[Imc-chiapas]Chiapas Peace Bus Enters Mexico
Libby Navarro
imc-chiapas at lists.indymedia.org
Tue, 13 Feb 2001 10:26:14 -0600
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>Tuesday, February 13, 2001</B></P>
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<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><B><U>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas</U></B> enters Mexico at Cuidad Juarez with tons of school supplies and hundreds of students’ letters and drawings.</LI></OL>
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<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Mexican government issues an immigration citation to the young bus driver headed toward Chiapas</LI></OL>
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<P class=MsoNormal>“I’m bummed out that the first reaction of the government to my arrival in Mexico was to give me an immigration citation,” lamented volunteer bus driver Chris Farmer.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“I had hoped for a warmer welcome to the tons of school supplies for the children of Chiapas and hundreds of letters written by kids in public schools from San Francisco to El Paso.”</P>
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<P class=MsoNormal>Mr. Farmer, a 28 year old who recently graduated from UC Berkeley, has helped fill an old school bus with donations collected from a variety of organizations in support of the Maya schools in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The school materials on the bus include a ten computer lab for the secondary school at Oventic, Aguascaleintes II and a machine shop for the technical secondary school under construction in Francisco Gomez, Aguascalientes III.</P>
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<P class=MsoNormal>Mexican volunteers riding the bus were outspoken in support for the school bus and its mission of peace with justice in Chiapas.</P>
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<P class=MsoNormal>“It is disgraceful that internationalists supporting the indigenous peoples of Chiapas are still being hound by this government and that the Peace Accords of San Andres are still not implemented!” exclaimed Mexican project coordinator Elizabeth Saenz-Ackermann.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Kids in Chiapas deserve peace and peace talks will only be possible when our government complies with the agreements they have already signed, releases the Zapatista prisoners, and pulls its troops back from the seven positions!”</P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B><U>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas</U></B> draws lots of attention at schools and community centers when it visits to collect school materials for school in Chiapas.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal>Large signs painted in Spanish on both sides of the bus proclaim “The Little School Bus for Peace in Chiapas” while signs reading “Peace in Chiapas” grace the front and rear, a web page address (<A href="http://www.mexciopeace.org/">www.mexciopeace.org</A>) is visible up high, and a running jaguar races from the rear toward the front of the bus.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Inside the 20’s something year-old vehicle, a powerful sound system pounds out a mix of Mexican and international music ranging from ranchero to reggae for a casually dressed group of mostly youthful volunteers.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Lap top computers and intensive conversation occupy those bus team members who are not napping on the huge plywood bunk bed built over the computer desks.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P><PRE><B><U>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas </U></B>is seeking additional volunteers as it travels toward mountains and jungles of the Mexican southeast.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Visits in schools and community center are currently scheduled Feb. 13, Tuesday – Chihuahua, Feb. 14, Wednesday, Jímenez, Feb. 15, Thursday, Torreón, Feb. 16, Friday – Zacatecas, Feb. 17, Saturday<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>San Luis Potosí, Feb. 18, Sunday – León, Feb. 19, Monday – Querétaro, Feb. 20, Tuesday – Mexico City, Feb. 21, Wednesday<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Tlaxcala, Feb. 22, Thursday – Oaxaca, Feb. 23, Friday<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>San Cristóbal de las Casas</PRE><PRE> <o:p></o:p></PRE><PRE>After delivering the school supplies, letters, and video messages recorded<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>from students throughout the long journey from San Francisco, The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas will accompany the Chiapas Peace Delegation consisting of twenty-three<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Zapatista leaders and Subcommander Marcos as they travel into the center of<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>the Mexican nation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas will transport Mexican and international peace observers as well as alternative media specialists<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>to the National Indigenous Congress in Michoacan and the Mexican Congress in<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mexico City. </PRE><PRE> <o:p></o:p></PRE><PRE>Passengers on The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas, in particular foreign<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>participants on the Accompaniment and Observation Team, will be pledged to<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>avoid all involvement in Mexican political activities and to respect Mexican<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>and international law at all times. </PRE><PRE> <o:p></o:p></PRE>
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<P class=MsoNormal>For additional information about <B><U>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas:</U></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal> <A href="http://www.mexicopeace.org">www.mexicopeace.org</A></P><PRE>Mexico:</PRE><PRE>Frente Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (FZLN) at </PRE>
<P class=MsoNormal>5-761-42-36 or via e-mail at: fzln@fzln.org.mx</P><PRE>International:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></PRE><PRE>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace at </PRE><PRE>(619) 232-2841 or email peace_bus@hotmail.com in the U.S. </PRE>
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<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P><PRE><B>Additional sponsors of the Little Yellow School Bus for Peace include:<o:p></o:p></B></PRE><PRE> <o:p></o:p></PRE><PRE>American Friends Service Committee/U.S. Mexico Border Program</PRE><PRE>American Indian Airwaves</PRE><PRE>Big Noise Films</PRE><PRE>Casa Bonampak</PRE><PRE>Chiapas Coalition '98</PRE><PRE>Cinco Puntos Press</PRE><PRE>Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador</PRE><PRE>Coyote Radio</PRE><PRE>"El Tiempo"</PRE><PRE>Frente Zapatista de Liberación Nacional</PRE><PRE>Global Exchange</PRE><PRE>the Human Bean Co.</PRE><PRE>Independent Media Center</PRE><PRE>Marin Interfaith Task Force</PRE><PRE>MECHA of University of California at Santa Cruz</PRE><PRE>MECHA of Tucson High School</PRE><PRE>Mexican Solidarity Network</PRE><PRE>Office of the Americas</PRE><PRE>Protesto y Apoyo para los Zapatistas at University of California at Santa Barbara</PRE><PRE>San Diegans for Democracy in Mexico</PRE><PRE>San Francisco Zapatista Committee</PRE><PRE>Schools for Chiapas</PRE><PRE>SIPAZ</PRE><PRE>Students for Chiapas at University of California at Berkeley</PRE><PRE>the Wheelchair Bus Project</PRE><PRE>the World Beat Center</PRE>
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<P class=MsoNormal>For additional information about <B><U>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace in Chiapas:</U></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal> <A href="http://www.mexicopeace.org">www.mexicopeace.org</A><o:p></o:p></P><PRE>Mexico:</PRE><PRE>Frente Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (FZLN) at </PRE>
<P class=MsoNormal>5-761-42-36 or via e-mail at: fzln@fzln.org.mx</P><PRE>International:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></PRE><PRE>The Little Yellow School Bus for Peace at </PRE>
<P class=MsoNormal>(619) 232-2841 or email peace_bus@hotmail.com in the U.S.</P>
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