GHANA: Two Kidnapped Canadian Women Rescued

Ashanti Regional Police Command in conjunction with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has temporarily closed down the Ahodwo apartments where the two female Canadians were lodging before the abduction.

According to the police and official of the Tourism Authority, the apartment is not registered nor been licensed as a commercial property to rent out rooms to the public.

The police further grounded it's reason for closing down the facility citing the hotel of breach of security for failing to provide duty post, security officer including installation of Close Circuit Television ( CCTV) cameras.

The Tourism Authority has pasted a notice of closure at the entrance of the facility, warning the general public not to patronise the hotel.

Officers of the Tourism Authority alleged that the apartment operated without meeting the legal requirement as provided under Legislative Instrument LI 2238 and 2239 for accommodation of food beverage and entertainment enterprises.

It is not clear when the facility would reopen but the Ashanti Regional Director of Ghana Tourism Authority, Theophilus Acheampong is said to have told media that the apartment is where the Canadian girls stayed.

The Hotel, he claimed has not registered with the Tourism Authority for license to operate as such and therefore it's operations is deemed illegal.

The Regional Tourism Officer said they will continue the exercise to other facilities within the region to ensure that they have security safety system installed for clients.

Two Canadian women have been rescued after they were kidnapped last week by gunmen in Ghana's second city, Kumasi, a government minister has said.

The two students, aged 19 and 20, were working as volunteers for a charity when they were seized.

Kidnappings in Ghana, regarded as one of West Africa's most stable states, are extremely rare.

However, there have been several recently, usually involving ransom demands.

Security forces carried out an operation in the early hours of Wednesday to rescue the women, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said in a statement.

The pair were volunteering for Youth Challenge International, which confirmed their names as Lauren Tilley and Bailey Chitty.

The Toronto-based organisation said both women are physically unhurt and have been in contact with their families

Canadian officials thanked the Ghana government for its cooperation in the resolution of this case.

In a statement, they said no further details will be released for privacy concerns and out of respect to these two Canadians who have been through harrowing experiences.

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has vowed to take tough action to end the spate of abductions in the country.

The chairman of Ghana's main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), was briefly detained by police on Tuesday as a suspect in kidnappings.

Credible and actionable intelligence led to the arrest of Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, police said in a statement posted on Twitter, without specifying which kidnappings he was allegedly linked to.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo has not commented on the allegations, but NDC general secretary Aseidu Nketia said his arrest was an attempt to intimidate us and frustrate our activities.

In April, an Indian man was seized in Kumasi by an armed gang demanding a ransom. He was later rescued by police.

An Estonian diplomat was also rescued by police after being kidnapped in April in the capital, Accra.

Police are still searching for three Ghanaian women kidnapped in December in the southern city of Takoradi.


Tourism Observer

CHINA: China's Spring Festival Travel Season Begins

China's Spring Festival travel season, which brings about the largest domestic tourism movement in the world, has begun. Nearly 2.9 billion Chinese people are expected to travel within the country during the 40-day season, known as the Chunyun period, which will last from Jan. 24 to March 3.

It is estimated that the number of Chinese people who travel domestically within this period will increase 3.6 percent compared to the same period last year. China will enter "Year of the Monkey" on Feb. 8 in accordance with the Animal Calendar.

Chinese Railway Ministry estimates that 7 million individuals will travel by train on the first day of the Chunyun. It is expected that the number of people travelling by train will soar by 12.7 percent compared to the same period last year, and a total of 332 million people will use railway transportation throughout the travel season.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported that "seatless train tickets" were sold to least 50 million people who will travel standing on trains because of overcrowding. Meanwhile, it is said that 248 million individuals will travel by land, and 4.28 million and 54.5 million others will travel by sea and air, respectively.

China's holiday tradition, which requires all family members to enter the new year together, leads to the largest domestic tourism movement in the world.

As the spring festival creates great excitement around the world's most populous country, hundreds of millions of people, who come to city centers to work, are going back to their villages and towns to see their families that they leave behind. Migrant workers who come from rural areas to cities need to change various transportation vehicles many times to reach their houses in distant parts of the country, causing overcrowding in airports and train stations.

Shooting At Ipoh Seafood Restaurant

A man fired a shot from his gun at a two-storey seafood restaurant in Medan Ipoh here Tuesday night.

No one was reportedly injured in the incident.

Ipoh police chief Asst Comm Sum Chang Keong said in the 10.05pm incident, the suspect, wearing a full-faced mask, entered the ground floor and fired the shot into the ceiling.

"The suspect ran away after firing the shot. It was all over in less than a minute.

"At the time of the incident, there were only three customers and a worker at the restaurant," he told reporters at the scene.

Police would be studying CCTV recordings from the premises and those of other shops in the vicinity for leads.

"We also recorded statements from the worker and the owner of the neighbouring shop. This is the first such incident involving the seafood restaurant," ACP Sum said. - Bernama