COMBAT IN PANAMA : U.S. Journalists, Other Foreigners Detained

WASHINGTON —  Panamanian followers of Gen. Manuel A. Noriega, apparently intent on revenge for the U.S. invasion, Wednesday seized more than a dozen foreigners, including Americans. Some of them were later released, but others may still be held.

Secretary of State James A. Baker III said that the U.S. military forces in Panama are checking reports that as many as 16 foreigners were taken prisoner at the luxury Marriott Hotel near the U.S. Embassy. The captives included several American journalists.

Candice Hughes, an Associated Press correspondent who was among those held at the hotel, wrote that at one point, armed men in civilian clothes singled out 12 foreigners, including the three journalists and four other Americans.

“We’re being invaded, so we’re taking hostages,” said the man who appeared to be the leader, according to Hughes.

She said that late in the day, U.S. Marines arrived at the hotel and freed most of the captives, including herself. However, she said, the fate of some taken from the hotel was unknown.

With the U.S. operation less than 24 hours old, the status of foreigners caught up in the battle was extremely confusing. Baker said that the U.S. government has not received any “requests or demands.” That appeared to be an indication that the foreigners were not being held hostage.

On Capitol Hill, members of Congress who were briefed by top Administration officials said they were told that no Americans were being held hostage as of late Wednesday. However, the lawmakers said that about 60 Americans are believed to be trapped by the fighting.

However, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington said that 11 scientists and technicians working at its Tropical Research Institute on the San Blas chain of islands off Panama are missing and feared abducted.

“These people have disappeared, and we’re very concerned,” Smithsonian spokesman Madeleine Jacobs said. “We have every reason to believe they were taken hostage.”

At the Marriott Hotel, a favorite of visiting journalists and airline crews, there was virtually no security at the start of the invasion, Hughes reported from Panama City.

Asked at his Washington news conference why no effort was made to protect a hotel popular with Americans, Baker said: “You have 35,000 Americans in Panama. You could not . . . make arrangements to secure each and every one of those Americans.”

Conceding that the invasion put some Americans at risk, Baker added: “On balance, there is less risk, in our view, to Americans, as a result of the actions the President has taken than there would be if he had not taken any action.”