Pubdate: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 Source: The Associated Press PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) Immigration officials handed a deportation order Friday to a Peruvian journalist whose investigations have angered the government, but the reporter insisted he would remain in Panama. Several international human rights groups have supported Gustavo Gorriti, who has been fighting to remain in Panama since Aug. 28, when the government refused to renew his work visa. The government says the order is based on a law that jobs should be filled by Panamanians where possible. Gorriti says it was politically motivated. Gorriti, 49, fled Peru in 1992 because of political persecution, and came to Panama last year. He has since investigated money laundering by powerful banks and a drug smuggler's $51,000 campaign contribution to the president. After first denying it, the president later said he had been unaware of the contribution. Gorriti told The Associated Press on Friday that the government offered him a deal a day earlier, saying he could stay at his newspaper, La Prensa, if he relinquished his title as associate director. ``I of course, said no, because the only places I know of where governments have the right to dictate which positions journalists could have or have not was the Soviet Union in the past with Pravda and maybe Cuba today with Granma,'' he said. ``That was totally not negotiable.'' Three immigration officials showed up at Gorriti's house Friday with the deportation order, and Gorriti called in reporters and photographers from his newspaper to document the event before signing it. After the government refused to renew Gorriti's visa, he holed up in his newspaper offices for nine days. The government then said it would not kick him out while appeals were pending and he moved back home and continued to work at La Prensa. Gorriti said he has three days to appeal the deportation order. He has also appealed to the Supreme Court to make labor officials renew his work visa. ``We are going to fight it every step of the way,'' he said. One of Gorriti's lawyers, Alejandro Watson, said the notification was illegal because Gorriti has cases pending before Panamanian courts. Rolando Rodriguez, a reporter at La Prensa, said the deportation order ``radically changes everything, because with a deportation order he can never legally enter the country again.'' But Gorriti said he was saddened, not intimidated, and noted that in his native Peru on Friday, minority shareholders backed by police took control of a television station that had angered the armed forces. ``It's a very sad setback for freedom of the press in Latin America today,'' he said. ``We feel doubly compelled to do what we can on our end of the battle here.''