From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Guatemala: Refugee return update #2
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 22:15:55 GMT

/** reg.guatemala: 165.0 **/
** Topic: REFUGEE RETURN UPDATE/SYNTHESIS **
** Written  3:21 pm  Jan 22, 1993 by web:jesuitctr in cdp:reg.guatemala **
            RETURN OF GUATEMALAN REFUGEES FROM MEXICO
                        MEDIA UPDATE # 2
 
                        January 22, 1993
 
 
     On January 20th, at 9:30 A.M., the 2,400 returning Guatemalan
refugees who make up the first group departed from the fairground
area in Comitan, the Kastalya, and the camp "Gracias a Dios" in 70
buses and began the journey home. The caravan was approximately 10
kilometers long, and included 30 vehicles of the accompaniers.
Accompanying the refugees were representatives of the Guatemalan
and Mexican refugee commissions (CEAR and COMAR respectively), the
Mexican Red Cross, and the Federal Highway Police. In the lead car
were Alfredo Witschi (UNHCR), Philip Anderson of the International
Consultation and Support Group (GRICAR), Mons. Samuel Ruiz, Bishop
of San Cristobal de las Casas, and a representative of the
Permanent Commissions. 
 
     When the refugees crossed the border at midday they were met
by Nobel Peace prize winner Rigoberta Menchu and Mons. Avila de
Aguila, President of the Mediating Commission (between the refugees
and the Guatemalan government). Ms. Menchu was accompanied to the
border by the Canadian Ambassador to Guatemala, Brian Dickson, and
two Canadian MPs, Dan Heap (NDP) and Beryl Gaffney (Liberal).
 
     Also present were members of various NGOs as well as fellow
Guatemalans, who welcomed the refugees with marimbas (traditional
Guatemalan instrument) and other forms of and music. Almost
immediately they set out for Huehuetenango, and the CEAR's
reception centre, two more hours of a journey. There they were to
receive their documentation, including cards for temporary
exemption from military service, as well as for medical assistance
and credit (see below for more details of the actual arrival at the
border).
 
     Observers and sources close to the Permanent Commissions agree
that the crossing is the direct result of the persistence of the
refugees themselves. The Permanent Commissions earlier in the month
had felt great pressure to delay the date of the return until after
January 13th. However, according to the Commissions themselves, the
refugees insisted in their general assemblies that they were not
going to wait any longer. It was the refugees who stimulated their
representatives in the Commissions to redouble their efforts and
keep moving forward, even when negotiations with the government
were quite tense and delicate.
 
The Reception Centre at Huehuetenango: Reported Problems
 
     The first day of the return was not without its problems,
prompting criticism of the Guatemalan government by the Permanent
Commissions. Even though hundreds of people came from many
different parts of Guatemala and other countries to attend the
arrival of the caravan in Huehuetenango, the Permanent Commissions
claim that CEAR did not permit those waiting to welcome the
refugees to do so, although it had been approved and planned. For
example, the Guatemalan police diverted traffic, which effectively
cancelled religious and cultural celebrations that had been planned
by various groups in Huehuetenango.
 
     The Permanent Commissions were also critical that the majority
of the returnees were given military blankets and tents in which to
sleep. The people, though, refused to use them, and since CEAR had
not made any other arrangements they were forced to improvise by
constructing tents of nylon. At 9:00 pm, many families still had no
place to sleep.
 
     In contravention of the agreement between the government and
the refugees, CEAR officials prevented the refugees from leaving
and returning to the reception centre, claiming that the refugees
were undocumented. The Permanent Commissions stated: "The returnees
needed to be able to move around in order to obtain on their own
the necessary materials for sleeping, because CEAR didn't provide
them."  Also, CEAR officials did not allow the internationals
accompanying the refugees to sleep in the same centre as the
refugees, nor did they give them any food.
 
     Perhaps foreshadowing problems to come, the government also
stated, through a communique released on January 20th by the
Guatemalan Embassy in Mexico, that the responsibility for the
health, food, transport, water and other logistics for the return
of the thousands of refugees is the responsibility of the UNHCR,
given that they had chosen the "long route" to Poligono 14.
 
 
The Situation of the Refugees
 
     While the Permanent Commissions said that there have been
cases of flu and diarrhea due to fatigue, the cold, travel, and the
lack of medical attention, no one has fallen gravely ill nor has it
been necessary to hospitalize anyone. To date, two children have
been born and both are in good health. Doctors of the Red Cross
report that 60 women are in the final weeks of pregnancy.
 
     In a statement by the office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), it was announced that in
Poligono 14 there is land assured for 250 families. The rest of the
refugees will stay there temporarily until the question of where
they will finally resettle is resolved. During this time, the UNHCR
further stated, the refugees will receive help from NGOs, which
will provide food and economic assistance.
 
     Reports about the conditions awaiting the refugees at Poligono
14 have raised concerns among those supporting the refugees. There
are only two structures built with tin and wooden poles, there is
no drinking water, no basic services, and only three latrines. And
the most delicate issue is that there is no road on which vehicles
might reach the site. CEAR announced that the Guatemalan government
would provide $4 million to make in improvements to the area.
 
     Also of concern is that nearby to the return site is a
military base with approximately 180 soldiers, whose function is to
organize patrol units in the zone. One local farmer interviewed in
Poligono 14 expressed his support for the refugees' return, but
claimed that the army is telling the local people that guerrillas
are coming along with the refugees.
 
     Meanwhile, the Guatemalan embassy in Mexico reported that the
government would sign an agreement with the Permanent Commissions
to demilitarize the Poligono 14 zone. However, the Permanent
Commissions stated that they had no knowledge of this and confirmed
that there is a "significant military presence" in the area of the
new settlements for the refugees.
 
 
Support and Accompaniment
 
     The UNHCR regional representative, Caesar Witschi, indicated
that the UNHCR will remain for one year in the resettlement areas
in order to guarantee the fulfillment of the agreement between the
Permanent Commissions and the government. He also announced that
the UNHCR has budgeted $2.3 million dollars to repatriate 14,000
refugees this year from the camps in Campeche, Chiapas and Quintana
Roo.
 
     According to the Permanent Commissions, during a meeting on
January 18th, the Guatemalan government finally accepted the
refugees' demand that the internationals accompanying them be able
to travel with them on the same buses. The refugees will have as
accompaniers 78 Guatemalans and a group of 107 international
observers from countries such as Germany, USA, Spain, Canada and
Holland. However, it appears that only about sixty to seventy of
these international volunteers will go on to Poligono 14 and
actually work with the people as they resettle.
 
     The NGOs accompanying the refugees see their task as one of
observing the entire process, from the time the refugees leave
Mexico until they arrive at their final destinations, in order to
report whatever anomalies that might occur and threaten the smooth
functioning of the return and/or the rights and security of the
refugees.
 
 
The Schedule for the Remainder of the Refugees' Return
 
     The following is the refugees' planned itinerary from
Huehuetenango to Poligono 14:
 
22/01/93 - Friday: (In Huehuetenango)
 
23/01/93 - Saturday:
     Leave Huehuetenango:                              6:00 am
     KM 187 (rest stop)                                9:00 am
     Cuatro Caminos (reception ceremony)              10:30 am
     Solola (welcome celebrations in route)       
     Los Encuentros (welcome celebrations in route)
     Chimaltenango (dinner)                            4:00 pm
          (Transit Police presence)
     Leave for Guatemala City:                         5:00 pm
     Arrive in Guatemala City:                         6:00 pm
 
The caravan will be divided in three parts with accompaniment by
the Transit Police and will go to different reception centers:
     1. Liceo Guatemala
     2. Instituto Indigena Santiago
     3. Liceo Javier
 
24/01/93 - Sunday: Rest Day
 
25/01/93 - Monday:
     Leave Guatemala City:                             7:00 am
     Meeting of the three caravans after the 
          Belize bridge (Transit Police presence)      7:30 am
     Arrival El Rancho (Transit Police presence)      12:30 pm
     Arrival in Coban:                                 5:00 pm
          Reception Centers:  1. El Calvario
                              2. San Marcos Parish
                              3. Nazarene Church
                              4. INJAV
                              5. Parish convent
                              6. Evangelical Centers
 
26/01/93 - Tuesday:
     Leave Coban:                                      5:00 am
     Arrival in Chisec:                                5:00 pm
       (After this date, one caravan 
       will leave each day with approximately 
       400 persons, roughly corresponding to 
       10 busses.)
 
27/01/93 - Wednesday:
     Leave Chisec:                                     5:00 am
     Arrival in Cantabal:                              5:00 pm
          Activities:  Thanksgiving Mass
                       Dinner and reception
 
28/01/93 - Thursday
     Leave Cantabal:                                   7:00 am
     Arrival in Poligono 14:                           1:00 pm
         
 
Concluding Comments
 
     Observers of the return feel that the government of President
Serrano wants to take advantage of the repatriation in order to
undo the isolation of his government within the international
community. President Serrano insists that things inside Guatemala
have changed, and that is why the refugees are returning. But the
refugees, especially after such a long and difficult process of
negotiations simply to obtain the right to return to their country
when and where they choose, certainly do not believe that things
have changed in Guatemala.
 
     NGOs and others supporting the refugees continue to call for
international vigilance, especially in these days of the first
return. Of particular concern after the first day is the violation
of the refugees' right to freedom of movement and the unwillingness
of the Guatemalan government to guarantee everything necessary for
the well-being of the returnees. According to these sources, the
necessary documentation for the return was taken care of in
Comitan, Mexico, in order to avoid any delays once the refugees
crossed the border. So there seems little justification for
curtailing the refugees's movement.
 
     Finally, there is ongoing preoccupation with the role of both
the UNHCR and the government of Guatemala. NGOs continue to call
for pressure to be brought to bear on the government to take
responsibility for the safety of the refugees. In particular, they
are insisting that the government exercise this responsibility
through civilian institutions in Guatemala, and not through the
Guatemalan army, which they claim should play no role at all in the
return, given that the refugees are civilians. Moreover, they
maintain that the government of Guatemala should be asked to
publicly guarantee the civil and human rights of the refugee
population.
 
     As for the UNHCR, NGOs insist that it should be pressured to
comply with its mandate and give the logistical support needed in
the future returns. Already, the Permanent Commissions report that
about 8,000 people have indicated a desire to be part of the second
caravan, whose date will be established in the middle of February.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
                             - 30 -
 
Prepared by the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith and Justice,
Toronto, based on information received from humanitarian sources in
Mexico and Guatemala monitoring the return. For more information
please call Laurel Whitney or Ted Hyland. Tel: (416) 469-1123.  Fax
** End of text from cdp:reg.guatemala **