Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Andina

Within the framework of the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the initiative, “Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas”, in the Costa Rican city of San Jose, Foreign Minister of Peru, Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde and his counterpart from the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, held a working meeting to discuss issues of bilateral relations and mutual interest.

Accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, the chief of U.S. Diplomacy, announced her official visit to Lima in the coming month of June.

The main objective for the regional forum “Pathways to Prosperity”, is to promote the welfare of the people through trade, investment, education, good practices and health.

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Isabel Guerra

Peru's President Alan Garcia has just passed a decree declaring March 1, 2010 as National Mourning Day, as an act of solidarity with the Chilean people suffering the effects of the destructive 8.8 Richter earthquake that rattled that country early this morning.

The document states that the deaths and damage registered in Chile are not only a tragedy for that country but also for humanity.

Thus, the Peruvian flag will be hoisted half mast that day on all public buildings, military installations, bases, ships, police stations, etc., and also in Peruvian diplomatic and consular missions in foreign countries.

The decree also clarifies that this national mourning will be a working day.

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Isabel Guerra

Sachi Fujimori, the younger daughter of former President, says she is thankful and happy because authorities will allow her to celebrate her Catholic wedding at the chapel of the Directorate of Special Operations (Diroes), where her father is serving his sentence.

“I think this is fair, my dad will take me to the altar. It wasn't big deal since the wedding will be inside the Diroes, it's not that he is going anywhere out,” she said in a TV interview.

“This is not ideal for any girl, but anyway I am thankful and happy, because he will take me to the altar,” she said.

She also said that she expects that her wedding will not become a political issue.

Prime Minister Javier Velásquez Quesquén said that the executive branch does not find any objection “since this is a humanitarian issue.”

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Isabel Guerra

Public disapproval towards President Alan García of Peru rose to 68%, while the approval dropped to 26%, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Ipsos Apoyo and published in Lima.

According to Ipsos Apoyo, the polled people justifies their disapproval alleging that "there is too much corruption under his government,” that he does not honor his promises and “is a liar.”

The survey, conducted between Feb. 9 and 13 and given to 1,200 people, also found that the approval for Garcia rose to 30% in Lima and to 32% in northern Peru.

Citizens who support Garcia claim that he has built roads, hospitals and water and sewage works (40%), and also that “he has changed compared to his first government,” between 1985 and 1990.

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Isabel Guerra

The possible presidential candidacy of journalist Jaime Bayly is apparently rising, since a nationwide survey conducted by Compañía de Investigación de Mercado (CPI) for Correo daily shows that 3% of the polled may expressed that they would vote for Bayly.

The study, conducted among 1.450 people, gives Bayly a surprising 3.2% (reaching 7% in the jungle regions), beating out candidates like Yehude Simon, Humberto Lay, Edwin Donayre, Cesar Acuna and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, reports Correo and Peru.com.

Perhaps one reason for the growth of Bayly is that half of his proposals are supported by many people, according to the survey.

Thus, 75.4% agree with paying congressmen the same salary as a schoolteacher, while 75.3% agrees with reducing the Defense budget to improve the educational one.

64.9% said they agree with reducing the number of congressmen, and 57.7% support the idea of reducing military spending to increase educational spending.

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Isabel Guerra

Alberto Pizango, the Peruvian indigenous leader currently who obtained political asylum in Nicaragua, said that he will soon come back to Peru to face all the legal processes against him.

In an interview to La Voz de la Selva Radio, he said that he is satisfied with the decision of the Bagua Chica Court, that change the arrest warrant issued against him for just a citation.

"I always said that justice may be late, but finally arrives. I consider that the arrest warrant was an abuse of authority and now I am waiting for more positive signals from the courts at Bagua and Utcubamba. I am considering all this before taking the decision of coming back to Peru,” he said.

He also expressed his wishes of a reconciliation between the government and the indigenous peoples “and that facts like those that took place in Bagua last Jun. 5 never happen again.”

Pizango claims that he has not been evading justice, and that he was granted asylum “because my life was endangered.”

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Isabel Guerra

The A-37B-Dragonfly planes that Korea donated to Peru will be used “in the surveillance of Amazonian borders,” and “in the battle of narcoterrorism in the country,” said Defense Minister Rafael Rey (in the photo).

Peru is the second world producer of coca leaves and cocaine, after Colombia, according to data from the United Nations.

These planes will also be used in practice operations of aerial space control with Brazil and Colombia to protect the Amazon, according to the terms of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty signed in 1968, says a press release from the Defense Ministry.

Drug production in Peru focuses mostly in the Apurimac-Ene River Valley (VRAE), a rainforest area located in South East Peru, where the so-called “remnants” of Shining Path are still operating, in an alliance with drug traffic bands.

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Isabel Guerra

The candidacy of TV host Jaime Bayly represents the expectations of young people, which is the sector that is taking him to an unexpected sixth place in polls for Peru's 2011 presidential election, said Fernando Tuesta, Director of the Grupo de Opinión Pública of the Universidad Catolica in Lima.

The voting intention for Bayly has risen up in the last 30 days, since he announced his run for the Presidency.

Tuesta Soldevilla thinks that those who think Bayly's candidacy is part of a joke should take it seriously.

The poll was conducted only in Lima.

In the latest poll, 6% of respondents said they would vote for Bayly. Luis Castañeda is first with 38%, followed by Keiko Fujimori with 17% and Lourdes Flores with 9%. Former President Alejandro Toledo also appears with 9%, and Ollanta Humala with 7%.

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Andina

A delegation of Peruvian ministers and officials -led by Cabinet’s chief Javier Velasquez Quesquen- will be traveling to Cusco region to verify relief efforts for areas affected by rains and floods.

This includes the proper provision of food and water for stranded tourists through an air bridge of helicopters.

Aircrafts will use stadiums in Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu district as heliports. The main task is to carry relief supplies to affected areas,pick up tourists and take them back to Cusco by road.

Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Martin Perez is part of the delegation heading to Cusco, who along with Peru’s Prime Minister, will personally supervise the evacuation of people stranded by heavy rains near the top attraction, Machu Picchu.

Days of heavy rains triggered up to 40 landslides, one of which blocked the railway between Machu Picchu and Cuzco.

Two people are reported to have died when a mudslide destroyed their home.

The train to the city of Cuzco is the only means of transport on the last leg of the trip to the ruins, and has been suspended since Saturday when it was blocked by a landslide.

That was one of many landslips which have blocked roads and destroyed homes in the region.

Hundreds of hectares of crops, mostly maize, were destroyed when rivers broke their banks.

The authorities in Cuzco have declared a state of emergency in the south-eastern region of the country where they say up to 3,000 people have had their homes destroyed by floods and landslides.

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Isabel Guerra

28.5% of Limenians would vote for Lourdes Flores as Lima's Mayor, provided that Luis Castañeda, the current Mayor, does not run in next municipal elections, according to the latest poll conducted by CPI.

The survey places Alex Kouri, current Callao's Mayor, in second place, with 17.6%, followed by former Miraflores Mayor, Fernando Andrade (6.3%), a candidate from fujimorist party (5.7%), Alberto Tejada, San Borja's Mayor (4.4%), and former minister Susana Villarán (2.4%).

The poll results include the current Women's and Social Development Minister, Nidia Vìlchez (2.3%) and former minister Juan Sheput (1.5%).

The survey also asks if Flores should run in the Municipal elections; 61.8% of the polled persons think she should, while only 28% consider that she should not.

Flores declared that she would consider carefully about running in municipal elections of not.

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