Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 23:39:02 -0800
Subject: M-G: Interview With The MRTA - December 19, 1996



On Wed, 18 Dec 1996, Amy E Knaggs <aeknaggs-AT-hopper.unh.edu> wrote:
>>
>I'm wondering...does anyone have any comments or information on the 
>situation in Peru regarding the hostages held by the militant guerilla 
>group? I believe that I recall the group being mentioned in past posts as 
>being a rather vaguely defined, elusive one. Also, does anyone else think 
>it's a little fishy that the American ambassador left the party 30 
>minutes before the takeover occurred? And...What effect will this event 
>have on >the image of marxist groups around the world? As I am not very 
>familiar with the political system and structure in Peru, or the current 
>situation, I would appreciate the response of those who could enlighten 
>me on this subject.
>
>amy esther knaggs-lazarowicz
>dept. of history
>university of new hampshire
>
>aeknaggs-AT-christa.unh.edu

Greetings;

My name is Jay Miles and I work with the Peru Support
Committee/Detroit.  The situation in Lima is an interesting
one.  There are a number of things about it that just don't 
smell correctly.  It has been about a year since the MRTA
(Movimiento Revolucionaraio Tupac Amaru has been in the 
news for an action, and it was a similar scenario to this
one only on a smaller scale.  Much TV and media attention
was focused on that action too.  While at the same time 
a much bigger story was occurring in Peru, an attack on
a prison by the PCP in which many prisoners escaped, and
no mention of it appeared in the news there.  Supposedly
the last of the MRTA and it's leadership was captured then
and it was expected that they were all washed up.  The MRTA
is not fighting a people's war, they do not have base areas,
nor have much support of the masses. They have an insufficient
class differentiation which demands that saviors save the 
oppressed, no need for a party, and a united front without
the national bourgeoisie.  They appeared out of nowhere seemingly
a number of years ago, a group of persons all dressed in new 
military uniforms, with the finest of shiny combat boots.  Their
first appearance was on Peruvian TV, a press conference, very unusual
in itself. They were a group of revolutionaries that had recieved
training in Cuba and recieved assistance from the Cuban government.  
They claimed to be the real revolutionaries in Peru and set 
themselves against the PCP (Communist Party of Peru).  In one
of their first actions they attempted to drive the PCP out of 
an area and were defeated soundly and forced to leave the area
themselves.  At that time Castro was basically using them as
pawns in trade negotiations with the Peruvian government.  

One thing the Peruvian government has been desperatly trying
to put over is the idea that the PCP and the People's War they
are leading is near dead, they are routed and defeated and have
been giving up the armed struggle.  In the following interview
the PCP and the Peoples War in Peru is not even mentioned, 
although the war is still raging on with many battles continuously.
If you would like the information on recent actions by PCP, I
can send them to you.  The information below is from 
"Arm the Spirit", a mailing list on the internet.  There are
also a couple of lists, the Peru List and the Tumi List where
a lot of information about the situation is being discussed,
almost all of it in Spanish though.  If you would like info
on subscribing to the lists, I can give you that info.

Jay Miles / Detroit
===============================Party Service Tupac Amaru

During an elaborate dinner party being held in honor of
Japan's emperor, armed left-wing guerrillas from the Tupac
Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) literally crashed
the event and took dozens of businessmen, ambassadors,
and other senior politicians hostage in what is truly one of
the boldest guerrilla actions in years.

As this situation unfolds, we plan to send out regular updates
on ats-l, mostly from mainstream sources. We will also be translating
an interview with the MRTA which was given shortly after the standoff
in Lima began.

Arm The Spirit, December 19, 1996
====================================================================Subject: Interview With The MRTA - December 19, 1996

What Are The Goals Of Your Embassy Occupation?

Interview With Norma Velazco, Representative Of The Tupac Amaru
Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) In Peru

(Translated by Arm The Spirit from "junge Welt", Dec.19, 1996)

What are the goals of your embassy occupation?

In a situation of violence and increased repression, being exerted by
the Peruvian authorities against political prisoners, the military
action of the MRTA has two goals:

  1. The release of MRTA prisoners, as well as those prisoners falsely
accused by the government of being MRTA militants.

  2. To carry out an action against neo-liberalism, which the Peruvian
regime is practicing.

Why did the MRTA, by taking foreign diplomats hostage, seek an
international confrontation?

The MRTA does wish a confrontation with the international community and
it respects the integrity of its representatives. But we did not release
these diplomats so that we could avoid unnecessary bloodshed and thereby
reach a political solution. The MRTA, in the fall of 1995, planned to
occupy the Peruvian parliament building in Lima. This action could not
be carried out because the commando was discovered shortly beforehand.

In general, guerrilla struggle in Latin America has ended. Does the MRTA
also seek to end its armed struggle?

We respect the decisions of the guerrilla in El Salvador and Guatemala
to end the armed struggle. Although we are critical of their decisions,
we think they know the situation in their countries best. The militants
of the MRTA, however, categorically reject peace talks with the
government. That is the view of the base elements of the MRTA as well as
the leadership. It is still necessary to wage a revolutionary struggle
for social change.

Why is it necessary?

Following the decline of the popular movement over the past few years,
our present task is to create a revolutionary consciousness. The
re-organization of the popular organizations will be advanced by armed
organizations, which are like needle points in the side of the
government. The government must realize that the MRTA still exists and
has not, like the government propaganda says, been destroyed. The MRTA
has dealt more losses to the Peruvian army in war than the government of
Ecuador has. In the past three years, two military barracks and four
army helicopters were destroyed. But the media and the government of
Peru never acknowledged these military actions. But they can't ignore
our present action.

The political prisoners are a major focus of this latest action. What is
their situation in Peru like at the present time?

After the Fujimori-Putsch of 1992, a civil-military dictatorship was
put into place in Peru. Special laws aimed at leftist organizations were
passed which gave the police, the army, and the courts all possible
means of repression. There are thousands of political prisoners in Peru.
They are members of farmers groups, students, women, union members, and
so on. The majority of these prisoners, both men and women, have refused
offers of amnesty. They are subjected to special forms of physical and
psychological torture.

There are twelve high-security prisons in Peru. One of them is a marine
base. Our comrade Maria Cumpa is in total isolation there, and because
her family has distanced themselves from her, she is not allowed any
visits. According to the anti-terror laws, only family members may visit
political prisoners. Another prison is located at an altitude of 4,000
meters in the Andes Mountains. The climate there makes life very hard
for the prisoners. The wind blows through the bars and it is always
cold. Many prisoners suffer from respiratory illnesses and stomach
pains.

People who are arrested [under the anti-terror laws] are sentenced
within 24 hours, with no chance of a defense. The prisoners must then
live in total isolation for a whole year. Afterwards they can receive
one 30-minute visit every month, but only from immediate family members.
They are confined to their small cells for all but half an hour each
day. They have no radio or TV. They also are denied medical treatment.
The food is very bad. Often times, the food is rotten and the guards mix
in glass, rats, or cockroaches with the food. Prison conditions are the
same for women and men. But the women must in addition endure sexual
assaults and intimidation. There is also a lack of water in the prisons.
All prisoners receive only two liters of water per day for bathing,
washing, and drinking.

How realistic are the chances that the Peruvian government will accept
the demands of the embassy occupiers?

The Peruvian government knows that the MRTA is a political organization
which does not violate its principles. So the regime has only two
options: a military assault, or the fulfillment of the demands made by
the MRTA commando, which means releasing the prisoners. The militants of
the MRTA are determined to see this through to the end.

(Interview by Peter Nowak, http://www.inx.de/jungewelt)

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Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist information
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variety of material, including political prisoners, national 
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the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our 
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bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact:

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