NATIONAL

CA asks UN for support in unification plans

By BLANCA MORENO

The presidents of Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El Salvador appeared as a group before the U.N. General Assembly to request the assistance of the international community for the political and economic integration of the region.

The United Nations is currently holding its 52nd General Assembly in New York, where representatives of 185 nations are discussing a series of reforms to the organization.

President Reina spoke before the assembly on Monday (Sept. 22), where he voiced his concern over the fact that the increase in democratic governments in Central America has been accompanied by growing poverty.

"Democracy with extreme poverty is not the solution we were seeking," said Reina. "Justice, social well-being, and the participation and integration of all social groups are necessary conditions to consider a democratic nation complete."

Reina said the decision to unite the countries of Central America is an act of maturity, a realistic recognition of the need for regional development. Quoting William Shakespeare, Reina said this is not utopia, nor romanticism, even though "we are such stuff as dreams are made on."

Other Central American leaders in attendance announced their intention to promote and consolidate the principles and the basis of Central American union before the end of the year.

Jose Maria Figueres, president of Costa Rica, said that 10 years ago, Central America surprised the world by declaring peace and now, for the first time before the United Nations, the region is declaring its firm decision to work toward the ideal of a single democracy.

President Alvaro Arzu of Guatemala told the assembly that the region's leaders were bringing "good news of peace, democracy, development, understanding, and Central American unity, when 12 years ago the region was on the verge of war."

El Salvador's President Armando Calderon Sol expressed his support of the reform of the U.N. Security Council and the admittance of Taiwan, and requested the assistance of the international community in the unification of Central American.

President Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua reiterated the need for regional unity, which will permit the region to compete more successfully in the world market.

The unification of Central America was re-launched Sept. 2 this year in Managua, Nicaragua, and at first included Panama, which later withdrew its support of the project, preferring to remain independent of Central or South America.

The government leaders met with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, with whom they discussed their plans for unification as well as their decision to support the admission of the Republic of China in Taiwan, which was expelled in 1971. This petition was also supported by President Juan Carlos Wasmosy of Paraguay, who supports a revision of resolution 2758 that denies the right of 20 million Taiwanese to participate in the United Nations Organization.

TNE to punish dealing in political posts

Electoral law reforms have been proposed to suspend from all political activities for a period of up to 10 years candidates who offer elected posts for sale, the daily La Prensa reported. The announcement, made Monday (Sept. 22) by National Electoral Tribunal (TNE) President Guillermo Casco Callejas, comes five days after National Party candidate Jorge Zelaya Munguia offered to sell his congressional candidacy for Lps. 1 million ($78,000).

Zelaya is a shoo-in since he is first on the list of substitute deputies for Francisco Morazan department. (Congressmen and their substitutes are elected on a proportional basis per department, and in the order they are listed by party officials. The top spots are always elected, while the bottom spots never.) Zelaya said he was selling his candidacy in protest over the alleged commercialization of political posts within his party.

Meanwhile, San Pedro Sula councilman Virgilio Andrade said in a La Prensa report Wednesday (Sept. 24) that buying and selling candidacies is also a big business in the Liberal Party. He added that last year one person paid Lps. 500,000 just to be a candidate in the mayoral primaries, while another paid Lps. 300,000 for the top spot on the list of Cortes' deputies. Andrade said he was personally asked to pay Lps. 100,000 if he wanted the seventh position for Cortes.

Among the benefits enjoyed by congressmen are a Lps. 16,000 monthly salary (the minimum wage in Honduras is slightly more than Lps. 1,000), immunity, permission to import one vehicle duty free, and a diplomatic passport.

School of the Americas: a very narrow reprieve

By W. E. GUTMAN

Special to Honduras This Week

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA) survived its narrowest challenge in the U.S. House of Representatives in early September, with opponents seven votes short of slashing its funding and effectively closing the 50-year-old institution.

By a vote of 217 to 210, Congress repealed an amendment by Rep. Esteban Torres (D-Calif.) that would have cut $4.3 million from the 1998 foreign operations budget earmarked for use at a military establishment long known to have trained some of Latin America's most notorious dictators and human rights violators.

Despite their failure to garner the necessary majority, opponents of the school -- dubbed the "School of Assassins" -- applauded the slender margin, calling it a "moral victory." In previous House votes, in 1993 and 1994, the SOA enjoyed 82- and 32-vote margins of support, respectively.

"I'm ready to pop a bottle of champagne," said Father Roy

Bourgeois, an ordained Maryknoll priest who has spearheaded a relentless anti-SOA campaign for the past seven years.

Bourgeois, a decorated U.S. naval officer and Vietnam veteran, served as a missionary in Bolivia from where he was expelled by the ruling dictator, Hugo Banzer, an alumnus of the SOA.

The 1980 assassination of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, the 1981 El Mozote massacre, both engineered by Roberto d'Aubuisson (SOA Class of 1972), and the subsequent rape and murder of four nuns -- also by graduates of the SOA -- galvanized Bourgeois into action.

He has since founded S.O.A. Watch, a shoestring operation that fastidiously documents excesses committed by the school's alumni, and led regular vigils and demonstrations that have often landed him in jail.

An SOA spokesperson declined comment on the vote and referred

questions to public affairs officials at Fort Benning where the SOA is billeted. Col. Lawrence White, Fort Benning chief of staff said he didn't know if SOA supporters should rejoice. He conceded that "if four people had changed their vote, it could have gone the other way."

School defenders, among them Georgia Reps. Mac Collins and Sanford Bishop -- authors of the school's standard apologia -- argued that the narrow vote creates the urgent opportunity to "tell the school's story in a positive way" -- an effort that has become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, in light of extensive scrutiny by the U.S. Congress, the media and international human rights monitors.

Critics continue to insist that the school is a holdover from the Cold War when human rights violations were ignored in the struggle against Communism. They add that discovery in recent years that the SOA had used manuals that condone -- if not encourage -- atrocities further proves the point.

The decisive vote came during debate on the fiscal 1998 foreign operations spending bill, which already included language tightening congressional investigation of the school. The bill demands that military training grants be withheld until the Pentagon:

* Certifies that instruction and training at the school is "fully consistent" with standard U.S. military pedagogy;

* Confirms that the Department of State has developed guidelines to screen and select student to ensure no one linked with atrocities -- as has often been the case -- is allowed to attend;

* Submits to Congress a report detailing the school's training

activities and an assessment of the performance of its 1996 graduates.

"It's just a matter of time," Bourgeois says. "The SOA is moribund and on life-support. Our hope and resolve are stronger than ever. This last vote in a conservative Congress just pumps new life into the movement. We won't give up until the doors are slammed shut."

Death at political rally

One person died and 14 more were injured last Thursday (Sept. 18) when a wooden platform collapsed during a Liberal Party campaign rally in Tegucigalpa's Barrio El Bosque. The victim was identified as 70-year-old Dominga Martinez Ochoa, a native of Corpus, Choluteca.

El Heraldo reported that the supports of the temporary platform were loosened by a downpour, causing it to fall on 15 people attending the political event.

Liberal presidential candidate Carlos Flores personally paid his respects to the Martinez family at the San Miguel Arcangel funeral parlor and visited the injured victims at the Hospital Escuela. Liberal and National party mayoral candidates Herman Allan Padgett and Cesar Castellanos, respectively, suspended all campaign activities for three days to express their solidarity with the victims of the accident.

La Lima bank robbed

Five gunmen on Tuesday (Sept. 23) robbed an estimated Lps. 60,000 from the Banco de los Trabajadores branch in front of La Lima's central plaza, the daily La Prensa reported. It was the second time the bank has been robbed this year, and the 42nd bank robbery nationwide.

Border land cleared of mines

Five hundred and twenty-six hectares of land along the Honduran-Nicaraguan border have been cleared of mines following a two-year clean-up operation by the Mine Removal Assistance Mission for Central America (MARMINCA), the daily La Tribuna reported. The announcement was made during a special ceremony in Danli, which was attended by President Reina, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Mario Hung Pacheco, and Maj.Gen. John Thompson of the Inter-American Defense Council. During the ceremony, Col. Omar Perdomo of Venezuela succeeded Col. Carlos Alberto Da Cas as the MARMINCA commander.

In honor of Lady Diana Spencer, who was to have been invited to the ceremony, President Reina announced that the fifth stage of the mine clean-up operation will be called Accion Humanitaria Princesa Diana (Princess Diana Humanitarian Action).

During the first four stages, 1,800 mines have been found and deactivated. Program officials estimate that Honduras should be free of mines within a year.

Congress to reduce number of deputies

Constitutional reforms calling for a reduction in the number of deputies from 128 to 80 and only 40 substitutes on Tuesday (Sept. 23) passed the first round of debate in the National Congress, the daily La Tribuna reported. Two more debates will be held, and the legislation then must receive a two-thirds vote in order to be approved. Congressional vice president Rafael Pineda Ponce said in a La Tribuna report that the reforms will save the government an estimated Lps. 50 million.

Independence Day

Majorettes of a capital city high school perform for spectators along Boulevard Morazán. (Photo by Mario Gutierrez Minera)


















Several students are decked out in traditional campesino clothes during the annual independence day parade. (Photo by Mario Gutierrez Minera)

Vulnerable victims

As the nation's economy worsens, more children are forced to live in the streets of La Ceiba, turning to prostitution and drugs in order to survive.

By WENDY GRIFFIN

La Ceiba, Honduras' third largest city is famous for its friendliness and its industry. Founded by the predecessors of the Standard Fruit Co., the Vaccaro Brother Steamship Co., in the 1880s, La Ceiba has long been a town where people from all over Honduras come in search of opportunities -- working for the railroad, on the docks, for the box and banana packing plants, soft drink bottlers, La Blanquita shortening and soap company, Leyde milk and juice company, and Dole pineapple, all of which are subsidiaries of the Standard Fruit Company.

Thus it is not surprising that young people who for one reason or another are seeking to improve their lives go to La Ceiba. Of the 41 children living in the streets there interviewed by Casa del Nino and home economic students of the National Teachers' College (UPN), 100 percent came from other towns such as Progreso, Tocoa, and Puerto Cortes.

Due to its long history as a place to party, street children can usually find something to eat. Rolando Guerra, 7, makes a living watching cars, begging, and washing car windows. He survives on leftover pizza, chicken and bread. He can go weeks go without eating a full meal.

Rufino Palma, 11, eats only slightly better. In the morning he drinks chocolate milk and eats bread from the money he begs. Lunch is thrown away chicken bones, cabbage and tomato sauce. Dinner is more white bread and "topogigios," a popsicle made from frozen Kool Aid.

The UPN students found children in the streets were badly nourished and often suffered from hunger. To keep hunger pains away, many have become addicts to Resistol glue, marijuana and alcohol.

DANGEROUS LIFE

These children do not find the good banana company jobs. What they find is life on the streets is not safe. Sleeping on the streets, they suffer from cold, rain, kicks, gang violence, and exposure to mosquitos that transmit dengue and malaria. Nor will they ever be able to progress much above their current level. Most have only one or two years of formal schooling.

Ninety-five percent have had sexual experiences at an early age. Moreover, 95 percent have been subject to sexual propositions and that as many as 95 percent have been raped. One of the three teenage girls known to live in La Ceiba's streets is pregnant. She has been in the streets for three years.

Why are these children living in the streets at the tender ages of 7, 11 or 12, when most children are learning to color and watching cartoons? In the United States, street children are divided into "runaways" -- children who are looking for something in the city they think they cannot find at home, and "throwaways" -- children who are in the streets because they are badly treated at home and have no where else to go but to the streets.

The overwhelming majority of children in La Ceiba are throwaways. Three of the children's mothers abandoned them to go and seek their fortune in the United States. Twelve is a tender age to let children fend for themselves, even in Honduras.

The Casa del Nino-UPN study revealed that the majority (35 out of 41) reported mistreatment by their fathers or stepparents. Over half had never lived with their father. A few were left orphaned by the death of their parent and have not had the protection and help of their families afterward.

This last situation is expected to increase as people with AIDS die. The fastest rising group of people with AIDS in Honduras are housewives, most of whom have small children.

PROGRAM HELPS

In 1996 a program began to work with La Ceiba's street children. "Children of the Light" gives the children food, non-formal education, psychological help, and Christian orientation/counseling. If they see a change in the child, they are invited to House of Child, built by the community, Standard Fruit, and Feed the Children. The change they most want to see is for the child to leave drugs.

Street children are divided into those who live in the street and whose who spend most of the day there but go home at night. With the incredible increase in the cost of living, single mothers have found it particularly difficult to feed their children, since they often have little education and no land. One woman interviewed earned Lps. 200 (US$15) a month washing clothes. She had three children -- two in school and one still nursing, but no husband. She lives in a tiny house with cardboard walls. Dole banana makes good boxes, but they were not designed as housing construction material.

Children in marginal homes constantly eat green bananas with salt, with an occasional bean soup or a tortilla. Even cheap bananas, the rejects of Standard Fruit's packing plants, have recently risen in price from Lps. 20 per 100 to Lps. 32 per 100 as fuel prices climb.

Rickets and other nutritional diseases are also rising. In 1990, when tortillas were three for 15 centavos, yuca 15 centavos per pound, and beans 40 centavos a pound, people who shined shoes, sold candy, and did other such informal jobs could put together enough resources to feed their children. Now with beans at times Lps. 11 per pound and yuca at Lps. 3 per pound, what they earn does little or nothing to feed them.

PROSTITUTION SOARS

Children do not need only food. They need medical attention and clothes. This does not fit in a family budget, part of what is leading to a rise in child prostitution in La Ceiba. One girl told her story to interviewers.

First, she said she was sent by her family to be a maid for a family, but the male head of the house tried to sleep with her so she ran away. She got another job as a maid, and the same thing happened. She got a job in a bar, but she could not make enough to live on. Finally, she made the decision to sell her body. In the United States, many people who end up in prostitution have first been sexually abused by a family member, a trend that seems to hold in Honduras as well.

One tourist asked after seeing girls under 16 on the streets of La Ceiba lowering their knickers to show what he could have, "Isn't the church in an outrage?"

The Catholic Church has noticed with sadness the introduction of child prostitution in the North Coast. However, most programs for street children still only work with boys.

Due to the rising costs of food, medicine, utilities, and rent, the participation of children in the nation's labor force is on the increase. With the inability of the formal labor market to absorb all the people needing work, many find themselves in the informal sector, which includes children selling almost anything, prostitution, robbery and drug trafficking.

This is a direct consequence of the lempira's devaluation requested by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which is driving prices higher while wages remain static or increase at a much slower pace. In La Ceiba and the rest of the country, children are paying the cost of what these agencies call "development."

The Catholic Church has called for a redefining of development. It should not mean balancing inflows and outflows of foreign exchange but instead providing adequate amounts of the food, shelter, medicine, and clothes needed for human dignity and a chance in life.

The current situation where many people interviewed said, "we eat one meal a day when we can, and when we can't we go hungry" shows that Honduras is a long way from that definition of development. Street children are just a very visible tip of a much deeper problem.

Taiwan promises $290 million in aid to Central America

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- In last week's visit, President Lee Teng-hui of the Republic of China granted US$290 million in aid to Central America, while at the same time seeking support for Taiwan's readmission to the United Nations.

Accompanied by a large delegation of government officials and business leaders, Lee made a 12-day tour of the region, starting in Panama, passing through Honduras and El Salvador and concluding in Paraguay.

During his three-day stay in Honduras, Lee received the support of President Reina in Taiwan's bid to be readmitted to the United Nations. In 1971, the U.N. General Assembly voted to admit the People's Republic of China, which had been established in 1949, and expel Taiwan. Communist China is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and has exercised its power to veto the readmission of Taiwan to the United Nations.

The United nations is currently meeting in New York, where Taiwan's bid, supported by 14 nations, is being reviewed and a definitive resolution will be made before the end of September.

Lee's Central American jaunt concluded with a summit in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he signed a joint declaration with Presidents Alvaro Arzu of Guatemala, Armando Calderon Sol de El Salvador, Reina, Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua, Jose Maria Figueres of Costa Rica and Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel of Belize.

In the Joint Declaration the Central American leaders announced their support of Chinese reunification efforts that guarantee democracy, human rights, and the well being of all of China. They also agreed that all conflicts should be resolved in a peaceful manner through dialogue, as well as reaffirming their recognition of Taiwan as an independent country and respect for its decision to not accept the so-called "one nation, two systems" policy.

President Lee promised $240 million for a Central American development fund over the next 12 years. The International Commercial Bank of China also offered a $50 million loan to the Central American Bank of Economic Integration to support small- and medium-sized businesses.

In another agreement, a strategic alliance between China and Central America was created to fortify mutual cooperation between the two regions, and Taiwanese leaders also discussed a possible association with the Central America Integration System (SICA).

Lee expressed his firm decision to support increased investment in Central America, while regional leaders expressed their satisfaction on the recent opening of the Central American Trade Office in Taipei, which will promote trade, investment and tourism between the region and Taiwan.

Fewer schools take part in this year's ID parades

National pride and a thirst for entertainment drew residents from the big cities, small towns, and rural communities out of their homes and into the streets to take part in parade festivities honoring the 176th anniversary of Honduran political independence from Spain.

The big celebration was inaugurated at 6 a.m. by President Reina who raised the national flag to the ringing of cathedral bells in Tegucigalpa's Parque Central. Afterward, the capital city Mayor Fernando Calderon read the Declaration of Independence, created 176 years ago by Jose Cecilio del Valle. Following the opening ceremony, civil and military authorities moved to the National Stadium to watch over the school parades.

While beautifully-costumed majorettes danced to popular tunes played by the talented school bands, uniformed students and teachers marched in formation and performed routines unique to their particular organization.

This year very few private schools participated as a form of protest against the Ministry of Education's decision to regulate tuition costs. However, the space was filled by various groups dressed in attire representing the rich cultures of the Maya, Lenca, Miskitos, and Garifuna, just to name a few.

In the capital city, various gang members tried to grab attention by initiating minor disturbances; however, the police promptly removed them from the area. Overall, the spectators seemed to enjoy uniting to celebrate the anniversary of Honduran independence and honor their nations heroes.

Two prominent Hondurans die

Former National Congress President Camilo Gomez y Gomez died in Tegucigalpa last Wednesday (Sept. 10), the daily La Tribuna reported. He was 90. An engineer by profession, Gomez held the presidency of Congress from 1950-1954 during the administration of Juan Manuel Galvez. Laws approved during this period included the right for women to vote, establishment of income tax, creation of the Central Bank and Ministry of Agriculture, and the Commercial Code. Gomez also proposed construction of the Legislative Hall in downtown Tegucigalpa, participating in its design and personally supervising the work. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

On Friday (Sept. 12), controversial sports figure Sergio Amaya died of a heart attack. He was 44. Treasurer of the National Soccer League at the time of his death, Amaya is known for his extensive work in the establishment and organization of minor league soccer in Honduras.

PINU candidate blasts Reina administration

The Reina administration is just as corrupt, if not more so, than the administration of former National Party President Rafael Callejas, said Olban Valladares, presidential candidate for the Innovation and Unity Party, in a campaign speech last weekend in San Pedro Sula. Part of the problem, said Valladares in a La Tribuna report, is that Reina's closest collaborators never understood his campaign message -- the "moral revolution," resulting in more acts of corruption. Valladares criticism of the Reina administration came after a report released in La Lima, Peru stated that Honduras is the third most corrupt country in all of Latin America.

San Pedro Sula BANPRO robbed

Four heavily armed thugs last Thursday (Sept. 11) stole an estimated Lps. 140,000 from the Banco de la Producion (BANPRO) branch in San Pedro Sula's Barrio Los Andes, the daily La Tribuna reported. The robbery was the 41st this year.

Melgar proposes double nationality

National Party presidential candidate Nora de Melgar on Monday (Sept. 15) proposed that the Constitution be reformed to allow double nationality, the daily La Tribuna reported. The proposal was made after Melgar's recent trip to the United States, where she met with members of the Honduran community in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of the community's chief complaints, she said, is that on returning to Honduras after acquiring U.S. citizenship they are treated like foreigners.

More rioting at Santa Rosa prison

For the second time in less than a month, inmates caused moderate damage to the Santa Rosa de Copan prison during a riot last Monday evening (Sept. 15). According to a report in the daily La Tribuna, the riot was staged as a smoke screen to divert the attention of prison officials from a breakout attempt. After controlling the inmates, police and prison officials discovered three partially dug holes in the prison walls.

On Tuesday, the state prison system ordered the immediate transfer of 30 inmates accused of instigating the riot to Tegucigalpa's Central Penitentiary.

In August, inmates rioted at prisons in Danli, Yoro, Juticalpa, Trujillo, Santa Barbara and Santa Rosa de Copan, causing serious damage to the old, decrepit facilities. The rioters demanded better prison conditions and a pardon for unsentenced prisoners.

Teng-hui calls for one China, U.N. admission

President Lee Teng-hui of Taiwan is greeted by Congressional President Carlos Flores during his visit to the National Congress Wednesday.

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- President Lee Teng-hui of the Nationalist Republic of China received a standing ovation in the National Congress after a speech in which he requested international support for the unification of Taiwan with mainland China, under the principles of liberty, democracy and equal distribution of wealth.

Before Congress, Teng-hui, who was in Honduras Sept. 9-11 as part of a tour of Central and South America -- said that 50 years ago Taiwan declared a state of emergency to prevent a Communist invasion from mainland China and to preserve the social stability. In 1987, he added, democracy was established with political parties and respect for human rights.

"The existence and continuous development of the Republic of China is an undeniable reality," said President Teng-hui. "For this reason Communist China cannot represent all of China."

The president noted that there is one China, and two political entities, and for this reason both should have the same international status.

Teng-hui also mentioned that the success of Taiwan not only proves that the democratic system and liberty is superior to the Communist system, but is an example that mainland China could emulate through legislative reforms.

In 1949 when the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan, the income per capita was less than US$100. In 1996, per capita income reached US$12,000, and the total volume of external trade reached $217.3 billion.

Currently, Taiwan has the 20th largest economy in the world, and the gross national product has reached $271 billion. Taiwan also has the third largest reserve of foreign currency in the world.

The Republic of China in Taiwan has been seeking readmission to the United Nations for a number of years, and various countries including Honduras have offered their vote, in face of opposition from mainland China.

Teng-hui reaffirmed the willingness of Taiwan to provide assistance to members of the international community, especially to countries it considers to be "friends." He and President Reina both expressed their support for economic liberalization, privatization of state enterprises, multidimensional diplomacy, and membership in the World Trade Organization and other economic organizations to develop the economy and elevate the prestige of Honduras.

Teng-hui was received by President Reina, and first lady Bessie Reina in a ceremony in which he was declared guest of honor and given the keys to the city. The act was attended by high-level government and military authorities. The visiting president then reviewed troops alongside President Reina and Armed Forces Commander Gen. Mario Raúl Hung Pacheco, who is of Chinese ancestry.

On Wednesday, Teng-hui visited the National Congress, where congressional president Carlos Flores spoke on the economic miracle of Taiwan, and reaffirmed his commitment to continue cooperating with the Asian nation. The committee also met with the Congressional economic committee to discuss possible investments.

Taiwanese businessmen accompanying the president on his trip said that Honduras has a great advantage in its proximity to the U.S. market and that the national market is very open and supportive of exports.

Before continuing his visit to El Salvador where the announcement of a multi-million dollar investment in Central America will be made, Teng-hui met with the Chinese community in Honduras, which dates from the last century.

Congress approves budget hike

Following just one debate, the National Congress last Thursday (Sept. 4) voted to boost government spending by more than Lps. 300 million. The 1997 budget is now Lps. 13,307 million, and projections for next year are Lps. 15,000 million.

The biggest winners are the National University of Honduras, which will receive Lps. 60 million, and the Finance Ministry, which will get Lps. 50 million.

Supplementary funds have also been budgeted for the consumer protection program (Lps. 25 million), construction of the Choluteca farm prison (Lps. 2 million), elementary school education (Lps. 14 million), National Electoral Tribune (Lps. 41 million), National Registry of Persons (Lps. 21 million), Armed Forces (Lps. 12 million), National Teaching University (Lps. 5 million), and the completion of the sports facilities for the 6th Central American Games (Lps. 16 million).

La Prensa reported that Congress said the additional spending will be financed by income and sales taxes, other revenues, and repayment of debt owned to the government by decentralized agencies.

Police transfer commission meets

The special commission to oversee the transfer of the police from military to civilian control meet for the first time on Monday (Sept. 8), the daily La Tribuna reported. Heading the commission is Dr. Hernan Corrales Padilla, a former presidential candidate of the Christian Democrat Party of Honduras. Corrales, who has not yet been sworn in, was chosen after Archbishop of Tegucigalpa Oscar Andres Rodriguez refused to accept the post on grounds it would conflict with his religious office.

Also present at the first meeting were Jorge Ponce Turcios, Francisco Cardona Argueles, German Leitzelar and retired Col. Heliodoro Zamora Bados. The National Congress has given the commission 8 months to transfer the Public Security Force to civilian control.

Beltway to be named after Princess Diana

The San Pedro Sula municipal council on Monday (Sept. 8) voted to name the city's second beltway in honor of Lady Diana Spencer, the former Princess of Wales, who died in a car accident Aug. 30, the daily La Prensa reported. However, the vote was not unanimous and critics of the proposal said it would be more appropriate to name the road in honor of the Japanese, Taiwanese or Koreans who have contributed to the development of the North Coast, rather than a citizen of England, which has not assisted in the city's development. The name of the beltway in Spanish will be Anillo de Circunvalacion Princesa Diana.

Meanwhile, President Reina last week claimed that plans had been made to invite Diana to the closing ceremony of demining activities along the Honduran-Nicaraguan border.

Garífuna artist arrested

Prominent Garífuna artist Pedro "Peter" Centeno Flores this week was accused of assaulting two employees of the Hedman Alas bus company in San Pedro Sula, the daily La Tribuna reported. According to the testimony of his accusers, Centeno arrived at the bus station early Friday morning (Sept. 5) and demanded immediate service at the cafeteria. He allegedly became violent and, after insulting employees, bit the nose of Jorge Alberto Mejia Guzman. Persons at the bus station separated the two men, and Centeno left. Alexander Alas, a company executive, says he then went to the artist's nearby studio to complain and was himself bitten on the chest and nearly strangled.

Centeno, who is currently in the San Pedro Sula prison, said he was at the bus station to "preach the gospel to passengers" when Mejia made a racist remark, infuriating him. However, the artist said that Alas attacked him in his studio in reprisal, destroying 23 paintings in the process, and that he only bit the Hedman Alas executive in self-defense.

Hondurans could face death penalty

Two Honduran women recently detained by Guatemalan law enforcement authorities face charges of trafficking minors and could face the death penalty, according to Casa Alianza in Honduras. Officials of Covenant House added that two more Hondurans wanted by the police are reportedly members of an international child trafficking ring operating in the region.

Officers withdraw lawsuit

Eight military officials who formed part of the U.N. multinational peacekeeping force in Western Sahara have withdrawn their lawsuits against the government after allegedly receiving threats from superiors, the daily La Prensa reported Tuesday (Sept. 9).

Ten officials filed suits against the government in June for payment of $121,000 in backpay and travel expenses earned while serving overseas. The officers, who served with the peacekeeping force in 1994 and 1995, reportedly withdrew the lawsuits after superiors threatened that they would be barred from promotions. However, two officials -- Lt.Col. Guillermo Erazo Paguada and police Capt. Jorge Armando Carias -- are persisting in their legal battle against the state.

Natural Honduran product helps AIDS victims

By WILLIAM MCDONNELL

HIH nursery view near Lago de Yojoa. It takes one year before the first crop can be harvested.

Over a year ago, it was reported that a newly developed natural product made from an uncommon Honduran fern was proven to help many sufferers of auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and vitiligo. Following this report, an AIDS victim living in San Pedro Sula contacted Helechos International, Honduras S.A. de C.V., (HIH) -- the product manufacturer -- and requested to try the product to see whether it would help his condition.

After some pre-testing and an interview with HIH research director Antonio Alcaide, he started on a course of treatment with the concentrated extract of the fern Phlebodium decumanum. Improvement were dramatic. Weight gain was rapid, and within two weeks he felt markedly better.

Other tests were started, mostly on victims in a debilitated state, but before the appearance of Kaposi's sarcoma, pneumonia, and the opportunistic infections that plague advanced AIDS cases. Similar results were obtained in the other 25 cases studied.

The longest test to date has been 8 months, with no sign of relapse.

The product does not cure AIDS. All patients remain HIV positive, indicating that they still have the infection. It does appear that their natural immune system has been strengthened, enabling their body to function in a near normal manner. The mechanism of improvement is not clear at this time, and tests are being planned with the University of Miami to do a more detailed clinical study on a larger number of patients.

ENCOURAGING RESULTS

It may be premature to declare the Phlebodium decumanum extract an unqualified success. Testing duration is still short, and the number of tests small, but the fact that all have improved markedly, and without any undesirable side effects, is most encouraging. AIDS is possibly the most important infectious disease today, and anything that mitigates the disease would be considered a Godsend.

The Phlebodium decumanum extract, trademarked EXPLY 37, is derived from a rare fern growing near Lake Yojoa that is specially cultivated in closely controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, sunlight, soil moisture, and soil acidity. The fern leaves are difficult to find in nature, and only the leaves have the active ingredients. HIH general manager Jorge Mendoza says it costs about US$250,000 per acre to create the growing conditions necessary. The project is labor intensive. Over 40 people work at Lake Yojoa and produce the ferns on about 10 acres.

The product is an outgrowth of a project initiated by the National Autonomous University of Honduras 20 years ago to identify new natural products of medical value. The Polypodium family was one of two Honduran plant species deemed of special interest. More specifically, the subgenus phlebodium is the fern with the high quantity of active ingredient. A plantation to produce the plant was started, but the project died and the plantation was in ruin eight years ago. HIH bought the assets from the Honduran government a few years ago and began to produce the concentrated product sold in Spain as a prescription drug under the name DIFUR. The product is most commonly sold in capsules, the DIFUR containing about 250 milligrams of active ingredient per capsule. DIFUR can be purchased in Honduran pharmacies without a prescription.

In the last year, a new stage of production has been added, and a syrup is being produced that contains about 1 gram of active ingredient per 5 milliliters, about one teaspoon. This product, called Inmunoviral jarabe (syrup), is not yet in drug stores but can be purchased directly from HIH. This is the product that HIH has been using to treat AIDS, and HIH expects to sell it soon under the new trademark EXPLY 37.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

HIH general manager Jorge Mendoza shows the extraction vessel where the active ingredient is first washed from the fern leaves.

Phlebodium cultivation takes place in carefully controlled conditions of light, humidity, moisture, temperature, and soil acidity. Harvesting of a crop can occur after one year of development, and every four months thereafter. After harvest, the sun-dried leaves are bagged and shipped to the HIH plant at El Picacho, near Tegucigalpa.

The leaves are then transferred to an extraction vessel, where the leaves are washed for a considerable period of time with alcohol to extract the active ingredients. Next follow several stages of purification and concentration in order to achieve the quality of product necessary to be biologically effective.

Finally, the purified product is dried and after testing is placed in capsules or made into the syrup that is now being experimentally used in AIDS research. The finished product is attractively packaged for sale. Tests indicate that the product is practically non-toxic, even in doses far greater than those now being used in studies on AIDS patients.

In a recent interview, an AIDS patient said he had been preparing to die when he read an article about the HIH immunoregulator product and its use in such diseases as arthritis. He said he contacted HIH on his own initiative and requested to try the product for his condition. After pre-clinical testing and an interview, HIH agreed.

His improvement was rapid and dramatic. He says his weight gain was about one pound per week -- he was considerably underweight on starting the test. The patient is visibly healthy, leads an active life, and manages his own business on a full time basis. Before starting the HIH product, he slept several hours during the business day because he simply was not strong enough to keep active.

HIH officials said they had no reason to expect such a positive dramatic effect from the product. The results moved them to initiate a study to find out if other AIDS victims could be helped by their Phlebodium product. HIH selected others, normally in a debilitated state, but before opportunistic infections like Kaposi's sarcoma, pneumonia manifested themselves. Results were similarly dramatic. Recently, testing has expanded to include cases of AIDS that are more advanced, and with lower levels of helper T- cells, the cells that the AIDS virus kills. It is too early to comment on results of these tests.

TESTS UNDERWAY

Due to the lack of advanced testing facilities in Honduras, a large clinical trial is being developed by HIH in conjunction with the University of Miami. This test should document thoroughly the type of improvement the HIH product makes on the AIDS patient, and lead to an understanding of the mechanism of improvement. In the Long term, this could very well lead to new methods of managing AIDS patients.

So far, the HIH product has not been used on any patients that have been undergoing the classical U.S. AIDS treatment, which includes AZT, 3TC, and Crixavan and costs about US$1,200 per month. Mendoza says the cost of treatment with his EXPLY 37 product will cost about US$100 per month in Honduras. There is no way to compare the effectiveness of the treatment, but it seems clear that the HIH product has no toxic side effects, while the U.S. cocktail treatment has a number of very serious long-term side effects.

To date, none of the AIDS patients have paid for the products HIH has provided them for the test. The product has been given in return for the test results. Obviously, at some point HIH will have to be paid for their product. It is a serious business with significant expenses.

There are other potential uses for the Phlebodium product. Some positive results have been obtained in limited testing on people with multiple sclerosis. Results seem to be similar to those obtained with beta interferon, but without side effects. Other testing has been done on patients with Alzheimer's disease, but so far without much impact.

It is interesting to note that the HIH product is a beneficiary of the studies being done to enhance biodiversity. It was in seeking to find medicinal properties in rare plants that the benefits of the Phlebodium extract were scientifically quantified. There is a strong message here to protect the environment.

If the HIH product continues to show significant merit in treating AIDS patients, it will mean a lot of growth for HIH, and will be a real help to the Honduran economy. This could develop into one of the most exciting stories of the century, in Honduras and around the world.

For more information about HIH, Helechos International, Honduras, S.A. de C.V. can be contacted at: Apartado Postal 5380,

Tegucigalpa M.D.C., Honduras, C.A.; Tel: (504) 21-9476, (504) 21-9064, Fax (504) 21-9068; E-mail chemexc@david.intertel.hn

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Central America makes move toward unity

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- In a special summit in Managua, Nicaragua, Central America's presidents have agreed to proceed with the creation of a union similar to that of the European Community to improve living standards and achieve economic stability in the region.

The idea was formulated by presidents Armando Calderon Sol of El Salvador and Carlos Roberto Reina of Honduras and, after a five hour meeting Sept. 2, with presidents Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua, Jose Maria Figueres of Costa Rica, Ernesto Perez Balladares of Panama, and Alvaro Arzu of Guatemala, and Prime Minister of Belize Jose Manuel Esquivel, it was decided to move forward with the integration of Central America.

With this goal in mind, the presidents assigned a high-level task force to prepare the conditions of the union, but noted that the creation of a unified Central America will be a "slow and gradual process," and did not offer a timetable.

The region's heads of state announced in a joint declaration that they are "convinced that unification is the best way to accomplish goals of sustainable development and it is a cause that has been reiterated; to create an isthmus that is the nation of all, and stands firmly for democracy."

They also recognized the necessity of the unification in the fight against poverty, and expressed their desires to create "an equal, prosperous and tolerant union."

The first step in the process will be the reform of the Central American Integration System (SICA) with regards to a reduction in the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), which is headquartered in Guatemala, and the Central American Court of Justice, which is in Nicaragua. SICA was created in 1991 and has been a precursor of the unification movement.

The presidents consider the union a cause for all Central Americans, and have called upon their constituents to support the process and unite in forging a "common home" that will house 30 million Central Americans.

In Honduras, President Reina explained that political union will formally enter into national policy this year. He also justified the possible negative benefits of entering into a union with an economically strong country such as Costa Rica, asserting that the action is the will of all the presidents to unify the region into one single nation.

Reina compared this union to the European Union, which is a community of nations, each maintaining their independence but sharing mutual governing bodies.

In reference to Costa Rica's rejection of the proposal, Reina justified this stance, saying that Costa Rica is a different country, with more than 100 years of democracy and a culture and standard of living above that of the rest of Central America, and that they have certain fears of a "contamination" of their strong political and economic institutions. He maintained that President Figueres is in favor of unification, but as this is a political year, he must act cautiously.

U.S. citizen found dead in El Hatillo

The body of Paul Herron, a U.S. writer, was found in a home near the community of El Corralito on the El Hatillo mountain north of Tegucigalpa last Friday (Aug. 29), the daily La Tribuna reported. A preliminary police report stated that Herron, 30, received several bullet wounds to the head. Also, it stated that Herron had been dead several days prior to the body's discovery by a child. In July, the nude body of Vicenzzina Trimarchi Galindo -- a university student who was raped and murdered -- was found near the same site.

Six official toll from power outage

In a press conference held last Friday (Aug. 29), health authorities announced that the official death toll from a power outage at the Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital was six persons, the daily La Prensa reported. The report, read by hospital director Gustavo Zuniga, stated that medical personnel did everything in their power to save the lives of more than 300 patients. However, due to the lack of power and alternative medical equipment, six persons in critical condition -- several of whom were in the intensive care unit -- died between one hour and 14 hours after the outage.

The report also revealed that top hospital officials were not notified about the accident until an hour afterward. The La article added that hospital officials reportedly admitted to requesting the loan of back-up power generators from the Air Force prior to the accident, since the hospital was having problems with its main power plant. Officials continue to lay all the blame of the Aug. 17 accident on a rat that caused a short-circuit.

Meanwhile, El Heraldo reported that the hospital briefly lost power again last weekend.

Son of justice slain

Juan Carlos Fernandez Flores, the son of a Supreme Court Justice, was gunned down after leaving a San Pedro Sula discotheque last Saturday (Aug. 30). The daily La Tribuna reported that Fernandez was assaulted by an unknown number of men as he was getting into his vehicle, receiving five bullet wounds to the head. Police believe his assailants were carjackers. Fernandez is the son of Justice Jose Fernandez Guzman, a former mayor of San Pedro Sula.

U.S. court orders Honduras to pay Lps. 100 million

A U.S. Federal court of appeals has ordered the Honduran government to pay Lps. 100 million in damages for breach of contract to the firms Honduras Aircraft Register and Compania Aerea de Irlanda, the daily La Tribuna reported Wednesday (Sept. 3). The two firms filed suits against Honduras in 1994 after President Reina canceled their contract to preform inspections all registered aircraft in Honduras.

Four law officers killed this week

An agent of the Department of Criminal Investigation (DIC) on Tuesday (Sept. 3) was killed in a gun battle with a police sergeant accused of murder, the fourth law enforcement official to die in less than a week. According to La Tribuna, Public Security Force Sgt. Miguel Antonio Flores Molina fired on DIC agents attempting to arrest him at the residence of Col. Juan Blas Salazar Meza, where he was assigned by the FSP to provide security. Detective Jorge Villatoro was fatally wounded by Flores, who was also killed in the gun battle. Flores was wanted for allegedly murdering two persons in southern Honduras.

Over the weekend, two FSP agents and a delinquent were killed in a confrontation at a restaurant in Choloma, Cortes. Four other persons were injured, including two law enforcement agents.

'Authentic' Lencas march on capital, hold rally

By BLANCA MORENO

TEGUCIGALPA -- Four thousand Lenca Indians, members of the National Organization of the Lenca People (ONILH), made a pilgrimage to Tegucigalpa last weekend to convince the government that public aid should be directed through them, because they are the "authentic" Indians. The march came one week after the government agreed to give Chorti Indians 630 hectares of land, ending a 16-day hunger strike.

In addition to singing and music from mandolins, flutes, and guitars, the indigenous activists strongly criticize the director of the Committee of Popular Organizations and Indigenous (COPIN), Salvador Zuniga, whom they refer to as a traitor to the indigenous cause.

The ONILH arrived in the capital to organize a demonstration under the lema, "Civic debate over the dignity of the Lenca people." This group is backed by the Reina administration and acknowledges the fair treatment given by the government toward Indians. Attempting to use this influence, group leaders delivered a series of demands to the five presidential candidates.

These demands will be reviewed over the next 60 days by the candidates, who have all promised to fulfill them if elected.

Contrary to marches by other indigenous groups, the Lencas arrived in 45 buses and were thus able to return to their homes at the end of the day.

Among the demands planted during the debate were:

* Establish a program to transfer ownership of land to Lencan communities, coordinated by the National Agrarian Institute (INA) and the ONILH, and to promote financing with international cooperation for the legalization of land.

* Establish a special education program to rescue the Lencan culture and language.

* Appoint teachers according to recommendations made by the ONILH.

* Organize the different Indian groups to create a National Ethnic Council to execute developmental policies.

* Recognize the ONILH as the only legally formed and legitimate organization representing the Lenca Indians.

* Define the boundaries between certain municipal areas, including Chinacla, Cabañas, Santa Elena, Yarula, Santa Maria, Aguanterique, San Pedro Tutule, Opatoro, Marcala and San Jose in La Paz; Intibuca and San Isidrio in Intibuca; Curaren, Lepaterique, Santa Ana, Alubaren and Reitoca in Francisco Morazan; Caiquin, San Manuel de Coloete and La Campa in Lempira.

* Pass legislation that coincides with Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization.

* Legalize the "Our Roots" program, assigning more funds, and modify outdated laws concerning rural savings and loans companies.

* Establish cooperative contracts between the ONILH and the Honduran Corporation of Forestry Development (COHDEFOR), Ministries of the Environment, Culture, and Agriculture, and the National Water and Wastewater Service (SANAA) to manage and preserve natural resources.

* Provide financial support for agricultural and irrigation projects in the communities affected by the El Nino Phenomenon.

There are approximately 100,000 Lenca Indians living in the western part of Honduras, mostly in the departments of La Paz, Intibuca, and Lempira. They have suffered a loss of culture that includes the loss of their native tongue. The rate of Chagas disease, transmitted by the chinche picudo or kissing bug, is high among the Lenca.

Most Lencas belong to the Committee of Popular Organizations and Indigenous (COPIN), headed by Salvador Zuniga, who accuses the ONILH under the administration of Exaltacion Lopez to be manipulated by the government. The ONILH, which was expelled from the Confederation of Autochthonous Peoples of Honduras (COMPAH), claims to have members in five departments: Intibuca, Lempira, Francisco Morazan, La Paz, and Yoro.

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Rat causes 14 hospital deaths in SPS

Denying negligence, hospital director says, "They would have died anyway."

A power outage caused by a rat has resulted in the deaths of as many as 14 patients at the Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital in San Pedro Sula, and charges of gross negligence on the part of hospital authorities.

According to the daily La Tribuna, the hospital lost power around 5 p.m. last Sunday (Aug. 24) when a rat got into the building's power plant, causing a short-circuit. The outage not only affected air conditioning and water supply but also the flow of oxygen to patients on life support systems in the intensive care unit.

Hundreds of patients were literally carried by health personnel, due to the lack of stretchers, to the old Leonardo Martinez hospital and the Honduran Social Security Institute's hospital. However, six patients in the intensive care unit were not moved until hours later, and as a result died.

Incredibly, hospital authorities did not learn about the outage and deaths until they returned to work Monday morning, 14 hours after the accident.

Hospital Director Gerardo Zuniga told La Tribuna that six persons died as a direct result of the power loss, since they were on electrically-powered life support systems. He admitted that several of these persons lived five to six hours after power was lost. Three died on their way to another hospital, he added.

In a subsequent La Prensa report, Zuniga strived to downplay the tragedy, stating that "they [the patients] were going to die anyway."

Assistant Director Alexis Reyes said nine persons died, but not all were due to the power outage. Normally, he said, three or four persons die each day at the hospital. Reyes added that hospital personnel did not immediately move patients because they thought power would soon be restored. In fact, partial power did not return until noon Monday. Zuniga said the hospital will not have full power for at least another two or three days.

La Prensa reported that hospital officials have refused to divulge the names and exact number of victims, but low level employees on Tuesday claimed there were 14 victims, seven at the medical center while seven more died after being transferred to the Leonardo Martinez hospital.

Officials have since prohibited employees from talking with the press, threatening to fire anyone who disobeys this order.

Health Minister Enrique Samayoa, who visited the hospital Tuesday, stated in a La Tribuna article that the rat, and not hospital officials, was to blame for the accident. Asked whether a special commission was going to be appointed to investigate possible negligence, he reportedly replied, "only if the rat had been invited."

However, the president of the hospital's workers union believes that hospital authorities are responsible for the accident, describing the cleaning service there as horrid in a La Prensa report. This is not the first time an animal has caused a short circuit, he said. Previously a cat got into the same power plant several years ago, causing an inconsequential power loss.

Meanwhile, the relative of one victim said he is strongly thinking about filing a lawsuit against the hospital on charges of negligence.

Military rights violator arrested

Retired Col. Manuel Enrique Suarez Benavidez, alleged coconspirator in the detention and murder of two political activists in the 1980s, was taken into custody Monday (Aug. 25) by law enforcement agents after attending a basketball game, the daily La Prensa reported.

A fugitive for more than 14 months, Suarez is one of 18 persons indicted on charges of killing Adan Avilez Funez and Nicaraguan citizen Amado Espinoza Paz, whose bodies were located and exhumed in 1995. Other fugitives in this case include Col. Marco Antonio Matute Lagos, Col. Raymundo Alexander Hernandez Santos and Gen. Daniel Bali Castro.

Suarez, who is currently being held in the Choluteca prison facilities, claims he is innocent.

'Gordito' announces platform

National Party mayoral candidate Cesar Castellanos on Monday (Aug. 25) presented his 10-point plan to transform Tegucigalpa into the "New Capital," the daily La Prensa reported. Castellanos, affectionately known as "El Gordito", said during a press conference that, "My enemies are not politicians; my enemies are the same as yours and they have names...: misery, poverty, negligence, abandonment and corruption. These are our enemies, and it is against them that we will fight a great battle."

His plan's priorities are children, safety, water supply, road repair, garbage disposal, cultural and sports facilities, employment, land ownership, green areas and zoning, and health.

Liberal candidate Herman Allan Padgett also announced his plan, which he promises will tell the Honduran people "the truth and nothing but the truth." Padgett proposes to transform Tegucigalpa into a 21st century city that is safe, efficient, modern and just.

Two banks robbed

A three-week lull in bank robberies ended Monday (Aug. 25) with the theft of approximately Lps. 40,000 from the Sogerin branch bank in San Pedro Sula's Barrio Barandillas, the daily La Tribuna reported. In addition to money, the four bank robbers also took the security guards' weapons -- a .38-caliber pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a Falk rifle. The following day, six thugs stole an undisclosed amount from the La Vivienda branch bank in Tegucigalpa's Colonia Miramontes, across from the Liberal Party headquarters. The robberies were the 39th and 40th this year.

Rodriguez says he won't head police post

Archbishop of Tegucigalpa Oscar Andres Rodriguez last week declined the offer to preside the National Council for Police Transfer, which will oversee the transfer of the police from military to civilian control. He said the Catholic Church views pastoral service as incompatible with participation in secular affairs that could have political implications. However, Rodriguez said he would be willing to collaborate in any way possible with the newly created council.

Persons given elected posts to escape justice

Former President Callejas last weekend admitted in a La Tribuna report that the National Party has included persons accused of corruption on its slate of candidates to grant them immunity. According to Honduran law, candidates as well as congressmen, substitute congressmen and elected executive officials receive immunity and therefore cannot be charged with any crime.

Callejas specifically referred to the case of Mauricio Kattan, brother of congressman Carlos Kattan, who the Attorney General's office has accused of corruption. By including him as a candidate for Cortes department, he said, Kattan "avoided going to jail for a crime he didn't commit and in this way he will be able defend himself against political persecution."