THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

News of the arrival of a seven-man World Health Organization delegation to buttress the government’s fight against the deadly Ebola virus, President Johnson Sirleaf’s Proclamation on National Flag Dayto be observed, Monday, August 25, 2014 and the discharge of two Americans  Ebola free doctorsare among stories highlighted in our summary of the local dailies for today.

Liberia Receives WHO Team of Expert for Ebola Fight

The New Dawnquotes a Foreign Ministry release as saying that the Liberian Government has received a seven-man special delegation from the World Health Organization (WHO) to review and intensify the UN agency’s support to the current Ebola outbreak in Liberia. The delegation, headed by the Assistant Director General, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, arrived at the Roberts International Airport on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 and was received on behalf of the Liberian Government by the Deputy Health Minister for Administration, Matthew Flomo. Other members of the delegation included Dr Richard Brennan, Ms. Christy Feig, Dr. Stella Chungong, Mr. Jean Christophe Aze, Dr. Pierre Formenttly and Dr. Ian Norton. Dr. Fukuda disclosed that the team is in Liberia to buttress the government’s fight against the deadly Ebola virus.

Related Caption: Liberia Receives WHO Team of Expert for Ebola Fight(INSIGHT), Liberia Receives WHO Experts For Ebola Fight(The Analyst). In a related development under the caption “Visiting WHO Delegation Tours Ebola Treatment Facilities”, the Inquire newspaper writes that the seven-man high power delegation headed by WHO’s Assistant Director General, Keiji Fobode Thursday visited several Ebola treatment centers to get firsthand information on the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia. The WHO officials visited and toured the Ebola treatment facilities at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, the Liberia – Japanese Friendship Maternity Ward at the JFK, and the ELWA Quarantined Center in Paynesville.

Flag Day to Be Observed Monday-President Sirleaf Declares

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has by Proclamation declared Sunday, August 24, 2014 as a NationalFlag Day and is to be celebrated throughout the Republic as a National Holiday.

According to the Proclamation, the official observance will take place on Monday, August 25, 2014 since the day falls on Sunday. The release further calls on all citizens and foreign residents within the territorial borders of Liberia to give prominence to the observance throughout the nation by flying the national flag from each dwelling and public building. The Proclamation further orders that government offices, public and business houses be closed in reference to the observance. The observance is in consonance with an Act approved by the National Legislature of the Republic of Liberia declaring the 24^th day of August of each year as a National Flag Day, to be celebrated as a National Holiday in the Republic, according to the Daily Observer.

Related Captions: Flag Day Holiday Extends to Monday(INSIGHT), President Sirleaf Declares August 24 National Holiday(The New Dawn), Monday is National Holiday(The Analyst Newspaper)

UN Coordinator For Ebola In Town

The Newsnewspaper reports that the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has announced the arrival of the Senior UN Systems Coordinator for Ebola, David Nabarro, who according to the Mission will meet with key partners in the Government-led fight against Ebola during his three-day visit. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Liberia, Karin Landgren in a release said UN Secretary-General’s appointment last week of Dr. Nabarro as Senior UN Systems Coordinator for Ebola and his immediate visit to the most affected countries underscore the UN’s commitment to rolling back the deadly virus. According to the release, the scope and scale of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is unprecedented, with over 1,350 deaths now recorded in the three countries and the numbers of new cases and deaths continuing to grow. UN SRSG noted that “Dr. Nabarro’s first priority is to help stop the spread of the Ebola virus.

Related Caption:SRSG welcomes UN coordinator on Ebola(TheNew Dawn), SRSG welcomes David Nabarro’s Visit to Liberia(In Profile Daily)

US Workers With Ebola Out Of Hospital

According to the New Dawn newspaper, the two American aid workers who were infected with the deadly Ebola virus in Africa have been discharged from an Atlanta hospital where they were treated, the aid groups they were working for said Thursday. Alison Geist, a spokeswoman for Samaritan's Purse, told The Associated Press she did not know the exact time Dr. Kent Brantly would be released from Emory University Hospital but confirmed it would happen Thursday. The group SIM says Nancy Writebol was discharged from Emory on Tuesday. Her husband, David, said in a statement that she is free of the virus but has been left in a significantly weakened condition and decided it would be best to leave the hospital privately and head off to rest and recuperate at an undisclosed location. 

Related Captions: 2 American Ebola Patients Released From Hospital (Inquirer), U.S. Ebola Patients Recover (New Democrat), American Who Contracted Ebola in Liberia Recover(INSIGHT), Ebola Check-Mated – As U.S. Aid Workers Released From Atlanta Hospital, Cleared Of Ebola (In Profile Daily), and Ebola Patients Kent Brantly And Nancy Writebol Discharged (The New Republic)

Calm Returns to West Point

According to the New Dawn Newspaper, the Liberia National Police (LNP) has finally restored calm in the slum community of West Point after hours of upheaval. Police Director Chris Massaquoi led a joint security delegation Wednesday to the Township for a meeting with residents. During their interaction, Director Massaquoi urged West Point residents to always be law-abiding citizens. Residents of the township had initially fled from the LNP delegation upon arrival, apparently fearing that the police had gone there to execute on arrest so-called troublemakers in the area. But as the residents were escaping, Police Director Chris Massaquoi was heard telling residents to be calm as the police was there to encourage and protect them.

Related Caption:Calm Returns To Central Monrovia, West Point(The Inquirer Newspaper), and Quarantine Backfires- West Point Stampede Reportedly Calm(The Analyst Newspaper)

No Exemption for Media - Govt Rules Out Curfew Exclusions

Liberia's Information Minister, Lewis Brown says despite several requests of exclusion from various media outlets about the imposed 9PM-6AM nationwide curfew, the government recognizes only four exemptions, which do not include members of the media. According to Minister Brown, health workers, utility workers, airline passengers and crew members as well as concessionaire workers are the only groups that are currently exempt from the imposed curfew and anyone not included in the identified exemptions are considered excluded. Addressing the regular Thursday press briefing of the Ministry of Information, Culture Affairs and Tourism in Monrovia, the Liberian Information Minister warned all individuals who are not included in the exemption to stay off the public space during the curfew period, adding that the imposition of the curfew is to enable Liberia's fightagainst the deadly Ebola virus, reports the FrontPage Africa Newspaper.

Related Caption: Journalists Not Exempt From Curfew  (The News)

Ebola Taskforce Commences Distribution of Relief Items in West Point

The National Ebola Taskforce has begun the distribution of relief food items in the township of West Point. According to the Daily Observer, an initial truckload of 500 bags of rice, 200 hundred bags of soya beans and 19 gallons of oil were distributed among West Point residents exuded signs of impatience engineered by hunger.  The daily reports that water was also distributed to the residents.

Related Caption:West Pointers Receive Relief(Focus Newspaper)

OTHER STORIES

VP Hails Returning Diaspora Liberian For Ebola Gears Gift

Vice President Joseph Boakai says all is being done by the Liberian government to protect its borders against people infected with Ebola virus from traveling in and out of Liberia.  Vice President Boakai said: “We don’t want to export this sickness so we have put mechanisms in place because we feel if all of our African brothers are sick who will help us, so we will do everything to protect the region”. The Vice President made the statement at the Capitol building when he received boxes of assorted Medical equipment from a Liberian who has just returned from the United States, Mr. Rufus Berry. Presenting the items Mr. Berry said, the items are valued over twenty thousand United States dollar (US$20, 000). Mr. Berry then called on the Task Force to distribute the items immediately, pens FrontPage Africa Newspaper.

Supreme Court Delivers 13 Opinions, Enforce Ebola Measures

According to FrontPage Africa Newspaper, the Supreme has handed down 13 opinions and gave judgments on cases heard during the March 2014 Term of Court as part of its statutory mandate required under the law. Among the 13 opinions was one rape and murder case involving one Joseph Gardea who appealed to the high court against a guilty verdict of the lower court accusing Judge Emery Paye of irreversible errors. His appeal was rejected by the high court Associate Justice Kabineh J'aneh who opinion confirmed the lower court ruling and stated that the Judge had made no irreversible error to convict the defendant to life imprisonment. The murder case involved the couple, Hans and Mardea Williams, were convicted for murder and sentenced to death by hanging by the lower court, but also appealed against the guilty verdict that the Judge did commit irreversible errors when he ignored several fundamental facts in the case when he convicted them. Their appeal was accepted and the defendants acquitted by the Chief Justice Francis KorKpor's opinion that the state had failed to prove its case against the defendants and that the Judge's ruling to convict the defendants was made up of several irreversible errors.