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Nicaragua & the Sandinistas
Bill Ratliff writes:
"My reaction to Rodney Beard's comment did shift the focus from landmines to
the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, as you noted, so let me return to
give an example from the more specific topic: a well-known mining incident
the Sandinistas blamed on the United States but which was carried out under
the direct orders of Sandinista Defense Minister Humberto Ortega. In June
1983 Ortega personally approved the mining of the road between Trojes and
Cifuentes IN HONDURAN TERRITORY and one result was the death of two
foreigners - Dial Torgerson of the Los Angeles times and a free-lance
photographer who drove down the road in their tiny white Toyota and became
history. This story is told by Roger Miranda, the co-author of my The Civil
War in Nicaragua, who was chief of the Sandinista Defense Ministry
Secretariat and top aide to Ortega between 1980 and 1987. Of course Daniel
Ortega blamed the United States for the mining, and as in the Dessers
incident mentioned before, most foreigners stumbled over each other to buy
the Sandinista lies. One result of the killing of the journalists was that
mining in HONDURAS was stopped - until the smoke settled. It continued
without a break in Nicaragua. "
Bill Ratliff - 03/27/98
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