14 藝文新聞 F E A T U R E S THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES Cocaine, rebels haunt remote Peruvian jungle eru’s civil war is over but and healthcare mean that coca has fighters from the Shining Path long been a fallback for people like P rebel group have joined the Medina and Palomino. One of the Shining Path’s last footholds has country’s cocaine trade, turning It grows quickly, can be become the most densely planted coca-growing a lawless bundle of valleys into a harvested four times a year, and security problem for President Alan functions as a kind of parallel belt in the world Garcia. currency, used to pay farm hands A civil war killed around 70,000 or augment income between coffee BY Terry Wade people in the 1980s and 1990s when and cacao harvests. REUTERS, AYNA SAN FRANCISCO, PERU Shining Path’s Maoist guerrillas nearly “Coca is our petty cash,” said toppled the Peruvian state and both Medina. sides committed rights atrocities. Although some of the coca is The rebels mostly disbanded chewed as a mild stimulant or after the capture of their leader, brewed for tea, as it has been for Abimael Guzman, yet violence is centuries, experts say up to 90 escalating again in the rugged and percent of it winds up being refined volatile Ene and Apurimac River into cocaine. Valleys, known as the VRAE, in The UN and private aid groups Peru’s southern jungle. are trying to untangle the culture of It has become the most densely coca and violence in this region by planted coca-growing belt in the working with small farmers to plant world, according to the UN, and alternative crops, but people tend to police say much of the cocaine keep a hand in coca even after they leaving these fertile valleys is move into the legitimate economy. exported with help from a remnant Medina is the quality control band of Shining Path fighters. inspector at the CACVRA agricultural Garcia, whose first term as cooperative, which exports organic president in the 1980s was haunted coffee and cacao raised by its 2,000 by the rise of the insurgency, members to the US and Europe. has mobilized the army to try to Palomino’s daughter works for a eliminate one of Shining Path’s last company that exports cacao. Her footholds and prevent its influence grandchildren are going to university. from spreading again. Medina encourages farmers to So far, the military push has been increase their incomes by improving marred by setbacks. Rebels working the quality of their beans and with cocaine smuggling gangs have marketing the coffee as organic, killed 40 poorly equipped soldiers fair-trade, high-altitude, or grown and police over the last year in the by women. Yet, like a fifth of the VRAE and shot down helicopters. farmers in her cooperative, her The army has suffered mother still plants coca to make embarrassing ambushes, traffickers ends meet. buy lenient treatment from judges Coca also distorts the local farm and mayors in local towns defend economy. Planters complain that growers of coca, the leaf used to during harvests farm hands charge make cocaine. double or triple the normal daily Garcia is unpopular in a region wage to pick coffee because they can that has long felt ignored by the make so much more working coca. governing elites 650km away in “The increases in labor prices Lima, the capital, on the other side have been severe, and the only way of the Andes. to respond is to sell higher-value “Alan Garcia has never come here coffee,” said Illich Nicolas Gavilan, like a man and kept his word,” said who manages the cooperative. “The Doris Medina, 33, whose father was issue of coca is incredibly complex.” murdered by rebels at the height of To enter the VRAE, you must the war. bounce along a dirt road for four “He has turned his back on hours, snaking around hairpin turns the VRAE again,” she says while that lurch precariously over steep walking through the small farm gorges blanketed by rain forest. where her mother plants coca, the Along the way, shotgun-toting main ingredient for cocaine, as well peasant patrols stop cars to charge as coffee. a toll and anti-drug police search Medina’s father belonged to one vehicles and jot down the names of of the peasant patrols that former everybody going into the area. It is president Alberto Fujimori set up in about six hours by car from the city the 1990s to help a weak army stop of Huamanga, the Shining Path’s the insurgents. birthplace. Medina credits Fujimori, who The VRAE runs across four of was later convicted of human rights Peru’s provinces, a cause of adminis- crimes, for capturing Guzman and trative headaches as the government other Shining Path leaders, but tries to implement a security, devel- holdouts from the war are still on opment and anti-drug strategy. And the loose. the efforts are hurt by some public Colonel Elmer Mendoza of Peru’s officials in the pay of traffickers. counter-terrorism police said that “I have to be sincere, the as the army tries to round up 300 to corruption that exists in this area at Top: Special Police forces patrol as people wait outside a bank in Sivia, a 600 rebels in the VRAE, its hands some point affects everything,” said town in the region of Ayacucho that is at the front line of the coca and have been tied by human rights Luis Guevara Ortega, an appointee cocaine trade in Ene and Apurimac River Valleys. protections passed after Fujimori left who represents Garcia’s office in the Above: Armed self-defense groups patrol a road in San Francisco, a town office to limit the use of deadly force. Sivia district of the VRAE. in Ayacucho. Small farmers here say the Critics say the government has Upper right: A pile of cacao fruit on a cacao farm in Sivia, in Ayacucho. government has demonized them. bitten off more than it can chew in Lower right: Doris Medina talks about her father, who was killed by “We aren’t terrorists or traffickers. the VRAE, and members of peasant rebels, during an interview on a coffee and coca farm near San Francisco. We are farmers. I fought against the patrols on the front line say there PHOTOS: REUTERS terrorists,” Maria Palomino, 59, whose is no incentive to really go after the husband was in a peasant patrol Shining Path. and was killed by insurgents, said “If Garcia guaranteed us life while chatting in her first language insurance policies for our families, of Quechua with farm hands picking we could go in and wipe out the coca on her daughter’s plot. Shining Path in two months, but Widespread poverty and a why are we going to risk our lives history of underinvestment by the for nothing?” said Reinaldo Silva, a government in roads, education patrol leader in the town of Pichari. Risks Peru faces in coca-growing valleys BY Terry Wade SECURITY PUSH STUMBLES, DEATH crimes stemming from his heavy- candidates in regional elections next sympathetic to coca farmers. No. 3 producer. REUTERS, AYNA SAN FRANCISCO, PERU TOLL MOUNTS handed counter-insurgency efforts. year, although Garcia insists it will Humala unnerved financial markets Anti-drug experts worry that efforts not happen. when he nearly won the 2006 to promote the “sacred leaf” of A growing cocaine trade and a Considered the most likely outcome, SHINING PATH GROWS, RUNS Guzman launched his war against presidential race, but he is trailing in indigenous groups could end remnant group of Shining Path Garcia’s security strategy fails to CANDIDATES the state in 1980 after turning his polls for the 2011 general election. up creating a more permissive rebels in Peru’s Ene and Apurimac make significant progress and the back on elections and unleashing Coca growers have elected environment for trafficking. River Valleys, known as the VRAE, Shining Path kill more soldiers and Rival leaders of the Shining Path his rebel army. Analysts say his more politicians to municipal posts, and a UN officials say curbing growth in have become President Alan Garcia’s police in ambushes. Presidential in the VRAE and a calmer coca- conciliatory tone now reflects his few legislators in Congress represent the VRAE, which has an estimated toughest domestic issue. candidates try to exploit the VRAE growing valley called the Alto group’s weakness and may also be specific coca-raising valleys, but they 16,000 planted hectares, is crucial Prime Minister Javier Velasquez as a campaign issue in 2011, when Huallaga could put aside their part of an attempt to get his life remain fragmented nationally. because Peru could overtake warns that increasingly powerful Garcia — who is liked by foreign differences and unify, causing more sentence shortened. Colombia as the world’s top coca drug traffickers could gain influence investors but unpopular at home security headaches. SACRED LEAF, MORE PLANTING grower in coming years. in Congress, although most analysts — cannot run. Rebels in Alto Huallaga still profess COCALEROS AND HUMALA Output in Colombia is falling as say the mounting violence in the Keiko Fujimori, a conservative a certain allegiance to the jailed Peruvian officials occasionally it receives the biggest slice of US VRAE does not yet pose acute risks lawmaker, enjoys broad support founder of the Shining Path, Abimael Coca growers could try to strengthen defend traditional uses of coca in anti-drug aid in the region. The UN to stability in Peru.