The Following is an excerpt of sveral questions asked by Concerned Ethiopian Students that was addressed to PM Meles. Bellow is the open letter addresses to the Dictator in Ethiopia. To Read All the interesting questions CLICK HERE. (You might need a Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word 2007 File Format, which you can download HERE)

******************************************************

"You claim to be guided by “the principle of self-determination. “ Why did you then annex by force of arms Raya, Azebo, Alamata and Ofla from Wollo Province, and Humera, Wolkait, and Tsegede from Gondar Province, which have never been part of Tigrai, and evicted the natives and settled some 700,000 Tigrean farmers and soldiers on their land? Why are hundreds of them languishing in dungeons in Tigrai? Why is land which belongs to Ethiopia being constantly transferred to the Sudan? It is estimated that over the last sixteen years, some $3 billion worth of agricultural produce has been marketed from these regions and pocketed by your friends and TPLF business concerns. The people of Gondar Province, for instance, are exploring the possibilities of taking the case to court. They not only want the release of all those whom you still keep in prison, and the return of their land, but also the retroactive payment of some $3 billion as compensation for what they have lost from their farms. Could you comment?"

******************************

January 31, 2008

When governments fear the people, there is liberty.
But when the people fear the government, there is tyranny.
Thomas Jefferson.

H.E. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi,
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

It is often said that in a situation where there are no checks and balances, transparency and accountability, or an enlightened free press and civil society, those who hold power cannot wield it without instilling tyranny, or master corruption without being corrupted.

We have heard very many conflicting views about your government. As a result, we, a group of Ethiopian students in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Ethiopia who have no reason to fear your government, want to give you the benefit of the doubt. In that context, we have formulated the following series of questions for your consideration. We are also inviting Ethiopian civil society groups and discussion forums to study the questions. Your Excellency can be assured that your response to them will stimulate more discussion and research to the good of the country and your government. It is in this spirit that we took the initiative to forward the questions. Since we live in a globalized village, we have also sent copies of the questions to certain governments and international organizations of our interest.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the students,
Tadessese Abbebe ,
[ethiopianstudents@gmail.com ]

Cc:
Dr Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State;
Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House;
Senator Joe Biden, Chair, Foreign Relations Committee;
Representative Tom Lantos, Chair, House Committee on International Relations;
Representative Donald Payne, Chairman, House Sub-committee on Africa;
Representative Chris Smith, U.S. House of Representatives;
Senator Russ Feingold, Chair, Sub-committee on African Affairs;
Ambassador Donald Yamamoto;
Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union;
Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union;
Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank.