MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Regional News from Pta. Arenas.

Headlines:
Argentine consulate broken in; Chilean Institute promotes Antarctica; AIDS case causes alarm in Punta Arenas; Antarctica XXI takes off December.

Argentine consulate broken in

The Argentine Ambassador in Chile reported this Sunday that the Argentine Consulate Office in Punta Arenas was broken in and confidential documents photocopied. In a communication addressed to the Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ambassador Carlos Enrique Abihaggle reports that Deputy Consul Jose Andres Basbus "on entering the Punta Arenas consular office this Sunday morning at 09:00 hours, surprised an unknown person in the building". "After struggling for a few moments, Mr. Basbus was unable to prevent the unknown person from fleeing carrying with him what seemed to be a check book". On further inspection of the premises, "Mr. Basbus found the safe had been opened and folders with confidential documents had been photocopied, and the copies neatly ordered and apparently ready to take away". Furthermore a video and a film of the different rooms and security areas of the Consulate was also discovered, indicated the Argentine Ambassador. Apparently on fleeing the unknown person left "other elements" such as two jackets and a brief case containing an ID with the name and number of a person plus a gun licence. The incident was reported to the Punta Arenas police and judiciary authorities, but Ambassador Abihaggle refused to make any comments arguing that "relations with Chile are normal". Punta Arenas Consul Julian Tettamendi first reported the incident to Ambassador Abihaggle who then contacted Chilean Deputy Foreign Affairs Secretary Christian Barros "to express Argentina's interest in a quick elucidation of the case and identification of the culprits". Mr. Tettamendi arrived Sunday to Santiago to participate in a meeting of Argentine consular staff in Chile scheduled for this Monday.

Chilean Institute promotes Antarctica

The Chilean Antarctic Institute, INACH, which is gradually moving from Santiago to its new headquarters in Punta Arenas is actively promoting Antarctica among the local population. Last November 6, on the 63rd. anniversary of Chilean aspirations to Antarctic territory, INACH announced it was opening its library and archives to local schools and students with the hope of creating an "Antarctic conscience". The initiative has the full support of the Magallanes University Antartic Programs Department created in 1994, and on this occasion the local daily La Prensa Austral distributed an insert on the subject for school children. INACH will also be lobbying for the inclusion of Antarctic Studies in the curricula of primary and secondary schools. INACH expects to have its Secretariat fully operational by early 2004 when all staff and equipment from the Santiago office are finally installed in Punta Arenas.

AIDS case causes alarm in Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas regional hospital phones were blocked with calls when the Epidemiology and Statistics Unit revealed that a woman prostitute was diagnosed AIDS, reports the local daily La Prensa Austral. With this last notification the number of Aids cases in Magallanes Region has risen to 57, --11 women and 46 men--, 7 in this year, according to Eduardo Velázquez head of the Epidemiology Unit. But this is the first case directly related to prostitution. Although prostitution is illegal in Chile, sex related trade and houses flourish, (particularly in Punta Arenas given the high concentration of troops), and the risks of Aids are ever present, said Mr. Velazquez who blames "unprotected sex and irresponsible sexual conduct" as one of the main causes. Apparently this case is closely linked to the fact that the Integrated Health Service Department of the local hospital ceased a few months ago its regular surveying of sex-houses to check that "sex-workers" had a sanitary licence. "The sanitary certificate is no legal document that authorizes or bans sex-trade; it's simply a document saying that the holder has gone through all the sanitary exams and controls in the regional hospital. However it did help monitor and made the girls feel responsible about their trade", says Pamela Franzi head of the Integrated Health Service Department. "At the moment this has become a very dangerous "no-man's land" because some of the girls with their sanitary certificates expired continue to work, and the renewal of the certificate is not compulsory". According to a recent paper written by two Magallanes University sociologists who did field work and followed a group of 48 sex-workers who are regularly checked in the local hospital, the average age is 30, most are single mothers and head of family, originally from metropolitan Santiago, poor schooling who were forced into the trade because of lack of income. Most began drinking at the age of 17 and joined the sex trade between 18 and 21. The Punta Arenas hospital had last February 336 sex-workers registered (333 females and 3 males). However the number is believed to be far higher given the abundance of sex-related clubs and bars in Punta Arenas. Besides rotation is significant in the trade (sex-workers tend to move from town to town) and lately telephone and internet services are also available. The local hospital sanitary certificate includes monthly Hepatitis B and gonorrhoea tests, syphilis every three months and every six, Aids. However every month an average forty certificates are not renewed.

Antarctica XXI takes off December

The recently created Punta Arenas cruise company Antarctica XXI has scheduled its first combined air-sea trip in Antarctic waters next December first. Sales Manager John Rees said that 40 tourists will be flown in the new Dash-/7 of DAP from Punta Arenas to the Chilean airfield Tte. Marsh in King George Island where they will board the Russian flagged "Grigory Mikheev" The cruise in Antarctic waters will extend for six days and five nights and in this first of three trips scheduled for this season, special guests have been invited, indicated Mr. Rees.