"
by Christine Lagat

NAIROBI Steven Stamkos Jersey For Sale , Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Peter Ndambuki has seen it all for the last five years as the middle aged father of four has worked as a night guard in a populous flat located on the eastern fringes of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Handling impatient, rude and sometimes violent residents of the five stories flat has been a baptism of fire for Ndambuki who often contemplated quitting the job and retreat to his ancestral home to engage in farming.

During a conversation with Xinhua, Ndambuki gave a harrowing account of the perils that he encounters every night while guarding an apartment occupied by people he hardly knows their two names.

""The weekends are the worst nightmare for me as drunkards come hooting in the dead of the night demanding the gate to be opened. It is unbearable but am forced to oblige since they pay for my services,"" said Ndambuki.

He revealed that ascertaining the true identity of the car occupants is a herculean task since most of them prefer anonymity.

Ndambuki regretted that laxity among property owners is to blame for invasion by questionable characters into once pristine neighborhoods in Nairobi.

""Landlords are only interested in money and do not bother to investigate potential tenants to obtain basic information like their occupation and next of kin. Apartments are so fluid that every criminal can walk in and out at their convenience,"" Ndambuki told Xinhua.

The occupant of a sleek car hooted at the gate and Ndambuki engaged him in a polite conversation and only let him in after revealing his mission.

""We have been authorized by the security committee in this neighborhood not to let anyone inside residential premises until we gather their details and purpose of visit. The alarming spate of crime and terrorism in the city demands extra vigilance,"" Ndambuki said.

He is not alone in the new awakening among Kenyans on the need to revitalize community based vigilance to stem insecurity in urban areas.

The Sept. 21 terrorist attack at Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi served as a wake up call among Kenyans on the need to have basic information on a neighbor.

""It is true that criminal elements have found safe havens in congested neighborhoods due to weak policing by community members. We need to end this culture where a stranger rents a room and no one bothers to inquire what he does,"" said Paul Njoroge, a grassroots activist.

Njoroge has been actively involved in community policing initiatives rolled earlier by the Kenyan government, UN-Habitat and neighborhood watchdogs.

""We are hoping that the re-launch of safer cities program by UN- Habitat and Nairobi county government will revive community policing and reduce crime in the informal settlements,"" said Njoroge.

Kenyans are renowned for hospitality and open door policy to visitors but this virtue was put to test after terror attacks at a Nairobi mall where over 70 lives were lost and hundreds injured.

Credible reports indicated that the heavily armed assailants had stayed in Kenya for several months and even rented an apartment near the Westgate shopping mall.

Security analysts and members of the public wondered how vicious terrorists managed to find safe abode in an upscale Nairobi suburb without detection.

Everyone agreed that security lapses in many Nairobi suburbs have created a perfect cover for terrorists and lethal criminals.

Property owners who spoke to Xinhua said that the Westgate terrorist attack has re-ignited a sense of caution in them.

""I have instructed my agents to obtain the original identity card of any new occupant in my flat. The agents are also supposed to obtain a job card, pay slip or bank statement to indicate where the occupant works,"" said Catherine Nganga, a landlady.

Gone are the days when night guards only dreaded drunken tenants who trooped into their abode past midnight.

According to Paul Kihara, a watchman at a stylish maisonette, criminals have evolved and are now more sophisticated to elude security dragnet in residential estates.

""Nowadays, we are suspicious of everyone, least of all the smartly dressed people since you may never know what they are carrying. Some of these criminals drive very expensive cars but their mission is evil,"" Kihara told Xinhua.

Ordinary Kenyans agreed that to stem insecurity in Nairobi and other metropolis, the public should provide information to security officers on any suspicious character in their midst.

"

THAILAND has postponed until March its construction work on the US$5 billion first phase of a railway project being built jointly with China, the Southeast Asian nation’s transport minister said Friday.

The 873km rail line, work on which was expected to have started this month, is eventually intended to link Thailand’s border with Laos to eastern ports and industrial zones.

Thai Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said the work was delayed because Thai government officials are still reviewing various railway designs submitted by China.

“According to the current plans, we have set this to March. If the designs aren’t complete, and the contract isn’t finalized, then we can’t start the construction,” Arkhom said.

The first phase, costing 179 billion baht (US$5 billion), centers on 250km of track to link the Thai capital of Bangkok to the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.

China and Thailand have been discussing the project for years, but agreed on its framework only in September, after months of sometimes tense negotiations.

(SD-Agencies)

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- "Your Name," an animation produced by Japan's Toho Company, ruled the Chinese box . Cheap Jerseys China   Cheap Jerseys From China   Cheap Jerseys China   Cheap Jerseys Wholesale   Cheap Jerseys Wholesale   Cheap Stitched Jerseys   Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale   Cheap NFL Jerseys China   Cheap NFL Replica Jerseys   Cheap NFL Football Jerseys