GAMBIAN POLICE SEALED OFF THE OFFICES OF THE TINY WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY'S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER AND ARRESTED ITS ENTIRE STAFF ON TUESDAY, A DAY AFTER THE PAPER PRINTED TWO ARTICLES CRITICAL OF PRESIDENT YAHYA JAMMEH, REUTERS REPORTED. MOST EMPLOYEES WERE RELEASED AFTER QUESTIONING BUT MANAGING DIRECTOR MADI CEESAY -- WHO IS ALSO PRESIDENT OF THE GAMBIA PRESS UNION -- AND EDITOR MUSA SAIDY KHAN REMAINED IN DETENTION ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF THE NEWSPAPER'S STAFF SAID. THE ARRESTS WERE A FURTHER SIGN OF TENSION IN THE POOR FORMER BRITISH COLONY LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER THE GOVERNMENT SAID IT HAD FOILED A COUP PLOT AND LAUNCHED A CRACKDOWN IN WHICH 28 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 15 ARMY OFFICERS, HAVE BEEN ARRESTED. NO OFFICIAL REASON WAS GIVEN FOR THE ACTION AGAINST THE BI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER, BUT STAFF SAID THEY SUSPECTED IT WAS LINKED TO ARTICLES CRITICAL OF JAMMEH.
