Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 10, 2022 Moderators Share Posted May 10, 2022 Quote Riot police clash with Colón demonstrators Posted 10/05/2022 Riot police and demonstrators clashed on Tuesday, May 10, the second day of the general strike called by the Coalition of Unity for Colón (CUCO), upon not receiving a response from the Government regarding the demands for the execution of projects, control of the price of fuel and other requests from the civil society. The deputy of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party, Jairo Salazar, was accompanied by a group of people, dressed in white. “The Constitution that establishes that you can travel freely is being violated. We are going peacefully and you are provoking”, said the PRD deputy. Colón woke up to a large presence of Police crowd control agents in different parts of the province. There were also road closures in Río Alejandro, Puerto Pilón and Portobelo. Nine public transport routes have paralyzed their service; Drivers of taxis and school buses have also supported the call of CUCO. It was reported that the group is moving in a caravan from the outskirts of Colón to Cuatro Altos, where the coalition's bastion of struggle is. Meanwhile, the Vice Minister of Internal Trade and Industries, Omar Montilla, said that the delegation that will attend to the requests of these protesters was being defined. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/riot-police-clash-with-colon-demonstrators Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 14, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2022 Quote City in turmoil as lawmaker incites mob Posted 13/05/2022 Colón is in turmoil: street closures, marches, businesses closed, and the railway was looted and is currently paralyzed. Schools have suspended classes, thousands of medical appointments have been neglected and there are huge economic losses in the province, where three important ports operate. All governments have promised things and they do not fulfill them, and there is opportunism on the part of political actors who take advantage of the social situation and chaos begins,” said Diógenes Galván, community leader, and former independent candidate for Mayor of Colón “The government creates what they call negotiating tables and in those tables, the commitments are not fulfilled, and what is being seen happens again, because this is the product of the non-compliance that was made on November 5, 2021, by the president” Galvan added. The protests are commanded by various groups. On one side is the Coalition of Unity for Colon (Cuco), headed by Edgardo Voitier, a man who for years has promoted marches in social demands. They have been joined by professional guilds, educators, retirees, and the unemployed, among others. But there is also a faction led by the Colon deputy, Jairo Bolota Salazar, a member of the official caucus of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD)in the National Assembly. He has been seen inciting protestors to throw Molotov cocktails and to defend themselves from the "repression" of the National Police that has intervened in the protests. “If they dare to oppress us be careful... we know how things start but not how they end. We don't want violence. If they are forcing us, tomorrow we are going to have to throw Molotov cocktails. We are going to answer them”, said the deputy before the cameras and microphones of journalists who interviewed him on Wednesday, May 11. He was surrounded by a mob that joined him in a chorus and shouted “Let's go to answer them”. Sedition ? For the criminal lawyer Rosendo Rivera, the role that the deputy has had in the midst of these events could become "in defense of crime and sedition", and recalled that he incited violence in the midst of the harsh clashes between the Police and protesters Two police officed were injured by gunshots. According to Rivera, what Salazar called for "public disobedience" is an action that is typified in article 360 of the Criminal Code, which establishes that whoever "with violence, intimidation or deceit" prevents or hinders a public servant from carrying out an act of his or her functions, shall be punished with a prison sentence of two to five years. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/city-in-turmoil-as-lawmaker-incites-mob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 14, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2022 Quote Colón strike continues as Cortizo meeting fails Posted 13/05/2022 The Coalition of Unity for Colón (CUCO) will continue the indefinite strike, after getting no concrete answers during Thursday’s meeting with President Cortizo, who replied that there is more than $877 million invested in projects in Colon. Edgardo Voitier, a member of CUCO, said that the president did not refer to the main problems that were demanded such as the high cost of living and the increase in fuel prices. Cortizo announced that in the next few days the order to proceed with the construction of the new Manuel Amador Guerrero Hospital will be delivered and a training plan will be created for the employment of colonenses. He proposed a meeting for Tuesday, May 17, to establish a training plan where a database is made to train Colonenses in the areas required by companies that carry out projects in Colon. "With this plan, the people of Colon will be employed, the government will contribute 50%, and the private company must get off the bus and support to give work to the people of Colon," said the president. “The strike continues and is indefinite until there are categorical and forceful responses from the government to the problems of Colón, which include the high cost of living, the increase in fuel, access to water, among other issues,” said Voiter on Telemetro. The CUCO protests, which are on their fifth day. During the four days there were clashes between demonstrators and the National Police, the latter using tear gas and rubber bullets against people who protested in various parts of Colón. The confrontation left a police officer with gunshot wounds. The private sector called for dialogue to leave behind positions that continue to affect third parties and put the physical and material security of the province at risk and that street closures only directly affect the development of the economy. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/colon-strike-continues-as-cortizo-meeting-fails-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 15, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 15, 2022 Quote Public transit remains paralyzed in Colón Posted 14/05/2022 The paralysis of the nine bus routes in Colón was still maintained on Saturday, May 6, the 6th day of the strike Only the Unión de Transportes Colón Panamá, SA (Utracolpa) is providing the service, as well as some taxis that circulate through the streets and communities of the province. This weekend, as part of the protest actions, a call has been made to the population so that, at 6:00 pm this Saturday, they play bang pots and saucepans, wherever they are. This will express the "dissatisfaction" of the people of Colon at the lack of answers to the problem of the high cost of living and the rise in fuel, said Edgardo Voitier, one of the leaders of Cuco, a coalition of civic organizations and unions. He said that Sunday there will be a citizen concentration in the park on 11th Street, Central Avenue, in front of the Public Market. Voitier also announced that on Monday, May 16, the actions will continue. The measures they will take will be announced tomorrow at a press conference. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/public-transit-remains-paralyzed-in-colon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 17, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2022 Quote Tear gas and pepper spray used to clear Colón protestors Posted 16/05/2022 On the eighth day of the strike in the province of Colón riot police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters, calling on the government to respond to their demands. After nearly eight hours of road closures, there were clashes between crowd control agents and bus carriers who kept the roads closed from the early hours of the morning The leaders of the province announced that they await confirmation by the Executive Branch on the presence this Tuesday of the President of Laurentino Cortizo, for the second meeting in order to specify the actions to reactivate the economy of the province. The president met with the groups last Friday, but the leadership reported that no concrete answers were given. Alternatives to the increase in fuel prices, repair of public works, and employment opportunities are among the demands of the organizations. Teachers reiterated the call to the parents not to send the students to the campuses and plan to carry out a walk from Calle 10 Central Avenue to Calle 16 entrance of the city of Colón. The public transport service, on nine routes, remains paralyzed and people have to walk to reach their destinations. Meanwhile, businesses have reinforced their doors as a security measure, and groups of National Police crowd control agents can be seen in different parts of the province. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/tear-gas-and-pepper-spray-used-to-clear-colon-protestors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 18, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 18, 2022 Quote Colón protestors will cold shoulder meeting with Cortizo Posted 17/05/2022 Representatives of the United Coalition for Columbus (CUCO ) reiterated that they will not attend the meeting agreed for today, Tuesday, with the President, Laurentino Cortizo. Edgardo Voitier, the spokesman for the group, said they will not attend the meeting agreed with the President or seek alternatives to the provincial situation with respect to health, housing, employment, and other issues. He pointed out that the proposals that the business associations will present on job creation and others are the same ones that they delivered to President Cortiz a few months ago. "When the National Government wants to start a concrete and serious dialogue. We are willing to talk to get out of this crisis in Colón," he stressed. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/colon-protestors-will-cold-shoulder-meeting-with-cortizo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 27, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 27, 2022 Quote Colón strike continues following meeting with Cortizo Posted 26/05/2022 After a two-hour meeting with President Cortizo on Thursday, the leadership of the Coalition for the Unity of Colón (CUCO) did not sign a document to end the general strike in the province. The group demands that projects be carried out to prioritize jobs. Edgardo Voitier, leader of Cuco, explained that the end of the strike could not be signed because they must take the proposals to a general assembly. "We don't see a commitment on the part of the government," said Voitier, who says that the problem in Colón is "suffocating, we have never had this kind of unemployment" which in the province of Colón there is 30%, according to official data Among the guidelines mentioned by the government, it was established to freeze the price of fuel at the national level at $3.95, and to allocate an item of $100 million to offset the effect of the lack of income, but Cuco is not convinced because the price will be frozen only for the transportation system and not for the rest of Panamanians. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/colon-strike-continues-following-meeting-with-cortizo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 29, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 29, 2022 Quote The irresponsibility of Colón strike leader Posted 28/05/2022 The Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Colón warned that the general strike that keeps that province partially paralyzed, for the last three weeks, has left an affectation of $180 million. For a province that has the problems that we all know, these losses can only aggravate the already desperate situation that this area of the country has suffered for decades. For this reason, what the leader who went to the Presidency and who is one of the leaders of the call for the strike did last Thursday was irresponsible, since after several hours of dialogue –without noticing it and in the presence of the president of the Republic – declined to sign an agreement that had been previously discussed, a document in which some of the demands of the strikers were collected. It was childish behaviour. if you consider the magnitude of what is at stake in Colón. The leadership must understand that, as much as it wants, the situation in Colón cannot be solved from one day to the next, nor can it maintain such a prolonged strike without expecting consequences of all kinds for the province and even for the country. What is required is serenity to reach a negotiated solution. – LA PRENSA, May 28. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/the-irresponsibility-of-colon-strike-leader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 31, 2022 Author Moderators Share Posted May 31, 2022 Quote Four-week Colón strike ends Posted 30/05/2022 Almost four weeks of protests in Colón, ended Sunday with the signing by the Government and the Coalition for the Unity of Colón (Cuco), to end the work stoppage decreed by different sectors of Colon society. The note signed by the director of the Development Planning Institute, Guillermo Salazar; the Minister of Labor and Labor Development in charge, Roger Tejada; and the general coordinator of Cuco, Román Macías, details that the Government promised to reactivate the construction work of the Manuel Amador Guerrero Hospital; continue with the construction of the Roberto Mariano Bula Stadium; build the Art and Culture Center in the old Abel Bravo School, and rehabilitate seven official schools. Additionally, the employment program “train yourself for work, Colón” will be developed to facilitate academic preparation and encourage employment. The program for repairing the streets of the city of Colón "Asfaltando tu district" will be carried out, along with eliminating exclusivity in the passenger transport terminals in Colón, to encourage investment by those who, complying with all regulatory procedures want to invest in new transport terminals. Another of the agreed points was the freezing of the price of fuel at B/.3.95 per gallon, for public passenger transport, and for vehicles with land commercial registration and rolling agricultural machinery. The Tripartite Commission for the development of Colón will be in charge to ensure compliance with the agreements. The note was also signed by: the director of the Land Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT). https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/four-week-colon-strike-ends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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