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Liberia: Police Storms Coast Guard Base
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The Analyst (Monrovia)
18 November 2007
Posted to the web 18 November 2007
J. Edwood Dennis
Residents of the Coast Guard Base on the Bushrod Island, most of whom former members of the Liberia National Coast Guard and former militias of the defunct Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Thursday resisted attempts by members of the Liberia National Police to forcibly evict from the base.
About seven officers of the LNP and UNMIL, apparently acting on the orders of the authorities of the Ministry of National Defense stormed the base, behind the Bushrod Island Plant of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to have retired and former personnel of the coast guard division of the Armed Forces of Liberia AFL evicted.
Former personnel of the Coast Guard Division of the AFL have been occupying houses constructed by the Liberian government in 1985 under the regime of the late President Samuel K. Doe before the war led to their nightmare
Upon hearing news of the melee between the occupants of the base of the officers, this paper dispatched its reporter during which some of the occupants explained their ordeals.
One of the occupants, retired Lt. J.G. Boakai Johnson said on the 29 of October of this year they were verbally informed by Defense Authority to turn the facilities over to the Liberian government.
Retired Lt. Johnson noted at the time they were informed by Defense authorities to leave the coast guard base, the over 100 family heads pleaded with government to reconsider the action and give them ample time to leave the base.
According to him, they, as the former security officers of the state, have decided to appeal to the Liberian government through the ministry Defense to allow them stay at the base up to February of 2008 to enable them make adjustments.
He said at a meeting with Deputy Defense Minister Operation, Danisius Sogbwe, the over 100 family heads stressed that their children were in schools and that they needed a lot of time to make those appropriate adjustments so as not to disturb their children's school year.
He indicated that despite the plea with Defense Ministry officials on three occasions, they were taken by surprise by action of the police officers and UNMIL soldiers.
Also speaking to this paper, Capt. Robertson N. Bloh said they were not insisting on staying at the base but were not happy with the manner in which Defense Ministry authority was approaching the matter.
He said following written letters of appeals to the Ministry of National Defense, it was unfortunate that they would instruct the police and UNMIL to have their things thrown out of their respective homes.
Lt. Sampson Doe described their removal as an act of intimidation and harassment by the Defense Ministry and the government. "We are not prepared to bow down to any form of threats from the government," he said.
"The Defense Ministry has failed to treat us honorably as former officers who were retired with honor and respect by the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-led government\.
Lt. Doe said they were not displaced people occupying that base and should not be treated as such. He concluded that if the Liberian government wants to evict them without any form of respect, they are prepared to die together to give the Coast Guard Base the needed freedom of their occupation.
Difference Emerges Over Call For Police Chief Removal
In recent times, a group of citizens has been calling for the removal of the Inspector General of the Liberia for what they termed as her inability to protect citizens against wave of armed robbery.
But a local citizen union, the citizens Solidarity Council has reacted and disassociated itself from the calls, calling it a wrong propaganda masterminded by those who oppose the Police boss. According to the Council, the Police boss was doing well and has nothing that warrants her replacement.
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The National Citizen Solidarity in a press statement issued Wednesday in Monrovia noted that police officers were referred to as watchmen by Liberians in time past, but according to them, this is not the case now a day because the present administration under the leadership Inspector Sieh is up to the task.
"Under her authority, the citizens see patrolmen as real state security," the group said. The National Citizen Solidarity Council in the statement admitted that there was a problem, but noted that it could be linked to logistics, without which the police cannot carry on full scale operation.
The Council pointed out that the call for the replacement of the Police boss is propaganda coming from jealousy and hatred, urging all well-meaning Liberians to condemn those who are bent on fomenting confusion against someone who is making the security of Liberians paramount.
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