The Miami Herald Posted on Wed, Apr. 02, 2003

CARACAS - (AP) -- Venezuela's foreign minister Tuesday rejected a U.S. State Department report that denounced human-rights violations by President Hugo Chávez's government.

''In this country, human rights are not violated,'' Roy Chaderton told reporters. The foreign minister criticized the United States for ``erecting itself as the judge of other country's conduct.''

In its annual human-rights report released Monday, the U.S. State Department said Venezuela's ''human-rights record remained poor'' and ''government intimidation was a serious problem'' in 2002.

''The president, officials in his administration, and members of his political party frequently spoke out against the media, the political opposition, labor unions, the courts, the Church, and human-rights groups,'' the report said. ``Many persons interpreted these remarks as tacit approval of violence, and they threatened, intimidated, or even physically harmed several individuals from groups opposed to Chávez during the year.''

Venezuela has been mired in more than a year of upheaval, including a military coup that ousted Chávez for two days in April and an unsuccessful two-month strike to remove the president. The strike ended in February.

Chávez opponents accuse the former army paratrooper of wrecking the economy with leftist policies and using neighborhood political groups to intimidate dissenters. Chávez, whose six-year term ends in 2007, denies the allegations and counters foes are intent on ousting a democratically elected president because they feel threatened by his efforts to end social inequality in Venezuela.

The report noted that ``individuals and the media freely and publicly criticized the government.''

But it added that Chávez's verbal attacks against individual media owners and editors ``resulted in a precarious situation for journalists, who were frequently attacked and harassed.''

Pravda 14:42 2003-04-01

After the fierce clashes with the government, Chavez's foes see how the President normalizes the country under his authority. Opposition leaders are under arrest or went into exile.

Once powerful and combative, the Venezuelan opposition has fallen into a deep crisis after the two months strike failed. Chavez looks plenty of power and no anticipated elections can be forecasted in view of the current scenario. Not even Washington is a factor now, as US hawks are trapped in the sands of Iraq.

Also the main government's detractors, the national media, looks more interested on what is going on in Middle East than on internal affairs. People came back to work, oil plants to pump crude at normal levels and Chavez to upset people's ears by singing popular songs on radio stations. As per reports from Caracas, the new regulated economy keeps the macroeconomic variables under control; markets did not go haywire and the forecasted shortage has been sorted out.

On Thursday, the rebel trade-unionist leader, Carlos Ortega, went into exile in Costa Rica after spending the last week inside the Embassy of that Central American Country. Ortega had been charged with treason for organizing a national strike to oust President Chavez and was allowed by Venezuela's government to leave the country.

Ortega was one of the organizers of Venezuela's two-month crippling general strike that failed to force President Chavez to resign and call early elections. In a statement sent to Venezuelan news organizations, Mr. Ortega called President Chavez a dictator in training and pledged to keep fighting to end his rule. In the new environment, Ortega's statement is not expected to generate a reaction in the anti-Chavez population.

Therefore, Ortega will join the frustrated 24 hours President, Pedro Carmona, who led the coup, that briefly overthrown Chavez in April 11th 2002. Colombia had granted asylum to Carmona, the leader of the businessmen association. The list of exiled opposition leaders is not complete yet: Carlos Molina, a retired naval officer who faced an investigation for his role in the coup enjoys a political asylum in the Central American republic of El Salvador.

But apparently, they are the lucky ones. By the end of February, Carlos Fernandez, president of Venezuela's largest business federation FEDECAMARAS, was arrested and faces the same charges than Ortega, but in jail.

By that time, the bodies of four anti-Chavez activists were found in the suburbs of Caracas showing signs of torture: hands tied and faces wrapped with tape. Darwin Arguello, Angel Salas Felix Pinto and Zaida Peraza, 25, had multiple bullet wounds and showed signs of torture. According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, a witness saw the victims being forced into two vehicles by men wearing ski masks, not far from Plaza Altamira, the place that had become the opposition's central rallying point. "The circumstances strongly suggest that these were political killings," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch to the foreign press in Caracas, in February.

Despite Human Rights organizations' intervention, those cases were never clarified and remain unpunished.

Hernan Etchaleco PRAVDA.Ru Argentina

By MAGGIE GALEHOUSE <a href=miva.jacksonsun.com>The Arizona Republic Apr 2 2003

Baseball is a breeze for minor-league player Freiddy Dominguez, but buying groceries in American stores really makes him sweat.

Many of the 38 Spanish-speaking players in the Texas Rangers' farm system - including Dominguez - arrived from Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic with just a few English words. But the team has developed several programs to speed their transition into a new culture.

One is a computer program that pumps the Spanish speakers with words and phrases they need to know.

"Can I have some toilet paper, please?'' says a voice from Dominguez' laptop.

Dominguez, 22, a catcher from Venezuela, repeats the sentence slowly, then listens to his own voice played back.

The Spanish translation, "Me pueda dar papel de bano,'' materializes at the bottom of the computer screen.

"This is not a traditional way of learning English,'' said Carlos Subero, Latin American liaison and field manager for the Class A Clinton Lumberkings, a minor-league Rangers team in Iowa.

Dubbed "personal language trainer,'' the software familiarizes players with words and sentences surrounding everyday activities, including going to the doctor, banking and shopping.

Many of the younger players, some of whom arrive when they're 16, have only a fourth-, fifth- or sixth-grade education, Subero explained.

"They're not used to being in school, and their English ranges from none to very good,'' he said.

The lessons don't stop there. The team also runs cultural programs in the players' home countries that teach them how to order food at a restaurant and open a bank account.

"By law, the guys have to make $850 a month starting out,'' said John Lombardo, director of minor-league operations for the Rangers, "but a lot of them have signing bonuses that range from $5,000 to $1 million.''

Many send part of their paychecks home, so money management is crucial, he said.

In the evenings, the players give their English lessons a workout by going out to a restaurant or watching a movie. That way, they're forced to use their skills in a public setting. Many of the seasoned players take the new recruits under their wing.

"Guys that are more advanced in the system are remembering what was done for them and are happily volunteering to take the younger guys out at night,'' Lombardo said. "It's becoming a mentoring program.''

Not surprising, the longer a player stays with the team, the better his English becomes. Luis Rodriguez, 21, a pitcher from Venezuela who plays for the Rangers' Class A Savannah (Ga.) Sand Gnats, is in his fifth year with the Rangers system. His English is solid.

"I was scared at first, going to the mall or the grocery store, but you have to break your fear,'' said Rodriguez, punching his right fist into his left hand.

Rodriguez watches sports or "The Cosby Show'' with closed captions in English, so he can see the words as he hears them.

Like most things, though, language acquisition is a step-by-step process.

"Every day, I try to learn one word,'' said Juan Carlos Senreiso, 21, from the Dominican Republic, who plays for the Rangers' Class A Stockton (Calif.) Ports.

What's the latest addition to his vocabulary?

"Dishwasher,'' the outfielder said.

April 2, 2003 GM halts activity at Venezuelan unit

General Motors Corp. has suspended production in Venezuela because of a shortage of parts from local suppliers, costing it millions of dollars in lost sales.

Production was halted last week and will resume April 21, said Peter Friedrich, head of marketing and sales for General Motors' Venezuelan unit. The company, whose Venezuelan operations have monthly capacity of about 5,000 vehicles, had been producing about 1,500 cars a month.

"Our local suppliers can't import what they need, and we can't import either," Friedrich said. The company is Venezuela's largest car manufacturer, with about a quarter of the country's automotive market.

Venezuela suspended sales of dollars Jan. 21 in a bid to brake a decline in international reserves. The restrictions have halted imports, threatening to further deepen a recession that was exacerbated by a two-month general strike that ended Feb. 1.

<a href=www.daily.umn.edu>The Minnesota Daily April 2, 2003 By Mary Stegmeir

Geoff Ziezulewicz Kristin Charles always thought studying abroad during college was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

But now the first-year student is rethinking her decision to enroll in a May session program in Paris.

“My dad does not want me to go,” Charles said, adding that her family is worried about her safety in France, a nation opposed to U.S. military action in Iraq.

“I am highly confused. I don’t even know if I am going to end up going or not, but I really want to.”

Charles is not the only student unsure of what to expect when studying overseas during the war. Although no University May session or summer study abroad pro

grams have been canceled because of the war, the conflict in Iraq has created new safety concerns for U.S. students studying in other countries.

“I don’t think there is anyone who is not thinking about it,” said Jenny Huang, who will be studying physics in Italy and Switzerland during the May session.

“The worry is definitely there, but I don’t know how much it is affecting people,” she said.

Huang predicted her classmates on the trip might act more cautiously and try not to reveal their nationalities.

Officials from Global Campus, the University office that organizes study abroad trips, suggest that study abroad students blend into the local cultures during the war.

Students are also told to stay away from political demonstrations and tune into current events, Global Campus director Al Balkcum said.

Balkcum said all study abroad students receive general safety precautions for times of political or social unrest during their program orientations regardless of whether the United States is at war.

“Safety is our number one priority,” Balkcum said. “It always has been and always will be.”

He added that all students are in contact with on-site staff members, and each program has a contingency plan in place if student safety is compromised.

“I’m not concerned about the physical safety of any of our students right now (because of) the war,” he said.

“We have not gotten reports from students about anything serious, and we’ve been in touch with every single student that is abroad this semester,” Balkcum said.

Balkcum said the information his office has received from students indicates that feelings of anti-Americanism abroad do not necessarily translate into a dislike of U.S. citizens.

“The reports that we have been getting is that even in countries where there is a significant amount of anti-Americanism, it’s not directed at American students, or even at American tourists,” Balkcum said. “It’s pretty much directed at the U.S. administration. It does seem, from most accounts that we’ve got, that most people are making that distinction.”

Between 650 and 700 University students are currently studying abroad in Global Campus programs. Two hundred and fifty students are signed up for May session courses overseas, and summer enrollment appears to be on track.

No one has dropped out of any of the programs because of concerns about the war, Balkcum said.

A view from the East

Three University students studying in Middle Eastern countries say they have had mixed experiences since the war began.

Cynthia Salminen, an international relations junior studying in the United Arab Emirates, said she does not have many concerns about being overseas.

She said that because thousands of Europeans and Americans live in the Dubai, the locals “don’t look at me twice because I am American.”

“In general I feel much safer here than walking around on the streets of the United States,” she said.

Salminen said she has not seen any anti-American demonstrations or protests.

Alicia Sins, a global studies junior studying in Istanbul, Turkey, said she also feels comfortable in her surroundings.

“I don’t perceive a threat to myself,” she said. “But I understand that there is a chance of something happening. This is a very unstable part of the world.”

Sins said she has been advised which sections of Istanbul are more dangerous for Americans, and she tries to be less conspicuous and dress accordingly when she goes to those areas.

She registered with the U.S. consular warden system, a network used to keep authorities in contact with American citizens in case of emergency.

The demonstrations in Istanbul have been aimed at the U.S. government, not the American people, Sins said.

“I have not been threatened in any way,” she said.

Yasmina Raya, a first-year student in Cairo, Egypt, said her experience has been strikingly different than those in Istanbul and Dubai.

“Things are really bad here,” she said.

The weekly demonstrations at her university have been growing, and protesters have been hurt in clashes between students and the police, Raya said.

“I avoid the protests because it is so dangerous for Americans,” she said. “I also don’t speak English in front of people I don’t know.”

Raya, who is originally from Egypt, said despite her familiarity with the country’s culture, she has contacted the U.S. embassy as a precaution.

Travel warnings

Global Campus does not offer any programs in countries with U.S. State Department travel warnings. If University officials determine students in a study abroad program are in danger at any time, they will cancel the program and bring the students back to Minnesota.

One month after Sins arrived in Turkey, the United States issued a travel warning, but she did not leave.

“I think the schools who removed their students acted prematurely,” she said. “The fact that I am so near the conflict will only enrich the experience that I leave with.”

In its more than 20-year history, Global Campus has only canceled programs at two locations, Balkcum said.

A program in Morocco was cut short during the first gulf war in 1991. This year, spring semester, May session and summer programs in Venezuela have been canceled because of political unrest.

Earlier this year, another student exchange organization associated with Global Campus canceled a spring semester program in Jordan.

Balkcum, a seasoned traveler with an office wall crammed full of framed photos from exotic locations, said the war should not keep students from following through with study abroad plans.

“I would travel now,” he said. “Obviously, I’m not going to go to the Middle East right now, but I don’t have a fear of travel.

“I consider travel to be something that I need to be cautious about, but not avoid,” Balkcum said.

He said studying in another country helps students gain a more complete world perspective.

“I think the more awareness that students can have of the rest of the world — the way the rest of the world views us, the way the rest of the world thinks — the better off we all are,” he said.

“Maybe it will help us avoid getting in a situation like this in the future.”

Mary Stegmeir welcomes comments at mstegmeir@mndaily.com

Geoff Ziezulewicz welcomes comments at gziezulewicz@mndaily.com