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Hello!

This is the 24th issue of the Panama Forum Newsletter.

Manuel Antonio Noriega.

I heard so much about him but didn’t really know much of his history, so I did a little research.

Noriega was a Panamanian general and the de facto military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989.

Noriega in 1983.

He used to be a strong ally of the U.S. and worked closely with the CIA from the late 1950s to the 1980s.

But by the late 1980s, relations had turned extremely sour between Noriega and the United States government.

Noriega had been working as a double agent, collecting money from the United States, while at the same time working for Communist governments, turning over highly classified U.S. intelligence materials to Cuba. He was also a huge trafficer of cocaine and a big money launderer.

Noriega and Fidel Castro

The U.S. urged Noriega to step down in early 1988, but to no avail. The U.S. then ordered his arrest in 1989 and 13,000 US troops invaded Panama to support the 12,000 already there.

He surrendered in January 1990, and was taken to the USA for trial.

Mugshot of Noriega

Noriega was found guilty in 1992 and sentenced to 40 years imprisonment.

To date, he is still in prison in the U.S., but he might soon be extradited to France were he faces money laundering charges and could get another 10 years of imprisonment. Noriega has also received a long jail term in absentia in Panama for murder and human rights abuses.

I hope you found this interesting and learned something new.

Enjoy Panama and have fun!

Until next week.

TOP PANAMA THREADS:

• Retiring to Panama
  jrmanville and his wife are exploring the possibility of retiring in Panama. He needs questions are regarding living expenses, solar electricity, crime in Panama, and mortgages. Share your wisdom and good old advice on this thread.
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  What can a young American woman get involved in, in Panama City?
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PANAMA NEWS:

• Heavy Lift Crane Falls Over on Ave Balboa
  A crane fell over in one of the lanes of Ave Balboa while it was being used to work on an overpass that will be part of the “Cinta Costera” (Costal Strip). No one was injured or killed in the accident.
• Columnist barred from leaving the country
  A Panamanian judge barred sports columnist Bienvenido Brown from leaving the country and ordered him to stand trial on criminal defamation charges filed in 2005.
• Electoral Base in Panama Grows About 11% from 2004
  The inclusion in the primary voting register of more than 65,000 young people who will be older than 18 years of age before 2 May 2009 will life the number of eligible voters to 2,228,377 (2.2 million). That is to say that in the next national election which will be held on 3 May 2009 there will be 229,000 more eligible voters than in the 2004 elections according to numbers from the Electoral Tribunal.
• EU, Latin America close to banana deal at WTO
  European and Latin American negotiators are close to a deal that would end a quarter of a century of “banana wars” as part of mammoth trade talks here, sources close to the negotiations said Sunday.
• Shark bites Panamanian Judge
  An official says a Panamanian judge was bitten by a shark off the Central American nation’s Pacific coast.
• Boquete, Chiriquí: Sabor Escondido, a Restaurant with a Smiling Difference!
  I took Tricia, a professional critic with me, one with years of working in the hospitality industry and listened carefully to how to judge both restaurant and the food. With food photos.

Hello!

Welcome to the 33rd issue of the Panama Forum Newsletter.

Today I’ll be sharing quotes about the Panama Canal by famous world leaders.

“An interoceanic canal across the American Isthmus … would be the great ocean thoroughfare between our Atlantic and our Pacific shores, and virtually a part of the coastline of the United States. Our merely commercial interest in it is greater than that of all other countries, while its relations to our power and prosperity as a nation, to our means of defense, our unity, peace, and safety, are matters of paramount concern to the people of the United States.”
- Rutherford Birchard Hayes (U.S. president from 1877 – 1881)

“It is so manifestly incompatible with those precautions for our peace and safety, which all the great powers habitually observe and enforce in matters affecting them, that a shorter water way between our eastern and western seaboards should be dominated by any European government, that we may confidently expect that such a purpose will not be entertained by any friendly power.”
- Benjamin Harrison  (U.S. president from 1889 – 1893)

“My impression about the Panama Canal is that the great revolution it is going to introduce in the trade of the world is in the trade between the east and the west coast of the United States.”
- William Howard Taft (U.S. president from 1921 – 1930)

“Regarding the Panama Canal Treaty negotiations, they will find us standing up or dead, but never on our knees; NEVER!”
- Omar Torrijos Herrera (was the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and the de facto leader of Panama from 1968 to 1981. Torrijos is best known for negotiating the 1977 Treaties that eventually gave Panama full sovereignty over the Panama Canal, at noon on December 31, 1999.)

Kick back, enjoy Panama, have fun and see you next week!

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• Real Estate in Panama
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PANAMA NEWS:

• IHG Expands Career Development Programs for Students from Latin America at the Panama
  InterContinental Hotels Group one of the world’s largest hotel groups by number of rooms, has recently announced that as part of its career development program, it has spearheaded a plan to give employees from Latin America the opportunity to attend The Panama International Hotel School, which opened this past April.
• Soccer - Foreign players flock to Israel for tryouts, but few will stay
  Coach Reuven Atar wanted to upgrade his squad, and no less than 10 players tried out. One by one they came, from places like Panama, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa and Costa Rica.
• Copa Airlines Announces Orders for Two Boeing Next-Generation 737 Aircraft
  Copa Airlines, a subsidiary of Copa Holdings S.A. , and The Boeing Company today announced Copa’s order for two Boeing 737-800 aircraft for delivery in 2010 and 2011.
• Danilo Perez-Claus Ogerman Collaboration
  In his work with the Wayne Shorter Quartet and with his own trio, Grammy-winning pianist Danilo Perez has been acclaimed for his Pan-American originality and musical fearlessness.

Hi Panama friends!

It’s been a while… so let’s get right to the good stuff; Panama News and Latest Threads from PanamaForum.com.

Have fun and enjoy Panama!

TOP PANAMA THREADS:

• Is it worth living in Panama?
  The best advice comes from MRWOOHOO: “Swing on over, be prepared to have a good time.” This thread shows you the pros and cons of Panama, from the people who have seen it, done it and are now living it.
• Stock Brokerage Firms In Panama (COMPLETE LIST)
  A big thank you to BEL-AIR for sharing this list! Do you have any experience investing on the stock market through Panama brokerage firms? Tell us on this thread.
• What can I do with an offshore company?
  More great advice continues to be posted in this thread. Check it out of you’re thinking about doing business in Panama or setting up an offshore company.
• Do Panama girls scam gringos?
  This thread is hot! Read from people with “real” experience. Take the Person on The Take Test.

PANAMA NEWS:

• Panama’s Rural Poor To Benefit From IFAD Project
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• Truck Drivers Strike At Panama/Costa Rica Border
  The first major disruption of the nine-month-old Costa Rican-Panamanian free trade agreement came on July 6, when approximately 200 truck drivers from Panama, Costa Rica, and other Central American countries paralyzed cargo crossing from Paso Canoas, Panama to Cerro Punta, Costa Rica.
• Windstar Cruises Unveils 2009 and Winter 2010 Sailing Atlas
  Wind Star’s 14-day cruises features a transit through the Panama Canal with ports of call in Central America, South America and the Caribbean Islands.