Monday, November 13, 2006

Oaxaca, Mexico: University rector, APPO, government doing a tap dance.


Everyone seems to be trying to get the university open today. But the tap dance being conducted by the university's rector, Francisco Martinez Neri, the government and APPO is a bit hilarious.

APPO agreed to allow the reopening of the university today so long as their barricades were left in place and they were allowed to remain in control of the university's radio station.

The government (State Secretary of Interior) promised to provide technical help to get the partially damaged radio transmitters all running, communication equipment and training for the university's useless security staff, and to not enter university property in pursuit of criminals.

The rector agreed to keep an eye out for known thugs and report their actions to the PFP (Federal Preventive Police). However, at the risk of repeating myself, the PFP cannot enter the university to do anything about it. So I guess the rector will be making a list and checking it twice, but that's about it.

The rector said that APPO had agreed to restrict access to the university's interior by students who are known criminals or connected to known criminal gangs. Said Martinez Neri,
"Estas personas son muy visibles y muy conocidas, entonces, al momento que se diera un hecho de esos, nosotros estaríamos denunciándolo o comunicándolo a la Secretaria de Gobernación para que nos ayude, porque son gentes vinculados con actos de violencia."

Translation: These persons are very visible and very well known, so, at the moment they commit some act (criminal, I would suppose), we would be denouncing it and reporting it to the Secretary of the Interior so that he helps us, because these people are linked to criminal acts."
The rector continued,
"It is not permissible to allow the police force inside the university. So the PFP will be working elsewhere and preventing (crime?)."
That's what he said, "preventing". Preventing what, exactly, he failed to specify.

So, if I am reading this correctly, when and if APPO allows their criminal gang members to enter the university, where most of them are already firmly ensconced and have been for years, the rector will call the Secretary of Interior for help. But the secretary is not allowed to send in the police. Ok.

What the rector may be doing here is trying to rid himself of a group of thugs loyal to and maintained by an ex rector, Leticia Mendoza Toro. She got the boot some time ago but has been fomenting unrest inside Juarez University ever since her exit, supposedly encouraged and supported by Governor Ulises Ruiz. Whew! Byzantine is the word that first come to mind.

The barricades all remain in place from Cinco Señores, north of the university, to Plaza Oaxaca to the south. The traffic jam at Cinco Señores is incredible. APPO is allowing traffic policemen to try to keep traffic moving outside the barricades, all the while being eyeballed and shouted at by masked APPO gasoline bomb sappers. I have no photos, I didn't want to git kilt.

And from inside the university they are still setting off the occasional rocket. In other words, a truly rich learning environment.


Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!

TAGS: , , , ,

No comments: