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Semana Santa Will Be a Busy Week
11.000 police officers, 1.000 red cross
workers and 720 transit police officials will be on hand during Semana Santa
in an effort to reduce the number of deaths this year.
Reducing high speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and water
related accidents is the objective of officials. Last year there were 37
deaths recorded during Semana Santa. The majority of the deaths - 19 - were
aquatic accidents.
Traffic officials expect an increase in traffic during the 9 day holiday
period which gets underway this Saturday, April 3. It is extimated that 60%
of population will be on the highways in cars and buses. Their first
priority, according to Transit police director Ignacio Sánchez, is to keep
traffic moving smoothly and to reduce speeding and drinking and driving.
Sánchez said that traffic officials will have at their disposal 108 patrol
cars, 70 motorcycles, 12 tow truck, 60 radar detectores and 65 alcohol level
sensors for the period.
'Hundreds' of Girls in Brothels
Hundreds of girls from across Central America
are being exploited for sex in Guatemalan bars and brothels, a human rights
organization said.
"At least 668 girls and teenagers of Central American origin were victims of
commercial sexual exploitation in 284 establishments like bars, brothels and
massage parlors in different Guatemalan cities," Casa Alianza said in a
statement.
The report showed that 115 victims were from Guatemala, 100 from El
Salvador, 98 from Honduras, 61 from Nicaragua, three from Costa Rica and
three from Belize. The group could not determine the 288 other victims'
nationalities.
The total number of victims could be much higher, the report said. Casa
Alianza conducted its investigation last year.
It was released to prosecutors three weeks ago before it was made public,
Casa Alianza said.
The people behind the sexual exploitation scheme "operate in networks with
great violence and impunity and they are involved with organized crime," the
report said.
The girls are fooled by the criminals into going to Guatemala, the report
said.
One 14-year-old girl told Casa Alianza she was promised a job at a high-end
Guatemalan coffee shop where she would make about $US62 a week. She was
locked in a room for three days without food when she refused to become a
prostitute.
To ensure the sex trade is not unravelled, the people involved in the scheme
allow only "very important" clients to have contact with the youngest girls,
according to the report.
US Still Unable to Find Sponsor for
Anti-Cuba Motion in Geneva
The United States has been unsuccessful so far
in its search for a sponsor of its proposal to condemn Cuba at the UN Human
Rights Commission in Geneva, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque has
informed.
The United States has tried out the idea of presenting the State Department
proposal on Costa Rica and Honduras (Central American nations are
preferred), but thus far has had no bites. The Honduran ambassador has
refused the honor.
Perez Roque spoke to the media after signing Tuesday evening an agreement
with his Belizean counterpart to strengthen relations between the two
Caribbean nations.
Last week, the Cuban minister produced evidence in a news conference that,
as every year, the United States is the true author of the resolutions
against Cuba, which it convinces other nations to present to the commission.
The politicization of the present initiative is inhibiting other governments
from sponsoring it this year, the Cuban minister pointed out.
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Colombian
government to extradite alleged drug dealers
Three people are
to be extradited to the United States and Italy on charges of crimes
connected to drug dealing, the Colombian government said Wednesday.
One of the accused is an Italian, who was sentenced by his country to nine
years in prison for allegedly possessing, importing and selling drugs.
The other two are an Ecuadorian and a Colombian, whose extradition was
requested by the Unites States to prosecute them for cocaine and heroine
dealing in Florida and New York respectively.
The detainees have five days to file their appeals.
The extradition of the three men will increase to 130 the number of people
extradited to different countries, especially theUnited States, since
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe took office in August 2002.
Peru justice declares ex-president Fujimori no-show in six trials
A Peruvian justice on Wednesday declared deposed former President Alberto
Fujimori a no-show for trials on six criminal charges, a court official
said.
The resolution was signed and declared by Supreme Court JusticeJ ose Lecaros
after verifying that Fujimori failed to go to the Justice Palace on Monday.
Fujimori is declared a no-show under six criminal charges concerning active
corruption of officials, aggravated embezzlement, illegal association with a
crime and concealment, among other accusations.
The former leader, who ruled Peru with an iron fist between 1990-2000, is
facing a dozen of charges ranging from corruption to human rights
violations. He has been living in Japan since November 2000 after fleeing
Peru and using his dual Peruvian-Japanese citizenship. The 65-year-old
Fujimori has announced his will to return to Peruvian politics and run for
presidency in 2006.
Chavez rejects
US interference in Venezuela, Haiti
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez reiterated Wednesday that his government rejects the United States'
interference in the internal affairs of other nations, specifically in Haiti
and Venezuela.
Chavez called for non recognition of the current Haitian government during a
ceremony held at the Teresa Carrelo theater in the Venezuelan capital
Caracas for granting credits to small businessmen.
"My government does not recognize the one (government) placed by the United
Stated in Haiti and we call on the other countries of the continent, as the
Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) has already done, to
pronounce this," he said.
He indicated that "only unity among us will guarantee respect for
sovereignty."
Chavez questioned the role of the Organization of American States (OAS),
whose voice over Haiti's situation is absent, saying that "silence in this
case is remarkable."
Deploring the OAS's failure to made pronouncement on this case and the
international human rights organizations' "silence, eternal silence", the
Venezuelan leader said, "This world is full of hypocrisy."
He also said Wednesday afternoon that the Venezuelan Ambassador to the
United States Jorge Valero "will give a speech that I approved, in which all
this perverse interventionist plan waged by the government of Washington
against Venezuela will be denounced."
He said that once again the voice of Venezuela will be heard denouncing US
President George W. Bush for getting his hands in Venezuelan affairs.
"Venezuela is respected and here we are the Venezuelan patriots willing to
defend our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, our democracy, the
Constitution and the republican institutions," Chavez declared.
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