Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Obama administration demand release of Cuban
prisoner
Vladimir Morera Bacallao hospitalized after 81-day hunger strike
State Department, GOP Miami lawmaker express concern over dissident
Dispute over political prisoner is hiccup in recent improved U.S.-Cuban ties
BY JAMES ROSEN
McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON
In a rare alliance of often-conflicting viewpoints on U.S.-Cuban
relations, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart joined the State Department on Tuesday
in calling for the immediate release of a Cuban political prisoner who
is in intensive care following an 81-day hunger strike.
Vladimir Morera Bacallao was one of 53 dissidents released from prison
in January under an accord the previous month between President Barack
Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro. But he was detained again in April
after displaying a sign suggesting that the national elections were a sham.
"The United States is deeply concerned about the deteriorating physical
condition of Vladimir Morera Bacallao, who has been on a hunger strike
since October to protest his imprisonment for peacefully expressing
political dissent," said Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman.
Toner, noting that Morera Bacallao has been hospitalized, reportedly in
very serious condition, added: "The United States urgently calls on the
Cuban government to release" the dissident.
The dispute was the most recent episode in a historic shift in relations
between Havana and Washington over the last year.
In a deal brokered by Pope Francis, the United States and Cuba in July
opened embassies in the two longtime adversaries' capitals, three months
after Obama and Castro became the first U.S. and Cuban leaders to meet
in more than a half century.
As part of the movement toward normalized relations, the Obama
administration has lightened restrictions on U.S. citizens' travel to
Cuba, although they must do so under a license from the U.S. Treasury
Department.
THE UNITED STATES URGENTLY CALLS ON THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE MR.
MORERA BACALLAO.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner
Despite the administration's appeal for Morera Bacallao's release,
Diaz-Balart criticized both Obama and Castro for the dissident's
treatment by the Cuban government.
"Morera Bacallao has risked everything for the basic right to have a
voice in his government," the Miami Republican said. "His unjustifiable
imprisonment and mistreatment are further indictments of the brutal
malevolence of the Castro regime, and the utter failure of Obama's
appeasement of Cuba's dictators."
As part of a broader normalization of relations under a Dec. 17, 2014,
agreement, the Cuban government released the last of 53 political
prisoners last Jan. 11 from a list compiled by the United States.
"We know there are going to be human rights concerns we still have when
it comes to Cuba, but we are very pleased that they followed through on
this commitment," Marie Harf, a State Department spokeswoman, said in
January after all 53 had been freed.
During municipal elections in April, Morera Bacallao erected a sign that
read: "I vote for my freedom and not in an election where I cannot
choose my president."
Two opposition members, Hildebrando Chaviano and Yuniel Lopez, were the
first dissidents in decades to run in any election. Both lost their bids
for local government seats.
Despite the changes, the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba remains in
effect. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, saying the embargo costs the
American economy $1.2 billion a year, backs Obama's initiative to lift it.
All eight U.S.-Cuban members of Congress, among them four from Florida,
oppose normalized relations between the countries while Castro, the
brother of longtime leader Fidel Castro, remains in power.
Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, both seeking the
Republican presidential nomination, are among the most ardent opponents
of improved ties.
In addition to Rubio and Diaz-Balart, Republican Reps. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen of Miami and Carlos Curbelo of Kendall oppose normalized
relations.
A Miami Herald poll published a year ago showed a distinct split in
viewpoints between Cuban-Americans born in the United States and those
who emigrated from Cuba.
A total of 64 percent of those born in the United States supported
Obama's initiative to normalize relations, compared with just 38 percent
of those born in Cuba.
Source: Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Obama administration demand release of
Cuban prisoner | Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article52148245.html
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Central American Agreement Will Transfer Cuban Migrants By Air In January
Central American Agreement Will Transfer Cuban Migrants By Air In
January / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar
Posted on December 28, 2015
14ymedio, (With information from EFE), Mexico, 28 December 2015 — A
total of 250 Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica will benefit from a
pilot project agreed to this Monday in Guatemala, among the member
countries of the Cental American Integration System (SICA) along with
Mexico, according to the office of the Mexican Secretary of Foreign
Affairs, who spoke with this newspaper. The test will take place at the
beginning of January, the Foreign Ministry said, and if all goes well
Cuban migrants will continue to be evacuated via this route.
After hours of meeting, the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry made a brief
public statement, without offering more details, declaring, "It was
agreed to undertake a pilot project of humanitarian transfers in the
first week of January, and a working group has been formed that will be
responsible for the necessary coordination for the first transfer."
Minutes later, the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry added that the Cuban
migrants will leave by air from Costa Rica to El Salvador, from where
they will be taken by bus to Mexico.
Once in Mexico, the Cubans will be granted an exit permit already
allowed under that country's immigration laws. This exit permit,
according the Mexican National Institute of Migration, is valid for 20
days and is granted to citizens declared "stateless." In the case of
Cubans, this happens when the Cuban Consulate is advised by the Mexican
authorities of the entry of a citizen with a Cuban passport, and the
consulate remains silent or denies that the citizen is Cuban.
According to the Mexican Foreign Ministry, there are no plans to
accompany the Cubans arriving from Costa Rica to the US border.
Costa Rica has granted nearly 8,000 special transit visas to Cubans
since 14 November, but last week announced that it no longer has the
capacity to continue receiving the islanders, and so has ceased to issue
these documents in most cases.
The crisis was generated on 15 November when Nicaragua closed its border
to Cuban migrants, citing security risks to its sovereignty and
stranding thousands of Cubans who are now in Costa Rica and Panama
waiting to continue their journey through Central America.
Representatives of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica,
Panama and Mexico, as well as the International Organization for
Migration (IOM), met Monday on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital
to discuss this immigration crisis, which finally found a solution more
than a month after the Cubans began to be stranded in Costa Rica, which
led Costa Rica to leave the political discussions of the Central
American Integration System (SICA).
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez described the results of
Monday's meeting as "positive" and said in the official statement
released in San José that he could not fully detail the technical and
logistical aspects of the transfer, out of respect for the discretion
requested by some countries.
"We hope that these agreements can materialize in the short term.
Unfortunately, this season of the year makes it impossible to move
faster," he said.
On 18 December Costa Rica suspended its participation in the political
affairs of SICA due to the lack of solidarity among countries in the
region to allow the passage of Cubans and solve the humanitarian crisis.
"It is satisfactory and a reason to thank those countries who showed
their good will," said the Costa Rican Foreign Minister Monday, after
the agreement reached in Guatemala, but he did not specify if the
government had decided to fully restore relations with SICA.
But this decision, celebrated by Costa Rica and all the participating
nations, should not be interpreted as "a precedent" in the region, but
an action to address "a temporary situation," said the Guatemalan
Foreign Ministry, which also said that it would convene the Regional
Conference on Migration (CRM) to address this issue in its entirety.
The participating countries also reaffirmed their commitment to combat
human trafficking networks, and said they would apply "without delay"
the law which severely penalizes this illegal activity, and that
"unfortunately obliges countries in the region to return to their
country of origin all persons entering their territory in an
unauthorized manner."
"This will be addressed to prevent irregular migration and to firmly
combat the crime of human trafficking, and primarily to protect the
integrity of migrants and ensure respect for their fundamental rights,"
said Guatemala, a country through which migrants transit and that every
year suffers migration firsthand.
Source: Central American Agreement Will Transfer Cuban Migrants By Air
In January / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/central-american-agreement-escobar/
January / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar
Posted on December 28, 2015
14ymedio, (With information from EFE), Mexico, 28 December 2015 — A
total of 250 Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica will benefit from a
pilot project agreed to this Monday in Guatemala, among the member
countries of the Cental American Integration System (SICA) along with
Mexico, according to the office of the Mexican Secretary of Foreign
Affairs, who spoke with this newspaper. The test will take place at the
beginning of January, the Foreign Ministry said, and if all goes well
Cuban migrants will continue to be evacuated via this route.
After hours of meeting, the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry made a brief
public statement, without offering more details, declaring, "It was
agreed to undertake a pilot project of humanitarian transfers in the
first week of January, and a working group has been formed that will be
responsible for the necessary coordination for the first transfer."
Minutes later, the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry added that the Cuban
migrants will leave by air from Costa Rica to El Salvador, from where
they will be taken by bus to Mexico.
Once in Mexico, the Cubans will be granted an exit permit already
allowed under that country's immigration laws. This exit permit,
according the Mexican National Institute of Migration, is valid for 20
days and is granted to citizens declared "stateless." In the case of
Cubans, this happens when the Cuban Consulate is advised by the Mexican
authorities of the entry of a citizen with a Cuban passport, and the
consulate remains silent or denies that the citizen is Cuban.
According to the Mexican Foreign Ministry, there are no plans to
accompany the Cubans arriving from Costa Rica to the US border.
Costa Rica has granted nearly 8,000 special transit visas to Cubans
since 14 November, but last week announced that it no longer has the
capacity to continue receiving the islanders, and so has ceased to issue
these documents in most cases.
The crisis was generated on 15 November when Nicaragua closed its border
to Cuban migrants, citing security risks to its sovereignty and
stranding thousands of Cubans who are now in Costa Rica and Panama
waiting to continue their journey through Central America.
Representatives of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica,
Panama and Mexico, as well as the International Organization for
Migration (IOM), met Monday on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital
to discuss this immigration crisis, which finally found a solution more
than a month after the Cubans began to be stranded in Costa Rica, which
led Costa Rica to leave the political discussions of the Central
American Integration System (SICA).
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez described the results of
Monday's meeting as "positive" and said in the official statement
released in San José that he could not fully detail the technical and
logistical aspects of the transfer, out of respect for the discretion
requested by some countries.
"We hope that these agreements can materialize in the short term.
Unfortunately, this season of the year makes it impossible to move
faster," he said.
On 18 December Costa Rica suspended its participation in the political
affairs of SICA due to the lack of solidarity among countries in the
region to allow the passage of Cubans and solve the humanitarian crisis.
"It is satisfactory and a reason to thank those countries who showed
their good will," said the Costa Rican Foreign Minister Monday, after
the agreement reached in Guatemala, but he did not specify if the
government had decided to fully restore relations with SICA.
But this decision, celebrated by Costa Rica and all the participating
nations, should not be interpreted as "a precedent" in the region, but
an action to address "a temporary situation," said the Guatemalan
Foreign Ministry, which also said that it would convene the Regional
Conference on Migration (CRM) to address this issue in its entirety.
The participating countries also reaffirmed their commitment to combat
human trafficking networks, and said they would apply "without delay"
the law which severely penalizes this illegal activity, and that
"unfortunately obliges countries in the region to return to their
country of origin all persons entering their territory in an
unauthorized manner."
"This will be addressed to prevent irregular migration and to firmly
combat the crime of human trafficking, and primarily to protect the
integrity of migrants and ensure respect for their fundamental rights,"
said Guatemala, a country through which migrants transit and that every
year suffers migration firsthand.
Source: Central American Agreement Will Transfer Cuban Migrants By Air
In January / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/central-american-agreement-escobar/
Hard Times for Cuban Sugar Cane Harvest
Hard Times for Cuban Sugar Cane Harvest / 14ymedio, Orlando Palma
Posted on December 28, 2015
14ymedio, Orlando Palma, 28 December 2015 – Guarapo, sugarcane juice,
may be harder to get in 2016, thanks to the climate, obsolete technology
and missed payments to producers, all of which are affecting the current
sugar harvest, according to information presented to the National
Assembly on Sunday by the directors of the AzCuba Group.
Delayed payments from the last harvest to private, leasee and
cooperative producers total more than 95 million pesos and are
of particular concern in the provinces of Holguin, Mayabeque, Matanzas,
Camagüey and Granma.
According to AzCuba president Orlando Celso Garcia, the drought in July
and August and the excessive rain in the months of November and December
also will negatively affect the sugar harvest.
The delay in starting by a group of centers in the so-called "little
harvest" is another negative factor, and is due to the immaturity of the
cane and infrastructure problems in the sugar mills.
According to AzCuba's official figures, the technological and input
needs of the sector required 173 million pesos in imports, but only 98
million pesos worth was approved.
Data from the last harvest were handled very discreetly in the official
press, and no figure was given for the number of tons produced. A
summary of the report prepared by AzCuba and published in the newspaper
Granma limited itself to saying that although "the plan fell 4% short of
what was expected," production "grew 18% over the previous harvest."
Cuban sugar production reached 8.5 million metric tons in 1970 and fell
to 1.1 million metric tons in the 2009-2010 harvest, a figure that had
already been reached on the island in the early years of the twentieth
century.
Source: Hard Times for Cuban Sugar Cane Harvest / 14ymedio, Orlando
Palma | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/hard-times-for-cuban-sugar-cane-harvest-14ymedio-orlando-palma/
Posted on December 28, 2015
14ymedio, Orlando Palma, 28 December 2015 – Guarapo, sugarcane juice,
may be harder to get in 2016, thanks to the climate, obsolete technology
and missed payments to producers, all of which are affecting the current
sugar harvest, according to information presented to the National
Assembly on Sunday by the directors of the AzCuba Group.
Delayed payments from the last harvest to private, leasee and
cooperative producers total more than 95 million pesos and are
of particular concern in the provinces of Holguin, Mayabeque, Matanzas,
Camagüey and Granma.
According to AzCuba president Orlando Celso Garcia, the drought in July
and August and the excessive rain in the months of November and December
also will negatively affect the sugar harvest.
The delay in starting by a group of centers in the so-called "little
harvest" is another negative factor, and is due to the immaturity of the
cane and infrastructure problems in the sugar mills.
According to AzCuba's official figures, the technological and input
needs of the sector required 173 million pesos in imports, but only 98
million pesos worth was approved.
Data from the last harvest were handled very discreetly in the official
press, and no figure was given for the number of tons produced. A
summary of the report prepared by AzCuba and published in the newspaper
Granma limited itself to saying that although "the plan fell 4% short of
what was expected," production "grew 18% over the previous harvest."
Cuban sugar production reached 8.5 million metric tons in 1970 and fell
to 1.1 million metric tons in the 2009-2010 harvest, a figure that had
already been reached on the island in the early years of the twentieth
century.
Source: Hard Times for Cuban Sugar Cane Harvest / 14ymedio, Orlando
Palma | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/hard-times-for-cuban-sugar-cane-harvest-14ymedio-orlando-palma/
Cuban Activist On The Brink Of Death After A Prolonged Hunger Strike
Cuban Activist On The Brink Of Death After A Prolonged Hunger Strike /
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar
Posted on December 27, 2015
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 26 December 2015 – A blacksmith by
profession, he never imagined that after so many years of fabricating
bars for his neighbors' homes, he would end up locked behind prison
bars. The activist Vladimir Morera Bacallao will mark 80 days on a
hunger strike this Monday, 28 December, the Day of the Holy
Innocents. That is, if the authorities don't release him or he doesn't
starve to death first.
Right now, Morera Bacallao languishes in intermediate care at the
Arnaldo Milian provincial hospital in the city of Santa Clara. He was
taken there less than a week ago, after his family and colleagues in the
Cuban Reflection Movement (MCR) carried out a campaign demanding that
the prison authorities pay attention to his case.
MCR leader Librado Linares told 14ymedio that morera Bacallao now weighs
less than 95 pounds, and within the next few hours his health could
deteriorate "to the point of no return." Saturday afternoon, Linares, a
former prisoner of the 2003 Black Spring, said "he is so weak now that
he doesn't recognize anyone."
Linares says that he is "knocking on the doors of the Bishop [of Santa
Clara] and some of the province's fraternal organizations," to prevent
the hunger striker's death and to achieve his immediate release. The
dissident is calling on the national and international community to do
everything possible, "to not let him die."
Morera Bacallo, was sentenced to four years in prison in case 404 of
2015, accused of the crime of "injuries." The basis of this accusation,
according to his family members who attended the trial, was a blow to
the head received by Ivis Herrera, second secretary of the Communist
Party in the municipality of Manicaragua, in the province of Villa Clara.
Several witnesses confirmed that the injury occurred when the official
fell to the ground while sliding on melted asphalt that had been thrown
down in front of and around Morera Bacallao's house. The dumping of the
material was part of the aggressions of the area's "rapid response
brigades" against the dissident, instigated by Ivis Herrera himself.
The events, classified as "public disorder," happened on 19 April of
this year, on the eve of the elections for the People's Power. The
opponent decided to put a sign on the door of his house where he
proclaimed, "I vote for my freedom and not in some elections where I
cannot elect my president." The text unleashed the fury of the town's
government rulers.
Most of the working-age people in Manicaragua work in military factories
or are active members of the armed forces. Thus, the residents of the
area respond with a special intolerance and violence against any public
display of differences with the government.
Rapid response brigades assaulted Morera Bacallao's house in April,
breaking windows, beating the inhabitants without distinction to sex or
age, and throwing bricks. The operation included the spreading of melted
asphalt, along with insults and abuse. In the early morning hours, when
it seemed that everything was over, the uniformed Special Brigade of the
Ministry of the Interior arrived and arrested the activist.
From the moment he fell into prison, the dissident declared himself on
a hunger strike and only abandoned it in June, 40 days later, when he
was hospitalized and they promised they would review his case. As the
authorities did not fulfill their promise, on 9 October he resumed
his hunger strike in the Guamajal prison hospital on the outskirts of
Santa Clara. There he lost more than 88 pounds, according to Arsenio
Lopez Roa, an inmate who provided the information.
Last Monday, the medical team informed the family that the striker had
"vomited blood at least eight times, during the transfer from prison to
the hospital." The same source predicted that "at any moment he could
experience digestive bleeding."
In November 2013, Morera Bacallao was sentenced to eight years in prison
for reasons very similar to today's, after suffering an act of
repudiation. He was released after one year, on 14 December 2014, after
consecutive hunger strikes. Two months later, his name appeared on the
list of the 53 prisoners released after talks between Barack Obama and
Raul Castro; a list that was not initially made public at the time of
their release.
Source: Cuban Activist On The Brink Of Death After A Prolonged Hunger
Strike / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-activist-on-the-brink-of-death-after-a-prolonged-hunger-strike-14ymedio-reinaldo-escobar/
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar
Posted on December 27, 2015
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 26 December 2015 – A blacksmith by
profession, he never imagined that after so many years of fabricating
bars for his neighbors' homes, he would end up locked behind prison
bars. The activist Vladimir Morera Bacallao will mark 80 days on a
hunger strike this Monday, 28 December, the Day of the Holy
Innocents. That is, if the authorities don't release him or he doesn't
starve to death first.
Right now, Morera Bacallao languishes in intermediate care at the
Arnaldo Milian provincial hospital in the city of Santa Clara. He was
taken there less than a week ago, after his family and colleagues in the
Cuban Reflection Movement (MCR) carried out a campaign demanding that
the prison authorities pay attention to his case.
MCR leader Librado Linares told 14ymedio that morera Bacallao now weighs
less than 95 pounds, and within the next few hours his health could
deteriorate "to the point of no return." Saturday afternoon, Linares, a
former prisoner of the 2003 Black Spring, said "he is so weak now that
he doesn't recognize anyone."
Linares says that he is "knocking on the doors of the Bishop [of Santa
Clara] and some of the province's fraternal organizations," to prevent
the hunger striker's death and to achieve his immediate release. The
dissident is calling on the national and international community to do
everything possible, "to not let him die."
Morera Bacallo, was sentenced to four years in prison in case 404 of
2015, accused of the crime of "injuries." The basis of this accusation,
according to his family members who attended the trial, was a blow to
the head received by Ivis Herrera, second secretary of the Communist
Party in the municipality of Manicaragua, in the province of Villa Clara.
Several witnesses confirmed that the injury occurred when the official
fell to the ground while sliding on melted asphalt that had been thrown
down in front of and around Morera Bacallao's house. The dumping of the
material was part of the aggressions of the area's "rapid response
brigades" against the dissident, instigated by Ivis Herrera himself.
The events, classified as "public disorder," happened on 19 April of
this year, on the eve of the elections for the People's Power. The
opponent decided to put a sign on the door of his house where he
proclaimed, "I vote for my freedom and not in some elections where I
cannot elect my president." The text unleashed the fury of the town's
government rulers.
Most of the working-age people in Manicaragua work in military factories
or are active members of the armed forces. Thus, the residents of the
area respond with a special intolerance and violence against any public
display of differences with the government.
Rapid response brigades assaulted Morera Bacallao's house in April,
breaking windows, beating the inhabitants without distinction to sex or
age, and throwing bricks. The operation included the spreading of melted
asphalt, along with insults and abuse. In the early morning hours, when
it seemed that everything was over, the uniformed Special Brigade of the
Ministry of the Interior arrived and arrested the activist.
From the moment he fell into prison, the dissident declared himself on
a hunger strike and only abandoned it in June, 40 days later, when he
was hospitalized and they promised they would review his case. As the
authorities did not fulfill their promise, on 9 October he resumed
his hunger strike in the Guamajal prison hospital on the outskirts of
Santa Clara. There he lost more than 88 pounds, according to Arsenio
Lopez Roa, an inmate who provided the information.
Last Monday, the medical team informed the family that the striker had
"vomited blood at least eight times, during the transfer from prison to
the hospital." The same source predicted that "at any moment he could
experience digestive bleeding."
In November 2013, Morera Bacallao was sentenced to eight years in prison
for reasons very similar to today's, after suffering an act of
repudiation. He was released after one year, on 14 December 2014, after
consecutive hunger strikes. Two months later, his name appeared on the
list of the 53 prisoners released after talks between Barack Obama and
Raul Castro; a list that was not initially made public at the time of
their release.
Source: Cuban Activist On The Brink Of Death After A Prolonged Hunger
Strike / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-activist-on-the-brink-of-death-after-a-prolonged-hunger-strike-14ymedio-reinaldo-escobar/
Harsh conditions drive Cuban flight
Harsh conditions drive Cuban flight
By Harriet Alexander in New York
9:47 AM Tuesday Dec 29, 2015
More tourism hasn't changed Cubans' lives, those fleeing say. Photo / AP
Yenis Rojas should be a symbol of Cuba's future. A doctor, she has
worked all her life for the state, and is full of drive, energy and
ambition.
And yet she has fled, as part of the largest outflow in 35 years.
"I had to get out," she said from Costa Rica, close to the border with
Nicaragua, where she is camped out. "I couldn't stand it any more."
She is one of an estimated 6000 migrants stranded in Central America,
hoping to make it north.
It is a problem that has been brewing for many weeks. Last week
Nicaragua proposed that Washington organise an airlift to take the
migrants directly to the United States.
Since 1966 Cubans have been able, unlike any other Latin Americans, to
show up at a US port of entry, declare their nationality, and enter the
country. But with the new, slowly blossoming friendship between the US
and Cuba, they fear that policy may end.
"Now we all want to leave Cuba more than ever," Rojas said.
The 36-year-old is one of an estimated 45,000 Cubans to have left the
island this year - the largest number since the 1980 Mariel boatlift,
which took 125,000 people across the Florida Straits.
Many now are using a new route - flying in to Ecuador, which has lifted
visa restrictions, and then travelling through Central America and Mexico.
But the US-Cuba agreement was supposed to bring better days. Embassies
have opened, business has surged, and direct flights and postal services
have resumed. Internet access has widened and the number of US visitors
has risen by 50 per cent, year on year.
But when asked whether this has helped financially, Rojas said: " ...
our lives have not changed. ... it's getting worse."
Human rights campaigners claim that 1500 people were arbitrarily
detained in December.
Jordan, 38, arrived in Miami via Ecuador a month ago. "I made US$12 a
month as an electrician in Cuba. Here I can make US$1000. For tourists
Cuba is beautiful. But for us living there, it's so hard."
Rojas dreams of following in his footsteps. "You asked me what has
changed in the past year for us. Well we've all gone completely crazy to
leave."
- Daily Telegraph UK
Source: Harsh conditions drive Cuban flight - World - NZ Herald News -
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11567091&ref=rss
By Harriet Alexander in New York
9:47 AM Tuesday Dec 29, 2015
More tourism hasn't changed Cubans' lives, those fleeing say. Photo / AP
Yenis Rojas should be a symbol of Cuba's future. A doctor, she has
worked all her life for the state, and is full of drive, energy and
ambition.
And yet she has fled, as part of the largest outflow in 35 years.
"I had to get out," she said from Costa Rica, close to the border with
Nicaragua, where she is camped out. "I couldn't stand it any more."
She is one of an estimated 6000 migrants stranded in Central America,
hoping to make it north.
It is a problem that has been brewing for many weeks. Last week
Nicaragua proposed that Washington organise an airlift to take the
migrants directly to the United States.
Since 1966 Cubans have been able, unlike any other Latin Americans, to
show up at a US port of entry, declare their nationality, and enter the
country. But with the new, slowly blossoming friendship between the US
and Cuba, they fear that policy may end.
"Now we all want to leave Cuba more than ever," Rojas said.
The 36-year-old is one of an estimated 45,000 Cubans to have left the
island this year - the largest number since the 1980 Mariel boatlift,
which took 125,000 people across the Florida Straits.
Many now are using a new route - flying in to Ecuador, which has lifted
visa restrictions, and then travelling through Central America and Mexico.
But the US-Cuba agreement was supposed to bring better days. Embassies
have opened, business has surged, and direct flights and postal services
have resumed. Internet access has widened and the number of US visitors
has risen by 50 per cent, year on year.
But when asked whether this has helped financially, Rojas said: " ...
our lives have not changed. ... it's getting worse."
Human rights campaigners claim that 1500 people were arbitrarily
detained in December.
Jordan, 38, arrived in Miami via Ecuador a month ago. "I made US$12 a
month as an electrician in Cuba. Here I can make US$1000. For tourists
Cuba is beautiful. But for us living there, it's so hard."
Rojas dreams of following in his footsteps. "You asked me what has
changed in the past year for us. Well we've all gone completely crazy to
leave."
- Daily Telegraph UK
Source: Harsh conditions drive Cuban flight - World - NZ Herald News -
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11567091&ref=rss
Japan to forgive ¥120 billion in claims against Cuba
Japan to forgive ¥120 billion in claims against Cuba
JIJI
DEC 28, 2015
Japan has decided to give up ¥120 billion in claims for damages against
Cuba that arose from the Caribbean country's overdue debt, according to
informed sources.
The government is looking at resuming yen loans to Cuba, following the
restoration of its diplomatic ties with the United States after a break
of 54 years.
Earlier this month, the Paris Club of major creditor countries agreed to
forgive $11 billion of Cuba's $16 billion in debt to 14 countries,
including Japan, Canada, Britain, Spain and Italy.
Japan's decision will reduce Cuba's debt to Tokyo to ¥60 billion in loan
principal and interest. Japan will now request Cuba to repay the amount
over 18 years, the sources said.
Cuba's debt repayments to Japan are expected to begin in fiscal 2016,
which starts in April. While monitoring the progress, the government
will decide when to restart soft loans to the resource-rich nation,
whose economy is forecast to grow.
Cuba defaulted on its debts in 1986. Damages from the delayed
repayments, for which Nippon Export and Investment Insurance holds
claims, ballooned to ¥120 billion over the three decades.
Source: Japan to forgive ¥120 billion in claims against Cuba | The Japan
Times -
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/28/business/japan-forgive-%C2%A5120-billion-claims-cuba/#.VoJGwRUrLjZ
JIJI
DEC 28, 2015
Japan has decided to give up ¥120 billion in claims for damages against
Cuba that arose from the Caribbean country's overdue debt, according to
informed sources.
The government is looking at resuming yen loans to Cuba, following the
restoration of its diplomatic ties with the United States after a break
of 54 years.
Earlier this month, the Paris Club of major creditor countries agreed to
forgive $11 billion of Cuba's $16 billion in debt to 14 countries,
including Japan, Canada, Britain, Spain and Italy.
Japan's decision will reduce Cuba's debt to Tokyo to ¥60 billion in loan
principal and interest. Japan will now request Cuba to repay the amount
over 18 years, the sources said.
Cuba's debt repayments to Japan are expected to begin in fiscal 2016,
which starts in April. While monitoring the progress, the government
will decide when to restart soft loans to the resource-rich nation,
whose economy is forecast to grow.
Cuba defaulted on its debts in 1986. Damages from the delayed
repayments, for which Nippon Export and Investment Insurance holds
claims, ballooned to ¥120 billion over the three decades.
Source: Japan to forgive ¥120 billion in claims against Cuba | The Japan
Times -
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/28/business/japan-forgive-%C2%A5120-billion-claims-cuba/#.VoJGwRUrLjZ
Thirteen killed, 34 injured in truck collision in Cuba
Thirteen killed, 34 injured in truck collision in Cuba
There have been more than 10,000 reported traffic accidents in Cuba in
the past year which have resulted in the death of 615 people killed.
IndiaToday.in
New Delhi, December 29, 2015 | Posted by Parthshri Arora | UPDATED 11:51 IST
Thirteen people died and another 34 were injured in eastern Cuba due to
a collision between two trucks according to local media reports.
The collision happened in Santiago de Cuba province, Agencia Cubana de
Noticias reported.
Of the 34 injured, five were in very serious condition, the report added.
Authorities are investigating the cause for the crash.
The Cuban government decided that it was cheaper to turn trucks into
people movers than to import costly buses, due to Cuba's long running
economic crises.
In a country of 11 million, there have been more than 10,000 reported
traffic accidents in Cuba in the past year which have resulted in the
death of 615 people killed.
Source: Thirteen killed, 34 injured in truck collision in Cuba : World,
News - India Today -
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/thirteen-killed-34-injured-in-truck-collision-in-cuba/1/557812.html
There have been more than 10,000 reported traffic accidents in Cuba in
the past year which have resulted in the death of 615 people killed.
IndiaToday.in
New Delhi, December 29, 2015 | Posted by Parthshri Arora | UPDATED 11:51 IST
Thirteen people died and another 34 were injured in eastern Cuba due to
a collision between two trucks according to local media reports.
The collision happened in Santiago de Cuba province, Agencia Cubana de
Noticias reported.
Of the 34 injured, five were in very serious condition, the report added.
Authorities are investigating the cause for the crash.
The Cuban government decided that it was cheaper to turn trucks into
people movers than to import costly buses, due to Cuba's long running
economic crises.
In a country of 11 million, there have been more than 10,000 reported
traffic accidents in Cuba in the past year which have resulted in the
death of 615 people killed.
Source: Thirteen killed, 34 injured in truck collision in Cuba : World,
News - India Today -
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/thirteen-killed-34-injured-in-truck-collision-in-cuba/1/557812.html
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