The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, March 22, 2004

RECOVERING: Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian survived an assassination attempt on Friday and was reelected to a second term on Saturday. Costa Rican President Pacheco expressed condolences and wished him a quick recovery.
Tico Times/AFP

Arias: Announcement Does Not Mark
The Start of Presidential Campaign
Former President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Oscar Arias (1986-1990), during a publicly televised address Thursday night in which he announced his intention to run for President in 2006, reassured Costa Ricans the announcement did not mean the start the presidential campaign.
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March 22

Art Exhibit by Students of the European School
Talent of young artists on display through March 26, Casa de la Cultura, Heredia. Info: 261-0717.

Artisans’ Fair in Honor of San José Obrero
Arts and crafts fair, open through March 28 at Old Aduana Building, Ca. 23, San José. Info: 221-2154.

Register for IV Annual Residents’ Association Charity Picnic
The Association of Residents of Costa Rica picnic includes food and drinks for sale, entertainment for children and adults. All profits go to charity, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat., March 27, Montelandia, San Rafael, Heredia. Info: 233-8068.

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Central American Water Tribunal
Announces Verdicts

The Central America Water Tribunal, which held hearings in San José last week to pass ethical judgments on nine water-related cases throughout the region, announced its verdicts late Friday.

In two of the nine cases, the court did not rule in favor of the parties who brought forth the complaint.

In one Costa Rican case, in which Caribbean-slope residents claimed fumigation of banana plantations had contaminated vegetation and water sources, the court sided with the defendant, the Standard Fruit Company.

The water tribunal said it rejected the complaint “because no existent relationship between Standard Fruit Co. and the Finca Carrandí has been demonstrated. The tribunal recognizes the efforts of the banana industry to minimize impact on the environment,” according to a statement released Friday.

The complaint had been filed by Oscar Iván Pérez, a resident of Larga Distancia (about 20 kilometers west of the Caribbean port town of Limón), and by Marcho Machore, a member of the Committee for Vigilance of Natural Resources of Costa Rica’s Environment and Energy Ministry (MINAE), according to the tribunal.

Consulted by members of the tribunal during the public hearing last week, the two men “could not present concrete cases of persons affected by the chemicals, nor the precise nature of the products being used,” according to the tribunal.

Although representatives of Standard Fruit Co. did not attend the hearing, they presented a detailed report of the products they use to fumigate bananas in the area and the procedures they use to prevent environmental damage.

In the case of the El Chaparral Hydroelectric Dam Project in El Salvador, the nine-member panel opted to abstain from a verdict until the results of an environmental impact study surrounding the project is made available, according to the same statement.

If carried out, the project could displace as many as 21,000 people, mostly agricultural workers (TT, March 19).

In the other Costa Rican case brought before the tribunal, involving extraction of water from an aquifer in Guanacaste for use by hotels, the panel ruled government officials were responsible for ensuring no water-use concession be granted until a more thorough study of the aquifers in the area can be completed and their capacity more adequately determined, according to documents released by the tribunal.

The tribunal also demanded that the Panamanian government cease transportation of all nuclear waste across the Panama Canal.

Raúl Escoffery of the Panamanian Human Rights Committee, in San José for the tribunal, said the government has yet to conduct studies pertaining to environmental and security risks associated with the shipments. He also said a simple accident could be devastating if a ship were carrying nuclear waste, potentially resulting in more than 100,000 deaths in the region.

During the 2003 fiscal year, the Panama Canal Authority reported 12 maritime accidents from a total of 13,154 transits (TT, March 19).

In the remaining five cases, the court asked government officials and businesses to take more drastic steps to prevent misuse and contamination of hydrological resources throughout Central America.

The court’s decisions are only ethical recommendations and are not legally binding.

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President Pacheco Sends Prayers to
Recovering Taiwanese President, Vice-President

President Abel Pacheco on Friday sent a letter to Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Vice-President Annette Hsiu-lien Lu wishing them a quick recovery following the failed assassination attempt against them both.

“Our prayers are with you and your families, and in general with all the Taiwanese people,” Pacheco wrote.

At 1:45 p.m. local time Friday the Taiwanese President and Vice-President were both shot by an unidentified gunman while conducting a round of last-minute campaigning in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan for Saturday’s national elections.

Both leaders were hit, and suffered minor injuries. They were transferred to a nearby hospital and released shortly after.

“It consoles me to know both are out of harm’s way and that the injuries are not grave,” Pacheco wrote.

The elections went on as usual on Saturday. Chen was reelected by a narrow margin.

Costa Rica and Taiwan have long-standing diplomatic and economic ties. Costa Rica is one of few countries in the world that officially recognize Taiwan. Most countries recognize only the People’s Republic of China (mainland China).

Last April, Costa Rica inaugurated a bridge over the Tempisque River in the northwestern province of Guanacaste that was funded by the Taiwanese government.

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Arias: Announcement Does Not Mark
The Start of Presidential Campaign
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

Former President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Oscar Arias (1986-1990), during a publicly televised address Thursday night in which he announced his intention to run for President in 2006, reassured Costa Ricans the announcement did not mean the start the presidential campaign.

“This announcement does not imply the start of the political campaign. That is something I consider inconvenient for the country,” Arias said. “I will postpone the start of the campaign as long as I can.”

The next presidential elections are still 22 months away. Arias will participate in a primary election to decide who will be the candidate for the National Liberation Party, of which he is a member, at the end of May 2005. The presidential election will take place in February 2006 (TT, March 19).

During the announcement, Arias said improving education and taking steps to make Costa Rica the first developed country in Latin America by 2021 – the year when the country will celebrate 200 years of independence – would be his main priorities if elected president.

“I want to be President of the Republic because I am not afraid of the future,” Arias said. “I am sure times of greatness will come to us if we convince ourselves that there's nothing the country lacks to take a leap to development.”

Arias expressed concerns about how the country has been run in recent years.

“With great worry, I have seen how a lack of leadership and fear of change have eroded opportunities,” he said. “The last years have been a succession of wasted opportunities and frustrations for our people. We have lost the drive and direction.”

“I will always say what I think and will always do what I say,” he concluded. “I will never promise anything that I cannot fulfill.

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Wednesday October 26, 2005