INDIGENOUS anti-mining protesters were set to temporarily suspend their blockades for 12 hours today as a show of good faith to people affected by the demonstrations. 

Protesters have paralysed Panama’s key roadways for weeks to push home their demand that the Panamanian government annul a contract allowing the Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals to continue operating an open-pit copper mine in a richly biodiverse jungle.

The protesters say they are prepared to open the roads from 6am to 6pm on Monday in northern Panama, to allow people to access fuel and food, said Juan de Dios Camano, secretary general of the Association of Chiricano Educators.