National

	Liberals reject motion to require minimum memberships for candidates When the Liberal Party Central Executive Committee moved Friday (June 21) to require that presidential candidates have at least eight years of experience in the party before launching their campaigns, Liberal pre-candidate Ramon Villeda Bermudez called the stance "anti-youth" and accused supporters of "making a mockery of democracy." If the motion were ratified, candidates for the presidency and posts on the CCEPL would have to hold party membership for at least eight years; candidates for congressional offices and convention delegates would have to be party members for at least five years; and local party council members would have to hold party membership for at least three years. CCEPL member Rodrigo Castillo made the motion to ensure that Liberal Party candidates are committed to the party, hold party philosophies and believe in the party doctrine, says a La Tribuna report. But Rafael Pineda Ponce, vice president of the Honduran National Congress, says, "this is no time to be closing the doors of participation with little tricks. Instead the doors should be free, open, plural and transparent and the final decision should belong to the people." As Villeda Bermudez pointed out, the new regulations would make it impossible for anyone under 26 to run for key government posts because official party membership isn't recognized until the age of 18. Although the Honduran Constitution sets the minimum age limit for the presidency at 30, other posts, like those in the National Congress, can be held as early as 21. "There are young people who bring new and modern ideas, doctrines, programs and concepts [to the party]. Whether they have been members for 24 years or 24 hours they are just as Liberal as anyone else," said Pineda Ponce in a La Tribuna report. Although Villeda Bermudez recommended an emergency meeting of the CCEPL with all of the Liberal pre-candidates and President Reina (himself a Liberal) to find out where the majority of the party stands on the matter, the CCEPL unanimously overturned the motion in its next meeting on June 25.
WEEK IN REVIEW	Sexual abuser to be investigated The Public Ministry will investigate allegations that a wealthy Salvadoran land owner is buying the virginity of 12- and 13-year old girls in the community of Laure, Valle department, the Abriendo Brecha television news program reported Tuesday (June 25). Concerned residents told reporters that 60-year-old Cayo Calderón has offered the parents of attractive girls, especially those who are just entering puberty, one thousand lempiras and a cow to have sex with them. The local press has compared the cattle baron with feudal lords who, during the middle ages, exercised the right to sleep with the brides of their vassals, known is Spanish as derecho de pernada.
	Menchú to award UNICEF prizes This year's annual UNICEF prizes for excellence in journalism will be bestowed by 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum, according to the daily La Prensa. The Guatemala activist for peace and human rights previously visited Honduras in February 1993. The UNICEF prizes, which will be awarded in October, are given to the journalists and communications media that have done the most to increase awareness of the problems confronting Honduran children.
	ENEE cuts off power to El Nuevo Día In an alleged violation of freedom of the press, the National Electric Company (ENEE) on Tuesday (June 25) cut off power to the San Pedro Sula daily El Nuevo Día, the daily La Tribuna reported. According to newspaper executives, ENEE technicians arrived at the newspaper's facilities around 10 a.m. and, without any explanation other than they were following orders from superiors, cut off the power. Armando Cerrato, the newspaper's Tegucigalpa editor, called the action "a vulgar and immoral censure" in retaliation for an editorial criticizing irregularities in the electric company. The power cut off did not stop El Nuevo Día's presses, however, thanks to an emergency backup generator. However, an ENEE official said El Nuevo Día's power was cut off for failing to pay its electric bill on time. Power was to be restored Wednesday.
	U.S. citizen dies in Choluteca U.S. citizen Donald Williams Geraldi on Tuesday (June 25) died at the Hospital del Sur in Choluteca, the daily La Tribuna reported. The cause of death has not yet been determined by the coroner's office in Tegucigalpa.
By BLANCA MORENO The time has come to toss out the security blanket of foreign aid	Guatemalan president tells private sector to wake up Guatemalan President Arzu and Honduran President Reina field reporter's questions at a Casa Presidencial press conference. (Photo by Suyapa Carias) TEGUCIGALPA -- Guatemalan president Alvaro Arzu encouraged Central American businessmen to "wake up" this week and stop relying on foreign aid for economic development. Arzu was the guest speaker at a June 14 conference organized by the Honduran Private Enterprise Council (COHEP) to celebrate National Private Enterprise Day. He strongly criticized those countries of the region that, while their neighbors were suffering civil wars and uprisings, sat back and enjoyed substantial financial and technical assistance and non-reciprocal preferential export preferences from developed countries. "But all of that is over and many have yet to notice," he said. "Although is may seem cruel and unexplainable, the international assistance that flowed in while the armed conflicts waged stopped automatically when peace came to the region. That's just reality." It's time for Central America to wake up and realize that the assistance and advantages that the region has enjoyed over the past decades have come to an end. The adage of the nineties, he said, is that "there's no such thing as a free lunch." Not only regional governments, but the private sector as well, must shift their attitude from one of dependence to one of initiative, says Arzú. "Like it or not, this so-called globalization is an unstoppable and galloping trend. Although it is based on trade, it carries with it an increasing integration among nations, making it clearer every day that what were once domestic affairs are now interlaced throughout the international community." Globalization is a train that is already pulling out of the station, he said. It's time for Central America to decide whether it's going to hop on the train or let it go by. MORAL REVOLUTION Welcoming Arzu to the event, President Reina said, "the thesis of the Moral Revolution is an idea that has already reached all of Central America because it is the solution to all of the great problems." Although Central America has had serious obstacles to face, like international pressure, narcotrafficking and corruption, these problems are being overcome, especially now that the dawn of a new millennium is carrying with it more open minds that are ready for change. "I always said Central America would unify when all of its governments became legitimate democracies and social sensibility emerged," said Reina. "That time has come." Factors like the end of the cold war and the budding tourism sector have created an excellent climate for private sector growth, said the President.
WEEK IN REVIEW	Casa Alianza gets new director Viodelda Ho-Shing last Friday (June 14) became the new director of Covenant House of Honduras, succeeding David Calvert, who had held the post since 1992, the daily La Tribuna reported. Known as Casa Alianza in Honduras, the non-profit organization provides assistance to street children and has been involved in several confrontations with the Honduran government over the incarceration of minors in adult jails. Peter Racine, co-founder of the Honduran branch of Covenant House, was the first director.
	More bomb scares in Teguz Four bomb threats in Tegucigalpa last Friday (June 14) all proved to be false alarms, the daily La Prensa reported. Anonymous phone callers reported bombs in the Public Ministry building, the headquarters of the Department of Criminal Investigation (DIC) in Comayagüela, the offices of Cannon on Boulevard Suyapa and the offices of the Military Retirement Fund (IPM) in Colonia La Florencia. The phony threats came three days after an explosive device was found in the Supreme Court of Justice. Meanwhile, police investigated two false alarms at the main office of Banco de Comercio (BANCOMER) in San Pedro Sula. Three more bomb scares -- in the offices of La Prensa, the National Electric Company (ENEE) and in the Georges Building -- were reported Tuesday (June 18).
	Military says it's 12,000 strong The Honduran Armed Forces on Monday (June 17) sent a list of active personnel and their respective identification numbers to the National Registry of Persons (RNP). According to Honduran law, active military personnel are excluded from voting in the upcoming general elections, the daily La Tribuna reported. Although the names on the list weren't numbered, authorities estimated that there are slightly more than 12,000 officials, soldiers, and support personnel listed.
BY SUYAPA CARIAS "The government must see this as a national problem caused by high interest rates on loans and a lack of incentives for production, investment and savings." - Ramon Custodio, President of the Honduras Rights Commission (CODEH)	More banks robbed in Honduras than rest of Central America TEGUCIGALPA -- Not only is Honduras the Central American country with the greatest number of AIDS cases, it's also the country with the greatest number of bank robberies. In 1995, Honduras led the region with 40 bank assaults and Lps. 8.3 million in losses. Guatemala followed with 10 bank assaults, then El Salvador with three. On June 5, Ramón Custodio, president of the Honduran Human Rights Commission (CODEH), announced that only four Honduran banks had managed to avoid assault: Banco de las Fuerzas Armadas (BANFFAA), BANCHRESER, Banco de Honduras and Banco Corporativo. Six days later, three thugs attempted to rob the BANFFAA branch in Choloma. Although two people were injured, including a customer, the thieves left with no money. CODEH says most bank robberies are committed by three to five thieves, last for an average of six minutes and take place after business hours, when guards from the Public Security Force (FSP) have left. The most common weapon used is the AK-47. FAULTY SYSTEMS Although Honduras' banks have attempted to rectify the matter by investing in new security systems, they have been unsuccessful. Last year, 15 of the 20 commercial banks operating in Honduras invested an estimated Lps. 25.5 million into new security systems. The greatest investment was made by Banco Atlántida, with Lps. 8 million. The banks also hired a total of 1,223 guards from the FSP and private security companies. But Custodio says these systems have not resulted in fewer bank robberies. Only three of the 40 assaults were stopped last year. In an effort to stop the rising wave of bank robberies, on Feb. 23, FSP inaugurated its new Early Alert System (SAT), a modern monitoring system that allows police to immediately locate a robbery. So far nearly 49 banks have integrated into the system, but the robberies haven't stopped. Sixteen assaults have been reported in different parts of the country this year and several police officers have been killed and injured trying to stop them. Custodio says the problem has been worsened by accusations that police officers themselves have helped to cover up some of the robberies. After a Banco de Occidente branch was assaulted in May in San Pedro Sula, an officer at the Barrio Suncery FSP station accused his chief, Sgt. Duval Alvarado, of leading a band of bank robbers. Custodio says the bank robberies are symptoms of a larger problem. "The government must see this as a national problem caused by high interest rates on loans and a lack of incentives for production, investment and savings." He also says the problem needs to be investigated further. "FSP officers may be the authors of their own co-workers' deaths." Meanwhile, CODEH plans to launch a new campaign for citizen protection and crime prevention, "two functions that the government has not been able to perform." STEPDAUGHTER DEAD Several hours after his June 5 press conference, Ramón Custodio's stepdaughter Mercedes Emilia Burgos was found dead in her car near her home in Tegucigalpa's Colonia Lomas del Guijarro. The Department of Criminal Investigation is still looking into whether the death was a suicide or a murder.
	Bomb found in Supreme Court The anti-bomb squad on Tuesday morning (June 11) deactivated a bomb containing two pounds of TNT that was placed in the men's bathroom on the second floor of the Supreme Court of Justice building in the Miraflores district, the daily La Tribuna reported. The explosive device of Chinese fabrication, described by the police as the work of professionals, was placed in a hamburger bag and set to explode upon being opened. The bag was noticed by janitor Reina Suyapa Vásquez who, perceiving that something was wrong, immediately notified authorities in the building. A group calling itself the Last Alternative Guerrilla Front (Frente Guerrillero Ultima Alternativa) claimed responsibility for the bomb in a telephone call to a local radio station. The terrorist group blamed its action on the government for failing to resolve the nation's economic problems. On Wednesday, an anonymous caller told authorities of the National Autonomous University that there was a bomb on the second floor of UNAH's administrative building where President Reina was giving a talk on ethnic groups on the third floor. However, Reina remained until he had finished his presentation even though he was advised to leave by security personnel. After examining the building, the anti-bomb squad determined that the bomb threat was a hoax.
By JUDITH C. SHAFFER Miskito divers wonder if the government is ready to make sure subsistence industries and multinational exploration can go hand in hand	Looking for oil in the Honduran Mosquitia When Robert Armington set up the La Mosquitia Diving School in 1993, he had his sights set no further than teaching Miskito divers to dive safely. Fifteen hundred graduates later, he's discovered an added perk: divers who are trained to be safe also tend to be more socially aware. And Armington says this new La Mosquitia awareness couldn't be blooming at a better time. "There's a growing interest in petroleum and natural gas exploration off both coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua," he told Honduras This Week. "The government has already authorized a two-year exploration phase and will then probably begin marketing reserves or pulling out deposits. They're already looking for investors." The department of Gracias a Dios -- more commonly known as the Honduran Mosquitia -- is one of the world's last great swatches of virgin rain forest. It's also home to three different indigenous cultures, a wealth of exotic plants and animals and one of the worst economies in the hemisphere. If oil is discovered it could mean an economic boom for the region. But it could also be a boon for further poverty. "They're sitting on a bag of gold out there," says Armington. "We have to make sure we manage it well." Few miss the irony of the fact that Honduras' poorest region in terms of the economy is also the wealthiest in terms of natural resources. Not only does La Mosquitia boast what Armington suspects are "pretty vast or fairly substantial reserves of oil," the zone is also rich in forest resources, gold, tourism potential and plants that either have now or may have in the future important medical applications. Armington says before big foreign companies are let loose in the zone, Hondurans should take their own inventory of its resources, "so we know exactly what's out there, how it can be best used to benefit the nation, especially the people of La Mosquitia, and so we have data to balance future impact studies against." It's all about careful monitoring and sustainability, says Armington, adding that "we're also going to get some people together to monitor the exploration for oil and natural gas." Even with the best intentions and precautions on the part of the oil companies, "there is always a chance that there will be leaks and dirty beaches," which could ravage subsistence industries like lobster harvesting, which is the only source of income for an estimated 60,000 La Mosquitia families. Honduras, says Armington, is in the fortunate position of being able to learn from other countries' mistakes. "In Ecuador, for example, there has been a butchering of areas that were once recognized as national reserves for indigenous people and natural biospheres." If that happens in Honduras, the wealth of La Mosquitia could be lost forever. "I'm not beating a drum against the oil companies," he says. "It wouldn't be realistic to stop the exploration. Progress often means that certain resources suffer for the benefit of other resources. There's always a give and take." But Armington warns that when it comes to the sustainable development of the Honduran Mosquitia there should be more give than take. "It's important to have a contingency plan for how we might deal with the impact of the oil industry," he says. When all is said and done, Armington says what happens in the Honduran Mosquitia ultimately affects us all. "We're all in the same cayuco. Indigenous people and Wall Street attorneys all have the right to a future." "La Mosquitia has a wealth of human information and other resources, but there's a need to use them correctly."
	Separation of Siamese's brains a success The brains of 8-month-old Siamese twins Doris Nicole and Bessy Alejandra Trujillo González have been successfully separated and are functioning independently, said Dr. Nicolás Nazar in an El Heraldo report. Nazar, who returned to Honduras early this week, assisted in the May 30 operation at the children's hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. The final separation of the craneo-attached Siamese twins is scheduled for mid-July, he said.
	Tremor felt in Tegucigalpa A slight tremor was felt by Tegucigalpa residents Wednesday (June 5) around 9 a.m. According to the daily La Tribuna, there are no reports of victims or damage. The duration and intensity of the quake is unknown because the capital's only seismograph, at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), is out of order.
	Bus robbed, woman raped Several men armed with AK-47 assault rifles on Tuesday afternoon (June 4) held up a Cotraibal company bus, covering the route between Trujillo and Tegucigalpa, the daily El Heraldo reported. According to police, the delinquents placed large rocks on a section of highway between the villages of Salamá and Limones in Olancho department, forcing the bus to halt. After boarding the vehicle and robbing the passengers' money and personal belongings, the thugs forced a young woman off the bus and raped her in front of the passengers.
For every job created in Honduran maquilas, five new jobs are created in the United States	Government launches investigation into alleged abuse of workers WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Honduran government will conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged mistreatment of workers by foreign companies producing garments in Honduran maquila plants, according to a press release issued by the Honduran Embassy. "My government is fully committed to protecting the rights of Honduran workers, to enforcing labor laws and to expelling foreign companies that systematically violate these laws and abuse or exploit our workers," Roberto Flores Bermudez, Honduran Ambassador to the United States, said in the communique. The investigation was sparked by accusations made by 15-year-old Wendy Diaz, a former employee of the Korean-owned Global Fashions company, which produces women's pants for the Kathie Lee Gifford line of clothing, sold in U.S. Wal Mart stores. Diaz, an orphan who began working at the factory when she was 13, has accused her former employers of exploiting child labor, imposing 14- to 16-hour workdays, subjecting workers to physical and verbal abuse and firing workers who attempt to organize a union. "Ms. Diaz has alleged serious violations of Honduras' labor laws, which, if proven, will result in heavy penalties against her former employers," said Ambassador Flores. He added that Honduras has expelled two Korean companies in the past two years for labor law violations. "Fortunately," said the Ambassador, "such occupants are the exception in Honduras, not the rule." Explaining that the government, the private sector and organized labor in Honduras respect the nation's laws and the nation's workers, Flores said, "many manufacturers, especially those from the United States, have agreed to comply with labor standards that are even more demanding than those required by law, medical care is now provided on a permanent basis in most factories, food costs are covered if workers stay overtime, wages have improved and seminars are held frequently to educate manufacturers and supervisors on required standards and practices." Honduras has also taken steps to strengthen its ability to supervise employment practices and enforce its labor laws, especially in the industrial parks and free trade zones where most foreign garment companies operate, says Flores. To this end, the Government has received technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor and the AFL-CIO. Most of the garments produced in Honduras' industrial parks and free trade zones are exported to the United States. "Of every dollar earned in trade with the U.S. in Honduras, at least 75 cents return to the U.S. through purchases and services," said Ambassador Flores. "For every garment industry job created in Honduras, at least five jobs are created in the United States. Trade with Honduras is good for the United States, too."
	Former mayor's son killed Juan Fernando Santos Ordóñez, the son of former Mayor of Tegucigalpa Elvin Santos, was murdered early Friday morning (May 24) near the new Central American Bank of Economic Integration building on Boulevard Suyapa. The daily La Tribuna reported that Santos was shot in the neck by an unknown assassin in a white pick-up as the 26-year-old businessman was driving home, causing him to lose control and crash into a light post in front of the bank. Several hours prior to his death, Santos reportedly had been involved in an altercation at a discotheque on Boulevard Morazan. Law enforcement authorities, however, believe that there is no connection between Santos' death and the incident at the discotheque. Curiously, on examining Santos' vehicle the police discovered fresh blood stains in the trunk, in addition to the blood stains on the front seat. Department of Criminal Investigation (DIC) Director Wilfredo Alvarado said they have a good lead into the possible assassin of Santos, the owner of the Esso Presidencial gas station. FBI to assist in murder investigation The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will assist local law enforcement agencies in resolving the murder of regional Interpol chief Lt. Gustavo Andrés Domínguez, who was shot while riding on the passenger side of a police vehicle. According to the daily La Prensa, eight FBI agents arrived in San Pedro Sula Tuesday and were immediately driven to Tegucigalpa. Meanwhile, La Prensa reported that the autopsy of the police official revealed that Domínguez received two blows to the head prior to his death from an AK-47 projectile on May 23. At the time of the shooting, which occurred near the exit to Los Pocitos, in Santa Bárbara, Domínguez was investigating car thefts by organized crime.

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