Zapatista rebels reject Mexico's new Indian rights bill as too weak.
Conservatives in Chiapas are afraid it is too strong. Few on either side believe it will bring peace to the troubled state. Congress was aware of the explosive tensions in Chiapas when it watered down the rights bill, weakening chances for the kind of regional union of leftist Indian communities the rebels want. But while the changes prompted the Zapatistas to sever contacts with the government and soured Chiapas peace efforts, they may not be enough to calm the fears of Protestants, small landowners and conservatives who make up the state's non-Zapatista factions. A leftist group that is not linked to the Zapatistas but has a long-running rivalry with the PRI is thought to be responsible.