The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, December 23, 2003

Less unpopular, but not more popular. President Abel Pacheco's approval ratings are up, but remain overwhelmingly negative. See related story.
AFP/TT Photo

Country Has the
Most Colombian Immigrants
Costa Rica is now the Latin American country with the highest number of legal Colombian immigrants, according to information released yesterday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
(Click for more)

December 23

Concert by the Neotics
Concert includes soul, funk and jazz music, begins at 9:30 p.m. at the Jazz Café in San Pedro. Info: 253-8933.

Trova and More
Performance by José Luis Cascante, 9 p.m. at Mutis Bar in the Cocorí Commercial Center. Info: 257-0983.

Lord of the Rings Marathon
All fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy are invited to watch the three movies (including of course the last part "The Returned of the King"), Wed. Dec. 24, at Cinepolis, Cinemark del Este, Cinemark Escazú and San Pedro movie theaters. Info: 280-0490, 278-3586, 278-3631, 223-0085, 221-6272.

Tope
Traditional yearend horse parade, Sat. Dec. 26, begins at noon at Toyota dealership on Paseo Colón, heads to Plaza González Víquez in San José. Info: 225-7424.

Carnival
Parade includes floats, samba dancers and music, Sun. Dec. 27, begins at noon at Parque La Merced, Av. 2, and heads to Plaza González Víquez in San José. Info: 225-7424.

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President's Popularity Increases Slightly

President Abel Pacheco's overall approval rating continues to be negative, but has leveled off and is no longer dropping, according to a poll released yesterday by the polling firm Unimer and the daily La Nación.

After becoming one of the most popular presidents in the last 20 years when he began his term, Pacheco's popularity rating had dropped steadily since January. However, according to the poll, his popularity has now recovered slightly but still remains overwhelmingly negative.

Between Nov. 28 and Dec. 12, surveyors called 1,203 Costa Ricans from all parts of the country to ask their opinion of Pacheco and his performance as President. The poll claims a margin of error of 2.8%.

While 23% of Costa Ricans rated Pacheco's performance as President good or very good, another 34% rated it bad or very bad, and 40% rated it average. Three months ago, 40% rated him negatively, 28% positively and 31% as average.

The difference between positive and negative ratings is -11, a slight improvement over September when it was -13. In June, the balance was +15. In January, Pacheco's popularity peaked at +29.

The percentage of Ticos with a positive opinion of Pacheco as a person also increase in December to 66%, compared to 50% in September.

The percentage of people who think the government has done a bad job governing the country dropped to 35%, compared to 58% in September. The amount of people who think the government has done a good job increased to 21% from 16%. The amount who gave the government an average rating increased to 43% from 31%.

Even though the Pacheco administration has been in office for 19 months, 49% of Costa Ricans polled said they still believe the government "knows how to solve the country's problems but requires more time." A similar number, 46%, said the government doesn't know how solve them. The remaining 4% said the government is not solving the country's problems.

Eighty percent said the administration benefits some sectors, while only 20% said it benefits Costa Ricans in general.

Sixty percent said few public officials are corrupt, 37% said the majority are corrupt and 3% says nearly none of them are.

Forty-two percent of those polled cited the high cost of living and unemployment as the main problems affecting the country. Crime and violence came in second (24%) and poverty third (19%).

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Country Has the Most Colombian Immigrants

Costa Rica is now the Latin American country with the highest number of legal Colombian immigrants, according to information released yesterday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Since the late 1990s, an increasing number of Colombians has migrated to Costa Rica in an attempt to escape the wave of violence that ravages that country. The increase led Costa Rican officials to begin requiring that Colombians apply for visas to travel here.

According to the most recent statistics, 8,200 Colombians legally reside in Costa Rica. Most illegal Colombian immigrants, according to UNHCR, live in Venezuela and Ecuador.

Although most Colombian illegal immigrants are farmers with little education, most Colombian immigrants who settle in Costa Rica come from large urban areas and have high school, and in some cases, university degrees.

However, an increasing number of poor illegal immigrants has been said to be entering Costa Rica through the poorly patrolled southern border with Panama.

Of the 12,468 requests for asylum the UNHCR received in Costa Rica between June 2001 and August 2003, 11,852 (95%) were from Colombians.

According to a study of Colombians in Costa Rica conducted by UNHCR and the University of Costa Rica, Colombians have chosen the country because of its perceived safety, proximity to Colombia and referrals from friends and family.

Colombians who took part in the study said the main problems they face in Costa Rica are difficulty in getting their academic degrees recognized in the country and high unemployment, which affects 18.4% of Colombian immigrants.

Most Colombian refugees work informally in service industries such as food service, Internet-related businesses and beauty salons. A third of those polled said they are self-employed. Among those who have a college degree, only one-third works in the area specialized in. Nearly half described themselves as poor, according to the report.

In terms of safety, 89% of Colombians said they feel safe in Costa Rica.

The study also polled Costa Ricans to get their opinions of Colombians. Forty-four percent said they have had contact with Colombians during the last year. Among those who did, 25% said they had a negative opinion of Colombians.

Two-thirds said they should not have the same rights as Costa Ricans, results that UNHCR representatives in the country said worried them.
-AFP

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More Bad Weather
Expected in Caribbean

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) yesterday declared a green (preventive) alert because of an upcoming cold front that could cause torrential rains and flooding in the Caribbean and Northern Zone.

Emergency officials warned residents of those areas be prepared in case rains increase. The area is still recovering from heavy rains and flooding two weeks ago that resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of families and damage to houses, schools, bridges, roads and crops.

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Wednesday October 26, 2005