The Santiago Times, Chile's English Newspaper Since 1990, Chile News, Santiago News http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile Thu, 23 May 2013 01:28:05 +0000 Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Management en-gb http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26178-pinera-gives-his-terms-last-may-21-address-to-chilean-people http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26178-pinera-gives-his-terms-last-may-21-address-to-chilean-people ‘Judge us on our achievements’ says Piñera in speech announcing new bills for education and crime.

In his May 21 address before his term ends in February 2014, President Sebastián Piñera sought to define his legacy, focusing on education, crime and labor issues in a speech lasting for more than two hours in front of Congress in Valparaiso on Tuesday.

From plans to make Santiago’s infamously lackluster Mapocho River navigable to constitutional reform of education requirements, this year’s annual speech included both the minor and major as Piñera addressed a range of issues including crime, health reform, the economy and the ongoing strained relationship with Bolivia.

Also mentioned was a civil partnership bill for gay couples, incentives for couples to have three or more children and plans to create a new ministry for agriculture, fishing and food.

Asking to be judged on facts, Piñera admitted to making some mistakes, but said figures showed the overall successes of his administration.

“We ask the Chilean people to judge us on our achievements, now is the time for evaluations,” said the president.
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Sam Edwards) Politics Tue, 21 May 2013 20:12:38 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/human-rights-a-law/26177-as-chileans-brace-for-winter-stadium-opens-doors-to-homeless http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/human-rights-a-law/26177-as-chileans-brace-for-winter-stadium-opens-doors-to-homeless Expansion of government program for homeless in preparation for cold winter months with new temporary shelter in Estadio Victor Jara.

With temperatures already hitting record lows and the worst of winter still to come, thousands of homeless Chileans are left increasingly vulnerable to weather-related illness. In response, the government will guarantee shelter this winter to Chile’s homeless population.

“Noche Digna,” Spanish for Night of Dignity, is a program started by the Social Development Ministry in 2011. It provides shelter, meals and medical assistance to those without a home in an effort to alleviate the difficulties that come with living on the street.

According to a representative from the ministry, providing basic necessities such as food and hygiene services drastically lowers the amount of deaths due to harsh weather conditions.

In order to serve all those that seek refuge, the government has opened more than 40 shelters throughout the country, with 17 located in Santiago. This year, the program added its 41st location in Estadio Victor Jara.

The stadium, located near Estación Central in the western part of Santiago, accepted 580 people Sunday evening, surpassing an original estimate of 300 daily guests.
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Olivia Page-Pollard) Human Rights & Law News Tue, 21 May 2013 20:05:28 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26173-chilean-president-prepares-for-his-terms-last-may-21-address http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26173-chilean-president-prepares-for-his-terms-last-may-21-address Valparaíso braces for protests before President Sebestián Piñera arrives in the port city to give his national address to Congress.

As President Sebastián Piñera prepares to give his term’s final May 21 address to Congress, the Valparaíso regional government is gearing up for an influx of protesters. Student organizations are planning a march in the port city the same day.

The Presidential Message is one of two national addresses given to a joint session of Congress every year. Since 1926, the speech has been given on May 21 and is carried on many of the nation’s radio and television stations via a unified broadcast known as the “Cadena Nacional.” The system is a voluntary one used to carry official government messages and emergency warnings to reach a large number of Chilean citizens. The other national address is given to Congress on Sept. 18.

The speech is traditionally used as a state of the nation address, to recall the past year’s governmental agenda and sets goals for the next. According to the Del Dicho al Hecho study from the think tank Ciudadano Inteligente, Piñera’s speech last year included 57 separate policy promises, about three-quarters of which were later fulfilled.
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Jay Balagna) Politics Mon, 20 May 2013 20:51:36 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26166-chilean-deputy-defends-herself-from-bribery-charges http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26166-chilean-deputy-defends-herself-from-bribery-charges Campaign funding thrown into spotlight as ongoing scandal over alleged bribery takes its first victim.

Embattled Dep. Marta Isasi has attempted to defend herself from charges of alleged bribery, claiming “suspicious links” between her accusers in a Chamber of Deputies Ethics Commission hearing this week.

Isasi, an independent deputy for Iquique with ties to the right-wing Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party, was implicated in a possible bribery case last week after her former advisor claimed she received payments from the fishing corporation Corpesca to influence her vote on a controversial fishing quota bill.

During an Ethics Commission hearing, Isasi denied the charges, maintaining that all payments she received from Corpesca were made in accordance with Chilean law that admits anonymous campaign donations.

On Tuesday, Corpesca’s General Manager Francisco Mujica — whose correspondence with Isasi was revealed in a Center for Journalistic Investigation (Ciper) report and by Communist Party (PC) Dep. Hugo Gutiérrez — resigned from the post he has held for 14 years.

Corpesca admits to donating to Isasi’s campaigns but denies trying to influence her decisions.  The corporation issued a statement saying it would “emphatically reaffirm its principles of corporate conduct, in order to ensure that all the company’s actions conform to the law and the ethical code.”

Despite this coup for Isasi’s accusers, however, the Iquique congresswoman has maintained her innocence in front of widespread criticism.

Isasi and her lawyer Mario Zumelzu retaliated Thursday, voicing concerns over a “suspicious” link between Gutiérrez and the major source in the Ciper report, Georgio Carrillo. Carrillo worked as an adviser to Isasi.
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Sam Edwards) Politics Sat, 18 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/human-rights-a-law/26168-gay-flags-fly-in-chilean-capital http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/human-rights-a-law/26168-gay-flags-fly-in-chilean-capital Six municipalities across Chile raise LGBTQ rainbow flags in support of gay rights movement.

Government officials and LGBTQ activists raised rainbow flags in six Chilean municipalities Friday, the International day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The flags will fly over the course of the weekend.

“The raising of the flag of diversity represents the promise between the authorities and an important part of the public sector on the civil rights of the legal petitions of gay individuals,” said Jaime Parada, spokesperson for Movilh.

This is the first time the six municipalities have flown the LGBTQ flag at their government buildings. Four of the municipalities are in the Metropolitan Region: Independencia, Providencia, La Reina and Santiago. The other two are the port cities of San Antonio and Coquimbo.

Along with Friday’s flag-raising, representatives from LGBTQ activist group Movilh and the European Union signed an anti-homophobia agreement at the Independencia municipality building showing EU support of Movilh in their fight against homophobia in Chile. 

The European ambassador to Chile, Rafael Dochao, stressed the importance not only of anti-discrimination legislation already in place, but also the work of organizations like Movilh to prevent public and private discrimination.

“All of us who are in this fight, whether we are straight or gay, let’s fight every day, not just today... but every day of the year,” said Dochao. 

Not everyone at the flag-raisings were in support of displaying the gay pride flag. Luis Venezuela is a public employee in Independencia. Although Venezuela says he has no problems with the gay movement itself, he doesn’t agree that the government building should be flying their flag.
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Elizabeth Trovall) Human Rights & Law News Fri, 17 May 2013 23:13:15 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26165-chiles-ex-president-bachelet-to-be-investigated-for-tsunami-deaths http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/26165-chiles-ex-president-bachelet-to-be-investigated-for-tsunami-deaths Amid claims the tragedy is being exploited for political purposes, court upholds lawyer’s request to include Michelle Bachelet in the ongoing 27/F investigation.

Former president and current presidential candidate Michelle Bachelet is to be investigated in the ongoing legal inquiry into the failed tsunami alert that resulted in the deaths of more than a hundred people on Feb. 27, 2010.

Judge Ponciano Sallés of the Seventh Court of Arbitration of Santiago upheld a request from Raúl Meza, a lawyer representing families of the deceased, to include Bachelet in the investigation Thursday. The judge also denied appeals for the acquittal of four officials charged with manslaughter for their alleged mishandling of the aftermath of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake.

Many coastal residents returned to their homes after hearing then-President Bachelet, on the advice of her ministers, announce on the radio that their would be no tsunami. A deadly wave went on to kill 156 people and leave 25 missing.

“This court believes that not enough was done to avoid the catastrophic results,” Sallés said. “Any reasonable analysis would have concluded that the risk was greater by not evacuating the population than by doing so.”

The Socialist Party (PS), of which Bachelet is a member, accused Meza of politicizing the deaths of tsunami victims in an attempt to undermine Bachelet ahead of the presidential election in November. 

“The right has no limits,” said PS vice president Daniel Manouchehri. “Raúl Meza, a [National Renewal (RN) party] operative with questionable professional ethics, is using the pain of the victims of [the tsunami] for immoral and political ends to try to harm the image of Michelle Bachelet.”

Meza is a member of the center-right RN who has expressed parliamentary aspirations, according to local media.
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Amelia Duggan) Politics Fri, 17 May 2013 22:01:49 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/human-rights-a-law/26164-ninth-annual-pro-marijuana-march-to-take-place-saturday-in-chile http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/human-rights-a-law/26164-ninth-annual-pro-marijuana-march-to-take-place-saturday-in-chile Thousands expected to march in Santiago for greater visibility of the drug issue in upcoming presidential election.

Despite threat of rain, the streets of Santiago will be ablaze Saturday with protesters demonstrating for changes to the current drug laws.

The ninth-annual “Cultiva Tus Derechos (Cultivate Your Rights)” march will begin at 1 p.m. at Plaza Los Héroes. The route of the march will then lead demonstrators down Santiago’s main thoroughfare, Alameda, and San Ignacio, ultimately ending at Parque Almagro. There will be a brief cultural show in the park around 2 p.m.

This year’s slogan is “For a New Drug Policy,” which reflects organizers’ hope that this march will draw greater visibility to the issue of marijuana, which is currently illegal, and other drug policies in the upcoming November presidential election.

The march’s website cites three reasons to be optimistic in this year’s election — a more informed citizenry, potential congressional and presidential candidates that are in favor of less stringent cannabis laws and the recently-implemented automatic registration of voters.

"Five million potential new voters this election represents an unprecedented opportunity to visualize our demands, exert greater social pressure, disseminate the proposal of ‘For a New Drug Policy’ and demand more real compromises from the candidates,” reads the event’s flier.

Though the annual march has been around since 2005, drug law reform has been slow-moving in Chile and many other Latin American countries.

The Uruguayan Congress, however, is currently debating a bill that would legalize the production and distribution of marijuana.

A 2012 study done by the think tank Asunto Del Sur found that 66 percent of respondents in Santiago said they had used marijuana, and 23 percent said they had used cocaine — the latter being the most in any of the major Latin American cities surveyed.
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Weiru Fang) Human Rights & Law News Fri, 17 May 2013 21:50:31 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/education/26163-chilean-students-lose-financial-aid-as-ministry-alters-eligibility http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/education/26163-chilean-students-lose-financial-aid-as-ministry-alters-eligibility Government denies student claims that 10,000 will lose funding.

Controversy over the allocation of government grants for students grew this week as the Education Ministry released figures in an attempt to quell fears that more than 10,000 will lose funding, but student leaders remain unconvinced.

For several weeks, student leaders, federations and university bodies have claimed the government is re-adjusting the economic bands through which it judges the eligibility of candidates to receive financial aid, without announcing its plans or consulting them.

On Wednesday, Education Minister Caroline Schmidt released figures which claim that only around 800 will lose financial support, while a further 715 will receive different benefits — all due to changes in economic status of applicants’ families.

Government figures also suggest the status of almost 2,000 more student grants remain pending as a result of incomplete or late applications.

Student leaders, however, remain unconvinced.

President of the Universidad de Chile Student Federation (Fech) Andrés Fielbaum told press Thursday that the government’s claims lacked credibility in light of an internal study suggesting that almost 200 students in that university alone would lose funding.

Fears over changes were heightened Tuesday when the Directions of Student Affairs (Red Daes) — part of the the Council of University Directors of Chile (Cruch), the umbrella body which oversees all traditional universities — released a report which suggested 10,000 could lose funding.

The report criticized changes in the allocation of loans as a product of “contingency and lack of planning” that showed “a top-down attitude in terms of relations and decisions.”
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Sam Edwards) Education News Fri, 17 May 2013 18:56:52 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/other/26162-club-for-chiles-ex-navy-officers-turns-80 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/other/26162-club-for-chiles-ex-navy-officers-turns-80 El Caleuche, the Santiago-based center for ex-Cadets and Navy officials, celebrates its eightieth anniversary this week. Situated on Avenida Pedro de Valdivia in the heart of Providencia, the headquarters provides a space in which retired veterans can reunite and reminisce with their former comrades. The club contains a restaurant, a full-service bar, lounges and a small museum containing relics from Chile’s Naval history. As a private club, el Caleuche serves solely former cadets and Navy officials.


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By Olivia Page-Pollard (olivia@santiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2013 - The Santiago Times]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Olivia Page-Pollard) Other News Fri, 17 May 2013 17:28:33 +0000 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/health-and-environment/26160-penguins-and-sea-lions-found-dead-on-chilean-shore http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/health-and-environment/26160-penguins-and-sea-lions-found-dead-on-chilean-shore Chilean Navy discovers more than 600 dead animals in Punta de Choros, a small fishing  town north of La Serena.

The bodies of sea lions, cormorants and penguins littered a seven mile stretch of beach in Punta de Choros, northern Chile on Sunday. The crime scene is in close proximity to the Humboldt Penguin Nature Reserve.

Two days prior the Movement in Defense of the Environment (MODEMA) reported a band of ten fishing boats off the coastline of Punta de Choros. MODEMA and other environmental groups accused the boats of blast fishing — using explosives to catch mass quantities of fish.

Sernapesca, Chile’s National Fishing Service, investigated the scene and determined that all the animals were killed by the same incident. Autopsies report animales with fractured skulls, missing rib cages and multiple abrasions.

Local authorities promptly called in the Investigative Police’s (PDI) Environmental Crime Brigade for further investigation. Microbiological and chemical analysis tests are currently being run to determine if blast fishing is the cause of death.

In Chile, blast fishing is illegal. Companies caught fishing in this manner face prison time and fines. The monetary amount depends on the damage to the ecosystem. However, causing the death of penguins during commercial activities is a jailable offense. Officials from Sernapesca told The Santiago Times that the combined offenses amount to a “serious crime.”

“This situation is quite complicated because of the crime scene’s location near the penguin reserve,” Cristián Felmer, an environmental expert, stated to the press. "This is one of the most important environmental incidents we’ve had in recent memory.”

This isn’t the first environmental calamity at Punta de Choros. In April of last year, 350 Guayano cormorants washed up on the beach. The next month, Sernapesca reported the deaths of more than 80 sea lions.  
]]> editorxx@santiagotimes.cl (Jordan Greene) Health & Environment News Thu, 16 May 2013 22:08:50 +0000