For the first time publicly, Charles Bennie has extended apology to families of the over 14 young Liberians who were massacred in Timour Town, located between Grand Bassa and Margibi Counties.

His apology was expressed when he spoke at a memorial service held on Sunday, July 6, 2008 in the Slipway Community. He told family members of the victims who thronged the edifice of the church that he did not hire their children to send them to their early graves.

Mr. Bennie who is an official in the Ellen-led government as Director of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, a month ago hired over 36 young Liberians from parts of Monrovia to work on his farmland in Timour Town.

But unfortunately, over 14 of the young hired men were killed in cold blood by group of men said to be residents of Timour Town.

He said he had personal relationship with some of those who lost their lives. “I want to appeal to all the bereaved families that this was not intentional. I am in strong and deep sympathy with you.

What is true that they were so biologically related to you people, some of them were so close to me socially”, he said in a sad mood.

He told the over 100 families members that upon hearing the news of the death of the men he sent, he wasted no time in informing the national government.

He then assured the bereaved family of national government’s commitment to prosecute those already arrested in connection to the situation. About 14 persons, including Margibi County Senator Roland Kaine are being tried for the killing of the Liberians.

They're now being tried in Margibi County, the epicenter of the killing incident. In a related development, the lawyer representing the legal interest of Senator Roland Kaine has filed a motion to admit the senator to a Bail Bond before the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Kakata.

Cllr. Marcus Jones filed the motion recently before the circuit court while the case is currently ongoing before the Kakata Magisterial court. However, Margibi County, Atty.Richard Flomo in an interview with The Analyst recently said the motion filed by Cllr. Jones is not proper and premature.

Atty. Flomo said the motion should have been filed before the Kakata Magisterial and not the circuit court because the case is currently before the Magisterial Court.

RPAL Ends National Congress
By J. Nathaniel Daygbor
 
Rubber Planters Association of Liberia (RPAL) has ended its national congress in Gbarnga, Bong County. The congress, which brought together rubber planters from the 15 sub-political divisions of the country, is the third of its kind in the history of the organization.

At the end of the congress, a new corps of offices was elected to run the affairs of the association. The new leadership takes over from the Keith Jubath administration, which ran the affairs of the entity since 2000, and they are expected to serve a two-year term.

Those elected include Roger Sherman, President and Emery Dennis, Vice President. According to the association by-laws, the executive committee will elect a secretary and treasurer.

Apart from electing new leadershi,, the congress saw the drafting of an eight-count resolution, taking into account important steps geared toward the improvement of the association.

The delegate agreed to include each farmer, as a subscription to the RPAL, pay the amount of US$2.00 per ton metric ton of rubber during each sale. It was also penned that the RPAL would continue to provide bud grafted stumps to its members at a reduced price.

Speaking at the ceremony, outgoing President Keith Jubath called on the new administration to tackle the issue of rubber theft, which according to is the number one problem facing farmers and plantation owners.

He attributed the increase of rubber theft to the unlimited buyers who he alleged ply the streets and every road corners without obtaining requisite document from relevant government agencies.

Jubath said new administration should be ready to deal with the issue of “tax collectors’ refusal to issue official receipts to farmers when they pay their taxes, noting that this is uncalled for., but observers wondered he did not tackle or address the issues he is calling on his partners to deal with.

While calling on his successors to address the problems at bay within the association, he at the same time urged the government to put into place rightful mechanisms to curtail the ugly habits.

Also speaking at the close of the congress, the president-elect, Roger Sherman called for the support of every farmer to move the association forward, and stressed that in the absence of farmers’ support, it would be difficult to achieve set goals and objectives of the RPAL.

Mr. Sherman who has been in the rubber business since the 70s said his administration would endeavor to take the association to the leeward counties to accommodate those who are lagging behind.

Meanwhile, Executive Director Simeon Woheel has disclosed the rapid decline of the rubber heritage of the country, and called for close attention. On the state of Liberia’s rubber, he said it was regrettable that Liberia, which was leading producer of rubber, has become the least in the world.