[dailyarchive/2005_01/exchange_rates.htm]
Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, January 24, 2005
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| BLOCKING The Backhoe: Concerned Monteverde residents stand in front of a backhoe to prevent it from digging a ditch for irrigation tubes at midnight on Thursday. Protestors remained there until 4 a.m., when the Mayor of Monteverde assured them there would be no more digging that night. |
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Monteverde Rises to
Defend its Water
A threat to their water resources and biodiversity led concerned residents of the Quaker community and cloud forest preserve of Monteverde, in the north-central region of the country, to the streets in a protest that lasted from Thursday to Saturday.
(Click for more)
Sanction Proposed for Verbal
Assault
to Women in Costa Rica
A reform to the Penal Code proposed by legislator Gloria Valerín and supported by feminist organizations may result in 50 days of jail or an equivalent fine for those who shout obscenities at women in public places.
(Click for more)
Costa Rican Government Opens
Dialogue with CAFTA Opponents
The Costa Rican government initiated conversations with sectors that oppose the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA), according to Trade Minister Manuel González.
(Click for more)
January 24
Lunes de Cinemateca
It's a TV show where people can view a national film and an interview with the director. The program celebrates its second anniversary today. Shows are Mondays at 9 p.m. on Channel 15 and Sundays at 10 p.m. on Channel 13.
Tennis Tournament Copa Bancrédito
Opens today with a night schedule and a mini-fair. Among the participants is Argentinean Del Potro, number one of the youth world ranking. Competitions are at the Costa Rica Country Club
Edited By María Gabriela Díaz
Tico Times Staff
mgdiaz@ticotimes.net
Monteverde Rises to
Defend its Water
By María Gabriela Díaz
Tico Times Staff
mgdiaz@ticotimes.net
A threat to their water resources and biodiversity led concerned residents of the Quaker community and cloud forest preserve of Monteverde, in the north-central region of the country, to the streets in a protest that lasted from Thursday to Saturday.
The more than 150 people gathered on the streets of the town on Friday seek to end drilling and construction of a pipeline that is designed to draw 18 liters of water per second from two streams located in Monteverde and the neighboring town of Santa Helena, according to President of the Monteverde Aqueduct, Rolando McAdam.
“We are concerned the streams will dry and our biodiversity will be damaged,” McAdam told The Tico Times yesterday, adding that normally, 5-12.65 liters of water are extracted from the streams per second.
McAdam explained the town of Monteverde has approximately 4,000 residents, and 18 liters per second is an amount that should be extracted in a much larger town, of at least 30,000 residents.
A water concession was granted to eight Monteverde businesspeople without an environmental impact study, according to McAdam.
“These people are going to use the extra water for their own businesses,” he said.
The Tico Times tried to contact two of the businessmen, Giovanni Arguedas, of Hotel Sapo Dorado and Johnny Guzmán, but they were not available.
“Citizens are concerned about the destruction of a biodiversity that attracts more than 200,000 tourists to the spot each year,” said Vera Belmar, owner of Belmar Hotel in Monteverde. “Monteverde is recognized by National Geographic as one of the 10 most beautiful places in the world, and this situation is an environmental violation,” Belmar said.
Biologist and Monteverde resident Robert Carlson said the drilling was temporarily stopped by the National Roadway Council (CONAVI) Saturday, and Monday, Monteverde residents will meet with representatives of the Ombudsman's Office in San José who will study their case.
Sanction Proposed for Verbal
Assault
to Women in Costa Rica
A reform to the Penal Code proposed by legislator Gloria Valerín and supported by feminist organizations may result in 50 days of jail or an equivalent fine for those who shout obscenities at women in public places.
The initiative is based on the concept that obscene phrases and gestures offered by some men to women in public areas are not a form of flattery, but rather, of sexual harassment, according to Valerín.
Representatives of the state-run National Institute for Women (INAMU), said women have the right to circulate in public places without the fear of being verbally assaulted.
This type of “flattery” is a form of “indiscriminate sexual harassment to women. It is offensive, aggravating, produces fear, shame and lasting effects, especially in young women. They should not be allowed to tell us whatever they want,” Silvia Meza, gender coordinator for INAMU, told the daily Al Día.
The project is controversial, partly because enforcing this law is considered difficult, since sanctions will depend on women's determination to denounce offenders.
Police would be in charge of collecting the details, including names of witnesses, and presenting the information to judicial authorities.
The project will be presented before the Legislative Assembly for analysis and discussion.
--AFP
Costa Rican Government Opens
Dialogue with CAFTA Opponents
The Costa Rican government initiated conversations with sectors that oppose the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA), according to Trade Minister Manuel González.
González met with labor union representatives, one of the main CAFTA opponents, Friday, to listen to their position, but were unable to reach any agreements, said the Trade Ministry in a statement.
The Trade Minister highlighted the importance of meeting with all parties involved in CAFTA because it is a topic of great importance to the country.
“In the area of foreign trade, CAFTA is a topic of great urgency. For this reason, it is important for us to reach a point of agreement and open dialogue in hope of its approbation, González said in a statement.
He added “CAFTA must be analyzed as an instrument within a strategy of development, where human resources constitute the core of this national strategy.”
For his part, union leader of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), Fabio Chaves, said the meeting was important because it allowed for a clear statement of the position and preoccupations of his sector.
“A national decision that implies the transformation of the system requires ample discussion. That is why we seek egalitarian mechanisms in taking this decision,” Chaves said.
The agreement has not been sent to the Legislative Assembly by President Abel Pacheco because he insists controversial tax reforms that have been under consideration in the assembly for more than two years, must first be approved (TT, Jan. 21).
El Salvador is the only Central American country that has ratified the agreement with the United States.
--EFE
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