Colombia's plan to hire students as army informers faces flak

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Irish Sun

Colombia's plan to hire students as army informers faces flak
Irish Sun
Friday 29th January, 2010
(IANS)

Bogota, Jan 29 (IANS/EFE) The Colombian government's plan to recruit college students as military informers has evoked criticism across the country.

President Alvaro Uribe's decision to turn university students in the crime-ridden northwestern city of Medellin into army informers was an act of desperation and a sign that the violence was out of control, presidential candidate of the opposition Liberal Party Rafael Pardo said.

Pardo, a former defence minister, said that making a specific group part of the security forces' intelligence network means 'putting it at risk, making it less effective and also provoking retaliation'.

Independent presidential hopeful and former Medellin mayor Sergio Fajardo said the plan is 'a monumental error that runs counter to what education should be all about'.

Read more: http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571... /