Anyone wondering why people like myself dislike the AFRC govt, should read this story and multiply it by thousands. A govt that creates a climate where anyone in uniform can take the law into his or her hands w/ impunity deserves to be thrown out. The tragedy of Gambian life is that stories like this are treated as if they're normal. How can policemen savagely attack and beat a small boy for no apparent reason. Where is the public out-cry or similar protest? The sad fact is, unless the victim is a blood relative, most Gambians simply won't bat an eye lid. What a shame! Saul. >From: saiks samateh <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: NEWS FROM INDEPENDENT >Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 17:57:45 PST > >A twenty-two year old Gambian school leaver, Fadua Conteh, was beaten by >police attached to the Tourism Development Area (TDA) and was hospitalised >as >a result, according to his father, Mr Ousman Conteh. > >Mr Conteh told The Independent that his son was admitted at the Royal >Victoria >Hospital Eye Ward to undergo treatment for wounds sustained during the >beatings. He said doctors were treating damages to his son's left eye. > >Mr Conteh described the police attack as 'brutal, unprovoked and >unjustified'. >He said that his son had gone to Cape Point to see the general manager of >the >Cape Point Hotel, Mr. Ebrima Bojang, to receive some money from his mother >who >lives in Sweden. > >That was when, according to Fadua, the police stopped him and started >beating >him with a hard water hose. > >The police were very brutal and unfriendly when I went to the Cape Point >Police station to enquire as to why my boy was brutalised,' Mr Conteh said. > >He said he then went to the Bakau Police station and complained to the >Officer >in Charge, Inspector Sanneh. The officer expressed regret at the action and >took Fadua to the Bakau dispensary for treatment. > >'I later took my son to RVH for better treatment. My boy was beaten at >about >midday and he only received proper treatment at about 5pm,' he said. > >The concerned father was outraged, 'my boy really suffered and is still >suffering. He is not a bumster or a thief. He has just left school, why >should >he be brutalised?' > >Mr. Conteh said he has decided to take the police to court for damages done >to >his son.'Even my boy is not ready for compromise,' Conteh said.Meanwhile, >this >paper has been reliably informed that Fadua was early last week discharged >from the RVH.. > > >____________________________________________________________________ >Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at >http://webmail.netscape.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 > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------