Show of Force: More than 150,000 people are estimated to have turned out for a massive anti-CAFTA rally in downtown San José yesterday featuring live music, speeches and various other activities.

The U.S. company Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers will host a conference with coffee producers and growers in Costa Rica this week.

Short Films by Bisonte Producciones
Oct. 1-3, 2 p.m., Teatro Para las Artes, in front of Plaza 11 de Abril, National University (UNA), Heredia. Info: 863-8946.

Writing Workshop in Spanish
By writer and poet Delia McDonald, Oct. 1-8, 6:30 p.m., Centro Cultural del Este, behind Guadalupe Cemetery. Info: 305-6074.

By Gillian Gillers
Tico Times Staff | ggillers@ticotimes.net

More than 150,000 people descended on San José yesterday to rally against the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA).

Several blocks of Paseo Colón, the main artery leading into the capital, were packed with students, union members, teachers, politicians, toddlers and dogs, dressed in anti-CAFTA T-shirts and hats.

They cheered and chanted as musicians played and campaign leaders spoke on stages set along the streets. Balloons, quilts and banners all promoting the “no” vote waved above the crowd.

“I love Americans, but I don't like the policies that the United States wants to impose on Central America and the world,” said Arsenia Cruz, a clothing-maker who came to the march with her husband and boisterous 18-year-old daughter, Ana.

The three-hour event ended with speeches by two key anti-CAFTA leaders: Eugenio Trejos, rector of the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC) and Ignacio Trejos, emeritus bishop of San Isidro de El General, a crossroads city in the Southern Zone.

“God is with the people and the people must follow God,” said Ignacio Trejos. “We are a small country but we have the moral and spiritual force to resist outside interference.”

Eugenio Trejos asked the crowd for a minute of silence to remember former Costa Rican President Juan Rafael Mora, who fought against efforts by U.S. soldier William Walker to conquer Central America in the 1850s.

“Juanito lives on in the heart of the anti-CAFTA movement,” he said.

About 150 police officers, stationed near Paseo Colón, were barely visible. Delegates from the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) milled through the crowd, keeping an eye out for disturbances.

The event appeared peaceful, although demonstrators did begin chanting curses when a plane circled over with a pro-CAFTA banner.

Julio Quesada, a technical expert at Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) who came to the march with his wife, 4-year-old daughter and French poodle, said he appreciates his freedom of expression.

“ Costa Rica is a marvelous country. We could come (to the rally) without any fear,” he said. “Today is a family activity.”

For others, the event was a business opportunity. Street peddlers sold drinks, snacks, pins, shirts, and compact discs.

Entrepreneur Alexander Fajardo said he expected to make $100-200 selling anti-CAFTA pins at $1 each during the rally. His pin business brings in about four times as much money as his day job remodeling houses.

(This report includes information from ACAN-EFE.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning U.S. taxpayers of an Internet scam that has been popping up in Costa Rica.

The “phishing” scam involves a fraudulent e-mail that pretends to be an IRS request for personal information in order for the user to access a tax refund.

The scam asks for Social Security numbers and credit card information, and could also infect a victim's computer system, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

“The IRS warns that care should always be taken when disclosing personal information,” the statement said.

The IRS has busted several such schemes in recent years, like the case in which an e-mail told taxpayers they were being audited and that they could resolve matters by divulging sensitive financial information on an official-looking Web site.

In Costa Rica, the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) has received an influx of Internet banking fraud complaints in the last year, and is now investigating some 150 cases (TT, Sept. 7).

If U.S. taxpayers have any doubts about the authenticity of an e-mail, they can call 1-800-829-1040.

-Tico Times

The U.S. company Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers will host a conference with coffee producers and growers in Costa Rica this week.

The event – called “Let's Talk about Coffee” -- will be held Wednesday through Saturday in the Pacific port city of Puntarenas for the fifth consecutive year, according to a statement from the event's organizers.

“This private conference will bring together the entire supply chain to discuss commercial needs and share best practices,” said Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers president David Griswold.

The theme of the event is “Quality, Pura Vida,” and it will focus on new models of sustainable production and the development of agreements between toasters and growers, the statement said.

Representatives from several countries will speak on new techniques for shade-grown coffee and new methods for processing high-quality coffees using less water.

Among U.S. companies that plan to attend are Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, from Vermont; Tully's Coffee, from Washington; Allegro Coffee, from Colorado; Dillanos Coffee, from Washington; and Groundwork Coffee, from California.

Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers, based in the city of Portland, is a buyer of green coffee that promotes the best roasters in North America and Europe with specialty organic coffees and fair trade.

It's also one of the few coffee importers in the world that exclusively sells coffees produced by families or cooperatives, representing 100,000 producers in 12 countries.