NewsWhore
09-22-2011, 02:40 PM
During the last three years, Santiago society has been shaken by several scandals involving corruption, contract killers, drug trafficking and human trafficking, provoking alarm amongst the representative sectors and putting the government on alert. Some of the sectors that were consulted by Diario Libre say the geographic location and economic growth propelled by the development of big real estate projects, such as the construction of enormous malls and high-rise apartment blocks, have made Santiago an attractive metropolis for elements that operate outside the law.
Some five or six years ago Santiago was a relatively "quiet" city with a low crime rate, lots of jobs and less inequality. Nonetheless, some people with knowledge of day-to-day business in the city say that the start of the massive layoffs of workers in the free zone sector, which began in 2006, and the large-scale presence of drugs in the barrios and urbanizations are the root causes of the rise in crime over the last three years.
This new scenario is causing concern among state, business, religious, professional and civilian sectors of society. In fact, the increase in crime in Santiago led President Leonel Fernandez to head a panel in the city with the aim of finding solutions to these problems.
When he was questioned on the issue, the archbishop of the archdioceses of Santiago, Monsignor Ramon Benito de la Rosa y Carpio, said that Santiago society and the country in general are threatened by corruption, drug trafficking, contract killers and a lack of security. "In the 19th Century the threat was annexation to Spain, but now the real threat is represented by the drug dealers, the corrupt and the criminals," he said.
The president of the Council for the Strategic Development of Santiago, Carlos Alfredo Fondeur, told Diario Libre reporters that several entities are conducting an analysis of criminal activity in Santiago with a view to presenting a proposal to President Fernandez. The spokesman for the Volunteers for a Safe Santiago (VOCES), Juan Ortiz, said that the cases of violence that have occurred recently have crossed the limits.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
Some five or six years ago Santiago was a relatively "quiet" city with a low crime rate, lots of jobs and less inequality. Nonetheless, some people with knowledge of day-to-day business in the city say that the start of the massive layoffs of workers in the free zone sector, which began in 2006, and the large-scale presence of drugs in the barrios and urbanizations are the root causes of the rise in crime over the last three years.
This new scenario is causing concern among state, business, religious, professional and civilian sectors of society. In fact, the increase in crime in Santiago led President Leonel Fernandez to head a panel in the city with the aim of finding solutions to these problems.
When he was questioned on the issue, the archbishop of the archdioceses of Santiago, Monsignor Ramon Benito de la Rosa y Carpio, said that Santiago society and the country in general are threatened by corruption, drug trafficking, contract killers and a lack of security. "In the 19th Century the threat was annexation to Spain, but now the real threat is represented by the drug dealers, the corrupt and the criminals," he said.
The president of the Council for the Strategic Development of Santiago, Carlos Alfredo Fondeur, told Diario Libre reporters that several entities are conducting an analysis of criminal activity in Santiago with a view to presenting a proposal to President Fernandez. The spokesman for the Volunteers for a Safe Santiago (VOCES), Juan Ortiz, said that the cases of violence that have occurred recently have crossed the limits.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)