Daily Edition: San
José, Costa Rica, October 21, 2003
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Anti-CAFTA March Draws Thousands
Led by workers' unions and university students, thousands of demonstrators
representing a variety of social, political and economic causes -- from
opposition to free trade to solidarity with the people of Bolivia -- marched
through the streets of San José yesterday.
(Click for
more)
C.R. Leads
Latin America in Press Freedom
International media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders yesterday
published its second world press-freedom ranking with Costa Rica in 24th
place among 166 countries for best ranking in Latin America. The country
ranked second in the hemisphere behind Canada, which finished in 10th place.
(Click for
more)
C.A. Bets on European Tourism Market
Central America yesterday showed off its tourism treasures to the Europe
market during the first multi-site Central America Marketplace
October 21
Conference on "The Use of Knowledge to Help School"
Teachers and parents are invited to attend this conference today at 5 p.m.
at Eugene O'Neill Theater, Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center in
Barrio Dent. Info: 207-7554.
Piano Concert
Piano concert performed by Pilar Aguilar begins at 5 p.m. in the National
Auditorium at the Children's Museum, Ca. 4, Av. 9. Info: 258-4929, ext. 121.
Piano and Trumpet Recital
Juan Carlos Meza and Gertrudis Feterman will perform works by Tartini, Kenna,
Goedicke, Barat and Turri at 7 p.m. in Sala 107 of the School of Music at
the University of Costa Rica in San Pedro. Info: 207-5565.
Anti-CAFTA March Draws Thousands
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net
 Protesters burn U.S. flag outside Congress AFP/TT |
Led by workers' unions and university students, thousands of
demonstrators representing a variety of social, political and economic
causes -- from opposition to free trade to solidarity with the people of
Bolivia -- marched through the streets of San José yesterday.
Dampened yet undeterred by the drizzle, an estimated 3,000 employees of the
Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE) joined forces with members of the
National Association of Public Employees (ANEP) and students to protest the
forthcoming Central America Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA) -- the main target
of yesterday's march.
Protestors urged strength through unity, accused former President Oscar
Arias and several opposition lawmakers of trying to sell out the country,
and reminded Congress they don't want Costa Rica to become a colony of the
United States.
Union leaders have asked for a moratorium on CAFTA, claiming they have no
confidence in the Costa Rican trade representatives or in a negotiation
process that has been non-transparent, non-inclusive and, for the most part,
secretive (TT, Sept. 26).
Jorge Arguedas, President of ICE's main workers union (FIT), told The Tico
Times yesterday that he was satisfied with how the show-of-force protest
unfolded. Despite a warning from President Abel Pacheco that striking ICE
workers would not be paid for a missed day of work, Arguedas claimed the
turnout was double what he originally expected.
Following the four simultaneous protests yesterday (in front of the ICE
offices in Sabana Norte; in front of the Ministry of Foreign Trade on Paseo
Colon, at Parque La Merced and at the University of Costa Rica), a smaller
contingent of 500-plus people marched to the Legislative Assembly in
downtown San José.
The demonstration -- a combination of shouts and dramatic, yet ambiguous,
street theater -- focused on CAFTA and resistance to any attempts to
privatize ICE, which the government repeatedly has stressed will not happen.
Former President Arias, leaders of the opposition National Liberation Party
and roughly half the population (according to a recent Unimer poll) claim
the telecom and electricity monopolies must be opened to private investment.
A poll conducted last week by the Universidad Nacional asked 1,753 students
about CAFTA. Results revealed that 56% are against the free-trade pact with
the United States, 13.7% are in favor and 28% claim they don't have enough
information to render an educated opinion.
Arias stressed that "opening" the monopolies is not the same as
"privatizing" ICE, and argued that Costa Ricans who are against opening the
monopoly must be convinced they are wrong (TT, Oct. 17).
Arguedas argues that opening monopolies "is a cheaper form of
privatization." The ICE union leader told The Tico Times he fears that, if
allowed, private telecom companies will come to Costa Rica, use ICE's
infrastructure to offer services at an unregulated and artificially low cost
to "kill" ICE.
Once ICE is forced out of business, the outside provider could jack up its
prices and effectively become a private monopoly, Arguedas charged.
Asked under what conditions ICE would be willing to open to competition with
private companies, Arguedas said: "If there was one example in Latin America
of opening monopolies benefiting [consumers], then we would be for it. There
aren't any, so we are against it."
Yesterday's march was the first in a series of planned protests against
CAFTA that are scheduled to culminate Nov. 20 with a nationwide strike aimed
at paralyzing the country.
C.R. Leads Latin America in Press Freedom
International media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders yesterday
published its second world press-freedom ranking with Costa Rica in 24th
place among 166 countries for best ranking in Latin America. The country
ranked second in the hemisphere behind Canada, which finished in 10th place.
Last year, Costa Rica ranked 15th out of 139 participating countries (TT,
Oct. 25, 2002). The Tico Times yesterday was unable to contact anyone at the
French-based Reporters Without Borders to inquire about Costa Rica's
apparent drop in the poll.
For the second year in a row, Costa Rica finished ahead of the United
States, which ranked 31st. Unlike last year's poll, the United States and
Israel were ranked based on their behaviors at home and abroad. While the
U.S. and Israel ranked 31st and 44th respectively at home, the countries
received a separate ranking of 135th and 146th for their behaviors abroad.
"The Israeli army's repeated abuses against journalists in the occupied
territories and the U.S. army's responsibility in the death of several
reporters during the war in Iraq constitute unacceptable behavior by two
nations that never stop stressing their commitment to freedom of
expression," the report said.
Reporters Without Borders commended Costa Rica in its 2003 country report
for repealing in Feb. 2002 the controversial Ley de Desacato (or "insult
law"), article 309 of the criminal code that punished with up to two years
in jail journalists who "damaged the reputation or insulted" the rank of a
government official.
However, the report noted, Costa Rican media is still self-censored by
existing laws that place on journalists the burden to prove their innocence
and punishments for reporters who repeat offensive remarks.
According to the report, the index was complied by sending journalists,
researchers, jurists and human rights activists in each country a
questionnaire with 53 criteria for assessing the state of press freedom in
each country.
The questionnaire includes violations against journalists, levels of
impunity enjoyed by those in power, legal and judicial situation affecting
the media and the main obstacles to free-flowing information in print, TV,
radio and Internet.
Topping this year's index is a four-way tie between Finland, Iceland, the
Netherlands and Norway. Of the Latin American countries, Costa Rica is
followed by Uruguay (25th), Nicaragua (35th) and Chile and El Salvador,
which tied for 37th.
Cuba finished second to last this year, just above North Korea.
"Twenty-six independent journalists were arrested in the spring of 2003 and
sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 27 years, making Cuba the
world's prison for journalists," the report charged.
C.A. Bets on European Tourism Market
By Amanda Schoenberg
aschoenberg@ticotimes.net
Central America yesterday showed off its tourism treasures to the Europe
market during the first multi-site Central America Marketplace
The week-long event, which began yesterday, is organized by the private
Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professional (ACOPROT), which also
organizes the 19-year old EXPOTUR event in May.
According to ACOPROT President Manuel Carranza, the event began in Granada,
Nicaragua, will move to the Hotel Cariari in western San José, and end in
Bocas del Toro, Panamá.
Travel agencies from Spain, France, Germany, Poland, England, Australia,
Mexico and the United States are expected to visit the fair, including more
than 70 tour operators, hotels and airlines in Costa Rica, 14 in Nicaragua
and eight in Panama. The event is not open to the general public.
Carranza said more than 50% of tourists who visit Costa Rica come from the
United States, and only 25% of tourists come from Europe.
"If someone sneezes in the U.S., we get a cough," said Carranza, who hopes
to decrease dependency on the U.S. market by broadening the market demand.
He said ACOPROT hopes to promote Central America to European visitors as a
multi-destination tourism experience. Because of the longer travel time they
require to get here, Europeans tend to take advantage and see more than one
country during a visit. Additionally, they generally prefer smaller inns and
ecotourism projects to massive hotels, Carranza said.
Despite the concerted push for European tourism during the Central American
Marketplace, Carranza said he was pleasantly surprised by the number of
Mexican and U.S. companies participating, which revealed a heightened
interest in Central America as a package destination.
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