Evening star., 1951-05-11
|Arias Is 0usted
And Jailed After
Battle at Palace
Panama Gets New
President After a Doys
Of Riots, Revolution
BY the Associated Press

PANAMA CITY, Panama, May
11.-Panama's police army and
public opinion gave the country a
new president last night after four
days of riots and revolution In
which at least IL persons were
killed and hundreds were wounded
In a three-hour battle inside
and around the handsome little
presidential palace. the national
police-the country's only armed
force-hauled deposed President
Mnulfo Arias off to jail. Nine per-
sons died in the fighting and 80 or
more were wounded.
DR.. Arais' successor, Alcibiades
Arosemena, was expected to move
today into the palace which yes
terday's fighting left a shambles
A well-to-do dairy farmer, he was
vice president until the National
Assembly Wednesday night i'm
peached DR.. Arias and swore in
Mr.. Arosemena.
Remon Still the Strong Man.
Still in the saddle as ranama's S
strong man was Police Chief Col.
Jose Antonio Remon, who put DR..
Arias in the presidents chair in
l949 and who took him out of it
yesterday after public clamor
supported the National Assembly's
impeachment action.
Mr.. Arosemena announced that
representatives of all political
groups except the outlawed Com
nlunists. He said it would CO.
operate fully with the United
States, which controls the Pana-
ma Canal Zone territory through
the middle of the republic.
DR.. Arias touched off the wave
OF violence Monday night with a
decree outlawing the 1916 consti-
tuition. reinstating the 1941 char
ter and dissolving the National
Assembly. He said he acted
against a subversive oppositionist-
Communist plot which threatened
the country.
In rioting that followed Tuesday
and Wednesday three persons
were killed and ITO were wounded
or injured. DR.. Arias Wednesday
night annulled his decree and Col.
Remon said he would support him
in office, but the police chief
switched his stand yesterday aft
Iernoon after Supreme Court Chief
Justice Erasmo de la Guardia told
la cheering crowd of thousands
that the impeachment of DR.. Arias
was constitutional.
Streets Barricaded.
DR.. Arias and 1000 or so of his
followers entrenched themselves
in the upper stories of the palace.
Others of his armed supporters
barricaded streets leading to the
building with trucks and took po-
sitions behind them. Pro-Arias
snipers were posted at vantage
points throughout the city. Then
the President rejected Col.
Remon's order that he quit the
palace.
The battle was joined when Dr..
Arias' supporters in the upper
floors of the palace opened fire
on a police guard occupying the
first floor. The city's streets were
deserted as both sides battled with
machineguns. rifles, pistols and
grenades. Police reinforcements
fought through to the palace but
lit took them an hour to get
through the barricades.
After Col. Remon threatened
death to all in the palace unless
DIR. AriaS surrendered, his cabinet
gave in. Soon after the President,
unhurt but pale and fearful" in
a bloodstained white suit, was
taken.
His wife, former Government
Minister Jose Clemente de Obal-
Idia, former Finance Minister Nor
berto Zurita and other aides were
(See PANAMA, Page A-3.)