patth (Patt Haring) (08/22/89)
Ported from PeaceNET/GreenNET: /* Written 12:02 am Aug 18, 1989 by gn:geonet in cdp:reg.safrica */ /* ---------- "DTA INTIMIDATION" ---------- */ FROM: NAMIBIA SUPORT VOMMITTEE Engela: August 20, 1989 Armed DTA Campaign Workers Attack Returning Refugees Former SADF 101 Battalion Troops Threatening The North With ten weeks to go until independence elections, a pattern of violent intimidation by ex-members of South Africa's 101 Battalion in Namibia is developing throughout the most populous part of the territory, Ovamboland. The ex-soldiers, working for the South African-backed Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), have moved into villages setting up DTA campaign headquarters. Local residents said this in itself would be acceptable, but the men, often drunk and usually armed with knobkerries, pangas and pistols, have terrorised the local poplation in a number of key villages visited by church officials last week. The most violent exchange last week was at Engela reception centre, run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the RRR Programme of the Council of Churches. Late afternoon Wednesday, August 16, a convoy of five DTA vehicles drove through Engela, firing gun bursts at local SWAPO supporters and returnees. The co-ordinator of the centre, Lutheran pastor Hidipo Shanyengange, said that 24 people were beaten by the DTA workux. )=me seriously. 'One young woman, Rauna Nghishekwa, was utterly beaten, blood was all over her clothes, cut with a knife in the face and left breast, stoned in both legs.' Another young woman, Veronica Kalangula, was beaten on the head with empty bottles, resulting in deep cuts. According to the pastor, one man was stabbed with a knife in the shoulder and both arms and was stoned on his head. In the attack, a returnee, Mr. Tangani Shikomba was beaten and abducted from the reception centre gate by the DTA mob. according to UN reports, Shikomba had tried to return to the centre upon 'realising the bad behaviour of the DTA supporters, but because of a wounded left foot DTA supporters caught up with him and assaulted him repeatedly until he fell to the ground'. Blind-folded and bound, Shikomba was taken away, questioned and pushed out of the truck in front of the local police station. UN Police and UNHCR officials who witnessed the scene were unable to intervene, for their brief seems to be only to monitor and not protect the returnees. Church officials at Engela infer that the DTA workers have the support of the police in the area, who are under the command of General Hans Dreyer, former commander of the dreaded Koevoet counter-insurgency unit. In another incident the same day, a West German church official was attacked by DTA workers at Omungwelume after taking photographs of the DTA headquarters there. A crowd of fifty men wearing DTA t-shirts surrounded Ms. Doris Peschke, dragged her five metres and took her camera from her, destroying the film. Ms. Peschke, a development official of the protestant church of Hesse and Nassau, was cut in the face and bruised in the hand, shoulder and arms in the attack. She has filed charges with both the UN and the local police. Similar incidents were reported by workers for the Churches Information and Monitoring Service of the Council of Churches at Rundu and Oshikuku. SOURCE: NAMIBIA COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE --- Patt Haring | UNITEX : United Nations patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange -=- Every child smiles in the same language. -=-