EscucharSAN JOSE - "It is no secret that our coasts are so unprotected," Minister of Public Security Juan Rafael Lizano told the deputies, during a visit to the Legislative Assembly to address the congressmen on the project to establish the National Coast Guard.
Minister Lizano said that the Public Forces lack the means to watch over the territorial waters which, he pointed out, are ten times larger than the mainland.
The official explained that, currently, only two of the 10 patrol boats in the country are operating. The other eight cannot sail because of deterioration.
He pointed out that $7 million are needed just to repair the boats currently docked in Puntarenas and that, therefore, in order to make the Coast Guard operative at least $10 million is required.
To that end, Minister Lizano submitted to the Government and Administration Commission a proposal containing a series of mechanisms to obtain the funds needed for the new service.
The proposal suggests obtaining a $10-million loan, updating the fines for illegal fishing, increasing the fees for fishing licenses and for seaworthiness certificates.
The Minister of Public Security also insisted on the need to increase the personnel to some 600 men (it is currently 184), as well as to strengthen the training programs and to increase the pay.
Regarding the salaries, he suggested that they be higher than that established for public officials. "If our people have low salaries and are poorly trained, we would be `selling' our seas," he asserted.
Minister Lizano was clear in pointing out that his proposal is not linked to the one made by the Government of the United States to carry out joint patrols against drug trafficking in Costa Rican waters.
After his meeting at the Legislative Assembly, the official said he has not discarded the possibility of the joint operations, only that they must be carried out under a plan that would not affect the sovereignty of the country.
