Kumasi, March 20, GNA - Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Vice-President on Monday led a 12-man government delegation to the grand funeral rites celebrations of the Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, Asantehene and departed Royalty of the Asante Oyoko clan of Asante since 1978 in Kumasi.

The delegation on behalf of the government, the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the Kumasi Metropolitan Authority (KMA) donated three million cedis and 10 cartons of aromatic schnapps.

Earlier, the delegation paid its respects to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who sat in state to receive homage from the sympathisers and distributed drinks to chiefs from the Kumasi Traditional Council (KTC).

Okyeame Kwaku Amoateng, Asantehene's Linguist on behalf of the Asantehene, presented two cartons aromatic schnapps and other assorted drinks to the delegation as customary drinks to welcome it to the funeral.

Mr D. S. Boateng, Minister of State on behalf of the delegation, thanked the Asantehene for the drinks and in turn presented them to the funeral planning committee.

Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) accompanied by Mr John Henry Mensah, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr R. R. Amponsah, a leading member of the party and NPP Members of Parliament from the Ashanti Region also paid homage to the Asantehene.

Mr Ian Mackley, British High Commissioner in Ghana and Miss Dee Robinson United States Ambassador also paid their respects. The funeral rite celebrations entered its second day on Monday with musketry by the Asantehene and leading chiefs from all the division of the KTC.

The musketry is in remembrance of departed Kings of Asante and shows the readiness to fight any enemy other than death for the departed Asantehene. Earlier in the morning, long retinues of chiefs from the various wards and divisions of the KTC, wearing talisman studded "Batakari (war attire) and carrying muskets and large colourful umbrellas went in processions to the Manhyia to participate in the musketry at Pinanko, behind the Palace.

At midday, chiefs from the Gyaase, Manwere, Ankobea and Nkosuo divisions converged at Pampaso, a ward in Kumasi from where the Asantehene dressed in the "Batakarikese" (War attire) rode in a palanquin through some principal streets in Kumasi to Pinanko.

At Pinanko, the Asantehene got down and fired three shots from his musket before he climbed into the palanquin again to be carried to the Palace, where he retired for sometime and returned to sit in state at the funeral grounds at Dwabrem.

At the funeral grounds, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, riding in a palanquin and clad in "Koben" (red cloth) with his right shoulder smeared with red clay danced to 'Fontomfrom' drums to his seat after, which the government's delegation, which arrived later paid homage to him.

The funeral rites continue on Tuesday with musketry by all paramount chiefs of Asanteman at Pinanko in the morning.