400 vehicles stranded at closed Tico border crossing

The Paso Canoas border with Panama- Costa Rica remains closed as protests  continue despite the announcement that the administration of President Carlos Alvarado would not continue with negotiations with  the International Monetary Fund (IMF). .

Groups leading the protests are requesting that the Government commit in writing that they will not continue with this plan and the decision to close the roads is being felt in Panama.

The closing of dozens of highways including  Paso Canoas, Panama, which is mainly affecting international trade; about 400 trucks are stranded in the sector.

The protesters have  blocked the streets on the Costa Rican side. since Sunday night,

Dump trucks unloaded a large amount of earth and stones, to prevent the passage, both pedestrian and vehicular, as seen in videos published on social networks.

Panama  President Laurentino Cortizo, said on  Monday, October 5, for now, the situation in the border between Panama and Costa Rica “is manageable.”

According to a report from the AFP agency , Costa Rica’s Ministry of Security detected 40 blockade points  , including Route 36, which connects the Costa Rican sector of Limón with Sixaola in the direction of the binational bridge with the province of Bocas del Toro, Panama.

New taxes to the detriment of spending cuts, was one of the points of the negotiations between the Tico government and the IMF that caused the demonstrations.

It was reported that the Government of Costa Rica was trying to agree with the IMF a loan of about $1..75 billion to face a complicated fiscal situation.