FEBRUARY 13, 2007

COCAINE Cargo: Four Lithuanians recently allegedly attempted to traffic these ovules of cocaine in their stomachs aboard a flight leaving from Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela, northwest of San José.

ANTI-CAFTA Alliance: The newly formed Campesino Agrarian Front met yesterday at the Legislative Assembly to announce that it is gearing up to participate in protests against the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) planned for Feb. 26. CAFTA would hurt farmers, who are not prepared to compete on the international market, they say.

Groups Preparing for CAFTA Protest

The Campesino Agrarian Front yesterday joined universities, unions, the indigenous and other groups in announcing their plans to join protests against the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) planned for Feb. 26.

Children's Hospital Gets New CAT Scan Machine

The National Children's Hospital in San José yesterday got a boost in its efforts to prevent and treat cancer in children. The Costa Rican Cancer Institute, together with the Social Security System (Caja), donated a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan machine, according to the institute's spokeswoman María Morales.

Prosecution Presents Evidence In Villalobos Case

Prosecutors in the trial of Osvaldo Villalobos -- accused of money-laundering, illegal financial intermediation and fraud -- yesterday called up Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) investigators who brought forth the first evidence in the case: a boxload of documents seized in the investigations documenting “The Brothers” investment operation between 1996-2002.

Five Eastern European Alleged Drug Smugglers Busted in Airport

Groups Preparing for CAFTA Protest

By Amanda Roberson and Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net kstanley@ticotimes.net

The Campesino Agrarian Front yesterday joined universities, unions, the indigenous and other groups in announcing their plans to join protests against the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) planned for Feb. 26.

This new front is a union of agricultural groups that oppose CAFTA, which is likely to soon be debated on the Legislative Assembly's main floor, because of the devastation they say it will bring the country's farmers when their goods are forced to compete with subsidized U.S. products, explained the group's organizer Oscar Campos at a press conference at the Legislative Assembly in downtown San José.

“Never in 25 years have we seen a threat like this for farmers,” Campos said. “CAFTA means unfair competition, and today we are showing that we're ready to fight.”

The group presented a statement entitled “The Manifesto of the Campesino Agrarian Front,” which echoed these sentiments and argued that “CAFTA will push the rural population, and the country in general, to a state of dysfunction; we will be thousands stripped of our resources and our lifestyles.”

Other CAFTA opponents are also working to drum up momentum against the pact this week, with an eye to the protest later this month. Today, groups of environmentalists, farmers and fishermen are scheduled to give a joint press conference at the assembly to express their opposition to the agreement, and on Thursday, professors from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) plan to launch the UCR Front Against CAFTA, according to a statement from the university.

In response to the heightened anti-CAFTA activity, Rodrigo Arias, President Oscar Arias' brother and spokesman, said in a statement that he is pleased with march organizers' assertions that the event will be peaceful, and “hopes it really will be like that.”

As he did last year, when student organizers accused police officers of brutality in reacting to protests in Cartago, east of San José, Arias said the police force has “no interest in aggression… but of course, if there's an attitude of violence against the National Police (officers), will have every right to act differently.”

Children's Hospital Gets New CAT Scan Machine

By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net

The National Children's Hospital in San José yesterday got a boost in its efforts to prevent and treat cancer in children. The Costa Rican Cancer Institute, together with the Social Security System (Caja), donated a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan machine, according to the institute's spokeswoman María Morales.

CAT scans are useful in detecting cerebral tumors, differentiating between malignant and benign tumors and planning radiography treatments, among other things, according to a statement from the institute.

The donation was part of the institute's work to strengthen the national oncology network by helping health centers obtain equipment to detect cancer.

Like many public hospitals, the National Children's Hospital suffers from a shortage of functioning equipment, and until now young patients had to be taken to San Juan de Dios Hospital next door to receive a CAT scan, the statement said. Now they will be able to have this test done at the Children's Hospital.

Throughout Costa Rica's public health-care system, a lack of machines to perform tests or broken equipment, combined with a shortage of doctors in certain specialties, has contributed to notoriously long waits for Ticos to receive treatment (TT, July 7, 2006).

Prosecution Presents Evidence In Villalobos Case

By Blake Schmidt
Tico Times Staff | bschmidt@ticotimes.net

Prosecutors in the trial of Osvaldo Villalobos -- accused of money-laundering, illegal financial intermediation and fraud -- yesterday called up Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) investigators who brought forth the first evidence in the case: a boxload of documents seized in the investigations documenting “The Brothers” investment operation between 1996-2002.

The Brothers was a well-known investment program run out of the same office where Osvaldo Villalobos had a currency-exchange business called Ofinter S.A.. Osvaldo insists he had nothing to do with The Brothers investment operation, and that it was his fugitive brother Luis Enrique Villalobos who ran the operation.

It was the first chunk of evidence to surface in Osvaldo's case, which started last week (TT, Feb. 9).

Thousands of investors say they lost between thousands and millions of dollars in 2002 when The Brothers and Ofinter shut down and Luis Enrique disappeared with as much as $1 billion of their money (TT, Sept. 24, 2004).

Osvaldo is on trial for charges in connection with the defunct, high-interest investment operation. His brother Luis Enrique is still wanted by authorities.

Five Eastern European Alleged
Drug Smugglers Busted in Airport

Four nervous-looking Lithuanians trying to fly out of Juan Santamaría International Airport, outside San José, were recently busted by Costa Rican authorities for allegedly carrying a combined 1.6 kilos of cocaine in their stomachs, according to a Public Security Ministry statement.

The Lithuanians allegedly tried boarding their Panama-Madrid-Lithuania flight with a combined 200 baggies of cocaine in their stomachs.

They looked nervous, which is why authorities decided to perform an “extensive” search of the suspects, during which authorities found the contraband, the statement said.

In another case last week, police reviewing the luggage of a Polish man headed to Amsterdam via Spain found 5.3 kilos in the luggage's lining.

The five Europeans face international drug trafficking charges. If charged and convicted, they could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Few plant species can be considered a marvelous discovery that has transformed human culture. Bactris gasipaes is definitely one of those rare cases in which a plant provides a wide variety of products for different uses. The peach palm supplies two of the most delicate and exquisite vegetable products Costa Rica exports to the world: peach palm (pejibaye) and heart of palm (palmito).

It is thought that plantations already existed by the time Columbus arrived on Costa Rica's Caribbean island of Uvita in 1502, which was appropriately named La Huerta (The Vegetable Garden). It wasn't until 1541 to 1546 that the first reference to the peach palm appeared in official colonial records, when Spanish settlers entered the southern hills of the Coaza Cacique territory in today's Talamancas, an area in which a tree locals called “pijibay” (pronounced pe-hee-BYE) was more than prominent and utilized by the locals in many ways.

Conquerors discovered how not only the fruit but also the core of the palm was consumed, and that the palm fronds were used for thatch and the tree trunks for timber. At that time, the peach palm was cultivated throughout southern Mexico and Central America to the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon regions. Although today the peach palm grows in most tropical areas of the globe, its potential production scale is still in its infancy.

Mixing Palm Products: Pejibaye and palmito in Chef Marco's “Mocha Mexicali Sauce” with cumin rice.

Marco González | Tico Times

Costa Rica and Brazil are the leading exporters of peach palm products. Pejibaye and palmito are considered delicacies sent abroad to gourmet markets in the industrialized world. The pejibaye itself is so unique in taste that it has been described as somewhere between a sweet potato and a water chestnut, with a unique bright orange color and nutty texture. It is a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in many ways, either savory or sweet. Flour, starch and oil are extracted from the flesh for both industrial and domestic uses. Palmito is one of the crispiest and delicious of the edible palms; its rich aroma and consistency are comparable to those of tender bamboo shoots.

Chefs from around the globe continue to be inspired by these two ingredients, creating a melting pot of techniques, recipes and ideas. Their versatility means they are adaptable to almost any kind of cuisine, style, technique or flavors. Commonly found in gourmet markets of New York, London and Tokyo, their prices in these far-off locales certainly categorize them as “elite” ingredients, deserving of regal treatment.

Many Costa Rican and Brazilian scientists are dedicated to the collection, distribution and expansion of knowledge of this “perfect palm.” Costa Rica is the largest exporter of peach palms in the world, and one of the top exporters of heart of palm, thanks largely to the effort of Jorge Mora and his colleagues at the University of Costa Rica, whose dedication and hard work are the backbone of the Pejibaye Research and Technology Transfer Program. Gathering all information available, they have created a database of all things peach palm. From seed banking to general information, their efforts to utilize the palm in different ways is finally paying off as peach palm is put to use in new ways, such as animal fodder and industrial raw materials.

Costa Ricans have a keen taste for pejibaye and palmito, and are quite discerning when it comes to quality. Surprisingly, however, the use of pejibaye in local gastronomy is rather shy, and it is usually served simply as boiled peach palm with mayonnaise or in soup or bread. The same goes for heart of palm, usually appearing in salads and in the quintessential Tico pie, pastel de arroz con palmito, a creamy, buttery, cheesy baked dish with simple flavor but lots of character.

For this recipe, I chose to combine the two amazing products from this versatile tree into one recipe, fusing their flavor and providing a Caribbean twist. ¡Buen provecho!