News stories by Thelma Mejía, page 4

In his first one hundred days in office, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo has lobbied hard for international recognition of his government, in order to pull the country out of the isolation it has faced since the Jun. 28, 2009 coup that overthrew Manuel Zelaya.

With a warning by its members that it will not be a 'decorative' body dedicated to merely 'collecting stories about what happened,' the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up in Honduras to investigate events surrounding the June 2009 coup that overthrew the government of Manuel Zelaya began to operate Tuesday.

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo plans to seek help from police forces in Colombia and the United States to try to solve the murders of seven journalists committed in the space of less than two months, which will also be investigated by a delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights next month.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to investigate the June 2009 coup that ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya will begin its work in May under the sceptical watch of a wide range of observers, from human rights organisations to right-wing political sectors.

Reporters in Honduras have long complained about gag laws, threats, exile and attacks. But never before have so many journalists been killed in one month.

Less than a month into his term, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo is facing street protests, complaints of human rights violations, and criticism of the truth commission he set up to investigate the Jun. 28 coup that overthrew President Manuel Zelaya

Porfirio Lobo, who was sworn in Wednesday as president of Honduras, urged the people of his country and the international community to 'forget the past' and move ahead towards reconciliation.

As the Honduran Congress prepares to vote next week on an amnesty for both sides in the conflict triggered by the Jun. 28 coup in which President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown, the country's top military chiefs have been charged with 'abuse of power' for their role in the ouster.

Corruption in Honduras has taken root at every level of the state, which is helpless to combat it because of the lack of credibility of most of its institutions, the erosion of social capital and the public perception that the problem is here to stay.

Porfirio Lobo set out on an international tour Tuesday in an effort to gain recognition from the international community of his recent triumph in the presidential elections organised by the de facto government in Honduras that seized power five months ago.