The second session in the case of the traffic accident that led to the death of Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf, Yemen Times Founder, took place in the Traffic Court of Sanaa yesterday, June 18th. Among the attendees were the heirs of the late and their lawyer, Mr. Mohamed Naji Allaw, the Attorney General, and the defendant, his father and their lawyer, Dr. Abdulnasser Al-Zindani. The session started with the Attorney's response to Allaw's report, submitted in the last session (see issue 27). Despite the missing information mentioned by Allaw in his report, the attorney surprisingly refused to re-investigate, and insisted on their position regarding the proceedings of their initial inspection, which they claim were justifiable. The prosecution seemed to be siding with the defendants. It claimed and insisted that the incident was not a massive crime. On the other hand, the judge was about to make a judiciary fault in allowing the lawyer of the defendant to defend despite the suspended issue of the claims of Allaw and the response of the attorney. Consequently, Allaw threatened to decline with the heirs if the judge allows this illegal action. Realizing his fault, the judge withdrew his permission convincing Allaw to continue. The judge then kept the report of the attorney to study it and decide whether to enforce reinvestigation or not in the next session, scheduled to take place one week later on the 25th of July 99.

Efforts to safely free the four abducted Belgian hostages: Mr. Martens, Mr. Scholliers, Mrs. Scholliers, and Mrs. Leveeke, have paid off at last and lead to the release of the hostages yesterday, Sunday 18th July around 21:45 local time. Based on Yemen Times sources, these efforts were mainly made by a number of Sheiks headed by Sheik Al-Shaif, the Chairman of the Rights and Liberties Committee of the Parliament, who is one of the sons of the area where the hostages were held, and which is called Barat . The mediators agreed to meet the demands of the kidnappers which included some social projects and services, plus a number of other demands which were not declared. Sources indicate that the tourists were taken to Sanaa along with the Barat Province Manager and a number of armed security forces. The group is expected to safely arrive to Sanaa round 5:00 am today. 

The 4 men and women, along with their Yemeni driver, were kidnapped last Thursday while on the road to Amran (Barat-Harath Sufyan), 40 kilometers northwest of Sanaa. Sources say that the four tourists were among a group of seven Belgians on their way to Sa'ada. The group was travelling in two vehicles, which were ambushed by a group of tribesmen. While the first vehicle was released, the second jeep was stopped and taken away to an unknown location, along with the 4 Belgians and the driver who were inside. Eye witness claim that the authorities sent Yemeni forces to Barak in order to surround the area where the hostages were held and pressure the tribesmen to release them. Reports say that the kidnapped tourists are currently safe and sound and were -as is the case in most hostage takings- treated well while in captivity. This incident is considered to be the last in a series of such kidnapping incidents that generally result in no harm whatsoever to the hostages, and which most of the time are done to secure some projects and financial aid for the kidnappers. 
 

Last Wednesday Morning, Mr. Terry Anderson, Vice Chairman of the New York-based Committee for Protecting Journalists (CPJ) arrived in Yemen on a one day visit. Upon his arrival, Mr. Terry explained that the main objective of his visit was to discuss the latest attacks against journalists and against freedom of the press in Yemen. Mr. Terry met with Prime Minister Dr. Abdulkareem Al-Iryani, Deputy PM, and Foreign Minister Abdulkadir Bajammal. 

In a press conference held Wednesday evening at the Sheraton Hotel, Mr. Terry expressed his happiness at the sentiments expressed to him by government officials: "We are committed to the freedom of press and democracyÉ We are ready to act in response to any report of violations against journalists." He stressed the importance of practice rather than talk: "Fine words are fine, decisive action is better."However, he also expressed his disappointment and concern over the government's insistence at continuing to file cases against any journalist or newspaper that reports what is thought by the government to be "false, deceptive" information. He also explained to the media that they should continue their accurate, courageous, and controversial reporting, and never fear pressure from anyone, including the government, and they will keep an eye on the government and its promises. 

"We have not come to destroy the land, but we have come to build it and benefit from its fruits" 

-Sultan Thoran Shah, when building the City of Aden 821 years ago. 

History stands as evidence that Aden is among the most ancient cities of the world, but it has also seen many of the worst times. It suffered furious wars and battles throughout the years, from the era Before Christ, until the unity war in 1994. 
But one cannot deny that Aden has been blessed with many beauties. It has a fascinating coastline that is not available elsewhere in Yemen. Al-Tawwahi town, which lies on the Goldmore coastline, as well as the Coast of Lovers, are among the most fabulous areas of nature in the Arabian Peninsula. 

What comes to mind when watching the beauty of the coastline of Aden, is tourism. The beauty can become one of the strongest elements in making Aden a world wide tourist destination. 
However, there is also a dark side to the story. After the civil war of 1994, many open, clean, and beautiful seashores began to take on a new appearance. 

With shock and disbelief, natives witnessed construction, buildings, and hotels and restaurants being built on the public property of the city, on the beach! The coast, which used to be open, is now blocked and you cannot see the sea any more. Villas, markets, and other establishments were built on the shore, and prevented the local citizens from having even a view of the shore, let alone going for a swim. The garbage and remains from the construction in these areas has filled up the shores, and turned them into open garbage pit, and a place where even sewage was directed. 

People who knew Aden 10 years ago ask "is this the city of Aden?" "How did this happen?" "Who is responsible for this mess?"Many questions need to be answered, but the problem is that all of this is happening under the direct supervision of the government. Land is being taken away from the public property and being sold and built upon, while the people in charge are watching silently. 
What is even more pathetic is that there are projects, such as the Khormaksar Beach Retreat, which have cost the country more than 152 million rials, and are still in their preliminary stages. Why this ignorance? Why this mess?