By MARIA FIALLOS

TEGUCIGALPA -- The National Party faction "Arriba Honduras" headed by presidential candidate Ricardo Maduro on Tuesday submitted a bill to Congress to amend constitutional articles concerning the judicial branch of the government.

According to Nationalists, these reforms will promote the economic, political and technical independence of the judicial branch, as well as diminish judicial insecurity, therefore increasing Honduras' credibility on an international level and at the same time creating a more favorable investment climate.

The reforms propose increasing the number of Supreme Court justices from the current nine to 13 and having four assistant magistrates as a means of reducing case backlogs; as well as extending their term of office from four to seven years as a means of depoliticizing the judicial branch.

In an effort to deter the influence of other powers of state over the judicial branch, Maduro's faction suggests the election of the president of the Supreme Court by the 13 magistrates and the elimination of political appointees through the creation of a judiciary counsel that would be in charge of hiring appeals court magistrates, judges and other court employees.

The bill also seeks to increase citizen participation in government through the different sectors that integrate Congress. This would be achieved by permitting the amendment of laws concerning the judicial branch only by a two-thirds majority vote, and by the election of Supreme Court justices by Congress from a list of candidates compiled by an election board that would be comprised of by a member of the judicial branch, a representative of the Human Right's Commission and representatives of other important sectors of society such as the university professional associations; the bar association; professors of law from different universities; members of the different workers, farmers and business unions and women's organizations.

The movement states that an important element in bringing about the independence of the judicial branch is financial strengthening by raising from three percent to four percent the amount allocated from the national budget to this system, as well as autonomy from the executive branch as far as this amount is concerned. Both these measures are aimed at the complete allocation of funds guaranteed by the Congress that to date has never been fulfilled.

By WENDY GRIFFIN

When I first came to Honduras in 1985, my friends and family said, "Oh, that is a good place to go, far away from the wars." They said that because they thought Honduras was located somewhere near Puerto Rico, far away from the Contra-Sandinista conflict in Nicaragua.

Actually, my work with the National Teaching University and the Pech Indians of Olancho took me between the Contra bases and the Nicaraguan border, which is a lot like being between a rock and a hard place. In Spanish they would say, "Entre la espada y la pared" (Between a sword and a wall).

The road to Culmi where the Pech live passed by the Aguacate Air Base, north of Catacamas, Olancho. At that time, the base was under the control of the Contras. It was illegal to take cameras into the area and cars going past the air base were searched for them. If any were found, that person had to go claim his or her camera at G-2 (military intelligence of the Honduran army) in Tegucigalpa.

Part of the reason cameras were illegal is that then President Jose Azcona claimed there were no Contras in Honduras. The clandestine cemeteries found recently at El Aguacate may have been another reason.

This issue of cameras presented a serious problem to professors of the National Teaching University, at that time called Escuela Superior del Profesorado "Francisco Morazan" (ESP-FM). The ESP-FM co-sponsored with the Spanish government the Pech Integrated Development Project. To present the annual report for this funding, it was necessary to take pictures of the project's activities, although cameras were illegal in this part of Honduras.

The position of the ESP-FM against the Contra presence and the presence of U.S. military troops at Palmerola (now called the Soto Cano Air Base), near Comayagua, was no secret. For example, the student organization FER (Frente Estudiantil Revolucionario/Revolutionary Student Organization) sponsored classroom visits of Honduran refugees who had been displaced from Los Trojes area of El Paraiso Department by a Contra encampment known as "Nicaragua Libre" (but located in Honduras).

Since this position was no secret, there had been reprisals. One day in May, while I was teaching the fine points of capital letters and punctuation to my English class at the ESP-FM, it was announced on the loud speaker that the student leader who had disappeared during the traditional May 1st protest march had been found after five days and was recovering in a local hospital from the wounds received when he was tortured. Somehow it was impossible to go on just teaching. The situation seemed to call for something else other than, "As I was saying about capital letters..."

So we went by El Aguacate, our cameras hidden in 100 lb. sacks of corn donated for a food-for-work project with the Pech, in a van clearly marked Escuela Superior del Profesorado. We were worried. Fortunately, we were able to get through and take our pictures of the Pech leadership training seminar, collecting the sounds of the Pech language, and a community center built in La Campana. On later visits, I was to see more Contras bringing in firewood and other non-threatening tasks.

The Contras returned to Nicaragua and in 1990 the Aguacate Air Base was closed. Located in a fertile valley on a good road, campesino groups had pressured the government to use this land for Agrarian Reform projects for landless peasants. The Honduran military tried to block this transfer, but their petition has been denied, so the way is open to transfer this notorious base to farmers.

Aguacate Air Base came to the attention of Americans when a U.S. airplane crashed, killing the Americans on board. Parts of a crashed U.S. airplane from this period still sits in front of the Trujillo museum.

In the United States, questions are still raised about U.S. involvement with the Contras, especially about using Honduras as a transhipment point for cocaine that was later converted to crack and distributed by drug gangs in black neighborhoods. While the shipment of drugs in planes associated with the Contras at Puerto Lempira airport has been confirmed by locals who supervised loading, the role of El Aguacate in this and other crimes such as the death of Father James "Guadalupe" Carney still remains unclear. While the Bible recommends pounding swords into plowshares, turning military bases into corn and bean fields and returning the disappeared to their mothers to mourn seem reasonable steps toward building peace in an area that has known all too well the effects of the Cold War.

By SUYAPA CARIAS

TEGUCIGALPA -- Aware that technology is necessary for students of all ages to face the present and the future successfully, authorities of the Central American Technological University (UNITEC) and Futurekids Honduras signed a cooperation agreement on Friday (Feb. 18) in Tegucigalpa.

The agreement seeks to develop joint projects in the field of educational technology not only for students, but also for public and private schools teachers. The promoters of this idea have designed an educational curriculum based on the technological instruction model created by Futurekids Inc., while focusing on the country's own values and culture from an academic point of view.

The recently established relationship will lead to the promotion of UNITEC's advances in the field of satellite connectivity. The private school has the first Honduran educational net on the Internet, EDURED. The goal of EDURED is to improve the level of competence of human resources in today's economy.

"The future depends on technology, and if we don't lead our students toward it, we would be failing," said William Chong Wong, UNITEC's founder of international relations. "Other neighboring countries have already incorporated this process into their schools, but Honduras has lagged behind even at the private level," he added.

"Now we hope to solve the problem to some extent through the use of computers... it is a challenge that all school and college authorities are waiting for," he said. Chong Wong was accompanied by directors Marcial Solis and Carlos Echeverria.

Meanwhile, Mario Galeano, Futurekids' vice president, reminded the people attending the ceremony of some of the country's main educational problems, such as students repeating grades and quitting school. He then addressed the importance of the Internet at schools and homes, and the issues that must be considered to avoid improper use of this modern innovation.

"We are talking about globalization of communications, information, education, and the environment. But it is imperative to support the priority of human values over material ones," he pointed out.

According to Galeano, the Internet is a valuable tool for education, as it not only provides students with an infinite amount of information, but also teaches the user to evaluate, organize, edit and decide how to use it. The Internet also connects teachers with each other and with their pupils.

"The teacher's job can be multiplied," said Galeano. "In addition, the Internet is the bridge between software applications and children's creative potential."

The Futurekids program teaches students from pre-school to high school different technological abilities by using a curriculum applied in more than 3,500 schools all over the world.

For more information, call UNITEC at 232-4127, or Futurekids at 221-1257.

By MARIA MARTA CALVO

Special to Honduras This Week

According to Pfizer laboratories, it is estimated that approximately 1.4 million men over the age of 40 suffer some degree of erectile disfunction in the Central American region, of which approximately 10 percent are Honduran. These figures are estimations based on the results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS).

Since its introduction to the Honduran market in October 1998, Viagra sales have doubled, reaching a level of almost 3,000 units sold per month. In total, 300,000 Viagra tablets have been sold since its release.

Erectile disfunction is the persistent incapacity of reaching and/or maintaining an erection rigid enough to enjoy satisfactory sexual intercourse. Causes can be organic or psychological. It is now known that some problems originate in artery and nerve alterations caused by hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, aging, alcohol consumption and tobacco addiction.

One of the chief factors for erectile disfunction in men under the age of 40, especially among executives, is stress caused by constant work pressure. Excess working hours and a failure to exercise and participate in recreational activities may cause erectile problems in many men.

To date, the erectile disfunction market size has increased seven-fold. This is the result of more patients seeking medical attention since the appearance of Viagra, which reveals that the ED information campaign and the efficiency and security shown by Viagra must have motivated patients to take a big step in the search for help.

A recent study worth mentioning is one conducted by SIMER enterprises in Central America of 2,400 men and women over the age of 40 on the perception of impotence among the region's population. To the question of how ED affects a couple, 55 percent answered that the relationship ends and nearly 20 percent expressed it leads to infidelity. This data reveals that erectile disfunction is a serious health concern since it has a direct effect on family harmony.

Dr. Gustavo Bueso, a San Pedro Sula urologist, stated that "it is natural for men to fail sometimes, which must not be cause for alarm and much less a lack of trust within the couple, but it is always good to seek professional help, especially if this happens in over half [their sexual encounters]."

Bueso also said the appearance of drugs especially designed to help the arterial component of erection, such as Viagra, have revolutionized the quick response to the ED problem. "This is how, during the past two years, a good number of my patients have improved their erections, thanks to the therapeutic accompaniment also based on psychological support in the cases that need it," said Bueso.

By JORGE FLORES McCLELLAN

The widening of the technological gap between industrialized countries and developing nations brought on by globalization may be reversed with the help of BESO, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the transfer of information.

BESO, the British Executive Services Office, a non-profit enterprise, provides expert advice and professional training to promote self-sufficiency, especially to small and medium entrepreneurs the world over who normally could not afford a consultant.

The organization has more than 3,000 volunteer advisors with experience in just about every profession. BESO was founded in 1972 and in the last eight years or so, it has been sending annually approximately 600 people around the world, 50 of whom come to Latin American countries. Most go to countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America. The advisors stay for periods ranging from two weeks to six months, depending on the needs of the organization or company that has required their free services.

"The volunteers always follow up on the progress of the companies and keep the friendship born from the professional relationship too," says David Lewis, regional director for Latin America, in an interview with Honduras This Week. Lewis said BESO's main goal is to transfer the widest variety of information that people around the world can use to become self-sufficient and prosperous. Most of the volunteers are retired professionals, or on leave from successful enterprises in Britain, who wish to share their knowledge and experience.

"Small and medium companies in the private and public sectors can apply for advice on everything from strategic financial planning to agriculture techniques. You name it. We have people who have studied and worked in every field. BESO's motivation is to help those who could not bear the expense of a commercial advisor."

BESO does not charge any fees for its professional services. However, they usually ask that the organization seeking their help provide lodgings and local expenditures for the volunteer during the mission time, but this is not a big issue if the company is small. If the applicants can afford it, they may also help with the air fare from Great Britain.

In Honduras, BESO has already helped several businesses and companies in a wide range of areas, ranging from selling better ice-cream and installing telephone networks to creating financial and marketing strategies.

"All Hondurans have to do is ask. We are working with a foundation which will help organize small entrepreneurs into groups we can work with," said Lewis. "We are more than willing to help. We are helping," he concluded.

For more information on BESO, e-mail <team@beso.org>.

In a reenactment of the May 1998 murder Catacamas councilmen Carlos Luna last week, witnesses once again identified Oscar Aurelio Rodriguez Molina, alias "Machetillo," as his killer. Rodriguez was captured and jailed in Juticalpa last year, although the Luna family's legal representative, Marcos Lobo, reiterated that he was just a hitman for a group of sawmill owners and the mayor.

At the time of his death, Luna had formerly accused several people of illegally exploiting forests, selling illegal lumber and corruption. Jose Angel Rosa, Jorge Chavez (National Congress President Pineda Ponce's son-in-law), Roberto Nunez and Catacamas Mayor Freddy Salgado are still under investigation for their alleged complicity in Luna's murder. -- La Tribuna

Human Rights Commissioner Leo Valladares said Thursday that his organization may have to close five of its 16 offices throughout the country due to lack of funds.

According to Valladares, Congress only approved Lps. 16 million of the Lps. 27 million the commission asked for this year. Valladares, who is also the President of the Ibero-American Ombudsman Federation (FIO), said 50 percent of the funding the organization receives is through donations, but that donors are considering the suspension of funding due to the Honduran government's lack of interest in assigning it an adequate budget. -- El Heraldo

In a public manifest issued Feb. 22, the National Congress condemned acts of violence committed against congressional correspondent Allan Montenegro by members of the Preventive Police Force. Montenegro lost the use of one eye after receiving a blow from a rifle butt.

The document demands that the Ministry of Security and the Preventive Police Force conduct a thorough investigation of the case, compensate the victim and analyze police actions, stating that it is not the first time private citizens have been the target of police brutality. This and other cases demonstrate a flagrant disregard for the human rights of Honduran citizens.

Anibal Delgado Fiallos, director of the National Agrarian Institute (INA) on Tuesday signed a technical cooperation agreement with the Central Eastern Rural Development Project (PRODERCO)/Secretary of Agriculture.

The purpose of the agreement is to assign 1,250 land titles in 10 municipalities in El Paraiso and Olancho departments during 2000. Achieving this goal would cover 5,000 of the 7,000 small coffee producers PRODERCO assists and would facilitate access to development funds. -- El Heraldo

After a truck supposedly loaded with corn turned over in Talanga on Tuesday, law enforcement officials discovered that the real shipment was illegal wood from San Francisco de La Paz, Olancho.

According to the police report, the truck driver, Saul Padilla, fled to avoid arrest. -- La Tribuna

The milk hike will translate into higher cheese prices.

By ELVIRA ESPINAL

Special to Honduras This Week

TEGUCIGALPA -- As customary in Honduras before any big sporting event and especially when there is a possibility of winning, authorities have taken advantage of the euphoria by announcing price hikes in several consumer goods.

This time, claim some critics, the success of the Honduran national soccer team in the Gold Cup tournament currently underway in the United States has served as a "smoke screen" to raise the prices of sugar and milk. So far, the national team has notched up impressive 2-0 wins over Jamaica and Colombia, respectively.

Reactions from both sides to the hikes were immediate. Consumers demanded stricter controls from the government so that prices do not continue to spiral upward, while authorities insisted that Honduras is a free market where the law of supply and demand prevails.

In the middle of the debate are dairy and sugar producers, who sustained heavy losses from Hurricane Mitch in October 1998.

National sugar producers recently met to discuss raising the price of a 100-pound sack of sugar by Lps. 20, which translates to Lps. 0.20 per pound. Meanwhile, milk producers raised the price of one liter by Lps. 0.50, from Lps. 7.50 to Lps. 8.

Commerce authorities responded that they can only receive notifications from producers, because the government has eliminated price controls and prices are based on supply and demand.

National producers claim that the devastating effects of Hurricane Mitch on all industries have forced price hikes in order to recover costs, and that the hikes have been carefully thought out, taking into consideration the family economy of Hondurans.

The curious thing is that every time there is an important sporting event like the World Cup or other important tournaments, the opportunity is used to raise prices. Some analysts argue that the bitter pill of a price hike is sweeter for the consumer in the euphoria of the game and that the next day everything starts with a "clean slate," as if nothing had happened.

In spite of the price hikes, the government expects to accomplish the macro-economic goals set by international financial organizations for the year 2000, which include an inflation rate between 10 percent and 11 percent. Nonetheless, the specter of more hikes with more successes by the national soccer team remains.

Law enforcement authorities this week continued the search for Harold Coleman, the principal suspect in the murders of his own brother and a prominent U.S. businessman and active member of the Republican Party, the daily La Tribuna reported.

Last Friday (Feb. 11), the mutilated body of Albert Paul Lima was found on a property in the community of Las Tres Flores, about 5 kilometers from French Harbour, Roatan. The discovery was made just three days after Lima, 57, was kidnapped by Harold and Byron Coleman at the Panaderia Brick Bay in Oak Bridge. During the abduction, Lima's friend John Wade Herring, 55, was severely beaten.

Early Friday morning, the body of Byron Coleman was found floating in the ocean near Barrio La Punta in French Harbour. Forensic reports indicate that Byron died from a knife wound to the neck. Lima's body was found later the same day following an intensive air, land and sea search by authorities.

Newspaper reports allege that the Coleman brothers had planned the murder to prevent their eviction from a property that their father had mortgaged to Lima for $75,000 ten years ago. 

Several legislative proposals will be presented to Congress this year by groups seeking to overhaul the nation's educational system.

Schools, teachers, private enterprise and international and national cooperation organizations recently presented a series of proposals to improve the system at the National Convergence Forum (FONAC).

Education Minister Ramon Calix Figueroa said the proposals will be studied next month in a national assembly with the purpose of creating a new educational model.

By JORGE FLORES McCLELLAN

TEGUCIGALPA -- Thousands of children began the 2000 school year with brand new "Back to School" backpacks, donated by the Friends of the Americas.

The non-profit institution based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which founded its Honduras chapter in 1985, has helped many communities in Honduras since long before Mitch with all kinds of material and technical assistance, and now, has made another effort in favor of Honduran society after the storm by giving 2,000 children backpacks full of school supplies.

"This is just the beginning of this project," said Diane Jenkins, President of Friends during a speech at the U.S. Ambassador's residence. "We are working in the U.S. to reach out to more children in this wonderful country."

The meeting was attended by First Lady Mary Flake de Flores, who is also from Louisiana, other Honduran officials and many of the organizers, personnel and friends of Friends who have worked in this and other projects.

Friends of the Americas has various assistance and training programs in two sectors of the country: La Mosquitia, specifically in the Rus-Rus Community, and in El Paraiso, between Danli and Los Trojes. The projects include transportation and specialized surgery in the United States for very poor Honduran people and a foster parents organization that helps children from disintegrated homes.

Friends also works in conjunction with the Ministry of Education to help maintain a high degree of assistance in the rural areas, among other important factors. There is also a vocational school and projects to teach advanced agricultural techniques. The idea is to help people to work and not depend on charity.

In the Rus-Rus area, Friends has a fully-equipped hospital that attends approximately 20,000 people. It also has a private plane, a necessity in this roadless area. The hospital is visited annually by medical brigades who attend the most serious cases.

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- "Honduras is on the right track" was the term used by the Inter American Development Bank to describe the reconstruction efforts of the government and civil society during the Feb. 7-8 meeting of the Follow-up Consultant Group in Tegucigalpa.

Miguel E. Martinez, IDB director of Central American Operations, stated that Honduras has laid down solid foundations for the construction of a better future for its citizens.

"The people and government of Honduras should feel proud, not only because the plan has made progress, but because important political and structural reforms have been made that will be instrumental in the transformation of the economy and Honduran society."

This third meeting of the Consultation Group was held to evaluate progress in the implementation of Honduras' Master Plan for National Reconstruction and the Stockholm directives, as well as verify the appropriate management of funds. In the case of Honduras, allotted funding amounts to $2,763 million out of a total of $9,000 million assigned to Central America and Colombia last year.

Forty-eight delegations from friendly countries and international organizations met with Honduran reconstruction cabinet ministers, who pointed out key areas that have still not received external financing.

President Flores thanked the international community for following up on the agreements of the Consultant Group in Washington and the Stockholm agreements. In both those meetings, commitments were signed with the shared hopes of rebuilding and transforming Central America, focusing on transparency, governability and the consolidation of democracy.

IDB officials once again stated that for this transformation process to be sustainable, it must be based on six main pillars, which are: transparency and efficiency, decentralization, poverty relief, conservation of the environment, macroeconomic reforms and strengthening the justice system.

Donor countries observed that Honduras needs more resources to speed up its investments and that much has been done to fight poverty.

Of the $2,763 million committed to Honduras in Stockholm, $500 million have so far been disbursed. Allotment of the rest is currently being negotiated.

Four bridges separate the main downtown section of Tegucigalpa from Comayaguela. From bottom to top are the Carias, Soberania, Mallol and La Isla.

By ALEJANDRA PAREDES L. 

Special to Honduras This Week

Bridges are essential structures for interconnecting communities, territories and countries. Throughout history humans have built bridges using many different materials. First, trees or branches were chopped down so people could pass from one side of a river or canyon to the other. Then, materials like wood, rock and later metal and concrete were used to build increasingly longer spans. Better engineering and architectural principles, the appearance of equipment and cranes, concrete mixers and other devices have recently made possible many of the most functional and beautiful structures ever built by man.

Here in Honduras, bridges essentially help move life and the economy. The exportation and importation of goods of all sizes and loads depend on roads, and on bridges throughout our mountainous territory. In spite of the dozens of bridges washed out by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, it is a fact that many are still standing, and a drive around the country is all you need to testify to this.

Yet, considering that dozens of bridges are to be rebuilt, it is good to look at some of the variables involved in bridge building.

Since I am not a structural engineer but rather a writer who is daughter of a bridge builder, I will mention the factors I feel are important from my point of view. These variables are choosing an appropriate site, construction technology to be used, and the creative use of resources to achieve an optimal solution.

First, it is necessary to carefully analyze the best possible site. This is the actual place where the structure is to be built. The needs of surrounding communities must be assessed. Are these communities growing? How many will be benefitted? Is a one- or two-lane structure needed? Is the spot proposed for the bridge

the best option in environmentally terms? How about structurally?

In Honduras, there are hundreds of isolated communities urgently needing bridges. Some in the departments of Colon and Gracias a Dios, for example, still depend on rivers or even the sea for transportation. Nonetheless, the government seems to be concentrating building funds on the coffee and banana producing departments, affecting those other parts of Honduras. There must be a well distributed number of bridges projected to fulfill the needs of communities in equal proportion all over Honduras.

A second variable to consider is construction materials, since a bridge must last as long as possible. Currently, the principal material used is concrete.

Stone bridges were the immediate predecessors of the concrete bridge. The Romans built majestic stone structures, for transportation and water delivery systems. Pont du Gard (in Southern France) remains in all its majesty since 18 B.C., as well as may others. Europe in general is brimming with examples of sturdy, durable, and notably ancient stone bridges, a few as strong today as the day they were built.

Bridges made entirely of steel are a relatively recent solution, but alas, it's not a cheap or feasible option, especially in the tropics where humidity and heat accelerate the rusting of metals. The fact that steel is also imported doesn't make it the smartest choice, either. Steel, or better yet, (cheaper) iron, works much better reinforcing concrete-made structures.

The old Choluteca bridge is one of the few metal and concrete structures in the country.

Concrete (which is really man-made rock) is made with cement, (basically volcanic ash), combined with sand and rock. All these are materials abundant in Honduran territory. The iron quantities used to reinforce these structures are considerably less than in a metallic structure, and favor the economy of the project.

The "roots" of concrete bridge building are found in rock bridges. At the time they were built, Puentes Mallol, La Isla, and Tiburcio Carias used the most modern construction techniques available. Dubbed the "puentes de mamposteria" by local engineers, these bridges combined heavy rock (scaffolded with pinewood) columns filled in with plenty of cement. The columns were topped by a wood scaffolded slab. These were quite expensive structures both in time, materials and building costs. And note the enormous quantities of wood used for false work or scaffolding (wood that had to be thrown away afterward).

Puente Mallol at the turn of the century. This is the oldest bridge connecting the twin cities.

The first modern concrete bridges ever built in Honduras were on the carreteras del Norte and del Sur and also in the Tegucigalpa area. These bridges used reinforced concrete slabs and columns for the first time. Recently, the San Jose de las Brisas bridge over Rio Choluteca and the Country Club bridge over the Rio Chiquito (both on the Boulevard FFAA) are fine examples of bridges tested by nature. They were both made of reinforced concrete beams and piles, at this point in time a standard technology used in the United States, Europe and Latin America.

A third variable to consider in bridge building is that each project is a chance to apply creative solutions. A multiplicity of options is reached through modern computer technology and applied human knowledge. The equipment available today is also amazing, as well as the advances in new bridge styles like cable-stayed bridges (or Calatrava style) and others seen around the globe. The existence of websites devoted specifically to bridge building make this venture an exciting one for today's civil engineers. The technologies developed by the Spanish, the French and the English in the field of concrete bridge construction must inspire young innovators to be daring and modern in design.

Foreign technologies were certainly a source of inspiration for Honduran engineers, among those worth mentioning are Narciso Mallol, Cristobal Prats, Federico (Fico) Fortin, Hector Cerna and Luis Maier. Most recently, there are Jose Francisco Paredes, Marcos Colindres, Miguel Molina, and Roger Salinas, among others. They have implemented solutions that are still standing today.

And the hurricane sure gave them a chance to make the best of today's modern bridge-building technology.

Last but not least, it sure is an exciting creative challenge to prove that reinforced concrete structure technology is still and by far the best construction option since the stone age.

By MARIA FIALLOS

TEGUCIGALPA -- In a press conference held Feb. 2, native leaders of the Mosquitia denounced uncontrolled, illegal drug trafficking in this area as one of the biggest threats to their communities.

According to Oligario Lopez and Dora Silvia Rodriguez, representatives of the Association of Honduran Municipalities in the Department of Gracias a Dios, indigenous people are being stigmatized by of the activities of outside drug cartels that are using the isolated region as a trampoline in their drug smuggling route.

They stated that although some arrests of drug users have been made in the Mosquitia, it is not the norm and that to their knowledge no native cartel exists. They added that stereotyping their people as drug traffickers is unjust and that the discrimination they face by airport authorities, at bus terminals and hotels every time they leave the Mosquitia is becoming intolerable.

Lopez and Rodriguez also stated that the drug tracking radar system in Trujillo that was dismantled in 1996 should be reinstalled. According to them, since the radar was removed, illicit drug trafficking in the area has increased.

Moreover, they added, on many occasions drug runners in high speed boats are unable to recover all the packages of cocaine dropped by airplanes into the ocean and that these packages wash up on the beaches, inducing indigenous youths to consume the drugs and threatening the destruction of native cultures.

Members of the non-governmental organization MISKUT, Edgardo Benitez and Eddy McNab, said this situation is causing discontent throughout the communities of the Mosquitia. While their people are being persecuted, they said, the real villains go free and undetected.

They also stated that the poverty reigning in the Mosquitia is not a result of organized crime but rather the central government's lack of interest in the area except at election time.

According to Benitez and McNab, there has been no obvious accumulation of wealth in the area as in the Bay Islands with their enormous fishing fleets or in the major cities that are undergoing construction booms.

They pointed out the fact that illegal drug trafficking accounts for 8 percent of the world's commerce and stated that the economic power wielded by drug lords, corruption and an inefficient penal code are giving way to a narcodemocracy that allows drug traffickers and money launderers to escape prosecution.

Limberth Villamil Ponce has been sentenced to 29 years for the murder and rape of university student Vizzencina Trimarchi Galindo, the daily La Tribuna reported Saturday. Judge Veronica Murrillo announced the verdict on Friday, Feb. 4 -- two and a half years after the young woman's naked body was found near the hamlet of El Corralito north of the capital city.

Physical evidence that included a tree branch, chewing gum and a condom as well as good detective work immediately led law enforcement authorities to Villamil, who subsequently confessed to the crime.

The 21-year-old murderer alleges that on the night of July 24, 1997 he engaged in sexual relations with Trimarchi in his residence in the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood. Afterward, he told the young woman that he was really in love with her cousin, Vizzencina Kaiser Trimarchi, which infuriated her. Villamil said Trimarchi then threatened to tell her cousin about their intimate encounter, and in an ensuing fight he asphyxiated her with a plastic bag.

If damage on Comayaguela's busiest streets remain unrepaired, like the Farmacia Regis in front of Puente Mallol and the Ministry of Education, it is not too surprising that damage repair is still going slowly in rural areas. (Photo by Wendy Griffin.)

By WENDY GRIFFIN

In the fall of 1999, Honduran newspapers reported that over 200 houses in Santa Rosa de Copan had been destroyed by floods. Since it had been a while since I went to Santa Rosa, I was worried about the road and the colonial architecture. Was there any town left?

Arriving at the town's bus terminal, the traveler is confronted with the reality of Santa Rosa. The center of town with its rebuilt colonial-era church and adobe municipal building is located six blocks away on top of a hill. We are going to need arks before the center of Santa Rosa de Copan floods. The colonial architecture, the art and the streets were fine. "So what about this flood," I asked people.

"Oh, it happened over there (por alli)" pointing with their fingers or lips to the plain in front of the town. "Some poor folk built their houses too close to the river and with rains and floods, they lost their houses. Pero aqui no paso nada (But nothing happened here.)"

This type of story was repeated in different parts of western and central Honduras. "Here is Copan Ruinas nothing happened," said the desk clerk. Copan Ruinas is located two blocks straight up a hill. "Yes, the creek at the bottom of the hill flooded when trees got stuck under the bridge, but here where the hotels are no paso nada.

Well, what about the roads, tourists wonder. There were reports that over 60 percent of the roads were damaged.

Between San Pedro and Copan Ruinas, the road is good until you get to Santa Rita, the last large town before Copan Ruinas. Here you can see where the river rose up and washed out the road. There is an unpaved section of road that was cut higher up and further away from the river where the buses now travel.

Bus drivers point to a partially constructed hotel between Santa Rita and Copan Ruinas. With the rains from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Mitch and flood waters, the ground became soft under the hotel and it settled, causing huge cracks in the walls, destroying someone's investment.

People in Copan Ruinas explained that while their town is built on stable rock, the surrounding plains are silt or sediment that gets soft in the rain. Unstable land that led to landslides was the cause of many deaths during Mitch.

Poor people excluded from stable and high lands were the main victims of Mitch. They built near rivers because they have no running water, so the closer to the river, the less they have to haul water and wet clothes. Their houses of adobe and bahareque literally dissolved in the floods. In most middle-class areas, when people are asked about Mitch or the floods of 1999, they just look at you and say, "Aqui no paso nada."

Most deaths from Mitch were preventable. Edgardo Benitez, a Tawahka living in Tegucigalpa, said, "In the Mosquitia when people knew the hurricane was coming, they abandoned their houses and went into the hills. If you have your life, you can rebuild, but without it... In Tegucigalpa, poor people stayed in their homes to protect them from looters and they died."

They died protecting pots and pans, dishes, a mattress, a kerosene stove -- a lifetime of saving and working that probably did not amount to more than $600 total of goods, although whole houses were stolen and used for firewood by neighbors.

Even the only death in the Mosquitia due to Mitch is a story of poverty. When a man in Brus Laguna heard a tormenta or storm was coming, he thought the fishing would be excellent. So he convinced a friend to go out in a canoe with nets as Mitch with its Category 4 winds began to approach the Mosquitia. In the Lagoon, they lost control of the canoe. The other man dug his canoe paddle into the shallow waters of the lagoon and waited out the storm for rescue. The fisherman attempted to swim to shore and drowned -- just for trying to catch a couple of hundred lempiras worth of fish.

So if potential tourists are wondering how there could be so much death and so much destruction after Mitch and yet almost all the tourist infrastructure survived, it is because the damage was "por alli" (over there) -- agricultural lands, cattle ranching lands, poor mountain and valley villages, the marginal neighborhoods of Tegucigalpa where few tourists ever go. Or middle-class government officials, for that matter.

This affects rebuilding. Many ask what should be done on the First Avenue of Comayaguela where not a single usable building is left.

Almost no one asks what should be done in Bajamar, a Garifuna community outside of Puerto Cortes, where the sea carried away the first and second streets, says Fausto Miguel Alvarez, author of "A Monograph of the Garifunas at the end of the 20th Century." In Barranco, a Garifuna community next to the Guaymoreto Lagoon, not one house has been rebuilt 15 months after Mitch nor funds earmarked to rebuild them.

Tourists continue to trickle back to Honduras as they hear the lights are on, the water is running, the hotels are open, and the Internet connections and telephones survived Y2K. Except for some rough patches in the road, they have the same good time they would have had before the hurricane. Chances are they will not notice the people -- the farmers and the shelter dwellers who are still trying to rebuild after Mitch "por alli"

That tourists feel almost nothing has happened is not very worrisome, but when government officials who live in high, unflooded areas tell you that "aqui no paso nada" in a department with 90 percent of the agriculture destroyed, and hundreds of destroyed and damaged houses, then you worry about the fate of these invisible poor who live "alli no mas" (just over there).

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- Foreign Minister Roberto Flores Bermudez this Wednesday announced the appointment of prominent attorney Max Velasquez Diaz as Honduras' representative before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

Velasquez, currently Honduras' Ambassador to Germany, will be assisted by former Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez Contreras, who will also serve as the coordinator of a national committee that will build Honduras' case for ratifying a maritime border treaty with Colombia. This treaty has been fiercely questioned by Nicaragua, which it claims has violated its sovereignty.

Flores said he has taken the necessary steps so that Velasquez can begin to work on the case and attend a meeting that was scheduled to take place in The Hague on Friday (Feb. 4), as well as several more with international consultants.

"In the next few days we should be able to discuss in detail how the process will continue, but at the same time we should remember that the International Court of Justice is at this time undergoing a change in its presidency, which must be taken into account," said Flores.

He added that the fact that the World Court is integrated by honorable people gives the Honduran government complete confidence that the change of its president will not adversely affect Honduras' case.

Due to the ratification of the maritime treaty between Colombia and Honduras, tensions between Tegucigalpa and Managua have deepened and Nicaragua has militarized its border.

The Organization of American States (OAS) is currently acting as an intermediary between the two countries in the hope of reaching a peaceful settlement. To this end, the Honduran and Nicaraguan foreign ministers will hold a meeting in San Salvador next week in the presence of OAS Special Envoy Luigi Einaudi.

Meanwhile, Honduras has protested the seizure by Nicaraguan naval forces of several Honduran fishing boats in the Gulf of Fonseca. Flores is confident that this situation will be solved through dialogue.

SUYAPA CARIAS

TEGUCIGALPA -- For the fourth time since 1997, surgeons and support staff from the volunteer medical organization Operation Smile will come to Honduras to provide free reconstructive surgery to 150 children with cleft lips and palates.

Scheduled to arrive this Wednesday, the team consists of 40 medical specialists from the United States, Colombia, Ecuador and Canada who will work hand in hand with local surgeons and personnel of Tegucigalpa's San Felipe Hospital. Volunteers include pediatricians, plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, language therapists and organizers.

"We are ready to put smiles back on the faces of these unfortunate children, who will soon be able to live plentiful lives and become productive citizens," said Patricia Ferro, president of Operation Smile-Honduras. She said evaluations and screenings will be held at San Felipe on Feb. 10 and 11 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This year's mission was made possible by the sponsorship of the Operation Smile North Carolina Chapter, as well as by financial aid from local businesses such as Esso Standard, Texaco Caribbean, Citybank and others. Corporacion Televicentro, Emisoras Unidas and Audiovideo are also offering institutional support, while the Comite Pro Ayuda at San Felipe Hospital, the San Miguel de Heredia Rotary Club and students from the American School will provide logistic support.

For the second time, Operation Smile co-founder Dr. Bill Magee will form part of the mission. Magee first came to Honduras in 1999 during the World Journey of Hope, the organization's largest surgical mission ever, which helped 5,300 children in 18 countries during a nine-week period.

Since its creation in 1982, Operation Smile has performed miracles in the lives of more than 53,000 people worldwide. So far, 500 people have benefitted in Honduras, where health authorities estimate that one out of every 600 children are born with this birth defect.

Meanwhile, members of the National Chapter are raising funds to establish a permanent clinic and organize regular missions with local personnel.

Ana del Socorro Abarca Ucles on Monday was sworn in by President Flores as the new Minister of Tourism. Abarca, who was director of the Honduran Council for Private Enterprise (COHEP), succeeds Norman Garcia who resigned in order to return to the private sector.

In other cabinet changes, Moises Starkman was sworn in as the new director of the Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS), succeeding Waleska Pastor who resigned last Wednesday (Jan. 26).

Pastor cited pressure from Congressional Vice President Marco Antonio Andino, who wants to replace several high-level employees in this agency with his supporters, as one of the chief reasons for her resignation, the daily El Heraldo reported. Andino, a deputy of the Liberal Party, is currently running for mayor of Tegucigalpa.

Meanwhile, Arturo Corrales was named the new Minister of International Cooperation (SETCO), post that was held by Starkman prior to his appointment as FHIS director.

By WENDY GRIFFIN

In 1973, a Honduran author wrote that the people of Dulce Nombre de Culmi, Olancho were dedicating themselves to pushing the Indians into the mountains to see if they would disappear like the tapir or the "pavon." No one seemed to think this was a serious problem.

Since the 1980s, the different indigenous and Black groups of Honduras have been forming ethnic federations. These have been brought together by intermediate level Ladino-run organizations that had sufficient authority to speak to the government for all the different ethnic groups. First, this higher level organization was called COPI (Consejo de Pueblos Indígenas), then CAHDEA (Autonomous Council for the Defense of Autochthonous Ethnic Groups).

Feeling that these groups did not respond to the needs of the indigenous peoples, CONPAH (National Council of Autochthonous Ethnic Peoples) was formed in 1992. It was made up entirely of indigenous groups. After problems with CAHDEA, all of the Ladinos were voted out of CAHDEA and CONPAH took it over. Currently, CAHDEA stands for Advisory Council of the Autochthonous Ethnic Groups. Ethnic federations that represent Afro-Hondurans like OFRANEH (Bay Islanders) and NABIPLA (Native Bay Islanders) are represented within CONPAH.

The fact that CONPAH includes both Blacks and indigenous peoples creates problems as these different ethnic groups have very different leadership styles and needs. FITH, the Tawahka Indian Federation of Honduras, was the first to leave CONPAH. Then a falling out between the Garífuna leadership and that of ONILH (The Organization of Lenca Indians of Honduras) was part of what caused ONILH to leave CONPAH and COPIN to be accepted as the Lenca representatives in CONPAH. COPIN, the Council of Popular Organizations of Intibuca, has been very controversial in recent years.

MASTA, the Miskito Organization, has also set itself up separately so that the special needs of the Mosquitia could be addressed. CIDCA, headed by Tawahka Edgardo Benítez, has been one of the leaders proposing a "Mesa Nacional de Indigenas" (National Table of Indians) to represent indigenous organizations not part of CONPAH.

Part of the impulse of the Mesa Indígena came as the result of an analysis of a World Bank project. It was found that the Garífuna coordinator gave false reports of indigenous participation in the project, indicating suspicious handling of funding. The need for the World Bank to take these groups not part of CONPAH into account is a reason for coming together, but there are others. "It is time to look again at the question of Indians and separate it from the questions of Blacks in Honduras," said one organizer.

Another example of this changing situation of indigenous people is the Miskut Ecological Movement, which was formed in the aftermath of the crisis caused by the proposal to build the Patuca II dam. One of the questions that is being raised is what should be the relationship between the State and the Mosquitia?

Those associated with this movement are proposing to develop a Political Project of the Mosquitia that will reflect, in a global manner, issues that the current relationship does not deal with well, for example, permission to open or staff schools or permission to cut wood.

Internationally managed projects are sometimes caught between the demands of the indigenous groups that are supposed to be the beneficiaries and the government organization through which the project is managed. An example is the German-financed Río Platano Biosphere Project. According to Executive Director Edgardo Benitez of the Independent Commission for Development and Environmental Conservation (CIDCA), the BRP project has spent $5 million to develop a management plan and they have left out the most basic element, according to the 50,000 inhabitants of the Biosphere: land tenure rights of Indians.

According to BRP, land tenure is a political topic and Honduras' forestry agency COHDEFOR, which has the land title to the Rio Platano Biosphere, does not want to include it in the management plan. The natives of the Mosquitia are planning to oppose the current proposed management plan and suggest that German funding for the project be redirected, said Benítez.

Internationally, Honduras has been studied as a "corporate society." This does not refer to corporations, but rather that in Honduras there is a tendency to group a lot of people together, for example peasants, workers, or Indians. Once there is a body that represents them, the government has a way to dialogue with them.