U.S. citizen gets surprise
as cops grab him at motel


A Santa Ana publishing executive had the dubious honor of being a poster boy for lecherous Gringos in a major Spanish-language daily newspaper, but he said he got a bum rap. The man is Jim Zimolka, a frequent visitor to Costa Rica and perhaps someone who might be called a perpetual tourist.

Zimolka said he was advertising for a secretary and eventually met one of the applicants at Parque La Sabana while he was engaged in a sports activity Friday. He said he did not know that the situation was a setup by the Policía de Migración. One thing led to another, and the two women, who said they wanted to be models, agreed to pose for photos for Zimolka, he said. But he was not prepared, and said he did not know where to take such photos.

He said that was when the women suggested going to a motel. They ended up at one such establishment in Tres Rios after he stopped at an automatic teller machine. Zimolka said he was unaware that motel in Costa Rica means a series of rooms for sexual encounter instead of the definition current in the United States. He also said he was concerned that the women were going to rob him.

He said that when he pulled his vehicle into a parking space at the motel, an estimated 10 police officers with guns drawn descended on him, threw him to the ground and stomped on his back. At least one of the women turned out to be an undercover police officer.

Photographers for El Diario Extra also happened to be at the scene, hence the Saturday photo of Zimolka being led away in handcuffs. The newspaper featured him as a Gringo involved in an orgy at a motel. But he counters quickly that no money changed hands, no sex took place and he didn't even check into the motel. His summary is that he was entrapped and framed. He also denies that he broke any laws. His tourist visa was renewed just a week earlier.

The police action appears to stem from a complaint by a former employee. Zimolka said that immigration officials told him that as a tourist he should not be advertising for a secretary or even running a business. He spent several hours in the Hatillo lockup for foreigners and has an appointment with immigration officials Tuesday. In the meantime, he is seeking help to legalize his immigration status. He publishes an international sports magazine.

Already a response comes
from one of our readers

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Now that the CAFTA referendum is settled and ratification of the treaty is virtually assured, we can consider what the future holds in store for Costa Rica.  Since CAFTA is modeled after NAFTA, the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, we may expect that Costa Rica almost certainly will experience what Mexico and Canada have experienced since NAFTA was implemented.  To expect anything different would fit a common definition of insanity, i.e., doing the same thing but expecting a different result.  Here are a few things the country can expect.

1. Trade with the U.S. will increase significantly, but only within a few competitively advantaged sectors.  The effect on the rest of of economy will be minimal at best and, more likely, negative.

2. Within a relatively short time, the Costa Rican business sector will complain they can't compete with their Central American trading partners because of Costa Rica's relatively high salaries.  Wage growth will stagnate and a large majority of the new jobs created in the country will be low paying and for unskilled workers.  Real income will decline as it has in both Mexico and Canada.  This will widen the already troublesome gap between the rich and the poor, and at an accelerated rate.

3. The majority of CAFTA-related disputes between Costa Rica and the U.S. (which will be settled by unelected, international tribunals) will be decided in favor of the U.S.  These will include forcing the repeal of laws passed in Costa Rica intended to benefit the citizens of the country but which may negatively impact the profits of foreign investors.  In the rare instances when a decision favors Costa Rica, the U.S. will refuse to comply.

4. Telecommunication and insurance costs will rise after U.S.-based companies begin to compete with Costa Rica's state-run monopolies.  The U.S. companies will cite improved service as the basis for the increase, but because there will be no investment made to develop the current infrastructure, the difference will not be measurable.  In areas of the country where the market is unprofitable, service will be eliminated, as happens frequently in the U.S.

5. The cost of medication will go up because the extended patent rights granted to pharmaceutical manufacturers under CAFTA will delay the introduction of new generics, forcing the use of brand name drugs at monopolistic prices.

6. The social safety net that has been the backbone of Costa Rican society for 60 years will begin to erode as it has in Canada.  Public sector spending will decline, and publicly owned enterprises in strategic sectors will be transferred to the private sector.

7. Laws will be passed that protect the private property rights of foreign investors while jeopardizing Costa Rican citizens.  This will show up most noticeably in the repeal of environmental laws that investors argue will limit their profits.

8. Political divisiveness in the country will increase, social unrest will grow and the already widespread resentment of the U.S. government and of American citizens will expand even further.

I have no doubt that some will call me a "socialist" or "anti-American" based on what I have proposed.  Both are true — but beside the point.  What I have suggested lies in store for Costa Rica has nothing to do with economic or political labels.  They have already happened to America's earlier "free trade" partners.  Those who think they won't happen to Costa Rica should revisit the earlier definition of insanity.

I am also sure that many expatriates will welcome CAFTA as a step toward Americanization of the country.  They are the ones who came here in the first place looking for a cheaper version of the United States and who have no real interest in the Costa Rican people, its history or its culture. 

They tend to live in isolated communities, have few Costa Rican friends and don't care much to learn the language or customs of the country.  Those of us who came here to get away from the vacant values of the United States and to integrate into Costa Rican society can only be saddened by this tragic turn of events.  It is truly unfortunate that the empty and false promises of a glorious future were just too tempting for the majority of Costa Ricans to reject.

Have you seen these stories?