Security chiefs gather
at border for strategy


Security officials from Panamá and Costa Rica met at the Paso Canoas border crossing Wednesday to discuss cooperating in  fighting everything from major drug rings to the illegal importation of alcohol.

Among those at the meeting were Janina del Vecchio, minister of Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública, Fuerza Pública officials and immigration  chiefs.

The ministry said that the delegations were working on orders from the presidents of both countries. Topics included arms trafficking, trafficking in persons and hit men. Of special concern was the apparent trafficking in Africans who pass through both countries in an effort to arrive at a third nation, usually the United States or Canada.

The officials said they would meet again in 60 days to evaluate agreements reached Wednesday. The texts of the agreements were not released.


First trans-Atlantic boats
expected to arrive Sunday


The sailboats in the Transat Jacques Vabre are expected to begin arriving at Limón Sunday. The racers are facing better conditions in the Caribbean after a tough time in the open Atlantic.

The boats are in two categories with different routes: single-hull and multi-hull. They left from France.

The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo expects thousands of persons to arrive in Limón to welcome the boats between Sunday and Nov. 30.

Eric Lacayo Rojas, director general of the Fuerza Pública, said that his agency would be setting up a command post in Limón and would have a large police presence.

Costa Rican government officials are scheduled to travel to Limón Saturday, but their plans may change based on the estimated arrival time of the first boats.

Several boats have had to drop out due to capsizing or damage inflicted by an unidentified floating object.

Embassy worker was rude
to Tica wife seeking a visa

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I read with much interest the letter that Tony Kasday submitted to the U.S. Embassy, a copy of which was posted in Wednesday's edition of A.M. Costa Rica. 

I would not be suprised if it doesn't bring a flood of letters attesting to the "high-handed and arrogant" treatment given to visa applicants.  I too, am ashamed and embarrassed by the actions of the embassy.  It is beyond my understanding why those children were denied a visa given that proof of their itinerary and round-trip airline tickets were presented. I suspect that it may possibly be that they want Mr. Kasday to contribute another $400 to their "racket" and take a chance on getting the visas "on appeal." 

Upon reading of Mr. Kasday's case, I am prompted to relate my wife's recent interaction with the embassy, as her treatment really goes beyond the usual arrogant high-handedness to the point of utter rudeness.  In September, I made a quick trip to the States to take care of some business. Not long after my arrival, I was struck by a car while attempting to walk across a road in Ft. Lauderdale and sustained serious injuries.

My wife, upon receipt of the required forms from the hospital, went to the U.S. Embassy to get an "emergency" visa so she could come to my aid. The third person she talked to at the embassy, a Gringo, not only told her to "shut up" when she was trying to present further proof of her "required ties to Costa Rica" (necessary proof that you aren't going to overstay your time limit), but out of the blue, he told her that he "didn't like her." 

Imagine if you will, that she was already nervous and upset about the situation, and then consider his rude attitude toward her. She was so traumatized by it that she says she will never enter that embassy again, and that, I believe, is exactly the result that the staff at the embassy hopes to achieve by it's ill-mannered treatment of applicants.