North Korean Ship Finally Released

Remember that North Korean ship that was detained in the Panama Canal last July? There were pictures in the papers of Panama's president boarding the ship and finding all kinds of illegal stuff on board including several tons of Cuban weapons, part of a Mig 21, missile launchers and a few military vehicles, all hidden in containers under tons of bags of sugar? 

Well, after nine months, they have finally released it. The ship went back to Cuba to load up 10,200 tons of sugar (with no weapons), and is now merrily riding the waves back to Pyongyang. Perhaps it is a bit lighter now since Panama fined the vessel one million dollars for "endangering the safety of the Canal." Some Cuban arms still remain in Panamanian custody pending a court decision in a case where Panama requested the intervention of the United Nations for possible violations of the various UN resolutions against Pyongyang for its nuclear tests. 

The original 32 crew members are now going back on the boat heading home with a new captain and a new first officer. When the ship was boarded by Panamanian authorities, the crew apparently destroyed a bunch of computers to avoid giving any incriminating information to the police. Once in jail, Panamanian authorities said that during his detention, the captain of the ship tried to commit suicide. Panamanian prisons are notorious for being pretty awful.