Travelers are temporarily out of luck if they are trying to go to or from Bocas del Toro, Panama, or want to use the Costa Rica / Panama border crossing at Sixaola / Guyabito / Changinola on the Caribbean Coast. Just over the border in Panama is one of a reported 11 sites where local banana plantation workers are striking and erecting road barricades.

In addition to the clash at the border, road barricades  near Chiriqui Grande will keep travelers from getting to Bocas del Toro or gettting away from Bocas del Toro in that direction. For now, options appear to be by sea or air, or travelors can walk, but a VERY long way and around reportedly angry mobs with machetes, axes and rocks and police in riot gear and tear gas launchers! We do not recommend it.

Another strike of 700 workers in the province of Colon is paralyzing work on the Panama Canal extension.

These strikes are the latest in a series of strikes which date back to the government of ex-President Mireya Moscoso Martín Torrijos revolves around labor law and criminal codes which were voted into law in September 2009. Panama’s current administration reportedly stands by the laws, claiming they will encourage development and bring investment.

So far, the government of Panama has responded by sending military to the 11 strike sites throughout Bocas Del Toro and Colon. With 28 current arrests, the threat of escalation, and the local report that strikers won’t stop till the president comes (who reportedly is scheduled to fly to Europe tomorrow), no end is in sight.

At the moment, the strike has frozen all traffic between Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro, Panama. This effectively cancels Caribe Shuttle’s daily route between Costa Rica South Caribbean and Bocas del Toro.

Caribe Shuttle will continue to monitor the situation. Please watch for our update at www.caribeshuttle.com. We will start operating the Bocas shuttle again as soon as it is safe to do so.