IN FOCUS III: Summary of the Comments of CONAI on President Zedillo’s Legislative Proposal on Indigenous Rights and Culture

ANALYSIS: Chiapas, the War in Depth

SIPAZ Activities (January – March 1998)

30/04/1998

Issued an Urgent Action appeal (together with Global Exchange) on the campaign against foreign presence in Chiapas.
Visited the refugee camps in Acteal and X’oyep two times and made several visits to refugee camps in San Cristobal in order to gather information.
Gave interviews to Die Tageszeitung (Germany) and The New York Times (USA).
Speaking tour of two team members in the San Francisco, California area; 7 presentations on SIPAZ and the situation in Chiapas to more than 400 persons.

Attended as observers the Third Ecumenical Encounter with participants from Chenalho.
Accompanied the “Pilgrimage for Peace” from Chiapas to Mexico City, organized by the Diocese of San Cristobal.
Attended the one-month anniversary service of the Acteal massacre.
Accompanied the First Secretary of the British Embassy to Acteal.
Received the following visitors, among others: a delegation of the Mennonite Central Committee, students from the Instituto de Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, and various delegations from the USA and Canada.
Conducted interviews with, among others, the National Human Rights Commission in San Cristobal and Mexico City; members of Congress; representatives of Las Abejas.

Facilitated two workshops on Conflict Resolution (part of a series of 12 workshops) for non-governmental organizations in San Cristobal de las Casas; themes: “Violence and Nonviolence” and “Introduction to Peaceful Resolution of Conflict.”
Presented two workshops on mental health and managing trauma, facilitated by mental health specialists, for people who are working with the displaced.
Facilitated workshops as part of the Ecumenical Bible School.
Contributed to a workshop on “Strategies for Peace” whose objective was to respond to the problem of the displaced in the Chiapas highlands.
Participated in the preparation and attended a forum on three themes (Acteal, the State Accord for Reconciliation, and the role of the media in the Chiapas conflict) as part of International Women’s Day.
Attended a meeting of the Mennonite network in Honduras.