Patterico's Pontifications

7/27/2009

Honduran Government: Zelaya Funded by FARC

Filed under: International,Obama — DRJ @ 7:25 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Via Fausta’s Blog, the Honduran government claimed today that former President Manuel Zelaya is being funded by FARC:

[P]olice seized a notebook and receipts showing that “Zelaya’s government officials and supporters, leftist leaders, farmers, union members, and at least one mayor and one governor” were paid between $2,500 to $100,000 for the “transportation of people and supplies” to the border region.

The information was gathered from a computer seized from a FARC leader. No money was seized since the funds had already been distributed.

GlobalSecurity.org describes FARC as “Colombia’s oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped Marxist insurgency.” It has orchestrated “bombings, murder, mortar attacks, kidnapping, extortion, hijacking, as well as guerrilla and conventional military action against Colombian political, military, and economic targets” as well as kidnapping of foreigners for ransom.

— DRJ

19 Responses to “Honduran Government: Zelaya Funded by FARC”

  1. And that accusation doesn’t strike you as… well, not preposterous, but certainly something to be skeptical about?

    Leviticus (ebc85b)

  2. As in, “Damn, the US presidente is expressing support for Zelaya. Guess Zelaya was consorting with terrorists all along, eh? What’ve you got to say to that, Mr. Fancy-Pants US Presidente?”

    Leviticus (ebc85b)

  3. Skepticism is warranted. Preposterous is out of the question. The fact that this does not surprise me, nor will it surprise many people, should be sad.

    JD (e19c2d)

  4. don’t our own dirty socialists here have back channels to FARC? If I remember right not long ago they busted some Democrat or two in a compromising Democrat-terrorist tete-a-tete thing.

    happyfeet (42470c)

  5. Yes. Barack Obama’s dirty socialist party is down with the FARC struggle it seems.

    happyfeet (42470c)

  6. 4
    “busted” is not quite the right word.
    “Discovered” is more accurate. Nothing ever came of it. They’re dems, see.

    Richard Aubrey (e2775b)

  7. Leviticus,

    While I agree we don’t know if it’s true, the Honduran government has reportedly produced documents supporting its claim. In the past, authorities have obtained FARC information from captured FARC computers, so it would not surprise me if information about Zelaya came from a similar source.

    DRJ (6f3f43)

  8. Leviticus – would you argue that there’s no connection between Zelaya and Chavez?

    If you concede such a connection, then how about this?

    From the link:
    “I will ask Europe to remove the ELN and the FARC from the list of terrorist groups in the world, because that only has one source: the pressure of the United States,” Chavez said.
    He argued, “I say this even though somebody might be bothered by it: the FARC and the ELN are not terrorist groups. They are armies, real armies … that occupy a space in Colombia.”
    He added that the two groups’ “insurgent forces” have a goal, “a project,” that is “Bolivarian” and that “we respect.”

    Why did Chavez later do what the BBC termed “an about face”?

    They concede the possibility that “Mr Chavez’ critics will wonder whether this change is related to allegations by Colombia’s Alvaro Uribe – who accused Mr Chavez of giving the rebels $300m.”

    Sure, they seem to keep finding notebooks, but what of the other strategic methods used to fool the farc commanders?

    It seems clear today that Chávez’s earlier involvement in appearing to negotiate the release of FARC hostages was not a humanitarian act but rather cold political grandstanding intended to enhance his status and that of the FARC. It is suggestive of the amicability between Chávez and the FARC—and perhaps fitting punishment for their collusion—that when the Colombian commandos duped the FARC out of its most important assets, they chose as a disguise clothing and aircraft similar to those used by previous Venezuelan delegations.

    I’ll end with another link from a notoriously right wing publication.

    President Hugo Chávez has publicly given Farc his political support and the Colombian army seems unlikely to succumb to the temptation to cross the border in violation of international law.

    ‘All this is true,’ says Rafael. ‘The Colombian army doesn’t cross the border and the guerrillas have a non-aggression pact with the Venezuelan military. The Venezuelan government lets Farc operate freely because they share the same left-wing, Bolivarian ideals, and because Farc bribes their people.’

    Then what did he run away from? ‘From a greater risk than the one I run now: from the daily battles with other guerrilla groups to see who controls the cocaine-trafficking routes. There is a lot of money at stake in control of the border where the drugs come in from Colombia. The safest route to transport cocaine to Europe is via Venezuela.’

    You’re right, Leviticus, it’s far more complex than simple laptop files would let on.

    But there’s one thing that’s pretty obvious.

    Obama is on the wrong side, and I don’t think he’s stupid, so that makes his choice very suspect.

    Apogee (e2dc9b)

  9. There have been reports of Hugo Chavez’ support of FARC before as well. Certainly skepticism is warranted but its not inconsistent.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  10. So, whats the problem ? Obama is probably funded by FARC too…..

    DaveinPhoenix (8c6b07)

  11. “And that accusation doesn’t strike you as… well, not preposterous, but certainly something to be skeptical about?

    Comment by Leviticus — 7/27/2009 @ 7:30 pm”

    No.

    Why are you so skeptical? Its not like communist don’t aid other communists. Unless you are a fellow traveller and are blowing smoke to try to hide the obvious. Back in the fifties sensible people peopled believed that the only good communist was a dead communist. Common sense is regrettably in short supply these days.

    cubanbob (409ac2)

  12. My only point is that this seems to be a rather convenient time for the erstwhile government of Honduras to start charging Zelaya of consorting with terrorists, especially since FARC is a bunch of Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries and Zelaya is a rich-ass titan of industry. Traditionally, the goals of those to groups don’t overlap.

    Leviticus (ebc85b)

  13. those two groups. Pardonnez mois, or something.

    Leviticus (ebc85b)

  14. Leviticus,

    FARC may have started out Marxist, but everything I’ve seen indicates the idealism has drained away to be replaced with cold business.

    Chavez helping FARC keeps Colombia weak regardless of whatever political goals the group has at this point. Plus it keeps them from causing trouble in VZ.

    Soronel Haetir (2a5236)

  15. “My only point is that this seems to be a rather convenient time for the erstwhile government of Honduras to start charging Zelaya of consorting with terrorists, especially since FARC is a bunch of Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries and Zelaya is a rich-ass titan of industry. Traditionally, the goals of those to groups don’t overlap.

    Comment by Leviticus — 7/27/2009 @ 10:37 pm”

    Armand Hammer and George Soros to name two. FARC ideology aside deals in criminal activities for funding. There others as well..

    cubanbob (409ac2)

  16. FARC ideology aside deals in criminal activities for funding.

    Yes. Marxist-Leninist-Capitalist.

    The ol’ three card monte, with our President swapping just as fast as he can.

    Unfortunately for him, Chavez is tied to FARC, and Zelaya is tied to Chavez, which renders convenient timing regarding laptops and accusations as distractions.

    The ocean’s wet, and arguments about salinity won’t change that basic fact.

    If there’s anything to be suspicious about, it’s the shared ties between South American dictators, a wannabee dictator, drug smuggling geurrilla armies and our current President Obama.

    Apogee (e2dc9b)

  17. Considering the deep ties between FARC and Chavez, along with the interference of Chavez in Argentina and the other Central American democracies, it would not seem to be an unreasonble assumption to make. Couple that with this administration’s hostility to democracies like Columbia and now Honduras, and the linkage appears even more ominous. They better get on the right side of this crisis soon, or be branded as worse than Carter in sucking up to tyrants and dictators.

    Dmac (e6d1c2)

  18. So, are we allied with Eurasia or Eastasia? Least they could do is tell us.

    Kevin Murphy (0b2493)

  19. Today I read an article that stated that Colombia had captured Swedish made AT4 anti-tank rockets from FARC caches that had been originally sold to Venezuela government.

    SPQR (5811e9)


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