NBC Nightly News open - 1988-03-14

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] On the scene at 6,

[0:01] >> Nora's troops open fire on protesting

[0:04] Panameanians. I'll talk with Bob Dole

[0:06] about his future and for the Democrats.

[0:09] Will Jesse Jackson win Illinois?

[0:13] >> NBC Nightly News with Tom Bro.

[0:18] Good evening. The US plan to pressure

[0:20] Panama's General Manuel Noriega by

[0:22] cutting off his cash is getting to a

[0:24] painful and tragic stage. But so far

[0:27] there is no evidence that Noriega is

[0:29] feeling the pain. The ordinary people of

[0:31] that tiny but strategic country are

[0:33] suffering the most. And today there was

[0:35] new violence. NBC's Dan Molina.

[0:40] >> Today anyone in the streets of Panama

[0:42] City was a target for tear gas and in a

[0:44] few cases shotgun blasts from Nora's

[0:47] troops.

[0:49] Go, go, go, go.

[0:52] >> Early in the day, it was clear that

[0:54] Panameanians were prepared for

[0:55] confrontation. These men work at

[0:57] Panama's two major ports. They're

[0:59] chanting out with Noriega.

[1:03] The port workers angrily refused the

[1:05] Noriega plan to give them a fraction of

[1:07] their pay in cash. The rest in

[1:09] government food coupons and checks that

[1:11] can't be cashed. They said they had

[1:13] enough. They decided to strike.

[1:16] >> Imagine

[1:17] supposed to get paid. Homes, kids,

[1:20] children. Very soon the school is open.

[1:23] We have to buy clothes,

[1:26] books for the children. We don't get

[1:28] paid. With that, they blocked the port

[1:30] entrance with this huge container.

[1:35] >> These Panameanian teachers chanted, "Pay

[1:37] us, pay us." They shouted down a

[1:40] government representative who offered a

[1:42] pay plan like the one the port workers

[1:44] rejected. The real trouble on the

[1:46] streets began when the teachers

[1:47] confronted the troops.

[1:52] Rocks flew and the troops responded.

[1:55] There were challenges to Noriega all

[1:57] around the city by people enraged that

[2:00] they have no money for their essentials.

[2:04] There was some order. These factory

[2:06] workers were paid with coupons issued

[2:08] directly by grocery stores. Coupons the

[2:10] workers knew would be honored. Some

[2:12] government workers received bags full of

[2:14] groceries. Dignity bags they were

[2:16] called. The cost was a $15 paycheck

[2:19] deduction.

[2:23] But even nurses joined the general

[2:25] chorus of protest, chanting, "More

[2:28] medicine, less arms."

[2:32] >> The torrent of unrest can only be

[2:34] expected to grow as the desperation of

[2:36] Panama's people increases. Dan Molina,

[2:39] NBC News, Panama City.

[2:42] And NBC Pentagon correspondent Fred

[2:44] Francis has learned that the United

[2:46] States is about to step up its military

[2:48] presence in Panama. Fred, what's the

[2:50] story tonight? Well, Tom, the Pentagon

[2:52] ordered to Panama today what it called

[2:55] modest reinforcements. They sent a

[2:57] United States Marine Corps

[2:59] anti-terrorist unit into the canal zone,

[3:02] 54 men, and they sent 44 men from a

[3:05] United a United States Air Force

[3:07] security team to secure Howard Air Force

[3:09] Base. some dogs, some bomb handling men

[3:12] and they are concerned not that there

[3:14] will be an overt act against the canal

[3:16] but that this is a symbol to Noriega

[3:19] that the United States is prepared to

[3:20] send more troops.

[3:22] >> Fred, is the United States planning any

[3:23] offensive contingency or is this just

[3:26] all defensive purposes? Well, they don't

[3:28] think that Noriego will be that

[3:30] irrational to attack