ACR CLRED FOR APCH. TWR CLAIMS NMAC WITH AN SMA TRANSITING THE AREA.

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INBOUND GUA ON UG436 12000 FT; CLRED TO 11000 FT. THEN CLRED FOR VOR 19 APCH AND INSTRUCTED TO CALL OVER VOR OUTBOUND. OVER VOR 11000 FT A TURN TO INTERCEPT 030 DEG RADIAL AND A CALL VOR OUTBOUND WAS ACCOMPLISHED. DSCNT TO 7100 FT WAS BEGUN AS PER PROC. AT 3.2 DME ON 030 DEG RADIAL AND APPROX 9800 FT CTLR ASKED WHERE WE WERE? HE WAS TOLD AND HE THEN CLRED US TO 8000 FT AND ASKED IF WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH. WE TOLD HIM HE HAD ALREADY CLRED US FOR THE APCH. HE THEN CLRED US AGAIN FOR THE APCH. DSCNT TO 7100 FT WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND A TURN INBOUND AS PER THE PROC. DURING THE TURN INBOUND WE WERE SWITCHED TO TWR WHO ALSO DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHERE WE WERE. WHEN HE FINALLY GOT THE MESSAGE HE CLRED US TO CONTINUE AND CALL RWY IN SIGHT. HE ALSO INFORMED US THAT AN SMA PLT CLAIMED WE MISSED HIM BY 300 FT NEAR THE VOR AND THAT WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CALL THE TWR OVER THE VOR OUTBOUND. LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER WAS PULLED FOR OUR PROTECTION AND THE CAPT CALLED THE TWR. THE TWR TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE TO CALL HIM OVER THE VOR. THE CAPT WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE CTLRS WERE IN A DISPUTE WITH THE GOV FOR MORE MONEY AND BETTER EQUIP. I HAVE FLOWN IN S AND CENTRAL AMERICA FOR YRS AND I AM AMAZED THAT A DISASTER HAS NOT YET OCCURRED. THE LACK OF A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF ENGLISH AND THE FAILURE OF THE CTLRS TO QUESTION WHAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WIDESPREAD. IT IS CLR THAT THIS CTLR ASSUMED THAT WE WOULD CALL THE TWR OVER THE VOR AND DID NOT COORDINATE OUR STATUS WITH THE TWR. IN ADDITION THESE LCLS TALK IN SPANISH TO LCL TFC PREVENTING US FROM HEARING WHERE OTHER TFC IS. AS A RESULT; WE TUNE OUT THE SPANISH WE HEAR AND ARE ON OUR OWN DURING APCH.