ZAPATISTAS ATTACKED IN ZINACANTAN

On April 10, 2004, militias affiliated with the PRD (Democratic Revolutionary Party) attacked about 4,000 unarmed Zapatistas protesting lack of water access in the municipality of Zinacantan.

The following day 484 Zapatistas fled three Zinacantan communities, seeking refuge in nearby towns. PRD supporters quickly destroyed their homes and ransacked their belongings.

The struggle for water in Zinacantan extends back to at least December 2003. According to a communication from the local Junta of Good Government: "The municipal president of Zinacantan cut off the water supply to the communities of Jechbó, Elambo Alto and Elambo Bajo in December of 2003.

They cut the water hose and removed the well and tank, and the problem has continued to worsen at the present time. The Zapatista bases continue without the right to water, because the PRD municipal official, his municipal agents and his local caciques are not allowing the Zapatista bases to collect water. Nor are they allowing anyone to store water for those families.

The Junta of Good Government of Caracol sent a letter to the Municipal President of Zinacantan, telling him to resolve the problem in a proper manner and to give the Zapatista support bases the right to water, but the Municipal President did not respond positively.

On April 10, the Junta of Good Government sent a commission from the Autonomous Municipalities of Los Altos of Chiapas to bring thousands of liters of water to the affected families. They called on the Municipal President to restore the right to water for the Zapatista support bases.

While the municipality of Zinacantan is governed by the PRD, at least 13 communities have significant numbers of Zapatista supporters, and in some the Zapatistas are the majority. Meanwhile, Secretary of Governance Santiago Creel claimed "Chiapas is no longer a headache for the federal government," and despite the recent confrontations in Zinacantan, the state "enjoys political stability."

The Junta of Good Government is requesting the presence of international human rights observers in the Zinacantan area.