Colombia Third

Colombia is the third-most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Migration from rural to urban areas has been prevalent. The urban population increased from 57% of the total population in 1951 to approximately 74% by 1994 (when the last census was held). Thirty cities have a population of 100,000 or more. The nine eastern lowlands departments, constituting about 54% of Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of less than one person per square kilometer (two persons per sq. mi.). Ethnic diversity in Colombia is a result of the intermingling of indigenous peoples, European immigrants, and Africans. Today, only about 1% of the people can be identified as fully indigenous on the basis of language and customs. ... [Read More]

Support for Plan Colombia

1111--05/29/03   Third Global Forum on Fighting Corruption; George W. Bush, President; Remarks to the Global Forum III; Seoul, Korea ... [Read More]

Colombia

Colombia requires that minors (under 18), regardless of nationality, who are traveling alone, with one parent or with a third party, present a copy of their birth certificate and written authorization from the absent parent(s) or legal guardian, specifically granting permission to travel alone, with one parent or with a third party. When a parent is deceased, a notarized copy of the death certificate is required in lieu of the written authorization. If documents are prepared in the United States, the authorization and the birth certificate must be translated into Spanish and notarized. An "apostille" must then be affixed to the document by the designated state government authority. A list of designated state authorities may be found on the Internet at: http://travel.state.gov/family/hague_foreign_docs.html. Finally ... [Read More]

Plan Colombia: Major Successes and New Challenges

Eradication is the cornerstone of our counternarcotics efforts in Colombia. At least a third of the State Department’s counternarcotics and law enforcement budget is dedicated--either directly or indirectly--to this endeavor. We are reducing supply by destroying the drugs at their source, where they are stationary and thus easier to identify and locate. In 2004, Colombia, working closely with the United States, aerially sprayed a record 136,551 hectares (more than 300,000 acres) of coca and over 3,000 hectares (some 7,000 acres) of opium poppy. The 114,100 hectares of coca under cultivation at the end of 2004 represented a 33 percent reduction from the peak-growing year of 2001 when almost 170,000 hectares of illicit coca were under cultivation. While the 2004 cultivation numbers from the Crime and Narcotics Center (CNC) were very similar to 2003, the potential production of cocaine was down in Colombia by 7 percent. This reduction is due to the greater numb ... [Read More]

Plan Colombia

The total U.S. interagency assistance package includes $390.5 million to support the Government of Colombia's objective to gain control of the drug producing regions of southern Colombia. These funds will support certain aspects of training and equipping the second and third counternarcotics battalions in the Colombian army. It will fund procurement and support of 14 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters ($208 million); procurement, refurbishment, and support of 30 UH-1H Huey II helicopters ($60 million); and support for 15 UH-1N helicopters ($60 million) for use by the Colombian army. ... [Read More]

Colombia

In February Human Rights Watch issued a report that stated that the army maintains close operational ties to paramilitary groups. The report highlighted incidents of collaboration by officers of the army's Third, Fourth, and 13th Brigades. It stated that according to evidence from government investigators, the army's Third Brigade based in Cali provided weapons and intelligence to the paramilitary "Calima Front." The report also detailed ties between the army's Fourth Brigade and paramilitary groups and ties between the 13th Brigade (intelligence) and paramilitary groups. The report also detailed threats received by various government agents while they investigated these ties. ... [Read More]

South America

Argentina is not a major drug producing country. According to the first national survey on drug use, released in June 1999, 2.9 percent of adults between the ages of 16 and 65 said they had consumed an illegal drug in the previous 30 days. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug consumed, with cocaine HCl and inhalants ranked second and third. Illicit cultivation remains negligible. There is very limited refining or manufacturing of illicit drugs, with small amounts being produced in the country. Most Argentine officials agree that the trafficking of narcotics through Argentina is a problem, although it has remained difficult to quantify the flow with any degree of accuracy. Argentina has a large and well-developed chemical industry which manufactures almost all the precursors necessary for the processing of cocaine. Buenos Aires also has a sophisticated financial sector, which could be used for money laundering operations. ... [Read More]

Colombia

The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and press and the Government generally respected these rights in practice. Individuals criticized the Government both publicly and in private, and the media expressed a wide spectrum of political viewpoints and often sharply criticized the Government, all without fear of Government reprisal. However, journalists regularly practiced self-censorship to avoid retaliation and harassment by criminals and members of illegal armed groups. Several major newspapers and news magazines circulated nationally, and there were many influential regional publications. There were two major national radio networks and many national and regional television channels. The National Television Commission continued to oversee television programming, although it did not censor substantive content. Major international wire services, newspapers, and television networks had a presence in the country and generally ope ... [Read More]

Civilian Contractors and U.S. Military Personnel Supporting Plan Colombia

As of late March 2001, there were just over 100 U.S. citizen civilian contractors with Dyncorp in Colombia, the majority of whom were in place well before the legislation in support of Plan Colombia was enacted. An approximately equal number of third-country nationals and Colombian citizens also are employed under this contract. These contractors work on counternarcotics projects with the Antinarcotics Directorate (DIRAN), an air wing of the Colombian National Police, and also support the Aviation Brigade of the Colombian Army. ... [Read More]

Coca Cultivation in Colombia, 2001

The annual estimate for coca cultivation in Colombia has been completed. Analysis of satellite imagery indicates that Colombia's coca cultivation is 169,800 hectares, 33,600 hectares more than 2000 levels. One-third of the increase is due to the inclusion of an area that was not surveyed in 2000 because of cloud cover. Also, coca killed by aerial eradication operations conducted after the satellite photographs were taken was counted as live coca in the estimate. ... [Read More]