Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

Executive Decree 448 of December 28, 2011 created a Coordination Council Against
International Terrorism to review compliance with international terrorism conventions, strategize
the implementation of UNSCRs on terrorism, compile information about public institution
measures against terrorism, report on actions taken, and recommend new measures. The
Coordination Council, which includes one representative each from 16 government agencies, is
presided over by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In March, the Council formally met for the first
time, pledging stronger actions to prevent money laundering and announcing a new cyber
security initiative. In July, under the Council’s auspices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a
day-long seminar on international terrorism which focused on UNSCRs and the experiences of
other countries, such as Israel and Colombia, in fighting international terrorism.
The United States and Panama continued to plan for incidents that could potentially shut down
transit through the Panama Canal. In August, Panama co-hosted the annual PANAMAX
exercise, a multinational security training exercise initiated in 2003 that focuses on canal
security. The exercise replicated real-world threats and included specific scenarios designed to
counter terrorist attacks. Several U.S. government agencies, as well as 17 partner nations,
participated.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) linked the Panamanian Advance Passenger
Information System (APIS) at Tocumen International Airport to its data systems. Through the
Joint Security Program, CBP and DHS investigations targeted potentially dangerous and
criminal/terrorist-affiliated passengers on all flights in and out of Tocumen. The system became
fully operational in 2012 and has already led to the identification of multiple individuals
affiliated with terrorism, several fugitive arrests, and the denial of entry into or transit through
Panama by many high-risk passengers. Mobile security teams at the airport, with U.S. support
have interdicted alien smuggling, narcotics, and illicit bulk cash.
Panama continued its participation in the Container Security Initiative Program at Balboa and
Manzanillo, and the Evergreen Colon Container Terminal. Panama Customs officials received
Wisconsin Risk Reduction Project instruction and Commodity Identification Training in
November.
The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) sponsored conferences and training for
Panamanian Public Forces, and the relationship between the Government of Panama and the
Missouri National Guard under the State Partnership Program continued to expand. The
Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation maintained a strong program to help Panama develop
and refine its civil affairs and information operations capacity through SOUTHCOM’s Civil
Affairs and Military Information Support Teams as part of its overall strategy to counter FARC
influence in the Darien.
Panama was the recipient of Department of State Antiterrorism Assistance courses in airport
security management, crisis negotiations, vital infrastructure security, protection of national
leadership, first responder to terrorist incidents, critical incident management and hospital-based
management of mass casualty incidents. The program focused on building Panamanian law
enforcement capacity to secure borders and vital infrastructure from terrorist threats, and on
preventing terrorist safe havens in Panama.
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