Thread: Human rights official slams military check points in Tijuana

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexi ... gwars.html

Human rights official slams military check points in Tijuana

By Luis Perez
ASSOCIATED PRESS

8:17 p.m. January 10, 2007

Associated Press
A dog jumps out of a van at a military checkpoint on the Tijuana-Tecate highway, in Tijuana, Saturday. President Felipe Calderon has sent more than 3,000 soldiers and federal police to combat drug gangs.
TIJUANA, Mexico – A state human rights official slammed military check points aimed to weed out drug traffickers in the violent border city of Tijuana, saying they were unnecessary and degrading to citizens.
Francisco Javier Sanchez, head human rights attorney for the government of Baja California, on Wednesday toured round the military check points, which are part of an offensive against drug gangs ordered by President Felipe Calderon.

“These type of check points should not exist, especially with soldiers manning them,” Sanchez told reporters. “We are not in a state of siege.”

Calderon took power in December promising to crack down on drug violence that has killed more than 2,000 people last year. He has sent 3,300 soldiers and federal agents to Tijuana and more than 7,000 troops to his native state of Michoacan.

The soldiers in Tijuana have swept police stations and taken officers' guns for inspection in response to allegations by federal investigators that a corrupt network of officers supports smugglers trafficking drugs into the United States.

The soldiers have not said when they will return the guns, and Tijuana police say they have received a wave of death threats since they were stripped of their weapons.
On Wednesday, one police station received a false bomb threat by telephone, said Tijuana Public Safety Secretary Luis Javier Algorri.

Algorri said he believes drug gangs are behind the threats and has called on federal officials to find out who is behind them.

As part of the operation, federal agents have also arrested two Baja California state policemen and an officer from the city of Mexicali, 190 kilometers(120 miles) west of Tijuana, on suspicion of helping drug cartels, the federal attorney general's office announced Wednesday.

The three men were allegedly passing on information about anti-drug operations to traffickers, the release said. The men have been ordered to be kept in custody for up to 90 days while they are investigated, it said.

More than 1,000 Mexican army troops have also amassed in the Pacific resort of Acapulco and two other cities in the western state of Guerrero in preparation for a crackdown on drugs and crime that have plagued the region, state officials said.

Calderon's office, however, said the operation in Guerrero state does not represent a third front in the presidential anti-drug offensive that has sent troops to Michoacan and Baja California.

The troops arriving in Acapulco were on loan from three states in northern, southern and central Mexico, said a senior Guerrero official who confirmed the operation. They began arriving Tuesday night and were on standby in Acapulco; the state capital, Chilpancingo; and the city of Iguala, while military commanders were briefed on drug cartel and other criminal operations in the area.

Military officials as yet have no plans to strip local police officers of their weapons during the upcoming offensive in Acapulco and other violence-plagued cities including the resort city of Zihuatanejo, said the official, who released the information on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media.

Instead, the troops will maintain a visible presence patrolling the streets, setting up roadblocks and conducting random vehicle checks, the official said.

“These type of check points should not exist, especially with soldiers manning them,” Sanchez told reporters. “We are not in a state of siege.”

I don't know....police chiefs murdered within hours of taking office, police officers being killed, people getting their heads cut off. Sounds kind of bad to me.

Originally Posted by JohnB2012

“These type of check points should not exist, especially with soldiers manning them,” Sanchez told reporters. “We are not in a state of siege.”

I don't know....police chiefs murdered within hours of taking office, police officers being killed, people getting their heads cut off. Sounds kind of bad to me.

I'm with you, John. Do you think this crackdown is legitimate or just for show? I haven't heard of any more of Calderon's relatives getting murdered(?) The cartels seem pretty serious about showing the goverment who is boss, so it makes me wonder how they can make such progress.

Originally Posted by JohnB2012

“These type of check points should not exist, especially with soldiers manning them,” Sanchez told reporters. “We are not in a state of siege.”

I don't know....police chiefs murdered within hours of taking office, police officers being killed, people getting their heads cut off. Sounds kind of bad to me.

Why is it the theme song from the Dukes of Hazard come to mind here?