Honduras
Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became as independent nation in 1821. After two and one-half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan government and an ally to Salvadoran government forces fighting against leftist guerrillas.
President Ricardo Maduro, a conservative businessman, said on taking office in January 2002 that he was determined to crack down on rampant crime that robbed him of his only son four years previously. He is the sixth democratically elected president of Honduras since 1982, when military governments yielded power to civilians after 20 years. Maduro, from the National Party, defeated the former ruling Liberal Party contender Rafael Pineda and replaced former president Carlos Flores.
President Manuel Zelaya, from the opposition Liberal Party, won a hotly-contested presidential election in November 2005. He was inaugurated on January 27, 2006. His main rival, the ruling National Party's Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa, conceded defeat after 10 days of uncertainty over the result. Zelaya, who served as a minister in the government of former president Carlos Flores, proposes to double the number of police officers and to hand down life sentences to murderers and rapists. He has also pledged to tackle corruption in government and to create hundreds of thousands of badly-needed jobs.
While there are no known direct threats to foreign visitors or residents in Honduras, sporadic street protests and skyrocketing crime has put nearly every sector of Honduran society, including expatriate residents and tourists, at increased risk (see “Crime” below).
Unmarked mine fields are located on both sides of the Honduras-Nicaragua border, especially in the Rio Coco region, the Choluteca and EL Paraiso provinces, and in the area near the Atlantic Coast. Although significant progress was made in clearing these areas, landslides and floods resulting from Hurricane Mitch scattered many of the remaining mines, making the border area unsafe. Extreme caution is advised if travelling in this area. Confine travel to major thoroughfares and border crossings, such as El Espino (La Fraternidad), Las Manos, and Guasaule. To avoid possible excessive charges at land border crossings, ascertain the correct fees from the Honduran embassy or consulate ahead of time.
The area off the coast of northeastern Honduras has been the subject of maritime border disputes between Honduras and Nicaragua. The Honduran Navy has increased its patrols in this area. All transiting private vessels may be hailed and possibly boarded by Honduran military personnel for document verification.
The Honduran law enforcement authorities' ability to prevent, respond, investigate, apprehend, file Interpol reports, and prosecute criminal incidents remains limited.
Police officers have been implicated in high-profile crimes, and the police are thought to have been involved in the murder by death squads of more than 1,000 street children in 2000 alone. In addition, former military and security personnel, along with right-wing paramilitary groups, are said to have been behind the murder of members of indigenous minority rights groups.
The government has recently established a special tourist police in the resort towns of Tela and La Ceiba and plans to expand this force to other popular tourist destinations.
