Urgent Appeal for donations: Hurricanes devastate Southern Mexico

Last October, hurricanes Wilma and Stan wrought massive devastation to Central America. In southern Chiapas, heavy rainfall, landslides and flooding have devastated city districts, destroyed coastal villages, and ruined harvests.

The Zapatista Clandestine Revolutionary Command is appealing for international civil society to help organise direct aid for the region, in order to rebuild the lives of those affected. In response, Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group has decided to send £170 from group funds to Chiapas to help with the relief efforts and is appealing for supporters to contribute as well.

In response to the EZLN's request the edinchiapas group has decided to send a donation of money to help the zapatista communities deal with the situation they now found themselves in and to rebuild their lives.

The group has elected to put £170 of its funds towards this relief effort and hopes that individuals on this list will be able to contribute too. It is planned to send the money to Mexico in 2 weeks time so if you are able to help can you please get your donation to us by Friday 18th November.

To donate you can either send a cheque (made payable to the 'Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group') to:

Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group c/o A.C.E. 17 West Montgomery Street EH7 5HA Edinburgh

Or alternatively you can make a transfer/payment in to our account directly:

Clydesdale Bank Sort code: 82-45-05 Account No. 60129411

The latest report and the communique can be found below.

In solidarity,

Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group

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Report on the situation in Chiapas (roughly translated by the Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group)

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Closing report on the zapatista bases of support affected by the Stan hurricane in the mountain range and coastal zones, Autonomous Municipalities Tierra y Libertad and Caracol de la Realidad to the groups of solidarity of Europe and the world that corresponds:

Although the attention of means and the official aid focus was on the Wilma hurricane, after the effects of the Stan hurricane, that happened through different states in Mexico and destroyed everything that it touched in its passage at the beginning of October, in our life we have seen something similar, say people in these regions, poor and humble people in their majority.

To the south of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, whole villages in the countryside, in the mountains, along the coastline and districts in the cities have disappeared from the map. There they live, they work and they resist, they are organized and they fight, men and women, zapatista bases of support, among them many nonindigenous.

During 4 or 5 days, water and earth, mud, tree trunks and debris that the hurricane dragged in its step, destroyed houses and undressed families, buried properties, destroyed cultures. The zapatistas bases of support suffered many damages.

Che Guevara, an independent community in the mountain range zone, disappeared completely, along with the independent center of qualification of promoters of education and health of all the zone, that three months ago it had begun work on. The zapatistas, the compass as they call themselves, lost their houses, their cultures of maize and their coffee plantations, their land and everything what they had. Now it is necessary to get more land in order to rebuild everything, their lives.

Half of the town of Toquián, before at the summit of the mountain, today is totally demolished. The houses disappeared, they were buried, or moved several meters, when the Earth of the mountain began to collapse after the rains. The coffee plantations and milpas were affected totally, losing all the harvest. Zapatistas families had to leave the town, whereas others continue living in their houses, with the danger that the Earth, that already is loose, yields again. All the land is at risk, the reason why there is no place to cultivate nor to construct houses.

The situation in Motozintla, in this same zone, is not different. Half of the city has been destroyed, the compass have lost some houses, but most serious it is the bad quality of the air that they breathe. It has been seen that many people use masks because of the permanent dust that invades the city.

In the city of Huixtla, of the coastal zone, colonies there were buried, others disappeared. The zapatista bases of support lost their houses, in addition to their tricycles, with which they gained their life working like traveling taxi drivers and salesmen.

In Tapachula also they were affected with several houses and very many properties lost. The independent school was buried in mud.

The total reach of the disaster is not known, because many zapatistas stay incomunicados. On the other hand, the fishermen, support bases, in Puerto Madero and El Arenal can no longer fish. In El Arenal, they lost houses and cayucos, and their water reserves were contaminated. The life of its children, of the others, are in danger by the diseases that are brought in the suspended waters that the hurricane left, and the unbearable heat that characterizes the zone, turning in to a potential center of dengue and malaria.

It is a month now since the passage of the hurricane, the necessities are many and urgent for all people. The aid that the government gives to the poor population is enough to eat for a day and little more, to say nothing for men and women, families who lost everything. The zapatista bases of support, like always, do not request nor accept any type of governmental aid. They themselves organize, others support and thus they survive. The first aid brought together by the Meeting of Good Government of La Realidad (food, clothes and medicines to cover the first and more urgent necessities), arrived as fast as it could, and it continues arriving with the support of the communities and civil society. The affected zapatistas follow with heart and force. The faith in the fight and the solidarity of its companions feeds them to continue living, that is to continue fighting, to reconstruct their lives, to fortify their autonomy, once again beginning from nothing? In this stage they have to reconstruct, in addition to their houses, their means of production and subsistence in order that they can provide for their own necessities. It is important that the efforts of support and international solidarity considers this reality.

Fdo: Compass international present in Chiapas to send its support, contacts with one of the groups of solidarity with the zapatistas

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CCRI-CG/EZLN: requesting aid for storm victims
Originally published in Spanish by the EZLN
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Translated by irlandesa

Communiqué from the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation

Mexico

October 17, 2005

To the People of Mexico To the Peoples of the World To the Other Campaign

Brothers and Sisters Compañeras and Compañeros:

First - As everyone is aware, the heavy rains of the last few weeks have caused serious damage to the poor population of several states of the Mexican Republic, among them the state of Chiapas. Owing to this catastrophe, the very poorest have been left with nothing, and, in addition to the burden of pain at having lost what little they had, they must now put up with the bad leaders inability to provide humanitarian aid, politicians using the media to plunder their misfortune and the one who turns the disaster zones into an election bulletin.

Second - Apart from the bureaucracies and corruption of the Mexican political class (which has turned the misfortunes of the poorest into a publicity spot), honest non-governmental organizations, groups, social organizations, political organizations of the left and individuals are organizing help for the affected persons.

Third - At the present time, authorities of the Good Government Junta of the Selva-Border Region and the Tierra y Libertad Rebel Zapatista Autonomous Municipality, which includes communities in the Border, Sierra and Coast of Chiapas, have gone personally to the affected area in order to see how the zapatista support base compañeros and compañeras who reside in those places are doing.

Fourth - The Good Government Committee has only been able to reach a few areas, because the roads to some zapatista communities and villages are cut off. The first report from the Good Government Junta notes, up to now, that there are close to 300 zapatista support bases who are suffering from damage caused by the rains, hill slides and rivers overflowing. 62 homes were destroyed, 37 of them completely and 25 with severe damage.

Fifth - The Good Government Junta of La Realidad is devoting part of its resources to helping these compañeros and compañeras. The zapatista peoples in other areas are also organizing aid, and the EZLN has already earmarked part of its war funds for helping our support bases in those places, but it is not enough, and we are having difficulties with transportation.

Sixth - The CCRI-CG of the EZLN is, therefore, respectfully addressing their compañeros and compañeras from the Other Campaign and individuals, groups and collectives from other countries, and it is calling on them to organize, below and to the left of governments and political parties, direct aid for this region. We are especially directing ourselves to the compañeros and compañeras of the Other Campaign in Chiapas so that they can provide premises and transportation.

Seventh - As offered to the Good Government of Junta of La Realidad, aid can be received at the following locations in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas (to be then moved from there to those places that need it): Desmi A.C., Enlace Civil and Melel Xojobal. The humanitarian aid will be received directly by the zapatista indigenous victims.

Democracy!! Liberty!! Justice!!

From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast

By the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation

Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos

Mexico, October of 2005