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Monday, July 30, 2001 Online Edition 30 |
Dam project suspended The announcement came after government authorities and groups protesting the dam's construction reached a 13-point agreement that calls for, among other things, a referendum allowing Gualaco residents to decide whether or not they want the dam. This year's figures on the leading causes of violent deaths among women revealed that homicides accounted for 34 of the 105 deaths reported in the greater Tegucigalpa area. Of this total, 16 were in the 11 to 20 age group and gang-related. Chief medical examiner Dr. Amilcar Rodas told La Prensa that most of these girls were killed with firearms and that many had tatoos on their bodies. Furthermore, he said, interviews with the parents of the victims revealed that many had belonged to gangs or had relations with gang members. Rodas added that authorities are also investigating whether the adolescents were raped in order to establish a pattern that could help lead authorities to the culprits. According to authorities, the plantations are located in remote, inaccessible areas of northern Francisco
Morazan, specifically between Cedros and Montana de la Flor, and parts of
Yoro. In fact, said one police official involved in the operation, it was necessary to walk six hours to reach one of the marijuana plantations since there are no roads. Ramos added that the repairs took longer than usual due to the fact that at the moment the malfunction occurred, most of the employees at the substation -- located a considerable distance from the main facilities at El Cajon -- were out to lunch. According to the court, Leva is guilty of having ordered gunmen to kidnap and murder Oscar Jesus
Funez, Reinaldo Ucles Calix, Luis Paulino Carcamo and his wife Abigail
Banegas, and Jose Alcides Velasquez near Santa Rosa de Aguan and Tocoa, Colon on June 14-15, 1998. All the murders were connected to a $250,000 cocaine deal gone sour. Abelino Rodas Martinez, one of the alleged assailants, was arrested shortly afterward following a police pursuit. At the moment of his capture, Rodas had a 38 caliber pistol with three empty chambers, a cell phone and a piece of paper with Donohue's license plate written on it. According to the El Heraldo report, Rodas, 43, is a former convict.
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Ground broken for Guanaja General Hospital According to Allen Sowers, general contractor and project manager, the completion date is less than two years away. Sowers' dedication to the project is exemplified by the fact that he moved his wife, Tricia, and their five children from Washington, D.C. to Savanah Bight, where he has already participated in several projects for the betterment of his new neighborhood. For a little background, it is necessary to look back to an unfortunate event: the great storm of the last century, Hurricane Mitch. In the immediate aftermath of this category five storm, the island was in terrible shape. Amid death, injuries, hunger and homelessness, help came the island's way. Among the first to arrive was the Christian Disaster Response (CDR), whose volunteers brought much needed aid to the shattered island. Medical help and supplies, water, food, clothing and house building were brought to the island by dozens of wonderful Christian people with the words, "we are here to help." For CDR, the mission was not extraordinary. According to Dr. Ron Patterson, executive director of CDR, "this is what we have been doing for over 20 years." From earthquake ravaged areas of the planet to war torn countries like Zaire in Africa, CDR has been doing the Lord's work, he said. Part of CDR's mission is involved with medical, emergency training at the local level. Says Bill Rhan, EMT trainer, "We have had, already, two such training sessions on Guanaja with great results." A third session is planned for the fall. Eventually, said Rhan of the United Methodist Church, Florida Conference, Guanaja General Hospital will be the site for these training sessions, as well as all community, health-related issues. Thanks to the Truman Tatum family of Savanah Bight, the new facility has its own property. The donation of one acre of land, known as Lime Tree Gully (located a quarter of a mile north of Savanah Bight, just off the main road leading to Mangrove Bight), could not be more perfect. According to Carlos Montoya, spokesperson for the Bonacca Electric Company (Belco), this site and Mangrove Bight will soon have electric service, as new installations are planned for as early as October. The new hospital will be made of concrete, with ultra-strong, poured walls. The planned budget is US$260,000 just for materials. All labor is to be volunteered. Medical doctors will come from the Untied States and serve on a rotating basis. With a prayer led by Rev. Andreas Downs, pastor of the Savanah Bight Adventist Church, the ground-breaking ceremony took place on Wednesday (July 18). The hundreds of people in attendance included many classes of school children who sang a spirited rendition of the Honduran National Anthem amid the waving flags of Honduras and the United States. More information on the project can be obtained from Allen Sowers in Savanah Bight or from Dr. Ron Patterson, P.O. Box 3339, Winter Haven, FL 33885, phone (863) 551-9554, or on the web at:
http://www.cdresponse.org
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Monday, July 23, 2001 Online Edition 29 |
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Dam protest turns violent At about 12:30 p.m., police moved to disperse the crowd with tear gas. In response, members of the Civic Counsel of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) worked to unify the crowd of protestors and threw rocks at the police. The daily La Tribuna reported that among the protestors was Sally O'Neill of Ireland, who works for the non-governmental organization Trocaire that reputedly has ties to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The problems leading up to the protest started soon after construction began on the Babilonia Dam near Gualaco. According to the protesters, the dam would deprive nine communities of water, as well as flood traditional agriculture land. Tensions have risen with the death of Carlos Flores (whose name is the same as the president of Honduras), who strongly opposed the dam. Rafael Pineda Ponce, president of the National Congress, recently formed a committee of deputies in an attempt to develop a repertoire with the groups involved. It should be pointed out that Congressman Jack Arevalo is behind the congressional decree allowing the construction of the Babilonia project to proceed, irrespective of the fact that the project lacked an environmental license. The National Congress concluded that if the congressional decree allowing for the construction of the dam is repealed, the government of Honduras could be slapped with a multimillion dollar lawsuit. Congressional Vice President Ramon Villeda Bermudez has called for an in-depth investigation into how the decree was approved, since many congressional deputies claim to know nothing about it. He also proposed that Congress begin by subpoenaing Xiomara Gomez, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment (SERNA) in order to get to the bottom of this matter. As the region enters a pre-El Nino cycle, a lack of rains is putting many public services in danger. Over 50 percent of the country's energy comes from hydroelectric plants and the reservoirs that feed them are reaching alarmingly low levels. The report states that an "enormous crisis" in the energy sector is imminent. The government will not take any actions on this issue because studies must be done to come up with new laws and time does not allow for the soon-to-be-changed government officials to commission those studies. In the same ESA report, HONDUTEL was studied. The daily La Prensa reported results that were also disturbing. The telecommunications company is not supplying enough services to maintain a proper modernization process in the country. "These components must be balanced," the report said, "because no company will invest if they do not find any profitability." This last statement was in reference to the capitalization process that HONDUTEL has been unable to accomplish. Running water is also a problem, mainly for the Honduran capital. Tegucigalpa is could reach critical water supply levels by 2005 or 2006, according to the report. Aside from environmental damage effecting Tegucigalpa water sources, poor planning is also to blame for this crisis. No electricity, communications or running water. Dark days are indeed ahead for Honduras unless action is taken and the report in hands of the World Bank is taken seriously.
Island property market set to skyrocket in next few years Temptation Island: The first series of the reality television program, Temptation Island, was filmed on the little island of Ambergris, in Belize. According to Fox, the makers of Temptation Island, 17.3 million U.S. viewers watched the show on the eve of the final, and the statistics were even higher during other episodes. Property prices in Ambergris have doubled over the last three years, and this is attributed directly to the immense amount of free publicity that was produced by the show. The first series was aired in the U.S. alone, the one that they are filming now, right here on Roatan, will be viewed in households in at least six European countries and maybe even the U.S. The British version has already been filmed and from what we hear from correspondents in the U.K., the media has been on a feeding frenzy. This can only mean that T.J. Lynch, owner/broker for Remax Bay Islands, is correct in his prediction that Roatan is on the cusp of a massive boom in real estate. A government committed to development: According to Lynch, the Bay Islands are in for an exciting time politically. "What we need is a government that believes in growth and development. I believe that what we can look forward to is the introduction of a firm and structured tourism and economic development plan from a new government that understands what needs to be done to prosper economically." A huge potential market: According to statistics, there are approximately 81 million baby-boomers retiring in the U.S. in the next 5-to-10 years. That is a lot of people, and a huge potential foreign investment market. We need to get them to invest by tempting them with all the incredible beauty, features and opportunities that this country has to offer, and there are so many. Lynch believes that anything a potential buyer purchases now will increase in value in the very near future. "Now is an excellent time to buy property on Roatan. You can, for example, buy a gorgeous apartment at Paradise Beach Villas, on the shores of the most beautiful beach on Roatan, for a mere $99,000. Or a beachfront home, at the resort where Temptation Island is being filmed, for $149,000. That is pretty terrific value, but prices will increase in the future, which is why so many people are buying property now. If all the rumors are to be believed, Roatan can already look forward to an 18-hole championship golf course, two five-star hotels, further housing complexes, and a huge increase in international carriers flying directly to Roatan. All the airlines, resort groups and golf course developments that I've worked with have performed massive feasibility studies before investing in a new market or location, and no company worth it's salt is going to pour money into a country that has no future, or in a market that has no potential, so I think we can all go by what T.J. Lynch sees in his crystal ball.
Sandra Sampayo runs a public relations and marketing company here in Honduras and can be reached via email at
sandra@roatanyachtclub.com |
Gualaco residents protest dam project, murder Long-running opposition to the dam project was further galvanized with the June 30, 2001, murder of community leader Carlos Flores by alleged employees of Energisa S.A., the private company that has undertaken to construct the modestly-sized, four- to eight-megawatt dam. Adding to the controversy is the fact that the National Congress gave approval to this project in spite of the fact that the BHP is located squarely within the restricted buffer zone of Sierra de Agalta National Park. Forming part of the protected Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, Sierra de Agalta National Park is widely noted for its exceptional biodiversity. More than 470 bird species have been observed within the park boundaries, more than half as many as are found in the United States and Canada together. Residents of the zone, which has also been subjected to shady timber-harvesting operations in recent decades, perceive the dam project to be the continuation of a long-running tradition of state-sanctioned depredation of local resources. Energisa representatives represent the project as a socially and environmentally responsible enterprise that will help provide electric energy to an underserved zone in eastern Honduras while providing temporary construction jobs to hundreds of local residents. It is also the case that Energisa has received both Congressional and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA) approval to go ahead with construction. Ulloa and several other community leaders opposed to the dam's installation report receiving numerous death threats this year. On March 4, Gualaco parish priest Fredy Cornelio Benítez, was knifed in the back; dam protesters believe this attempt on his life was precipitated by his leadership of a local forum in the Babilonia region that has mobilized community members against the BHP. In the latest development, six armed men Energisa employees descended from the company compound into the Gualaco hamlet of El Ocotal (Place of Pines) and shot to death 28-year-old Carlos Flores with .12-gauge shotguns, AK-47s, and Uzis, on Saturday, June 30. Energisa concedes its employees shot Flores but suggests this was the result of an armed confrontation. Witnesses to the crime, however, insist Flores was merely preparing to bathe when he was shot. Physical evidence appears to support the latter party's assertion. After waiting beneath the piling-elevated capitol building for more than five days, anti-dam protesters hope for an audience with congressional deputies this Tuesday afternoon. Their position is one of no compromise; they say they will not leave the capital plaza until Energisa is made to leave Gualaco. In this effort, they hope for strong advocacy from Honduras' newly-ordained prelate, Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, who has promised to help bring this matter to a satisfactory end.
Tourist murdered, another raped near park According to a report in La Tribuna, Coal Erlich, 26, of Israel and Johanna Machish, 22, of New Zealand were hiking toward The Lodge at Pico Bonito, located about 2 km from the La Ceiba-Tela Highway, when they were intercepted by two armed individuals on a blue Yamaha motorcycle. The assailants shot Erlich in the head and leg, and then raped Machish before shooting her in the abdomen. About an hour after the incident, the New Zealand woman was admitted to a La Ceiba medical center where she informed authorities that her companion was still alive. Erlich was found and taken first to Euro Honduras and then to the Vicente Dantoni Hospital in La
Ceiba, but he died on the operating table. Airport highwaymen arrested Identified as Gerson Madrid García and Luis Enrique Agurcia, the alleged highwaymen were arrested in two residences used as hideouts in the Villeda Morales residential district of San Pedro Sula following a police pursuit. Authorities also confiscated three AK-47 assault rifles, a shotgun, several bulletproof vests, a 9mm pistol, clips for AK-47 and M-16 rifles, four video cameras and a laptop computer, as well as three vehicles.
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Monday, July 16, 2001 Online Edition 28 |
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Water rationing, ahoy It
might be the so-called "rainy season" in the tropics, but no precious
water seems to be falling around Tegucigalpa.
In fact, the lack of rain have driven the city's water sources to the
brink of declaring an emergency. The
most drastic example of the drought inflicting the capital's water sources is
the Los Laureles Reserve, which provides water for about 35 percent of
Tegucigalpa residents. From the
shores and leading in to the small puddle of water left, cracked, dry soil marks
the place where the precious liquid once stood.
Experts say Los Laureles is dry, not only due to the lack of rain, but
also because of deforestation. Authorities
of the National Water and Sewage Service (SANAA), the country's water authority,
are seriously concerned about the drought.
Within the next few days, drastic rationing will occur in different parts
of the city, so that everyone may get water at least once a week.
To replace the water lacking in Los Laureles, SANAA is using the nearby
reserve of La Concepcion. Even
though larger than the former, authorities are also concerned about draining the
latter to extremely low levels. In
light of the water shortage, SANAA has recommended that all capital city
residents be wise in their usage of water.
The precious and now scarce liquid should not be wasted on watering
gardens, washing cars and the like. Unless
rain comes soon, the daily El Heraldo reported, the situation will only worsen.
Dam
opponent brutally slain An
environmentalist who strongly opposed construction of a hydroelectric dam on the
Babilonia River, in the municipality of Gualaco, Olancho department, was shot to
death on June 30 by gunmen who allegedly work as security guards for the power
company Energisa S.A. According
to the daily El Heraldo, Carlos Roberto Flores, 27, was preparing to bathe in
the yard of his home in the tiny community of El Ocotal in the municipality of
Gualaco around noon when he was attacked by six gunmen armed with AK-47 assault
rifles, Uzis and shotguns. Flores,
whose name is coincidently the same as the president of Honduras, received
gunshot wounds to the head and back. Eyewitnesses
said the gunmen were security guards working for Energisa S.A. -- the company
building the dam. The
father of two, Flores vehemently opposed the construction of the dam in an area
protected by legislative decree. According
to an email received by HTW from Monti Aguirre, residents of El Ocotal allege
that representatives and high-level officials of Energisa S.A., in cahoots with
the local police and authorities, have been harassing and threatening them
because they oppose the project as it would seriously damage the environment and
force people off their land. Other
environmental activists murdered in recent years include Jeannette Kawas (1995),
Carlos Escaleras (1997) and Carlos Antonio Luna (1998).
None of these murders has been solved.
The murder of Candido Amador Recinos (1997), a Maya-Chorti leader who
fought for the land rights of his people, also remains unsolved.
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Postal
strike ends Union
leaders and government representatives on Tuesday (July 10) reached an agreement
on a pay raise for postal employees, ending the 19-day postal strike. According
to the daily La Prensa, the government agreed to a Lps. 3.5 million increase in
the payroll of the postal service. The
postal union had been demanding a Lps. 9 million increase, which it lowered to
Lps. 6.3 million before settling for the government's final offer. Maduro
has 11-point lead over rival If
the presidential elections were held this month, National Party candidate
Ricardo Maduro would easily trounce Liberal candidate Rafael Pineda Ponce,
according to the results of a Cid-Gallap poll published in the daily La Prensa
on Wednesday (July 11). Of
the total number of eligible voters polled, 46 percent said they would cast
their ballet for Maduro and 35 percent for Pineda Ponce.
Another 17 percent said they are still undecided or would not vote for
any of the candidates, while the remaining 2 percent said they would vote for
the candidates of the smaller parties. The
mayor's race for Tegucigalpa is no contest, with Miguel Pastor of the National
Party receiving a whopping 65 percent of the votes to just 19 percent for
Liberal Party rival Marco Antonio Andino. In
San Pedro Sula, mayoral candidate Oscar Kilgore of the National Party beats
rival Rodolfo Sunceri of the Liberal Party by an 8-point margin. When
it comes to party, voter preference was split between the Liberal and National
parties, with each receiving 39 percent, while 2 percent of the people polled
said they preferred one of the three minor parties. The remaining 20 percent included those people who did not
prefer any political party, did not know or did not respond. Congress
to probe mining companies Congressional
President Rafael Pineda Ponce has ordered the creation of several commissions to
investigate allegations that two mining companies are causing irreparable harm
to the environment, the daily La Prensa reported Wednesday (July 11). The
companies to be investigated are Minerales Entre Mares, which has mining
operations in Siria Valley; and the American Pacific Company (AMPAC), which runs
the El Mochito mine. The
creation of the committees comes less than a week after Cardinal Oscar Andres
Rodriguez, during a visit to Siria Valley in the northern part of Francisco
Morazan department, said he was stunned on seeing the environmental damage
caused by Entre Mares' open-pit mining operations there.
AMPAC has been accused of discharging toxic wastes into Lake Yojoa. Pineda
Ponce also formed another congressional committee to investigate the situation
in Gualaco, Olancho with respect to the construction of a hydroelectric dam on
the Babilonia River. |
Monday, July 9, 2001 Online Edition 27 |
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Honduras
demands fair payment of products
By BLANCA MORENO TEGUCIGALPA -- Marking the celebration of the
225th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, Honduras
reiterated their demand to the United States that they be paid fair market
prices for their products. In
response, U.S. Ambassador Frank Almaguer drew attention to the promise of
cooperation made to the nations of Latin America by President George W. Bush. This,
and other issues of concern, were addressed at the fourth of July celebration
hosted by the American Embassy at the Ambassador's residence in Colonia Viera
(on the road to El Hatillo). The
roughly 1,500 guests included President Carlos Flores and First Lady Mary Flakes
Flores. Ambassador Almaguer took the opportunity to express the
sentiment that "for 225 years, it has been proven that democracy is
long-lasting and responds to the interests of each human being when the
fundamental principles proclaimed by its forefathers are respected." The
U.S. ambassador continued by saying that "free and fair elections, with
peaceful government changes -- a process that, for the sixth consecutive time,
Honduras is about to undergo in a few months -- is now the norm in the majority
of the world's countries." The
diplomat went on to point out how an open economy is an essential mechanism for
providing initiatives to individual entrepreneurs and advancing the economy of a
nation. And he drew attention to
the fundamental requirements of a democratic society, including a legal system
that provides for judicial equality, the existence of independent labor
organizations, an uncensored and objective press and the active participation by
society at large in the institutions of the democratic processes. On
behalf of Honduras, Foreign Minister Roberto Flores Bermudez pointed out that
"the solidarity the American people and their government have shown to us
has rightfully changed with the times and no longer consists of weapons and
military aid we do not need. Now
that support has moved to economic, commercial and technological fields. "We
are willing to eliminate the old custom of asking with the hopes of never having
to pay for what was given. The only thing we want today is the payment of fair prices
for our products, generated by both national and foreign investment and which
provide jobs with the goal of gradually eliminating the poverty and social
differences we suffer." In
exchange for that, he stressed, "we can only offer our best efforts to make
reality of the strongest dream the Honduran people have: a life with internal
and external peace, with a lawful government that guarantees citizens' rights,
absolute accountability of the management of public funds and where justice will
be quick and equal for all." Flores
Bermudez reiterated the gratitude of his people and government for the
extraordinary help provided during the emergency situation caused by Hurricane
Mitch, and the national reconstruction that followed it.
He expressed hope that "the fourth of July will forever be
celebrated in a world ruled by peace, liberty and justice."
Postal strike enters third
week More than 900 employees of the Honduran
Postal Service (Honducor) were still on strike as of Friday morning (July 6),
demanding that authorities implement pay raises that were promised to them
approximately 30 months ago, the daily El Heraldo reported. The
strike, which began June 22, has held up the delivery of more than 6 million
pieces of mail.
American couple robbed on
arriving to SPS Only minutes after leaving the Ramon Villeda
Morales International Airport, a U.S. couple and their Chilean friend were held
up by a band of thieves who are targeting foreign tourists as they drive to San
Pedro Sula, the daily La Prensa reported Sunday (July 1). According
to the police report filed by Jorge Mohalanzy of Chilean nationality, the
thieves intercepted Mohalanzy's vehicle as he was driving back to San Pedro Sula
after picking up his American friends at the airport.
Two of the thieves entered Mohalanzy's car and proceeded to drive the
victims toward San Pedro Sula while their companions followed in another
vehicle. On
arriving at the Arenales sector, the thieves got onto a lightly transited dirt
road and proceeded to rob the Americans of their possessions.
Mohalanzy reported that the thieves stole US$15,000 in cash and
traveller's checks, a digital camera, a computer, two cell phones, and five
pieces of luggage containing the Americans' clothing and other articles worth
around $6,000. National Info Center sets
up web page The National Information Center
(CNI) has
established a web page to provide businesspeople, investors and the public in
general information on Honduras' economic activities, productivity and export
potential, the daily La Prensa reported Tuesday (July 3).
The site's URL is <http://www.cnihonduras.org>. Joint patrols end, soldiers
back in barracks Complaining of fatigue and the lack of food,
Honduran servicemen who had been accompanying police agents on routine patrols
of San Pedro Sula on Sunday returned to their barracks, ending a joint operation
to restore law and order in the industrial capital of Honduras. The
joint patrols were ordered by President Flores on June 8 following a series of
highly-publicized kidnappings, including the abduction of a Taiwanese investor. Int'l congress on Maya to
be held in Copan Experts on the ancient Maya from all over the
world will converge for three days in the ruins of Copan to discuss how modern
science is helping researchers learn more about the astronomy, literature and
mathematics of the Maya civilization, the daily La Prensa reported Friday (July
6). The
international congress, titled "Science, Art and Religion in the Maya
World, is scheduled to begin Tuesday (July 10).
The archaeological site of Copan was selected to hold the congress since
it is considered the "artistic, academic and cultural capital of the Mayan
civilization." |
First Honduran elected
bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Honduras In a special convention celebrated June 30 at
the Episcopal Cathedral El Buen Pastor in San Pedro Sula, the Very Reverend
Canon Lloyd Emmanuel Allen, Dean of Francisco Morazan and Vicar of Santa Maria
de los Angeles, Tegucigalpa, and 11 other missions, was elected by a wide margin
on the first ballot to be the next Bishop of Honduras of the Episcopal
(Anglican) Church. He
will succeed the Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, who resigned in September, 2000, to become
the Bishop of Southeast Florida. The
other candidates on the ballot were the Very Rev. Martin Galeano-Franco, Dean of
San Pedro Sula and Vicar of San Pablo Apostol and San Jose de la Montaña, both
in San Pedro Sula, and the Rev. Leonel Ortez-Bulnes, Youth Director of the
Diocese of Honduras and Vicar of Santa Rosa Cisneros, Chasnigua. Allen,
44, was born in Tela, Honduras. He will be the first Honduran to serve as bishop of the
Diocese. He is married to the
former Rosa Martinez-Valerio and has four children.
He has studied at the Centro Universitario Regional del Norte in San
Pedro Sula, the School of Theology of the University of the South and the
Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas.
He was ordained to the diaconate in 1989 and to the priesthood in 1991.
Before going to seminary he worked as a teacher at St. John's School in
Puerto Cortes and served as lay pastor of Holy Spirit Church, Tela, and St John
the Baptist Church, Puerto Cortes. After
ordination to the diaconate, he first served as vicar of San Andres, San Pedro
Sula. Since 1990 he has been vicar
of Santa Maria de los Angeles, Tegucigalpa.
In that time he has founded 11 more missions in the Tegucigalpa area and
a parochial school. In addition to being vicar of 12 churches, he is dean of
Tegucigalpa, headmaster of St Mary's School, and chaplain and president of the
board of governors of El Hogar Ministries, which operates The Home of Love and
Hope in Comayaguela, St Mary's Technical Institute in Tegucigalpa and the
Escuela de Agricultura El Hogar in Talanga. A
date for his consecration has not yet been set, but it will most likely occur in
October or November.
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Monday, July 2, 2001 Online Edition 26 |
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Security minister cleaning up police force
More
than 100 agents and officers have been fired to date By BLANCA MORENO TEGUCIGALPA -- For the first time ever, a
minister has challenged the corruption that has become institutionalized in the
nation's police force. All law
enforcement offices have been involved, from the bribes taken by traffic police,
to the contraband allowed by customs officials and the deals that are cut with
big-time criminals. For
the past 25 years, the Honduran police have been the target of countless
accusations of all types. It has
reached the point where the law-abiding sector of the population fears policemen
as much as they do criminals. Desperation
has been increasing, especially when police chiefs are involved in vehicle and
bank-robbing rings. They protect drug dealers and delinquents, leaving the
citizenry feeling unprotected. Minister
of Security Gautama Fonseca had previously failed at trying to eliminate tinted
glass on car windows and a fifth passenger in collective taxis.
These attempts were not supported by the law, and had the opposite amount
of success as his latest project. The
head of the security ministry has been involved in an unprecedented cleansing
process of the national police force. To
date, between officers and agents, he has fired over 130 people. Fonseca
states that President Carlos Flores has offered full support in this continuing
process to rid the ranks of the Preventive Police Force of wrongdoers.
The desired goal, obviously, is to create a decent institution out of the
nation's police force. The
minister claims to be acting within the confines of a decree issued by the
National Congress. He explained
there were several reasons for firing public security personnel, listing as
examples: inefficiency, negligence, illegal enrichment and theft. According
to Gautama Fonseca's, five years were lost as a result of the Intervention
Board's decision to postpone the cleansing process back when the police were
being transferred from military to civilian control. He
considers this mechanism necessary for the institution's advancement.
Fonseca also believes this will improve security levels throughout the
country. It
should be mentioned that Fonseca has not touched the director of the Preventive
Police Force, Alvaro Flores Ponce, who is also vice minister of security.
Moreover, Flores Ponce has a brother who is also a police agent accused
of illegal enrichment. The accused
brother's defense attorney is none other than former minister of security and
criminal attorney, Elizabeth Chiuz Sierra. Other
officers who have taken offense at the minister's actions have threatened to
file a class action suit against Gautama Fonseca and the Ministry of Security. Still,
this is the first time any measures have been taken against a corrupt police
force that has been managed without law and order.
For too long they have been doing what they please, maintaining the
Honduran people in constant anguish.
Chinese plants may pull out of Honduras Chinese investors who have installed assembly
plants in Honduras are currently studying the possibility of moving their
operations to safer countries due to the high level of violent crime, the daily
El Heraldo reported Tuesday (June 26). Jorge
Chang, president of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Honduras, told
reporters that the decision to consider pulling their businesses out of Honduras
is due in part to the recent kidnapping of a Taiwanese executive. On
May 29, Lichitl Huei, the assistant manager of Glory Garment Company, was
kidnapped by a group of armed men -- possibly of Guatemalan origin -- as she was
driving to work with her husband. Huei was released last Sunday (June 24) after her family paid
the ransom, but not before kidnappers had cut off part of her ear to pressure
the family into paying. Of
the approximately 100 assembly plants in the country, 12 are owned by Taiwanese
investors. Homicide rate among highest in L.A. Honduras has one of the highest homicide
rates in Latin America, according to a study on delinquency and criminal
activity prepared by Hector M. Leyva with the support of the United Nations
Development Programme, the daily El Heraldo reported Tuesday (June 26). Based
on statistics obtained from the Department of Criminal Investigation (DGIC), the
number of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants jumped from 35.4 in 1996 to 46.3 in
2000. With respect to individual
departments, the most violent is Cortes with a homicide rate of 107 per 100,000,
followed by Atlantida with 69.9, Comayagua with 68 and Valle with 61.7.
Francisco Morazan has a rate of 38 per 100,000. For
comparison purposes, the El Heraldo article included the homicide rates for
other major Latin American cities. The most violent is Medellin, Colombia, with a homicide rate
of 248 per 100,000 (in 1995); followed by Cali, Colombia with 112 (in 1995) and
Guatemala City with 101.5 (in 1996). One
of the safest cities in Latin America is Buenos Aires, Argentina, which has a
homicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 (in 1998). New university to open soon Final preparations are being made for the
establishment of a new private university administered by Evangelical
Christians, the daily El Heraldo reported Wednesday (June 27). The
Universidad Cristiana Evangelica Nuevo Milenio (New Millennium Evangelist
Christian University) will initially offer careers in pre-medicine, computer
systems, laboratory technicians, business administration, marketing and
theology. A
two-day fund-raising activity for the new university, which is being broadcast
on Channel 57 -- La Voz Evangelica, concludes today.
Organizers of the fund-raiser said 10 percent of the proceeds will be
used to establish a scholarship fund for needy students with excellent grades. |
New monument dedicated to Dads
By C.F. AGURCIA TEGUCIGALPA -- Lately, the Rotary Club of
Tegucigalpa has been undertaking large projects to change and improve the face
of the nation's capital city. The
most recent of these changes was a tribute to a member of local society that
does not receive much fanfare: the Honduran father. The
brand new, 1,500-pound statue, made from a marble-based compound (marmolina),
is gracing a pedestal in Herrera Park, across from the Manuel Bonilla National
Theater. It is the work of Honduran
Armando Rubio Vasquez and represents a man and child in a warm embrace.
In his speech during the inauguration ceremony, Rubio Vasquez explained
that the father posing in the sculpture represents both the strict
disciplinarian of the family and the loving parent.
The artist also expressed hope that his work would inspire Honduran
fathers to become more dedicated to their children. The
mayor of Tegucigalpa also attended the ceremony, profusely thanking the Rotary
Club for their endeavors. "What
has impressed me most of the Rotaries," Mayor Vilma Castellanos said in her
speech, "is that they leave no empty spaces behind."
This was in reference to a previous Rotary Club project that moved the
capital's Monument to Mothers from Herrera Park in downtown Tegucigalpa, to the
newly renamed Monument to Mothers Park near Toncontin Airport.
The city official expressed her appreciation that the pedestal left empty
in Herrera Park was soon replaced with a new monument. The
new location of the Monument to Mothers, built in the 1940s, was previously
called Columbus Park and was named after the statue of the Spanish discoverer
that stood there. Unfortunately, in
a demonstration a few years ago, members of Honduras's indigenous groups
publicly hanged and brought down the statue, leaving the park bare. The
Monument to Fathers project was headed by Rotary Secretary David Beyl, an
expatriate involved in many charitable organizations.
It was finished and relocated with the help of Rotary International,
Mudanzas Gamundi, Casa Arte, Bambino and Marmoles de Honduras. The
Rotary Club's next project is a fountain that is currently being built at the
top of Lomas del Guijarro, one of the capital city's wealthiest neighborhoods.
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