Massive Costa Rica protests against CAFTA
Bob Morris @ Feb 28th 2007 08:54 - Category: Unfiled ;
From La Nación in Buenos Aires, translated by reader Joe Hartley.
SAN JOSE: Thousands of Costa Ricans marched through the main streets of San José to protest against the possible ratification of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, in a festive atmosphere without a trace a violence.
With placards, T-shirts and with phrases like “No to CAFTA, Yes to Costa Rica” and “Costa Rica is not for sale,” thousands of union members, environmentalists, university students, indigenous people [NB: probably an error], and politicians demonstrated against the CAFTA in a march that ended near the Congress building.
The vice-chancellor of the state Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC) and principal organizer of today’s activity, Eugenio Trejos, declared during the march that the FTA is harmful, and asked the government to withdraw it from legislative consideration.
“We are saying ‘no’ to the FTA . . . and that the government should remove it from consideration before the Legislative Assembly and open a space for profound dialog over what should be the model for development. We don’t want implementation plans that sell the country,” affirmed Trejos near the Congress.


