US embassy cable - 89STATE401887

UNCLAS STATE 401887 
 
FOR AMBASSADORS AND CHARGES 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PBTS, MARR, PREL, PM 
SUBJECT:  PANAMA: SHARING THE FACTS ON ATTACKS BY NORIEGA 
FORCES ON U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL 
 
INFORM CONSULS ALSO FOR USEC/USOECD/USIAEA 
 
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY 
 
 
1.  (LOU)  THERE FOLLOWS AN ACCOUNTING OF BASIC 
FACTS CONCERNING THE DECEMBER 16-17 INCIDENTS IN 
PANAMA IN WHICH A U.S. MILITARY OFFICER WAS SHOT 
AND KILLED AND ANOTHER BEATEN BY THE PANAMA DEFENSE 
FORCES (PDF).  THE NORIEGA REGIME IS ALREADY 
EMBARKED ON A CAMPAIGN OF DISINFORMATION WHICH THE 
U.S. GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO VIGOROUSLY COUNTER. 
ACTION REQUESTED:  DEMARCHES SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN 
BY ACTION ADDRESSEES WITH HOST GOVERNMENT, LOCAL 
MEDIA AND DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE 
WIDE DISSEMINATION OF THE FACTS.  INFO ADDRESSEES 
MAY ALSO DRAW ON AS APPROPRIATE.  (ALSO SEE PARA 4.) 
 
2.  (U)  THESE UNPROVOKED ACTIONS BY THE PDF COME IN THE 
WAKE OF NORIEGA'S LATEST MEASURE TO CREATE A FACADE FOR 
HIS CONTINUING CAMPAIGN OF SUPPRESSION OF THE PANAMANIAN 
PEOPLE.  ON DECEMBER 15, AN UNELECTED ASSEMBLY OF 
PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS HAND-PICKED BY NORIEGA-WITHOUT ANY 
LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL OR, INDEED, POPULAR 
LEGITIMACY--DECLARED THAT PANAMA IS IN A STATE OF WAR WITH 
THE U.S. AND PROCLAIMED NORIEGA AS CHIEF OF GOVERNMENT. 
THESE ACTIONS HAVE TAKEN PLACE AS THE REGIME HAS BECOME 
FURTHER ISOLATED INTERNATIONALLY, UNDERSCORED IN NOVEMBER 
BY THE CONDEMNATION OF THE NORIEGA REGIME BY THE GENERAL 
ASSEMBLY OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES AND THE 
DISINVITATION OF THE PDF FROM THE BIENNIAL CONFERENCE OF 
THE AMERICAN ARMIES. 
 
3.  (U)  BEGIN BACKGROUND: 
 
MEMBERS OF THE PANAMANIAN DEFENSE FORCES OPENED FIRE ON A 
CAR CARRYING FOUR U.S. MILITARY OFFICERS IN THE EVENING OF 
DECEMBER 16, KILLING ONE AMERICAN SERVICEMAN AND INJURING 
ANOTHER.  A THIRD U.S. MILITARY OFFICER, WHO WITNESSED 
THE EVENT, WAS DETAINED AND BEATEN BY THE PDF. 
 
EARLIER IN THE EVENING, THE FOUR OFF-DUTY OFFICERS LEFT 
THE U.S. ARMY BASE AT FORT CLAYTON, UNARMED, IN CIVILIAN 
CLOTHING, AND DRIVING IN A PRIVATELY OWNED CAR, HEADING 
FOR DINNER IN A POPULAR DOWNTOWN PANAMA CITY RESTAURANT. 
ON THEIR WAY DOWNTOWN, THEY GOT LOST AND UNINTENTIONALLY 
DROVE ONTO AVENUE A. NEAR THE PANAMA DEFENSE FORCE'S 
HEADQUARTERS INSTEAD OF FOURTH OF JULY AVENUE WHICH 
CONNECTS U.S. MILITARY BASES. 
 
AT 9:05PM  ON DECEMBER 16, PANAMA TIME, THEY CAME TO A PDF 
ROADBLOCK AND WERE STOPPED BY ABOUT FIVE UNIFORMED MEMBERS 
OF THE PDF.  A CROWD OF 30 TO 40 CIVILIANS, SPOTTING THE 
U.S. LICENSE PLATES, SWARMED TOWARD THE CAR.  THE PDF 
MEMBERS REACHED THROUGH THE OPEN CAR WINDOWS, TUGGING AT 
THE SERVICEMEN'S CLOTHES AND SEAT BELTS, AND OPENED SOME 
OF THE CAR DOORS IN AN ATTEMPT TO PULL THE AMERICANS FROM 
THEIR CAR. 
 
THE FEW CARS AHEAD OF THE AMERICANS AT THE ROADBLOCK WERE 
WAVED ON, AND ONE OF THE U.S. OFFICERS ASKED IN SPANISH 
WHY THE AMERICANS WERE BEING SINGLED OUT.  NO ANSWER WAS 
GIVEN.  THE DRIVER OF THE CAR SAW THAT THE PDF WEAPONS -- 
AK-47'S AND AUTOMATIC RIFLES - HAD BEEN LOADED AND AIMED 
AT THE AMERICANS.  FEARING FOR THEIR SAFETY, THEY CLOSED 
THE WINDOWS AND DROVE AWAY, PAST THE ROADBLOCK. 
 
AS THE CAR SPED AWAY, PDF SOLDIERS OPENED FIRE ON THE 
AMERICANS.  ONE OF THE U.S. OFFICERS WAS WOUNDED AND 
ANOTHER WAS GRAZED AT THE ANKLE BY A BULLET.  THEY DROVE 
TO GORGAS ARMY HOSPITAL, ABOUT FIVE BLOCKS FROM THE U.S. 
SOUTHERN COMMAND HEADQUARTERS AT QUARRY HEIGHTS, WHERE THE 
WOUNDED OFFICER DIED ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER ARRIVING. 
THE NAMES OF THE VICTIMS HAVE NOT YET BEEN RELEASED, 
PENDING NOTIFICATION OF THEIR NEXT OF KIN. 
 
A U.S. NAVY LIEUTENANT AND HIS WIFE HAD BEEN STOPPED IN 
THEIR CAR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE FOUR OFFICERS 
ARRIVED, AT THE SAME CHECKPOINT ON AVENUE A.  THEY GOT 
LOST AFTER DINING OUT WHILE HEADING HOME TO THE U.S. NAVAL 
STATION AT RODMAN, ON THE WEST BANK OF THE PANAMA CANAL 
NEAR HOWARD AIR FORCE BASE.  PDF SOLDIERS STOPPED THEIR 
CAR, ASKED FOR THEIR IDENTIFICATION CARDS, AND TOLD THEM 
TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET UNTIL THEIR 
IDENTIFICATION WAS CHECKED. 
 
WHILE WAITING IN THE CAR, THE COUPLE SAW THE FOUR 
AMERICANS ARRIVE AND LATER WITNESSED THE PDF SOLDIERS 
RAISE THEIR WEAPONS AND AIM AT OFFICERS' CAR AS IT STARTED 
TO SPEED AWAY.  THE COUPLE SAID THE PDF THEN BEGAN TO FIRE 
AT THE OFFICERS' CAR. 
 
AFTER THE SHOOTING, THE PDF MEMBERS RETURNED TO THE 
WAITING NAVY OFFICER AND HIS WIFE.  THEY TOOK THE COUPLE 
TO A NEARBY PDF OFFICE, BLINDFOLDED THEM WITH MASKING 
TAPE, AND DROVE THEM IN THE BACK OF A PICKUP TRUCK TO 
ANOTHER LOCATION, WHICH THE NAVY OFFICER BELIEVED TO BE 
THE PDF HEADQUARTERS.  THE COUPLE WAS INTERROGATED FOR 
ABOUT FOUR HOURS. 
 
DURING THE QUESTIONING, THE NAVAL OFFICER WAS REPEATEDLY 
BEATEN AND KICKED IN THE GROIN AND HEAD.  HE WAS TOLD HE 
WOULD BE KILLED IF HE DID NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION ON HIS 
DUTIES AND HIS UNIT.  HIS WIFE WAS SLAMMED AGAINST A WALL 
WITH SUCH FORCE THAT HER HEAD WAS CUT.  AFTER STANDING AT 
THE WALL FOR HALF AN HOUR, WITH HER ARMS ABOVE HER HEAD, 
SHE COLLAPSED ONTO THE FLOOR.  SHE WAS ALSO SEXUALLY 
THREATENED BY PDF SOLDIERS. 
 
FOUR HOURS AFTER THEY WERE STOPPED, THE NAVAL OFFICER AND 
HIS WIFE WERE ESCORTED BY THE PDF TO FOURTH OF JULY AVENUE 
THREE BLOCKS AWAY AND RELEASED.  THEY ARRIVED AT THE NAVAL 
SECURITY OFFICE AT RODMAN ABOUT 2:15AM, DECEMBER 17, WHERE 
THEY PROVIDED STATEMENTS. 
 
THE U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND IMPOSED PERSONNEL MOVEMENT 
LIMITATION "D" ABOUT 9:50PM ON DECEMBER 16, DIRECTING ALL 
MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR DEPENDENTS TO STAY OUT OF 
PUBLIC AREAS IN PANAMA.  SECURITY AT ALL U.S. MILITARY 
INSTALLATIONS WAS IMMEDIATELY ENHANCED TO ENSURE THE 
PROTECTION OF U.S. PERSONNEL AND FACILITIES. 
 
SOUTHERN COMMAND AND U.S. EMBASSY OFFICIALS EXPRESSED 
GRAVE CONCERN OVER THE UNWARRANTED USE OF DEADLY FORCE BY 
THE PDF. 
 
THE PDF'S PATTERN OF HARRASSMENT OF AMERICANS HAS NOW 
RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF A UNITED STATES SERVICEMAN, THE 
BEATING OF A NAVAL OFFICER, AND THE HARASSMENT OF HIS WIFE. 
 
GENERAL NORIEGA HAS NOW BRUTALIZED THE PEOPLE OF PANAMA, 
CRACKED DOWN ON HIS OWN CIVILIANS AND MILITARY ALIKE AFTER 
THE LAST COUP ATTEMPT, DESIGNATED HIMSELF THE LEADER OF 
THE COUNTRY, AND DECLARED A STATE OF WAR WITH THE UNITED 
STATES.  THESE ACTIONS HAVE CREATED A CLIMATE OF 
AGGRESSION THAT PUTS AMERICAN LIVES AT RISK.  THIS IS 
UNACCEPTABLE TO THE UNITED STATES. 
 
END BACKGROUND. 
 
4.  FOR ACTION ADDRESSEES:  IN ORDER TO IMPRESS ON THE 
GOVERNMENTS OF ACTION ADDRESSEES THE UNACCEPTABILITY OF 
THESE ACTIONS BY THE NORIEGA REGIME, THE SECRETARY HAS 
ASKED THAT ACTION ADDRESSEES MAKE THE DEMARCHE AT THE 
HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL. 
 
 
BAKER