High-level commission in Bocas to dialogue with protestors

 A high-level commission headed by the Ministers of Government and Housing is already in the province of Bocas del Toro to start a dialogue to put an end to the riots and confrontations generated in Changuinola for two days by a group of protesters who refuse to vacate private land.

It is anticipated that the first parameter will be to reopen the main road of Changuinola, which remains closed and has already generated economic losses of $2 million.

According to preliminary reports, the authorities have already made arrangements to start talks with the leaders of these protesters, who have said they are willing to hold a respectful dialogue, with the intention of obtaining a clear response from the government to the housing problem they are facing.

The protests began after a justice of the peace issued an immediate eviction order from a 60-hectare plot of land belonging to a family that denounced the invasion of their land. After the order was ignored order, crowd control units were dispatched to the scene, which led to heavy riots and clashes.

The National Police reported that before carrying out the eviction of the squatters, a peaceful call was made to approximately 200 people who were on private land. However, according to investigations, people unrelated to the eviction have taken advantage of the protests to create chaos and instability.

The situation has become so hostile that some residents of El Empalme have had to leave their homes due to the risk posed by riots and tear gas reports TVN. The closures have paralyzed the entire district, as well as the work of the main banana company in Bocas del Toro, which has been forced to suspend operations in its 24 packing houses and the export of the product because the banana containers cannot cross to the bridge.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education announced the suspension of classes in four educational centers in Changuinola in order to safeguard the life and integrity of both the students and teaching and administrative staff.