Monday, 5/5/97 Living with Terrorism Rebels’ grievances should
be heard, but not when violent actions threaten innocent people
By Alfredo Malatesta Lisa Martinez’s April 30 Viewpoint
article,"Harsh reality lies under Peru," is the most ridiculous
article related to the Peruvian hostage crisis I have read.
Martinez’s article appears to be very warm-hearted, but not very in
touch with the dilemma the country of Peru faces with the problems
of terrorism. Her article states many disturbing opinions which
support the 14 rebels (and the rest of the Tupac Amaru movement in
Peru) who held 72 people hostage for over four months! I must add
that one of the 72 happens to be a close friend of my family. Being
a native Peruvian and having endured eight years of constant
terrorism in my country was not easy. Terrorism is an act that
should not be forgiven or looked at as an "understandable" way for
people to bring about changes in political circumstances. Observing
AND having lived through constant threats of terrorism makes me
understand the social problems evident in my country, Peru. My
family and I have fortunately survived many bombings and threats
from rebellious groups such as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary
Movement and the "Shining Path" (Sendero Luminoso). I AM aware of
what these certain members of the Peruvian society are attempting
to accomplish. I AM aware of the struggles they face every day of
their lives. Martinez believes that "fairness and human rights" are
necessary for the people in these rebellious groups. I agree, but
these rebels do not deserve attention when they use violence, force
and irrational acts to pursue their rights. Terrorism should not be
an "understandable" reason, as Martinez states, for people to try
to obtain "fairness and human rights." Did Ghandi ever accomplish
anything by holding 72 people hostage in a Japanese ambassador’s
house or by bombing a federal building? I do not think so. Martinez
states that Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori’s actions were
"disgusting" and "in no way the appropriate behavior for a
president of a country." First of all, what is the "appropriate
behavior" of a president? Second, I ask, why is the attempt of a
president trying to save the lives of 72 people "disgusting?" The
demand of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement was the release of
over 400 of their terrorist comrades currently being held in
prison. Giving in to the terrorists’ demand sounds like it would
have really helped the presently suffering Peruvian society, right?
WRONG!! Fujimori’s BEST option was exactly what he did. He kept the
operations top secret and invaded the ambassador’s house in a very
skillful operation. The actions taken by the Peruvian government
were necessary to end the crisis and save the lives of 72 hostages
who definitely were in danger of being killed by terrorists. Having
people threaten your life with weapons IS danger. There is a
tremendous social problem in Peru and many people die from the
bombings and attacks caused by rebels. I personally have two
uncles, both Peruvian naval officers, who have been killed in the
past six years. I, however, am not the only individual who has been
affected by the rebellious movements occurring in Peru. The ENTIRE
country has been affected! Rebellious groups such as Tupac Amaru
and the "Shining Path" have endangered the country both socially
and economically. Martinez also states that the "corporate-owned
news mediums" in the United States did not clearly explain the
reasons for why the rebels took the people of the Japanese
ambassador’s house hostage. I agree, but what the news should have
focused MORE attention on was the two men who died to save the
lives of two of the hostages whose lives were highly endangered by
terrorists. These men are heroes who should have received more
recognition for their courage. Rebellious groups in Peru need to be
heard, but with violence, force and brutality to the Peruvian
people, their requests will never be answered. It sounds very
warm-hearted and kind to support the human rights of terrorists, as
Lisa Martinez did, but one cannot tolerate and approve of their
actions when they have not had personal experience with the
situation! Malatesta is a first-year pre-economics/international
area student. Previous Daily Bruin stories Harsh reality lies under
Peru, April 30, 1997