It was a tense night in the Caribbean Zone of Costa Rica as striking dockworkers, agitators and Fuerza Publica officers faced off in La Cieneguita. A special riot unit from Fuerza Publica deployed tear gas canisters against rioters who set two shipping containers on fire in La Cieneguita. A Red Cross ambulance posted at the scene was struck by a stray bullet (picture) and its side view mirror was damaged. No injuries were reported.

The strike, which is now on its fourth day, has paralyzed dock operations at the busiest maritime shipping port in Costa Rica. Five hundred Fuerza Publica officers and support personnel have been deployed to guard the ports and prevent agitators from causing damage as they did last night at La Cieneguita (The Little Pond). About a dozen arrests have taken place, mostly for disturbing the peace.

Striking members of the powerful Atlantic Zone Development and Port Administration Group (JAPDEVA in Spanish) are not ready to back down on their demands to control port operations. The government of Costa Rica is currently upgrading the seaport infrastructure, and as a result it has struck an agreement with APM Terminals -a private enterprise- to assume responsibility for 60 percent of the shipping container traffic. President Laura Chinchilla sent a government team of negotiators to Limon, but at the first sign of impasse the hostilities began. According to reports filed by Miren Martinez and Krissia Morris of Diario Extra, the President has stated to the press that there will be no negotiations if the riots continue.

To avoid further economic losses, laborers have been brought in from Panama and even Fuerza Publica officers have donned gloves and hard hats to temporarily assume the role of dockworkers who are showing up for work -but are turned away by their union leaders. JAPDEVA is a unique labor union in Costa Rica since it merges the functions of a regional development association and a labor union, thus granting it more advantage and power than other labor groups.

According to reports from Radio Reloj 94.3 FM, the hostilities are only taking place at night. There is a pungent smell of charred banana fruit in the air from the burning of the containers, and the public schools in La Cieneguita decided to suspend classes. The power also went out and it is expected to return by noon today, but it is unclear whether it was due to sabotage. Fuerza Publica officers are removing the burned containers and preparing for sundown.

Pineapple exporters in Costa Rica are worried that their fruit is getting too overripe and are considering shipping out their lucrative crop from the Pacific sea ports in Puntarenas.