June 16, 1998
by Ghion Hagos, PANA Staff Correspondent
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Ethiopian authorities have ordered Eritreans living in the country to surrender any fire arms in their possessions to police, as the relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate over a border dispute.
The order applies to weapons Eritreans possess legally or illegally, the government press reported Tuesday, quoting an order issued by the Federal Police and Prisons Administration Commission.
The order required the Eritreans to surrender such weapons to the police in their woreda (district) by 1730 (1430 gmt) 16 June.
The commission warned that legal measures would be taken against those who fail to comply with its order.
Possession of fire arms without license carries rigorous imprisonment ranging from five to 25 years, according the Ethiopia's criminal code. Hiding weapons is punishable by life imprisonment or death, depending on the gravity of the criminal act.
Ethiopia announced over the weekend that it was undertaking "selective questioning" of Eritreans in the country that had undergone military training.
The number of Eritreans in Ethiopia is said to be over 130,000, which is the number of Eritreans that registered and voted in the may 1993 referendum for the territory's independence and final break with Ethiopia.
An estimated half a million others are said to have opted for Ethiopian citizenship by not registering and voting in the referendum.
Ethiopia has already expelled some 700 Eritreans. This included the leadership of the ruling Eritrean party office in Addis Ababa, individuals suspected of spying activities, and the leadership and members of the Eritrean community allegedly involved in fund-raising activities for their country's war efforts.