TLC Protest A Success, Say Union Leaders
Organizers expected 10.000, however, more than 20.000 joined forces yesterday on the streets of San José to protest the Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) - the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, after it being sent to the Legislature to be ratified.
President Pacheco, after months of stalling, decided that the document should go to the Legislature, saying it was his duty and obligation.

Unions, public employees, students, teachers, farmers, housewives and many other sectors are against the TLC and yesterday was the first a number of planned protests to show the lawmakers of their solidarity opposing the agreement.

The downtown streets with filled with protestors who marched to the drums and flags, unified, in telling the country's legislators not to ratify the agreement, not to sell out Costa Rica.

Albino Vargas, secretary general of the Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos y Privados (ANEP) called the march a "total success". Vargas added that a study by the mathematics professors of the Matemática de la Universidad de Costa Rica (whose name he couldn't remember) estimated the crowd at 60.000. Others were more reserved, saying 30.000. Based on past demonstrions, the figure was really close to 20.000, double of what had been expected by the organizers of the protest.

In addition to union leaders, leaders of the Movimiento Libertario (ML) party gathers in front of the Legislative building to show support for the movement. The ML has in the past ridiculed the protest marches, prompting union leaders to call out "where are the four cats (referring to the ML leaders) now?"

One group gathered in front of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) building in the Sabana, west of San José, while another group gathered in front of the ICE building in San Pedro, east of San José, south of the San Pedro Mall. Both groups left at 10am to meet downtown and joining forces, headed for the Legislative Assembly building and Avenida Central.

"The trade agreement serves no one save the capilalists, which will leave Costa Ricans hungry and poor", were one of many chants and screams of protest coming from the loudspeakers.

Henry Mora an economics professor of the Universidad Nacional said that yesterday's protests is a small representation of the opposition to the TLC.

Opposition questions the wording of the agreement that was signed by the central American governments and the United States in August of 2004. All the other Central American countries had the agreement ratified by their respective legislators, save Costa Rica.

President Pacheco defending his stalling and earlier refusal to the send the trade agreement tot he legislature unless the Tax Reform package was passed, said that United States president Geroge W. Bush told him to take his time. The two met earlier this month at the Americas Summit in Argentina.

Although organizers had said that the protest would paralyze the country, however, outside of downtown San José, life was normal. ICE offices, as well as other governmnet insitutions were open, though only a skeleton staff was on hand to provide services. The ICE building in San Pedro was completely closed off by demonstatros, shutting down operations there, including the 113 directory service.

A call to 113 yesterday was met that the call could not be completed. Some cellular users complained of sporadic call dropping, though that could have been just a coincidence. A call to 116, the international directory assistance, the operator told ICR that she did not participate in the strike because she could not afford having her pay docked the day and since 116 operations were not in either of the East and West buildings, she and many others chose to stay on the job.