Land Mines in Nicaragua & Costa Rica – November 2006

When the US backed Contras were fighting against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, an estimated 500,000 land mines were dropped in the Northern Costa Rican area between Peñas Blancas and Cuenca of Sarapiqui in the 1980s.

These mines have killed Nicaraguans, Costa Ricans and mutilated many others but thankfully a program was created to remove mines from the area and when the new borders were drawn, 95% of those mines stayed on Nicaragua’s side.

Good news for Costa Rica but not so good for Nicaragua.

For some people, a political mine just exploded in Nicaragua because once again, Daniel Ortega and his Sandinista Front will be in power and although there are only; “… an estimated 3,000-plus Americans living in Nicaragua“, some Americans have already fled Nicaragua.

According to Time Magazine**: “Some realtors claim property prices have already dipped 25% since he won the elections..”

Hmmm! If prices have indeed “…dipped 25%” that might just mean that it’s time to take a serious look at the investing In Nicaragua real estate…

“McCandless decided on election night to sell his dream home and leave the country, after the first vote returns showed Ortega poised for victory. Less than a week later, he had sold his home at a fire-sale price and left for Costa Rica.”

Otto Reich*, a chief architect of President Ronald Reagan’s policy against the Sandinistas said that: “Ortega is a communist, or whatever he calls himself… If he wins, there will be no foreign investment and no US aid.”

On the other hand, Chris Berry**, owner of a resort says that: “Everyone here is more afraid of what the U.S. will do than they are of Ortega.”

Time will tell, but in the meantime, you might remember that Costa Rica does not have an army, it does not have nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and Costa Rica is not a threat to anybody.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.