Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-wb) -- On a day when thousands of Peruvians visit cemeteries to honor their dead, Peru's President Alan Garcia announced that he will send a law to Congress to apply the death penalty for terrorists.

With this law, Garcia is mainly targeting the resumption of subversive activities by the "Shining Path" (Sendero Luminoso), a maoist guerilla group. Since the capture of its leader Abimael Guzmán in 1992, it has only been sporadically active.

Two months ago, Peru's Chief of State pronounced himself in favor of capital punishment for rapists of children who kill their victims. Although the debate on this subject continues thoughout Peruvian society without obtaining a consensus, Garcia advanced his latest proposal.

He affirmed that his initiative includes the execution for remaining Shining Path insurgents that are being reorganized with the purpose of reviving the “armed warfare” by means of terrorist attacks.

“Those who commit serious crimes of terrorism, those who are trying to return our country to the fight of the 80's and early 90's, will face a firing squad”, he remarked.

He also warned that in case the "Shining Path" tries again to infiltrate Peru's schools, universities, unions or other organizations, the government “will intervene”.

“If the circumstances demand it, the Constitution authorizes a declaration of emergency… I hope that I will have sufficient evidence and suspicions to respond in a proportional way", he said.

In order to avoid that the population is alarmed by his statements, Garcia said the security during the regional and municipal elections on November 19 is guaranteed and that a specific threat or indication of subversive activities during that day does not exist.