State Department says Cuba has detained US citizen

[Adsos Letter]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – The State Department says the Cuban government has arrested an American citizen and U.S. diplomats in Havana are trying learn more about the case.

Spokeswoman Megan Mattson says the Cuban government told the State Department that the American was detained on Dec. 5. She says the American is not a U.S. government employee.

She says the department can't release any more details, including the American's identity, because of federal privacy law.

The New York Times reported Saturday that the American is a U.S. government contractor who was working on behalf of the Obama administration distributing cell phones, laptops and other communications equipment in Cuba.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091212/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_cuba_american_detained

---

This is the entire AP newsbreak

EDIT: earlier, fuller version from Reuters: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091212/us_nm/us_cuba_usa_detention_1

[enid602]

1. on the bright side

At least he wasn´t arrested in Venezuela.

[varelse]

2. He's working for Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI)

It is described as "a development consulting company based in Bethesda, MD, USA."

DAI acted as a conduit for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) (through the Office of Transition Initiatives) and National Endowment for Democracy (NED} funds to the Venezuelan opposition to president Hugo Chavez. Furthermore, it was instrumental along with NED affiliated organizations for financing black propaganda on Venezuelan private network TV during the general strike in 2002. Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that DAI was required to keep certain personnel in Venezuela and had to consult with USAID about staff changes. Philip Agee, a former CIA officer, suggests that this is merely a cover for what passed for CIA operations in the past

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Development_Alternatives_Inc.

[provis99]

3. DAI is a CIA shell corporation

Hope the Cubans throw the book at him.

[varelse]

5. I was just trying to figure out why the arrest of an US citizen in any foreign country

would make the news.

[New Dawn]

9. Exactly.

[boppers]

18. For helping people talk?

Wow.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Suppose Al-Qaeda was doing the same thing in the US?

Shouldn't we oppose terrorism even when it comes under the banner of the star and stripes?

[boppers]

22. Free Speech = Terrorism?

Huh? Giving people laptops and cell phones is equivalent to murder and bombings?

[SkyDaddy7]

26. I am just as puzzled as you are!

I think some people honestly think Cuba and Venezuela are model forms of government.

[AlphaCentauri]

32. Me too

How is that Orlando Bosch has a honorific day and walks free?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/dec/02/usa.books

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Air+Cubana+bombing&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

[Spouting Horn]

31. Passing out cel phones

is terrorism?

Cuba has ZERO freedoms, yet so many liberals defend the Castro thugs as if they were their own family.

Cuban law says 3 years in prison just for criticizing the ruling regime.

[AlphaCentauri]

4. This always happened when a president wants to improve relations with Cuba

same happened to Clinton, so looks like the president is not in charge of foreign policy

[VanW]

6. You have to wonder

how an American got into Cuba with a pile of cell phones, laptops and "other communications equipment" in the first place.

The NYTimes story says that the American entered Cuba on a tourist visa without "proper documents".

That sounds like the person came in through Mexico or Jamaica acting like a tourist who didn't have an official visa (still very common). But how did they get the suitcase full of electronics through?

[varelse]

14. Aren't most Americans who visit Cuba doing so without "proper documents"?

I thought there was still a travel ban.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html

[VanW]

16. Yes.

Many Americans enter illegally through third countries like Mexico and Jamaica. The Cuban customs authorities don't stamp your passport, so that the State Dept doesn't bust you when you get home.

The travel ban has been lifted for family members of Cuban citizens, though.

[peacetalksforall]

7. The Department that should have the say in a move such as this is the Department of State -

Hillary Clinton must know about this. Who is in charge, here? Obama and H. Clinton or some one else? NSA or CIA acting independently of the White House?

If this is Obama and Clinton, I am on my way to total, absolutely total disallusionment.

If there is anyone here who doesn't know how NED operates - do it now.

Our taxpayer money goes to Congress - they give it to NED - and NED is obsessed with using it to fight Castro and Cuba - on behalf of Cuba-Americans - for their votes and BECAUSE THEY DICTATE.

So, the only difference between Obama and Clinton over Republican administrations - is that they didn't order explosive bombs, but they are planting propaganda bombs.

And this creature probably went in to Cuba on a tourist visa.

Why do we have to mess with the world?

Obama - you are going to far - if you know about this. Hillary, you are way out of line if you don't know about this or do know about this. You both lose with me.

Down with NED, down with deception. We are not at war with Cuba. We are not supplying them humanitarian safety tools for the next hurricans.

Crap, crap, crap. Things are out of control on all levels, imo.

[dipsydoodle]

8. and ?

:shrug:

[RedCloud]

10. Hopefully he won't get beaten up as our migra did to that canadian.

[rabs]

11. DAI honcho chimes in

Jim Boomgard, DAI's president and chief executive, said the person arrested is part of a new USAID program intended to "strengthen civil society in support of just and democratic governance in Cuba."

"Our prime concern is for the safety, well-being, and quick return to the United States of the detained individual," Boomgard said in a statement. Boomgard said the company is working with the State Department to ensure this is a top priority.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gcRjeReNTN8ZuNmidUieHtx7F9jQD9CI1HB00

------------------------

Trade him for the Cuban Five.

[IndianaGreen]

12. working on behalf of the Miami gusanos, no doubt

Obama has changed US policy towards Latin America: more bellicose, more military presence (why do we have Marines in Honduras that are not part of embassy guard), more bases in Colombia.

[ngant17]

13. Finally the Republic of Cuba has a bargaining chip

to work with, wrt the Cuban Five. I hope the arrested US citizen-CIA contractor/spy gets at least 2 life terms, or sentenced for at least several centuries years of solitary confinement in the worst possible prison on the island, and I also hope several more of such CIA contractors are sent to replace him, and they also meet the same or worse fate. That way Pres. Obama will have to start making reciprocal arrangements at some point and the Cuban Five will finally get the freedom they so justly deserve.

[Downwinder]

15. "the worst possible prison on the island,"

I don't think Cuba has access to Gitmo, but it is an appropriate thought.

[boppers]

17. Cuban government can't allow the poor to communicate.

They might actually develop ideas contrary to existing policy.

[IndianaGreen]

20. You are talking about the rightwing Miami Cubans and the policy they support

The poor support the Revolution, they are less poor because of it and, unlike Americans, they enjoy free universal health care.

[boppers]

23. The poor only have one opinion? They don't need to communicate?

Hint: the ruling class of Cuba already have cell phones and laptops.

[ngant17]

28. "The Cuban Revolution

which is loyal to its own principles, to its martyrs and to its people, has passed from the domain of national liberation into the domain of social emancipation, and it is engaged in the construction of socialism, being convinced that will be future of all humanity. But the ways of that struggle for reaching it, this must be undertaken based on the concrete historic traditions of each country."

Maj. Roberto Guzman
worker and Cuban revolutionary, Havana

[boppers]

29. Is keeping the poor uneducated part of historic traditions?

I'm not sure what your point is. If you don't allow poor farmers to send email, does that make their lives better?

[AlphaCentauri]

33. As long as the US poor and uneducated can't travel to Cuba

no body will be able to talk first hand about Cuba
http://www.aarp.org/leisure/travel/peter_greenberg/articles/greenberg_cuba.html?CMP=KNC-360I-GOOGLE-LEI-TRV&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=travel_to_cuba

[boppers]

36. Because the poor and uneducated are the only people who can have first hand experience?

:eyes:

[DissedByBush]

25. Oh, they enjoy free health care (such as it is)

But they don't enjoy FREEDOM.

Take a basic right here, any one.

Let's say the right to organize a union. Oops, only the state-run communist party union is allowed, and trying to form any other will get you thrown in jail.

Right to strike? Nope, that'll get you thrown in jail.

Want to move? You need government permission.

Freedom of speech? We'd all be in jail if we said about the Castros what we said about Bush.

Freedom of anonymous speech? Yeah, get caught with a document critical of the government that doesn't indicate the author and where it was printed. Have fun in jail.

I'll go without free health care if getting it meant losing all my real freedoms.

[AlphaCentauri]

34. So how do we know about Cubans freedoms if we can travel to Cuba

isn't the right to travel anywhere a freedom?

[DissedByBush]

37. The right to leave your country freely is a freedom

And it is definitely not a right enjoyed in Cuba.

Come to think of it, lack of that right is a trademark of communist countries. Don't want anyone escaping the worker's paradise.

BTW, is Michael Moore in jail for his trip?

[DissedByBush]

21. Well there's your problem right there

"distributing cell phones, laptops and other communications equipment in Cuba."

Castro does not like his subjects having unfettered, unmonitored communications with the outside world.

He didn't think giving people the means to do that would piss off the regime?

[Odin2005]

24. Give people laptops? can't have that, they might get dangerous ideas that threaten the regime!

And the resident Cuba apologists will support them.

[AlphaCentauri]

35. well think how our government have restricted us from traveling to socialist countries

so we couldn't get infected with the socialist virus

[Judi Lynn]

27. American subcontractor's arrest in Cuba confirmed

Posted on Sunday, 12.13.09
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS
American subcontractor's arrest in Cuba confirmed

An American man arrested in Cuba was handing out computers and communications equipment `on behalf of the Obama administration.'

~snip~
The New York Times reported Saturday that the man arrived in Cuba on a tourist visa and was handing out the computers and communications equipment ``on behalf of the Obama administration.'' It added that it was ``unclear exactly what the was doing at the time he was detained.''

Two persons involved with U.S. government grants for Cuba programs said they were not surprised by the man's arrest because of recent changes in the procedures that sidelined experienced Cuban-American groups and then rushed large amounts of money to groups with little knowledge of the island.

$40 MILLION OK'D

Last year, Congress approved $40 million for Cuba programs at a time when the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor were struggling for control of Washington's international development efforts, said one of the persons. Both asked for anonymity to avoid conflicts with the grant bureaucracy.

DAI, one of the largest development consultants in Washington, won the main contract, the Cuba Democracy and Contingency Planning Program, which in effect put it in charge of hiring subcontractors.

One of the two sources added that while he did not know the American arrested, it would have been a mistake to send to Cuba an ``American-looking guy'' to deliver items such as laptops and cellphones to dissidents.

Cuba's security agents pay special attention to single American men with tourist visas, he said, ``and Americans are just not used to looking over their shoulder when they are in a totalitarian state.''

``If I wanted to slip something into China, I would not use an American. I would use a Chinese-American who can blend in,'' he added.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1379458.html

[boppers]

30. Jeebus.

This is "Xerox machines and the KGB" all over again.

At least it's on a smaller scale, where the mass repression of discussion is hurting less people... time to start airlifting phones and laptops in.

Considering they're living in a freakish late 20th century timewarp, maybe airlift in some Xerox machines, too.