DisclaimersA Social Studies project for Manjusrians by Manjusrians. The content of the blog is purely for educational purposes; it does not represent the view of the organization or the individual.
The Shining Path began in late 1960s as a small communist revolutionary group led by a philosophy professor named Abimael Guzmán. The Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), is regarded as a Maoist terrorist organization in Peru. When it first launched the internal conflict in Peru in 1980, its stated goal was to replace what it saw as *bourgeois democracy with "New Democracy." The Shining Path believed that by imposing a *dictatorship of the *proletariat, inducing cultural revolution, and eventually sparking world revolution, they could arrive at pure communism.
Main goal of Shining Path: Overthrow the existing Peruvian government and political institutions and replace them with a communist revolutionary command.
Motto: "Long live the People's War," "It is Right to Rebel"
*bourgeois - belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of the middle class.
*dictatorship - a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power that is exercised by a dictator.
*proletariat - the class of wage earners, esp. those who earn their living by manual labor or who are dependent for support on daily or casual employment; the working class.
*Source - http://www.dictionary.com/
Shining Path's strategy
-To use violence to bring down Peru's democratic government, disrupt the economy, destroy the state's reputation among the peasantry and, ultimately, ruin its reputation among the population in general.
Example:
A New York Times report looking at rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Shining Path violence says the group hacked its victims to death with machetes to save ammunition.
Decline of Shining Path
Leader of Shining Path was (Guzmán) captured on SEpt 12 and imprisonment in 1992 destroyed the group’s chain of command, and remnants of the group now operate mainly in remote jungle areas. Initially, Shining Path targeted local authorities, such as mayors, mid-level bureaucrats, police, and local political leaders. Since 1983, however, the group has gradually expanded its list to include wealthy locals and state agency heads.
Resurgence of Shining Path
Recent information suggests that Shining Path has staged a moderate resurgence in the mountainous regions of Peru. The reformed Shining Path has managed to inflict minor damage on Peru's military and police force. In August 2008, the Peruvian military launched a operation against Shining Path, which resulted in several counterattacks, including an October 2008 ambush that killed at least a dozen soldiers. Analysts from the Center for International Policy noted that Shining Path is too weak to launch a major offensive to take over the country, but Peruvians are afraid the group will gain supporters among rural residents who feel neglected by the government.
Currently, the head of the rebel group, known as Comrade Artemio, is the only high-profile Shining Path leader who has not been caught or killed. On March 25, 2008, Shining Path members working with drug traffickers killed a police officer and wounded eleven on an anti-drug patrol. The unit is said to have been lead by Comrade Artemio. Artemio has stated that even though the Shining Path hasn't been very active since the 1992 capture of Guzmán, they intend to grow and work in secrecy.
I feel that terrorism in Peru should be stopped. Many innocent lives are taken away day by day as long as the Shining Path exists in this world.This terrorist group is getting from bad to worse! They not only want to kill trade union organizers and popularly elected officials, they also want to kill our children! I would not forget the first time the Shining Path attacked the peasants community, resulting in so many more massacre aftermath. They killed everyone they saw on the streets including children! They aren't human at all! The Shining Path used violence to arrive at pure communism which was widely condemned by the Peru government and other European countries. They caused everyone in the peasants community to stay at home all day long, fearing of getting killed the moment they step out of their house. Unfortunately, my child died during an recent attack of Shining Path bombing Peru's convoy. It left 19 dead and many injured, regardless of whether it was women or child. Even the local media of Peru affirmed that this unfortunate event proved that Sendero Luminoso - defined as a narco-terrorist organization - was bloodthirsty and continued to shed the blood of innocent victims, not caring if they were women or children. This organization ought to stop what they are doing now! If not they would not only be unable to gain control of the country and even might get thrown into jail. I want everyone who is reading this article to be aware of the wrongdoings of the Shining Path and never join this terrorist organisation because once you're in it, death is the only way out.
Traveler's view
I came to Peru for a holiday. I was planning to stay for a week. On my first day, everything seem to be fine. I went visiting historical places. On my second day, there was a huge change. The atmosphere was serious, people on the streets were emotionless. To my surprise, I saw many horrifying scenes. I started to feel very unsafe and insecure each second I spent in Peru. I could not wait to get back to my own country. I saw bombings and heard lots of shoutings, screamings, there was a strong pungent smell. People were running and looking for the nearest shelter. After a few moments, the streets were only left with people who dressed similarly (members of the Shinning Path). They were destroying the infrastructure and some innocent lives were taken. There was a blackout that night and the electricity was not restore until the following night. I locked myself in my hotel room and not to interfer things that were going on outside. I prayed that i would be save and not be hurt. Luckily my hotel was situated somewhere near the police station. I think that that is the reason why i am still alive.
The Shining Path attacks against the infrastructure in Lima, killing civilians in the process. It sabotaged several electrical transmission towers, causing a citywide blackout, and set fire to the Bayer industrial plant, destroying it completely. That same year, it set off a powerful bomb in the offices of the governing party, Popular Action. Escalating its activities in Lima, in June 1985 it again blew up electricity transmission towers in Lima, producing a blackout, and detonated car bombs near the government palace and the justice palace. It also was believed to be responsible for bombing a shopping mall. At the time, President Fernando Belaúnde Terry was receiving the Argentine president Raúl Alfonsín. In one of its last attacks in Lima, on July 16, 1992, the group detonated a powerful bomb on Tarata Street in the upscale Miraflores District in Lima, killing 25 people and injuring an additional 155.
I feel that terrorism can only be managed when the government of the country listens to the voices of its people can carry out measures which would satisfy its people, of course it is unable to satisfy everyone's request. It is because i believe that the formation of such terrorist organisations are because of the unfair treatment given by the country's government or these organisations desire to obtain a certain ruling that is rejected by the country's government. the government also usually uses extreme methods to get rid of such organisations, pushing these terrorist organisations to the edge, forcing them to rebel and causing harm to the citizens of the country. People are the most important assets to the country, if any harm is done to the citizens, the government would definitely be in distress. However, terrorist organisations resorting to violence and killing are also unforgivable too. This would only cause further misunderstandings between these organisations and government. A country would only prosper when the government and its people are living in harmony (:
Terrorism took many innocent lives. Although terrorists are just fighting for their own rights, using violence as a method to solve problems is not a wise method. You hurt others and yourselves too. You may not realise immediately but sooner or later you will be able to feel the hurt. Terrorists send fear to public. They make others suffer and snatch away their loved ones. They create a big scar and will never be able to heal or return back to the original. Everything is changed and there is no turning back. If we lived like the terrorists we would be very unhappy. We had to hate others just because they do not have the same mindset as us. We had fewer friends and more enemies. We would not be able to live in harmony and spend our time with each other. We would be using our time planning on how to kill our enemies and not spent our time on the things we love. We would have to carry the danger and anxiety of getting killed during the fights, attacks and destructions. Our family would be left alone crying and we wasted our lives just because of we are too stubborn to accept others' thinkings.
As a citizen of a country, we play a very important role. We have to give feedback to the government so that they will be able to know what we want and what we need. As they would not know if we do not speak up. We have to trust our government as they are the ones who are running the country. If we do not trust they will have a hard time and they might not do things properly. Citizens have to vote for the right government, government that are not corrupted. If everyone works together, the country might not have terrorism.