SPECIAL REPORT PANAMA PRICE PROTESTS: POLICE USE TEAR GAS TO OPEN MAJOR HIGHWAY, PROTESTERS BRING BACK BLOCKADE TONIGHT, INDIGENOUS GROUPS STRIKE TOMORROW

 

                      (LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

It's been two weeks since protests began in Panama aimed at the high cost of everything from food to fuel to medicine.

Teachers went on strike at first but other trade unions joined in leading to crowds on streets and highways with roads blocked including the key Panamerican Highway running through the middle of the Isthmus.

Last weekend its appeared that labor union leaders and the government were cutting a deal to end the protests that were impacting the movement of food to Panama City where much of the country's population lives.

The deal would have cut prices some 10 percent but that was not enough to the grassroots protesters and union members so the demonstrations continued this week.

Earlier today police made their move launching tear gas to clear the Santiago Bridge in Veraguas Province some 75 miles outside Panama City.    They clashed with demonstrators throwing rocks...VIDEO LINK...

The police said they cleared the highway at another point nearby and are able to move food on a 'humanitarian corridor' to Panama City.

TELEMETRO PANAMA: POLICE REOPEN THE PANAMERICAN HIGHWAY IN SANTIAGO, CLASHES WERE RECORDED (TRANSLATION PROMPT)

In Panama City today protesters gathered at the Plaza Cinco de Mayo near the National Assembly with police present along with fencing to prevent protesters from getting close to the legislature..

There are negotiations between various representatives of the trade unions and government right now the Roman Catholic Church facilitating those talks...

But tonight new developments as the protesters retook control of the Pan-American Highway in Santiago closing it...

TELEMETRO PANAMA-PROTESTERS TAKE CONTROL AGAIN IN SANTIAGO: PAN AMERICAN HIGHWAY CLOSED (TRANSLATION PROMPT)

YOU TUBE SHORT VIDEO-PROTESTERS AT SANTIAGO BRIDGE TONIGHT

YOU TUBE SHORT VIDEO-PROTESTERS ROLLING VANDALIZED POLICE CAR THROUGH THE STREETS IN SANTIAGO

LIVE VIDEO REPORT (IN SPANISH) TELEMETRO AT SANTIAGO PROTEST

A coordinating group of indigenous groups in Panama intend to launch a national strike tomorrow and they want to talk about issues that concern them with the government at the negotiations now underway.

They say so far that the government has given them the cold shoulder...

TELEMETRO PANAMA: COORDINATOR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ANNOUNCES NATIONAL STRIKE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY...(TRANSLATION PROMPT)

LATE TUESDAY NIGHT WORD THAT POLICE AND THE PROTESTERS WHO RETOOK THE BRIDGE IN SANTIAGO WERE CLASHING...VIDEO LINK

For now that's the situation in Panama.