巴拉圭人民军遭政府围剿

FEW Latin American presidents would seem less likely to confront a guerrilla uprising than Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo. A former Catholic bishop, Mr Lugo rose to prominence as a liberation theologian and advocate for land reform. His election in 2008 broke the Colorado Party’s 61-year hold on power, cementing the country’s shift to democracy. Yet after a series of provocative attacks by the tiny Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP), Mr Lugo is now in a similar position to the region’s right-wing leaders of yesteryear.

很少拉美国家总统会比巴拉圭总统Fernando Lugo更不可能面对游击队的叛乱。天主教会主教出身的Fernando Lugo，以自由派神学家身分并提倡土地改革而登上全国最高权位。他在2008年当选总统，打破了红党连续六十一年的掌权，巩固了巴拉圭转向民主。可是，在一小撮巴拉圭人民军（EPP）一连串挑衅攻击之后，Fernando Lugo现在竟发现自己与过去几年拉美国家右翼领导人面临相似的处境。

Founded in 2001, the EPP is thought to have a mere 20 armed members, and has been behind only a few crimes. But these have been shocking: in 2004 it kidnapped and murdered Cecilia Cubas, the daughter of a former president. Officials say it has ties to Colombia’s FARC. It is reportedly sheltered by peasant groups, drug traffickers and corrupt police.

巴拉圭人民军在2001年建立，一般认为仅有20位军人成员，而背后一直很少牵扯犯罪案件。但是，这些都是骇人听闻的案件︰2004年绑架并杀害前总统的千金Cecilia Cubas。官方表示人民军与哥伦比亚FARC革命游击队有牵连。据报导，他们也受到农民团体、贩毒集团和不肖警察的掩护。

The EPP has been a big headache for Mr Lugo. Last year the group kidnapped Fidel Zavala, a well-known rancher, for 94 days, and released him only once a ransom was paid. In April an EPP member killed a police officer and three ranch workers. The opposition has criticised the president for being soft on the guerrillas, claiming that he once knew some of their leaders through the church.更多信息请访问：http://www.24en.com/

巴拉圭人民军让Fernando Lugo头疼不已。去年人民军绑架著名牧场主人Fidel Zavala长达94天，在支付大笔赎金后才获得释放。今年四月，一位人民军成员杀死一名警官和三名农场工人。反对党指控总统采取怀柔态度对待人民军游击队，声称他过去在天主教会就与几位人民军领袖熟识。

In response to these attacks, the president asked Congress to grant him emergency powers, which it did on April 24th. The law, valid in five departments for 30 days, authorises arrests without a warrant and allows the army to join the police in security operations. Mr Lugo promptly sent 1,000 extra troops to the region, bringing the total to 3,000.

为了反应这些攻击，Fernando Lugo总统要求国会同意在上月廿四日动用紧急权力。这项法令在全国十七个省的北部五省具有30天效期，同意没有搜查令可径行逮捕，并让军队加入警方投入保安行动。总统立即派遣一千名兵力增援该地区，总数约三千兵力。

The crackdown has had mixed results so far. The government boasts of the capture of Jesús Ortiz, allegedly an EPP logistics co-ordinator, on May 6th. However, he was arrested outside the area subject to the measures.

迄今，镇压行动出现了各种结果。政府夸耀在五月六日逮捕了据称是人民军后勤指挥官的Jesús Ortiz。然而，他是在采取紧急法令以外的地区被逮捕的。

Meanwhile, the military deployment has been a fiasco. One group of soldiers accidentally started a firefight with police officers by raiding their headquarters. Another angered residents by barging in on a girl’s 15th-birthday party. Human-rights groups say they have received reports that the army is extracting fake fines from civilians and making arrests unrelated to the EPP.

同时，军事部署彻底失败。一群士兵突袭位于Concepcion省Hugua Nandu市的警察局，意外与当地警察开火枪战。另一起乌龙，士兵误闯了一位女孩的十五岁生日派对而使居民怨声载道。人权团体表示，他们接到报告军方正在筛选民众假冒的报案，并且逮捕与人民军无关的嫌犯。

Despite these setbacks, Mr Lugo wants Congress to make permanent the provision allowing the army to accompany police. For now, the fight remains popular, both with wealthy farmers and with peasants who fear the guerrillas’ wrath. But public opinion may sour if the government fails to eliminate the EPP.

尽管这些挫折，Fernando Lugo仍希望国会让准许军方陪同警察进行扫荡的紧急法令常态化。目前，与人民军作战仍受到民众支持，尤其是富有农场主人和惧怕游击队报复的农民。但是，假若政府不能消灭人民军，舆论随时可能倒戈。

To do so it will have to strengthen the state’s presence in the countryside, improve co-ordination between the police and the army and modernise the courts. Diego Zavala, Fidel Zavala’s brother, says he has not testified against the group because Paraguay lacks a witness-protection programme. “My family and I are constantly threatened by the EPP,” he says, “and we live in fear.”

为了消灭人民军，巴拉圭政府必须在乡村加强国家的存在、改善军警之间的统一指挥并建立现代化法庭。Fidel Zavala的兄弟Diego Zavala表示，它一直不敢出庭作证对抗人民军，因为巴拉圭欠缺证人保护措施。「家人和我经常受到人民军威胁，」他表示，「我们生活在恐惧里。」