The Infrastructure Achilles Heel?
I itemized in the last blog update on my travel blog how the Inter American Highway (in the U.S. we call it the Pan Am Highway) runs through the country from end to end AND is the only highway through the country. (Click on the map and look at the highway {red line} as it traverses the country) This becomes a real problem during bad weather when rainstorms cause rivers to overflow and/or washes out bridges along the highway. I further reiterated that this really constitutes an infrastructure ‘Achilles Heel’ for Panama.
The highway becomes a tool for people who have a complaint and decide to protest by closing the highway. The on-going protest concerning mining rights in the indigenous territories is now approaching a week long and the effects of the highway closing are far reaching.
As of early Saturday this was the latest information:
Members of an Indian tribe in Panama are blocking roads in two provinces on the 
border with Costa Rica in a dispute over mineral exploitation on their lands. Protesters from the Ngobe-Bugle tribe have been manning roadblocks of stones and branches set up Monday in Bocas del Toro and Chiriqui in western Panama.
They have also closed sections of road in Veraguas province. A tribal spokesman told The Associated Press on Thursday that the protesters will not negotiate directly with the government but want discussions with the Central American country's Legislative Assembly. The assembly has taken initial steps toward lifting a mining moratorium in the region where many of the tribe's members live.
In addition, according to RPC Radio, protesting Indians have closed the bridge over the Changuinola river, and blocked the road going towards Almirante in Bocas del Toro.
THIS JUST IN:
The situation in San Felix just changed significantly. According to the Director of Panama's National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC), Arturo Alvarado De Icaza, the protesting indigenous Ngöbe Bugle Indians have kidnapped about 40 Costa Rican citizens who were traveling aboard a "Tica Bus" in the area of the protest. While speaking to the channel 2 TVN evening news broadcast, Alvarado said the Ngöbe Bugle Indians said the Costa Rican tourists would be serving as their "guarantee" and they called them their "hostages."
This Could Be Bad: Don Winter (Panama Guide) says: “When a nation's Tier One force (Delta equivalent) is forced to take action in order to liberate hostages, the outcome is never guaranteed. Panama has this kind of a force, and they are relatively capable. However, they have no (zero) practical experience is this kind of a real world situation. I'm trying to remember the last time a Panamanian special forces unit rescued a hostage, and there might have been one or two incidents. But not a bus full of foreign hostages, surrounded by hundreds of pissed off protesting Indians. I don't know how this situation is going to evolve, and I certainly hope it can be negotiated away, but if the authorities are forced to go in hot, the survival of the hostages is not guaranteed. This is not good.”
Some Of The Results Of The Closings
Tourists Trapped: Tourists from Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador, who have 
not been able to reach their destinations because of the protests on the Inter American Highway, have called on the diplomatic authorities of their countries, which are in Panama, to help them during this crisis. Mr. Omar Andino, a Honduran national, they have been without food or water for days, and only the Embassy of El Salvador provided them with some inputs but they are all gone. He said there are children and sick people with them who need medical attention, adding that the situation has not gotten worse because they received some support from residents of the area and a few ambulances were at the scene for a while. He explained they have not even been able to communicate with their relatives in different countries, a situation that has them desperate. Mr. Andino urgently requested help for him and all those who have been caught in the closing of the Inter American Highway. Some are in the area of Veraguas and others in the province of Cocle. (Telemetro)
Costa Rican Tourist Asking For Help: The situation in Panama keeps worsening as 
the highway remains blocked for four days now and 270 Costa Ricans are trapped on the Panamanian side of the border. "We have been here for four days and supplies are running low. There are people with diabetes and asthma, the situation is out of control", Allan Roman, one of the Costa Ricans trapped by the blockages, told the press. Roman is part of a group of Costa Ricans who traveled to Panama on an excursion, describing his situation and that of the others to Radio ADN 90.7.
Panama’s Government and Copa Airlines: The government of Panama has coordinated with Copa Airlines to create an "air bridge" to move people between the Enrique Malek International Airport in the city of David in the province of Chiriqui and the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. According to the Director of the Civil Air Authority of Panama, Rafael Barcenas, the first flight will be arriving at Tocumen this evening (from David) at about 8:00 pm with 94 passengers aboard. He said "the public should be aware these flights are for the emergency evacuation of tourists and those who have been stuck in David and who cannot return to Panama City due to the protests. These flights should not be considered as free flights for tourists to travel to Chiriqui." Copa's Embraer 190AR has a capacity to move 84 passengers in coach and 10 in first class.
Produce Market – Panama City: The Farmers' Market in Curundú (Produce Market) 
is feeling the consequences of what is happening hundreds of miles away, because there is a shortage of agricultural products coming from the province of Chiriqui. The closing of the Pan American highway has prevented trucks carrying vegetables from reaching the food market. Products such as carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions, passion fruit, tomatoes, pumpkin and papaya, among others, lie in the trucks that are stuck on the highway. The Food Market vendors say the closure is creating a food crisis, since 70% of the agricultural products consumed in the capital come from the lands of Chiriqui Province.
Truckers Threaten To Close Border Crossing: Carlos Argetta, a spokesman for the truck drivers stranded in San Felix, Chiriqui Province, announced they would close the international border crossing between Panama and Costa Rica at Paso Canoas at one o'clock, if the government does not resolve the request of the Indians of the region Ngäbe Bugle. "If the president fails to come to Paso Canoas we will proceed with the closure of Paso Canoas, where there are 50 articulated vehicles that will proceed to close the road," said the driver. Moreover, business groups in Chiriqui have asked the National Government to resolve the conflict. The Ngäbe Bugle Indians have kept the Interamerican Highway closed since Tuesday because of a Bill before the National Assembly that would regulate mining activity in the region which does not meet their aspirations.
Note: If the Paso Canoas border crossing is closed, no supplies of any kind will be able to reach David from the north (Costa Rica) either.
Gas In David: Gas stations began running out of gas in the David area on Friday. Unless there is some kind of break in this situation I am certain there is now no gas in David.
Trucking Crises: The greatest losses have been recorded in both domestic and 
international loads, primarily those which are transported from the province of Chiriqui to the regions of Panama City and Colon. "The deterioration of vegetables, milk and a variety of poultry products has reflected substantial losses," said an official. As for the loads of cargo that come from Central America to Panama, the President of the Canatraca said these transactions have also been greatly affected, because such goods are moved only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
And This Just In:
Truck Dispensing Milk: As I was writing this article, a truck showed up on the Parque Cervantes in downtown David. His arrival was evidently publicized, because the line stretches all the way around the park (the photo on the right is on the opposite end of the park from the truck). The truck is dispensing milk.
The milkman cometh!
The line stretches to the far side of park
Crowd waiting for the next truck.
And a near riot
Summary
At this point no one is sure how this will all turn out. When there were similar protest last year, both protestors and police where injured, some seriously. Hopefully that can be avoided.
The irony of this (if that is the right word) is that the Ngobe tribe makes up about only about 3% of the population of Panama. I am not suggesting that a minority and their interests should be ignored. I am wondering why they would be allowed to in effect strangle the country.
In addition, according to government sources familiar with the proposed legislation that is the heart of the conflict: 1) the Ngobe are objecting to the removal of a provision in the legislation that was NOT part of the agreement negotiated with the Ngobe previously, and 2) the provision that was removed addresses activities that are not even on the Ngobe lands (camarca).
And this incident highlights, and takes me back to, my original point. The government of Panama needs to address the ‘Achilles Heel’ being highlighted in their country’s basic infrastructure.
Till Next Time. Pura Vida
Recent Comments