Panama Once More To the Rescue

American soldiers were back on the streets of Panama last week, called in by President Guillermo Endara to quell a rebellion led by the former chief of Panama's national police. The U.S. troops quickly ended the revolt and turned its leader, Colonel Eduardo Herrera Hassan, over to local authorities. Yet this time there was none of the euphoria that followed the U.S. Army's ouster of General Manuel Noriega almost exactly one year ago. And the incident raised doubts about U.S. efforts to nurture a democratic government capable of coping without American help.

Last week's drama began after several Herrera loyalists posing as journalists rented a helicopter, then forced the pilot at gunpoint to fly to the island of Naos off the Panamanian coast, where the colonel was being held in prison. Two guards led Herrera to the helicopter, and once on the mainland he went straight to police headquarters in Panama City. Joined by a force of about 100 men, Herrera issued 11 demands to improve the conditions of the National Police. During the night, a contingent of about 500 U.S. troops surrounded the building. Next morning, as Herrera stepped out into the street, U.S. soldiers moved in to arrest him and other rebels. When some tried to escape, U.S. soldiers fired and one insurgent was killed. Herrera then surrendered.

While the great majority of the 12,000-man Panamanian police force remained loyal to their President, the fact that Endara did not rely on them to put down the rebellion is a sign of serious political weakness. The Herrera episode was also a setback for U.S. interests in Panama, if only because the American show of force was bound to irritate wounds from last year's invasion that have yet to heal. The U.S. still has 10,000 troops stationed in Panama, but that is a substantial reduction from the 24,000 present right after the invasion.