<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2003 By: Hahnemann Coll

Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 18:08:17 -0400 From: Hahnemann Coll hahnemann@mainknit.com To: Editor@VHeadline.com Subject: For Mr. Zuleta

Dear Editor: It seems to me that Mr. Zuleta just skipped the point that Chavez was in jail for whatever he did ... that's something those who say that the TSJ is Chavez territory would never say.

On April 11, 2002 we had a coup d'etat and nobody is asking for the head of those who did it.

I don't see people like Mr. Zuleta asking for respect toward the Constitution ... so please, stop speaking about 1992 to justify whatever is going on today.

If Carlos Andres Perez (CAP) was the elected President so also is Chavez, what's the point?

Different laws for different classes?

Yes, that's all I see ... double standards.

Hahnemann Coll hahnemann@mainknit.com

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2003 By: Luis Zuleta

Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 14:01:39 -0300 From: Luis Zuleta luiszuleta@hotmail.com To: Editor@VHeadline.com Subject: Comment

Dear Editor: (Re: <a href=www.vheadline.com>Enzo Labartino's April 18 letter on Chavez The Film). As much as I agree with you that many anti-Chavez Venezuelans have become more fanatics than objective individuals ... something clearly shown by constant comparisons to Hitler or other characters of that nature, what YOU seem to forget is that there WAS also a Constitution in 1992.

Therefore, as much as you remind people that a democratically-elected government cannot be overthrown by unconstitutional means, the fact remains that Mr. Chavez IS still responsible for the February 1992 coup and the subsequent deaths that took place.

Notice I say responsible NOT guilty ... the fact that other plotters from that day are now opposed to Mr. Chavez means nothing at all, since that only represents an opinion, therefore, I don't really understand your point in bringing that up.

But you can't deny your lack of objectivity when you condemn coups, but all you have to say about 1992 is "certainly we agree that it was political and economic mismanagement of previous governments that lead to the rise Chavez Frias who condemns coup d'etats, yet in February 1992 attempted a coup against the corrupt government of President Carlos Andes Perez."

I particularly ask: Is this your way of condemning what happened in 1992?

I respectfully say that this reads more like a justification than anything else. I also highlighted corrupt because you seem to justify the coup of 1992 because of that fact, but then again at that time corruption was as rampant as it is today, or need I remind you of the $2.3 billion missing from the FIEM ... just to name one instance.

I also find interesting (make that funny) that, simply because Mr. Chavez was in jail then, he didn't have anything to do with the second coup in November 1992. Then I guess the old "I wasn't even there" routine really does work.

As for Mr. Chavez being held prisoner ... well I seem to remember watching a video of him turning himself in very peacefully in full military gear which shows that he never meant to "defend his revolution to the death" like he now says, and that he was really a coward who was trying to remind his captors that he shouldn't be hurt, since in the end he was one of them.

• And by the way, you do realize that by wearing military gear he AGAIN violated the law, right?

It actually seems to me that the best thing that could have happen to him was to be taken out ... I don't think it was a good idea for him to be walking around in the streets.  Then again that should come as no surprise to him since that is exactly what he wanted to do to CAP in his coup attempt.

I also remember a certain General claiming that he personally had asked Mr. Chavez to resign and he had accepted ... and that happened way before he was held prisoner ... but then again you don't seem too interested in those facts.

You do have the right to report what you want and I'm not arrogant enough to demand anything from you, but to suggest (that's basically what you did in your note) that anyone who happens to differ from you in your vision of what happened on April 11, 2002 was simply watching Globovision or any other anti-government media is a pretty sorry excuse for your lack of objectivity.

Sincerely, Luis Zuleta luiszuleta@hotmail.com

Venezuelan (who was living abroad on 4/11/02 by the way, so I was NOT watching Globovision)

www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, March 02, 2003 By: Kira Marquez-Perez

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 13:08:42 +0100 From: Kira Marquez-Perez Kira.MarquezPerez@uni-duesseldorf.de To: editor@vheadline.com Subject: The press MUST also do the same

Dear Editor: I just wanted to make a very short comment: I read the two articles published today by Mr. Patrick J. O'Donoghue, which I found both very interesting and good.

However, I was really astonished about the "official number of victims" of the Caracazo. That is exactly what I mean when I talk about censored information in Venezuela. This has been happening during all our governments.

Everybody knows that these 276 victims are only about 15% to 20% of the real number of personas that "dissapeared" during these days in 1989.

Because of this, each time you look for data related to the 27F you find a huge range.

Normally you find something like: "between 200 and 3000 persons were killed" ... see, for instance, this chronology of "Key events" presented by the BBC, where the range of victims was set between 300 (close to the official number) and 2000 (close to the realistic number): news.bbc.co.uk

The most reliable data concerning 27F can be surely found in the international press.

However, it is very sad to know that we will never find out how many of our fellow Venezuelans were really killed in these days... But one thing is for sure: these 276 "official" deaths are really a joke.

By the way... I hope the same thing doesn't happen with the events of April 11 to 14, 2002.

The Venezuelan State (in this case President Chavez) must give a realistic official report of the number of victims of the coup-d'etat promoted by dictator Carmona and the others...

The press MUST also do the same.

Best regards, Kira Marquez-Perez Kira.MarquezPerez@uni-duesseldorf.de

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, February 28, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Red de Apoyo por la Justica y la Paz HR group director, Pablo Fernandez has warned government and opposition to get their act together if they don’t want to see a repeat of the February 27 (1989)  mass looting that gripped Caracas and ended with more than 200 deaths.

“The emphasis is on deep agenda and not immediate solutions ... conditions today aren’t the same as those which existed in 1989 … people are more organized today than they were then.”

Fernandez warns that if the State does not create suitable mechanisms to distribute wealth fairly and that respond to the population’s basic needs, then the gains earned during the current political process could be lost.

Criticizing the national stoppage, the HR leader comments that it was a great mover but now people haven’t assumed the consequences of their acts … "sectors used legitimate mechanisms, such as a stoppage but did not stop to measure the consequences.”

The State, on the other hand, has responsibilities that it cannot delegate but suffers from an enormous institutional weakness to provide answers to complex problems.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, February 28, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Human rights groups congregated yesterday at Candelaria Church for a religious service presided by Jesuit theologian, Pedro Trigo.

Cofavic HR group organized the annual commemoration and this year invited people, who are still waitingfor the State to clarify three “forced disappearances” during the Vargas State disaster and the families of April 11, 2002 victims.

Those attending the religious ceremony have condemned government or opposition attempt to make political capital out of 27F.

• 276 people officially died in the 27F massacre of civilians by the Armed Forces (FAN).

Father Trigo admits that it might be difficult to stop acts of injustice from being committed but the State must ensure that a rule of law does indeed exist.

PROVEA general coordinator Carlos Correa says the memory and tenacity shown by victims’ families attending the annual event are an important sigh for justice vis-a-vis a non-compliant State.