Vol. 16, No. 9 October 2008

www.cubanews.com

In the News Gustav, Ike leave $5 billion in damages

Inaction on Capitol Hill as Cubans struggle to put food on table Measures to relax Cuba sanctions in wake BY PATRICIA GROGG / IPS thankful to have saved the rice I planted,” he of hurricanes fail as U.S. financial crisis ontrary to the saying that after a storm said, after estimating that Ike’s direct path was within about 100 kms from his farm, out to sea. consumes lawmakers ...... Page 3 comes a calm, in Cuba the shockwaves left Cby hurricanes Gustav and Ike will prevent “I think the situation is serious, because if the any peace of mind for people living not only in hurricane caused us damage from that distance, Blogging away the most affected areas but in the whole coun- imagine what it must be like in the provinces where it made landfall,” said Torres in a tele- Cuban ‘bloggers’ risk it all to share their try for a long time to come, as they ask them- phone interview with Inter Press Service. controversial views online ...... Page 4 selves if the worst is really over yet. According to his calculations, however quick- “The hurricane season lasts through Novem- ly farmers plant now to recoup their losses, Food prices frozen ber. If another one strikes, what will become of their produce will not be available until well into us?” asked Georgina Fernández anxiously. She the first half of 2009. Regime warns profiteers it’ll crack down lives in Havana but has relatives in Pinar del Rio, Meanwhile, vegetables are becoming scarce, on speculation and theft ...... Page 4 one of the provinces hit hardest by Gustav and and consumers complain on a daily basis about then Ike, between Aug. 30 and Sept. 9. price hikes, especially in the farmers’ markets Leaving Cuba Fernández’s fears are not without foundation. where prices are set by supply and demand. During the Atlantic hurricane season which Cuba was still assessing the cost of the dam- Detailed analysis of Cuba’s geography of began in June, the most dangerous months for ages caused by Gustav in the west of the island emigration in the last century ...... Page 6 Cuba in terms of storm frequency tend to be on Aug. 30, when Ike entered eastern Cuba the October, September and August, in that order. night of Sept. 7, swept over the island and out to What next for Raúl? In the central province of Santa Clara, small sea, where it picked up strength before return- farmer Rubén Torres lost his plantain and cas- ing the following day, sweeping across virtually Cuba’s post-hurricane dilemma: the worst sava harvest, as well as his avocado trees. “I’m See Ike, page 2 possible scenario ...... Page 8 Puerto Padre in ruins Ten years on, ‘Cuban 5’ spies still in jail Hurricane Ike leaves once-proud port in Las Tunas utterly devastated .....Page 10 as U.S. activists lobby for their release Business briefs BY TRACEY EATON into custody, fined and released. ctivists trying to free five Cuban spies The FBI arrested the five Cuban agents on Bank: Cuba’s foreign debt at $16.5 billion; from American prisons took their case to Sept. 12, 1998, and accused them of forming Havana Club comes to India ...... Page 12 AWashington last month — 10 years to the part of a U.S.-based spy ring known as the Wasp day after the FBI arrested the agents. Network. Cuban authorities contend they were Another Che movie Eight Nobel Prize winners along with poets, only trying to protect Cuba from violent attacks lawmakers, students and thousands of others by Cuban-American exile groups. 4-hour Soderbergh film delves into Che from 78 countries have rallied around the spies, Cuban-American leaders dispute that, saying Guevara’s revolutionary years ...Page 13 though their case remains largely unknown in the five spies are a threat to U.S. security. the United States. “They’re enemies of this country,” said Jorge Lawyers weigh options A former top U.S. diplomat in Havana joined Farragut, who believes Cuban spies are likely the activists across from the White House on active not only in Florida and Washington, but Will the convicted ‘Cuban 5’ ever get their Sept. 12 as they unveiled 102,000 signatures de- possibly Houston because “it’s a strategic port.” day in court? ...... Page 14 manding the release of the so-called Cuban Five. Farragut, who came to Houston in 1980, con- “I’ve followed this case from beginning to tends that the agents should serve out their full jail terms. He heads Casa Cuba, a group that CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly end,” said Wayne Smith, who was posted in by Luxner News Inc. © 2008. All rights reserved. Cuba during the Carter administration. “It’s a helps Cuban immigrants arriving in Texas, and Subscriptions: $429 for one year, $800 for two years. gross miscarriage of justice.” he is passionate in his views. For editorial inquires, please call (301) 452-1105 U.S. Park Police arrested five of the protest- Farragat says he’d rather not hear anyone or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. ers during the demonstration. They were taken See Spies, page 15 2 CubaNews ❖ October 2008 were not in-season, leaving most fields empty Miyorquis added that the authorities sum- Ike — FROM PAGE 1 when the hurricanes blew through, although moned the heads of all of Havana’s markets to the whole country on Sept. 8 and 9. 800 tons of tobacco were affected. give them the information and reorganize An official report gave a preliminary esti- The storms ransacked some 300 public some things that she did not specify. mate of $5 billion for the losses caused by Ike health buildings including 26 hospitals and 14 Independent farmers markets in Havana nursing homes. Nearly 1,200 schools and edu- reacted by not displaying products for sale and Gustav. Seven people were killed, nearly cational centers were damaged, while wind after the government decision announced on 450,000 homes were ravaged by the storms, damage and flooding shuttered factories. Sept. 29 that it would respond with law more than 63,000 beyond repair. Seven ports remain closed. enforcement to the higher prices. At least 200,000 Cubans were left homeless More than half a million hectares (1.2 mil- The government said independent food and hundreds of thousands more may need lion acres) of sugar cane were washed out and markets would have to roll back prices to temporary housing while authorities work to nearly 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of newly where they were before hurricanes Gustav GUSTAV AND IKE: TRAILS OF DESTRUCTION

rebuild, according to an official inven- and Ike devastated Cuba. tory of “preliminary losses” that took “Any attempt to break the law will more than half an hour to read on the receive a quick, energetic reply,” the nightly newscast. government warned in a statement. The government’s report called The scarcity of agricultural prod- Gustav and Ike “without a doubt the ucts is one of the main worries of most devastating” hurricanes to hit Cuban authorities after the storms Cuba, noting that “building and reha- devastated at least 110,000 hectares bilitating will mean financial invest- (275,000 acres) of vegetable crops ments and resources truly worth and hundreds of livestock operations. multimillions and will require years The Cuban government received of tense work.” almost 14,000 requests from individu- The impact of the hurricanes exac- als and cooperatives interested in erbated the economic and financial farming idle state land on the first problems in Cuba, which urgently three days of an initiative aimed at needs to increase food production boosting domestic food production. and reduce imports. Street in Camagüey is strewn with debris in aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Provision of land to private farmers The government had already is a priority of Raúl Castro’s govern- warned that owing to high prices on planted caña lost, along with 4,355 tons of ment, which has said that boosting the international market, the cost of ensuring food stocks, the report said. food output is a matter of “national security.” the basic food basket and fuels would be On Oct. 1, the daily newspaper Juventud More than half of Cuba’s arable land cur- much higher in 2008. Rebelde reported that the government is send- rently is lying idle. Cuba imports approximate- According to statistics released in June, ing extra shipments of foods like beans and ly 80% of the food consumed by its 11.2 million Cuba spent $1.47 billion on 3.4 million tons of rice to the state markets to guard against sup- inhabitants and had planned to spend $2 billion food in 2007. At present prices, the cost would ply shortages,. this year even before the devastation wrought be $2.47 billion. At the same time, Cuba’s con- Paula Julia Miyorquis, the administrator of by Gustav and Ike. sumption of 158,000 barrels of oil a day now a market in Havana, told the daily that “there According to official media, 90% of the pro- costs $11.6 million, 32% more than in 2007. exists a quantity of black beans that the state duce from the lands being assigned to individ- AP reported that in the tobacco-rich, west- uals and cooperatives will be delivered to the is going to allocate so the markets don't have ❑ ernmost province of Pinar del Rio, which was a deficit of that product, and a quantity of tons government for distribution. hit by both storms, more than 3,400 buildings of rice so that it remains stable and available This report contains information provided by used in tobacco farming and curing were to the public.” destroyed, the report said. Tobacco crops Inter Press Service and the Associated Press. October 2008 ❖ CubaNews 3 POLITICS Measures to relax Cuba sanctions fall by the wayside BY ANA RADELAT Acosta Cox told CubaNews from Miami. as possible are the same who misled our gov- awmakers hoping to ease restrictions on At stake was a measure sponsored by Rep. ernment in arriving to our shores, brought in travel and trade to Cuba failed to capital- Bill Delahunt (D-MA) that would let Cuban- by smuggling rings on speedboats,” she said. L ize on one of the most favorable political Americans travel back home as often as they The hearing was possible because Rep. climates to do so in years. wanted. Bush had limited those visits to once Tom Lantos, former chairman of the House Devastating hurricanes that hit Cuba this every three years, and allowed them only to Committee on Foreign Affairs and a staunch past month increased the American public’s immediate family members. embargo supporter, had died and been re- empathy for changes to Bush administration Delahunt’s bill would have also eliminated placed by fellow California Democrat Howard restrictions on Cuban-American travel — as Bush’s restrictions on Cuban-American remit- Berman, a supporter of easing sanctions. well as cash remittances — to the island. tances to family members in Cuba. Delahunt But Delahunt’s bill fizzled to an end two In the waning days of his presidency, Pre- called the restrictions “morally repugnant.” weeks later when Congress adjourned. sident Bush’s threat to veto any bill to relax “This policy has reduced American influ- Any momentum for change at the end of sanctions has lost some of its teeth. Certain ence on the island to almost nothing, even as the session was trumped by the urgent need aspects of the embargo itself have steadily lost changes are occurring,” Delahunt said at the to consider a last-minute $700 billion bailout support among politically powerful exiles. opening of a hearing on the bill before a panel of Wall Street. But none of the dozens of bills to ease sanc- of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Negotiations over the bailout bill consumed Sen. Chris Dodd (D-MA), who intended to tions that were introduced in the 110th EXILE GROUPS SPAR OVER RESTRICTIONS Congress were approved; most remained bot- amend a defense bill with a measure to lift tled up in committee. By telephone from Mexico City, Cuban dis- remittances, travel and restrictions on food Francisco “Pepe” Hernández, president of sident Héctor Palacios also urged a lifting of sales for six months to help Cuba recover the Miami-based Cuban American National restrictions on Cuban-American travel. from hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Foundation — which for decades championed “Such actions strengthens civil society and Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a leading member of the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba — took weakens dictatorships. For Cuban-Americans the House Cuba Working Group who has the unprecedented step of testifying before to see their relatives would be inspiring,” said sponsored legislation for years to eliminate Congress on Sept. 18 for the urgent need to Palacios. “We should not give Raúl Castro an travel restrictions, told CubaNews that the temporarily lift restrictions. opportunity to turn this into a political advan- U.S. financial crisis robbed those who wanted He said he was “no Castro sympathizer” tage. This is the time when change can begin to ease sanctions of any opportunity. and was dismayed at having to defend in Con- in Cuba.” “We just didn’t have a chance,” he lamented. gress the right of Cuban-American families But Ninoska Perez, director of the Cuban Flake also said the failure of Congress to “to comfort, support and protect each other.” Liberty Council, had urged the Bush admin- approve any spending bills also deprived like- The CANF’s original license from the Trea- istration to impose the travel and remittance minded lawmakers of a favored strategy — sury Department allowed the group to send restrictions and cautioned lawmakers against attaching Cuba-related amendments to one of up to $250,000 in aid to specific hurricane vic- “becoming accomplices to a dictatorship.” those bills, usually ones that fund Treasury. tims. But the foundation reached that limit She also said some of the Cuban-Americans “Also, the Cuban government didn’t help within two days, and the expanded license who were seeking to visit relatives — any are matters with their defiant attitude with the prohibits donors from specifying recipients. fairly new arrivals to the United States — had offered aid,” Flake added. “You can give us a blanket donation, but broken U.S. immigration law. Havana rejected a U.S. offer of $100,000 to you can’t specify who the recipient on the “Unfortunately, some of those who now private aid groups in Cuba and a second offer island will be,” CANF spokeswoman Sandy claim they want to see their relatives as often of $6.3 million that had no strings attached. ❑ Storm-battered nickel refineries not fully up and running yet uba’s nickel industry is still operating at below capacity more and communications, because the worst damage was to the roofs of than three weeks after taking a direct hit from Hurricane Ike, the plants and workshops and that humidity got into the technology.” Caccording to a Reuters story Sept. 29 quoting local media from As of Oct. 1, the government said all three plants were operating. the nickel region of eastern Holguín province. Cubaniquel owns the Che Guevara plant, with a capacity of 33,000 Luís García, director of the Ernesto Che Guevara plant in Moa, tons, and the René Ramos Latour plant at Nicaro, Cuba’s oldest with told the local Communist Party newspaper Ahora that capacity was capacity of 10,000 to 15,000 tons. gradually being restored since opening in late September but was yet The Pedro Soto Alba plant, also in Moa, and a joint venture be- to be fully reached. tween state-run Cubaniquel and Canada’s Sherritt International, “We never thought an event of Ike’s magnitude would strike,” resumed operations in mid-September. García told the paper. “First we were without water, then the winds That plant is Cuba’s most efficient, with a capacity of 33,000 tons took off the roof and rain fell on the controls.” of unrefined nickel plus cobalt per year. The Che Guevara plant suf- Ahora said the plant lost 12,000 square meters of roofing and walls. fered the most damage from the storm and there was no information The Caribbean island is one of the world’s largest nickel produc- on if the two other plants were at full capacity. ers, at 75,000 tons of unrefined nickel per year, and supplies 10% of the world’s cobalt, according to the Basic Industry Ministry. Nickel emerged as Cuba’s biggest export earner in 2000, and last Ike hit Holguín’s northern coast as a Category 2 storm. That’s year generated more than $2 billion in foreign exchange, with almost where the nickel industry’s three processing plants are located, seri- all output destined for Canada, Europe and China. ously damaging housing and buildings and swamping the area with Cuba's National Minerals Resource Center says Holguin province torrential rains and a storm surge. has 34% of the world’s known reserves, or some 800 million tons of Alberto Pantón, director of state-run Cubaniquel, told Ahora: “We proven nickel plus cobalt reserves, and another 2.2 billion tons of emphasized checking the automatic controls, the electrical systems, probable reserves, with lesser reserves in other parts of Cuba. ❑ 4 CubaNews ❖ October 2008 POLITICS Cuban bloggers risk it all to share their views online BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA Although such blogs are commonplace in Her postings, maintained by a server in arlier this year, President Raúl Castro let the United States and elsewhere, in Cuba the Berlin, have generated over a million hits a ordinary Cubans buy personal comput- mere act of posting uncensored material on month and made headlines in the New York Eers for the first time. the web is illegal. Cubans who engage in such Times and the Wall Street Journal. Whether this proves things activity run a real risk of Sánchez, who’s also been interviewed by are changing is debatable, arrest and other forms of Jorge Ramos of the Spanish-language Univi- however, since the astronomi- reprisals by authorities. sión TV network, was also awarded the presti- cal price of PCs and extremely Nevertheless, since April gious Ortega y Gasset prize by the Madrid tight restrictions on Internet 2007, Sánchez has been newspaper El País for digital journalism — use effectively keep most doing just that, disguising though Cuban authorities prevented her from Cubans from going online. herself as a turista and slip- flying to Spain to receive the prize in person. Yet like everything else in ping into hotels that offer Among Sánchez’s more recent provocative Cuba, some people have man- web access to foreigners. postings have been essays protesting the aged to get around the Despite the hefty $6 an arrest of Gorki Aguila Carrasco, 39, leader of regime’s rules and publicize hour that’s typically charged a Havana punk rock band called Porno Para their views via their own for Internet access at such Ricardo, for “pre-criminal social dangerous- online journals or weblogs hotels, Sánchez plugs away, ness.” She compared that to the script of the (known as “blogs” for short). typing up criticism of the Tom Cruise film “Minority Report.” Cuban political and economic These blogs are frequently CUBAN BLOGS NOT JUST IN CUBA updated and embedded with Havana blogger Yoani Sánchez system, and even posting ac- digital images and videoclips — and the most companying photos to make a Another Havana-based blogger is 49-year- famous blogger of all is 33-year-old Yoani point, under the web page called “Generación old Miriam Celaya, who started her own bilin- Sánchez of Havana. Y” (http://www.desdecuba.com/generaciony/). gual page in January 2008, “Sin Evasión” to chronicle the day-to-day difficulties Cubans face (http://desdecuba.com/sin_evasion_en/). Before she revealed her true identity and Regime freezes food market prices photo on a July 22, 2008, posting, Celaya used the pseudonym “Eva García.” he Cuban government is seeking to El Vedado, this market has been dubbed One of her latest postings noted the grow- curb excessive food prices in farm- “The Boutique” because of its expensive ing shortage of basic foods and other house- T ers’ markets by cracking down on produce that, in normal times, crams the hold necessities in Havana following hurri- speculation and theft, which will benefit stalls. But these days, the stalls are empty. canes Gustav and Ike, while a Sept. 16 posting consumers but may discourage producers, “I used to buy very good onions and gar- detailed the poorly run government shelters according to economists. lic here, but they were imported and now that locals were forced into during the storms. An article published Sept. 29 in the state they are no longer on sale,” one woman said. Blogs are also popping up by Cuban exiles newspaper Granma says “no price increas- Better informed, a vendor at another living in North America and Europe. One es for basic goods, either rationed or sold at farmers’ market told IPS that during the that’s based in Canada, “Al Godar” (http://al- [regulated] prices in Cuban pesos or hard- week he nearly got into trouble because of godar.blogspot.com/) gives Cubans on and off currency stores, are envisaged, despite the island a way of communicating with each generally higher import costs.” a surprise inspection. “The police even came, and searched our storage spaces. another by posting messages on his site. The article continues: “In the case of the Ivan Armenteros, a blogger who migrated supply-and-demand markets, the maximum They were looking for stolen produce and from Cuba to Pennsylvania in 1980, is using prices for a range of basic produce are to be checking up on our prices,” he said. his “Bloggers por un Sueño” page provisionally set at those existing before “Those persons who have violated the (http://bloggerdecuba.blogspot.com) to urge the hurricanes,” while in the case of other law on the pretext of resolving certain per- readers to donate money for hurricane relief. farm produce outlets, these goods will con- sonal needs, placing that above the collec- A blog based in Miramar, Fla., “Generación tinue to be priced as agreed with the tive interest, have been vigorously dealt Asere” (http://generacionasere.blogspot.com) authorities. with in the courts. For the exceptional supports Yoani Sánchez and advocates the In the wake of Gustav and Ike, which cases of individuals who have incited oth- existence of “blogostroika” — free access to devastated the island between Aug. 30 and ers to follow them in their crimes, the pun- the web for all Cubans on the island. Sept. 9, the availability of tubers and root ishment has been greater,” said Granma. Not only Cuban exiles who conduct their crops at food stalls has begun to dwindle. “This will be the invariable action taken postings in relative obscurity have blogs. Last At the same time, consumers are com- against such crimes and against any mani- month, at a New York screening of her docu- plaining about generalized food price in- festation of privilege, corruption or theft, all mentary movie “Man of Two Havanas,” inde- creases, especially in the farmers’ markets the more so when it concerns resources for pendent filmmaker Vivien Lesnik Weisman created in the 1990s, where most prices are announced that she’s set up a blog within her set by supply and demand. those affected by the hurricanes.” In addition to administrative measures, film’s website called “The Game of Peace” “Now they have to get up early. People (http://www.manoftwohavanas.com/blog/). have been queuing since early morning to “the agencies of internal order will contin- Perhaps the most eye-catching blog so far buy lettuce and other products. As you can ue acting energetically, in line with what is has been “Cuba Sin Cadenas” (Cuba Without see, nothing is left now,” a farmer from out- established in law, and the courts will apply Chains). Administered by a Miami blogger side Havana, who comes to the city on the existing penal code with maximum who goes by the name LoriG, this blog Sundays to tend his stall in one of the agri- rigor to those committing criminal acts in (www.cubasincadenas.com) covers various cultural markets, told Inter Press Service. the current special circumstances,” says news items on Cuba. Its most striking feature Located in the Havana neighborhood of Granma, voice of Cuba’s Communist Party. is the posting of detailed photos showing the destructive impact of Gustav and Ike. ❑ October 2008 ❖ CubaNews 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS MIAMI MEDICARE FUGITIVES IN CUBAN CUSTODY In their own words … Cuban authorities are detaining three Miami “Don’t let your spirits fall, because that’s the worst thing, because demoraliza- brothers who fled to Cuba earlier this year when tion comes, independent of how long it takes to solve problems.” they were charged with defrauding $119 million — Raúl Castro, in a Sept. 17 visit to devastated Isla de la Juventud, marking his from Medicare, U.S. officials familiar with the case first public comments since hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit Cuba last month. told the Miami Herald on Sept. 29. News of the Benitez brothers’ current status sur- faced in recent days in the Dominican Republic, “If instead of $5 million it was $1 billion, the answer would be the same. The where the son of one of the siblings arrived from damage in thousands of lives, suffering and more than $200 billion the blockade Cuba. After being briefly detained, the son told has cost, and the Yankee aggressions, can’t be paid with anything.” Dominican authorities that his father and two — Fidel Castro, writing in a Sept. 17 “reflection” that Cuba has too much dignity uncles were being held in prison in Cuba. to accept humanitarian aid from the United States following the two hurricanes. It was unclear whether U.S. authorities are try- ing to negotiate with the Cuban government on “We don’t want to give them a lot of breathing room at a time where we the release of Carlos, Luis and Jose Benitez, who believe change will happen.” were arrested in mid-September in Cuba on immi- — Carlos Gutiérrez, in a Sept. 22 Q&A at Harvard University, in which the gration violations. Havana-born secretary of commerce justified the U.S. embargo against Cuba. This summer, the FBI teamed up with Domini- can authorities to seize the brothers’ property, “It’s no secret that the U.S. embargo on Cuba has been a dismal failure and — bank accounts and other assets purchased in that rather than weaken the Cuban government and force it to change — has only country, allegedly with their Medicare millions. served to weaken the Cuban people and deprive them of hope ... Apparently The Benitez brothers are among 56 defendants some in the Bush administration believe that holding firm on embargo policy, charged with Medicare fraud since 2004 who have even during a humanitarian disaster, will discredit Fidel or Raúl Castro and lead fled South Florida to avoid prosecution. to their precipitous downfall. When human suffering is as massive as we see in U.S. URGES CYPRUS NOT TO OPEN EMBASSY IN CUBA Cuba today after these hurricanes, there’s no room for such cynicism.” — Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), in a Sept. 15 statement urging Senate passage of a bill Cypriot President Demetris Christofias is being to temporarily ease restrictions against Cuba in the wake of recent hurricanes. pressed by U.S. politicians not to establish an embassy in Havana during his current visit to “We should be helping in every way we can. We could use this tragedy to help New York, the Cyprus Mail reported Oct. 2. the Cuban people have confidence in themselves, instead of relying on the gov- Opposition to the opening of a Havana embassy ernment.” did not come from State Department officials but Francisco “Pepe” Hernández from personalities considered long-time friends of — , president of the Cuban American National Cyprus, like the Cuban-born Rep. Robert Foundation, at a Sept. 10 news conference in Washington urging help for Cuba. Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. Christofias met Menendez on the sidelines of “Latin America is becoming a noticeable link in the chain of the multi-polar the UN General Assembly at the house of Panicos world that is forming. We will pay more and more attention to this vector of our Papanicolaou, president of the Cyprus Federation economic and foreign policy.” of America. According to online sources, Menen- — Russia’s prime minister, Vladimir Putin, speaking Sept. 26 at the start of talks dez and Christofias were unable to reach an with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez at his official residence outside Moscow. understanding on the issue. Some Greek-American leaders were also appar- “Cuba is a domestic issue. In foreign policy, the embargo makes no sense. It ently not too pleased with the decision, worried doesn’t do anything. It’s quite clear we cannot starve Cuba to death. We learned that they would upset Spanish-speaking politicians that when the Soviets stopped subsidizing Cuba and they didn’t collapse.” who have supported Cyprus in the past. — Brent Scowcroft, national security advisor to presidents Ford and Bush Sr. A Foreign Ministry official, speaking from New York, told the Cyprus Mail that opening an embas- “By predicting hurricanes accurately almost all of the time, [Cuban] meteorol- sy was a natural progression to the excellent rela- ogists have engendered the public’s trust. That’s why people voluntarily respond tions shared between the two island nations. to evacuation orders.” MIAMI’S ICCAS GETS ANOTHER $500,000 FOR CTP — Jane Griffiths, of the Washington-based Center for International Policy, quoted Sept. 10 in an AP article on Cuba’s relatively low hurricane fatality rate. The Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) received a new grant for one year from the U.S. Agency for International Develop- “The gravely ill Fidel Castro might have given up some titles, but he remains ment in support of its Cuba Transition Project. the tyrant. At the time of his death, it will be critical for the U.S. embargo to be The $500,000 will continue CTP’s publication of in place as it is today, with its lifting being conditioned on three fundamental Cuba Focus and Cuba Facts. In addition, proposed developments: the liberation of all political prisoners; the legalization of all politi- activities include the organization of several semi- cal parties, labor unions and the press; and the scheduling of free elections.” nars in Europe and Latin America and the develop- — Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart (R-FL), in an essay published Sept. 29 by USA Today. ment of practical information for Cubans on the island on how to organize small business, labor “In accordance with our UN headquarters agreement, we have decided to unions, political parties and elections. issue visas to the two individuals in question.” The project will also offer specialized information — U.S. State Department, in an Oct. 1 reversal of its earlier decision to deny re- on market economics to universities, think tanks, entry visas to husband-and-wife reporting team Tomás Granados Jimenez government officials and independent economists. and Ilsa Rodríguez Santanas, who cover the United Nations for Cuba’s Details: Cuba Transition Project, PO Box 248174, Prensa Latina. Journalists from many countries had protested the denial. Coral Gables, FL 33124. Tel: (305) 284-2822. Fax: (305) 284-4875. Email: [email protected]. 6 CubaNews ❖ October 2008 DEMOGRAPHICS Cuba’s geography of emigration over the last 100 years BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT to the United States hoping to find jobs while While the emigration rate from Havana (7.5 t various times in its history, Cuba has avoiding the political unrest at home. per thousand in 2007) exceeds the national seen an influx of immigrants, an exodus After the 1959 revolution, the exodus average of 2.9 per thousand, it’s quite a differ- Aof its own people to foreign shores or became an undeniable factor in Cuba’s demo- ent story in the eastern provinces of Las balanced migration patterns. All these trends graphics and an embarrassment for the auth- Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Guantánamo and are directly linked to economic prosperity or orities. In the past 50 years, 1.5 million Cubans Santiago de Cuba, where the emigration rate decline — not to mention political conditions have abandoned the country in several waves, is less than 1.5 per thousand. and the degree of repression exercised by the the largest of which occurred in 1980. The city of Havana accounted for 49% of all Castro government over the last five decades. Between the famous incident at the Peru- departures in 2007, a marked preponderance As of last year, 13.3% of all Cuban-born peo- vian Embassy in Havana and the Mariel that hasn’t changed since Fidel Castro’s ple were living — or had died — outside the boatlift which followed, more than 140,000 fled ascent to power half a century ago. island. It’s no exaggeration to say that virtual- the island amidst massive harassment and Being close to Havana increases the likeli-

ly every Cuban family has at least one distant physical abuse inspired by the authorities hood someone will emigrate. Some of the relative abroad. Since the average Cuban against those hoping to depart. municipalities with Cuba’s highest emigration household contains 3.3 people, this means The most prolonged wave of emigration is rates are conspicuously close to Havana. that roughly one out of every two families has still unfolding, thanks to the 1994-95 migration Those living in major cities are also more a relative residing in another counry. accords under which the United States grants likely to free Cuba, especially residents of the One hundred years ago, as the sugar indus- visas to 20,000 Cubans each year. By the end cities (not provinces) of Santa Clara, Ciego de try rapidly expanded to eastern Cuba, thou- of 2008, this latest wave will have accounted Avila, Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba. sands of immigrants flooded the island every for half a million people — a decisive factor in Curiously, the rural municipio of Sandino year, attracted by the burgeoning economy. the island’s current population stagnation. (population 10,159) at Cuba’s western tip, had Plentiful jobs and business opportunities — In the 10-month period ending July 31, 2008, an emigration rate of 6.9 per thousand in 2007. combined with relaxed rules of entry — lured 8,829 Cuban migrants sought to enter the U.S. One explanation might be that Sandino was about 1.5 million people in the first 30 years of over the border from Mexico, following arrival founded in the early 1960s by campesinos independence. Most of these newcomers by boat in Cancún and Isla Mujeres. deported from the Escambray Mountains fol- arrived from Spain, though some 195,000 Hai- That figure is considerably higher than the lowing a harsh conflict with anti-Castro rebels. tian, Jamaicans and other Caribbean islanders total number of Coast Guard interdictions of Those least prone to flee the island live in came as well, not to mention an estimated Cuban migrants in the Florida Straits during the municipio of Jobabo (in Las Tunas 70,000 Americans. that same period (1,623) and the total number province), which had an emigration rate of Cuba, which had only 1.5 million people in of Cuban migrant landings recorded by the only 0.04 per thousand last year. 1900, saw its population jump to 3.9 million by Border Patrol in South Florida during the It remains unclear, however, whether many 1931. The Great Depression put a dramatic same period (2,568). of the emigrants from Cuba’s western end to that unprecedented phase of Cuban his- Some 500,000 people born abroad consider provinces are in fact orientales using Havana tory, forcing the government to pass laws themselves culturally and ethnically Cuban. If as a jumping-off point. Statistics show that the restricting immigration and forcing non-citi- those are added to the 1.5 million Cubans liv- largest internal migration flow in Cuba is from zense to become Cubans or leave the island. ing in exile, then 18% — or two out of every 11 the eastern provinces to the west. In the ensuing three decades, migration Cubans — now live abroad. Anecdotal references from habaneros — or was balanced. World War II brought thou- Emigration from Cuba mainly occurs from a leisurely walk through Havana’s streets — sands of refugees, while in the mid to late ‘50s, western municipalities, while the orientales are usually enough to verify the increasing increasing numbers of Cubans began heading seem to be less willing, or less able, to leave. presence of orientales in the capital city. ❑ October 2008 ❖ CubaNews 7

Study: 54% of all Hispanics in Miami-Dade are now Cuban

he U.S. Census Bureau released statistics in late September increase in the local Cuban population. showing that Cubans have grown significantly as a percentage The latest census figures confirmed another trend in Miami-Dade: T of all Hispanics, reversing a demographic trend that began in Hispanics continue to grow as a percentage of the county's popula- the mid-1970s. The reason: The population of Cubans in Miami-Dade tion. Hispanics represent 62% of all county residents, up from 57% in since 2000 has risen rapidly, far outpacing the population growth of 2000. Miami-Dade is home to the nation’s third-largest Hispanic com- non-Cuban Hispanics. munity behind Los Angeles County and Harris County, Texas. According to a Miami Herald story published Sept. 24, from 2000 In related news, the views of likely voters on issues involving Cuba to 2007, the number of Cubans rose more than 144,000 to nearly and other Latin American issues are often in contrast with current 795,000. Meanwhile, the number of non-Cuban Hispanics inched up U.S. policies, a new Zogby /Inter-American Dialogue interactive sur- by fewer than 22,000. vey shows. As a result, 54% of all Hispanics in Miami-Dade last year were The poll was released Oct. 2 at the Herald’s 12th Annual Americas Cuban, up from 50% in 2000. The percentage of non-Cuban Hispanics Conference in Coral Gables. The Zogby Interactive survey of 4,752 — including Colombians, Argentines and others — fell from about likely voters nationwide was conducted Sept. 23-25, and carries a 41% to 37%. margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Non-Cuban Hispanics include most Hispanics from South and Cen- “The poll results indicate that American public opinion is far more tral America and the Caribbean but not Mexicans or Puerto Ricans, open and flexible on issues of importance for U.S. relations with Latin who comprise the largest U.S. Hispanic groups. The census numbers America than current policy would suggest,” said Peter Hakim, pres- are based on estimates by the agency’s American Community Survey ident of Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank that col- and includes Cubans born in the United States and abroad. laborated with Zogby International on the poll. “There is a ‘Cubanization’ process again,” said Thomas Boswell, a “It also suggests, however, that public opinion may not be all that University of Miami professor and demographics expert. relevant in decisions regarding policy issues of greatest concern to Boswell told the Herald that the population of Cubans climbed Latin America — that these may be largely determined by smaller quickly, beginning in the 1950s and through the 1970s, in the after- groups with intense sentiments about the issues.” math of the Cuban Revolution. The slower population growth among According to the poll, 60% of likely voters believe the U.S. should non-Cuban Hispanics, he said, may be caused by improved homeland revise its policies toward Cuba — even more believe all U.S. citizens economies or a desire to leave Miami-Dade for other places. should be allowed to travel to Cuba (68%) and that U.S. companies He said non-Cuban Hispanics may have left Miami-Dade and should be allowed to trade with Cuba (62%). moved to as near as Broward County or as far as Los Angeles. In a Zogby Interactive survey conducted in July 2007, slightly Whatever the case, the new census data reaffirm recent research more than half (56%) of Americans said the United States should and federal immigration statistics showing a spike in Cubans during remove travel restrictions and end the embargo on trade to Cuba. the past seven years. A recent University of Miami study, for exam- More Barack Obama supporters favored revising U.S. policies ple, found that more Cubans had arrived since 2000 than during the toward Cuba (84%) than John McCain supporters (35%). In addition, 1980 Mariel boatlift and the 1990s rafter crisis combined. 47% of McCain supporters thought all U.S. citizens should be allowed Experts quoted by the Herald said the wet-foot/dry-foot policy, to travel to Cuba, and 40% thought the U.S. government should let established during the 1990s rafter crisis, likely contributed to the American companies do business with Cuba. ❑ 8 CubaNews ❖ October 2008 POLITICAL ANALYSIS Post-hurricane dilemma: The worst possible scenario BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI view of the failures of a state-run economy, Already tens of thousands of acres are being ever in recent times have the forces of the government will have to come up with alloted in usufruct with proper funding and nature proven so destructive to Cuba, real changes that will open opportunities for supplies, and this may be a key indicator. Nas has been the case with hurricanes individual and non-state cooperatives. In a Sept. 25 reflexión, Fidel Castro urged Gustav and Ike. Foreign direct investment will have to start extreme caution, though he admitted that Scores of municipalities from east to west playing a much bigger role not only in terms “socialism will be forced to resort to capitalist were devastated; dozens of small cities, towns of technology and markets, but as an impor- mechanisms.” He praised certain forms of and rural settlements virtually destroyed to tant source of massive employment — not non-state cooperatives before 1959, and their foundations, and the whole of Cuba’s just today’s 2% of the work force. stressed the notion that “there is no alterna- infrastructure — the power system, high- Cuba’s housing and construction sector tive to the need to reevaluate everything.” ways, roads, bridges, ports, schools, hospitals may have to consider formulas based on the The exact dimension of such cryptic words and telephone lines — reduced to shambles. Instituto Nacional de Ahorro y Vivienda will be seen in coming months, but it strongly An estimated 500,000 dwellings have been (INAV) and FHA loans — together with non- suggests that Fidel supports his younger seriously damaged, including 90,000 that state cooperatives and overseas construction brother’s approach to reforms — especially were completely destroyed. firms. It will also need to expand individual now when dealing with Cuba’s worst scenario and family initiatives (assisted by remittances has become an issue of life or death. ❑ This doesn’t take into consideration perso- or state loans), while boosting imports from nal belongings like furniture, appliances and Mexico, Venezuela and the Caribbean. Former Cuban intelligence officer Domingo mattresses — things that are almost impossi- Many things can be done without risking a Amuchastegui has lived in Miami since 1994. ble to buy under normal conditions. loss of power; that’s the overwhelming con- He writes regularly for CubaNews about politics Estimated damages exceed $5 billion, with sensus within the Cuban political leadership. in Cuba and the South Florida exile community. some provinces’ losses estimated at $350-500 million. Factories, sugar mills, crops and fish- eries were all lost in the back-to-back storms. All of this is taking place in a country with UN, China, others send money to Cuba very limited resources, a rigid, state-central- ized economy that’s still dealing with the col- he United Nations has allocated $4.8 Cuba. The money will be deposited in a fund lapse of its former communist allies. That’s million to help Cuba recover from the aimed at hurricane recovery efforts. even before considering the dozen or more T devastation caused by Gustav and Ike, Zhao said the Chinese people and gov- hurricanes in the space of less than 10 years the official daily Granma reported Sept. 30. ernment have been closely following the sit- that have caused billions in losses. The donation from the Central Emergen- uation in Cuba and expressed his country’s Without a doubt, the Cuban leadership cy Response Fund (UN-CERF)will be used willingness to help Cubans overcome the faces today the worst possible scenario. to provide temporary housing, food and natural catastrophe. “We are convinced that Because of the magnitude of the disaster, clean water and improve sanitary conditions with the efforts of the people, Cuba will the current debate over accepting U.S. and restore damaged agriculture in eastern recover,” said the Chinese diplomat. humanitarian aid is largely insignificant — Cuba, it said. In statements to the press, the ambassa- unless some sort of Marshall Plan would Authorities reinforced sanitary controls dor said total Chinese donations to Cuba, come into play, and this is nowhere in sight. to prevent possible epidemic outbreak including those made through the Red According to Minvec’s latest figures, 300 across the affected areas following down- Cross, foreign companies and international donations from 42 countries and nine interna- pours amid the hurricanes. organizations, now exceed $2.5 million. tional organizations have been pledged so far; Special efforts were made to wipe out the In addition, Vietnam’s Tahi Binh Invest- 49 of these donations have been already aedes aegypti mosquito which causes den- ment Co. has added itself to a growing implemented, and in all they represent not gue fever. Alert was also high to avoid the movement of support with Cuba in this even 1% of the problem. spread of hepatitis, leptospirosis and rabies. Asian nation, with a donation of $120,000. After resorting to and distributing all its Susan McDade, the UN resident coordi- In a note sent to MINVEC, the head civil and military reserves, DG Carlos Lez- nator in Havana, said that with this new director of the firm, Tran Tranh Tu, said the cano, head of the military-run National State donation, the total amount has reached $8.6 workers of Tahi Binh feel now, more than Reserves Institute, bluntly stated that at the million. As part of its collaboration, UN offi- ever, “the duty to serve our Cuban brothers present stage Cuban authorities do not have cials have committed to work jointly with and share resources with the people of the the necessary resources to carry out an over- local and national authorities in the recov- most affected zones.” all recovery. ery efforts in coming months. In Washington, the American Red Cross The housing crisis was already a monu- In a first allocation, CERF assigned near- said it’s committing $1 million from its In- mental problem for Cuban authorities even ly $2.5 million to Cuba after the passing of ternational Response Fund to support disas- before the twin hurricanes struck — and the Gustav; an additional $1.28 million was bud- ter relief efforts of the Red Cross in Cuba. construction industry had gone from a failed geted for emergency funds, said McDade. “The situation in the Caribbean, particu- plan of 150,000 homes a year to roughly The CERF donation came after a second vis- larly in Cuba and Haiti, is desperate and our 50,000. And this is just one example. it by a UN team to the storm-affected areas. hearts go out to the people impacted by the Cuban authorities, under Raul Castro’s Meanwhile, the Chinese government recent calamities,” said David Meltzer, sen- famous promise of “cambios de concepto y de announced Oct. 1 it was donating $1 million ior vice-president of international services instituciones,” will have to seriously consider to Cuba to help in the recovery effort. at the American Red Cross. either stopping or postponing the much- The formal donation was signed by Zhao Help has also poured in from a number of demanded and promised changes, or to Rongxian, Beijing’s ambassador in Havana, countries including Venezuela, Mexico, accelerate them. and by Marta Lomas, Cuba’s minister of for- Canada, Russia and the European Union fol- The former would prove more disastrous eign investment and collaboration. lowing Ike’s 41-hour odyssey across the than Ike; the latter would bring tangible proof China had previously given $300,000 to length and breadth of Cuba. ❑ of sound recovery while offering hope. In October 2008 ❖ CubaNews 9 POLITICAL ANALYSIS The Latell Report: Raúl Castro’s mounting crises

The Latell Report is a publication of the at the center of the Cuban political arena. most efficient institution on the island — University of Miami’s Institute of Cuban and His familiar, angry voice resonates in these where top officers and staffs manage for-prof- Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) and no recent messages. Some of the most enduring it enterprises on a large scale. Perhaps there- government funding has been used in its pub- and intransigent themes of his dictatorship, fore, it was not an error when Granma, on lication. The opinions expressed herein are including venomous and absurd denuncia- Sept. 25, described Fidel as the commander- those of the author and do not necessarily tions of the United States and capitalist enter- in-chief, a title that Raul inherited definitively reflect the views of ICCAS, CubaNews or the prise, are being replayed. last February. U.S. Agency for International Development. On Sept. 2, for example, he blandly claimed And, on Sept. 19, Fidel played conspicuous- that years ago the United States provided the ly to his one remaining institutional ace in the apartheid government of South Africa with BY BRIAN LATELL hole, the only title — First Secretary of the seven nuclear bombs that might have been Communist Party— he never surrendered. e knew you would come,” a Cuban used against Cuban military forces in Angola. He sounded the trumpet in that reflection woman exclaimed when Raúl Castro I don’t recall that he ever made that pre- for party diligence and vigilance, even though Warrived Sept. 18 in flattened little posterous claim before, or anything resem- in the past he never had much use for the Nueva Gerona on the Isle of Youth. He was bling it. Its publication now only introduces party. “The battle is one to be waged funda- there to survey the damage from the twin new doubts about the bizarre process in mentally by our glorious party . . . we must hurricanes, Gustav and Ike, in Cuba’s most which Castro’s reflections are crafted. now show what we are capable of.” devastated region. But Fidel’s repeated criticisms of Cuban Granma quoted “opportunists” suggest that real conflicts RAÚL’S FIRST ‘TRANSFORMATIONAL’ CRISIS him uttering reassu- have flared within the leadership. He first Perhaps then it was an intentional slight ring banalities and aired that thought Aug. 26, before the first when on Sept. 10, Raúl was mentioned in delivering greetings hurricane struck, saying “these times de- Granma as party second secretary. That is from Fidel Castro, mand ever-increasing dedication, steadiness, true enough, but rarely mentioned anymore. described by the and conscience. It doesn’t matter if the oppor- The regime has been fairly candid about Communist Party tunists and traitors also benefit without con- the unprecedented scope of the damage newspaper as “the tributing anything to the safety and well being inflicted by the hurricanes as well as the revolution’s leader” of our people.” many months or years that will pass before who had been “per- The formulation was somewhat different the country can recover. manently following on Sept. 7 when he wrote about “softness and Problems of homelessness, severe short- the ravages.” opportunism.” That was the same reflection ages of food, electrical power, transportation, Raúl, in contrast, Brian Latell in which he oddly compared Hurricane Gus- and other necessities, as well as the likelihood had not been seen in tav’s impact on Cuba to the nuclear devasta- of public health crises, will persist. Popular public until this much-delayed visit, 17 days tion of Hiroshima, leaving the false impres- anger, perhaps even new forms of lawless- after the first hurricane came ashore Aug. 30. sion that he’d personally witnessed the bomb- ness, are likely to grow. Indeed, it is Fidel who has attracted the ing of Japan in 1945. most attention since then. Ten “reflexiones” But as Gustav and Ike confronted Raúl with have been issued over his signature since the WHO’S THE REAL TARGET OF FIDEL’S WRATH? his first potentially transformational crisis, the end of August. He’s been more prolific during apparent conflict with Fidel will be more diffi- The renascent and erratic Fidel has not cult for him to handle. this past month than at any other time since been specific about who he considers guilty of he began communicating with the Cuban peo- Raúl’s acuity, fortitude and ingenuity in the transgressions he highlights. It is clear he managing national crises on his own have ple this way following surgeries in mid-2006. means to condemn the many suffering He’s also been more assertive, reiterating never before been tested, and in his numer- Cubans who steal from their workplaces in ous confrontations with Fidel he has rarely his adamant opposition to U.S. offers of hurri- order to subsist, others who claim “special cane relief, while pugnaciously making clear prevailed. Yet, it is too early to predict how he privileges,” and speculators who use “genuine will fare this time. ❑ he’s back in the decision making process. capitalist methods.” “I did not hesitate to express my point of The last complaint refers to the most Brian Latell, distinguished Cuba analyst and view,” he wrote, about what he considered a heinous of crimes in Fidel’s mind, the specter author of the book, “After Fidel: The Inside Story “hypocritical” U.S. offer of help. This suggest- of some form of neo-capitalism emerging in of Castro’s Regime and Cuba’s Next Leader,” is a ed he had felt it imperative to weigh in during Cuba. It is difficult, therefore, to avoid the senior research associate at ICCAS. a policy dispute. supposition that the more pragmatic Raul and Latell acknowledges the help provided by Uni- versity of Miami student research assistant Ja- FIDEL RE-EMERGES ON CENTER STAGE others in his circle are the true targets of Fidel’s wrath. vier Quintana in the preparation of this report. Castro had not said or implied anything like The limited economic reforms they have that since transferring provisional power to championed to stimulate individual initiative his brother more than two years ago. Rather, threaten the foundations of the egalitarian, Cuba honors Paul Newman until now he had gone out of his way to avoid volunteeristic, and militant society that Fidel ctor Paul Newman, who died Sept. the impression that he was playing an active still advocates. 26 at the age of 83, was remembered leadership role. Delays and some confusion in One lengthy but obscure passage pub- Afondly by the official Cuban media Cuban government responses to sequential lished in a Sept. 19 reflexión might even be as a “man always committed to the fight American offers of assistance suggest that meant to implicate the armed forces ministry, for civil rights in the United States.” some leaders — perhaps including Raúl — still under Raúl’s indirect tutelage. Fidel The online edition of Juventud Rebelde advocated a more flexible stance. denounced those who, “in their quest for rev- described Newman as a star silenced by Regardless of whether Fidel actually writes enues to manage resources . . . gain a reputa- lung cancer, while Radio Rebelde broad- or dictates the reflections, substantially tion for efficiency and secure the willing sup- casting stressed his humanitarian and pa- inspires them, or is being used by a cabal of port of their staffs.” cifist work promoting world disarmament. hard-line sycophants, he ‘s clearly re-emerged It is the military — widely viewed as the 10 CubaNews ❖ October 2008 SPECIAL REPORT: IKE’S FURY Las Tunas: Hurricane Ike leaves Puerto Padre in ruins BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT This is the 9th in a series of articles on Cu- industry in the early 20th century. By the mid- n panorama desolador” — a dishearten- ban ports. Previous stories have analyzed the 1950s the Delicias and Chaparra mills, both ing spectacle — is the phrase used to ports of Mariel, Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, property of the Cuban-American Sugar Co., Udescribe the scene at Puerto Padre (Ca- Matanzas, Nuevitas, Nipe, Moa and Cárdenas. controlled over 330,000 acres, with a com- rúpano), which received a devastating blow bined output of 235,000 tons of sugar a year. from Hurricane Ike the night of Sept. 7-8. ras (formerly Delicias), producing above Today, Puerto Padre is home to 31,850 peo- Large warehouses were destroyed and con- 200,000 tons in the mid 1980s (its record was ple, while Delicias and Jesús Menéndez have veyor belts for the bulk sugar terminal were set in 1985, with 218,200 tons), and Jesús 9,000 and 16,000 residents each, for a total of knocked down and twisted. Likewise, the Menéndez (formerly Chaparra), which had nearly 57,000 people in these three closely entire electric power network and most of the the capacity to produce 120,000 tons of sugar linked towns. 99 existing homes around the port facilities annually (see story, page 11). The port was significantly improved in were badly damaged or simply washed away. Other mills it served were Maibacoa, also January 1978, when new bulk sugar terminal This sad twist of fate comes after years of in Las Tunas, and the Urbano Noris, Cristino and warehouse tripled its shipping capacity. troubles in the sugar industry — the lifeline Naranjo, Loynaz Echevarría, Antonio Maceo Back then, it also served the needs of some of the port and the cities around it — and frus- and Rafael Freyre mills, all in the province of other industries of national significance, such trates plans to refurbish the port’s neglected Holguín. as the bagasse boards factory of Chaparra, infrastructure. the yeast factory and a distillery at the For decades, the Port of Carúpano at PORT WAS IMPROVED IN 1978 Guiteras mill. These plants are still in use. Puerto Padre bay had been essential for Carúpano is located on Cayo Juan Claro, a In spite of the sugar industry’s current Cuban sugar exports. small rocky key in Puerto Padre bay, one of downsizing, Carúpano retains some relative In the 1980s, the heyday of the sugar indus- the largest and best-sheltered natural harbors importance thanks to production at the try, Carúpano handled just over 8% of Cuba's on the island. Guiteras sugar mill, whose annual production sugar crop and byproducts, or more than The city of Puerto Padre was founded in of 100,000 to 120,000 tons of sugar keeps it 650,000 tons per year valued in excess of $370 the late 19th century as a trade post in colo- somewhat relevant. million, from the mills at northern Las Tunas nial Cuba (lacking an east-west road or rail- Along with Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and western Holguín provinces, which had road, the island back then depended on mar- Cienfuegos, Mariel and Nuevitas, Carúpano ranked among the largest mills on the island. itime communications) but its true develop- has been given investment priority by Cuba’s Carúpano served the mills Antonio Guite- ment came with the expansion of the sugar Ministry of Transportation. ❑ October 2008 ❖ CubaNews 11 SPECIAL REPORT: IKE’S FURY AGRICULTURE BRIEFS

HABANOS: TOBACCO RESERVES NOT IN DANGER In Jesús Menéndez, not much is left Hurricanes Gustav and Ike destroyed up to he devastation left behind by Hurricane houses, or one out of every five — leaving 2 million pounds of Cuba’s best tobacco, but Ike in northeastern Cuba appears to be behind a mess of wood and thatches mixed reserves of the leaf should cover demand for unprecedented. with soaked personal belongings. the island’s premium cigars for the next year, T a tobacco executive told Reuters on Sept. 24. The Castro regime hasn’t been eager to dis- It also left 4,323 homes roofless — one in every four — causing serious damage to 83% The storms caused major damage to the close details of the disaster, but the few tobacco industry infrastructure, which will reports coming out of that region of Cuba of dwellings in all. This means that only 2,900 require a significant investment to repair, said give a hint of its magnitude. houses in the municipality are habitable. Manuel Garcia, vice president of cigar produc- In late September, the online edition of On a human scale, these figures means that er Habanos SA. Periódico 26 — a newspaper in Las Tunas — 42,092 people — four out of five inhabitants “We think that for at least the next year we should not have great difficulties with the sup- ply of cigars because luckily for us, we have a reserve of raw material,” he said at a Havana business conference. “Undoubtedly we are going to need an important financial injection for the tobacco industry.” Habanos, a joint venture between the Cuban government and Altadis, a unit of British- based Imperial Tobacco, produces and sells some of the world’s best-known cigars, includ- ing Montecristo, Cohiba, Romeo y Julieta and Partagas. It reported sales of $402 million in 2007, up from $375 million in 2006. The Cuban government said the two storms destroyed 3,414 barns where the harvested tobacco was being cured and damaged anoth- er 1,590 when they ripped through the west- ern province of Pinar del Rio, where Cuba’s top tobacco is grown. Between 1.6 million and 2 million pounds of tobacco were estimated to have been destroyed. García told Reuters the cost of replacing or repairing buildings was being determined and that longer-term effects on tobacco supply would depend on the speed of rebuilding. STORMS WREAK HAVOC ON CITRUS CROP Cuba’s agriculture minister said citrus loss- es from Hurricane Ike amounted to 135,000 ran a story assessing some of the damages in — have lost something at home. Of these peo- metric tons, the official daily Granma said in a the municipality of Jesús Menéndez. ple, nearly 23,000 (or almost half the popula- Sept. 15 report picked up by Reuters. Minister Maria de Carmen Pérez said Ike This municipio, one of the hardest-hit by tion) have nowhere to go other than govern- caused extensive damage to the grapefruit Ike, is mostly flat and rural, and devoted to ment shelters or perhaps the damaged homes crop and still-immature oranges. She made sugarcane cultivation since the early 1900s. of neighbors and relatives. the statement while touring areas hit by Ike. Its houses are poorly built, its roads are shod- Some of these villages are simply gone. La Cuba’s citrus crop had already been slashed dy and its infrastructure is weak. Herradura, with 440 houses, nearly disap- by nearly 50% by storms during the ddcade as Settlements are sparse, consisting of a few peared that frightening night. well as by plague and disease. The picking dozen to a few hundred houses each, scat- The damage inflicted on agriculture will season runs from late August through June, tered over vast sugarcane plantations and probably last only until crops to grow back with grapefruit harvested into December and linked by dirt roads or narrow-track railroads. again, maybe in a year or less. But the blow to oranges after that. Ike hit the area around midnight Sept. 7-8 the area’s housing stock is much more seri- Gustav, a Category 4 storm, destroyed pro- as a powerful Category 3 storm. Of the exist- ous, and recovery will be long and painful cessing facilities and groves, and wiped out ing 17,063 dwellings, it knocked down 3,363 under current economic conditions. ❑ the entire crop on the Isle of Youth in early September, also destroying tons of fruit in western Pinar del Río and La Habana provinces, according to Reuters. The Agriculture Ministry reported a 2007 citrus crop of 469,000 tons, compared to over 800,000 tons in 2004. In 2007, orange output was 302,000 tons, while grapefruit weighed in at 140,000 tons. The lime crop was 6,000 tons. Output from January through April of this year declined around 35% from the same peri- od in 2007, the National Statistics office Waves crash into an apartment building in Baracoa, while help comes to Ike’s victims in Guantánamo. recently reported. 12 CubaNews ❖ October 2008 “bringing space information to ordinary cus- as Bacardi came out with its own version of BUSINESS BRIEFS tomers in order to make the life of ordinary the brand made in Puerto Rico. Cubans better.” Pernod Ricard is now the trademark owner CENTRAL BANK: FOREIGN DEBT AT $16.5 BILLION The sides discussed the deployment of of Havana Club in India. Havana Club Cuba’s Banco Central has told creditors the radio and TV transmission networks and civil- International, which spearheads the brand's country’s foreign debt increased by $1.1 bil- ian applications of the GLONASS radio-based international forays, is equally owned by lion in 2007 to $16.5 billion, sources close to satellite navigation system, including CubaRon SA and Paris-based Pernod Ricard. Cuban efforts to reschedule some official prospects of using the Russian satellite con- debt told Reuters in early September. stellation for remote probing of the Earth and CUBAN FOOD NOW SERVED IN FARAWAY GUAM The increase came in Cuba’s so-called setting up terrestrial stations for receiving Café Havana Guam is now open at its loca- “active” debt, on which it pays interest and such information. tion in the Hyatt Regency Guam, “serving the principal, which rose from $7.8 billion in 2006 Perminov emphasized the civilian nature of finest in Cuban cuisine with a touch of Asian to $8.9 billion. Additional official and bank potential cooperation, adding that “it does not flavor,” daily from 5:30 to 10 p.m. debt accounted for the increase. raise anyone’s concerns.” According to a promotional press release, Cuba’s active debt includes around $4.5 bil- He said that Cuba is particularly interested “generous portions of delicious food compli- lion in official debt owed to other govern- in using cost-effective Russian space technolo- mented with a refreshing mojito, and the ments, $2.5 billion in supplier debt owed to gies in operational control of railway, sea and stage is set for an evening of dining and danc- traders, and bank debt of $1.86 billion owed to air transport because reducing costs is a ing.” Café Havana’s slogan is “vamos a comer foreign financial institutions. major consideration for Cubans. y bailar” — let’s dance and eat. The country’s active debt is comprised of It’s not known how many cubanos live in the money borrowed since the 1991 collapse of ANGLO-RUSSIAN GIANT NIXES CUBA OIL DEAL Pacific island, a U.S. possession since 1899. the Soviet Union. Its “inactive” debt is the The chief executive of Anglo-Russian oil Details: Cindy Hanson, Guam Visitors Bur- debt it isn’t paying interest on and which was venture TNK-BP earlier this year vetoed talks eau, 401 Pale San Vitores Road, Tamuning, built up after Cuba defaulted on its obligations to enter oil-rich Cuba, people familiar with the Guam 96913. Tel: (671) 646-5278. Fax: (671) in the 1980s. matter said, the latest example of how sanc- 646-8861. Email: [email protected]. Cuba reported a $488 million balance of pay- tions imposed by the United States can con- ments surplus in 2007, but higher costs for flict with the country’s own energy needs. CURAÇAO ENERGY VENTURE TO INCLUDE CUBA food and fuel imports this year, and lower MarketWatch reported Aug. 5 that TNK-BP Aquafund Holdings Group, which is regis- prices for its main export, nickel, have led it was caught between the agendas of its two tered on the Dutch-speaking island of Aruba, to seek some restructuring with Japan and shareholders, BP PLC and Russia’s Alfa- has announced it will incorporate an institu- other creditors. Access-Renova, or AAR. tional fund in the Netherlands Antilles for the Cuba is not a member of the International Nearly half of BP’s assets are in the United purose of resolving the Caribbean’s energy Monetary Fund, World Bank or other multilat- States, and the British oil giant follows problems, beginning in Curaçao. eral lending institution. It last reported its Washington’s policies closely when it comes The United Caribbean Energy Fund will inactive debt as $7.6 billion in 2006. The cen- to sanctions. By contrast, Russian-owned AAR finance the installation of four underwater tral bank said there was little change in that has no such limitations. transmission lines in a Phase One plan called part of the debt, sources said. Up until early March, TNK-BP’s top man- Leeward Islands Project. agers were discussing exploring offshore WESTERN UNION LOWERS FEES TO CUBA The first will link hydroelectric plants in the blocks on the Cuban side of North America’s Venezuelan state of Coro to Aruba, the second Western Union has lowered its fees to trans- richest oil province, the Gulf of Mexico, peo- from Aruba to Curaçao, the third from fer money from Florida to Cuba as part of an ple close to both BP and AAR said. Curaçao to Bonaire and the fourth from effort to boost hurricane relief efforts, the Cuba has 243.6 million barrels of proven oil Curaçao back to Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela. South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Sept. 19. reserves and 1.06 billion cubic meters of gas, “In the future, we will continue with a sec- The company has set a flat rate of $14.99 for according to industry experts. These ond project connecting Venezuela with Trini- transfers up to $300, a savings of up to $10. resources are seen as a potential new source dad & Tobago, connecting Fortaleza, Brazil, The special rate is in effect until Nov. 15. of oil for the U.S. if sanctions are lifted. with Trinidad and further connecting Trinidad Current U.S. law limits Cuban exiles to Details: TNK-BP. URL: www.tnk-bp.ru. with Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean” in sending no more than $300 to relatives on the what will be called the Windward Islands island every three months. HAVANA CLUB RUM NOW BOTTLED IN INDIA Project, said Aquafund CEO Ronald J. Ortela. Western Union also announced it would also Havana Club white rum is now being bot- The third project calls for connecting Cuba donate $25,000 to the International Federation tled in Punjab under the supervision of Cuban to Florida, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in experts, reports the Economic Times of India. Republic and Puerto Rico, in a plan called the order to help Cuban hurricane relief work. French global drinks giant Pernod Ricard in Northern Islands Project. a joint venture with Cuba started rolling out “We are in preliminary discussions with CUBA MULLS RUSSIAN SPACE TECHNOLOGY the rum in the Indian market, priced at a 10% PDVSA senior officers, and we have the sup- Cuba is interested in using Russian space premium over arch-rival Bacardi. port of the Venezuelan govenrment for this systems-based information technologies for Pernod Ricard India’s vice-president, Bik- project, which may reduce electricity rates in civilian purposes. ram Basu, told the magazine that nothing is Curaçao by 60%,” Ortela told CubaNews. “We’ve conducted intensive negotiations added to the bulk rum imported from Cuba. “We are also in discussions with the Dutch with the Cuban side and expressed an interest The decks were finally cleared for the rum company Tennet Holding B.V., which is in cooperating with Cuba in the field of new following a Cuban trade delegation’s visit to involved in sea cable projects like Brit-Ned, information technologies based on space sys- India last May, when they pitched for rum and Nor-Ned and the Cobra Cable linking tems,” said Anatoly Perminov, head of Rus- cigar imports. Denmark and the Netherlands.” sia’s Federal Space Service (Roskosmos), in Havana Club has hit Chandigarh, Goa and Ortela said he hopes to secure financing an Aug. 1 article by the Itar-Tass news agency. Haryana markets, priced at Rs 450 (about from the Inter-American Development Bank, Perminov’s comments followed his visit to $10) per quart, and is readying a national foot- the European Investment Bank and others. Havana as a member of a Russian delegation print. The move is expected to shake up Details: Ronald Ortela, President and CEO, led by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin. India’s premium white rum market dominated Aquafund Holdings Group, PO Box 6107, Kin- He added that Roskosmos is resuming its by Bacardi, which entered India in 1998. tjanweg 9, Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands activity in Cuba after a very long break and Cuba has been pushing for Havana Club’s Antilles. Tel: +599 9 465-5711. Fax: +599 9 that for the time being it will not go beyond expansion into newer markets like India even 465-5718. Email: [email protected]. October 2008 ❖ CubaNews 13 ARTS & CULTURE Soderbergh film focuses on Che’s revolutionary years

BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA while the second is called “Guerrilla” and was to Guevara’s integrity and I think it’s impor- uba-watchers around the world have filmed in Puerto Rico and Mexico. tant to keep all of the scenes that define the long wondered when Hollywood would Some critics worried that the very length of character so very well,” he told the film indus- Cget around to making a movie about the Che film would be a marketing night- try website FirstShowing.net. Che Guevara’s revolutionary years. The 2004 mare. However, the unintentional and long- Cannes, which often acts as a glorified film “The Motorcycle Diaries” only intensified standing success of Che’s image worldwide as trade show for the Hollywood film industry such sentiments. a marketing icon — along with a strong and its new projects, was kind to Soderbergh In mid-2007, filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, curiosity factor among filmgoers — boosted and his financial backers. According to Film best known for directing the George Clooney- Comment magazine, “Che” was already pre- Brad Pitt hit “Ocean’s Eleven,” stepped in and sold in the overseas film markets to the tune committed himself to making an epic film of $54 million, out of the movie’s budget of about the Argentine-born revolutionary, and $58 million, which was sourced abroad. picked veteran Puerto Rican actor Benicio del The French production company Wild Toro (the star of Soderbergh’s 2000 drug film Bunch put up 75% of that, with the rest com- ing from Spain’s Telecinco/Moreno Films.

“Traffic”) to star as Che. http://stevensoderbergh.net Del Toro, whose facial features bear an un- IFC Films, known for its distribution of canny resemblance to the Marxist revolution- independent films in the United States, has ary, was approached by producer Laura Bick- acquired the North American rights to Soder- ford as far back as 1999, while he was working bergh’s epic for an undisclosed amount, and on “Traffic,” to consider the Che film. plans to release the movie in New York and The project was eventually launched based Los Angeles in December. In a press release, on two books written by Guevara: “Remini- Benicio del Toro plays revolutionary Che Guevarra. IFC President Jonathan Sehring called it scences of the Cuban Revolutionary War” and “nothing less than the film event of the year.” “Bolivian Diary.” its success in Europe, as shown during its Soderbergh tempers commercial expecta- The film starts from Che’s early years with screening at the Cannes Film Festival earlier tions of his film in the U.S. market, partly Fidel — including their clandestine sea voy- this year (where del Toro won the Best Actor because it’s in Spanish with English subtitles age from Mexico to Cuba aboard the famed category for his portrayal of Guevara). — and partly because it’s so damn long. boat Granma — and their successful guerrilla It was again screened at last month’s “It’s a lot to ask a person to throw away an campaign to topple the Batista regime, and Toronto Film Festival. entire day for a movie,” Soderbergh recently ends in 1967 with his death in Bolivia. One critic at the Toronto screening, Alex told Bloomberg News movie critic Rick War- Due to its length (four hours and 22 min- Billington, conceded that the film’s 262 min- ner. “We’re making a demand on the audience utes), the movie was split into two parts: the utes were necessary to fully tell Che’s story. that’s similar to the demands Che made on first, called “El Argentino,” was shot in Spain, “Leaving any of it out would be a disservice the people around him.” ❑

Havana gets double-decker tour buses Japanese TV to air Cuba film ed-and-blue, double-decker buses have Central and ends at Santa María, a beach east Japanese news network crew has begun bouncing down Havana’s pot- of the city. All three double-decker buses ply traveled to a remote town in western Rholed streets on sightseeing tours the Malecón. Two were special orders from ACuba to find the remnants of four inspired by those in locales from London to China and the other is on loan from the beach Soviet missiles deployment sites. Mexico City, reports AP. resort of Varadero, 90 miles east of Havana. The Japanese group, which is making a But instead of Piccadilly Circus or the Eiffel Gretel Gómez, commercial director for the documentary on the Cuban Missile Crisis, Tower, this ride lets visitors cruise past crum- state-run concern that handles transportation visited the Soviet R-12 missile launching bling buildings frozen in the 1950s and gawk for tourists, said officials plan to add more ramp, which was set up near the town of at billboards featuring Fidel Castro and the double-decker buses by the end of the year. San Cristobal in October 1962. It was then likeness of Ernesto “Ché” Guevara that looms More than 20,000 people have ridden tour that the “world stood on the brink of holo- over Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución. buses since they began running May 6. caust,” noted Cuban writer Tómas Diez. Stops include the Hotel Habana Libre, and Gómez said officials first proposed double- The missile deployment sites have been Ernest Hemingway's favorite watering hole, decker buses for Havana in 2002, but tabled preserved and are currently regarded as El Floridita. the plan because public transportation was so national landmarks. Fitting on an island plagued by woeful pub- spotty that snazzy tour buses might have In addition to giving a perspective of the lic transportation, the tourist fleet features insulted ordinary Cubans. “We had to wait Missile Crisis — called the “October Cri- just 12 buses — three of them double-decker. until transportation got better,” she said. sis” in Cuba — the Japanese documentary Still, locals have begun to hop aboard just Tour bus tickets cost about $6, and allow will touch on advances made by the Cuban to get from place to place, since the tour riders to get on and off at 44 stops. That’s a lot revolution in education and health care. buses offer some of the few direct rides from of ground for not a lot of money — so much It will also show images of the effects of downtown to public beaches east of Havana. so that some Cubans who live east of the city hurricanes Gustav and Ike after their pas- Stenciled with the English phrase “Hop on! have begun climbing aboard as if they were sage through Pinar del Río province. Hop off!,” the tour buses cover 95 miles along normal buses. The Tokyo Broadcasting System crew three routes. One leaves the plaza and heads “It’s ideal for getting to know the city,” said began shooting Sept. 22 and finished Oct. to the historic district, stopping at La Floridita passenger Edelma Rodríguez, 54, during a re- 1, in collaboration with Mundo Latino Stu- and the nearby Capitolio. cent visit from her home in Matanzas. “It’s a dios, the International Press Center and Another route goes down the oceanfront little expensive for Cubans, but once a year the Cuban Foreign Ministry. Malecón, while the third leaves from Parque you can afford to have this kind of fun.” ❑ 14 CubaNews ❖ October 2008 US-CUBA RELATIONS Lawyers for Cuba’s ‘heroes’ weigh their legal options

BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA roller-coaster ride, with a three-judge panel of told CubaNews. “Venue is one issue. Sufficien- n Cuba, they’re known as “Los Cinco Her- the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta cy of evidence involving conspiracy to commit oes.” To the rest of the world, they’re sim- overturning their convictions and ordering a murder [referring to the Cuban Air Force’s Iply the “Cuban Five” — all intelligence new trial in 2005. But then-Attorney General shooting of the Brothers to the Rescue planes] agents who were sent to South Florida to spy Alberto Gonzáles asked the full 12-judge is another. The case should never have been on anti-Castro groups suspected of initiating court to reexamine the case and in November held in Miami.” or supporting terrorist activities in Cuba. 2005 it upheld the agents’ convictions. Given the often political nature of how the The men — Gerardo Hernández, Ramón CubaNews contacted a few of the attorneys U.S. Supreme Court chooses cases it wants to Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, René González representing the ‘Cuban Five’ to explore the hear, there’s no virtually no guarantee that the and Fernando González (also known as Ru- next step for the convicted men. Richard C. ‘Cuban Five’ attorneys will get their day in bén Campa) were arrested by the FBI in 1998 and charged with espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, and other illegal activities. The conspiracy to commit murder charge stemmed from Hernández’s infiltration of the LARRY LUXNER Brothers to the Rescue exile group. That anti- Castro organization’s activities included fly- ing over international waters to rescue Cuban balseros attempting to migrate to Florida in rickety boats and rafts, as well as dropping anti-government leaflets over Havana. Information Hernández allegedly passed onto the Castro regime supposedly led to two Brothers to the Rescue Cessna planes being shot down by the Cuban Air Force in 1996, killing four of its pilots. The espionage charges are related mainly to the four other agents, who allegedly tried to infiltrate the U.S. Southern Command’s Miami headquarters, and later sent unclassi- Residents of Mariel, west of Havana, sit under a billboard that proclaims: “Our five heroes will return.” fied information on that site to Cuba. Since then, the five Cuban agents have Klugh, Jr., a federal public defender in Miami court in Washington.’But there may be a endured a lengthy legal process, spending who represents Fernando González, told us diplomatic solution to their imprisonment, nearly three years in prison between their he’d ask the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1 to which Cuban authorities turn over wanted arrests and the beginning of their trial. hear arguments that challenge the fairness of U.S. fugitives to federal authorities in return the trial court’s proceedings, as well as calling for the spies’ freedom. LEGAL ROLLER-COASTER for a new trail outside of Miami. “I’m a lawyer, not a politician,” McKenna With previous motions for a change in “The government’s own statements con- said. “I’ve never discussed that with anyone.” venue having been denied by the trial court, cede that holding the trial one county over Klugh said he isn’t aware of such an option the five agents were convicted of all charges. [such as Broward] would have substantially being put on the table, but he doesn’t dismiss The heaviest penalty was imposed upon reduced prejudice against my client,” he said. it either. “I would be amenable to any resolu- Hernández (two consecutive life sentences), Attorney Paul McKenna, who represents tion that would free my client,” he said. with life sentences for Guerrero and Laba- Gerardo Hernández, supports the Supreme The ‘Cuban Five’ case has become a cause ñino, 19 years for Fernando González, and 15 Court petition. célebre in left-wing circles here and through- years for René González. “The case has complex issues that the out the world. Given its political support base, The agents then went through a legal Supreme Court would want to look at,” he it would be quite uncomfortable for them if Washington and Havana decide to end the legal controversy in this manner. State says 60% of phone lines back in service U.S. fugitives who’ve received sanctuary in Cuba over the years include black radicals Nearly 60% of telecom services worst hit 113 localities lacking communication. Joanne Chesimard (wanted for the 1973 mur- by hurricanes Ike and Gustav have been re- Over 89,000 telephones in houses were established, thanks to temporary solutions in cut off during the passages of Gustav and der of a New Jersey state trooper) and Charlie fixed phone system and data transmission, Ike, including nearly 32,000 of the so-called Hill (wanted for murder and hijacking), and Cuba’s Prensa Latina reported Sept. 24. alternative fixed telephone system, accord- Puerto Rican bombmaker and independen- Authorities from Cuba’s Ministry of Infor- ing to reports on damages. More than tista Guillermo Morales. mation Technology and Communications 11,000 pay phones were also affected. Other fugitives wanted by the United States (MIC) explained that the national telecom Despite intensive work, communication is have died in Cuba, like former Black Panther system was seriously affected by these two still cut off in parts of some provinces in- William Lee Brent and renegade CIA agent hurricanes, but over 59,000 lines have al- cluding Las Tunas, Sancti Spíritus, Holguin, Philip Agee. ready been restored. Camagüey and Pinar del Río, besides the If approached by U.S. officials for such a They include basic telephony, public net- special municipality of Isla de la Juventud swap, the Cuban government would have to work and data transmission, and setting up (Isle of Youth), where 84% of the phone net- decide who it values more: its five imprisoned links with 11 municipalities and 73 out of the work was damaged. agents, or the American fugitives who freely walk the streets of Havana. ❑ October 2008 ❖ CubaNews 15

Spies — FROM PAGE 1 perspective,” said Cason, adding that Cuban agents are very good at what they do. “My TOURISM BRIEFS calling his homeland “Cuba.” He calls it some- guess is that there are lots and lots of them all TRINIDAD HOTELS REOPEN FOLLOWING STORMS thing else: the Tyranny. And he said Cuban over the place. Who knows? We’d love to know spying will go on in the United States “as long where they all are.” Three hotels in the south-coast city of Trini- as the Tyranny continues.” The agents’ supporters point out that they dad, in the province of Sancti Spíritus, have Relatives and supporters of the agents bris- were convicted of conspiracy, not espionage. reopened to local and foreign tourists. tle at such talk. They say that the Cuban Five “Don’t call them spies,” said Walter Lipp- Recovery efforts at the Ancon, Club Amigo are the victims of Cold War politics. mann, director of the CubaNews online list- Costasur and Brisas Trinidad del Mar hotels “This is a political case,” said Adriana serve (which is unrelated to this newsletter). began soon after Hurricane Ike’s winds and Pérez, wife of Gerardo Hernández, accused “They were not arrested nor charged with rains died down. leader of the Wasp Network. “It has been a espionage, but with a more nebulous thing, José Enrique Niebla, a receptionist at the very wearing and difficult process to endure.” ‘conspiracy,’ that is, they were talking to one Ancon, told Cuban media that the hotel’s staff Pérez said U.S. of- another about doing something.” worked hard to reopen the facility in the short- ficials haven’t let her The three other agents besides Gerardo visit Hernández, 43, est time possible, since the leisure industry is Hernández and René González are Antonio one of the main income sources for Cuba. since his jailing. Guerrero, 49, Ramón Labañino, 45, and In 2002, Pérez, 38, In previous statements to the press, provin- said she tried to visit Fernando González, 45. cial tourism official Aleinor Zerquera Concep- her husband at Lom- U.S. officials say they have issued more ción said the main damage to the tourist facili- poc prison in Califor- than 100 visas to family members visiting the ties was to the gardens, ceilings, glass panes nia. But she only agents from Cuba. and security and communications systems. made it as far as Yvette, now 10, visited her father René Houston’s George when she was a baby and saw him handcuffed GUYANESE FLY TO CUBA FOR CATARACT SURGERY Bush International to a chair. Thinking he looked like a dog, her Dozens of Guyanese needing cataract sur- first words were ‘bow-wow,’ said Roberto Airport, where she gery are visiting Cuba for free treatment, González, René’s brother. was stopped, de- Adriana Pérez Guyana’s health minister said, marking the tained for 11 hours SMITH CALLS IMPRISONMENT AN ‘INJUSTICE’ resumption of a program that has helped and returned to Cuba. 5,000 people in the South American nation. On eight other occasions, she said U.S. By now, every child in Cuba knows the Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy said authorities rejected her visa applications. story of the so-called Five Heroes. They have “Psychological torture” is how Pérez de- become household names across the island Cuba had suspended the Guyana program scribed her ordeal during an interview in San- and their pictures are splashed across huge because there were not enough patients to fill tiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city. highway billboards and posters. an airplane after the first year. The first flight The agents’ seven-month trial in 2001 went in more than six months left Guyana with CASON: ‘WE’D LOVE TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE’ virtually unnoticed outside Miami even about 60 people requiring cataract surgery. Olga Salanueva, 48, wife of René González, though it was the longest trial in the United The Cuban government executes the pro- 52, another one of the jailed agents, said she States at the time. The agents were convicted gram that is paid for to a large extent by was also denied entry to the United States. on 26 counts and given jail terms ranging from Venezuelan oil money under a program that “I wish René were here. We would be a nor- 15 years to life. has helped dozens of Caribbean and Latin mal couple...walking through the streets com- Fidel Castro has said he sent the agents to American nations. More than 12,000 nationals pletely unnoticed,” said Salanueva, her eyes Florida to infiltrate anti-Cuba exile organiza- from Caribbean trade bloc countries, includ- glistening with tears. tions. Exiles led the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion ing Jamaica and Grenada, have benefited from U.S. officials contend that Salanueva was and other attacks that Cuban officials blame the program so far. rejected because she was a member of the for more than 3,000 deaths since 1959. Thousands of Cuban doctors and techni- Wasp Network who had been “deported for Castro, who fell ill in July 2006 and hasn’t cians work in the region, and thousands of engaging in activity related to espionage and appeared in public since then, has said the Caribbean students are at Cuban schools is ineligible to return to the United States.” U.S. government tolerated and in some cases studying medicine, engineering and other dis- Pérez was turned down because she was “a supported such actions. He wasn’t confident ciplines with little cost to their governments. candidate for training” as a U.S.-based spy that American authorities would fully investi- when the FBI broke up the Wasp Network, gate any new anti-Cuba plots, so the agents CHE MAUSOLEUM A BIG HIT WITH TOURISTS according to a document posted on the State Department’s website. were necessary, he has said. More than 2 million people have visited the “Consistent with the right of the United Smith said the Cuban Five meant no harm Ernesto Che Guevara sculptural complex in States to protect itself from covert spies, the to the United States. They were only trying to the outskirts of the city of Santa Clara since its U.S. government has not granted visas to the defend their country from attacks, he said. inauguration in December 1988. wives of two prisoners,” the document said. “They infiltrated exile terrorist groups,” Visits sharply increased after Che Guevara’s Pérez said it is “ridiculous” to think that she Smith said. “They passed information to their remains were brought back to Cuba from or Salanueva threaten U.S. national interests. own government and the Cuban government Bolivia in October 1997, reported the “Neither I nor Olga ... are a danger to passed that information to the U.S. govern- Communist Party daily Granma. American security,” she said. ment. The whole idea was to get some facts, The sculptural complex consists of a plaza But Cuban-American leaders say Cuban pass it to the Americans and they would take featuring a bronze statue of Che Guevara on spies have been known to target U.S. military some action to stop these terrorist acts.” top of a 16-meter-high pedestal by Cuban installations such as the Southern Command. Instead, the FBI turned around and arrest- sculptor José Darra. Cultural and political Prosecutors said the Wasp Network had ed the Cuban spies. “It’s an injustice,” said the activities are carried out at the plaza that can retired U.S. diplomat. “It casts a terrible stain been instructed to penetrate U.S. military in- host more than 80,000 people. stitutions, government agencies and the FBI. on the American judicial system.” ❑ James Cason, chief of the U.S. Interests The complex also contains a museum, and Section in Havana from 2002 to 2005, warned Tracey Eaton, a former correspondent for the murals that show different stages of battles that Cuban spies must not be underestimated. Dallas Morning News, was based in Cuba from that took place in the Sierra Maestra during “They have one of the better services in the 2000 to early 2005. His blog can be viewed at the final stages of the 1959 Marxist revolution world and we’re the only enemy from their http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/. that brought Fidel Castro to power. 16 CubaNews ❖ October 2008

CALENDAR OF EVENTS CARIBBEAN UPDATE If your organization is sponsoring an upcoming event, please let our readers know! You already know what’s going in Cuba, Fax details to CubaNews at (301) 949-0065 or send e-mail to [email protected]. thanks to CubaNews. Now find out what’s happening in the rest of this diverse and Oct. 6: “The Cuban-American Community and the 2008 Elections,” ICCAS, Miami. Mode- fast-growing region. rator: Andy Gómez. Panelists: political science professors Ben Bishin and Casey Klofstad. Subscribe to Caribbean UPDATE, a monthly newsletter founded in 1985. Cor- Free. Details: Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami, PO porate and government executives, as well Box 248297, Coral Gables, FL 33124. Tel: (305) 284-2822. URL: www.miami.edu/iccas. as scholars and journalists, depend on this publication for its insightful, timely cover- Oct. 9: “Poverty and Inequality in Cuba Today: The Policy Challenge,” London. Speaker: age of the 30-plus nations and territories of Emily Morris, senior research fellow at the International Institute for the Study of Cuba. the Caribbean and Central America. “This presentation will consider the reliability of, available data on poverty and income distri- When you receive your first issue, you have two options: (a) pay the accompany- bution in Cuba since 1990 and use evidence to measure the effectiveness of policy in a com- ing invoice and your subscription will be parative context.” Details: Stephen Wilkinson, IISC, London Metropolitan University, 166-220 processed; (b) if you’re not satisfied, just Holloway Road, London N7 8DB. Tel: +44 20 7133-2405. Email: [email protected]. write “cancel” on the invoice and return it. There is no further obligation on your part. Oct. 11-18: Health-care professional trip to Cuba to explore island’s system of free medi- The cost of a subscription to Caribbean UPDATE is $281 per year. A special rate of SiCKO cine. “If you liked Michael Moore’s blockbuster , you’ll have 8 days to see it first- $141 is available to academics, non-profit hand on this annual tour. The program is designed for healthcare givers, proponents of organizations and additional subscriptions universal coverage and champions of wellness.” Cost: $2,192 (exc. airfare). Details: Zunzun mailed to the same address. Education Services Ltd, 708-207 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6B 1H7. Tel: (877) 687- To order, contact Caribbean UPDATE at 116 Myrtle Ave., Millburn, NJ 07041, call us 3817. Fax: (604) 874-9041. Email: [email protected]. URL: www.cubafriendship.org. at (973) 376-2314, visit our new website at www.caribbeanupdate.org or send an Nov. 3-8: 26th Havana International Fair (FIHAV), Pabexpo Convention Center, Havana. email to [email protected]. We accept Annual exhibition features companies from many countries involved in food, commodities, Visa, MasterCard and American Express. telecom, construction, machinery, equipment and vehicle sales. Details: Iván Hernández, Commercial Director, or Caridad Sago Rivera, Commercial Manager, Havanatur. Tel: +53 7 204-2254. Fax: +53 7 204-1636. Email: [email protected] [email protected].

Nov. 11: “Child Health in Cuba,” London. “This seminar will examine the Cuban system of child healthcare and explain how both developing and developed countries can learn from it.” Keynote speaker: Imti Choonara, University of Nottingham. No charge. Details: Stephen Wil- kinson, International Institute for the Study of Cuba, London Metropolitan University, 166-220 Editor & Publisher ■ LARRY LUXNER ■ Holloway Road, London N7 8DB. Tel: +44 20 7133-2405. Email: [email protected]. Washington correspondent Dec. 1-3: 32nd Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean, Inter-Continental Hotel Miami. ■ ANA RADELAT ■

Agenda includes a discussion of Cuba and its integration into regional economy. Cost: $700. Political analyst Details: Caribbean Central American Action, 1818 N St. NW, #310, Washington, DC 20036. ■ DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI ■

Tel: (202) 466-7464. Fax: (202) 822-0075. Email: [email protected]. URL: www.c-caa.org. Feature writers ■ TRACEY EATON ■ Dec. 7-8: Cuba-Caricom Summit, Santiago de Cuba. Details: Caribbean Community Secre- ■ VITO ECHEVARRÍA ■ tariat, PO Box 10827, Georgetown, Guyana. Tel: +592 222-0001. Email: [email protected]. Cartographer ■ ARMANDO H. PORTELA ■

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