Bribery
Posted on May 27, 2007
Filed Under Crime, Culture |
19 Comments
Uruguay is known as one of the least corrupt countries in Latin America, after Chile. This does not mean however that corruption does not exist there. In my travels in Uruguay, I’ve seen a number of instances of both solicitation and offers of bribes, most often in the context of highway patrols or border crossing.
The most recent of these was a run in with a corrupt trooper last December. We had been staying at a lovely cabaña in La Paloma, but after a few days we had explored all we could on bikes. When we inquired about renting a car, the owner of the cabaña, an Argentinean, offered to rent us his car at a very attractive price. The car of course had Argentinean license plates and was a bit old and run down, but all the papers seemed in order, so we agreed. Read more
Squatters
Posted on April 18, 2007
Filed Under Real Estate, Crime, Economy |
5 Comments
Land occupation in Uruguay has increased dramatically in the last decade. The slowness of the judicial system and the severe economic crisis the country went through after 2002 made land invasion more common in certain areas. Even in high profile balnearios such as Punta del Este, a few very visible asentamientos (settlements) can be found, like the Predio Lobos at the Rambla Brava y Roosevelt and the barrio Kennedy, half a block from the Club de Golf. Many families now live in these asentiamentos, in spite of years of legal efforts to evict them. In that same area, in the past summers homes were occupied and terrenos invaded at a rate of two or three per month. Read more
Mary Jane Says High
Posted on April 5, 2007
Filed Under Crime, Culture, Vocabulary |
5 Comments
Uruguay has an unusual position regarding marijuana: smoking it is not a crime, but buying, selling and growing is. The current law states that if an individual is caught with an amount deemed for personal consumption it is considered a fault, not a crime. The law is vague and leaves it to a judge to decide about the quantity, taking into consideration intent and the moral rectitude of the individual. If a person is found to be at fault, they must attend an anti-drug class or other such activity. Of course, in order to get called before a judge, one needs to get caught first. Read more
Crime and No Punishment
Posted on March 16, 2007
Filed Under Montevideo, Crime, Culture |
6 Comments
For a long time, Uruguay has been known as one of the safest destinations in South America. Not too long ago, one could go just about anywhere in Uruguay without ever seeing bars on windows. Violent crimes were extremely rare. The low crime statistics then were perhaps a reflection of small disparity between the poor and the rich, as well as the relative wealth of Uruguayans compared to neighboring countries.
Throughout the nineties, the myth of the middle class country started to show signs of strain with the fast and continued development of Punta del Este as a destination of the rich and the super rich. Some resort towns became unaffordable and out of bounds for most Uruguayans. Read more
