www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Costa Rica mobilizes troops along Nicaraguan line

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Posted at 12:45 p.m.

Costa Rica has begun a military operation along its northern border in response to reports that Nicaraguan soldiers have entered an area along the Río San Juan, ran off farmer workers, killed cattle and began dredging.

Barra del Colorado, the small village in northeast Costa Rica, has become an armed camp. The local community center has been taken over as a command center, and security ministry aircraft, fixed wing and helicopters, are making numerous flights.

At least 50 security ministry troops are on the ground, and many are in battle dress with heavy weaponry, said reports from the community.

The Barra del Colorado airport was closed to civilian flights earlier today. Planes were diverted to Tortugero.

Costa Rica does not have an army, but Fuerza Pública officers resembled soldiers. They were wearing battle helmets, carrying M-16 rifles and a few weapons described as 50-caliber machines guns. Some are practicing dismounting from a helicopter, the reports said. Many are dressed in camouflage and wearing bullet-proof vests that say "Police."

In Nicaragua, Eden Pastora, the ex-guerrilla who
is in charge of the dredging operation, claimed
today on television that an island in the San Juan really belongs to his country. Costa Rica says that the island is Tico soil. It is leased by the government to a farmer, whose son reported being threatened by Nicaraguan troops as long ago as Oct. 8.

Costa Rican troops were being brought to the staging area by the newly remodeled Caribou aircraft. Officials were making overflights of the disputed zone with helicopters.

José María Tijerino, the security minister, said Thursday night that Costa Rica has filed a formal protest with Nicaragua over the dredging operation, which seeks to deepen the mouth of the Río San Juan where it enters the Caribbean. Tijerino said that the material dredged from the river was being depositing via a12-inch pine onto Costa Rican soil.

The river is the boundary between the two countries, but the international line is on the south bank.

He made no mention of an impending military action.. President laura Chinchilla told reporters earlier Friday that the troop deployment was preventative.

Barra del Colorado residents have been prohibited from visiting the community center, and red cones have been set out as a line of restriction.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

If they try to take the DR I will take up arms and fight.

Seriously thanks for the heads up on this.

Nicaruagua won a decision the other day concerning the river that has been fought about for quite some time between the two countries.

They (Nic) have a "Dredge" operating in the river which appears to be extending into what Costa Rica considers sovereign territory.

Well a couple of Nica Army soldiers and the dredge operators whipped up on some finca/farm owners on the CR side of the river already. Thus the preoocupation with the river border stuation. I think!

fitty

Now riddle me this?! Why do you think Costa Rica can bow up like this and have a country with an army not slap them down?

Oh! Costa Rica has no military so they are sending Police armed with vests and assault weapons to the area. They CR are by no means have soldiers and would do well not to mix it up with the Nicas who have a well trained and very mobil fighting force. They kicked our ass out Nicaruagua before Iran Contra scandal! Memba that? Arms for drugs.

Fiddy

No slap down because of the OAS. Organization of Latin American States Treaty.

Any invasion would be met with tragic consequences for Pres Ortega and Nica. Because all of OAS Treaty members are required to help protect CR in any invasion type situation!

Dont forget the US Navy ships still in the area also.

fiddy

Bingo! US!! Even though they don't like gringos much, they love protection and love the money..

Not sure what decision you are referring too. Can you elaborate? Perhaps I missed some recent ruling.

The only case I know about was brought before the World Court some years ago and they issued a ruling a few months ago. The main point of the complaint was the CR protested Nicaragua decision to prohibit CR police to be armed when they used the river to reach areas of CR. There were other minor issues also involved. The Court basically ruled in favor of the CR position in that matter. The World Court also validated the right of free transit for Costa Ricans and tourists who come from Costa Rica.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

This thing is very big. The two countries have been squaring off for many years over who has soreignty of the river. There are numerous civil law suits, countersuits, complaints in the International formuns and communities. Both countries have tried to undermine control of the river at every turn.

Long story short. A few days ago the Nicas sovereign rule over the river was upheld in a one of these International courts. The Nicaruaguans have a lot of rivers. This particular river however is large enough for commerce. Barge traffic! They need commerce to help their very, very, very, very poor country unlike their neighbor to the south.

Before the judgement the Nicas were applying for the right to dredge this river in spite of the ruling that they share the responsibilty of the river. Up until a few days ago they could not dredge in this river. The Nicas never gave their atempts to gain total control of the river up until the decision was made a few days ago.

CR with their Eco stance in the Eco community with their volcanic rock filled streams a very small rivers have always claimed that dredging of this particular river would cause Eco problems in their country?

Not anymore than I see in the trash filled rivers that flow through San Jose? No wastwater treatment facilities in the country. Solid waste, bovine, porcinine, as well as human waste going directly to most of the the rivers in CR.

Once the Nicas got permission a few days ago to dredge the river they were insensitive to the history of the river dispute between the two countires. They pumped material from the river possibly (nonbeneficial use material) to the Costa Rica side of the river which is no longer the CR side of the river post decision. And the Nicas are attempting to enforce their authority over the area after the decision the other day.Their is also the question of a small island within the river inhabited by Ticos for who knows how long!

The dredge material should be discharged to their land and not to the lands under CR sovereignty.

I am interested to know which direction the river flows?

If you want the specific decision on the permission to dredge the river you might find more about it. I read so many notifications I cant remember where I saw the decision but it was in Latin News print. Try Nica News by way of Inside Costa Rica about two days ago!

I think there will be saber rattling. The US might step in file something on behalf of Cr with United Nation or some other International body, station the Navy ships close by, warn Nicaruaga about their aggressive behavior in the region, threaten sanctions. And the Nicas will ratchet back until the heat is off abnd start their shit all ova a gin!

Peace
fiddie

Not sure where you are getting your information. Costa Rica has not challenged Nicaragua's sovereignty over the Rio San Juan. They have always stipulated, that unlike the usual arrangement where when a river acts as the boundary the middle of the river is the boundary, that the boundary is the south bank of the river which places the entire river as Nicaraguan territory. This was part of a treaty settlement to the dispute about a 100 years ago. The treaty also granted Costa Rica unimpeded navigational right on the river. That was the case that the World Court upheld Costa Rica's interpretation of the treaty.



Still do not know what decision you are referring too. Could you provide more relevant info such as which court and what they said?

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

if what you say is true then what is the problem with the dredge operations. And why has the municipal police been sent to the river if CR recognizes the rights of Nicaraugua to dredge in their territory.

Its more than that. It is about control!

Anyway I just read a few minutes ago that Nicarauga has stated that they are well within their rights to do what they are doing and added that they are on their side of the marked boundaries in the river. He further stated that CR has changed their intial complaint to now their being a problem with the sediment form the dredging operations affecting the ecology of the river in their territory.

I am not going to debate you or try to prove anything to you. It affects me no way or another I just added my opinion about what I read before this all popped off. Do your own research if your are really interested in finding out where the governing bodyis that handed down the decision that has given the Nicas the right to dredge the river. Its there.

looking at Tax Ass Rangers against da Yankees right now.

fiveO

No problem. I know what body handed down the decision The World Court!

What is surprising is that usually in a discussion when a person references a decision handed down recently and someone says I am not familiar with that particular decision can you elaborate the person who made reference is more then willing to document their statement. Usually when the say "do your own research" rather then document their position it is because they can not. Naturally I am not saying that is the case here just pointing out the usual reason. I am sure you have a more reasonable explanation.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

50-S wrotea: “And why has the municipal police been sent to the river if CR recognizes the rights of Nicaraugua to dredge in their territory.”

The police which are there are not municipal police they are the Fuerza Publica which is the national police force. The Fuerza Publica was reorganized in 1996 under the presidency of José Maria Figueres.

There used to be the Guardia Civil (Civil Guard) which was the national defense force and it was also charged with national policing. They were more of a national guard than a police force.

It had branches with something like the army national guard in the US; they had air forces (old P-51 Mustangs, C-47s and old Sikorski helicopters) and a coast guard. The further you got away from the urbanized central valley the less trained, less equipped and less responsible they were: Rural Assistance Guard and the Frontier Guard. It was scary to see some of those dudes totting M-1s.

In the rural areas they were more militarized using old US surplus Jeep trucks, wore the old Viet Nam style military fatigues (not BDUs), and carried M-16s and M-1s.

I remember when the US invaded Panama, the Rural Guard blocked the Pan-American Highway south of Cartago. The way some of those guys handled their weapons was out and out dangerous. I wasn’t nervous that I would be shot if they aimed at me, I was nervous of being shot by their mishandling of weapons.

Today they are the Fuerza Public with the primary mission of national policing and national defense as a secondary mission. They have a couple of what we would call a SWAT team which responds to territorial incursions. That is who is near the Barra del Colorado and Castillo. They are very well trained but still a small and lightly armed force.

There is undoubtedly much more to this than we read about. Ede*n Pa*stora is a very wily, chispa and tough man. Also known as Co*mandante Cero* he was a member of the FSL*N and later became a leader of the Con*tras. He was wounded in 1984 at the La Pe*nca b*mbing where Tico Times reporter Linda Frazier was killed.

The conflict over the river goes back to the 19th Century and the early 20th Century and the political battles in Washington. Would the US put a canal through a dredged Rio San Juan to Lake Nicaragua and then through a “to-be-built” canal from Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific or would the US put a canal through what was then the Columbian province of Panama.

There is a very good history of the politicing that went on about where to site the canal in a book titled Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. There is also a book titled L*a Pe*nca Bo*mb*ing by Martha Hone*y a former Tico Times reporter and her husband, I cannot remember his name.

This is actually some pretty serious stuff.

I agree that this is some very serious stuff. I dont understand.

No I do understand why the US media has not mentioned much about whats going on down south.

"Nicarauga" Reflections of William Walker, failed cetral america policies, Iran Contra, Sandinistas, Hassenfas being shot down over the jungle in the 80's, Ortega (Sandanista) again being in power, CR with a new Pres. female.

The timing was ripe for them to do this at this moment in time. Funny thing is they have no idea how bad the US Army wants to kick their ass in a return match in the jungles of central america?

The dredging could help the river. Cleaning the bottom of the contaminants that have deposited over the years therefore bringing back in most cases marine species that have been fairly extinct or on the verge there of. The material can be used to construct shoreline, possibly berms or levees that could protect either or both countries during the storm season.

Down side: More barge and shipping traffic on the river, more PCBs in the water, diesel fuel, oil, trash, debris. The dredging will have to be used as a maintnenance tool for the river, the natural flow of the river will possibly change depending on how wide they are dredging the river. I would be interested to know to what depth they might be dredging down to?

Good there is no gold, diamonds, or oil in the river. There would be a more serious conflict. LOL!

I wonder how this will affect the Nicas (legal and illegal) and how they are treated, some of whom cross the river and the border daily for there work in CR?

fifthy

Tico Times

ID here is your information. The International Court of Justice based in the Hague!


fiddy