Michoacan: Hatfields & McCoys

Yesterday, the governnent ordered another 4,000 troops into Western Michoacan, the largest deployment of troops into that state since the initial large scale deployment of 5,500 troops there a few years ago. THis is nearly a doubling of troop strength in that state and, seemingly, an acknowledgment by federal authorities that things there are out of control These new troops will be deployed to the Tierra Caliente which, according to the news article I read, is experiencing increasing violence which the local authorities cannot handle. This area borders Jalisco State but extends far into Michoacan as well, perhaps all the way to the Guerrero border. Dawg has earned a free night´s stay at a hotel in Playa Troncones just acroos the border in Guerrero State but a long drive from Lake Chapala through Michoacan´s Tierra Caliente. No thanks for now.

Dawg:

Since I get the daily recap of the chatter on one of the Michoacán Yahoo Groups, I read numerous comments about these recent events. While from what I have gathered, there apparently were some threats made and yes, a whole batch of new troops had arrived: it appears that all is currently fairly quiet on the Eastern Front. From all that I have been able to gather over the past couple of months, it has appeared that things have been relatively quiet without many major flareups.

Seems to me there is more trouble in Guadalajara now a days. Perhaps they are using Michoacan as a launch pad for a large military presense in GDL.......

The troups were going to the tierra caliente not near the Jalisco border. The reason there is no much on the forum is that the foreigners do not live in those areas. They are not sending 4000 more troup because all is quiet on the western front.
We travelled the Apatzingan area and you do not see any foreigners in that area but lots and lots of troups. Obviously something is not right out there.

[quote="CheenaGringo"]Dawg:
Since I get the daily recap of the chatter on one of the Michoacán Yahoo Groups, I read numerous comments about these recent events....

Neil:

In all due respect, if you want to hear the real news of the treacherous and often lawless (except by socially understood dicta of local gangsters) hillbilly communities of places such as rural areas of Michoacan, Sinaloa, Chiapas, Oaxaca and other such regions all over Mexico, you´ll have to tune to local radio or be around the neighborhood listennig to street gossip. Michoacan Yahoo Group English Language Forums as news sources? I think not but you are welcome to your opinion. Don´t, however, be wandering around Michoacan´s Tierra Caliente or Chiapas´ border with Guatemala based on information from Yahoo forums or this one for that matter.

Dawg:

In my OP, I left out a critical detail: I also checked five different Michoacán newspapers and had a lengthy conversation with a Mexican local who lives right outside of Santa Clara del Cobre. I should have said that the Gringo chatter was what prompted me to do some further checking. One conversation with a local doesn't paint a complete picture but he had just returned from Morelia and Patzcuaro just prior to out Friday conversation. That is the best that I can do.

Brigitte:
Apatzingán and the Tierra Caliente, while of some interest to us, have been off our travel list for a number of years but YMMV. I would agree that there is definitely more than the usual "crap" going on in those areas but even the local Mexican media is limited on accurate and current info. I carefully chose to use the term "Eastern Front" because I was trying to avoid a geography lesson from a certain Dawg.

I would not pay much attention to the dawgs geography lessons, I am the copilot and he does not know north from south so probably not know east from west either.

Brigitte:
HA! HA! After 6 or 7 years of reading the Dawg's various Mexico geography lessons, I guess that I bought into his vast knowledge on the topic.

I just went to check today's reports and while I found a few, it certainly doesn't appear that much is going on:
http://www.lapoliciaca.com/nota-roja/continua-la-psicosis-en-apatzingan-temen-enfrentamientos/
http://www.quadratin.com.mx/Noticias/Sucesos/Por-rumores-de-violencia-sacan-a-clientes-y-cierran-bares-en-Morelia
http://www.quadratin.com.mx/Noticias/Llegaron-militares-para-ocupar-33-comandancias-municipales
http://www.lapoliciaca.com/nota-roja/bloquean-comerciantes-la-carretera-a-paracho/
http://www.lapoliciaca.com/nota-roja/llegan-5000-militares-a-michoacan/