Chihuri scoffs at Tsvangirai

                                           Blessing Chapwati 24-06-08 0400

Zimbabwe's police commissioner general Augustine Chihuri has said that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has no case to answer and there is no basis for him to seek refuge at the Dutch Embassy.

Commissioner General Chihuri was addressing a media briefing in Harare in the wake of reports that Tsvangirai had sought refugee at the Netherlands Embassy in fear of being arrested following a raid on the MDC offices in central Harare on Monday afternoon.

"We wonder from whom Mr Tsvangirai is running away from. We do not have any complaints from him or his party of any threats of violence or attempts on his life that would cause him to fear for his safety and seek santuary in a foreign embassy," Chihuri said.

Chihuri added that police are not after Tsvangirai for any crime and that if they wanted to arrest him this would have been made in the public domain without hesitation, apology or misgivings.

"We believe the latest development of seeking refugee at the Dutch Embassy is an exhitionist antic intended to provoke international anger and mastering of sypmpathy from his handlers. We ask the Dutch embassy, if indeed he is there to tell him (Tsvangirai) to go home and enjoy his sleep and nothing will happen to him," Chihuri said.

Several top MDC leaders have been arrested in the past weeks for varying charges. The party's secretary general Tendai Biti is currently in custody for treason charges and malicious falsehoods deemed detrimental to the state.

Violence has also escalated in the run up to the Friday presidential run-off election where ZANU PF supporters have been beating up people and forcing youths to attend night meetings.

On Sunday, ZANU PF youths were deployed to disturb an MDC rally that was meant to be held at an open space in central Harare. At least five people were seriously injured during clashes between MDC and ZANU PF youths.

Meanwhile police say the raid carried out on the MDC offices on Monday afternoon was not a political move but was meant to rescue political violence victims who were living in squalid conditions at Harvest house (MDC headquarters).

"We received information from an international organisation that there are people who were living in terrible conditions at Harvest house. Our officers went there with health inspectors and they only took out 37 people who have since been taken to Ruwa where they are going to be looked after by the department of social welfare," said Chihuri.

About 30 armed riot police raided Harvest House, where hundreds of victims of political violence were seeking temporary shelter.

Police are said to have arrested everyone who had remained in the building, including seriously injured political violence victims who could not run away, and drove them away in a bus.

They also ransacked MDC office furniture and computers containing party information.

About 1 000 people, fleeing raging State-sponsored violence across the country, are said to had sought temporary refuge at the MDC headquarters.