The Return of the Shining Path

Yesterday a mass grave of about 60 peasants killed in the 1980s was found in the Peru. The people were horrendeously killed by the military (the ones fighting the terrorist group the Shining Path) for their livestock--under the guise they were looking for rebels. The massacre was generally denied until now.

However, a worse development is the return of the Shining Path. Supported by drug money, they are now starting to recruit poor farmers who have suffered from rising costs. There are two groups of thought as to how to prevent the spread: address the poverty in the Andes (what Garcia is trying to do, and what I will hopefully do this summer) or crack down on the group violently. The latter was used by Fujimori in the 90s and basically destroyed the group. However, since the underlying problem--and thus the draw of the extremist ideology--remains, there has since been a return of the violent Maoists.

I'm actually a bit worried about encountering the group on my trip. It's sort of an irrational fear since they are generally limited to the jungle and the eastern part of the Andes....but somehow I feel someone might sense that I'm a Capitalist and go after me. Plus, as an American, I could possibly be a valuable hostage. Even if this is an overreaction, I am still getting a dog and bringing pepper-spray!