Extra trains will carry
fans to tonight's game


The Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles is putting on extra trains to carry fans to the Costa Rica-Argentina game tonight.
Public transport has been called into service because designers of the new $100 million stadium neglected to provide more than 400 parking spots.

A seven-car train will leave the Indoor Club station in Curridabat at 3:15 p.m. and arrive near the stadium 43 minutes later, said the rail institute.

Additional trains will leave at 4 and 4:30 p.m., and a regularly scheduled train will leave at 5:05 p.m., the institute said. There also will be a 5:45 p.m. train in addition to the regularly scheduled 6:11 train. Yet another special train will leave the Estación al Atlántico at 7:05 p.m.

The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes also has authorized fleets of special buses from all points of the Central Valley. They will be identified by distinctive colored placards in the front window. Motorists who brought their vehicles to the Saturday inauguration and soccer game with China reported lengthy delays, as did motorists who had to pass by the stadium in Parque la Sabana.

The Argentine soccer squad arrived Monday night under police escort and spent time becoming familiar with the stadium.

Grupo Nación embarrassed
by discovery of drugs


Grupo Nación, the publishers of the Spanish-language daily newspaper and other titles, was very clear: It is not in the drug smuggling business. The company acted quickly to dispel rumors after a tractor trailer carrying cardboard sold by Grupo Nación was searched at Penas Blancas at the Nicaraguan border.

Anti-drug police said they found some 49-kilos of cocaine in the right fuel tank of the vehicle. They still were searching for more drugs Monday night.

Grupo Nación said through its newspaper that the cardboard had been in an Heredia warehouse and did not come from its main Tibás facility. It said the 20 tons of cardboard had been sold to a Nicaragua firm that arranged for transportation. Police detained the Guatemalan driver.

Did country sell it soul
for  a new soccer stadium?

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I thought the reader’s opinion “Shame on Costa Rica for selling out to China“ was right on.  I remember thinking, during the negotiation stages for the stadium were just beginning, how terrible it was when the great man of peace, President Arias, cancelled the visit by the Dali Lama because he didn’t want to offend the president of China.

Then during construction, realizing the whole process was controlled by China and built with 90 percent Chinese labor, it became apparent there was more to the agreement than just donation of a new stadium.

I watched the entire inauguration.  Most of the stage presentation by China was wonderful.  However, I, too, thought it ironic when the Tibetan dance was presented, considering their illegal occupation of Tibet for decades now.  President Chinchilla would have represented her country better had she been dressed in traditional Costa Rican attire rather than pay homage to the Chinese.

I am concerned that Costa Rica, the heretofore-great country of peace and human rights, has sold its soul for a few police vehicles and a new soccer stadium.

Ticos were not consulted
on selling out to China

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Here we go again, an expat painting us Ticos with a very broad brush. When Mr. Kantrowitz states, "I am very disappointed in Costa Rica and their selling out to Communist China," I have no quarrel with him. It's when he expands that notion and states that "shame on Ticos for selling out to a communist country like China" that I feel compelled to remind him that we Ticos are not consulted on such matters any more than Americans are consulted on going to war in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya.