The current situation of Dan and Jeanie Miller in El Banco

[Lee Zeltzer]

Dan and Jeanie Miller, retired US citizens, are permanent residents of Panama. They purchased a small farm in the El Banco area in the District of Dolega, Chiriqui provence. The farm has one access road along a 500 meter easement through a citrus grove owned by a corporation, Citricos SA.

The easement is acknowledged to be valid by the government of Panama. Still Citricos prevented their access and egress by locking gates on the road. After appealing to local authorities, the Mayor of Dolega ordered the gate to be opened and removed. The local Corregedor, similar to a Justice of the Peace, supervised removal of the gates from their hinges.

Citricos responded by restoring the gate and digging a trench 20 feet wide, 5 feet deep and 6 feet across inside the gate. The mayor issued another order instructing Citricos to remove the gate and fill the trench. Citricos did nothing, the Mayor did nothing. People from the local community spent Friday afternoon August 14th filling the trench and removing the gates.

As of 6pm Friday August 14th Citricos returned with a backhoe and dug three more trenches across the road making it impossible for the Millers to leave their farm.

While the original trench was being filled, a group of children held a sign with a quote from Blaise Pascal; “Justice without force is impotent, force without justice is tyranny.” This quote is a message to the new President of Panama and his new government.

Only the strong hand of law can resolve this situation. If the government does not enforce it's laws to protect it's residents then it not a government worthy of international investment.

Hold your investments in Panama. The government response to this event will prove the rule of law exists in Panama or if no investor is safe in this land of great potential.

[AlpineArt]

Well...this is certainly no way to treat a neighbor, and if it were me, I would certainly locate the Owner/the Board Of Directors of Citricos and have a nice little chat with them. A resolution can only be found at the TOP of the organization. I would also find out (who) is the major distributor/buyer for their products, and make it a point to let those folks know how Citricos is treating their neighbors.

AlpineArt

[AlpineArt]

I found this article about "Citricos" on line, which in my opinion provides another valuable resource of information that can be used to fight this "scoundrel" Citricos organization. They export their products to Asia, Europe, and to the US, and there are very (strict) government guidelines regulated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the US on ALL imported food products.

Creditor takes orange juice company
Banco Cafetero has sequestered the assets of Citricos, SA, due to a $9 million debt. Citricos, which owns about 4,000 hectares of orchards in Chiriqui and employs about 250 people, makes about half of its $40 million in annual sales in Panama and the other half in North America and Europe. A weak domestic economy and subsidies for competitors in foreign markets have left the orange juice producer in a vulnerable position.

I would have a talk with a compassionate administrator at Banco Cafetero, they are in a position to convince Citricos that they need to show a little more compassion for their neighbors.

AlpineArt

[Lee Zeltzer]

Sadly that happened in 2001
http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_07/issue_01/business_04.html

[AlpineArt]

Food For Thought!

Marler Clark files lawsuit against Orchid Island, maker of unpasteurized Salmonella-contaminated orange juice

Marler Clark has filed a Salmonella lawsuit was against Orchid Island Juice Company of Fort Pierce, Florida, in US District court for the Southern District of West Virginia Thursday (case no. 5:05-CV-0586). The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Heather Dowdy, a Caldwell, West Virginia resident who became ill with a Salmonella infection after consuming Orchid Island unpasteurized orange juice. We have filed the lawsuit along with David Delk, a respected Wheeling, West Virginia, lawyer.

As I told the local (Morgantown, West Virginia) press today:

Ms. Dowdy consumed Orchid Island orange juice on May 30, 2005, and became ill with symptoms of Salmonella infection on May 31. She went to the emergency room in Virginia Beach on June 2, and again on June 6, when she was admitted to the hospital for severe dehydration. Ms. Dowdy was discharged on June 8, but still suffers from complications of Salmonella infection, and has not yet been able to return to work.

"After the Odwalla and Sun Orchard outbreaks in 1996 and 1999, I would have thought that a juice producer would have more sense than to sell unpasteurized juice and risk facing me in a courtroom after they had poisoned their customers," said William Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. "But I guess the lesson has not been learned by all."

In the lawsuit, which is based on the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Marler alleges that "Orchid Island had a duty to use supplies and raw materials . . . free from adulteration and fit for human consumption, but failed to do so."

Marler continued, "If Orchid Island had only pasteurized their juice, this outbreak would not have occurred. Heather Dowdy went through a terrible ordeal. She and other victims did not deserve this."

On July 8, 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers against drinking unpasteurized orange juice products distributed by Orchid Island under a variety of brand names. At that point, there were reports of 15 cases of a matching strain of Salmonella bacteria causing illness in consumers in Michigan, Ohio, and Massachusetts. At least 16 other states reported cases of Salmonella that matched the specific strain found in Orchid Island orange juice. On July 15, 2005, Orchid Island issued a nationwide recall of fresh and frozen unpasteurized orange juice (see http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/orchidislandjuice07_15.html). The CDC indicated that as many as 82 cases have been confirmed nationwide.
Posted on July 21, 2005 by Marler Lawyer

I reciently heard a rumor that "Citricos may have a Salmonella or other Bacteria related problem with their OJ."

[S. Yates]

curious...was the reference to an incident with Natalie's Orchid Island Juice (an isolated incident of nearly five years ago) generated by you? Was the Marler quote recent? Was the comments to the newspaper as of the date of this posting or from 2005? again, just curious why something from nearly five years ago was mentioned here today. I'm an old news guy and can't see relevance of something that old being newsy today.

[Produce Guy]

What is Citricos growing there? Oranges? Lemons? Limes? For some odd reason I'm recalling this is an avocado grove? Either way I have a market for each. Perhaps if the sell off some of their crops I could possibly help the Millers using the leverage as a "potential customer"? Hmmmm......

[S. Yates]

Hey Produce Guy...we have ties to the same industry. Check out worldwide produce marketers dot com.

[Produce Guy]

Ahhhh....I see. Sorry, was multi-tasking. Well, this is interesting indeed. I might know some of the same people.