The police, yesterday, stepped in with their troops to restore calm at the Buduburam refugee camp, in the Central Region, after the Liberian refugees residing there had disregarded the Public Order Act to go ahead with their planned demonstration.

Over 200 people were arrested, and are currently being kept at Kodeabe Voluntary Training Center, in the Greater Accra Region, under the full supervision of the police.

The police force was able to arrest some of the Liberian protesters, who were mainly females and children, for violating the Public Order Act of 1994, which prevents such public disruptions.

According to eyewitnesses, the police operation began at dawn, and as at 8:00 a.m. calm had been restored, but some of the refugees had gone into hiding, whilst the rest had scattered throughout the area.

The Liberian refugees have come under the spotlight of the press, and the government, for reportedly agitating that after years of living in Ghanaian, the government had not integrated them to the society, whilst those who are being voluntarily repatriated were demanding $1,000 before returning to their native Liberia.

This attitude of the refugees has not gone down well with Ghanaians, who think the Liberians were being ungrateful, after the country had received and catered for them for 18 years.

The eyewitnesses continued that the refugees, accused the media of being responsible for the government's inability to support their cause, due to the wrong picture they have been painting.

According to the Liberians, they were just making genuine complaints, however the press has rather pitched them against the government, as a result their receiving an unfavourable response from the government.

Briefing The Chronicle, the Director of Police Public Relations, DSP Kwesi Ofori, said the police went to Buduburam, yesterday, to carry out a peaceful exercise to ensure public order.

He said the police and the Ministry of the Interior, had urged the Liberians from going on with their week-long demonstrations, but this had fallen on deaf ears, compelling them to move into the situation to restore order.

He noted that the continuous demonstration, by a section of the refugees, posed a danger to the camp, since school children had been prevented from going to school, whilst some were being prevented from carrying out their normal duties.

He observed that the demonstration was causing a lot of traffic jams on the Kasoa-Winneba road.

He made it emphatically clear that it was not the aim of the police to go to the camp to molest anyone, or abuse their rights, but to enforce the public order law, and to impress upon their conscience that the demonstration was unlawful.

When asked about the fate of those who had been arrested, DSP Ofori responded, "We are going to question them and take appropriate action."

The Public Relations Director intimated that the suspects had been kept in the training centre because they were mainly females and minors, adding that they would enjoy good facilities there.

Asked about whether the suspects would be prosecuted, he said it was not the unilateral decision of the police, but that they were in consultations with the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).