letters

I love The Panama News. Having lived in Panama for 2 years and now having left your website is my only contacts of the goings-on in Panama. In particular i like your jokes on Panamanian politics and the joke that is Mireya Moscoso. One suggestion though I would be helpful to include dates in your articles. For instance in this issue you talk on the upcoming elections but don't say when they are or maybe you do but I am too unintelligent to understand.

Keep up the great work!

Thomas O'Neill
(aged 13)

Editor's note: As you may have heard, or will know when you are done reading this issue, the elections were May 2. Just because you didn't take that class doesn't make you unintelligent --- actually you nailed the editor on one of the most common editorial standards, the "man from Mars" test. Basically it means that newspapers should be written to be understood by people who have little information about a given subject --- "Would a man from Mars understand this?" Now as much as I'd want to protest that I'm not writing for Martians, I am writing for --- among other people --- students who have yet to take a Panamanian government class and were not down here to experience all the campaign hooplah. So my mistake, not yours.

About volume 10, number 8 of April 18 - May 8, 2004. I just want to make it clear that Jorge Fonseca, my UNCLE wasn’t born in 1930 --- for your information he died at age 50.

What little credibility you have. What a horror that you publish these things!!!

What’s more, if you do not having the complete or correct story, you shouldn’t publish it. It appears to me to be a lack of respect for everybody that you publish this, and further that he wasn’t such a popular man although the church where he was buried was overflowed and people sent flowers from around the world. Jorge Fonseca was a very beloved person all the way around, in the capital and in the Interior.

And finally, he died of a heart attack. He suffered from diabetes and had a cardiac problem. This isn’t just to our FAMILY!!!!

Sincerely,

Karina Arias Fonseca

I hope people will be encouraged to think broadly about how the advancement of Afro Panamanians is shaped by the cultures in which we travel and by the study of social problems using "disciplinary power" in the weave of a history that have defined for us who we are or where we belong.

In referring to the culture of social problems, I am thinking not only of questionable social practices but also about the culture of social science research, reading, writing and teaching in which we all should be participants.

"Disciplinary power" and the other hand, that is, in collecting "data" and advocating solutions, we might not only shed new light on troubling aspects of a society, but also better understand past teachings that exalt the historically constituted preferences and privileges of some and exclude and distort those of others.

Researching together to focus our thoughts on the history of Afro Panamanians, culture, and on the social problems we face, can give each of us an opportunity to engage in creative thinking that can move us beyond conventional expertise and understanding.

Afro Panamanian literature bring to us a rich array of resources to engage in creative criticism, from poetry, to historical analysis, to ethnography. I invite our current advocates to invite others to participate in research as a way of stimulating the storms that can make sociology a creative, ethical endeavor. Research can be useful and pleasurable sociological project.

Afro Panamanian political history and goals along with our civic history and goals along with our history of cultural assimilation in Panama are all categories that seem to me essential for research and creative criticism.

It is my opinion that the current Afro Panamanian leadership during the past election should extend their circle of input to the rest of the Panamanian community.

Presenting research proposals to the community and asking them to submit papers seems to me to be the way to go.

In preparation for the celebration of "Dia de la Etnia Negra Nacional," seems to be a good time to start.

Raymond Grant

I am in the process of developing a curriculum on Afro-Panamanian. I would like for you to guide to a list of books or individuals who can assist me in this project. I visited the country last year, I did not get to go to Colon. However, my interest now is on the Afro-Panamanian. I am also looking at the many cultural groups of your country, I just completed a course syllabus on Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua.

Name withheld

Editor's note: Panama's black people include those descended from the Spaniards' African slaves and from those who ran away to the jungle to form Cimarron villages; and on the other hand from successive 19th and 20th century waves of immigration from the West Indies. There is a lot more literature about the Antillean Blacks than about the Colonial Blacks in Panama, plus the West Indian community has several valuable community resources. First, read Coniff's "Black Labor on a White Canal" if you can find a copy. Then contact the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama (not far from Plaza Cinco de Mayo, across from the Seguro Social clinic and has a support group called SAMAAP; and the Diggers Museum, which is at the old Fort Clayton, next to the City of Knowledge administrative offices. Go not only to Colon and Bocas, but to Rio Abajo, where it would be a good idea to make the acquaintance of the brothers of the Elks Justice Lodge (IBPOE). These things, and some Google search rummaging through the archives of The Panama News, are some starting points.

Might some of you, the readers, have some suggestions about this? I frequently get requests of this sort and regret that my recommended reading list is so skimpy, particularly about Colonial Black history and cultural phenomena.

Thank you so much for your expose on the San Cristobal Land Development. I am considering moving to Panama and it was the San Cristobal web site that originally got me interested in Panama. However I smelled a rat right away. While researching teak growing I came accros information about the same scam in India aproximately 20 years ago. [Most everyone lost their money]. I emailed San Cristobal with several questions and was surprised to get a phone call from them. I asked several questions they seemed quite uncomfortable with, like --- what is the average or even maximum elevation of the land, could I buy the land without the management contract, what type of teak were they planting, what if noni flooded the market due to Vietnamese plantings, do they have a backup plan? Could I see the management contract? They said they would send a copy but they never did. I have since traveled to Bocas del Toro and spent a week on Bastamentos. [It was great] but as I suspected it is far too humid for me there. I did not stop in to the San Cristobal office in Bocas town. But I sure heard a lot of gossip from the locals about it.

David Feinstein

First to say I'm very impressed with your publication.

Please don't print my name or this photo.

Although I support your comments about the San Cristobel Land Co. and your opinions and what follows doesn't change what they are tying to do (or doing) I just wanted to make sure you had as many correct facts as possible. There is at present a dirt road to Palmira. Although I didn't get to Palmira I did drive across the Rio Cuango and about 5-8 miles beyond. I believe I could have driven all the way from what the locals told me but I stopped due to the wet conditions. I made this trip in 2001.

Attached is a photo of the crossing of the Rio Cuango.

name withheld

Editor's note: the photo shows an SUV fording a river on what looked like a partly filled in gravel bed, on a cloudless (dry season?) day, with people walking alongside the vehicle in water that was nearly up to their knees.

I have read with great interest your 4-part article on The Scam, as I am considering living/relocating to Panama in the near future. To this end, I thought you might find the following e-mail of considerable interest, an e-mail that was sent to me yesterday from Tom McMurrain regarding his project. Enjoy!

name withheld

Purchase Your Tropical Working Farm Before The June 1st Price Increase!

A message from Tom McMurrain, CEO of San Cristobal International.

It is truly amazing to see what has happened in Bocas in the last 24 months. Property that once could have been purchased for $5 per square meter is now selling for $15-$20. Main street property is virtually non-existent and forget trying to rent anything in Bocas. It is not available and won't be in the foreseeable future.

As you may know, USA Today ran a front-page feature on Bocas in March calling it the "Galapagos of the 21st century". "I tell you we nearly fell out of our chairs when we saw this little town featured on the front page of the largest newspaper in the world. I lived in Bocas nine years ago and wish I would have bought everything in sight, says Dennis Smith, President of SCI.

Since the article hit, there has been a steady flow of tourists from all over the world coming to discover this pristine eco-tourism destination. On arrival, some people see a little, run-down, tropical banana town with a good amount of infrastructure. Some see the next Key West.

You can't help but want to purchase a property in Bocas. It is one of the few places in the world that you can buy waterfront, Caribbean property for less than you pay for a lake home lot in North America --- a lot less.

Consider the 10-acre Tropical Working Farm (TWF) for $126,000; each farm has 200 feet of waterfront with water rights along with beautiful rolling hills with water views. The property is also titled, which is extremely hard to get on islands in Panama.

"It used to be that people bought the plantations for the investment model of cash flow, long-term appreciation and the security of real estate," says Peter Ernst, Sales Director of SCI. "Now they are scrambling to get any waterfront with clear title. It appears the medicinal plants and tropical hardwoods are now seen as an added benefit to what already was a great deal."

Recently in Bocas we have seen 300 square meters selling for $100 a square meter, titled waterfront home lots (200 square meters) selling for $120K and water-concession-only building locations selling for $45K. Let me you understand this, this is 45K for a location with NO property. Our farms are the best deal when you take into account that you are 10 minutes from Bocas Town by boat or car, you have road access and the largest protected bay on the backside of Isla Colon (with a "free" Caribbean sunset view every evening) for less than $20 a square meter. Titled, planted with 1500 tropical hardwoods and 3500 cash-flow producing medicinal plants. Don't forget you can qualify for residency with your TWF under Panama's Reforestation Law 24 of 1992.

Timing is everything when it comes to buying real estate, especially waterfront, Caribbean real estate. Our clients have seen the prices of our farms go from $106K to $126K and now they are going to sell for $156K, which is still a great deal for Bocas.

With possible interest rate hikes looming in the future and the strength of the European currencies, now is probably the best time to make your Caribbean move. As the CEO of an international company, I personally see an interest rate hike destroying all the market gains that have been made in the last 12 months. We have a great asset for people to invest in while avoiding the roller coaster ride of the equity markets. Property in Bocas has shown exceptional appreciation in the last three years and it has won the test of consumer acceptance. It is amazing to see people jockeying to acquire properties any way they can!

Where is Bocas heading? I think it will always be a quaint town with lots of character and a diverse group of international people --- many looking to retire. The geographic location makes it very desirable because it is close to everything you need in order to building a dream vacation home.

Then there's Panama itself. We have a new President that graduated from Texas A&M named Martin Torrijos. He has pledged to do all he can to make investing and living in Panama feasible and enjoyable for foreigners. Things are looking bright all the way around.

Finally, here's my proposition to you. On June 1st, our prices will officially be increased to $156K for the 10-acre Tropical Working Farm so I encourage you to take advantage of the current price of $126K while you still can. Big Bight has had its initial thinning and we will be planting starting in June. By the time you visit, you will get to see your beautiful agro-tourism lot and you will truly have something you can be proud of.

Come join us in Panama.

Sincerely,

Tom McMurrain


THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL. IT IS INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPY OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS COMMUNICATION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY AND RETURN THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE TO THE SENDER. THANK YOU.

I've been reading your newspaper for a good while now, and am truly enjoying your exposé on scams. Having lived in Bocas for a year, and having just moved away to the beautiful mountains of Volcan, I can tell you that I have seen McNoni in action, and it is not a pleasant sight. Anyway, are you familiar with the song by Bob Marley called "Jammin"? Just substitute "Scammin" for "Jammin", and you have the SCLD theme song.

All the best,

Betsy

Thanks for the article. I'm headed to Panama next week to look at property in Bocas and elsewhere and was considering contacting these people based on escapeartist.com. You may have saved me a lot of anguish..

William Papke

I was very impressed with Mr. Jackson's analysis of some of the so called land developers operating in your country. There will be more Americans moving down there and I will be one of them.

Please tell Mr. Jackson to keep up the good work.

Mark Winkler
Denver, Colorado

I just finished reading the incredible fairytale about McMurrain's scam in the BDT islands. I lived in Bocas for three years, and due to the terrible increase in druggies, prostitution, drunks and such; had to flee for my spiritual safety. I have done business in almost all of Latin America for over 25 years, and purchased three properties before I actually received one title. It took over a year of legal wrangling; and I never got any money back on the other scams. The Bocas court system supports this, wittingly or unwittingly, haven for fraud by selling justice to the highest bidder. There was recently a judge that stepped down from the court at Bocas, because he would not cede to the pressure of influence selling. He was reinstated with back pay by the supreme court, and then resigned.

I lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bocas just trying to retire and form a small medical mission. I encourage your readers to beware of anything in Bocas that is not totally titled and the title delivered to you without a cent or via Letter of credit. It is not a safe place to put your money/investment/family/or your soul in my opinion.

Name withheld

I have just discovered your site last month or so, and have enjoyed what I have read thus far. As a person who is checking out residency, and long term benefits of Panama, I appreciate the heads up on things I would not be otherwise be aware of ! Your information regarding San Cristobal International saved me allot of grief. I am about to visit Panama in person, and I do not know for sure if I would have discovered their fraud on my own!

I have little "proof" of your claims about these guys, but many things just did not add up. Like you, the wording and disclosures did alarm me, and that was the first sign! Your comments (warnings) were the second. Thirdly the fact no other reforestation projects had (the blended types of crops) copied what should have been a natural thing to do, if it were true. I even began to suspect Escape Artist articles when I saw so many legal mistakes in their letters and advice. So your linkage from San Cristobal International to Escape Artist really made sense! Too much for comfort.

You appear to be in a war now with these people! How are you fixed for defense fund?? Their pockets are deep with what they ripped off, and so called 10m letters of credit! Have you started a "defense fund" for those of us who would like to help?! How much is the real need for defense to be done correctly? Could you supply back information "overview" to me? I have an idea!

As someone who is fighting another "San Cristobal International" I can relate to your problem. Unlike you, we are further along, and virtually done, and we one big time! We are a group of people who took on a problem, and stuck together through tough times and won! We are having a 'pay day" shortly, and would consider helping, as you saved me money and stress! Someone has to support the truth!!! Whatever it is! We just want little guy to be protected, and the messenger not fall to the side drowning in legal bills because he brave enough to speak the truth, as unpopular as it may be around Bocas.

Cheers,

Tony

As an AWAC veteran of the early '80s, I am shocked that there remains the odd person who believes the line of buffalo pucky that our government cronies feed us concerning foreign affairs. Iraqis I've met have suffered for over 40 years from US installed dictatorship --- they rightly don't trust us to put in their next government. Instead, they want true democracy where they choose their leaders, not us.

Like Vietnam, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq are wars that should've never begun in countries we should've never entered. Thousands of victims are dead and tens of thousands are injured or maimed, without understanding why we Yanks are behaving like the British against whose Empire we once fought two wars. And that's because the reasons for these wars were contrived by the Bush-Kerry Gang and their Demopublican information warfare teams, and beyond any logic but greed.

Right now US soldiers from Ohio are forced by our government cronies to sacrifice their lives in Afghanistan, Iraq and Haiti to continue the 40 + year Anglo-American subjugation of their peoples.

Americans and our global neighbors cannot afford four more years of American-powered British Empire. See http://www.VeteransForPeace.org.

Robert Williams
Oberlin, OH 44074

You should write an article about the worst deal ripoff in Panama!! First off ALL Panamanians should get in Gratis and then use the Panamanian pricing system for extranjeros. This isn't Disneyland Panama. The whole locks visit thing should be treated as a "museum" entrance fee.

name withheld

Editor's Note: the following Spanish-language price list was appended to the above email:

CENTRO DE VISITANTES DE MIRAFLORES
UNA VENTANA AL CANAL...

PRECIOS DE ADMISIÓN

Nacionales y/o residentes*
Adulto...............................B/. 5.00
Niño menor de 12 años.......B/. 2.00
Jubilado.............................B/. 2.00
Niño menor de 5 años.........Gratis
*Acceso gratis a pabellón y terraza

No nacionales
Adulto..............................B/. 10.00
Niño menor de 12 años......B/. 5.00
Nino menor de 5 años.......Gratis

* Salas de exhibición abiertas de 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
* Taquill abierta hasta las 4 p.m.
* Los estudiantes tienen acceso gratuito a través
del programa "El Canal de Todos"

(Para información sobre precios de admisión, llamar al 276-8325 ó 276-8449

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