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(CNN Spanish) - The Government of Panama declared this December 20 "National Day of mourning", just as they commemorate 30 years of the US military invasion of Panama, through the operation "Just Cause", which under the President George Bush Sr.'s term ended the dictatorship of General Manuel Antonio Noriega, who was required for drug trafficking.
However, it is a declaration of Duel Day, which orders the placement of the flags of Panama at half-mast, but does not require the closure of public or private offices. The working day on December 20 will be regular and does not entail payment of surcharges for that work day, as stated in a press conference, after the Cabinet Council, in which the decision was taken unanimously.
- The arrival of the ex-dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega to Panama generates controversies
A mural commemorating the US invasion of Panama in 1989 in the El Chorrillo neighborhood. Panama City, Panama, December 18, 2019. (Credit: LUIS ACOSTA / AFP via Getty Images)
In a statement from the presidency, it was reported that National Duel Day was approved "in commemoration and recognition of the victims of the military invasion of the United States Army to Panama, which occurred 30 years ago."
It was at midnight on December 20, 1989, when the US military attack began, the worst ravages occurred in the popular neighborhood of El Chorrillo.
Maduro: "The US has to apologize to Panama for the invasion in 1989"
z US soldiers at the Vatican embassy in Panama City where General Manuel Noriega sought asylum during the Just Cause operation on December 25, 1989. (Credit: MANOOCHER DEGHATI / AFP via Getty Images) In 1989, dictator Manuel Noriega He was charged in the United States on charges of money laundering and drug trafficking. He was accused of having links to the Medellin cartel of Colombian capo Pablo Escobar and obtaining a multimillion dollar fortune for that relationship.
Amid growing disturbances in Panama, the then president of the United States, George HW Bush, ordered the invasion of Panama in December 1989, ensuring that the Noriega regime was a threat to the life and property of Americans.
US soldiers in war tanks secure their position on the streets of Panama City during Operation Just Cause on December 23, 1989. (Credit: BOB PEARSON / AFP via Getty Images)
With more than 20,000 soldiers on Panamanian soil, Noriega took refuge in the Vatican embassy in Panama City for 10 days. The soldiers placed loud speakers around the complex as a psychological tactic. He finally surrendered on January 3, 1990.
Upon learning about the declaration of Duel Day, without working hours, there were reactions for and against.
The declaration is only for this December 20 because it was made through a resolution signed by the Executive. Legislative initiatives are pending in the National Assembly so that the day of mourning becomes law.
US invasion