Pubdate: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA) Copyright: 2000 Cox Interactive Media. Contact: Journal: Constitution: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/ Forum: http://www.accessatlanta.com/community/forums/ Author: Mike Williams, Cox Washington Bureau COLOMBIA'S DRUG WAR: Leftist Guerrillas Awash In 'Taxes' On Narcotics San Vicente del Caguan, Colombia -- They are one of the world's few remaining bands of Marxist guerrillas. But unlike Fidel Castro's rag-tag army of Cuban peasants in the 1950s or leftist insurgents dodging around Central America in the 1980s, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are flush with cash. The FARC, as it is known by its Spanish acronym, have tapped a 1990s source of revenue: drug money. Outfitted with AK-47 rifles, black berets, new uniforms and knee-high black rubber boots, these guerrillas have become a battle-proven force of soldiers in the field. They control huge swaths of the Colombian countryside, and buy their guns and equipment with tribute paid by poor farmers who raise coca and poppy, as well as drug traffickers who process and smuggle the contraband destined for the streets of Europe and the United States. They also make millions by kidnapping, holding their victims --- sometimes children --- for ransom. But their connections to Colombia's notorious drug industry are what have propelled the FARC from a backwater group to powerful military force with a sophisticated propaganda machine. Its top negotiators now hobnob with visiting diplomats and recently toured several European countries with a delegation aiming to bring peace to Colombia. It even has its own Web site. GROUP HAS 'SAFE HAVEN' Its opponents, however, bristle at the notion that the FARC is anything more than ruthless, ideologically driven killers. "They don't answer to anybody on this earth or in the next life," said Gen. Mario Montoya, head of a new Colombian anti-narcotics task force that will spearhead a campaign funded by a $1.3 billion U.S. anti-drug package. "They make huge amounts of money from the drug trade. Coca grows like a weed here, and they are the middle men." Although the bulk of its forces still hide in the mountains and the jungles, the FARC now has its own territory where it walks the streets free from fear of attack by government forces. Seeking to jump-start peace talks, Colombian President Andres Pastrana pulled his troops out of a Switzerland-sized area in southern Colombia in January 1999, in effect creating a safe haven for the FARC. But after starting amid great hopes, the peace talks have made little progress, with the two sides barely able to agree on a rough list of topics to discuss. Meanwhile, the FARC has consolidated its hold on its turf, turning San Vicente --- a town of about 15,000 --- into something of a rebel showcase. Few tourists venture to the town, which can be reached by regular commercial airline service. Guerrilla checkpoints dot all roads leading into the enclave, with armed FARC soldiers ordering riders out of cars for searches and questioning. But in recent months the guerrillas have welcomed journalists, perhaps eager to tell their side of the story. "We have confidence that we can construct a new government for Colombia," said Fidel Rondon, a member of the FARC commission holding peace talks with government negotiators in a rural village called Los Pozos, about 40 minutes from San Vicente. "We want a better future for all Colombians. This nation has been ruled by a violent political class. The people of Colombia no longer believe in this government." NEW RULERS, NEW PEACE San Vicente is the largest of five small towns in the FARC-held territory. A muddy farm center on the banks of the Caguan River, it hums with activity --- from farmers buying supplies for nearby cattle ranches, children running through the streets and residents scooting past on small motorcycles, the favored form of local transport. The town government still functions as it did before the FARC came, collecting taxes and providing services. But the National Police left with the army, and while there is a new municipal force of baton-wielding local cops, the FARC guerrillas with shouldered automatic rifles and hand grenades clipped to their belts are clearly the real power in town. The local courts collapsed when the judges fled, and they've been replaced by a FARC system of justice that includes a complaint center where citizens bring gripes about everything from disputes with neighbors to domestic squabbles. There are numerous reports that a separate FARC tribunal deals sternly with those accused of spying for the government, sometimes imposing death sentences. FARC billboards urge the people toward 'a new Colombia,' and extol the 'Bolivarian Movement,' a campaign named after South America's revolutionary hero, Simon Bolivar. There are also banners decrying government torture and crop fumigation aimed at the coca plots that support many poor farmers --- as well as the FARC. There is even a rebel information office just off the town square, where an attractive young woman dressed in fatigues and a beret takes requests from visiting journalists, holding court in a spotless room decorated with photos of Marx, Lenin and Latin America's modern leftist hero, Che Guevara. Townspeople shrug when asked about their strange status, many reluctant to talk openly about their de facto rulers. But they admit there is now peace in San Vicente --- which, before the FARC, suffered attacks from all sides in the long-running civil war. "Before the guerrillas came, nobody wanted them to come," said Jorge Solis, a longtime resident. "But now we have had peace, so everybody is happier. The economy is good, people have work, and there aren't bodies in the streets like before. Most people don't favor one group over the other. They just want peace and to be able to work." INSURGENTS WELL-FUNDED The FARC was born in the rough countryside outside San Vicente in the 1950s, when Colombia was torn by political violence between its dominant political parties. The group formed to advocate for the poor peasants caught in the middle. Over the years, FARC power waxed and waned. Almost written off 15 years ago, the group has transformed itself into Colombia's most powerful insurgent force through money earned from the drug trade. Colombian media estimate the group earns hundreds of millions each year through 'taxes' imposed on drug growers and smugglers, and the FARC now boasts around 20,000 soldiers in the field. Critics, however, say the guerillas rule by terror, forcing young peasant youths into their ranks or seducing them with the promise of a gun, comradeship and a monthly salary of 400,000 pesos ($200), more than double the average wage. STRONG-ARM TACTICS BLASTED In recent months, international diplomats and Colombia's media have blasted the FARC --- as well as other guerrilla bands and right-wing paramilitary groups --- for their reliance on kidnapping. Across Colombia, there is growing outrage that some 200 children were among the estimated 3,000 kidnapping victims nationwide last year. FARC leaders deny kidnapping children, although they admit taking adults for ransom to raise funds. They also steadfastly deny involvement in the growing or shipping of cocaine and heroin, although they admit 'taxing' those who do. "We condemn narco-trafficking," said Andres Paris, one of the group's top negotiators. "It's not of the guerrillas. It's an economic and social reality in Colombia. We charge taxes on the biggest business in our area. It's a political tax to finance the war." Whatever the future holds for Colombia, it's clear the FARC have now become a powerful, well-financed guerrilla machine that can't be ignored and won't easily be defeated in battle. Far from being chastened by the demise of many Marxist regimes around the world, FARC leaders seem more committed and confident than ever. "You can't compare us to Russia," said Rondon, who once taught school in rural Colombia. "We have taken the ideas of Marx but applied them to Colombia. As the crisis between the rich and poor in Colombia has grown, we've grown. And as the army of Colombia has modernized, so have we." Mike Williams is based in Miami as a correspondent for Cox News Service. ON THE WEB : For more information on Colombian Pres. Andres Pastrana, in Spanish only: www.presidencia.gov.co/webpresi/index2.htm Website of the FARC, in Spanish only: www.contrast.org/mirrors/farc/ - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens