The Panama News

Panama's National Maritime Service, which in general lacks the resources to patrol our long coastlines against various sorts of smuggling, has undertaken an extra duty for a few weeks.

They're enforcing a navigation exclusion zone around several of the Perlas Islands while the US television "reality" game show "Survivor" is being recorded. Vessels are banned from coming within a nautical mile and one-half of the islands of Bartolome, Mogo Mogo and Gibraleon, and there are also lesser restrictions on incursions and picture-taking around the western part of Saboga and the islands of Chapera, Boyarena, Bolano, Membrillo and Casaya. The restrictions will remain in effect until August 15.

However, The Panama News has obtained copies of photos of the sort that the police are trying to prevent and will publish them in an upcoming issue. We did not, however, disrupt the competition, nor do we intend to do so.