Cubans Cite Economy, Jump Ship in Panama
<i> Reuters</i>
PANAMA CITY —
Two Cubans fleeing their island’s economic troubles jumped ship at the Panama Canal on Tuesday and were granted temporary refugee status by the Panamanian government, authorities said.
The men were on a boat taking sugar from Cuba to North Korea.
“They said they wanted to escape the economic crisis in Cuba,” said Jose Javier Mulino, director of the government’s organization for the care of refugees.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
