TRC News Release, St. Paul
Then Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, George E. S. Boley led soldiers to the private home of President William R. Tolbert following the April 12, 1980 coup and looted unspecified amounts of cash and valuables, a witness told commissioners of Liberia’s Truth Commission in St.Paul,Minnesota.
The witness said that Boley upon the orders of then People’s Redemption Council (PRC) junta leader Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe stormed the slain president’s Bentol residence where they force Tolbert’s butler Patrick Tuazama to provide the combination numbers of his safe and made away with money and other valuables.
Contained in several bags, the witness said the items were taken to Mr. Doe at the Executive Mansion.
Testifying Wednesday at ongoing public hearings of the TRC at Hamlin University in the United States city of St. Paul, Minnesota, retired Captain Samuel Kalongo Luo, an assistant minister of Agriculture during the junta’s rule, said Boley riding the slain president’s Jaguar commanded the soldiers who included Doe’s Aide Camp he identified as General Saye.
Luo who said he was a confidant of the coup leader during the early days of the junta said following the looting Boley told him and members of the PRC the bags contained papers of the murdered president.
Although he did not disclose that exact amount of cash in the bags, the witness said he and other junta members only realized that the bags contained money when Gen. Saye told them.
“We did not know that the bags contained money until one day Gen. Saye told us: “Your sitting down here the people na take all that heavy money alone. The money they got is too plenty,” Mr. Luo said.
He said following the disclosure rancor developed amongst members of the junta with the vice chairman Thomas Weh Syen contending that Doe make full disclosure of what was contained in the bags.
Mr. Luo said that Weh Syen who was in a state of discontent following Saye’s disclosure vowed to deal with the matter harshly if Chairman Doe failed to make the disclosures.
“Thomas Weh Syen demanded the money from Doe saying repeatedly that if Doe did not gave him his share of the money it would not be easy. Weh Syen was pushing Doe too hard for this money business,” Luo said.
Mr. Luo said he believe it was the conflict over the money that led to confusion among the two junta leaders leading to the arrest and execution of Weh Syen and others under the guise that they were planning a coup plot.
Meanwhile, a daughter of slain president Tolbert, Mrs. Wilhelmina Villareal Tolbert-Holder told TRC commissioners Wednesday Boley and Chea Cheapoo told she and other daughters of president Tolbert under house arrest after the coup that they were the once to decide their fate.
Mrs. Tolbert-Holder, who testified Wednesday, said Boley and Cheapoo made several visits to soldiers and security men assigned around their residence during their three weeks house arrest and told them they would remain under house custody until they decide what to do with them.
She said during one of those visits, Mr. Boley told them that Tolbert sent him to school and provided him a scholarship to further his education in the United States.
Boley who was the leader of the defunct Liberia Peace Council (LPC), one of several warring factions accused of gruesome atrocities and human rights violations during the Liberian civil conflict is believed to be a confidant of Doe after the military takeover. Following the coup he served as the first Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
One and a half million of Liberia’s citizens fled the country during the 27-year conflict, many of whom settled in the United States. The hearings here in Minnesota mark the first time in history that any truth commission has ever systematically sought to include its Diaspora citizens into the process of national healing.
Each day of the hearings, the commission will hear testimony from Liberians who fled to the United States, focusing on their experiences during the civil war, in flight, in refugee camps, and as they established new lives here.
The Advocates for Human Rights, based in Minneapolis, is assisting with coordination and implementation of the hearings.
The Advocates for Human Rights was founded in 1983 by a group of Minnesota lawyers who recognized the community’s unique spirit of social justice as an opportunity to promote and protect human rights in the United States and around the world. The mission of The Advocates for Human Rights is to implement international human rights standards to promote civil society and
The organization has produced more than 50 reports documenting human rights practices in more than 25 countries; educated over 10,000 students and community members on human rights issues; provided legal representation and assistance to over 3,000 disadvantaged individuals and families and works with partners overseas and in the United States to restore and protect human rights. The Advocates for Human Rights holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations.
The TRC was agreed upon in the August 2003 peace agreement and created by the TRC Act of 2005. The TRC was established to “promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation,” and at the same time make it possible to hold perpetrators accountable for gross human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law that occurred in Liberia between January 1979 and October 2003.
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Why Mr. Kirkpatrick weah should engaged himself in lies that will make problems to not finish in Liberia? where were the human right when Charles taylor and Prince Johnson came and took over Liberia? Why should Liberian people keep going with blandness? liberia was a bland land and Samuel Doe an ethnic Krahn was trying to open our eyes, but we didn`t give him chance to open our eyes completly. When Charles taylor and Prince Johnson first came to Liberia with guns, they lied to the Liberian people that they came for only Doe and his Krahn people. My people welcome them because of the death of Quiwonkpa, saying that Samuel Doe killed our son Quiwonkpa.The law and agreement at that time when the LPRC govornment came to power was,if any body make coup attempte and fail,that person will be killed.Quiwonkpa attempted coup,he fail and he was killed. So why should Dr. Boley be resposible what had happen in the pass samuel K. Doe govornment? Was he the only person working in Samuel Doe govornment at that time? Or because Dr. Boley is krahn man? Let me tell the Liberian people, maybe they have forgoten the names of the people that brought war to our Land. Charles Taylor and Prince Johnson are the people that brought war to us. The fleed refugees into Sierra Leone,Guinea and cote d`Ivoire pursued by NPFL, that made the Liberian refugees,men and women to decide that they had taken enough and heard enough from Charles Taylor and they came in with (ULIMO) to stand and fight for their rights.when ULIMO seperated to K & J. After Dr. Boley came in upon hearing of NPFL occupation of Grand Gedeh County and killing Liberians. Dr. Boley Formed The Liberian peace council (LPC) to redame his Liberian people and his Nation from (NPFL) Dr. Boley did not arm any child to fight for LPC, There were fifty two men (52 men) that made up LPC from the beginning. when the (52 men) recover some counties from NPFL.Other people join LPC when they knew that Taylor was fooling them, and LPC was there for the real go,Peace to save them. Like me, I was 15 years old when I started fighting for NPFL I was assign to small boys unit ( SBU )1992. My parent are from Nimba county Kanpia. I left from NPFL to join LPC in 1994 because of NPFL general behaviour,they used to rap women and children, even my uncle daughter was raped by one of NPFL general in 1993 and the girl father was shot dead when he complain about it to the other general. that made me to leave and join LPC in 1994, and after me other friends escaped to join LPC when they also saw the truthful colour of Charles Taylor NPFL. In LPC we had a law that any LPC fighter or member who is cough looting will be killed. whan we recover Mary-land county from Taylor, we met so many rubber in the plantation and we left it there because of our law.when Tayloy came back there he shipted all to Cote d`Ivoire. So hwo can some Liberian people say that Dr. Boley is a looter. As i said, Iam not a krahn man, but i have to speak the truth about krahn people,the Krahn are not bad people. I`m a Gio man and i was among the Krahn people that other liberian people seing to day has bad people for three years and no one of them did me bad. Let`s leave Dr. Boley alone,he was there for peace, to save us. If not for LPC the present govornment wouldn`t have being there to day, even the New Liberia we have to day could have still been old Liberia. We have some of the people that brought war to our country working with the present govornment holding good positions and we are arresting the ones that came at last to save us,charging them for war crime. Where were the TRC and Human Right when Charles and Prince Johnson came to Liberia with gun? And what will they say about the other factions leaders like (1) Charles Taylor for National patriotic of liberia ( NPFL ) (2) Francois Massaquoi for the Lofa defence force ( LDF ) (3) Alhaji G.V. Kromah for United Liberation movement of Liberia for Democracy ( ULIMO-K ) (4) Prince Johnson for Independent national patriotic front of liberia ( INPFL ) (5) Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu for National Patriotic front of Liberia Central Revolutionary council ( NPFL-CRC ) (6) Roosevelt Johnson for United Liberation Movement of Liberia for democracy ( ULIMO-J ) (7) And Ltg. J. Hezekiah Bowen for the Armed forces of Liberia ( AFL ). If Dr. Boley should be charge for war crimes, when ll these other people be arrested too? Or should they travel to America to get visa oblem before the TRC & human Right will come in for their arrest for the Liberia? My Liberian Brothers and Sisters, Let`s forget about destructive jealousy and think of developing our sweet Land, Liberia. Like the other African Nations,Ghana, benin, Nigeria act.. Liberia is one of the oldest Independence Nation in Africa and she is now the lest in development just because of our own destructive jealousy we are applying on one another. My Liberian, when you are place to a highest positions, please try to protact your people, don`t destroy them for the Liberians are you own people. We don`t need no more war in our country. Some of you people are taking America to be your home, you`r sating down in America, on another man`s Land and designing destructive plands that will destroy your land and your people, forgeting to know that Liberia is your home where you belonging. However, I did not go too far in education because of the civil war, so if my English is bad or simple please consider me, for I was just a Elementary student when the war came to Liberia. please get back to me here, luxlina_777@yahoo.ca
The above New Liberian article cant be serious…witnesses been called, how credible thay are , does there evidence/es corroborate with any other? I seriously question the testimony of Captain Luo, he was definitely one of those abusers of human rights then when every soldier (majority) other than the persecuted (minority) did cardinal sins, if he’s looking for redemtion, he should live up to the true objectives of the commission, his contribution simply does not wash.