Letters to the Editor [Archives:2001/29/Letters to the Editor]

Seeking Lost Men
We are a group of Swedish people who have for many years tried to find out what has happened to the six men who all “disappeared” during the civil wars of the 1970’s and 1980’s. They are:
al-Kawni Hytham Naser Samqa, Driver for the Yemeni Socialist Party,
Ja’abal Muhammad Ahmad al-‘Askari, Captain in the army,
Hussein Saleh Ahmad al-Fadhi, Second Lieutenant in the army,
Hussein Muhammad ‘Abd al-Habib, Soldier, employed in the Ministry of Defence,
Hussein ‘Abdullah Hussein Muhammadi, Captain in the Air Force,
Hyadara Ahmad Hasel, Major in the State Security Forces.
We are deeply concerned about their fate and the situation of their families and would appreciate any information about them.
Siv Erikson
Mickedalav?gen 8
302 35 Halmstad, Sweden
–post: [email protected]
Sir,
I am a Yemeni citizen. My father is now in United States of America. He has been an American citizen since 1969.
He wanted me to go to him in US to help him and to study there.
Wen I received my legal papers from the US immigration in New York, I sent them all to the US embassy in Sana’a to get my passport. And after I gave them all the required papers, they interviewed me and asked me to do the genital blood check up. But I could not do that because that takes a long time and will delay my visa. Why do they ask that only from Yemenis and nor from any country in the whole world. They say they protect human rights, so where is my right in this regard.
Please I want you to help me in this problem. Just tell them to give me my vise and allow me to go to my father.
Nagl. A. Sharhan
P. O. Box: (70109), Ibb
Can’t YT Become a Daily?
I am a student in the USA and know very well that Yemen Times is a weekly newspaper. That is great. Why don’t you think of making it as a daily publication?. Actually, I am interested to read your quality newspaper on a daily basis. I hope I could see Yemen Times become a daily newspaper in the nearest future.
Khalil Bawtag
[email protected]
USA
Dear Khalil,
Thank you for your sincere feelings and suggestion. However, we would like to notify you that we have made a feasibility study and realized that Yemen Times in its current quality cannot be a daily in the near future. This is related to readership, printing facilities, financial constraints, etc. Yet it is also our dream to become a daily. It is only a matter of time
-Editor
Dear Editor,
I am a medical student at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. I read the interview with Dr. Shukri the neuro-surgeon (in issue 27/2001). I was not shocked at what he had said. This reflects a truly ugly face and perverted humanity in the medical sector in Yemen. I love Yemen, but feel helpless to what I could do as a medicine student!
I myself have my own story to tell. Four years ago, I finished my secondary school with a percentage of 96.2%. I ranked 6th throughout the whole country, and I thought I would be rewarded generously. But unfortunately, all kinds of obstacles where put in my way.
I could not -at least by then- realize why that happened.
I felt that in Yemen, successful people -such as Dr. Shukri and I- are considered demons or at least insane. Hence, they should be put to frustration.
I finished the third year here in Egypt, achieving excellence grades in the three elapsed years, praise be to Allah. Interestingly, we here in Egypt face the same discouragement by Yemeni officials. Was it an evil curse that was cast on us from Yemen wherever we go?
I am confident that when I return to Yemen after graduation, I will be suffering from one of the following, if not all of them together:
1-No vacancies
2-Accusations of belonging to the X political party
3- Compulsory payment of thousands of dollars for a decent job
4- Killed by one of the armed tribesmen who feel he is better than me
6- Will be hired in a government sector with a pending salary of YR 10,000!
After all, nothing is impossible in Yemen. My future could either be bright or dark with no justifications. Even though I still believe in a better future, but I do not know for how long we will be waiting.
I am not depressed. But I am looking forward for the new morning in which I will find myself living a decent life and being treated as a human being in that vast but imprisoned home, Yemen.
All my regards to Yemenis who are still waiting for the sunrise to come, the sun to shine, and brightness to prevail.
Marwan Ahmed Al-Ghafory
Faculty of Medicine
Ain Shams University, Cairo
[email protected]

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