real estate

Squatters may be evicted

The governor of Los Santos, Héctor Cárdenas, says that a solution to the problem of unlawful squatting on public and protected lands in Azuero may be in sight, namely, evictions.

Cárdenas reported that here are various cases of people who in recent years have occupied land in coastal areas with the intent of speculating onthe real estate market. Thatis the case in the Arco Seco area in the district of Pedasí in Los Santos province, which has attracted considerable foreign investment interest.

People who have been living in the disputed coastal areas for more than 30 years, however, are entitled to rights of possession to the land according to Panamanian law.

The government and the Banco Internacional de Desarrollo are creating a land development plan in the province that would secure the legal rights of investors in the area.

Some of the squatters have seized land considered to be part of the nation's arachaeological heritage.