The Santo Domingo Este Municipal Council (ASDE), in coordination with the Amaury Germán Aristy Foundation, commemorated yesterday the 49th anniversary of the fall of the Los Palmeros group, an event that took place on January 12, 1972 at kilometer 14 of Las Américas Boulevard .
It has been described as one of the bloodiest events during the so-called 12-year rule of former President Joaquín Balaguer.
The act, held at the monument erected in honor of Los Palmeros, in the same place of events, began with the intonation of the National Anthem, followed by a minute of silence in memory of José Laburán López and María Paula Acevedo (Chichita), widow of Colonel Francisco Alberto Caamaño It hurt.
“Those young people fought for a fairer society, for the existence of a society in which everyone has prosperity, freedom and progress and, for this reason, today we remind them of them, today we bring them the tribute we deserve. magnanimous and pure souls “, said the Mayor of SDE, Manuel Jiménez.
Jiménez took the opportunity to perform the play “No hay surrender”, accompanied by the ASDE choir and a theatrical composition with artists from the Department of Culture, directed by theater director Ruth Emeterio.
Jiménez indicated that the foundation will continue to work to keep alive the memory of Los Palmeros, as the monument built there records the killings and disappearances of young people between 1966-1978.
A floral offer was also submitted on the spot by the Permanent Commission of the Ephemeris Homeland, chaired by Juan Pablo Uribe.
A little history
Every January 12, the Day of Heroic Resistance is celebrated in the country, commemorating the confrontation of the four young people against hundreds of police and military in 1972.
It all started when members of the intelligence service located Amaury Germán Aristy, the leader of Los Palmeros; Virgilio Perdomo Pérez, Ulises Cerón Polanco and Bienvenido Leal Prandy (La Chuta), in a cave at kilometer 14 and a half of the Las Américas highway, where they were surrounded.
In the early hours of the morning, the authorities increased the siege and the confrontation between the revolutionaries and the troops of the Army, Police, Aviation and Navy began, giving rise to what was considered one of the most unequal battles of the last 20th Century in the country.
The youths were attacked with rifles, 105 mm cannons, bazookas, mortars, helicopters and a US-flagged plane.
The official forces were led by Generals Neit Nivar Seijas and Ramón Emilio Jiménez Jr., the chiefs of police and armed forces at the time.