Travelers on their way to Panama are in for some added headaches. The Border crossing in Sixaola, on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is one of a reported 11 sites where local banana plantation workers are striking and erecting barricades.
The latest in a series of strikes which date back to the government of Mireya Moscoso Martín Torrijos(1999/2004 and 2003/2009) revolves around work and criminal codes which were voted into law in September 2009.
The government stands by the laws and says it will further development and bring investment.
In addition to the clash at the border, a strike of 700 workers in the province of Colon is paralyzing work on the Panama Canal extension.
So far, the government of Panama has responded by sending military to the 11 strike sites throughout Bocas Del toro and Colon.
With 28 current arrests,the threat of escalation, and the local report that strikers won’t stop till the president comes (who is reportedly in Italy), no end is in sight.

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