----- Original Message -----
From: "Amadu Kabir Njie" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "abdul aziz drammeh" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2000 8:20 PM
Subject: Re: Government busy denying events of bloody Monday
> Sorry for that mistake.can you please re-mail it for me to the G-L.Thank
you
>
> Saiks
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: abdul aziz drammeh <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: 14. april 2000 11:57
> Subject: Government busy denying events of bloody Monday
>
>
> > Culled from GRTS News,
> >
> > "The government of the Gambia has called a press conference yesterday
for
> > what its spokesman Mr. Sarjo Jallow said was to appeal to all Gambians
to
> > help guide the healing process following fatal students riots on Monday
> and
> > Tuesday. The press conference took place at the Interior Department in
> > Banjul, and attended by about half of the cabinet, including senior
> security
> > officers. The government spokesman Mr. Jallow, who is also the
Information
> > Secretary, said they are in touch with President Yaya Jammeh, whom he
said
> > is expected back in Banjul from Cuba as soon as possible. Mr. Jallow
said
> > the president and the cabinet are concerned about incidents of the last
> few
> > days, and are committted to see justice done. But he also appealed to
the
> > public to exercise patience and allow investigations into the riots to
> > conclude. Meanwhile. the Health Secretary Abdoulie Sallah said 20 people
> are
> > still receiving treatment at the RVH. He said nine dead bodies have been
> > identified, but there still remains two bodies, one of which is a
ten-year
> > old child. The other one is a young man. Mr. Sallah said a post-motem
on
> > the bodies are being carried out by pathologists, and they will produce
> > their report by next week.
> >
> > At the same press conference, the Interior Secretary Ousman Badgie has
> > again stated that gun shootings in the riots on Monday were fired by
> > criminals who attacked police stations to get arms. He said the
> information
> > they have is that during the chaos some convicts from police stations
in
> > Kotu, Bunding and Serre Kunda ransacked these stations, which were then
> > attacked by ex-prisoners from Mile Two central prisons. Mr. Badgie
pointed
> > out that they now have two people in custudy, whom he said attacked the
> > armoury of Serre Kunda police and took away arms. He said the two have
in
> > fact revealed eight other names, who also belong to the gang, and are
all
> > said to be ex-convicts. Mr. Badgie's comments corroborate those of the
> Vice
> > President Isatou Njie Saidy, who said on Wednesday that shooting come
> from
> > within the demonstrators, thus exonerating the security forces of any
> firing
> > of life bullets. Mr. Badgie also denied that there are any students
beaten
> > in police stations or at GTTI. The Interior Secretary has also condemned
> the
> > phone-in programmes that Radio One FM, and Sud FM Banjul conducted in
the
> > wake of the riots. He said they are not encouraging, and could create
an
> > upheaval. Mr. Badgie said investigations are going on into facts of the
> > riots, but he dismissed a call from a jouirnalist that outside
independent
> > police be invited to carry out the investigations. He said the Gambia is
a
> > sovereign state, and it has a competent and capable police force to do
> that
> > on its own.
> >
> > Also speaking at the press conference the Justice Secretary Pap
Cheyassin
> > Secka said an inquiry will be carried out into the events of the last
few
> > days, and that all offenders will face the law. He also revealed that
the
> > case of Ebrima Barry, the schoolboy who died in Brikama after allegedly
> > been beaten by fire service officers, will be filed next week. He said
> his
> > department will appoint a public prosecutor, and will foot the bills
> > itself, but they would not interfere with the proceedings. He also said
> > members of the public are invited to suggest names of lawyers, either at
> > home or abroad, who can conduct the prosecution. In the case of the
raped
> > school girl from Brikama-ba, Binta Manneh, Mr. Secka said his office
faces
> > the difficulty of identifying the alleged rapist, and called on the
> general
> > public to help in the identification of the alleged rapist. A few weeks
> ago
> > the police lined up its forces and asked Binta to identify who raped
her,
> > but she could not pin-point anyone. The Justice secretary also pointed
> out
> > that students have a right to demonstrate under the constitution of the
> > country, but he said that right is not absolute. He said students should
> > have informed the relevant authorities about it, who would have to
decide
> > when and where it should be held. Mr. Secka said pathologists are
> examining
> > bodies, and by next week they would be ready to establish the cause of
the
> > injuries and deaths.
> >
> > The Education secretary Ann Therese Ndong Jatta has also spoken in
favour
> of
> > the actions of the security forces to put down demonstrations on
Monday,
> on
> > the grounds that the government had the right to maintain law and order
> and
> > stability. Speaking at a government organised press conference
yesterday,
> > she said the students never consulted her office about what they
intended
> to
> > do on Monday. She said their move was clandestine, which was lately
> detected
> > by the intelligence service. She noted that the chaos could have been
> > avoided if students had contacted the relevant authorities."
> >
> >
> > A.Drammeh.
> >
>
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> >
>
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> >
>
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