Archive for January 19th, 2010
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
President Ma Ying-jeou said Tuesday that Taiwan will consider canceling debts from earthquake-ravaged Haiti, a move that could add to Taipei’s cachet in a region where rival China is making inroads.
While Ma’s statement follows a French call for debt relief among Haitian creditors, it also serves to reinforce Taiwan’s positive reputation among its remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
For much of the six decades since the two sides split in a civil war, China has tried to isolate Taiwan internationally by getting countries to forswear diplomatic relations with Taipei. It persuaded Costa Rica to switch recognition to it in 2007, leaving Taiwan with only 23 diplomatic allies.
Twelve _ Dominican Republic, Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Belize, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis _ are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Speaking to a group of supporters in Taipei, Ma said that he wanted Taiwan to carefully consider the Haitian debt question.
“I have already asked the foreign ministry to conduct the necessary reviews to help Haiti to pass through this difficult time,” he said.
The foreign ministry declined to quantify the size of the Haitian debt to Taiwan, though the figure is believed to be substantial.
In the wake of last week’s quake, Taiwan pledged $5 million in cash assistance and dispatched 23 rescuers and 33 medical personnel to help Haiti cope with its worst natural disaster in 200 years.
China also offered substantial assistance to Haiti, and suggested that Chinese and Taiwanese teams operate under a single banner to help with relief efforts _ a move that Taipei rejected.
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
A private trial held in the Tribunales de San José sentenced a Jamaican national to 32 years in prison for killing the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) agent, Randall López, last November 3, in a shootout in Escazú.
López was killed after being hit by a bullet from an AK-47 being used by the Jamaican gang who was being investigated by judicial agents for the murder of a woman in San Pedro a week earlier, and other crimes.
The hearing was held in private as the accused is a minor.
Another Jamaican, identified as Perkins, will also face a trial for taking part in the shootout.
The minor, whose identity was not disclosed, received a sentence of 15 years for being a conspirator in the crime, 8 years for attempted murder of another OIJ agent, who was hit by a bullet in the arm, 8 years for attempted murder of a passerby and one year for resisting arrest, for a total sentence of 32 years.
The court also requires the minor to complete 2 years study and work for carrying an illegal weapon.
Under Costa Rican juvenile law, the 32 year sentence is automatically reduced to a maximum of 15 years for a minor.
Last November 3, OIJ agents got into a shootout with the Jamaican gang in a quiet residential community in San Antonio de Escazú, when the gang attempt to flee the home when they saw judicial agents coming, crashing into several vehicles.
Agent López was assigned to the Stolen Vehicles department of the OIJ and died in the emergency room at the hospital San Juan de Dios after being impacted with a bullet from the AK-47, an automatic weapon that is illegal in Costa Rica.
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
We were just wondering whether or not countries are really able to push back on the US’s attempts to export draconian anti-competition/anti-innovation copyright and patent policies elsewhere. Michael Geist points us to two cases where US trade representatives are going overboard in trying to get foreign countries to put in place stringent intellectual property rules. The first is in Costa Rica, which is included in the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Yet like with other free trade agreements that the US has agreed to elsewhere, this one includes draconian intellectual property law requirements. I still cannot understand why intellectual monopoly protectionism — the exact opposite of “free trade” — gets included in free trade agreements. At least in Costa Rica, a lot of people started protesting these rules, pointing out that it would be harmful for the economy, for education and for healthcare. So the Costa Rican government has not moved forward with such laws. How has the US responded? It’s blocking access to the US market of Costa Rican sugar until Costa Rica approves new copyright laws. Nice of the US, right? Bankrupting Costa Rican farmers to force Costa Rica to put in place a copyright regime it does not want.
Then there’s the Bahamas, where US trade representatives are demanding new intellectual property laws, claiming that the country is not in agreement with WTO treaties. Apparently, the USTR is particularly upset about the police force in the Bahamas not cracking down on the sale of unauthorized DVDs, CDs and counterfeit clothing. However, as the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce president notes, nearly all of those counterfeit products actually originated in the US — and that the majority of people doing the buying are US tourists. In other words, the issue is really with the US, but it seems to want everyone else to deal with it.
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Costa Rica on Monday kicked off the process of opening its cell phone market to private companies, ending the state telecommunications company’s more than four-decade monopoly.
The telecommunications regulator, known as Sutel, said it will open up bids in April and hopes to complete the award of the new concessions in the second half of the year.
“We believe that in September, we’ll be giving the operators the new concessions,” said Sutel’s president, George Miley.
Companies interested in bidding include America Movil (AMXL.MX) (AMX.N), Latin America’s leading cellphone operator, Spain’s Telefonica SA (TEF.MC), and privately-held regional mobile operator Digicel, Sutel said in a statement.
Company officials were not immediately available to confirm their interest in bidding although all three are active in other Latin American markets.
The state-owned Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, or ICE, has dominated the telecommunications sector for more than 45 years and controls fixed line, cell phone and Internet service in the Central America nation of 4 million people.
There are currently 1.8 million cell phone lines in Costa Rica, where third generation, or 3G services, were introduced last month.
Costa Rica, which has traditionally had strong state control over utilities and other important parts of the economy, was obliged to end the telecommunications monopoly under the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect last year.
“They’re coming here to compete with us,” ICE spokesman Elbert Duran told Reuters, adding that the company welcomes the competition.
The ICE currently operates 88 percent of Costa Rica’s cell phone frequencies, with the remainder reserved for non-comercial uses.
After the concessions process ICE will have approximately one-third of the available frequencies.
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Lin Bartee, 65, and his wife, Christine Bartee, 51, made an appearance in Federal Court in Sacramento Monday after being extradited from Costa Rica on charges of bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion.
The couple was returned to Sacramento by U.S. Marshals on Sunday.
The couple, originally from Grass Valley, are the subjects of a grand jury indictment on conspiracy to avoid paying federal taxes, making false statements in a bankruptcy case and concealing property in a bankruptcy case, according to a release from Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Ferrari, who is prosecuting this case.
The indictment states the defendants failed to file a tax return in 2001, and then after earning a lot of money in 2002 also failed to file a tax return for that year. They did, however, transfer about $240,000 to Christine Bartee’s parents, who transferred about half of it to a bank in Costa Rica. In 2003, the couple declared bankruptcy without naming the Internal Revenue Service as a creditor and without identifying money they received the year earlier, according to the release.
The bankruptcy court denied the discharge of the debt in the winter of 2004, and soon thereafter the couple moved to a remote area of Costa Rica.
The case was investigated by the IRS, which got an indictment in May and began extradition. The couple fought extradition but lost those efforts.
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Jaco Costa Rica is clean and not polluted shows the labs results from AyA which tested the water last month. AyA is the Costa Rican ministry that is responsible for drinking water and water treatment. However, the AyA lab results just release showed that 6 other Costa Rican Beaches are still contaminated.
Before stepping foot in the water, best to be sure that the beach or river is not on the AyA list of the contaminated, following the findings by the water and sewer utility high contaminations of fecal matter in at least six beaches in Costa Rica.
Testing by the Laboratorio Nacional de Aguas de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) shows that the beaches of Los Baños, Portete and Cieneguita, in the province of Limón; the Tárcoles, Giacalillo and Quepos beaches in the province of Puntarenas, have a high level of contamination of fecal coliforms. These AyA lab results indicate that the above beaches are not fit for swimming.
In the meantime, Jaco Beach and Tamarindo passed the lab test after three years of water of very publicized water pollution problems. There was a huge effort by the Jaco community and the Canton of Garabito to clean up the water problems in Jaco. The result is Jaco is no longer on any of the polluted beach lists and continues to pass water tests. The condos Jaco Beach has built brought many residents to the clean up effort, who were concerned about the past water problems. Jaco Beach clean water lab results proves a community effort of engaged residents can make the difference.
The accepted level in Costa Rica of coliform in the water is 240 coliforms per 100.000 milliliters of water.
Some results to highlight where beaches are still polluted are Portete beach which the lab results showed 10.000 coliforms & Los Baños tested at 7.500 coliforms which are very elevated. Other moderate polluted beaches are Cieneguita beach tested at 700 coliforms, Tárcoles 850, Gucalillo 500, and Quepos 400.
One of the problems faced by these communities is the lack of local organizations to work in correcting the problems. The AyA tests the water quality of the beaches around the country as part of their “Bandera Azul Ecológica” program.
This story is from the good people of Coldwell Banker in Jaco ” Original post here”
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
For those looking for the ultimate adventure vacation whether it is by one’s self or with one’s family, look no further then the beautiful and exotic country of Costa Rica, with its golden sand beaches, active volcanoes, lush dense rain and cloud forests, and amazing vibrant seaside towns. With something for everyone, this tiny Central American country has today become one of the world’s hottest tourist destinations, with plenty to do and much to see.
Offering fantastic adventure vacations for one and all, Costa Rica combines a laid-back lifestyle with stunning natural beauty and a friendly local Tico population to provide a truly memorable and unforgettable holiday. With an impressive wealth of national parks, which cover more than a quarter of the country’s land surface, Costa Rica provides adventure lover’s with a thrilling stage; hosting everything from mountain biking to white water rafting, and jungle treks to canopy and rappelling tours of the verdant forests here. For those who enjoy the ocean in all its glory, Costa Rica has some of the best surf breaks and swells in the world, with incredible snorkeling and underwater diving opportunities as well.
For those who enjoy endless meandering trials set amidst some of the most lush and magnificent forests, Costa Rica has some incredible hiking and trekking possibilities. Visit the beautiful Manuel Antonio National Park or take a hike in the wonderful Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja to become truly one with nature. However, if you prefer you can visit the secluded and remote jungles of the Corcovado National Park, which is home to the last remaining coastal Pacific rainforest.
White water river rafting and kayaking opportunities are also abound in Costa Rica. Kayak out in the open ocean or raft down the roaring rapids of the Rio’s Pacuare, Revenatzon and Naranjo for wild ride. But if surfing is your thing, then head on down to the fantastic beaches that Costa Rica has on offer. Visit the Salsa Brava, Ollie’s Point, Witches Rock, Pavones or Playa Hermosa in Puntarenas for some of the most superb surf breaks in the world.
To explore some of Costa Rica’s most gorgeous sceneries underwater, dive along the coast off Bahia Drake or Drake Bay or visit the lovely Isla del Caño, home to some of the most fabulous underwater and marine life in the country. Along the Guanacaste Coast of the Nicoya Peninsula excellent snorkeling opportunities can be found at Playas del Coco, Playa Ocotal and Playa Hermosa. And if all this is not enough, try rappeling down some of Costa Rica’s beautiful waterfalls around the areas of Puerto Jimenez and Cabo Matapalo.
As you can see Costa Rica’s versatility not only extends to its landscape, but its fantastic adventure opportunities as well. So come on down to this gorgeous tropical country to experience Pura Vida or the ‘Pure Life’ and have the adventure of a lifetime!
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry received word on Monday that Eithel Rodolfo Sojo Ramírez, one of three Costa Ricans who had been reported missing in Haiti at the end of last week, is safe. Friends of Sojo told ministry officials that they had made contact with the Costa Rican and said he was aboard the Greek ship, Nicholas, at a pier near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
The Costa Rican Ambassador to the Dominican Republic spoke with the Costa Rican rescue team that is helping with relief efforts in Haiti and requested that the squad embark on a special mission to the Greek vessel to take food and water to Sojo.
Jorge Antonio Mora Mejías and Javier Quesada Crocceri, who were believed to be in Haiti during the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, are still unaccounted for.
Mora’s family told the Foreign Ministry that he works on a ship in Haiti and “sporadically communicates with his family.” Mora’s sister said Mora was last seen along Haiti’s coast six months ago and went by the name Susu. She said Mora was a good friend of a group of Cuban doctors.
Quesada works for Animal Planet and lives in the Dominican Republic, according to data from the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry. Officials will attempt to contact Quesada’s family for more information.
Including Sojo, 18 Costa Rican’s have been located on the Caribbean island. Seven are under the care of the Costa Rican Embassy in the Dominican Republic and are awaiting a flight back to Costa Rica. Five have been removed from the country by their employers and organizations. Two remained in Haiti to help with humanitarian and relief work, while two have already returned to Costa Rica and one is believed to be en route to the Dominican Republic.
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