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US government apologises over peace corps conduct

US government apologises over peace corps conduct

Kasama,Oct 13,ZANIS-The American government has apologised for the incident involving its peace corp volunteers in Kasama recently.

The US peace corps were reported to have used racial remarks against Zambians in Mulenga Hills residential area in Kasama .

US peace corps country Director Davy Morris said in Kasama today that the matter was being handled at a very high level involving the State Department in Washington and the American embassy here in Zambia.

He said the US government was very concerned about the conduct of the volunteers who have since been sent back home to the USA.

Mr Morris was speaking at a meeting with community leaders from Mulenga Hills in the office of Kasama District Commissioner, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Chanda.

The Mulenga Hills community leaders have since reolved that they no longer require the services of the volunteers because of crminal trasspass and abussive language .

The peace corp volunteers from Northern and Luapula provinces who held a party at their residence in Mulenga Hills are reporterd to have climbed on top of an eleveted water tank where residents say they started shouting abussive launguage against the local people.

Their operations in the district were banned by the DC Lt Col Chanda but it has since been lifted by the provincial Permanent Secretary, Peter Mwamfuli.

Mr Morris who was accompaned by other senior officers from the US embassy in Lusaka said his government regrets the unrully behaviour of the volunteeres.

He however noted that he did not wish that the peace volunteers programme in Kasama be interrupted.

''we would like the peace corp volunteer programme to continue and want to inform you that the US government at very high level is taking steps so that what happened should not be repeated'', said Mr Morris.

The meeting was also attended by senior officials from Kasama Council.

The volunteers, during a party on September 24,climbbed the 100 metre water tank where they also wrote graffit using abussive language prompting the water company, the Chambeshi water and sewerage to suspend water supply to Mulenga Hills rersidents for three (3) days inorder to clean the tank.

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