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PASTOR GE:NERAL'S REPORT, DECEMBER 4, 1981
PAGE 4
actions, typifying a sick mentality driven by Satanic instincts. They
murder, rape, burn, torture, rob and kidnap with unbridled violence.
I feel their goal is not power, but to satisfy that insatiable thirst
for blood that possesses them.
As an example, in recent months the leftist groups have taken upon
themselves the task of demolishing the pylons which support electric
power lines. The capital of El Salvador was kept in darkness for three
days, causing commercial and industrial losses calculated in the
millions of colones [hundreds of thousands of dollars]. Besides com
merce and industry, hospitals and almost the entire population were
affected because of water shortages which occurred at the same time.
The idea of these terrorists was to isolate the country. The impact of
electricity shortages has been greatest in the provinces of San
Miguel, La Union, Cabanas and Morazan.
As if all that weren't enough, these leftist groups leave bombs in
homes or businesses: this seems to be the tool they have been using
most in the last few weeks.
As a result, when night falls, it becomes
a time of anxiety and worry--everyone is on edge, waiting to hear the
loud, resounding explosions of these deadly devices which are deto
nated with the express purpose of demoralizing storekeepers, increas
ing unemployment and undermining the country's already suffering
economy even more. All this to fulfill the slogan of these subver
sives: they have declared that they will wage a prolonged "popular"
war against the government.
Are they accomplishing their goals?
I think they are, in part, and little by little. Although it's true
that if at night a building's walls are destroyed, the next morning
the bricklayers are at work early rebuilding it; still there are ex
penses to be met. This leaves the owners in debt (besides the looting
to which they sometimes fall victim because of the large numbers of
thieves who have proliferated in the country--they plague businesses
and everybody else, regardless of social status). In order to finance
these debts, the owners must resort to taking out loans from banks and
other financial institutions. These, in turn, also find themselves in
trouble and must request loans from other countries to be able to
overcome the difficulties to which they are subjected.
In addition, whenever they can, these terrorist groups continue to de
stroy the crops in some regions of the country--mainly in the eastern
area, bounded by the Gulf of Fonseca. To date they have also placed
bombs in five railroad engines and have also destroyed several
bridges, in some cases isolating small settlements which are then in
vaded by these groups who sometimes number up to 300.
They steal,
loot, rape, burn, murder and abuse the defenseless civilian popula
tion, but when the army comes to defend the civilians, the terrorists
escape or abandon the town without being captured. One hears rumors
from some residents of these regions that some people belonging to the
civil authority, called "district patrols," also take part in these
acts of vandalism, thereby contributing to the increasing pain and
misery of these towns. This could be possible judging from the answer
that the Minister of Defense gave to a question from a newspaper re
porter. He said that the higher authorities have no control over, nor