Peru: Presence of the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) in Tarapoto, San Martin department, since 1983; harassment of the Social Centre and its employees; presence of the army in the region; intensification of Shining Path incursions since March 1999; reaction by the authorities; treatment of persons suspected of helping the Shining Path (1983 to October 2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Direction des recherches, Commission de l'immigration et du statut de réfugié, Canada |
| Publication Date | 20 October 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PER35572.F |
| Reference | 1 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Peru: Presence of the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) in Tarapoto, San Martin department, since 1983; harassment of the Social Centre and its employees; presence of the army in the region; intensification of Shining Path incursions since March 1999; reaction by the authorities; treatment of persons suspected of helping the Shining Path (1983 to October 2000), 20 October 2000, PER35572.F, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4df411.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the most recent census, in 1993, Tarapoto, a commercial centre and the capital of San Martin province, itself part of San Martin department, had a population of 54,660 persons (ITETE Perú 1997). According to a 4 June 1998 article in El Comercio, Tarapoto is the location of the headquarters of the Politico-Military Command of the Huallaga Front. In 1996 approximately 4,000 soldiers were garrisoned at the Command (New York Times 8 Aug. 1996), which is responsible for military operations in the departments of San Martin and Huanuco (Radioprogramas del Perú 23 Feb. 1995). In 1995, the Command had deployed more than 3,000 soldiers to the areas of conflict (ibid.).
According to a 22 July 1993 article in Latin America Weekly Report, in 1992, soldiers from the Tarapoto military base were responsible for many human rights violations, including disappearances and extrajudicial executions. However, in 1996 General Manuel Varela Gamarra, commander of the Tarapoto base, indicated that he had set up a special commission to investigate the human rights violations committed by his soldiers, and that those responsible for the violations would be ''prosecuted vigorously'' (New York Times 8 Aug. 1996). The Research Directorate did not find any information about the results of these investigations among the sources consulted.
According to Deborah Poole and Gerardo Rénique, authors of Peru: A Time of Fear, the central region of the Huallaga valley where the city of Tarapoto is located was a centre of activity of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru, MRTA) (Nov. 1992, 182-183). The authors of this article stated that, starting in 1986, the Huallaga valley was a region where the MRTA established important links with community organizations (ibid.). Moreover, according to a 22 December 1996 article in the daily newspaper Hoy, the MRTA founded a cell in Tarapoto.
Although it was a significant guerrilla movement in the central region of the Huallaga valley in the late 1980s, the MRTA was unsuccessful in containing the Shining Path, which pushed the MRTA increasingly farther north, beyond Juanjui toward Rioja, Moybamba and Tarapoto, with the objective of gaining power over all of Huallaga (Cultures et conflits fall 1991). According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), in 1990 and early 1991, there were violent confrontations between the MRTA and the Shining Path in the departments of San Martin and Ucayali (1992, 64).
According to an 8 August 1996 article in the New York Times, in 1996 there were between 2,000 and 3,000 active members of the Shining Path living in the Huallaga valley. However, the Research Directorate found only two articles published since 1992 indicating the presence of the Shining Path in Tarapoto (Xinhua 20 Nov. 1992; UPI 9 Apr. 1993). According to the Xinhua article, on 19 November 1992, nine Shining Path guerrillas and 62 MRTA members surrendered to government forces in Tarapoto (20 Nov. 1992). According to the UPI article, in April 1993, approximately 50 Shining Path guerrillas ambushing a military patrol near Tarapoto killed Hector Lopez, Governor of the Alto Biabo region, and seven soldiers (9 Apr. 1993). No mention of possible harassment by the Shining Path of the Social Centre and its employees could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
No mention of intensification of Shining Path incursions in Tarapoto since March 1999 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. According to a 7 April 2000 report by the United States Department of State, in 1999 the Shining Path was responsible for isolated incidents of violence in rural areas of the departments of San Martin, Ayacucho, Huanuco and Junin.
No information on the treatment of persons suspected of helping the Shining Path could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
El Comercio [Lima, in Spanish]. 4 June 1998. ''Army Offers Rewards for 12 Shining Path 'Wanted Terrorists'.'' (BBC Summary 10 June 1998/NEXIS)
Cultures et conflits. Fall 1991. No. 3. ''Drogue et violence politique au Pérou.'' Hoy [Quito, in Spanish]. 22 December 1996. Carlos Jijon. ''Peru: Article Views Origins of MRTA, Rivalry with Shining Path.'' (FBIS-LAT-97-017 22 Dec. 1996/WNC)
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1992.
ITETE Perú. 1997. ''Bienvenidos a la 'Cuidad de Las Palmeras'.'' Latin America Weekly Report [London]. 22 July 1993. ''Amnesty Report Keeps up Pressure.'' (NEXIS)
New York Times. 8 August 1996. Calvin Sims. ''On the Trail of Peru's Maoist Rebels.'' (NEXIS)
Poole, Deborah, and Gerardo Rénique. November 1992. Peru: Time of Fear. London: Latin America Bureau.
Radioprogramas del Perú [Lima, in Spanish]. 23 February 1995. ''Peru: Detachment of 500 Antisubversive Troops Deployed in Front.'' (NEXIS)
United Press International (UPI). 9 April 1993. Vidal Silva. ''Nine Peruvian Soldiers Died in Clashes With Rebels.'' (NEXIS)
_____. 20 November 1992. ''71 Peruvian Rebels Surrender to Fujimori.'' (NEXIS)
United States. 7 April 2000. Department of State, Washington, DC. ''Peru - Consular Information Sheet.'' Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases.
Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report [London]. 1996-2000
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International
Caretas [Lima]. 1999-2000
Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru
Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos
Country Reports. 1993-1999
Cultures et conflits [Paris]. 1991-1999
ERRI Counter-Terrorism Archive
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru (MRTA)
Patterns of Global Terrorism. 1995-1999
World News Connection (WNC)