Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Legal Matters
The legal drinking age in Panama is 18, which is strictly enforced in Panama City and
generally ignored elsewhere. In Panama you are presumed guilty until found innocent. If
you are accused of a serious crime, you will be taken to jail, where you will likely spend
several months before your case goes before a judge. Some simple but valuable advice:
stay away from people who commit crimes. For example, you can expect to go to jail if the
car you are in is stopped and found to contain illegal drugs, even if they aren't yours.
In Panama penalties for possession of even small amounts of illegal drugs are much
stricter than in the USA, Europe, Australia and almost everywhere else. Defendants often
spend years in prison before they are brought to trial and, if convicted (as is usually the
case), can expect sentences of several more years in prison. Most lawyers won't accept
drug cases because the outcome is certain: conviction.
If you are jailed, your embassy will offer only limited assistance. This may include a visit
from an embassy staff member to make sure your human rights have not been violated,
letting your family know where you are and putting you in contact with a lawyer (whom
you must pay yourself). Embassy officials will not bail you out.
Remember that you are legally required to carry identification at all times. This should
be a photographic ID, preferably a passport. Although this may seem like an inconvenien-
ce, police officers reserve the right to request documentation from tourists at all times,
and several readers have been forced to spend the night in prison for failure to produce
proper ID.
Bear in mind that Panama is a conservative society. Generally speaking, displays of
gratuitous flesh are not looked kindly upon, though this is waived once a year when the
country hits the Carnaval season.
With that said, it is illegal for men and women to walk around topless, even if you are on
your way to the beach. This rule is strictly enforced in Bocas del Toro town on Isla Colón,
and you can expect to be stopped on the streets by police officers if you don't cover up.
Maps
International Travel Maps
( in Canada 604-273-1400;
www.itmb.com
) publishes an
excellent 1:800,000 color map showing the geographical features, cities, towns, national
parks, airports and roads of Panama. Maps are available for purchase online.
At
Instituto Geográfico Nacional
(Tommy Guardia; 236-2444; near Av Arturo del
Valle at Transistmica; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri) in Panama City, you can buy topographical
maps of selected cities and regions. Various free tourist publications distributed in
Panama also have maps, though hiking maps are rarely available at national park ranger
stations.
