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Costa Rica Awards Human Rights Medal to Taiwan Vice
President
Taiwan's Vice President Annette Lu received a human
rights medal from the University of Costa Rica
Wednesday for her life-long efforts in promoting
democracy and human rights.
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Taiwan's vice-President Annette
Hsiu-Lien Lu tours the Poas
Volcano, on Thursday June 3,
2004. Lu was on an official
three day visit to Costa Rica to
discuss increased economic
cooperation between Taiwan and
Costa Rica.(AP Photo/Kent
Gilbert).
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Lu arrived in Costa Rica at around noon Wednesday
after a three-day official visit to neighboring El
Salvador where she attended the inauguration of new
Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca on behalf of
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian.
Shortly after her arrival, Lu kicked off a hectic
schedule. In the afternoon, she delivered a speech
on her vision for the 21st century at the University
of Costa Rica.
Lu lauded Costa Rica as a beautiful country which
rejects both war and armed forces while upholding
peace as its ultimate national goal.
"I have traveled halfway around the globe to Costa
Rica from the other side of the Pacific Ocean with
the hope of promoting bilateral cooperation in
creating a new democratic Pacific alliance to work
for the well-being of humankind," Lu said.
While Costa Rica has long been reputed as a
"Switzerland in the Americas, " Lu said, the Taiwan
government is now endeavoring to build Taiwan into a
"Switzerland in Asia."
Stressing that democracy, peace and prosperity are
the universal values of the new Pacific century, Lu
said Taiwan and Cost Rica should jointly push for
the formation of a new alliance of all democratic
Pacific countries and glorify the "soft power"
values of freedom, democracy, science, technology,
love and peace.
At the end of the speech, the university presented
the "best human rights fighter" medal to Lu in
recognition of her contributions to promoting
democracy and human rights over the past decades.
After her arrival in San Jose, Lu was greeted by
Costa Rican Vice President Lineth Saborio at the
airport. She first paid a visit to Costa Rican
President Abel Pacheco de la Espriella and then held
talks with Saborio. Both Pacheco and Saborio
expressed their gratitude for Taiwan's longstanding
assistance to their national development and assured
Lu of Costa Rica's continued support for Taiwan's
cause, including its bid to join the United Nations
and other major international organizations.
Later in the day, Lu visited the Costa Rican
National Assembly where she attended a ceremony
marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Costa Rica.
The two countries signed an amity agreement in 1944
on forging "lasting peace and friendship."
Fischel President and Lawyer Arrested
As a result
of the investigation by authorities into the
irregularities of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro
Social (CCSS), the president of the Fischel
Corporation, Wálter Reiche and Randall Vargas, a
lawyer for the corporation, were given six months of
preventative detention following yesterday's arrest
of the two men.
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The
two men a suspected of conspiracy, uttering
threats, the hiding and destroying of documents,
among other charges in their role with
corruption case against Eliso Vargas, former
president of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro
Social (CCSS). |
The preliminary
investigation showed Reiche is president of the
Panamian coporation, Marchwood Holding INC, that
owned the house in Santa Ana that was rented to the
Vargas.
Investigators found that Vargas tried to buy a house
in the Santa Ana subdivision
Residencial Valle del Sol and was rejected. However,
Olman Valverde Rojas, a financial manager for the
Fischel Corporation - a major supplier to the CCSS -
purchased a 1.100 m2 ( about 10.00 sq. ft) house in
the same subdivision for $735.000 dollars and rents
it to Vargas for $2.500 monthly.
The controversy prompted an investigation into the
relationship between the CCSS and the Fischel
Corporation.
When Vargas was a deputy in the Rodriguez
administration, the purchase of $30 Million dollars
of medical equipment from Finland was approved.
Vargas later became president of the CCSS board of
directors when the public bidding commenced and the
purchase made. The contract for the purchase was
awarded to Instrumentarium Corporation-Medko
Medical, which is represented in Costa Rica by O
Fischel R y Cía, a Fischel Corporation.
This week a court suspended the current CCSS board
of directors for a period of six months following
paid announcements in the local media defending the
CCSS's position and supporting it's ex-president
Vargas.
EBI to Close La Carpio Dump, Cites Violence and
Insecurity of the Area
The Canadian firm EBI that had been
contracted for more than three years to operate the
garbage dump at La Carpio, has decided it has had
enough and will close the dumpt within the next two
weeks.
The EBI corporation cited the violence of last
Monday, complete insecurity in the area and the
inability of the police to restore order in the
area. The closing was confirmed by Juan Carlos
Obando, manager of EBI.
The Municipality of San José dumps about 700 tonnes
of garabage daily. Now that EBI has said "no more",
the Municipality will direct their garbage to Rio
Azul dump, east of San José.
Over the next few days the president of the Canadian
corporation will be coming to Costa Rica to commence
the legal process to break the contract and close
the facility.
Obando said that, though the Carpio dump will be
closed, it does not mean the end of EBI in Costa
Rica. EBI is looking to install a garbage dump at
other sites like in Aserri, where if all goes well,
they will be transferring their 116 employees.
La Carpio was the scene of bloody violence of Monday
in a confrontation between residents of the area and
police. Police used tear gas to control the crowd
and seven people - six police officers and one
residents - were injured in the confrontation.
The violence stemmed from a day of peaceful
demonstration by leaders of the community over their
displeasure with the government's lack of action to
their concerns, like paving roads and other promises
the leaders say were made to them.
As night approached a small group of delinquents
turned the tables and began throwing rocks at police
when asked to remove the barracades blocking the
roadway. Police used tear gas to control the
situation as gunshots were used fired upon them.
A majority of the residents of La Carpio are
Nicaraguans. Government officials were quick to
point out yesterday that Ticos were also involved in
the violence, that of the twelve youths were arrested, four
of them
Cost Ricans.
Credit from World
Bank
Costa Rica will be the recipient of $218 million
from the World Bank (WB) in the coming three years,
to fund infrastructure, education, and agricultural
projects.
This comes after 11 years in which there was scant
relation between Costa Rica and the Bank.
The WB directorship decided on granting the credit
in a meeting in which they acknowledged the efforts
this nation has made in the economic and social
fields, even though lacking support from the Bank.
Cantaloupes to
Europe
The exports of Costa Rican cantaloupes to Europe
reached $49.38 million this year’s first quarter,
5.3 percent more than in the same period last year.
The leading markets are Germany, Holland, the United
Kingdom, and Italy, which experienced a combined
increase of 36.7 percent in the purchase of the
Costa Rican fruit.
According to Agustin Penon, a representative of the
cantaloupe growers and exporters, while they sold
15.5 million boxes of the fruit abroad in 2003, this
year the expected sales are 17 million boxes.
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Venezuelan President says to accept referendum on his rule
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday he would
accept a referendum on his rule and predicted he would defeat his
opposition.
"I believe we're going to have a referendum," Chavez said in a broadcast
to the nation from the presidential palace in Caracas, hours after
Venezuela's National Election Council (CNE) announced that the
opposition had gathered enough signatures required to trigger a recall
vote.
"I accept it," Chavez said, adding it was a triumph for Venezuelan
democracy. He vowed to win the referendum.
CNE's lead judge Jorge Rodriguez announced Thursday that the opposition
had gathered 2,451,821 signatures to demand the referendum, surpassing
the 2.43 million, or 20 percent of the registered voters, as required by
the Constitution to trigger a referendum.
These figures were calculated with about 84 percent of the May 28 votes
counted, about 86 percent of May 29 and about 65 percent of May 30 votes
counted when the reconfirmation process ended.
The electoral body announced when the three-day reconfirmation process
began that the recall referendum would be held on August 8if necessary.
Representatives arrive in Chile for APEC meeting
Ministers and trade representatives of 21 Asia-Pacific economies began
to arrive in Chilean city of Pucon on Thursday for the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting scheduled for June 4-5.
The officials are expected to discuss ways to revive the stalled WTO
talks and accelerate negotiations on free trade agreements.
Chilean Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear and Chinese Commerce Minister Bo
Xilai on Wednesday held talks in Pucon, 800 kilometers south of the
capital Santiago, discussing proposals aimed at reaching a free trade
agreement (FTA).
Alvear is scheduled to meet her counterparts Thursday from Vietnam, New
Zealand, Thailand and Mexico, as well as World Trade Organization (WTO)
Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi.
Alvear and US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick will chair
negotiations for the FTA between Chile and the United States during the
APEC meeting.
The 21 APEC members account for about half of the world's trade and 60
percent of economic output.
Mexico
to strengthen military cooperation with Russia
Mexican President Vincent Fox said Wednesday that his country
looks forward to closer military cooperation with Russia, such as
assembling Russian helicopters in Mexico or importing mixed
civilian-military factories.
Fox made the remarks during his visit to the north-central state of
Hidalgo on Wednesday. He said that the cooperation in arms manufacturing
would be a principal topic in the talks with Russian President Vladimir
Putin, who will arrive in Mexico next Monday for an official visit.
The two leaders will discuss in detail some projects, including the
establishment of a large maintenance center for helicopters in the
central state of Veracruz as the first step to develop an assembling
base for Russian helicopters, Fox told the press.
Fox said he also hopes to sign an agreement with Putin on importing
Russian plants to assemble heavy machinery for the military industry,
construction industry and transport industry.
Mexico, which used to purchase arms from the United States and Europe
during the Cold War, began to import Russian weapons after the collapse
of the Soviet Union. At present, there are 56 Russian-made transport
helicopters in service in the Mexican Air Force.
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