Inhabitants and small traders from the troubled Darien zone said that they are giving President Mireya Moscoso three weeks to resolve the security problem, otherwise they will come to Panama City to request the US embassy to intervene with US troops to patrol the region.
The owner of a small supermarket in Darien, who for security reasons asked not to be identified, said that if this problem is not addressed then they will have no alternative other than to request US help.
According to the source, the people of Darien, especially merchants, are desperate. This is why they will come to the capital by air and by land to gather near Balboa Avenue in order to stage a demonstration opposite the US embassy.
The protest is to ask the United States to consider establishing a border military base to guarantee tranquillity for its inhabitants.
The source added that both he and his mother, who also owns a small business, appear on a list of people who may be kidnapped by Colombians.
He said that the [Panamanian] government is not telling the truth about what is taking place in the region because they only speak after something big happens, but do nothing to control isolated actions by Colombian bandits, guerrillas and paramilitaries.