Daily Headlines: July 2, 2009

* Puerto Rico: The bullet-ridden house where Puerto Rican nationalist leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios was killed in 2005 may become a museum in his name.

* Mexico: Remittances to Mexico plummeted by a whopping 19.9% in May as the country falls deeper into a recession.

* Brazil: Investigators believe that Air France Flight 447 broke up in mid-air before crashing off the Brazilian coast.

* Bolivia: Bolivian president Evo Morales lashed out against the Obama administration’s decision to cut APTA trade benefits and accused him of breaking his promises made during the Summit of the Americas.

Image- New York Times (“A mural of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, who became an independence icon after being killed in a gun battle with F.B.I. agents.”)
Online Sources- Guardian UK, BBC News, BusinessWeek, The Latin Americanist, New York Times

Macheteros Identify FBI Agent Who Participated In Ojeda Rios Assasination and Issue Warning

Cross-Posted at VivirLatino

The Boricua Popular Army aka los Macheteros have identified John Roeper as an FBI agent who participated in the assassination of Puerto Rican independence fighter Filiberto Ojeda Rios in 2005. From their statement:

“We in the EPB–The Macheteros, in turn, have been able to identify several of the mercenaries who participated in the assassination of our commander. Our intelligence division has been able to do so. Today we publish the name of John Roeper. In the next communiqués, we will report to the nation about other agents.

The Macheteros also stated that:

We remind the people that the colonial government of Puerto Rico is an accomplice of the FBI in this assassination...the government led by Aníbal Acevedo Vilá handed over to the federal authorities information which led the FBI to the Commander’s home...We also remind those who use the media to defend the colonial governor of Puerto Rico that history will afford this governor the sad place reserved for traitors..the people will undertake responsibility for judging his defenders who continue this attitude.”

While the United States continues to justify its actions by stating that the Macheteros are a terrorist organization, it refuses to recognize that Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States since 1898 when the island was invaded in what is an act of war according to international law.

When is self-defense terrorism? When you are a Puerto Rican.

Today’s Video: The death of Filiberto Ojeda Rios

This Tuesday will be the third anniversary of the death of Puerto Rican nationalist leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios. Ojeda Rios was the head of the Boricua Popular Army (a.k.a. Los Macheteros) and he was killed during a controversial shootout with FBI agents in 2005.

Ojeda Rios’ death has served as a rallying point for those who favor Puerto Rican independence as well as those who are resentful being of U.S. rule. To his detractors, Ojeda Rios was a bandit who masterminded brazen bank robberies in order to fund Los Macheteros. Regardless of what you think of Ojeda Rios it’s undeniable that he continues to be remembered by supporters and opponents alike.

The following video shows Ojeda Rios being interview years before he died:


Sources- The Latin Americanist, Economist.com, Google Video, The Nation