Commission to examine 1989 U.S. invasion
A COMMISSION created to examine the events of the U.S. military invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989, will have the task of determining the exact number of people killed during the invasion and their identities.
The figures provided by U.S. authorities have been disputed by local observers and the commission is seeking to get accurate figures along with other information on what happened leading up to the arrest of General Manuel Noriega.
The commission was installed Wednesday, July 20 at a ceremony in the auditorium of the Presidency.It is composed of five members: Juan Planells, Svetlana Jaramillo, Maribel Jaén, Rolando Murgas and Enrique Illueca.
The event was chaired by Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, who noted there has never been a definitive report on the invasion.
Juan Planells, president of the Commission, announced that the first report of the commission would be released Dec. 20.
“We invite anyone foreign or Panamanian, with information, to meet with us,” he said.
The commission has the technical support of the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP) and the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights.
On Dec. 18, 2015, President Juan Carlos Varela signed an executive order declaring Dec. 20 as a National Day of Reflection and ordered that the national flag be flown at half-staff.
