Crimes are crimes, no matter who commits them

Colombia’s president Álvaro Uribe thinks that the victims of his country’s horrible violence cannot be treated the same way. Those who are victims of crimes commited by the army, the police or the intelligence service DAS do not have the same facilities to get repaired by the state as the victims of the left wing guerrillas or the right wing paramilitaries.

How to save Plan Colombia

Colombia’s vice-President’s Francisco Santos’ words to pull out of Plan Colombia should not be taken as literally as he said them. The man is not as childish as he seems. Santos is after the opposite: saving Plan Colombia.

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Guerrilla girl puts to sleep her boss and escapes

The nicest news in Colombia yesterday: a guerrilla girl of the smaller guerrilla group ELN puts to sleep her commander with a herb called ‘tunda’ and escapes with 14 other fighters.

Che Guevara’s home in Alta Gracia

Today I saw Che’s bed, bath, motorbike, books in the museum in the friendly village of Alta Gracia, near to Córdoba in Central Argentina.

Che Guevara is remembered in Alta Gracia

My hope to find more about Che Guevara during my holiday in Argentina is not lost. It appears that he moved away with his parents from Rosario because he suffered from asthma.

Che Guevara is absent in Rosario

Without knowing it I travelled to the town where Che Guevara was born, Rosario, in Argentina.  I am still on a holiday there. It is close to the village of Bernardo de Irigoyen, where my friends married a few days ago. The place where Che was born, now is an insurance company and only a small sign on the side walk tells you that it was there. There is also a statue and that is it.

The guerrilla look of Chávez

Venezuela’s president Hugo Chávez is among the most desired leaders of the world, wrote the Venezuelan daily newspaper El Nacional.