Internet plug pulled on Colombia's guerrillas

[Chris Adams <cadams@acucobol.com>]

Internet plug pulled on Colombia's
              guerrillas
              3:05pm EDT, 9/26/96

              BOGOTA, Colombia - A Colombian guerrilla group currently
              involved in a bloody offensive in the mountains and
jungles,
              suffered a setback in its propaganda battle when its
new-tech
              voice on the Internet was mysteriously silenced. 

              The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which
              has periodically paralyzed half the country with road
blocks,
              found its route to the information superhighway barred. 

              The Communist insurgents, who rose up in arms in 1964,
              embraced new technology last year in their fight to
overthrow the
              government by launching a home page on the Internet. 

              But in unexplained circumstances, which a spokeswoman for
the
              Mexico City-based Internet provider Teesnet said may or
may
              not be linked to external pressures, the plug was pulled
on the
              service Monday -- a day after being publicized in
Colombia's
              leading daily, El Tiempo. 

              The FARC's Mexico City-based international spokesman Marco
              LeDon CalarcDa admitted the loss of the Internet page was
a
              serious reversal but vowed the computer-age conflict was
far
              from over. 

              "This is an attack on freedom of expression because we
were not
              doing anything illegal. I cannot say exactly how it
happened but
              the hand of the Colombian government is in this," he said. 

              "The FARC is used to difficulties and this is just the
latest
              challenge. One way or another we will get back on to the
              Internet." 

              The Colombian guerrillas used their worldwide web site to
              publish their political magazine Resistencia, whose
distribution is
              banned in Colombia, and to offer explanations about their
latest
              armed actions. 

              FARC, labeled narcoguerrillas since the 1980s when U.S.
              ambassador Lewis Tambs highlighted the group's alleged
              connections with Colombia's drugs trade, have been dubbed
              Cyberspace guerrillas since their appearance on the
Internet. 

              "Cyberspace guerrillas may seem a fun name but I think it
is
              pejorative and belittles what we're doing," said LeDon
CalarcDa.
              "We are looking to topple the government and set up a new
              Colombia. 

              "Using weapons naturally comes within the logic of the
armed
              struggle. Just fighting through the Internet would be like
shooting
              rubber bullets. Not using it would be like continuing to
fight the
              army with a 12-bore shotgun," he said. 

              In the four weeks since the FARC unleashed its latest
offensive
              with an attack on a jungle base in southern Putumayo
province,
              more than 150 soldiers, police and civilians have died.