travel

US consular crime alert

The US Embassy in Panama is issuing this Warden Message to advise US citizens of a new crime threat in the area near the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. The Embassy was informed that two men wearing white masks and brandishing machetes detained and robbed a large tourist group on December 28, during a guided hike through the Camino de Cruces Trails located near the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. The assailants robbed the tourists and their Panamanian guide of money and documents.

The robbers did not physically harm or restrain any members of the tour group, and after the robbery disappeared into the jungle. According to police authorities this is the second such attack in less than two weeks. The Embassy advises all US citizens to use extreme caution while visiting the area around Gamboa Rainforest Resort and to avoid the Camino de Cruces Trails for the near future. The US Embassy in Panama will continue to keep the US community apprised of any changes in theoverall security situation.

If you have questions about security you may contact the Regional Security Office or the American Citizens ServicesUnit by calling the Embassy at 207-7000.


Editor's note: After this warning was issued the Gamboa Rainforest Resort protested that the crimes in question did not take place "near" that hotel. It becomes a matter of semantics, and of commercial spin. But for several years The Panama News has been receiving reports of similar robberies, in one case of a high ranking US diplomat, in the Camino de Cruces National Park and at the Madden Dam lookout. Very likely we are dealing with maleantes who live in Chilibre, and there is a high probabilty that either through lookouts equipped with cell phones or knowledge of police movements the same criminals using the same modus operandi have been getting away with this for years. With all due respect to those in the tourism industry who object to the publication of such damaging news stories, the proper way to deal with this problem is not to pretend that it does not exist but to catch and punish the robbers. This situation is newsworthy, which is why this warning has found its way into the travel section of The Panama News, but we would much prefer to report that the problem has been solved.










Also in this section:
City traffic
Camino de Cruces National Park a high-crime area

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