Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SANTIAGO178
2009-02-27 16:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Santiago
Cable title:
CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 27
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UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000178
SIPDIS
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 27
Leading Stories
---------------
UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000178
SIPDIS
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 27
Leading Stories
--------------
1. Two Chilean students were murdered and three others injured in a
shooting spree by an emotionally disturbed man in Florida. Dailies
also report on the GOC's reaction to the Department of State human
rights report.
U.S.-Related News
--------------
2. Two students from Chile in the United States under the Work and
Travel program are dead and three others are in serious condition
after 60 year-old Danny Baker shot them with a rifle in the Miramar
Beach community in Florida. Reportedly, in 2008 Baker was denounced
to the police for circulating threatening e-mails against
politicians. Baker had also talked to his neighbors about a pending
"revolution" and inquired about foreign nationals living in the
community. Baker has been charged with two counts of homicide. The
victims are Nicolas Corp (22) and Racine Balbontin (23),both from
Valparaiso. The Foreign Ministry notified the families of the two
victims last night (all dailies, 2/27).
Human Rights Report
--------------
3. The GOC is "irritated" over the U.S. Department of State Human
Rights Report. Although the document values Chile's political
stability, respect for civil rights, and freedom of expression, it
criticizes police abuse of Mapuche Indians -- specifically citing
the death of activist Matias Catrileo in 2008 -- the poor conditions
in prisons, and the cases of women who have died as a result of
domestic violence (El Mercurio, conservative, influential
newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000, 2/27).
4. Government spokesman Francisco Vidal: "There is no doubt that
there are problems in our prisons, because when there are 50,000
inmates in facilities for just 30,000, there is obviously a problem.
But we don't have a Guantanamo in Chile" (all dailies, 2/27).
5. On the death of a Mapuche activist, shot in 2008, Vidal
underscored that the case is under investigation and that courts of
justice are processing those individual responsible for the death
(all dailies, 2/27).
6. With regard to women who have been victims of domestic violence,
Vidal pointed out, "If there is one government that has strongly
battled this kind of crime, it is this administration" (all dailies,
2/27).
7. Alejandro Jimenez, Director of the National Prison System
(Gendarmeria),said the report shows "ignorance" of health
conditions in prisons. He pointed out that the system supports
three major hospitals and 89 health units, which last year attended
to 860,000 cases including surgeries. Jimenez said 150 men and 13
women are HIV positive, but added that the program to prevent
sexually-transmitted diseases has been successful in all prisons (El
Mercurio, 2/27).
8. National Women's Service (Sernam) Minister Laura Albornoz was
highly critical of the report. Albornoz said that what the
government has done is to make domestic violence "highly visible,"
although it has always occurred. She did, however, note that a bill
to categorize the murder of women a specific crime ("femicide") has
been sitting in Congress since 2007 (El Mercurio, 2/27).
9. The Carabineros police said the report's observation about
police abuses against the Mapuche was "biased" (El Mercurio, 2/27).
10. Government spokesman Vidal questioned the "moral authority" of
the United States, particularly for questioning Chile's human rights
and given the abuses committed in Guantanamo and by U.S. troops in
Iraq. Socialist Party President Camilo Escalona said that
information on the situation in prisons and of human rights
violations in the United States and of torture committed by U.S.
troops, "should advise the Department of State to focus on its own
problems." Minister Secretary General to the Government, Jose
Antonio Viera-Gallo said the government would take the report into
consideration because it was issued by "a friend" (La Nacion,
government-owned, editorially independent, circ. 4,200, 2/27).
Economy
--------------
11. Manufacturers' Association (SOFOFA) figures show a 10% drop in
industrial production for January 2009. This is the steepest
decline since the Asian crisis in the 1990s, and is primarily due to
the decline in demand from foreign markets (El Mercurio, 2/27).
SIMONS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 27
Leading Stories
--------------
1. Two Chilean students were murdered and three others injured in a
shooting spree by an emotionally disturbed man in Florida. Dailies
also report on the GOC's reaction to the Department of State human
rights report.
U.S.-Related News
--------------
2. Two students from Chile in the United States under the Work and
Travel program are dead and three others are in serious condition
after 60 year-old Danny Baker shot them with a rifle in the Miramar
Beach community in Florida. Reportedly, in 2008 Baker was denounced
to the police for circulating threatening e-mails against
politicians. Baker had also talked to his neighbors about a pending
"revolution" and inquired about foreign nationals living in the
community. Baker has been charged with two counts of homicide. The
victims are Nicolas Corp (22) and Racine Balbontin (23),both from
Valparaiso. The Foreign Ministry notified the families of the two
victims last night (all dailies, 2/27).
Human Rights Report
--------------
3. The GOC is "irritated" over the U.S. Department of State Human
Rights Report. Although the document values Chile's political
stability, respect for civil rights, and freedom of expression, it
criticizes police abuse of Mapuche Indians -- specifically citing
the death of activist Matias Catrileo in 2008 -- the poor conditions
in prisons, and the cases of women who have died as a result of
domestic violence (El Mercurio, conservative, influential
newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000, 2/27).
4. Government spokesman Francisco Vidal: "There is no doubt that
there are problems in our prisons, because when there are 50,000
inmates in facilities for just 30,000, there is obviously a problem.
But we don't have a Guantanamo in Chile" (all dailies, 2/27).
5. On the death of a Mapuche activist, shot in 2008, Vidal
underscored that the case is under investigation and that courts of
justice are processing those individual responsible for the death
(all dailies, 2/27).
6. With regard to women who have been victims of domestic violence,
Vidal pointed out, "If there is one government that has strongly
battled this kind of crime, it is this administration" (all dailies,
2/27).
7. Alejandro Jimenez, Director of the National Prison System
(Gendarmeria),said the report shows "ignorance" of health
conditions in prisons. He pointed out that the system supports
three major hospitals and 89 health units, which last year attended
to 860,000 cases including surgeries. Jimenez said 150 men and 13
women are HIV positive, but added that the program to prevent
sexually-transmitted diseases has been successful in all prisons (El
Mercurio, 2/27).
8. National Women's Service (Sernam) Minister Laura Albornoz was
highly critical of the report. Albornoz said that what the
government has done is to make domestic violence "highly visible,"
although it has always occurred. She did, however, note that a bill
to categorize the murder of women a specific crime ("femicide") has
been sitting in Congress since 2007 (El Mercurio, 2/27).
9. The Carabineros police said the report's observation about
police abuses against the Mapuche was "biased" (El Mercurio, 2/27).
10. Government spokesman Vidal questioned the "moral authority" of
the United States, particularly for questioning Chile's human rights
and given the abuses committed in Guantanamo and by U.S. troops in
Iraq. Socialist Party President Camilo Escalona said that
information on the situation in prisons and of human rights
violations in the United States and of torture committed by U.S.
troops, "should advise the Department of State to focus on its own
problems." Minister Secretary General to the Government, Jose
Antonio Viera-Gallo said the government would take the report into
consideration because it was issued by "a friend" (La Nacion,
government-owned, editorially independent, circ. 4,200, 2/27).
Economy
--------------
11. Manufacturers' Association (SOFOFA) figures show a 10% drop in
industrial production for January 2009. This is the steepest
decline since the Asian crisis in the 1990s, and is primarily due to
the decline in demand from foreign markets (El Mercurio, 2/27).
SIMONS