It is not the intention of the ministry to try and refute the points raised in the article by Mrs Joan Cornell on the situation at the girls? section of the Rehabilitation Youth Centre (RYC), as it is not worth the effort. But it would be interesting for readers to know that the ministry does not feel the least sense of guilt over the course of action adopted following the incidents. We are satisfied that, in such circumstances, where the inmates were acting with so much violence and where the lives of our officers were at risk, we adopted the best solution.

We managed, in spite of all existing difficulties, to bring the situation under control in less than 24 hours. Since then, a fast-track system has been set up at the ministry to deal with all RYC issues. Reforms are under way and a plan of action for the immediate, short, medium and long term is being implemented. Soon the girls will move back to their building, which is presently under repair, and a new rehabilitation programme will be adopted in their interest. This programme will be extended to the boys? section as well.

The comments made by Ms J. Cornell during the meeting held at the ministry were a clear indication that she was trying by all means to convince us that we were heading in a completely wrong direction and that, in such a situation, she was the most appropriate person to deal with the problem. It is a pity to note that Ms J. Cornell, who is desperately looking for a job in Mauritius, having also tried her luck at Natresa, is completely ignorant of the manner in which recruitment is carried out in the public sector here. According to her, this could be done by stepping into a governmental organisation premises, along with an NGO and aggressively requesting a job. It is worth pointing out here that, although she was not legitimately entitled to any explanations regarding the various measures taken after the incidents at the RYC, yet she was provided with lengthy and detailed information thereon. Moreover, the officer present at the meeting even went to the extent of exposing all the proposals for the future functioning of the rehabilitation centre. Nonetheless, she could not refrain from impolitely stating that the ?ministry is moving at snail?s pace?.

To conclude, it would not be superfluous to highlight here that nobody with a minimum of good manners would rudely leave the meeting table and bang the door behind her simply because the committee members unconsciously shifted from English to French for a few seconds during the discussions. Knowing full well that most of the inmates have hardly attended school up to the sixth standard, each and everyone around the table was pondering on the type of therapy that Mrs Cornell, who introduced herself as a group therapist, was to engage in with the inmates if her only medium of communication was English.

It is worth pointing out here that the NGO Kinouete has addressed two correspondences to the ministry wherein they have apologised for the aggressive attitude of Ms J. Cornell during the meeting at the ministry and for the embarrassment caused by such a situation. We leave it to the readers to assess the real motive of Ms J Cornell.