504) 235-6949

Excmo. Prof. Rafael Pineda Ponce, Presidente del Congreso Nacional, 
Palacio Legislativo, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.     Fax (504) 238-6040

If you would like to make a contribution to this worthy cause, 
economic support is very much needed (tax deductible in the US) 
Please send copies of your solidarity correspondence or write to us 
for more information:

Honduran Indigenous Support Group
e-mail: hondurasindigenas@yahoo.com
Raquel Isaula Peralta
Coordinadora Nacional
Programa Red de Desarrollo Sostenible - Honduras
Tel. (504) 220-1115,  220-1116
Fax. (504) 220-1117
E-mail:  raquel@sdnhon.org.hn
http:\\sdnhon.org.hn