Pantah

On 9/28/2017 at 12:28 PM, Bonnie said:

Price controls apply to the entire country, not just to those areas harboring expats.

I have heard that Colombia, unlike Panama, taxes income received from outside the country. Anyone considering a move there may want to check this out.

If you are in Colombia more than 183 days they not only tax worldwide income, but worldwide assets, where the imputed return is 4% of the value of those assets.

9 hours ago, Jim Bondoux said:

Drove to David today, passing the Caldera turnoff at 11:30am. Checkpoint was active, with four officers, a Policia pickup truck and a motorcycle. Came back at 6:00pm, and no trace of a checkpoint. Perhaps the police intend to man the checkpoint at random times, which will be almost as good, if not better, a deterrent to visitors with "bad intentions".

Also, another accident just above Brisas - sedan flipped in the dividing storm drain and governmental pickup truck with seriously bashed-in front end.

I share Keith's desire for statistics to know if the checkpoint is really effective. Since my last post on this I learned of three more crimes in my neighbourhood, all done by locals.

So there is no confusion, I moved here from a city where they changed their resource allocation of community policing after years increasing crime, and it worked. Again, it is not about me. I am willing to change my stance if I can get facts instead of opinions on this.

Also I have been talking to some merchants in Bajo Boquete, and they talk about response times on the order of hours. According to one of them, she knows of four holdups on the Feria bridge at nighttime. I learned all this yesterday, just by going out and asking.

On 10/15/2017 at 5:29 PM, Keith Woolford said:

It seems ludicrous to attach blame for any of these incidents on the presence of a Police checkpoint, which in the opinion of officials and other residents, has lowered crime in the area.

Who's to say that the officers from there would be reassigned to the village of Boquete, anyway?

The police commander is to say, here is what I stated "Now the police will be reassigned to actually where crimes are occurring". There is crime in Palmira and Potrerillos, etc. It is not about me. BTW I attach the blame on the perps, no one else.

Can anybody provide actual statistics to the crime decrease. All I have is my own personal experience (facts) that counter opinions of others.

I was informed that the initial idea was to provide Boquete area residents stickers to show at the checkpoint. Is that still possible?

Is there anyway to persuade the transitos to actually patrol for cell phone users and drunks, rather than checking vehicle docs at the checkpoint? Wasn't the checkpoint established to counter violent crime.

Lastly, does anybody have more info on the home burglary with a pistol wielding maleante reported in the Panama press very recently in Bajo Boquete?

Appreciate any light that can shed on this.

35 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

Please provide any statistics which would back up that statement.

35 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

Please provide any statistics which would back up that statement.

Gladly, in my neighborhood (of 10 houses) 3 of those experienced these crimes (one attempted home invasion, one successful breakin) and a theft from a car. Furthermore 3 of the houses installed bars afterwards. I live in a poor neighborhood. I believe one of the crimes was from a local, the other 2 probably, as my neighborhood is not likely to be surveilled by outsiders. Since nobody was caught, no way to check.

BTW there was a home burglary in Bajo Boquete in the last couple of weeks, where a young ladrone was photographed from behind in one of the major news publications. He used a pistol. I can't find any details of where, who, etc. I would like to know.

1 hour ago, Brundageba said:

Now the bad guys can rape and plunder us freely. I am sure that's exactly what the criminals moving about wanted.

Good news for me. Now the police will be reassigned to actually where crime are occuring. I had to wait 25 minutes for a serious crime in progress (attempted home invasion) in Bajo Boquete. I am sure the tow company operators are bummed though. Better optics for tourism (no Norieaga like garitas). Makes the point moot of staffing a second checkpoint when the Potrerillos - Palmira road is completed.

PS: crime in my neighborhood actually went up after checkpoint was installed, probably caused by the 20k persons that live north of it.

PPS: there has always been 2 routes to circumvent the checkpoint.

On 9/24/2017 at 9:34 AM, Moderator_02 said:

 

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Property_Tax_Law_Approved

For "other residences", here is the spanish version: 2. 0.60% sobre la base imponible excedente de B/.30,OOO.01 hasta B/.250,000.OO.

Not sure what other residences are. Condos?

The lady who ran the old recycling center next to the Boquete Brewing place has returned. She will be opened for business next Monday, Sep 25 8am to 5pm at the cabina next to the old Amigos (now a church). Somebody posted a foto of this a while back. It is the same place, the cementario is just behind it.

She told me, no plastic, no tires, no colored glass (only clear). 

She only speaks Spanish.

Buena Suerte

10 hours ago, Roger B said:

Thanks...

I will study this very well.

If you have a Panama address for your Schwab account they will not issue a Visa credit card. You get a Visa debit card. Excellent customer service and $5 to $0 dollar trading fees for investors. The article quoted is incorrect in saying Schwab provides banking. PNC bank is used for the cards, but is branded "Schwab".

Consider yourself blessed. There was a home invasion and shooting that was reported in upper Volcancito a year and a half ago (after the checkpoint). I think the guys name was Moore. I had the traumatic experience of an attempted home invasion last March.

On 8/27/2017 at 8:30 AM, Bonnie said:

I can see how the checkpoint has been effective. For starters, the Police generally can recognize people who are up to no good, and it appears that's one of the major things they are doing there. I've never been through without them looking into my car. And when there's a crime in Boquete, one call to the checkpoint alerts the officers to check cars going toward David. The maleantes know this and most likely to think twice before targeting Boquete. The checkpoint also serves as an important symbolic gesture that crime is taken more seriously here. Symbolic gestures have been known to work wonders.

Like Keith, I too would like to see some crime reports. I've sent his two comments to Mark Heyer and Rodny Moreno of Rodny Direct. And Bob Gregory (Alto al Crimen) is a recent contributor to this site, so I feel sure he's seen Keith's posts seeking updates.

Sadly the crime in my neighborhood (Bajo) has gone up after the checkpoint. The checkpoint is not manned 24/7. Too many criminals live north of the checkpoint. It diverts manpower that is more needed in Boquete. It took 25 minutes for the police to get to me on a serious issue recently and they are 5 minutes away. The transitos are diverted to checking documents there rather than patrolling for drunk drivers, dangerous cellphone users, and speeders. Which are in my opinion are much more needed for public safety, as the recent carnage fotos show.  The police are rotated every several months, so their maleante recognition is short lived, unfortunately. 

I think they should allocate resources from the checkpoints (where nobody speeds) to patrol. It would cut into their towing revenue however.

16 minutes ago, MarieElaine said:

I believe that Canada and the US are officially North Americans, Mexico to Panama are Central Americans and every country south of Panama are South Americans.  This is how I learned to identify the Americas and yes, we are all Americans.

Mexico is one of the five countries who's flag flies over North America. Custom and usage and context defines the term american, and norteamericano. Being called a "Norteamericano" here is ambiguos in definition but not in usage. People are also conflating the geographical and political "american". Kind of silly to even discuss this and also is how many continents are there. Hint: the count is different between Latin America and English speaking North America.

Do Canadians believe they are true Americans, using the same logic?

Does this also apply to people from St. Pierre and Miquelon too?

2 hours ago, Brundageba said:

Pantah

I am finding that I have had less problems with items from known common providers like AMAZON and SWANSONS vitamins.   I received a lipstick (eventually ) from a provider called PHARM PACKS and that one tube of lipstick stayed in scrutiny for over a month.  Pantah's EDTA may that white powder in a bottle that keeps them puzzling for eternity in customs.  Who knows.  I did look up on the Swanson's Health Products site and found it there.  Just an idea is to order one bottle with other innocuous products and see if it arrives.

Good pointer for others. Amazon order, not powder.

My EDTA has been held up over 6 wks now. No prescription needed. WTF. Multiple visits to MBE to get this processed. I am making an attempt to get healthier and they are throwing up BS roadblocks.

I think the people may be better served by pulling the transitos off document checking duty and have them actually patrol for dangerous yellow cars. Although document checking is easier and pays better

Spent a month recently in Medellin. The lights never even flickered. Makes you wonder. (BTW it was rainy season with lightning and thunder). This part of the infrastructure is private in Chiriqui. Makes my wonder why such crappy service.

Same here, waiting on MBE to call me when my "crema" is ready to pick up after several weeks. Item bought on amazon with all proper docs. This is really crap, i still don't know what I can buy or not now.

This will be my last response. I don't want to get into any further dialog. The ladrone used one of the large rocks to hammer in a window frame partially to attempt entry. That was the first sound I heard waking me up. There was a home invasion with a shooting up the hill from me in cerro verde, its in the press. 3 of the 10 houses on my block have been burgled lately. What if any statistics are there?? 

I think a bit of empathy is needed here.

1 hour ago, Bonnie said:

Home invasion crime is off topic as this thread is about residency. Maybe move to its own topic, Moderators?

I agree Bonnie, I don't know how it ended up here.

On 3/13/2017 at 8:52 AM, Marcelyn said:

When was your home invasion?

Please be careful! It was attempted. About 3 weeks ago. 20 minute barrage of fist sized rocks breaking many windows. The criminals know there is bad police response and take advantage of it. Why are the police resources used for checking documents at the Caldera and not patrolling Boquete where the violent crime is taking place? The crime in my neighborhood has actually gone up after the checkpoint.

Moderator comment: several of the replies in this topic were split out from a separate topic at http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/5259-be-legal-in-panama/

The reason for doing this rearrangement is that the original topic was about enforcement of a new Executive Decree from December 2016, and its implications for those living semi-permanently as "border hoppers" using a loophole in the law. Part of the conversation morphed into a discussion about the use of police officers at the Caldera intersection police inspection point, and an attempted home invasion. Although related to some degree, this topic is really about a safety/security issue. The below quoted postings are the junction point where the conversation started to diverge. Note that some CL members highlighted this diversion, and recommended a restructuring of the postings, which has now been done.

Quote

On 3/13/2017 at 6:11 AM, Hil said:

I had never been checked at the Check Point headed back towards David before I got residency. Maybe they have been instructed to start doing so since they are "enforcing" their laws now. Thank goodness I got my Pensionado and Ecedula.

We are always stopped at the Check Point between Boquete and David. Officers are friendly and only sometimes ask to see our cedulas. We usually offer bottled water....especially on hot days.

Above is the history and background. Below is where this newly created topic now begins.

I wish those officers were reassigned to Boquete. I had a home invasion attempt and it took 25 minutes to get to my house. The boquete police station is 5 minutes from my house.

I know this doesn't help much, but my past experience is not all border checkpoints are administered the same, as are the migracion offices. I have crossed 5 different ones! Also the law, which I have read isn't followed to the letter. So good luck. I am going to MDE soon, but staying longer. Interested to know what you find out. 

1 hour ago, JimAndNena said:

Not the best source information.

 

https://bestplacesintheworldtoretire.com/questions-and-answers/556-what-s-the-crime-rate-in-general-in-boquete-panama

What is interesting is one of the people in the article experienced a home invasion where they were smacked in the head with a hammer! I got this info first hand from said person. It was over 6 years ago and not robbery related. Maybe they can be more forthcoming and provide the details. My conversation with this person was in person and over several minutes.