Just posted in the Daily Beast: John Feeley, the US Ambassador to Panama has resigned “on principle,” noting that he cannot serve under the current administration any longer. Feeley’s resignation came before Trump referred to several poor countries as “shitholes,” That probably sealed the deal though.
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He was NOT given a pink slip. This has nothing to do with Obama.
I see jim y nena deleted his comment.
Being a career ambassador simply means you came up through the ranks of the State Department rather than being picked by the President from outside the Department. Both appointments are considered political. One simply has diplomatic experience, and one does not.
Lighten up a bit, will you?
...Or is your sense of humour that small ?
he will be missed, at least by me...when we spoke at a town hall here in Boquete he was knowledgeable, competent, and listened to my concerns about visa changes last year...and its no accident US citizens have a waiver from the passport restrictions of most other countries...not to mention he is just a nice guy and was a refreshing change from typical political appointees. http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/12/politics/us-ambassador-panama-res...
Karen...don't know if you were in Boquete a year ago when the embassy had the town hall at the library...at the time Panama had just changed visa regulations for all foreigners...if you research that directive it is the regulations that are in force for Colombians and Venezuelans at this time, with 90 day limits, no re-entry for 30 days, among other restrictions...at that meeting myself and others voiced our concerns about having entered with return tickets based on the 180 day visa, and with the enforcement at Paso Canoas several people who were in the process of passport renewal were stuck in Costa Rica unable to re-enter for 30 days instead of the 72 hours which had been standard, as well as residency applicants who had to leave for visa renewal in the middle of their application period (30 days out would nullify the residency requirement)...the ambassador said he was going to make it a priority to personally appeal to the director of immigration regarding US citizens...in a matter of days a waiver for US and Canadians was in effect...i have no doubt it was his direct intervention
And was he successful? I understand that the same restrictions are still in place.l\
Amanda i can only speak for myself but the last 2 times i left the country i received 180 day visas at Tocuman. I know that most foreigners get 90 days, (or less for Colombians and Venezuelans) so i can surmise he was successful.
Note that the following Embassy notice of 180-day stays for U.S. (and UK, and Canadian, and Australian) citizens is dated January 17, 2107. Ambassador Feeley's visit to Boquete was on March 14, 2107. That's not to say that he had nothing to do with it, but it clearly wasn't the result of talking to anyone here in March.
Based on multiple inquiries from U.S. citizens in Panama regarding Decree No.590 dated December 28, 2016, the Consular Section contacted the Panamanian Servicio Nacional de Migracion (SNM or Panamanian Immigration Office) for further clarification on the length of time U.S. Citizens are able to stay in Panama as tourists. The SNM confirmed that U.S. citizens (as well as citizens of the UK, Canada, and Australia) are still allowed to enter Panama without a Panamanian visa and they can stay for up to 180 days as tourists.
For more information regarding this matter, please visit the SNM’s Twitter account, which is available at the following link: https://twitter.com/migracionpanama?lang=en
Stephanie Espinal
Unit Chief/Jefe de Unidad
American Citizens Services/Federal Benefits
Unidad de Asistencia a Ciudadanos Estadounidenses/Beneficios Federales
Karen... i probably have low expectations for bureaucrats