GHANAIAN TIMES

The Times in a front page story reports that President Jerry John Rawlings at the weekend advised traditional and religious leaders in the Tamale municipality to help achieve absolute peace in the region by supporting efforts at re-integrating members of the Konkomba ethnic group in the municipality. He said it is unacceptable for the movement of any Ghanaian to be restricted in any part of the country because of his or her ethnic background. The Times says President Rawlings gave the advice when he paid courtesy calls on some traditional and Islamic leaders in Tamale. Members of the Konkomba ethnic group have been barred from entering the Tamale municipality by the residents following a conflict with Dagombas two years ago. They however move freely in other areas in Dagbon, including Yendi, the traditional seat. GRI

"Kumasi hawkers besiege bank", is the headline of another front page story in which the Times reports that a team of 30 armed policemen on Friday flushed out some angry displaced hawkers who besieged the Kejetia branch of Barclays Bank with the aim of beating up the staff. The Times says the staff had to hole themselves in the bank until the police rescue mission arrived. This was because of threats on their lives by the teaming hawkers who suspected that an exercise by the police to eject them from the area was masterminded by the bank manager and staff. An official of the Bank who pleaded anonymity, told the Times that it all started at about 3 p.m. when an unidentified caller telephoned the bank which was about to close, ordering the manager and staff not to interfere in the activities of the hawkers. The bank staff intially treated the call as an empty bluff only to realise soon that some of the hawkers were massing in front of the bank. GRI

In a back page story the Times says the first unit to generate the intial 100 megawatts of power from the Thermal Plant at Aboadze, near Takoradi, goes into operation by the end of next month. This was announced by the Project Director at the plant, Mr R.O. Ankrah, when he briefed the Minister of Mines and Energy, Mr Fred Ohene-Kena, who visited the site as part of his working visit to the twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi at the weekend. Mr Ankrah told the Minister that about 70 per cent of work on the project has been completed and expressed optimism that the second unit will be operational by the end of next January to generate another 100 megawatts of power. GRI