HAVANA, January 28 (Juan Carlos Linares, Cuba-Verdad / www.cubanet.org) -
Sales of computer parts and accessories were curtailed at all dollar stores in
the Cuban capital starting January 24.
Monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards and the like had been sold freely in
the dollar market since mid-2001. Now they will be available only to government
purchasers.
Stores have established two departments to sell computer-related equipment.
One, fully stocked, for government customers; and another, offering floppy
diskettes, CDs and odds and ends, for the general population.
"Employees have been forbidden from explaining anything related to the
limitation in sales," said an employee of a dollar store in the Playa
municipality of Havana.
Internet remains one of the priorities of the Cuban government. Official
sources say there are now at least 300 web sites operated by the government. At
the same time, any web content considered contrary to government policies or
objectives is blocked from Cuban servers.
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