The Catholic bishop of Cocle, Uriah Ashley, has denounced his province's governor, Irving González, for issuing construction permits for a pushbutton in Penonome. What is a "pushbutton"?

Clyde

Concerning your article, "Bishop blasts governor", what is a "pushbutton"? Obviously this is a local term that probably went over all your reader's heads here in the States. From the context of the article, sounds like a bar or something similar. Thanks...

Wayne
Tampa

Editor's note: Let me start by quoting a 1960s Panamanian calypso tune:

"Pushbutton" ("pushboton" in the Spanglish spoken on the isthmus) is Panamanian English for a kind of motel that is designed so that customers remain unseen. They drive into a garage, push a button, put money in a box, get access to a room that by law must be equipped with at least two fresh condoms, order room service by remote control if they wish, etc. and pay by the hour. In a society in which it's more common for children to live with parents into their adult years than is the case in the United States, and in which it's common for married men to have mistresses, it is said by some that these establishments serve an important need. The Catholic Church has never been convinced about that.

Editor's note: There is this furious protest movement taking place over the Internet, after the government issued a decree shutting down most Internet phone services in Panama. A Spanish-language form email went around, with suggestions to forward it to various news media, including The Panama News. After we received 200 of those, we stopped counting. At the time this issue was uploaded we had received more than 300 such emails, with dozens of other more original messages about the same topic. You can see the Spanish form email, and a few original letters to us, in the Spanish-language Opiniones section of this issue.

Below we publish an anonymous English-language protest of which we received several copies, plus several original emails that we received.

In an apparent attempt to stem telephone company revenue losses due to Internet telephony, the government of Panama has decreed that 24 UDP ports be blocked by all Internet service providers.

The ports include ones that are commonly used for voice over IP as well as some that are used for other purposes, apparently with the idea that these, too, could be used to circumvent the POTS (plain old telephone system, a term of art) in making telephone calls.

In the decree, the Panamanian government requires "that within 5 days of publication, all ISPs will block the 24 UDP ports used for VoIP and any other that could be used in the future (which could end up being all UDP ports)," according to a reporter and computer consultant there, and that "the ISPs will block in their firewall or main router and in all their Border routers that connect with other autonomous systems."

This "unequivocally decrees that all routers, including those not carrying traffic from Panama, but that might be traversing Panama, have the 24 UDP ports blocked."

The significance of the government action affects areas far beyond that nation. Due to its geographical location, numerous undersea cables connect in the country, making it a substantial hub for international IP traffic.

The decree is apparently rooted in complaints by Cable & Wireless Panama (Motto: "If you're worried about your data, voice, or Internet service provider, we're here to help"), which says it is losing money due to users employing the Internet to make otherwise expensive international telephone calls -- calls that would otherwise be listed on Cable & Wireless bills.

The UDP ports involved include: 1034, 1035, 2090, 2091, 5000, 6801, 6802, 6803, 9900, 9901, 12080, 12120, 12122, 22555, 26133, 30582, 35061, 38000, 38100, 38200, 47563, 48310, 51200, and 51201.

The decree was published October 25.

Among the services that employ some of those ports are "nlockmgr," the NFS lock manager responsible for rpc.statd and rpc.lockd, which in turn are responsible for crash recovery functions for locked files and for processing file locking requests, respectively; telnet; and numerous VoIP services.

In addition to those who wish to save on their phone bills, the government order blocks the perfectly lawful use of those ports by businesses that have legitimate VoIP applications allowed in the country.

There were reports late Sunday [November 3] that Panamanian ISPs were planning a demonstration aimed at exhibiting their displeasure with the government action.

Anonymous

If the government can block Internet voice communications today, how long will it be before they block email messages on the basis that it reduces revenues for telegrams?

Carlos E. Espino G.

Last Friday Cable and Wireless, who have a monopoly on Panama Telephones with their 51% shareholder partners The Panama Government, have issued a directive to all ISP's supplying Panama to ban all VOIP.

They are shortly to lose their monopoly here and are trying to get all ISPs to agree with their limitations of many businesses and private citizens rights to use VIOP.

They plan to block all VOIP ports in an attempt to stop the use.

Is this the attitude to be adopted by C&W all over the world, do they really think they can halt progress this way?

It is so short sighted. Panama relies on international communications and if the ISP's block it then the businesses will leave, Panama's financial plight will worsen and C&W will have many less customers of any kind.

I am here in Panama to set up my Business's Eastern Time Zone offices which will bring some reasonable employment to the area, but I now must re-think my location if we are going to suffer restrictive practices in communications by the local phone companies and the government.

Vernon Skitt

Shame on Cable and Wireless Panama for supporting the banning of UDP VoIP ports in the Republic of Panama. Instead of promoting Panama to be the hub of technology advancement in Central and South America, you are helping to stifle it. This really undermines Cable & Wireless credibility, and undermines the true spirit of open Internet borders between nations. I no longer trust or have faith in Cable & Wireless. You've turned into a bad company, against the people of Panama and its neighboring countries and with the wrong agenda for future prosperity in this region.

William Verna
Network Administrator
Bethesda, Maryland, USA

I had hoped to be writing you a positive note about my last visit to Panama, instead, My wife and me had the worst experience of our lifetime.

First let me say, I am a Panamanian and I love Panama. It is the land where I was born as well as my parents. It is not a perfect country and neither are its people or its politics but it is my country none the less. On October 31th. 2002, I arrived from Miami International Airport to Tocumen International Airport on the evening flight with COPA airlines. My plan was to spend leisure time with friends an relatives.

On my way to the city driving a rental vehicle, we were hijacked and kidnapped by four armed men driving a dark red four door vehicle. This incident occurred near an underpass in San Miguelito about 7:20 PM. The assailants collided with the front of my car and blocked my way and jumped out of their vehicle with automatic weapons drawn. Needless to say, we where taken by surprise by the swiftness with which these assailants went about threatening to shoot us if we did not open the car door. I was pulled forcefully pulled from the drivers seat out of the car and hit on the left side of my head with the gun which left a two inch wound. With my face bloodied, I was thrown into the back seat of the car I was driving, two of the assailants climbed into the car with me while a third got into the drivers seat beside my wife. They did not allow us to raise our heads while they drove us to a isolated area and proceeded to remove all our personal belongings from the vehicle as well as all watches rings, etc. we had. The apparent ring leader kept screaming at me: "donde esta la plata... donde esta la plata." As I tried to tell him he had taken all we had, he proceeded to punch me in the face which left my left eye with a concussion and a bleeding nose. They fled in the vehicle they used to intercept us leaving us abandoned and incapable of getting help since they took the car keys.

I know this is a long story, but I am having flashbacks, and post traumatic stress. Writing this is therapeutic. After the leaving the emergency room at Santo Tomas Hospital, I was driven by police to the Policia Tecnica Judicial to file an official complaint. For any interested, the complaint number is: 2A-1052-02.-

My observations from the aftermath: 1) The police were courteous, respectful and considerate. 2) I received adequate attention at the hospital, 3) The press, (Critica news paper) reported the incident although identified me as being of Jamaican citizenship though the record indicates otherwise. 4) Thank the Lord my wife and me are still alive and that I have relatives who came to my rescue and provided us with food, shelter, money and the means to get us back to the United States.

I know this is going to sound crazy, but with all its faults, I plan retire in Panama. After all, my forefathers helped build the country and did not surrender when faced with challenges. I will not let this experience discourage me.

Thank you sir for allowing me to communicate with you.

Sincerely,
Federico Braithwaite Carrington

I was completely astounded by the letter that Shannon wrote to you about your anti-white comments. How could she say that the only piedreros and rakatakas are black. WOW! Where has she been or what does she consider black. Maybe, she thinks anything that is not blonde hair - blue eyes in black. If "Girlfriend" is so blind or should I say ignorant, she needs to leave Panama and return to her ever so white town in Iowa somewhere.

She also mentioned that Panamanians enjoy her spending her money. Once again, ignorance plays a role there. If they (Panamanians) see a dummy "Blonde hair, blue eyed Gringo" coming there way, of course they like that money; because the price goes up at least 50%!

As she requested, please tell her about Panama or even send her the latest copy of "Panama for Dummies."

Always in your corner,
Anita Littesy

This is in response to a previous Letter written by "Shannon" from Balboa accusing you of being anti-white. I’m curious as to why you even bother responding to such ignorance and name calling? Why lower yourself to that gringa’s revisionist thinking? To her, the Holocaust did not occur and Panamanians really really enjoyed being colonized and controlled by the US.

You have nothing to prove to these people that love "OUR PANAMA" so much that they choose to live there and yet continue to spew their imperialistic views. Keep up the good work! I was born in Panama, am stationed in Korea and thoroughly enjoy reading your paper (both good and bad)!

A lesson Ms. Shannon can learn is that "Silence is a virtue in those who are deficient in understanding". Bouhours

Anayansi
Osan, South Korea

Sorry to hear that a good Philipino lady Grace Castro has had to accuse Mr. Escalona of selling phony marine permits and overcharging for these. Her attitude is remarkable and valiant, surely appreciated by the Panamanian peoples of Panama, hoping corruption to end in Panama and everywhere.

I can imagine the Foreign Affairs Ministry is also cautious about the charge. Not every charge is true, phony charges have been made in the past and sometimes these are motivated by business interests.

A case in point is the former Panamanian Consul General in Guayaquil, Ecuador, whose name is Francisco Reyes.

I don´t know the history of this man, whether he is good or bad, but I know one thing: he was set up, falsely accused and helped to be dismissed by the Guayaquil Travel Agents, one of whom is the TURENCA (Turismo Rendón C.A.) tourism and travel agency owner, Mr. Eduardo Rendón.

He told me himself, as we were close then (I was his daughter´s lover and live-in boyfriend then) that Mr. Francisco Reyes refused to grant tourist visas to Panama when approached by his Travel Agency staff. The then Panama Consul Francisco Reyes apparently believed that some of these tourists were not planning to return to Ecuador, but rather stay in Panama looking for jobs while remaining as illegal aliens here in Panama.

Therefore, Consul Reyes refused to grant the tourist visas.

So he and apparently some owners of travel agencies in Guayauqil conspired to have him removed, accusing him falsely of asking for bribes.

Mr. Eduardo Rendón himself told me in a manner that made my stomach upset: if he (meaning former Panama Consul Francisco Reyes) doesn´t grant visas, I can´t sell airtickets (si no da las visas, no se puede vender pasajes...).

Next time you hear that a public servant is corrupt, be a little more alert as to what may be going behind the scenes. It may not be what you were told.

CAUTION!

Name withheld

P.S.: I liked your published letter by Rabbi Michael Lerner on late US Senator Wellstone. A good man had to die to have others learn a way for peace in that sorrowful region. Peace may one day be his legacy. As the Bible says: May God bless those who wish peace to ISRAEL, which I pray as well.

Editor's note: It was an international maritime labor leader who went public about the sale of a phony first mate's certificate by the consulate that Mr. Escalona runs in Manila, but I don't believe that he named Escalona as the person with whom he personally dealt. Grace Castro has complained often and forcefully about the surcharges that the Manila consulate imposes, and the requirement that sailors must be examined by selected clinics.

I am stationed on Guam, USA. It amazes me the amount of panameños that are here. My wife, Luciana is one (my favorite). I had 4 years in paradise and plan to retire there. We have many panamanian friends here and I have a digital camera. If you would like some info and pics of what we do here, let me know. I'm no professional by any means but would like to support your cause if I can.

T.J. Welsh

Editor's note: We are always interested in photos and articles about the Panamanian community abroad. If you are going to send photos by email, put them in JPG format and send them at 72 to 100 ppi resolution.

© 2002 by The Panama News All Rights Reserved - Todos Derechos Reservados Individual contributors retain the rights to their articles or photos For information or problems with this page contact: editor@ThePanamaNews.com
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