Kinijit's virus cought OLF

Tedla Asfaw

Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) on the letter posted on its website today July 31 has removed four of its leaders from their position and accused them for not abiding by the organization rules and forming new structure in the name of OLF. Ato Hassan Hussen OLF spokes person, Lencho Baatii, Kamal Galchu, a general who defected from Melese Zenawi   the top commander of OLF and Abba Nagga Jaarraa are the names listed.

The OLF we have known is now gone and the division is similar like the one we witnessed within Kinijit, EPRP and other armed groups in Ethiopia. Each faction is accusing the other one as braking the law and consider itself as legitimate.

We can also be sure outside influence here, we can bring the Isaias factor. Recently there was a news accusing Lencho Batti in Asmara of harassing woman and this now looks suspicious and who knows there might be legal action against Ato Lencho Baati in Asmara to deny him any political future.

General Kamal Galchu  has wide followers in the TPLF Ethiopia. We all remember his interview he made with Eritrean TV after he defected from Ethiopia following the stolen election of May 2005. Kamal Galchu, a respected general, has assured Ethiopians that without armed rebellion the current regime will never give peacefully power and promised to do his part by joining OLF.

Kamal Galchu  sincerely believes that the Oromo self determination can only be accomplished by joining hands with other Ethiopian forces and the current crisis in OLF surely can be seen by those who would like to join hands with other Ethiopian forces and others who wanted to do it alone by fighting both TPLF and other opposition forces.

The question now here is where to go from here ? We do not know if the expelled four members will form their own OLF immediately or rally many OLF members to their cause and take the upper hand in this struggle and force others to leave the organization.

For exiled movement like OLF such split is bad as was the case recently with Kinjit Diaspora supporters and surely will take the struggle backward. However, it is better to split rather than be nonfunctional due to internal fighting.

Celebration and hope In New York City

Tedla Asfaw

I was alerted by my kids this morning around 8 am, Sunday July 27,  to watch the New York City Half Marathon on channel seven which I completely forgot about. Last year because of the presence of Haile Gebreselasse for the first time here in New York City and the wide media coverage of the event we went to lower Manhattan to cheer Haile..

Kathrina Dereba from Kenya whom I met last year in Manhattan with Haile and has a nice photo with her gracefully won the women race easily this time and I have no idea who won the men race and if at all there were Ethiopians. I know too there are Ethiopians who live in Bronx and run this race so I hoped to see one of them on the finish line.

Luckily comes the video clip following Deribasse's win and I saw two gentle men on the finishing line and our own Tadesse Tola comes from behind and won the race in one hour and fifty eight seconds in a spectacular finish and the celebration in my home has already started.

My Sunday morning indeed started with dance thanks to Tadesse Tola a young promising athlete and I promise to him next year I will be there with my huge flag with friends to cheer him for another win.

This win is almost similar to the November 2001 New York City Marathon won by Tesfaye from Ethiopia who came for the first time and set the course record and failed to defend his title and I heard  last year from fellow Ethiopian athletes that Tesfaye is in serious health problem. Our thought and prayers are with him and his families.

These young athletes who come here and surprise us are Ethiopia's  precious assets who bring always positive things when all other matters regarding our mother country is dismal. Here in New York those who were there and cheer Tadesse should be thanked for supporting our athletes.

Imagine poor and starving Ethiopians back home stop for few minutes and cheer their own athletes and  go back and worrying what to feed their children and their families. The lesson for my kids here today was simple. Ethiopians do not accept second place in any race and it is up to each one of us to be the best on all fields we put ourselves. First class doctors,engineers,lawyers etc and sadly we lack good and wise political leaders and we have to work on that if we want to avoid  being called the beggar nation and celebrate our athletics domination with no fear of adjectives like poor and starving.

At the time of great suffering of our people especially children and the elderly Tadesse  brought hope for few minutes here in New York City for my family and for millions of Ethiopians back home and the coming  August surely will bring many cheers for Ethiopians and our eye will be on Olympics 2008 in China.

Olympics 2008 without Teddy Afro celebration songs

Tedla Asfaw

The fake justice of TPLF is dragging our people on empty belly for this rainy season and this staged court drama as we know looks more like the TPLF's court drama staged on the late professor Asrat more than fourteen years ago. As we know professor Asrat was falsely accused on organizing armed resistance against TPLF and with the collaboration of  bribed witnesses he was sent for long term jail and  was released only after his health deteriorates  and to get the Diaspora Ethiopians support for the Ethio-Eritrea war of the 1998-2000.

Today Teddy Afro is ordered by Cadre Judge Liul of TPLF to "defend" or play the drama on October 4 in the name of justice for poor Degu who lost his live two years ago by car accident. Similar like Asrat  Teddy will  be found guilty by false and bribed witnesses and will go to jail and this son of Ethiopia will spend his young and productive live in TPLF's jail.

Wait a minute I forget the "Shimageles" from our recent experience of the jailed oppositions who "signed" a paper to come out from jail after they "apologized" for the loss of innocent lives following the election protest in 2005.

Here is a problem. Teddy will not come here and  admit  killing  Degu by car to engage the  "Shimageles" as suggested by  many TPLF supporters. We know this is  the only statement that will satisfy the vindictive court of TPLF that serve Meles Zenawi who has a grudge against this patriotic singer for his famous UNITY songs. TPLF did not mind singers like Solomon Tekalegne who was known for his anti-TPLF  songs to apologize for his songs and went back to Ethiopia last year in the name of reconciliation to serve the regime.

TPLF is now in collision course with Ethiopians and the time of reconciliation with TPLF is gone for good and we all should support Teddy and pray for him to get strength each day while he is in prison. I also call fellow Ethiopians back home in the  coming Olympics 2008 celebration to call for the immediate release of Teddy Afro who has produced patriotic songs for our Athletes in Atlanta and Australia Olympics. Who will forget "Haile Haile, Keneneisa Ambessa"?

It is sad Teddy will not be on 2008 Olympics  celebration with the millions of Ethiopians and I hope our Athletes will do their best to encourage Teddy to write victory songs for our  Olympics heroes in China to be sang by millions of Ethiopians. Can we call it the song from jail like the famous "Kaliti" letter of Judge Birtukan?

Darfur in our backyard !!!

Tedla Asfaw

Dr.Paulose Milkiase on VOA Amharic (July 15) argued that there is an inconsistency on  international justice for those who committed crime against humanity.  He said persons who committed red terror under the Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Hailemariam were not charged for the crime in International Court. Regarding the charging of  Beshir of Sudan for genocide against the Darfur population by International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday he said such indictment will deter others from committing such crime with impunity in future.

Dr. Paulose Milkiase is right to bring the red terror during Mengistu Hailemariam, however, he should not forget the current human right violations and killing  committed by Melese Zenawi's  security forces  in Ogaden among many regions in Ethiopia for some there are well documented evidences to charge Melese Zenawi and his collaborators in international criminal court.

Moreover, many reporters have reported the crime committed in Ogaden and recently some humanitarian organizations are forced to leave the region for lack of security. In fact many characterize the crime in Ogaden as another "Darfur" and I wonder why Dr. Paulose Milkiase overlook this crime while he brings our attention to the crime  committed by former dictator Mengistu Halilemariam's killing machine.

I hope Dr. Paulose Milkiase will speak on behalf of our Ogaden Somalis like he clearly articulated the case  of  the Darfur women and children who were murdered by the order of Beshir and his indictment is surely one step forward to bring justice to Darfur. We should also hold Melese Zenawi who is ordering the killing and rape of Ogaden Somalis to the same standard Dr. Paulose argued in his short interview on VOA today.

Generations of partying !!

Tedla Asfaw

I read an Amharic piece in Amharic , "Hiliname Ende Kwase Siteleze" by Ato Tekalegne Nigusse posted on  www.debteraw.com and I would like to highlight a factual error on page three paragraph three line 6 and seven unintentionally the writer is promoting the billionaire Sheik Alamoudi.

I will not be surprised if this piece is posted on TPLF's  sites to demoralize the Diaspora Ethiopians by painting all of us as generations of partying. The young Ethiopians interest in partying and avoiding civic and political gatherings in D.C might be due to  TPLF's dollar mixed up with some who think of themselves as the "chosen" to lead and categorize many opponents of TPLF as enemies to be rejected at any cost if they do not accept their leadership.

The writer's  account of the number of people who attended various meetings in D.C that ended on first week of July  will surely make TPLF supporters jump up and down and the majority of anti-TPLF Ethiopians to be disappointed.

The writer should be commended for going to all the meetings and give us his perspective even if it is demoralizing for the struggle to liberate our country from TPLF and in fact millions of  Ethiopians who tuned to VOA and German radios every day has high expectations of their children far from them. Unfortunately what they heard on the VOA Amharic on the soccer week is not much different than this writer.

Teddy Afro abandoned by Ethiopians!!

Tedla Asfaw

"I did not kill any one and I have been  jailed in lice infested jail  for the last three months" , that was Teddy Afro today in front of TPLF's court drama after his attorney call for the dismissal of the case due to forged document provided by the prosecutor was rejected by cadre/judge  Lieul preparing the ground to send Teddy for long term jail at the end of this month.

Supporters of Teddy were crying and that is the least they can do. TPLF knows very well Ethiopians are not Somalis who can heat back. What a shame !! When are we going to say enough is enough and fight back ? No food OK !!, give our land OK !!, NO protest OK !!, beloved singers jailed, crying.

We have let down Teddy Afro because of fear. Let alone those in Ethiopia even the thousands who partied in D.C last week there was no anger and call for the immediate release of Teddy Afro and this is a coward generation  who has no love for truth and justice.

It is sad we the diaspora abandoned Teddy Afro and allow TPLF to get a free ride to finish its drama unchallenged. It is shame to call oneself today  an Ethiopian by abandoning Teddy who sang for Ethiopia more than any singer in TPLF's Ethiopia.

We are all useless, "Hulacnhenem Zero" quoting singer Shanbel . I pray for  God to give fellow Ethiopians a courage to stand for truth and face evil head on like the brave Somalis who are battling the TPLF mercenaries and soon will get their freedom.

TPLF's forged document !!!

Tedla Asfaw Today Friday July 4,  Teddy Afro was dragged to the TPLF made court drama in the name of justice for the innocent man who lost his life by car accident more than two years ago. The prosecutor provided a forged document and blamed the Doctors who did the autopsy on the dead man by putting wrong date on the certificate of death and Teddy's defense called for dismissal of the case, however, the judge set another date  to continue the drama. Who knows they will call those doctors to correct "their mistakes" and correct the  death certificate to match the day Teddy was alleged seen drive and then killed the man. This is justice in Ethiopia. You create a crime or organized a crime, recruit witnesses and drag those who are not kissing Meles' shoes to their court. The judge will act on stage and call for different court/drama dates for further advice from Meles' inner circles and let Ethiopians think about the coming court drama  with empty stomach. Do not worry Meles promised to flood Ethiopia with Birr 350/ 100kg of  wheat in few weeks time and not worried about anything else and we might also see a letter of apology to be signed by Teddy Afro to face save Meles' Theater Company from embarrassment in front of his bank-rollers.

Arrest the thieves in Sudan and Ethiopia !!!

Tedla Asfaw

To our brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers currently in Washington D.C. celebrating Ethiopia  during the soccer tournament of this week, I want to remind you to join us this coming Thursday, July 3rd in front of TPLF, Anti-Ethiopia Office,to denounce the huge land sale Meles Zenawi approved, about 1,600 km long approximately 50,000sqkm area of fertile land for undisclosed amount of money, to Beshir of Sudan.

The land deal has displaced thousands of our people and our brave people are fighting not to surrender this land and it is time for us to join this struggle. We can contribute money or be part of this holy struggle and sacrifice ourselves like our ancestors did in their heroic history both Beshir and Melese wanted to soil now by their secret deal.

Let us rally and support our people on the fire line from Humera in north to  Gambella in south  and let  each one of us be counted. We are not this generation of Ethiopians who seat idle while two thieves are profiting from land our ancestors kept in their blood. Let our enemies know that they have crossed the green line and they have to face the consequence. We are not hear talking about  stolen election  we  are here in hot pursuit of  two thieves, Meles and Beshir to be captured and face justice.

Here is a telephone number to call . It is 240-472-4439 and register any lead to apprehend these two  criminals. We can not rest until these thieves caught and face justice. The Ethiopian Diaspora has shown its resiliency in exposing  thieves who stole the 2005 election even if the criminals are still in their hiding palace in Addis Ababa and I am sure we can succeed this time.

Let Sudan and Meles know whatever deal they make is null and void and we are declaring war on them. We are also calling all oppositions to do their share to join the struggle and talk in language both Meles and Beshir know, armed rebellion.

Beshir the butcher of Darfur is now opening  another Darfur in Ethiopia's western front with collaboration of Meles, the butcher of Somalia and we want to remind them Ethiopians never submitted for Dervish in the past nor  will they accept Janjawid's occupation of our land in our time.

Our rally in D.C is going to send shiver in the thieves' camp and our people will be emboldened to continue their struggle to reclaim their land and let us make July 3, 2008 a day to be remembered in our struggle for bringing all Ethiopians and different political groups for a noble cause of reclaiming their land that was sold under the table for big money.