Panama Honors Dead From '64 Canal Riots
The day of the martyrs is a holiday that we Americans living in Panama would prefer to forget. Each year when I hear it is coming it makes me cringe a bit knowing that I live in a country where people are mourning young people who were killed by U.S. soldiers protecting the canal zone from rioters.
Obviously there are opinions on both sides as to who was to blame, but the fact is that about 20 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers paid the ultimate price. Panamanians consider it a seminal moment in their struggle to get the canal into their sovereign hands. Many Americans, including myself, consider the handover (gift) of the canal to the Panamanian people as the reason they are enjoying such prosperity today. Maybe there should be a day of thanks to the Americans for that great gift, but don't hold your breath.
Below the AP article is a brief release by the China View. Note the terminology used to describe U.S. presence in Panama as "U.S. occupation" and students "killed by American soldiers". No mention of the students storming the Canal zone, the ensuing riots or the death of 4 U.S. soldiers. Kinda like their take on the monks in Tibet and the students in Tiananmen Square.
PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) — Panama's president lit an eternal flame Wednesday in memory of protesters killed decades ago in rioting that followed efforts to raise a Panamanian flag at the U.S.-occupied Panama Canal zone.
"We won't let the flame of gratitude go out," President Martin Torrijos said at the new memorial.
He called the riots "the beginning of a historic period that ended with the (U.S.) handover of the canal to Panama, territorial integration and a true independence."
On Jan. 9, 1964, a group of Panamanian teenagers went to a U.S. school near the canal to hang a Panamanian flag and were intercepted by students and U.S. authorities. Scuffling erupted and the flag was torn, touching off rioting that picked up steam over the next two days and spread to other parts of the country.
Clashes between the two sides, during which Panama police and U.S. soldiers reportedly fired on rioters, left about 20 protesters and four U.S. soldiers dead.
As a result, Panama temporarily broke diplomatic relations with the U.S. The day is celebrated in Panama as the "Day of the Martyrs."
The violence was a factor in Washington's decision in 1977 to leave Panama; the Central American nation took over control of the canal on Dec. 31, 1999.
China View
Panamanian President Martin Torrijos (R，Front) helps the mother of a martyr in Panama City, Jan. 9, 2008 during a commemoration in memory of student protesters who were killed 44 years ago after they raised a Panamanian flag and opposed the U.S. occupation of the canal zone near the then-U.S.-occupied Panama Canal. The day is celebrated in Panama as the "Day of the Martyrs" in commemoration of those killed by American soldiers in the event on Jan. 9, 1964. (Xinhua Photo)
