Panama Girl
Panama
At year's end, a court case was pending and the investigation continued into the July 2002 killing of a 13-year-old indigenous Wounaan girl, Aida (or Ayda) Chirimia, in the Darien village of Biroquera, reportedly within the local national police compound. ... [Read More]
Panama
The Government furnished basic health care for boys and girls on an equal basis through local clinics run by the Ministry of Health, but clinics were difficult to reach from rural areas and often lacked medicine. A central children's hospital in Panama City operated with government funds as well as private donations. In November and December, the Government held health fairs to provide children with vaccinations and medical checkups. According to the Government, from September to December, the Ministry of Health also provided 75,000 persons with medical, dental, and optometric care through health caravans that reached rural and indigenous areas. ... [Read More]
Panama
The country was a destination for women and girls trafficked for sexual purposes from Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Trafficking in women and girls for sexual purposes occurred within the country, but the extent of the practice was unknown.According to a report by the NGO International Human Rights Law Institute, trafficking assumed a cover of legality under a visa program for "alternadoras" (escorts) managed by the Directorate of Migration and the Ministry of Labor. In 2000 more than 700 women from Colombia were granted such visas for temporary work, stating the club or massage parlor where they intended to work, so most came with the explicit intention of prostitution rather than being deceived with promises of other employment. During the year, only about 40-50 alternadora visas were granted. ... [Read More]
Panama
FARC guerrillas reportedly kidnaped persons in the Darien region along the border with Colombia. In 1999 three individuals were abducted and held for ransom; only one had been released by year's end. There were reports that the FARC harassed and even killed Darien residents. One girl was killed by an armed group in October (see Section 1.a.). There were unconfirmed reports that Colombian citizens have been kidnaped and then retained in Panamanian territory. ... On October 15, approximately 60 unknown assailants, widely believed to be members of a Colombian armed group, attacked the village of Nazaret, near the border with Colombia. One 11-year-old girl was killed, and approximately 12 persons were wounded, including 3 members of the PNP. The Government had not established firmly responsibility for the attack at year's end; however, some observers believe that members of the guerrilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were responsible. Following the attack, two police officers in Darien reportedly tortured an Embera Indian suspected of aiding Colombian rebel groups (see Section 1.c.). ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Extracurricular activities for school-age children include Girl Scouts as well as cayuco (kayak) racing on the Panama Canal for men and women, boys and girls of all nationalities. International ContactsLast Updated: 5/21/2004 3:01 PMApply the same techniques here to get to know people that you would use to develop social contacts in any overseas community. Knowledge of Spanish helps considerably. Many Panamanians speak English but most prefer to speak Spanish. There are many local expressions and special definitions of terms here. In 2000, Post established a Post Language Program including a Language Training Laboratory. Another innovative feature is the Immersion Program in El Valle, a beautiful mountain town about two hours from Panama, where eligible Embassy employees and dependents may be assigned for one or two-week perio ... [Read More]
Docs 367-396
President: Well, I just brought over a picture of Ted Sorensen and his girl, and Walter Winchell is on the same column, and he’s got the damnedest diatribe about how we’ve been mistreated you ever saw. ... [Read More]
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