Yesterday's approval came from 38 of the 44 legislators voting in favour of the seatbelt use, while 4 deputies from the Movimiento Libertario, Liberacionista (Green Party) and former presidential candidate José Miguel Corrales and Edwin Patterson, of the Acción Ciudadana, voted against the initiative.

The law calls for a fine of ¢8.000 colones for the driver of a vehicle who does not buckle up or allows any passenger to ride in the vehicle while not using the seatbelt.

The approved law now passes to the "Poder Ejecutivo" for the respective presidential sanction. It will then need to be published in the official newspaper La Gaceta.

The current law that was struck down in 1997 by the Sala IV (the Constitutional Court) only allows the driver to be fined ¢5.000 colones if he/she allows a minor (under the age of 18), disable persons or seniors (over 65 years of age) to ride without buckling up.

The new law however, has some extra bite. Transit officials will be allowed to confiscate the driver's license of any driver driving in excess of the speed limit or driving while intoxicated.

Ignacio Sanchez, director of the Transit Police, said that Transit officials will only confiscate a license in the case of drunk driving or in the case of excessive speeding. The license will be handed over to the judicial courts who will then decide the period of confiscation.

Sanchez added that in the case of driving without a seatbelt, Transit officials will only issue a fine.
 

Scam: Pay Us to Send Your Prize
When the woman received a call informing her she had won $350,000, it sounded too good to be true. Unfortunately for her, it was not a good deal. The caller informed the woman she had to send money to Costa Rica to collect her prize.

Sadly, the call was a fake and the woman lost $1,450 to a telephone scam. This scam, which happened at the end of March.

In this scam the caller usually identifies himself or herself as an executive of a publishing or lottery. The caller will inform you of your prize winning and that you have to wire a sum of money to collect the prize.

The caller will give the victim a telephone number in case it is to be referenced.

The money is to be wired through Western Union to supposedly necessary to cover routing costs and for "insurance" purposes.

The caller will be given specific instructions and the names of the person or person who will receive the money in Costa Rica. And since the victim is now armed with the caller's name and telephone number and a name in Costa Rica, it all has to be real.

Unfortunately, since the money is sent to a foreign county it is out of U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction and law enforcement and nothing can be done to get the money back.

A call to the number will not get you anywhere either, as the call will be transferred from one person to another, only to get the run around in an attempt to frustrate the caller into giving up.

Scams can come from many ways, by telephone, mail or the internet and anyone can be the victim of a scam.

Everyone needs to remember they should not give out information or send money to anyone unless they initiate the activity. Special concern is necessary if the caller wants money sent by wire, money order or certified cash in order to receive a larger prize.

Anyone who receives such a call should refuse to send any money or give out any type of information and should contact local authorities immediately.

The identity of the victim who sent their letter to insidecostarica.com is not been released.
 

It's Offical: Rainy Season to Start May 15
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional(IMN) informs that the rainy season will begin May 15. More or less, according to their forecasting data.

The IMN also said that the high temperatures experienced over the past week will continue over the next coming weeks. The temperature dropped a bit in the last couple of days, with some cool breezes at night due to a cold front coming from the north.

However, the weatherman says that the average temperature will be between 27.5C in the Central Valley to 40C in the Guanacaste region.

Ticos have been complaining about the heat. Ticos are not accustomed to the high temperatures and humidity experienced lately, especially at night, when it typically cools off.

 

Colombian army rescues 28 kidnapped by FARC guerrillas
The Colombian army has rescued 28 people kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas in the southwest of the country, the military said on Tuesday.

The 28 people were abducted by the rebels in Florida, the southwestern state of Valle del Cauca, while traveling by bus and private vehicle.

Col. Alfonso Yunda Martinez, commander of the army's Codazzi Battalion, revealed that a soldier named Gerson Cortes Guevara was killed during the rescue operation.

Yunda said the FARC's Gabriel Galvis front has conducted massive abduction to demand money.

Meanwhile, at least 25 travelers were also kidnapped by the FARC on Tuesday, after the guerrillas killed a soldier near the city of Cali, the military of the area said.

The 17,000-strong FARC is the oldest and largest leftist guerrilla group in Colombia and is financed by drug operation and kidnappings.

Colombia has been locked in a four-decade civil war, the longest in Latin America, in which government forces, leftist guerrillas and far-right paramilitaries fight one another. The conflicts kill an average of 3,000 people every year.
 

Former Argentine president not to request political asylum in Chile
Former Argentine President Carlos Menem denied Tuesday that he would seek political asylum in Chile to avoid testifying in the justice tribunals which have conducted different processes against him in his country.

Menem emphatically reiterated he would not plead guilty to the charges of illegal gun smuggling to Croatia and Ecuador during his mandate, failing to mention properties in his sworn declaration and money laundering.

"It has never been my will to request political asylum in Chile," Menem said in a statement. "I am not willing to give myself to satisfy the appetite for revenge and punishment of my political contenders," he added.

Menem, ruled Argentina from 1989 to 1999, lives in Chile's capital Santiago with his Chilean wife Cecilia Bolocco and their son Maximo Saul.

Menem defended himself on each of the accusations, saying that they were part of political persecution against him and he would not have the least opportunity for a just defense.

The former president ironically said, "If it is about looking for accusations, imagination can take us to unsuspected limits." He also complained of the lack of respect for his family.

The Chilean government announced Tuesday that, if asked, it would not provide political asylum for Menem.

Also on Tuesday, Menem did not show up in the office of federal judge Norberto Oyarbide in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, who charged him for failing to mention in his sworn declaration the 600,000-US-dollar bank account in Switzerland.

The judge announced that if Menem did not answer to a new summon he would be declared an international fugitive.
 

Bolivian Cabinet Resigns on Gas Dispute
The Bolivian cabinet of 15 ministers resigned Tuesday amid a gas dispute, presidential spokesman Oswaldo Candia said.

The political crisis emerged after an alleged strife between Mines and Hydrocarbon Minister Antonio Aranibar and Economic Development Minister Xavier Nogales over the controversial issue of gas exports, reports reaching here from Bolivian political capital of La Paz said.

Aranibar stood by selling gas to Argentina, but Nogales and radical opposition argued that Argentina might export the gas to Chile, which deprived Bolivia of its sea outlets in a war years ago.

The reports also said alleged pressure from the US Embassy in La Paz to force the resignation of Interior Minister Alfonso Ferrufino over the anti-drug policy also contributed to the crisis.

This is the first serious political blow sustained by President Carlos Mesa, who was sworn in last October.