Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 07:03:33 GMT
From: Chris Burford <cburford-AT-gn.apc.org>
Subject: M-G: Embassy death count


Reported death toll according to BBC 7am British Summer Time
Wed 23rd April 

1 hostage

2 soldiers

All 14 MRTA combatants.

International governmental reaction supporting 
the careful balance of risks and advantages.

Expectation that the move will not exactly harm Fujimori's
falling opinion poll rating.

Comment that there were very few signs during the over 
4 month siege of popular support for the MRTA.


Presumably it is too early for informed comments
but it seems to me the fact that all 14 MRTA members were killed
is suspiciously like Peruvian government tactics in putting
down risings in prison. There will probably not be thought
to be any need for an investigation as to whether any of 
them were murdered after surrender.

There is no point in being sentimental about these incidents
and a common marxist view is that marxism does not support isolated
acts of terrorism separate from mass struggle, but it is reasonable
to suppose that the Peruvian government hopes that in future, 
terror of a similar fate will deter other hostage takers, and
other western governments may think the same. 

There may be little publicity now about the actual human rights
conditions of political prisoners in Peruvian gaols.

The speculation was that the MRTA had put almost all its resources
into this incident and so will be badly affected by the deaths.
Supporters of the PCP claim that it has continued its peoples war
so presumably the direction of politics in Peru will depend on
the relative success of this in relation to the growing problems
of Fujimori's neo-liberal economic programme.



Chris Burford

 


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