Violent protests hit Honduras

[Judi Lynn]

Violent protests hit Honduras
Last Updated : 2009-08-13 2:36 AM
The Himalayan Times -

TEGUCIGALPA : Honduran police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of angry demonstrators, as ousted President Manuel Zelaya called on the United States to do more to resolve the crisis. Zelaya supporters clashed with riot police, who used tear gas and batons to beat back those marching on the national parliament building in the capital Tegucigalpa.

Protesters threw stones and broke the windows of several nearby businesses, ignoring police warnings of a crackdown. An angry mob attacked a lawmaker known to back the June 28 coup against Zelaya, before police mounted a successful rescue. Around 50 demonstrators were detained during the clashes, which came a day after rioters torched the local branch of a fast food chain.

In a separate incident in the economic capital San Pedro Sula, stick-wielding protesters formed makeshift road blocks near the hotel of Costa Rica's visiting football squad.Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets. As the violent repercussions of the coup was felt on the streets, the diplomatic fallout continued in Latin America's capitals.

Honduras's international isolation deepened as the small Central American country was told it could not attend an upcoming meeting of top regional military brass. Argentine organizers said the Honduran military would no longer be welcome at the gathering because of its role in the coup that threw Zelaya out of office.

More:
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Violent+protests+hit+Honduras&id=MjYwMzc=

[Downwinder]

1. From what I could gather, all of the damage was to

property owned by Rafael Ferrari. Coincidence?

[Judi Lynn]

2. Saw your post, looked for info. This was the first thing I saw. Looks like fertile ground

for more research when time allows!

This is wierd!

HONDURAS: Governed by Vested Interests
By Thelma Mejía

TEGUCIGALPA, Dec 15 (IPS) - Traditionally powerful families and drug traffickers have enormous political influence in Honduras today, according to analysts.

The elite families, which have gradually taken over party structures and decision-making posts in government, "are the groups that have what we could call ‘legal' power," political scientist Ernesto Paz at the public National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) told IPS.

"But then there are the others, who work behind the scenes and have links to organised crime, especially drug trafficking, which has a strong presence in this country," he added.

"These groups, which not only paralyse, but influence political reforms needed in this country, are generating a crisis of governability and weakening the party system," he said.

Paz and other analysts who talked to IPS said the families that exercise the greatest power in Honduras are Jewish or of Arab descent, and are involved in economic sectors like the "maquiladoras" (export assembly plants), energy, telecoms, tourism, banking and finance, the media, the cement industry and trade and commerce.

The study "Real Integration and Groups of Power in Central America" by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation of Germany says these vested interests have taken over the spectrum occupied by political parties in the region.

The study differentiates between "business governments," like that of El Salvador, and "pro-business governments" like the ones that have ruled Honduras and the rest of the countries in Central America, in which the link between government structures and the private sector have been less direct than in El Salvador.

Investor Miguel Facussé Barjum, his son-in-law Fredy Nasser, energy magnate Schucry Kafie, and banker and industrialist Jaime Rosenthal are the most powerful men in Honduras. Another influential businessman is the Cuban-born José Lamas.

Nasser and Kafie control the country's thermal energy industry, and Nasser's business interests include concessions to operate the country's main airports, as well as shares in telephone companies in Guatemala.

Influential businessmen in the media, whose influence has grown since the 1990s, are Rafael Ferrari; Carlos Flores Facussé, a former president (1998-2002) and the nephew of Miguel Facussé; and Jorge Canahuati Larach.

Jesuit priest Ismael Moreno said these groups "are so interrelated and closely linked to the Honduran political system, where their meddling is very strong, that it can be stated that they handpick presidents and other authorities, dictate the news agenda in the media, and are the main contributors to political campaigns."

More:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35869

Oh, my god. Here's an image or two of this thing:



Rafael Ferrari está triste por la derrota de Honduras ante los ticos.
http://www.diez.hn/Selecci%C3%B3n%20Nacional/Ediciones/2009/02/13/Noticias/Rambo-comienza-a-sonar-en-la-Bicolor2

http://www.iffhs-media.de.nyud.net:8090/9-Wtor/9-WTorj2005-33B.jpg

Wilmer Raynel Neal Velásquez, Rafael Ferrari (Presidente del CD Olimpia Tegucigalpa), Alfredo Hawit (Secretario de la Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras), Walter Urbina Vallejo.
Foto: FNAFH

http://www.iffhs.de/?d847e4a95e99a54384d85fe8f55005fdcdc3bfcdc0aec70aeecf8a3f19

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.elheraldo.hn.nyud.net:8090/var/elheraldo_site/storage/images/otras-secciones/especial-fin-de-ano-2008/encuestas/el-personaje-del-ano/jose-rafael-ferrari/516318-1-esl-HN/Jose-Rafael-Ferrari_logo_impreso.jpg
Translation of the text from El Heraldo, by google translation:

Jose Rafael Ferrari, entrepreneur

Not only is a well-known telecommunications entrepreneur, philanthropist, but is par excellence, who has his football passion and love of neighbor sensitivity. Chairman of the group corportativo Televicentro, president of the club's most popular sport in the country, Olympia, and president of the Telethon Foundation, Mr Ferrari leads with good success also chairman of the Selection Committee. This year, the president of Televicentro group sponsored the gathering of young leaders of the country and took them to San Salvador, El Salvador.

His parents, Mr Rafael García Ferrari and Mrs. Rosario Sagastume Ferrari. He is married to Rosina Guevara, who has two children procreated.

Their secondary studies were conducted at the Central Vicente Caceres in the Honduran capital. He earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, in United States of America.

Rafael Ferrari is currently the president of Televicentro Corporation and vice president of United Stations, the group of television and radio in the country. Is president, director and advisor to several companies in the country.

Within their current work can be listed:

President of the Association of Media Honduras.

President of the Association of Central America and Panama televisions.

President and Founder of the Telethon Foundation-Honduras.

President of Club Deportivo Olimpia.

Member of CEAL (Council of Entrepreneurs in Latin America)

Chairman of the Selection Committee.

Ferrari Sagastume was ambassador to Honduras and representative to the FAO, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). PREVIEW president and chief sponsor of the radio program in 1988 The family of numbers, aimed at improving primary education in rural areas.

He was director of the Advisory Committee of the Florida International University and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise.

Founding Member of the Friends of Children Society, SOS Villages today.

Has earned several awards, including:

Declared Man of the Year in 1987 by various means of written communication, spoken and televised by raising successful in telethon simultaneously 3 to build rehabilitation centers for disabled persons in different cities.

Order of Morazan in grade of Grand Cross, the Silver Plaque, the highest decoration awarded by the Government to a citizen of Honduras (June 1991)

Grade Gold Grand Knight Sheet Liquidambar, which gives maximum presea mayor of Tegucigalpa (1992).

Gran Cruz Placa de Oro award granted by Congress, in recognition of their social action to benefit the country (2000)

http://www.elheraldo.hn/Otras-Secciones/Especial-Fin-de-Ano-2008/Encuestas/El-personaje-del-ano/Jose-Rafael-Ferrari

[Downwinder]

3. If it were narco related, or revenge or insurance or something else,

a protest march would be a good cover.

[Judi Lynn]

4. I was thinking along similar lines, recalling it's a standard practise to blow up a business

that's not doing as well as desired for crime syndicates like the Mafia. This would be the perfect camouflage, as you've mentioned.

Bus write-offs for insurance, etc., etc. Payday for the 10 wealthiest families. Couldn't be an easier and more convenient way to do it in the world.

Something to think about. Then, they get to blame it on the anti-coup masses, ascribe it to their criminality. Use their bogus "criminality" as more reason to lock them up, and terrorize them, thereby sending a message to the populastion to go home, and love the coup. Or else.

[Downwinder]

5. After seeing your pictures I'm reinforced.

We already know the General was involved in a auto theft ring and supposedly Micheletti is on a narco list.

[Judi Lynn]

6. You're right. He was. That's another sign they have REALLY been running a banana republic,

controling the whole game for a long time.

Where else would you expect a 5 star general to have a criminal past but in a banana republic? They have had full run of the place to themselves. It has been their little kingdom, and they are going to force their high-jacked military to kill every last Honduran who tries to keep them from grabbing it all back again, if necessary.

Had also heard some of the elites were deeply involved in drug-trafficking. Hadn't looked into it, yet. They are all so sleazy.

[Downwinder]

7. I think, if you pull the covers off,

you'll find we are not that much different.

[Judi Lynn]

8. True, there are also narco-traffickers in our own political elite. That's right. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

9. Here's an article leading in the direction you were looking!

Honduran police seize university after 2nd day of violence
By Tyler Bridges, Mcclatchy Newspapers – Wed Aug 12, 8:37 pm ET


TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Thousands of protesters calling for the return of deposed President Manuel Zelaya clashed with police Wednesday for the second day in a row, but Honduras' de facto government showed no willingness to allow Zelaya to return.

Youths with bandannas covering their faces threw rocks at police outside Honduras' congressional building. The police, protecting themselves with riot shields, periodically launched tear gas to disperse them but not before the protesters sacked a home stereo store said to be owned by a former Honduran president who supported Zelaya's ouster.

The police occupied the teachers' university that has been the demonstrators' base of operations and securely locked the gates to keep them from returning.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090813/wl_mcclatchy/3290761

Went after a store owned by a another coup figure, and politico.

[Downwinder]

10. Dunkin' Donuts, Popeye's, Burger King. All on the list. n/t