Story: Michael Donkor
SECURITY has been beefed up at all national installations as part of measures to protect them from potential troublemakers who may engage in some post-election excesses.
The joint police/military patrols have also been intensified, with the Military High Command increasing military presence at some flash points to ensure that lives and property are also protected.
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen J.B. Danquah, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic yesterday, appealed for public co-operation to enable the security services to maintain the peace in the country.
He also appealed to the leadership of the political parties to use the law courts to contest any flaws they might have identified with the electoral process and avoid mobilising their supporters onto the streets to protest.
He said for those who might want to jubilate, it was important for them to do so peacefully, without taking the law into their own hands.
Lt Gen Danquah said other security measures had been devised to ensure that the peace and tranquillity that the country enjoyed was sustained.
He gave the assurance that the military would do everything possible to defend and uphold the Constitution of the country at all times.
Lt Gen Danquah reminded Ghanaians that there was no Ghana anywhere for them to go to and that they should all join in the fight to resist any attempt by any self-seeker to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the country.
Meanwhile, the National Elections Security Task Force has warned the public against lawlessness and acts of vandalism.
It said the task force would continue the joint police/military patrols to strengthen security in the aftermath of the election to ensure the safety of lives and property and the promotion of general security.
A statement signed by DSP Kwesi Ofori, the Director of Police Public Affairs, called on the public to remain calm and support the police to maintain peace, law and order in the country.
It said the task force and operational units were being deployed to assist in maintaining public order and urged motorists to co-operate with the police in that respect.
It reminded the public that the Headquarters of the Electoral Commission was a restricted zone and that access to the roads leading to that place would be granted to emergency vehicles, vehicles of the EC, the security services and stakeholders only.
The statement further reminded the public that the Public Order Act required that any group of persons who wished to organise any public event had to inform the police five days before the day of the event.
It commended the public for their support so far in maintaining peace and order in the country.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
War on pair trawling attracts diverse views(page three) December 18, 2008
Story: Michael Donkor
Fishermen in Accra have expressed diverse reactions towards moves by the government to declare war on pair trawling in the country’s territorial waters.
While some of them said the move was a positive step towards addressing the problem in the future others were of the opinion that it would be an exercise in futility, since the peak season during which they made heavy catch of fish had long passed.
According to them, the peak season for fishing was in late July, through to August and September, every year. The fishermen were randomly interviewed by the Daily Graphic.
Nii Lamptey Otu, a fisherman at Chokor, an Accra suburb, said the government’s intervention was a step in the right direction because of its long-term effect.
However, he said fishermen had to wait to enjoy the benefits of the government’s intervention.
Nii Otu said although it took the government some time to come to the aid of fishermen as far as pair trawling was concerned, it was better late than never because some of them had no other business but fishing.
Mr Oko Oblie welcomed the move and said with the new boats secured for the Ghana Navy and the subsequent publicity given, it would ward off those engaged in such illegal practices.
He said what was important now was for the Navy to patrol the sea constantly to ensure that those engaged in pair trawling were arrested and brought to book.
Mr Adjei Tettey said they had long been waiting for the government to do something about pair trawling but to no avail until the fishing season lapsed.
Mr Tettey said now that the government had come out with the intervention, they hoped that the security agencies, particularly the Navy, would live up to expectation.
He urged the government to intensify efforts to correct the situation for them to remain in business.
Mr Lantey Odoi on his part described the intervention as an exercise in futility.
He said what should have been done first was to withdraw the licence issued to some fishing companies to engage in pair trawling.
He said if the licence of those companies were not withdrawn the Navy’s patrolling of the sea would be an empty exercise.
Another fisherman, Nii Ayi Mensah, also said the intervention came too late.
He said he had lost his capital because on many occasions that he went to fishing, he could not harvest fish resulting in the waste of the fuel he had bought.
He said this raised his operation cost and finally the lost of his business capital.
Mr Samson Okaikoi called on the government to take another step to withdraw the licence of those companies that had been permitted to operate pair trawling on pilot basis and support the fishermen financially to bounce back to business.
The government announced last Monday that the Western Naval Command and the Ghana Air Force had embarked on an operation to protect the fish stock in the country’s territorial waters.
It said the move was to ensure that the country’s fishermen derived optimum benefit from the country’s marine resources and halt the depletion of the country’s fish stock by those engaged in pair trawling.
It said the exercise, code-named “Operation Stock Control” under the Anti-Pair Trawling Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, would ensure policing activities that would stop such activities in the country once and for all.
The government said the programme was also intended to provide the much needed relief for Ghanaian fishermen who had been subjected to severe harassment and considerable loss of income as a result of those illegal activities at sea.
It said under “Operation Stock Control”, the Ghana Navy had been equipped with three speedboats to patrol the country’s territorial waters.
It said the Navy would be assisted by the Ghana Air Force, which would fly its aircraft to prompt the Navy to the activities of pair trawlers.
Fishermen in Accra have expressed diverse reactions towards moves by the government to declare war on pair trawling in the country’s territorial waters.
While some of them said the move was a positive step towards addressing the problem in the future others were of the opinion that it would be an exercise in futility, since the peak season during which they made heavy catch of fish had long passed.
According to them, the peak season for fishing was in late July, through to August and September, every year. The fishermen were randomly interviewed by the Daily Graphic.
Nii Lamptey Otu, a fisherman at Chokor, an Accra suburb, said the government’s intervention was a step in the right direction because of its long-term effect.
However, he said fishermen had to wait to enjoy the benefits of the government’s intervention.
Nii Otu said although it took the government some time to come to the aid of fishermen as far as pair trawling was concerned, it was better late than never because some of them had no other business but fishing.
Mr Oko Oblie welcomed the move and said with the new boats secured for the Ghana Navy and the subsequent publicity given, it would ward off those engaged in such illegal practices.
He said what was important now was for the Navy to patrol the sea constantly to ensure that those engaged in pair trawling were arrested and brought to book.
Mr Adjei Tettey said they had long been waiting for the government to do something about pair trawling but to no avail until the fishing season lapsed.
Mr Tettey said now that the government had come out with the intervention, they hoped that the security agencies, particularly the Navy, would live up to expectation.
He urged the government to intensify efforts to correct the situation for them to remain in business.
Mr Lantey Odoi on his part described the intervention as an exercise in futility.
He said what should have been done first was to withdraw the licence issued to some fishing companies to engage in pair trawling.
He said if the licence of those companies were not withdrawn the Navy’s patrolling of the sea would be an empty exercise.
Another fisherman, Nii Ayi Mensah, also said the intervention came too late.
He said he had lost his capital because on many occasions that he went to fishing, he could not harvest fish resulting in the waste of the fuel he had bought.
He said this raised his operation cost and finally the lost of his business capital.
Mr Samson Okaikoi called on the government to take another step to withdraw the licence of those companies that had been permitted to operate pair trawling on pilot basis and support the fishermen financially to bounce back to business.
The government announced last Monday that the Western Naval Command and the Ghana Air Force had embarked on an operation to protect the fish stock in the country’s territorial waters.
It said the move was to ensure that the country’s fishermen derived optimum benefit from the country’s marine resources and halt the depletion of the country’s fish stock by those engaged in pair trawling.
It said the exercise, code-named “Operation Stock Control” under the Anti-Pair Trawling Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, would ensure policing activities that would stop such activities in the country once and for all.
The government said the programme was also intended to provide the much needed relief for Ghanaian fishermen who had been subjected to severe harassment and considerable loss of income as a result of those illegal activities at sea.
It said under “Operation Stock Control”, the Ghana Navy had been equipped with three speedboats to patrol the country’s territorial waters.
It said the Navy would be assisted by the Ghana Air Force, which would fly its aircraft to prompt the Navy to the activities of pair trawlers.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
NATO to Support African Union Standby Force(Page three) 24 September, 2008
Story: Michael Donkor
THE Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Mr Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has announced the organisation’s readiness to support the African Standby Force (ASF).
To that end, he said NATO was in close contact with the African Union (AU) and was ready to offer advice and assistance.
Mr Scheffer said this when he interacted with some senior military officials at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra on Thursday.
Mr Scheffer, who is in Ghana at the invitation of President John Agyekum Kufuor, said about two months ago, at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, he had met with President Kikwete, the Chairman of the African Union, to discuss how to take the NATO-AU relationship forward.
He said NATO’s 26-member countries had already consented to the move to support the ASF.
He said since the start of the AU Mission in the Sudan in June 2005, NATO had provided airlift support for some 31,000 troops and personnel, including almost 600 soldiers, military observers and policemen from Ghana.
He noted that that was truly the start of a new relationship between the AU and NATO.
Mr Scheffer said the military alliance could play an important role in training African soldiers to provide solutions to conflicts on the continent.
He ruled out a direct role for the alliance's troops in Africa and added that it was not in NATO's domain to police the world.
"NATO is not a global policeman and we do not intend to turn the organisation into that," he added.
Mr Scheffer gave the assurance that NATO would make its unique capabilities and expertise available to the wider international community and work with other nations and organisations in a comprehensive approach to come to terms with challenges which affected the world.
THE Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Mr Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has announced the organisation’s readiness to support the African Standby Force (ASF).
To that end, he said NATO was in close contact with the African Union (AU) and was ready to offer advice and assistance.
Mr Scheffer said this when he interacted with some senior military officials at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra on Thursday.
Mr Scheffer, who is in Ghana at the invitation of President John Agyekum Kufuor, said about two months ago, at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, he had met with President Kikwete, the Chairman of the African Union, to discuss how to take the NATO-AU relationship forward.
He said NATO’s 26-member countries had already consented to the move to support the ASF.
He said since the start of the AU Mission in the Sudan in June 2005, NATO had provided airlift support for some 31,000 troops and personnel, including almost 600 soldiers, military observers and policemen from Ghana.
He noted that that was truly the start of a new relationship between the AU and NATO.
Mr Scheffer said the military alliance could play an important role in training African soldiers to provide solutions to conflicts on the continent.
He ruled out a direct role for the alliance's troops in Africa and added that it was not in NATO's domain to police the world.
"NATO is not a global policeman and we do not intend to turn the organisation into that," he added.
Mr Scheffer gave the assurance that NATO would make its unique capabilities and expertise available to the wider international community and work with other nations and organisations in a comprehensive approach to come to terms with challenges which affected the world.
Be Worthy Partners of Peace, Security Agencies advised(Centre Spread) 24 September, 2008
Story:Michael Donkor
A member of the National Security Council, Naval Captain Ignatius Kwabena Ankobiah (retd), has urged personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to be worthy partners for peace and not to be seen as instruments of terror or brutality.
He also charged the officers and men to help in their own way to forge new civilian and military relationships by ensuring that the use of force was always in conformity with constitutional rights.
Naval Capt. Ankobiah made the call at the graduation ceremony of Junior Staff Course 55 at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) in Accra yesterday .
Those who graduated included officers from Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Togo.
Naval Captain Ankobiah said in the same vein that the personnel should be the instrument of transformation towards the building of a modern military force for the management of the challenges of the 21st century.
He urged them to endeavour to market the GAF as a vital and dependable institution of state.
Naval Capt Ankobiah said the clarion call for democracy and good governance was reverberating through the length and breadth of countries in the sub-region and the rest of the Africa.
He said as security personnel they were the guardians of the constitution.
He reminded them that the oath they took enjoined them to remain loyal to the state.
Naval Capt. Ankobiah asked the potential staff officers and commanders to master the rudiments of the profession and always be one step ahead of their subordinates at all times.
He said this called for self-education and higher academic development.
The Commandant of the GAFCSC, Major-Gen. Richardson Baiden, said the course had been designed to turn out modern officers who were conversant with the needs of the changing paradigm of defence and security matters.
He said the Command aimed at training selected officers to perform staff functions by developing their leadership, analytical and communication skills, while providing the foundation for their career development.
A member of the National Security Council, Naval Captain Ignatius Kwabena Ankobiah (retd), has urged personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to be worthy partners for peace and not to be seen as instruments of terror or brutality.
He also charged the officers and men to help in their own way to forge new civilian and military relationships by ensuring that the use of force was always in conformity with constitutional rights.
Naval Capt. Ankobiah made the call at the graduation ceremony of Junior Staff Course 55 at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) in Accra yesterday .
Those who graduated included officers from Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Togo.
Naval Captain Ankobiah said in the same vein that the personnel should be the instrument of transformation towards the building of a modern military force for the management of the challenges of the 21st century.
He urged them to endeavour to market the GAF as a vital and dependable institution of state.
Naval Capt Ankobiah said the clarion call for democracy and good governance was reverberating through the length and breadth of countries in the sub-region and the rest of the Africa.
He said as security personnel they were the guardians of the constitution.
He reminded them that the oath they took enjoined them to remain loyal to the state.
Naval Capt. Ankobiah asked the potential staff officers and commanders to master the rudiments of the profession and always be one step ahead of their subordinates at all times.
He said this called for self-education and higher academic development.
The Commandant of the GAFCSC, Major-Gen. Richardson Baiden, said the course had been designed to turn out modern officers who were conversant with the needs of the changing paradigm of defence and security matters.
He said the Command aimed at training selected officers to perform staff functions by developing their leadership, analytical and communication skills, while providing the foundation for their career development.
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