According to the Miami Herald, the explosions could be seen miles away, as the flames and black smoke rose above the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. There were no reports of injuries, but over 20,000 people were evacuated from the area as a precaution.

Economic Loses
Due to the lack of fuel because the attack shut down the pipeline running between Mexico City and Guadalajara, Volkswagen de Mexico, Volkswagen’s only manufacturing facility in North America, along with another major auto plant, and over 2,000 companies across the country were forced to shut down or cut back production. Business groups estimate economic losses could total 90 million in US dollars.

Pemex will millions of dollars per day in lost gas sales and will have to spend millions more to repair the damaged infrastructure. This comes at a time when Pemex is already under strain because of a decline in revenue and output from its aging oil fields. Pemex officials are aiming to repair the pipelines and get production back on line by September 17th. However, Economist.com raises concerns if Pemex’s financial constraints could prevent it from making the necessary investments in security at its installations because Pemex officials have already admitted that they are unable to protect it’s massive pipeline infrastructure.

The Spin Game Begins
Some security analysts have suggested a possible alliance between the EPR and drug cartels. Ernesto Mendieta, director of the security consulting firm Aquesta Terra, said that the attacks are similar to the attacks that occur in Columbia, which, according to him, is the proof that they are connected with Mexico’s Gulf drug cartel, the Zetas. Mendieta said:

“There are changes in the variables of how the EPR makes its decisions that are coming from violent elements within drug trafficking, drug distributors, which is a separate group, and others,” said Mr. Mendieta. “These groups are involved in the decision-making process.”

The notion quickly been rebuffed by Ricardo Alemán, a columnist for El Universal, a Mexico City newspaper. Alemán said,

“There is no evidence that they [EPR members] are directly linked to drug trafficking,” adding that powerful drug cartels who buy entire police departments and mayors “don’t need the EPR at this moment.”

However, it seems the government has its own spin on the matter. On Thursday, Attorney General Manuel Medina, said that EPR is a “small group which diverts federal government efforts from confronting organized crime.”

This was quickly rebuffed by EPR. In a communiqué, EPR denied government allegations that its attacks are acts of terrorism, and claimed their demonstrations stem from social and political reclamations or demands. EPR also stated that it is hypocritical of the government to condemn their actions, yet remain silent about State terrorism and allowing the extreme right to reissue its dirty war and the institutionalization of fascism, while having gall to demand that they be prosecuted to the fullest extent permissible by law in name of the democracy and the right of an oligarchical state.

Hay quienes condenan y descalifican nuestro accionar de autodefensa colgándonos el epíteto de delincuentes y terroristas, pero callan y guardan silencio ante el terrorismo de Estado y el proceder de la ultraderecha, avalando en los hechos la reedición de la guerra sucia y la institucionalización del fascismo, llegando al descaro de exigir el castigo y todo el peso de la ley en nombre de la democracia y un estado de derecho oligárquico.

The reference to a “dirty war” is in regards to Mexico’s dirty war in the 1970s, when the army made sweeping roundups of hundreds of people accused of being linked to rebels.

There are recurrent reports of detention of “suspects” whose only connection with anti-governmental activity may be blood relationship with wanted guerrillas; of persons detained extra-constitutionally by military authorities, […] and of prisoners tortured while in detention. Lately, there have been indications also that GOM [Government of Mexico] has murdered some prisoners after extracting all information they have to give…

EPR is still insisting that its two disappeared members, Edmundo Reyes Amaya and Gabriel Alberto Cruz Sánchez, who were arrested by security forces from the streets of Oaxaca city in May are being held in secret prisons or a military camp. This was stated in their communiqué to the Mexican media during the attacks. They stated that the attacks were intended to force the release of two of the group’s leaders held by President Felipe Calderon’s government.

The Fight Continues
The federal government of Mexico and the state government of Oaxaca continue to deny taking the two men, and says they were perhaps killed in a feud between gorilla leaders, many of whom come from three overlapping families who have led guerrilla groups in southern Mexico for decades. The EPR maintains the two men are in clandestine military custody and in one communiqué accuses General Oropeza Garnica of having ordered kidnapping.

The EPR has vowed that their campaign of “politico-military harassment” will continue until the government releases Edmundo Reyes Amaya and Gabriel Alberto Cruz Sánchez. This treat was first made during the first attacks back in July. So far, those were not hollow threats.

On July 28, an EPR commando attacked the site of a prison in construction in Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas. The guerrillas captured the three guards and locked them in a guard booth. They painted slogans on the walls that read “They were taken alive, we want them back alive,” “EPR will win,” “Long live the EPR” and “Freedom for political prisoners.” No injuries were reported in the incident. On Aug 31, over 10,000 people were evacuated from Torre Mayor, Mexico City’s tallest tower, after an attempted car bombing, which ERP took credit.

The attacks come at a time of considerable unrest in Mexico, where it has become clear that the wounds of last year’s the technical coup d’etat still have not healed. While come like to think Andrés Manuel López Obrador is infective should think again. It seems López Obrador’s political party, PRD, is still creating problems for the illegitimate right-wing President Felipe Calderón.

Earlier this month, PRD Congressional members who also do not regard Mr. Calderón’s as the legitimate president were able to use parliamentary rules to keep him from giving his annual address to Congress, and then boycotted the ceremony which he delivered his address in writing.

In addition, they are pushing forward legislation that would strictly control campaign advertising and limit negative ads and would force, Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of the Federal Election Institute, out of office for being part of the technical coup d’etat that helped put Calderón into power.

Meanwhile, tonight, Mexico’s legitimate President, López Obrador, and his followers have promised to invade Mexico City’s historic zócalo to stop Calderón from giving the annual grito to mark the start of Mexico’s revolution against Spain.

¡VIVA MÉXICO!

¡Hasta Victoria Siempre!

Vitro SAB, a Mexican company that makes glass containers, said the shutdown of two plants would cost it about $800,000 a day. Vitro said in a statement that it was increasing production at other plants in Mexico to minimize effects on customers.

It is being reported that Honda Motor Co, Kellogg Co’s, The Hershey Co, Nissan Motor Co, and Grupo Modelo SA were forced to suspend or scale back operations because of the lack of natural gas. Service was suspended on the 36-inch (91-centimeter) pipeline that runs between Mexico City and the industry-rich city of Guadalajara, capital of the western state of Jalisco. Service are also suspended in the industrial city of Leon, in the central state of Guanajuato and the central states of Queretaro and Aguascalientes. Pemex told reporters that the gas would probably not be restored until Friday at the earliest, but was working to provide alternate means of delivery.

TIME Magazine reports that the association representing the Mexican industry said it was looking into the extent of the explosions’ financial impact.

There seems to be another communique issued late Tuesday by the EPR said it was waging a “prolonged people’s war.”

“We have started a national campaign of harassment against the economic interests of the oligarchy and the anti-people government, and declare those interests as legitimate military targets,”

The group said it would continue its attacks until the government released Edmundo Reyes Amaya and Raymundo Rivera Bravo, and others it described as political prisoners in the southern state of Oaxaca. The question that is begged to be asked who is Edmundo Reyes Amaya and Raymundo Rivera Bravo? And why is the EPR referencing two people who the government is claiming they haven’t been detained in a statement about blowing things up for institutional change? It is a pretty severe accusation to include them in a statement that is claiming responsibility for the attack.

The news media are trying to pass them off as “sympathizers of the leftist rebel group,” but after investigating this a little further, it seems there is more to this. According to Edmundo Reyes Amaya’s daughter, Nadín Reyes Maldonado, Reyes Amaya disappeared on May 23, 2007.

Mi padre, salió de mi casa el día miércoles 23 de mayo por la noche en autobús, como de costumbre ya que viajaba cada mes o tres meses a Oaxaca para visitar a su mamá. El día en que el salió iba vestido de playera de algodón manga larga de color negra con rayitas blancas, gorra azul y pantalón de mezclilla. Como en otras ocasiones mi padre sale este día de la ciudad de México con dirección a la ciudad de Oaxaca.

El domingo 03 de junio nuevamente lo llamé y la llamada no entró nuevamente, me decía que su celular estaba fuera del área de servicio.

Ante esta situación nuestra angustia creció y la preocupación también por lo que empiezo a indagar en los periódicos para informarme sobre la situación de allá, pues por la televisión había visto que la situación en Oaxaca estaba muy dura. Y Es entonces cuando por medio del periódico La Jornada me entero de la detención – desaparición de mi papá el día lunes 4 de junio a través de La Jornada. Cuando leí la noticia, acudo a Internet para saber más sobre lo que estaba pasando y veo entonces con mayor información que el Partido Democrático Popular Revolucionario, Ejercito Popular Revolucionario, lo reconocía como su integrante. En ese momento todo fue turbio y confuso para mi familia y para mi, pues nos angustiamos demasiado cuando vimos que este grupo lo reivindicaba y reconocía como uno de sus miembros, junto con otras dos personas, lo cual nos lleno de miedo, quedándonos como en estado de shock, sin saber que hacer. En ese momento me preocupe mucho por mi mamá ya que esta mal de salud, padece de hipertensión y presentó crisis nerviosas, entre otras cosas. Por lo que me ocupe en ese momento de ella y me bloqueé sobre el asunto de mi padre. Pues tampoco sabia a donde buscar ni a donde dirigirme.

El día jueves 07 de junio me comunico con la familia en Oaxaca para preguntarles si sabían algo, diciéndome que mi abuelita lo esperaba para el 28 de mayo, que había preparado comida y que él no llegó por lo que se preocuparon y que un tío escuchó su nombre en el radio y fue cuando empezaron a buscar en el periódico y vieron que estaba como desaparecido. Desde entonces nuestra desesperación por saber de él aumentó día con día, por lo que hemos buscado por todos los medio posibles saber sobre su estado recurriendo a la lectura de la prensa escrita y de Internet para encontrar apoyo en las organizaciones de Derechos Humanos que tratan temas de desaparición.

Loosely translated, her father left to visit his mother in Oaxaca. He told his family he would return the following Wednesday. The began to worry when he did not call to let them know he made it to his mother’s house. His daughter tried calling his cell phone, but did not have any luck. On June 7, the day we was to return, he never showed up, which was very unusual since he is very punctual. When his daughter called her grandmother, she told her, he never made it to her house. That is when the family began to fear the worse. It was not until his daughter read the paper that he was kidnapped.

The only information I can find about Raymundo Rivera Bravo is that is believed he is a member of the EPR, according to Rafael García Ramos. However, what is known, back in June, the non-governmental Mexican League for the Defense of Human Rights (LIMEDDHH) made an urgent request to the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) to intervene on behalf of Raymundo Rivera Bravo y Edmundo Reyes Amaya.

La Liga Mexicana por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (Limeddh), solicitó de manera urgente a la Organización Mundial contra la Tortura cuyas siglas son (OMCT), su intervención sobre la detención e incomunicación, presunta desaparición y riesgo de tortura contra los señores Raymundo Rivera Bravo y Edmundo Reyes Amaya, militantes del Partido Democrático Popular Revolucionario (PDPR) en hechos ocurridos en la ciudad de Oaxaca.

— Denuncia la Limeddh posible tortura a dos integrantes del PDPR, Olor a mi tierra, June 12, 2007

OMCT is considered to be the “main coalition of international non-governmental organizations (NGO) fighting against torture, summary executions, enforced disappearances and all other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” In a released appeal denouncing the “harassment against members of the Committee Cerezo,” OMCT believes that the two incidents are related. Alejandro Cerezo Contreras, a member of the human rights organization Comité Cerezo, had been receiving a series of death treats that not only threatening to end his life but also members of his family as well. An email was sent to Comité Cerezo on June 26 which not only contained threats to the lives of the Contreras family, but it also made a reference about people being detained in La Palma penitentiary.

Asi son las cosas de la vida otra vez en pedos la family, ni modos los tenemos bien cercas a ustedes tres, a los de la palma y a tu querida familia, y a tu tiito cara de culito y a su amiguito habladorcito que no para y el otro tambièn habla y habla, pero a lo mejor ya no hablan ya se quedan calladitos o ya les cargo la verga. Solo diosito sabe, y tambien marxito y leninito culito.

OMCT thinks that the “los palma” was in reference to Raymundo Rivera Bravo and Edmundo Reyes Amaya who are believed to held there. OMCT feels that the Mexican government is behind Alejandro Cerezo harassment because on June 20, Alejandro Cerezo received a voice message on a government issued cell phone. The Interior Ministry has issued Alejandro Cerezo with a cell phone along with a private number after the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights made a request in behalf of Alejandro Cerezo to the Mexican government to provide him and his family protection back in October 2006. The message was a recorded conversation between Alejandro Cerezo and his sister Emiliana and to this day, they still do not know how the conversation was recorded.

Jorge Lofredo, director of the Center for the Documentation of Armed Movements (Cedema) and an authority on Mexican guerillas – website that originally post the communique – argues that events that occurred prior to the attacks by the EPR is part of a camplaign led by the Mexican government so that the EPR can come out of hiding. On July 4, Lofredo stated that the disappearance of Raymundo Rivera Bravo and Edmundo Reyes Amaya who are also member of the EPR in Oaxaca, the death threats Cerezo received – who is rumored to be the son of the supposed leader of the guerrilla group – and the attack in Oaxaca that occurred last year are a part of the campaign.

Los recientes desaparecidos de Oaxaca, se asegura en la más reciente amenaza, tendrían vínculos familiares con la dirigencia del EPR, lo que llevaría a la conclusión de que se trataría, nuevamente, de que el objetivo de mantener en calidad de desaparecidos a Raymundo Rivera Bravo o Gabriel Alberto Cruz Sánchez y Edmundo Reyes Amaya tiene por objetivo obligar a actuar a la dirigencia del EPR, que estaría integrada según el CISEN y las distintas corporaciones de seguridad por el padre de los hermanos Cerezo Contreras. Ello desembocaría, nuevamente, en la estrategia de “presos por consigna”, o como ha dado en llamar el propio Comité Cerezo, “rehenes del Estado Mexicano”.

Jorge Lofredo, CEDEMA.org, July 4, 2007

While it is easy to assume that the recent attack could be manufactured “terrorist” acts as Richard, from The Mex Files, points out, this might not be the case this time around. For example, if we were to take the word of the mainstream media, one might thing this was planned by al Qaeda. Nezua provided insight on how the mainstream media is trying to spin this story as being part of an al Qaeda plot. As Nez pointed out, it is hard to know what is exactly is going on, especially when the mainstream media is dedicating itself to the service of lies and not the truth.

It is clear that those who are paying the media for this campaign of lies are not going out to the streets or the factories or the campos, nor the mountains where the people are forced to live under a systematic policy of State Terrorism implemented by Felipe Calderón. It was one year ago, millions of citizens took the streets to protest the technical coup d’etat. However, and their voices were silenced through the mainstream media and subjugated bureaucrats, in payment of the privileges they have been granted. The ballot recount (voto por voto) demanded by a huge segment of society resulted in the instrumentation of the so called “lawful state” which is sold to the public by marketing campaigns full of distortions and slander in favor of the oligarchy.

As long as the government continues to criminalize any type of social movement in favor of big business, the problems underlying the struggle will never be solved.

EPR issued a statement to the national and international mass media and to those who are fighting for human rights.

A QUIEN CORRESPONDA

PRESENTE

Por medio de la presente hacemos llegar a los medios de comunicación y a nuestro pueblo el primer comunicado de nuestro partido en el estado de Guanajuato, en donde se expone nuestra posición política sobre las explosiones en los ductos de PEMEX.

De antemano agradecemos la atención prestada para con nosotros y nos despedimos cordialmente.

AL PUEBLO DE MEXICO

AL PUEBLO DE GUANAJUATO

A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN NACIONALES E INTERNACIONALES

A LOS ORGANISMOS NO GUBERNAMENTALES DEFENSORES DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS

¡HERMANAS, HERMANOS, CAMARADAS!

En el norte del país la naturaleza ha sido muy benevolente con nosotros, en Cadereyta un rayo incendió un depósito de combustible propiedad de PEMEX; aquí en Guanajuato los viejos ductos, su falta de mantenimiento, la ordeña múltiple de éstos y un “pinchazo” para extraer gas generaron una pérdida de presión en la red lo que ocasionó varias explosiones; podría quedarse así, quedarnos callados, guardar silencio y seguir escuchando los absurdos de las autoridades pero el pueblo merece conocer la verdad. Y Esta es nuestra verdad y nuestros motivos:

En cumplimiento de la orden del Comité Central de nuestro partido y de la Comandancia General de nuestro ejército rendimos el siguiente parte militar:

- La orden de iniciar con la campaña nacional de hostigamiento contra los intereses de la oligarquía y de este gobierno ilegítimo ha sido puesta en marcha.

- Tres pelotones mixtos conformados por unidades urbanas y rurales pertenecientes al destacamento “Francisco Javier Mina” y contando con el apoyo de milicias populares de todo el estado han realizado acciones quirúrgicas de hostigamiento, poniendo 8 cargas explosivas en los ductos de PEMEX ubicados en Celaya, Salamanca, Valle de Santiago Guanajuato y en la válvula de seccionamiento de Coroneo, activadas simultáneamente a la 1:00 horas de los días 5 y 10 de julio.

A nuestro pueblo le informamos que las acciones de hostigamiento no pararán hasta que el gobierno de Felipe Calderón y el de Ulises Ruiz presenten con vida a nuestros compañeros Edmundo Reyes Amaya y Raymundo Rivera Bravo o Gabriel Alberto Cruz Sánchez, detenidos-desaparecidos desde el 25 de mayo en Oaxaca.

A nuestro Comité Central y a la Comandancia General informamos que todas las unidades que dependen de esta jefatura siguen concentradas en su puesto de combate y están en máxima alerta dispuestas a esperar órdenes ¡Esperamos órdenes!

¡POR LA PRESENTACION INMEDIATA DE NUESTROS COMPAÑEROS!

¡POR LA PRESENTACION DE TODOS LOS DETENIDOS-DESAPARECIDOS!

¡POR LA LIBERTAD DE TODOS PRESOS POLITICOS Y DE CONCIENCIA DEL PAIS!

¡POR NUESTROS CAMARADAS PROLETARIOS!

¡RESUELTOS A VENCER!

¡POR LA REVOLUCION SOCIALISTA!

¡VENCER O MORIR!

¡CON LA GUERRA POPULAR!

¡EL EPR TRIUNFARA!

COMITÉ ESTATAL DEL PARTIDO DEMOCRATICO POPULAR REVOLUCIONARIO (PDPR)

COMANDANCIA MILITAR DE ZONA DEL EJERCITO POPULAR REVOLUCIONARIO (EPR)

Año 43

Estado de Guanajuato, a 10 de julio de 2007.

The group said it will continue to carry out “surgical harassment actions” until President Felipe Calderon and the governor of the state of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz, release two of its members who were arrested back in May.

President Felipe Calderón has ordered a reinforcement of security measures in strategically important oil fields and other areas.

What makes EPR statement interesting, they said the bombings were the signal of the beginning of its campaign against the interests of “the oligarchy and of this illegitimate government.” The word “illegitimate” echoes presidential contender Andres Manuel López Obrador, who lost the 2006 election to Calderon by less than 0.6 percentage point, and uses the same term for the current administration. After leading two months of post-election street protests culminating in a self- inauguration, López Obrador continues his claim to be the rightful head of state.

Earlier this month, more than 300,000 people filled the giant Zocalo plaza in downtown Mexico City for the third National Democratic Convention (CND) called by López Obrador. Richard from The Mex Files notes that part of the AMLO’s speech focused on “rejection of any privatization of Pemex.”

It would be wise to keep an eye on the activities happening in Mexico because it sure does look like the natives are getting restless down there. And it would be wise not to count López Obrador, as Richard said “AMLO is certain not down… nor out.”