Costa Rica expels foreigners for naming king of remote Indian reservation
George DeForest
reservation
AP World Politics Thu Jul 18, 5:18 PM ET
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Costa Rica's president has ordered the
expulsion of a
group of foreigners, apparently linked to an Indian guru, after they
paid
members of an Indian reservation in return for the right to name a
king, the
country's security minister said Thursday.
The foreigners, members of an organization called the Global Country
for for
World Peace, allegedly offered each family dlrs 250 a month in return
for
the right to name the king of the Talamanca reserve, 140 miles (230
kms)
south of the capital, San Jose.
A ceremony on June 23, which named one of the Indians as the
community's
first king, caused unrest among many residents of the reserve. They
then
asked Costa Rican officials to step in.
After analyzing a report by the security ministry, President Abel
Pacheco
decided to expel German Emmanuel Schiffgens, the organization's
presumed
leader.
"The president reviewed the report and for him it was obvious that
they were
promoting an independent state within Costa Rica, and we can't
tolerate
that," Security Minister Rogelio Ramos said.
In March last year, Schiffgens was listed as prime minister of the
Netherlands-based Global Country of World Peace, a "nation without
borders"
founded by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a spiritual leader with
followers
around the world who was once guru to The Beatles.
His followers also have a large base and schools in Fairfield, Iowa.
The Global Country's "sovereign ruler" is Raja Nader Raam, also known
as
Tony Nader, who the group's web site credits with discovering "the
constitution of the universe."
Schiffgens has said that the group did nothing wrong, and only wanted
development for the remote, poor region in the mountains near the
border
with Panama.
Ramos accused the group of trying to "seduce the Indians with large
quantities of money."
Officials did not release the number of foreigners who accompanied
Schiffgens, or where they were from. He said all would be forced to
leave
the country.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
same news from Costa Rica press:
http://www.ticotimes.net/newsbriefs.htm
Pacheco Ousts Maharishi Group
By Miriam Holsinger
Tico Times Staff
int...@ticotimes.net
President Abel Pacheco this week ordered a Maharishi-linked
development
organization calling itself the Global Country of Peace to leave Costa
Rica
and halt its efforts to create a commune based on meditation and
organic
agriculture on indigenous tribal land in the southern Talamanca
mountains.
Global Country, an organization based in Holland under spiritual
leader
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, has been trying to entice the Bribri indigenous
community for the last seven weeks to join its "virtual country,"
which uses
its own currency, the "raam," follow "natural law," and cooperate with
its
plans to grow organic produce, herbs and create crafts for sale under
the
Maharishi label (TT, June 28, July 12).
The organization also expressed intentions of creating a bank using
the
raam, and eventually building a university which would use the Bribri
language but would also teach Transcendental Meditation. In addition,
according to a Ministry Security investigation it planned to build a
"Palace
of Peace" near San José and declare Costa Rica "World Peace Capital."
When the group wouldn't take "no" for an answer, Bribri wrote
President
Pacheco asking him to investigate the organization.
Pacheco viewed the proposal as a threat to the Bribri's ancient
culture,
officials said. After reviewing a letter from Security Minister
Rogelio
Ramos, which summed up a thorough investigation of Global Country's
activities in Costa Rica, the President saw enough evidence to that
the
organization was "disrupting public order," and ordered the Ministry
to
expel its members. According to the letter, Global Country violated
Costa
Rica's Constitution and laws at least seven times.
"We are very happy [about Pacheco's decision], but it is possible that
the
problem will continue," said Sebastian Díaz, secretary for the Bribri
Reserve Development Association (ADITIBRI). Díaz added that if the
organization doesn't leave, Costa Rican Immigration will take action,
because the group's presence here is now illegal.
"On the reserve, the Association (ADITIBRI) is in charge," explained
Díaz.
When Global Country proclaimed Awapa (shaman) Lisandro Méndez "king"
(TT,
June 28) against the wishes of ADITIBRI, it was breaking articles
three and
four of the Constitution, which forbids "usurping sovereignty" and
states
that "no person or meeting of people may assume representation of a
town,
usurping rights or making requests in its name," according to the
letter.
The "coronation" took place June 23, but no Bribri recognized Méndez
as
king. Following the coronation, Méndez received a letter from Global
Country
leaders stating that 400,000 raam (worth $4 million or about $10 per
raam)
were available in Holland for the new "king" to use (TT, July 12).
According
to the Ministry of Security, this was to have been the first
installment of
a total disbursement of $100 million to be injected into the new
"country's"
economy.
The organization claims that by following its advice, the Bribri
reserve
would be able to change from one of the poorest sections of Costa Rica
into
one of the richest. According to Global Minister of Culture Chris
Crowell,
the group has started this transformation with indigenous groups in 30
other
countries.
Crowell told The Tico Times that the first part of the process would
be to
introduce "a program with traditional rulers so that they can
stimulate
their economy by growing organic crops."
But along with economic stimulus would come meditation and management
techniques from Global Country, as well as a different form of
government,
according to both Bribri and Global Country officials. Although
Crowell said
the organization has no intention of changing Bribri culture, Díaz
points
out that changing government and spiritual practices would inevitably
change
the culture.
This fear and the unapproved coronation caused ADITIBRI officials to
be wary
of the international organization, and ultimately reject its proposal.
"The way they approached us, the process, was really bad," said Díaz.
According to Abelardo Torres, president of ADITIBRI, even after the
association initially rejected Global Country's proposal, the
organization
kept harassing reserve leaders, eventually convincing Lisandro Méndez
to go
along with their plan.
The Tico Times tried to contact Crowell Thursday to obtain Global
Country's
response to President Pacheco's order
John Manning
> Costa Rica expels foreigners for naming king of remote Indian
> reservation
>
> AP World Politics Thu Jul 18, 5:18 PM ET
>
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020718/ap_wo_en_po/costa_rica_foreigners_expelled_4
>
> SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Costa Rica's president has ordered the
> expulsion of a
> group of foreigners, apparently linked to an Indian guru, after they
> paid
> members of an Indian reservation in return for the right to name a
> king, the
> country's security minister said Thursday.
>
> The foreigners, members of an organization called the Global Country
> for for
> World Peace, allegedly offered each family dlrs 250 a month in return
> for
> the right to name the king of the Talamanca reserve, 140 miles (230
> kms)
> south of the capital, San Jose.
...The "coronation" took place June 23, but no Bribri recognized
Méndez
as
king. Following the coronation, Méndez received a letter from Global
Country
leaders stating that 400,000 raam (worth $4 million or about $10 per
raam)
were available in Holland for the new "king" to use (TT, July 12).
-------------
Do you true blue TMers really accept this crap? It was orchestrated by
none other than Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He's now resorting to paying
off third world indigenous tribes - apart from the existing sovereign
government, to push his way into establishing 'his' version of a
'world government'. His, apparently incompetent pawns, just got
booted.
It's amazing what MMY is attempting to do with his cash.
Is someone living in make-believe-land (Maharishi) or am I failing to
see the *cosmic meaning* here? And what happened with *Rota*, the
*previous* 'new' capital of the Global World Country? Or are the rules
changing every day? What? Now Maharishi will offer to re-build the
Twin Towers?
Any educated intelligent human being who has followed this stuff, has
to conclude that it has no basis in reality. I'm surprised that it
hasn't reached the comedy circuit on TV.
It reminds me of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle the Moose.
Bullwinkle says, "Rocky, wanna see me pull a rabbit out of this hat?"
Rocky says, "Sure." Then Bullwinkle reaches in and pulls out a raging
tiger and quickly pushes it back in. Then Bullwinkle says, "Well, next
time for sure."
"There's a sucker born evey minute." ... P.T. Barnum
John Manning