Not a single Medellin student so far has signed up to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe’s controversial cash-for-intelligence scheme, which the head of state proposed at the end of January.
Uribe proposed that some 1,000 students in Medellin act as informants for the army, in an attempt to curb ongoing violence in the city.
Some 80 Medellin residents have reportedly joined the scheme, but they are all shop-keepers and housewives, according to Caracol Radio.
A police committe is analyzing how much participants will be paid for their participation in the program. Police chief Oscar Naranjo previously said that payments would range between $50 and $2,500.
Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said that due to the incidence of violence in Santa Marta, a similar program may be implemented in the Caribbean city.
Silva rejects criticism that the government is putting the lives of these civilians at risk by asking them to “snitch” on groups which are not afraid to use violence.
Uribe’s proposal to pay Medellin students a monthly stipend for providing intelligence to the military caused controversy among political commentators.
