A group of indigenous peasants in Chiapas was permitted today to return to the squatter settlement of Salto del Agua in the Montes Azules ecological reserve, from which they had been peacefully removed in December 2002. Salto del Agua is only one of dozens of squatter settlements in Montes Azules whose inhabitants argue that their ancestors had rights to the land before access to it was restricted by the government. While the people of Salto del Agua have been returned to the reserve, similar concessions to other villages are unlikely, as government officials say the land is to be used for its timber, which can be sold at a profit.
