Bocas Unidos Foundation

Tings Taking a Turn in Bocas del Toro

Thursday, January 21 2008

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I can't say too much at this point but avid readers might have noticed that all of the articles I've written about problems with land deals in Bocas del Toro have been taken down, at least for now. I had a lengthy meeting with frank delape and Richard Kiibler of Six Diamond Resorts International (SDRI) this week. And, if the current trends continue then the climate has taken a dramatic turn for the better in Bocas. So far SDRI has approached the Schreibers, Dario Vanhorne, and Red Frog, and are currently working to find a way to reduce conflict and determine exactly who screwed who on their respective land deals. And along those lines, before too long some short hairs are going to be yanked (hard.) When that happens I'm looking forward to hearing the exact tone and tenor of the subsequent squealing produced by the yank-ee. That's about all I can say for now. Stay tuned for some more fun, games (and this time fireworks) in Bocas del Toro. Tomorrow I'm going to meet a woman who's family was evicted from ten hectares of land on Isla Solarte by the local judge, based on a 1917 title even though the poor Indian family had rights of possession over the property for more than 31 years. That eviction, while carried out in the name of SDRI, actually had a whole lot more to do with the grandson of the person making the claim, who just happens to work for the judge who ruled to evict this family, and SDRI had nothing to do with it. Hey, this is a better story anyway...