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FROM
CUBA
Lifeguards
fined for selling coconuts to tourists on Cuban
beach
HAVANA, October 6 (www.cubanet.org) - Cuban
police fined two lifeguards 500 pesos each, and
confiscated two coconuts as evidence at Santa
María del Mar beach, east of Havana.
The lifeguards, named Ricardo and Jesús,
said they only wanted to give the coconuts to
two Cuban-American tourists who were enjoying
the beach, but police charged them with "illicit
commerce."
The tourists were reportedly perplexed by the
situation, since the reason they had asked the
lifeguards for the coconuts is that coconuts are
not sold by any government entity at the beaches.
Another lifeguard, Daniel Sabatier, explained
that the government restricts any contact with
foreigners. "We are discouraged from having
any sort of friendly contact with any foreign
tourist. This probably seems to them as a lack
of courtesy, but it isn't. Sometimes, tourists
want to obtain some fish, a lobster, or coral,
or shells. But there isn't necessarily a commercial
interest, although it's true that some of the
fellows try to satisfy the demand in exchange
of some extra income."
A lifeguard's basic salary is 216 pesos (under
9 dollars) a month, and can grow to 276 pesos
(about 11 dollars) for seniority.
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