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Cancun Bulletin, No 2, July 17 2003
Welcome to the second Global Exchange bi-weekly Cancun news bulletin
from the Puente a Cancun team.
1 –Weather
Report:Tropical
Storm season and its implications
It’s rainy season in Cancun and that will extend beyond the
September
demonstrations.
What does that mean? In the last few weeks we’ve seen
Tropical
Wave Carlos, Tropical Storm Claudette (almost a hurricane, causing
red alert in Cancun) and run of the mill torrential rain lasting
more than 24 hours and flooding all of Cancun. In such storms
ferries don’t operate, the road between the town of Cancun
and the hotel zone is closed, parks are submerged under a foot
of water, streets are flooded. Cancun apparently doesn’t
have a proficient drainage system. If you’re coming to Cancun
for the anti-WTO mobilization be prepared to deal with such reality.
(And
when it’s not stormy – most of the time, like this week,
the climate is very hot and tropical).
Metrological Office prediction - Chances of a hurricane in September:
6%.
Hurakan
is originally a Mayan deity (the God of Storms).
2.
News from Cancun- Media and activists “coincide” on
a figure of 10,000-60,000 protesters expected in Cancun in September
(!)
In
reality, nobody has any real idea of how many people will converge
in Cancun. One NGO in the US claims somewhat optimistically that
150,000 protesters will mobilize. The Cancun newspapers report
figures of 40,000 -60,000 but that does appear to be influenced
by the security forces assessment who have asked for a huge budget
to police the event. Local activists cite a figure of 10,000 -20,000.
It all depends on the amount of ant work done over the next two
months in Mexico, as activists and political leaders return to
mobilize the grass-roots.
a)
Meanwhile,
preparations for the demonstrations, forums and expos are ongoing.
Spaces have been reserved for formal events and negotiation is
under way to secure more space where people can stay. The local
municipality has committed to help provide logistical spaces for
the visitors. The main area pending is the Casa Cultural which
is a large sports complex that could be used for meetings, mass
outdoor-lodging and as a convergence center. The Comité
de Bienvenida a Cancún (Cancun Welcoming Committee) are
renting large tarpaulins to cover every eventuality.
http://www.cancuncommittee.org/
Between
now and September there are several local forums to help build
towards the protest. On the 27th of July the Comite de Bienvenida
will host a statewide forum on the WTO and its local impact. The
event will feature speakers from local political, environmental,
community and women’s groups that will all take on the WTO
from their respective perspective including the impact WTO policies
can have on the tourism industry (a primary concern in a town
whose economy is exclusively oriented toward tourism). A regional
women’s forum is scheduled for August 19 and will discuss
women and state violence as well as the effect that WTO policies
have on women. On a smaller level, there will be ongoing workshops
on the WTO and local power happening in Cancún and the
towns and villages of the surrounding area.
For
September there are plans to have a Fair Trade Expo just a few
blocks from the convention center where the WTO will meet. The
expo will include fair trade producers, importers, merchants and
policy experts. On the other side of town will be a Social Forum
to discuss popular response and alternatives to corporate managed
globalization and trade. Also planned is a meeting of trade unionists
from around the world and a forum of national and international
parliamentarians, September 8th, downtown Cancun.
b)
Citizens Consultation about the Privatization of Public Services.
On
Friday 17th July, the Comite De Bienvenida launched their campaign
aimed at raising awareness about how the Privatization of the
state water services in 1994 has led to a huge increase in water
fees for citizens without an improvement in service. The hotel
zone in Cancun is the only area that receives water around the
clock, while for the other parts of the city, the water supply
is turned off for most of the day. Mexican law recognizes the
right of citizens to potable water 24 hours a day. More problematic
is the issue of waste water. Cancun has a population of 750,000,
of which 400,000 are not linked up to the sewage system. This
means that the majority of waste, including fecal waste, goes
directly into the sub-soil and further contaminates the water
supply. Aguakan, the private company responsible for Cancun water
and waste, has not made progress in its close to ten years of
service to meet the requirements of the law.
Linking
the issue of Privatization of basic Services with the WTO Ministerial
in September, the Comite de Bienvenida is distributing a citizen
consultation. A central focus of the Comité’s educational
work to date has been the WTO drive to privatize basic services.
Water has historically been an issue of great importance and struggle
in Mexico.
For
more information on the Comité visit: http://cancuncommittee.org/
c)
- Mayan Forestry Groups
met at Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico, on June 11,
2003, and issued the following statement, opposing the model of
global trade promoted by the WTO. An encouraging sign indicating
that some of the majority dispossessed in the Yucatan region are
mobilizing. The Balam Nah Forest Declaration on the WTO
http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/display.php3?article_id=105406
Other
groups have emerged to organize on the ground in Cancun. Autonomous
from the Comite de Bienvenida, the loose coalition brings together
youth, students and members of the Zapatista Front. While not
antagonistic to the Comite, they do prefer to organize in a different
manner. This should be viewed as a healthy sign as the many headed
hydra of resistance takes diverse forms.
Contact
: Comite Civiles de Dialogo del FZLN, Q. Roo [email protected]
d)
International Forum on Globalization Teach-in…..For
the Cancun Ministerial the IFG plans to host a two-day, Teach-In
that will unite a robust movement. Our event will help to identify
and provide analyses of the critical issues and how they affect
communities and impact the work of existing movements; and provide
capacity to plan joint strategies and programs. Foremost among
the events we plan will be a focus on Alternatives to Globalization
[A Better World Is Possible], our report released November 2002,
provides a framework and principles for an alternative agenda
to the current global economic model. We hope it will help form
the basis for discussion and action in Cancun.
e)
Congressional Elections June 6 – The Resurrection of the
Dinosaur
Mid
term Congressional Elections July 6 produced little by way of
surprise. President Foxes PAN party did badly, and the PRI strengthened
their hold of Congress. The PRD made some gains nationwide. 3
years after their resounding defeat that was hailed as the “fall
of the dictatorship”, the “Dinosaur” PRI party
has bounced back and shows itself to be in a strong position to
win the next Presidential elections.
In
the state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is situated, the PRI retained
hold of the 2 Congressional seats, and the PRD candidates did
poorly. More than anything, it was a victory for indifference
as the Abstention rate reached 70%. People realize that Fox’s
presidency (noted for its stagnancy) has changed little. Apathy
triumphed in these elections, as party politics failed Mexico
again.
In
regards the WTO mobilizations, the disappointing results for the
PRD locally in Cancun is not a good sign, as the Comite de Bienvenido
is strongly identified as PRD-ista.
In
Chiapas, autonomous (Zapatista) municipalities refused to participate
in the election sham, and ballots were burnt in San Andres. The
Autonomous Municipality of San Salvador Atenco also decided against
participation in elections.
f)
– Media Organizing Update…
GLOBAL
CALL FOR A JOINT MEDIA STRATEGY AGAINST WTO IN CANCUN. From “Medias
and Press” International Group of Action.
A
call for all non-aligned (i.e. beyond the Corporate Media) media
to unite and work together to report independently around the
WTO ministerial.
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/wto-2003/2003-July/000054.html
Cancun
Alternative Media-Tech Convergent -Tidal Wave Cancún
Preparations for the Techie convergence continue, and several
attractive locations have been looked into to host the Convergence.
Several hundred representatives are expected.
http://espora.org/cancun03/index.pl?CancunAlternativeMediaTechConvergence
Making
Waves – RadioCancún.org. In the weeks leading up to
and during the WTO Cancún ministerial, Radio Cancún
will be broadcasting interviews with policymakers and civil society
leaders, daily news briefings, businesspeople and producers and
special live events from the ministerial. RadioCancun.org will
present weekly news summaries and special reports through August.
In September they will begin broadcasting daily from Cancun and
cover the WTO Ministerial from start to finish.http://www.radiocancun.org
A
new Electronic Calendar featuring all the main dates, actions
and events leading up the mobilization in Cancun. An indymedia
initiative. http://www.radicalendar.org/group/cancun
3.
News from Chiapas –
Report
from the 2nd Preparatory Meeting Towards Cancún, San Cristóbal
de las Casas.
During
the first week of July, the 2nd Preparatory Meeting towards the
WTO took place and attendance doubled from the first gathering,
showing the growing interest in mobilizing from Chiapas.
Represented were many of the main NGOs operating in the region
including CIAM, Fray Bartolome Human Rights Center, CIEPAC, COMPITCH,
CORECO, CAPICE, CIDECI, KINAL, Coordinadora de la Sociedad Civil
de los Altos, SIPAZ, La Neta and Puente a Cancún.
The meeting encompassed an assessment of the various Forums, conferences
and initiatives which have taken place in Chiapas recently, and
how to build on these foundations towards concrete organizing
in September. The Hemispheric Forum Against Militarization, the
3rd Chiapas Gathering Against Neo-liberalism, the Continental
Consultation about the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas (FTAA),
amongst other events all contribute towards an understanding of
the WTO and the need to resist it. Once more, the task is to return
to the base built up during all these events and make the call
for Cancun.
An important message which the Chiapas groups will to carry to
Cancún is that that the War in Chiapas is not over and
the militarization increases, particularly in Montes Azules, and
that the growth of paramilitary groups continues.
The compañera from CIAM announced that women from Chiapas
were organizing to assist in the Women’s Forum on the 8 and
9th in Cancún.
Puente a Cancún reported on recent developments in Cancún
and presented our first Cancún News Bulletin, which will
be distributed by all present as a useful resource tool. The next
Chiapas meeting is August 2nd.
4 - News from Mexico City –
The meeting III Encuentro Nacional Rumbo a Cancún (3rd
National Meeting on the Road to Cancun)was held in Mexico City
June 28th.The purpose was to discuss plans of action in order
to mobilize more people and how to raise funds for the process.
Political discussions included linking war with neo-liberal globalization,
and the problem of the US unilateralist approach in both military
and economic matters.
Caravans are still planned from Mexico City to Cancun. Representatives
from the coalition RAMLC (Red Mexicana de Acción frente
al Libre Comercio), are visiting Cancun this week to update the
Comite de Bienvenida.
http://www.rmalc.org.mx/
Some
debate is emerging in the Capital whether it might be more effective
and cost-effective to stay in Mexico City and demonstrate there
rather than take the arduous and expensive road to Cancun (24
hours by bus). If this happens, protester numbers in Cancun would
lower somewhat significantly.
5.
News from the US –
While the Bush Administration continues its reckless quest for
empire, a powerful series of grassroots mobilizations for peace
and justice are being planned for this fall. United for Peace
and Justice is supporting these efforts through a fall campaign
that connects the issues of militarism, globalization, and immigrant
rights. The campaign will kick off with events throughout the
U.S. commemorating the
anniversary of 9/11 and with a global day of action on September
13, when the World Trade Organization will be meeting in Cancun,
Mexico.
Read more here - http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/display.php3?article_id=105474
Piqueteros in the USA?!
Activists
in the US and Canada have proposed to block roads and borders
on the Global Day of Action (Sep 13) in solidarity with the Cancun
demonstrations, and in homage to the direct actions of the Piqueteros
of Argentina. (source : Indymedia.org)
b)–
Sacramento, June 20- 24 - WTO hounded in California, Cop clampdown.
Some
4 thousand people mobilized to protest the WTO mini-ministerial
in Sacramento, California. This figure was somewhat disappointing
and revealed the lack of outreach to the wider community and grass
roots organizations. Nevertheless, a spirited series of protests
and events took place, letting the WTO know that they were not
being left alone. The huge state security forces operation left
nobody in doubt as to who controlled the streets, and as a reminder
of the current state of affairs in the USA. …“Like being
in Germany in 1934,” commented an older activist…
Nevertheless,
Food First and Public Citizen organized events in the Alternative
Forum that attracted over a thousand participants.
For
an account of some direct actions and really, what its all about,
read this article-
The
Arrest of the Seed Balls ‹or What Universe Are We Living
In? A Tale from the Sacramento Mobilization Against Biotech and
the WTO June 20-25, By Starhawk
http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/display.php3?article_id=105444
There
is also a good general summary of the Sacramento mobilization
written by Dan Bacher of the Sacramento Coalition for Sustainable
Agriculture -
http://www.foodfirst.org/media/news/2003/butterfliesvsusda.html
c.
– Preparations for the FTAA Ministerial in Miami, Nov 10-14
Sun,
Sand, and Sedition:
Come to Miami in November and this is what you’ll see......
http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/display.php3?article_id=105363
http://www.citizen.org/trade/ftaa/
d)
Reality Tour in Yucatán
- “Whose Trade Organization? Linking Global to Local Issues
in Cancun, Mexico”is the motto of a special Reality Tour
in Yucatan. The tour is organized by Global Exchange in the week
before the WTO Ministerial Meeting. From September 3-8, participants
can learn about the local impacts to the Yucatan region determined
by the WTO and direct effects from NAFTA, and the on-going efforts
for economic justice and democracy. This is a very good opportunity
to meet people involved in grassroots movements and exchange ideas
with them while learning more about their unique history and culture.
http://www.globalexchange.org/tours
e) The Organic Consumers Association
offers a travel package for a week of teach-ins with it’s
delegation during the WTO meeting, September 4-11. The OCA delegation
will include experts on genetic engineering and organic agriculture
such as Ronnie Cummins, OCA National Director; Dr. Michael Hansen,
from the Consumers Union; Laura Miller and John Stauber, publishers
of PR Watch, and Ryan Zinn, OCA's Chiapas-based biodiversity specialist.
[email protected]
7. The Official World of the
WTO
a)Lunch
with the Man from the WTO ….
The
WTO wanted to “get to know” the people of the Comite
de Bienvenida. An informal meeting was arranged in a local restaurant
last week, with Alain Frank, Director of WTO External Relations
office, accompanied by Mexican government officials Melba Ruiz
and Raul Marcias.
The
scene was set: pleasant bureaucrats held out a hand of friendship
to the opposition committee, in the hope of “doing business
together”. The subtext of the meeting seemed to be an attempt
to get the Comité to help the WTO account for the “unregistered
groups”. The agenda of the Comité was of course, different.
They hoped to get a commitment from the WTO boss and the Mexican
state bureaucrats to help in ensuring that mass camping facilities
and forum spaces are available for the arriving protesters. The
whole meeting ended without too much agreement, but everybody
smiled all the way to the exit.
b)WTO
‘Not Ready For Meeting In Mexico’…
WTO
PREPARATIONS for the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s)
meeting in Mexico are far from being finalized and the meeting
could be as disastrous as Seattle in 1999, the Commonwealth Business
Council has warned
http://www.tradeobservatory.org/News/index.cfm?ID=4578
8.
Media and Press
– Local media in Cancún and its environs are beginning
to take notice of the preparations towards the WTO in September.
Unsurprisingly, few explore the reasons behind the demonstrations
and mostly concentrate on the “security problem” posed
by the event.
Protesters
are inevitably referred to as Globalifobicos, a denigrating term
coined by the last President Zedillo, as if they have a phobia
towards “global progress”. Hence the muck-raking headline
in Novedades, July 17.
More
than 40,000 Globalifobicos Will Protest the WTO!”
So
in general, media coverage is all about security preparations.
An example of this is a recent broadcast on a local radio station,
Mix 93. An unspecified Municipal spokesperson spoke over his mobile
phone. The amount of interference led us listeners to conclude
he was busy driving around a golf course in a buggy. In the few
coherent moments of the interview, he assured citizens that all
contingencies were being considered, and firemen, medics and rescue
services would be mobilized during the Ministerial. Nothing was
said about the Trade Conference or the reasons for the protests.
Nevertheless,
the Comite de Bienvenida has been successful in holding press
conferences with ample media coverage. This week’s press
conference given by Hector de la Cueva from RMALC - the main Mexico
City organizing body around the protests, was aired on local TV,
radio and reported in most of the newspapers.
The
same day (16 July) that Hector spoke of the peaceful intentions
of the protests, the municipal government (accompanied by various
police chiefs) held a press conference outlining proposals for
a $3 million USD security budget to “avoid” disturbances
which might be caused by the “40,000 participants”.
Government Secretary Villanueva Arcos admitted the security forces
had made “errors” in what he called the “confrontations
between protesters and police” at the Cancun WEF conference
2 years ago.
Most
eyewitnesses remember that “confrontation” as a brutal
attack by hundreds of baton waving cops on an entirely peaceful
gathering.
Anticipating
Measures Against the Globalifobicos – Voz del Caribe, July
10.
An
article where the Secretary of Tourism, Artemio Santos Santos,
reiterates that the Cancun business class is “happy”
with the WTO’s presence and assures the populace that all
the necessary security measures are being taken to deal with people
who will come with “uncomfortable protest” in mind.
How the Department of Tourism has now become a security spokesperson
defies logic, but such is the projection of the article –
the WTO Ministerial is not about global issues of economics, development
and distribution of scarce resources, but about tourism and security
issues
http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/display.php3?article_id=105459
9.
Links.
WTO-2003
Info Page) http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wto-2003
·
Cancún WTO Ministerial September 2003 http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/cancun/
·
Indymedia Chiapas (Cancún) http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/?category=8
·
Indymedia México http://mexico.indymedia.org
[email protected]
Red Mexicana de Acción Frente al Libre Comercio http://www.rmalc.org.mx/
o Experiencias de "seguridad" transnacional y perspectivas
hacia Cancún 2003
·
Comite de Bienvenida Cancún http://cancuncommittee.org
·
Web de la OMC en México http://www.omcmexico.org.mx/Index.htm
·
Archivo Cancún 2001 por Periódico El Grito http://www31.brinkster.com/grito/cancun/indice.html
·
More Photos and more info about what happened in 2001 http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/mexico/picswef.htm
10.
More insightful analysis from Walden Bello…
The
Coming Battle of Cancun. The neo-liberal project loses legitimacy
but the left has not won the public space. The right is gaining
ground- like in the 1930’s, warns Walden Bello.
http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/bello/0820coming.htm
11.
Strategy and tactics-
What
is the reality of effectively de-railing the Cancun Ministerial?
A Puente a Cancun member gives a logistical outline of the kind
of effort involved.-
“The
geography of Cancun is such that it is looking extremely difficult
to get to the actual Convention Center. The Convention Center
is at kilometer 10 on the island of the Cancun Hotel Zone with
only one road entering or leaving that zone. From kilometer 1
there will be roadblocks set up and different levels of security
from kilometer to kilometer, each level becoming increasingly
difficult to pass. The closer you get to the Convention Center,
the higher and tighter the security. Being that the road is lined
by impassable mangrove forests and crocodile laden waters, it
will be quite the challenge to get in there without paragliding,
in which case you will probably
be shot down, as there is also a 2 mile (approximate) restriction
on boats entering the zone apart from air restrictions at that
time as well.
So,
taking all that into consideration, most of the “action”
is planned outside of the so called “perimeter.” There
is one way to get into the zone. Accredit yourself with the WTO
as press - if you are press.. Deadline is August 15. (NGO deadline
has passed) That will give some sort of access. From there you
could try to find a hotel in that zone (considerably more expensive,
almost entirely reserved by the 8000 WTO delegates and one NGO
hotel), but there will probably be less “action” there
then in the town of Cancun, which is the base for all of the alternative
forums, marches, demos, etc minus a few that may occur in other
areas as people draw out their plans...”
So
it seems the WTO have done their homework well here in terms of
choosing their strategic location. They remain quite removed geographically
from the protesters, and need only to arrive to the Convention
Centre area and remain in that self-catering zone throughout the
week. And even if the roads to the Hotel zone are blocked on the
days leading up to the 10th, the authorities can ferry delegates
from the mainland shore to the Hotel zone. So in terms of de-railing
the WTO, this will need careful thought.
Here
are the only 2 articles we could find on the web dealing with
such issues.
a-
An article written by Seattle veterans, evaluating the pros and
cons of considering the possibility of “De-railing the WTO”.
El Pico and Magpie say –Just do it!
http://zopehosting.com/pipermail/aus-anarchy/2003-April/000017.html
b.
– Thinking tactically, from Miami to Cancún. In Pittsburg,
a group is calling for a Padded Block at Miami's FTAA Ministerial.
In Cancun, similar tactics were tried in 2001, very unsuccessfully.
Here is what these people argue:-
http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/display.php3?article_id=105447
12.
Logistics – Mass free camping is being organized,
probably in the expansive municipal run Casa Cultural complex
(including Gymnasium, football fields and a variety of halls)
near the commercial center of Cancun City. (10km from WTO Ministerial).
Otherwise:
-
Youth Hostels - there are plenty of $10 a night (usually including
breakfast) in Central Cancun. 2 others merit mention – Poc-Na
on Isla de Mujeres, a lovely hostel by the golden sands and CREA,
the only hostel in the hotel zone, and close to the WTO convention
centre - a vast decrepit state-run hostel. Situated on the beach,
but falling to pieces. ($10)
-
$20-30 – there are a wide variety of economic hotels with
standard facilities – a/c, telephone, television, on suite
bathroom, around central Cancun. Block-booking hotels in groups
can yield good price reductions.
-
Hotels in the Hotel Zone begin at about $40 a night. Many are
booked by the WTO that week (8000 delegates), but there are many
more. Very fancy.
About
Puente a Cancun....
We
are a group of international activists (Mexico, US, Ireland) based
in Cancun and Chiapas, who came together to promote and help logistically
towards a successful mobilization against the WTO in Cancun. With
our experience from a variety of global mobilizations we will
provide support for the logistical effort on the ground and with
our office in the Comité de Bienvenida headquarters in
Cancun, we will provide information and orientation for people
arriving from other parts of Mexico, the US and indeed, the four
corners of the world.
Read
our convocation towards Cancun here –
http://www.protest.net/LASC/calendrome.cgi?span=day&day=10&month=9&year=2003&list=Off&state_values=
or
contact us here – [email protected]
MEXICO
SOLIDARITY NETWORK PROGRAM NOTES
For more information about these upcoming programs click the links...
August
11-16: Congressional Delegation to Mexico City and Chiapas
September 10-14: Cancun WTO Ministerial (MSN delegation)
September 14-Oct 5: Women
Confronting Globalization (w/ Mayan Women's Weaving Collective
"Jolom Mayaetik") Speaking tour to and through IL, KS,
MO, OK, TX
September-October: FTAA Road to Miami Speaking tour: US
Southeast
October: Immigrant Rights Speaking tour: US Southwest
November:
Women Confronting Globalization Speaking
tour: US Northeast
November
19-21: Mobilization
to Confront and Expose the FTAA Ministerial in Miami
November 22-23: School
of the Americas Protest at Fort Benning, Georgia
Mayday 2004: Labor
(Organized and otherwise) Delegation to Mexico (link to last
delegation)
Summer
2004: Women's Delegation to Chiapas and Ciudad Juarez
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