Diaspora News of Sunday, 17 October 2010

Source: samuel lartey

MP Visits Plane Crash Monument In Amsterdam

Honourable Joseph Nii Laryea Affotey-Agbo (a.k.a. Lion), MP for Kpone Katamanso Constituency and Minister of State at the Presidency, visited the 1992 plane crash monument in Amsterdam on Monday, 11th October, 2010. The minister, on his way out of the country after a short private visit to The Netherlands and accompanied by a couple of the Amsterdam branch NDC loyalists, stopped over at the monument to lay a wreath in memory of the souls of the victims.

On Sunday evening 4th October, 1992, El-Al boeing 747 cargo plane, from John F. Kennedy Airport, New York City, USA to Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel and had stopped over at the Amsterdam Schiphol airport, crashed into two high-rise buildings in the Amsterdam Bijlmermeer district – a densely populated suburb of Amsterdam known as the heart of Ghanaian life in The Netherlands. 43 people, most of who were migrants including Ghanaians perished in the ensued inferno. Among the victims were 3 crewmembers and a passenger. The monument was built near the crash site with a listing of all the victims.

In the days preceding the visit to the monument, Honourable Afotey-Agbo was on a number of Ghanaian community radios in Amsterdam and extensively addressed very searching questions from listening compatriots on the Better Ghana agenda of the present National Democratic Congress government in Ghana and other contentious issues in Ghanaian politics. He also interacted with a cross-section of the members of the NDC Amsterdam branch at his hotel lobby and seized the opportunity to share some words of wisdom with those present on how to forge forward a stronger front,. Among the branch members on hand for the interaction with the minister, were Madam Gifty Manukure ( Patron), Alhaji Joe Ibrahim ( Patron), Mr P.A.S Quarshie (Vice Chairman) Mr K.A.Acheremu( Gen.Sececretary) Mr F.D.K Fiakpui (Organizer) Mr S Adakwa(Asis.Organizer) Mrs Babara Williams( Treasurer) Mr John Macnelly- boateng(P.R.O) Mr. Tony Koufie(Youth Organizer) Miss Anita Arthur-Nyann(Womens Organizer) and Miss Amina Iddrisu(Assist. Women Organizer) and some members Alhaji Youssif, Samual Lartey, Grace Asare, Frank Bonney, Emmanuel Dedu Eghan, Nana Blankson, Dauda Munkaila, Larry Bosrotsi, Esther fosuaah, Alex Adje

Honourable Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo is known within the NDC circles as ardent cadre and a lion