The arrest of Foitier and others came amid violent clashes between protesters and riot police.
As Voutier told the press before his arrest, the governor of Colón, Iracema de del, said that a dialogue table would be set, but the colonists demanded the presence of the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo.
We will also continue to demand on the streets that commitments agreed in November 2021, to solve problems related to potable water, roads, unemployment, bus stops, hospitals and title deeds, be fulfilled.
Participants in the suspension indicated that they would continue to apply pressure, which includes blocking the main arteries of the Eastern Caribbean region until they get answers from the authorities.
This will be the second consecutive day of protest in the Caribbean province of Kowloon, after various unions have requested a concrete response from the government in the face of problems such as high fuel, rate increases and other social and economic problems affecting the Atlantic coast.
The day before, after the strike had begun in the early morning hours, the protesters had been suppressed with tear gas by the riot units of the National Police who forced them to clear the obstructed roads.
Reducing high fuel prices and thus the basic basket, and the construction of the Manuel Amador Guerrero Hospital, District Stadium and Transfer Station, were part of the colonies’ demands.
In this regard, one of the leaders of civil society, Diogenis Galvan, announced that they would demand that Cortizo fulfill what he promised at the end of last year: to face high unemployment, in the midst of a tense situation similar to the current one.
Galvan specified that the response of the national government, as you can see, was repression.
Also in the Central American nation’s capital, truck drivers closed the Cinquenario Road on Tuesday and demanded the participation of government-implemented projects.
The leaders of the United Dump Trucks Union went to the Presidency of the Republic to hand over their demands, including the approval of Bill 808, which creates confidence in compensation and reducing and stabilizing the increase in the prices of petroleum products.
While this was happening, Cortizo met at the Palacio de las Garzas (the headquarters of the Executive Branch), with the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean (IFC), Martin Spicer.
The meeting was also attended by the regional director of the International Finance Corporation for Central America, Sanaa Abu Zeid, to whom the president explained the outlook for the economy and the private sector in Panama, according to a statement issued by the presidency.
Cortizo, who thanked the IFC for its support of the isthmus, reported that an “open door policy” was underway with workers and business associations in the private sector to revitalize the economy affected by Covid-19.
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