“Due to the continued illegal blockades at the Punta Rincón port and roads to the site, the Cobre Panama mine has suspended commercial production and is applying a program of Preservation and Safe Maintenance to ensure the compliance and environmental integrity of the site, preservation of the assets, and safe maintenance of the plant and facilities,” the company said in a statement Tuesday.
The suspension came shortly after Panama’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a 20-year concession for the Canadian copper mine was unconstitutional.
The company is still mapping out its next steps.
“The Supreme Court has published its ruling and confirms that it intends to submit its ruling for publication in the
“The Company is reviewing the ruling and continues to reserve all its local and international legal rights in regards to developments in Panama.”
Opponents of the Cobre Panama mine argued it would damage a forested coastal area and threaten water supplies. The announcement of the nine-member court's decision after four days of deliberations set off cheers among a crowd of people waiting outside and waving Panamanian flags.
“This is what we had been waiting for,” demonstrator
“We want to affirm our unwavering commitment to regulatory compliance in all aspects of our operations within the country,” the company wrote. "We will comment further as additional details on the ruling are made public.”
The mine employs thousands and accounts for 3% of Panama’s gross domestic product.
In March, Panama’s legislature reached an agreement with First Quantum allowing
The contract, given final approval
The dispute over the mine led to some of
Just before the ruling was announced, they opened the roadway so freight trucks could get through.
The protesters, a broad coalition of Panamanians, feared the mine’s impact on nature and especially on the water supply.
After the protests began, the government nearly passed legislation that would have revoked the contract, but it backtracked in a debate in the
A court decision that declared the contract unconstitutional was the last opportunity for opponents to get it thrown out.
The Canadian government said it respected Tuesday's ruling and was following the contract negotiation closely. In an email,
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