By JASON STRAZIUSO,The Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The pilot of a Kenya Airways flight that crashed and killed all 114 people on board three years ago didn't notice the plane was banking right and when he did finally notice he turned farther right, triggering a downward spiral, an investigative report released Wednesday found.
The crash of the Boeing 737-800 on May 5, 2007, occurred during a thunderstorm less than two minutes after take-off, but the report said weather did not likely cause the crash. Instead it blamed "spatial disorientation" by the pilot.
The report said the pilot didn't adhere to standard operating procedures, had poor situational awareness and "reacted inappropriately in the face of an abnormal situation."
No instrument scanning was done by the crew during the initial roll, and because it was night, the pilot had no visual references to correct the situation, the report said.
The report, which was released Wednesday by the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority, was conducted with the help of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing experts in the United States.
The report said the Kenya Airways pilot had recurring performance deficiencies going back five years before the crash.
Kenya's acting Transport Minister Amos Kimunya said the government is "satisfied," that the report is complete but declined to comment on whether it was a fair document. Kenya Airways chief executive Titus Naikuni said he echoed the minister's sentiments but the airline also differed with the report's conclusions on its training for pilots of its Boeing 737 fleet and the procedures they follow.
About 90 seconds into the flight, after the pilot noticed the rightward drift, he said "we are crashing." Seconds later a young first officer mistakenly told the pilot to turn right, before correcting himself and saying "left, left, left."
The plane crashed nine seconds later, a minute and 42 seconds into the flight.
The 114 people on board came from 26 nations, including an American AIDS expert who worked at Harvard University; businesspeople from China, India and South Africa; Cameroonian merchants; a U.N. refugee worker from Togo; and Briton Anthony Mitchell, a Nairobi-based correspondent for The Associated Press.
The investigation into the crash has been a long and difficult process. The plane went down in a mangrove swamp less than four miles (6.5 kilometers) from the runway, but it took officials 40 hours to find the plane. It took officials weeks to identify remains and there was a further delay before Cameroonian authorities released them to next of kin.
The wreckage indicated the plane flew nose-first into the ground. It was found buried deep in a crater of reddish-brown muck with only tiny bits of the rear fuselage and wings left above ground.
Investigators at the time of the crash said the dive indicated that a violent gust of wind may have flipped the airliner over. But the investigation found that the pilot turned the plane to the right and into the fatal dive.
The report said that:
- The behavior of the flight crew demonstrated "a lack of rigor in piloting."
- At one point the captain turned the wheel to the right and the first officer countered by turning to the left.
- The captain didn't adhere to standard operating procedures and the plane took off without authorization from air traffic control.
The report noted that the pilot was 52 but that the first officer was only 23. Before takeoff the pilot admonished his first officer to turn on the plane's windshield wipers, and the report speculated that the first officer, already a shy person, did not speak up to tell the pilot about the flight's problems when he should have because of their relationship.
The report said that Chicago-based Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, doesn't sufficiently explain rudder trim modifications due to temperature variations during climb and descent. But it added that the amount the plane was pulling to the right should have been easily correctable by the pilot.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Cameroon:CPJ Calls for Investigation of Journalist's Death
The Committee to Protect Journalists wants Cameroon to open a public investigation into the death of an imprisoned newspaper editor.
The managing director of the bimonthly newspaper Cameroon Express, Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota, died Thursday at the Kondengui Central Prison in Yaounde.
The journalist, more commonly known by his nickname "Bibi," died from lack of medical care, according to a prison death certificate. Ngota's wife said he suffered from high blood pressure, which was aggravated by prison conditions.
Ngota was arrested with two other journalists in February for reporting on an alleged corruption case implicating a presidential advisor.
The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists says the Cameroon government was responsible for Ngota's well-being while incarcerated and is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation.
The group's Africa researcher, Mohammed Keita, says Ngota's death may turn out to be a tragic wake-up call for press freedom in Cameroon, where press offenses are still criminalized.
"We have been calling on President Bia to enact urgent press reforms to ensure that the management of public affairs is not such a sensitive topic that journalists who cover these issues or raise questions about, say, the management of public finances get prosecuted or get thrown into prison or even die in the custody of the government," said Keita.
Cameroon's communications minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, said the government would investigate Ngota's death.
Tchiroma says the journalist's unfortunate death should not be misinterpreted as a deliberate policy by the Cameroon government to muscle the independent media and obstruct press freedom.
He said Ngota and his colleagues were not detained for press-related offenses, but for faking a signature and being in possession of falsified documents that incriminated a high-profile statesman.
The document in question was dated June 2008 and claimed presidential advisor Laurent Esso had ordered the state-run National Hydrocarbons Corporation to disburse secret payouts of as much as $2.5 million to company managers for the planned purchase of a luxury yacht.
Esso has not publicly commented on the allegations, which were first reported by the press in September 2009.
Ngota and his two colleagues said they received the document from an unnamed source. The journalists faced 10- to 20-year prison sentences and have been under pretrial detention since March 10.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says Cameroon journalists are often subject to harassment, arbitrary arrests, torture and criminal prosecutions.
Keita says the problem of press freedom there is more complex than just decriminalizing libel and other press offenses. He says the press corps lacks unity; regulatory institutions are weak; and many journalists do not receive regular salaries, which Keita says exposes them to intense financial and political pressures.
"You have individuals, or members of the administration who are involved in settling scores with their critics in the press, and they use security forces, they use their authority and they use these libel and criminal laws to essentially imprison journalists who raise questions about their performance," added Keita.
Keita said another journalist, initially arrested with Ngota and his colleagues, has since gone into hiding after being held for a week without charge in February. Upon his release, that journalist said he had been interrogated using torture methods like water-boarding and sleep deprivation.
Cameroon journalist trade unions and associations say they plan to launch peaceful demonstrations to prod the government to investigate Ngota's death.
Courtesy:VOA News
The managing director of the bimonthly newspaper Cameroon Express, Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota, died Thursday at the Kondengui Central Prison in Yaounde.
The journalist, more commonly known by his nickname "Bibi," died from lack of medical care, according to a prison death certificate. Ngota's wife said he suffered from high blood pressure, which was aggravated by prison conditions.
Ngota was arrested with two other journalists in February for reporting on an alleged corruption case implicating a presidential advisor.
The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists says the Cameroon government was responsible for Ngota's well-being while incarcerated and is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation.
The group's Africa researcher, Mohammed Keita, says Ngota's death may turn out to be a tragic wake-up call for press freedom in Cameroon, where press offenses are still criminalized.
"We have been calling on President Bia to enact urgent press reforms to ensure that the management of public affairs is not such a sensitive topic that journalists who cover these issues or raise questions about, say, the management of public finances get prosecuted or get thrown into prison or even die in the custody of the government," said Keita.
Cameroon's communications minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, said the government would investigate Ngota's death.
Tchiroma says the journalist's unfortunate death should not be misinterpreted as a deliberate policy by the Cameroon government to muscle the independent media and obstruct press freedom.
He said Ngota and his colleagues were not detained for press-related offenses, but for faking a signature and being in possession of falsified documents that incriminated a high-profile statesman.
The document in question was dated June 2008 and claimed presidential advisor Laurent Esso had ordered the state-run National Hydrocarbons Corporation to disburse secret payouts of as much as $2.5 million to company managers for the planned purchase of a luxury yacht.
Esso has not publicly commented on the allegations, which were first reported by the press in September 2009.
Ngota and his two colleagues said they received the document from an unnamed source. The journalists faced 10- to 20-year prison sentences and have been under pretrial detention since March 10.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says Cameroon journalists are often subject to harassment, arbitrary arrests, torture and criminal prosecutions.
Keita says the problem of press freedom there is more complex than just decriminalizing libel and other press offenses. He says the press corps lacks unity; regulatory institutions are weak; and many journalists do not receive regular salaries, which Keita says exposes them to intense financial and political pressures.
"You have individuals, or members of the administration who are involved in settling scores with their critics in the press, and they use security forces, they use their authority and they use these libel and criminal laws to essentially imprison journalists who raise questions about their performance," added Keita.
Keita said another journalist, initially arrested with Ngota and his colleagues, has since gone into hiding after being held for a week without charge in February. Upon his release, that journalist said he had been interrogated using torture methods like water-boarding and sleep deprivation.
Cameroon journalist trade unions and associations say they plan to launch peaceful demonstrations to prod the government to investigate Ngota's death.
Courtesy:VOA News
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Cameroon : Health of three journalists deteriorating in Kondengui prison
YAOUNDE, Cameroun, April 21, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Reporters Without Borders today voiced its fears for the health of three editors who have been held in Kondengui jail in Yaoundé since 10 March 2010 and called for their immediate release.
Serge Sabouang, Robert Mintya and Ngota Ngota Germain have been accused of jointly forging a document with the signature of the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Laurent Esso, with the aim of discrediting him.
Sabouang, editor of the bi-monthly La Nation and Mintya, editor of the privately-owned Le Devoir, were arrested on 26 February following a complaint from Esso about a false document relating to influence-peddling.
They were placed in custody on 10 March with their colleague Germain, editor of the privately-owned Cameroun Express. All three are accused of committing “joint forgery” and face up to 20 years in prison.
The alleged author of the forgery, Simon Hervé Nko’o, a journalist on Bebela, has disappeared. He failed to appear to answer his summons by judicial police.
“The authorities know we are innocent. We only wanted to do our job by attaching the forged document to an interview request to Minister Esso just to check if the document was genuine”, Mintya told Reporters Without Borders’ correspondent in Cameroon, Jules Koum Koum, when he visited him on 16 April. “Now I am languishing in prison for a joint forgery “.
“It will not have escaped notice that these journalists have been deprived of their freedom in the place of the man allegedly guilty of the offence, who is known to the judicial authorities, but has still not been arrested,” Reporters Without Borders said.
“Their imprisonment is not only unfair but dangerous. They are being held in collective cells with common-law prisoners and all three journalists are in a very fragile state of psychological and physical health and one of them suffers from high blood pressure and asthma”.
“Unless the authorities act quickly, their health is in danger of seriously deteriorating and their lives could be in danger” the worldwide press freedom organisation added.
Nko’o and Sabouang have already been held by the General Directorate for External Investigation (DGRE), an intelligence agency, from 5-12 February 2010, accused of possessing “documents compromising to key figures in the Republic”.
Serge Sabouang, Robert Mintya and Ngota Ngota Germain have been accused of jointly forging a document with the signature of the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Laurent Esso, with the aim of discrediting him.
Sabouang, editor of the bi-monthly La Nation and Mintya, editor of the privately-owned Le Devoir, were arrested on 26 February following a complaint from Esso about a false document relating to influence-peddling.
They were placed in custody on 10 March with their colleague Germain, editor of the privately-owned Cameroun Express. All three are accused of committing “joint forgery” and face up to 20 years in prison.
The alleged author of the forgery, Simon Hervé Nko’o, a journalist on Bebela, has disappeared. He failed to appear to answer his summons by judicial police.
“The authorities know we are innocent. We only wanted to do our job by attaching the forged document to an interview request to Minister Esso just to check if the document was genuine”, Mintya told Reporters Without Borders’ correspondent in Cameroon, Jules Koum Koum, when he visited him on 16 April. “Now I am languishing in prison for a joint forgery “.
“It will not have escaped notice that these journalists have been deprived of their freedom in the place of the man allegedly guilty of the offence, who is known to the judicial authorities, but has still not been arrested,” Reporters Without Borders said.
“Their imprisonment is not only unfair but dangerous. They are being held in collective cells with common-law prisoners and all three journalists are in a very fragile state of psychological and physical health and one of them suffers from high blood pressure and asthma”.
“Unless the authorities act quickly, their health is in danger of seriously deteriorating and their lives could be in danger” the worldwide press freedom organisation added.
Nko’o and Sabouang have already been held by the General Directorate for External Investigation (DGRE), an intelligence agency, from 5-12 February 2010, accused of possessing “documents compromising to key figures in the Republic”.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Cameroon:SDF Insists ELECAM is Incredible for Election Management
Ni John Fru Ndi, chairman of the Social Democratic Front, last week, told an SDF-organized press conference in Yaoundé that ELECAM, which the CPDM Government claims is an independent election management body, is highly untrustworthy.
The SDF organized the press conference to comment on the prevailing socio-economic and -political situation of Cameroon.
In his introductory remarks, the leading opposition leader insisted that, ELECAM cannot conduct any credible election in the country.
Fru also used the conference, which held at party’s headquarters to comment on article 8.2 of SDF constitution, which calls for the dismissal of militants found guilty of anti-party activities and actions
Ni John Fru Ndi said article 8.2 is intended to check indiscipline and lawlinessnes within the party.Fru Ndi said he would resign from the party if this article, which ensures discipline, is scraped off.
The SDF chairman thought that Cameroon finds itself in a messy socio-economic and political situation simply because indiscipline and disregard for regulations in force are rife in almost all the circles of life.
Asked to comment on an allegedly scheduled meeting between him and President Paul Biya, when the latter will visit Bamenda, to chair the 50th Anniversary of Cameroon Armed Forces, Fru Ndi was tactful in answering the question. The Chairman said he would be ready to meet any Cameroonian of Good Faith.
Fru NDI urged Cameroonians to be patriotic and fight for positive change, noting that 2010 is critical year for Cameroon.
The SDF organized the press conference to comment on the prevailing socio-economic and -political situation of Cameroon.
In his introductory remarks, the leading opposition leader insisted that, ELECAM cannot conduct any credible election in the country.
Fru also used the conference, which held at party’s headquarters to comment on article 8.2 of SDF constitution, which calls for the dismissal of militants found guilty of anti-party activities and actions
Ni John Fru Ndi said article 8.2 is intended to check indiscipline and lawlinessnes within the party.Fru Ndi said he would resign from the party if this article, which ensures discipline, is scraped off.
The SDF chairman thought that Cameroon finds itself in a messy socio-economic and political situation simply because indiscipline and disregard for regulations in force are rife in almost all the circles of life.
Asked to comment on an allegedly scheduled meeting between him and President Paul Biya, when the latter will visit Bamenda, to chair the 50th Anniversary of Cameroon Armed Forces, Fru Ndi was tactful in answering the question. The Chairman said he would be ready to meet any Cameroonian of Good Faith.
Fru NDI urged Cameroonians to be patriotic and fight for positive change, noting that 2010 is critical year for Cameroon.
“There should be no place in Cameroon, so richly endowed with ... resources, for poverty & Misery’’
-Mbella Moki Charles, Buea CPDM President and Mayor of Buea
He made the statement in an address he presented in his capacity as CPDM Fako III (Buea) Section President on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the CPDM, to a large crowd of militants and sympathizers, at Buea Youth and Animation Centre, on March24, 2010.
Today’s celebration of the party’s anniversary naturally takes on a special character because firstly, it is the 25th Anniversary which marks the coming of age and end of a generation.
The nation is currently witnessing the massive recruitment of graduates into Public Service, the establishment of PAJER-U (Integrated Support Project for Informal Sector Actors for Rural and Urban Youths).
At the diplomatic level, much has been achieved from our effective presence and participation at Regional and International meetings, the conspicuous presence of the Head of State at most distinguished fora and the peaceful resolution of the Bakassi Conflict makes all of proud.
Distinguished Guests,
Let us work together, let us reason together and make Fako III and Buea in particular a fertile ground for the growth of our party, for the beauty of a Tree is in the Birds that hover around it. I once more welcome and thank you all on behalf of Fako III Section who contributed in giving this celebration its grandeur. You may never know how much your contribution has added to this day’s celebration.
Long live the Fako III Section.
Long live the Republic of Cameroon.
He made the statement in an address he presented in his capacity as CPDM Fako III (Buea) Section President on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the CPDM, to a large crowd of militants and sympathizers, at Buea Youth and Animation Centre, on March24, 2010.The ceremony was attended among other dignitaries by Southwest Regional governor, Koumpa Issa, Hon.Meoto Paul Njie, former Director of cabinet at the PM’s office who led a CPDM central Committee Delegation to Buea.
Following is the address by Section President Mbella Moki Charles:
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and gentlemen,
This occasion marking the 25th Anniversary of the CPDM party under the theme “ THE CPDM AT THE SERVICE OF CAMEROON ,YESTERDAY,TODAY AND TOMORROW ’’ offers me the opportunity as your humble and loyal servant to welcome you all gathered here especially His Excellency Koumpa Issa,as well as the Central Committee Delegation.
This Celebration offers us the privilege to collectively evaluate and appreciate the ground covered in 25 years since our party was born in Bamenda. That event was full of pomp and pageantry, before the cameras of the then nascent Cameroon Television. This occasion does not only unite us as a party, but enables us to define our missions and strategies to forge ahead.
In this light, the CPDM may rightfully be considered as the Party for the Emergence of a Modern Cameroon- to paraphrase the Secretary General of the CPDM.
Your Excellency, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Permit me say that as the CPDM attains Silver today, this occasion affords us the opportunity to cling on that Silver lining. We of Buea in particular and people of Cameroon in general rejoice and celebrate in the fact that, we are the privileged lot with a long list of positive landmarks that justify our attachment to the CPDM Party and its leader H.E PAUL BIYA. The first thing that causes us to celebrate is our existence. As your Section President, let me assure you that I have a mind, I have a brain and I have a duty to act basically that is why you elected me. Because I still enjoy your respect I should be corrected and guided by your wishes and aspirations.
Let me therefore with your mandate associate the sentiments and feelings of our militants to the meaning of this event. We have overcome the hurdles and challenges that have prevailed through the last 25 years and the CPDM is stronger today more than ever before. We have in perfect competition made very profound gains that enable us to be proud of our position as the living political party implanted throughout our national territory. We have sustained our growth with remarkable numbers, the mobilization of our women and youth remain the envy of other political groupings in our country.
The leadership of our party has remained focus and organized with a passion to make a difference with others; our leadership has always taken responsibility while others are making excuses; our leadership is seeing the possibilities in every situation while others are seeing the limitations. We have provided leadership with an open mind and an open heart, our leadership inspires others with a vision of what they can contribute to national development. That is leadership.
We are speaking to the hearts of others, integrating the hearts, heads and souls of every Cameroonian. Leadership above all must be encouraged that is what the leadership of the CPDM possesses. That of course allows us to celebrate. During the last 25 years, the CPDM has relied on Fako Division for leadership with our human and material resources contributing enormously towards the advancement and evolution of our national life.
We have witnessed a corresponding response from the CPDM and its leadership in the area of infrastructural development, human capital development, institutional development and the appointment of sons and daughters from our community to positions of responsibility.
As we look back at 25 years we can proudly talk of our lone Anglo-Saxon University in the country. Wecan also count and acknowledge a great improvement on our road network; we can showcase our Regional Hospital Annex in Buea. Academic institutions are littered everywhere in our community from Nursery, Primary, Secondary to higher institutions of learning. The standards in our professional schools are upgraded with modern innovations in their programmes. Our public infrastructures have witnessed remarkable renovations and innovations. You can agree with me that the Buea of yesterday is no longer the Buea of today.
The CPDM and its leadership have relied for the last 25 years on Fako and have continued to look on Fako III for leadership in our country.
Our sons and daughters have registered an effective presence at strategic positions of authority and influence. We therefore can afford to celebrate, and celebrate confidence and trust. How can we forget that within 25 years we have produced PETER MAFANY MUSONGE and CHIEF EPHRAIM INONI as Prime Ministers? How can we forget Hon. MEOTO PAUL NJIE as Minister - Director of Cabinet at the Prime Minister’s office?
The CPDM and its leadership have relied for the last 25 years on Fako and have continued to look on Fako III for leadership in our country.
Our sons and daughters have registered an effective presence at strategic positions of authority and influence. We therefore can afford to celebrate, and celebrate confidence and trust. How can we forget that within 25 years we have produced PETER MAFANY MUSONGE and CHIEF EPHRAIM INONI as Prime Ministers? How can we forget Hon. MEOTO PAUL NJIE as Minister - Director of Cabinet at the Prime Minister’s office?
Today, we are happily enjoying the election and appointments of Hon. EMILIA MOJOWA LIFAKA, Right Hon. Prime Minister PETER MAFANY MUSONGE and Mr. CHURCHILL EWUMBUE MONONO as Vice Speaker at the National Assembly, Grand Chancellor of National Orders and Technical Adviser at the Presidency of the Republic respectively. We are proud of our party as a governing party. The Cameroon of yesterday we must acknowledge is also not the Cameroon of today. A lot has changed. Things will never be the same again.
Thanks for the contribution and foresightedness of the CPDM and its leadership that has contributed in no small way in the realizations and transformations of this nation. The CPDM and its leadership have masterminded reforms in our legal system giving birth to the harmonized Criminal Procedure Code. Today, we can talk of ELECAM, Decentralization is on course enabling local populations to have a greater say in their respective local government areas and in the management of their own affairs. Thanks to the CPDM and its leadership our country has weathered the storm at moments of economic crises attaining the HIPC completion point as we benefit from a substantial reduction of external debts and to invest these resources in social sectors as health, education, infrastructure, rural electrification and access to portable water.
The nation is currently witnessing the massive recruitment of graduates into Public Service, the establishment of PAJER-U (Integrated Support Project for Informal Sector Actors for Rural and Urban Youths).
At the diplomatic level, much has been achieved from our effective presence and participation at Regional and International meetings, the conspicuous presence of the Head of State at most distinguished fora and the peaceful resolution of the Bakassi Conflict makes all of proud.
Distinguished Guests,
it is in this light that we are subscribing to the CPDM and its leadership with certainty and panache. It is only in this way that the Fako III and the nation as a whole will bequeath to our children will be better than the one we inherited from our forefathers. This is my prayer made in faith with people of faith. May the rising image of the majestic Fako Mountain remain the symbol of your courage in the turbulent waves of challenging moments that have constantly been part of our very existence in 25 years. Taxing our creative imaginations implies that necessity is the mother of invention to quote our National Chairman. We must subscribe the writings of Comrade Paul Biya when he admits that “democracy like other freedoms however is not a permanent conquest” end of quote. The price we must pay therefore is eternal vigilance; we must remain as militants of Fako III at all times in this connection with the Biblical injunction “do unto others as you will love them to do unto you”.
As we celebrate 25 years, we should fold our sleeves and prepare for the next political dispensation; we should convince where others seek to conquer. It has to be live and let’s live. Those of us in leadership positions should know we are standing on the shoulders of the common militants to survive and not transform the grass roots militants of the CPDM to the proverbial man at the banks of the River Nile who uses sputum to wash his face.
There should be no place in a country so richly endowed with natural and human resources like Cameroon is, for poverty and misery. We of the CPDM because we must lead, should light candles wherever there is darkness and stop blaming darkness; we should fashion destiny and not wait for it; we should tell others at all times that there are no gains without pains; we should tell others to love their country for there is not prescription for a country no one loves.
Distinguished Guests, Fellow Militants, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I encourage you to renew your loyalty and attachment to the CPDM under the distinguished leadership of a reliable and true leader H.E PAUL BIYA, a gracious human being.
Let me seize this opportunity as the Section President of Fako III entrusted with the wishes and aspirations of every militant in Fako III to courageously and convincingly without the slightest hesitation reiterate the call for H.E PAUL BIYA to present his distinguished candidature for the next presidential elections.
Finally, while thanking you all for your commitment and dedication, I extend best wishes of the seasons and congratulations for your loyalty and sacrifices towards the growth of the party and the nation. To all of you from CPDM, WCPDM and YCPDM at the Section, Sub-Sections, Branches and Cells, you can be divided like the branches of the tree at any time, but I urge you to be united like the tree itself on issues of mutual concern and benefit for the good of Buea and our nation as a whole.
By the grace of God and the wishes of the people, we look forward to a great end and great moments in the years ahead.
Long live the Fako III Section.
Long live the CPDM Party and the National Chairman.
Long live the Republic of Cameroon.
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