Rights commission identifies violations in health care and security

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June 4, 2019

The president of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has identified violations by the new government in health and public security and charged that human rights don’t appear to be a priority for President López Obrador and his administration.

Luis Raúl González said the government’s austerity measures and its fight against corruption must not be allowed to hinder people’s ability to access public health care.

Hospitals and national health institutes warned last month that they were on the brink of insolvency due to federal budget cuts and the freezing of funds. Shortages of doctors, nurses and medicine were among a range of problems faced by hospitals in at least 24 states as a result of the cuts.

“It’s clear that the health sector presented serious challenges and deficiencies in 2018. However, the outlook with which 2019 has begun doesn’t allow us to infer that this situation could turn around in the current year,” González said yesterday while presenting the commission’s 2017-18 report.

The CNDH chief described evidence of the “worsening of the crisis” in the health sector as “worrying.”

Medical care must not be put at risk in efforts to control spending, combat corruption: commission chief.

“Nobody can be opposed to the public budget being allocated and exercised better, nor to acts of corruption being investigated and punished” but medical care must not be put at risk as a result.

He also that the government’s response to high levels of violent crime is inadequate, charging that a comprehensive and preventative public security strategy – rather than a reactive one – is needed.

Prevailing rates of violence against women, frequent attacks on journalists and human rights defenders, the escalating number of lynching cases, the continued occurrence of abductions and a worsening of violence towards prison staff, police and members of the armed forces serve as evidence of “the need to tackle the insecurity and violence crisis” with a “real strategy that prioritizes [crime] prevention and is not limited to . . an eminently reactive force as is the National Guard,” González said.

The human rights ombudsman charged that in the six months since the new government took office, “incidents, acts and oversights are beginning to accumulate that, seen as a whole, make us assume that” the respect of human rights is not a “premise” on which the government is based.

He claimed that the López Obrador administration is “not adopting pertinent measures” to confront the problems Mexico faces in a range of different areas including those within the realm of human rights.

“Hopefully respect for human dignity really finds a space and place within the policies, plans, programs and actions of the government . . .” González said.

“Criticism of civic groups and groups of journalists, and the need to avoid comments that divide or polarize people, are things that should be examined to ensure better protection for human rights,” he asserted.

López Obrador acknowledged today that he has polarized Mexico, stating that he had done so because not everyone agrees with his anti-corruption and anti-poverty measures.

He also said that the comments made by the CNDH president are valid and that his government would accept all the commission’s recommendations.

However, the president insisted that the defense of human rights is a fundamental premise of his government and pledged that any shortcomings will be rectified.

“. . .If there are things to do to comply with human rights recommendations, [to address] human rights violations, we’ll get up to speed, they’ll be dealt with . . .”

Source: El Universal (sp), Noticieros Televisa (sp)

11 murders in 4 days greet Uruapan’s new security measures

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Simon Schatzberg

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June 4, 2019

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Eleven people have been killed since the implementation last Thursday of a security plan by the state and federal governments that seeks to reduce violence in the Michoacán city.

The murders occurred in seven different incidents in the city, which is home to 315,000 people and lies 70 miles southwest of the state capital. Most of those killed died of gunshot wounds.

The bloody weekend follows a trend of rising violence. In the first four months of 2019, Uruapan registered 39 homicides, the highest in five years.

Last Thursday, Michoacán Governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo announced the second phase of a security plan, which includes the deployment of 400 state police and 200 federal personnel to patrol the city.

Aureoles also said that by the end of the year, Uruapan will have the 800 municipal police officers necessary for a city its size. The governor promised there will be “no truce” with organized crime.

“We need to confront the security challenge head on, and go as far as necessary,” said Aureoles. “We’re not going back to the days when criminals were in charge.”

Uruapan Mayor Víctor Manuel Manríquez González recognized the complexity of the problem, and the need for cooperation between federal, state and local authorities.

“Having support from the people is fundamental, because we won’t be able to end insecurity alone,” he said. “It’s important for us to be close to the public so we can improve conditions.”

The Uruapan security plan was announced after a deadly confrontation on May 22 between Los Viagras and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel killed 10 people. The next day, the burned remains of five people were found in an abandoned pickup truck on the Uruapan-Los Reyes highway.

Source: El Universal (sp), Proceso (sp), Mi Morelia (sp)

15,000 turn up to seek work at new oil refinery in Tabasco

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MND Staff

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June 4, 2019

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More than 15,000 people lined up for as long as 24 hours in Villahermosa, Tabasco, to sign up for jobs building the state’s new oil refinery.

While waiting in a queue that eventually grew to more than four kilometers in length, job seekers were forced to endure both the hot Tabasco sun and rain, according to a report in the newspaper El Universal.

But with more than 20,000 jobs expected to be on offer during the three years it will take to build the Dos Bocas refinery, there was ample incentive for residents of Tabasco – which has the highest unemployment rate in the country – and bordering states to put up with the long wait and discomfort.

The Tabasco government announced a week ago that it would open an employment center at the Tabasco Park in the state capital at 10:00am Monday but the most enthusiastic job seekers began arriving Sunday morning.

Among the first to arrive was Bartolomé Paredes, a 68-year-old man from Minatitlán, Veracruz, who traveled for three hours to reach Villahermosa along with other residents of the violence-plagued city.

“I haven’t worked for six years,” he told El Universal while waiting for the job center to open.

“We’ve looked for opportunities but there aren’t any so we have to wait,” Paredes said, adding that he had scraped by in recent years taking on any odd jobs that he could find.

He claimed to have 40 years’ experience in the petroleum sector, explaining that he has worked as a welder and coppersmith on refinery and oil platform projects.

Paredes said he had full confidence in President López Obrador’s pledge to build the new refinery in three years, although experts have questioned the state oil company’s technical capacity to execute the project.

“Of course we have faith that this refinery will materialize, he’s our leader, he’s the messiah that we were waiting for, he’s come to save the country and the southeast,” he said.

José Luis Olivera, a 40-year-old Minatitlán man with an education degree, said he was hopeful of gaining employment in the construction of the new refinery because union corruption in his home state makes work hard to come by for people who refuse to pay for the privilege.

“We lined up since last night in the rain . . . we hope that they give us the opportunity to work,” he said. “I’ve worked at several refineries . . . as a technical assistant.”

Among the thousands of other people who lined up yesterday were engineers, welders, electricians and even unemployed people with few skills and little education but a lot of hope.

Due to the huge response from people looking for work, management graduate Doralida García Salvador said that applying for a job was “like looking for a needle in a haystack” but added that she had faith that the refinery project would help to reduce the high levels of unemployment in Tabasco.

López Obrador officially launched construction of the US $8-billion refinery on Sunday even though some studies for the project haven’t been carried out and it lacks all the required permits.

The president announced last month that Pemex and the Secretariat of Energy will be responsible for building the refinery because the bids made by private companies were too high and their estimated time frames to complete the project were too long.

Source: El Universal (sp)

El Popo ash fall reported in 13 municipalities of Morelos, 3 in México

By

Madison Koen

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June 4, 2019

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Municipalities in Morelos and México state reported ash fall after the Popocatépetl volcano erupted yesterday, leaving surrounding areas on alert.

The national disaster prevention agency Cenapred registered two explosions, which shot volcanic material more than three kilometers into the air in a southeasterly direction at 9:20 am yesterday, affecting more than a quarter of the state’s 37 municipalities.

There have been another 37 exhalations in the last 24 hours, which were accompanied by steam, gases and a small earth tremor.

According to authorities, ash fell in 13 municipalities in Morelos and two in the state of México.

Officials in Morelos did not rule out the possibility that the ash could reach as far as the metropolitan area of Cuernavaca, and they urged residents to take precautions, including refraining from outside activities, using face masks, covering water tanks, sealing windows and doors, covering skin and hair as much as possible and cleaning eyes and throat with pure water in case of exposure.

Federal Civil Protection authorities recently deescalated the volcano’s alert level from yellow Phase 3 to yellow Phase 2 (the alert levels correspond to traffic light colors, with three phases each) due to a decrease in the severity of volcanic activity.

State officials emphasized that despite the large number of municipalities affected, the ash fall observed yesterday was well within the parameters of normal activity during a yellow Phase 2 alert.

Source: Milenio, (sp), Proceso (sp), ADN40 (sp)

Suspected Santa Rosa gang leader arrested in Guanajuato

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César Hernández

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June 4, 2019

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A man believed to be a leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel in Guanajuato was apprehended last week for a second time, state officials said.

Juan Elías “El Metra,” 26, was arrested after a car chase in Celaya in which his vehicle struck a house. He tried to evade capture on foot, but was soon arrested.

Authorities believe “El Metra” is among the senior leaders of the cartel, operating mainly in the municipalities of Celaya, Apaseo and Villagrán and was considered a priority target in dismantling the Santa Rosa de Lima organization.

He faces four charges of homicide, including that of a minor, while the state Attorney General’s Office is investigating his involvement in several homicides and other crimes.

“El Metra” was arrested last year but was admitted to Celaya General Hospital after complaining of feeling ill. Armed civilians forced their way into the hospital and set him free.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Jalisco New Generation Cartel led assault on soldiers taken captive

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MND Staff

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June 4, 2019

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Soldiers who were taken captive by suspected cartel operators. — Soldiers who were detained by cartel operators.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) led the disarmament and detainment of 14 soldiers in La Huacana, Michoacán, last month, according to intelligence reports.

Three people with close links to Miguel Ángel Gallegos Godoy – “El Migueladas” – alleged leader of the CJNG in La Huacana, led the May 26 aggression, the newspaper Milenio reported today.

The soldiers were besieged by a large group of people who demanded the return of weapons the army seized earlier in the day after two separate confrontations with armed men. Two civilians were killed in the first clash and a young boy was wounded in the second.

Videos posted to social media show the aggressors, identified in subsequent reports as members of a self-defense force, pushing and disarming the 14 soldiers, who put up little resistance. The incident has been widely described as a humiliation for the armed forces.

Military intelligence reports obtained by Milenio identify Gaudencio Lozano Barriga, Bulmaro Arzate Fierro and Maricruz Ramírez as instigators of the attack.

Suspected cartel operator Arzate subdues a soldier in La Huacana.

Lozano, also known as “El Gaudi,” is a deputy to Gallegos in the local power structure of the CJNG, according to the military reports.

Arzate is a hired gun for the CJNG and part of Gallegos’ inner circle while Ramírez is believed to be in a relationship with Francisco Tavares, a right-hand man of the La Huacana capo.

While the soldiers were detained, General Gerardo Mérida and other army personnel attempted to enter La Huacana in military pickups but were prevented from doing so because a truck was parked across the road leading into the town.

A group of around 50 people, some armed with large sticks, demanded that the general get out of his vehicle but he refused after which at least two men began to attack the pickup.

Another soldier was detained during the incident but Mérida and the other army personnel he was traveling with managed to escape.

According to the military reports, one of the 14 soldiers detained in La Huacana then called General Mérida before handing over his telephone to Lozano.

In video footage, the suspected CJNG member is heard demanding the return of the confiscated weapons, which included two AK-47s, an R-15 and a Barrett rifle.

“Hey, boss, I want all the weapons, I want you to send them in a private car to La Huacana, please. We’re the people, we’re not armed people,” El Gaudi shouts.

“In whose name do I send them?” Mérida inquires.

“In the name of the people, send them in the name of the people,” Lozano responds before sending three men to receive the weapons at the entrance to the town.

Lozano and Arzate fled La Huacana hours after the events of May 26, according to army commanders. The 14 soldiers were released six hours after they were detained in exchange for the confiscated, high-caliber weapons.

Eight of the soldiers were summoned by the federal Attorney General’s Office yesterday to make statements about their ordeal.

After their detainment, President López Obrador praised the soldiers’ conduct, stating that their attitude “was very responsible, very honorable and very brave” and that “prudence is much better than authoritarianism.”

The CJNG is considered Mexico’s most powerful and dangerous cartel but statistics show that very few of its members have been arrested and prosecuted in recent years.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Avocado growers blamed for flood damage in San Gabriel

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Simon Schatzberg

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June 4, 2019

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Flooding damage in San Gabriel. — Hundreds of vehicles and houses were damaged by the flooding.

Flooding in San Gabriel, Jalisco, on Sunday could have been the fault of illegal practices by avocado growers, according to local and state authorities.

The Apango river (in previous reports it was called the San Gabriel river) burst its banks on Sunday afternoon, inundating the center of San Gabriel and damaging hundreds of houses and vehicles.

The floodwaters littered the river’s banks with tree trunks, trash and mud for 200 meters on each side. Three people were killed when the current carried them away, including two women, aged 36 and 60, and a man. Two others are still missing.

An emergency force of 593 personnel, 115 vehicles, two helicopters and six rescue dogs has been deployed to San Gabriel, famous for being the birthplace of writer Juan Rulfo and a growing avocado industry.

Now, people are speculating that illegal logging by avocado growers may have precipitated the flooding.

Wood and other debris clogs a street in San Gabriel. — Wood and other debris clog a street in San Gabriel.

After flying over the area, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez said that illegal deforestation could have weakened the ground near the riverbed, allowing the river to flood.

“Surely, as people have said, this has to do with the illegal logging that has been going on for many years here in the mountains,” he said. “The ground got soft, and that explains what happened.”

Alfaro added that the logging started several years ago, and that his government is taking action to end it.

Moisés Nava, a member of San Gabriel’s municipal council, said forest fires that had occurred in the month before the flooding also may have contributed to the disaster.

“All the water that flooded the riverbed was carrying tree trunks, mud and burnt material,” he said.

Nava added that there was no rain in San Gabriel before the flood.

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The government of Jalisco will spend 120 million pesos (US $6.1 million) to repair hydraulic infrastructure, strengthen the river banks and repair four bridges that were damaged.

According to a census by the state, 1,000 houses were damaged and 3,000 people were affected. Carlos Lomelí, the federal government’s super-delegate in Jalisco, said that resources from the Natural Disaster Fund will be used for rebuilding.

Classes have been suspended in local schools and temporary shelters have been set up by the army and local government to house people who are not able to return to their homes.

Source: El Economista (sp), El Universal (sp), Infobae (sp)

Pipeline tap leak forces 1,000 out of their homes

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Simon Schatzberg

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June 4, 2019

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A fountain of gasoline in Acolman last night.

More than 1,000 people were forced to flee their homes early Tuesday morning because of a leak in a fuel pipeline caused by an illegal tap.

According to a police report, residents of the Misión San Agustín housing development in the municipality of Acolman, México state, began noticing a strong smell of gasoline around 12:40am. More than 1,000 people fled their homes voluntarily, and reported a pipeline leak near Camino a la Mina to authorities.

The leak sent a jet of fuel 10 meters into the air.

Security forces and Pemex employees arrived at the scene and were able to seal the leak within three hours. By 3:45am, residents of the development were able to return to their houses.

Police reported no injuries and no arrests.

Acolman, which borders the municipality of Ecatepec in the Mexico City metropolitan area, is a common target for fuel theft, along with other municipalities in the Valley of Teotihuacán.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Heraldo de México (sp)

Cozumel about to break a record for cruise ship visits

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MND Staff

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June 3, 2019

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For the first time ever, more than 1,300 cruise ships will visit the resort island of Cozumel this year, predicts the chief of the Quintana Roo Port Administration authority.

Alicia Ricalde Magaña estimated that close to 5 million cruise ship passengers will set foot on the Caribbean Sea island, making it one of the most visited tourist ports in the world.

The number of cruise ships and passengers visiting Cozumel has been on the rise for the past three years.

In 2016, 1,114 ships took 3.6 million passengers to the island, while in 2017, the figures rose to 1,240 and 4.1 million respectively.

Last year, 1,297 cruise ships carrying 4.3 million sightseers docked at the Cozumel port. Among the visiting vessels was the world’s largest cruise ship, the Symphony of the Seas.

In the first four months of this year, 550 cruise ships visited, a 4% increase compared to the same period last year. Passenger numbers rose by a larger margin of 9% to just under 1.8 million from 1.64 million.

Tourism generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually for the island, which is located off the coast of Playa del Carmen and is reached by ferry or plane.

Despite increasing security concerns, 2018 was the best year in a decade in terms of cruise ship arrivals to Mexico. A total of 2,603 ships docked at Mexican coastal destinations, about half of which stopped in Cozumel.

International tourism numbers overall were also strong, with a record 41.4 million visitors entering the country.

However, there are concerns that visitor numbers could decline this year due to a range of factors including insecurity, a lack of international marketing and the invasion of sargassum on Caribbean coast beaches.

Source: El Economista (sp)

Land is getting pricey near the new Santa Lucía airport

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MND Staff

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June 3, 2019

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The air force base where the new airport will be built.

Demand for land in México state near the site of the new airport is on the rise, and landowners are determined to cash in.

According to a report in Milenio, would-be buyers are offering ejidatarios, or community landowners, between 200 and 300 pesos (US $10 to $15) per square meter for land located near the Santa Lucía Air Force Base north of Mexico City.

But many landowners have made it clear that they will only sell for 5,000 pesos (US $250) per square meter.

Fabián Pineda, a representative of 140 ejidatarios who own 240 hectares of land that they would consider selling at the right price, described the offers already made as “an insult.”

Land in Tecámac, the municipality where the Felipe Ángeles airport is expected to begin operations in 2021, is reportedly sought after for the construction of warehouses and aerospace factories.

But Pineda explained that while there is a lot of poverty, unemployment, drug addiction and crime in Tecámac, there is not very much free land.

Local small-lot farmers told Milenio that those seeking to buy might have better luck finding sites for their proposed developments adjacent to the Mexico City-Toluca highway but warned that land there won’t sell for less than 5,000 pesos per square meter either.

Interest in real estate in the area surrounding the new airport is not limited to vacant land.

Arnulfo Díaz de la Rosa, president of a local citizens’ council, said that hundreds of long-abandoned apartments are now being renovated in preparation for sale due to greater investor interest as a result of the airport project.

In the municipalities of Tecámac, Zumpango, Huehuetoca and Nextlalpan there are almost 3,000 apartments that were built with national housing fund credits but are now empty.

The vacant properties have been exploited by criminals but there is an expectation among residents that the airport will help combat crime and other social problems by bringing positive development and employment into the municipalities located between 40 and 50 kilometers north of central Mexico City.

The Secretariat of Defense will be in charge of the project that is forecast to cost just under 80 billion pesos (US $4 billion).

Before he took office in December, President López Obrador announced that his government would cancel the partially-built US $13 billion airport project at Texcoco, México, state after a legally questionable public consultation found almost 70% support to scrap it.

López Obrador opposed the previous government’s signature infrastructure project on the grounds that it was corrupt, too expensive, not needed and being built on land that was sinking.

Source: Milenio (sp)