First off, we hope that all of our US readers had a
great Thanksgiving Day here.
I myself went to one of the restaurants serving the
traditinal meal, and it was excellent. Hope all of
you had a great day too!
John
Mystery Surrounds Death Of U.S. Citizen in San José
U.S. citizen Mathew Lee Stone, 26, died Nov. 19 at the
National Psychiatric Hospital in Pavas, a western
suburb of San José . The circumstances surrounding his
death remain unclear, since the San José Municipal
Police and the U.S. Embassy maintain two different
versions of the course of events.
Manuel Garro, director of the Municipal Police, told
The Tico Times yesterday that the police call center
received a call on the afternoon of the 19th from a
woman who said she was the assistant to the U.S.
Consul. The woman told police there was a U.S. citizen
wandering around the eastern San José neighborhood of
Barrio Amón, and asked police to take the man to the
Psychiatric Hospital.
Officials found Stone at approximately 5 p.m. and took
him to the hospital, Garro said. He added Stone spoke
with the officers, at least one of whom conversed with
him in English, and told them he “wanted to go have a
few beers.”
However, upon arrival at the hospital, Stone fell down
and began to convulse, and his face became discolored.
He was immediately admitted to the hospital and died
15 minutes later, according to Garro.
He added Stone's body is currently at the Forensic
Medicine Complex in San JoaquÃn de Flores,
approximately 40 minutes northwest of San José . The
body is undergoing toxicological exams to determine
the cause of death.
Contributing to the bizarre nature of the death is the
fact that U.S. Embassy representatives contradicted
the Municipal Police version of events in their
comments to the daily Al DÃa.
The embassy press office told Al DÃa the police, not
the embassy, made the decision to pick up Stone, and
called the embassy to announce they had Stone in
custody and wanted to bring him to the embassy.
Since the embassy has no medical facilities, consulate
staff told police to bring Stone to a psychiatric
center, according to the newspaper.
“It's a very strange situation,” Garro said, referring
to the contradictory information provided by the
embassy. He maintained that the Consul's Office, or at
least a woman claiming to work there, made the first
contact, not the police, and said police call records
would verify that fact.
Al DÃa also reported that embassy representatives said
they had been investigating Stone since Nov. 18, when
he tried to enter a North American company in Costa
Rica without permission. The name of the company was
not released.
Poverty On The Increase
According to a study by the Hogares de Propósitos
Múltiples del Instituto Nacional de EstadÃsticas y
Censos (INEC), 42.000 Costa Rican families were added
to the "poverty" list.
The census study took several months to compile the
data collected between 5 July and 4 August of this
year, which reveals that 21.7% of families live in
poverty, of which 5.6% live in "extreme" poverty.
That means that 42.000 more families were poorer this
year (2004) than last year, when the poverty indicator
reached 18.5%.
The numbers translate to 298.680 households -
representing 873.301 persons - that are living in
poverty in Costa Rica. Of those, 204.000 people are
living in extreme poor conditions that don't count
with the basic necessities, this according to
Elizabeth Solano, co-ordinator for the study.
The study also reveals that the highest indicator of
poverty is in the urban areas, where an increase was
detected, that went from 15.4% last year to 19.9% this
year. In rural areas the increase was smaller, going
from 23.1% last year to 26% this year.
The increase in poverty was seen in all regions except
the Central Pacific region, that includes Puntarenas.
The hardest hit areas is the Brunca region, where a 7
percentage points increase was registered.
The Pacheco government, whose priority has been to
fight poverty, criticized the methodology used in the
study. The INEC however says that the study was
carried out using the same methods as in the past
years.
According to INEC the "canasta basica" (basic food
basket) increased by 16%, while general incomes only
rose by 12%. The Canasta Basica includes 45 staple
items that, in theory, are able to meet the basic
daily requirements of an individual.
Last year, in contrast, general income rose by 10%,
while the Canasta Basica only increased by 6%.
Health Ministry Will Distribute 600.000 Condoms
The Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry) has made a
purchase of 600.000 condoms that it will distribute
free of charge in the coming year in it's battle to
reduce AIDS in the country.
Health Minister, Rocio Sáenz Madrigal, said that this
coming year, her ministry will launch a massive
campaign directed all sectors of society, with
emphasis on women, adolescents and those in the prison
system.
In Costa Rica the first cases of AIDS were registered
in 1983. To date 2.546 cases have been reported.
Statistics show increase in the number of AIDS cases
was reported each year up to 1999 when a drop was
seen.
Those affected the most are between 20 and 49 years of
age of which 87.4%.
In the last nine years, the Health Ministry has been
keeping records by province and shows that the
majority of cases reported are in San José, followed
by Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Puntarenas, LÃmon and
Guanacaste.
According to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social
(CCSS), they believe that about 12.000 persons are HIV
positive in Costa Rica, and is investing some us$4
million dollars each year in medication and treatment
for AIDS victims.
RodrÃguez Is Hurt; Calderón Uses Internet For His
Message
Former president, Miguel Angel RodrÃguez, who is
preventive detention for six months for his part in
the ICE-Alcatel scandal and for receiving monies from
the government of Taiwan while in office, accused
current president Abel Pacheco for "condemning" him
before his day in court.
RodrÃguez in an interview with local channel 11 news,
said he is "profoundly hurt" that Pacheco would take
the sides of the Judicial system, that placed in
handcuffs and made a circus of his arrival in Costa
Rica.
"I find it hurtful that there is no respect for the
division of powers", were the words of the former
president.
RodrÃguez added that he sees Pacheco as wanting to
"earn points" by "mounting the wave of public opinion"
that has judged and condemned him already.
RodrÃguez and Pacheco belong to the same political
party, the Partido Unidad Socialcristiana (PUSC).
Pacheco followed RodrÃguez in the presidential chair
in the 2002 elections, that broke traditions of
alternating power with the Partido Liberación Nacional
(PLN).
RodrÃguez said in the interview, that he voluntarily
gave up his position as Secretary General at the
Organization of the American States (OAS) and that he
voluntarily came back to Costa Rica and he is the only
one of the accused in jail. "I am worried about a
Fiscal (prosecutor) who bargains with others accused
and allows them to stay in their homes while I am in
jail. It appears there is no equal treatment"
RodrÃguez said.
RodrÃguez's comments were directed mainly at his
former friend and ex-minister in his administration,
José Antonio Lobo, whose testimony was key to the
detention and imprisonment of RodrÃguez.
Lobo is under house arrest for his role in accepting
us$2.4 million dollars from the French
telecommunications firm Alcatel, and then distributing
a share to RodrÃguez.
Meanwhile, former president Rafael Angel Calderón, who
is expected to be out of preventive detention in about
25 days (December 22), is using the internet to offer
his supporters best wishes and a thank you.
His website
http://www.amigosderafaelangel.org/ArchivoMensajes.htm
talks about "No to lynching and no to the violation
of citizen rights". The website has fotos of Calderón
and his family and his message for solidarity. The
website includes letters of support from friends, who
feel that the former president has been wrongly
accused.
Calderón is also using the internet by sending emails
to his mailing list to get his message across to his
"dear friends".
Fifteen Universities Not Authorized
Costa Rica has 50 private universities and 75 campuses
that are authorized to function, however, it has been
discovered that 15 others don't, which could mean that
degrees from those unlicensed universities may be
worthless.
For years private universities have been operating in
Costa Rica, however, it is only recently that the
Ministerio de Educación (Education Ministry) has the
statistics.
According to Education numbers, the 50 universities
have 46.000 students enrolled. Each year between
13.000 and 15.000 students graduate, mostly in
business administration, education, psychology, law
and medicine.
Those students graduating from the 15 unnamed
universities, Education officials say their degrees
have no validity and may be practicing in the field
illegally in cases such as law and medicine.
On their website, the Education Ministry lists only
private educational centres who are authorized by the
Ministerio de Educación Pública and recommend parents
and students to contact the Ministry if they have
doubts if the school they are attending is not
registered.
Exodus and Return
With 24-hour operations at the ports of arrival and
border crossings, as well as more control at "blind"
spots used by illegal immigrants, mainly in the border
with Nicaragua, the Costa Rican Immigration Service is
making efforts to cope with the usual crisis it faces
every December and January.
This is so because thousands of Nicaraguans travel to
their homeland for Christmas and New Year, and try to
come back after their vacation, even though a large
number of them are illegally working in Costa Rica.
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