The arrest of Voitier and others came amid violent clashes between protesters and riot police.
As Voitier told the press before his arrest, the governor of Colón, Iracema de Dale, said that a dialogue table would be set up, but the colonists requested the presence of the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo.
We will continue to take to the streets to demand the fulfillment of the commitments agreed in November 2021 to resolve issues related to clean water, roads, unemployment, bus terminals, hospitals and property titles.
Participants in the work stoppage said they will continue with the pressure action, which includes the closure of the Eastern Caribbean’s main arterial roads, until they have responses from authorities.
This would be the second straight day of protests in the Caribbean province of Colón, after the various unions called for a concrete response from the government in the face of problems such as fuel surges, rate hikes and other socio-economic impacts on the Atlantic coast.
The day before, after the lockdown began in the early hours of the morning, the protesters were suppressed with tear gas by National Police riot squads, who forced them to open the blocked streets.
Lowering the high fuel prices and thus the basic basket, the construction of the Manuel Amador Guerrero Hospital, the provincial stadium and a transport terminal were among the demands of the Colonenses.
In this context, Diógenes Galván, one of the leaders of civil society, announced that they will ask Cortizo to fulfill what was promised at the end of last year: to face high unemployment in the midst of a tense situation similar to the current one.
As you can see, the national government’s response was repressive, Galván specified.
Also in the capital of the Central American country, truck drivers blocked the Cinquantenario road on Tuesday and demanded participation in projects run by the government.
Leaders of the United Dump Trucks Association have turned to the Republic’s Presidency to advance their demands, including approval of Bill 808, which provides confidence to compensate, reduce and stabilize the rise in the price of petroleum products.
Meanwhile, at the Palacio de las Garzas (Executive Headquarters), Cortizo met with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Martin Spicer.
Also attending the meeting will be IFC Regional Manager for Central America, Sanaa Abouzaid, to whom the president outlined business and private sector expectations in Panama, according to a presidency statement.
Cortizo, who thanked the IFC for supporting the country’s efforts, reported that an “open door” policy was underway with workers and business organizations in the private sector to reactivate the economy hit by Covid-19.
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