Johny Cacao Seed Killed By FARC

tasco66 says on Feb 20, 2008, 04:41:

Anyone that touches to the narco business of the Farc is a dead man. This guy was a Colombian hero.

NO MORE FARC!

Veni, vidi, vici

Sr Tertius says on Feb 20, 2008, 07:25:

Any reason for believing this was FARC doing, when southern Bolivar is paraco territory?

Just wondering.

"When the finger points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger" (Chinese proverb)

juancegomez says on Feb 20, 2008, 07:47:

But it's not like the lines between guerrilla and paramilitary "territories" are set in stone...we can't exactly draw a map which accurately reflects where each party is present at any given point in time. We can just estimate their general areas of influence, which isn't the same thing.

Putumayo, for example, is generally considered to be "guerrilla territory", but there are paramilitaries there as well, according to past reports...so the same may also apply to southern Bolivar.

As for this particular murder, the article doesn't provide enough information, either way, about witnesses and the actual roadblock.

It does seem that the guy was apparently quite friendly towards the government, which probably isn't something the guerrillas would especially like...but, then again, the paramilitaries may also have had their reasons to kill him, if necessary. I'd like to read more about this case myself.

Mr. Hollywood says on Feb 20, 2008, 08:22:

It's also very possible that he was killed by whoever killed him without them being aware of who he was or his activism. Given that it happened at a guerilla roadblock, anything goes, really.

A real tragedy, though. Colombia needs a million guys like this.

Sr Tertius says on Feb 20, 2008, 13:22:

I agree with you, juance and Mr. H., but I noticed that the report says he was killed in a *fake* guerrilla roadblock. I wonder how this was established (it's not indicated in the report). Recently, a politician from Huila was said to be murdered by FARC. After much digging, I found out that it was *allegedly* murdered by FARC, according to military sources that had only a hunch and many vested interests. It seems to me that the military has gone now into assuming that everything bad is due to FARC until proven otherwise, and the media is uncritically reproducing that.

My take: Indeed, a tragedy. But it could've been anyone.

"When the finger points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger" (Chinese proverb)

jorgegdiaz says on Feb 21, 2008, 05:36:

I agree, could have been anyone. Let`s think like a TV-cop:

Who would benefit from him not telling farmers to switch their crops to something else besides coca?

1. Look what`s going on in Taraza, Antioquia.

2. http://www.semana.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?idArt=96264 About coca crops in Meta

3. http://www.semana.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?idArt=90606 The most important guy for FARC probably

4. http://www.semana.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?idArt=96238 more about crops eradication in META (there was an article in CROMOS a couple of months ago too)

hmm... so let me ask again: Who else would benefit from Johny-Cacao`s death?

No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.

Sr Tertius says on Feb 21, 2008, 06:04:

Jorge,

You're talking about two very different areas. If someone advocating for crop substitution in Meta was assassinated, I'd be favorable to think that it was FARC. But Southern Bolivar is primarily paraco territory--with the limitations that Juance pointed out--and if FARC are knee-deep into the coca business, the paracos are up to their eyes. Given where he was operating, the main beneficiaries of Miguel Daza's death (Johny Cacao??) are local paraco mafias. That doesn't mean that it is impossible that it was FARC, but I find it rather strange.

"When the finger points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger" (Chinese proverb)

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 06:26:

"Reten falso" does not refer to a group marquerading as the FARC it refers to a non government authorized roadblock. The article stated that he was killed at a FARC roadblock. At the end it states: "El retén guerrillero fue ubicado en la vereda Santodomingo, en la vía que conduce de San Pablo a Simití." Now I guess if you want to keep open the possibilty that it was not the FARC you could say the El Tiempo reporter was wet behind the ears and simply confused the two illegal groups.

Sr Tertius says on Feb 21, 2008, 07:10:

You are right Atrevido: I misread the headline (although I might argue that it was poorly phrased, but anyway...). So, yes, the report from El Tiempo does claim that the culprit is FARC. I doubt that the reporter was there when the events took place, so I wonder how it was known to be FARC? My guess is that the reporter took it from a military report. Maybe I read it too fast, but I didn't see any reference to that source. As I said, if this had happened in Meta or Putumayo, I'd say that it is reasonable to consider FARC a main suspect. But the claim that they were able to set up a roadblock for a targeted assassination in the middle of paraco territory, and that paracos are not suspect, is quite extraordinary.

"When the finger points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger" (Chinese proverb)

jorgegdiaz says on Feb 21, 2008, 07:40:

Come on ! everybody knows that San Pablo and sur de Bolivar is Elenos territory !

Who`s interested in farmers producing coca leaves?
Blanco es y gallina lo pone, anybody ventures to take a guess?

The reporter may have taken it from people around... folks know more than they tell investigators

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.

Sr Tertius says on Feb 21, 2008, 09:10:

Jorge: The ELN lost Southern Bolivar some 5 years ago to the paracos.

Tatiana Guerrero's (AP) report is more agnostic--the police now says that they don't know who did it.

http://es.noticias.yahoo.com/ap/20080220/twl-ams-gen-colombia-campesin...

Vanguardia Liberal is reporting rumors about paracos emergentes being behind this.

http://www.vanguardia.com/2008/2/20/jud3.htm

I don't think this is as obvious as you think.

"When the finger points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger" (Chinese proverb)

juancegomez says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:47:

Sr Tertius: Still doesn't resolve the issue, but it does open up the other possibilities indeed...thanks for posting links to additional information.

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:32:

This latest report suggests that it was neither. Just some thugs in the service of a narco.

http://www.elpais.com.co/HOY/JUD/jud05.html

juancegomez says on Feb 22, 2008, 11:17:

The article you are linking to, Atrevido, appears to be from a different case, where a policeman killed his former wife and committed suicide.

webmanco says on Feb 22, 2008, 11:47:

La Costa y Guajira are mostly Paraco territory, but Araujo escape last year from Montes de Maria, just ahead of Carmen de Bolivar. So there is some Farc influence but not so strong presence.

But, I'm going to start making some assumptions here.... Which means I might actually end up making an ass out of myself ..........Thu 04 17, 2008 11:34 am

jorgegdiaz says on Feb 22, 2008, 13:58:

Look, according to ANNCOL it was paras:

http://www.anncol.nu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=383&Ite...

... I guess Mr T. was right after all !!!!!

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.

Alma del Norte says on Feb 22, 2008, 16:27:

See you on the 6th of March then!

juancegomez says on Feb 22, 2008, 21:54:

A better article from EL TIEMPO has surfaced, which may be the one which actually shows up in print, not just online....and it emphasizes the possibility of his being murdered by the drug mafias or the paramilitaries, though it does keep open the guerrilla theory.

Anyways...ANNCOL's take doesn't really matter, in my opinion, even if the conclusion can be right every now and then.

Why? Like most ANNCOL articles, it is full of venom and angry anti-state rhetoric, not to mention seeping with pro-FARC bias. They will never blame the guerrillas for anything that they don't admit themselves, and even then they'll excuse it as much as possible.

They even blatantly denied that Emmanuel wasn't in FARC's hands but actually in Bogotá, until the guerrillas said so.

So pardon me, but that kind of shameless conduct is not enough for me to assume they are "right" about anything, jorgegdiaz.

I don't know what you think in order to give ANNCOL any kind of respect...but it must be something I can't fathom, even if it's a valid opinion.

And by the way, I'm glad that one of the main organizers of the March 6th mobilization has rejected ANNCOL's support.

----------------------------
Febrero 22 de 2008 -
Por negarse a cultivar coca fue asesinado dirigente agrario del sur de Bolívar
A Miguel Daza, un ex raspachín que se convirtió en líder de la erradicación manual de cultivos de coca en el sur de Bolívar, lo mató la violencia contra la que luchó en los últimos años de su vida


El pasado martes, los mismos vecinos que lo conocieron como 'tomatrago' y 'buscapleitos' y que después lo siguieron como el vocero de las comunidades más olvidadas del sur de Bolívar acompañaron su entierro, que paralizó los municipios de Santa Rosa del Sur y San Pablo.

Había nacido en Santa Rosa del Sur, pero muy pequeño, sus padres lo llevaron a los Llanos Orientales. Desde los 8 años se fue de su casa a rebuscarse la vida. Trabajó como jornalero en fincas ganaderas, aprendió a conducir tractor y mientras se iba haciendo hombre conoció los secretos para hacer producir la tierra.

Cuando cumplió los 18 años se fue al Ejército pero se retiró al morir su mejor amigo, víctima de un mortero. Trabajó un tiempo en Bogotá como celador y después regresó a su pueblo natal.

Era 1995, pleno auge de la coca en Santa Rosa. Se metió en la ilusión de la plata fácil como dueño y raspachín de una pequeña parcela en la vereda San Isidro. Además, abrió una cantina, en la que podía vender en un fin de semana 300 canastas de cerveza y varias cajas de whisky.

Pero no llevaba una vida tranquila. Vio morir a decenas de conocidos y tuvo que lidiar con las amenazas y las 'vacunas' de guerrilleros y paramilitares.

En el 2001 empezaron las fumigaciones contra la coca y la Alcaldía empezó a organizar charlas para que los campesinos pensaran en cultivos alternativos. Entonces, Miguel fundó la Asociación de Pequeños Erradicadores de Coca del corregimiento de San Isidro, con otros 120 campesinos, cuando ya mandaban los 'paras' en la zona.

El único con matas de cacao

Se decidió a arrancar todas las matas de coca de su parcela y se puso a sembrar cacao. En el 2002, con la ayuda de la Usaid, el programa de asistencia social del Gobierno de Estados Unidos, Miguel empezó a impulsar proyectos de sustitución con sus vecinos.

Ese mismo año lideró el rescate de dos integrantes de la Fundación Panamericana para el Desarrollo que tenían las Farc. Con los demás habitantes rodearon el campamento guerrillero durante 15 días hasta que los soltaron.

Su lucha siguió. El 2 de abril del 2004, con 180 campesinos de Simití y Santa Rosa, fundó la Asociación de Productores de Cacao del Sur del Bolívar, Aprocasur, la entidad que gerenciaba hasta el día que lo mataron.

La mayoría de sus integrantes eran antiguos raspachines que dejaron la coca por el cacao. "Miguel Daza era el mayor inspirador de ese modelo. Decía firmemente que el cacao era un generador de paz y por eso creó un lema: 'bosques de chocolate para la vida' ", cuenta un amigo.

Por su labor, fue invitado en marzo del año pasado a la Casa de Nariño para que mostrara sus logros al presidente de Estados Unidos, George Bush. Esa foto con el hombre más poderoso del planeta estaba colgada en su casa.

Los años lo convirtieron en un hombre espiritual, tranquilo y muy preocupado por su familia, sobre todo por sus cuatro hijas. Su mayor preocupación era que fueran profesionales.

Pero los asesinos de Miguel, de 36 años, le troncaron ese sueño y otros, entre los que estaban construir un parque temático en la región con el tema de los cultivos de cacao y llegar a ser abogado.

El pasado lunes, cuando iba a una vereda para hablar con los campesinos, su vehículo fue interceptado por hombres encapuchados y fuertemente armados en el sitio Santodomingo en la vía entre San Pablo y Simití.

Lo asesinaron de un disparo de fusil en la cabeza. A su lado cayó Jhon Martínez, el conductor, y un poco más lejos fue asesinado un habitante de la zona por haber presenciado los hechos.

Las posibles causas del homicidio son un gran interrogante, pero en la zona el narcotráfico ha reverdecido de la mano de 'Los Mellizos', el cartel del Norte del Valle y el rearme de las autodefensas. Aunque no se descarta que la guerrilla le haya cobrado su independencia.

José Merlesio Zendale, alcalde de Santa Rosa del Sur, dice que puede haber también una extraña alianza entre guerrilla y paramilitares, apoyada por los carteles de la mafia que buscan controlar la región.

Un amigo cercano dijo que con la muerte de Miguel Daza el país perdió a un líder, de esos que lamentablemente no se conocen porque apenas están en proceso de crecimiento. "Era un hombre preocupado por su familia y por la naturaleza y un gran soñador del desarrollo de los campesinos", dijo.

NÉSTOR RAÚL BAUTISTA
REDACCIÓN DE EL TIEMPO

http://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/2008-02-23/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR...

billyb says on Feb 22, 2008, 22:01:

What exactly is the difference between what is left of the paras and FARC? They are all a bunch of narco-criminals trying to use the cover of a political movement, so they can eventually negotiate better terms when the gig is up. half of the para leaders in the process are narcos that bought frachises in the AUC for this very purpose. And the biggest scourge for the FARC leadership is not the army, but mandos medios slipping away with their drug profits.

"José Merlesio Zendale, alcalde de Santa Rosa del Sur, dice que puede haber también una extraña alianza entre guerrilla y paramilitares, apoyada por los carteles de la mafia que buscan controlar la región."

jorgegdiaz says on Feb 23, 2008, 18:30:

Juancho, I was being sarcastic...
I read ANNCOL exclusively to laught. I totally agree with you, that site is 95% trash

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.