Queen And Duke Face Arduous Day

Press, Volume C, Issue 29671, 15 November 1961, Page 15

Queen And Duke Face Arduous Day

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) KUMASI (Central Ghana), November 14. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh face one of the most arduous days of their tour of Ghana today in Kumasi, the capital of the kingdom of Ashanti.

From 9.15 a.m. until their plane touches down again tonight in Accra, they will be touring in tropical heat. This morning they will visit the Kumasi Central Hospital, a modern institution with hundreds of beds, and attend a colourful durbar at the sports stadium, opened only a year ago to accommodate about 30,000 people. After an official luncheon at the Residency, the home of the Regional Commissioner, they will tour the Kwame Nkrumah University of

Science and Technology, one of West Africa’s leading technical institutions.

From there they will go to Kumasi airport for the return flight to Ghana’s capital, after their two-day tour of the northern and central regions. Ashantehene (King of Ashantis) Prempeh II came to the airport at Kumasi in spite of ill-health to greet the Royal couple yesterday on their arrival from Tamale, capital of the northern territories. The Duke of Edinburgh exchanged his field - marshal’s cap for a high-crowned native hat, to the joy of the chief who presented it at the durbar at Tamale yesterday. He also received a horsetail fly whisk, while the Queen was presented with an ivory elephant tusk, two leopard skins, and a crocodile skin and hats for her children.

After the durbar, which featured dancing warriors, the Royal couple flew to Kumasi.

The Leader of the United Party Opposition in Parliament (Mr Simon Diedo Dornbo) told a press conference in Tamale yesterday that more than 1000 Government opponents had been arrested by police recently. He said 250 people were arrested in Kumasi alone, and police cells there were so crowded that prisoners were unable to sleep. He said many prisoners were being sent to outlying prisons to relieve the crowded Kumasi cells.

"The police told us these arrests had nothing to do with security measures taken to safeguard the Queen on the Royal tour,” he said.