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| Introduction | |
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As David Horowitz would say, "Fight back, and don't let anyone rip you off!" Mexico is not the corrupt country that the pundits accuse it of being. If you know what resources to utilize and you have the courage stand up for your rights, you have nothing to fear.
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| Office of the Federal Attorney General for Consumer Protection | |
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If you have a dispute with a merchant or if a merchant has ripped you off, you will find that PROFECO (an acronym for Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor) has offices throughout Oaxaca to assist you in resolving your dispute with the merchant. Please obtain a Factura from the merchant. This is an official invoice that will include an imprint of their registration seal from the SHCP (Secreteria de Hacienda y Credito Publico). A valid factura will also have an imprinted invoice number in one of the top corners. Usually the numbers are in red..
On the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, PROFECO has an office at the following location in Huatulco:
Oficina Receptora de Quejas: Huatulco
Their website has a list of offices throughout Mexico. It is a very valuable resource, but appears to have lost its multilengual resources. http://www.profeco.gob.mx/html/inicio/inicio.htm.
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| Oaxaca State Attorney General | |
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They are not yet online, but they are likely to be online soon under the state government's index. http://www.oaxaca.gob.mx/estado/index.html. The public minister of the Oaxaca State Attorney General is the appropriate venue to file charges against someone who is violating your rights or who has committed a crime against you. Ask for the "Ministerio Publico" in Pochutla, Huatulco or Puerto Escondido.
Puerto Escondido has a Deputy Attorney General as well, but you must first present your complaint before the public minister. The public minister is similar to an administrative law judge in the United States.
The first step that the public minister will take will be to subpeona the parties invlolved to appear before him for a hearing on the matter.
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| IFOPE International Friends of Puerto Escondido | |
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International Friends of Puerto Escondido is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political association of foreigners and other interested people living in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. The association, serves as a support and resource group, and functions to facilitate communication and cooperation within the foreign community and between the foreign community and local governments. IFOPE also aids visitors who find themselves in need of assistance in both emergency and non-emergency situations. The group also offers service and support to local communities as needs are identified.
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| Jalisco State Attorney General | |
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The Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado de Jalisco has a website at http://www.jalisco.gob.mx/srias/pgj
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| Colima State Attorney General | |
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The Procuraduría General de Justicia Colima has a website at http://www.colima-estado.gob.mx/Gobierno/PGR/Pgr.htm
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| H E L P ! Manzanillo Foreign Community Association, A.C. | |
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The Manzanillo Foreign Community Association provides assistance to foreigners visiting or living in Mexico. Emergency services are provided for illness, legal matters, immigration problems, translation needs, etc. Jalisco and Colima. (3)33-40977. Fax: (3)33-40977, (3)33-42447. Email: help!@delfin.colimanet.com
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| Oaxaca State Human Rights Commission | |
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They have an office in Puerto Escondido and in Oaxaca. The office in Puerto Escondido is located a block below the crucero in the center of town. Ask for the Comision Estatal de Derechos Humanos. The address and telephone number of the Puerto Escondido office of the Oaxaca State Human Rights Commission is:
Felipe Merklin no. 503-A, Col. Centro, C.P. 71980 Puerto Escondido, Oax. Tel/Fax: (954) 582-0336
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| Mexico National Human Rights Commission | |
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http://www.cndh.org.mx/
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| United States Consular Service | |
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The consular service can assist victims of crimes, human rights abuses, and dishonest merchants by advising them on how to proceed within the justice system in Oaxaca.
United States Consular Agent in Oaxaca
The website of the United States Embassy in Mexico City lists consular agents and agencies throughout Mexico and describes the services they provide. http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/edirector.html
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www.eden.com/~tomzap
Tom Penick: tom@tomzap.com