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Sunday, July 30, 2006
Oh, My Goodness!
One of the lead stories in La Prensa Grafica is "Pamela Anderson Weds in Bikini". I refuse to give
you a link....
Round Trip from El Salvador for Threatened Doctor
(Lincoln, NE) After being forced to leave his home country, Jose Arturo
Coto finds help from kind strangers in a western Nebraska town.
As a young doctor in El Salvador, Jose Arturo
Coto sped up the career ladder. By the time he turned 40, he was El Salvador’s general director of health, the top medical
official in the country.
Just a few years later, Coto was painting houses and cleaning bean fields in western Nebraska.
In April 1982, Coto went to Switzerland as a representative at the World Health Organization
General Assembly, “where the big decisions in public health are made.”
When he returned to El Salvador from that prestigious
meeting, the government of El Salvador had changed. Coto had no job and no way to protect himself from death threats.
Two weeks later, Coto was on his way to Nebraska with less than $100 and everything he could pack in two suitcases.
Through the kindness of strangers Dr. Coto found a new life in the US, served as part of
the Nebraska Health Department, and after 21 years is returning to El Salvador to be a doctor to the poor.
31st Anniversary of Massacre of 31 July
On Saturday people gathered to commemorate the shooting of 25 students of the University of El Salvador
by government soldiers as they demonstrated in the center of El Salvador on 31 July 1975.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
U.S. workers need work? Go to El Salvador
(CNNMoney.com) In order to meet the demands of companies outsourcing their call centers to El Salvador,
the Central American country is beginning a program to recruit its employees from an unlikely location: the United States.
The Salvadoran government's economic development organization has started a program called "Meet Your Roots"
that "looks for children of Salvadorans born in the U.S. and Canada to reside and work temporarily in El Salvador in order
to strengthen their identity and ties to the country," according to the organization's Web site.
Roadway Collapses
The road that provides access for 3500 residents of Ciudad Delgado, near San Salvador, collapsed early this
morning. There were no injuries, but a car parked near the collapse was buried.
Sat, July 29, 2006 | link
Another Bus Torched by Gangs
According to police, gang members are believed to have burned another bus whose driver refused to pay protection
money. This is the twelfth of the year. The destroyed bus was one that runs on route 140 in San Martin.
Sat, July 29, 2006 | link
Monday, July 24, 2006
The Broad Reach of the US Dollar
The United States Dollar is the currency in American Samoa (AS, ASM), British Virgin Islands (VG, VGB, BVI),
El Salvador (SV, SLV), Guam (GU, GUM), Marshall Islands (MH, MHL), Micronesia (Federated States of Micronesia, FM, FSM), Northern
Mariana Islands (MP, MNP), Palau (PW, PLW), Puerto Rico (PR, PRI), United States (United States of America, US, USA), Turks
and Caicos Islands (TC, TCA), US Virgin Islands (VI, VIR), Timor-Leste, Ecuador (EC, ECU), Johnston Island, Midway Islands,
Panama Canal Zone, and Wake Island. From coinmill.com
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Protest March from Chalatenango to San Salvador
A group of protesters set off from Northern Chalatenango to the capital on Saturday headed for the Ministry
of Economy in San Salvador to bring attention to mining and industrial development in the northern part of the country that
is destroying the environment. The Long Watch for Peace and Social Justice also is protesting the arrest of a union
leader, the destruction of a catholic church and the actions taken against student demonstrators early in the month.
Sun, July 23, 2006 | link
Friday, July 21, 2006
Justice in El Salvador
The editorial cartoon from La Prensa is titled, "Muzzling the Supreme Court", and the briefcase says, "Magistrates".
Fri, July 21, 2006 | link
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Another Salvadoran Soldier Dies in Iraq
Rosa Perdomo, mother of Sgt. José Miguel Perdomo, mourns his death. He is the the
third to die in Iraq and was a member of the sixth detachment to be deployed there.
Thu, July 20, 2006 | link
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
International Journalist Organizations Protest FMLN Actions
Reporters Without Borders (Paris) and the Committee to Protect Jounalists (NYC)
recently condemned attacks by demonstrators on a total of 13 journalists during protests against public transport and electricity
price increases that shook the country from 4 to 7 July. The press freedom organisation voiced solidarity with the Association
of El Salvador Journalists (APES), which issued a report on the attacks.
“These events have revealed an alarming hostility felt by part of the population towards
the media,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The validity of a cause does not give its supporters the right to stigmatize
the press on the alleged grounds that it does not give enough space to their cause.”
El Salvador 57th in List of Innovation
A study by Foro Económico Mundial (FEM) placed El Salvador at position #57 in industrial innovativeness, out
of a total of 117 countries, the Ministry of Economy said yesterday. El Reporte de Competitividad 2005-2006,
of FEM, indicates that El Salvador is in the second position in Central American, below Costa Rica, at #33 world-wide.
According to the study, enterprise innovation is one "of the 9 pillars of national development".
Friday, July 14, 2006
Another Angel Assists Woman with Disability
“It’s really amazing that I’m able to walk better in such a short time,” 34-year-old Dora Baires said Thursday
after she was fitted with a sophisticated leg brace by a man she calls her “angel. Baires has been suffering from a
damaged sciatic nerve and partial paralysis since she was 3 years old and never received adequate medical attention. Without
a brace, Baires would walk with her hand on her knee.
Baires was fitted by Paul Sugg, of Snow Hill, NC, who is a certified prosthetist and orthotist who has made
several trips to El Salvador with Heal the Children.
For the complete story see http://www.kinston.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=37809&Section=Local
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Remittances Up 18% in 2006
For the first half of 2006 remittances from Salvadorans working overseas were more than 1.6 billion dollars,
an increase of 17.7% over the previous year. 2.5 million Salvadorans live outside El Salvador, almost all in the USA.
Remittances are the largest source of foreign exchange for El Salvador.
Reception at the US Embassy
Ambassador and Mrs. Barclay recently hosted a reception to honor a number of young Salvadoran people who
work in the private sector, in NGOs and in government.
Wed, July 12, 2006 | link
Dengue on the Rise
The Ministry of Health has confirmed 227 new cases, a 63% increase in the number of cases of Dengue Fever
in the past week compared to the previous week. Certain areas of the country have a much higher incidence, perhaps because
of standing water, preoblems with sanitation, lack of potable water, etc.
Another Police Officer Murdered
A group of (alleged) gang members detained in Soyapango (Residencial La Campanera) after a police officer
on patrol was shot and killed. A total of 190 were detained. Soyapango, which abuts San Salvador is among the
most dangerous cities in the country.
Monday, July 10, 2006
PBS Documentary on Salvadoran Gangs
Wide Angle, July 11 at 9:00 (check your local listings)
In the mid 1990s, thousands of Salvadoran nationals living illegally in the U.S. were deported to their
homeland. Some of the returnees brought L.A. gang culture back with them. By recruiting thousands of local teenagers, gangs
ignited brutal turf wars and expanded further into El Salvador. Will the Salvadoran government develop a policy to eradicate
gangs, and can it stop the continuous cycle of migration and trans-national criminal activity?
See the New Video
Video is on the Pictures and Videos page. See the link above.
Sunday, July 9, 2006
"The Truth is That Health Care is Already Privatized"
Héctor Silva, candidate for President in 2004, in a recent interview with LA PRENSA GRÁFICA said that after
thirteen years attempting to reform the health system it has already been privatized de facto. People who can afford
the fees already use the private sector for health care; 51% of durrent health care expenditures are in the private sector.
The fundamental issue, he said, is the injustice, the inequity and the corruption in the current system. There is no
political force baking reform, he said.
Saturday, July 8, 2006
FMLN Legislators and Mayors Lead Blocade
Late this week, members of the national legislature, mayors, and other leaders of the FMLN blocked main
highways in a demonstration against the government of President Saca. The main highway between San Salvador and the
international airport was blocked for a time, as well as the Pan American highway in the vicinity of San Martin. Their
complaints were about the unfair burden being placed on the poor, and especially about the recent large increases in electricity
and bus fares. Economic stratification in El Salvador is among the worst in the world. (Income inequality [Gini
Index] is worse in El Salvador than in Zambia or Nigeria. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality)
Sat, July 8, 2006 | link
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Videos and Map of Yesterday's Violence
Thu, July 6, 2006 | link
Another View of Yesterday's Violence
(From Infoshop News "your online anarchist community")
Salvadoran Riot Police Attack Student Protestors, Threatening to Violate Constitution and Invade National
University
Riot police have responded to what began as a peaceful student protest this morning with extreme violence
and repression, and the most repressive of all of El Salvador's police forces are currently (at 3:30 pm [5 July]) surrounding
the National University, including with attack helicopters and snipers.
The violence began this morning when riot
police tried to impede a march of high school students protesting the dramatic increase in bus fare. At some point in the
march near the National University, when police tried to detain protestors, fighting broke out. Police shot rubber bullets
and tear gas at the students, and shots were fired in response. The police then dramatically escalated the repression, shooting
into the university both from the ground and from the helicopters overhead. There are numerous reports of deaths and injuries.
According to government accounts at least two police are dead and various people are injured, including one of the university
administrators. There are also reports that the police killed up to three students, and that there are 10-20 students and
university workers seriously injured inside, as well as more injured police outside.
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Two Police Die in Disturbance in San Salvador: Government Accuses Opposition of Violation of Peace Accords
(From reports in La Prensa Grafica & El Diario de Hoy [July 5 @ 1:00 PM EDT]) Two police officers
of the UMO (Unidad de Mantenimiento del Orden) died this morning from gunshots supposedly fired by students from UES (University
of El Salvador). Nine other officers were injured. The disturbance occurred in the center of San Salvador on 25
Avenida Sur.
In other parts of the capital there were more demonstrations in which tires were burned. Demonstrators
included street vendors and others and spoke of increased minimum wage, improved government services and bus fares.
On the first of the month a governement approved increase in the standard fare on buses went into effect.
The increase was approximately 25%. Many workers and students spend about an hour's pay to commute to work or school
each day.
President Saca accused the opposition party, the FMLN, for the violence, saying the FMLN has people disguised
among the protestors who are the true assassins and dangerous people.
René Figueroa, the government's Interior Minister, accused the FMLN party of violation of the
Peace accords of 1992. She said she intends to file an official complaint with the international organizations that
oversaw the peace accord. "We are going to defend our democracy", she said.
Salvadorans in US to Renew TPS Visas
(From Potomac News) The government of El Salvador is urging 225,000 of its citizens in the U.S. to renew a
temporary visa that would legally extend their stay for another year.
Beginning July 3, Salvadoran nationals with "temporary protected status" have until Sept. 1 to re-register,
or risk deportation.
Salvadorans are the most numerous beneficiaries of the TPS program, which allows foreigners whose countries
are in turmoil to legally live in the U.S. Only those who arrived before February 2001 are eligible to renew their status,
which automatically authorizes them to work in the U.S.
Guatemala Joins CAFTA
(From Charlotte Business Journal) Guatemala has implemented the Central American Free Trade Agreement, leaving
Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic as the only two signatories that haven't put the agreement into effect.
CAFTA is designed to reduce trade barriers between the United States and five Central American countries and
the Dominican Republic. The agreement will reduce or eliminate duties on goods shipped between the United States, Costa Rica,
El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
The U.S. Senate approved CAFTA in June 2005, and the pact was approved the following month by a two-vote margin,
217 to 215, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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No one is too rich to receive; no one is too poor to give.
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