Pemba Press Club (PPC) – the first one of its kind in Zanzibar was officially launched today 3 February 2003 at a colourful ceremony in Chake Chake, Pemba. The launching was carried out by H.E. Mr Sten Rylander, Ambassador of Sweden, in the presence of representatives from the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), the Union of Tanzanian Press Clubs (UTPC), Mwanza Press Club which has facilitated the process of establishing the PPC, as well as local dignitaries and journalists from various media organisations.PPC will receive assistance within the framework of the Swedish support through MCT, amounting to TSH 430 million and extended in August 2002, to assist the regional press clubs in Tanzania. The main objective of the Swedish support is to ensure that regional press clubs are strong organisations, which enhance professional standards and ethics and contribute to strengthening democratic values, as well as support development efforts in their respective regions. The support includes basic and specialised training, provision of IT and communication equipment’s, as well as enhancing the organisational capacity of the press clubs.In his speech at the launching ceremony Ambassador Rylander warmly congratulated the PPC for having reached another milestone in the struggle to pave the way for free and independent media. "I urge the PPC and all media practitioners on the Zanzibar Islands to stick to professional and objective reporting, especially now during this troublesome time when false rumours seem to be the order of the day. For instance, there have been allusions recently by some people that "the Europeans and the opposition" are co-operating in some kind of tacit plot to prevent tourists from coming to Zanzibar, something which of course is not true. If anything, Sweden and other European nations, as well as many other international partners, are presently doing their level best to intensify cooperation with Zanzibar and are keen to see a vibrant tourism industry develop on the is-Islands". Ambassador Rylander emphasised the important role that the media and the media practitioners can and should play in promo-ting peace, stability and development.