Take the bus to Boquete, get shot at.
Imagine riding this thing with bullets flying around!
This is why we have all these police roadblocks and checkpoints everywhere, dear reader. Our golden duo, minister Mulino of State Repression and Insecurity and police chief and war criminal Gustavo Perez, are so busy shooting protesters in the face, killing others and shaking down drivers for bribes at these checkpoints that the criminals can do what they want!
Here’s what happened to a Canadian couple, retirees who live in Boquete, just 10 days ago. They took the midnight bus from Panama City to David, and while driving by Coronado two armed men got up and robbed all passengers at gunpoint. Some shot were fired for good measure and to convince everybody they were serious about their intentions. The couple had $700 stolen. The bus company in David is staying silent on the affair, which is supposedly being investigated by the police.
Mind you: These robbers managed to board that bus, armed, at the bus terminal in Panama City where there is police and security everywhere, where they constantly check people with their stupid pelepolice toys, then the bus passes at least one checkpoint on one of the bridges – and still they manage to rob all passengers.
Inside job? We’re tempted to think so. But on top of the announced tourist boycott this is another bit of bad news for tourism in Panama.
Popularity: 8% [?]
I am stunned by the brazenness and how badly the situation has deteriorated since we left Panama. Is it still illegal to own firearms by individuals? What a disaster.. When we lived there, everyone knew that the Guardia was a little crooked, but only a little, el mordido. It was just enough to be irratating, but when they learned who you were friends with, they kind of back off.
20 July 2010 @ 5pm
Okie,
Isn’t it amazing with all these TRANSITO CHECKPOINTS they are only looking for expired licenses. You know the ones at every intersection of every town all on the same day. So one just leaves the license in the ashtray rather then search the wallet or purse every 30 kilometers.
Bald tires, plastic wrap windshield, black coal dust exhaust, no hood or bumper, that’s not important!
The only thing important is your license is not expired. Stupid I know even stupider when they do it in every town on the same day. I once counted seven times from Las Tablas to LaChorrera
21 July 2010 @ 8pm
well sometimes they can’t win. Imagine if they checked EACH passengers at each checkpoint. People would be screaming bloody murder. Having said that, perhaps they should check more closely at the terminal. That would not preclude armed people from entering the bus later, and for that matter, either in between check points or after checkpoints. How can you prevent that? Thieves look for opportunity and are not a Panamanian invention. Actually, considering how many people travel by bus, this has been a relatively rare thing to occur.
22 July 2010 @ 9am
Why does the Police and the ATTT not do it due diligence and check the Vehicles for proper maintenance, insurance and licenses?
I guess when you are paid off by the concession owners!
You let them past on and drive on to kill as many passengers as they can!
Then not be prosecuted for pure protracted genocide of the Panamanian peoples!
“Panama unsafe at any speed”
22 July 2010 @ 11am
As it was reported yesterday, the vehicle used to transport the murderers of the Chorrillo Reverend, was stolen in Paso Canoa, near the border with Costa Rica, passed several checkpoints, including the big one of Guabalá, and still made it undetected to Gamboa where the crime was Commited.
This only serves to prove that all the checkpoints and traffic roadblocks are only good for one thing: Bribing drivers for stupid things like non-existent license plates.
22 July 2010 @ 4pm
That whole affair is such a weird story. Full of holes. They rammed his car at the summit, but then they must have known it was coming, right? So who told them the reverend was leaving the prison, which is about 10 minutes away?
Why did they pick this spot and not for example the exit towards canopy tower/camino de plantación? There’s always security guards at the summit who can call the police, the police academy is just around the corner, a permanent road block on the Centennial bridge, a police station in Paraiso – the only way to get away is if the crime is not detected for at least 15 minutes, but they picked the only spot along that road where it would for sure be noticed immediately? So then they get caught and then it turns out they killed the wrong guy??? Was the right guy – a gang leader from Arraijan – also visiting El Renacer? This whole story doesn’t make any sense at all.
22 July 2010 @ 4pm
on the road at nite? not me
22 July 2010 @ 9pm