NATIONAL

Monday, February 23, 1998 Online Edition 94

Innovative learning strategies distinguish local school
Abi Jeffry Pierce, a second-grader at the Discovery School, holds Liz the iguana as she tells about the reptile's favorite diet of carrots and pataste at the school's recent science fair. An Open House gave visitors a chance to see first-hand the positive results of innovative teaching methods. (Photo by Telisha Williams)

By TELISHA WILLIAMS

"Will plants grow better 'listening' to rock music, classical music, or no music?" That was the question Irene Den-Hollander, a 6th-grader at the Discovery School, proposed to visitors during a science fair and Open House this past Tuesday. Founded four years ago by a small group of American educators discouraged with conventional education systems, the Discovery School was created to provide a unique educational environment in which students could be more involved in the learning process.

With direct support and participation by parents, a program was developed with the primary goal of teaching kids to be self-directed learners that question, investigate, and research with the freedom to perform at their own pace.

Tristan Johnson, a parent and member of the school's Board of Directors, explained that the school does not group students into particular academic levels that could label and thereby limit their aspirations and potential to advance.

SMALL CLASSROOMS

At the Discovery School there are small, multi-graded classrooms that provide opportunities for peer-teaching and interaction between the different age groups. For example the kindergartners and first graders may present their class project to the forth and fifth graders.

"Other schools have the tendency to just teach from a book," said Rudolf Weber, who has a son and daughter enrolled at the school. "Students are expected to memorize the lectures, take a test, and three months later they have forgotten the information they 'learned.' Computers can be used as the memory banks. Society needs conscious, rational people who know how to analyze and evaluate."

Weber went on to say, "My daughter's native language is Spanish, but after only three months with the Discovery School, she began communicating in English. After one year, she is now reading English books by herself."

Instead of saying "no, you can't do it that way", the Discovery School encourages students to look for alternative strategies and creative solutions. The school has a limit of 15 students per teacher, so there is sufficient individualized instruction and attention.

More than seven different countries are represented in the student body. "I like the Discovery School because you can speak English and Spanish," said second-grader Abi Jeffry Pierce. Spanish language is taught at all grade levels, and social studies is taught in Spanish. In addition, field trips, special visitors, and community projects provide exposure to the Latin culture.

U.S. TEACHERS

The classroom teachers are native English speakers with U.S. teaching qualifications, and the content of the curriculum follows standard U.S. educational guidelines. It is the creative presentation of the material and the student initiated learning process that sets the Discovery School apart from the conventional education system.

Sixth and seventh-grade teacher, Linda Davis explained that lessons are based on themes that cut across all disciplines. "This week we are just finishing the unit 'Simple Machines and Inventors.' Every class -- math, science, social studies, history ... -- has been centered around this common theme so that related information is presented in a variety of activities and reinforced in the students' minds."

Mayela Ryan, the mother of a 2nd and 4th grader, expressed her satisfaction with the school, "The kids think they are getting away with having fun in class, when actually they are learning an extraordinary amount of information. They are learning by doing and discovering and have become curious and interested in acquiring new knowledge. Every morning my children get up and are excited about going to school."

Elizabeth Rische, a fourth-grader, said that she liked the Discovery School because, "You don't have to wear uniforms and you don't have three hours of homework everyday." Den-Hollander added, "We do many activities and the stuff we study is all related to each other."

Even the school's facilities are not the standard institutional design. Currently housed in a large, three-story private residence, the school has nine classrooms; one kitchen; an audiovisual room; teacher's resource room; a library; an office; and two outdoor areas used for recess, performances, and physical education. Occasionally other local facilities are utilized in the P.E. program.

LOW TEACHER-STUDENT RATIO

The Board of Directors would like for the school to eventually offer classes through the eighth grade and is currently looking for larger facilities to support that idea. However, the school's intention is to always maintain a low student to teacher ratio thereby ensuring quality teaching that can be adapted to each child's individual learning needs.

The variety and creativity of the science projects presented at the school's open house demonstrated that the students are developing inquisitive minds and valuable analytical skills. For her science project, third-grader Nicole Landsdale addressed the question "Does salt affect the freezing process of water?" After several experiments her conclusion was: "I found that the more salt a quantity of water has the slower it will freeze, that is probably why lakes freeze but the ocean doesn't." Den-Hollander's conclusion was that a plant allowed to listen to rock music will grow faster than its control partners who listen to classical music or none at all.

In December 1996, the Discovery School was officially awarded a 3-year certification by the U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools that commented, "The philosophy of the school sets an excellent foundation for the school." The school has also established a Cooperation Agreement with Antioch University and is working toward an agreement with the University of Kentucky.

The school year begins in late August and runs through mid-June allowing for holidays customarily celebrated in the United States and Honduras. For more information about the Discovery School, contact the director Judy Matthews, who would be delighted to send you more details and arrange for a visit to the school. The phone/fax number is (504) 32-0414.

Tawahka educational programs bring results

By WENDY GRIFFIN

Since 1992, the Tawahkas have struggled to establish bilingual education for their children. To do this, they had to break away from the national program due to its unresponsiveness to their needs. In fact, the Ministry of Education gave them permission to develop a separate program to train Tawahka teachers in bilingual education and write materials in conjunction with the National Autonomous University of Honduras(UNAH).

The Tawahkas have already approved an alphabet and calendar. Currently, they are working on grammatical rules for the Tawahka language, which is similar to Panamaka in Nicaragua, as well as recompiling their oral tradition. In 1997, the French Embassy helped 18 Tawahkas participate in a teacher training program. Edgardo Benitez, executive director of the Tawahka Association "Mountain of Life," hopes the Spanish ICI will fund the program for 1998 and 1999. The Tawahkas also have promises from the Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS) to rebuild and furnish six primary schools and one kindergarten.

When the Tawahkas began this project, not one had ever graduated from high school. Now one Tawahka, Daniel Salinas, has graduated from a teacher training program and now teaches in Yapuwas. One Tawahka woman, Erenia Sanchez, completed the high school program to become an accountant and is the first Tawahka to begin university studies. Another Tawahka should graduate from the teacher training program in Comayagua this year.

One of the Tawahkas' struggles has been to obtain paid native teachers for their schools. The Ministry of Education promised to pay the salaries of these partially trained teachers, although they were owed one year's salary at the end of 1997.

In spite of unpaid salaries, there have been Tawahka teachers in the classrooms in five schools and a kindergarten since 1993. This has impressed the parents. Romulo Dixon said, "The parents in this community never thought that their children would have the chance to study all six years of primary education." Parents make a true effort to keep their children in school, sometimes travelling two days by canoe to buy a notebook.

Although it has been a constant struggle to find adequate funding for the project, Tawahka leaders like Benitez and Lorenzo Tingblas, are satisfied that in the long run these projects will greatly help the Tawahka people control their own destiny.

In Riccy Martinez case Court of Appeals upholds Castillo's innocence

Tegucigalpa's First Court of Appeals last week upheld a lower court sentence that declared Col. Angel Castillo Maradiaga innocent of the brutal 1991 rape and murder of 18-year old coed Riccy Mabel Martinez Sevilla. A guilty verdict against Santos Eusebio Ilovares was also upheld, but the sentence was reduced from 15 to 10 years.

In the duration of this highly publicized trial, the first in Honduras in which active military officials were tried in civilian courts, there have been three verdicts issued. The first two verdicts, issued by Judge Maria Antonieta de Castro, found Castillo guilty of murder and rape, and Ilovares guilty of rape. In the third verdict, issued by Judge Octavio Calix, Castillo was declared innocent and Ilovares was found guilty of murder and rape and sentenced to 15 years of prison.

The President of the Court of Appellations, Israel Turcios, told El Heraldo reporters that, "The sentence has been issued. It was declared that there were no grounds for appeal of the lower court's verdict."

"Castillo's involvement in the crime was not proven during the trial. Even though some expert witnesses testified that sperm and pubic hairs were found on the victim that were similar to those of the suspects, there is nothing firm. It is one thing to be similar and another to be proven to be the same," said Turcios.

Castillo, who has been in prison since 1991, could be released this week if the family of the victim does not choose to take their appeal to the Supreme Court. Ilovares could also be released on probation, if the reduction of his sentence is upheld. He has also been in prison seven years in prison since being accused.

The mother of the victim, who has remained convinced that Castillo is guilty of the crime, responded to the court's decision. "I was afraid that something like this was going to happen. It is painful not only for me, but for the entire public who have demanded that my daughter's murderers be punished. Castillo thinks that he can move the scale of justice to his will, but he also knows that divine justice can never be bought."

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- Immediately after taking possession of his post as mayor, Cesar Castellanos sent unprecedented numbers of city workers to the streets to clean, pave streets and fill potholes.

This is the first time in the history of the capital city that an incoming mayor has acted so quickly to make major improvements. Recent mayors such as Nora de Melgar and Oscar "Pelon" Acosta promised to improve the image of the city, yet passed their four years without making significant changes.

Castellanos, known popularly as the "Gordito", showed himself to be anxious to clean up Tegucigalpa to such an extent that on his first day in office teams of employees were seen cleaning the streets wearing newly designed jackets with the logo "A new capital."

Castellanos political opponents see the action as a political move, aimed toward his running for president in 2002. Whether or not this is true, it is the public of Tegucigalpa who wins, as the city undergoes its facelift.

Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela, twin cities that are the capital of Honduras, have nearly 1 million inhabitants, many of whom have recently migrated to the city from the country. The city has historically had serious problems, including trash and streets in poor repair.

Castellanos is attacking these problems with energy; he has personally gone to the streets to deliver trash sacks to taxi and bus drivers to avoid the common practice of throwing trash out the windows of vehicles.

Street repairs in the center of the city have created traffic problems, and have been criticized as being only in the most visible areas. There have been complaints that the contracts were not open to public bids. Castellanos has also suffered from the protests of hundreds of municipal employees who were fired from their jobs when he came to the office.

But the work continues, with over Lps. 60 million in financial support from international organizations. The effort is now moving to outlying areas of Tegucigalpa, where roadsides are being cleaned up, trees and grass planted, basketball courts and soccer fields constructed and roads that have suffered many years of neglect repaired.

Meanwhile, in San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in Honduras, newly elected mayor Roberto Larios Silva is receiving harsh criticisms because during his first 25 days in office he has yet to start any major projects, and claims to be "looking for the ideal people."

He justifies his delay by citing the fable of the tortoise and the hare, saying that he prefers to arrive slowly but surely.

Monday, February 16, 1998 Online Edition 93

Prisoners of love:
A Valentine's Day story

Special to Honduras This Week

TEGUCIGLAPA -- They stand in front of the large steel gate of the Central Penitentiary, ramrod-straight in spite of the heavy weight of their lives, of the weight of the pain that they still don't dare to admit to themselves. Their eyes do not very often fall on things outside. Rather they anchor their vision in the memory of a certain love, of an affection that sadly or, at times, tragically has no remedy in freedom. How long will they have to come here, to work, to invent the form in which to gather the money necessary in order to finally get their loved ones out of prison?

I ask them about their lives, whom they have come to visit, how long they have been coming. Dona Norma, 43, looked at me with suspicion and doubt before saying anything and then brusquely, shook her head, saying "no."

Soyla was standing just one meter away and listening the conversation, noticing that Dona Norma didn't want to say anything. She dared to answer the painful question saying, "You don’t know, you can't imagine what it is like. I have two children here, one is 25 and the other 29. The first one has been here [in prison] five years already and the second for three years. I come every day to visit my children and then I go back to work. I also have another four children at home...the lawyers, they want to make all the money, you work and give them money with the hope that they will help you, but I already gave so much and I can’t give any more.

Slowly, Dona Norma began to recognize the same pain that Dona Soyla was talking about and began to nod.

"Yes," she finally said, "I come here once a week to visit my husband's uncle, he has been accused of murdering a baby... It was not his fault, he was fighting with his wife, some sort of jealous scene over another woman. He got really upset and tried to throw a hot pan at her, and she dodged not noticing that behind her, on the floor, the one-year-old baby was playing. The pan hit the baby and burned it, but it was all pure accident. They took him to the hospital but the baby died, I think at night, some how he fell from his bed...no, I don’t know very well, something happened, but he is innocent and we also have spent a lot of money."

I asked some older women, but unfortunately none of the others wanted to say a word. The youngest ones were ashamed to be there, except for one very young girl. I didn't asked her age but she seemed 16 or 18, she had a baby. "I come here to visit my cousin, he killed his stepfather, but he deserved it. He was mean and cruel to my cousin's mother, if he hadn't killed his stepfather, the same thing would happen to my cousin instead. Better this way."

A little boy waits for his mother outside Tegucigalpa's Central Penitentiary. (Photo by Ketzi Chacón)

Do you think your cousin will be declared innocent? "I just told you he is," she said with a determined and irritated voice. And once more, to prove her hopes I asked again, "Do you believe in love, does it exist at all?" This time she glared as if she wanted me to disappear. Brusquely, and trying not to break into tears she said, "Some man are still good, not all of them are the same, not all of them."

Maria, sitting in the floor and surrounded by her little daughter and a couple of plastic baskets with fruits and bread looked at me with very bright and smiling face. "So tell me," I said, "how many things have you learned from being here?"

She smiles again and says, "I've been selling my stuff here for seven years, this is all pure roguishness. It is really dirty, it's no good in here. Don’t believe what these women tell you because guilty or not, they will defend their men like lions and they will do anything to pay the bail. Then, because most of the men inside there are unfaithful, once they are outside of prison will fight like men with fists and knifes over which man belongs to whom."

Maria is smiling the whole time. "Not long ago," she said, "there was a woman that had worked a lot trying to get the money for her man. When she finally could make it, she went to wait for him at the prison gate. But the "other woman" was already there waiting for the same man. When he came outside, both were already arguing over him. "Decide," the lover said to the man, "who you love the most." The man left with the other woman and this poor woman left crying alone in that direction," she said, pointing down the street. Smiling again, she resumed peeling oranges.

Foreign service to be restructured
By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- President Carlos Flores and Foreign Minister Fernando Martinez announced last week that there will be a complete restructuration of the Foreign Service. Plans include the elimination of over 50 percent of embassy and consulate personnel, especially those who earn large salaries without providing an efficient service to the country, leaving only essential personnel.

Before assuming the presidency, Flores requested that all foreign service personnel make themselves available for any changes. After the delivery of appropriate notices, discharged diplomatic personnel will begin returning to the country.

Honduras' Foreign Service has been severely criticized internationally as the "shameful face of the country," due to alleged irresponsible acts by certain members of the diplomatic corps.

Another sharp criticism is that many of the personnel of the consulates and embassies are receiving salaries without actually showing up to work, or are "historical diplomats," who have inherited their positions due to family or political connections.

Martínez said he hopes the changes will be positive, but did not want to comment on possible demands by diplomatic members who refuse to return to Honduras.

The first Meeting of the Ministerial Council also took place last week, in which Flores proposed a National Convergence Forum to initiate communication among the administration, business sector, labor organizations and ethnic groups.

Health authorities announced last Thursday (Feb. 5) that they will investigate the high incidence of infants born without brains in Olanchito, Yoro department,the daily El Heraldo reported. According to health statistics, 18 of every 2,000 infants born in the area do not have a brain. Health officials suspect the birth defects may be caused by pesticides used by the Standard Fruit Company, although they haven't ruled out other causes including severe malnutrition.

An official of the Standard Fruit Company denied that pesticides -- specifically Nemagon -- used on banana plantations are causing birth defects, although he did admit that it can cause sterility.

Meanwhile, environmentalists in Olanchito are protesting the burial in underground cement chambers of hundreds of drums containing Nemagon at a site called Campo El Ocote, which is not far from the Aguan River. Marcos Diaz, a member of the National Defense and Protest Organization of Honduras (ODRENH), told El Heraldo that the multinational banana company has built 17 burial chambers, 20 feet deep, to hold between 15 and 20 drums each. However, he added that lately the company has just been burying drums in the ground.

Despite the transfer of the Public Security Force to civilian control, the new police force will still have strong military influence due to one of the requirements for becoming a police officer. According to an advertisement in El Nuevo Dia last Thursday (Feb. 5), all candidates must have completed their military service in order to join the National Police Force. However, future officers only need to have a sixth grade education.

Plans by a group of Liberal deputies to obtain a pay raise were quashed last week by National Congress President Rafael Pineda Ponce, who stated on a television news program that there will be no salary increase for congressmen this year.

Claiming in an El Heraldo report that they are among the lowest paid high-level government officials, several Liberal deputies were reportedly demanding a Lps. 15,000 raise. Congressmen currently earn Lps. 21,500 -- Lps. 15,000 in salary and Lps. 6,500 in expenses.

Ministers, according to El Heraldo, earn around Lps. 40,000, justices Lps. 50,000, and the managers of several state-run businesses as much as Lps. 70,000. The minimum wage in Honduras is approximately Lps. 1,000 per month.

Two members of a gang that specialized in assaulting tourists and foreigners in San Pedro Sula died in a shootout with police last Tuesday (Feb. 3). According to an El Nuevo Dia report, police intercepted the delinquents near the Colonia Planeta neighborhood and in the ensuing gunbattle two members of the El Buho gang were killed and one wounded. A fourth was taken into custody.

El Heraldo reported that law enforcement authorities are currently investigating the connection between El Buho gang members and Ismary Rodriguez, a Miss Honduras beauty pageant contestant in the 1970s. Police suspect that Rodriguez, who has strong ties with the Marquitos band, may be the gang's leader.

El Buho gang is one of at least four criminal bands that stalk tourists arriving at the Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport in order to assault them on the road between La Lima and San Pedro Sula. Authorities believe that the bands have contacts among airport personal. They are also investigating reports that a well-dressed man with a cellular phone helps to picks out the bands' victims, and the alleged involvement of a taxi driver.

Roberto Mendoza Garay, who was barred from participating in the National Party's presidential primaries in 1996, is demanding the return of Lps. 100,000 that he claims was stolen from him by the National Party's Central Committee, the daily La Tribuna reported Tuesday (Feb. 10).

Mendoza said he was forced to pay the committee this amount two years ago as a prerequisite for participating in the elections. However, the National Party and later the Supreme Court later barred Mendoza and two other candidates from the elections, so he says the Committee should return the money.

"We paid 100,000 lempiras, we were denied [participation], and they kept the money, and that is thievery," he said. He added that democracy doesn't exist when elected officials are forced to pay monthly sums to the party.

New findings may lead to exhumation of U.S. priest's remains
The search for answers continues regarding the forced disappearance of some 180 Hondurans during the 1980s, including American-born priest Father James "Guadalupe" Carney. However, some recent breakthroughs may reveal long awaited answers.

According to a report by Paul Jeffery, Bertha Oliva Nativi, director of the Committee of Families of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH), has received new information regarding the location of the remains of Father Carney, who disappeared in September 1983 while accompanying a guerrilla column that entered Honduras from neighboring Nicaragua.

Three informants have separately approached COFADEH and all agree on the spot where Carney is buried. Jeffery reported that the informants contacted the agency following a 45-day fast late last year in front of the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa. That protest, conducted by three U.S. Catholics who demanded that the U.S. government release classified information regarding Carney's disappearance, generated renewed interest in the case throughout Honduras.

In addition, National Commissioner for Human Rights in Honduras Leo Valladares has made some advancement in his search for the truth. After repeated attempts to obtain relevant documents from both Honduran and U.S. officials, Valladares met with CIA Director George Tenet in Washington, D.C. this past January. The result of this meeting was the third release of classified materials.

In addition, Tenet pledged his future support in the review and release of additional documents, including some relevant to Battalion 3-16, a U.S.-trained Honduran intelligence group suspected of extrajudicial tortures and disappearances. Despite some resistance, the abundance and accessibility of information sources is greater in the United States than in Honduras.

A Jan. 28, 1998 Washington Post editorial briefly summarized the U.S connection to these cases of the "disappeared." During the 1980s, Honduras served as a base for Nicaraguan Contras in their U.S.-backed struggle against the Sandinista regime. U.S. intelligence and military agencies worked closely with the Honduran military, as did agents from Argentina.

National Party pleads for unity, shows division in convention
The National Party's 96th annual Convention took place last week and was marked by nearly unanimous pleas for unity, and only a little less conflict than previous years.

Although there were not any major incidents as there have been in previous conventions, there were a number of verbal confrontations between opposing factions within the party, clearly demonstrating the lack of unity in the National Party.

Each party member with aspirations to the presidency or other high offices, including Elias Asfura, Nora de Melgar, Antonio Rivera Callejas, Rene Fonseca and Oswaldo Ramos Soto, were accompanied by groups of cheering supporters waving flags. Before the meeting started, supporters of Asfura became involved in a shouting match with the group supporting former presidential candidate Nora de Melgar. Central Committee Secretary Carlos Kattan threatened to suspend the convention unless the activists left the convention center.

Party leaders, however tried to show an image of unity and camaraderie, greeting each other warmly. Tegucigalpa Mayor Cesar Castellanos was present at the convention only long enough to wave to the crowd and receive a warm applause.

Once the convention finally got underway, the directorate was sworn in, followed by various motions that included a plea to faithfully follow the party's Code of Ethics. Also discussed were planned proposals of changes to election laws, which must be approved by all the political parties.

Miguel Pastor made a motion that the National Party Code of Ethics be used to sanction party members who insult and attack others in the press.

Nora de Melgar delivered a summary of party finances for the 1997 campaign and was praised by the convention for the transparency with which they were managed.

The convention ended with a decision to completely reform the statutes of the party in the next 90 days and then hold a special convention to approve them.

New mayor of Teguz brings a welcome, noticeable change

Two children stand next to one of the newly painted garbage cans in
dowtown Tegucigalpa, which Mayor Castellanos has begun to clean up. (Photo by Telisha Williams)

By TELISHA WILLIAMS

New Mayor of Tegucigalpa Dr. Ceasar Castellanos, popularly known as "El Gordito," has wasted no time in getting started on his agenda. True to his slogan "A trabajar!" or "To Work!", El Gordito is a man of action.

Thursday morning the television program Desayuno con Renato Alvarez on channel 73 was on site with Castellanos at the Jacaleapa market in Colonia John F. Kennedy. Already famous for his many one-on-one visits to impoverished neighborhoods, the doctor was inspecting the progress of a municipal request to clean up the area. Meanwhile, he described some of his ongoing and upcoming plans to improve the capital city.

Owners of abandoned or unkempt properties will soon be sent a notice requesting a clean-up within a particular time frame. If they do not comply, the city will tidy things and double charge the landlord for its services. In addition, there are plans to employ community sentinels to see that citizens wait until their assigned pick up days before bringing trash to the curbs. This has been a major problem that invites pilfering by the homeless, dogs, cats, and flies and makes it virtually impossible for cleaning crews to collect all the refuse.

Castellanos also discussed the extravagant custom the city has of providing eight personal guards to outgoing mayors. He said, "It is unjust to spend the people's money in this way. I will be working to eliminate this exorbitant practice."

Castellanos has begun working toward resolving Tegucigalpa's large debt with the elimination of several hundred unnecessary municipal jobs. During his interview he commented, "Those who are going to be a part of the mayor's office will have to be hard workers."

Sweeping changes: Municipal workers clean up the Peatonal. (Photo by Telisha Williams)

To help relieve some of the traffic congestion, plans for constructing wider boulevards at the four main entrances into the capital are currently being designed. Last week several streets in the downtown area were repaved and work had already begun on heavily used Boulevard Morazan.

Until recently the downtown area known as Parque Central was in a terrible state of affairs. Illegal and unregulated street vendors had filled the principle non-traffic walkway "El Peatonal" until it was almost inaccessible to pedestrians. There were no trash receptacles conveniently located, and litter had been accumulating for months due to a strike by the underpaid city sanitation workers.

However, change is in the air. Barely into his second week of office, El Gordito has put the sanitation crew back to work and this time with sustainable solutions. When praised for his collaboration in the effort, a young city employ who was installing a new litter barrel said, "This is just the beginning; we're going to put in 6,000 of these things all over the city."

Most citizens seem to be excited about the positive change that seems to be sweeping the city. Occasionally, the cynical comment "Oh, he (Castellanos) is just doing this because he plans to run for president," can be heard. But how wonderful it would be if all politicians tried to woe their potential voters by getting busy and producing visible, tangible results that in the end serves us all.

Traditional island homes
in jeopardy

Many black islanders still build their homes on stilts over the water, like this residence between Coxen Hole and French Harbour. (Photo by Eric Schwimmer)

By WENDY GRIFFIN

ROATAN -- Ever since black Islanders came to the Bay Islands in the 1830s from Grand Cayman, they have built their homes on stilts over the water. There are a number of theories as to why they have -- to avoid sand fleas, because it is cooler, tradition or perhaps because white Islanders had already claimed all the land.

Whatever the reason, this group of Bay Islanders is in a fix with respect to land titles. All water is considered "national" -- belonging to the state -- so sites over the water cannot be legally titled. Also, all land within 40 feet of the ocean is national or municipal land that cannot be titled since it is part of the "royal road" (camino real) along the beach. So the step and porch on the beach, and the family coconut trees cannot be titled either.

Should people living on national land decide to sell, all they can sell are the mejorias or improvements, not the land itself. After living on the land for 10 years or more, however, the land is considered theirs and they cannot be summarily evicted, according to the Honduran Constitution. If they cannot sell the land, the good news is that no one else can legally sell it either. However, illegal sales and fencing of "camino real" beach land have been reported on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coast and in the Bay Islands.

One particularly confusing case is related to land bought by a Roatan land development company formed by a U.S. citizen and represented by a San Pedro Sula lawyer. This company reportedly bought 40 acres of land but is laying claim to 100 acres, including beach land where 12 black Bay Island families have been living for almost 20 years.

Part of the problem with this land deal was that it was based on a verbal contract between homeowners and the "juzgado" (judge) acting as a representative for the lawyer of the development company's owner. In Honduras, it has been said a verbal contract is worthless. This is different form U.S. law, where verbal contracts have validity in court.

The verbal agreement was that the black Islanders agreed to sell the improvements on the land -- that is, their homes and their claim to the land -- in exchange for land not on the beach, said Unwin Ebanks, president of the Native Bay Islanders Professional and Laborers' Association (NABIPLA).

The first sign of problems appeared when the Judge of Civil Law came and appraised the homes of Bay islanders at about Lps. 25,000, an unrealistically low price for waterfront property in the Islands. Ebanks said that before the deal advanced further, Judge Fernando Azcona came with a detachment of 38 soldiers from La Ceiba and destroyed the homes of the 12 Bay Island families.

His argument was that they were on land owned by the Roatan development company; however, Ebanks said this is not possible as no one, neither Hondurans nor foreigners, can legally have clear title to beachfront and over-the-sea properties. If the municipal government wished to rent the land to the development company, they would have to indemnify the people for the improvements on the land.

Honduran newspapers last year published a list of 35 alleged corrupt judges, and Judge Azcona was on it. Seeking justice for the Bay island families, members of NABIPLA have gone to the U.N. Commission for Human Rights, Amnesty International, the Special Attorney General for Ethnic Groups (Fiscalia de las Etnias) and even met with former President Reina's brother, Jorge Arturo Reina.

However, they have been unable to obtain any response concerning the case of these Bay islanders, not even from the mayor's office in Santos Guardiola, which technically controls the land the houses were built on. This is not the first case of Bay Islanders' homes being destroyed in this fashion, but it is the most extensive.

This is just part of the struggle for the control of land where real estate laws are unfairly applied. For example, recently a number of Ladino families invaded the lands of a Bay Islander who owned two houses and a farm near the airport. Land in the Bay Islands at this time is not subject to Agrarian Reform Laws and certainly not within the urban area of Coxen Hole, the departmental capital. The Bay Islanders watch with concern as more Garifunas have died in Triunfo de la Cruz, thought to be related to land problems there.

Although the government seems to have good intentions concerning land titling in ethnic areas, Honduran laws -- designed by non-coastal people -- clash with the traditional land use of groups like the Bay Islanders, Garifunas, Miskitos and Tawahkas. In the meantime, it is not clear what can be done for the 12 black Bay Island families as the judge has ordered the arrest of any of them who attempt to return to their homes, which are now in ruins.

Judge says colonel covered by amnesty

The First Criminal Court of Tegucigalpa has ruled that Col. Juan Blas Salazar Meza is covered by the amnesty decree and cannot be tried for the illegal detention, torture and attempted murder of six university students. However, Judge Roy Medina, who made the announcement, said Salazar will remain in prison for drug trafficking.

In 1995, Salazar Meza and nine other Armed Forces officials were accused of the illegal detention and torture of Marlen and Milton Jimenez; Suyapa and Gilda Rivera; and Guillermo and Edwin Lopez in April 1982. Col. Alexander Hernandez, Capt. Billy Joya, and Maj. (retired) Manuel de Jesus Trejo, three of the other officials accused, are still at large and believed to have fled the country.

In a report in the daily El Periodico, the director of the Committee of Families of Disappeared Persons in Honduras, Bertha Oliva Nativi called the decision "absurd." "Amnesty is given by the government to pardon people who have made attempts against national security, but amnesty cannot be used to protect persons who have committed crimes in the name of the government. The government cannot pardon itself," said Oliva.

National Congress President Rafael Pineda Ponce disagrees with that interpretation, saying in a La Prensa report that the laws pertaining to amnesty are wide-reaching and unconditional. "These laws are designed to be applied to the citizens who protested against the government as well as members of the military who, in their application of the national policies of that period of time, took improper actions," he said.

Due to the fact that Salazar was found guilty of the crimes, civil proceedings can still be brought by the victims.

In a related story, Judge Lilian Maldonado seized files this week from the infamous Battalion 3-16, which allegedly operated as a "death squad" in the 1980s. The files seized will be used in upcoming trials against Jorge Alberto Juarez Bueso and Nelson Willy Mejia, military intelligence officers. The files contain profiles of citizens, including district attorneys, judges, business people, union leaders and journalists.

Maldonado said in a La Prensa report, "Some files have lots of information, others have little. They seem to be classified according to suspected crimes."

Just nine days after taking office, President Carlos Roberto Flores on Wednesday attended a summit of Central American heads of state in San Salvador on Wednesday (Feb. 5) to examine integration measures adopted at the Panama summit last July and in particular reforms to the Central American Parliament, the Central American Court of Justice and the System for Central America Integration (SICA).

Participating in the summit were the Presidents Jose Maria Figueres of Costa Rica, Alvaro Arzu of Guatemala, Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua, Armando Calderon Sol of El Salvador, and Panamanian Foreign Minister Ricardo Calderon Arias.

Flores made suggestions aimed at improving the Central American integration process, ideas that were unanimously supported by the regional leaders.

Flores said that before the new integration treaty goes into effect the region must dismantle any "white elephants" that are wasting taxpayer money without offering contributions to an efficient organization.

In addition, he said it is necessary to reengineer the entire integration system, eliminating bureaucracy and naming only persons capable of contributing to the union process. Flores also suggested that the secretary general be given the authority to immediately reduce the size of the 26 different institutions of the SICA, and to collaborate in the planning of a new organizational system, among other things.

This was the first trip outside the country by Flores, who was accompanied by Minister of the Presidency Gustavo Alfaro, Economy Minister Reginaldo Panting, and Foreign Minister Fernando Martinez.

Maria Martha Diaz Velasquez, one of the key witnesses in the Chinazo passport scandal, last Friday (Jan. 30) was appointed the director of the Government Office for Women by President Flores, the daily La Tribuna reported. On being sworn in, Diaz promised to fight for the rights of women in the same manner she fought for her children. Diaz spent almost one year in a Miami jail for failing to obey a court order in a custody battle with her former husband Rene Contreras -- one of the masterminds of the Chinazo scandal.

However, a La Prensa reported stated that the Center for Women's Rights (CDM) disapproves Diaz' appointment to the post, claiming that there are other candidates with much better qualifications.

Other women appointed to government posts include Sandra Lazarus de Paz Barnica, director of the Family Allowance Program (PRAF); Ana Lobo de Diaz, vice minister of the Presidency; Maria Cristina de Handal, executive director of the Honduran Children and Family Institute (IHNFA); Aline Johana Padgett, chief of Protocol at the Casa Presidencial; and Orbelina Navarro, director of Civil Service.

A large jaguar that had been terrorizing Piedras Gordas, a small community near Tela in Atlantida department, was shot and killed recently, the daily La Tribuna reported Tuesday (Feb. 3). The jaguar, which is an endangered species, reportedly killed two dogs and several calves, generating fear among villagers that it might attack their children. Residents claim that there are a female jaguar and two cubs still in the area and have requested that the Ministry of Natural Resources capture the cats and move them to a natural reserve.

In a ceremony held at the Francisco Morazan Military Academy on Monday (Feb. 1), Gens. Luis Alonso Discua Elvir, Alvaro Romero and Filander Armijo Ucles passed into retirement. Also receiving their discharges from the Armed Forces, the daily La Tribuna reported, were Col. Erik Cornelio Sanchez Sandoval, naval Capt. Carlos Cristobal Cano Coello, Lt. Col. Mario Silva Silva, and 50 other officers.

Discua Elvir, who served as Chief of the Armed Forces from 1990-1995, is currently Honduras' alternate ambassador to the United Nations. Romero served as chief of the presidential guard from 1994-98, which is responsible for protecting the president, and Armijo was the inspector general of the Armed Forces.

Tegucigalpa's mayor office plans to convert the 100-year-old decrepid Central Penitentiary into a shopping mall and parking lot once the more than 3,000 inmates there have been transferred to the new prison at Tamara, the daily La Tribuna reported Wednesday (Feb. 4). Mayor Castellanos said the prison, which is on municipal land, will be rebuilt to house a shopping center for street vendors and an art gallery.

However, Minister of Culture Herman Allan Padgett stated in another report that he wants to convert the old prison into a children's museum. "The city doesn't need more cement; it needs more color, music, parks," he said.

Attorney General Edmundo Orellana on Wednesday said his office has many more accusations of corruption during the Reina administration than during the Callejas administration, the daily La Prensa reported. Orellana said there is currently only one accusation of corruption against former President Callejas himself, while there are many against former mayors and government officials of the Reina administration.

Six heavily armed individuals on Wednesday (Feb. 4) stole nearly Lps. 250,000 from the Banco Capital branch in Tegucigalpa's Kennedy residential neighborhood, the daily El Heraldo reported. The robbery was the first this year.

Flores: either we all win or Honduras loses...
Civic festival warms the inauguration of President Carlos Flores

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- The red and white flags of the Liberal Party mixed with the blue and white flags of Honduras in Tegucigalpa's National Stadium on Tuesday (Jan. 27), as Honduran citizens and foreign dignitaries gathered to welcome Carlos Flores to the nation's highest office, as well as bid farewell to outgoing president Carlos Roberto Reina.

The event was attended by delegations from more than 50 countries, including the presidents of Central America, Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Caldera of Venezuela and Juan Carlos Wasmosy of Paraguay. The Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Borbon, heir to the throne of Spain, was also present at the historic event, which drew a crowd of 20,000 spectators.

In his inaugural address, President Flores did not make promises, but instead challenged the Honduran people to join in the fight to overcome poverty and under-development. "The action of the government should only be complementary to the action of the citizens. No one should wait for economic well being to be delivered in trucks from the presidential offices, while we sit on our stoops and wait to receive the benefits."

Felipe de Bourbon, Prince of Asturias, waves goodbye to the National Stadium crowd. He was one of the most applauded dignitaries attending the event. (Photo by Eric Schwimmer)

"The president is responsible for the administration, direction and orientation [of the nation], but he does not work magic. Miracles are only produced by the will of God. These other miracles, economic miracles, are the result of the effort and will of the people. Nothing is accomplished when some are pushing on one side and others are pulling on the other side; or when some climb on board, waiting for others to push. I say that there is room in Honduras for all of us, and I propose that in this effort to lift her up and better her, we all push, and in the same direction."

"We will not use the excuse that we are poor. Material poverty is the least of poverties. With determination we can rise above it. What we must understand and repeat as our creed, is that the Hondurans are not poor in history, not poor in resources, and not poor in talent."

"We will not continue to say that it cannot be done; that this is too big or that is too far. That which is far is not impossible. It all depends on the speed of our steps, our will to walk the path, and our decision to close the distance."

In the final part of his 35 minute speech President Flores defined goals directed to various parts of society.

"Our goals are clear," he said. "The children of Honduras are our first thought. As a society we must promise to never let go of their hands, not even for a moment. For national health, health care for all. Education for all and all for education.

"To women: Equal opportunity, protection against abuse, and equal participation.

"To young people: alternatives and opportunities, understanding their necessities and stimulation of their aspirations.

"To the working class: training for growth, dignified work with a fair salary.

"To farmers: land and financing.

"To business leaders: fair taxation, clear rules, and judicial security.

"To unions: respect for your accomplishments, stability in your institutions, and encouragement to continue moving forward.

"To ethnic groups: affirmation of your roots, conservation of your values, attention to your rights.

"To all citizens: security in the streets, peace in our homes."

Carlos Eduardo Reina, the youngest member of the new first family, amuses himself during his grandfather's inaugural speech. (Photo by Eric Schwimmer)

After the Inauguration Ceremony President Flores and his wife Mary Flores hosted a luncheon at the historic home of Ramon Rosa, which was attended by the visiting dignitaries. Following the luncheon, members of the newly appointed cabinet were sworn in by Flores.

In a press conference held Sunday evening, President-elect Carlos Flores announced the names of the men and women who will serve in his cabinet and other high-level posts, the daily La Tribuna reported.

Flores described his cabinet as an excellent group of professionals who have excelled in their respective fields and demonstrated their capacity.

Only three of the persons selected by Flores held high-level posts in the Reina administration: Delmer Urbizo Panting (Minister of Economy and later Foreign Relations), Mel Zelaya (director of the Honduran Social Investment Fund, FHIS), and Gabriela Núñez, (vice minister of Finances).

Gustavo Alfaro was Minister of Economy and Commerce during the administration of President Suazo and Reginaldo Panting was Minister of Economy and Commerce during the administration of President Azcona.

Government and Justice: Delmer Urbizo Panting
Presidency: Gustavo Alfaro
Foreign Relations: J. Fernando Martinez
Industry and Commerce: Reginaldo Panting
Finance: Gabriela Nunez
Defense: Cristobal Corrales Calix
Labor and Social Security: Victor Artiles
Health: Marco Antonio Rosa
Education: Aristides Mejia Castro
Public Works, Transportation and Housing: Tomas Lozano Reyes Culture, Arts and Sports: Herman Allan Padgett
Agriculture and Cattle Ranching: Pedro Arturo Sevilla
Natural Resources and Environment: Elvin Ernesto Santos

National Agrarian Institute: Anibal Delgado Fiallos
FHIS: Manuel Zelaya Rosales
Central Bank: Emin Barjum Mahomar
President's private secretary: Carlos Mariano Martinez
Ministers-at-large: Jorge Arturo Reina, Nahum Valladares, Plutarco Castellanos and Roberto Leiva.

Congressional President Rafael Pineda Ponce on Monday (Jan. 26) swore in the new members of the Supreme Court of Justice. Miguel Angel Rivera Portillo is the only holdover from the Reina administration.

The new court consists of Oscar Armando Avila Banegas (president), Irma Violeta Suazo de Rosa, Miguel Angel Rivera Portillo, Jose Maria Palacios, Luis Alberto Rubi Avila and Edgardo Caceres Castellanos of the Liberal Party; and Ivis Discua, Manuel Enrique Alvarado and Guillermo Perez Arias of the National Party.

Alternates are Geovany Martinez Lizardo, Jose Fernandez Guzman, Max Gil Santos, Jose Francisco Velasquez, Hernan Silva Baltodano, Jose Rolando Mancia and Ligia Melara de Andrade.

The new government prosecutor is Hector Ramon Trochez.

Vowing to build a new capital, Dr. Cesar Castellanos was sworn in Sunday (Jan. 25) as Tegucigalpa's new mayor in a ceremony held at the downtown Palacio Muncipal, the daily El Heraldo reported. Castellanos succeeds Fernando Calderón, who took over as mayor following the resignation of Oscar Acosta amid scandals.

Just two hours after being sworn in, Castellanos was in the La Travesia neighborhood to inaugurate a soccer field built with assistance from both the National and Liberal Parties. Afterward, the new mayor inspected the marginal neighborhood with municipal officials and employees.

In San Pedro Sula, Roberto Larios Silva was sworn in as the new mayor of that city, succeeding Luis Ramon Hernandez.

María Julia Sacka, accused of participating in the murder of Lorenzo Hanania Chahin almost three years ago, was released from prison last Friday (Jan. 23) after the Supreme Court overturned a lower court conviction on the grounds that there were insufficient evidence to indict her, the daily La Prensa reported. Sacka, Hanania's sister-in-law, had been accused of taking part in the murder by Kelly Josue Reyes Umana, the chief suspect.

However, the Supreme Court upheld the guilty conviction against Reyes Umana, the victim's brother-in-law. Reyes was sentenced to 19 years by San Pedro Sula's First Criminal Court on May 22, 1997.

A controversial San Pedro Sula businessman, Hanania was shot to death at his business in Barrio Medina on April 6, 1995. Hanania was allegedly involved in the Telazo scandal and had also been accused of killing his wife to collect a million-lempira insurance policy, but was not convicted for lack of evidence.

A new bridge spanning the Rio Grande at the entrance to Choluteca City was inaugurated last Thursday (Jan. 22) by President Reina, the daily La Tribuna reported. The bridge, which is 180 meters long and 13 meters wide, will replace the city's old steel girder bridge that was built in 1937. Financed by the government of Japan, the new bridge will not be ready for use until April.

Former Vice President Gen. (retired) Walter Lopez Reyes and four other military officers last Friday (Jan. 23) were accused of disappearing 20 political activists during the 1980s, including Rolando Vindel Gonzalez and Gustavo Morales, the daily El Heraldo reported.

The charges were filed by the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH) at the First Criminal Court of Justice in Tegucigalpa. CODEH has also charged the men with treason, abuse of authority, and kidnapping. The other accused officers are Angel Ricardo Luque Portillo, Oscar Ramon Hernandez Chavez, Ciro Pablo Fernandez, Segundo Flores Murillo.

The 20 victims, which include one Guatemalan, one Salvadoran and one Nicaraguan, disappeared and were reportedly held at the Regional Military Training Center (CREM) -- according to a Nov. 30, 1984 report -- while Lopez Reyes was chief of the Honduran Armed Forces.

The U.S. Embassy announced last week that the cost of applying for a non-immigrant visa will now cost US$40 (Lps. 585), a hike of 100 percent, the daily El Heraldo reported Thursday (Jan. 29). An application for immigrant visas (residency) will now cost $260 (Lps. 3,380) and an immigrant visa $65. Notarial and authentication services will cost $55 and $30, respectively.