War of Nerves Heats Up in Panama : Fresh U.S. Troops Arrive; Noriega Trains Local Militias

A war of nerves between the United States and Panama took shape Tuesday as newly dispatched American troops landed in the country, and strongman Manuel A. Noriega began training neighborhood militias to defend the capital city.

The streets of Panama City grew tense again as Noriega’s soldiers moved to divert protesters from holding rallies. For the first time, a demonstration against Gen. Noriega took place in what was formerly the U.S. Canal Zone.

Noriega’s police blocked roads leading to the canal, disrupting traffic to the vital waterway.

At the same time, the Roman Catholic Church hinted at a breakthrough in its efforts to mediate talks between Noriega and his foes. Church officials announced that the government had given its verbal assurances that the church could serve as mediator. It was not clear, however, whether the bishops had dropped their call for Noriega to step down.

Modest Arrival

The arrival of American troops began modestly. The first 22 soldiers, from the 118th Military Police Company stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C., landed at Howard Air Force Base shortly before 5 p.m.

In all, a fresh contingent of 1,300 U.S. soldiers, including 300 Marines, is scheduled to arrive by Thursday. Seven heavily armed Cobra helicopter gunships are also said to be en route.

The troops were ordered to Panama by the Pentagon to protect Americans who live in the country as well as at U.S. bases that line the Panama Canal. The United States already stations about 10,000 troops here at bases under the control of the U.S. Southern Command.

War Hysteria

In response to the move, Noriega has begun to whip up a measure of war hysteria.

Bold headlines in government newspapers predicted imminent invasion. Government radio was broadcasting incessant rounds of martial and folk music.

The government Health Ministry issued a warning that U.S. troops could be carrying AIDS. Referring to the newly arrived troops, the communique requested that “our population abstain from any intimate contact with these units” for fear of contracting acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Officers under Noriega’s command organized what they described as basic training drills for civilians. About 160 people gathered for the training session Tuesday at a dank army gymnasium next to Noriega’s headquarters and then at a nearby baseball stadium.

Recruits, Volunteers

Some of the civilians said they were recruited by government-affiliated political parties. Others said they had volunteered spontaneously.

“Why doesn’t (President) Reagan come here and fight his own battles? Why make the people of Panama suffer?” said Ruth Lopez, one of 40 women who enlisted in the militia.

The civilians shouted “Yankee animals, get out of Panama!” and other anti-U.S. slogans. A calisthenics leader shouted, “The Americans may invade at any minute!”

The group seemed ill-prepared for a morning of jogging and marching. The men wore their street shoes and work pants and sweated heavily under the hot sun. The platoon of women was equally awkward. One brought her two small children along, while another lost her cotton espadrilles as she jogged, and a third shed her patent-leather pumps in order not to scuff them.

‘Will Defend to the Death’

“These citizens will defend their territory to the death,” said Maj. Cesar Dominguez, who was in charge of the training. He said the militia would practice with weapons and eventually would take up positions in their neighborhoods to battle American troops.

It was not clear how many such irregular units are undergoing training, or whether they are being issued weapons to take home.

Some Panamanians dismissed the training as a publicity stunt. “These are just some stray cats Noriega picked up to create a spectacle,” sniffed one lawyer.

Others saw a darker motive. “Noriega is laying the basis for totalitarian control of neighborhoods,” commented Aurelio Barria, a leader of the anti-Noriega Civic Crusade.

Two rallies against Noriega had been scheduled for Tuesday. One, organized by the Civic Crusade, never got under way. Six vanloads of troops surrounded Porras Park in downtown Panama City and succeeded in scaring off demonstrators.

Protest by Canal Workers

Panamanian workers at the Panama Canal had planned their first anti-Noriega protest and it was partially successful. Participation in such political activities is considered sensitive because canal workers, both American and Panamanian, are employed by the U.S. government.

U.S. workers have mounted two recent demonstrations to protest the lack of security in their neighborhoods.

Although protesters were barred from reaching the site of the demonstration Tuesday, there was a rally of sorts. A bomb scare emptied the headquarters of the Panama Canal Commission, which administers the waterway. Employees who were evacuated stood outside the large tile-roofed building to wave white handkerchiefs and taunt Panamanian police who patrolled nearby.