Demonstration in Panama against Trump’s statements
About 100 people demonstrated, Tuesday, in front of the US Embassy in Panama after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to regain control of the canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans if Panama did not reduce passage fees for American ships.
He chanted: The demonstrators: “Trump… keep your hand off the canal,” and they burned a picture of the president-elect and the American ambassador to Panama, Marie Carmen. Aponte.
They also chanted slogans such as “Whoever sells the canal sells his mother.” And “Go out with the American invaders.” And “One Land, One Flag”.
The demonstrators gathered at the invitation of the construction union and other leftist organizations. Some carried signs reading, “Donald Trump, the enemy of all of Panama.”
The demonstration took place without any incident in front of the embassy, guarded by about twenty security personnel.
Dug by America
The Panama Canal, which was dug by the United States and opened in 1914, was transferred to the administration of Panama on December 31, 1999, according to a treaty signed in 1977 by US President Jimmy Carter and the nationalist leader Panamanian Omar Torrijos.
Construction union leader Saul Mendez said, “Panama is a sovereign country, and there is a canal here, which is… Panamanian, and Donald Trump and his imperialist delirium cannot claim a single centimeter of Panama’s land.
Demonstrator Jorge Guzman told Agence France-Presse, “The (Panamanian) people have shown that they are capable of regaining His lands and we will not give them up again.”
The demonstration comes in response to statements Trump made a statement on Saturday in which he threatened to regain control of the Panama Canal if the canal administration did not reduce the passage fees for American ships.
He added that if Panama was not able to guarantee “safe operation Effective and reliable» For this sea corridor, “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in full and without discussion.”
Traffic fees through the Panama Canal are determined on the basis of the capacity of the ships and the type of cargo, not on the basis of the country of origin.
The US President-elect also considered that China is managing the canal’s operations, which are in fact supervised by an independent Panamanian public authority.
Head responded Panama Jose Raul Molino Tuesday, in a statement he signed jointly with three former Panamanian presidents, affirmed that “the sovereignty of our country and our canal is non-negotiable.”
Trump threatened to seize control of it
In the latest episode of a series of controversial statements made by US President-elect Donald Trump regarding foreign policy, he threatened to seize the Panama Canal by force if the It is managed in an appropriate manner.
The US President-elect accused the Panama Canal administration of imposing exorbitant fees on the United States of America in exchange for using its waters to transport goods and military equipment, while the President of Panama, Jose Raoul Molyneux expressed his rejection of Trump’s threats, stressing that the canal is not controlled by China, the European Community, the United States, or any other power.
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Trump wrote on his account on the social networking site (Truth Social) that the Panama Canal is a vital national asset for the United States, because of its crucial role in the American economy. And national security, stressing that he would not allow the channel to fall into the “wrong hands”, in reference to China.
He said that the United States United is The canal is the first user, as more than 70% of transit operations go to or from American ports. It is also considered one of the wonders of the modern world. It opened for operation 110 years ago, and was built at a huge cost to the United States in terms of lives and money, as 38,000 died. An American, during the construction process.
He considered that Panama cannot impose exorbitant traffic prices on the United States, its naval forces, and its companies, adding «Our navy and trade have been treated very unjustly and unwisely. The fees imposed by Panama are ridiculous, especially considering the extraordinary generosity that the United States has extended to Panama. This complete theft of our country will stop immediately.
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