Panama Preparing to Free Most of North Korea Crew - NYT

The authorities in Panama said Monday that they would release 33 of the 35 North Korean crew members of a rusting freighter impounded more than three months ago for carrying a secret stash of Soviet-era Cuban military gear hidden under bags of brown sugar.  

Neither the captain, who tried to slit his throat when the Panamanian marine police boarded the vessel, nor the captain’s aide are free to go, said a top official at Panama’s Foreign Ministry. The official, who spoke by telephone on the condition of anonymity because of ministry policy, said the two North Koreans had not cooperated and may still face criminal charges. 

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