Osario Chong, Mexico Interior Minister, Continues to Lie About Violence in Matamoros and Throughout Mexico

From the editor:  We reported last week how Mexico Interior Minister Osario Chong contradicted and mocked efforts made by Matamoros Mayor Leticia Salazar to caution citizens about the volatile situation in the city after the killing of at least 13 on Sunday in several street skirmishes.  Whether Salazar actually imposed a curfew or simply warned about unnecessary travel within the city, Chong was clearly trying to whitewash, misrepresent the dangers.  One of our readers inboxed a comment adding insight as to Chong's motives in lying to the citizens of Mexico:  

"Hi Jim, I was the one who submitted the comment "Hey Jim,Lety didn't call for a curfew. All she said was "if you don't have anything to go out for, then don't go out...." and I just wanted to expand on that.

The criticism has to do with dirty politicking. Since Osorio Chong is part of the PRI and they thought they had Matamoros locked down in the recent municipal election, they're trying to make Lety (PAN) lose popularity in Matamoros. They took the debate to national television in which Televisa's main news anchor, Joaquin Lopez-Doriga, debated the issue

Osario Chong

with other known journalists/strategists like Adela Micha, Denise Maerker, Ciro Gomez Leyva, and Carlos Marin, and Leopoldo Gomez. You could easily tell in this debate who was on who's side and who was being influenced by the PRI's agenda. Televisa has been reported to help the PRI stay in power throughout the years."

Anyhow, I just thought I'd share that with you - I do not wish to be named. I am a fan of your blog and am reading about our community all the way from Austin!

Keep it up!

Name Withheld

MMB:  An article in "Borderland Beat," written under the pen name, Chris Covert, shows how Chong has been instrumental in misrepresenting the violence, not just in Matamoros, but throughout Mexico.  He is described in the article as the propagandist of newly-elected Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto:

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto

"After a speech given by Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at a forum hosted by The Economist (UK), Miguel Osorio Chong, Peña's Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB), or interior minister spent time in the press last week clarifying Pena's remarks.

According to a news report posted on the website of Yancuic.com, president Peña told the forum that a reduction of violence has occurred in Mexico since the end of 2012, but, according to a news account Peña gave no details.

According to the news account, president Peña used the term appreciably with regard to the drop in violent crime in Mexico, and even when asked about what metric could used to show any decline in violence, Peña did not answer.

One criticism from the publisher of The Economist news weekly, unidentified in the article, was that when president Peña spoke of the reduction of crime he failed to make note of events in Michoacan, easily one of the most violent states in Mexico, and one which potentially threatens Pena's security strategy.

Another problem with president Peña's claims is that, according to the news account, if the drop in homicides in Mexico state only are taken into account, then Peña told the truth. Which means that Peña likely lied to the forum in his claims."