Stories written by Thelma Mejía
Thelma Mejía has been working for IPS since 1987, when she started collaborating with the agency on subjects relating to childhood and gender. She took part in the Programa Especial de Cooperación Económica regional project, after which she was promoted to associate correspondent from Honduras. She became a full correspondent in 1994. Mejía has a degree in journalism and a master’s degree in political and social theory from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma, Honduras. She has worked as editor in chief of the daily Tegucigalpa-based El Heraldo and as a consultant on issue of governance, information access, political parties and mass media for the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the Centro de Competencias y Comunicación of the Friederich Ebert Foundation and various social organisations from Honduras. She is the author of several articles and of a book on journalism and political pressures. For more than five years, she has been a collaborator on the IPS environmental news service Tierramérica.

HONDURAS: ‘Gag Law’ Harks Back to Dictatorship

By Thelma Mejía
A "gag law" against the press approved by the Honduran Congress evokes memories of the 1933-49 dictatorship of General Tiburcio Carias Andino.

CENTRAL AMERICA: Peace Brings Brings New Social Agenda

By Thelma Mejía
The Guatemalan peace accord has created a new agenda for society throughout Central America and, after decades of warfare, the region must strengthen democracy and to create representative governments that can govern.

HONDURAS-EDUCATION: Radio Brings ‘Teacher in the House’

By Thelma Mejía
Over the next eight years, roughly 53,000 Hondurans, mainly peasant farmers, will be able to finish primary school thanks to an innovative radio programme called 'Teacher in the House'.

HONDURAS: IMF Postpones Letter of Intent

By Thelma Mejía
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) postponed signing of a letter of intent with the Honduran government, as it was not convinced the nation was capable of applying further economic adjustments.

(LATAM-POLITICS) Border Problems Won’t Go Away

By Thelma Mejía
The festering border problem between Honduras and El Salvador has flared up again, despite a five-years- old agreement that finally defined frontier areas.

CULTURE-HONDURAS: Mayan Treasures Europe Bound

By Thelma Mejía
Archeological treasures of the Mayan empire will be exhibited in Europe later this year to help spread the wonders of the ancient indigenous culture - and promote tourism in Honduras.

HONDURAS-POLITICS: WOMAN MAKES POLITICAL HISTORY

By Thelma Mejía
Nora Melgar has made political history in Honduras. After 175 years, she is the first women to ever run for President of this country.

HONDURAS: The Disappeared, a Never Ending Story

By Thelma Mejía
The issue of the disappeared in Honduras returned to the headlines when fragments of a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) torture manual supplied to the nation's military became public knowledge.

CENTRAL AMERICA-CHILDREN: Olof Palme Award to ‘Casa Alianza’

By Thelma Mejía
An organisation that has worked to improve the lives of street children in poverty-stricken nations of Central America, is to be recognised for its work on Jan 28.

HONDURAS: The Army Wants You!

By Thelma Mejía
Honduras' army has launched an intensive five-month campaign to promote its image as a voluntary military force with a strong educational component.

HONDURAS-WOMEN: Sex Workers Demand Rights

By Thelma Mejía
Female sex workers in Honduras want their work legalised and to be made eligible for social benefits such as vacation, loans and access to health facilities.

HONDURAS: Fear and Loathing Among the Tawanka Indians

By Thelma Mejía
On Dec. 30, hired gunmen invaded a meeting of the Tawanka Indians in the town of Mosquitia and attempted to frighten them into revealing the location of members of their Council of Elders.

HONDURAS-HEALTH: Problems Over Abortion Increase

By Thelma Mejía
Illegal abortions in Honduras are among the biggest killers of women of reproductive age.

HONDURAS: Reina Wins Fresh Battle over Military

By Thelma Mejía
The Honduran legislature's decision to transfer the police to civilian hands was interpreted here on Wednesday as a triumph for President Carlos Reina in his push to demilitarise society.

/IPS DEVELOPMENT BULLETIN/ CENTRAL AMERICA: Hisses and Caresses for Businessmen in Uniform

By Thelma Mejía
Central American armies seeking to shift focus from barracks to boardrooms are getting a mixed reception from potential business partners.

CENTRAL AMERICA: Hisses and Caresses for Businessmen in Uniform

By Thelma Mejía
Hisses and Caresses for Businessmen in Uniform.

CENTRAL AMERICA-ECONOMY: Military Doing Good Business

By Thelma Mejía
The end of civil wars in Guetemala and elsewhere, the signing of peace agreements and a reduction of U.S. military aid has forced the armies of Central America to look for new methods of staying in business.

HONDURAS: Human Rights Activism, a High Risk Job

By Thelma Mejía
Defending human rights in Honduras is a high risk profession, for impunity is still the name of the game much as it was in the eighties, said Honduran Attorney General Edmundo Orellana Thursday.

/IPS DEVELOPMENT BULLETIN/ CENTRAL AMERICA: Governability – Myth and Reality

By Thelma Mejía
The concept of governability in Central America seems to get lost between the myth of the perfect democracy and a social and legal instability that pushes some sectors toward dreaming of a return to the dictatorships of the past.

CENTRAL AMERICA: Governability – Myth and Reality

By Thelma Mejía
The concept of governability in Central America seems to get lost between the myth of the perfect democracy and a social and legal instability that pushes some sectors toward dreaming of a return to the dictatorships of the past.

HONDURAS-POLITICS: Return to the Violent Times

By Thelma Mejía
Human rights activists in Honduras have expressed concern over increased violence in the country and called on President Carlos Reina to take action against it.
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