People often ask me about driving to Costa Rica and I try to explain that if they do, take the mountains route as opposed to Paso Canoas. There is never a dull moment there. This last week was another circus act by a few Costa Rican truck drivers. A small group of semitrailer drivers are blocking cargo transit in protest over what they say are “excessive” inspections by Panamanian officials.
A group of 17 semitrailers are blocking passage through the main road at Paso Canoas, the Costa Rican stretch of the border with Panama.
Truck drivers began the protest on Saturday to denounce alleged “excessive inspections” performed by officials from Panama’s State Border Service (SENAFRONT). According to the protesters, SENAFRONT officials have been levying hefty fines for vehicle violations in recent days.
The result of the demonstration is a long line of semis waiting to cross the border, with 200 cargo trucks on the Costa Rican side and some 500 trucks in Panama. Non-commercial vehicles and buses are not being blocked from crossing the border.
The drivers also claim that SENAFRONT officials have confiscated keys to their vehicles, despite the fact that Panama’s legislation grants motorists up to 30 days to pay a fine.
The Panamanian daily La Estrella on Monday reported that truck drivers also said that officials are requiring that Tico drivers with citations return to Paso Canoas.
“The nearest facility to pay a fine is more than 30 kilometers from that location, and they are only open Monday-Friday during business hours,” Juan Carlos Segura, a protest leader, told La Estrella.
Meanwhile, drivers are having to spend up to three days at the border while they search for an authorized location to pay the fines.
“This causes serious losses, especially to those transporting perishable goods such as meat, fruits or vegetables,” Segura added.
Francisco Quirós, director of Costa Rica’s Chamber of Cargo Drivers, said they are evaluating the situation, but they believe SENAFROT “seems particularly focused on trucks with Costa Rican license plates.”
He said that officials from that agency “take up to four hours to perform inspections on Tico trucks.”
Panama’s President Ricardo Martinelli said at a public event on Monday that “it seems that the Costa Rican-Panamanian border is a place outside the [control of the] government of Costa Rica,” referring to what he believes is disinterest by the Costa Rican government regarding the border situation.
“We will defend the interests of Panamanians who also are being harmed, because there is an agreement that Costa Rica simply has not met,” the president added.
Martinelli said Foreign Minister Fernando Núñez traveled to San José to discuss the issue with his Costa Rican counterpart, Enrique Castillo.
In March, Costa Rican truckers blocked for nearly a week commercial transit at Paso Canoas, citing the same issues. Those protests cost some $2 million in losses, according to estimates by Panamanian truckers.
HERE IS A GOOD EDITORIAL ON THE SUBJECT
Conflicts of interest between carriers and the apathy of the authorities of Costa Rica and Panama have kept the border blocked for all regional trade.
It’s not just that immigration and customs officials do not provide a 24 hour service, as is needed, and as occurs at other Central American borders, but that in Paso Canoas, the governments of Costa Rica and Panama are not exercising their authority in a responsible manner, resulting in conflicts for one reason or another, with consequent blockades and closures that produce serious economic losses not only for Panamanians and Costa Ricans, but also for all Central American companies whose imports or exports pass through this border.
In relation to the current closure of Paso Canoas caused by blockades by some Costa Rican truckers, an article in Prensa.com reports that “Regarding the situation at the border, Foreign Minister Fernando Nunez Fabrega said “the diplomatic part has been done. I think the minister [Jose Raul] Mulino will at some point talk about this subject “… and that “Deianira Ramirez, in charge of business affairs at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Panama, said that Costa Rica has reiterated its adherence to the law and is even proposing amendments to be submitted to the Assembly, in order to ensure the dynamic movement of people and vehicles at the border. ”
For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica issued an innocuous statement which affirms its “willingness to take the necessary measures, including modifications that will be forwarded to the Legislative Assembly, to ensure, definitively, the dynamic flow and mobility of people and traffic along its border with neighboring Panama. ”
We only see a lot of talk, rather than specific actions being taken to ensure ongoing efficiency in the movement of people and goods, at a border crossing of prime importance to the regional economy.
Source: Prensa.com