Monday, December 23, 2024

Government to involve US Government in tracing authors of malicious Internet article

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Home Affairs Minister Kennedy Sakeni
Home Affairs Minister Kennedy Sakeni

Government has hinted at involving the American Government to trace the authors of the malicious rumours that President Micheal Sata had been assassinated.

Home affairs minister Kennedy Sakeni has told Journalists in Lusaka this morning that the website on which the article alleging that President Sata had been assassinated in the early hours of yesterday had appeared is believed to be hosted in the USA.

Mr. Sakeni says investigations are underway and adding that the people behind such false reports are believed to be people that were defeated in the last elections.

But when told by QFM news that the Zambia police had not received any information on the matter, Mr. Sakeni expressed disappointment that the Zambia Police was waiting for State house to furnish them with information on such a sensitive matter which was already in the public domain.

And when earlier contacted, Zambia police spokesperson Elizabeth Kanjela told QFM that the police service had not received any official information from State house on the matter.

 

[QFM]

72 COMMENTS

    • LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia will take back a 75 percent stake in local fixed-line operator Zamtel that is currently held by Lybia’s LAP Green Networks, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda said on Monday.
      “We made a decision to restore Zamtel back to the people of Zambia,” Chikwanda said at a media briefing.
      “The plight of the workers may be affected temporarily but we are trying to put up something permanent. If we find Zamtel is not adequately capitalised we will avail fresh capital.”
      Zambia last week seized bank accounts belonging to Zamtel as part of a money-laundering investigation. The company has denied any wrongdoing.
      Under its previous government, Zambia sold a majority stake in Zamtel to the Libyan operator for $257 million. A government inquiry in November ruled th

  1. Wikipedia does that all the time.early december I saw one which said Nelson Mandela had died.That site sometimes can have falsehoods and all you do is ask them to correct it.by releasing a statement all they did is alarm people because very few people new about this before state house blurted.Strange bunch of people.All sorts of mis information floats around the net and you cant react to every blog

  2. Give it up naimwe. Don’t you have more important issues to attend to. People need jobs, Health care and better education. I have never heard out govt debate about these issues. Ifyabupuba fye every day. Grow up and gain some balls Zambian politicians. You owe the people, don’t waste their resources of nonsense

  3. If some misguided person lied the way it has been reported, what is the problem dismissing the lie with the contempt it deserves and forget about it? Should we surely start loosing money where we will reap nothing apart from cornering the guy? Lets refocus and do something that is more productive. I for one was at one time reported to have died and people were phoning around to enquire but we just took it as a blessing, more days added to my life and that is it.

  4. Haha…who are you fooling you old mudalas…they think the US has time for that, what are you going to do when you find them??…just get on with your work chaps, Sata is head of state that comes with the territory!! 

  5. Please when dispelling such rumours let the president himself quickly appear on TV live to put the issue to rest not issuing a statement through his press aid. Many people havent seen him since the rumour started and still believe he is dead

  6. The police need to be pro-active. Some experts in It have already done background work by identifying the IPS address, and using google maps they have shown person was in the UK in Crowley to be precise, next steps need not be complicated!!!

    Elizabeth Kanjela, you have impressed most of us, show us that cyber crime can be ahndled quickly in Zambia. It will deter people posting all sorts of nonc=sense online!!!

  7. Any update on the news that some opposition leaders were planning to topple President Sata? I recall the Minister of Defence promising an investigation but I have never heard anything since.

  8. do you really think the American government has time for such trivial matters?Can the PFgovernment stop running from its own shadow and start working for the people that voted them into power.So much energy and money expended on nonsence.You would think they were running a creche and not a country.

  9. we have to involve UNITED STATES for such a trival issue.Please lets work.we are putting our energies on useless issues. What if another posting is done tommorow,another next week.are we going to waste our resources on such investigations.

  10. Bob,
    You are not head of state, hence its only your family bothered about your death but talking about the Head of State is not only alarming but it is economic sabotage as well, markets respond to such nonsense.

    I doubt if your death, real or imagined would even affect the price of tomato in soweto market!!!

    • #12,  how do you compare someone’s life to the price of tomato. We are all people and equal in the eyes of God. Even if it is upsetting bakamba, ku tekanya.

    • This country did not elect Micheal Sata to spend months caressing his elephantine ego at the expense of the taxpayer. 

      Do they really think they can bring whoever changed the Wikipeadia entry to book? The fecklessness of these leaders is legendary. This is the organization that shut down its website for 24hrs to protest against SOPA. 

      The internet is about free expression – including rumors of a Sata’s death.

  11. Why doesn’t the government ask for the much needed assistance in fighting corruption and white collar crime our law authorities are very poorly equipped to do that…instead of wasting time on drivel like this…

  12. Ok, involving America in such small issues is not necessary. It is all because if too much publicity about anything. Even a hopping frog near state house will be news surely. Such issues are supposed to be investigated quietly, and if the culprits are caught, that is when it becomes media issue. I END HERE!!!

  13. I suspect the GRZ may soon find USG is not in the habit of tracking down people who have bad things to say about presidents. At least I sure hope the Americans have more important things to do with their time and money than help chase shadows on behalf Mr. Sata. Truly, he just needs to get over it – this is getting very silly. 

  14. Involving USA is Pivot. As a matter of fact USA will help anyone who calls for help. Who doubted USA’s possission in the world. Yes a Super power.

  15. There is a lot of retards, unwise and backwards people

    It says a lot on people that tempered with the wiki, and also ANYONE that is not condemning the people behind it

    A Zambian man can be an evil man. Very disappointing

    Thanks

  16. “The alteration appears to have been done in the United Kingdom city of Crawley by unknown persons using the IP Address 82.11.64.177 through the domain name virginmedia.com with Virgin Media Limited as Internet Service Providers. 

     The falsified alteration was sent through a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Digital Subscriber Loop – a family of technologies that provide internet access by transmitting digital data over the wires of a local telephone network. 

     The coordinates for the altered post appeared to be 51°6’48?N -0°10’58?W while the weather station code for the alter was UKXX0816, signifying that it was done in the England region of the UK.

     The falsified death claim was available and accessed worldwide early hours of Sunday.” 

  17. Those people in the UK, who are behind this be warned that you will soon be brought to book. Leave our President alone!

  18. Don’t some bloggers understand that this is bordering on treason – to falsely claim a head of state has died? Zambians need to start analysing things from an international perspective – globalization means we no longer live as an island. Let the perpetrators be rbought to book – the penalty for treason is a death sentence in zambia

  19. Yes it is not good for our country such articles , the one who did that his or her days are numbered , the IP address and many other things will help to trace this person .

  20. they should be brought to book at all costs. this shit should be brought to an end. people posting anything anytime they like. even treasonable offenses. track them and bring them to book. death sentence.

  21. Zambian police are really useless. They lack proactiveness, maybe is because they speak too much CHI NYANJA in their daily communication.

  22. Are you telling me that if the govt owned ZAMTEL they could have not compromised this security and therefore not asked america for assistance.

  23. @26, Janet. I surely believe the rumour can be treasonable, but to pursue it with that vigour even after State House has corrected the impression can be costly to the nation. Some things really don’t add value when you think of it. However, i may be looking at the issue from a narrow perspective but … what has Zambia lost so far? If anything the Kwacha has strengthened a bit.

  24. I am very surprised that most of the blogers see the news of assinating the president like that of killing a mosquito – I find this very unpatriotic – very disappointing indeed – imagine the police waiting to be informed by state house that the president has been assasinated – what kind of security do we have in Zambia? is the president safe really? Every patriotic zambia should take this false reports seriously – am afraid we may wake up oneday to another presidential bye election – yestaday sata has collapsed – sata won’t live longer, today sata has been assassinated! what kind of nonse is this? – and some people are happy reading such news about their president – wake up zambians and defend your president and your country!

  25. Home Affairs Minister Sakeni being A former Security person himself should know that certain goofs on the internate are better not commented on.The Wiki webside can easily be abused by anybody because of their facility that you can edit a story which has already been published.
    If State House had not alarmed the nation about the existence of this story,many of us would have had no idea that some ***** somewhere had posted a false story.Remember that most major countries have ambassadors in Zambia who they contact to verify any breaking news stories.So the fear that there will be despondency in the local and international communities is without substance.

  26. ba feecolour ba dmm na pdnu mwanya GOD will always be there for our lovely president and he will be there until 2099 +1000 more years to live.

  27. Good move sakeni.America wiil help us.Infact uk helped america when that British teenager insulted Obama and was banned never to go to USA.America doesn’t condone useless articles online.HH will cry with his people. Nowadays u can’t run with cyber crime without being traced.Just that Zambian govt have no sharp chaps at Zicta.Coz of corruption this guys fail to employ IT specialists in Security and software development.what they know is only networking.
    ha ha ha what a country.Really we need PF to change things.Good move.America will catch the boy within 6hrs.Just give them a site.They will trace the IP address and the host of the site.Then people hosting the site will trace the owner from which country.This is how it goes.HH and bantustan mwaponoka.

  28. One blogger claims its from UK, sakeni says the US, this shows you how slim the chances of catching the author are.

    So are we hoping to have the perpetrator extradited? If in the US, what law willl he be arrested under? None? and what about if it happenend in the UK, can he be arrested?

    • Yes I think so, under UK or US anti-terrorism laws (deliberately working to incite chaos in a sovereign nation?). Something like that

  29. If it is true that the people behind this rumour are bitter losers from the September elections then we have a long way to understand democracy. Mr Sata was elected by the people of Zambia and he deserves to be given the chance to lead without such distractions from selfish individuals.

  30. WAKE YOU SLEEPY ZAMBIANS.
    KK USED THIS TRICK SO DID CHILUBA.THE BOTTOM LINE IS ALL THIS IS DONE WHEN THE PRESIDENT FAILS AND BEING AFRAID OF BEING COUGHT,START ALARMING THE NATION.
    LOOK AT THE PAST AND YOU WILL SEE THIS NAKED TRUTH

  31. LAST WEEK I HAD ASKED ZAMBIANS TO ASSIST ME.I HAD POSED THE SERIOUS QUESTION THAT CAN SOMEONE OUT WITH THE TRUTH PLEASE TELL MA AND CONFIRM IS SATA IS HAVING SERIOUS KIDNEY PROBLEM TO THE HEART PROBLEMS HE IS FACING.I BELIVE HE IS ON DYLYSIS AND COULD THE CURRENT ROMOUR BE LINKED TO HIS HEALTH PROBLEM.

  32. We should not waste time, effort and resources on a rumour. Lets move on and devote time to more important issues affecting the nation – and they are many. Security wing can quietly deal with the matter than “go and make babies” about it!!

  33. HON.MINISTER PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU PLUCK OUT ALL MMD CADRES FROM FOREIGN  MISSION THESE MAY BE THE PIPO CREATING FALSEHOODS.WHY KEEP THEM, THEIR MAN IS NO LONGER IN POWER.IF PF GOVERNMENT IS NOT APPOINTING PF CADRES WHY SHOULD MMD CADRES BE RETAINED AND CONTINUE ENJOYING EVEN THE DID NOT AND DOT THE PARTY IN POWER. BEFORE ELECTION THEY USED TO SAY RB, RB RBEEE NAFUTI NAFUT. THEIR SONG WAS TWALAZANDAMUNA LELO MULEDABWA SATA SANGAPITE.CORRUPTION WAS ORDER OF THE DAY. MR PRESIDENT WE KNOW YOU ARE SO KIND BUT ON THIS ONE BE CRUEL IN ORDER TO BE KIND.AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THEY WILL CONTINUE WITH CLANDESTINE ACTIVI TIES.

  34. PF govt needs to stop focussing on trivial issues and get down to work. Time is running out. Don’t think 5 years is a long time. Be productive!

  35. .
    This is silly coming from a Home Affairs Minister who is supposed to another Spy Chief for the government. It shows that people holding positions in government are either simply dull or out of touch.

    To start with the chap needs to understand “Wikipedia” and how it publishes its articles.

    It’s a self edited sites which means that anyone can seat in an Internet Café from all over the world and edit articles on the site. So who will the USA going to chase after?

  36. .
    This is nothing to what Clinton, Blair, Bush & Obama have been subjected to by Extreme Americans posting all sorts of things on the cyber space. The USA does not go after these bloggers or internet sites. They just call it Freedom of Speech. Period!

    Bwana Minister you seem not to live in the real world.

  37. Rumor has it, Chella did the editing on wikipedia. The idea is to create soem storm and arrest opposition members, ‘Zero option’ style.

  38. Freedom of expressions comes with responsibility and ethics. Intellectual ,ethical,nation building and debatable posts should be welcome and encouraged even though personal views could be different. Each online news carrier or blog needs to establish house rules. There has been too much insults, hatred, tribalism,poison  spewed on a lot of blogs and we shouldn’t forget that there are some sick and unstable minds out there who may cause a lot of confusion. Learn from BBC Have your say house rules on how to moderate comments.

  39. # 38 Eastern Power. What you are saying is misleading. Mr seken is verging in a territory he has scanty knowledge about let alone many Zambians. What Sekeni forgets is that the American feedom of expression concept is one democratic right it holds dearly. It is a futile attempt therefore by PF govt to manipulate USA into engaging them to go against their belief of fundamental rights as stipulated in the bill of rights. Sekeni is facing the usual challenges of being in govt and demonstrate you political acumen and absorb the heat. More is coming before Sata begins to shaffle you around on account of failure. Get to work and get it right.

  40. Kennedy Sakeni – Obviously this minister is not informed or just playing out the populist cards. Do these chaps honestly think they can regulate the internet. Then what if they involve the US government.

  41. Freedom of expressions comes with responsibility and ethics. Intellectual ,ethical,nation building and debatable posts should be welcome and encouraged even though personal views could be different. Each online news carrier or blog needs to establish house rules. There has been too much insults, hatred, tribalism,poison  spewed on a lot of blogs and we shouldn’t forget that there are some sick and unstable minds out there who may cause a lot of confusion. Learn from BBC Have your say house rules on how to moderate comments

  42. Its unfortunate its only a sick, bitter person who can declare another person dead.Zambians generally not keen about such extreme comments. Instead of generating interest it will simply serve to put opposition in a more negative perspective, kinda of too desperate, like supporting Dora escapes, Liato buried money, people wanted change and voted. Those who lost the highest position should swallow their pride and not diminish themselves further by being poor or bad losers.We need level headed opposition leaders able to build the nation until next elections not those wasting our time with personal bitterness. Read the Bible and you will know God loves to exalt the humble or despised. It has nothing to do with education or inteligence.

  43. Power Failures get down to work and deliver on your lies.Indeed you are now totally scared of your own shadows am told you do not fart at state house anymore it can be mistaken for bomb scare,hahahahahahahahahah.Donchi kudabwa.com

  44. @number 26:  IP Address 82.11.64.177 was not the author of the fake story. He just deleted the fake story and wrote “He is alive….” and a log was entered against his IP. The author of the story used a dynamic IP 86.174.123.59 @  01:16, 22 January 2012?. The IP Add used connects to a British Telecommunications broadband connection, in Newcastle upon tyne. Physical adress to which the IP points is 54.9881 : -1.6919…….. and what if BT has a proxy server at that address ( The addr to which the IP add points) and one of your family members just there in Zambia used its services making the “marks” on the article appear as if its from UK…… mmmmm? No one would browse the internet naked and post such infor on a public web site, leaving their foot steps uncovered. Think mudala!

    • Exactly, the IP address only tells us where the server is. If you want to find the actual computer only BT and the Police can do that

  45. #35 Bwalya. Its not Zambians to per se to be patriotic to protect their leader(s). The govt must reflect the feelings of the whole country and not section of the country. This is evident with PF govt need not go into details that you know. The only govt to declare state of emergency to a particular province, only govt to desplay dictatorial trents that include naming new provinces, districts unilateral as if president is above the rest of Zambians and many more issues that have brought tension in the nation. While the fight on corruption is commendable, the president has created more divisions in the nation than any other president. I know others may not agree but these are standing facts. The unfortunate rumours of death is not surprising.

  46. Well, if I were Zondwe I will take this as a timely warning and sort out my will. Surely he does not want to be shot dead in the head like encyclopedia Wikipedia prophesized leaving his numerous children fighting over his wealth like Chiluba’s rabid “maakanyani” did over his stinking stolen loot!

  47. THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF ,I HAVE A FEELING THAT THIS IS THE PF ‘s WAY OF TRYING T0 CURTAIL INTERNET PUBLICATIONS.
    JUST LLOK AT THE ALARMIST STATEMENTS THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING
    1.GBM -EX ARMY GEBNERALS PLOTTING AGAINST GOVT ETC
    2.FAKE MONEY BY HEMCS

  48. THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF ,I HAVE A FEELING THAT THIS IS THE PF ‘s WAY OF TRYING T0 CURTAIL INTERNET PUBLICATIONS.
    JUST L0OK AT THE ALARMIST STATEMENTS THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING
    1.GBM -EX ARMY GEBNERALS PLOTTING AGAINST GOVT ETC
    2.FAKE MONEY BY HEMCS

  49. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was wondering what all is needed to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web smart so I’m not 100% sure. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

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