I would like to bring to the attention of my colleagues two very disturbing incidents that have occurred In El Salvador in recent weeks. On Saturday. January 16. the last archdiocesan refugee camp in San Salvador. Calle Real. was surrounded and occupied by the Salvadoran military and fired upon. One refugee of the camp was hit by a bullet in the stomach. On Sunday. January 24. as Francisco Herrera. a volunteer from Calle Real. was transporting six women and four children to a hospital in a nearby town. their truck was forced to stop. Six men in civilian clothing got out of an unmarked vehicle with rifles and a machine gun and surrounded the church truck. Francisco and a woman in the car were struck. beaten and the lives of all were threatened. In addition. the men threatened to kill any church workers found transporting refugees in the future. I believe these incidents point to a disturbing trend developing in El Salvador. It seems that open attacks on church workers by the El Salvadoran military have become an accepted policy.
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