GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) – Threewomen were assassinated south of thecapital Monday morning, bringing thegrim total of women murdered here thisyear to 220, according to police statistics.The bodies of two of the women werefound knifed to death and stuffed insidesealed bags in the municipality of Palin,Escuintla, 45 kilometers south of GuatemalaCity. The bags had been thrown outof a moving car, according to police.The other woman killed Monday wasshot to death in San Miguel Petapa, 15kilometers south of the capital.Police are blaming gangs for thealarming number of female victims thisyear. Rights groups are refuting thepolice’s hypothesis.The government two months agoformed a special command unit to investigateviolent crimes against women, andtwo weeks ago police managed to capturefour men who are believed to be behindsome of the killings.

MANAGUA – More than 80% ofNicaraguans living here think the countryis heading in the wrong direction, whileonly 13.2% say things are going well,according to a public opinion pollreleased this week by firm Borge &Asociados.Asked who or what is to blame, 50%of the 1,329 adults polled answered “thegovernment,” while 13% said PresidentEnrique Bolaños and 6.8% blamed “thepoliticians.” Slightly more than 3%specifically blamed the oppositionSandinista National Liberation Front,while 2.4% blamed the ruling LiberalConstitutional Party, according to thepoll.Twenty percent said unemploymentwas the biggest problem in the capital,followed by corruption (15.3%), pooradministration (13.9%), the economic crisis(10.5%) and discord between politicians(7.2%).The poll, funded by the PrivateBusiness Council, also asked Nicaraguanswhom they are planning to vote for in themayoral elections next November.If the elections were held today, 28.1%said they would vote for Liberal candidatePedro Joaquín Chamorro, son of formerPresident Violeta Chamorro, while 22.6%said they would vote for Sandinista candidateDionisio “Nicho” Marenco.The poll was conducted the weekbefore former revolutionary hero-turned contraleader Edén “Comandante Cero”Pastora announced his bid for mayorof Managua June 16, and therefore didnot reflect his candidacy (TT, June 18).Pastora said he is heartened by the pollsbecause they reveal most voters don’t yetidentify strongly with any candidate.

COMPUTER-chip manufacturinggiant Intel, in La Ribera de Belén, northwestof San José, last week began manufacturingits first chipsets.Chipsets are special componentsadded to computer motherboards toenhance overall performance when runningapplications that require fast videoand three-dimensional graphics.Chipset production will complementcurrent production of Intel Pentium 4 andXeon microprocessors (TT, Oct. 31,2003).To manufacture the chipsets, the company’sCosta Rica plant, CR-1, wasupgraded to assemble the components.Revamping the plant is part of a$110 million investment the company ismaking in Costa Rican.

THE Canadian company EBIBERTHIER, which administers the onlylandfill in the San José area, hasannounced it will continue operating, LaRepública reported.Presidency Minister Ricardo Toledosaid the Executive Branch of the CostaRican government would work with thecompany to resolve community problemsin La Carpio, just west of San José.The impoverished, crime-ridden communityis adjacent to the landfill, and EBIexecutives said last week they were consideringceasing operations there unlessthe government could guarantee physicaland operational security for employees ofthe landfill (TT, June 11).That announcement followed a violentriot that erupted in La Carpio the weekbefore, in which at least 30 people wereseriously injured (TT, June 4).EBI executives also announced lastweek the Municipality of San José owesthe company $1 million as the result of atariff error made when the landfill beganoperations in 2001.The landfill, called the San JoséEnvironmental Technology Park, processesaround 700 tons of garbage daily.

HALF of Costa Rican voters couldcast their votes by electronic ballot in2006 if an agreement is formalizedbetween Costa Rica, Brazil and theOrganization of American States (OAS),according to the Supreme ElectionsTribunal (TSE).Brazil has offered to lend 4,000 electronicballot boxes to Costa Rica, permitting1.3 million votes – approximately50% of the electorate in the country’s2006 national elections.The Costa Rican election tribunaltouts the technology as a way to guaranteethe “universal, free, secret, personaland nontransferable vote,” and says it willfacilitate the scrutiny and auditing of thesystem.The system has been used in Brazilfor 115 million voters. That country alsohelped Paraguay with its elections lastyear. Both countries have been successfulin their experiments with electronic voting,the TSE said.The electronic ballot boxes have amechanism to recuperate voting data ifthere is equipment failure, according tothe TSE.Voters will not have a choice ofwhether to use the electronic ballotswhere they are offered, the entity added.

THE Constitutional Chamber of theSupreme Court (Sala IV) was set to begina review today of three motions of unconstitutionalityfiled against President AbelPacheco and his administration for thedecision to support the U.S.-led invasion ofIraq last year.However, Judicial Branch officialsannounced yesterday afternoon that thehearing was postponed because SupremeCourt president Luis Paulino Mora and aSala IV justice had to submit new budgetproposals for the Judicial Branch to theFinance Ministry, making the hearingimpossible. At press time, no other datehad been set.Asked about the motions this week, thePresident said he had been very clear abouthis “position against terrorism.”“We’ll have to see what the Sala IVsays,” he said.Ombudsman José Manuel Echandifiled one of the injunctions. Lawyer LuisRoberto Zamora and Dunia Chacón of theCosta Rican Lawyers’Association filed theother two. All three were to explain to aSupreme Court justice today how theybelieve the President violated theConstitution.ECHANDI, one of Pacheco’s mostvocal critics, last year claimed that thePresident’s support of the war violated 15laws and international treaties ratified byCosta Rica (TT, April 4, 2003).Representatives of the Judicial Branchsaid Government Attorney Farid Beirutewould be at the hearing, as he is obliged torepresent the interest of the state, andForeign Minister Roberto Tovar wouldlikely attend, though his presence is notmandatory.Beirute declared his opinion about thematter in a statement sent to the Sala IVMay 12, 2003.“The decision of the government toinclude the country on the list is unconstitutional,as there is no authorization fromthe Security Council (of the UnitedNations) for the use of armed forces, forthe reassurance of peace and internationalsecurity,” Beirute wrote.THE list Beirute referred to is theWhite House list of countries forming the“Coalition of the Willing,” comprised of49 nations whose governments offeredmilitary, logistical or political support forthe Iraq invasion. Costa Rica is member ofthe coalition.Marvin Carvajal, a Professor ofConstitutional law at the University ofCosta Rica, said that if the Sala IV determinesthat support of the war is unconstitutional,the only concrete effect wouldbe that Costa Rica would have to take thediplomatic action necessary to removethe country’s name from the coalition.Pacheco made it clear Tuesday there islittle chance he would voluntarily removeCosta Rica from the list during his administration.“THERE does not exist the mostremote possibility that Costa Rica will ceaseto consider terrorism as a barbarity in thisworld that should be condemned,” thePresident said during Tuesday’s Cabinetmeeting when asked about the list. “CostaRica has always held a position against terrorism,against dictators, in favor of humanrights and in favor of democracy. CostaRica will continue to do so.”The President has carefully avoided theuse of the word “war” when discussing hisstance on the invasion, and even went sofar as to say “I never supported any war”last month when questioned about Iraq(TT, May 14).In response to his uncompromisingposition, several activist groups last weekheld a ceremony at the LegislativeAssembly and symbolically removedCosta Rica from the list and chastisedPacheco for his stance on Iraq.DANIEL Camacho, president of theCentral America Court of Human Rights,was present at the ceremony and discussed“crimes of treason against humanity committedagainst the people of Iraq by theinvading coalition with the complicity ofthe Costa Rican government,” according toorganizers of the event.Costa Rican law allows the Sala IV onemonth from the initial hearing to rule on themotions, except in the case of “extremecomplexity” surrounding the motions.A representative of the Judicial Branchthis week said a delay for that reason is notlikely.

A newspaper journalist was arrested thisweek in connection with the murder case ofjournalist Parmenio Medina, AttorneyGeneral Francisco Dall’Anese announcedon Wednesday.Dall’Anese said prosecutors suspect thejournalist provided a prisoner with access toa cellular phone, which the prisoner used tocoerce and intimidate witnesses in connectionwith the case, which has yet to go totrial.Dall’Anese did not disclose the name ofeither suspect, but the daily newspapersidentified the journalist as Adrián Marreroof Diario Extra, and the prisoner as LuisAlberto Aguirre, known as “El Indio,” whoconfessed to killing Medina in March (TT,April 16) and is being held in La Reformain Alajuela.THE phone was registered in the journalist’sname with the Costa RicanElectricity Institute (ICE), officials said.Dall’Anese declined to discuss evidenceother than the cell phone allegedly linkingthe journalist to the witness intimidation.He said the charges against the journalistpertain to how the phone ended up in theprisoner’s hands and what was done with it.He clarified that whether the journalistknew precisely what the phone was to beused for is irrelevant.The journalist was released on the conditionthat he present himself before a judgeevery 22 days and not contact witnessesinvolved in the case, according to theJudicial Branch.Catholic priest Minor Calvo and sportsbusinessman Omar Chaves, the suspectedintellectual authors of radio journalistMedina’s July 2001 assassination, are currentlyserving preventive detention sentences(TT, June 4).

AS the country prepared to celebrateNational Tree Day on Tuesday, theWorkers Syndicate of the Environment andEnergy Ministry (SITRAMINAE) announcedit filed a motion of unconstitutionalitylast week against the government for anexecutive decree permitting the selectedextraction of trees in the maritime zone.The syndicate claims the decree,signed by President Abel Pacheco andEnvironment and Energy Minister CarlosManuel Rodríguez, violates Article 50 ofthe Constitution, which guarantees allCosta Ricans the right to a healthy andbalanced environment.The decree, published May 14 in LaGaceta, the official state newspaper, establishesthe possibility of removing 15% ofprimary forests and 25% of secondaryforests in coastal areas for the purposes ofselected construction.

GOVERNMENT officials this weekdownplayed concerns that the country’sfailure to ratify an international maritimeagreement would result in full-scale paralysisof international commerce at the country’sports.However, “just to be certain,”President Abel Pacheco on Tuesday nameda special commission of top officials tostudy security standards at the country’smain ports. The commission will issue areport on potential improvements by nextTuesday.Pacheco and Public Works andTransport Minister Javier Chaves areexpected to sign a presidential decreetoday that would give government institutionsmore power to ensure the country’smain ports are fully certified by July 1.THE measures were taken in responseto warnings issued by the Costa RicanChamber of Commerce, Chamber ofExporters (CADEXCO) and NationalChamber of Tourism (CANATUR), whichsaid failure to certify the country’s ports bythe July deadline could wreak havoc oninternational commerce by restricting thearrival of foreign commercial vessels andcruise ships at the country’s ports.During Tuesday’s weekly cabinetmeeting, Pacheco said everything is undercontrol.“There’s no reason to worry about theissue,” Pacheco said. “We are complying.We are hurrying because we have to hurry,but we’ve been hurrying for a long time. Iam confident we will comply. But forgreater certainty, to make sure not a singlelight bulb is missing in [the Pacific shippingport of] Caldera, we are naming thiscommission.”THE agreement in question is theInternational Ship and Port FacilitySecurity Code (ISPS Code) of the UnitedNations’ International Maritime Organization(IMO). The ISPS Code is a recentamendment to the 1974 InternationalConvention of Safety of Life at Sea(SOLAS), which Costa Rica has yet to ratify.ISPS guidelines seek to provide aframework for the implementation of shipand port security strategies aimed at dealingwith potential security threats, includingterrorist attacks.Although Costa Rica is not a memberof the international convention, it isrequired to meet the ISPS code. TheUnited States, one of the main proponentsof the code, has urged all of its tradingpartners to implement port security measuressimilar to those of ISPS.“In December 2002, as a result of theSept. 11 (2001) terrorist attacks, there wasa worldwide state of alert,” explainedLorena López, vice-minister of PublicWorks and Transport and head of the newspecial commission in charge of port security.“For the first time, the InternationalMaritime Organization began to considersecurity at the port installations an importantissue that needed to be regulatedthrough international maritime legislation,”she explained.ISPS requires shipping ports to draft aPort Facility Security Plan and be certifiedby the government.The Public Works and TransportMinistry’s (MOPT) Port Works andAquatic Transport Division is the institutionin charge of certifying the country’sports.CAPTAIN Denis Cavallini, institutionalchief of security for the Atlantic PortAuthority (JAPDEVA), says the Caribbeanports of Limón and Moín and the Pacificport of Caldera are practically ready to becertified by the government.“Since the year before last, we’ve hada commission in charge of making sureLimón complies with the code,” Cavallinisaid. “We obtained resources last September.We started with improvements inlighting, and constructed fences around theports. New equipment was purchased forthe security guards. We improved signageand maintenance.”Cavallini estimated JAPDEVA spent¢139 million ($348,000) last year on portsecurity and said it would spend ¢400 million($936,000) this year.“We have been working alongside theU.S. Customs through its representative atthe U.S. Embassy in San José,” Cavallinisaid.Cavallini said Limón and Moín would“definitely” be certified by the end of themonth, because JAPDEVA would submitits security plan by the end of the week.The Pacific Port Authority (INCOP), incharge of the ports of Caldera, Golfito andPuntarenas, says it completed most of thework necessary for certification. OnWednesday, it presented its security plan toMOPT.VICE-MINISTER López denied thegovernment had waited until the lastminute before taking action to certify thecountry’s ports. She noted that as of June16, only 663 of 6,117 ports around theworld had been certified, according toIMO.“The important thing is we’re going tocomply with the same security requirementsthat are being required of countriesthat adhere to SOLAS,” López said. “Also,in the short run it’s likely that theLegislative Assembly will approve theconvention.”

STREET vendors in downtown SanJosé have been given one more weekendbefore they must pack up their fruits andvegetables, backpacks and shoelaces andtake down their stands in accordance withan order from city officials.Although the deadline for the movewas today, formal shopkeepers in theaffected areas requested that the evictionbe postponed until after June 20, so thatFather’s Day shopping would not beaffected by any disturbance that mightoccur.“We don’t know how (the street vendors)are going to react. We hope peacefully,but we don’t know,” said San JoséMunicipality spokeswoman CarmenAzofeifa.The Municipal Council voted unanimouslyin March to give informal vendorsthree months to clear away their chinamos(street stands) from certain areas of SanJosé (TT, March 26).San José Mayor Johnny Arayaaccused the vendors of spreading “chaosand anarchy” on the streets near theCentral Market. He said they leave littleroom for pedestrians, produce largeamounts of garbage, facilitate the sale ofdrugs and give San José a bad image.In 1996, city officials gave the vendorstemporary permission to operate inan area called the Zona de Tregua (Zoneof Truce) – along Ave. 1 from the CentralMarket to the Coca Cola bus station,Calle 8 from Ave. 2 to Ave. 8, small sectionsof Ave. 4 and Ave. 6 and one blockon Calle 13.The approximately 440 vendors inthese areas are to be forcibly removed bythe police if they do not follow the evictionorder, according to the council’s decision.After the announcement, the CostaRican Association of Street Vendors saidit would file a complaint before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission.However, the decision has not beenreversed.Vendors told The Tico Times theydepend on the work for their survival.