Vol. VIII, No. 3 - San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, September 12,  2002

Government Plans to
Halt C.R. Gold Rush
Apparently undeterred by firm government opposition, Canadian mining company Vannessa Ventures has announced it is going ahead with its plans to mine gold in a 1,200-hectare area of land in northern Costa Rica, near the Rio San Juan. The gold mining operation reportedly will be the largest in Central America.
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President May Request FBI Help in Journalist’s Murder Probe
President Abel Pacheco this week announced that the Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) have until December to resolve the 14-month-old murder investigation of radio journalist Parmenio Medina before the government requests help from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to the Costa Rican foreign press club.
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Theft at Cartago Technical
Revision Center: No Suspects Yet
Police and Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) agents have yet to name suspects in Monday morning’s break-in at the Riteve technical inspection center in the old capital of Cartago, east of San José. The thieves arrived at the center before dawn and stole a safe containing ¢1.5 million ($4100) in cash, as well as stamps, documents and stickers given out to vehicles that have passed inspection. 
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Government Plans to
Halt C.R. Gold Rush

Apparently undeterred by firm government opposition, Canadian mining company Vannessa Ventures has announced it is going ahead with its plans to mine gold in a 1,200-hectare area of land in northern Costa Rica, near the Rio San Juan. The gold mining operation reportedly will be the largest in Central America.

Although President Abel Pacheco signed a June 5 government decree prohibiting open-pit mining, the Canadian company and its Costa Rican subsidiary claim they are grandfathered because their concession dates back to the previous administration.

Pacheco and company, meanwhile, claim the mining company was never given the green light to go ahead with its operation, and that the 10-year concession is still in a legal limbo.

Nevertheless, Vannessa Ventures is determined to get their hands on gold, and has employed spin doctors to try and win the favor of the Costa Rican public.  The company has promised the impoverished residents of the northern border zone that the mining operation will bring jobs, infrastructure and capital to the depressed region.

But not everyone is taking the bait, and local environmentalist groups are mounting opposition to the project, claiming that gold mining would disrupt the zone’s fragile ecosystem.

Don’t Miss Tomorrow’s TT Print Edition for Complete Coverage.

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President May Request FBI Help
in Journalist’s Murder Probe

President Abel Pacheco this week announced that the Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) have until December to resolve the 14-month-old murder investigation of radio journalist Parmenio Medina before the government requests help from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to the Costa Rican foreign press club.

The President said that, based on his meeting with OIJ investigators, he thinks it is very possible the case will be resolved before December. However, he stressed, if not, the FBI will be will asked to step in.

Medina, a 62-year-old Colombian-born journalist who was the longtime producer and voice behind the controversial radio program “La Patada,” was killed outside of his house in Heredia July 7, 2001.  He was shot three times at close range and died less than an hour later in the hospital.

The OIJ claim they have identified four murder suspects, as well as a local businessman who is thought to be the intellectual author and financial-backer behind the hired guns. However, to date, no arrests have been made.

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Theft at Cartago Technical
Revision Center: No Suspects Yet 

Police and Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) agents have yet to name suspects in Monday morning’s break-in at the Riteve technical inspection center in the old capital of Cartago, east of San José. The thieves arrived at the center before dawn and stole a safe containing ¢1.5 million ($4100) in cash, as well as stamps, documents and stickers given out to vehicles that have passed inspection. 

Riteve personnel last saw the safe Friday at 10 p.m. as they left the station. A private security firm was in charge of guarding the center.  

The theft was reported shortly after 6 a.m. Monday as employees were preparing to begin work. Security guards did not report any strange occurrences over the weekend, and no signs of forced entry were found. 

The station remained closed Monday morning as investigators searched the area and Riteve technicians evaluated the station’s equipment. When the station reopened at 1:30 p.m., 400 motorists whose cars had been scheduled to undergo inspection that morning had missed their appointments. Some were transferred to stations in Heredia, Alajuela and Alajuelita, while others were asked to reschedule. 

As a security measure following the theft, Riteve announced it will implement changes to its official documentation. The firm is asking the public to inform authorities of anyone attempting to sell fake or stolen documents. 

Vehicles with illegally purchased documents will not appear in Riteve’s official database and will be subject to steep fines. In the long run, all vehicles with fake or stolen documentation will be caught, either when they attempt to update their annual registration or when have to undergo the technical inspection the following year.

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