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Rebellious townspeople clash with Mexican police after declaring autonomy

MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, January 14, 2004

(01-14) 15:58 PST MEXICO CITY (AP) --

Dissidents battled police Wednesday in a small town south of Mexico City after police entered to reinstate a mayor run out by opponents.

The clash involving guns and molotov cocktails and left one man dead and several others injured.

Earlier in the week, dissidents aided by leftist supporters had seized the town hall in Tlalnepantla, Morelos and declared the hamlet an "autonomous municipality."

The dispute resembled a 2002 standoff in which rebellious farmers seized the town of Atenco, east of Mexico City, for over a year, blocking highways, taking hostages, halting elections and facing down federal authorities.

Authorities in southern Morelos state appeared determined not to allow the establishment of an Atenco-style autonomous municipality, like the townships run by the leftist Zapatista rebels in Chiapas.

Such townships refuse secret-ballot elections, black access by federal or state authorities, and reject all government development programs.

Morelos Governor Sergio Estrada said police were attacked by dissidents when they entered Tlalnepantla, in what he called an effort "to prevent violence between the mayor's supporters and dissidents ... at the request of the legally-elected mayor of the town."

"These dissidents were supported by subversive groups from outside the town," Estrada said, referring to reports that radical leaders from Atenco had visited the Tlalnepantla, 35 miles (55 kms) south of Mexico City. "These groups were apparently supplying them with weapons."

Police recovered the town hall, allowing Mayor Elias Osorio to return. The dissidents refuse to recognize him, arguing that their traditional voice-vote nomination for the mayorship was ignored by political party leaders, who instead nominated Osorio.

Police arrested about a dozen people on weapons possession and other charges; the fighting including exchanges of gunfire, tear gas and molotov cocktails. By contrast, authorities never made a serious attempt to intervene in Atenco.

One man among the dissidents died after being shot. The injured -- five dissidents and three police -- appeared to have suffered non-life threatening wounds.

"The security forces attacked the people," said leftist federal congressman Victor Suarez. "The (state) government has decided to use force, instead of dialogue, to resolve the conflict."

Many of the dissidents scattered into the surrounding mountains after the clash. Several dozen of their supporters held a protest march to Tlalnepantla from Tlayacapan, a town about 5 miles to the south, shouting "free the political prisoners" and demanding Estrada step down.

Tlalnepantla had been deadlocked for months, with dissidents refusing to recognize the mayor since November. A deadline for resolving the conflict -- or scheduling new elections -- was to have run out Wednesday.

Morelos officials posted about 300 state police in the town, and stressed they were not going to allow any autonomous municipalities.

"As far as state authorities are concerned, the only legitimate representatives who exist are the ones who were legally elected," said German Castanon, assistant state interior secretary.

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hursday, January 15, 2004 (Tlalnepantla):

At least one person died and three more were injured in Mexico on Wednesday during an early morning raid by local authorities who sought to remove a group of protesters from the municipal government headquarters in the town of Tlalnepantla in Morelos state.

Close to 800 police officers took part in the raid, during which one civilian was fatally shot.

The building had been occupied since November 1, 2003 by a group of protesters who were unhappy about the outcome of local elections, which took place on July 6, 2003.

On Sunday, shortly after protesters installed a de facto people's council, local authorities equipped with riot gear attempted a raid but were repelled with firearms, rocks and rudimentary rockets.

The situation in Tlalnepantla remained tense as night fell, with sporadic gun battles being heard in a nearby forest. (AP)