President Refuses to Free Ramiro Choc; Conceeds to Some Peasant Demands

Waiting in line at one of the charrasco stands (delicious grilled meat ... sorry to my vegan friends) at the central park in Coban, north eastern Guatemala, I overheard an interesting conversation.

¨The government will never release Ramiro Choc,¨ said one of the people in line.

¨You´re right,¨ another responded. ¨They know he will unite the people in defense of their families and human rights. The businesses won´t be able to steal their lands.¨

Their words proved prophetic during yesterday´s meeting between peasant leaders and President Alvaro Colom. Colom agreed to meet with them after the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC) blocked 14 major roadways throughout the country on Monday, demanding that the government take action on eight issues (see previous blog entry).

Colom was unequivocal in his refusal to support the release of Choc. He also refused to remove from the country corporations which are blatantly violating human rights.

Using classic excuses, Colom said the corporations are bringing much needed jobs to the country. As if violently evicting thousands of people from their homes, polluting their rivers and clear cutting their forests, and then giving a few dozen of them jobs could honestly be called ¨development.¨

CUC did successfully push the President to move forward on some issues. The military will withdraw from the property of Cementos Progreso in San Juan Sacatepequez, where they have been acting as private mercenaries and terrorists for the corporation. Local leaders who have organized against the theft and environmental destruction that the factory brings have faced false imprisonment, torture and assassination. The President´s decision to withdraw troops from the private property is a victory for the movement, but he announced the soldiers will remain at another location in the town.

The President also announced that he will bow down to the demand to cooperate with CICIG (the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala) in investigations into clandestine armed groups which are targeting indigenous and peasant community leaders. A follow-up meeting was planned between CUC and representatives of the President on December 10 to continue negotiations.

CUC is not willing to accept such limited cooperation from the government. ¨We made the government tremble when we brought our force to the streets on Monday,¨ said CUC National Committee member Daniel Pascual. ¨We will do it again if they don´t side with the people over the multinational corporations.¨