No freedom of speech in Colombia either

The worst news these days in Colombia: weekly Cambio‘s closure. Supposedly it is because of ecomical reasons, but many in the country think it is for being too critical. Moreover the El Tiempo Editorial House fired Cambio’s director Rodrigo Pardo and editor María Elvira Samper. They told daily El Espectador that they were in full deadline for the last issue when they were fired.

Will Ingrid Betancourt take revenge?

It will not last very long anymore before Íngrid Betancourt, Colombia’s most famous FARC hostage, will publish her book on the years she spent as a FARC prisoner. Since her liberation in July 2008 (Operation Jaque), several people have dared to criticize this woman, who especially in Europe is considered as a heroine. The last one has published his own book these days: Juan Carlos Lecompte, Betancourt’s latest ex-husband. If Betancourt is writing a book that is similar to her Rage in the Heart (2001), she will be merciless with her critics.

When love kills

Every four days in Colombia a woman is killed by her husband or boyfriend, Colombia’s newspaper El Tiempo wrote yesterday. The other important newspaper, El Espectador, published an article called ‘When love kills’. The reason is that within a few months at least five killings of wives and girlsfriends were reported by the Colombian press. One of the latest was the murder of a woman in the Caribbean town of Barranquilla. Her very jealous ex husband suspected she had a lover. He shot her.

On Pablo Emilo Moncayo, a landmine and child soldiers (6)

Look how war can affect a family in Colombia. If Pablo Emilio Moncayo is not going to be liberated soon, he will celebrate his 12th anniversary as a hostage of the FARC within a few weeks. In the meantime his cousin David – also a militar – stepped on a mine which was probably also laid by the FARC. And shortly after a big conference on child soldiers in Bogotá Colombia’s daily El Tiempo published an article on ‘strange recruiting of youngsters’ by the Colombian army.

FARC rob coins

Bad luck for the tremendous terrorists FARC in Colombia. They pretended to rob 200 million pesos (about 100.00 dollars) from a bank and only could grab a million (about 500 dollars), in coins, according to the country’s daily El Tiempo.

A classic case of Colombian disinformation

RCN and El Tiempo the past week reported on one document in a strikingly contradictory way, leaving nothing but confusion about who is telling the truth, who is lying and why. A classic case of disinformation.

A new job for Juan Manuel Santos

Colombia’s Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos resigned, because according to the law he has to do it now, if he wants to run for Presidency in 2010. But he is not a candidate, he says. Ups, that is complicated.

Mexico’s cocaine comes from Colombia

Claudia López’s column in El Tiempo had an interesting analysis Tuesday. She states that Colombia is no longer a priority for the United States in Latin America, because the Colombian government has been able to convince the Americans that the war in the country is under control. The United States’ attention is going to be shifted to Mexico, López writes, because the USA are very worried about the drugs related violence in that country.

Colombia tobt over Pablo’s nijlpaarden

De bekendste Colombiaanse drugsbaron, Pablo Escobar, is al meer dan 15 jaar dood, maar in het stroomgebied van Colombia’s grootste rivier, de Magdalena, loopt nog een erfenis van hem rond, een stuk of twintig nijlpaarden.

Pablo Escobar’s male hippo is gone

According to Wikipedia the hippo opens its mouth when it feels threatened

News about Pablo Escobar’s hippopotamuses, says Colombia’s daily El Tiempo. They are separated. The male escaped after peasants near the small town of Puerto Berrío fired at him. Veterinarians who follow the two hippos which escaped Pablo‘s Hacienda Nápoles 1,5 years ago, suppose the animal escaped through a small river because the rivers have grown after the heavy rains.