Additional article about reduction of tourist visa term to 30 days

Update: Prima Panama, a real estate developer, did a survey amongst the expat community and potential buyers/investors and last week spoke with Ricardo Vargas, Director of Immigrations.

Update: The most recent information is available on Panama Guide. Don Winner went in person to immigration and conducted another interview with them.

Just found an interesting article detailing the background of the reduction of the tourist visa term to 30 days:

My Panama Lawyer in Term of Tourist Visa reduced to 30 days:
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The Law was submitted as Bill 292 of 2007 http://www.asamblea.gob.pa/buscador/2007/2007_P_292.pdf "whereby measures are enacted for the protection of citizen safety" by Olga Golcher, Minister of Government, in April 3, 2007. The Bill had measures to counter the rising power of juvenile gangs, and buried into the text was a new definition of Tourist Visas.</blockquote>

One may ask what juvenile gangs - after all those are citizens of Panama - have to do with people visiting the country and spending or investing money earned elsewhere.

I like the subtitle of the page that reads ... or how to shoot the hen which lays the golden eggs.... It's all so true.