Castro publishes article criticizing health rumors

Posted on Sunday, 10.21.12

Castro publishes article criticizing health rumors
By PAUL HAVEN
The Associated Press

HAVANA -- HAVANA (AP) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said he doesn't
even suffer from a headache in an article he published in state-media
Monday criticizing those who spread rumors he was on his death bed.

The article, ironically titled "Fidel is Dying," is accompanied by
photos taken by son Alex Castro that show the revolutionary icon
standing outside near some trees wearing a checked shirt and cowboy hat,
including one in which he is seen reading Friday's copy of the Communist
Party newspaper Granma.

Castro is leaning against a cane in the photos and he looks every bit
his 86 years, but his eyes are sharp and his expression determined as he
gestures with his left hand.

"I don't even remember what a headache feels like," Castro claims in the
article, adding that he was releasing the photos to show "how dishonest"
the rumor mongers have been.

Cubans reacted with a mix of support and cynicism.

"He looks well to me and the truth is I'm happy, but one day he will die
because at his age he's on borrowed time," said Camilo Fuentes, a
67-year-old Havana resident.

"I think it is a big show," said Carina Rojo, a 57-year-old retiree.
"People don't care anymore ... there is much more interest in these
things outside the country."

Castro's article was published on the state-run Cubadebate Web site
early Monday, and in virtually all other state-media later in the day.
It is the latest evidence the former Cuban president is alive and
seemingly well after more than a week of intense speculation he was
seriously ill.

Twitter and other social media sites have been abuzz with claims of
Castro's demise.

On Sunday, a visiting former Venezuelan vice president released a photo
of a meeting he said he had the previous day with Castro, and a hotel
manager also present for part of the meeting claimed Castro's health was
"magnificent."

In the article Monday, Castro says he has been dealing with
disinformation about Cuba since the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961.

He criticized Western media he said are in the pocket of the rich, and
singled out Spain's ABC newspaper for publishing comments by a
Venezuelan doctor who claimed to have information that Castro had
suffered a stroke and had weeks to live.

Castro has been out of the public eye since March, when he received
visiting Pope Benedict XVI. He also stopped writing his once constant
opinion pieces, called "Reflections," the last of which was published in
June.

Former Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua said he met with Castro for
five hours and showed The Associated Press photos of the encounter,
quashing persistent rumors that the former Cuban leader was on his
deathbed or had suffered a massive stroke.

Jaua also confirmed that Castro personally accompanied him to the Hotel
Nacional after their encounter Saturday, in which they talked about
politics, history, culture and tourism.

"He had the courtesy of bringing me to the hotel," Jaua said Sunday,
adding that Castro looked "very well."

In the article Monday, Castro explains that he chose to stop the opinion
pieces of his own accord, not because he was too sick to continue them.

"I stopped publishing Reflections because it was really not my role to
take up pages in our press which are needed for other work the country
requires," he wrote.

Castro stepped down in 2006 following a severe illness, handing power to
his brother Raul.

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Anne-Marie Garcia contributed to this report.

Follow Paul Haven on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/paulhaven

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/21/3060219/hotel-official-fidel-castro-appears.html