The government promptly refused to implement the accords. The message from the Zapatista leadership ever since has been eloquent but simple - implement the San Andres accords, then continue with the peace process. On June 10 in the town of El Bosque firefights erupted when Zapatista militia members shot back at Government forces. That was the first time that Zapatistas had broken a cease-fire in Chiapas in more than three years. The poorly armed militia members seem to have fired in a moment of panic to defend themselves against assault by hundreds of government troops.
Eyewitnesses report something different.
Representatives of the autonomous municipality of San Juan de la Libertad expressed that they had seen the 6 men alive, that there had not been an armed confrontation, that they supported the EZLN, and that it was the army that fired when they tried to escape into the mountains. Indians know a little about the reportage of the New York Times. The Times follows the lead of the PRI by ignoring Indians when they speak, but paying close attention to their silence. For 500 years Indians have cried out for land, justice and democracy, but for the PRI and the Times, only their silence rings true. This is one in a series of reports prepared by the Mexico Solidarity Network evaluating the reporting of the New York Times on Chiapas, Mexico.