Security Minister: Police Acted in Self-defense
During Clash With Squatters in Northern Zone Farm
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

The two police officers injured during Monday's confrontation between police and squatters illegally occupying a Northern Zone farm belonging to multinational banana exporter Standard Fruit Company said yesterday that they acted in self-defense after being ambushed by a mob that attacked them using sticks with nails and rudimentary farm tools.

One squatter died, several were wounded and 10 (seven men and three women) were arrested following the confrontation at El Bambuzal Farm near Río Frío de Sarapiquí (TT Daily, July 15).

According to the Security Ministry, the problems began in 2001 when a group of nearly 250 poor agricultural families moved into the abandoned farm. Near the end of that year, police attempted to expel the squatters, but met with violent opposition and were forced to turn back.

In November 2002, the matter went before the Limón Second Circuit Court, which originally ruled in favor of the families, stating that they had resided on the land unchallenged for over a year and were thus entitled to remain there.

The ruling was later appealed on the grounds that since they had been expelled several times, the squatters had not actually lived at Bambuzal for one consecutive year. The verdict was overturned and the families were ordered off the land. During the following months, police were unable to get them to move out.

In an effort to relocate the settlers, the Agricultural Development Institute (IDA) sent inspectors to interview the families and conduct studies to see if they qualified for government farm land.

Calling the farm their legitimate home, 35 of the families refused the government aid. Of the remaining families, only 66 qualified for the free land. The rest, according to an IDA report, were not really poor agricultural families.

"In general, these families' situation was not that of poor farmers fighting for their right to land," IDA executive President Walter Céspedes explained. "We did everything possible to help them. The ¢448 million ($1.1 million) investment made to relocate the families speaks for itself."

The matter went before the Sarapiquí District Court in July of this year. On July 8, the court ruled in favor of the Standard Fruit Company -- giving police 72 hours to expel the settlers. On July 10, police finally were able to clear the land. However, the following weekend, at least 30 squatters returned to what they consider their rightful home.

On Monday, two Water and Sewage Board (AyA) employees sent to pressure the remaining squatters into leaving by shutting off the farm's water supply were threatened and forced to leave. In response, a contingent of 35 police officers was dispatched. A confrontation ensued and one of the officers mortally wounded squatter Gerardo Moya.

Moya, who had a long criminal record which included escaping from prison, charges of physical and sexual abuse against minors and armed robbery, died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

"They acted in legitimate self-defense," Security Minister Rogelio Ramos said during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. "Had they not acted as they did, the mob would have killed them."

One of the injured officers then showed his wounds to reporters. One of his eyes was swollen shut and he had several dozen stitches on the back of his head and several small scars on his back as a result of being hit with nails. The wounds would have been more serious had he not been wearing a bulletproof vest, which was torn to pieces during the encounter.

Searching the farm afterwards, police found an illegal AK-47 machine gun and several traps made using lodex -- a gelatin form of dynamite used to excavate mines. In Costa Rica, the purchase of lodex requires authorization from the Department of Arms and Explosives Control.

"Lodex detonates at a speed of 6,000 meters per second, killing everything within a 15-meter radius," a Police Explosives Expert explained. "The traps were surrounded by rocks and bricks which, had the lodex detonated, would have fragmented into hundreds of deadly projectiles. Fortunately, the explosives had not been stored properly and were no longer functional when police crossed the traps.

"Clearly these people knew what they were doing," he said. "They weren't regular farmers."

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Tico Astronaut Franklin
Chang Gets His Own Stamp

Next stop: Earth. After going to space, Franklin Chang plans to visit every corner of the Earth through his very own commemorative stamp. TT Photo / Julio Laínez

The Costa Rican Postal Service and EARTH University teamed up yesterday to once again honor the accomplishments of Costa Rican astronaut and national hero Franklin Chang and to inaugurate a special stamp in his honor.

The special Franklin Chang stamp's design includes his portrait and pictures of Costa Rica taken from space and the Phaneus changdiazi beetle -- named in honor of Chang and discovered last year by Bert Kohlmann of EARTH and Angel Solís of the National Biodiversity Institute (INBio).

"It is an honor to be able to pay tribute to Franklin Chang," For Dr. José Zanglul, Dean of EARTH said. "The relationship EARTH has maintained with this distinguished Costa Rican scientist is based on a shared vision of what type of development Latin American countries should strive for and the fundamental role education needs to play in the formation of leaders who can positively impact their respective countries."

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