BY PA NDERRY
M'BAI



PARAMILITARY MAN AT A GHANAIAN
MEETING
Dictator  Yahya Jammeh and his care taker government are silent about the
damaging news story regarding Ghanaian Nationals recently murdered in The
Gambia allegedly by members of his security forces.   To add insult to
injury, the regime deported dozens of Ghanaians this Week for unexplained
reasons.

PRESIDENT KUFOR      DICTATOR JAMMEH
SHOCKED BY THE        WHY ARE YOU NOT
MASS KILLINGS OF      TALKING? THE WORLD
HIS CITIZENS IN            WANT TO HEAR YOUR
GAMBIA!!!!!                    YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY
What's clear is that, our nation's image is being tarnished by the Ruling
APRC government who demonstrated no interest in throwing light on this
embarrassing state of affairs.

Deporting innocent Ghanaians will not solve the current problem. Instead it
will further indict the Jammeh administration, which is today hunted by
local terrorism. The killing of innocent civilians is now becoming common in
The Gambia.

Attempts by the Ghanaian government, for the Jammeh administration to
furnish them with a comprehensive and detailed report about the
circumstances surrounding these mass murders had fallen into deaf ears.  The
Gambia government responded by expelling Ghanaian Nationals from the tiny
West African country.

Reports from Banjul says,  the government action was based on allegations
made by some Ghanaian escapees who accused Gambia's paramilitary personnel
of murdering their compatriots.

Deporting Ghanaian citizens from The Gambia is an affront to the ECOWAS
protocol on free movement of people, which the Jammeh government is a
signatory.  Now that the regime had violated this international conventions,
it's up to the Ghanaian authorities to pursue other remedies to seek justice
in this high profile case.

Current indications from Banjul suggested that there is no way that our
Ghanaian brothers could succeed in exploring domestic remedies in this "well
coordinated murders."  The Yahya Jammeh government is not willing to discuss
or throw  light on the deaths of these young Ghanaian folks.

The issue at hand is being considered by the regime as "sensitive national
security."  National security for who?  As the saying goes"silence means
guilt."  The current administration should be honest anf frank enough to
admit or deny responsibility on current state of affairs.  There is no point
in buying time.  Ghanaians and friends of Ghanaians will not buy any cover
up story advance by the regime for these killings.

While the official figure for the dead tolls is being put at eleven, there
are reports circulating around The Gambia that more bodies are hidden in the
Brufut bushes.  Such reports cannot be completely ruled out since the Jammeh
government is mute over the whole issue.  In the absence of an independent
and credible fact finding mission team, the truth cannot be established in
this matter.

Reading a Ghanaian paper called the "Public Agenda" recently, the news
medium quoted a concerned Ghanaian who expressed concern over  the failure
of Gambia's private media to offer an up to date news on the Brufut
killings.

The paper went as far saying"Another email received from Banjul wondered why
The Gambian press had blackout the mysterious deaths. The email says since
July 25 when the dead bodies were discovered, all media houses in The Gambia
have failed to publish updates for the benefit of the public. "The reason
for this silence is not known, but it will surely include the state of fear
in the population and the censorship of the press", said a worried Ghanaian.

This purported email emanating from this  worried Ghanaian national should
be read with an open mind.  We must ask ourselves the factors surrounding
the ongoing media censorship in The Gambia.  Who created the situation.?
Why are journalists afraid to report such crimes against humanity.?

First and foremost, we want to  hold Yahya Jammeh and his government
accountable for the media insecurity and censorship in The Gambia.  In a bid
to scare critical and independent minded journalists, the government
recently issued a draconian libel and defamation laws.  Under this new law,
journalists  found guilty of libel and defamation charges will face between
six months and three years jail terms without an option of a fine.
Following a public outcry, the regime amended  the law and decided to impose
hefty fines against guilty editors and reporters.

Secondly, a pro-government group calling itself the "Green Boys"  had been
on constant rampage burning newspaper houses and killing journalists.  Prior
to the Ghanaian "serial killings", leading Gambian journalist Deyda Hydara
was also killed in what many observers will call a premeditated murder.
Journalist Omar Barrow was also killed in April of 2000.

We are not implying in way that these factors should warrant journalists to
censor themselves.   We thought it imperative to highlight the worsening
media situation in the tiny West African country.  This will enable people
to make informed decision on the current state of affairs.

It's also important to note that the Point and the Independent newspapers,
in The Gambia had been constantly updating Gambians and the world about the
mass killings in Ghana town Brufut.  Their news stories on this incident
could be found at the following websites www.thepoint.gm  and
www.allafrica.com

We are equally concerned about this dastardly and cowardly act.  We condemn
it in all strongest terms.  The Gambian media cannot watch idly allowing our
reckless regime to defame or  tarnish the image of our country.  As
indicated time and time, the failure on the side of Jammeh and his care
taker regime to clear its name on this serious state of affairs is wrong and
totally uncalled for.

THE GHANAIAN FISHER MEN
IN GAMBIA'S WATERS
Ghanaians are generally nice and humble people.  They are known to be hard
working and patriotic.  You hardly find a Ghanaian in The Gambia without
engaging in a worth while ventures.   While a good number of them are in the
fishing industry, some are in the business and educational sectors.  Our own
president benefited from Ghanaian teachers at The Gambia High School.  He
cannot deny this.  They taught him for years.

Our government must do something now before it's too late.  Little did know
that they are endangering the lives of Gambians in Ghana.  We have seen the
Senegalese and the Mauritanian war.  How about the Ivorian xenophobia.?
Thousands of innocent people died as a result of such xenophobic activities.
TheJammeh government stand to be accused of
xenophobia, in view of the recent deportation of Ghanaians from the country.

Ghanaians are tolerant and law abiding people.  If not,  by now we will be
hearing a different story all together. We want to urge them to continue to
be tolerant.  There is life at the end of the tunnel.  If justice is denied
in The Gambia, justice will certainly be administered in other jurisdictions
outside Gambia's frontiers.  Let dictator Jammeh and his cohorts take note
of this.  The days of impunity and tyranny is getting to end.  God save The
Gambia from Jammeh's misrule.

_________________________________________________________________
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