Fake marriage ban advances
in legislative commission


Lawmakers have moved to close a gap in the law whereby foreigners can contract arranged marriages with Costa Ricans for the purpose of immigration.

Typically, the blushing Costa Rican bride or bashful groom is a drug addict who never sees the supposed husband or wife.

Officials have tried to crack down on the practice, but the Sala IV constitutional court backed the right of a person to be married by proxy and personally cited Mario Zamora, the immigration chief, for failing to follow the law.

The measure was sent Tuesday to special commission that has the power to pass laws. It's sponsors include Francisco Antonio Pacheco, president of the Asamblea Legislativa.

Lawyers and notaries have had successful businesses in arranging fake marriages for foreigners.  Evita Arguedas Maklouf, another legislative sponsor, said that frequently those who immigrate to Costa Rica using this technique are involved in crimes or other unsavory activities.

Zamora and others have brought some of the individuals who have been brought into the scam to the legislative chambers. Some drug addicts agree to contract marriage for 5,000 or 10,000 colons, they said. That's less that $10 to $20. Some have been married that way more than once.

Notaries connected to organized crime groups make up to 5 million colons (nearly $10,000) for arranging the marriage.

Under the proposal, those promoting such marriages will face five to seven years in prison and those who simply participate in a fake marriage may face sentences up to five years.

Yoga for children program
planned for Osa Peninsula


Author and children’s yoga practitioner Sydney Solis of Boulder, Colorado, will take her acclaimed Storytime Yoga teachings to Costa Rica for a spring break holiday. Targeted at parents with children ages 4-12, World Family Yoga is presenting a beach and rain forest retreat March 22 to 29 at Guaria de Osa on the Osa Peninsula.

Ms. Solis and teaching partner for the week Christine McArdle Oquendo are pioneers in the world of teaching children yoga. They also both work intensively with parents, teachers and all adults. The two said they will work to weave together Anusara-inspired yoga classes for the adults and children plus Latin American culture and myth, rain forest stories and Spanish lessons, nature, beach, and fun.

Guaria de Osa is a family owned and operated destination that is about 90 minutes by motorboat ride from the town of Sierpe or 20 minutes by boat from the Drake Bay Airport.

Ms. Solis started teaching peace, health and literacy to children and families. She is the author of the award-nominated book "Storytime Yoga: Teaching Yoga to Children Through Story" and the upcoming book "The Treasure in Your Heart: Stories and Yoga for Peaceful Children," as well as numerous audios.

Ms. Solis is the mother of two children, and created Storytime Yoga after the death of her husband four-and-a-half years ago. She has more than 300 hours of Anusara yoga training, and is a member of the National Storytelling Network and its Interfaith and Healing Story Alliances. An associate of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, she has produced three World Peace Interfaith Storytelling gatherings.

Buy, don't rent properties,
Acción Ciudadana says


Costa Rican government officials spend 3 billion colons ($57.7 million) in rent each year, according to the Partido Acción Ciudadana.

Party lawmakers have presented a proposed law that would allow government agencies to finance purchases instead of continually paying rent. They are Alberto Salom Echeverría, Marvin Rojas Rodríguez and José Rosales Obando.

The measure would seem to allow agencies to purchase land and build structures, too. And there would be a grace period on doing that. The government rents 10,101 buildings or properties, the party announcement said.

He hopes Arias crime plan
is supported by infrastructure

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:
 
The economic cost of criminals running amok is astronomical.The $3,000 worth of stolen merchandise a reader mentioned in his letter to the editor is probably now worth less than $300 on the streets.  
 
President Arias' plan to hire more police is excellent, as long as it is supported with the construction of prison cells and courtrooms. Police, corrections and the judicial process make up a triangle that rests on an equally important foundation of education and job opportunities.
 
Costa Rica can regain its "Switzerland of Central America" status, but only if complex problems are faced in their totality.  I have personally met with many professional and dedicated Costa Rican police officers. I wish the reader would have had that experience. What a horrifying situation for everyone that the man was victimized twice.