Tall & Rich

A Yanqui’s View of Latin American Politics

Archive for May, 2008

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Cuban Police crack down on dissidents

Posted by Jonn Lilyea on May 28, 2008

This story will probably get a lot less coverage than Cubans being able to buy cell phones and computers, even though it’s much more indicative of the real life in Cuba than the sudden granting of permission to buy microwave ovens (AP/Miami Herald link);

Cuban police violently broke up a dissidents’ meeting, leaving at least two people in need of medical treatment, opposition sources said Monday.

At least 30 people were detained briefly after a weekend raid on the home of well-known dissident Jorge Luis “Atunez” Garcia Perez in the central city of Placetas, opposition leader Martha Beatriz Roque said in a communique sent to journalists by fax.

Veteran dissident Elizardo Sanchez said he independently confirmed the details of the raid and that all who were detained were later released.

At least two people needed medical care, including one man who required a head X-ray, and were later sent home, said Sanchez, head of the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

“This is the most violent police action we have seen in many months,” he said.

In other Cuba news, Fidel Castro claims that Obama’s plan to maintain the 50-year-old embargo against the Cuban government will hurt Cubans (AP/Miami Herald link);

Former President Fidel Castro says Sen. Barack Obama’s plan to maintain Washington’s trade embargo against Cuba will cause hunger and suffering on the island.

I think Castro’s got it a bit wrong. The Cuban government causes hunger and suffering on the island. They can trade with the other 160 nations in the world, not being able to trade JUST ONE shouldn’t make a difference - especially since communism is the answer to all of Man’s problems.

Last week Cuba announced that they needed about a half-million houses to ease a housing shortage - how could that happen with the perfect planning of the communist government? So their plan is to build 14,000 Barbie houses every year (do your math - to get to a half-million homes at that rate, it’d take nearly 40 years) (Reuters link);

Set to begin in September, the program will use polyvinyl chloride from a petrochemical facility to be built with Venezuelan aid at a refinery in Cienfuegos, Prensa Latina said.

“Cuba will produce more than 14,000 houses annually with polyvinyl chloride, thanks to a bi-national project with Venezuela,” project director Julian Alonso told the news agency.

Cuba is said to need about half a million homes to provide sufficient housing for its people.

The Ladies in White, a Cuban dissident organization and a support group for the wives of imprisoned political prisoners, has written to Obama in the mistaken belief that Obama will help get the 55 political prisoners they represent released. (yet another AP/Miami Herald link)

‘We have great hope that you can contribute to the immediate, unconditional liberation of the 55 who are still in horrible prison conditions, with serious health problems,” the group wrote to Obama.

One of the founders of the Ladies in White, Miriam Leiva, said Sunday that representatives of the group living outside Cuba traveled to Miami to deliver the letter, and spoke with Obama for a few minutes.

”This has nothing to do with the presidential race or support for one candidate or another,” she said. “We are not political. The only thing we hope for is the liberation of our prisoners and improved well-being for the Cuban people.”

Obama has said that he’ll talk directly to Raul Castro and lift travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban-Americans, which seem like a good idea, but will only prolong the communist government’s grip on the island. Guantanamo detainees are more free than most Cubans.

Posted in Cuba, US Foreign Policy | Tagged: | No Comments »

Venezuela targets Goicoechea

Posted by Jonn Lilyea on May 27, 2008

The Washington Times reports that Yon Goicoechea, the student awarded the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty has come up against government attempts to silence him;

For his outspoken opposition to President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s best-known college student has been called a U.S. collaborator and has had his nose broken in a scuffle.

On a wall opposite the converted garage where Yon Goicoechea lives, graffiti denounces him as a defender of the rich and powerful. Now state television airs a cartoon of him holding a fistful of dollars and stamped “Made in USA.”

Lately the attacks have intensified because of the $500,000 award that he received from the Cato Institute, a U.S. think tank that advocates individual liberties and free markets, for his “pivotal role in organizing and voicing opposition to the erosion of human and civil rights in his country.”

The 23-year-old law student and protest leader received Cato’s Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, named for the late Nobel laureate economist, in New York earlier this month.

“I think in Venezuela you can’t speak of democracy because all branches of government are controlled by one single branch,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press. “It’s growing dangerously close to a totalitarian regime.”

I wonder what Jimmy Carter thinks about this? You can be sure if this man was a Leftist speaking up against a Right-leaning government, Jimmy Carter would break his neck getting in front of cameras with him. But because Goicoechea is only talking about democracy and freedom, Carter couldn’t care less.

Posted in Hugo Chavez, Venezuela | No Comments »

When it rains, it pours

Posted by Jonn Lilyea on May 25, 2008

Things have gone downhill for FARC since Colombia’s cross-border attack on leader Raul Reyes’ camp in Ecuadaor several weeks ago and lately they’ve suffered their worst blow. Legendary FARC narco-terrorist leader Manuel Marulanda is reportedly dead according to the Wall Street Journal;

The military said that Mr. Marulanda, the top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, died in late March, apparently of a heart attack. Mr. Marulanda helped found the rebel group four decades ago and has been fighting ever since to overthrow the government.

“Through various means of military intelligence, we have learned that Pedro Antonio Marín, alias ‘Manuel Marulanda’ or ‘Tirofijo’ (Sureshot), the chief of the FARC, is dead,” said Admiral David Moreno, the Chief of Staff of the Colombian armed forces, at a Bogota press conference, reading from a prepared statement.

President Alvaro Uribe said in a speech that the “sources of information (on the death) are serious.” But he added the Spanish word “esperemos” — a word that can be translated as either “we hope” or “let’s wait.” Either way, it suggests the government isn’t completely sure that Mr. Marulanda is, in fact, dead. Over the years, reports of his death have turned out to be premature.

Posted in Colombia, FARC, US Foreign Policy | No Comments »

Yo Soy Un Hombre Sincero

Posted by Jonn Lilyea on May 21, 2008

solidaridad_logo_hor_400.gif

Today is Cuba Solidarity Day;

May 21 has great historic significance as it falls within a two-week period in which Cubans throughout the island remember those that have suffered under the Castro regime while struggling for freedom and human rights.

Sign the petition to release Cuba’s prisoners of conscience and stop by Babalu Blog to learn about “the most dangerous man in Cuba” and here to read the President’s Proclamation. This blog always stands with the Cuban people, wherever they live.

Henry Gomez bestowed upon me the title of honorary Cuban a few months back, so stop by and give him my best.

Other blogs supporting Cuba Solidarity Day;

Hos Report
A Colombo-Americana’s Perspective
Babalu
Pains Feeder
e the people
Brandon’s Puppy
Fausta’s Blog

Posted in Cuba | Tagged: | No Comments »

Chavez is manipulating the world’s attention

Posted by Jonn Lilyea on May 19, 2008

Hugo Chavez has been dealt a major blow to his credibility with the Interpol press release pointing a finger squarely at Chavez’ forehead. So Chavez does what Chavez does best - distract the world’s attention from him own misdeeds with manufactured fantasies (El Universal link);

On Sunday, Venezuelan Minister of Information Andrés Izarra ratified that Colombian troops entered Venezuelan territory illegally. “Photos and other materials that show the incursion” will be published timely, he said, as quoted by Efe.

“It seems that (Santos) is not well informed, or pretends to be not well informed (…) It is good to tell him that we have graphic materials, pictures and other materials that will be submitted in due course and that prove the incursion,” he added.

Colombia disavows knowledge of any incursion by their troops;

Colombian Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos denied on Sunday the deployment of Colombian troops in Venezuelan western Apure state, as denounced on Saturday by the Venezuelan government in a diplomatic notice of protest.

According to Santos, an investigation of the armed forces found that there was no incursion. The Colombian troops “were doing nothing. I inquired already. We found building equipment and two Venezuelans without clearance in the Colombian department of Arauca,” Efe quoted.

Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando Araújo said that there was no incursion and no notice of protest had been received. “As soon as we receive it, we will reply.”

I wonder if Chavez will be willing to submit the photos to Interpol for verification. Coincidently, Venezuela has also experienced a violation of their airspace by a US aircraft, supposedly, as well (El Universal);

Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Maduro reported that he would call US Ambassador Patrick Duddy to provide a rationale for an alleged incursion of a US military aircraft into Venezuelan territory.

Defense Minister Gustavo Rangel Briceño said that the plane of the US army was found in Venezuelan air space near the Caribbean island of La Orchila, AP reported.

Funny how these violations of Venezuela’s sovereignty just happened to occur after the Interpol investigation was released. Of course, i tend to believe that they didn’t happen - it’s just more of Chavez paranoia and to distract from the impact of Interpol’s report.

Posted in Colombia, FARC, Hugo Chavez, Media, Terror War, Venezuela | Tagged: , , , , | No Comments »

Chavez’ Bizarro World

Posted by Jonn Lilyea on May 18, 2008

chavez' Interpol report

The whole world believes that Interpol has convincingly presented a case against the Ecuadoran and Venezuelan governments for supporting FARC. Including even Chavez cheerleading Washington Post (h/t Venezuelan News and Views);

On its face the evidence is enough to convict Mr. Chávez and his collaborators of backing terrorism against a democratic government. If Venezuela were a European or Asian country, it would surely become an international pariah virtually overnight. But Venezuela is in Latin America — where governments are reluctant to criticize their neighbors, terrorist groups professing a left-wing ideology have often won sympathy in Europe and the United States, and demagogues such as Mr. Chávez are able to turn hostility from Washington to their advantage. That of course is the Venezuelan strategy: Rather than even attempt to respond to the contents of the laptops, Mr. Chávez is describing them as a CIA plot and a pretext for a U.S. invasion.

Therein lies the best approach for Colombia and the United States. Since neither Mr. Chávez nor Mr. Correa has offered any credible or even serious response to the laptop material, they should be firmly, repeatedly and relentlessly confronted with the evidence and asked for answers.

But Chavez has easy answers, according to US Leftist Chavez cheerleaders Venezuelanalysis;

“A media show” is how President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela referred to the report presentation, in which Interpol said that it found no evidence of tampering with computers that supposedly belonged to one of Colombia’s rebel groups. Meanwhile, computer experts raised questions about the disparity between the presentation and the report itself.

During a press conference with international media, Chavez said the Colombian government’s staging of this “show” represented “a new act of aggression” on the part of the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, which obliges Venezuela to “place once again the relations with Colombia under deep review.”

Yeah, just a media show. Of course, the US Left has rushed out a defense of Chavez, I imagine they’d already had it prepared in advance of Interpol’s announcement;

Miguel Tinker-Salas, an expert on Latin American subjects, indicated that there are number of politically motivated misinterpretations assigned to the contents of the computers. “One must recall that Interpol can only say whether manipulation took place. But it cannot say whether the elements it found are original and it cannot certify the information.” Moreover, he pointed out the problem inherent in the fact that the report was disseminated from Colombia, since this demonstrates that Interpol is defending the interests of Álvaro Uribe’s government, supported by the United States.

I’m pretty sure if Interpol had any doubts, they would have made that part of the press release, but the left and Chavez see conspiracies against them at every turn. You know Chavez is screwed when the Washington Post prints;

If managed correctly, the laptop scandal will surely deepen the domestic political hole into which the would-be “Bolivarian” revolutionary is sinking.

Posted in Colombia, Ecuador, Evo Morales, FARC, Hugo Chavez, Terror War, Venezuela | Tagged: | No Comments »

Interpol validates Reyes’ computer content

Posted by Jonn Lilyea on May 17, 2008

As expected, Interpol has validated the files found on Raul Reyes’ laptops (El Universal);

“We are absolutely certain that the computer exhibits that our experts examined came from a FARC terrorist camp. Mr. (Raúl) Reyes is now dead. But they were definitely his computers, his disks, his hardware (…) No one can ever question whether or not the Colombian government tampered with the seized FARC computers (and they) came from a FARC terrorist camp” - Interpol’s secretary general, Ronald K. Noble

Of course, Ecuador’s Correa denies the authenticity;

In Paris, the last stop of a three-European-country tour, Correa doubted about the authenticity of such computers. He even suggested that Colombians should have placed the computers in the spot right after the attack on March 1 on a rebel camp in Ecuador.

But Interpol stands by their 4000 hours of verification;

The 39-page report puts increasing pressure on the Venezuelan government as it should explain about the files which show its close links with FARC.

The Interpol’s secretary general explained that 983 files were decrypted. For this procedure, the three computers remained turned on around the clock for two weeks. The teams worked 4,000 hours on the report.

“No one can ever question whether or not the Colombian government tampered with the seized FARC computers” and they “came from a FARC terrorist camp,” Noble explained.

So who is the OAS and the UN going to hold responsible for Ecuador’s and Venezuela’s support of narco-terrorist thugs?

Posted in Colombia, Ecuador, FARC, Terror War, Venezuela | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

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