The governor of the northern Panamanian province of Bocas del Toro, Bonifacio Abrego, said Sunday that he had decided against declaring a curfew for the city of Changuinola. Abrego said that calm had returned to the city after three days of violent confrontation between striking banana workers and police. The province of Bocas del Toro borders Costa Rica on the Caribbean coast.

Meanwhile, the Panamanian president, Ricardo Martinelli, vowed that he would uphold the controversial Law 30, which was the cause of the strike.

On Saturday, the Panamanian government ordered the reopening of the Changuinola airport, and police confirmed that the highway that connects the city to the rest of the country had been cleared. The road had been blocked for three days by strikers.

“The problems in Changuinola have been the product of misinformation and a series of lies,”  Martinelli said in a press statement issued Sunday. “The intransigence of a group of trade unionists can not end with the banana industry in Changuinola.”

The conflict emerged when the Bocas Fruit Company withheld the portion of workers’ salaries that normally goes toward paying union fees. The company subtracted the union membership fee in response to a recently enacted law that makes such fees optional.

“The government regrets the misunderstanding on the part of this company,” the Martinelli administration said in a press statement. “It is not in the power of this business, nor any other, to retain workers’ salaries because it constitutes a violation of workers’ rights.”

Under the law, the employees must decide whether to pay membership fees and the decision cannot be made for them by their employers.

The protest ended Sunday, when the government signed an agreement with the striking workers. According to the document posted on the Panamanian government website, the original law will not be changed, yet, the government committed to providing more resources to help workers confront the high cost of living.

While roads and the border are open again, shuttle companies such as Caribe Shuttle are holding off on resuming service for a few days while they monitor the situation and make sure the route is safe to travel.

Sources: Caribe Shuttle, Tico Times.

Clashes have been reported today at Finca 4 and Finca 13. Photo courtesy of La Prensa

La Prensa is reporting that a second person has died as a result of protests near Changuinola in Bocas Province, Panama.

According to the director of the Changuinola Hospital, Thusnelda Cruz, 123 persons have been admitted to the hospital for treatment of injuries as a result of the protests.

Meanwhile our friends over at Caribe Shuttle have let us know that the US Embassy in Panama has now issued a travel advisory for traveling to or from Bocas del Toro while noting that the islands themselves are calm. The travel advisory reads:

Bulletin from Bocas Warden

To those hotels/hostels this email sent to, please inform you guests.

Today, Friday 9 June: It is not a good idea to travel to, near or thru Changuinola or mainland Bocas Del Toro Provincia. It is not a safe to be in this area, and there are road blockages preventing transit, due to protests between Panamanians and their government.

If you need to travel from Isla Bocas to anywhere, it is advised that you leave only by air, to Panama City, David or San Jose, Costa Rica. Either, remain in Isla Bocas until the protests end, or change you travel arrangements accordingly.

When it is save to travel by boat/road from Isla Bocas, an advisory will be sent.

At 7pm, Friday 9 July: Per Isla Bocas Alcalde, Joe Anderson, and Isla Bocas Hospital Emergency, Dr Luis Mou, condition in Isla Bocas is very normal, no problems reported.

Larry Shane
Bocas Warden, US Embassy Panama

The land route between Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro remains closed leaving the only transport option the three times weekly Nature Air flights from San José.

Travelers who have already booked shuttle transport from Costa Rica’s Caribbean to Bocas should contact their travel agency.

A new law passed recently (Ley Migración 8487) opened the possibility of tourists who wish to stay more than 90 days in Costa Rica extending their stay by applying at an immigration office and paying a fee of $100.

The old rules required tourists who wanted to stay longer than 90 days to leave the country for at least 72 hours. For those who wintered in Puerto Viejo that usually meant a trip over the border to Bocas del Toro in Panama for a few days.

The immigration department has now posted rules on how this program will work in practice and what documentation is required.

The new law states that “Las personas extranjeras autorizadas para ingresar al país y permanecer en él bajo la categoría migratoria de turista, por un plazo inferior a noventa días, tendrán la posibilidad de prorrogar su permanencia”. In other words that persons who entered under the tourist category with a period of less than 90 days are able to apply to extend their stay.

The bureaucrats in charge of implementing the program seemed to have interpreted the law in the most restrictive possible manner such that the change will be effectively useless for the majority of tourists. The have indicated that the language will be strictly applied and that the extensions will only be available to those who received less than 90 days on their initial entry whereas most North Americans are automatically granted a 90 day stay when they enter the country. As such, they will not qualify for the extension.

As well as the $100 fee, the government will also require a long list of documentation to accompany the application, including a certified copy of the person’s ticket to leave the country and a copy of the passport translated into Spanish.

And so it seems likely the over the border runs to Bocas will continue.

The full rules are available here.

Some of the things that CATCAS says should be priorities for the new deputy are:

• Repair of the road between Hone Creek and Manzanillo and the principal streets of Puerto Viejo and Cahuita
• Sewage and water treatment
• Garbage collection
• Security and crime
• The possibility of a small airport in the Hone Creek area
• Review of the municipal taxes and fees (which are exorbitant and unequally applied)
• The promotion of the local culture
• The Puerto Viejo school

CATCAS has asked for a meeting with the new deputy to discuss their proposals.

You can view the full letter (in Spanish) here.

May travelers had been reporting the poor state of the road, which was loaded with potholes that made driving hazardous.

The Ministry (MOPT) has also announced the continuation of work on the 18 kilometers on road from Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo. The ministry release did not specify the amount of money to be invested in the project or the timeframe.

Today’s MOPT inspection coincides with the visit of President Arias to the Puerto Limon, where he will be on hand to receive the first racers of the Transat.

More: La Nacion: MOPT realiza bacheo de emergencia en ruta Limón – Puerto Viejo

A judge of the administrative court has ruled that the Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación (SINAC) is responsible for the eviction and demolition of Hotel Las Palmas located inside the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge at Punta Uva.

The decision was rendered by the court yesterday after a period of apparent inaction by the Ministry of Environment and SINAC to act on previous orders for the eviction of the hotel.

The judge, Lorena Montes de Oca, absolved of responsibility the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAET) and its chief, Jorge Rodriguez. The information was confirmed by MINAET spokesmen and the Comptroller General of the Republic, which brought the suit.

The judge ruled that SINAC must coordinate with all institutions to ensure that “the demolition of the property proceeds as soon as possible”.

According to the MINAET spokesman, Ricardo Arias, the eviction order was scheduled for last week, but there was “a problem” in coordination with security forces.

The case dates back to 1985 when the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines (MIRENEM) granted an occupancy permit for the Resort Punta Uva, SA. Eight years later MIRENEM withdrew the permission from the owner of the complex, Jan Kalina.

In 2004, the Sala I court ordered the eviction and demolition of the hotel. However, since then a series of legal moves and lawsuits have held up the eviction order.

More: La Nación: Jueza ordena demoler hotel dentro de área protegida

The measure was passed yesterday in what should be its final form. It will take effect six months after the administration publishes the law in La Gaceta so while there is some small measure of flexibility for when the government will implement it, the details are set.

The law is of great interest to the many ex-pats from North America and Europe who make their homes in the Puerto Viejo area as well as to the even greater number of Central American migrants from Nicaragua and other places.

Some of the highlights include:

- All residents will be required to join the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social as a condition of their residency.

- A new immigration police force will be formed out of the Fuerza Publica to enforce the provisions of the law

- Immigrants applying as pensionados (a status that allows a foreigner residency as a retiree but not to work) will now have to prove a monthly income of $1000US/month, up from $600. However, the part of the law that made that provision retroactive to pensionados already here was deleted so that worry was avoided.

- Immigrants applying as rentistas (a status that allows a foreigner residency and to work as a business owner or investor) will now have to prove a monthly income of $2500/month but this includes status for close family members.

- Police will now only be able to detain a person for a maximum of 24 hours while their immigration status is being verified.

The law does not address the issue of perpetual tourists, those who leave the country for 3 days every 90 days and then return for a new 90 day visa.  Some in government had suggested a rule allowing a maximum of two 90 day stays per year.

More details: La Nación: Próximo Gobierno tendrá nueva ley migratoria

The station in Puerto Viejo, located beachfront, has already had a septic tank donated by the local tourism association CATCAS and local business owners doing construction in the area have stepped in and donated work to get the septic field built.

So apparently the work is well under way.

But an A.M. Costa Rica article yesterday alarmed many people as it only mentioned the closure order and not the fact that work is ongoing.

The tourism board among others are negotiating with the health ministry to make sure the order is delayed so that the work can be completed and Puerto Viejo is not left without a police station.

Thank you for your concern about the police stations in Puerto Viejo and Cahuita. I have received a lot of emails about this article in the past 24 hours and there is some confusion about the issue. The police stations are not closing nor is anyone trying to close them.

This is what happened: The Ministry of Health issued a series of orders to the Ministry of Public Security about some health and safety concerns they noticed in police stations along the Atlantic coast, which is nothing abnormal. The Health Ministry requested that the station in Puerto Viejo replace a damaged door, install a new fire extinguisher, replace some old electric outlets and repair two windows.

The only closure the Health Ministry issued was for the kitchen and the bedroom in the police station in Tuba Creek. The Tuba Creek police station will remain open, but officers will not be able to cook or sleep there until the two rooms are cleaned and repaired. I confirmed this information with both ministries. I also spoke with Luis Videla, the man from the Southern Zone Chameber of Commerce cited in the AM Costa Rica article. His concern was mis-communicated in AM Costa Rica’s story. His wish was to call a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Security, which has been scheduled for next Monday, to ensure that the police stations comply with the Health Ministry’s requests so they do not have to close the station in the future.

Oscar Arias, the president of Costa Rica, was among the dignitaries in Hone Creek (just outside Puerto Viejo) on the weekend to open a new water system. The new system will also service the communities of Puerto Viejo, Carbón Uno, Comadre and Catarata.  The executive chairman of Costa Rica’s water company AyA, Ricardo Sancho, said that the new service would benefit approximately 5,000 residents.

Sancho said that the project was to “install chlorination systems, construct new PVC and polyethylene pipes and distribution lines for each of the communities; also pressure valves to homes.”

The project involves pumping water from a well located near the community of Sand Box, to a storage tank located near Hone Creek. From here the water is gravity fed to the communities benefiting.

The old system often ran out of water during dry periods.

The new system was built with the financial help of the Institute for Agriculture (IDA) which contributed 25 million colones (approximately $44,000 US), and the Joint Social Welfare Institute (IMAS) which contributed ¢100 million (approximately $175,000 US).

Sancho said the residents may apply starting this week to connect to the new project.

However, comments from readers regarding the announcement indicate that the project isn’t really complete yet, but that the inauguration went ahead anyway as Arías was scheduled to attend and so they didn’t want to move the opening ceremony even though the completion of the work is “at least 2 weeks away”.

Source: Costa Rica Hoy: Hone Creek inaugura nuevo acueducto

With this change, the nightly room tax for a room in Costa Rica will now be 13% instead of 16.39% so for most visitors the savings from the hotel tax should offset the $15 additional paid for their tickets.

The government is also hoping that the new airline tax will be easier to collect and less subject to evasion as well.

The airline ticket tax took effect on April 1st. The hotel tax change was effective as of Friday March 27 but many hotels are just now hearing about the change and making it effective. For those hotels which include taxes in their rates, it will be up to them whether to decrease their rates accordingly or just take a little extra profit.

More: La Nación: Aerolíneas advierten que cobro de $15 más en boletos afectará turismo

Update Apr 4: The new tax rate in this article was initially erroneously reported as 13.39%. It should be 13.00%. The old tax was 16.39% since the 13% sales tax was also applied to the 3% ICT tax.