Posted on 07/16/2013 7:24:45 AM PDT by don-o
Panama stopped a North Korean vessel that President Ricardo Martinelli said had sailed from Cuba and tried to illegally sneak suspected sophisticated missile material through the Panama Canal.
"The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal," Martinelli said, noting that the ship had been inspected to rule out drugs and was found to have other cargo of greater concern.
"We had suspected this ship, which was coming from Cuba and headed to North Korea, might have drugs aboard so it was brought into port for search and inspection," on the Atlantic coast of the country, the president said on Radio Panama on Monday.
"When we started to unload the shipment of sugar we located containers that we believe to be sophisticated missile equipment, and that is not allowed," Martinelli stressed, describing a dramatic scene in which he said the ship's captain tried to kill himself.
"The captain has tried to commit suicide, and the crew also rioted," when police moved in, Martinelli said. "So we are holding this vessel for further investigation."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal...”
Yeah! You need to send them to your ENEMIES via the US Air Force, funded by the US Taxpayer as our _Resident does!
*SPIT*
Thank you Diana!
Cuber and dee Norks are being swneekey....
It appears the seized weapons shown in the released photos were the radar portion of an SA-2 assembly.
I thought that China was exerting a lot of influence over Panama Canal shipping since Carter backed us out of there. It would make sense that China would not be interested in Korea unilaterally beefing up its nuclear program.
I think it's far more likely that Hussein's spying discovered it and the Panamanians tipped off. Either way, good catch.
It isn’t a SCUD. The images released show parts of the Fan Song radar system that guides SA-2 surface to air missiles. Remember the types that shot down U-2s over Cuba and Russia? Cuba has just announced that they were sending the systems to North Korea for repair.
http://theaviationist.com/2013/07/16/north-korea-ship-panama/#.UeZc8I3VCSo
Profiling!
The crew obviously should’ve just refused to roll down their window when they pulled into the canal checkpoint.
What was the probable cause? Did a drug dog alert on the poop deck?
Where are the libertarians decrying this terrible imposition of LAW and ORDER over the constitutional rights of the crew who were obviously subjected to an illegal search and SEAsure?
When shipping Missile Parts is outlawed - only Outlaws will have Missile Parts!
Or something.
/s.
This is definitely a no no re the post Cuban missile crises, re what Cuba can’t do.
Time for the CIA/NSA to use drones to take care of the Castros and their immediate thugs.
Yes, for sure....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3044100/posts
Panama Canal Missile Seizure Shows Cuba Remains A Threat
Investor’s Business Daily ^ | 16 July 2013 | Editorial
Posted on Wednesday, July 17, 2013 10:12:44 AM by IBD editorial writer
National Security: Cuba, long derided in international policy circles as a basket case and no threat to the U.S., has been caught smuggling weapons of war to North Korea in blatant violation of U.N. sanctions. This is a wake-up call. Sharp-eyed Panamanian authorities, watching the North Korean freighter Chong Chon Gang since June, received intelligence it might be shipping illegal drugs, something it had been caught doing before. As the vessel lumbered into the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal from Cuba, Panamanian authorities cornered the 450-foot rust-bucket, battled a maniacally violent crew who slashed ship lines to make it hard to unload the ship, and then watched as the ship’s captain tried to kill himself before having a heart attack. After subduing the crew, the Panamanians found no drugs buried beneath sloppily packed brown sugar, but did find defensive RSN-75 “Fan Song” fire-control radar equipment for SA-2 surface-to-air missiles. The discovery, and the crew’s behavior, were signs of something big the North Koreans didn’t want known — weapons smuggling, a violation of both United Nations sanctions prohibiting all sales of weapons to North Korea and Panama’s own laws governing the canal.
Does a Chinese company still own the Panama docks?
Kim Fat Thing - has had problems getting the GOOD STUFF since Dear Ronery Father, Kim Mentally Il, died... Just more evidence of this... Chinese want to make mischief, but not too much mischief... They were most likely the ones involved in the stoppage...
That would be just like the Middle Kingdom.
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