I see in BBC world service today that it’s expected violence and instability in Congo in connection to the election. As far as I know there is no emergency plan in place for the boys if anything happens in Kisangani. I think that’s questionable and reprehensible. The Foreign Ministry must understand that anything can happen there, and it must be possible to organize something with UN in Kisangani for instance. It would be best to transfer them to a safer prison in Kinshasa. Not much hope in that I guess when the Congolese lie to you every chance they get. If they get killed in riots or other scenarios without any emergency plan for them, death sentenced as they are, as spies for Norway among others. I think both Norwegian press and the Norwegian people will react very strongly.
Now, the Foreign Ministry has told us that it’s impossible to use the Rain Forest Fund as leverage, and the entire Norwegian press wrote that the Foreign Ministry never considered using the 143 million that was waived to Congo as leverage. Of course we take this into consideration, but then we expect that the Foreign Ministry come up with something else they can use as leverage. This, what we’re witnessing is pure madness. A long line of insults made against Norway, not responding to notes, not answering the phone when the Foreign Minister calls, lies and nonsense. Wild fantasies and amazing money claims to a nation that assists them with considerable funds. I ask the question: when is it enough? Are the Foreign Ministry and the Norwegian citizens going to be harassed like this at the same time as money is pouring in? There is not even food, water and medicine in place for them. It’s a shame! It’s about time the Foreign Ministry tries something new. That some of the world’s best paid diplomats in one of the richest countries in the world with every possibility can’t solve a case like this where its own citizens are sentenced to death for murder and espionage in advantage for Norway without any evidence I refuse to believe. I have as a sea captain for several years led many ships with the Norwegian flag, and been proud of my country and my flag and my Norwegian citizenship. I’ve tried to do the right thing my entire life, paid my taxes, and completed my service in the military, served in the local council and political committees. I’ve done my civil duties as well as I can and the one time I really need help from the state in this case the Foreign Ministry it seems like everything else is more important than saving the lives of my son and Joshua French. In my profession human resources is very important, and human lives is more important than anything else, then the environment, then saving financial loss. I thought the regard for life and health was the most important thing in every organization, but I have to say that I wonder if that’s the case at the Foreign Ministry. It’s clear that when diplomats are on vacation nothing happens. It seems like many considerations come before the survival and health of these boys, including financial considerations. They can waive 143 million to Congo “without considering using them as leverage” but can only give the boys 100 dollars a month to survive. That they can’t survive on that when they get no food, water or medicine is not important to the Foreign Ministry, they have their own rules to follow. Of course that is more important than life and health! Everyone, including the Foreign Ministry knows about the corruption that characterizes Congo, but it seems like they pretend it doesn’t exist. I don’t think anyone in the Foreign Ministry that has worked on this case don’t understand what’s going on. They have to take a stand, and then everything but the regard of life and health has to yield. Anything else would be inhuman, totally unethical and reprehensible and I don’t think even the Foreign Ministry or Norway want to appear like that. I know that this is just two poor boys, with no political agenda, and it was probably politically incorrect to be in the security business in Africa, but we haven’t seen this kind of treatment from their own nation since World War 2.
With regard Knut Moland, October 30th 2011
If anyone wants to print this in the media is fine by me..
