CAIRO: At least 100 Egyptians protested in downtown Cairo on Monday against the government s inaction in punishing those responsible for the sinking of a Red Sea ferry in February.
Mohammed Taima, a member of the Kefaya opposition movement, said the protest marked the 40th day since the sinking of the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98, in which over 1,000 people drowned.
We stood today with our brothers, asking officials to punish the responsible parties, and to be committed in paying financial aid to the victims and their families, Taima told The Associated Press.
He said 200 people participated in the protest. Police said there were nearly 100 people in the peaceful demonstration.
The demonstration attended by some relatives of the victims was organized by Kefaya which is Arabic for enough. It is a relatively small reformist movement that has carried out dozens of prominent demonstrations in the last two years, accusing the current government of corruption and oppression.
The Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98 sank Feb. 3 after a fire broke out on its journey from Saudi Arabia to the Egyptian port of Safaga. It was carrying around 1,400 people, many Egyptian workers returning from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. AP
