TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010
Nicaragua News Bulletin (November 30, 2010)
1. Nicaragua releases White Paper; Costa Rica cancels bi-lateral meeting2. Honduras accuses Nicaragua of arming peasant groups
3. Costa Rican court cancels permission for Crucitas gold mine
4. International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women marked by Amnesty Report
5. US funds women's political initiative
6. Nicaragua ranked best place for foreign retirees
7. Inter-American Human Rights Commission accepts 2002 Bluefields murder case
8. Song from 2005 on the San Juan River becomes hit
1. Costa Rica cancels bi-lateral meeting on San Juan River issue; Nicaragua releases White Paper
During the past week, the controversy over ownership of a tiny triangle of land at the mouth of the San Juan River on the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica continued with Nicaragua publishing a 76 page “white paper” and Costa Rica announcing it will take the issue to the Security Council of the United Nations. A long planned bilateral meeting between Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was cancelled while business people expressed concern that the conflict could affect the extensive commerce across the border between the two countries.
The white paper, entitled “Truths that Costa Rica Hides,” is composed of 12 chapters each of which addresses what the document calls a falsehood, including, for example, “Costa Rica says that Nicaragua invaded its territory militarily, FALSE!” The document challenges the Costa Rica's assertion that it does not have an army, noting that Costa Rica spends much more on its Public Force than Nicaragua does on its military. The document includes numerous photos documenting what it says are environmental violations by Costa Rica on its side of the river and contains information, including maps and photographs, about the historical establishment of the boundary in the 19th century. The document has been distributed to embassies in Managua and Foreign Minister Samuel Santos, travelling in Europe, has given copies to officials there. It can be viewed in Spanish here and in English here.
On Nov. 26, Costa Rican Foreign Minister Rene Castro announced that the meeting between Chinchilla and Ortega would not take place. Costa Rica had demanded as a condition for the meeting that Nicaraguan forces be withdrawn from the area in conflict while Nicaragua had wanted a dialogue without any conditions. Instead of attending the bilateral meeting, Costa Rican officials were preparing to present their case before the Security Council of the United Nations. Castro said that he expected to travel to New York on Nov. 29 to meet with UN officials. Nicaraguan Ambassador to the UN Maria Rubiales, however, said, “I am sure that the 15 members of the Security Council are going to recommend to Costa Rica that it take the litigation to the World Court, which it has already done, saying that the Council does not examine these boundary questions.”
Meanwhile, business leaders expressed concern about the affects of the tensions on cross border trade. Roger Arteaga, president of the Nicaraguan American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) noted that most of Nicaragua's exports to the United States and Europe sailed either from Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, or Puerto Cortes, Honduras. He said, “They should sit down and talk; they don't run the risk of the business people where if they close the borders on us we'll be in profound crisis.” Lucy Valenti, of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tourism, said that Costa Rica is the third most important country of origin for tourists coming to Nicaragua. Of the half million international tourists that visited Nicaragua in the first half of 2010, 12% were from Costa Rica, according to the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute (INTUR).
Nicaraguan Army Head Gen. Julio Cesar Aviles noted at the end of last week that the false accusations of the government of Honduras about Nicaraguans training Honduran resistance members (see story below), when combined with the accusations of invasion of their territory by the Costa Ricans, could constitute a “kind of conspiracy” by several countries against Nicaragua at a time when Nicaragua has a case before the World Court about a maritime territory dispute with Colombia. Both Costa Rica and Honduras have weighed in on the side of Colombia in that controversy. (El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 25, 28; La Prensa, Nov. 25, 26, 27; Radio Primerisima, Nov. 26, 29)
2. Honduras accuses Nicaragua of arming peasant groups
National Assembly President Rene Nuñez dismissed as “lacking seriousness” a claim by Oscar Alvarez, Minister of Defense of the de facto government of Honduras, that Nicaragua is arming and providing military training for thousands of Honduran peasants in the Aguan Valley region of Honduras. Nuñez said there is “no truth” to the allegation. Sources in the Nicaraguan Army backed up Nuñez' assertions. Alvarez additionally claimed that 3,000 Nicaraguans are training armed groups in the Aguan.
On Nov. 15, paramilitaries working for Honduras' richest man, Miguel Facusse, attacked peasant farmers in the Aguan, leaving at least 5 dead and 10 wounded, and the Honduran army has now entered the region with the stated intention of driving out the farmers. The National Front for Popular Resistance, Honduras' non-violent democracy movement, denies that there are armed rebels in the region and points out that the peasant farmers have been the victims of violence, not the perpetrators.
Honduran President Porfirio Lobo also claimed the presence of armed rebels trying to undermine his regime. Army commandos assaulted the offices of the National Agrarian Institute (INA) claiming that arms were being cached there. The military has also raided offices of human rights organizations and activists in an alleged search for arms. No report claimed any arms were found and Honduran officials have yet to present any evidence to support their accusations against Nicaragua. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 24, 25; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 25)
3. Costa Rican court cancels permission for Crucitas gold mine
On Nov. 24, the Tribunal for Administrative Litigation (TCA) of Costa Rica annulled the concession for the Crucitas open pit gold mine which had been challenged by Costa Rican environmental organizations. Infinito Gold, the Canadian company, which began prospecting at Crucitas in 1996 and expected to get over 1 billion ounces of gold from the mine, announced it would appeal to the Supreme Court. If all appeals fail, the Costa Rican government may be obliged to pay over a billion dollars to the company.
The Tribunal also asked the Office of the Prosecutor to open an investigation into the actions of former President Oscar Arias (2006-2010), Environment Minister Roberto Dobles, and six other officials because of alleged irregularities in the concessions extended to the company.
Hundreds of Costa Rican environmental activists celebrated their triumph in front of the Court building. Attorney Edgardo Araya said, “We were able to demonstrate clearly that the State was absolutely negligent.” Marking the bi-national nature of the struggle to stop the mine, environmentalists in Nicaragua also celebrated the victory. Victor Campos of the Humboldt Center said that the cancellation of the mine concession removed one of the major contamination threats to the watershed of the San Juan River from the cyanide that would have been used in the mining process. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 24, 25; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 25)
4. International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women marked by Amnesty Report
Nicaraguan women marched on Nov. 25 to mark the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Managua and other cities demanding more effort by the government to put an end to violence against women and children. Fatima Millon of the Network of Women against Violence said, “This year we already have had 84 women murdered and eight of them were girls under ten years old. The Network reported that in 2000, there were only 4,000 rapes reported to the Special Police Stations for Women and Children but in 2009 that number increased to 31,000.
Amnesty International released a report on that day which lamented a lack of government programs to raise the level of consciousness of the population about the problem of sexual violence against children and change social attitudes that often put the blame on the victim. According to Amnesty, girls who report abuse often are confronted by police officers, prosecutors or judges who do not respect international norms on the treatment of victims. Amnesty also denounced the fact that current Nicaraguan law bans all abortion, obliging girls who become pregnant as a result of rape to carry their pregnancy to term even at the risk of their own health.
Marcia Ramirez, Minister of the Family, told CNN that the government did have programs to change attitudes toward sexual violence against women and children, contrary to the accusations of Amnesty International. She said that in the poorest communities, Ministry workers go door to door to talk to householders about their rights and obligations to prevent violence within the family. She said that the Ministry works in coordination with the police and prosecutors to give support immediately to victims, including shelter where necessary. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 25, 26; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 25)
5. US funds women's political initiative
On November 22, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) introduced two programs in Nicaragua claiming to “promote the participation of women in local politics.” NDI is a core project of the National Endowment for Democracy, a Congressionally-funded, independent agency founded by the Reagan administration to, according to one of its founders, “Overtly do what the CIA did covertly 25 years ago.” The US-funded initiatives are “Win with Women” and “I Know Politics.” Win with Women intends to strengthen the role of women in political parties, and I Know Politics is a website that offers resources, specialized information, and the opportunity to share experiences, according to Marlene Alvarez, program director of NDI in Nicaragua. There was no indication in the press that Sandinista women participated in the conference.
However, dissident Sandinista Rescue Movement (MRS-r) leader and hero of the armed struggle against Somoza, Monica Baltodano, addressed the conference. An independent National Assembly Deputy, Baltodano said that to know and to take control of these initiatives can permit women to advance in political spaces, in the leadership of the parties and public representation. Baltodano said one of the major challenges that face women is to convince male leaders to see women's advances, not as a threat, but as a benefit toward the democratization of the parties.
Thirty-eight percent of ministerial positions in the Ortega government are held by women, but Baltodano lamented that only 20 percent of National Assembly seats are held by women. She acknowledged that the Sandinista Front has the most open space for women, but stated that strict party discipline kept the women from defending “women's interests.” She also criticized the “poor” participation of women in the Liberal parties. Lucia Carrillo Ovalles, who has held several positions in Mexico's right-wing National Action Party (PAN), urged the attendees not to “abandon the struggle.” (La Prensa, Nov. 23; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 23)
6. Nicaragua ranked best place for foreign retirees
The magazine US News and World Report recently ranked Nicaragua the number one affordable paradise for retirees living abroad. The article says, "Nicaragua is more attractive than ever for one important reason: It's a super cheap place to live." It points specifically to Leon, Granada and San Juan del Sur as excellent retirement locations. The retirement locations that followed Nicaragua on the list were Cuenca, Ecuador; Medellin, Colombia; and Chiang Mai, Thailand.
According to the Director of Nicaraguan Tourism (INTUR) Mario Salinas, this announcement will raise the country's prestige in a market that is continuously becoming more picky. This year alone, INTUR projects the arrival of a million tourists that could generate US$400 million in revenue. "We are happy with the (US News) announcement, because it is a recognition of all of the work that we have accomplished since 2008, as INTUR, as the government along with the private sector," Salinas said.
He said that the declaration was also partially due to high health and legal standards. The Metropolitan Hospital in Managua recently received a certification for its high standards, and Nicaragua is ranked as the safest country in Central America. Moreover, the Pensioner and Retiree Law attracts the group through fiscal incentives. It allows retirees to import household items with a value of up to US$20,000 dollars without being taxed. They are also allowed to buy or import an automobile without sales or import taxes if it is for personal use. Additionally, retirees are able to import or purchase building materials for home construction with a value of up to US$50,000 without being taxed.
National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) president Lucy Valenti said that the article would "breathe new life into this type of development." She explained that this will imply the generation of new jobs, not only with the arrival of the retirees but also with their visiting family and friends. (El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 23; Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 24; US News and World Report, Nov. 15)
7. Inter-American Human Rights Commission accepts 2002 Bluefields murder case
The Inter-American Human Rights Commission (an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States located in Washington, DC) announced that it has accepted the case of the murder in Bluefields on April 8, 2002, of Francisco Garcia, husband of indigenous rights attorney Maria Luisa Acosta. The Commission agreed to consider the case based on the presumed denial of justice and violation of the rights of Garcia's family by the Nicaraguan government. At the time of the murder Acosta was defending the land rights of the indigenous and Creole communities of Pearl Lagoon and the Rama community of Monkey Point. Her most controversial work at the time was in defense of indigenous use of the Pearl Cays which were being illegally sold on the internet by US citizen Peter Tsokos.
As reported in El Nuevo Diario last week, Acosta was revictimized by the judicial system, accused of being involved in her husband's murder, while the intellectual authors of the crime, Peter Tsokos and his lawyer Peter Martinez, were protected by judges and magistrates. (Three men convicted of actually carrying out the crime are in prison.)
The case was brought in 2007 by Acosta, her children, and Garcia's parents, and is supported by the Center for Legal Assistance for Indigenous Peoples (CALPI), which Acosta heads, the Center for Justice and Human Rights in the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (CEJUDHCAN), and the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH). The Commission announced that it will continue its in-depth investigation of the case and it will be included in its annual report to the General Assembly of the OAS. (El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 27)
8. Song from 2005 on the San Juan River becomes hit
The group Dimension Costeña never imagined that a song that members recorded in 2005 would become a sort of hymn for the defense of the San Juan River in 2010. Nevertheless, the song, “The San Juan River is Nicaraguan” has become the melody “most listened to” by Nicaraguans living in Los Angeles and Miami, according to a surprised Anthony Mathews, lead vocalist of the group who just returned from a tour in the United States. Mathews said “We're going to sing the song until all Nicaraguans have learned it.” He brought back statements sent by Nicaraguans in the US who said they had put aside political differences to support the government in its fight to defend the San Juan River. The song can be downloaded from here. Another song, this one by Los Rusticos del Norte, accompanied by photos of the San Juan, can be heard here. (El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 27)
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