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Panama

China-Panama Tensions Impact Maritime And Merchant Sectors

April 3, 2026 TeleSur, Orinoco Tribune. , , , ,
The escalating tension with China is affecting Panama’s merchant registry, one of the largest in the world. The Panamanian maritime sector proposes to address this situation by proactively resolving any deficiencies that ships flying the Panamanian flag may present. The Panamanian government has acknowledged an increase in the detention of Panamanian-flagged vessels in Chinese ports, a phenomenon that coincides with a period of bilateral tension stemming from the withdrawal of a Chinese company from operating two ports near the Panama Canal.

Activists From Nuestra America Convoy To Cuba Detained

March 27, 2026 TeleSur, Orinoco Tribune. , , , , ,
Delegates returning from delivering humanitarian aid to Cuba reported interrogations and confiscation of equipment by immigration authorities, actions they describe as a strategy of government intimidation. The Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila was also the victim of an arbitrary detention in Panama City while preparing to board a connecting flight to his country. Members of the Nuestra América Convoy, a solidarity initiative that recently delivered 14 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba, denounced the US government for leading a campaign of harassment and intimidation within the US and Panama following the activists’ return from Cuba.

SUNTRACS Fights Political Persecution In Panama

November 3, 2025 Pablo Meriguet, People's Dispatch. , , , , ,
The National Union of Construction and Related Industry Workers (SUNTRACS), Panama’s largest and most militant trade union, has denounced the right-wing government of José Raúl Mulino for ordering the arrest of several political leaders of its organization and their relatives. The leaders and family members were released on October 29. Following sustained pressure from SUNTRACS and international trade unions, the court determined there was no reason to keep them detained. The union has vowed to continue resisting the Mulino government’s repression. In a public statement, SUNTRACS said: “We denounce before the country that heavily armed and masked national police units … stormed … the homes of several members of our union’s board of directors and family members of some of our comrades.”

Panamanian Unionists Reject US Claim On Canal, Government Wavers

July 20, 2025 W. T. Whitney, Counter Punch. , , ,
President Trump mentioned Panama in his inaugural address on January 20. He indicated the Canal “has foolishly been given to the country of Panama.” And “China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China.” He added that, “the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape, or form.” The treaty in question is one of the two Torrijos-Carter Treaties of 1977 that guided the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panamanian ownership in 1999. Addressing the Congress on March 5, Trump announced, “My administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it … “Just today, a large American company announced they are buying both ports around the Panama Canal.”

Trump’s Tense Relationship With Latin America

July 17, 2025 Pablo Meriguet, People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , , ,
The second term of US President Donald Trump has been full of commentary about other nations – both official and unofficial – that often signals the administration’s intentions, even without formal policy declarations. In turn, when Trump has thrown darts at certain governments, his statements immediately become headlines that spark debates – and at times uncertainties – in the countries he addresses. Latin America has been one of Trump’s favorite targets. One need only recall that during his first election campaign, he said that Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras were breeding grounds for criminals.

Repression Of Protests Continues In Panama

July 10, 2025 Pablo Meriguet, People's Dispatch. , , , , , ,
On July 5, nearly 800 people from 17 countries signed a letter addressed to the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, calling for international observation due to the increasing repression of protests in Panama. The document, signed by academics, artists, activists, workers, and trade unionists, also points out that the Central American country is witnessing growing criminalization of political dissent, which, according to the document, is reminiscent of the darkest years in its national history. Furthermore, the letter adds that the government is demonstrating an “authoritarian drift”.

Panamanian Government Declares State Of Emergency In Bocas Del Toro

June 26, 2025 Pablo Meriguet, People's Dispatch. , , , , ,
The declaration of a state of emergency in the banana-producing region comes in the context of a series of mass protests as part of a national strike that began in April. The strike was called for by trade unions and social organizations to protest a pension reform law (Law 462), which reduces the amount of money retirees receive and opens the door to the privatization of social security; the security agreements between Washington and Panama which, among other things, could involve the installation of several US military bases; and to protest the possible reopening of a mining megaproject that sparked major controversy in the Central American country a few years ago. The protests have been carried out by unions, student associations, teachers, doctors, and other social groups.

Panama: Indigenous Leaders Condemn ‘Criminalization Of Protests’

May 27, 2025 Richard Arghiris, Intercontinental Cry. , , , ,
Indigenous authorities in Panama have condemned the “escalation of persecution and repression” by the government of President Raúl Mulino. The traditional authorities of the Ngabe-Buglé Comarca claim that armed security agents have made violent house-to-house raids including the use of tear gas, large-caliber weapons and arbitrary arrests of indigenous leaders in various communities, such as Trinidad, El Piro, Ojo de Agua, Tolé, Viguí and El Prado. Faced with nationwide strikes and protest, President Mulino has eschewed dialogue and instead deployed riot police and armed SENAFRONT (National Border Service) officers to disperse marches and gatherings using chemical agents. Dozens have been injured but the protests are continuing into their second month.

US Banana Giant Chiquita Fires Thousands Of Striking Workers

May 24, 2025 Common Dreams, Portside. , , , ,
The U.S.-headquartered banana giant Chiquita said Thursday that it moved to fire thousands of Panamanian workers who walked off the job last month as part of nationwide protests against the right-wing government's unpopular reforms to the nation's pension system. Citing an unnamed source close to Chiquita, Reuters reported that the mass firings are expected to impact around 5,000 of the company's 6,500 Panamanian workers. José Raúl Mulino, Panama's right-wing president, defended the banana giant formerly known as United Fruit, accusing striking workers of unlawful "intransigence." The company estimates that the strike, which began in late April, has cost it at least $75 million.

Cultural Values On Indigenous Lands Help Forests Thrive

May 22, 2025 Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. , , ,
In Panama, forest cover on Indigenous lands has remained stable at almost double the rate of protected areas — including government parks — due in great part to deeply-ingrained cultural values, a new study led by researchers from McGill University has found. The findings challenge a longstanding assumption about conservation: that in order to protect biodiversity, people must be kept out. “Local land use emerges from peoples’ worldviews and values regarding nature,” the authors of the findings wrote. “[D]eforestation and disturbance in Indigenous lands exhibit a low density, spatial concentration on forest edges, and temporal stability, explaining forest cover stability.

Panamanians: ‘With Our Dignity High, No Repression Can Stop Us’

May 21, 2025 Pablo Meriguet, People's Dispatch. , , , ,
Despite the government’s forecasts (and hopes), the strike seems to have grown more intense as the days have gone by. Groups of unionized workers, students, Indigenous people, agricultural workers, teachers, etc., have called for massive mobilizations in the last few days against the Mulino government, which has reported that at least 480 roads have been closed by the demonstrators. The resistance of the striking workers has drawn many sympathizers into the streets to join the protests against the government. Road closures have become one way the demonstrators have found to pressure the government and the economic groups that sponsor it (especially the banana industry, the country’s main export product), thus hindering trade and the free transit of goods.

Panama’s Indigenous And Civil Movements Under Siege

May 17, 2025 John Ahni Shertow, Intercontinental Cry. , , , ,
A wave of protests across Panama has led to the widespread use of chemical agents, and growing calls for international oversight. The catalyst is Law 462, a recent reform to the country’s Social Security Fund. The government says the law is necessary to fix a system under financial strain. But many Panamanians see it as a threat to healthcare access and economic security—especially for workers, students, and Indigenous communities. Protesters have been organizing for weeks with teachers, unions, students, and Indigenous peoples forming a broad coalition. They argue Law 462 reflects a deeper pattern of cuts to public services and the erosion of democratic rights.

Repression Of Panama’s National Strike Draws More Workers

May 10, 2025 Pablo Meriguet, People's Dispatch. , , , , ,
After 11 days of strike, Panamanian workers from across sectors are not giving up their struggle against the economic plans of the government of President José Raúl Mulino, its security agreements with the US government, and its plans to reopen a huge copper mine that closed in 2023. Not only have workers continued to mobilize, but they have been joined in their struggle by more sectors of society. Workers claim that Law 462, passed on March 18, 2025, opens the door for the privatization of Social Security, increases the retirement age, and halves the amount of money for future pensions, among other things.

Panamanians Gear Up For Indefinite Strike On April 28

April 28, 2025 Pablo Meriguet, People's Dispatch. , , , , , , ,
On April 24, thousands of Panamanians took to the streets to protest the recent approval of the pension reform in Panama promoted by the neoliberal government of José Raúl Mulino. Law 462 has been the source of a lot of controversy in the Central American country because, according to several unions, it will reduce retirement pensions compared to the previous system. The mobilization was called by the Association of Professors of Panama (ASOPROF) and the Single National Union of Industry and Construction and Similar Workers (SUNTRACS), who have announced that they will embark on an indefinite national strike on April 28.

Pentagon Head Makes Military Threats In Visit To Panama

April 10, 2025 La Izquierda Diario Costa Rica, Left Voice. , , , , ,
On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Panama to attend the Central American Security Conference, an initiative of the U.S. military’s Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). SOUTHCOM is one of the 11 unified combatant commands in the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation in Central and South America and the Caribbean. During the conference, Hegseth announced a series of joint military operations with the Panamanian military, scheduled to take place from April 8 to 10.
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