Members of the NDEA broke into the Seychelles Weekly's office last week in the early hours of the morning.
THIS newspaper has received credible information that clandestine operations are being organized and conducted all over the country with the knowledge and approval of State House. All attempts by this newspaper to contact the people heading the organization behind the raids have been unsuccessful thus far and all our inquiries have fallen on deaf ears. Apparently a new drug squad scrambled together by President Michel and his advisors at State House, known simply as the NDEA (National Drugs Enforcement Agency), is operating outside the ambit of civilian police and it has not been legislated into a legal force - it is under the direct control of the Trade Tax Division. Mrs. Jenny Adrienne is the Director General of the Trade Tax Division, otherwise known locally as Customs. On calling Mrs. Jenny Adrienne’s office, her secretary acting on her advice said that we need to write to Mr. Steve Jardin requesting the information on who is at the head of the so-called NDEA.
We find this situation strange, because Mr. Jardin is the Commissioner of Revenue and the NDEA is operating under the direct control of Trade Tax Division and Mrs. Adrienne’s office could have provided this information voluntarily. This is proof, if proof was ever needed, that indeed they must have something to hide. This is in total contradiction to what President Michel promised, transparency and accountability, on his inauguration in April, 2004.
Members of the clandestine NDEA broke into Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly’s office last week Tuesday (10/06/06) in the early hours of the morning. They entered the building by breaking through a window in the Editor’s office. They broke into the drawers, searched everywhere in the office, but took nothing. There were many items of value that they could have taken, like an Ericson mobile phone, a new digital camera, pens, an envelope with petty cash. Yet they took nothing. However they searched all the computers in the office. We know that not just because our informant told us, but because of the fact that they forgot to turn off the computers. They broke into our office because they knew that they are being investigated by Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly. They wanted to know how much we have managed to find out so far. In truth, we have a lot, but they went away empty handed. Nothing of a confidential nature is stored or kept on our system in our office. It is all being stored outside of the country and whenever something is required, it is retrieved electronically on a daily basis.
The NDEA is made up of several foreigners mostly Irish, a few Israelis, and several women, one of which is a black lady from South Africa, brought in especially to blend in naturally with the natives. The person in charge is an Irish man simply known as Willy. There is also an English man involve. He is being paid an obscene amount of money to fit CCTV cameras and other security devices all over the country in a “Big Brother-is-watching-you” style operation to monitor the population, in many cases for the wrong reason. Most of these foreigners are operating under cover with the hope that they will penetrate every corner of our small country and blend in society, unidentified. We have been investigating the NDEA because of the many complaints this office has received as a result of their style of operation during the various raids they have been conducting all over the country.
These guys have no respect for the people whose homes they are raiding, not even for children, the elderly or women. They treat everyone like animals and worst. They are downright racists and treat Seychellois with disrespect and contempt. Albert Rene has always claimed, wrongly or rightly, that he was instrumental in getting the British to go back home. It seems that James Michel is intent on bringing back another form of colonization by bringing over an influx of Irish to control our Island and denigrate our people. Seychelles has a checkered history, having been ruled for over 100 years by the French, then the British, now the Irish is taking over. James Michel is turning our Island into a stooge for Ireland. We have to rise up and fight those Irish buggers intent on making our lives difficult and turning us into second class citizens in our own country! We have to drive them out of our country and back to Ireland where they belong.
A few weeks ago they raided a house at Les Cannelles, Anse Royale, very early in the morning. They were about twenty in total, armed to the teeth and accompanied by at least two foreigners, one Irish and one Israeli, Anatoni and one Julian. Most of the others were wearing balaclavas to conceal their identity. But we have managed to unearth the identity of them all through our contact within the organization. Here are some names; Barbe, Hollanda, Soubana, Maria, Servina, Naiken, Idris, Julie, Esther, Charles, Benoiton, Aglae, Anacoura, Celestine, Sophola were all participants in this particular raid at Les Cannelles. They traveled in five vehicles, the first vehicle S12481 had police officers in it, the second S16035 had masked personnel, S14700 carried the dogs and handlers, S12842 and S17181 carried the others. The husband of the house was not at home when they called as he had already left early for work. His wife and his son, a fourteen year old boy were the only two persons at the house during the raid.
The young boy was violently shouted at and physically abused - handcuffed and thrown to the ground - where he was made to lay on a concrete surface for the duration of the search. He was slapped in the face and kicked in the back - the marks are still clearly visible in our photograph. The boy’s mother was not treated any better. Her hands were pulled and forced back over her head, and she complained that they were hurting her arms - they carried on regardless. She was also made to lay on a part of the concrete floor, which was wet, her mobile phone dropped from her pocket into water. She asked them to retrieve her phone from the wet floor, as one of the foreigners was about to pick the phone from the wet floor, he was shouted to by one of the locals, not to cooperate with the lady - the phone was left where it was. Whilst the boy and his mum laid outside pinned to the ground, members of the squad raided the house. It was turned upside down, and ransacked. (See our pictures.) At one stage the boy told an officer to treat her mum with respect. The man in return used the butt of his rifle to lift the lady’s skirt and take a peek at the underwear she was wearing while he said to the boy: “It’s all white” referring to the colour of the lady’s underwear. These are the kind of animals President Michel has let loose to terrorise and traumatize the people he claims to have a heart for. Drugs searches must be carried out in a manner that does not take away the dignity of the victims, especially children and women!
The war on drugs is one that needs to be fought. Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly is willing to give a helping hand in the war against drugs. But it must be fought at all levels, regardless of your status and with respect to people’s rights and property. The NDEA has adopted a unique style never seen before in this country. They follow people around, spy on people at their place of residence, listen to phone conversation; destroy any security system people might have put up at their home for their own personal security by cutting wires to CCTV and alarm systems. They poison guard dogs and will go as far as taking pictures and filming people in their houses. This is in clear violation of people’s Constitutional right to privacy. The people conducting the raids are known to rob from the houses they visit; money, jewelry, mobile phones and any other items of value they deem small enough to carry away, stashed in the large pocket of their combat trousers.
There is now a great fear in the country that these people are operating with a “Carte Blanche” from State House. They have the mandate it seems to do as they please no matter what. This is a dangerous state of affairs and the reaction to this style of operation could well backfire in a way that could impact negatively on the fragile situation in the country. The drugs war must be fought, but not in a manner which destroys the dignity of families and the lives of the innocent, as there are always children at the premises where raids are carried out. We are hoping that President James Michel is able to restore some civility in these beasts he has unleashed on society.
“Judge me by my actions”.