sinister. Half almost hysterically.
As they were sitting down 1 noticed that one of them had a hand grenade in his belt. All the men were heavily armed. As we listened to their conversation, it became apparent that they were in fact military dressed civilians — a death squad which had just come back operation.
This incident made me think about the relationship between Central America.
States claim that it's the violence of a few 'extremists'. But what you have in Central America systematic violence or a ruling order in decay. A Guatemalan sociologist put it this way: "The last two generations in Guatemala have been born in and brought up in a society in decomposition. sow and uncertain at the beginning, inevitable and profound at ine present. symbol decomposition is terror'.
The Reagan regime is committed military solution in America. All his policies January 1981 have been towards that end. I don't just mean committed to the military defeat of the guerrilla movemenl Salvador, but une millary tion of the whole region.
way shrieking up as an individual The United today is the of that Central since directed in EI pacificaIn the I AM GENERAL RIOS MONTTRULER OF GUATEMALA AND in honBORN-AGAIN CHRISTIAN inFreedom.
All these allu Costa Rica pontically the military. presidential elections control of internal security tne military.
The of This latter I AM TRYING TO BRING THE WORD OF THE GOSPEL TO organisation disappeared mysteriously when the Guatemalans joined it, to was in October, the Forum for Peace and organisations political aspects of what is essentially a military strategy. In this strategy Honduras is the key country militarily the key countly Today in Honduras the real power Even November '81, the candidates of the Liberal and National parties had made a pact with the military to ensure that the real power or cabiner appointments and Play WELl military has subsequentl einforced its control over key area life. allu cronoile General Alverez is the real source of power in that country today. Key in REPORTS THAT MY TROOPS HAVE MURDERED THOUSANDS THIS BACKWARD COUNTRY OF PEASANTS ARE FALSE his promotion from colonel to general the pressure of the US Honduras, Passaudi Negroponte.
Since the elections the military has become much more important with the stepping up of US aid, and the forcing of Alverez's opponents into diplomatic exile.
The strengthening of the army and airforce represents the view of the US and Alverez that other governments In the region nave actea too deal with the upsurge of the popular movement.
Another part of the Alverez strategy is the attempt to decapitate that movement by murdering popular leaders. Last year 100 or pearances' took place in Honduras. Many of them were peasant leaders and union leaders.
Over the past year the popular noveltend Honduras grown much because of illusions in WE SENT THEM ALL TO HEAVEN the Liberal Party government. am- now that is starting to change. When I John was in Honduras last vear there was g big teachers strike one of lne most radical unions.
January there was a strike of 50,000 workers in San Pedro over the sacking of 48 workers in the public sector.
These are examples of how the popular movement is beginning to be radicalised by what is happening in the rest of Central America. As the late to popular movement will grow.
In Costa Rica, the country is being pulled into the Reagan camp through economic crisis. rocketed from 6 per cent in 1980 to 15 'disap- per cent in 1982.
$4 billion, of the capita totals in the world. way out is loans from the IMF, and This not proval.
The stringent austerity measures Rica. social and political conflicts in Costa
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down the road we stopped at an inn. Six people came in laughing