Panama Seizes, Then Frees 2 GIs After Standoff

U.S. forces blockaded Ft. Amador for more than three hours Wednesday after two American soldiers were arrested, then withdrew after the two were exchanged for two arrested Panamanian soldiers.

The confrontation occurred one day after U.S. soldiers detained 29 Panamanians, including the brother-in-law of Panama’s de facto ruler, Gen. Manuel A. Noriega, for entering a military zone.

At the Pentagon in Washington, Army Maj. Kathy Wood gave this account of the incident at Ft. Amador, which is jointly operated by the two nations:

Panamanian soldiers detained a U.S. military policeman in the morning, and a second was detained when he entered the building where the first soldier was being held.

“U.S. forces secured the entry and exit to Ft. Amador. . . . Two PDF (Panama Defense Forces) personnel on police duty at Ft. Amador’s front gate were asked to surrender their weapons, and they did so. They were then taken into custody by U.S. forces.” Five U.S. armored personnel carriers were posted outside the gate.

The U.S. soldiers were released about 2 1/2 hours after being seized, and the Panamanians then were freed and the fort reopened.

Ft. Amador includes an office for Noriega, barracks for Panamanian troops and several offices of the U.S. Southern Command.

The incident was in apparent retaliation for the brief detention Tuesday by U.S. authorities of 29 Panamanians, including Maj. Manuel Sieiro, who is Noriega’s brother-in-law, and several other officers of the Panama Defense Forces.

They were accused of entering a restricted military area during a U.S. “reconnaissance exercise” on roads leading to the Panama Canal.

For more than a year, the United States has maintained economic sanctions against Panama in an attempt to oust Noriega, whom it accuses of involvement in the drug trade and anti-democratic actions.