home > user posts

Pst! Don't go to the easy 7 second sign up. Existing users: sign in.

TRAVELER PROFILE

juancegomez has written 197 posts

Prosecutors order arrest of ex-Sen. Mario Uribe, who seeks asylum in Costa Rica

Too busy to comment much, but the political fallout could be pretty big, especially if he actually makes it out of the country. ------------- Colombia prosecutor orders arrest President Uribe's cousin AP AP - 2 hours 30 minutes ago BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's chief prosecutor has ordered the arrest of a second cousin of President Alvaro Uribe for allegedly promoting illegal paramilitary groups. Former Sen. Mario Uribe is accused of criminal conspiracy. The longtime political ally of ...

Former Congresswoman denounces benefits offered in exchange for approving reelection bill

This was something that many of us suspected or assumed, and likely correctly I suppose, but in that case the problem is proving it. Now that there's a clear and concrete testimony about this apparent act of corruption, things may get complicated. Unless Yidis is lying and making a fool out of us all, but...we'll see. Btw, the video should be available somewhere on: http://www.noticiasuno.com/ ---------------------------------------- Actualidad / La ex congresista Yidis Medina d ...

Colombia's president criticizes Obama

Colombia's president criticizes Obama 1 hour, 11 minutes ago BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's president sharply criticized U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday for opposing a trade deal with his country, calling the Democrat out of touch with the realities of the South American nation. The White House is urging Congress to approve the agreement, which would remove most tariffs on American exports and cement Colombia's preferential trade status with the United States. Bu ...

FARC's "Ivan Márquez" on the attack to the camp in Ecuador

The only truly new information, I believe, is his claim that 11 prisoners were taken from the FARC camp, and that a (ballistic?) missile launched "by the gringos" from the Tres Esquinas air base, not from an airplane or helicopter as he claims those were not heard, is responsible for the attack on the Ecuadorian camp. That's not what Ecuador is saying, however, as they've spoken of GBU-12s being employed (no, those are not land-based missiles), and they've said nothing about any FARC prisone ...

4 de abril: Movimiento Nacional por la Libertad

There will be an upcoming march on April 4th, asking for the freedom not only of Ingrid Betancourt but also including the other civilian hostages and military captives. --- Paz| 30 Marzo 2008 - 10:02pm 4 de abril: "Movimiento Nacional por la Libertad" Pañuelos y camisetas blancas, pitos, sirenas y marchantes acompañarán esta jornada en todo el país. Será una petición de Colombia a las Farc para que liberen a los 40 civiles y militares que tienen secuestrados. La cita es el próximo ...

Colombia presents plan to free hostages

Colombia presents plan to free hostages 24 minutes ago BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's peace commissioner says the government will suspend the sentences of jailed guerrillas if the rebels first free hostages including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. Luis Carlos Restrepo says the liberation of some of the hostages would be enough to begin the process. The government's new offer to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, comes as concern rises in Colombia ...

Ecuador admits to following man who died in FARC camp

So apparently Santos wasn't entirely speaking crap this time when he connected the guy to FARC. Correa has said that, in any case, his death will not be left to impunity, but at the very least some nuances begin to emerge. ------ eluniverso.com | 18h16 Ejército y Policía hacían seguimiento a Aisalla Marzo 27, 2008 Tras una reunión del primer mandatario con el alto mando, el Ministro de Defensa, Wellington Sandoval, confirmó esta tarde que "ciertamente se ha identi ...

Colombian Defense Minister: Ecuadorian killed in attack on FARC camp

Colombia confirms it killed Ecuadorean Posted on Mon, Mar. 24, 2008 Digg del.icio.us AIM print email By CARLOS ALBERTO GONZALEZ Associated Press Writer BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's defense minister announced Sunday that an Ecuadorean was killed during Colombia's controversial March 1 raid on a rebel camp in Ecuador's jungle. Ecuador and Venezuela briefly mobilized troops to their borders with Colombia in the wake of the attack that killed top Colombian rebel commander Raul Reyes and ...

Bold Nicolas Sarkozy/Luis Eladio Pérez plan to free hostages

Many of the finer details are not available yet, but some information has been released or leaked to Argentina's El Clarín and to Paris Match. El Tiempo is updating its website with additional information right now. Apparently former hostage Luis Eladio Pérez came up with the original idea and had previously said he would talk to Uribe, Chávez and Sarzoky. It has been developed further since then. Reportedly, FARC has already agreed with certain parts of the plan, but some details are not ...

Mexicans in FARC camp died due to bomb blasts, not bullet wounds

The Ecuadorian police has reported that the Mexicans died due to the bomb blasts, not because of any bullet wounds. ----------------------- ■ Bombardeo, no balas, causa de las muertes, reporta la policía Ofician misa en Quito por mexicanos fallecidos en el ataque a las FARC Dpa Quito, 19 de marzo. La Asociación Latinoamericana de Derechos Humanos (Aldhu), con sede en Quito, organizó hoy una misa para despedir los cadáveres de los cuatro estudiantes mexicanos que murieron el pr ...

Families sue Chiquita in deaths of 5 men

No, it's not about paramilitaries this time. --- Families sue Chiquita in deaths of 5 men By Carmen Gentile Monday, March 17, 2008 MIAMI: Tania Julin remembers hearing the distinct sound of feet racing through the dark Panamanian forest moments before armed, masked men burst through the door of the modest hut she shared with her husband. Julin and her husband, Mark Rich, were missionaries living in a remote village near the Colombian border when the gunmen - leftist rebels from ...

March 6th protest against paramilitarism and state crimes

I just returned from participating in the mobilization, so here are some first impressions, for those who might be interested. I walked from the Parque Nacional, where things were being originally set up, to the Plaza de Bolívar, returning by bus after a shorter walk. All in all, specific details aside, I felt that what I saw of the event accomplished what the organizers were seeking: to bring much needed attention to the victims of paramilitary, parapolitics and state crimes, pointing ...

OAS approves resolution on Colombian action in Ecuador

OAS approves resolution on Colombian action in Ecuador - Summary Posted : Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:51:05 GMT Author : DPA Washington/Quito - The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday approved a resolution stating Colombia violated Ecuador's sovereignty with a cross-border raid to kill a leftist rebel over the weekend. The move sought to defuse the tension that had been mounting among Andean nations, after Ecuador and Venezuela broke diplomatic relations wi ...

FARC's official communique

Just for those who might be interested...I find what they don't mention (the entire Correa "Ingrid was almost free" deal, or even the presence of Reyes in Ecuador) far more interesting than what they do. ------------- Marzo 4 de 2008 Comunicado 1. Informamos al pueblo colombiano y a la opinión internacional, que ha muerto el comandante Raúl Reyes, revolucionario integral y ejemplar, que entregó toda su vida a la causa de los explotados, la liberación nacional y la Patria Grande q ...

Colombia denuncia escandalosos nexos de Correa y Chávez con las FARC

Just saw this on TV, here's what I could find so far online. No idea what is or isn't BS or just exaggeration, but those PCs, if they are in fact in a recoverable condition, must be a goldmine, in either case... ---------- Colombia denuncia escandalosos nexos de Correa y Chávez con las FARC El Gobierno de Ecuador, el Presidente Correa y el Ministro Larrea tendrían nexos y compromisos con las FARC, según revela información obtenida de los 3 computadores incautados a Raúl Reyes. As� ...

Venezuela says that the 4 hostages are together, will be freed (this week?)

While I hope this is true, some curious bits here and there though, to say the least... Venezuela's interior minister is stating that Colombia has military operations in the area...but also claims that Colombia *doesn't know* where the hostages are. Even if he had the right coordinates from FARC as to the exact delivery point, he doesn't exactly have a bird's eye view of the field, or does he? His denial sounds a bit shallow, especially since he doesn't know what Colombia actually knows (or d ...

Colombia soldiers convicted in murders (Jamundí)

They can still appeal, but in the meanwhile...they've been found guilty of a horrendous crime. ----- Colombia soldiers convicted in murders By CESAR GARCIA, Associated Press Writer Mon Feb 18, 1:24 PM ET CALI, Colombia - A cashiered army lieutenant colonel and 14 soldiers were convicted Monday of murdering 10 elite counternarcotics police agents in an ambush that showed how deeply drug corruption threatens Colombia's security forces. Lt. Col. Byron Carvajal and his soldiers face ...

FARC rejects the mediation of the Catholic Church and Spain

According to "Raúl Reyes", the Spanish government and the Catholic Church have taken positions in favor of the Uribe administration, so they are not welcome as mediators for a humanitarian / prisoner exchange. Basically, in practice this means that FARC is still willing to talk with the Swiss and French governments, not to mention Venezuela... Other than that, the rest of the report is mostly the usual stuff. ----- FARC descartan a España y la iglesia de eventual mecanismo mediador ...

Colombia: Rice Should Press Uribe on Rights Issues

Colombia: Rice Should Press Uribe on Rights Issues 23 Jan 2008 17:40:56 GMT Source: Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC, January 23, 2008) � During her visit to Colombia this week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should press the Colombian government to show substantial results in addressing the serious human rights problems that jeopardize a proposed bilateral trade deal, Human Rights Watch said today. Rice is expected to be in Colombia on January 24 and 25 to promote a free tra ...

Defense Minister: We know the location of Tirofijo

Or the general area, that is. Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos says that it's better not to reveal the particular location, in order to get him by surprise, and that it would still be a very difficult operation (well, duh). Not that telling all this to the press is exactly going to help the "surprise", but...time will tell if this is just a bluff or not. He also added that "Raúl Reyes" spends a lot of time in Ecuador (long suspected to be the case), and that "Iván Marquez" (the guy ...

Constitutional Court rules against Forestry Law

The recent Forestry Law, which intended to allow and regulate the exploitation of natural forests, had been criticized by indigenous, Afro-Colombian and environmentalist groups. Some of the critics considered that the law could have allowed paramilitaries (and others, I imagine) to legalize illegally obtained land. The Court ruled that the entire Law cannot be applied, because it was approved without consulting (not at all or not enough?) indigenous and black communities. -------------- ...

Chávez asks to remove FARC and ELN from terror lists

The Colombian government has set itself up for this, evidently, by mishandling the issue for years and months (I would see no problem with such a removal during a negotiation and under very specific conditions, which isn't what Chávez is asking for), but that doesn't mean Chávez isn't interfering in matters that go way beyond his jurisdiction and which will likely only create a new backlash against him within Colombia. ------- (12:41 PM) Chávez pide a gobiernos excluir a las FARC y al ELN ...

High-ranking ELN member reportedly captured in Bogotá

Tinto was talking about this earlier, so... Carlos Marín Guarín, also known as "Pablito", was allegedly one of the most belligerent ELN leaders and was apparently opposed to the ongoing talks towards a peace process. He is accused of murdering the bishop of Arauca and taking part in numerous bombings against the Caño Limón - Coveñas pipeline. He was apparently the commander of three of the ELN's guerrilla fronts. Personally, I had never heard about this fellow as far as I can recal ...

Colombian government may still allow new foreign commissions

The High Commissioner for Peace is saying that other foreign commissions may be allowed, under certain conditions: trust and respect towards the Colombian government, as well as discretion when taking action. In any case, this apparent contradiction (Araújo and Holguín had said no) continues to show that the government is still improvising way too much. It should take one official stance and stick to it. ------------------------ Actualidad / El gobierno admite nueva comisión interna ...

Story of Colombian boy hostage emerges

It might be somewhat tiring to post / read more about the same story by now, but this account seems to include some details not seen in other English language reports. The reporters actually went to El Retorno, for example, and checked a few things out. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted on Tue, Jan. 08, 2008 Story of Colombian boy hostage emerges By JENNY CAROLINA GONZALEZ This town of 4,000 deep in Colombia's southern jungle, ironically name ...

Chavez to Keep Negotiating With FARC for Release of Hostages

Of course it's very good to know the boy is free, though his saying all this is also part of Chavez's own political diatribe...hopefully FARC does free the others, however. ------------------------------------------- Chavez to Keep Negotiating With FARC for Release of Hostages By Matthew Walter Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he'll keep trying to secure the release of hostages from Colombia's biggest guerrilla group following a failed attempt to free a group ...

FARC says: Uribe kidnapped Emmanuel (no, I'm not joking)

In other words, the boy is, almost without doubt, indeed Emmanuel. As for FARC..."no comment" says it all. --------------------------- Enero 4 de 2007 Comunicado 1. Experto en cortinas de humo, el gobierno narco-paramilitar de Uribe Vélez, previa consulta a su amo en Washington, ha resuelto secuestrar en Bogotá al niño Emmanuel con el infeliz propósito de sabotear su entrega, la de su madre Clara Rojas y Consuelo González de Perdomo, al Presidente de la República Bolivariana d ...

Chavez: Colombia Hostages May Be Freed

Basically, in order for FARC to free the hostages we have to allow Chávez, the same Chávez who has screamed his lungs out about "soberanía" several times in the past (often with some amount of reason, admittedly), to send helicopters and airplanes into Colombian territory. Why can't FARC take them to Venezuela, I wonder? Perhaps they aren't exactly in the best position to do so...? In any case, if it were up to me, I would allow this operation to take place, but with some sort of rest ...

UN reports less poverty, better conditions for the poor in Bogotá

I'd like to read the actual report myself, but I suppose this is still good news. Of course, the figures are probably not without their flaws or limitations, many of the improvements may still be insufficient or temporary and, obviously, the situation is certainly different or at least mixed in other parts of the country. But I do think some steps in the right direction have been taken in Bogotá, if nothing else. According to the EL TIEMPO article below, the UN report estimates that the ...

Danish prosecution appeals FARC T-shirt vendors verdict

Well, there it goes... ---------------- Dinamarca: Apelan absolución de acusados de ayudar a FARC The Associated Press Article Launched: 12/19/2007 10:07:30 AM MST COPENHAGUE—Una fiscal danesa apeló el miércoles la absolución de siete daneses que recaudaron fondos para la guerrilla colombiana y milicias palestinas mediante la venta de camisetas por internet. La corte de Copenhague absolvió el 13 de diciembre a los daneses por violar una ley que prohibe la financiación ...

Piedad Córdoba denounces death threats from an unnamed government official

This is obviously extremely worrying, if true. If not, then it's very irresponsible, to say the least. In either case, I believe she should make everything public, going through the proper legal channels and telling us exactly who would have done this, instead of leaving it up in the air and subject to speculation. She's not doing herself any favors by making the existence of the threats public if she doesn't say who made them. --------------------------- Actualidad / Piedad Córdoba d ...

Rep. Erik Morris sentenced to 6 years for paramilitary ties

It's worth pointing out that the process was handled by the Supreme Court itself, not the Attorney General. The Procuraduría, however, had previously considered the evidence to be weak and called for the Representative's release. The Supreme Court seems to have disagreed. In addition to his sentence, Morris also has to pay a fine of 2000 minimum salaries, and has no access to the benefits of house arrest and "condena condicional" (whatever that means, I'm no lawyer). Whether he'll s ...

FARC to free three hostages, criticizes Uribe proposal

Kind of ironic to hear them complain about " inhóspitos, remotos y clandestinos lugares", but whatever...if this is real, I'm happy for the families, even if many remain in captivity. --------------------------------- Diciembre 18 de 2007 Farc anunciaron la liberación de Clara Rojas, su hijo Emanuel y Consuelo González de Perdomo La revelación la hizo la agencia de noticias Prensa Latina. El grupo guerrillero también calificó de improvisada la propuesta del Gobierno de crear una zo ...

'Terror T-shirts' Danes cleared

A Danish court has ruled that you can fund organizations guilty of kidnappings and murders, which openly promote armed revolution, but that somehow doesn't aim to "destabilise or destroy the foundations of society". I guess murders and kidnappings and armed revolutions seek to promote stability and to strengthen the foundations of society, perhaps? And of course, it doesn't seem to matter to this Danish court that the two groups (FARC, PFLP) are listed on the European Union's list of terro ...

Court Rules that San Andres, Providencia, Santa Catalina still belong to Colombia, but will decide on limits

In other words, a few smaller islands and the maritime border itself remain under the Court's jurisdiction, since they were not part of the 1928 treaty. ------------------------------ Corte Mundial concede a Colombia islas disputadas por Nicaragua The Associated Press Article Launched: 12/13/2007 05:23:45 AM MST LA HAYA, Holanda—La Corte Internacional de Justicia de La Haya afirmó el jueves que pertenecen a Colombia tres islas disputadas por Nicaragua y dijo que dictaminará sobre ...

Colombia's Uribe offers talks zone

It's still a good sign, though this is basically a modified version of the previous 2005 proposal made by the "three friendly countries" (France, Spain, Switzerland), which the government had already accepted. My fear is that this is probably not enough for FARC, unless they suddenly decide to become reasonable, which is something I hope but not what I expect. ----------------- Colombia head offers talks zone Colombian President Alvaro Uribe says he is willing to create a "meeting zone ...

Chávez: Bolívar was assassinated by Colombia

An impossible theory? No. Extremely unlikely and curiously popping up precisely during a bilateral crisis, more than a century after the events occurred? Yes. In any case, this isn't anything more than personal speculation by Hugo Chávez at this point, with no medical or historical support behind it at this time. Wake me up when serious professionals have found something to work with. --------- Un nuevo ataque verbal Chávez asegura que Simón Bolívar no murió de tubercul ...

Colombia puts year-end deadline on hostage talks

I'm not certain we could see anything other than the "proof of life" for an important hostage (or a few) before the end of the year...so it's indeed a very short deadline, but on the other hand Chavez shouldn't expect to have 5 years either... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Colombia puts year-end deadline on hostage talks By Hugh Bronstein Mon Nov 19, 10:31 PM ET BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia on Monday placed a year-end deadline on talks led by V ...

Colombia says rebel infiltrated top army school

I think the English language report is an OK piece, though it makes the IMHO unnecessary mistake of not explaining the fact that she took Cidenal courses, as opposed to other kinds of training (which makes this even more sensitive), nor that she was caught as a result of the information obtained from a captured FARC PC, a discovery which led to other arrests and could hurt several of FARC's ongoing espionage operations. ------------------------- Colombia says rebel infiltrated top army schoo ...

Colombia labor applauds convictions

From the November 13, 2007 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1113/p07s02-woam.html Colombia labor applauds convictions Leaders say government is only taking action against organizers' to secure US trade deal. By Sibylla Brodzinsky | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Bogotá, Colombia Friends and family of Aury Sara, the former head of the northern branch of Colombia's oil workers' union, had little doubt about who ordered his 2001 kidnapping, torture, and murder, ...

Communiques from Inpec, Aerocivil in defense of Pres. Uribe

Basically both entities want to reply to the recent Vallejo claims (not actually originally hers in the first place, but well...), among others (Inpec focuses on something else, for example). Whether these denials are enough or are authentic is, of course, something I cannot say. I am certainly not left without many other questions, mind you. Aerocivil argues that the helicopter which was used in an attempt to transport Alberto (father of the President) and Santiago Uribe (brother) after the ...

Alberto Santofimio convicted in '89 Galan killing

Ex-Colombian justice minister convicted in '89 killing * Story Highlights * Former justice minister Alberto Santofimio was sentenced to 24 years in prison * Ex-official convicted in assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan * Santofimio ordered hit squad belonging to drug kingpin Pablo Escobar BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- A former justice minister was convicted Thursday of masterminding the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan, a cartel-fighting politici ...

Gain for gay couples in Colombia

Doesn't affect me personally, but I see no reason why these people shouldn't have all the rights they deserve. Good to see further progress on this front. -------------------------------------- Gain for gay couples in Colombia Oct 6, 2007 12:09 PM Gay couples in Colombia won the same social security rights as their straight counterparts in a court ruling called a major advance for homosexuals in the conservative Roman Catholic country. In a decision embraced by rights groups but oppos ...

Jury deadlocks in (Simon Trinidad's drug trafficking) trial

I really have no idea whether he actually has anything to do with the drug trade at all (which doesn't suddenly make him a "good guy" or a "hero", rest assured, if we were to discuss what his "political reasons" are), but it's good to know that the jurors didn't dispute FARC's participation per se, only Mr. Palmera's. All in all, a very sloppy but ultimately mixed picture. ------ Jury deadlocks in Colombian rebel trial By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer 58 minutes ago WASHINGTON ...

Uribe's cousin quits Colombian Senate amid scandal

Second cousin, actually. A fact that's probably going to become more important as time goes on, from the looks of things. I would stress that while he may avoid the Supreme Court (which offers no appeals, in the event of a sentence), the Attorney General does have to investigate him for the same alleged crimes and likely using the same elements. It's not something *entirely* disconnected from the Court's previously announced questioning. The Court can transfer the investigation, IIRC. It c ...

Delegative Democracy: The Case Of Colombia

Overall, it's a pretty insightful analysis and better than others out there, although I do not consider it flawless. The author's description of (or speculations about) how and why the Constitutional Court ultimately approved reelection are open to debate, for example, and the fact that there have been other, perhaps more successful challenges (even from the Court itself) to the President's power and authority or simply his wishes is something that would need to be expanded. On the other h ...

Pablo was no friend of mine, Colombia's Uribe says

At least one of these two people, Uribe or Vallejo, necessarily has to be lying or omitting information. Or both of them could be, for that matter. Take your pick. -------------------------- Pablo was no friend of mine, Colombia's Uribe says 2 hours, 48 minutes ago BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, dogged throughout his career by rumors of cozy relationships with drug lords and right-wing paramilitaries, said on Monday that he was never a friend of the late cocai ...

Colombia posters tackle sex abuse

Posters are a bit of an exaggeration, if you ask me.. Now, I would definitely welcome initiatives that provide people with more information about where sex abusers (for lack of a better term, since "offenders" is too generic) live, how they operate, and of course who they are. That would be great. But posters...don't seem quite right. ---- Colombia posters tackle sex abuse By Will Grant BBC News, Miami Billboards displaying the photos and personal details of men convict ...

Colombian pilots sentenced to 6 years for 1998 bombing

According to the judge, the pilots were found guilty of the "involuntary homicide" of 17 people, as a result of the 1998 bombing of Santo Domingo during combat against FARC. It's not mentioned below, but the U.S. company AirScan was also involved in this incident. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirScan ------------------------------ Septiembre 21 de 2007 Condenan a 6 años de prisión a pilotos de la FAC por muerte de 17 personas en Santo Domingo Un juez de Bogotá determinó que ...

Page: 1 2 3 4 Next »

If you're not a part of this travelicious experiment just yet, just sign up here. It's free & easy.

Visit the Hungersite daily.