CUBANET ... CUBANEWS 646927

February 23, 2000



Housing Resources Diverted to Build Video Rental Stores

HAVANA, February 21 (Amarilis Cortina Rey, Cuba-Verdad) - Construction microbrigades, normally assigned to building housing, have been diverted to build video rental stores.

"We are going to build a store in each municipality in the capital," said one of the workers. He added that materials and workers had been allocated to that purpose. For months now, the government has been actively prosecuting people who operate free-lance video rental establishments out of their homes, generally trading in foreign movies, musicals and even recorded TV broadcasts, primarily American.

The indications are that the government wants to control the distribution of films and other materials that it doesn't want seen by the majority of Cubans. Anyone caught in possesion of a video tape is fined and the tape confiscated.

At the same time, there are a number of movie theaters in Havana that are closed for lack of maintenance and there are thousands living in improvised shelters or with relatives, awaiting new living quarters.



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