Guatemalan military seizes drug-plagued province

[xinhui]

Guatemalan military seizes drug-plagued province
AP

Guatemalan military seizes drug-plagued province - Yahoo! News


By JUAN CARLOS LLORCA, Associated Press Juan Carlos Llorca, Associated Press – Sun Dec 19, 8:31 pm ET

COBAN, Guatemala – The Guatemalan military declared a state of siege Sunday in a northern province that authorities say has been overtaken by Mexican drug traffickers.

The government initiated the monthlong measure in the Alta Verapaz province to reclaim cities that have been taken over by the Zetas drug gang, Ronaldo Robles, a spokesman for Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, told radio station Emisoras Unidas.

"It is to bring peace to the people and recover their confidence in the government," he said.

A state of siege allows the army to detain suspects without warrants, conduct warrantless searches, prohibit gun possession and public gatherings, and control the local news media. Guatemalan law allows the measure amid acts of terrorism, sedition or "rebellion," or when events "put the constitutional order or security of the state in danger."

The state of siege was put in place for 30 days, but "will last as long as necessary," Colom told Emisoras Unidas. He asked citizens to trust and cooperate with authorities.

The Zetas are a group of ex-soldiers who started as hit men for the Gulf drug cartel before breaking off on their own, quickly becoming one of Mexico's most violent gangs and spreading a reign of terror into Central America. They are notorious for their brutality, having pioneered the now-widespread practice of beheading rivals and officials.

In addition to drugs, The Zetas have branched out into all manner of organized crime activity: extorting businesses; smuggling oil stolen from pipelines; controlling the sale of pirated CDs and DVDs; and charging migrants "fees" to pass through their territory.

The cartel is blamed for some of the worst of Mexico's soaring drug violence — including the massacre in August of 72 migrants who refused to join their ranks. An ongoing turf war with their former allies, the Gulf cartel, has terrorized much of the northeastern states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.

In Guatemala, Robles said numerous cities in Alta Verapaz province have been overrun by drug traffickers and that the government decided it was time to take them back.

Anti-drug agents wearing ski masks to hide their identity patrolled the streets of the provincial capital, Coban, on Sunday.

Police officers and soldiers searched at least 16 homes and offices, as well as all vehicles entering and exiting the city, the government said on its website.

Gudy Rivera, a congressman from the opposition Patriotic Party, said the government's action came too late.

The state of siege also is meaningless "if we continue to have police corruption, a weak justice system and weak jails," added David Martinez Amador, an analyst and expert on criminal behavior.

Guatemalan news media have reported that the local population lives in fear of drug traffickers, who they say roam the streets in all-terrain vehicles and armed with assault weapons. Some were forced to give up their property to the traffickers, according to the reports.

A leaked Oct. 28, 2009 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City described a proposal by Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Guillermo Galvan Galvan to control the violence in that country by calling a type of state of emergency suspending some constitutional rights in several cities.

Then-Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont batted down the idea, and in the cable, then-Charge d'Affaires John Feeley said that U.S. government analysis showed the benefits were "uncertain at best, and the political costs appear high."

[xinhui]

uncertain at best, and the political costs appear high."

Not everyone welcomes this move, given abuse by the military during the civil war

[xinhui]

My home town's police chief was gunned down last night by drug gangs. RIP.

[S2]

Present Arms! I'm sorry to read that, Andy. These are tough days south of the Rio Grande. Guatemala and Honduras have even less resources at their disposal for self-protection. I suspect in the years to come that Spanish language studies will see a considerable uptick at the Defense Language Institute.

[Skywatcher]

RIP. I'm afraid things might get worse before they get better.

[xinhui]

Thanks S2.


The real sad thing is that the assassination is not "a news" anymore.

Spanish language studies will see a considerable uptick at the Defense Language Institute.

I hope so as the government plans to expand the army next year from 17,000 to 21,000 -- A still very small sum for a country of 14.5 million I might add

[sappersgt]

I suspect in the years to come that Spanish language studies will see a considerable uptick at the Defense Language Institute.

Probably start up courses in Quiche again.

[S2]

sappersgt. Reply

"Probably start up courses in Quiche again."

I think you're correct that a lot of Indians, in particular, don't speak Spanish. I'll largely defer to Andy here but there's a real regional problem brewing.

What they're experiencing in Guatemala likely has a bleedover effect into Chiapas and vice versa. Probably as far west as Oaxaca and east into the Yucatan.

Then you've got rural peasant rights issues that's a continuing carryover from the Zapatista movement. It's a real stew whose lid is starting to not just simmer but blow off. I've read Mexico lost more than 30,000 civilians in the narco-wars since late 2006. That's no less than 7500 per year but almost certainly escalating by any scale.

Hell. Who am I kidding? It's damned near everything south of the Rio Grande reaching right down as far south as Peru. Maybe Bolivia. We're complicit because of the drug demand and so, increasingly, also Europe and Africa Large coca routes now run in those directions too. We've also got, obviously, a border control issue that's out of whack.

Afghanistan is small beans compared to what's just over the horizon.

[Skywatcher]

This also makes me wonder what will happen to the veteran terrorists of today, after the whole Salafist movement caves in ideologically. I'm worried that they'll start selling their services to whatever will be the next terrorist/militant/separatists of twenty years from now, become enforcers for the drug cartels and such, or go into the narco business themselves (like FARC did).

[sappersgt]

[B]
I think you're correct that a lot of Indians, in particular, don't speak Spanish. I'll largely defer to Andy here but there's a real regional problem brewing.

Taking the course sometimes won't help. In some villages they will refuse to speak Quiche to any "white" person. They or some spokesperson will talk to you Spanish or English but they will refuse to talk to you in Quiche.

What they're experiencing in Guatemala likely has a bleedover effect into Chiapas and vice versa. Probably as far west as Oaxaca and east into the Yucatan.

Then you've got rural peasant rights issues that's a continuing carryover from the Zapatista movement. It's a real stew whose lid is starting to not just simmer but blow off

My friends who were burned out month before last say it wasn't so much about wildlife conservation. It was the boiling over of underlying tensions, grievances over 400 years old. Include lack of local representation, throw in tales of the Kaibiles and now the government IS the enemy.

[S2]

Looks like you know a lot about the region. That's good. With Andy and you, we should have some good discussions going forward. This thing isn't going onto any backburner anytime soon. It's only going to get worse.

[xinhui]

Prez Colom has been calling for a regional approach in dealing with the drug trade. However, Mexican government just don't have much juice left to be much of a help. He has been very careful not to point fingers at Mexico but words in the street is saying otherwise as people do blame Mexico as the source of the problem. The more powerful is the Los Zetas, a Mexican gulf cartel. While there are Guatemalan within the rank, all the higher ups are Mexicans.

S2, if you think 7500 killings a year is bad, the drug related killing in Guatemala reached 10,000 last year in a much smaller population.

Then you've got rural peasant rights issues that's a continuing carryover from the Zapatista movement.

Up north yes, but the main route is by sea and by the Inter-American Highway (CA-1) down south. Zapatista movement is Sunday school compare to the drug trade.

[xinhui]

Include lack of local representation, throw in tales of the Kaibiles and now the government IS the enemy.

Yes, years of civil war does have that impact on you. Silver Mine is the silver lining for Guatemala right now, as the price and silver jumps, so does mining in Guatemala (144% growth last year measured by production), but as you guessed, jobs are going to the selected few and the local Quiche is not one of them. Still it is worthy of exploiting.

[xinhui]

sappersgt,

The Joint Inter-Agency Task Force - South (JIATF-S) is receiving very low key coverage in the press, given the past history of US involvement, it is understandable.

[sappersgt]

sappersgt,

The Joint Inter-Agency Task Force - South (JIATF-S) is receiving very low key coverage in the press, given the past history of US involvement, it is understandable.

Things got a little chilly before they got better.

by S-2
Looks like you know a lot about the region.

A little but unfortunately it's mostly all old stuff. I sometimes hear stories out of Belize but they're all third hand.