The Inter-American highway remains closed in Santiago

Crowd Control Units of the National Police managed to clear the road at the La Peña intersection in the province of Veraguas. However, despite the presence of a significant contingent of riot police, the Inter-American highway remained closed in both directions over the vehicle bridge in Santiago, a place that has become the bastion of the struggle of teacher leaders, unions, and groups originating from the Veraguense region that for more than three weeks have blocked the country’s main vehicular artery as a measure of pressure to reject the Minera Panama mining contract.

From the early hours of  Friday, November 10, anti-riot agents from the National Police arrived in the city of Santiago to restore vehicular traffic on the Inter-American highway. The first closure point that the police managed to clear was the intersection located in La Peña, where three people were apprehended and placed under the orders of the authorities. However, the main points such as El Piramidal and the vehicular bridge over the Santiago crossing still remain blocked. It is expected that in the afternoon as the public force advances, they will be able to take control of these two sectors that have remained closed since l October 23 when the protests in rejection of the mining contract began.

In an attempt to restore social peace and public order, the National Police announced that no more street closures would be permitted and that it would vigorously enforce the law to restore order in the country. For this purpose, two checkpoints were established in the city of Santiago, one on the overpass over the Inter-American highway and the other in front of the Piramidal Hotel.