Venezuela arrests 9 Colombians over plot to kill Maduro
Venezuela arrests 9 Colombians over plot to kill Maduro
POSTED: 11 Jun 2013 3:40 AM
CARACAS: Venezuelan authorities said Monday they had arrested nine Colombian paramilitary fighters they accused of plotting to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro amid an ongoing diplomatic spat with Bogota. Maduro accused Colombia of waging a "dirty campaign" against his newly formed administration.
The two neighbouring countries have been at odds since Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos hosted Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles at the presidential palace last month, infuriating the leftist government in Caracas.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez said the arrested fighters belonged to two separate groups, including one led by Chepe Barrera.
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In western Tachira state, Venezuelan authorities captured six members of the drug cartel Los Rastrojos, armed with Russian AK-47 rifles, two pistols, a revolver, a 12-gauge shotgun, two grenades, cartridges of different calibre, cash and a motorcycle, according to the minister.
The second group was arrested in central Portuguesa state, carrying weapons, ammunition cartridges and Venezuelan military uniforms.
More:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/venezuela-arrests-9/704494.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
Chomsky on a nasty Colombian para plot blocked in 2004:
chomsky on venezuela
pescao | 21.05.2004 03:57
Question: Professor Chomsky, does the recent discovery and arrest of over a hundred Colombian paramilitaries in a ranch just outside of Caracas, many of them wearing Venezuelan military uniforms, does that signify a new phase in Washington's aggression towards the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and do you see any kind of military intervention, perhaps through Colombia, as being likely?
Noam Chomsky: It's not impossible, we really don't know, we don't have the details, but that the United States is trying to overthrow the Venezuelan government is not at all in question. In fact there was a military coup two years ago, which overthrew the government for a couple of days. The US welcomed it at once. It had to back down because of the overwhelming objection of the rest of Latin America, where they had this odd, old-fashioned idea about democratically-elected governments. And then the population immediately overthrew the coup-leaders.
There's a further consequence to that. The Venezuelan Supreme Court, which represents the old regime, the elite regime, determined that they could not be brought to trial, and the Venezuelan government, allegedly a totalitarian government, amazingly accepted the Supreme Court judgment, and did not bring them to trial.
Shortly after that, there was a terrorist bombing in Caracas, and two of the military officers who had been coup-leaders were implicated in the bombing. They fled to the United States, where they requested asylum. Venezuela called for extradition. That's where it stands right now, it's been about two months. The US has not given an official answer, as far as I know, to the call for extradition.
Incidentally, it's very hard to follow any of this because none of it ever gets reported, by the usual principals. But is this a further attempt? Your guess is as good as mine.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/05/291950.html
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Venezuela Captures Paramilitary Group Seeking to Overthrow Chavez
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One of the detainees confessed to a TV reporter that the owner of the farm offered them 500 thousand Colombian pesos to come and work there. When they arrived 46 days ago, they were greeted by men in camouflage uniforms, who told them they would receive training for attacks to National Guard bases.
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One of the paramilitaries gave details of the opposition's plans, but asked that his
face not be seen fearing retaliations against his family in Colombia
Credit: Venpres[/font]
"Eight days after we arrived, they told us that we could not escape, that we cannot give information to anybody, and that we could not see or talk to any civilians, otherwise they would kill our families," said the detainee in a thick Colombian accent. The man was wearing a sky mask in order to avoid being identified.
The group planned to concentrate near a Caracas military base -presumably the National Guard Urban Security Command- and assault it next Wednesday. The witness explained that the goal of the operation was to steal weapons from a arms depot at the base in order to arm a militia of three to four thousand paramilitaries who would come to Venezuela.
About 100 of the irregulars are members of the Colombian military reserve, according the authorities' analysis of Colombian documents found in the farm, and according to testimony by some of the men captured.
According to the detainee, on Saturday afternoon, some "generals and colonels", organizers of the operation brought Venezuelan army uniforms, boots, and food. "We could not see them because we they only allowed us to see them from afar."
"When we knew about the plan, some of us tried to escape. One of the Colombians rebelled and managed to escape, but he was caught 100 meters away. They tied him and told him that next time he tried to escape, he would be killed. They then took away our ID cards and documents," said the detainee.
More:
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/498
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Chavez Identifies Leaders of Colombian Paramilitary Group in Venezuela
Caracas, May 15, 2004—During a press conference with Venezuela’s foreign press corps on Friday, President Chavez presented the pictures and names of the leaders of the paramilitary group that was captured last week in a farm on the outskirts of the country’s capital.
The main leader of the group is Jose Ernesto Ayala Amado, known as “Comandante Lucas” and is, according to Chavez, also one of the leaders of the Colombian paramilitary group known as the AUC (United Colombian Self-Defense, in its Spanish acronym), in the Colombian state of Norte de Santander.
Two other captured leaders also come from the same state, Rafael Antonio Omaña Trujillo, know as “Comandante Richard”, and Yeferson Gutierrez Guzman, know as “Comandante Yeferson”. Two more AUC leaders who were part of the Venezuelan group are still at large, Comandantes “Diego” and “Costeño.” President Chavez said, “It’s not like we are inventing things, as the media have irresponsibly begun to claim. Rather, there was a Colombian paramilitary operation of infiltration into Venezuelan territory, some with several years’ worth of experience and some newly recruited.”
According to Chavez, the group captured last week consisted of three blocks. The first of AUC leaders from Norte de Santander, the second of Colombian paramilitary fighters with experience, and a third block of individuals who were tricked into coming, some of whom are minors.
More:
http://sync.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x560193
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Venezuela's Chavez pardons Colombian prisoners accused in plot
The Associated Press
Published: August 30, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez on Thursday pardoned dozens of Colombians imprisoned in Venezuela on charges of involvement in an alleged 2004 plot against his government.
The order to free the 41 prisoners took effect with its publication in the government's official gazette that dismissed their convictions on charges of military rebellion.
Chavez announced his decision to free the prisoners last week as a goodwill gesture as he tries to help broker an unrelated prisoner and hostage exchange between Colombia's government and leftist rebels.
In May 2004, 118 Colombians were arrested at a ranch outside Caracas. Authorities said they were wearing Venezuelan military uniforms and were suspected of belonging to paramilitary group that was plotting to create chaos in the country and assassinate Chavez.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2972477
The Venezuelan elite imports soldiers
by Marta Harnecker
May 23, 2004
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Since 'the conspiracies against Venezuela do not end with the capture of mercenaries in Caracas,' there must be many other infiltrators in other areas of the country; since this is not an isolated action, but one whose efforts to stop the process continue, one can reach but only one conclusion: it is necessary to prepare oneself for self-defense. This is why the President considered it opportune to take advantage of the occasion and to announce three strategic lines for defending the country. The most radical proposal was a call for the population to massively participate in the defense of the nation.
A week earlier, on the 9th of May, on the outskirts of Caracas, a paramilitary force was discovered, dressed in field uniforms. Later, more were found, raising the total to 130, leaving open the possibility that there are still more in the country. The three Colombian paramilitary leaders of the group are members of the Autonomous Self-Defense Forces (AUC) in Northern Santander state in Colombia.
Some of the captured Colombian fighters have a long history as members of paramilitary forces. Others are reservists of the Colombian army and yet others were specifically recruited for the task in Venezuela and were surely tricked. Among these there are several who are minors.
A colonel of the Venezuelan air force was also detained, as well as seven officers of the National Guard. Among those implicated in the plot is a group of civilians headed by the Cuban Roberto Alonso, creator of the 'guarimbas,'<1> and Gustavo Quintero Machado, a Venezuelan, both who are currently wanted by the Venezuelan justice system.
What the real objectives were is now being discussed. One of them could have been to steal weapons so as to then attack the Miraflores presidential palace and President Chavez himself.
The government denounced the existence of an international plot in which the governments of the United States and of Colombian would be involved. U.S. Ambassador Shapiro denied that his country had any participation in the incident. And the Colombian president, for his part, solidarized himself with the Venezuelan government, affirming that he supports its actions against the members of the irregular Colombian military group, which then caused Chavez to publicly announce that he was convinced that President Alvaro Uribe did not have anything to do with the plot, even though he insisted on leveling charges against a Colombian general by the name of Carreño.
Even though the oppositional media conducted a big campaign to minimize the issue, trying to accuse the government of having organized a montage, so as to have a pretext for taking forceful measures that would impede a confrontation at the voting booth, every day more evidence surfaces that confirm the official version.
The Colombian attorney general's office has evidence that proves that paramilitary fighters were recruited and then transported to Venezuela and that extreme right-wing groups infiltrated intelligence services in the border town of Cúcuta. The proof was shown on the news program 'The Independent Network.' The program broadcast some intercepted recordings of paramilitary soldiers in Cúcuta, in which the operations they carried out in Venezuelan territory are reviewed.
More:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=5579
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Published on Monday, May 17, 2004
by the Agence France Presse
Thousands Protest Colombian Paramilitary Presence in Venezuela
Chavez to Set up 'People's Militia'
President Hugo Chavez announced his government would establish "people's militias" to counter what he called foreign interference after an alleged coup plot by Colombian paramilitaries Caracas claims was financed by Washington.
Chavez also said he would boost the strength of Venezuela's armed forces as part of a new "anti-imperialist" phase for his government.
"Each and every Venezuelan man and woman must consider themselves a soldier," said Chavez.
"Let the organization of a popular and military orientation begin from today."
The president's announcement came a week after authorities arrested 88 people described as Colombian paramilitaries holed up on property belonging to a key opposition figure.
More:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0517-04.htm
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Venezuela Denounces Illegal Incursion of Colombian Troops
May 20th 2008, by Kiraz Janicke - Venezuelanalysis.com
Satellite photo of the zone with blue marking showing where Colombian troops were found (Google Maps).
Caracas, May 19, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan Information Minister Andrés Izarra, confirmed that the government has proof of that sixty Colombian troops made an illegal military incursion into Venezuelan territory last Friday. “We have photos and other materials that demonstrate the military incursion into our territory,” Izarra assured on Sunday after Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, denied the claims.
“There was no incursion,” said Santos in comments broadcast on Colombian radio on Sunday. “I looked into it and they were not doing anything,” Santos said of the Colombian troops.
“It appears that Minister Santos is not well informed of what his troops are doing,” Izarra countered.
On Saturday Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro denounced through an official note of protest to the Colombian government that sixty Colombian troops had illegally entered 800 meters into Venezuelan territory. The incursion occurred Friday, May 16, in the Los Bancos sector in the municipality of Páez in the border state of Apure.
Maduro said the group was under the command of Colombian Army Sub-lieutenant Jhonny Ocampo Jurado, from the Cubará Military Base in the Colombian department of Arauca. Once they were intercepted the Colombian troops were forced to leave Venezuelan soil immediately.
“The commission of 60 men from the Colombian Army, under the command of someone who identified himself as Sub-lieutenant Jhonny Ocampo Jurado, assigned to Special Battalion Energético and Vial No 1, General Juan José Negro Velasco, from the Cubará Military Base, in the department of Arauca, Colombia, was intercepted at the coordinates N - 07° 02' 12,5'' - W - 072° 02' 6,4'', 800 meters from the frontier line in Venezuelan territory and was required to leave immediately,” the communiqué read.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3463
It's not great journalistic practice. (Some recruits "were surely tricked."
However, there is backup in other reports on this incident that some members of this armed group were unknowing recruits--not privy to the mission, not happy with the mission when they found out what it was, tried to get out of it, were bullied, etc. So I wouldn't say that the phrase "were surely tricked" is "just rank speculation by the reporter." It's more like a kind of shorthand that is not great journalistic practice. (Reporter didn't want to go into those details, so sums up the types of participants--from known paramilitaries to raw recruits-- in a not very satisfactory way.) The paragraph does go on to say that some participants were minors--partially explaining what "tricked" might mean (some were too young to understand what they were getting into). And it mentions these youngsters again, later in the article, as to why Chavez released them from custody and sent them home.
The article otherwise seems pretty straightforward, though poorly written (or poorly translated). And it does not seem to me to consist of obvious propaganda techniques, like the article on Argentina you posted. It actually tries to be fair--for instance, it says that, "This is not the activity of the entire opposition" and it reports that Chavez does not believe that Colombia's president Uribe was involved. (The article on Argentina made no effort to be fair--it was a hit piece, out to degrade Argentina's leftist president, Cristina Fernandez, using outrageously unfair journalistic practices.) This article has a point of view, certainly, but it's not out to smear anybody--it mostly seems to be a paraphrasing of what Chavez said about the Colombian paramilitaries. With regard to that, I wish it had been clearer (for instance, I wish it had put what he actually said in quotes). But there is a big difference between poor writing and deliberate disinformation.
...or a rightwinger with the mind of a 12 year old.
"Manuro" (i.e., Nicolas Maduro, the recently elected president of Venezuela) = manure.
