Garcia announces tougher fight against terrorism

On May 8, 1988, President Alan Garcia Perez announced his decision to make the fight against terrorism more severe and energetic. This declaration was accompanied by Prime Minister Armando Villanueva del Campo, who pointed out that the anti-terrorist law had to be corrected, since it gave special protective treatment to those accused of committing acts of terrorism. The announcement came against a backdrop of escalating political violence, including the recent massacre in Cayara on May 14. This tightening of the anti-terrorist policy was part of a broader government strategy that included the creation of an Interministerial Coordinating Commission for the Anti-Subversive Struggle.