Calm has returned to Aflao following a near bloody clash on Friday between the Police and protestors demanding a municipal status for the border town.

The Police had to fire tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd of protestors marching on the Police station after the arrest of seven of their colleagues.

The seven whose names were not given have since been released following the intervention of their leaders.

The messages on some of the placards borne by the demonstrators who marched from Aflao to Denu included, “we don’t deserve this treatment from the NDC”, “nothing Less than a municipality for Aflao”, “World Bank turning into a rural bank” and “NDC should not count on us again in 2012”.

The demonstrators said the residents of Aflao would not be appeased by the designation of Ketu-South with two constituencies as a new Legislative Instrument before Parliament sought to do.

The troubles begun last week when a Legislative Instrument laid before Parliament over the creation of new districts had the name of Ketu-South deleted.

A petition to the President, signed by one Christian Yevunya, an opinion Leader, described the posture of government over the issue as “betrayal of the loyalty of the people of Aflao to the ruling party over the years”.

“The people of Aflao area no longer interested in living under the current Ketu-South District whether it was promoted to a municipal status or not but a separate municipality for Aflao,” the petition stated.

The petition said the alleged boundary disagreement cited as reason for the government’s turn-around was not true as the memorandum of the Chiefs on the matter was clear.

Mr Bernard Amarble, Ketu-South District Chief Executive who received the petition on behalf of government, appealed to residents to exercise restraint stressing that demonstrations are not the solution to every situation.

He assured them of government’s goodwill adding that dialogue and lobbying were needed to resolve the issue.