Having served in the American Embassy in Lima during Fujimori’s administration I have a little sympathy for the situation he finds himself in now. American-educated Fujimori, “el Chinito” (the little chinaman, as he was called by his countrymen because of his Japanese heritage — yeah, I know, but it makes sense in Peru) took over the presidency when his country was faced with a deteriorating terrorist situation.
He turned that around, sometimes with draconian tactics, but turn it around he did. When I arrived one could still hear occasional bombings in the capital; when I left that was history. The Japanese embassy was taken over by terrorists during a Japanese National Day reception (which I missed because my staff were throwing me a farewell dinner) and Fujimori encouraged elite military teams to end the takeover with violence that resulted in only minor injuries to the hostages and zero — let me repeat that — ZERO live terrorists to stand trial. They only numbered something like 6 or 7 anyway, but they were all killed in the attack, several by a single shot in the head. I have to say I think his style of dealing with terrorism could be used with good results elsewhere.
Peru had and has its share of problems. Poverty, burgeoning urbanization in the face of high unemployment, a low literacy rate, infrastructure that reaches only parts of the country, to name just a few. But its Maoist terrorism was an aberration for that country, one that grew not from the peasants, but from the universities. (Same thing one sees in Cambodia, North Vietnam, and many other so-called Third World countries.) Fujimori addressed it effectively, if a little harshly.
And prior to that, his “Self-coup” (when he effectively took the reigns of power from himself, thus extending his term in office unconstitutionally) and his “faceless tribunals” to try terrorist suspects are still pointed to as horrible anti-democratic moves. And human rights advocates were offended in their elegant homes in upscale New York or Madrid neighborhoods, but Peruvians for the most part appreciated what he did. My middle class Peruvian friends did not particularly care for el Chinito, but they certainly appreciated the manner in which he ended the terror reign.
This jail sentence is, as Eggplant has pointed out, the work of fools and moonbats (wish I had coined that sentence) and clearly an act of destructive vengeance. But for Fujimori’s policies, Peru would be Bolivia with a coastline. And if the fools and moonbats have their way, it still could be. F
