I cannot believe my eyes what I am reading on the this forum.This government
release is just disgusting. If they call students demonstrating the death
and rape of their colleagues as "bad elements and bandits", then I would
call those who killed innocent little kids as young as years as HELL
ANGELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is  outrageous. It is really sickening. My condolence to all the
families involved.

Anna.
----- Original Message -----
From: "astrid christensen-tasong" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2000 9:41 AM
Subject: A Gambian Tragedy


> This message is from my brother Rolf Christensen.  I think it reflects the
> way we are all feeling right now.
>
> Astrid/
>
> My sincerest condolences to the families of the young souls we have lost
in
> this saddest of national tragedies. We who are in a position to help
should
> do something to assist the families at this most painful of times.
>
> We must do something to restore the soul of our nation. For too long we
> Gambian's abroad and at home, have been silently disapproving of the
regime
> and its methods. We have watched as they operated with complete
> impunity,callous disregard for fundamental human rights, looted the
treasury
> and embroiled the nation in countless scandals. We have silently watched
as
> they engaged in what can only be described as barbarism in murdering
> opponents under the guise of suppressing coup attempts. Yet through all of
> this we have convinced ourselves that as long as the killings and the
> brutality remain contained within the ranks of the forces, somehow it did
> not and would not affect us and our loved ones and we could conveniently
> turn a blind eye to this blithe.
>
> Now that the violence has spilled over to unarmed civilians, we can no
> longer afford to be silent. There can be no plausible explanation or
> justification for such a heinous act of complete cowardice and wanton
> lawlessness on the part of the security forces and their leaders.  I for
one
> have arrived at a point where my conscience will no longer allow me to sit
> on the sidelines and do nothing.
>
> I am deeply ashamed to admit to myself that my complacency in allowing my
> nation and my heritage to be hijacked by a group of despots may have
> contributed to the deaths of innocent school children. Young children, who
> had the courage to express what I and countless others have not had the
> courage to do, and that is to publicly voice our disapproval of the
current
> regime and its methods.
>
> As I write this, my sense of anger and frustration is only matched by the
> feeling of complete helplessness to effect meaningful change in what is
> clearly an intolerable situation. We need a solution and we need it
quickly.
> What can we do?  Where do we go from here?  I do not have the answer, but
I
> want to be a part of the solution. We can no longer afford to ignore what
is
> going on in the Gambia.
>
> Rolf Christensen
> ______________________________________________________
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>
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