VZCZCXRO7251
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHCV #2758/01 2541742
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111742Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6284
INFO RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0512
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS

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. 
 
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THE FACTS 
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¶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. 
 
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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. 
 
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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. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶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