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Friday, January 27, 2006
Schafik Hándal, FLMN Leader, Dead of Heart Attack
President Saca, government representatives, ambassadors and leaders of the church attended the first of
five days of funeral services for Schafik Hándal, leader of the FMLN, and former candidate for president. The Lutheran
bishop of El Salvador said, "He was a hero. His analysis of the national situation was prophetic." The Roman Catholic
archbishop was less effusive saying, "He was one of the people who has made a mark in this country."
The FMLN has invited Fidel Castro, of Cuba, Hugo Chávez, of Venezuela, and the recently elected Evo
Morales, of Bolivia, to participate in funeral ceremonies which will continue for five days.
The Salvadoran assembly declared three days of mourning. Memorial services were also held in Washington,
DC.
Speaking in the assembly, one of the leaders of the PCN -- the far right party -- said, "The PCN will remember
the vigor of your character and the tenacity of your fight. See you soon, companion and friend."
Fri, January 27, 2006 | link
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Glimmers of Hope in Latin America
Excerpts from a WSJ story, published January 6
... Throwbacks to the 1970s like Argentina's Peronist President Nestor Kirchner and Cuba-trained Venezuelan
President Hugo Chávez are grabbing the headlines. But in other Latin American countries where political competition is still
legal, there is a generational shift in which young, anti-establishment ... and their ideas are gaining ground.
... leaders ... around the region are interesting too because they are also challenging their own side of
the aisle. Whereas the "right" in Latin America has traditionally espoused trade protection for domestic producers and has
tilted legal systems to favor the rich, reformers [on the right] ... are calling for competition, equality under the
law and a system that will allow the underclass upward economic mobility.
The poster child for this trend is El Salvador's former President Francisco Flores -- a free-market proponent
who managed remarkable reforms in his stint as head of state. Mr. Flores argues that his presidency at the age of 39 was partly
due to the electorate's frustration with the old guard.
Monday, January 16, 2006
School Year Begins
1,864,798 students begin another year today. Of these, 35,476 are beginning their first grade classes. The
Ministry of Education oversees elementary education, which is required through ninth grade. There are more than 5,000
public schools in the country.
Centro Escolar Joaquín Rodezno gets the final cleaning before classes begin.
Monday, January 9, 2006
Latin America Asks for Fair Treatment of Undocumented Immigrants
Chancellors from the Latin American region pleaded for migratory laws in the United States that respect the
human rights of the immigrants, as well as a policy of temporary work.
The governments of Central America, Mexico, Republic Dominicana and Colombia requested the USA today that
the reform of its migratory laws respect the immigrants, who "are not nor must be treated like delinquents".
The chancellors of 10 Latin American countries today decided in Mexico on a common position in a document
that the new migratory norm guarantees "the total protection of the human rights" of the immigrants and "the observance the
labor laws".
Sunday, January 8, 2006
Salvadoran Generals Liable in Torture Case
(From The New York Times) A federal appeals court has reversed its own ruling and upheld a $54.6 million jury
verdict against two retired Salvadoran generals who were held responsible in a 2002 trial for the torture
of three Salvadorans during the country's civil war in the 1980's.
The opinion, issued Wednesday by the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta, was a
surprising turn in decade-long efforts by American human rights groups to punish abuses that occurred during the conflict
between the United States-backed security forces and leftist guerrillas in El Salvador.
The generals' defense attorney said, "In the war against communism, they did what the United States government
wanted them to do and paid them to do."
In a separate civil trial in Florida in 2000, they were acquitted of responsibility for the killings of four
American churchwomen by soldiers in El Salvador in 1980.
Temperatures Drop Below 50 Degrees
In parts of El Salvador the minimum temperature hit 9 degrees celsius last night. At the airport winds
gusted to 30 mph. This kind of weather is very hard on the poor; there is no heat in any Salvadoran homes.
The poor often lack jackets or sweaters.
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Friday, January 6, 2006
Editorial cartoon from La Prensa Grafica (antimigration wall)
Fri, January 6, 2006 | link
Government Announces National Crusade
President Tony Saca has announced a "National Crusade" against gang violence and asked the nation to support
him. In a speech given at the swaering in of the new director of police, Saca said, "There is no truce; the campaign
against crime has begun."
There are an estimated fourteen thousand gang members in El Salvador. Gang members have recently killed
a number of bus drivers who refused to pay 'protection money'. Citizens recently blocked thoroughfares in Soyapango
to protest these killings. Soyapango, a city of considerable poverty, abuts San Salvador.
Extend TPS for Salvadorans
Editorial from el diario/LA PRENSA
The people of El Salvador were rocked by the eruption of the Santa Ana volcano near San Salvador on Oct.
1, then pummeled by Hurricane Stan just three days later on Oct. 4. The disasters came one on top of the other, bringing tremendous
damage and devastating floods and mudslides. More than 70 people died.
The beleaguered nation needs time to recover. For this reason it is appropriate that the U.S. extend the Temporary
Protected Status of 250,000 Salvadorans in this country, and that Salvadorans affected by Hurricane Stan also be given the
special immigration status. TPS allows immigrants to live and work legally in the U.S. It is set to expire in September.
See http://www.eldiariony.com/noticias/detail.aspx?section=25&desc=Editorial&id=1311316 for the rest of the editorial
Monday, January 2, 2006
Prayer for fewer injuries from fireworks
Nurses at Bloom Hospital pray for reduced sales of fireworks and fewer injuries to children. Bloom is the major
national pediatric hospital.
Mon, January 2, 2006 | link
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