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The Cozumel News in English, Vol 37

Sept 18 - October 4, 2005

We would like to give special thanks for the very kind assistance of Israel Sanchez, a professional translator who has volunteered to help us with the more difficult passages. (Thanks, Izzy!). The simpler stuff was translated by the editors.

IMMIGRATION DELEGATE ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION Por Esto by Renán Castro y Lizandro Coronado

Workers, businessmen and even families of Playa del Carmen and Cozumel's foreign community came with proof documents in hand to denounce the prolonged extortion and blackmailing to which they say they have been subjected by the subdelegate of the National Insitution of Immigration (INM).

Fernando Germán López Cabrera, accused of manipulating immigrant visas at his own sweet will in exchange for various amounts of money that he demanded Because he even requested that Turkish businessment furnish his private home in return for freeing up their papers.

Illegal procedures, extortion, invented requirements and a series of outrages are a part of the chain of formal complaints against the subdelegate who even it has even been indicated uttered threats to foreigners and sexualy harassed some during the time when they came to renew their immigration and/or working papers.

López Cabrera is responsible for Cozumel's office of migration but besides he was head of the Playa del Carmen Officeit in Playa of the Villa, from where his black track record accompanies him, denounced several foreign victims of blackmailing who sent out alerts to various of their compatriots in their countries of origin alerting them to the series of extortions that they have endured which only goes to aggravate this shameful case of corruption on the part of a federal office.

In this letter they indicated that in the legal violations the mentioned were incurred by this federal official during the month of November of 2004.more than half a hundred foreign victims of the abuses of this functionary had occurred, they indicated, during the past 10 months. He has stopped applications that should have been routine renewals. And he has dedicated himself to inventing requirements to hinder the steps immigrants and foreigners must take to regularize and legitimize living or working in this area of Mexico.

Without providing their names, in order to avoid bigger reprisals, but with documents in hand, they indicated that the subdelegate of the INM,Commit abuses in the performance of his functions " and this can be examined directly, since many foreigners have been victims,"

They explained that they already have presented complaints and reports at various government offices, and they wait for answer, because the subdelegate applies capricious measures as one pleases and many times he complicates the requests that turn up to him maliciously, and simply he refuses them in another one.

And they denounced that this irregular scenario, " leaves tens of foreigners that reside in Playa del Carmen and Cozumel vulnerable to extortion.

"What has happened in several cases if we desired than our steps of a process speed him up and be taken into consideration to be solved favorably ".

The grave chargewas presented by employees, businessmen, and even professionals of foreign origin,who emphasized that all the above has happened during nearly one year, and unfortunately, apparently no authority has been informed, in order to stop and to avoid that the subdelegate one belonging to the INM continue acting under irregular conditions.

And they denounced that this irregular scenario, " leaves tens of foreigners that reside in Playa del Carmen and Cozumel vulnerable to extortion. "

What has happened in several cases if we desired than our steps of a process speed him up and be taken into consideration to be solved favorably ".

The grave chargewas presented by employees, businessmen, and even professionals of foreign origin,who emphasized that all the above has happened during nearly one year, and unfortunately, apparently no authority has been informed, in order to stop and to avoid that the subdelegate one belonging to the INM continue acting under irregular conditions.

And furthermore, some compatriots and friends of foreign origin already have sent various formal complaints, although they have not achieved an immediate answer and the claims have not in many instances drawn in no action that he manage to check Fernando Germán López Cabrera's actions.

They explained that the migrant abuses are a great deals and " they are based from the threats, Out-of-towners' illegal transportation in private vehicles to the migrant located terminal at Cancún's International Airport whose they do not fall in the legal traps to give in to extort.

In like manner several complaints for the sexual harassment to foreigners that they initiate a migrant procedure exist .

The foreign affected residents specified " our clear-cut charge have a foundation in divers procedures initiated and refused without no legal base according to the migrant bases of Mexico.
But besides with all we have investigated what during a year, we foreigners came to, with the best intention to obey rules ".

In fact many of us have family or they are married with Mexican or Mexican, but the problem is the subdelegate premises Fernando Germán López Cabrera, as person in charge of Migración's office, only has complicated the requests that turn up to him, in exchange for money and another type of donations time after time, that only they call of the one and only form what happens and that he is give it extortion and blackmailing.

They indicated that we have listened to sentences of his direct auxiliaries that they indicate us that is money, in order that the result be positive, otherwise, the requirements multiply swiftly, for López Cabrera's indications - the step is difficult and we are going to need help of who signs it -.

In like manner, they indicated than " to add him a case more, between foreign residents' community, the version circulates than a known company whose proprietors are of Turkish origin, they were compelled to furnish all his domicile and he solved their steps with it.
Therefore what it is what the subdelegate attempts, that we buy him a new house enter all of the that we resorted to accomplishing migrant steps, because otherwise only there are negative answers and repetitive comments of the step he is difficult ".

Labor rebellion in Marítima Chankanab Novedades de Q. Roo

In consequence of a labor dispute Marítima Chankanaab's ferries, whose home base on dry land meets in Calica, from where they make crosses transporting vehicles and charging trucks toward the island, they suspended his service from the night of Thursday.

The representative in Cozumel of Quintana Roo's Port Integral Administration, Apiqroo, Víctor Vivas González, he confirmed that he received a communication in which he is indicated than at least even the working day of yesterday Friday, " the problem, by-product of a disagreement for the amount of the salary had not been solved.

The Cozumel II remains settled in front of the monument to the Diver, located in the brought to an agreement Raphael Melgar, close by the fiscal dock St. Michael, where took it the captain and his crew like a measure of protest, because employees stopped laboring from the night before the last.

Apparently a mechanical fault and the crew's resignation left out of circulation the ferry Cozumel II that Calica's route covers to Cozumel.
It leaked out that the cause of the discontent was due to the bad condition of the ship. . ab
The case of the anomalies is not new. This past December there was an incident registered where the vessel had serious damage to its bollard (A thick post on a ship or wharf, used for securing ropes and hawsers) which has still not been repaired 9 months later.
In this occasion, last Thursday, when the ship was arranged to leave the dock at Calica, a damage in the propellant ( motor ) when he lay down of reverse II to come out of the dock provoked that the tugboat be almost about to collide with the Cozumel.
Due to the mishap, the boat returned to Cozumel's island and right after the incident, the Cozumel's captain became known that they abandoned II,
At a later time the captain of the tugboat added in his resignation to that of the captain and crew of the ferry vessel commented that they were not given insurance to protect their security as they labored. .

At the same time was common knowledge that that the company had not paid the sailors wages for 45 days in spite of the daily risk on the badly maintained and insecure vessel. .

And this adds up to an exhausting working days, right now with the first crossing the ship beginning at 4 AM and the last not concluding until 21 hours.

In front of all this series of issues, it leaked out than the operating company the Cozumel II announced the Port Integral Administration of Quintana Roo ( Apiqoo ) that they will operate until further notice.

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Novedades--Finished, the New Ecological Regulations

. : The restructured Municipal Ecological Regulations are ready and is taking for its base the formal complaints that have been recently encountered in the city as well as those issues that occur with great frequency including the appropriate control of animals. informed Carlos González Malpica, assistant director of Ecología for Cozumel..

He emphasized that one of the important changes that be implemented in the new regulations is the integration and combining of related complaints that can be combined to create stronger sanctions and penalties for delinquents such as reports for noise ( auditive contamination ), which was not integrated in the previous regulations;complaints re the possession of live stock or farm birds withint the city limits, for example as well as the spilling of hydrocarbons into the cenotes and lagoons.

Ecología's Regulations carry two revisions for section of the Juridical Unit and aldermen of the Municipality, which in the next days will be brought before the town council, that to of not doing any observation more he will proceed to approving it for his publication, indispensable requirement in order that immediately it may be applicable.

As to the modifications to the proposed sanctions, he said that these will vary, according to the case and the gravity of lack, but the severest fine amounts to 800 thousand pesos.

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Novedades

They Demand MOreTopes (Speed Bumps) in the downtown neighborhoods.

The streets 20 and 25 brought in the Centro neighbrohood are being used like a super highway by imprudent drivers -- particularly moped drivers who ;

and it is even happening that these mopeds pass other vehicles on the wrong side causing accidents. He dates this problems of long time ago, for in several occasions the complainers had reported on reckless the way to drive of people, which is why equally they are afraid that they be going to roll an one belonging to those to some passerby not to measure the consequences of their imprudence to the local radio.

and neighbors indicate that it is necessary for there to be limits on these arteries because of the accidents that have been generated by drivers using excessive speed and bad driving practices. .

And here's whole article in Spanish:

Esta problemática data de hace mucho tiempo, pues en varias ocasiones los quejosos habían reportado a la radio local sobre la forma temeraria de conducir de las personas, por lo que igualmente temen que en una de esas vayan a arrollar a algún transeúnte por no medir las consecuencias de su imprudencia.

Cabe hacer mención que algunos cruzamientos como el de la avenida Juárez con 20 y 25 avenida, 15 avenida con dos norte, 25 avenida con calle cuatro norte, entre otras más, han sido escenario de varios accidentes viales de motocicletas y vehículos, siendo la falta de precaución, la velocidad elevada y el no respetar los altos obligatorios, las causas principales de estos incidentes.

Gabriela Mendoza Cen, una de las vecinas que habita en la colonia centro, mencionó que con frecuencia suceden accidentes viales porque algunos conductores circulan por las calles como si transitaran por una carretera de alta velocidad. Dijo que aunque algunos automovilistas suelen hacer esto, especialmente son los motociclistas quienes utilizan estas arterias como tales, por lo que consideró adecuado que Tránsito establezca una vigilancia rotativa por las calles más problemáticas y sancionar a quienes rebasen los límites de velocidad con multas elevadas.

Por su parte, Gabriel Romero Arjona, otro de los habitantes de esta zona, manifestó que casi todas las avenidas de esta colonia suelen tener este problema por la imprudencia de algunos conductores, pero además porque nada se ha hecho por vigilar la forma de conducir de estos individuos.

Por lo que consideró necesario que no sólo haya vigilancia frecuente de parte de elementos de Tránsito, sino que además se construyan topes para obligar a los conductores a disminuir su nivel de velocidad y evitar percances lamentables.