Culled from http://allafrica.com/gambia

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The Point (Banjul)

EDITORIAL
December 26, 2000

Banjul

The case of the three injured students "kicked out of Egypt" cries for
justice, fair play on the part of the Gambian authorities. With all the
talk of a so-called healing process, this government has again
disappointed this
nation with the disrespectful way it is treating the survivors of the
April
massacres. Where is the heart of this government?

When the going was tough, when people were outraged in April, the
appeasing
mouth and hand of government was heard and seen. But no sooner had the
tears dried, that other agendas and other concerns began to prevail over
the need
to honestly heal the nation.

Is it a case ofnot want thinge survivors to survive? Is it a case of craze
revengeful hatred? If that is the case, we are in trouble. If we should be
pursued up to our hospital beds, then something is fundamentally wrong in
this country of ours. And the truth is, nothing was healed from either
side
of the fence.

The case of the boys was first published in Campus Talk two weeks ago and
now GAMSU is coming out plain to expose the matter, and seek for
assistance
from all well-meaning people.

It is a disgrace for Egypt to have sent back the poor boys in their
condition. We cannot believe that relations between The Gambia and Egypt
are so bad that they would accommodate people from the media, and refuse
to
attend to students disabled by gunshot wounds.

The truth is there was no genuine commitment to address this issue.
Government should not have only paid for the boys for the needed time of
cure but also for the services of two attendants to check on the boys on a
regular basis. But what do we see? Defeat in its entirety! The wounded
boys
deserve such an attention as they symbolise the April demonstrations
living
legacy, as survivors of a national ordeal.

We hope the appeal directed to all and sundry would yield the needed
support for the April dead to rest in peace.

--- OffRoad 1.9x registered to Momodou Camara

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