To Mr./MS. ---- Title: Dear Sir/Madam, My name is Sigga Jagne and I am a citizen of the tiny West African country, the Gambia. I currently reside in the United States where I attend graduate school as well as work as an industrial hygienist. I decided to write this letter after reading a publication in one of the Gambian newspapers about your country resuming military training assistance to the Gambian government. I, like many Gambians the world over, was shocked by this decision on the part of your government. Ordinarily, such an action would generally have been welcome by most Gambians. But recent developments in our country has caused us, Gambian citizens and friends of the Gambia in general, to lament the action. For it came in the wake of the slaughtering of innocent and armless Gambian children in broad daylight by the very instrument supposed to protect them - the Gambian military. The only crime that these children had committed was to practice their right to peacefully demonstrate against the murder of one of their colleagues- a school boy - by fire service personnel; and the rape of a 13 year old school girl by security personnel. After waiting in vain for justice to be done in the above named cases, and after listening to the familiar "never going to be fulfilled promises to ascertain that justice is done" by the president. The students prepared to lunge a peaceful demonstration on April 10, 2000. Military personnel were sent out to shoot them with live bullets which left about 12 students, including a 3 year old boy, dead and a vast number maimed for life or seriously injured. You see sir/madam, even before this event, the military and other security forces were constantly being used by the government as a tool of intimidation and often murder, in order to silence any voices that dare to speak against the rampant corruption and injustices that the government has become known for. As such, a stage was set in the Gambia where the security forces and the government's APRC Youth Wing, backed by the president, has the authority to arbitrarily arrest, harass, beat, threaten, kill anyone that so much as utters a word against the president or the APRC government. Civil servants and judges are fired for not supporting or for merely speaking a good word about the opposition. The opposition parties and the media are constantly arrested, beaten and threatened with death. One of the major radio stations in the country, Radio One FM, which is well known for airing the Gambian people's increasing discontent, was burnt down by the APRC Youth Wing. This came in the wake of a meeting held by the president and his supporters, in which he (the president) clearly asked his supporters to report any civil servants or judges who are opposed to his political party, so that they can be stripped of their positions. At this meeting, the president responded to stories, from his militant youth group, of beatings and intimidation rendered to those opposed to him by laughing and applauding. To top it off, the president threatened to put "six feet deep" anyone opposed to him describing such people with language that I do not dare reiterate in this letter. Sir/madam, the Gambian people generally live in fear of these forces and are constantly forced to look the other way in the face of rampant injustices, in the wake of constant beatings, arresting, and harassing of their fathers, mothers, sons, daughters etc. Such is their fear that, even when one phones one's friends and family in the Gambia, many of them hang up the phone or change the conversation as soon as any mention of something adverse to the government is made. FOR THE GAMBIAN SECURITY FORCES ARE RAGING A WAR AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THE GAMBIA BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT. It should therefore, sir/madam not be a strange matter that Gambians are outraged that your government, which is well known for its promotion of democratic values, seems to be legitimizing the actions of the Gambian president and his security forces, by helping in the training of these forces. Because to Gambians sir/madam, to better train the present army, only means to better equip them in their quest to terrorize Gambian citizens. As I conclude this letter, I am obliged to point out that even today, some of the victims of the April 10 shootings are still suffering immensely without any repatriations from the government. At present, there is a 17 year old boy lying in a Gambian hospital since April 10, paralyzed from the waist down. The Gambia does not have the required facilities to render him the necessary medical treatment. And attempts by people like myself to attain help for him outside of Gambia are being blocked by the authorities' refusal to release his medical reports. We therefore hope that your government will, in the name of humanity, human rights and democracy, and in the name of those innocent children who were murdered or wounded by the said security forces, reconsider the assistance in training that is being rendered to the Gambian army by your government. For such an action only legitimizes a government that is bent on destroying its people. I am quite sure that the British government will not be limited in areas to assist our country in besides military training. For in the wake of the havoc that our current government is wreaking on our economy, the Gambia more than ever needs help in numerous social and economic arenas. Your government sir/madam, can start by making good on the recent promise of Mr. John Perrot, the British High Commissioner to the Gambia, to assist in the coming presidential elections. For only with international monitoring can there be a fair election in the Gambia. I do thank you sir/madam. And I hope that your government will continue to help the Gambia in its quest for true democracy. Respectfully yours, Ms. Sigga Jagne ===== "NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION" ALSO "NOTHING IS UNACHIEVABLE, THE ONLY QUESTION IS, WHETHER ONE IS WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE WHAT IS DESIRED" __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------