Paraguay

In the 1990s we spent a few happy weeks in Paraguay. It was then in the last throws of military dictatorship, with General Rodriguez about to hand over to democratic government following the overthrow of Alfredo Stroessner. One Asuncion hotel in our South American Handbook carried a warning not to take an east facing room, as these looked onto the presidential palace and were liable to be hit by ricocheting bullets during attempted coups. Happy days.

Last month Alberto Cantero died. In the 1970s he was Stroessner's political chief in the Paraguayan national police. I'm sure you know what that involved. It was hoped that before he died he would inform the authorities where the graves of political prisoners from the Stroessner regime were located. Sadly he didn't, but another link to Paraguay's dictatorial past has now gone.

To balance that below is a song from popular Paraguayan singer Silvia Mariella. And good luck to Paraguay in South Africa, even though their training camp in France has just been robbed. Bloody French!