Dance of death in early carnival days

People abandoned the capital in favor of the interior and 100,000 vehicles crossed the Chorrera highway during the carnival period, an increase of 24 per cent in relation over 2008, when 75,655 cars traveled to the interior.

The spokesman for the Civil Protection Service Sinaproc Jaime Quintero, said that this year the organization attended 93 injured people, a number well below than last year when 193 needed help.

Quintero added that although 13,500 people went to the different beaches and rivers of the country, there have been less serious incidents, which demonstrates that the population are becoming more aware of the dangers and are taking further precautions to protect themselves.

There has been a big police presence all over the country to prevent traffic accidents and thwart criminal activities.

A Guatemalan couple that recently arrived to the country were assaulted by a man brandishing a gun. He was arrested by units of the National Police, who were saw him committing the crime.

The assailant of an English tourist couple mugged on Sunday afternoon while they were walking in El Chorrillo was detained in the early hours of Monday morning in the same neighborhood. He had stolen a mobile phone and cash.

In the carnival route a 14 year old boy tried to steal a digital camera from a tourist, but was arrested by policemen in the area.

A man was wounded with a knife after two men kidnapped him, stole his car and abandoned him in the area of Loma Coba, Arraijan. The perpetrators were later captured still in possession of the car in San Miguelito.

Meanwhile, the residents close to the carnival route in Camino Real, Bethania complained bitterly about the attacks of vandalism the community had suffered at the hands of anti-socials. Several rubbish containers had been destroyed and the remains thrown on the sidewalks, although they were cemented to the ground.

Many residents are concerned about the amount of drugs and knives that have been found during the searches made on the revelers going to the festivities and considered that the well-being of the area inhabitants wasat risk. Bethania’s residents have vowed that this will be the last time the carnival is celebrated in Transistmica due to the inconvenience it causes.

However, they admitted that this year the levels of security were higher with policemen with dogs checking vehicles for drugs.

Street salesmen want the carnival to stay in Transistmica, because it is easy to control the crowd and the facilities are better. The authorities feel that the carnival celebrations have occurred with no significant incidents.