Chavez Identifies Leaders of Colombian Paramilitary Group in Venezuela
President Chavez presents evidence of paramilitary activity in Venezuela to the foreign press corps
Credit: Gregory Wilpert - Venezuelanalysis.com
Caracas, May 15, 2004—During a press conference with Venezuela’s foreign press corps on Friday, President Chavez presented the pictures and names of the leaders of the paramilitary group that was captured last week in a farm on the outskirts of the country’s capital.
The main leader of the group is Jose Ernesto Ayala Amado, known as “Comandante Lucas” and is, according to Chavez, also one of the leaders of the Colombian paramilitary group known as the AUC (United Colombian Self-Defense, in its Spanish acronym), in the Colombian state of Norte de Santander.
Two other captured leaders also come from the same state, Rafael Antonio Omaña Trujillo, know as “Comandante Richard”, and Yeferson Gutierrez Guzman, know as “Comandante Yeferson”. Two more AUC leaders who were part of the Venezuelan group are still at large, Comandantes “Diego” and “Costeño.” President Chavez said, “It’s not like we are inventing things, as the media have irresponsibly begun to claim. Rather, there was a Colombian paramilitary operation of infiltration into Venezuelan territory, some with several years’ worth of experience and some newly recruited.”
Yeferson Gutierrez Guzman, know as Comandante Yeferson, linked to the AUC paramilitary group operating in Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Credit: Miraflores Press
According to Chavez, the group captured last week consisted of three blocks. The first of AUC leaders from Norte de Santander, the second of Colombian paramilitary fighters with experience, and a third block of individuals who were tricked into coming, some of whom are minors.
Jose Ernesto Ayala Amado, know as Comandante Lucas, leader of the AUC paramilitary group operating in Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Credit: Miraflores Press
Yeferson Gutierrez Guzman, know as Comandante Yeferson, linked to the AUC paramilitary group operating in Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Credit: Miraflores Press
Rafael Antonio Omaña Trujillo, know as Comandante Richard, linked to the AUC paramilitary group operating in Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Credit: Miraflores Press
A man was killed and buried in farm near Caracas where the paramilitary group was training.
Credit: Miraflores Press
www.venezuelanalysis.com/new.php?newsno=1272
Terrorist Plot Foiled!
But Democracy must be vigilant, for there are still more Terrorist plots to come!
by Justin Podur
He also made an important reference to the treatment of the Colombian prisoners by the Venezuelan armed forces. "There will be no torture or hooding, no sadomasochism, because our soldiers and police are not sadistic."
The United States, whose armed forces have engaged in considerable amounts of torture, hooding, and sadism, rejected any idea that this plot could have come from the US, without providing any detail. Richard Boucher, the State Department's spokesperson, said: "I know there are some accusations that all this is part of some US conspiracy to overthrow the Chavez government. We categorically reject these declarations and shameful accusations."
The Colombian government has announced that it is prepared to cooperate with Venezuela in investigating the incident. Given that it is well-documented that the Colombian paramilitaries are little more than a segment of the Colombian military (2), and that the Colombian senate recently passed a resolution condemning the Venezuelan government, it is unlikely that this 'cooperation' will be of much help to Venezuela.
In a clever twist, Colombia's Vice-President reacted to the arrest of his paramilitaries, who were plotting a terrorist action against Venezuela, by saying that Venezuela must take a strong stand against terrorism!
The story is still incomplete. But if William Blum's 'Watergate law of politics' ("Don't believe anything until it has been officially denied") is on the books, this is just a continuation of "some US conspiracy to overthrow the Chavez government". Because the Venezuelan elite seems incapable of doing the job, the Colombian military and paramilitaries are being used. That plan has been in the works for years, and there have been paramilitary raids into Venezuela for well over a year (3). In Colombia itself, a major offensive, called 'Plan Patriota', is being planned, supposedly to attack the guerrillas in southern Colombia (but perhaps to attack Venezuela?) US Southern Command is asking that Congressional restrictions on numbers of US troops in Colombia be relaxed. Even as US troops smash their way through Najaf and Fallujah, even as photos of US troops engaged in sadistic torture traverse the world, these troops are being presented as the 'solution' to some kind of problem that Colombia and Venezuela have.
more
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=45&ItemID=5499 Mr Chávez also claimed the plot was backed by Venezuela's mostly pro-opposition news media and said that the raids had "eliminated the seed of a terrorist group".
"Now they are importing terrorists," Mr Chávez said of his opponents, adding that the farm - in the municipality of El Hatillo - was owned by Roberto Alonso, a Cuban exile with links to Venezuelan and Cuban exiles.
"There are people in the United States who keep thinking how to start a war in Venezuela so that they can justify an invasion," he said.
Mr Chávez has frequently claimed that Venezuela's opposition - including a number of military officers who briefly ousted him from power in a short-lived coup attempt in April 2002 - has conspired to overthrow his government with US backing. Washington denies any involvement.
more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,12716,1213445,00.html Chavez Identifies Leaders of Colombian Paramilitary Group in Venezuela
Caracas, May 15, 2004—During a press conference with Venezuela’s foreign press corps on Friday, President Chavez presented the pictures and names of the leaders of the paramilitary group that was captured last week in a farm on the outskirts of the country’s capital.
The main leader of the group is Jose Ernesto Ayala Amado, known as “Comandante Lucas” and is, according to Chavez, also one of the leaders of the Colombian paramilitary group known as the AUC (United Colombian Self-Defense, in its Spanish acronym), in the Colombian state of Norte de Santander.
Two other captured leaders also come from the same state, Rafael Antonio Omaña Trujillo, know as “Comandante Richard”, and Yeferson Gutierrez Guzman, know as “Comandante Yeferson”. Two more AUC leaders who were part of the Venezuelan group are still at large, Comandantes “Diego” and “Costeño.” President Chavez said, “It’s not like we are inventing things, as the media have irresponsibly begun to claim. Rather, there was a Colombian paramilitary operation of infiltration into Venezuelan territory, some with several years’ worth of experience and some newly recruited.”
Yeferson Gutierrez Guzman, know as Comandante Yeferson, linked to the AUC paramilitary group operating in Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Credit: Miraflores Press
According to Chavez, the group captured last week consisted of three blocks. The first of AUC leaders from Norte de Santander, the second of Colombian paramilitary fighters with experience, and a third block of individuals who were tricked into coming, some of whom are minors.
Colombian government does not have any connection with paramilitaries in Venezuela
President Chavez stated that in relation with the captured paramilitary group, “I am absolutely certain that the government of President Alvaro Uribe has nothing to do with this. I believe it and I know it. Chavez added that in recent conversations with the Colombian president, shortly before the discovery of the paramilitary group, they concluded that Colombian-Venezuelan relations were quite good and that trade between the two countries had increased by 100% since last year’s oil industry shut-down.
Rafael Antonio Omaña Trujillo, know as Comandante Richard, linked to the AUC paramilitary group operating in Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Credit: Miraflores Press
Nonetheless, there are, according Chavez, elements of Colombia’s extreme right that are involved in attempting to overthrow his government.
Venezuelan opposition is for the most part also not involved
When asked exactly who among Venezuela’s opposition leaders are involved in the paramilitary plot, President Chavez clarified that he was certain that “definitely these plans were not supported by an important part of the opposition.” The planning was too sloppy and the resources too limited to indicate that major sectors of Venezuela’s opposition might have been involved. “If a large part of opposition leaders had been involved in the presence of the paramilitary group in our country, then these men would have counted on vehicles, weapons,” said Chavez.
fair use
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1272 Venezuela's Chávez: Relations with Colombia at risk
Edited on Mon May-17-04 08:11 AM by seemslikeadream
We are defending the sovereignty of our territory against the presence of armed groups of any nature, either guerrilla or counter-guerrilla, either a regular army or a paramilitary group, either terrorists or whatever it is, and we have demonstrated it in several occasions," he added.
However, the most serious comment of the president was that the strongest attacks against his administration come from sectors that favor "an invasion to Venezuela." Despite the international connotations that he assigned to the case, Chávez has instructed State's intelligence forces "to pay a special attention to local accomplices."
"We cannot believe the hypothesis that a radical mad man brought (the paramilitaries), and left them here and went to Miami and that's it. There have to be complicity in the political and military worlds, which have continued to threaten the peace of the country," he underlined.
Directly accusing the dissident military officers who in October 2002 disowned the government, Chávez said that "this group of military traitors" has been recognized by some of the "detained terrorists."
more
http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=letters/200405170747