Truckers Continue Blockade at Paso Canoas
Millions are being lost by the continuing border crossing blockade that has been ongoing since February 15 at the Costa Rica - Panama border control point at Paso Canoas.

Costa Rican truckers, backed by the Cámara Costarricense de Transportistas Unitarios and the Cámara Nacional de Transporte de Carga de Panamá, are demanding that the Ministro de Hacienda, David Fuentes and the manager of the project TIC@, rescind their decision on the electronic marchamo.

The marchamo is a device that is placed on trucks carrying merchandise that have not had duty paid. The system came into effect on February 15 and prompted Panamanian truckers to block the border crossing and have been doing so since.

The Camara de Transportistas is calling on president Abel Pacheco to suspend the marchamo until the Secretaría de Integración Económica Centroamericana (SIECA) renders a decision. The Camara and truckers say that the marchamo contravenes an agreement with other Central American countries and adds substantial costs to carrying cargo through Costa Rica.

The device tracks the truck and the merchandise by way of a Global Positioning System (GPS), giving authorities the exact location of the cargo at all times, including the route it is taking and the speed travelling. If the truck's cargo hold is opened, the device alerts authorities.

The use of the device is to reduce and eliminate contraband.

Carlos Federspiel, president of the Cámara de Comercio, said that authorities need to find a system to control and stop contraband, but it has to be done within the rules of law.

Authorities and officials of the three companies that provide the GPS service argue that the cost, which is between us$70 and us$100 for a trip between Paso Canoas (Panama) and Peñas Blancas (Nicaragua), is not the responsibility of the truckers but the owner of the cargo and don't understand the trucker's issues.

In the meantime the trucker associations are asking that truckers at Peñas Blancas support the truckers at Paso Canoas and begin a blockade at that border as well. A small group began to give their support in the last couple of days, though it has not severely affected border crossings.

The blockade do not affect passenger vehicles and buses carrying passengers.