All Entries in the "Ministerio de Seguridad Publica – Security Ministry of Public Safety" Category

There’s a WAR Ship In Costa Rica!

Costa Rica was the first country in the world to formally abolish its military. However, this lack of armed forces puts Costa Rica in a paradox while regional drug gangs and cartels lawlessly traffic narcotics.

The Costa Rica government has reached out to the United States military for assistance but in light of extremely vocal opposition says the U.S. is on its shore for humanitarian purposes. What’s really going on?!

CAPTURED! Suspects in Multiple Panama Murders

The American couple suspected of multiple homicides were detained while trying to escape this morning in the waters of the San Juan river on the Costa Rica and Nicaragua border.

William “Wild Bill” Adolfo Cortez Reese and his wife Jane Seana Cortez are suspected of killing several area foreign nationals for ‘assumption’ of their businesses and properties.

7,000 U.S. Marines Landing on the Beaches of Costa Rica

A flotilla of 46 United States Navy warships capable of carrying 200 helicopters, along with 10 Harrier vertical take-off and landing fighter jets, and 7,000 combat ready marines is on its way to this Central American country with no standing army.

On July 1, 2010 the Costa Rica Legislative Assembly voted 31-8 to grant the U.S. military full in-country access through the end of 2010 to help fight drug trafficking.

The Inauguration of Costa Rica’s First Female President

Saturday May 8th, 2010 Laura Chinchilla Miranda was inaugurated into office as the first female president of Costa Rica.

The democratic, peaceful transfer from current President Óscar Arias Sánchez to Laura Chinchilla Miranda took place in a specially constructed viewing area in Parque Metropolitano La Sabana while visiting world dignitaries looked on.

Senior Citizen Travel to Costa Rica

Just Mention Costa Rica and people think paradise.

With tropical rainforests, live volcanoes, long beaches with perfect surf, and each part of the country having its own unique micro-climate … Costa Rica’s beauty is staggering and the sluggish pace seductive.

Senior tourists are visiting Costa Rica in droves to enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Costa Rica’s Newest, Largest Marina Boating Facility Opens April 21

Marina Pez Vela, promoted as ‘Costa Rica’s first full service marine facility offering all the necessities for serious boating and amenities for non-serious fun in one of the most spectacular fishing locations in the world’, is opening April 21.

Slips ranging from 35 to 200 feet are located inside a huge new 44 acre breakwater-enclosed harbor, located in the Central Pacific town of Quepos.

President-elect Laura Chinchilla Names Cabinet, Creates Drug Czar

Costa Rica’s President-elect Laura Chinchilla has been busy formalizing her economic, foreign relations, domestic and national security teams.

She also went on the offensive against the growing regional problem of narcotics trafficking by stating drug interdiction will be one of her government’s main priorities as she announced the establishment of a new anti-drug commissioner.

Costa Rica will Re-institute Military to Keep Out Rush Limbaugh

Calling it the “greatest threat our nation has ever faced,” President Óscar Arias Sánchez has announced that Costa Rica will re-institute the military in order to fend of an invasion by American radio entertainer Rush Limbaugh.

Costa Rica has not had an active military since 1948. However, President Arias felt a very real sense of urgency given the latest developments.

The Agenda and Challenges of Costa Rica’s New President

Costa Rica’s first woman head of state, president-elect Laura Chinchilla, must now get to work. For decades Costa Rica has been an oasis of stability in the troubled Central American isthmus. It is the only Latin American country to figure on a list of the world’s 22 “older democracies” compiled by Robert Dahl, an eminent [...]

¡Felicitaciones! Laura Chinchilla – Costa Rica’s President Elect

Today, February 7, 2010 Costarricenses literally celebrated democracy as its citizens enthusiastically went to polls and voted for the next president of the Republic of Costa Rica. During the entire day cars and people paraded through the streets waving flags representing their candidates of choice. Once the polls closed, parks filled with citizens celebrating the [...]

A Night at the Del Rey – Costa Rica’s Most inFamous Hotel

It’s not nearly as famous as Amsterdam in this regard, but prostitution is legal in Costa Rica and the country has become quite a big destination for sex tourism – despite the Costa Rica government’s own efforts to discourage its promotion and growth. Michael Paladin is an expat living in Central America who for the [...]

Thriving Sex Industry Bumps Costa Rica from List of Most Ethical Destinations

When travel magazines and sites come out with top ten “eco” lists they’re usually the top ten places who did a good job marketing themselves as green. Okay, maybe that’s too harsh. They are usually places that are actually doing things responsibly because no editor wants to get a stack of hate mail or a [...]

Break Me Off A Piece Of Costa Rica

Nicholas Kristof has a happy-go-lucky column yesterday in the New York Times about Costa Rica that reads as part tourism advertisement, part political common sense. He goes on and on about how the country is consistently ranked high in “happiness” surveys. This is true. How, then, did they get that way? What sets Costa Rica [...]

Laura Chinchilla Still Commands in Costa Rica Presidential Polls

A month before the Costa Rica presidential election, National Liberation Party (PLN, Partido Liberación Nacional) candidate Laura Chinchilla remains the front-runner polling at 36.7% according to the latest survey by Borge & Asociados, published in the Revista Poder. However, support for the incumbent PLN ‘green & white’ party and its candidate, former vice-president “Laura”, has [...]

Comedian Joan Rivers “Held Hostage” in Costa Rica – “Never” Will She Return

U.S. Comedian, QVC jewelry mogul and celebrity red carpet mercenary Joan Rivers, along her semi-celebrity daughter Melissa Rivers, friends and family welcomed in a new decade by celebrating New Year’s 2010 in beautiful Costa Rica. But like all vacations, there comes a time to return home … even for celebrities. However, when Ms. Rivers attempted [...]

Costa Rica 2010 Tourism Forecast

Costa Rica is a premier point of destination for travelers and vacationers.  Despite worldwide declines in tourism due to fragile economies, Costa Rica has held its own due to many factors. Forecast:  Costa Rica tourist numbers to increase in 2010 and grow to 3.5 million arrivals in 2014. After increasing from 2.06 million tourists in [...]

2010 Social and Political Unrest for Latin America – The Failure of Lula?

This map lifted from The Economist will do fine to introduce a Latin American forecast of 2010 because it explains a lot. If you observe well, All of Hispanic America is In Trouble, besides Costa Rica, Uruguay and Cuba (then again, how could trouble start in totalitarian Cuba?). Flanking this zone of probable social unrest [...]

U.S. ATF Rolls-out Newest Firearms Anti-trafficking Tool in Costa Rica

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today announced a two-phase rollout of eTrace 4.0, the newest version of ATF’s web-based firearms tracing software, to the governments of Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The bilingual firearms tracing software edition commonly called Spanish eTrace, will allow law enforcement agencies in those countries [...]

T’was the Week Before Christmas and All Through Costa Rica…

…drivers continue to engage in road-combat during the holiest of holidays in this Catholic country. Kids are out of school, government employees are off work, many are on vacation for most of the month and churches can become standing room only gathering places for several generations of entire families. The mood of Costa Rica as [...]

Costa Rica Police, Crime Fighting and Security are Not Often Considered Synonymous

U.S. ‘expats’ that now reside in Costa Rica try to explain the Tico culture to their families and friends back home as, “Costa Rica is like the United States was 40 years ago”. In other words, many of the social norms and government problems the U.S. went through in the 1960’s are still experienced today [...]