27.500 Denied Entry in the First Six Months of the
Year
Marco Badilla, Director of Immigration,
yesterday released a report that says some 27.500
foreigners were refused entry into Costa Rica when
they tried to enter the country illegally.
During the first six months of this year, immigration officials
detained and expelled an average of 152 foreigners per day at the
country's border points.
Badiall said that if the numbers stay constant, the total for the
year will be about 55.000 refusals, up from the 45.308 recorded in
the year 2003.
Immigration officials have the right to refuse entry to anyone whom
they believe is attempting to enter Costa Rican soil illegally. This
rule applies at all border land crossings points and airports
According to the the immigration director, immigration officials, in
their decision, will take into consideration the person's means -
the way they dress, lifestyle and financial means, as well as
elements of national security in their decision to deny or approve
entry.
Badilla emphasized that immigration officials will also refuse entry
to anyone who is suspected of coming to Costa Rica for the purposes
of sexual tourism. Immigration officials will deny entry to any
person whom them believe is coming to Costa Rican solely with that
intention.
The report also says that 700 foreigners where deported from Costa
Rican during the period of January 1 and June 30 of this year.
Badilla explained that deportation usually occurs when a foreigner
is found to be in the country illegally - cannot prove his or
her entry into the country or their visa has expired - or in
possession of false or falsified documents.
The report details that of the 27.500 that were refused entry,
26.654 were Nicaraguans, 152 Colombians, 246 Panamanians, 78
Americans, 10 Canadians, 4 Bolivians, 34 Ecuadorians, 15 Hondurans,
5 Indians, 4 South Africans and 22 Dominicans, while the rest from
various other nationalities.
Of the 700 deported: 426 were Nicaraguans, 46 Peruvians, 63
Colombians, 20 Panamanians, 15 Ecuadorians and 9 Vietnamese origin.
Also, on the list of deportations, there included 2 Canadians, 8
Asians, 3 Americans, 8 Hondurans, 8 Mexicans, 3 Italians, 2 Russians
and 1 Swiss national.
Immigration Director Badilla, added in his report, that it's
imperative that the government approve as quickly as possible a
reform in the Ley de migración, that would among other
things, sanction "coyotaje" - the trafficking of illegals.
The report concluded that if "coyotaje" is made illegal,
immigration's efforts would be reinforced.
Seniors Get Scammed
Fifty senior citizens find themselves at the short end of
a vacation package.
A man, identified as Enrique Quesada Mayorga, offered the seniors a
three days excursion to the beaches of the Papagayo Peninsula, that
included everything for ¢50.000 colones. The seniors are part of the
Programa de Rehabilitación Cardiaca de Heredia.
A day before the May 21 travel date, Mayorga, sent a fax to the
seniors telling them that the trip had to be cancelled due to
climate conditions and the possibility of mudslides. Two months
later, the seniors never got to go on the trip and have yet to
receive a refund for the cancellation.
A complaint of fraud has been registered with the Fiscalía de
Heredia - the prosecutor's office - by the seniors. Meanwhile,
Mayorga is keeping quiet and with the loot in his pocket.
Romeria to be
Safe and Clean
In 12 days - the "romeria a la
Virgen de los Ángeles" to Cartago commences, when
thousands will walk their way to the Basilica in
Cartago, some from as far away a Liberia and other
rural communities of Costa Rica, in the annual
Pilgrimage.
This year, the Municipality of Cartago, host of the
annual event, has placed some 190 refuse containers
and has three garbage trucks and a team of 60 that
will ensure that the route is kept clean.
Health Minister, María del Rocío Sáenz, announced
that commencing on July 30 and ending August 3, her
Ministry and other institutions like the Red Cross,
the National Emergency Commission, the Fuerza
Publica (police) and Transit Police will ensure that
the thousands who make their way to the "Negrita"
will be safe and the walk is peaceful.
The walk ends with the traditional walk past the
statute of "La Negrita" who is believe to have
miraculous healing power to those who bring
offerings and sacrifice.
More than 300 Red Cross workers and thousands of
police officers will line the route, along with some
400 Transit officials to regulate vehicular traffic
and help walkers avoid being hit by cars.
This year, vendors will not be permitted to sell
food, beverage and other goods along the route.
Organizers have set up some 200 fixed points where
food and beverages will be sold. The Health Minister
said that officials will continually monitor the
quality of all foods and beverages sold at the
stands.
And, as well, the Health Minister Sáenz said the
water at the Basilica has passed health inspections.
"Romeros" traditionally purchase bottled water that
runs by the Basilica believing it contains powers.
It Was
a Madhouse for GSM Lines!
Hundreds made long lines at all offices of ICE yesterday to get a
GSM line, as ICE began selling off some 15.000 GSM lines that is
says were a result of people not paying their bills and losing the
line, while others switched back to the TDMA service.
ICE had announced more than a month ago that thousands of GSM lines
were going to made available and on Friday it confirmed that 15.000
lines were going to on sale on Monday (yesterday).
At the ICE offices in Pavas, some 300 people were still waiting for
service at 2:30pm, while those arriving were turned away, told to
come back today. Not all those who made the lines yesterday got
service. At 6pm, all ICE offices were closed and those who didn't
make it to the counters, were told to come back.
ICE says that 5.000 of 15.000 lines were activated.
A local dealer in the downtown area, authorized by ICE to activate
cellular service, told ICR that the phones starting ringing in the
early hours of the morning and continued throughout the day. The
dealer said that his allotment of GSM lines were used up in the
first hours of opening his doors.
Cellular service is available only to Costa Ricans and foreigners
with a residency cedula. The cost is $12.500 for the deposit and two
invoices for the telephone unit and a copy of the cedula are
required to get activation, which is immediate.
Kerry Would Re-Negotiate the Central America Free Trade Agreement
John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential
nominee, is taking on American companies like Harken Energy and
United Parcel Service with his plans to limit their rights under
international trade agreements. Kerry, who repeated his pledge this
month to review trade accords in his first 120 days as president,
said he wanted to change treaties so that companies could not
challenge environmental and health regulations.
.
The change would limit a company's ability to sue other nations to
recover lost investments. "If anybody believes we need watered-down
provisions for protecting American businesses abroad, he doesn't
know what he's talking about," said Brent Abadie, chief executive of
Harken Costa Rica Holdings, a joint venture of Harken Energy, which
is based in Houston, that is suing Costa Rica for $57 billion over a
lost oil-field claim. President George W. Bush sold his oil business
to Harken Energy and was once on the Harken board.
The Bush administration negotiated a treaty with Australia that was
approved by Congress last week and with Costa Rica, Nicaragua,
Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador - Central America Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA) - that still requires congressional review. Kerry,
a four-term senator from Massachusetts, opposes the Central American
Free Trade Agreement and said he would renegotiate the treaty if
elected president.
"I will bring us back to the negotiating table to develop an
agreement that provides economic benefits, creates jobs and includes
strong protections for labor and the environment," he said in a
speech in Wisconsin on July 3.
Kerry wants to make sure new trade agreements do not give investors
from other countries greater rights than those in the United States,
a campaign spokesman, Phil Singer, said. The pledge to review trade
agreements is part of a six-point plan that Kerry outlined in April
to stop companies from taking business abroad.
As president, Kerry would have the authority to renegotiate the
agreements, said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the
Washington-based Institute for International Economics and a
Treasury Department official in the Ford and Carter administrations.
Costa Rica has put on hold the sending Free Trade Agreement to the
Legislative Assembly for discussion and ratification, while it deals
with the more pressing issue of tax reform.
The other Central American governments of
El Salvador and
Nicaragua have already sent their agreements to their respective
legislatures, while Guatemala and Honduras have not announced it
officially, but is expected it will be doing so in the near future.
High School Students Explore Rainforest
Seventeen Utah high school students recently had the opportunity of
a lifetime to study the geology and natural environment of Costa
Rica firsthand.
The 11-day trip in early June was part of the Utah Valley State
College Concurrent Enrollment program, which allows Utah high school
students to take college-level courses and earn college credit
before they finish high school.
The Costa Rica trip enabled students to observe principles taught in
the classroom in action. Students paid their own way to observe
Costa Rica's natural landscape.
Participants visited several active volcanoes and solidified lava
flows. One volcano, the Volcano Arenal, erupted in view of their
hotel.
In addition to studying volcanoes and geology, students explored a
beach and seven types of rainforest to observe the unique plant and
animal life.
Studying in Costa Rica, students interacted with its people and did
a service project to benefit a rural school by donating money and
school supplies. The Costa Rican students in turn treated their
visitors to a game of soccer and performed traditional songs and
dances in a formal presentation.
 News
Briefs
-
This month, the Ministerio de Hacienda (Revenue Ministry) included
some 33.000 retired teachers to it's pay systems called INTEGRA,
however, some 11.000 have not received a colon, while others have
seen a reduction in payments. A spokesperson for Hacienda said that
tests were run before the system was put in place, but it still has
some errors in the system. INTEGRA has been working for about a
year, all government salaries are paid through INTEGRA save those of
the Education Ministry.
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