The following mail was sent to me with a request to send it to the L.

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Anyone who has traveled in a third world country knows that hustlers (young
men selling souvenirs, offering tours, ...) can be a problem sometimes. In
an attempt to eliminate such nuisances, the Gambian government has given
the army a free hand to 'clean' tourist zones. This happens in such a
brutal way that I see myself obliged to react against it.

Every morning soldiers pick up dozens of young men found in and around the
tourist areas. The soldiers take the young men to their barracks, shave
their hair and beat them with sticks. At nighttime they throw them back on
the street. I have been travelling a lot in Africa, but never have I been
confronted with such systematic use of violence on every day people.

Last December I spent 2 weeks with friends in Serrekunda. One of them,
Musa, works in tourism. Everyday he goes out fishing on the beach, hoping
tourists will hire one of his fishing lines. One day he came home with his
entire body swollen and full of open wounds. Soldiers had picked him up and
beaten him all day with metal sticks. A few days later he introduced me to
a friend who had received the same treatment and was left unable to use his
arm.

These razzias are very random and any youth who happens to be near a hotel
at the time of a razzia can be a victim. Another friend, who has no
connection with tourism, was picked up while waiting in front of the post
office (which happens to be in front of a hotel). Fortunately he has a cell
phone and his family could free him before the beating started.

This mail is being spread in Belgium, Holland, Germany and the US. Copies
have been sent to tour operators, media and the Gambian Government. Please
pass it on to as many people as you can. The Gambian government depends
heavily on tourism. Any effect on tourism may put an end to this systematic
use of random violence.

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