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Chiapas, MX - On October 17th, CPT team members, Erin Kindy, Scott Kerr and Anne Herman, accompanied 94 families belonging to Las Abejas ("The Bees") as they walked for four hours, through mud that was nearly a foot deep at times to a location near the village of Ybeljoj. In 1997 these families fled from their homes in Yibeljoj in the middle of the night after receiving threats from neighbors who belonged to the political party in power, the PRI.

This time the move was planned and the Abejas were able take their possessions with them, but they could not return to the homes and lands from which their neighbors had driven them more than three years before. The Abejas felt compelled to move because there was no longer enough water, firewood or food in X'oyep for them to survive.

Kindy and Herman went part way by road. As they walked from X'oyep to the road, they met some other internationals, followed by about seven men who appeared to be police. Six of them were dressed in what seemed to be black uniforms with no insignia

When the CPTers reached the road, they found at least four unmarked black trucks and about two dozen more police whose only insignia was a tiny pin on their uniforms, too small to read. One man in civilian clothing, who appeared to be a spokesperson, said he was from the state department of Chiapas. The others claimed to be regional state police. When the CPTers asked why they were there, they responded they were often in various parts of municipality of Chenalho.

When the CPTers asked if it had anything to do with the municipal president announcing the move of the Abejas back to Ybeljoj, the men claimed to have no knowledge of what was going on.

Herman and Kindy encountered numerous military and police vehicles as they continued on the road, but had no more conversations. However, the next day at Majomut, Herman had a conversation with a general from the Mexican army, who asked if she had been at the community.