GHANAIAN TIMES

The Times reports on its front page that about 400 of the700 Sierra Leonean who were invited into the coutry by the United States Embassy in Accra for Diversity or Immigrant Visas to the U.S., have appealed to the government to grant them refugee status. According to them, they are stranded in the country because of the U.S. Embassy's refusal to grant them the visas. The Times says Mr Ibrahim Kebbie Sessay, spokesman for the group, said with the assurance from the U.S. Embassy that they would be given the visas, they sold their personal property in Sierra Leone before travelling to Ghana. He said "We were invited to come to Ghana by the U.S. Embassy in Accra and while here we lodged in hotels and rented houses until we ran short of money. "It was at that time that we heard that some of our countrymen who went to Guinea to seek for their visas but were denied them, were directed by Dr Osumane Keita, a member of the Human Rights Organisation (CAPSDH) in Guinea, to contact Dr Delle in Accra to assist us to collect our Diversity Visas," he said. GRI

The Times in an inside page story says two jail breakers, Yaw Frimpong and Dela Mensah, were yesterday remanded in police custody at Cape Coast by a Central Regional Public Tribunal to re-appear on November 6. The Times says the tribunal's decision to remand the suspects was based on the fact that the chairman, Mr K.B. Ening, was on leave. The suspects will therefore be transferred to another regional tribunal to take over proceedings when they re-appear on November 6. According to the Times when the case was called, Frimpong feigned madness and kept shouting in the cells where they were kept. This compelled the tribunal chairman to order that the supect be moved to the police cells at a distance. The two suspects and four others, escaped from lawful custody at the Cape Coast Central Police Station where they were awaiting trial on October 3. GRI

"Three to provide info on fallow lands in NR", is the headline of a back page story in the Times which says the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has directed its regional directors in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions, to furnish the headquarters with an up-to-date information on the 25 million hectares of land currently lying idle in the Oncho-Free Zone area. The Times says the directive was given by the Deputy sector Minister, Mr Mike Akyeampong, in Accra when it contacted him to find out what programme the ministry has initiated to attract farmers to the area. According to the Times Mr Akyeampong explained that the ministry was waiting for the feedback from its regional directors to enable the ministry to initiate a programme to attract farmers to the area. GRI