{"id":9753,"date":"2014-02-26T13:25:58","date_gmt":"2014-02-26T18:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=9753"},"modified":"2014-02-26T13:25:58","modified_gmt":"2014-02-26T18:25:58","slug":"panama-protects-tourists-with-new-aeronaval-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/panama-protects-tourists-with-new-aeronaval-base\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama protects tourists with new aeronaval base"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of the most impressive things you see in Panama is the zero tolerance the police have for narco trafficking.\u00a0 I see it in the eyes of the border police and the guys who carry the big guns in public.\u00a0 At first, it used to intimidate me then I realized, I am a good guy, wonder how a bad guy feels coming up to one of these guys!<\/p>\n

Panamanian authorities incinerate some of the 41 metric tons of narcotics they seized in 2013. A new aeronaval base will reinforce the security work being carried out by police in the central province of Cocl\u00e9 to fight narco-trafficking. (Rodrigo Arangua\/AFP)<\/p>\n

PANAMA CITY<\/strong>, Panama \u2013 Providing security to increase tourism in Panama is one of the government\u2019s main goals, which is why officials approved last September the construction of a new aeronaval base in the coastal sector of Juan Hombr\u00f3n in the province of Cocl\u00e9, 150 kilometers west of Panama City.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe increase in tourism activity in the province of Cocl\u00e9 led us to decide to install this new base, which will complement the public safety work being carried out by the National Police units,\u201d Panama Public Safety Minister Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino said.<\/p>\n

The base, which cost US$5 million, is among 20 stations built by the Ministry of Public Safety since 2012, along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, to monitor large areas of coastline that could be used for the drug trade or other illegal activities, according to Mulino.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Building the base in Cocl\u00e9] is an important component of the efforts that the Federal Government is making to ensure the country is safer for its citizens,\u201d Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli said last September.<\/p>\n

In 2013, authorities seized 41 metric tons of narcotics, mostly cocaine, after 35 metric tons were seized in 2012, according to the Integrated System of Criminal Statistics.<\/p>\n

The base in Cocl\u00e9, which is expected to be ready by April, will be operated by the National Aeronaval Service (SENAN).<\/p>\n

Cocl\u00e9 is among the most naturally and culturally rich provinces in Panama, according to Ernesto Orillac, the deputy minister of the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP).<\/p>\n

Located in the geographic center of the country, travelers can enjoy a temperate climate in the Ant\u00f3n Valley, an ancient volcano that\u2019s now a fertile valley 600 meters above sea level, with an average temperature of 18\u00b0C throughout the year.<\/p>\n

Local attractions include the following:<\/p>\n