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20 Mar 2006 |
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Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, March 20, 2006
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$1.4 Million Seized
From Alleged Guerrilla
Costa Rican authorities seized $1.4 million from Colombian Libardo Parra, alleged to have been a member of the M-19 guerrilla group.
(Click for more)
First Lady Inaugurates
Playground In Zapote
Through a collaborative effort, the Office of the First Lady Leila Rodríguez, Banco de Costa Rica and the San José Municipality built a playground in Zapote, south of San José, and inaugurated it in a ceremony Friday.
(Click for more)
San José Bus Routes
Set to Change Today
San José's bus routes are scheduled to change effective today as part of a Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) initiative to restructure the city's traffic system and improve traffic flow (TT March 17).
(Click for more)
Luxury Constructions along
Pacific Coast Increase 85%
Luxury construction projects like condos, villas and hotels increased 85% in 2005 along the northern Pacific coast, known for its tourist attractions, according to El Financiero.
(Click for more)
March 20
Monteverde Conservation Association's 20th Anniversary
Time for Kids, featuring games, stories and more, March 18-25, 10-11 a.m., Bajo del Tigre, Monteverde, cloud forest reserve in north-central Tilarán mountains. Info: 645-5200, 645-5851.
Expomóvil
Around 2,000 cars and motorcycles for sale, play areas for children, adventure sports, fast food. Through March 26, Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., next to Lizano Products (Unilever), General Cañas Highway.
Edited By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net
$1.4 Million Seized
From Alleged Guerrilla
Costa Rican authorities seized $1.4 million from Colombian Libardo Parra, alleged to have been a member of the M-19 guerrilla group.
Chief Prosecutor Francisco Dall'Anese told journalists Saturday the money was discovered during a Thursday raid on warehouses associated with Parra, who was arrested Wednesday in San José (TT Online March 17).
Police also curiously discovered more than 1,000 kg of beans in the warehouse and 15 mattresses in a house Parra owns in San José, reported the daily La Nación.
A San José judge ordered two months preventive prison for Parra, who awaits extradition.
Dall'Anese said investigators want to rule out the possibility that Parra could have business ties in Costa Rica.
“We have to wait for official reports to determine if we have something here or if we will turn him over to Colombia,” Dall'Anese said.
According to International Police (INTERPOL), Parra is sought by Colombian authorities to serve a 20-year prison sentence for alleged kidnapping and extortion.
Parra, 46, was arrested Wednesday while driving along a highway west of San José, and authorities seized $43,000.
According to Costa Rican police, Parra was allegedly a member of the M-19 guerrilla operation known for taking over the National Palace in Bogota, Colombia in 1988. He has resided in Costa Rica since 2004 on an expired tourist visa.
-ACAN-EFE and Tico Times reports
First Lady Inaugurates
Playground In Zapote
By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net
Through a collaborative effort, the Office of the First Lady Leila Rodríguez, Banco de Costa Rica and the San José Municipality built a playground in Zapote, south of San José, and inaugurated it in a ceremony Friday.
After receiving a number of requests from parents to build a playground in the neighborhood, Rodríguez decided to include the project in her Asi Somos program, which has included several community improvement projects, said Office of the First Lady spokeswoman Mariela Lara.
Banco de Costa Rica financed the playground, which includes a slide and swing set and has the capacity for 15-18 children between the ages of 4 and 14. The San José Municipality will assume the upkeep and administration of the playground as part of its Program to Improve Neighborhoods, according to a statement from the Office of the First Lady.
In attendance at the inauguration ceremony were San José Mayor Johnny Araya, Banco de Costa Rica Public Relations Director Kattia Morales, Rodríguez and several representatives from the Office of the First Lady.
“We believe in investing nationally in our country's main resource – children -- by contributing to integral development and creating spaces that allow them to be active outdoors in safe, secure environments,” Rodríguez said.
The Office of the First Lady has built playgrounds in several communities in the past year including Palmares, northwest of San José; Santo Domingo, north of San José and in Sabana Park, west of San José, according to the statement, and has plans to build playgrounds in Heredia, north of San José, and in the northwestern Guanacaste province.
San José Bus Routes
Set to Change Today
By Rebecca Kimitch
Tico Times Staff
rkimitch@ticotimes.net
San José's bus routes are scheduled to change effective today as part of a Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) initiative to restructure the city's traffic system and improve traffic flow (TT March 17).
Buses will no longer exit the city using the westbound lanes of Paseo Colón, and bus stops on the north side of this street will be eliminated. Instead, much of this bus traffic will be moved one block north to Avenida 1, which will be switched from its current eastbound flow traffic to westbound, allowing buses to leave the city on this street. On Avenida 1 from Calle 22 to Calle 36, buses will be a priority, however private vehicles will be allowed access to local businesses.
In addition, buses will travel on an exclusive, reversible lane on Avenida 10, between Calles 14 and 36, near the municipality building. The bus-only lane will not include stops and be used by buses from destinations including Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas and San Ramón. The lane will run eastbound, toward downtown San José, from 1:10 a.m. to noon and westbound from 12:10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Private vehicles will be prioritized on Avenida 3 and on Paseo Colón heading west.
Public Works and Transport Minister Randall Quirós told the daily La Nación traffic police will not fine “lost” drivers during the first three days of the changes, but will later fine them ¢5,000 ($10) for violating the new laws. An additional 50 police officers are scheduled to be on the streets in the next few days to help drivers and pedestrians get accustomed to the changes.
Luxury Constructions along
Pacific Coast Increase 85%
Luxury construction projects like condos, villas and hotels increased 85% in 2005 along the northern Pacific coast, known for its tourist attractions, according to El Financiero.
Statistics from the Costa Rican Construction Chamber (CCC) indicate that in 2005, 596,791 square meters were constructed in the northwestern Guanacaste province, 85% more than the 306,654 square meters built in 2004. Construction is going on mainly in beaches considered prime Guanacaste tourist destinations such as Playas Conchal, Cocos, Flamingo, Tamarindo, Ocotal and the Gulf of Papagayo.
The publication indicated that in Playa Conchal, famous for its small shells, there are 27 condominiums and six villas being built and one hotel expanding its capacity by 120 rooms.
According to experts, the capital gain of properties in Guanacase has grown between 40-60%.
For example, condos in Tamarindo can cost up to $466,500 and those in Flamingo run as much as $679,000.
Guanacaste is one of the provinces most visited by tourists in Costa Rica due to its culture, forests, beaches and the convenience of the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, to which 48 flights land weekly.
Tourism is one of the main economic activities in Costa Rica ; in 2005, 1.6 million tourists generated $1.5 billion.
-ACAN-EFE
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