Government to provide temporary solution to Attorneys' demands
Identify and develop tourist potential - Baah-Wiredu
Two Armed Robbers kill house help
The Disabled protest against exclusion from district assembles
Nine Ambassadors presented with credence
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 August 2001
The government has agreed to give striking Attorneys in the Legal Service some financial package, pending efforts to better their conditions of service.
The striking lawyers are from the rank of principal to assistant state attorneys.
A spokesman of the Association of State Attorneys (ASA), who made this known in Accra, said this was the outcome of a meeting held between the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General and executive members of the association.
The spokesman said the package, which was not known yet, would serve as a temporary relief to "cushion" members, until next year when their demands would be taken care of adequately in the budget.
He gave the assurance that members would call off their strike if the package is "reasonable".
Members of ASA withdrew their services last Wednesday following a petition to the Minister calling for a review of their conditions of service.
The strike action is the first in the history of the Ministry, involving State Attorneys.
GRi../
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Denu (Volta Region) 20 August 2001
Two suspected armed robbers, who stormed a house at Laklevikope, near Denu, at the weekend have been arrested by the youth of the village and handed over to the Police at Denu in the Ketu District of the Volta Region.
Thomas Datsomor, 20, a mechanic apprentice from Nyangbo-Gagbefe, in the Hohoe District and Francis Bobo, 25, a lotto writer from Aflao, have been placed in Police custody pending investigations.
Datsomor and Bobo were pursued through marshes between Laklevikope and
Denu and arrested, while the third suspect, one Gademor also from Aflao, managed to escape.
The Denu Police said the three persons, who were armed with a locally made gun, a knife, cutlass and a crowbar, stormed the building in the afternoon, cut off telephone lines, subjected Madam Josephine Agblevor, a resident to severe beating and ransacked the house.
The robbers fled into the marshes nearby when they realised that Madam Agblevor's screams had attracted public attention leaving behind a 26-inch television set and a video deck they had taken from the house.
Madam Paulina Dorkenu, owner of the house, who was at the Denu Market, was informed and she reported to the Police.
When the Police arrived at Laklevikope the youth had arrested the robbers and said they found two television remote control devices on them.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 August 2001
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu has called on district assemblies to identify and develop all tourist potentials to enhance revenue mobilisation.
A statement issued in Accra by the ministry said the Minister, made the call at the end of a one-week tour of five districts including Goaso and Asunafo in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The tour, which took him to Berekum, Jaman, Asutifi and Dormaa, was to afford the minister the opportunity to learn some problems facing the local government and rural development.
At the Berekum, the Baah-Wiredu urged the Assembly members to assist and strengthen the Unit Committees and Town/Area councils to move the decentralisation forward.
He inspected the brick factory at Adom and food crop farms at Mpatapo in the District.
At Jaman, the Minister visited the mass slave grave at Jinini and that of two British soldiers at Sampa and unearth all tourist sites to boost tourism.
At Dormaa, Asutifi and Asunafo, Baah-Wiredu expressed surprised at the volume of foodstuffs that were getting rotting on farms due to bad roads.
He assured the chiefs and people of the government's determination to improve road networks.
GRi../
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Tema (Greater Accra) 20 August 2001
A combined team of the Military and Police on Thursday night, arrested two men, suspected to be armed robbers after they have killed a house help at the residence of a Korean at Ashaiman, near Tema.
The two, Sefianu Yusif, a watchman and Osumanu Kanfodee, a scrap dealer, both from Ashaiman, are in police custody pending investigations.
Supt. George Appiah, Tema Regional Crime Officer, said at about 9.30 p.m., three armed men, including the two, entered the house of Ju-Ilsu, the Korean.
Kingsley Ago, the house help, aged 41, put up fierce resistance when the three demanded to see his master.
One of them who is on the run, pulled out a pistol and shot Ago in the head and the robbers rushed to the room of Ju-Ilsu and asked him to surrender all the money on him.
Supt. Appiah said for fear of his life, the Korean gave two million cedis to them and they left.
He reported the matter to the security officers, which went to the house, found Ago in a pool of blood and rushed him to the Tema General Hospital where he died.
The team later arrested Yusif and Kanfodee and when they were searched, a locally-made pistol, with a cartridge was found on them.
The police said two spent shells found in the house had a semblance of the cartridge.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 August 2001
Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) has deplored the exclusion of persons with disability from the government's quota to the District Assemblies this term.
"It is a setback to our crusade of enlightening the society on disability, the services and infrastructure needed to make the lives of persons with disability less terrible'', Charles Appiagye, President of GFD said.
He said in an interview that the federation did all it could to get representation in the District Assemblies but to no avail.
The NPP Government, in coming into office, exercised its constitutional right by replacing appointees of the former government to the assemblies but Appiagye said the inaction or omission by the government was "a snub of the letter and spirit of the United Nations Resolution 48/96 (Standard Rule on Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities)".
He said grassroots democracy was one of the most effective ways by which persons with disability could train politically and push their concerns to the fore.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 August 2001
The first batch of nine nominated Ambassadors and High Commissioners, four of them, career Diplomats were on Friday presented with their Instrument of Commission, letters of credence and of recall.
They are; Isaac Osei, High Commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, Ambassador-designate to USA, Daniel Kufuor Osei, Ambassador-designate at large (no fixed country), who is a career Diplomat, John Evonlah Aggrey, career Diplomat Ambassador-designate to Ethiopia, Kwasi Baah-Boakye, career Diplomat, High Commissioner-designate to Zimbabwe, Kwabena Mensa-Bonsu, a lawyer, Ambassador-designate to Togo, Dr Isaac Antwi-Omane, ambassador-designate to Cuba, Lt-Gen Benedictus Kodzo Akafia Ambassador-designate to Egypt, and Mrs Maureen Abla Amematekpor, High Commissioner-designate to Namibia.
They swore the oath of allegiance, secrecy and the official oath, which were administered by President John Agyekum Kufuor.
The President said with the administration of the three oaths, they as representatives of Ghana should not indulge in any acts that would demean their positions or put a stigma on them, but show their loyalty to the country in all their endeavours.
President Kufuor said they should advocate the cause of the country and defend her interests.
Osei, High Commissioner-designate to the UK on behalf of his colleagues, expressed their gratitude to the government for the honour bestowed on them.
He said they share the government's vision of a united and prosperous country in a free democratic and competitive environment.
GRi../
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