Police increase public spaces patrols; All foreigners must show criminal record at border; Cuenca offers food, supplies to the troops; Trouble in Guatemala

Lunes, 15/1/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Concierto sinfónico – The Orquesta Sinfónica de la U. de Cuenca will present its first concert of the year el 25/1 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz.

Titular –

Cárceles, bajo control (Prisons, under control) – See Monday’s articles in CHL for stories.

Cuenca –

Market vendors, food manufacturers, tire distributors and gas stations have joined forces to support the soldiers and their equipment in the Cuenca area. (El Mercurio)

Obras en calle La Condamine (Work on calle La Condamine) – The Public Works Department of the City of Cuenca repaved 250 meters of calle La Condamine over the weekend. 37,000 vehicles normally circulate on the street each day. The project cost $40,000. There was also work in Rayoloma and Guangarcucho.

Operativos de seguridad (Security operations) – The city announced that all municipal installations will be under permanent vigilance by personnel from the Guardia Ciudadana and Policía Nacional. There will also be control operations in different public spaces such as the Centro Histórico, Plaza Civica 9 de Octubre, y Feria Libre during the state of emergency.

De El Mercurio del sábado, 13/1 (1 article):
Cambios para entrar al país (Changes for entering the country) – Foreigners entering the country through the borders with Perú and Colombia will need to present a certificate of antecedentes penales (criminal record) issued by your country of origin or residence for the previous 5 years. This measure which is in effect now, is to avoid the entrance of members of terrorist organizations, organized gangs, and anyone who poses a threat or risk to public safety. This measure wil be in effect during the state of emergency. Children and teens within the fourth degree of consanguinity or the second degree of affinity accompanying a family are covered (?) under the family member’s certificate. <I would assume, just to be safe, that US citizens could be subject to this measure if you you’re returning from a beach vacation in Máncora or a visit to Colombia. Even if you’re a permanent resident, you’re still foreigner until you get citizenship.>

De El Mercurio del domingo, 14/1 (1 article):

En tiempos de crisis se aviva la generosidad (In times of crisis, generosity is revitalized) – Since the appearance of military in the streets, there hasn’t been a delay in Cuencanan solidarity. Bottled water, cooked food and fruit have been shared with those protecting the city. The latest to join these efforts are the vendors from the mercados and itinerant platforms who met yesterday in the mercado 12 de Abril to deliver articles to the Fuerzas Armadas (FF.AA. – Armed Forces), Policía Nacional, y Guardia Ciudadana. In addition to families and vendors, private businesses are colaborating. The tire and vehicle repair company Tedasa took over the maintenance of 30 tactical military vehicles which haven’t been used for 2 years due to lack tires and of parts. The vehicles will now support the operations of the FF. AA. in Azuay. A group of gas stations are supplying gas to police and military vehicles at no cost. <How could you not love living in a city and country whose citizens respond to difficult times by offering whatever help they can give instead of demanding a personal police guard for their house?>

Mundo –

Arévalo asegura ser el presidente (Arevalo claims to be the president) – <Not much local news besides control of prisons and narco-terrorists, so here we are on the last page of section B> The President-elect of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, said, in the middle of maniobras <maneuvers – your word for the day; you can also use it to describe driving such as weaving through traffic> to impede the normal process of transfer of power, that he will be invested as President. Outgoing congress members have not sworn in the new President nor have they certified the 160 new members of congress. There have been confrontations, insults, and members of congress locked into rooms. The new congress needs to be sworn in before the President can be sworn in. José Inés Castillo of the UNE party said the delay by the Congress is because the last legislature does not want to transfer power to Arévalo and called it a “golpe de Estado” (coup d’état). <So 3d world countries can have transitions of power just as messy as the world’s model of democracy. Or is it the reverse?>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.