By Lilia Lopez

On Monday May 8, police forces removed and detained dozens of protestors from the mayors’ offices in Bochil, and Escuintla, Chiapas. The community members originally took the government offices in protest against mayors Daniel Morales and Darinel Méndez whom they accused of corruption and inaction in the wake of Hurricane Stan, respectively.  

Bochil
Approximately one thousand police entered the municipal offices during the early hours of May 8 resulting in two injured police officers and three civilians.  At least 55 individuals were arrested under charges of rebellion, conspiracy, and sedition amongst others. The majority of those occupying the offices were members or affiliates of the Central Independiente de Obreros Agrícolas y Campesinos (CIOAC) the Independent Organization of Agricultural Workers and Small Farmers. 
The conflict in Bochil began over a month ago on April 3 when members of CIOAC organized in protest in front of the mayor’s office, which resulted in the removal of indigenous vendors in the town’s main plaza. According to the State Secretary of Rural Development and Production of CIOAC, Juan Pérez Pérez, the action against the indigenous vendors were taken because the CIOAC brought community members from Larráinzar, Chamula and El Bosque to the capital and it was members of these communities who cut off services in the town including water, electricity and telephone on Sunday, May 7. Since that time, the protestors have occupied the mayor’s office.
Despite rock throwing by the protestors, they were easily overwhelmed by the police forces that greatly outnumbered them. 

Escuintla
In Escuintla approximately 600 campesinos took over the local government offices building the morning of Monday May 8. Local residents took over the building and held the mayor and three other officials inside to protest the fact that local government officials have not begun to cleanup and unclog nearby rivers or reconstruct roads that were destroyed by last year’s Hurricane Stan. 
Shortly after the incident began, local officials told the protestors that state officials would come to Escuintla shortly to work out a solution to the problems. But hours later, after it became apparent that no one from Tuxtla was on the way, residents decided to block the coastal highway. At about 8:15 that night local police forces removed the protestors. Three campesinos were injured during the process and were taken to the Regional Hospital of Escuintla.

Since the rainy season has begun again, flooding and landslides have once again become a major problem for the coast and Sierra Madre of Chiapas.  The same region, communities and families devasted by the Hurricane last October, are watching as the water  fills their streets and houses because of lack of reconstruction efforts to dredge rivers, rebuild roads and bridges and take other preventative measures.