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| Killings by Tanzanian soldier highlight Tanzania media reports
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Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) -
The killing of two colleagues by a soldier wit
h the Tanzania Peopleâ?s Defence Forces (TPDF) this week highlighted local newsp
aper reports.
Several dailies reported that Pvt Yusuf Haji gunned down two of his colleagues a
t an outpost in the far west of the country.
They quoted a press statement issued by the TPDF headquarters here as saying Pvt
Haji vanished after the incident. The army and the Police Force have undertaken
a joint manhunt for the suspect.
In the meantime, investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding t
he cold blood murder of Pvt Hildephonce Burunja Masanja and Pvt Rashid Hassan N
a
wawi, who were stationed together with Haji at Manyovu, near the Tanzania/Burund
i
border.
Newspapers reported the double homicide as the only incident of its kind in rece
nt years, whereby a member of the armed forces turned his gun against colleagues
.
On the economic front, 'The Citizen' commented that lack of strategic marketing
and a limited diversity of tourist destinations were among factors that have led
to Tanzaniaâ?s dismal performance in attracting big numbers of holidaymakers fro
m overseas.
â?For a country endowed with some of the greatest attractions on earth ⦠Tanz
ania does not attract many high-paying visitors, as our neighbours, Kenya, and p
o
st-apartheid South Africa,â? lamented â~The Citizenâ? in an editorial.
â?We seem content to have the ordinary tourists come across lounging about on t
he beach and in game parks but miss out on a class, which requires special care
a
nd treatment commensurate with its exclusive lifestyle,â? the daily noted.
Urging tourism industry operators to focus more on big-spending visitors, the pa
per argued that it may be a small group, but itâ?s of big commercial relevance w
hen it comes to the generation of earnings.
The Citizen's observation coincided with the remarks made by Tanzanian President
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete on the countryâ?s tourism sector during his three-day sta
te visit to Jamaica this week.
On a trip to the Caribbean islandâ?s Ocho Rios tourist hub, Kikwete said Tanzan
iaâ?s tourism was underperforming in relation to its natural heritage.
â?You have done very well in this area. We will be interested to learn how you
do it,â? reported the government-owned Daily News, quoting the president as tell
ing Jamaican tourism minister Edmund Bartlett.
Comparatively, Jamaica receives about 2.6 million tourists a year, mainly from N
orth America and Europe, while Tanzania records around one million visitors annu
a
lly. The sector accounts for 17.5 percent of Tanzaniaâ?s GDP and 25 percent of t
otal foreign receipts.
Reporting from Kingston, Jamaica, The Guardian quoted President Kikwete as sayin
g that Tanzania would consider exporting its natural gas only after ensuring it
h
ad accommodated all domestic needs, including the development of local industrie
s
.
"We want to use our natural gas to boost two major industries in Tanzania --ceme
nt and fertilizer production," Kikwete told Jamaica opposition People's National
Party (PNP) leader Portia Simpson Miller, who wanted to know if Tanzania could s
e
ll gas to enable the Caribbean nation meet its energy requirements.
Meanwhile, another daily, ThisDay, reported that the Tanzanian government was in
vestigating allegations contained in a new UN report suggesting that the country
was one of at least 25 countries supporting Hutu rebels in a bloody war in the D
R
Congo.
According to the report, those countries, including the United States and some i
n Europe, are part of an international network helping DRC rebels to buy arms an
d
transfer money.
The findings, slated for discussion by the UN Security Council on Wednesday, are
seen as a scathing indictment of how little the international community has don
e
to cut off logistical support to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rw
a
nda (known by its French acronym as FDLR), an ethnic Hutu militia wreaking havoc
in the DRC.
Tanzania's Defence and National Service minister, Hussein Mwinyi, told ThisDay t
hat an official investigation would be mounted into the allegation.
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| Dar es Salaam - 28/11/2009 |
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