Menase Kifle
17 August 2007
Addis Ababa — Addis Taxi drivers and their assistants including those who help keep turns have on Thursday been advised to be on alert to identify possible insurgent clients feared on a destabilizing mission here.
The taxi drivers and their colleagues were urged to do so at a half day consultation forum that discussed issues related to crime being committed on city taxis and the code of ethic that was necessary to be kept in the context of the millennium celebrations.
The taxi drivers in this regard were told to be disciplined and courteous.
The country is expecting close to half a million visitors from the Ethiopian Diaspora and tourists for the year long millennium festivities.
"Insurgents from OLF and other terrorist organizations are taking and will take every chance they get to create havoc, diminish the sense of security and tarnish our good image in the outside world," Assistant commissioner of traffic police Tesfaye Meresa warned the taxi drivers. Security forces foiled an attempt the Police said was an attempt by Eritrean-sponsored insurgents to assassinate officials and destroy public institutions, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency reported on Wednesday.
"This latest attempt of terrorism was found to be an orchestration of the rogue government in Asmara, which handed down the mission to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), The Ethiopian News Agency reported on Wednesday.
The OLF is an armed group fighting for greater autonomy in the region of Ethiopia inhabited by ethnic Oromo.
Security forces arrested the coordinators and many of those sent to carry out the attacks, the agency said, without giving numbers.
Nine explosive devices, 12 fuses and a Kalashnikov rifle were confiscated, it said, adding that people should be vigilant against attacks aimed at disrupting forthcoming millennium celebrations.
The Assistant Commissioner noted that taxi drivers and their assistants are the main victims of these possible attacks." "In order to stop insurgent terrorists and local pickpockets from creating havoc on tourists they had an obligation to assist the traffic police and the federal police by informing on such individuals.
Assistant commissioner Tesfaye also said taxi drivers were at the forefront of the host committee for the reception of Diaspora and tourists and that they are the ones who can change the main misconception there is about taxi drivers.
Tesfaye said the new millennium offers a best opportunity for "we Ethiopians to put our hands together and defeat poverty." The half-day Confeence which was held at the assembly hall of kebeles 11/12. was organized by the National Millennium Secretariat Council, in collaboration with the Association of Taxi Drivers for Peace and Development .
Deputy Commander Melaku Belew who also attended the conference said taxi drivers and traffic police department needed to work together in order to change the negative perspective that tourists have of taxi drivers to a more positive one.
After the key note addresses, participants of the forum which consisted mainly of taxi drivers discussed on a number of issues revolving around taxi transportation in relation to issues of security, grievances and complaints on the part of the taxi drivers and owners and numerous other issues.
A taxi driver complained that the traffic police had targeted minibus drivers and this made it difficult for them to do their work properly.
He also complained the fact taxi drives were taking the blame for the violations to traffic laws that is frequently committed by white mini-bus taxis with license plate code 03 and nothing was being done to stop them.
In a bid to curb rush hour transportation service shortage, the government recently allowed these code 03 mini-buses to work in the city.
Commander Melaku said the reason taxi drivers had been targeted due to that fact that the accident ratio by taxis alone had risen to 45 % and needed to be curbed.
He went on to say that things would be a lot easier for both parties concerned if taxi drivers drove safely and within the law.
At that point, a taxi driver accused the traffic police of cavorting with criminals and taking bribes.
He also accused the traffic police of not taking steps to right the wrongs when informed of violations and other crimes.
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