QCOSTARICA – Around 100 Costa Rican tourists, in two buses on their way to a Lions Club convention in Nicaragua, were refused entry due to ‘superior orders’ and ‘national security.’
The group, who had invested over US$45,000 for the trip for transportation, accommodations, meals, convention expenses and tourism attractions in Nicaragua, decided to continue on their trip despite the convention being cancelled by Nicaraguan authorities.
According to spokespersons for the group, the tourists had all the required paperwork to enter Nicaragua, yet they were held up at the Peñas Blancas border crossing for more than two hours before being told their entry had been denied.
The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry has reached out to their Nicaraguan counterpart for an explanation.
“Four months ago we organized this group in Costa Rica to go to Nicaragua for a tour and, in turn, participate in a Central American convention of the Lions Club, the convention was suspended, but we still decided to go because we had paid for everything, an investment of more than US$45,000 from the entire group,” explained Marco Gómez, a tourist rejected by Nicaragua.
“We were going as tourists to Nicaragua, we are 100 Costa Ricans from Cartago, Desamparados, Heredia and other places. We left at five in the morning and the idea was to visit Managua, Granada and León,” one of those affected told 100% Noticias.
“We had reservations at the Hilton Hotel and the Holiday Inn in Managua and they (border immigration) did not let us in. They did not give us any explanations even though we had all the papers in order. We had already crossed the Costa Rican border. While lining up to enter to Nicaragua, they kept us for two hours and then the Immigration official told us, ‘No, we are not allowing you to enter Nicaragua’,” explained one of the Costa Ricans.
A number of Costa Ricans had visited Nicaraguan in the past, and without any problems.
“For (national) security reasons,” is the major reason the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo continually use to deny visitors, including its own citizens (Nicaraguan nationals) into the country.
Last week, at the northern border with Honduras, Nicaragua denied admission to university students whose intent was to visit the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
Read the report here: Nicaragua niega el ingreso a estudiantes universitarios que realizarían gira en la Universidad de Costa Rica
After twelve hours of waiting at the border post between Honduras and Nicaragua, the student group canceled the academic tour to Costa Rica, given the refusal of the Nicaraguan immigration authorities.
