For the second time in just a few weeks, Fuerza Publica officers have disrupted the illegal sea turtle egg trade in Costa Rica. Officers assigned to the Caribbean detachment of Fuerza Publica in Playa Moin, province of Limon, confiscated 437 sea turtle eggs carried by two suspects yesterday. According to an official press release, one of the suspects is from Matina and the other from the city o...

What does Laura Chinchilla Miranda have in common with Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev? The obvious answer is that they are all, or have been, democratic and political leaders of their respective nations, but there is something else they share in common: they have all used Apple MacBook Pro portable computers in the course of their duties. Earlier this week the President of Costa Rica gran...

Municipalities in the Greater Metropolitan Area, GAM, and government authorities at the National Institute of Housing and Urban Development, INVU, are debating the scope of a new land use plan, known as POTGAM, proposed by INVU to regulate urban growth within the GAM. The biggest issue being debated, is whether the new plan is compulsory for all government institutions as well as the municipalitie...

SAN JOSE – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica has issued an official communication to the Embassy of Nicaragua complaining of an invasion by security forces to Isla Calero, a continental isle located in the northeastern border region. Such military incursions were prohibited by a March 2011 resolution of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. The provisions in the...

Drivers in Costa Rica had no problems filling up on gasoline or diesel this morning, despite a strike and work stoppage in effect by fuel tankers. The Ministry of the Environment refused to give fuel distributors and transporters an extension to certify their tankers. The operators of these vehicles have been requesting more flexibility and leniency by the Ministry when it comes to obtaining ce...

This weekend in Guanacaste, Fuerza Publica officers from precincts in Liberia joined students from the local Night School in a special operation. About 1,500 members of the community walked with the officers as they set up a perimeter and conducted a sweep along the banks of the Liberia River. Together the neighbors and the officers helped to get rid of an unsightly element in Costa Rica: the accu...

Individuals in Costa Rica who actively engage in underground dog fighting rings should face two years in prison, according to a legislative proposal recently introduced by Walter Cespedes, representative of the Social Christian Unity (Spanish acronym: PUSC) party. According to an article by Esteban Mata of national newspaper La Nacion, the legislative proposal contains other provisions whereby ...

When the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica passed a resolution approving the creation of a web site that published the mug shots and personal information of dozens of fugitives from justice, the host server crashed. The few Ticos who were able to browse the new site immediately went to the online version of national newspaper La Nacion and weighed in with their opinions: "It doe...

SAN JOSE – The National Assembly of Costa Rica has stalled the advancement of gay rights, according to statements made by the president of Sala Cuarta (Constitutional Hall), the country's highest court. In an interview with Amy Ross and Ferlin Fuentes of national newspaper La Nacion, Senior Magistrate Ana Virginia Calzada explained that, with regard to the rights of same-gender couples, the Na...

Two key members of President Laura Chinchilla's cabinet in Costa Rica are notable not only for their high-profile posts but also for their choice of hair grooming and styling. The hairstyles of Minister Manuel Obregon (Culture and Youth) and of Minister Leonardo Garnier (Public Education) have been subject of scrutiny the moment they were appointed to their current posts. What is remarkable...

As a legislator in the National Assembly of Costa Rica, Jose Maria Villalta from Frente Amplio (Broad Front) political party is entitled to a standard salary raise every six months. His most recent raise was approved at 150,000 colones (about $300), but he does not want it -and he is willing to fight tooth and nail against it. Mr. Villalta is not the only legislator in Costa Rica opposed to...

The Highway Security Council in Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: COSEVI) announced yesterday afternoon that a new vehicular technical and safety revision and inspection (RITEVE) will go into effect on June 1st. This mandatory, yet highly unpopular, revision is the bane of many drivers and a windfall for auto mechanics. The changes are mostly focused on the degree of severity assigned to observa...

According to a recent report in La Prensa, a newspaper in Managua that usually takes a stance against the Daniel Ortega administration, the controversial highway construction project parallel to the San Juan River in Costa Rica hides an ulterior purpose: A dry canal that will not only connect our Caribbean coast with the Pacific, but will also include the building of an industrial dock in Playa Os...

Fuerza Publica officers assigned to the Northern Zone in Upala, working in conjunction with the Office of Judicial Investigations (OIJ), recently announced the recovery of four cows found in farm that served as a hideaway for rustlers. Officers cited the support from the border security police and members of the community as they conducted door-to-door (or barn-to-barn) interviews to find the ...

In Puerto Jimenez near Golfito this weekend, an alleged poacher traveling in a quadracyle all-terrain vehicle (ATV) was stopped by Fuerza Publica officers on route 245. The driver of the ATV was clumsily attempting to conceal two tepezcuintles (pacas) in plastic shopping bags. The two wild Cuniculus paca specimens were killed by a firearm, which the officers found stored in a rear compartment of t...

Sala Cuarta (Constitutional Hall), Costa Rica's highest court, recently issued a unanimous vote on a decision that essentially orders the government to give protection and render assistance to single mothers. The decision, number 2012-5594, emanated from a case reviewed before the Court in which a single mother was denied economic benefits and assistance by La Caja, our country's public health ...

Alvaro Cedeno Molinari is the Ambassador of Costa Rica in Japan. He keeps a blog about Conflict Transformation, in which he discusses various topics centered on peaceful conflict resolution. He recently published a series of opinions calling for a strategy to rescue values he believes have been lost in Costa Rica. According to the Ambassador, our country faces a critical loss of values, and he...

Everything was set for "Cannmbio", a group that seeks the legalization of cultivation and personal use of marijuana in Costa Rica, to join in the 2012 Global Marijuana March in solidarity with hundreds of like-minded organizations around the world. The rally was called off, however, at the last minute. According to digital newspaper Costa Rica Hoy, the rally was canceled due to the discover...

Cattle ranchers in Cartago have been finding the slaughtered remains of their prized animals strewn across the fields. Such was the case with Don Vernon Montero Lopez, a dairy farmer from Buenos Aires de Pacayas, who recently set off looking for some of his missing  Holstein cows. He found them crudely slaughtered a few hundred meters away, according to community newspaper Mi Cartago. Rustl...

The Ministry of Public Safety in Costa Rica has recently been busy policing its own law enforcement agencies. From mass firings to investigations and from suspensions to arrests, the Ministry is weeding out elements that tarnish the reputation of its officers who are sworn to protect and serve. Special Agent in San Carlos Faces Two Investigations On April 18th , an agent from the Office of J...

John Stagikas is a stout man with a pale complexion and shaved head.  He is in his early 30s and is from New England, specifically from the Boston metropolitan area. He is fairly bilingual and owns a villa here in Costa Rica, which he smartly purchased years ago when the price was right. Whenever he is not enjoying his vacation/investment property in Costa Rica, Mr. Stagikas makes a living ...

In tandem with the celebration of World Press Freedom Day, Costa Rica's Ambassador to the United Nations signed the Freedom Online Declaration of the Joint Action for Free Expression on the Internet (PDF) yesterday. Don Eduardo Ulibarri met with Herman Schaper, his counterpart from The Netherlands, and handed him a document stating our nation's position on the matter. The Internet Freedom Coali...

Dumping of agrochemical pesticides and herbicides in the waters of two rivers in Costa Rica this week is suspected to be behind massive slaughters of aquatic life. A number of news media outlets have reported the events, and Fuerza Publica investigators are looking for those responsible. Dead Fish in San Pedro Creek The municipality of San Carlos, one of Costa Rica's most important agricultu...

World Down Syndrome Day was quietly observed in Costa Rica on March 21st with a legislative proposal to advance the rights of people who not only live with this condition, but also need to be protected against discrimination in the workplace. Legislator Elibeth Venegas of the ruling social democrat faction National Liberation (PLN in Spanish) recently introduced a proposal before the National A...

Agents from the Ministry of the Environment (MINAE in Spanish) and the Office of Judicial Investigation (OIJ) are currently in the Palo Verde National Park in Guanacaste, investigating several deer carcasses found tied to trees in the area. The dead deer were found by park rangers and conservation volunteers cleaning up the network of trails through the park, which is located between the Bebedero ...

Costa Rica has the highest cost of living in Central America, a fact that is commonly reflected in the exorbitant fuel prices and the high cost of funeral services and cemetery plots. A gallon of Super Gasoline -93 octane- is almost $6.00, something which prompted the Regulatory Agency of Public Utilities and Services (ARESEP in Spanish) to recently approve a nationwide increase in bus fare...

It was a long May Day in which the ruling National Liberation (PLN in Spanish) social democratic party asserted majority over the National Assembly, and the speech of President Laura Chinchilla earlier today was equally lengthy. Over the course of an hour, our President seemed bolstered by the PLN victory over the National Assembly -although it is important to note that a power-sharing agreemen...

Freedom House, a non-profit organization that conducts research and advocacy in matters of democracy, freedom and human rights, today announced its annual Freedom of the Press 2012 reports. According to Freedom House, Costa Rica and Uruguay are the only two countries in Latin America where members of the press enjoy true freedom to carry on their mission to report the news and inform the public. ...

The telecommunications sector in Costa Rica will now fall under the purview and oversight of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MICIT), according to a press release by that government agency yesterday. The entity also announced that the National Council of Scientific and Technological Investigations (CONICIT) has a new president. At the National Assembly yesterday, legislators over...

Many people in Costa Rica will not report to work today in observance of May Day. Government institutions and many commercial establishments will take the day off as well. For labor unions and legislators at the National Assembly, however, today will be a busy day. Elections at the National Assembly in Costa Rica are purely political. They do not involve the vote of the citizenry, only of the l...

After a busy Sunday which culminated with a visit to the National Assembly, President Laura Chinchilla was ready to go home and prepare for the week ahead. Traveling on route 27, which connects San Jose with Puerto Caldera in the Pacific Coast, she noticed a road traffic accident near La Sabana. Her security escort tried to push through the accident and take our President home, but she ordered the...

On Saturday night in the Cuba Creek district of Limon, officers from Fuerza Publica and members from tactical support units raided a locale known in that Caribbean rural community as a venue for cockfighting and gambling. The officers descended upon the property and surprised about 100 spectators and gamblers. Fuerza Publica rescued 55 gamecocks from the operation, made one arrest, and took dow...

If you plan to take a Saturday afternoon stroll around Plaza de la Cultura and the Central Avenue pedestrian boulevard tomorrow, don't be surprised if you see a group of couples kissing in the vicinity of the legendary Soda Chelles. According to national newspaper La Nacion, a activist group that supports the rights of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered community in Costa Rica will h...

Author's Note: The article herein is based on news reports that have appeared in El Pais, a publication that takes a very firm stance on environmental issues in Costa Rica. The advent of the Information Age has produced some very interesting practices related to media jamming and manipulation. The lexical terms that develop to match these practices tend to be colorful as well. Astroturfing,...

A criminal court in Puntarenas has ruled on the case of a Taiwanese captain in charge of a fishing vessel registed in Belize. Tsai Yu Jen was caught unloading 20,000 kilos of blue shark at a commercial dock in the Port of Puntarenas. Fishing inspectors detained him when they determined that his considerable catch consisted of blue sharks with their fins cut off. Captain Tsai Yu Jen will now ha...

With a ceremony that took place at the esplanade of the Costa Rica Art Museum at La Sabana, representatives from the People's Republic of China (PRC) donated 50 new patrol cars to the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT in Spanish). These patrol cars will be placed at the service of Transit Police operations. President Laura Chinchilla was present at the event, as well as top off...

In an effort to promote transparency and fiduciary duty in Costa Rica's fiscal process, the tax records of delinquent individuals and business entities could soon be in the public record. Such is the essence of a new legislative proposal introduced by Jose Maria Villalta of political party Frente Amplio, a faction generally aligned with leftist ideology. The proposal was introduced on April...

The long-running border conflict between Costa Rica and Nicaragua goes back several centuries, and it is currently being deliberated at both the International Court of Justice at The Hague and the Central American Court of Justice. The latest volley of accusations from both nations are centered on the infamous Google Maps invasion of Isla Calero by former guerrilla commander Eden Pastora and a...

On Wednesday morning, Daniel Calderon was at the Costa Rica Art Museum in La Sabana. Earlier this week, he was at the Central Park in Heredia and later at the Eladio Rosabal Cordero Stadium. In the meantime, he posted a flurry of updates to his Twitter account: In the Guarari Sector, 4 known robbers were captured in Zone 2; two of them in fraganti and the other two with outstanding warrants ...

They are cordial, bilingual, ride bicycles, and often wear white polo shirts and blue shorts. The men and women of the Tourism Police, a special unit of Fuerza Publica, are often approached by backpackers and other visitors to Costa Rica with questions about directions and bus schedules. These officers also perform old-fashioned police work such as investigations and arrests. Such was the case ...