Vengeance time
MAYAN Indians are turning the tables on ranchers near Bachajon town in Mexico's Chiapas state. Just about 175 years after they were forced off their lands, the Indian supporters of the rebel Zapatista National Liberation Army have occupied more than 28,000 ha of their ancestral land around Bachajon. Cattle, food and weapons have also been ransacked from the nearby towns of Ocosingo and Altamirano.
Last year, an arbiter verified the Indians' claims to about 30,375 ha, but the ruling has not been implemented. The government has not responded to angry outbursts by the ranchers. In fact, local government officials are aiding the Indians in evicting the ranchers. The police and troops have stood on the sidelines for fear of disrupting an uneasy truce negotiated with the rebels.