Panama establishes commission to study US invasion
PANAMA CITY – Panama has created a commission to investigate who died in the 1989 U.S. invasion that ousted strongman Manuel Noriega.
Vice-President Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado said Wednesday there cannot be reconciliation until the truth is known.
The commission is being given the job of clarifying who died in the Dec. 20, 1989, invasion, investigating claims of human rights abuses and evaluating calls for a day of national mourning.
Official statistics say 314 Panamanian soldiers and 200 civilians died, but local human rights organizations estimate more than 1,000 Panamanians died. The U.S. lost 23 military personnel.
The 83-year-old Noriega is serving out a prison sentence in Panama after serving time in the U.S. and France.
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