Arias and Chinese diplomat
survey ravaged Pacific


Costa Rican President Óscar Arias Sánchez paid a visit to Parrita Saturday where he promised that his government would swiftly and comprehensively rebuild areas devastated by recent flooding – with a little help from a new political buddy.

In October two consecutive weeks of torrential downpour resulted in widespread flooding in parts of the Guanacaste and Puntarenas provinces. 18 people were killed and more than 3,000 were evacuated. In Parrita, the town was flooded after a dike burst.

Arias paid a visit to a local care center for the elderly where he met with Parrita community leaders over breakfast. He then stopped at the site of the damaged dike to observe where a new, more effective dike is currently under construction.

At a meeting attended by the president later that day, at the local Puerta del Cielo church, Daniel Gallardo, president of the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias announced that the government body is investing 1.5 billion colons (about $3 million) into the cantons of Aguirre and Parrita.

Of that sum, 145 million colons ($290,000) will go towards reconstructing damaged infrastructure in Quebrada Santo Domingo, Quepos, and Savegre, as well as Parrita, where the town’s two ravaged bridges are currently being rebuilt. The emergency has promised to restore all 37 bridges the flooding destroyed.

Another 208 million colons ($415,000) is being earmarked for the demolished town of Portalón in Aguirre, while 107 million colons ($215,000) will help build a new clinic in Parrita for those affected by the disaster.

Arias spoke at the meeting, where he, too, promised rapid relief, and delivered a speech concerning Costa Rica’s relationship with other countries. He pointed out that the United States “has much confidence in Costa Rica.”

However, Arias then said that it is likely that, “in a very small amount of time,” China will have “the strongest economy in the world,” surpassing the U.S.

This was coupled with an announcement that China has pledged to make a strong contribution to the relief and reconstruction effort. The Chinese ambassador to Costa Rica, Wang Xiaoyuan, was in attendance, and he, too, took the stage to underline the commitment of the People’s Republic of China.

“China,” he said, “suffers every year from many floods,” particularly in the northern regions. He said his government was very sympathetic to Costa Rica’s plight and stressed that “the spirit of solidarity is very important.”

Costa Rica established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic in June when Wang was appointed as the first ever Chinese ambassador. The country simultaneously ended a 63-year relationship with Taiwan. Since then, China has proved very liberal when providing Arias’ government with financial aid.

Within days of Wang’s appointment, on June 19, he announced $30,000 to help repair the damage done by tornados in southern San José. During Arias’ first diplomatic visit to China in October, while the floods were still underway, China pledged around $30 million in aid to the affected regions.

Also, in January ambassador Wang exchanged notes with the Costa Rican foreign ministry about helping to build a new multi-million dollar national stadium, according to the Chinese news service Xinhuanet.

After his speech, Wang said that China is pleased with Costa Rica’s “great cooperation in politics, education, culture, and commerce.” He added that relations between the two countries “are increasing very fast.”

10 held in internet thefts
from bank accounts


Authorities Friday detained 10 people suspected of helping to steal money electronically from bank accounts.

Officials from the fraud section of the Judicial Investigation Organization said that thieves are stealing personal bank information by the help of a computer spy program which copies customers' passwords and user information. 

The people arrested are suspected of being “front persons,” and not the actual initiators in the operation, said officials. People allowed stolen money to be transferred into their bank accounts, according to investigators. Then, these front persons would actually go to the bank and withdraw the money from their own accounts. Officials have not yet said if they know who was in charge of the operation.

Thieves targeted both public and private bank accounts, said officials. Authorities from the Sección de Fraudes of the Judicial Investigation Organization arrested the suspects in different areas of the city including Desamparados, Hatillo, Aserrí, Pavas, Alajuela, and San Sebastián. They arrested four women and six men on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Sección de Fraudes said the unit advises citizens not to give banking information to anyone, including family members. They also advised customers who bank online to update all antivirus software and check routinely for computer viruses.

In the last six months the Sección de Fraudes has detained 50 suspects involved in similar crimes, said officials. A total of 390 consumers have filed complaints with the fraud unit, said officials.