Civil dissatisfaction

Protestors unite on city streets

Gabriel Rodriguez/LA PRENSA

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Protests emerged throughout the city yesterday, as demonstrators took a variety of issues to the streets.

For the community of San Juan de Dios, in Tanara de Chepo, the issue was potable water. Community spokesperson Yolaima Altamiranda explained that the trucks carrying water to refill their cisterns are often delayed up to 3 weeks at a time.

In Curundú, residents affected by the March 2007 fire, demanded that the government make good on promises to provide them with television sets and refrigerators.

And traffic was stopped on Vía Transístmica for 45 minutes while students from the Universidad de Panamá protested the mounting cost of living, expressing solidarity with the agricultural workers and indigenous peoples who have been demonstrating for the last 16 days.