Comments on: Costa Rica arrests four alleged FARC rebels; seizes cocaine and weapons

By: expatin paradise

expatin paradise — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 19:16:00 +0000

Wrong thread – see above. This is about “Costa Rica arrests four alleged FARC rebels; seizes cocaine and weapons.”

By: Timothy Williams

Timothy Williams — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 14:06:00 +0000

Correct. No evidence that they were connected with FARC, nor was it even alleged that they were related to FARC (Commenter Andrew was asking about a different story from the one above). Likely just Somali refugees trying to get themselves smuggled into the US. Refugee Somalis have come ashore in the Caribe here before.

By: expatin paradise

expatin paradise — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 03:53:00 +0000

Thanks for the post. I think that i saw that thread but didn’t see it as responsive to my comment – I still see no evidence connecting these guys to FARC. I do, however, see that they managed to con the judge out of putting them in preventative detention – score another one for the crooks.

By: Timothy Williams

Timothy Williams — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 00:19:00 +0000

Replied on a separate thread, but here you are (copied from other thread):

Andrew – I am going to reply to you here as the additional information we have wasn’t enough to warrant a complete article.

The three that were arrested were actually released the same day with an order to appear at an immigration hearing in San Jose the very next day to see if they could be granted some form of asylum. They failed to appear, and as such they are now wanted by authorities and their whereabouts (along with the others that were able to escape) is unknown.

The initial report that they might have arrived via Nicaragua is now contradicted by a police report in which it is stated they may have arrived via Panama or perhaps the south Caribbean of Costa Rica. They were stopped at a police checkpoint not far from Liberia in a minibus of some sort, apparently being transported by a “coyote.”

By: expatin paradise

expatin paradise — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Still haven’t seen those additional details.

By: Timothy Williams

Timothy Williams — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Thanks for the reminder Andrew, we do have additional info. I’ll see if we can get it published for Wednesday.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 23:20:00 +0000

How about a follow=up on the captured Somalis story Timothy?

By: Timothy Williams

Timothy Williams — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 22:52:00 +0000

Check back here tomorrow.

By: expatin paradise

expatin paradise — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 22:51:00 +0000

One has to wonder if there is any credibility to the OIJ’s assertion that these people “appeared to be part of a FARC cell.” I believe that there was a similar report a few daays earlier. Is this just rhetoric aimed to discredit the leftist FARC, a bid for assistance from the US (which is clearly on the side of the Colombian government)? Perhaps this is just poor communication by the OIJ or bad reporting, but, if there is evidence linking these people to FARC, that evidence should be cited.