VENEZUELANS TO CHAVEZ ON MURDER OF CUBANS: "WHAT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 002758

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM VE
SUBJECT: VENEZUELANS TO CHAVEZ ON MURDER OF CUBANS: "WHAT
ABOUT US?"


CARACAS 00002758 001.3 OF 002


--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) The September 2 murder of Cuban doctor Raquel de
los Angeles Perez Ramirez in a Caracas barrio struck a raw
nerve with President Chavez. With his administration
currently criticized for not being tough on crime, the murder
of a Cuban doctor somehow provoked a reaction in Chavez that
the exceedingly high numbers of murdered Venezuelans has not
been able to do. With Fidel Castro's fragile health and
Chavez positioning himself to take over Castro's role as
reigning revolutionary in the Western Hemisphere, Chavez's
public plea for heightened security for Cuban doctors may be
more of a gesture to the ailing Castro than a recognition of
the dangers of the streets of Caracas.

--------------
THE FACTS
--------------


2. (U) Raquel de los Angeles Perez Ramirez, age 52, was
murdered in the Campo Rico area of Petare, a notoriously poor
and underdeveloped neighborhood just outside of Caracas. A
22-year-old man was arrested for stabbing Perez Ramirez in
the back. The murder is believed to be a random incident of
lethal street crime, an event that would have barely made the
headlines had it not been for Chavez's singling it out.
Perez Ramirez had been living in Venezuela for approximately
three years, participating in the Barrio Adentro Mission, a
BRV initiative to offer health care (with predominantly Cuban
providers) to residents of poor neighborhoods such as Petare.

--------------
CHAVEZ UP IN ARMS
--------------


3. (U) During President Chavez's September 3 transmission
of "Alo, Presidente," he dedicated considerable time to
lamenting the murder of Perez Ramirez and impugning municipal
police authorities' efforts to combat such street crime.
Chavez emotionally called on all Venezuelans to work harder
to protect the precious lives of these "Cuban brothers." He
appealed to "all the people, all communities, all mayors, all
governors, all political parties, social leaders, and
National Guard commanders" to prevent such atrocities. In an
impromptu eulogy to the slain doctor, Chavez emphasized how
much it pained him to be saddled with the responsibility of
returning to Cuba nothing more than a corpse. Chavez did not
mention any of the at least nineteen Venezuelans who were
murdered in Caracas over the same weekend.

--------------
NOT THE FIRST TIME
--------------


4. (U) A September 5 story regarding the Perez Ramirez
homicide ran a list of seven other Cuban doctors killed or
raped in Venezuela. Five doctors, ranging in age from 32 to
40 and having participated in Barrio Adentro from six months
to three years, have been murdered in Venezuela. The
violence has not been restricted to Caracas, with some
murders having occurred in the states of Sucre, Zulia, and
Anzoategui. In November 2005, two Cuban doctors were raped
inside a Barrio Adentro facility in Zulia by six attackers.
In response to that incident, Chavez personally requested
forgiveness from Fidel Castro.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


5. (SBU) Given the butcher's bill of Venezuelans murdered
in his country, Chavez's public and emotional reaction to
this murder sets it apart from others. Polls indicate the
growing crime rate is a, if not the, major concern of
Venezuelans in all social sectors. The government seems
increasingly incapable of dealing with this problem.
Chavez's apparent complete disregard for his compatriots'
well-being and heartfelt sadness at the death of a Cuban
doctor is striking. Whether Chavez is just oblivious to the
crime that plagues his own people or values Cuban blood more

CARACAS 00002758 002.3 OF 002


than Venezuelan, his astounding failure to recognize the
crime afflicting his own people can't possibly be lost on
Venezuelan voters.

WHITAKER