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| Monday, June 30, 1997 Online Edition 60 |
Police using stolen cars Armed Forces Chief says they're just trying to keep a bad situation from getting worse By BLANCA MORENO TEGUCIGALPA -- Whether or not police should be using unclaimed stolen vehicles to perform their duties has been a topic of hot debate for several weeks now. Adding his opinion to the boiling cauldron last Saturday (June 21) was Gen. Mario Hung Pacheco, Chief of the Honduran Armed Forces. "If these vehicles can be used to prevent bank robberies, it would be illogical to tell police to turn them in and go back to patrolling on skateboards or revert to the '40s and '50s when they rode on mules," he said. Illogical or not, however, the private sector, the media and the judicial branch are calling Hung Pacheco's statement contemptuous. If the police are allowed to use stolen vehicles, said Attorney General Edmundo Orellana, what's to stop them from also using stolen money? Ramon Custodio, coordinator of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CODEH) also believes police should leave stolen vehicles on the back lot. Hung Pacheco says the police would be more than happy to return the nearly 30 stolen vehicles currently in use to their rightful owners, but that none of them have been claimed, some for as many as four years. Many of the stolen vehicles found in Honduras come from neighboring countries and were abandoned just across the Honduran border. The General says police inform INTERPOL every time a stolen vehicle is discovered, but that thefts that originate in other countries often remain unsolved. "This is an irregularity, but Honduran society is taking advantage of it by using these vehicles to fight crime. Our police are unable to buy their own vehicles, as are the Armed Forces," said Hung Pacheco. But some argue that the vehicle theft rings are linked to the police themselves and that police are taking luxury sports vehicles as bribes to keep the ring leaders covered. Although no arrests have been made in what authorities say is a far-reaching vehicle theft mafia, police believe the group operates by stealing a vehicle in one country, then selling it in another using falsified papers. Honduras This Week Online Advertising
Honduras This Week Online Advertising Buying beach property over acreage limit is hazardous By WENDY GRIFFIN TRUJILLO -- In order to encourage foreign investment in tourism on the North Coast, the Callejas administration passed a law to establish Tourism Investment Zones, or ZOLTs. While individual foreigners are only allowed to own up to 3/4 of an acre of Honduran beach property, the ZOLT law allowed corporations to own larger amounts. Meanwhile, foreigners wishing to invest or reside in Honduras have tried a variety of techniques to buy more than the allowed 3/4 acre. Because many come to Honduras single and end up marrying Hondurans after they get here, one option is to put the land title in the name of the Honduran spouse. This works fine as long as the couple remains married, but as a U.S. investor in La Ceiba found out, when a couple divorces any land they shared automatically goes to the person in whose name the title is registered.
NO TRICKS Another way to get around the 3/4-acre limit is to form a Honduran corporation. But if you become a corporation under Honduran law you must also act like a corporation under Honduran law, which includes holding an annual meeting and producing an annual report. Failure to follow the rules regarding corporations can result in a revocation of the corporate charter, making the land ownership no longer legal. To save themselves the trouble of forming their own corporation, one foreign couple decided to buy an already-formed corporation with all of its assets, mostly land in Sandy Bay, Roatan. But buying an entire pre-existing corporation, rather than just buying its assets, means buying its liabilities as well. In this case, the liabilities meant pending lawsuits from people claiming the land in question was theirs.
NO MAN'S ISLAND Books like Honduras: The Owner's Manual, published by International Living, point out that there are several islands for sale. Owning your own island may sound appealing, but it is also illegal. Under the Honduran Constitution, no foreigner can own islands on Honduran territory. One foreigner who bought an island here had it confiscated by the National Congress after a huge newspaper scandal several years ago. Just because something is illegal to sell doesn't mean you will have difficulty buying it. You can always find a lawyer who will do the paperwork and a municipal employee who will register the illegal sale. PAY ATTENTION Many foreigners buy land without paying attention to the acreage limits. They do this at their own peril. As one real estate developer in the Bay Islands pointed out, the law states that not only will they lose all land that extends beyond the 3/4 acre limit, but the transaction through which they purchased the land will also be considered illegal, which means they could lose all of the land in question. The Consular Information Section of the U.S. Embassy recommends that foreigners exercise caution when buying land in Honduras, particularly in coastal areas and the Bay Islands. For more information, write to the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Consular Section, Attn: Property Unit 2909 or call (504) 38-5115 or fax (504) 37-1792. |
WEEK
IN REVIEW Election results to be reviewed The Supreme Court of Justice last week ordered the First Civil Court of Francisco Morazan to review the results of the National Party primary elections in 54 municipalities, the daily El Heraldo reported. The review will include an on-site inspection of the National Electoral Board (TNE) offices at each municipality, official vote counts and other related documents. The municipalities where election results will be examined are located in the departments of Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Francisco Morazan, Lempira, Santa Barbara and Yoro. Since finishing second in the Dec. 1, 1996 primaries after leading in the polls, former National Party Presidential candidate Elias Asfura has blamed his defeat on widespread fraud.
Juvenile delinquents recaptured Law enforcement authorities on Thursday (June 19) recaptured 15 of the 45 juvenile delinquents who had broken out of the El Carmen Juvenile Correctional Center in San Pedro Sula the previous night, the daily El Heraldo reported. Meanwhile, the bodies of two teenage delinquents were found in the Colonia Islas del Progreso neighborhood. According to La Tribuna, Sergio Castillo Blandin (16), one of the El Carmen escapees, died from bullet wounds to the head and neck while Marvin Castro Orellana (16), who had recently received rehabilitation therapy at Proyecto Victoria, died from wounds to the head and back.
Supermodel buys mansion on Roatan Supermodel Claudia Schiffer has bought a luxurious mansion on the west end of Roatan, according to the local Spanish dailies. A San Pedro Sula firm is reportedly decorating and furnishing the residence, which is located next to a mansion bought by Spanish vocalist Julio Iglesias. El Heraldo reported that the residence cost US$2 million.
Catholic Church calls Moon sect dangerous The Catholic Church condemned the activities of the Unification Church in Honduras in this week's issue of its weekly newspaper Fides, and has "prohibited" all Catholic followers to give their names to or participate in the activities of the Confederation of Associations for the Unity of the American Societies. CAUSA is an affiliate of the Unification Church, whose leader is the Rev. Sun Myung Moon of Korea. In recent weeks, groups of Asian women have been going door to door to invite Tegucigalpa residents to CAUSA meetings. In 1983, Moon reportedly donated US$50,000 to the Association for the Progress of Honduras (APROH), an anticommunist organization whose members included the late Gen. Gustavo Alvaro Martinez. The donation was reportedly returned.
U.S. gets second chance in Francois case The U.S. government has been given an additional 24 days to provide credible evidence supporting the extradition of former Haitian police chief Joseph Michel Francois, the daily La Prensa reported. Francois, who was police chief in Port-au-Prince during Haiti's military government from 1991-1994, is wanted in the United States on drug charges. In April, the Honduran Supreme Court turned down the U.S. extradition request because the evidence presented to the court was "not duly and legally sustained." The U.S. government appealed that decision and was granted a two-month extension, which was extended this week. Francois is currently jailed in Tegucigalpa's Central Penitentiary.
Judge orders Maria Martha release A Miami judge this week ordered the immediate release of Maria Martha Diaz Velasquez, principal witness in the Chinazo passport scam, the daily La Tribuna reported. Diaz has been in the Dade County Jail for nearly a year for violating a custody ruling over the three children she had with Rene Contreras, the alleged ringleader of the Chinazo scam. However, it is expected that Contreras' lawyers will appeal the decision.
Two Atlantida branch banks hit in two days The police on Thursday (June 19) arrested seven suspects in the theft of more than Lps. 2 million from the Atlantida branch bank in French Harbour, Roatan the day before, the daily La Prensa reported. Authorities also recovered the money, which had been buried near the highway 3 kilometers from French Harbour, and four handguns. Meanwhile, six gunman robbed approximately Lps. 1 million from the Atlantida branch bank in San Pedro Sula's Barrio Barandillas. The robberies were the 26th and 27th this year. |
| Monday, June 24, 1997 Online Edition 59 |
Soluz makes solar energy a viable option in Honduras By CAPTAIN TERRY CLYMIRE ROATAN -- Commercial, social and economic growth in Honduras have been accompanied by an even greater growth in the demand for energy. While both the public and private sectors seek alternative and supplementary ways to supply this demand, the National Electric Company (ENEE) has stretched its limits and is now buying electricity from private generators and neighboring countries. In the Bay Islands, the Roatan Electric Company (RECO), the country's only private community company, can barely keep pace with the growth of its consumer base and plans to purchase an additional generator next year while continuing to study wind power and ways to reduce fuel costs. Meanwhile, many parts of Honduras remain too isolated to be connected to the nearest electric grid anytime sooner than the next five or ten years. Residents of these areas must either use kerosene or, if their financial situation permits, purchase small generators. But these require costly fuel and maintenance and their lifespans are relatively short. Facing such limited options, many Hondurans believe the country should turn to renewable energy sources like wind and the sun. With an average of more than 300 days a year of sunshine in Honduras, many believe the solar option is ideal, especially now that the sun's energy is being used in nearly every aspect of daily life in industrialized countries -- in homes, in the workplace, in parks, along roads. Solar energy is not new in Honduras and it is easily available. After the initial costs of materials and installation, maintenance is inexpensive and systems tend to last years and years. What began early this decade as a project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development has now become Soluz, a company providing solar energy systems that can hardly keep up with demand. Soluz owner Marina Reyes, originally from a small farm in Santa Barbara, is herself an example of development and progress. Born into a poor family, she spent years working as a housemaid by day to put herself through night school. Envisioning a successful future for solar energy in Honduras, she trained herself in the installation, maintenance and procurement of solar energy systems. In the last three years Soluz has installed over 3,000 systems in Santa Barbara, Tela, Colon, Olancho and the Bay Islands, most in rural areas and most for low-income families whose homes are not connected to the national electric system. Solar energy can be used to cook, heat water, generate light, run your computer, light your garden for security and operate the water pump. The applications are endless. For more information on solar energy systems in Honduras, call Soluz in San Pedro Sula at 58-0557. Honduras This Week Online Advertising
Honduras This Week Online Advertising Honduras drops two points on U.N. human development index By SUYAPA CARIAS TEGUCIGALPA -- Of a total of 175 nations, Honduras ranks 116th in the 1997 World Report on Human Development, released last week by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This is two places below the country's 1996 ranking. The report, which places Canada in first place and Sierra Leone in last, classifies Honduras as a country with medium human development, even though it is one of the poorest nations in the world. On a Central American level, Honduras ranks slightly higher than Nicaragua and Guatemala, but nowhere near Costa Rica's 33rd place. Unlike the reports of previous years, which measured poverty solely in terms of income, this year's study introduces a new Human Poverty Index, which takes into account factors like life expectancy, educational achievement and Gross National Product per capita to determine whether people have the opportunity to live a long, healthy life with a decent standard of living. The 1997 findings show that nearly half of all Hondurans earn less than one dollar a day, a fact that is true for 110 million people in Latin America. But the report gives Honduras a National Human Poverty rate of just 20 percent, pointing to strong investments in meeting basic human needs. Although certain factors, like infant mortality, life expectancy, access to potable water and literacy, have improved steadily since 1960, sociologist Leticia Salomón says what really matters is the level of poverty. "Any advances that are made seem short in comparison to the magnitude of the solutions that must be found for the problems," she told reporters after the document was officially introduced in Tegucigalpa last week. But despite the magnitude of the problems facing countries like Honduras, UNDP officials say "unprecedented progress in human and economic development in the last 50 years" makes the eradication of poverty within the first two decades of the 21st century a feasible economic goal. At a special ceremony to present the report to the public, Zoraida Meza, UNDP representative in Honduras, encouraged people to continue working toward the goals the government has set for the year 2005, which include a 90 percent literacy rate and a Gross National Product of $1,000 per capita per year. Armando Aguilar Cruz, Minister of the Presidency, says, "human development will only be achieved by creating a collective effort, identifying the proposals of the people, assuming responsibilities according to ability and serving according to the possibilities each individual has in the decision making process." One day prior to the release of the U.N. report, a forum on development, governability and poverty was held as a precursor to the publication of a National Report on Human Development. Information provided at the forum revealed that: even though poverty has increased, the average rate of economic growth over the last three years is three percent; the current Gross National Product is $718 per year, or $2 per person per day; and 20 percent of wealthy Honduran families have an average income that is 23 times higher than that of 20 percent of the country's poorest families. Forum participants, which included representatives of each of the country's five official political parties, agreed that government development initiatives must emphasize the poor, women, the environment and the creation of jobs. Many government officials found driving stolen cars By BLANCA MORENO TEGUCIGALPA -- When a number of police officials were accused recently of driving stolen vehicles, it looked like it would be an open and shut case. But investigations have revealed that the problem isn't as simple as it first appeared. Not only have police officials been found driving stolen vehicles, but prominent businessmen, government officials and even the Vice President of the National Congress, Jorge Arturo Reina, have been found in possession of stolen cars. Are the nation's leaders moonlighting as car thieves? Police don't think so. Instead, they're fingering organized crime and say the car theft business has never been better. The theory that there's an organized band of car thieves operating in Honduras isn't new. Prior to these latest investigations, police caught, convicted and incarcerated several members of a band that stole, re-outfitted and re-sold luxury and sport utility vehicles. But several of these individuals later escaped from prison while the man believed to be their ringleader, Col. Wilfredo Leva Cabrera, was released for lack of evidence and is now the sub-commander of the 4th Infantry Battalion in La Ceiba. Police believe the thugs steal the vehicles and either sell them unaltered in neighboring countries or dismantle and repaint them in clandestine garages to be resold here. It is these refurbished vehicles that officials say Jorge Arturo Reina and others unknowingly purchased "in good faith." Although police understand the workings of the car theft rings, their investigations have uncovered little substantial evidence. Some believe this is because a number of peces gordos (Spanish for "big fish" -- a Honduran term for important officials) are involved in the scam and subsequent cover-ups. Francisco Bulnes, former director of the Customs Department, says that "the power of these [car theft] rings is so great that they've infiltrated many government institutions, where their members facilitate both bureaucratic and monetary operations." Col. David Abraham Mendoza, Chief of Intelligence at the Public Security Force (FSP), and Maj. (ret) Saul Bueso Mazariegos, are currently facing charges of acquiring stolen vehicles for international institutions. Attorney General Edmundo Orellana says "every official suspected of being implicated in the theft of vehicles will be investigated." Meanwhile, Interpol Chief Jose Danilo Orellana says he will hand over to the courts some 30 vehicles owned by prominent Hondurans that have been found to be stolen. Ten of these automobiles, he says, were stolen in El Salvador and will eventually have to be returned to their original owners. Last year alone, 1,600 vehicles were reported stolen in Honduras. Favorite targets are luxury cars and sports utility vehicles. Orellana says the car theft rings are so effective that they manages to steal a vehicle from a government official and re-sell it to the Department of Criminal Investigation, which later sold it to an individual buyer. |
Despite more obstacles, solution imminent in Gulf border conflict Honduras and Nicaragua agree to go back to the drawing board Although Honduras and Nicaragua are making progress toward resolving their maritime border problems, the process has not been a simple one. Last Thursday (June 12), Honduran Foreign Relations Minister Delmer Urbizo Panting announced that Nicaragua had agreed to free the Honduran fishermen that had been captured in the Gulf of Fonseca and incarcerated in Nicaragua for allegedly fishing in Nicaraguan waters. But it was revealed later that the fishermen were released because they had paid a Lps. 2,000 fine, not because Nicaraguan officials had freed them. The matter took another turn for the worse Monday (June 16) when the Committee for the Defense and Development of the Flora and Fauna of the Gulf of Fonseca (CODDEFFAGOLF) reported that the Nicaraguan navy had detained another two fishing boats. Nicaragua has since promised to reimburse the detained fishermen for their fines and to return their confiscated boats. The two countries have also agreed to return to the negotiating table to find a final solution to the border problems. The conflict exploded in late May when the Nicaraguan navy detained 27 Honduran fishing boats and jailed their operators, allegedly for fishing in Nicaraguan waters. But it has yet to be clarified exactly where Honduran waters end and Nicaraguan waters begin. Both countries agree that the best way to solve the conflict is to anchor buoys along their maritime border so that fishermen on both sides know where and where not to fish. Meanwhile, the navies of both countries have agreed to make joint, rather than individual, patrols of the area. In addition, CODDEFFAGOLF has been invited to talk with officials in Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador, which also borders the Gulf of Fonseca, to develop a trilateral fishing and conservation strategy that will benefit each of the nations. WEEK IN REVIEW Ex-official indicted in Maduro case A former member of the Special Forces Battalion suspected of involvement in a series of bank robberies and kidnappings was indicted Friday (June 13) on five charges, including the falsification of documents, resisting arrest and the unlawful use of military uniforms and insignia, the daily La Tribuna reported. Lt. (ret.) Marco Antonio Avila Castellanos, who turned himself in June 10, admitted to knowing Misael and Abel Bustillo Padilla -- killed in a shootout with the police two weeks ago -- but only because he rented them an apartment. In testimony to Judge Ricardo Pérez, Avila denied that he participated in the kidnapping and murder of Ricardo Maduro Jr. or any of the other crimes allegedly committed by the Bustillo Padilla brothers. Also arrested on charges related to Maduro's murder are Efrain "Don Lentes" Amador Ordonez, Victor "El Carnicero" Merazo and Adonay Bustillo Padilla, brother of Misael and Abel. UNAH opens two new regional centers Authorities of the National Autonomous University of Honduras last week inaugurated new regional centers in Juticalpa, Olancho and Choluteca, Choluteca. In Juticalpa, the North Eastern Regional University Center (CURNO) -- built for Lps. 7 million -- will offer programs in agriculture, international trade and agroindustrial engineering. According to a La Tribuna report, a future goal is to create a school of veterinary medicine there. Classes began Monday (June 16) with a total of 345 students. Meanwhile, nearly 800 students have enrolled at the new Pacific Regional University Center (CURP) in Choluteca. CURP, which will temporarily use the facilities of the Choluteca Normal School, will offer programs in aquaculture, computer science, international trade, agriculture and possibly veterinary medicine. UNAH also has branches in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba. Tornado alarms La Ceiba residents At least 25 homes in La Ceiba beachside neighborhoods were moderately damaged by a waterspout last Friday (June 13), the daily La Tribuna reported. Accompanied by an electrical storm, the twister also seriously damaged the National Electric Company's thermal generator, which supplies part of the city's power needs. No injuries were reported. Military regains control of Nacaome prison Law enforcement authorities, with the assistance of the military, regained control of the Nacaome Farm Prison in Valle department last Saturday (June 14) following a two-day riot that left two convicts wounded. According to the daily La Tribuna, the prison uprising began Thursday when inmates began throwing rocks at guards, who were immediately evacuated. Police and prison guards surrounded the facility to prevent escape attempts while the military was called in. A contingent under the command of Maj. Luis Beltrand Arias restored order Saturday morning using minimal force. To prevent further disturbances, prison authorities transferred the center's 48 most dangerous convicts to the Central Penitentiary in Tegucigalpa. The riot came just one day after a violent confrontation between rival gang members at the El Carmen Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in San Pedro Sula and less than three weeks after rioting prisoners burned down part of the Choluteca Prison. Mayor's office to fine tree cutters Persons cutting down trees in the Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela without permission will be fined Lps. 2,000 by the mayor's office, the daily La Prensa reported Wednesday (June 18). Similar fines will be levied against persons who slash and burn land in preparation for cultivation. According to the La Prensa report, more than 10 trees are cut down and between 3 and 5 hectares of land are burned each day in the Central District, which covers an area of 7,946 square kilometers and includes Tegucigalpa, Comayagüela and 41 villages. |
| Monday, June 16, 1997 Online Edition 58 |
Chinazo haunts Reina and Callejas By BLANCA MORENO TEGUCIGALPA -- The Chinazo scandal continues to be a source of discord between President Reina and former president Rafael Leonardo Callejas. Although Reina admitted last week that he received a Lps. 10,000 campaign contribution from Rene Contreras, the Nicaraguan businessman who is the alleged head of the Chinazo ring -- which illegally sold thousands of Honduran passports to Asian citizens -- Callejas countered that the President had actually accepted much more and demanded that his financial records be investigated. In response to his predecessor's latest allegation, Reina said at a press conference this week that he neither confirms nor denies it, adding that "Callejas is trying to plant doubts [about his own involvement in the scandal], but he could spend his entire fortune and still not succeed." The Chinazo was born of a National Party initiative in the National Congress in 1990. It led to the creation of a trust fund in the Central Bank of Honduras and the creation of the Grupo Lempira investor group, of which Contreras was president. It was Grupo Lempira that made contributions to the Reina campaign, as well as the campaign of Nationalist candidate Oswaldo Ramos Soto. As new complications emerge in the case daily and Reina and Callejas continue their public war of words, Contreras, who is currently residing in Hong Kong, has promised to hold a press conference next month. It will be the first time the public hears his version of the story. Meanwhile, Maria Martha Diaz, Contreras' ex-wife and the key witness in the scandal, remains incarcerated in Miami facing charges of violating a ruling there concerning the custody of the couple's children. Honduras This Week Online Advertising
Honduras This Week Online Advertising U.S. Rotary Club donates equipment to police By SUYAPA CARIAS TEGUCIGALPA -- Members of the Rotary Clubs of Salem, Oregon, and Tegucigalpa, donated 250 brand new bullet-proof vests and 400 state-of-the-art helmets to the Public Security Force June 11 in the Honduran capital. The donation was made during a special event by U.S. Rotarian Michael F. Callik, who was introduced to the public by fellow Rotarian and Honduras This Week editor, Mario Gutierrez. "Mike, with the sensibility and principles that characterize a Rotarian, brings us good news in response to the crime wave that has hit our country," said Gutierrez. He also thanked some of the people and institutions that collaborated in this activity: George Chillinger, Helmut Seidel, the Honduran Post Office and the Soto Cano Air Base in Comayagua. During his speech, Callik said that the idea for the donation emerged after reading Honduras This Week a few months ago. A front page article reported that several police officers had been shot in 1996. Since many of his family members are police officers and he himself manufactures police equipment, Callik became interested in obtaining aid for Honduras. "I did my best to get these 250 brand new bullet-proof vests and the 400 anti-riot helmets," said the Rotarian. The donation, he explained, includes both SWAT team and motorcycle helmets, as well as vests that can be worn both inside and outside police uniforms. Col. Manuel Antonio Urbina of the Public Security Force thanked both Rotary Clubs and said the gesture affirms the principles of Rotary International. He said the donation was just in time for the transfer of the Honduran police from military to civilian hands. |
WEEK
IN REVIEW One dead in gunbattle between DIC and thugs A gunbattle between agents of the Department of Criminal Investigation (DIC) and members of a criminal gang in San Pedro Sula last Friday (June 6) left one dead and three wounded. According to the daily La Tribuna, the police learned that a car stolen by the "Los Encapuchados" gang -- which has committed at least 13 crimes during the last 12 months -- had been taken to the San Jorge de Sula neighborhood. Following a brief stake-out of the house, the police called on its inhabitants to surrender, but received only gun fire. In the ensuing shootout, one alleged delinquent was killed while attempting to escape and another was injured. However, the rest of the gang escaped. Also wounded in the gunbattle were government prosecutor Angel Lenin Rodriguez and police officer Pedro Lenin Alvarado. Both are listed in stable condition. Two other suspects arrested by the police turned out to be Nicaraguan businessmen who just happened to be in the area at the time of the shootout. The two men were released this week. Teguz has new mayoral candidate Veteran journalist Herman Allan Padget on Monday was presented to the press as the Liberal Party's new mayoral candidate for Tegucigalpa. Padget, who is currently a commentator on the channel 5 nightly news program and the HRN radio station, replaces incumbent Oscar Roberto Acosta, who withdrew his candidacy last weekend. Recent polls showed Acosta losing to National Party candidate Cesar Castellanos by a landslide. In return for his resignation, Liberal Party authorities have entered Acosta -- who is currently being investigated for alleged irregularities committed during his administration -- as a candidate for substitute deputy in the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN). Puerto Cortes bank robbed Armed with AK-47 assault rifles, four thugs stole approximately Lps. 175,000 from the Puerto Cortes branch of Continental Bank last Friday (June 6), the daily El Heraldo reported. The robbery, the 25th this year, took place at the same time President Reina was inaugurating the San Pedro Sula-Puerto Cortes highway, where most of San Pedro Sula and the port city's police forces had gathered to provide security. New SPS mayor sworn in Luis Ramon Hernandez Lopez last Friday (June 6) was sworn in as the new mayor of San Pedro Sula, succeeding acting mayor Jesus Zuniga, the daily La Prensa reported. The 60-year-old businessman and father of five promised to clean the city's streets, put its finances in order, and create a "mobile government" in which he will personally visit San Pedro Sula's barrios and neighborhoods to observe their problems firsthand. Remains of coffee growers found The skeletal remains of eight coffee growers missing since March 23 were discovered by a farm laborer near the banks of the Higuito River in Lempira department on Monday (June 9), the daily La Prensa reported. Curiously, the bodies were located close to a frequently transited path that is only 50 meters from the highway between Santa Rosa de Copan and Gracias. Also found were clothing that belonged to the victims and some bullet shells. Police believe the victims were executed. Each bore a bullet hole in the cranium. |
| Monday, June 9, 1997 Online Edition 57 |
Reina received contribution from Chinazo suspect By BLANCA MORENO TEGUCIGALPA -- Considered by many to be the scandal of the century, El Chinazo continues to soil the names of prominent Hondurans. Just days after Foreign Relations Minister Delmer Urbizo Panting became the latest politician fingered for receiving Chinazo funds, President Reina himself found the spotlight pointed in his direction. It was former president Rafael Leonardo Callejas, himself accused of personal enrichment with Chinazo money, who first alleged that President Reina and his brothers, Mario and Jorge Arturo, were more closely involved with the scandal than it appeared. He accused the Reinas of "being partial" toward Maria Martha Diaz, the principal witness in the Chinazo scandal, who is currently confined in a Miami prison and charged with violating a custody ruling over the three children she had with Nicaraguan businessman Rene Contreras. Contreras is the alleged leader of the Chinazo ring, which made a fortune through the illegal sale of Honduran passports to Asian immigrants. Reina admitted this week that he accepted a Lps. 10,000 "campaign donation" from Contreras before the 1994 election, but Callejas says "this money is just a small piece of the truth and [investigators] should go through his papers in search of more." Diaz has testified that the President and his brothers were three of many Honduran officials to visit the offices of Omega/Lempira, which allegedly served as a front for Contreras' Chinazo dealings. Reina says he indeed met with Contreras, but that the two only discussed legitimate campaign contributions. Reina himself spoke out against the sale of Honduran citizenship when the National Congress approved a law that would allow Asians willing to invest a significant portion of their capital into Honduras to purchase a Honduran passport and become a naturalized citizen. It was this law that the Chinazo ring allegedly took advantage of to increase their own personal wealth. "The sale of the nationality is a terrible offense to the fatherland," said Reina when the law was emitted. Most of the alleged Chinazo dealings were carried out during the Callejas administration, when law 26-91 went into effect. An estimated 18,000 passports were sold illegally, say investigators. Women's health enjoying new openness among policymakers By SUYAPA CARIAS TEGUCIGALPA -- More than 25 organizations of the public and private sectors met recently in Tegucigalpa to discuss the situation of reproductive health among Honduran women. The public forum took place as part of a five-day national campaign held to celebrate the International Day of Action for Women's Health on May 28. This year, the campaign emphasized the prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity, both of which have high rates of incidence in Honduras. According to the Center for Women's Rights (CDM), 360 women die every year in childbirth. "The purpose of these activities was to raise awareness among the general population, and specifically women, in regards to their sexual and reproductive rights," says Marielena de Lopez of the Honduran Family Planning Association (ASHONPLAFA). At the forum, participants were able to share and evaluate information on the number of deaths caused by pregnancy, birth, post-birth and abortion, as well as birth control methods, reproductive health services, access to these services, access to information on sexuality and sexually transmitted disease and related legislation. ABORTION NO LONGER A MYTH Regina Fonseca, coordinator of the CDM Communication and Research Department, says she's optimistic about the new openness of the government to pay attention to women's health problems. She believes that this openness is, at least in part, due to recent worldwide forums, like the U.N. Conference on Women that have been held in Cairo and Beijing. One of the most sensitive topics touched at the Tegucigalpa's forum was abortion. Although abortion is prohibited by Honduran law, statistics indicate that it is also the second of cause of hospitalization among pregnant women. The CDM and many other women's organizations support the legalization of abortion, especially in the case of rape or a risky pregnancy. "We think that education is the only way to diminish the problem," says Fonseca, who was pleased to see a topic that has traditionally been taboo being debated among different sectors. The International Day of Action for Women's Health was coordinated by the World Network for Women's Reproductive Rights and the Health Network for Latin American and Caribbean Women. Honduras This Week Online Advertising
Honduras This Week Online Advertising Nicaraguan gunboats fire on Honduran vessels What began late last week as an armed confrontation between Honduran and Nicaraguan ships in the Gulf of Fonseca has become a war of words between the Foreign Relations Ministers of the two nations. The trouble began last Friday (May 30) when Nicaraguan naval ships stopped 11 Honduran fishing boats and arrested their crews, claiming that they were fishing in Nicaraguan waters. When the Honduran navy intercepted the Nicaraguan ships in an effort to retrieve the small fishing boats, Nicaragua fired shots at the Honduran patrols. Although no one was injured on either side, Honduran Foreign Relations Minister Delmer Urbizo Panting sent a letter of protest to his Nicaraguan counterpart, Emilio Alvarez, calling the actions of the Nicaraguan navy "a flagrant violation of our sovereignty." Honduras has long claimed the right to fish the waters in question and says that a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice backs these rights up. But Minister Alvarez said in a wire report Sunday (June 1) that "the Honduran boats are the ones trying to enter Nicaragua's sovereign maritime zone and, logically, the [Nicaraguan] navy was only fulfilling its duties when it captured the [Honduran fishermen]." In Alvararez' opinion, the way to solve the problem is to mark the border with buoys. But Honduras is resisting this plan, he said, "because, logically, what they want is to keep entering Nicaragua's rich and exclusive fishing zone." Honduras, meanwhile, continues its claim to sovereignty over the waters in question. NGOs launch plan of action to fight crime, make streets safer By SUYAPA CARIAS TEGUCIGALPA -- A group of non-government organizations has devised a plan to fight crime and make Tegucigalpa streets safer. It will be implemented this month with a pilot program in the Colonia Villanueva marginal barrio, on the eastern outskirts of the nation's capital. The Center for the Investigation and Promotion of Human Rights (CIPRODEH), the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CODEH), the Free Legal Counsel of the National Autonomous University of Honduras and Casa Alianza are all participating in the project. It is supported by the Inter-American Human Rights Institute, headquartered in Costa Rica. Similar projects are being implemented i other parts of Central America and Mexico. Designed with the input of international experts, the plan has been molded to fit the Villanueva community, which is home to about 60,000 underprivileged Hondurans. An evaluation of the area showed high levels of crime and active youth gangs that had virtually turned residents into prisoners in their own homes. The study also revealed that the average income of a Villanueva inhabitant is $215 per year, with some earning as little as $60 while others take in as much as $650. Although 58 percent of the population is under the age of 12, there are only three public schools in the community. It is this lack of educational opportunities, coupled with tough economic times, that leads many Villanueva youngsters to begin looking for work at an early age, say experts. And work is not easy to find in a community where electricity, potable water and infrastructure are scarce. All of this has contributed to making Villanueva the nest of crime and drugs that it is today. Police have confirmed the existence of three organized gangs, one of which claims as many as 200 members. But only three police officers have been assigned to patrol the zone, which includes not only Villanueva, but the Los Pinos barrio as well, for a total population of 90,000. SOLIDARITY Reina Rivera, coordinator of CIPRODEH's Human Rights Program, says the main objective is to encourage the community to develop its own plan to fight crime and make its street safer for ordinary citizens. The first step, she says, is to create a safety net made of solidarity to that residents can work together to find effective solutions to common problems. "We want all of the members of the community to come together and create a space where problems can be discussed," says Rivera. Some parts of Villanueva have already organized. Meanwhile, the plan includes the creation of community information systems and places for town meetings and recreation. Not only will this strengthen community cooperation, it will also reduce the spaces in which the gangs and criminals are operating. Educational activities on human rights and personal safety will be held for youngsters, who will also be invited to participate in community projects, like the creation of an electricity system that the community itself will build, operate and maintain. Other activities include medical brigades, legal assistance, artistic activities and lectures on a variety of topics like AIDS and legal matters. "The idea is to switch from gangs to peaceful associations," says Rivera. IT STARTS AT HOME Arnulfo Ochoa, Director of the Coordinator of Private Institutions for Children and their Rights (COIPRODEN) says "the problem of girls and boys in conflict with the law" comes largely from the current lack of guidance and communication at home, at school and in the media. "We think these minors are victims, too. As long as these three fundamental entities do their jobs right, the situation will greatly improve." he says. For more information on this NGO plan, call CIPRODEH at 32-3553. |
WEEK IN REVIEW DIC linked to two killings in SPS The bodies of two car thieves, victims of execution-style slayings, were found last Saturday (May 31) in San Pedro Sula in two apparently related incidents. The daily La Tribuna reported that Leonel Antonio Caballero Antunez, 36, was found face down on the side a dirt road that connects San Pedro Sula with Chamelecon. His hands were tied behind his back and he had a bullet wound to the back of the neck. Several hours later, the charred body of Javier Galdamez was found inside a grey pick-up truck at the community of Sabanas de Jucutuma, near Ticamaya. Witnesses say the truck -- owned by Juan Carlos Rivera, who was recently detained for car theft -- was set fire around 5:30 a.m. Nancy Valladares, Galdamez' wife, says her husband and Caballero left their home last Friday evening (May 30) accompanied by Rivera and three alleged agents of the Department of Criminal Investigation (DIC). It was the last time they were seen alive. Three-week strike at UNAH concludes Although negotiations continue, striking professors and workers of the National Autonomous University of Honduras were back on the job this week after reaching a tentative agreement with UNAH administrators over a pay hike last Friday (May 30). According to the daily La Tribuna, the professors will receive a 45 percent hike this year, 30 percent next year and another 30 percent in 1999. The SITRAUNAH university union has announced that it will present a counter offer to university authorities which includes a 60 percent hike this year and 40 percent next year for administrative personnel. Teguz, SPS have new mayors Fernando Calderon is the new mayor of Tegucigalpa, succeeding Oscar Roberto Acosta, who resigned last week to participate in the November general elections. Acosta is running for reelection. Meanwhile in San Pedro Sula, controversial Mayor Luis Garcia Bustamante resigned to run for a seat in the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN). Garcia has been accused of corruption on several occasions and his constant trips outside the country were strongly criticized by the press. He is temporarily succeeded by Jesus Zuniga. Honduran law requires that all government officials who plan to run for office -- except for congressmen -- to resign six months prior to the election. Remains found in Trujillo pre-Columbian The skeletal remains of four humans found in a Trujillo backyard on April 18 are pre-Columbian and not those of persons disappeared by the Honduran military during the 1980s, the daily La Prensa reported May 28. The announcement was made by Dr. Amilicar Rodas, director of the Department of Forensic Medicine, who added that ceramic fragments and other artifacts were also found near the remains. Rallye ends in tragedy A rallye that began in Tegucigalpa ended early in tragedy when Fernando Jose Andino Torres and Elio Jeovanni Brizio Lopez were killed in a vehicle accident near Saba, Colon last Friday evening (May 30). According to the daily La Tribuna, a truck loaded with watermelons pulled into the lane of the contestants' pickup truck after hitting a horse that had wandered onto the highway. Andino's vehicle smashed into the truck, instantly killing the two men. The driver of the truck fled the scene. Authorities of the Honduran Society for the Promotion of Rallyes (SOHPRAL) suspended the competition immediately. Seven wounded in prison riot Five convicts and two prison guards were injured during a 12-hour riot in the Choluteca Penitentiary last Wednesday (May 28) that was allegedly incited by prison warden Angel Chavarria, who had been fired that same day, the daily La Tribuna reported. The rioting began around 7:30 when an electrical storm caused a power outage in the city of Choluteca. Taking advantage of the blackout, a group of prisoners set fire to the kitchen to distract the attention of the prison's 12 guards and then attempted a break out. After order was restored, prison authorities proceeded to transfer the 575 prisoners to jails in Comayagua, Danli, Nacaome, Tegucigalpa and Tamara. The Choluteca prison, located in the center of the city, was originally designed to house 150 prisoners. Ordóñez Betancourt "alive and kicking" Self-proclaimed guerrilla Santos Orlando Ordonez Betancourt, who gained fame in September 1992 when he abducted Costa Rican Security Minister Luis Fishman and Bishop Luis Alonso Santos and Lt. Col. Manuel de Jesus Luna Gutierrez of Honduras, may not have died from a sharpshooter's bullet in Belize in December 1992, but is instead "alive and kicking," according to a four-page report in the daily La Tribuna. Residents of the border communities of La Albarrada and El Banquito in Choluteca claim to have socialized with Ordonez, who they say has lots of money and a ranch in Nicaragua. Ordonez' mother claims she has known that her son is alive for more than three years, stating in the La Tribuna report that she has received messages from him. Adding to the doubts of Ordonez's death is the fact that the Belizean police were never able to confirm the identify of the man shot and killed by the police while holding Salvadoran consul Ana Maria Sagastume de Martinez hostage in a van. |
| Monday, June 2, 1997 Online Edition 56 |
UNAH strike approaches third week By BLANCA MORENO TEGUCIGALPA -- The faculty of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) has been on strike for more than two weeks since the University administration refused their request for a collective Lps. 132 million salary hike. The professors argue that they're the worst-paid university educators in Honduras and say they'll settle for nothing less than the 110 percent hike they've requested. But UNAH administrators say the University won't be able to afford to raise salaries until the central government hands over the six percent of the UNAH budget that it is required by the Constitution of the Republic to pay each academic year. This six percent comes to more than Lps. 500 million for the 1996-1997 school year, but the government has only provided the University with Lps. 306 million. UNAH authorities tried to resolve the problem by asking for an emergency transfer of Lps. 113 million into the University coffer from the central government. But not only did the Finance Ministry deny the request, the faculty also refused to accept the Lps. 72 million that UNAH administrators promised to take from this amount to cover their raise demands had the funds been transferred. The Finance Ministry argued that it doesn't have the cash flow necessary to cover the Lps. 113 million transfer. The professors remained firm on their demand for a full 110 percent hike. It was when the faculty refused the Lps. 72 million offer that classes were halted on May 13, more than two weeks ago. When it was rumored that the students might have to repeat the semester if the strike doesn't end soon, members of the University Students Federation (FEUH) took control of the UNAH administrative building to ensure that the striking professors are not paid their May salaries after spending most of the month out of the classroom. Experts say the University is losing approximately Lps. 600,000 a day due to the strike. If the entire semester is lost, these losses will spiral to Lps. 150 million, say officials. Although outgoing rector Rene Sagastume says it is more likely that the semester will be rescheduled than lost, his words do little to reassure those who believe the strike is just another sign that the UNAH is no longer a quality institution of higher learning. Somewhere amid the controversy, elections were held to choose the University's new rector. Sagastume will be succeeded by Dr. Ana Belen Castillo de Rodriguez, the first woman rector in the history of the National Autonomous University of Honduras.
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Kidnapping ringleaders fall in bloody shootout Two of the men implicated in the kidnapping/murder of Ricardo Maduro Jr. were killed this week in a violent shootout with police. On Wednesday afternoon (May 28), a joint squad of agents from Honduras' National Security Force (FSP) and the International Police (INTERPOL), raided the Tegucigalpa hideout of the Bustillo Padilla brothers, long fingered as the leaders of a crime ring that has been terrorizing Honduras since early last year with a wave of kidnappings for ransom. Misael and Abel Bustillo Padilla were killed in the bloody shootout. Their brothers Adonay and Justo were captured, along with several suspects, all implicated in at least one of a variety of crimes including the Maduro murder, the kidnappings of several other North Coast Hondurans and numerous bank robberies. "It sounded like a war," a neighbor told the daily El Heraldo of the shootout.
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IN REVIEW American citizen slain Vietnam veteran and gold prospector Curtis Martin Irby of the United States was stabbed to death by an unknown number of assailants last Wednesday (May 21) in Comayaguela. According to the daily La Prensa, the 48-year-old owner of an antique store in Danli, El Paraiso was attacked in front of the San Carlos lumber yard, near the exit to the northern highway, shortly after parking his car. Although the thugs stole Irby's watch and a small amount of money, they didn't take the Lps. 2,000 and some dollars that were in his pockets. Irby, who has lived in Honduras for nearly 10 years, is survived by his former wife Isidra Suazo Flores and his 5-year-old son. Pre-Columbian artifacts found Workers at a brick factory accidently discovered artifacts and skeletal remains dating back to pre-Columbian times while extracting clay from a pit, the daily La Prensa reported. The discovery was announced May 21, and according to archaeologist Pastor Gomez of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH), a red ceramic pot, human remains and other relics found at the site in the San Jose de la Vega district of Comayaguela -- next to the Alfonso Guillen Zelaya School -- date between 500 A.D. and 900 A.D. Meanwhile, La Prensa reported that the Office of the Special Attorney for Ethnic Groups and Cultural Patrimony recently discovered a large triangular stone carving -- known as the Piedra del Tigre -- that formed part of a sacrificial altar. The pre-Columbian artifact was found four weeks ago on a coffee plantation in the community of Santo Tomas Majatique, which is part of the municipality of Piraera in Lempira department. It is believed that the great 16th century Indian leader Lempira may have made sacrifices on this stone, which measures 2 meters on each side with a carving of a cat's head at one corner. Comayaguela bank robbed Amid intensive police and military patrols, three armed bandits on Wednesday (May 21) stole more than Lps. 24,000 from the La Constancia branch bank on Boulevard del Norte in Comayaguela, the daily La Prensa reported. The robbery was the 24th this year. Reports about wrongdoing by FBI agent in Diaz case untrue Media reports that Fernando M. Rivero, an agent of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was suspended and is being investigated for alleged criminal acts related to the case of Maria Martha Diaz are totally untrue, according to a press communique issued by the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa on Tuesday (May 27). The disclaimer was released in response to reports in the local dailies that that Rivero had been suspended for allegedly receiving brides to conceal information about Diaz from Honduran authorities. Last year, Department of Criminal Investigation (DIC) Director Wilfredo Alvarado communicated with the FBI in Miami to ensure that Diaz would have no problems entering the United States to retrieve important evidence involving the Chinazo passport scam that Diaz said was safeguarded in a safety deposit box. However, the official failed to inform the DIC that there was an outstanding arrest warrant for Diaz, who is involved in a custody battle with Rene Contreras -- her former husband and the chief suspect in the scam -- for their three children. In Miami, Diaz was arrested and has since remained incarcerated in the Dade County jail. Two suspects arrested for Chorti murder The police on Friday (May 23) arrested two farm laborers in relation to the April 17 murder of Chorti leader Candido Amador, the daily La Tribuna reported. The suspects, currently being held at the Public Security Force (FSP) jail in Copan Ruinas, have been identified as Valentin Castillo Gutierrez (37), alias Tin Tin; and Carlos Jeronimo Romero (18), alias Tun Tun. |
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