News & Politics - Latin American News #1

**sunnykerr** · 03-06-2009, 05:26 PM

Colombia: Ingrid Betancourt is finally a free woman
Fidel Castro resigns as Cuba's president

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**sunnykerr** · 03-06-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Mexico Pours Troops Into Border City Stricken by Drug War

(CNN) -- Nearly 7,000 Mexican soldiers and federal police arrived in the U.S.-Mexico border city of Ciudad Juarez this week to restore security to a city plagued by a long-standing, bloody drug war.

Random vehicle checkpoints, patrols of masked soldiers and police in SWAT gear are some of the signs of the massive military buildup ordered by Mexico's president, Ciudad Juarez police spokesman Jaime Torres Valadez said Thursday.

Another 1,500 soldiers are expected to join the 3,500 that rolled into Juarez earlier this week to support municipal police in street patrols and ultimately take control of their operations, Torres said.

In addition to the army troops, about 3,000 federal agents arrived to carry out investigations Torres likened to those of the FBI in the United States.

"They'll stay as long as necessary," Torres said, in the city across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Extreme violence among warring drug cartels and between them and the Mexican government has long plagued Juarez and the state of Chihuahua, but the situation has been getting worse.

Last month, the city's chief of police was obliged to quit after threats from organized crime to kill a policeman every day that he remained on the job.

And this week, the U.S. Consulate in Juarez specifically warned Americans to avoid an area southeast of the city.

"There has been a dramatic increase in drug related violence in the Guadalupe Bravo area and there is no indication that the situation will improve in the near future," the consulate said on its Web site.

President Felipe Calderon's security cabinet met in the city last week to devise a strategy to combat narcotraffickers.

The federal government is footing the bill for the troops' wages and food, and the municipal government is paying for their gas and living expenses, Torres said.

Surveillance cameras will be installed throughout the city to help police stem executions and assassinations in the streets, scene of many of Juarez's 1,600 killings in 2008.

Police advised residents to carry identification with them at all times to ensure that encounters with law enforcement in the streets and at vehicle checkpoints proceed as quickly as possible, Torres said.

"It's necessary to keep the peace," Torres said in a telephone interview as he sat in his car, waiting in line at a police checkpoint. "For me, it's safe. If there are more soldiers, I feel safe."

But human rights advocates say the military presence creates a police state in a region where confidence in law enforcement is low.

"The increase in law enforcement brings elements that create an environment conducive to the violation of human rights," said José Luis Armendáriz González, president of the Chihuahua State Commission of Human Rights. "What are the limits of their power? The risk for wrongful detentions, raids of homes increases when there's no clear line."

Armendáriz said the focus on troop numbers detracts from improving the quality of investigation and crime-fighting techniques.

"We've been battling the criminal elements with force and gunfire for years now with few results," he said. "I believe it's necessary to pass to a second phase that focuses on intelligence and infiltrating the criminal organization to hit all levels."

Others say the stronger law enforcement presence is producing results.

"In the last seven days, we've had no more than five reported deaths. Before that, the average was six a day," Sen. Ramón Galindo Noriega said in an interview Wednesday.

"Maybe it's a coincidence, but I believe the presence has generated an environment of greater security and this is congruent with the numbers that we have this week."

Galindo, a lifelong Juarense who sends his children to schools in Juarez and owns businesses there, said more troops are the only answer to a problem that has transformed Juarez from a center of industry and commerce to a major battleground in the war among drug cartels.

"What we had before was a state that was under the control of crime. It was a state that didn't permit a normal life. People left, businesses closed. There was fear in the streets, an environment of fear that we had to take radical measures to eradicate," he said.

"I believe the people are content with the presence of the army. They feel safer in the city, calmer in the streets."

Mexico pours troops into border city stricken by drug war - CNN.com

I just have to say that it is about time! We've been hearing for years about all the murders in Ciudad Juarez and (aside from Consulates warning the rest of us to stay away from that city) nothing has ever been done about it. Till now. Till now.

So I think this is awesome. Hopefully, though, they stay the course. This is a mess that's evolved and devolved over years and years and years. It's gonna take a lot of work to right the wrongs of that hellhole.

Bella Grint · 03-10-2009, 02:15 PM

Yeah I have to say about time too..MX has become too dangerous, no one is excluded. I just hope this helps.

**sunnykerr** · 03-10-2009, 07:11 PM

In much of the same vein...

Quote:

Five Human Heads Discovered in Ice Chests in Central Mexico

(CNN) -- Five human heads were found in ice chests on Tuesday under a ficus tree in the central Mexican state of Jalisco, police said.

The grisly find appeared to be the latest indication of drug cartels fighting for supremacy in battles that have left thousands dead.

Police in the municipality of Ixtlahuacan del Rio were informed of the discovery at 2 a.m., the prosecutor's office said in a written statement.

Each head was found in a separate ice chest beside a road leading to the city of Guadalajara, police said.

The tops of the ice chests were inscribed with messages, among them, one that threatened further violence.

"Like these, I am going to finish everyone," says one. "I'm going after you, 'Goyo.'"

Another said, "Here we go, 'Goyo,' idiot."

The victims' eyes were taped shut and the heads had been severed only a few hours before they were discovered, the statement said.

The victims -- all of them men -- were estimated at 30 to 45 years of age.

No bullet wounds were visible and there was no indication the men had been tortured, although experts would need to study the bodies to be sure, it added.

Municipal police said one of the heads appeared to belong to someone known in the community.

Jalisco is near the state of Sinaloa, where the Sinaloa cartel is based.

5 human heads discovered in ice chests in central Mexico - CNN.com

I have to say, I'm kinda glad they don't say how exactly these heads came to be found. This just gets more and more disturbing. Of course, Guadalajara is nowhere near Ciudad Juarez, so the odds are the two aren't connected at all. Still...

***4N6 DNA*** · 03-18-2009, 08:11 PM

Banner and related threads for the OP.

Colombia: Ingrid Betancourt is finally a free woman
Fidel Castro resigns as Cuba's president

**sunnykerr** · 03-19-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Venezuela Calls for Mayor Arrest

The Venezuelan government has called for the arrest of a key opposition leader on charges of corruption.

Manuel Rosales, who is mayor of the country's second city, Maracaibo, has said the charges against him are politically motivated.

The move comes just days after President Hugo Chavez sent troops to two major ports, including Maracaibo, in states run by the opposition.

Mr Rosales ran against Mr Chavez in the last presidential election in 2005.

In the latest in a series of clashes between the national government of Mr Chavez and leaders of the opposition, the public prosecutor is seeking the arrest of one of the president's most vocal opponents.

The state prosecutor, Katiuska Plaza, said the judiciary had a deadline of 20 days in which to come to a decision on whether to issue an arrest warrant for Mr Rosales on corruption charges.

The allegations of illegal enrichment date to his time as governor of the oil-rich state of Zulia and are charges he strenuously denies.

"This is an order that President Chavez has insisted on," said Mr Morales, adding that the accusations were intended to "crush" what he called "dissident voices in the country".

The government says the local leaders have failed to administer the ports properly and that a recent change to the law allows Mr Chavez to step in if he deems it necessary.

The opposition say the move is a further effort by the socialist leader to undermine their victories in last year's local elections and consolidate his hold on power.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Venezuela calls for mayor arrest

Gah. Chavez had such promise, but the more he keeps going, the more dictatorial he's becoming. This is not good. Not good at all.

**sunnykerr** · 03-31-2009, 07:06 PM

Quote:

US Senators Urge End to Cuba Ban

A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a bill that would allow US citizens to travel freely to Cuba.

The US has imposed trade and travel bans on Cuba since 1962, but Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan said this policy had "failed for 50 years".

Mr Dorgan, one of the bill's sponsors, said he believed it would win enough votes in the US Congress to pass.

But Republican Mel Martinez said the US should support pro-democracy activists, not "the Castro regime".

Mr Dorgan's bill is co-sponsored by senior Republican Senator Richard Lugar.

A similar bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives - also with support from members of both parties.

Call for Change

At present, the US only allows its citizens to go to Cuba if they are journalists or on a humanitarian mission.

But the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says calls have been growing for a change in policy.

Business and farm groups, in particular, want to sell into the Cuban market.

And the Obama administration has already supported changes making it easier for Cuban-Americans to visit or send money.

The US began imposing restrictions on Cuba after Fidel Castro took power in 1959, making it the only Communist state in the Americas - and a Cold War flashpoint.

His younger brother, Raul, formally took over the presidency from him in February last year.

BBC NEWS | Americas | US senators urge end to Cuba ban

I think the embargo on Cuba is indeed a policy that has failed. Castro almost died of old age before he gave up power. There hasn't been regime change. The only thing that has happened in the isolation of the Cuban people.

I get why it's a dicy issue, in a way. It's hard to reconcile dealing with Cuba while some of our country's citizens, who fled the regime, can never go back for fear of emprisonment. And I don't have the answer to that dilemma.

What do you all think?

J3nn1f3r · 04-14-2009, 12:14 AM

Oooh, glad I decided to come wandering in these threads.

As much as I'm happy that they're finally taking charge in MX, they should've done it since the get-go. Nobody is safe as long as there's nothing being done, it's even being leaked to AZ and NM

**sunnykerr** · 04-16-2009, 07:24 PM

I'm just truly appalled that it's taken this long. How many women have disappeared in Juarez?

Bella Grint · 04-16-2009, 08:16 PM

That is not the only trouble spot anymore sadly. I believe Obama is visiting Latin America soon, there is speculation on how he will be recieved.

J3nn1f3r · 04-16-2009, 08:28 PM

Yeah, sadly it's spread all over MX. It's not just Juarez anymore and it's not just women. Some of the CIA agents that were sent in to be moles have been coming up missing, there was a reporter that went to MX he was at a cafe with a friend when he received a phone call. Before he left he told the guy that he was with to take care of his stuff in case he didn't return. He hasn't been heard or seen from since then. This is just stuff that was being shown on CNN

Bella Grint · 04-16-2009, 09:49 PM

Yep tourists always ran a great danger too, especially from the Cali border. I think some of the spots are still safe (Cancun,etc.) but otherwise I don't think it's the best place to go unless you have family/friends there and you know what you are doing.

J3nn1f3r · 04-16-2009, 09:52 PM

I heard that was the reason why a lot of the students, for spring break, went to palm springs instead.

Bella Grint · 04-16-2009, 11:52 PM

Yeah..well I think the recession had a lot to do with it. Honestly MX has been dangerous for a long time so they finally got the message because college students still flocked down there.

J3nn1f3r · 04-18-2009, 07:35 AM

Just recently read this article;

Quote:

Billionaire Drug Lord Thanks Bush and Obama
By northernavenger

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera reported head of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, ranked 701st on Forbes’ yearly report of the wealthiest men alive, and worth an estimated $1 billion, today officially thanked United States politicians for making sure that drugs remain illegal.

According to one of his closest confidants, he said, “I couldn’t have gotten so stinking rich without George Bush, George Bush Jr., Ronald Reagan, even El Presidente Obama, none of them have the cajones to stand up to all the big money that wants to keep this stuff illegal. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say, Gracias amigos, I owe my whole empire to you.”

According to sources in the Mexican government, President Calderon is begging American officials to, in the words of reggae great Peter Tosh, legalize it. “Oh yeah,” said an official close to the Mexican president, “Felipe is going crazy. He’s screaming at everybody who comes in, ‘Why don’t they make this ***** legal already! You’re killing me here!’ Look, everyone knows, when you have Prohibition, you create gangsters. And the more you prohibit, the more gangsters you make. El Chapo is hero now to all those slumdogs who want to be millionaires. Kids in the street, when they play games, they all want to be El Chapo, the baddest man in the whole damn town.”

Meanwhile, many speculate that rich and prominent Mexican families are in cahoots with American businessmen in the alcohol industry, wealthy industrialists who launder the unprecedented profits from the drug business with their legitimate enterprises, and lawmakers who get gigantic kickbacks and payoffs to make sure that these drugs remain illegal, so they can remain rich, fat and happy. According to sources on both sides of the border, tens of millions of dollars in payoffs and kickbacks are stashed in Swiss banks every year, blood money from the brutal business made possible by a corrupt system supported by laws that don’t, and have never, worked.

Rather than putting El Chapo and his kind out of business by modernizing outdated laws and in the process making billions of dollars from taxing drugs (as is done with cigarettes and alcohol), United States government has spent hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars chasing its tail, and offered a $5 million reward for the capture of El Chapo. Many have said that the offer is unofficially: Dead or Alive.

Meanwhile, as an epidemic of murderous violence rages on the Mexican-US border, and the American government wastes boatloads of badly needed money on the illegal drug business which results from the Prohibition laws, El Chapo is laughing all the way to the bank. “Whoever came up with this whole War on Drugs,” one of his lieutenants reports he said, “I would like to kiss him on the lips and shake his hand and buy him dinner with caviar and champagne. The War on Drugs is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and the day they decide to end that war, will be a sad one for me and all of my closest friends. And if you don’t believe me, ask those guys whose heads showed up in the ice chests.”

- Article from The Huffington Post on March 26, 2009.

Link to Article