Protesters call for massive anti-mining demonstrations

President, Ricardo Martinelli on a goodwill mission to Sona, Veraguas Province on Friday, February 18 repeated the government mantra about changes to the mining code: "nobody will make any concession or exploitation of any mining district area."

Because of this, he said, it was not necessary for the protests that have blocked highways across the country to continue.

But he, deflected talk of a possible repeal of the changes which he signed into law and were a week earlier.
Martinelli called for dialogue with indigenous groups who reject Law 8."Dialogue is the only thing that must prevail," the president said on TVN Noticias.

Since the fast track passage and enactment of the new Law 8, natives of the Ngäbe Bugle, region educators, farmers, workers and environmentalists have called for its repeal.

Leaders of the anti mining groups have called for a "massive and indefinite" protest from Thursday February 24 next if the government does not address their demands. {jathumbnail off}
The President was in Sona, the district where he grew up, to participate in meetings between agricultural producers and government and to visit Sona Fair, where he presented the design of a new regional hospital for Veraguas