Priests Accused
of Abuses Against Minors
A young man in Orotina, west of San José, formally
charged father Enrique Vásquez, who is a fugitive of justice, for
aggravated rape on three separate occasion and one case where other
priests may have been involved.
This was the information on the complaint made before the
Fiscalía de Atenas and confirmed by Casa Alianza.
Yesterday, Luis Rodolfo Toruño, director of the Nicaraguan
immigration confirmed that Vásquez entered that country on the 1st
of July at the Las Manos crossing point bordering with Honduras.
The young man who is now 23 years of age, assures authorities that
the abuses occurred when he was only 11 years old and served as
alter boy in the Orotina, Alajuela, parish.
The young man in his statement said that father Vásquez took
advantage of him in the father's house while the two were alone.
Also, the priest had taken the young boy on trips to Jacó and San
Ramón and San Carlos, where more abuses took place.
Vásquez was a priest at the Orotina parish for seven months.
The complaint, according to Casa Alianza, says that on one occasion
the young man, accompanied by Vásquez, was taken to an office in
Alajuela, where there were other priests present and one of them,
according to the complaint, also raped the victim.
The young man also says that on one occasion Vásquez took him and
another boy to a river in San Carlos for bathing, where other
priests had taken him also and had abused him as well.
There are three other complaints of abuse against Vásquez. One by a
minor who claims to have been abused by Vásquez in 1998 and in March
of this year, when the priest worked at the Casa Cural de Florencia,
en San Carlos.
Caja
President Gives Support for Cuban Therapists
The newly appointed president of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro
Social (CCSS) or commonly known as the Caja, Dr. Alberto Sáenz, gave
his complete support for the Cuban therapists that were part of the
Fischel contract that came under scrutiny over the past weeks.
Dr. Sáenz, visited the Hospital Mexico and was convinced that the
hiring of the Cubans was a good thing, however, he did not endorse
the way the contract had come about.
The report questioned the hiring nine Cubans for a salary of between
$4.500 and $6.000 per month with the Fischel Corporation as the
middleman, rather than negotiating the services with the Cuban
government directly, which would have resulted in a lower cost to
the Caja.
Dr. Sáenz said following his tour that the hospital Mexico was the
best facility to install the Centro Nacional contra le Cáncer -
Narional Cancer Centre.
The Cancer Centre project is still be fore the Legislative Assembly
awaiting approval.
Abandoned Cars
to be Destroyed by Customs
As of June 17 of this year, the Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), requires all vehicle importers an
authorized certificate of gas emissions by the State were cars are
purchased.
Florida is one state that does not provide such a certificate and
where most of the cars imported to Costa Rica originate, thus is
impossible to obtain such a certificate.
This situation has caused that more than 8.000 vehicles sit at the
Dirección de Aduanas (Costa Rican Customs) and cannot be handed over
to their owners. And to make matters worse, Customs has announced
that it will destroy all vehicles that are abandoned by their
owners.
According to a MOPT official, in the past, a certificate from any
authorized dealer or shop was acceptable to legally enter a vehicle
in Costa Rica. The MOPT official added, that if the 8.000 cars now
in Customs have this certificate, they could be entered.
According to Héctor Arce at the MOPT, the Transport Ministry has
asked a suspension of all auction sales and donations of abandoned
vehicles, as it would be unjust that the owners could not legally
enter the vehicles, now that someone else other the owner are able
to use them.
As the debate continues, the order by the Ministerio de Hacienda
(Revenue Ministry) that oversees Customs still stands.
Hikes in Public Services Requested
While employees salaries for this half of the year have
been set at 3.5% for public employees and 6% for the private sector,
businessmen are asking the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios
Públicos (ARESEP) increases in the cost of public services of up to
150%.
Fourteen requests for increase in the price of public services are
before the ARESEP that included hikes in bus fares, telephone,
electrical rates and gasoline prices.
Bus route operators make up the largest number of the requests. Some
350 routes will be affected if the rate hikes are approved.
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) is asking for a
hike in telephone rates for fixed lines and cellular services. An
increase of 12% is expected. Meanwhile, the electrical service
provided in Heredia is demanding a raise of 27% in electrical rates
to its customers.
The ARESEP has 30 days in which to review the requests and make a
decision. In the case of the bus hikes, the ARESEP is scheduled to
provide a decision not later than 16 July.
Costa Rican Named
U.N. Education Envoy
The U.N. Commission on Human Rights has named Costa Rican, Vernor
Muñoz Villalobos, to study and report on world access to education.
The nominations of Muñoz and 13 other special rapporteurs or
independent experts were made public in a U.N. news release on July
9.
The special rapporteur on the right to education is in charge of
preparing world reports on access to this basic human right. Muñoz
will assume this post at the end of July 2004.
Muñoz, who has studied philology, law, philosophy, and education,
and has extensive experience in human rights issues, was recommended
for the position by the Costa Rican mission in Geneva.
Costa Rica´s Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar, said that education is
a factor of social inclusion for the eradication of poverty and the
promotion of democracy, peace and liberty.
Costa Rica hosts the next Iberian-American Summit Conference, which
has as its theme "Educate for progress," November 19-20. The summit
will bring together heads of state of 21 Latin American nations,
Spain, and Portugal.
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