Thursday, June 09, 2005

Why Helicopters are needed in Zimbabwe

LINK

The previous post reports on SAfrica providing spare parts so Zimbabwe's gov't can use their helicopters...so why would they need helicopters? To inspect isolated rural areas to see if famine relief is reaching there? To rescue people? To transport sick people to hospital? To report on traffic congestion so that commuters can take alternate roads to work?

Nope..they are needed to intimidate people from going along with the general strike/stayaway that is protesting the destruction of homes and "illegal" businesses....

HARARE - Army helicopters patrolled the skies over Harare’s restive working class suburbs yesterday while on the ground plain clothes police advised residents to “leave politics alone” as tension gripped Zimbabwe two days before an opposition-led mass job stayaway.

The police have also mounted roadblocks on all major roads leading into the capital’s central business district with motorists being thoroughly searched for weapons that could be used to commit violence.

Extra police have also been deployed in Zimbabwe’s other four biggest cities of Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Masvingo in what police insiders said was a show of force designed to intimidate Zimbabweans from participating in the work stayaway planned for Thursday and Friday this week.

Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi threatened to come hard on organisers of the stayaway should it degenerate into violence.

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