Nicaragua News Service
                        December 10 - 17, 1995
                            Vol. 3, No. 50
 
Major news stories for the week:
 
1. Police open fire into student demonstration; one dead.
2. Bishops release Christmas message.
3. Fifth Annual Donors' Meeting held in Managua.
4. COSEP launches political candidates.
5. Emmett Lang to run in FSLN primary for Mayor of Managua.
6. Losses from Cerro Negro eruption calculated.
_______________________________________________________________________
 
1. Police open fire into student demonstration; one dead.
 
Last Wednesday, police troops opened fire on a student demonstration 
resulting in one university employee dead from a gunshot wound to the 
head and two other students in critical condition with little hope of 
complete recovery.  The students were rallying in front of the 
National Assembly and the President's Office in support of their 
demand that the government allocate 6% of the nation's budget for 
higher education, a constitutional provision that was unchanged in the 
newly amended Nicaraguan Constitution.  The universities and the 
students are also demanding that the 6% be calculated on the basis of 
the amount of the government's regular budget plus the amount of 
foreign aid received.
 
The area around the National Assembly was like a war zone last week 
for over six hours, with stones flying and police firing tear gas and 
eventually firing into the demonstration. One thousand armed police 
were effectively in battle against 2,000 students, some armed with 
rocks and a few with home-made bombs.
 
Besides the dead university employee and two critically injured 
students, at least 35 other students and 8 police officers were taken 
to the hospital for treatment.  One woman was shot in the hip while 
walking to her son's high school graduation scheduled to take place in 
a nearby convention center.
 
A somber spell was cast on the city of Managua as many remembered the 
massacre of four students in Leon in 1959 at the hands of Somoza's 
National Guard when students were demanding the autonomy of the 
university system.  A year later, at the demonstration to mark the 
date of the massacre, another student was also shot and killed, this 
time in Managua.
 
National Police chief Commander Fernando Caldera, in a press 
conference later on Wednesday, said that the police were not under 
orders to shoot and that the agents who did so were reacting under 
extreme stress.  Caldera emphasized that the police were only there to 
guard the government buildings.  A commission has been set up to 
investigate the incident.  A high official of the Ministry of 
Governance insinuated that "elements outside the student movement" had 
provoked the police into shooting.


After the death of one person was confirmed, the government called for 
an immediate meeting with the National University Council where it was 
agreed that the police would return to their headquarters and that the 
students would go home.  The students, however, congregated at the 
Central American University (UCA) where they held a wake for the 
fallen university worker.  Student leaders stated that they would not 
respect decisions in which they had not participated.  
 
Former President Daniel Ortega lamented the fact that blood had been 
shed and stated that "It is painful to see the evidence that this 
government continues its usual pattern of agreeing to negotiate only 
after violence and tragedy occur."
 
On Thursday, Dr. Vilma Nunez, head of the Nicaraguan Center for Human 
Rights, still visibly affected by the events of which she had been a 
witness the day before, declared that "the police acted irrationally 
and outside the margin of the law.  This was not a battle ground; the 
students were holding a peaceful protest march and they were attacked 
by the Police.  No police were wounded by gunshots."
 
Student leaders made it clear that the struggle for the 6% had not 
finished.  The day after the street battle, over 10,000 students took 
to the streets in a peaceful march from the UCA to the Plaza of the 
Revolution.  The students also rejected the university budget passed 
by the National Assembly that very day.  The budget for the 
universities came to a total of 6% of the ordinary budget but did not 
include 6% of all foreign aid.  The university subsidy will also now 
include subsidies for three private universities including the 
Catholic university, UCA.
 
The National University Council has stated that it will take the case 
to the Supreme Court in order to obtain a true reading of the 
Constitution with respect to the 6% question.  (La Prensa, Dec. 14, 
Barricada, Dec. 14, 16.)
 
2. Bishops release Christmas message.
 
The bishops of Nicaragua sent a Christmas letter to the Nicaraguan 
people which was interpreted in different ways by people of differing 
political views.  Barricada emphasized that the bishops severely 
criticized neo-liberal economic policies for being: "a dehumanized 
market policy that has meant more taxes and more restrictions for our 
people."  The bishops urged the people to abandon "the road of 
corruption and violence in order to construct a new society where 
there will be justice, where laws will reign, where no one will be 
marginalized and where everyone's rights will be respected." 
 
La Prensa, on the other hand, put emphasis on the parts of the letter 
that deplored the deterioration of the nation's judicial system and 
expressed the hope that judges would not be named as political favors.  
The bishops also expressed hope for an efficient, professional and 
impartial police system that would not run away from its 
responsibilities despite an inadequate budget.
 
The bishops also described as "very dangerous" that fact that the 
country no longer has faith in its politicians and stated that this 

could be translated into a high number of people who simply decide not 
to participate in the coming elections. 
 
Also condemned was "extreme capitalism" which broadens the difference 
between the rich and poor, just as earlier the bishops had condemned 
"totalitarian and collectivist communism" because it "shared only 
misery."  (Barricada, Dec. 15, La Prensa, Dec. 16)
 
3. Fifth Annual Donors' Meeting held in Managua.
 
The principal conclusion of the foreign aid donor countries and 
organizations which met last week in Managua to evaluate the 
government's use of donated funds was that "In order for Nicaragua to 
consolidate and establish a true climate for investment, the country 
must resolve once and for all the problem of property, renegotiate the 
foreign debt and formulate a national strategy for economic 
development.  The consolidation of a positive climate for national and 
foreign investment is of the utmost importance in order to be able to 
solve the economic and social problems of the county."
 
The donors also stated that foreign aid is a decisive factor for the 
development of Nicaragua but that the levels of aid that have been 
achieved over the last several years are not sustainable and that 
private resources must start to replace the foreign aid.
 
With respect to the coming elections, United Nations development 
organizations declared that the programs to combat poverty will be 
more effective if in the course of the electoral debates, the country 
could increase consensus over a definition of how to combat the causes 
of poverty.
 
The organizations also spoke of the need to create mechanisms that 
will assure the stability and continuity of foreign cooperation during 
the change of government that will take place in early 1997. (La 
Prensa, Dec. 16)
 
4. COSEP launches political candidates.
 
Nicaragua's Private Business Council, COSEP, has decided to enter the 
1996 Presidential race with its own candidates. According to Roberto 
Teran, president of that body, "the private sector cannot elude the 
political challenge given the difficulties that the country and COSEP 
members are facing at this time."
 
The COSEP presidential candidate will be Benjamin Lanzas, president of 
the Board of Directors of the state-owned (but soon to be partially 
privatized) Bank of Industry and Commerce.  He is also the owner of 
the largest construction company in the country, LLANSA.  The 
candidate for vice-president will be Teran himself, who runs a 
corporation founded by his father that employs over 400 people.
 
COSEP believes that at the time of the elections, it will have the 
support of people from all the political parties, although COSEP 
itself is not yet explaining what kind of government it is proposing.  
(Barricada, Dec. 15)


5. Emmett Lang to run in FSLN primary for mayor of Managua.
 
Another candidate for the top job in Managua has emerged in the person 
of Emmett Lang, presently head of the Managua area for the FSLN.  Lang 
will run for the post of mayor in the FSLN primaries on February 18th.  
In declaring his candidacy, Lang emphasized the need for a local 
government made up of different political tendencies in order to 
better represent the majority of the population of the capital.  
(Barricada, Dec. 15)
 
6. Losses from Cerro Negro eruption calculated.
 
The last report of the Ministry of Agriculture regarding economic 
losses from the eruption of Cerro Negro in Region II revealed that 
over 1,100 manzanas (1 manzana = 1.7 acres) of crops were lost.  The 
volcano, which was active for two straight weeks beginning on the 19th 
of November, covered with dust and sand most of the department of 
Leon. Less affected were the departments of Corinto and Chinandega.
 
The 15 rural communities closest to the volcano were the most 
affected, especially due to the loss of cattle pastures, and crops of 
beans, yuca and sorghum.  The crops lost were mainly food crops for 
local consumption.  Agrricultural export crops, such as sugar cane 
were barely affected, although those who choose to sow cotton this 
year will see their prices go down because of the drop in quality due 
to contamination of sand and dust.  (La Prensa, Dec. 14)