Arrest in Bus Attack

Guatemalan authorities have arrested a suspect in Monday's bombing of a bus on the Guatemala City - San Juan Sacatepéquez route.  The attack left seven dead and fifteen injured.  Police believe that a woman left the bomb on the bus and detonated it by cell phone. However, it doesn't appear certain that they know how the bomb was detonated (or at least they are not sharing the information).

Authorities arrested twenty year old Sonia Elizabeth Véliz Hernández or Dominica Isabel Carrera Hernández (not sure which is the real name) on Tuesday.  She is alleged to be a member of MS-13 complete with tattoo markings on her chest and two tears under her left eye.

It still appears that the attack was tied to an extortion racket in which transport companies on that route had been targeted for the last several years and follows a recent year end report on the dangers of working in the Guatemalan transport sector.

Guatemalan bus drivers paid US$1.5 million (S$1.92 million) in extortion money to organised crime rings in 2010, according to a police report out on Monday.

Over the course of 2010 police arrested more than 500 criminals and charged them with trying to extort money from business owners and workers.

Some of those charged were members of the notorious Mara 18 street gang, according to Donald Gonzalez, a spokesman with the national civil police.

Public transport workers appear to be at particular risk. Human rights groups said that between January and November, 119 drivers and 51 transport aides were shot dead.

While gangs have killed drivers, assistants, and passengers in the past, this does appear to be a major escalation.  It's also reminiscent of last years attack on a bus in Mejicanos, El Salvador.

Top Destinations - Guatemala and Peru

CNN recently named two countries in Latin America among its nine Top Destinations for 2011.  The Peruvian Amazon came in at number 3.

When many people think of the Amazon, they think of Brazil, but Peru offers a great base for exploring the region: Iquitos, a metropolis of almost half a million people in the heart of the Peruvian jungle.

Iquitos is a fitting destination for 2011, which has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Forests.

"You can create your own adventures when you're there," Reid said.

It's the biggest city you can't drive to in the world, he added. You have to fly in or take a boat.

To experience the region in a unique way, Rapp recommended taking an Amazon River cruise from Iquitos on Delfin or Aqua Expeditions.

Here's an Iquitos video from YouTube.

Guatemala checked in at number 8.

More than 10 years after the end of its civil war, Guatemala is coming into its own as a tourist destination, Frommer said.

The country is an appealing alternative for people looking to travel south of the border and trying to branch out beyond popular places like Costa Rica, she added. Once there, you'll be amazed by the sites -- and the low prices.

"Lake Atitlan is one of the most beautiful places in the world. In fact, Aldous Huxley said it was more beautiful than Lake Como. I was there in March, and I would agree," Frommer said.

She called the destination "a bargain wonderland." A round-trip flight from New York cost Frommer $350, "decent hotels" charged as little as $35 a night, and a meal at a sit-down restaurant might set you back just $3, she said.

And here's a YouTube tourism video for Guatemala.

Scarves in Guatemala

Here's an interesting story about Debbie DuPey.

Debbie DuPey, 47, divides her time between Spokane and Guatemala – two very different worlds.  DuPey, a writer, artist and longtime Spokane specialist in domestic violence prevention, is trying to bridge these worlds by telling the stories of the women of Guatemala and by selling their scarves.  DuPey has published a 2011 calendar, titled “Threads,” featuring the stories of the women of Guatemala who weave scarves in the cooperative economic venture “Corazon Scarves.” Corazon is the Spanish word for heart.  The women’s scarves are marketed through DuPey’s website and also through small gatherings of Inland Northwest women.

You can learn more about Corazon Scarves here.

Guatemala Peace Accords Links

Here are a few more links to Peace Accords-related info from last week. 

Here is a statement from the URNG and an interview with Deputy Hector Nuila



And from the Partido Patriota

Guatemala - Not So Violent Year?

The AP has a story floating around documenting the toll that gunshot victims have on Guatemalan emergency rooms.

Massive numbers of cases have stretched the San Juan de Dios Hospital, Guatemala City's largest, to the breaking point. The medical facility, along with the city's Roosevelt Hospital, treated 1,224 gunshot and knife-wound patients from January to November this year...

Health Minister Ludwig Ovalle says treating victims of violence costs about $44 million, or about 10 percent of the department's total annual budget.

You can check out photos from Guatemala's emergency rooms here.

While you wouldn't know it, the total number of murders committed in 2010 declined relative to 2009 (Inside Costa Rica).  As of Christmas, 6,502 murders had been reported, down 6% from the 6,948 murders reported last year. 

In terms of where the murders occurred, approximately 58% occurred in the department of Guatemala (a department with 21% of the country's population).  Escuintla finished second with about 12% of the murders (and 4% of the population).  While the total number of murders were down, authorities said that there had been a greater cruelty in perpetrating such crimes (beheadings and signs of torture).

In terms of the victims, 178 urban or suburban bus drivers were killed.  According to the Mutual Support Group (GAM), store owners and employees were also targets of crime with 101 killed, often the result of extortion gone bad.  Forty-eight police officers were also killed. 

In terms of the perpetrators, most of the killings were linked to organized crime and gang-on-gang conflict (Xinhua). 

The Guatemalan Interior Ministry estimated 60 percent of the country's murders were committed by gangsters against ordinary citizens. Another 25 percent were caused by turf wars between the gangs, and the remaining 15 percent were due to crimes of passion or robberies.

While I don't think that anyone should be out celebrating the 6% drop in murders, sorry to say, but it's better than a 6% increase.  I'm hoping for a safe and happy new year, but I am worried.

No Love for Guatemala

In an otherwise interesting article from Stephanie Garlow at the Global Post, Guatemala gets no love.

Presidents are powerful in Latin America — and next year the top spots are up for grabs in Peru, Argentina, Nicaragua and Haiti.

Really, there's no reason Nicaragua and Haiti should be above Guatemala.

Guatemala Dream Project

How about some uplifting stories for the next few days.  Here's a pretty cool story out of New Mexico

Peyton Young and Harry Shapiro, owners of Harry's Roadhouse, attribute their restaurant's success to their employees.

That's one reason why over the last year they've been working on the Guatemala Dream Project, which provides financial support to college-bound Guatemalan students in Nueva Concepción Escuintla, Guatemala. Most of the staff at the southeast Santa Fe restaurant is Latino, and many of its employees are from Guatemala, the couple said.

"They've been a big part of building this restaurant," Young said.

"We've been lucky to have such hard-working, loyal employees," Shapiro said. "We started thinking, how can we give back?"

The restaurant will hold its first official fundraiser for the Guatemala Dream Project on Saturday. Harry's will allocate 10 percent of the sales that day to the scholarship program and will include Guatemalan coffee, Guatemalan pork and chicken tamales on the menu.

Thank you and good luck.