Regarding the Human Rights issue, the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office has sent letter on 30 Apr. 1999 to Horn Human Rights. (Horn Voice Human Rights Launch Issue June 10, 1999).

May I quote the statement made by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office(British Foreign & Commonwealth Office London Sw1A 2AH from the Minister of State Douglas Alexander Esq MP 19 Sir James Clark Building Abbey Mill Business Centre Paisley PA1 1TL) on the letter which says,

" I have raised our concerns about deportations with the Ethiopia Foreign Minster, who has assured our Embassy in Addis Ababa that they have ended. We are not directly aware of nay children who remain abandoned in Ethiopia due to earlier deportations but we are aware of unconfirmed press reports of such incidents last December. If HHR know of specific cases, our Embassy staff would be happy to raise them with the authorities, but before doing so will need details of the individuals involved. I also wrote to Foreign Minister Seyoum of Ethiopia in February, and discussed the matter most recently with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 16 March and the Deputy foreign Minister on 26 March. We are now considering with our international partners what more we may be able to do to promote and support a ceasefire and a lasting peaceful resolution to the conflict. We have been also been involved more generally in promoting human rights in Ethiopia."

Since this letter, the British government has done nothing, while the Ethiopian government continue on expelling Ethiopian citizens of Eritrean background and Eritrean nationals indiscriminately.

Is the British government aware that almost a year before war broke out in May 1998 i.e. in July 1997 and August 16, 1997: Ethiopian leaders evicted Eritrean farmers and whole villages from their villages. Because of this invasion, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers and their families have been destroyed. Let us leave it to our imaginations what will happen to those families who have been uprooted from their livelihood. More than 70,00 of Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin, have been evicted indiscriminately from their home. Over 1500 Languishing in concentration camps since July 1998. Murder and torture against Eritreans are common. Forced labours who refused excessive work load and peacefully complained were thrown in the cargo container. Some of them have reported dead by the Red Cross. Horrifying stores continues to flow out of Ethiopian concentration camps.

The Ethiopian government is not new to committing horrendous crimes. During summer, the temperature around the port of Assab soars to 45 degree centigrade and above. Being aware of these Ethiopian leaders repeatedly dumped Ethiopians of Eritrean background and Eritrean nationals in this area, thereby subjecting them to untold suffering under the soaring temperature. These bare footed deportees include children, women (some of them pregnant), elderly people and even hospital patients. They had to travel for more that 8 kilometres in darkness through an extensively mined area. Fortunately, the vigilant Eritrean defence forces repeatedly saved them. Many others residing in Ethiopia have been denied jobs, access to their own saving accounts and have been left without assistance. They are dying of hunger and thirst. More could be said on Ethiopian GovernmentUs atrocities but it is beyond what this article and space could permit.

INDEPENDENT WITNESS REPORTS

• 1 July 1998:
  Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a public statement,

  "I am deeply concerned by the continuing expulsion of Eritrea nationals from Ethiopia Itheir passports are being stamped, Texpelled never to return."

• 22 July 1998:
  Detailed update report by, UN Officer and Residential Co-ordinator, Mr. Martyn Ngwenya to UN Humanitarian Affairs Under Secretary, on the condition of thousands of people deported to Eritrea.

• 29 July 1998:
  The Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee, urged Ethiopia to release detained Eritrean Exchange Students.

• 6 August 1998:
  James B. Foley, deputy spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, issued a public statement expressing "deep concern" of the detention and expulsion of ethnic Eritreans in and from Ethiopia.

• August 1998:
  Natalie Klein, solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia, after 2 weeks investigation complied a length report describing what is happening in Ethiopia is similar to the Armenian expulsion from Ottoman Empire in 1915-1916, and the expulsion Jews from Europe during world War ll.

• October 1998:
  Kofi Anan, UN Secretary General, to the 53rd session of the General Assembly condemned the Ethiopian GovernmentUs expulsion of 30 UN staff of Eritrean heritage from Addis Ababa.

• January 1999:
  

  " Amnesty International representatives returning from investigations in Ethiopia and Eritrea warned today that forced mass deportation now threatens everyone of Eritrean origin in Ethiopia, causing untold suffering to thousands of families every week."

• Christian Science Monitor
  

  "I I can guarantee you every ambassador in this city (Addis Ababa) has a horror story to tell. It has become absolutely clear that Ethiopia is responsible for serious human rights violations."

Expressing a grave concern now or apologising tomorrow is not going to be practically helpful, if appropriate and practical action is not taken in time. In the same way as the international community intervened personally in Kosovo, Bosnia and East Timor, they have moral and legal obligation to take similar action against the Ethiopian leaders.

It is known that over 46% of Ethiopia's budget is flowing form the West as an aid, and at the same time they are buying armoury and violating human rights. One way or the other the donors are encouraging them, to go and purchase, fight and abuse human rights. Respectfully we urge all those who uphold principles of human rights to make their voices heard in condemning the violations by the Ethiopian Government and call for an independent international commission to investigate the atrocities and bring them to justice. In particularly with due respect we are calling the British government to take the lead on taking the urgent action over Ethiopia.

Respectfully yours,
Sebhat Araya