We are gathering together in this Bulletin a chronology of the events from August 25 to 30, 1999. The information has come from the state and national press and from denunciations and press conferences held by various organizations and bodies.

8/25/99: At 10 AM, 40 unarmed women and 3 men in the community of San José La Esperanza, showed up in the road, in order to demonstrate against the Army patrol. Hours later, the Army arrived. They shoved the women and detained three of the tojolabales. The indigenous demanded the release of their compañeros, upon which the Army fired at them, wounding two indigenous, who were hospitalized. Pedro Cervantes Aguirre, Brigadier General of the General Staff - and brother of the Secretary of National Defense - led the military operation. He also struck one of the indigenous, garroted him and kicked him in the ribs. The three were thrown on the ground, kicked in the stomach by the soldiers, had their hands bound and taken to the military camp in Maravilla Tenejapa.

8/25/99: More than 1500 indigenous and EZLN and ARIC-Independent sympathizers held a march and gathered in front of the military camp at Amador Hernández, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the Army from their lands and freedom of movement. At the same time, three state PRD Deputies were visiting the community, in order to learn about the situation there. They attempted to go onto a 2 hectare piece of land, where the Army had built their camp and destroyed plantings. A hundred military police officers with riot shields prevented them, leading to a verbal confrontation between Iván Camacho Zenteno, the Director of Political Affairs for the State Government, who has remained in the camp, and the legislators.

8/25/99: The actress Ofelia Medina, along with non-governmental organizations and the "SOS For Chiapas" Civil Initiative, denounced - in the Chamber of Deputies -the "belligerent actions" that are endangering peace and worsening the political crisis in Chiapas.

8/25/99: Carlos Payán, COCOPA member, stated that the federal government should intervene in Chiapas in order to put a stop to the climate of tension and violence generated by Governor Roberto Albores. "I nonetheless have the impression that he is only carrying out the dirty work with which he has been entrusted."

8/25/99: The National Immigration Institute cited Marco Ugarte, a photographer for the US agency, Associated Press, who had been sent by that company to cover events in the Amador Hernández ejido. Two officials insulted him and spat upon him in San Quintín.

8/25/99: The Solidarity Collective with the Zapatista Rebellion held a sit-in in the Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona, in order to protest what has been going on in Amador Hernández, the increase in militarization and attacks against international observers.

8/25/99: Opposition political parties and the COAO demanded the resignation of interim governor Roberto Albores Guillén.

8/25/99: The PAN in Chiapas was reviewing whether or not it would ask for Albores Guillén's resignation.

8/25/99: "SOS For Chiapas" activists in San Diego, California, demanded the withdrawal of the Mexican Army from Chiapas.

8/25/99: Campesinos of the CIOAC Independent, in the municipality of Las Margaritas, expressed their opposition to the "policies of terror and blood" of substitute governor Roberto Albores. At a press conference, they accused him of supporting paramilitary groups than have destroyed Evangelical churches, beaten up indigenous, killed innocent persons, as well as carried out kidnappings, such as the one that occurred on August 14, when 5 indigenous were held for more than 72 hours.

8/25/99: The National Indigenous Congress made an urgent call to the various indigenous organizations and communities to carry out acts of resistance, such as rallies and sit-ins, at military camps throughout the country, in order to stop the escalation of the war against the EZLN.

8/25/99: Roberto Albores Guillén, interim governor, said: "I will not resign as governor of Chiapas."

8/25/99: Peace and Justice, a paramilitary group in the northern region, lifted the checkpoint in the municipality of Tila that was blocking the passage of observers.

8/26/99: The Department of National Defense (SEDENA) stated that a group of 40 masked persons attacked a military contingent in the Maravilla Tenejapa region with stones, sticks, machetes and knives, resulting in machete injuries to seven soldiers. They characterized the incident as "a clear provocation, seeking an excessive reaction by the troops." Three "aggressors" were detained in the action: Ramiro Vázquez Rodríguez, Andrés Pérez Jiménez and Daniel Gómez López. The Secretary of Government, Diodoro Carrasco, said that one should not assume that government strategy has changed because of these incidents: that of maintaining a stable climate, of social peace and of attention to the legitimate demands of the indigenous peoples.

8/26/99: Zapatista sympathizers held marches in Ocosingo and Altamirano in order to protest Albores Guillén's policies. They accused him of provoking a "war between indigenous brothers."

8/26/99: José Antonio Pescador Ozuna, Under Secretary of Population and Immigration Services for the Department of Government, stated that the Mexican government does not have a persecutory attitude, nor is it against the presence of, foreign observers in Chiapas, but it does demand that the country's legislation be observed. He added that there are between 300 and 400 foreign observers in Chiapas from human rights organizations, who have been allowed to carry out their work without any obstacles.

8/26/99: At the Permanent Commission tribunal, the PRD demanded the resignation of chiapaneco governor Roberto Albores Guillén. They also demanded that President Zedillo put aside the attempt at a military solution and opt for a change in policy in the country's domestic policy that would bring about reconciliation, and not confrontation.

8/26/99: A group of PRIs entered a civil peace camp in the Morelia ejido, attempting to expel the civil observers. They even threatened to incarcerate them. That same night, PRIs took 6 members of the community prisoner, without explaining the reasons, and they threatened to take over the Autonomous Municipality facilities after they attacked the offices. The detainees' houses were stoned and looted.

8/26/99: The Secretary of Government, Diodoro Carrasco, informed the COCOPA that, in order to reduce political tensions in Chiapas, a decision had been made to suspend construction of the road that would cross through the community of Amador Hernández. Other options would be studied, such as diverting the road from San Quintín to Nuevo Chapultepec.

8/26/99: Carlos Payán, COCOPA member, said that the only inciting the governor had done to the "chiapaneco flock" had been that of creating "a kind of Kosovo in Chiapas, and that alone should be enough for a political judgment to be made against him for his dismissal."

8/26/99: Rafael Macedo de la Concha, Attorney General for Military Justice, stated that the shots fired by the Army against indigenous in the municipality of Las Margaritas "did not break the cease-fire called in 1994." He said that it "was an act of provocation against the armed forces" by EZLN support bases, who were carrying sticks, stones and machetes. Because of "meteorological" problems, after 24 hours in military hands, Ramiro Vázquez, Andrés Pérez and Daniel Gómez (names released by the SEDENA), or Enrique López, Estanislao López and Carmelino Méndez (according to the EZLN), were turned over to the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, and they were prevented from communicating with their lawyers. The military prosecutor warned that the Army "would continue acting with the prudence necessary to avoid acts of violence. They want to taunt the soldiers and get a confrontation, but the armed forces will continue behaving maturely."

8/26/99: Raúl Vera López and Samuel Ruiz, Bishops of San Cristóbal, said that peace in Chiapas is "seriously damaged" and the latest incidents, in which the Army fired on indigenous, "can be interpreted in no other way than as provocations of violence."

8/26/99: José Antonio González Fernández, President of the PRI National Executive Committee, stated that the events in Chiapas are "sporadic outbreaks of violence."

8/26/99: Representatives of 70 social, human rights and intellectual organizations came out for "the immediate withdrawal of the Army from Chiapas, respect for the right of freedom of movement in the national territory, as well as of freedom of expression and association, and the complete carrying out of the San Andrés Accords and the Law for Dialogue and Peace in Chiapas."

8/26/99: Roberto Albores Guillén, interim governor of Chiapas, stated that what happened in San José La Esperanza, in the municipality of Las Margaritas, is just an "incident" that would not affect the "calm" in the state. "The only thing there is to be sorry for is the attack suffered by the soldiers," he added.

8/26/99: Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, head of the capital government, and PRD aspirant for the presidency, called the military incursion "provocatory."

8/27/99: Neil Harvey, researcher, stressed that: "The government's policy is to contain social discontent and to isolate the zapatista phenomena. There has been a lot of social spending over the last few days () in order to confront the discontent and to buy a little social peace."

8/27/99: The "SOS For Chiapas" initiative, promoted by student, human rights, civil, urban, artists, teachers, and other organizations, called for the promotion of actions for peace in Chiapas.

8/27/99: Javier Elorriaga denounced an attack, a car crash in the Angel de la Independencia in Mexico City during a sit-in against the war in Chiapas, where the attacker warned: "First call for Chiapas."

8/27/79: The three indigenous detained by the Army in San José La Esperanza were released upon payment of 17,000 pesos bail.

8/27/99: Civil organizations in Chiapas met with the COCOPA and demanded the departure of the Army, an end to military harassment and a political judgment against interim governor Roberto Albores.

8/27/99: PRD Deputies visited San José La Esperanza and stated: "We have confirmed (Roberto) Albores' lack of authority, we have the facts to ask for a political judgment. Let him leave the state in peace, let him stop provoking confrontations between civilians and soldiers." They confirmed that the soldiers had not been relocated, nor had the work on the Amador Hernández highway been suspended.

8/27/99: Iván Camacho Zenteno, interim governor Roberto Albores' political operative - who remained in the military camp in Amador Hernández - warned that he had no instructions whatsoever to suspend the work. He added that "the soldiers are already making fortifications to defend themselves, that's why they're cutting down more trees." This confirmed the EZLN communiqué: "The federal Army troops continue in Amador Hernández, and they are continuing their work of fortification, provisioning and arms emplacements, announcing that they will be remaining there for an indefinite time period."

8/27/99: Emilio Rabasa, "Coordinator for Dialogue," stated that the EZLN is trying to draw out the conflict because now it is "a way of life." He said the government is willing to negotiate the conditions set by the EZLN, and that the "incidents" that occurred show that the zapatistas "don't want to negotiate." He denied that the government was planning to attack indigenous communities, or that it had already done so.

8/27/99: Following a demonstration by 800 zapatistas in the Morelia ejido, Aguascalientes IV, PRIs released six indigenous whom they had detained. The community said that the PRIs had received military training, and the situation is at the point of exploding into violence.

8/28/99: The PRD announced the existence of 16,450 Mexican Army troops in 13 indigenous communities bordering, and on the outskirts of, the Montes Azules biosphere reserve in the municipality of Ocosingo, where EZLN insurgent forces are presumed to be located. They noted that the presence of rapid response special forces is striking, as well as artillery regiments and motorized cavalry, with materiel, including 81 mm. mortars and 106 mm. high precision, long range and penetration cannons. There are 2000 troops in Taniperla, 500 in Perla de Acapulco, 2000 in San Caralampio, 450 in Guanal, 800 in Amador Hernández, 2000 in San Quintín, 2000 in La Soledad, 500 in La Sultana, 1000 in Patihuitz, 300 in La Garrucha, 3000 in Ocosingo, 750 in Palestina, 150 in La Trinitaria, and so on. There are also 14 Rainbow Task Force groups, 5 Special Forces Airmobile Groups (GAFE), one unit of the Rapid Intervention Force, a cavalry regiment and a regiment of Special Operations infantry. There are 10 Mixed Operational Bases in Chiapas, four Mexican Navy detachments, and so on.

8/28/99: The COCOPA visited the community of Amador Hernández, where they verified that Governor Roberto Albores had not given instructions to suspend the construction of the road, as the Department of Government had announced. General Fermín Rivas himself, the Commander of the 39th Military Region, confirmed that the soldiers would be remaining in the community. At the same time, people were shouting: "Chiapas, Chiapas, it's not a barracks, Army get out!" "The San Andrés Accords are now, not later!" Roberto Albores' political operative told the deputies that there were no orders to stop the road.

8/28/99: The interim governor of Chiapas, Roberto Albores Guillén, spent more than 20 million pesos in 6 months on publicity in order to promote his image.

8/28/99: The authorities (7 directors) of the new municipalities, created by the interim governor, expressed their protest over governing until December of 2001, and they agreed that there were at least 2 or 3 military positions in all of them. Pedro Sántiz, president of Maravilla Tenejapa said that, following the events in San José La Esperanza, at least 5000 military forces arrived.

8/28/99: Tens of thousands of workers and citizens marched in Mexico City against President Zedillo's proposal to privatize the electricity industry.

8/28/99: Campesino organizations in Chiapas demanded an end to the military incursions (OCEZ-BFP, OCEZ-CNPA DI). The situation "reflects the social instability and demonstrates the state government's inability to govern and incapacity to peacefully resolve the conflicts." They characterized the interim governor as authoritarian and anti-democratic.

8/28/99: Department of Government sources said that there was never confirmation that the project to build a highway in the Montes Azules region would be completely suspended, just the stretch where the community of Amador Hernández is located.

8/30/99: The Inter-Religious Council of Mexico, during a meeting in Acteal, called for "the renunciation of violence as an institutionalized means of resolving conflicts."

8/30/99: Seventy members of the "SOS For Chiapas" caravan arrived in San Cristóbal de las Casas with 20 tons of humanitarian aid for the communities of La Realidad and Morelia, among others.

8/30/99: Organizations making up the Civil Observation Network (RECIO), of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, warned of "possible confrontations" between PRIs and zapatistas in the community of Morelia. They also accused interim governor Roberto Albores of orchestrating a xenophobic campaign that has also been extended to non-chiapaneco Mexicans, and of inciting PRI groups to establish checkpoints and to harass campesinos.

8/30/99: The State Attorney General's Office suspended the arrest warrants against UNAM strikers and campesinos from the community of Amador Hernández, accused of various crimes arising from their opposition to the building of the road and the presence of the federal Army.

8/30/99: Opposition parties in Chiapas demanded that President Zedillo "give an emphatic response of peace in Chiapas, through the political path." They demanded the renewal of dialogue, the carrying out of the San Andrés Accords and the demilitarization of the state.

8/30/99: The ARIC Democratic organization joined in the demand for the withdrawal of troops from Ocosingo.

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