Radio Havana Cuba-29 May 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 29 May 2002 . *HUMAN TRAFFICKING CONTINUES TO PLACE LIVES IN DANGER *INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF KIDNEY SPECIALISTS UNDERWAY *CUBA WILL INCREASE COCOA EXPORTS THIS YEAR *CUBAN FILM "MIEL PARA OCHUN" WINS MEXICO'S ARIEL CINEMA AWARD *ARGENTINES TAKE TO THE STREETS IN SECOND GENERAL STRIKE *US FBI TRIES TO DEFLECT ATTENTION FROM 9/11 INTELLIGENCE FAILURES *GUATEMALAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TO SEEK INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION *COLOMBIA: URIBE'S MILITARIZATION PLANS SPARKS DEBATE *DESPITE ALL EVIDENCE, US TREASURY SECRETARY OPTIMISTIC ON AFRICA *FRANCE A COUNTRY OF XENOPHOBES, SAYS "LE MONDE" *Viewpoint: GUATEMALA - HOW TO ELIMINATE HUMANITARIAN LEADERS . *HUMAN TRAFFICKING CONTINUES TO PLACE LIVES IN DANGER Havana, May 29 (RHC)-- Human trafficking continues to endanger the lives of people, especially children. An article in Tuesday's edition of the daily Granma reveals that 186 illegal immigrants have been returned to Cuba so far this year by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo. The article recalls that the so-called Cuban Adjustment Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1966, only serves to stimulate illegal immigration from the island. The legislation -- on the books for nearly 40 years now -- is a threat to the physical safety of those who are enticed to try to reach the "Promised Land." On May 18th, 25 Cubans -- including four children -- were returned to the island after their boat ran out of gas on the open sea. Among them was Abigail Garcia, who told reporters that she had been saving her money and waiting a long time for a boat to take her to Florida. She said that she considered all of the risks... except one: that the speedboat would not have enough gas to make the trip. Noting that human traffickers would not hesitate to send their clients to the bottom of the sea if they could not come up with nearly $10,000 for the 90-mile journey, the Granma article calls on people to think twice before attempting such a dangerous venture. *INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF KIDNEY SPECIALISTS UNDERWAY Havana, May 29 (RHC)-- Over 200 doctors and scientists from around the world are meeting in the Cuban capital to discuss the treatment of kidney disease. According to Dr. Julio Valdivia, President of the Organizing Committee, the 2nd International Nefrology Congress promotes scientific exchange among centers and specialists devoted to the treatment of kidney malfunctions. The event is taking place at Havana's Medical and Surgical Research Center, known as CIMEQ. Specialists attending the event have the opportunity to share their experiences in medical areas -- including kidney transplants -- with their colleagues from Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, France and the United States. *CUBA WILL INCREASE COCOA EXPORTS THIS YEAR Guantánamo, May 29 (RHC)-- Cuba will triple the amount of its cocoa exports this year, reaching nearly 1000 tons -- the highest ever sold on the world market since experimental exports began in 1998. According to the trade journal "Opciones," Cuba sold 300 tons of cocoa last year. Antonio Oliveros Vera, an expert who works at the Cocoa Research Center in Baracoa, located in Guantánamo province, stated that among the achievements of the Center has been the certification of high-quality hybrid cocoa seeds. Cuba produced 1200 tons of cocoa during 2001, reaching an all time record. Research is now underway to analyze some 143 different strains of cocoa plants to find the most productive in Cuba's unique climatic conditions. Cocoa is primarily grown in the easternmost part of the island, near Baracoa -- where approximately 50 percent of the national crop is harvested. Other areas where cocoa is grown include Buey Arriba in Granma province, Cenaguilla in Holguin province, Tercer Frente in Santiago de Cuba province and in the Escambray mountains, located in the provinces of Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara and Cienfuegos. *CUBAN FILM "MIEL PARA OCHUN" WINS MEXICO'S ARIEL CINEMA AWARD Mexico City, May 29 (RHC)-- The Cuban film "Miel para Ochun" has won Mexico's Ariel Cinema Award for Best Ibero-American Film. During the awards ceremony held last night in Mexico City, film director Humberto Solás said it was a great honor just to be nominated for the award. Speaking with reporters before the ceremony, the Cuban filmmaker noted the cultural importance of the Ariel Award in Latin America. Solás said it was a challenge to compete for the Ibero-American Film Award with the Peruvian film "El Bien Esquivo" by Augusto Tamayo and the Chilean production "Taxi para Tres" by Orlando Lubert. According to the internationally-renowned Cuban film director, the nomination of his production was exceptional because it was selected despite current distribution difficulties for regional films. Humberto Solás added that the Ariel Cinema Award was very important because it is one of the ways to escape the limitations imposed by giant U.S. companies on the Latin American film industry. The Mexican Film Academy annually presents 24 Silver and two Gold awards to the best productions of Latin America -- including the categories of Best Actor and Actress, Best Original Script, Best Sound Track and Visual Effects, as well as Best Short Film, Documentary Feature and Ibero-American Film. *ARGENTINES TAKE TO THE STREETS IN SECOND GENERAL STRIKE Buenos Aires, May 29 (RHC) -- Argentines massively took to the streets across the country blocking roads and organizing pot-banging protest marches during the second general strike against President Eduardo Duhalde's administration. Called by the dissident Argentine Workers' Central -- grouping primarily the public and education sectors - workers and the unemployed reportedly blocked access to all the country's principle cities with burning tires, tree trunks and whatever other objects could be found. There were practically no vehicles circulating on the streets of Buenos Aires itself. Airport workers in the capital paralyzed the flights of several commercial airlines, while the activity of others was reduced considerably. Dissident labor leaders called the strike a protest against the politics of hunger, unemployment and servility -- in reference to the government's willingness to bow to International Monetary Fund demands. Rallying supporters into the streets, Argentine Workers' Central leader Victor De Genaro affirmed that the real rulers of Argentina are the powerful economic groups that are allowing genocide to occur in a country known for its food production, but where 100 children daily die of hunger or hunger-related illnesses. *US FBI TRIES TO DEFLECT ATTENTION FROM 9/11 INTELLIGENCE FAILURES Washington, May 29 (RHC) -- The US's Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced plans to redeploy more than 500 additional agents to counterterrorism activities, in what some observers are calling an apparent effort to deflect attention from its failure to link information on possible terrorist threats in the weeks before September 11. The announcement came as some US media outlets focus on the upcoming June 4 House and Senate Intelligence Committee meetings that will examine the failures of intelligence and the breakdown in communications. The Boston Globe news daily recalled Wednesday that in the days immediately following September 11, US officials spoke with virtual unanimity about the absence of any warning preceding the attacks. On September 14, according to the article, FBI Director Robert Mueller III expressed surprise that hijackers had trained at flight schools in the United States -- despite warnings from an FBI office as early as July. Last weekend Senator Bob Graham, the Florida Democrat who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that there were a series of pieces of information in rebuttal to officials in Washington who have insisted that there was no single piece of information -- and, he added, additional pieces of information continue to surface. *GUATEMALAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TO SEEK INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION Guatemala City, May 29 (RHC) -- Guatemala's National Human Rights Movement has broken off talks with the government on the wave of threats and intimidation against activists, announcing that the coalition will seek protection from the Interamerican Human Rights Commission. Leaders of the 17 organizations making up the coalition had been gathering with Vice President Juan Francisco Reyes over the past several months, in the presence of diplomatic representatives from the embassies of Spain, Britain and Sweden. Though the governmental Strategic Analysis Secretariat has admitted to the probable existence of secret, parallel structures organized by former and active-duty security agents and army officers, Guatemalan human rights leaders have accused authorities of inaction in the face of assassinations, death threats, temporary kidnappings and beatings and the theft of documents and records from their offices. According to the National Human Rights Movement, this year alone has seen 125 cases of threats, persecution, assassination and kidnappings of activists. The breakdown in talks coincided with the second of a five-day visit to Guatemala by United Nations human rights expert Hina Jilani, who is expected to present a highly critical report of the Central American nation's human rights record and of compliance with the country's 1996 rebel-government peace accords. *COLOMBIA: URIBE'S MILITARIZATION PLANS SPARKS DEBATE Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Brasilia, May 29 (RHC) -- The victory of Alvaro Uribe in Colombia's presidential election has generated a heated debate in the regional press on whether increased militarization will harm Colombia even more. Noting that the new Colombian administration will back the militarization of society as a solution to violence that already claims over 30,000 lives every year, the leading Argentine news daily Clarín cast doubt over the possibility of putting an end to war with more war -- warning that turning neighborhood groups into "virtual vigilantes" will only bring more people into the fray. Political commentators in Brazil's leading daily Jornal do Brasil also agreed that through militarization Colombia is quickly declining as a society. Mexico's La Jornada news daily has expressed fear that the Uribe victory will lead to an upsurge in violence, expressing the hope that once he takes power, the president-elect will be able to perceive the complex realities of his country with a clarity greater than that which he exhibited as a candidate. La Jornada affirmed that the guerrilla war in Colombia is a "symptom of the much deeper sickness which afflicts the nation -- the terrible social inequality, the misery which permeates the countryside, political corruption, and the general ineptitude of the authorities." In contrast, other leading dailies like Brazil's Jornal do Comercio, has asserted that it is clear the people were fed up with the guerrillas and voted for an escalation of the war to defeat them. *DESPITE ALL EVIDENCE, US TREASURY SECRETARY OPTIMISTIC ON AFRICA Kampala, Rome, May 29 (RHC) -- Despite all evidence to the contrary, US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil has asserted that prospects for Africa are looking up. Speaking from Uganda amid a 10-day tour of sub-Saharan Africa, O'Neil's affirmation coincided with a call from United Nations agencies in Rome for emergency aid for at least 10 million southern Africans on the verge of starvation. The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program warned Wednesday that millions in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland are suffering famine as a result of drought, flooding and also manmade disasters resulting from International Monetary Fund policies. As the US treasury secretary was about to arrive in Africa, the Monday edition of the British news daily The Guardian affirmed that O'Neil, like millions of Africans, know that the economic crisis is worsening. According to the United Nations, nearly half sub-Saharan Africa's 600 million people live on less than one dollar a day, the trend in life expectancy is declining, more than one-third of all sub-Saharan children are now malnourished, 40 percent have no access to primary education and school enrollment rates are falling. Even the World Bank has not only acknowledged that the benefits of globalization are barely being passed on to sub-Saharan Africa, but has also admitted that globalization may have actually exacerbated many of its problems. *FRANCE A COUNTRY OF XENOPHOBES, SAYS "LE MONDE" Paris, May 29 (RHC) -- The French news daily Le Monde has reported that a new opinion poll on the policies of rightwing presidential candidate Jean Marie Le Pen reveals a country of xenophobes. Nearly half the French electorate support Le Pen's hardline law and order policies and more than a quarter are "wholly or largely in agreement" with the rest of his views, according to a survey published Tuesday. Three weeks after Le Pen rocked France by reaching the run-off round of the presidential election, the survey by the Sofres polling agency confirmed that his racist National Front party is garnering rising grassroots support and that it is likely to play a crucial role in next month's final round. Approximately 28 percent of those questioned said they backed Le Pen's stance on most issues, one of the highest ratings achieved by the far right and a sharp increase on the 11 percent support found by a similar survey in 1999. That year 63 percent of respondents were "totally opposed" to the NF; this time only 49 percent are. In an editorial commenting on the survey, Le Monde wrote that a "country of xenophobes" was revealing itself "without shame or discomfort." Though he was heavily defeated by the conservative incumbent, Jacques Chirac, it was the most votes ever won by the far right in a national election. *Viewpoint: GUATEMALA - HOW TO ELIMINATE HUMANITARIAN LEADERS If you were to remind most Guatemalans that the war ended nearly six years ago, the response would likely be that the country is even more violent today than during the bloody civil war. Though the insurgents signed a peace accord with the government six years ago, many Guatemalans still live in fear for their lives. Now, with the upcoming visit of a special UN envoy for human rights, it has been revealed that armed groups are indeed operating against those who dare to investigate past crimes against humanity committed by the military and police. Also in danger are the courageous Guatemalans who are working to end impunity and dignify the thousands of victims of the war who lie buried in secret graves. The government of Alfonso Portillo has admitted as much, but has made no promises to investigate or to find out who makes up the groups, and to attempt to bring them to justice. Quite the contrary. The methodology used by these clandestine organizations to neutralize or eliminate humanitarian activists, leaders and organizations is well known. When one analyzes the situation it becomes obvious that the groups are highly effective and have access to ample resources. According to humanitarian organizations, the method consists of five steps. First, the victim is selected by gathering information through intercepting written and electronic correspondence, listening in on telephone conversations, monitoring fax messages, checking web pages and other sources. Then the victim is immediately subjected to a slander campaign to discredit him. The second step begins at this point. The victim is shadowed with the aim to intimidate. This may or may not be accompanied by written, verbal or telephoned threats. The third phase involves disrupting the organization or individual's work by stealing information under the guise of common robbery and issuing collective threats. Then comes the fourth phase of physical attacks involving beatings, kidnappings, disappearances and murder. After going to such extremes, the fifth step comes into play: cover up, disappearance of evidence and clues and the insurance of impunity for those who planned, directed and carried out the attacks. That is often achieved by framing others and letting them take the punishment. It is obvious that this method must be supported by enormous financial, technological, and organizational resources, which could not be amassed by isolated groups of right wing fanatics, but only by entities closely linked to power and to interests that want certain truths to remain buried forever. So far this year 125 cases of these kinds of attacks have been documented in Guatemala. That is almost fifty more than in 2001, which shows that violence against human rights leaders is increasing disproportionately in a country that claims to have achieved peace. It is a matter of conscience for those who have seen their society attacked in this way to end the impunity of those who insist on keeping the Guatemalan people in fear. For those Guatemalans who watched for decades as an entire people was exterminated and a culture was systematically eliminated, it is time for the truth to be brought to light and to finally achieve reconciliation and justice. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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