MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Thousands of demonstrators gathered Saturday in the central Nicaraguan city of Juigalpa to protest the construction of a $50 billion canal that will run through their land.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Opponents of Nicaragua’s dubious plans to build a $50 billion interoceanic canal are trying to rally U.S. help in fighting the controversial project. But it’s not clear if official Washington is listening.
Last August the Nicaraguan Army’s top official, Gen. Julio César Avilés, told reporters that the country’s military was in the process of buying airplanes, helicopters, and vessels to protect Nicaraguan sovereignty, “taking into account the evolution of threats and risks to our country.”
We’ve all had a night like that, right? You’re supposed to head back to your hotel after palling around all night and just end up, know you, flying to Nicaragua and crashing there.
Several leaders – including Cuban President Raúl Castro and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro – mentioned the topic that was the subject of a special declaration earlier in the week during the meetings of foreign ministers, but none made quite the splash that Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega did when he ceded his time to address the summit to a pro-Puerto Rican independence advocate, Rubén Berríos.
HKND plans to dredge 715 million cubic meters of material from the bottom of Lake Cocibolca, possibly the biggest dredging job ever. In comparison, all dredging and excavating in the 100-year history of the Panama Canal has removed a total of 550 million cubic meters of material.
Costa Rica has been seeking information – including specific environmental assessment details and routes – from its northern neighbor for four years. But even today, as the $50 billion project moves forward, Costa Rican officials say they have received little information to assuage concerns.
A comprehensive environmental impact assessment for the entire canal project is being directed by the British firm Environmental Resource Management (ERM), which promised to issue conclusions in March or April.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ticos like to complain about bribery, tax evasion, kickbacks and other dirty deeds, but business executives and foreign investors still perceive Costa Rica as the least tainted country in Central America.
