Costa Rica’s lawmakers are looking to eliminate 196 laws deemed “obsolete”, but nonetheless are still on the books.
A law adopted in 1865 giving the mother of Juan Santamaría a pension, or the law to declare war on Germany, as part of the 196 obsolete laws that would be erased by the a bill introduced in the Legislature by several legislators.
According to PUSC legislator and wife of former president, Miguel Angel Calderón, Gloria Bejarano, today one cannot claim ignorance of the law, but who is to learn the more than 18.000 laws Costa Rica currently has on the books.
Some other examples of laws that the bill will erade are the Military Code of Justice of 1898 and the approval of the executive (president) to declare war on Japan and other non-American power.
José Francisco Salas, director of the Sistema Nacional de Legislación Vigente (National Legislation), said “in a strange way you could say that they are all still in force”.
The president of the Legislative Assembly, Victor Emilio Granados, supports the initiative and will ask the Executive branch of the government (the Presidencia) to convene speciall session so that the proposal can be approved as quickly as possible.
Chinese and Costa Rican chefs cook the world's largest fried rice in celebration of Chinese New Year, for which they obtained a Guinness record, in San Jose on Feb 12, 2013.
Chinese and Costa Rican chefs cook the world’s largest fried rice in celebration of Chinese New Year, for which they obtained a Guinness record, in San Jose on Feb 12, 2013.
On Tuesday Costa Rica’s Chinese community celebrated the the arrival of the Year of the Snake by setting in San José the world record for the largest amount of fried rice ever cooked.
Briton Ralph Hannah, an inspector with the Guinness World Records, certified the win after putting the giant meal – enough to feed some 7,000 people – on a scale.
Chinese and Costa Rican chefs cook the world’s largest fried rice in celebration of Chinese New Year, for which they obtained a Guinness record, in San Jose on Feb 12, 2013.
The official weight: 837 kgs (1,845 pounds), which nearly doubles the previous record.
Armed with shovel-sized spoons, 52 cooks toiled over an enormous wok built especially for the event in San Jose’s recently inaugurated Chinatown.
Some 735 kgs of rice were used, along with 200 kgs of chicken, 120 kgs of ham, 20 kgs of Chinese sausage, hundreds of eggs and vast amounts of chopped vegetables.
The Chinese Association of Costa Rica came up with the idea for the giant meal, said Godwin Pang, who helped coordinate the event. Pang said the Chinese community wanted to mark the Year of the Snake, which began on Sunday, with a big event.
Chinese food is a big seller in Costa Rica and many Chinese residents in Costa Rica are in the restaurant business. Chinese restaurants can be found in the cities, large towns and even in small towns across the country.
Hannah, the Guinness representative for Latin America, said this was the first time that Costa Rica enters the world record book.
It is expected by the end of June cell phone number portability – the ability to change operator and keep the same number – will be a reality in Costa Rica. And best of all, there is no cost to the end user.
Eduardo Castellón, spokesperson for the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) – government regulator – said on Monday that the five operators, Kolbi (ICE), Movistar, Claro, Full Movil and Tuyo will be required to provide the Spanish company, El Corte Inglés, with a full list of their subscribers. The operators are also required to update the information on a regular basis.
Customers who want to transfer from one operator to the other only need to make a request and within three days the change is effective and all at no cost. Not one colón.
The cost to operate and maintain the number portability will be of the five operators, each having to pay US$7.000 monthly – total of US$35.000 – to El Corte Inglés. The Spanish company signed a seven year contract with the SUTEL to take in some US$2.9 million dollars.
In the works, according to Castellón, the operators are to provide their customer list in the next two months and the El Corte Inglés put the system in operation within three months following.
With the advent of number portability competition between the operators is expected to grow, benefiting consumers with more deals and promotions.
Getting an appointment to get a new drivers license, renewal or first time, is move at a slow pace – slower than usual. The reason is that contract with the company hired to operate the call centre has expired.
According to Silvia Bolaños, director of the Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Cosevi), since the beginning of the year, the calls have been handled by inhouse staff, as part of the responsibilities of the Dirección de Educación Vial.
Thus the calls have been “ringing off the wall” as drivers attempt to make appointments.
The director assures that a new company has been contracted and the system will be back to normal as soon as the contract is signed and if there are no appeals, the call centre will start working next month.
The provinces of Limón and San José lead the other five provinces in the most deaths on the roads. In 2012, 140 people lost their lives on the roads of the two provinces, the number increasing from 42 the year earlier.
The main vicitms are motorcyclists and pedestrians, with most deaths occurring between 6:00pm and midnight, with Sundays heading the list of the days of the week, with the majority of the road fatalities are men.
Nationwide 332 people died in road accidents last year, up from 289 the year before, as indicated by statistics of the Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Road Safety Council) and the Policía de Tránsito (traffic police).
Rolling in on an RV in the middle of the Avenida in downtown San José, Epsy Campbell launched her campaign for the leadership nomination of the Partido Accion Cuidadana (PAC).
The former legislator’s campaign slogan is “Vamos o no a sacar a Liberación?” (Are you we going to push out the Liberationists?).
Epsy fielded questions from the press in front of her RV in the Monday afternoon campaign launch. Her campaign manager had said over the weekend there would be no stage or bandstand, that Epsy would be among the people.
The young contender for the presidential chair in 2014 said she would not spend more than ¢15 million colones on the party leadership campaign.
The Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) is a is a left-leaning political party whose platform is based on encouraging citizen participation and involvement in politics.
The party was founded by Ottón Solís in December 2000 and it was Solís who ran and lost the first three presidential elections for the party. On February 8, 2010 – the day after the election – Solis announced that he was abandoning politics for good, expressing his desire to create spaces for a new emerging leaders.
At the end of the press conference, Epsy was put on the mat by a young man from Limón. Watch the video.
Barrio Amon remains an attractive draw for tourists. By night, however, the area converts a notorious centre of pleasure-for-pay!
By day, Barrio Amón, is an historic area illuminated with the green of nature and intertwined with ancient buildings. At walking distance from downtown San José, Barrio Amón is a beautiful pleasant neighborhood and one of the few remaining colonial districts in the country, where you will find some of the last coffee baron mansions, constructed during the late-19th and early-20th centuries in what used to be a coffee plantation belonging to a French Businessman.
In the past, Barrio Amón was an exclusive residential area and home to prominent Costa Ricans like former president Otilio Ulate (1949-1953).
Today, Barrio Amón has become a commercial district where you find restaurants, bars and hotels, in fact many of San José hotels and hostels are located in this part of the city.
By night, in Barrio Amón, the neighbourhood transforms into an area of pleasure-for-pay and San José’s most notorious centre for prostitution, the fuel that makes Barrio Amon’s economic engine run.
Here, you will find hotels that rent rooms by the hour for ¢6.000 colones, massage parlours with “chicas” (prostitutes) that provide a happy ending in 30 or 60 minutes – both for women for men and men for men – pick up bars and street walkers (though generally most “ladies” of the night are transexuals), etc.
While the “traditional” sex trade “brothels” are low key, not wanting to attract too much attention, preferring to keep things indoors… at night in Barrio Amón the transexuals apply their trade at most of its corners.
And what happens at night worries those who still live in the area, to the point that residents have become organized in the Asociación de Vecinos de Barrio Amón (Association of Residents of Barrio Amon), believing – knowing well, though difficult to prove – that there are business that lend themselves to “prostitution”.
With no doubt, the residents and members of the association prefer to keep their anonymity for fear of reprisals from “organized sex tourism” operators in the area.
However, not all businesses in the area are involved in sex and sex tourism.
What happens frequently in Barrio Amón is that foreigners arrive at their hotel, leave their bags and get down to “business”.
Interesting though is that although Barrio Amón once catered in its majority to foreigners, today the trend is that visitors (customers) at night are locals.
Barrio Amón is not some run-down, seedy area of vice such as areas of the United States seem to morph into. Day or night, Barrio Amón remains an attractive area.
By day it is safe, and a must see for anyone interested in the concentration of stately old mansions. By night, however, the mood changes and so does the safety factor.
Transexual working the streets of Barrio Amón. Photo La Nacion.
The transexuals are the visible face of sexual services in Barrio Amón, they can be spotted at most corners. For the rest of the pleasure-for-pay locations about the only visible sign to the street is “open”. Someone watching the door is an indicator of what maybe sex for a fee is available inside. Groups of parked taxis or large number of parked vehicles are another indicator.
While transexulas are forced to work out in the open, taking their customers to nearby hotels by the hour, the cars of their johns or the many dark allies in the area, women offering sexual services work inside the bars, hotels, “clubs” and massage parlours.
According to La Nacion speaking to Mariano Rodriguez, the Jefe de Patentes de la Municipalidad de San José (Chief of permits for the city), “at no time has the municipality handled permits for brothels”.
Rodriguez adds, “it is not considered a crime to convert a hotel, guesthouse, bar, etc… to the purpose that could include prostitution”. According to Rodriguez, the municipality takes action – closures – if it detects drugs, minors and/or health violations.
“Bajonazos” or carjackings occur more in the province of San Jose, especially in the cantons of Desamparados, Tibás, Moravia and Guadalupe. However, they can occur anywhere in the country.
In the event of being carjacked, authorities in Costa Rica recommended victims not to resist and and as follows: stay calm and follow the demands of the thieves to safeguard your life and that of his companions.
If possible, take a mental note of the description of the assailant(s), any special characteristic, ie accent, type of clothing and anything that could police identify the.
The Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) say the hours with most incidents are between 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm, but be alert at all times.
Never think that the type of car you may drive is not a target of thieves, police say that each vehicle represents something different to the thieves.
Usually, theft of newer vehicles is to “twin” – use the registration of a similar vehicle to register the stolen vehicle, while older cars are usually for chop shops, taking them apart to sell the used parts.
Thieves could be out looking for a special type of car, this is identified as “theft on demand”.
In any event, it is always best to be aware of your surroundings when leaving the driveway, being followed to the office or home. Many reports indicate thieves following a vehicle for periods of time and strike at the moment when entering your garage at home.
In case you missed it, the cost of leaving Costa Rica by its air went up to US$29 per person starting today Monday. This is an increase of US$1 of the departure tax following the effect of the new law against human trafficking. See report Tougher Law Against Human Trafficking Published .
The US$1 will used to create a permanent fund to guarantee the government resoucres for prevention and the care of victims.
According to the Deputy Minister of Interior, Marcela Chacon, some of that money will be used to train immigration police and Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) agents.
The funds will also be used to build a shelter for vicitms, according to Chacon.
This new law that went into effect today also establishes penalties of up to five years in prison against owners, landlords, managers or owners of establishments intended or benefit from human trafficking, migrant smuggling and related activities.
An opportunity for young children and adults has arrive in Costa Rica, The Actors Studio, a group of professional artists with a strong long-term commitment to the creative process
The Actors Studio is part of the Awaken entertainment company which promotes crreative through visual art, located in Costa Rica, Mexico and Los Angeles.
The Actors Studio is an alternative to expand creativity and individual potential, offering intensive workshops with national and international artists.
TSA will present in May the Costa Rican version of Annie, Annie-Tica. The production premiered in 2000 at the Mélico Salazar and in 2001 at the Auditorio Nacional, with director and playwright Guillermo Gentile and the Director and Actress Alejandrina Sain.
After 11 years Alejandrina Sain decided to return again this musical to the Costa Rican stage.
In this 2013 vesion, the show will called “Annita” where there will be more emphasis on Costa Rican culture. This version is expected to be presented in May at the Melico Salazar.
Boiling water in the microwave is something we have all done. And although it appears harmless, there is a danger in boiling water alone.
This is a true story. A 26-year old deciding on a cup of coffee, took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). He wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven.
As he looked into the cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but suddenly the water in the cup ‘blew up’ into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand, but all the water had flown out into his face due to the build-up of energy . His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring.
He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc, (nothing metal).
Here is the response from a major microwave manufacturer on the subject.
Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach boiling point. They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.
To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds before moving it or adding anything into it.
A new scam is going aroun Facebook, so careful if you receive a message like this:
“I saw you in this video on FB? Who uploaded this of you? wow Skip video to 1:49 ! Type in without spaces and search ur name on [www.yavidz.com] … DO NOT GET SUCKED IN.
Don’t give in to your firs instincts to check the video of you, that you know is not real, but does peak your curiosity.
The site because it hacks your account. This scam is suspected of being a identity theft scam.
Costa Rica’s airport of the future is already a reality, if only in the minds of talented students of architecture, like that of Luis Alonso Pérez, who let his imagination run wild for his thesis project.
After two years of work and hundreds of hours of design Pérez was able to present his final work at the school of architecture at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR).
The design is for the AIC. Cascajal International Airport terminal to be located in Orotina, which one day may replace the current, Juan Santamaria airport.
Pérez, in addition to being congratulated by his teachers and classmates, was also awarded the Bienal de Arquitectura (Architecture Biennale) 2012.
The student said, from the beginning he had envisioned creating a project that would provide the country with a modern airport. His objective was to create a work that went beyond use in the classroom, creating a workable plan, divided into three stages of construction. The design fuses functionality with the natural beauty of the country.
His efforts are being rewarded, as his thesis has been nominated to participate in worldwide competition, the first stop in Buenos Aires, Argentina and soon his work to be exhibited in Spain in another contest and at the Award ceremony for the Archiprix International 2013 in the Central House of Artists in Moscow on May 24th 2013
The Ministry of Environment (MINAET) made it a condition for gas companies to change the cylinder valves if they wish to continue operating in the country. The condition is real as 90% of the concessions to gas suppliers expire this year.
The MINAET, responding to two serious compressed gas tank explosions in the past several weeks, one of them taking the lives of three and seriously injuring two more, is getting tough on an industry that has pretty much gone unregulated.
The first change will be to eliminate the coupling valve to a threaded valve system as recommended by the fire department. Portable gas tanks used in kitchens in homes and business across the country use a coupling system, unlike the threaded used for bbq tanks, that has been known to leak.
The other change is that suppliers keep record of the gas tanks and that no tank can be in use for more than 10 years.
So far this year, the Cuerpo de Bomberos (fire department) has responded to 705 emergencies related to gas tanks.
The MINAET has also begun visiting gas bottling plants operating around the coutry to check whether they comply with safety requirements established by law.
When looking to buy a car online, a deal too good to believe may nothing more than a scam, authorities warn as they investigate several cases of online fraud.
The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) told the press of a case where a Toyota Landcruiser, license plate number 647531, is being offered at a ridiculous price on the website crautos.com. (The website is not part of the scam)
The deal seems legit, the registered owner’s name (a woman) and contact information, an email, is included in the ad. On contact the woman verifies that the vehicle is for sale and that the “low” price is correct.
The story is that the vehicle is not being used, stored in a warehouse and that she is out of the country and needs to sell it urgently.
One condition, payment must be up front. The reason for the advance payment is avoid problems of the past where buyers have wasted her time, only to then not close the deal.
One buyer bought into the story and made the up front payment, only to find that the deal is a scam and filed a compalint with the OIJ.
Authorities are warning of similar scams, to be extremely careful when purchasing on the internet and not to make any advance payments when buying a vehicle online and to file a complaint if a scam is suspected.
At 3:00pm Monday in downtown San José, in front of the former Radio Monumental building (diagonal to the Banco Central), Epsy Campbell is expected to formally announce her run of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) presidential candidacy.
There is an air of mystery surrounding the event, as the former legislator lets here presidential aspirations be known publicly.
Epsy would only say that “she will be among the people”, explaining that there will be no stage, no bandstand, but will be at eye level with the people of Costa Rica.
Francisco Molina, a member of the Campbel campaign, said there will be no banners, no flags, none of the pomp and ceremony, for “there is no money for those things”.
Other expected candidates for the PAC nomination are Luis Guillermo Solís, Juan Carlos Mendoza and Claudio Monge.
If Epsy gets the nomination for the 2014 presidential elections she will square off with PLN candidate, Johnny Araya, for the people’s vote next February. The PUSC and ML have yet to announce candidates.
Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) – Citizen’s Action Party
The Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) is a is a left-leaning political party whose platform is based on encouraging citizen participation and involvement in politics. One of its guiding ideals is to fight against corruption, arguing that it is one of the main causes of subdevelopment and voter apathy. The party took a leading role in the failed campaign against Costa Rica’s membership of the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
It was founded in December 2000 and startled the Costa Rican political arena with a very strong showing in the 2002 general elections. In the presidential vote, party founder and candidate Ottón Solís was able to secure 26% of the votes – an unprecedented amount for a third party in Costa Rica – and force a runoff between the two traditional parties, the PLN and the PUSC.
The party won 21.9% of the popular vote and 14 out of 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly, making it the third strongest political force in the legislature. A few months later, however, after a series of internal disputes, six of the party’s 14 deputies resigned from the party, leaving PAC with only eight seats.
In the February 5, 2006 presidential election, the party won 17 out of 57 seats. Its candidate at the presidential election of the same day, Ottón Solís won 39.8%, losing to the PLN’s Oscar Arias Sanchez by less than 2% in a close election. Arias only won by a few thousand votes over the 40 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff. The number of spoiled ballots was larger than the margin between Solis and Arias.
In the presidential election of February 7, 2010, Solis’ PAC only received approximately 25% of the total vote, while his rival, Laura Chinchilla, the PLN’s candidate obtained 47% of the vote turnover. It was the third attempt of Solis to reach the presidency of Costa Rica.
On February 8 Solis announced that he was abandoning politics for good, expressing his desire to create spaces for a new emerging leaders.
So far, in interviews Solis has stated over again that he is not planning to become again the PAC’s presidential candidate. This decision reflects, in his opinion, the commitment of his party to renew itself.
Where are there the most singles in Costa Rica? Nowhere in the country live more singles than in Montes de Oca* (San Pedro), a community where one in three people aged between 18 and 65 are single.
The results were taken from the 2011 Census, showing that in Montes de Oca the marriage know nothing of marriage.
In contrast, the communities were family life is predominant are Talamanca, Limón and Sarapiquí de Heredia.
The “Censo 2011” reveals that there 869.000 singles in Costa Rica, of which 80% are aged between 18 and 35. And yes, the majority of the total of the singles – 53% – are men.
A single person is someone who is not in a relationship or is “unmarried”. The term single in its common usage is often referred to someone who isn’t involved in any type of romantic relationship, whether it would be dating, engagement, or marriage. Both single and unmarried people may participate in dating rituals and other activities to find a long-term partner or spouse. However, in some cases single people are not interested in marriage, domestic partnership, or other types of formal, committed relationships.
People may remain single for a variety of reasons, including: financial and emotional or physical health issues, stress in the family, time constraints, education, career, personal preferences, advanced age, social fears or love-shyness, and even living in a society or locality where there aren’t enough people of the sex one is attracted to.
Certain careers and positions require that people remain single. Sometimes, this is coupled with celibacy or chastity, either for secular or for religious reasons, such as priests, nuns and monks in certain faiths.
Loneliness can occur for some people who look for but cannot find anyone they might wish to date, especially for those suffering the loss of companionship following divorce or bereavement. Some single people, however, regard and appreciate solitude as an opportunity.
*The canton of Montes de Oca takes in the districts of San Pedro, Sabanilla, Mercedes and San Rafael. Generally, references to Montes de Oca and San Pedro are synonymous.
Geovanny Soto Ruiz, owner of the Mountain Paradise Hotel, in La Palma de la Fortuna, and his two sons were murdered Saturday night in what authorities believe to be a settlement of scores.
The hotel located in one of Costa Rica’s most visited tourist area was renovated in 2007 and run by the Ruiz family. The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) say there was no demand for money or other threats.
Robbery was also ruled out by authorities, who are no investigating the possibility someone came to settle a score on the Ruiz family, though the motive is still unclear.
The details to the press are sketchy, authorities only saying that the victims were called out of the hotel, each travelling in separate cars. The bodies were discovered when a few minutes past midnight when police responded to call about shots being fired.
All three vehicles, including a BMW was located and a trail a blood that led to the bodies.
Taking a taxi in San José can be a dangerous experience. On average two people each month are robbed by a taxi driver.
The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) – judicial police – say there were 27 reports of robberies by taxis in 2012, 26 were in San José and 1 in Heredia.
According to the OIJ, getting a gun in the face and taken to the closest ATM to empty the bank account is the most common attack on passengers by taxi drivers.
According to, Rubén Vargas head of the Unión de Taxista, there are all types of taxi drivers – good and bad. And it is “complicated” to fire a driver, who is doing more than just driving, without police intervention. The union leader said that all they can do is file a complaint with the ministry of transport of any drivers they suspect of anomalies with the taxi.
Francisco Seguro, director of the OIJ, says it is not difficult to find the attacker, but only if a passenger takes precautions, like calling a family member or friend and telling them the taxi plate number. This is a warning to the driver with other intentions in mind than taking to your destination.
Other suggestions include:
If the person you are calling doesn’t pick up, leave a message
If you don’t have anyone to call, pretend to be calling someone and giving them the information
Write down – memorize is you don’t have a pen and paper – the pate number of the taxi
Be aware of your surroundings, the attitude of the driver, etc. making eye contact as much as possible
If the driver strays off route, ask why, and ask to be let off immediately (of course, it may be safer to stay in the taxi if it is the middle of the night and you happen to be in a scuzzy area)
Even you take all the precautions, are vigilant of the situation, it does not mean you won’t be a victim. In such a case, authorities suggest you do not resist.
One method that can help you lose as little as possible is having a second account at the same bank. With this method, you can carry the second account debit card and transfer into it from the main account a small amount or the amount you know you will be spending.
With this method, either during an attack by a taxi driver or any other situation, the amount to withdraw from the account is minimal. OF COURSE, NEEDLES TO SAY, DO NOT CARRY THE PRIMARY ACCOUNT CARD WITH YOU!
With smartphones, mobile internet and online banking, you never really need to have much in the secondary account. If out shopping, you can load the card just before making the purchase and with the required amount.
For example, you are looking to buy an expensive flat screen television. Rather than loading the secondary card with a large amount and going about your life with it, you can load it if and only when you actually are ready to buy.
Of course, in the foregoing example, your bank account may be safe, but not your flat screen television if you happen to get into the wrong taxi.
Legislation adds one dollar to the airport tax to leave the country
After years of waiting, Friday morning the law against human trafficking was published in La Gaceta, the official government newsletter.
The legislation includes new provisions and raised the penalties for the trafficking of persons.
For example, in the case where the victim is a minor or a person with disabilities, the prison term is from 10 to 15 years, up from 6 to 10 in the 2009 amendment.
The law also lists human trafficking as a crime of organized crime and adds one dollar more to the “exit” tax – tax paid for leaving the country at the airports.
The increase tax will be used to strengthen and fight against human trafficking.
According to the immigration service, between 2009 and current, there have been 91 victims of this type of crime in Costa Rica.
The legislation had received second and final vote last November.
Human trafficking in Costa Rica (from Wikipedia)
Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution. To a lesser but increasing extent, Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to conditions of forced labour, particularly in the agriculture, construction, fishing, and domestic service sectors.
Costa Rican women and children are forced into commercial sexual exploitation within the country, and to a limited extent, in Nicaragua and Mexico. Women and girls from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, and Panama have been identified in Costa Rica as victims of forced prostitution.
Child sex tourism is a serious problem, particularly in the provinces of Guanacaste, Limon, Puntarenas, and San Jose. Child sex tourists arrive mostly from the United States, Germany, Sweden, and Italy. Young men from Nicaragua, Vietnam, China and other Asian countries, are subjected to conditions of forced labour in Costa Rica: during the reporting period, nine Vietnamese men were found in conditions of forced labor in the fishing industry. Costa Rica serves as a transit point for foreign nationals trafficked to Mexico, Canada, the United States, and Europe.
The Government of Costa Rica does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the past year, the Government of Costa Rica continued to raise public awareness about human trafficking and trained many government officials, in addition to maintaining limited victim services. However, the government’s law enforcement efforts lagged with respect to holding trafficking offenders accountable for their crimes and in adequately addressing domestic cases of human trafficking.
Prosecution
The Government of Costa Rica sustained law enforcement efforts against human trafficking. The penal code prescribes penalties for the movement of persons both across borders and within the country for the purposes of prostitution, sexual or labor servitude, slavery, forced work or services, servile marriage, forced begging, or other forms of compelled service.
The statute also prohibits illegal adoption, which does not fall within the international definition of human trafficking. Sentences may be increased under aggravated circumstances, such as the victimization of a child or a trafficker’s use of deception, violence, intimidation, or coercion. The penalties set forth are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. The penal code additionally prohibit child sex trafficking and authorizes the use of expanded law enforcement and investigative measures, such as wiretapping and the use of anticipated testimonies, when undertaking human trafficking cases.
Human trafficking around the world
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labour. Trafficking is a lucrative industry. It is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable illegal industry in the world.
A world map showing the legislative situation in different countries to prevent female trafficking as of 2009 according to Woman Stats Project
Image of Macaw in Madrid subway billboard IS NOT Costa Rican!
For 2013 the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) has targeted Madrid to promote Costa Rica as a tourist destination to the Spanish community. Using the “Lapa” (Macaw) is part of the display advertising to achieve the goal.
According to Ireth Rodríguez, marketing director at the ICT, the advertising campaign is a cooperative effort with the Spanish company, Corte Inglés, where each will contribute 50% to the cost.
However, there is an error that has not went unnoticed.
The images on display in the Madrid subway shows a bird with green, orange, black, blue and white plumage. The billboard also shows images of volcanoes and forests in Costa Rica, with the tagline, “Discover Costa Rica”.
But, the Lapa in the ad IS NOT Costa Rican! Experts have confirmed that the bird displayed in the ad is not found in Costa Rica. If fact, it is not found anywhere, it is a hybrid image.
The image is believed to be a composite of the Ara Ararauna (known as the blue-yellow macaw, native to South America) and the Ara Macao, the scarlet macaw living in Costa Rica and possible even crossed with the Ara Ambigua, the great green macaw that lives in the country and is in danger of extinction.
Asked about the error, Rodriguez replied, “we are investigating and when our advertising executive returns from Span we will have clearer details”.
The marketing director added that they discovered the error once the billboard went up, adding that ally Corte Inlgés has its own marketing team and advertising agencies to develop campaigns.
What really happened in Puriscal in the early hours of Friday morning fire that caused the death of five and critically injured several others? Fire Chief, Hector Chávs, says that poor conditions of the building made it a death trap.
Cháves explained that the lack of an alarm and smoke became lethal elements for the victims of the fire. The Fire Chief said the victims were unaware of the fire that began shortly after 1:00am.
In addition, locked metal doors, narrow hallways, a garage door that did not work and that the only emergency exit blocked, all contributed to the tragedy.
Preliminary investigations points to a faulty electrical system causing the fire. The Fire Department said that fire probably started at the front of the building, due to exposed and worn electrical wires.
Investigators said they were concerned to the speed in which the fire spread. Even more worrisome is that the conditions found at the Las Aguilas hotel is not isolated, rather is similar to many other properties around the country.
Authorities say the owner of the hotel is responsible for what happened.
The Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health) had ordered the hotel closed. Salud officials say that they received an anonymous complaint against the hotel last September and confirmed the unsanitary conditions on first inspection. A second inspection by a civil engineer uncovered problems with the electrical system.
With other code violations found, on December 19, 2012, Salud issued an order for the closure of the hotel. But, the owner requested and was granted an extention to make improvements and conform to code, so long as the building was not occupied.
The order by the Ministerio de Salud called for a total closing of the hotel by January 30, 2013, and had coordinated with the Fuerza Pública (police) to evict on February 11.
Operators of school buses can circulate, carrying students to and from school, without permits up to February 15, says the Ministerio de Transportes, for its inability to process all the applications.
According to the road transport and road safety, Rodrigo Rivera, last week alone the Public Transport Council received 2,800 requests.
Until February 15, school buses have to meet the legal requirement and the operator must provide proof of the application, failing they will be taken off the road and sanctioned, explained Rivera.
As of Friday, the ministry of Transport confirmed there were some 1.500 still to process at a rate of 150 applications per day on average.
Opinion: The 2013 school year began this past Wednesday. The start date of the school calendar is not a last minute decision, thus a responsible and sensible ministry, for the safety of school children across the country, would be better prepared: either require applications to be submitted earlier or provide more staff to process them.
This is just another example of the inefficiency of an important government agency and the lack of the current government to reform it. Another example of a tragedy to occur before anyone in authority takes action.
Parents are urged not to send their children in school vehicles that do not have the required permits – even if the application has been submitted. AND to inspect the school vehicle – with or without permit – to ensure the safety of their children.
The price of public services like water, electricity and gasoline are all regulated by the government agency, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP).
According to the Banco Central (Central Bank), the Aresep increased regulated service prices by 13.5% in the past year, while the inflation rate was 5.7%. It was July when began the increase in the difference between the two indicators.
Aresep spokesperson, Carolina Mora, cites services by the state power company, Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) was the fastest growing, using oil to generate electrical power.
Mora explained that some of the increases approved last year had delayed adjustments that went into effect in the second half of 2012.
The increase in prices of public services higher than the overall cost of living affects local business and job productivity, according to the experts.
Oh those curious scientists! It isn’t enough that the Bolivar Park Zoo (in San José) visitrs are alway watching the crocodiles, but this week the zoo’s veteranarian Randal Arguedas and four zookeepers did a survey to determine their sexes.
One might think this distinction was of interest only to the crocodiles themselves — but determining the sex of the big, dangerous reptiles is a part of zookeeping — well, bookkeeping.
For such a dangerous activity, reported La Nacion, the zookeeper’s equipment is extremely low tech — a long broom to poke the scaley, toothy creatures into motion and cord to tie their legs and their lethal jaws shut.
All this must be done in silence so as not to cause stress, although the newspaper did not explain whether the stress of the crocs was being avoided, or of the zookeepers themselves.
The ones who object most to the indignity of being so examined are, of course, the younger — and more agile — crocodiles. Worst of all are those who have to be poked and prodded out of the pool for the examination.
The only reptile exempted from the exercise is Juancho, the patriarch — the biggest, oldest and most sluggish of the four-footed reptiles. His sex is known, as is shown by his masculine name and besides — he’s BIG!
It takes five strong persons to do this test: one to tie the jaws and grab the head, two to hold the beast down while still another ties the legs. A fifth performs the examination.
The swimming beasts must be irritated until they come to the edge of the pool where they are tied up and allowed to thrash until they calm down a bit. They are placed with their more tender yellow bellies upward.
The examination, performed by veteranarian Arguedas, is much like a physician examining a human male for prostate problems. Natuarlly, the cocodiles, in no forgiving a mood after being flipped over, tend to take umbriage at this indelicate invasion.
Arguedas identified two of the crocs as females and gave orders for them to be transferred to the Conservation Center at Santa Ana to accompny a male there. The others were released, in a very foul mood, to return to their pool.
Costa Rica has none of the more docile aligators found in the deep south of the United States, all are crocodiles. born surly and getting more ill-tempered as they age.
Oh, yes. If one thinks that just holding the jaws, with their rows of jagged teeth, shut is enough to ensure longevity, be advised — the lashing tail can break a leg. Jolly good sport, you know …
A 51-year-old U.S. air traveler was arrested at Juan Santamaria Internation Airport in San Jose trying to smuggle two AR-15 semi-automatic rifles aboard a Jet Blue flight to the United States.
The disassembled rifles were hidden in his luggage destined for the baggage compartment of the jetliner. But a sharp-eyed Jet Blue employee discovered the attempt at check-in and alerted airport authorities.
Chief of Airport Police Glen Pacheco told the newspaper La Nacion that the passenger told him that he did not know that he had to report firearms to authorities before they were put aboard commercial aircraft.
He was charged with illegal possession of firearms. He was traveling with a Costa Rican who also missed his flight to the U.S.
U.S. regulations make sales of automatic weapons illegal so the AR-15 is offered in semi-automatic form. However, the rule is laughable — parts are sold to turn them into fully automatic weapons and can be installed by even the most ham-fisted gunsmith.
The state telecom, instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), purchased is selling to its customers cellular telephones with the “Movistar” logo.
Apparently, the mistake is not an isolated one to the an ICE store located in the Zona Sur (Souther Zone), that was surprised to find that the recent Huawei U8186-7 models had the logo of ICE’s competitor.
ICE has confirmed that, a group responsible for purchases, bought some 1.000 units with the competitor’s logo.
Critics of ICE point out this is “just another of many errors” that plague the state telecom. The president of ANTTEC, Jorge Arguedas, had this to say, “just another example of how things are being handled inside ICE, favouring transactions without measuring the financial impact of the institution, nor the morals and ethics of its workers”.
Despite the fear and warnings of layoffs and unemployment by the private business sector, the Coalición Costarricense de Iniciativas para el Desarrollo (CINDE) – Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives – is sponsoring a job fair to fill 7.000 jobs.
According to CINDE’s Vanessa Gibson, some 60 companies, both national and internationals – are taking part in the job fair that kicks off today and run until Sunday (10h) at the Antigua Aduana building,in Barrio La California, in San José.
Entrance to the event is free to the public. The fair will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CVs in digital format will be accepted.
This is the Ninth edition of the Bilingual Job Fair promoted by CINDE, the agency in charge of attracting foreign direct investment.
According to Gabriela Llobet, Director General of CINDE “the companies participating in the CINDE Job Fair are the leaders in each of their sectors and have been growing to become part of the large employers of the country. Likewise, companies that have recently decided to establish operations in Costa Rica also participate and therefore will be recruiting their first work team during the fair”.
One of the companies participating in this edition of CINDE Job Fair is CitiSharedServices that seeks to recruit personnel for its financial services center, which began operations in Costa Rica in 2008 and today it employs 800 individuals.
“Since establishing our shared services center five years ago, this operation has proven to be a real success story. One of the key factors has been the assistance and support provided by the employment fair organized by CINDE. To date, hundreds of candidates have been contacted through this event, many of them have been hired and they perform excellently. We are certain in the 2013 CINDE Job Fair we will continue to identify fine talent for our organization. We are looking for personnel fluent in English and Portuguese” added Francisco Camargo, Director General of CitiSharedServices.
The most sought after
“Companies look for professionals, technicians and individuals with technical training in areas such as engineering in all its fields, accounting, finance, administration, customer service, software development, technical support, database managers, systems, computing, risk management, quality, process technicians, microbiology and metrology, human resources and sales agents, among others”, explained Gabriela Llobet, head of CINDE.
Mastering a second language is a cross cutting element in all the employment positions offered. Companies seek personnel with knowledge in English – in the first place – as well as in other languages such as Portuguese, Mandarin, German, Dutch, French and Japanese..
Yalile Quirós, Human Resources Manager of Volcano, stated the fair has demonstrated it has very successful opportunities for all the eligible candidates the market offers and for those who master a second language. “Our expectation is to identify these exceptional professionals who can join the team, mainly during the first half of 2013, as well as to generate contacts for those who remain pending for the second semester”, added the spokesperson. Volcano established operations in the country one year ago and is dedicated to manufacturing medical devices for cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment.
The candidates must also have “soft skills”, among which leadership, negotiation, problem solving, team work, proactive and assertive communication are stressed.
For this year it is expected that more than eight thousand persons will visit the Fair.
An early morning fire claimed the lives of five in Puriscal, west of San José. Authorities say the flames spread through the old building rapidly, consuming the small hotel in minutes.
The fire, that started around 1am, was located some 300 metres from the centre of Puriscal, a thriving community in the mountains west of Cuidad Colon.
The director de Bomberos (Fire Department) Héctor Chávez said fire crews were on scene within 3 minutes of the call, but couldn’t do much for the 60 year old building.
Most were able to get out, suffering smoke inhalation and bruises, but five did not.
Chávez said they suspect an electrical problem caused the fire. An investigation is underway.
Doña Laura making her public appearance at the start of the 2013 school year, handing out school supplies to students,
Doña Laura making her public appearance at the start of the 2013 school year, handing out school supplies to students,
Costa Rica’s presidenta Laura Chinchilla said on Thursday that there is no reason why the credit restrictions measures adopted by her government would hurt families and businesses.
The Presidenta made the remarks during the presentation of 1.500 kits to students at the Escuela República de Haití. Chinchilla argued that the credit constraints remain at “reasonable levels” and criticized thosw who oppose the regulations, the same as those who in the past opposed the tax plan and dollar exchange bands.
Chinchilla said that the limits for loans in colones “remain about the same” and a “relatively small decliine” for dollar loans.
The restrictions are a warning by the Central Bank to be cautious and not take out loans in dollars, according to Presidenta’s explanation of the current financial policy.
In the last couple of days, financial experts, that include bak managers, criticized publicly the government’s restrictions on credit saying it will negatively affect production and jobs. See story.
Some experts are saying that current credit policy could lead to layoffs in the private sector.
Paradise does not have enough jails and not enough prisons to house its criminals, ergo they are released to walk freely and make crime a profitable
Every day I scan both the domestic and international news with a focus on Costa Rica. And every day I become a little more dismayed by the lack of forethought in Paradise. Moreover, the absence of responsibility and seemingly ironic sense of satisfaction for “A job well done” comes only after a catastrophe which is then repaired “Con mucho gusto.”
I mean, this is not a big country land wise nor in population. Yet we are a country ignored by our own people when it comes to safety, opportunity, crime and of course infrastructure.
The perpetual search for witches and evil does have a social value, a very large value at that. It takes our minds away from reality. The same as Ortega in Nicaragua uses international brinksmanship to form popular support in one of the most impoverished countries in the world.
Diversion away from reality works!
Think about it! Paradise does not have enough jails and not enough prisons to house its criminals, ergo they are released to walk freely and make crime a profitable industry unto itself. Not just petty crime, but drug trafficking, murder, political corruption and the list goes on.
This is serious stuff that is goes unabated.
Considering consequences and the future is almost non-existent beyond four years which is the term of an elected political party, unless reelected in which case that party has four more years to become reactionaries.
Saturday, January 26, 2013 as inconsequential as it might seem, La Nación, our leading Spanish language newspaper has claimed that Route 32, connecting the most important port in Limón to San José has been or is being resurfaced. However, the design and quality of asphalt being applied will last for approximately four years, until Costa Rica then needs to invest millions of dollars more.
Sorry for the condescending thought, but from a developed country the question becomes why not think this thing through to save the country money and indeed make it friendlier?
Within a week, three people working in a small restaurant called a “soda” have died from faulty gas tanks. Only after these deaths has the government decided it should inspect and set national standards for these LPG tanks of death plus their contents. The same tanks and gas many use in their home BBQ and to a lesser extent in cars.
Carry this mentality to taxes and logistics and the scenario gets even worse.
To appreciate the US dollar, we need to depreciate the Colon (CRC), Costa Rica’s national currency. This will result in lower interest rates and a far better exchange rate making the dollar substantially more valuable and exports, our life blood, more competitive.
At the same time, a director of the OIJ (Our FBI) came with the statement that “Costa Rica is a paradise for money laundering.” Which is tad amount to major foreign currency importation. Exactly what the government needs to curb. (La Nación)
The politicos and wealthy retort, “who cares? It’s profitable.”
To be clear, I argue that Costa Rica has become a country of knee jerk reactionaries and has little, if anything to offer on the initiative side of life except more endless rhetoric.
We have evolved into responders and lost our way as initiators. Even the arcane idea to control gun ownership is a copy and not a very good copy because the residents are afraid and will do whatever they can to protect themselves from criminals and the threats of police who have recently, finally, been accused also of being criminals.
The courts have a long history of reacting only after the fact. Each day, each hour, criminals are set free based on some technicality or just not enough room in the prisons thereby let loose to rob, steal and kill again.
On another level, the bridges connecting communities and destroyed by natural disaster also receive “after the fact” treatment.
Five die riding or walking across a bridge and then, only then does the danger reach the public and the government reacts with an “Oh my!” and the remedy is to stick up another temporary Bailey Bridge which is morphed into the permanent solution. It will also collapse and kill more people. Again, another Bailey! After all, people, our people can walk on it and a small truck can drive over this bridge, at least for a few years more.
Limón, in my personal opinion, is a killing field because its infrastructure and that little if any effort has ever been made to eradicate poverty. The reality has been ignored for more than 50 years. It just is, that’s all.
Perhaps the most beautiful location in Costa Rica, is Puerto Viejo, but take your knife; your gun to be safe only because there is no police protection until a rape, theft or killing takes place and even then, an investigation and arrest is limited. (The statistics prove me out).
The bottom line is that Costa Rica, a destination of tourism, the home of new business very much needs to think not only about today, but far more about the many tomorrows.
New business coming to CR cannot justify corruption, overt crime, excessive taxes, or the idea that once the deal is signed, the government will start negotiating the details.
We are committing social as well as economic suicide because long term, even mid-term critical thought is absent from the Costa Rica decisions makers.
