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Attorney General Denounces Organized Crime in Annual Report
By Leland Baxter-Neal
Tico Times Staff
lbaxter@ticotimes.net
Attorney General Francisco Dall'Anese, in a public presentation of the Judicial Branch's annual report Friday, warned of a rising trend of murders by hired hit-men, or sicariato, and organized crime in Costa Rica.
“ Sicariato has been increasing in Costa Rica and is not limited to killing people, but also inflicting injuries, damaging property and making threats -- all in exchange for money, ” Dall'Anese told a full auditorium in the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) building in downtown San José.
He added that the rise of murders by hired hit-men is “clear evidence of the criminal organizations that contract them. ” The only way to disband these groups is by investigating not only the circumstances and culprits of the crimes, but also the deeper motives, he said.
Dall'Anese added that the discoveries of members of the Colombian guerrilla army Revolutionary Armed Force of Colombia (FARC), and the former guerrilla movement M-19 in Costa Rica “make us realize the weakness of our Immigration system ”.
He also thanked Colombian officials who have recently collaborated with Costa Rican authorities in investigating the presence of these groups in Costa Rica and checking the backgrounds of 18,000 Colombians with residency and refugee status here (TT, Sept. 15).
In addition, he continued, Costa Rican authorities have discovered “at least two” organizations dedicated to the illegal trafficking of children in Costa Rica, one Costa Rican and the other Ecuadorian.
Dall'Anese praised the efforts of the Prosecutor's Office, in coordination with the OIJ, against Chinese criminal groups dedicated to kidnapping “Costa Rican citizens of Chinese origin.” Because of these efforts, the groups “have abandoned their activities;” there is no evidence that Chinese people have been kidnapped in a pproximately nine months, he said.
Wal-Mart Costa Rica to Open $12-Million Hipermás store
Wal-Mart Costa Rica announced Friday that it plans to build a new $12-million Hipermás store in the western San José suburb of Escazú, according to a statement from the company.
Like the other four Hipermás stores in Costa Rica, this store will sell everything from home appliances to clothes to groceries, much like Wal-Mart stores in the United States and around the world.
Last September, Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the United States, bought a one-third stake in the Central American Holding Company (CARHCO), which comprises 363 supermarkets throughout Central America, including Más x Menos, Palí and Hipermás stores (TT, Sept. 30, 2005).
Wal-Mart plans to open the Escazú store in the middle of 2007. It will be built on a 26,500-square-meter lot and will have a 6,500-square-meter sales area, according to Wal-Mart Costa Rica corporate affairs director Alquileo Sánchez.
The new Hipermás will create 600 jobs, the statement said, and will be the first Hipermás to be modeled after Wal-Mart stores in the United States.
-ACAN-EFE and Tico Times
Costa Rica to Open Embassies In Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen
Costa Rica last week resumed diplomatic relations with Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen, according to a statement released Friday by the Foreign Ministry.
During a visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York, Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno met with the Foreign Minister of Kuwait Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa and the Foreign Minister of Yemen, Abubakr A. Al-Kirbi. All meetings were fruitful and resulted in these countries planning to resume diplomatic relations with Costa Rica.
Stagno also met with the Syrian Foreign Minister Bashar Al-Assad to discuss establishing closer relations between the two countries, but he said the two leaders “still have not talked about reestablishing diplomatic relations.”
Stagno said resuming diplomatic relations with moderate Arab nations will allow for “a greater political and diplomatic closeness with the Arab and Islamic world” which could open up markets and attract foreign investment, the statement said.
Many Arab nations cut off diplomatic relations with Costa Rica in the 1980s after the country defied U.N. recommendations by maintaining its Israeli Embassy in Jerusalem, the statement said.
Costa Rica announced in August that it would relocate its Israeli Embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv (TT, Aug. 18).
-Tico Times
Joaquín Sabina and Ricardo Montaner To Perform in Costa Rica
Spanish singer Joaquín Sabina and Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner plan to perform in Costa Rica in November and December, respectively.
Sabina is scheduled to sing Nov. 8 at the Palacio de Deportes in Heredia, north of San José, performing hits that have made him famous around the world including “ La del pirata cojo ” and “ Cristina. ”
Sabina, who has played in Costa Rica three times before, has always drawn a crowd of loyal fans here.
Ricardo Montero, known for romantic ballads such as “ La Cima del Cielo,” and “ Déjame Llorar ” is scheduled to perform at Pedregal stadium, outside of San José, Dec. 10.
The show is part of Montaner's promotion of his new CD “ Todo y Nada.”
Tickets to both artists' shows range between $8 and $100 and will soon be available on the Internet and at various points of sale around the country.
-ACAN-EFE
A Wildflower for the Home Garden
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Here's another hardy wildflower of Costa Rica that can be grown at home. Lantana (Lantana camara) or soterrey, as it is known in Spanish, is found in pastures and along roadsides in most parts of Costa Rica. Its attractive yellow, orange and red flowers stand out amidst the greenery of the countryside and attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
This plant is found throughout the neotropics, as well as in the West Indies and the southern United States. Its opposite, serrated leaves have a strong but pleasant aromatic odor, and are born on square stems, a characteristic of the Verbenaceae family to which this plant belongs.
Most commonly you will find specimens growing less than one meter tall; however, in abandoned fields they often become tall bushes with prickly stems. The young flowers with four lobed petals are yellow, turning orange and red with age. They bloom most of the year and make a nice addition to any flower arrangement with their bright, cheery colors.
The flowers produce green berries, which turn to blue or black when mature, and for this reason lantana is often called cinco negritos by the Ticos. These seeds can be collected to plant in the home garden, or you can take woody stem cuttings for vegetative propagation.
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Butterfly Magnet: Lantana is a colorful, hardy wildflower that does well in the home garden. Ed Bernhardt | Tico Times |
The cuttings can be started in prepared potting soil, either in pots or flats, kept moist to ensure good rooting. Once the new cuttings are well rooted and have good foliage, they can be transplanted to the garden or kept in pots around the home. They do well in full sun with average soil and watering. Pruning helps to keep the plants compact and blooming.
Nurseries sell several different species of lantana with pink, white or lavender flowers, which can complement your collection of lantanas.
A word of warning: even though locals may tell you that lantana can be used as a medicinal plant for a number of conditions, researchers have found that this plant contains several toxic components that can cause skin irritations when used externally, or nausea, vomiting and weakness when ingested.
Remember, there are plenty of safe, nontoxic medicinal plants to use in Costa Rica instead of lantana. Ginger for colds and flu, aloe for skin problems and mint for digestive conditions are just a few of the safe and proven herbal aids you can use from the home garden.
For more information on tropical medicinal plants, e-mail Ed Bernhardt at thenewdawncenter@yahoo.com.
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