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Guerrillas Blow Up Electricity Transmission Tower in Peru

Latin American Herald Tribune

Suspected members of Peru’s Shining Path guerrilla group blew up an electricity transmission tower in the jungle province of Tingo Maria, located some 600 kilometers (373 miles) northeast of Lima, police said Wednesday.

The attack occurred Monday in Santa Rosa de Chapaguilla, a remote area in the Huanuco region, a police spokesman from the Huallaga unit told Efe.

Police suspect that the attack was carried out by the Shining Path, which threatened last month to continue its “revolutionary war” in the Vizcatan area, located some 600 kilometers (373 miles) south of Lima, and expand it to other parts of Peru.

Since August, the armed forces have been making an aggressive push in the Valley of the Apurimac and Ene rivers, known as the VRAE region, against the remaining Shining Path fighters, who officials contend have allied themselves with drug traffickers.

Some analysts, however, say the Shining Path may have transformed itself into a drug cartel.

On Dec. 23, “Comrade Artemio,” the only remaining high-profile fugitive of the Shining Path, which terrorized Peru in the 1980s, called on the government for a “political solution” to end the armed conflict.

Artemio told Radio La Luz, which broadcasts from the jungle town of Aucayacu, some 600 kilometers (373 miles) from Lima, that his fighters would continue to launch attacks as long as the security forces went after them.

The guerrilla commander, whose real identity is not known, repeated that his group wanted “a political solution” and accused the security forces of committing “a great many” violations.

Artemio did not comply with Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman’s order more than a decade ago to end the armed struggle. Guzman, for his part, does not recognize Artemio’s group as Shining Path members.

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# Oliver says :
27 February, 2009 [ 09:33 ]

Well great these bastards sure know how to waste money.

Lets kill them all.

I believe that the peasants will now know better and realise that all SP does and is good for is to leave people without electricity.

# peter says :
27 February, 2009 [ 10:04 ]

Hi,
When times are tough, the tough, and the resilient, keep going. No matter how hard it is to keep your bounce, holding onto a positive mind set and maintaining your energy levels are the only way to get yourself through difficult times. Staying focused and taking action to get results are imperative.
Jimmy
Drug Intervention Oregon

# Anonymous Dave says :
27 February, 2009 [ 10:31 ]

I am in a state of panic and fear. Terrorism in Peru is out of control!!!

JAJA!
If the S.L. can only manage brief gun battles in the jungle and the demolishion of a pylon, I think we can all rest safely in our beds at night.
¡Que Mariconada!

# Auxiliary Power says :
27 February, 2009 [ 17:26 ]

Is it time to invest in a home generator?

# Wiracocha says :
28 February, 2009 [ 00:04 ]

Maybe a solution could be to set Sr Fujimori free and let him finish the  job on S.L...he seemed to have the knack a few years ago.

# mericorps says :
1 March, 2009 [ 00:52 ]

Wiracocha, I would tend to agree with you if we could be assured Fujimori also wouldn't start having people known to be innocent and not connected with terrorism blown away just for critisizing him.

But he did it and has not atoned for his sin, so he is a traitor to Peru and can not be trusted

# noname says :
1 March, 2009 [ 16:41 ]

mericorps... ok, so let's no do anything then and let the terrorist to start doing the killing of 1000 times more innocents....  keep Fujimori in jail and hopefully keep you happy.

# mericorps says :
1 March, 2009 [ 16:47 ]

noname, what a bizarre use of logic, your train of though escapes me.

I see you seem to think if I cure cancer, I can kill your precious loved ones without penalty.

I see you seem to think that the only answer to shining path is exchanging human rights for victory.

I think neither is the case.  If I cure cancer, I still must obey the laws of humanity, the laws of the land.

I am quite sure Shining Path can be defeated, or any terrorism without tossing civil liberties or turning a blind eye to crimes against humanity.

I feel very bad for those of the world who do not see that we can have peace without loosing our humanity.

# noname says :
1 March, 2009 [ 17:12 ]

what's done is done!  a very high price we paid....  in both sides, your side and mine. I lost friends and family who by the way, were only civilians working hard to support their families.... you lost your friends who by the way worked hard to support their IDEAS and most important, their leader's ideas... we are indeed in the opposite side of the street.
There was a cancer, a very malign cancer that killed by the thousands... both sides. yours and mine. your people from shinning path was defeated. innocent people was killed, like in any other war... so be it! end of the story. but just answer me this very simple question PLEASE be honest to yourself and us: Who is responsible for the defeat of shinning path? or which is the same as: Who is responsible for the end of this horrendous manslaughter that lasted over a decade with innocent people killed every single day? Who's mission was to put all of this to an end and succeded?  give me one name please?

# mericorps says :
1 March, 2009 [ 19:00 ]

There is no one person responsible for the defeat of shining path, there are many people, from locals who stood up to them, to the army who faught them, to the members themselves who realized their mistakes to the government ministers and cabinet members to the NGO s who worked for peace to the world leaders who assisted Peru to Fujimori.

Again, it is a great ignorance and hatred of humanity that would use the good he did to turn a blind eye to the bad he did.

Simply put, I yet again remind you it is the blood of other mother's children you are saying we should ignor because one good thing wipes out a crime.

You only have the right to say that if it were your innocent children sacrificed, and you are a monster for dismissing the innocent lives of others.

Again, if I cure cancer, your logic suggests that I then have the right to kill your family in cold blood and not suffer any consequences simply because they do not like me.

You have failed democracy, humanity and the worldwide fight against terrorism.  It was possible to stop shining path without killling the kids at school or the people at the picnic, and the 2 things are NOT connected, no matter how much you want them to be.  Repeating that lie only makes one a repeat liar, it does NOT make you right.

# noname says :
1 March, 2009 [ 20:06 ]

And what makes you think you are the one who is right???

To me you are the same ignorant, monster and liar that you are accusing me to be. this is so childish! you speak of the innocent like the only innocent that count is the one that were INVOLVED with terrorists and die because of it. you so called innocent kids at school, AS I TOLD YOU MANY TIMES BEFORE, were not so innocent. there were being used by this monster minded angry teachers to go and throw bombs all over the place.... so stop saying that before you lose all of your remaining points or credibility. Don't ignore the facts that I have stated on prior posts, I don't like repeating myself.

And if you really want to talk about cancer, let's talk about cancer then. Do you know what chemoterapy does to your boby? ... it kills all the good you have built in naturally on your body.... it kills your inmune system, all of your defenses and even your hability to have children... so, I don't think your cancer example applies here, unless you want to prove me right.

# mericorps says :
1 March, 2009 [ 21:18 ]

You just admitted that you are fine with the murder of the kids because you did not like their ideas.

You have shown that human rights, rule of law and innocence means nothing, that their lives, some other parent's child was expendible.

You have failed and failed miserably.

# noname says :
1 March, 2009 [ 22:14 ]

man, now I am really starting to worry about you, mericorps

You really got me worry about your level of understanding... it is at this point, hanging on a very thin string of "moco"...

So you are now trying to tell me that I should have liked their ideas of planting bombs throughout the cities???

Look, I was never able to get along with people that share this type of mentality... TERRORISTS!!!!  and it's obvious that you are one of them... so I am giving up this arguement right now.

# David N says :
1 March, 2009 [ 23:19 ]

mericorps, Fujimori ended an ugly era of Peruvian history and sent dangerous people who were terrorizing at will running for the hills.  The man should be left alone and Peru should move on, not try to villanize him.  Close the book already. 

# noname says :
2 March, 2009 [ 00:22 ]

allow me to play the ignorant role here for a minute....  but what happened to whoever ordered the two nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and Nakasaki?
Did that person(s) go to jail and followed trial too?  just curious

# David N says :
2 March, 2009 [ 01:49 ]

You don't have to PLAY the 'ignorant role' it comes quite naturally to you noname.

Yes the circus that is the trial of Fujimori should end immediately and all charges be dismissed as that era was one of war and terrorism and as such a decent leader will do anything to help his people become free from fear and stop the bleeding across his country.  Collateral damage was incurred to be certain however we cannot discount the dangerous times the man was enduring and some gray areas he might have entered into pale in comparison to what he accomplished so some discretion on his part must be permitted. 

There was nothing illegal either with the actions taken by Harry S Truman as Japan had attacked a party that was a non-aggressor and the Empire's defeat was contingent with the actual invasion and occupation of the Japanese islands which would have cost an unacceptable loss of US servicemen and women.  Since a state of declared war existed this defeat was therefore accomplished by the detonation of nuclear devices over two cities in Japan and the defeat accomplished at minimal cost to the non-aggressor, with the occupation to follow.

# noname says :
2 March, 2009 [ 03:17 ]

David N, thank you for the info and don't you worry about me being called ignorant... I have no problem with that, I could have used the internet to find that out and then come here and pretend to be "savy" like many others in here... now if I was called "arrogant" then I would be a bit concerned.

Back to the subject, the info you supply proves my point completely...  you say there was nothing illegal about throwing out those bombs, it seems like the US had enough reasons or excuses to do it... bottom line, someone did wrong and they thought punishment was in order. Now, I am almost positive there was no evacuation of women, children, newborns, ill, handicaped, etc??? I would assume these humans had nothing to do with anything... thus they were as innocent as one can be... how many were they? how many lives were lost because of those bombs?  it seems perfectly legal that they trew the bombs in order to prevent the "unnacceptable loss of US servicemen and women" ... I just hope that mericorps doesn't price the lives of the US servicemen and women as better than the lives of Peru's servicemen and women. I see a perfect parallel here.

# Wiracocha says :
2 March, 2009 [ 03:18 ]

Hola todos,

Sooooo, stepping between the landmines/comments that have now appeared on this topic......some extra general points on the threads of the above comments...don't take it personally mericorps...but you put yourself on the firing line....not me.However, I do admire your fortitude in expressing yourself under your normal,consistent, "nom-de-plume" and not hiding behind anonymous handles and sniping at commentors here.Don't get me wrong,amigo, I don't agree with you, but c'est la vie !!
1) Fujimori seemed to do a relatively good job on many fronts...(well, as well as any politician in Peru)...but principally he was accredited with stopping S.L at that point in time. si ?
2) In Iraq & Iran......when the terrorists launch attacks from building tops,surrounded by children/teenagers/young adults....and they are killed from retalitory fire from the allies....who is at fault ? the allies ? or the mongrel terrorists that exploit the youngsters to protect themselves, with hope of making an international headline.." innocent children killed". Sooooo, if "children" throw/plant bombs....tough poo if they get killed !!!
3)What about the f****ng terrorists that launch missiles at other countries from within kindergarten/school building enclosures....and when some automatic target seeking missile, from the others, hits the schools......the terrorists exploit this cunning strategy,instigated for this very reason.
4) Please don't crucify Fujimori, who has not been convicted yet......have a little think about the current encumbent and the infamous BUFFALO Party a decade ago or so.....wow....if all is true (or partially true) about some history I have heard about and read....caramba !!!! we will be making comments here for eternity !! :-)

Peru, fix this S.L problem before it escalates AGAIN....hit 'em and hit 'em hard...it's the Andeans and the country folk who are sufferering....not the theoristical Uni' students in the cities !!!

Enough from Wiracocha on this topic.

# mericorps says :
2 March, 2009 [ 07:33 ]

Harry Truman did not go to jain and should not for dropping the bomb.  On a side note, Japan was under negociations for full surrender at the time of the bomb, so I am not sure it was needed, but I do not call the action illegal in a war combantant situation.

Fujimori did not go to jail and should not for blasting away shining path.  He has been praised for that and well should be.

If, however, Truman had then gone in to kill a bunch of Americans who protested him, even though they did nothing treasonous, illegal and were not connected to terrorists or the enemy, then yes, he would and should ahve gone to jail.

It is immoral and ignorant to just make that imaginairy leap that one seems to justify the other.

You have done the same thing fujimori did.  You made the leap from protector to terrorist.

You support terrorism. your broken soul does not care that the people killed had nothing to do with terrorism, were not guilty of any crimes, did not commit treason, and were KNOWN to be innocent.  You betry your God, Fujimori because he has stated himself that those killings were wrong..he just pretends he did not know what his right-hand man, Montesinos was planning.  A statement the evidence does not support.

Your willingness to sacrifice human rights, innocent lives of other parent's children because you do not like their ideals, have placed you as no different than Shining Path.  You are now guilty of being just as vile and evil as they were becuase you do the same thing..just to a different group of people.

I quite firmly stand by what I have said earlier, you have therefore failed humanity.

A man of values would stand by denouncing terrorism in all it's forms, a lesser man would take a blind eye to it.

I denounce Shining Path and I denounce the killing of the innocents by the Fujimori/Montesinos regime.

It is called principles and values.

The war on Shining Path is a red herring, it has nothing to do, NOTHING to do with why he is on trial.  But you are happy to throw innocents, including a 9 year old boy to the wolves and ignore their clearly illegal and inhuman death because of the other.

I do not think you or your family deserves the fate you wish on other mother's children, but I do wish for one day you could feel the grief of loosing a loved one needlessly and hearing someone else say it acceptable because the killer also did something good for humanity.

You deserve that feeling even though no one deserves to have it actually happen.

# noname says :
2 March, 2009 [ 14:58 ]

an innocent is an innocent... regardless of nationality... you are implying that Truman was ok because he killed thousands of innocent Japanese.... but he would have face charges if those innocents were American???  that's messed up!

The war against another country should be no different from the war against terrorists in your own country.... enemy is enemy and innocent is innocent regardless of the scenario

# mericorps says :
2 March, 2009 [ 15:53 ]

The cities bombed were major military bases. In wartime, I would not choose to live next to a major military base or I would expect to be bombed.

I have repeatedly said that I know innocents were are are killed in war quite regularly, but there is a difference when the innocents are killed as collateral damage of an attack on an enemy, especially when the enemy hides amung the civilian population, and when they are specifically targeted for extermination.

You find it convenient to not make that disctinction because it does not suite you, but through all military history, that discticion has been made and is very clear.

I realize you can not accept that you support terrorism because you know it is wrong, so you are now clinging at straws.

I never said I support the use of the atomic bomb, something I made mention to...but you have to ignore that as well...all signs that you have sides and not values, a need to be right, not moral.

The more you talk the weaker you appear in your argument.

I denounce all terrorism, but I am not a pacificst and there is a difference.

You just don't care about that difference as long as it is some other parents child murdered and not your own.

Shameful.

# Anonymous Dave says :
2 March, 2009 [ 17:28 ]

The idea that the two Japanese towns were in any way used as military bases has long since been disproved.

In fact, the original excuse given was that the two towns were home to heavy war time industry... also questionable.

Whether American or otherwise, double standards and bias should be denounced. American-committed atrocities are every bit as wrong as those cause by any other nation. They can not be negated merely because the US is "mostly good" or that you, I or anyone we know are from there.

If you would like to argue in support of the dropping of the atomic bomb in the geographical centers of residential towns far away from their inevitably existing industrial areas - do it on the basis of established fact, not on what you wish to be the case. Be honest enough to say it was an unfortunate decision taken to drive fear into the hearts of the enemy by wiping their cities from the map because the lives of thousands of US soldiers are worth far more than the lives of thousands more Japanese civilians.

And while my fellow Americans ignore what I have written and give over to pro-American anthem singing and flag waving, admit to this second and separate issue... WW2 was done and dusted with the Japanese begging to surrender by the time the second atomic bomb was unleashed on their civilians. If the first genocidal deed was a necessary evil committed against a despicable enemy, what was the second one for?

My intention is not to insult anyones country, or my own, nor to attack Americorps in his very logical argument against Fujimori's ultra-fanatical supporters. My intention is to treat all acts of evil equally.

# noname says :
4 March, 2009 [ 00:30 ]

Wait a minute!

Ultra Fanatical Fujimori's supporters????  Are you out of your mind???

I rather being called an Ultra Fanatical supporter of PEACE AND JUSTICE FOR ALL! and if it wasn't because Mericorps insists on defending those La Cantuta students trying to make them look like they were just there learing science all nice and clean... I would not be here participation on this debate. Get it right! I am not a supporter of corruption of any type, I think Fujimori had good intentions at first, but made a mig mistake at associating with the wrong people.

Mericorps. you said that you would have never chosen to live near any military base or expected to be bombed?  THANK YOU VERY MUCH! my parents and thousands of other parents would have NEVER chosen to send their kids to study at La Cantuta simply becasue EVERYONE KNEW what was going on in there... and the only ones who were ok with their relatives going in there were the ones who WANTED to participate on terrorism and were active members of SL. LEFTISTS!!!!  I don't know about you, but I was their age and I was living in Lima by then, I was walking the streets, going to parties... again, EVERYONE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WHERE.
You like to take down my credibilty by using fancy phrasing... it's funny but you cannot cover the sun with one finger only... sorry... I feel like you are throwing sand in my face with a shovel... trying to bury me alive just cause you don't like to hear what's pure truth. If you want to comdem Fuji for the good he did, that's one thing... but those kids that were killed at La Cantuta... were living right next to a major military base and they and their parents knew that it was loaded... Take it as it is!

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