Guyana chronicle e paper 03 15 2018

US says Guyana received early notice of 14 catfish ban PAGE

No. 105214

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018

Price: $80

‘We’re on track’ (VAT Inclusive)

…Finance Ministry says steps being taken to establish SWF …welcomes direct engagement with partners

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‘It was cold tablets I gave them’

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…woman accused of poisoning children to know fate today

New rice variety piques farmers' 09 interest PAGE

Engineers of the Guyana Water Inc were again forced to fix a ruptured main on Vlissengen Road in front of the Ministry of the Presidency Wednesday morning. The disruptions caused significant traffic build-up but works were completed in a timely manner.

Last Friday another main was damaged on Main Street, Georgetown (Adrian Narine photo)

Guyanese wanted for NY murder nabbed …US official files application for extradition

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Region One villages map 16 out strategies to improve livelihoods PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Adolescent health strategy to ensure wellness – Dr Cummings … to unlock potential of nation’s adolescents THE Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with other stakeholders, is hosting a National Consultation for the formulation of Guyana’s Adolescent Health Strategy for the age group, which serves as a critical link between childhood and adulthood.

The workshop kicked off on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at the Cara Lodge and will continue until March 16.

It is a partnership among the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/

WHO); United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Some of the noted individuals in attendance were: PAHO/WHO Representative for Guyana, Dr William Adu-Krow; Deputy Representative of UNICEF Guyana and Suriname, Paolo Marchi and Liaison Officer of UNFPA, Adler Bynoe.

Delivering the opening remarks, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings, said that Guyana is poised to establish the

National Adolescent Health Strategy in keeping with the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children and Adolescents’ Health, an initiative launched by former United

Cummings says that this “bold new road map” is one aimed at preventing avoidable maternal, newborn and child deaths, while improving the overall well-being of these groups who deserve to be able to unlock their vast potential.

ness.

“We must ensure that our strategy places great emphasis on the developmental stage of adolescents before the onset of obvious morbidity or during the early stages of experimentation in such areas as diet

stitutions listened and took notes, the minister added that the aforementioned actions could have a great impact on one’s health and morbidity throughout life.

“Utilising this approach to improve young people’s social abilities will help

Several stakeholders were in attendance at the Cara Lodge for the National Consultation for the formulation of Guyana’s Adolescent Health Strategy, yesterday. (Photo by Adrian Narine)

Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in 2016.

The strategy is aimed at ensuring that every woman, child and adolescent in every setting realise their rights to physical and mental health and well-being; has social and economic opportunities and are able to participate fully in shaping prosperous and sustainable societies by 2030.

With the support of non-government and faithbased organisations, families, schools and other stakeholders of the various sectors, the minister said that the creation of a sound national strategy would be a possibility.

The Adolescent Department of the Ministry of Public Health, in accordance with the country’s Health Vision 2020, has already begun taking steps to address adolescent health locally, with the establishment of adolescent and youth-friendly healthcare services across the country.

However, Minister Cummings says there is still much more to be done to meet the needs of health services provision in the areas of development, disease prevention, behavioural health and overall aware-

and exercise, substance use including tobacco and alcohol, driving, and sexual behaviour,” she said.

Many of the health issues faced by adolescents are preventable, Cummings added, indicating that the national strategy must include specialty care such as mental, oral, sexual and reproductive health, as well as substance abuse treatment and prevention services.

Further addressing the gathering, she acknowledged that it is necessary for adolescents, during the explorative period, to be guided to healthy lifestyles and behaviours such as abstinence from smoking, risky sexual behaviours and risky road habits.

As a number of students who were invited to the function from various in-

them to choose whether to accept or reject certain courses of behaviour, for example, rejecting a lift home by a drunken boyfriend. It is also effective in enabling young people to make independent choices about individual health-related behaviours,” she stated.

Subsequently, Cummings urged the participants of the national consultation to find meaningful ways to formulate a strategy which encompasses the many and necessary components of Guyana’s adolescent health.

“Let your discussions lead you to places that will result in life-saving ideas for our adolescents. [This form of protection] means that we are safeguarding the health and longevity of our nation,” she said.

President Granger congratulates Mitchell on election victory PRESIDENT David Granger has extended sincere congratulations to Dr Keith Mitchell, the incumbent Prime Minister of Grenada, who emerged victorious at the nation’s polls held on March 13, 2018, winning eight of the seats declared so far.

In a statement, President Granger said according to the preliminary results, Dr Mitchell will be leading his New National Party (NNP) in another five-year term, as the party has won all 15 seats in the island. “His Excellency, President David Granger, takes this opportunity to recommit Guyana to the maintenance of strong bilateral ties for the benefit of the two peoples.”

Additionally, President Granger said Guyana remains committed to working with Grenada and its other sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states, in the interest of the continued development of the Caribbean.

‘We’re on track’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

THE establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) is a designated priority of the government, one which demonstrates the administration’s commitment to good governance, transparency and accountability.

This was noted by the Ministry of Finance, which says it welcomes direct engagement with its partners.

The ministry was at the time responding to an Op-ed penned by US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway, earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Ambassador Holloway stressed the need for a strong and transparent SWF even as he noted that Guyana is poised to be a very rich country in the region with considerable revenue streams in the future generated from the petroleum sector.

The Ministry of Finance while appreciating the ‘spirit of the Op-ed’ listed the SWF as a priority of government and it emphasised that the administration and people of Guyana will decide on its tenets. “The suggestions contained in the Op-ed may give the impression that the GCRG and, by extension,

… Finance Ministry says steps being taken to establish SWF … welcomes direct engagement with partners

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan

the Ministry of Finance, under whose remit the drafting of the legislation for the SWF falls, has not made significant progress on this important piece of legislation. That impression is misinformed,” the ministry stated.

The ministry noted that the foundation for the establishment of the SWF began since 2016. It said this was announced more than a

year ago at the opening of Guyana’s National Seminar on Preparing for First Oil, which was facilitated by Chatham House of London.

At that forum, it was noted that Minister of Finance Winston Jordan made clear the Government’s intention to develop a fund to govern the use of petroleum resources as a key legislative priority. The ministry stated that Minister Jordan highlighted

Power back at Moraikobai after two years THE people of Moraikobai, located in the upper reaches of the Mahaicony River last week expressed gratitude to the Region Five administration for a $6M grant that reactivated a 350KW electrical generator, which had been down for the past two years.

“The generator had been down because the Village Council had run out of funds due to the high costs of transporting fuel 96 miles into the upper reaches of the river, where our community is,” Toshao Colin Adrian explained last week.

He related that regional officials had visited Moraikobai in mid-February and had pledged to assist with the greatest possible dispatch.

“The Regional Executive Officer Mr Ovid Morrison and a team visited; Mr Morrison promised assistance and this assistance was made tangible in less than a week after the visit,” Toshao Adrian said, adding: “Thanks to this prompt support, power is now back

at Moraikobai. The people of Moraikobai are very happy with this development.

Thumbs up for the regional administration and the government. We applaud this prompt response.”

Adrian added that a Management Committee comprising various stakeholders in the community, including the Village Council, has been formed to manage the electrical plant and they will do so with funds provided by the region.

“Following this, the intention is that the committee will have moved to a stage of self-sufficiency where the regional subsidy will no longer be necessary,” he said.

The generator is currently being operated by a resident of the village and provides electricity from 18:00hrs to 22:00hrs.

Residents who are consumers are required to pay a monthly fee of $5000 for the service.

A portion of the money collected by the committee will

be used for future operational use, while another sum will be allocated for community projects identified by stakeholders.

About 50 homes are currently benefiting from the reactivated power supply system, Toshao Adrian said.

More residents of the population have been indicating their intention to get on board the resuscitated grid.

The toshao also said the regional administration is currently making arrangements for four residents of Moraikobai to be trained by the Guyana Power and Light as plant operators/ linesmen.

They will play an important role in the expansion of the system as more residents opt in.

He was optimistic that as the Management Committee comes to grips with their task and becomes more efficient, the hours of service may gradually increase, since the 350W (0.35MW) being generated is only marginally utilised.

“There is at the moment a lot of unused capacity in that generator,” he said, noting his optimism that the power would facilitate economic activities in his village.

the objectives of the fund and those are: to advance critical development and investment needs within the country through the national budget as well as to address issues of stabilisation of the economy.

Another objective is to ensure savings were made to guarantee inter-generational benefits from the extraction of this finite natural resource.

“Those objectives reflect a comprehensive framework that will guide the prudent management of future oil revenues for the benefit of current and future generations, in keeping with the government’s agenda,” the Finance Ministry said.

GREEN STATE The Finance Ministry stated that the government’s investment expenditure will be driven by the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) – the country’s national development plan - and, by the development priorities articulated and

implemented through the National Budget, which has an established consultation cycle of its own. It was noted that the development of legislation to govern the SWF is being supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Finance Ministry while highlighting that the legislation will be laid before Parliament by the end of 2018, noted that a green paper on the subject will be published this year and consultations will occur subsequently.

Noting that Guyana is ahead of many countries in the establishment of the fund, including oil-producer Norway which established its fund years after first oil, the ministry stated that the move to create the fund “demonstrates the government’s commitment to good governance, transparency and accountability, by ensuring that a legislative framework is in place to safeguard our national patrimony, prior to the commencement of oil production.”

US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway

The Ministry of Finance said it welcomed direct engagement with its partners and values the comments from bilateral and multilateral partners on the draft content of the SWF and welcomes further engagement and support. It called, however, for caution to be exercised in pronouncement of national priorities, given the existing challenges of managing expectations and avoiding the Dutch disease.

GLDA favours Number 28 Village – to locate state-of-the-art abattoir THE state-of-the-art abattoir to be constructed in Region Five 5 (Mahaica-Berbice) will be located aback Number 28 Village, West Coast Berbice.

The facility will be set up about a kilometer from the public highway and next to the main road of the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Development Authority (MMA-ADA) at Onverwagt.

This was confirmed by a senior official from the Agriculture Support Development Unit (ASDU) over the weekend.

An international standard abattoir will be a major change for the local community of West Coast Berbice, the official said, adding that a contract will be shortly signed.

Officials have already said that Region Five is deemed the most suitable

location for an abattoir of such international standards, since it is one of the two largest cattle producing regions, the other one being Region Six (EastBerbice-Corentyne).

“This is where the animals are, and hence the location in the backlands next to the MMA-ADA road, about one kilometer away from the public road, is very strategic,” the official said.

The establishment of the abattoir is in keeping with the Ministry of Agriculture’s drive, through the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), to ensure a higher quality of meat for consumers.

GLDA Head, Nigel Cumberbatch had recently stated that despite Guyana being self-sufficient in meat production, there is still some amount of importation occurring, because of

the quality required by the fast-food industry and other internationally aligned sectors.

“With the quality of the meat and the cuts of the meat that are imported at this present time, we here in Guyana cannot meet that requirement,” Cumberbatch said. “There are opportunities, we feel, for the local farming communities to look at what is imported, and try to provide part of that importation. That is what we are hoping that we can do during 2018 and beyond.”

“We can also say to the persons who are bringing in meat, that we are slaughtering under proper hygienic conditions, and if the quality is good, we see no reason why you cannot purchase animals, feeling satisfied with the wholesomeness of the meat that will be coming out of the abattoir.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

UK to expel 23 Russian diplomats The UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow refused to explain how a Russian-made nerve agent was used on a former spy in Salisbury, the PM says.

Theresa May said the diplomats, who have a week to leave, were identified as “undeclared intelligence officers”. The UK later told the UN Security Council that Russia had used “a weapon so horrific that it is banned in war” in a “peaceful” British city.

Russia denies attempted murder and says it will respond appropriately. Mrs May also revoked an invitation to Russia’s foreign minister, and said the Royal Family would not attend the Fifa World Cup in Russia later this year. Addressing the UN Security Council, Britain’s deputy UN ambassador, Jonathan Allen, accused Russia of breaking its obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

He said he had heard

Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, are in a critical condition in hospital

the threats from Russia but that the UK would not be deterred.

“We will stand by the values which are shared by the overwhelming majority of those in this council in this United Nations and we ask you today, to stand by us,” he added. In response the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, denied Moscow’s involvement in the attack and demanded “material proof” from Britain to support its charge.

He said: “We were given an ultimatum and requested in 24 hours to admit that we committed a crime. In other

words, confess.

“We do not speak the language of ultimatums. We do not use that language with anyone. And we will not allow to be spoken to in that language either.” Mr Allen said the UK government has asked the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an independent watchdog, to verify its identification of the substance used in Salisbury.

The US ambassador Nikki Haley said Washington stood in “absolute solidarity” with Britain, citing the “special relationship” between the two countries and saying

the US would “always be there” for the UK. The mass expulsion is the largest since 31 were ordered out in 1985 after double agent Oleg Gordievsky defected.

Former spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital after being found slumped on a bench on 4 March. Det Sgt Nick Bailey fell ill while responding to the incident, and is in a serious but stable condition, but is thought to be improving. Moscow refused to meet Mrs May’s midnight deadline to co-operate in the case, prompting Mrs May to announce a series of measures intended to send a “clear message” to Russia.

Mrs May told MPs that Russia had provided “no explanation” as to how the nerve agent came to be used in the UK, describing Moscow’s response as one of “sarcasm, contempt and defiance”. The use of a Russian-made nerve agent on UK soil amounted to the “unlawful use of force”, she

said. The PM, who was earlier briefed by senior intelligence chiefs in Downing Street, added there was “no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable” for the attack.

She said it was “tragic” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “chosen to act in this way”. Meanwhile, the police and army have sealed off areas of the north Dorset town of Gillingham as part of the attempted murder inves-

It said it was “categorically unacceptable and unworthy” that the UK government had “seriously aggravated” relations by announcing a “whole set of hostile measures”. Earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would co-operate if it received a formal request for clarification from the UK under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which sets a 10-day time limit for a

Soldiers wearing protective clothing prepare to lift and recover a vehicle in Gillingham, Dorset

tigation. A wide cordon is in place around a truck, thought to have recovered Mr Skripal’s car from Salisbury, about 20 miles from Gillingham. About 180 troops have been deployed to Salisbury to help remove vehicles and objects from affected areas.

Police from 15 forces across England and Wales have been sent to Wiltshire to support the investigation.

Russia’s foreign ministry said Mrs May’s statement was “an unprecedentedly crude provocation”.

response.

Mrs May has welcomed support from allies including the US, Nato and the EU. “This was not just an act of attempted murder in Salisbury - nor just an act against UK,” she said. “It is an affront to the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons.” Mr Skripal, a British citizen, came to the UK in 2010 as part of a “spy swap” after he had been convicted by Russia of passing information to MI6. (BBC)

Thursday, March 15, 2018 - 4:00 & 14:30hrs Friday, March 16, 2018 - 4:30 & 14:30hrs

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

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Mitchell leads NNP to victory in general election The ruling New National Party (NNP) was returned to office on Tuesday winning eight of the seats declared so far in Tuesday’s general election.

The party, which won all 15 seats in the 2013 general election, is leading in all the other seats yet to be declared.

According to the preliminary results, Prime Minister Dr, Keith Mitchell is leading his NNP to another five year term, as the party has already taken Carriacou Petite Mart-

inique, St. Mark, St. David, the Town of St. George, St. George West and the St. George’ South East, St. Patrick West and St. Andrew North West.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Nazim Burke is in a tight race with the NNP’s Tobias Clement with the results being 1417 to 1521 respectively with less than three more of the 10 polling stations yet to declare its results.

In the St. George South

constituency, former public servant and trade unionist Raymond Roberts, of the NDC is trailing (1,112 votes) is trailing Health Minister Nickolas Tang Conway Steele (1271 votes) with six more polling stations to report. Political commentator Peter Wickham said that the NNP is on course to win all the 15 seats in the elections. He said the NNP had been able to improve upon nits 2013 showing. (CMC)

Bolivia police storm notorious jail, killing six inmates

At least six inmates escaped last week, but four were quickly recaptured

Six inmates were killed in a notoriously overcrowded prison in Bolivia on Wednesday when police stormed the penitentiary.

About 2,000 officers raided Palmasola jail in Santa Cruz before dawn. The move followed a prison uprising last week by inmates disgruntled over the removal of certain privileges. Police chief Alfonso Mendoza said there had been "complete

lawlessness" inside the jail, which has the reputation for being one of Bolivia's most violent.

More than 5,200 people are held in Palmasola, but only a few hundred have been sentenced. The others are awaiting trial. Deputy Interior Minister Jose Luis Quiroga said the six inmates killed had been "resisting the police incursion" with firearms.

Police said they had regained control of the prison after seizing vast amounts of drugs, alcohol and weapons.

The prison uprising started nearly 10 days ago, after the Bolivian government banned children younger than six from visiting jailed relatives. Pope Francis visited Palmasola in 2015 and met inmates who complained about inhuman conditions inside the prison. (BBC)

OAS reiterates call for campaign financing in Grenada The head of the Electoral Experts Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) Nestor Mendez, Wednesday urged Grenada to seriously consider campaign financing as a means of ensuring “the equity of the democratic process” in future general elections here Mendez, the OAS Assistant Secretary General told a news conference that there are no regulations that directly address the issue of campaign financing, funding for political parties or candidates, resulting in electoral campaigns being privately funded. “The origin of private funds is not regulated and there are no prohibitions on foreign or anonymous sources. Grenada has established no links on campaign spending and political parties are not required to disclose their financing.”

He said while the stakeholders recognise that access to financial resources or lack thereof “plays an undisputable role in any election and can render the playing field unequal (and) most persons with whom the mission spoke were uncertain about the origins of resources for Grenada’s election and whether or to what extent this might

have influenced the outcome of the elections”.

The ruling New National Party (NNP) headed by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell swept all 15 seats at stake in the polls, making it the third time the party has achieved such a feat since 1999. Tuesday’s victory was the second consecutive occasion.

Mendez said that it was a situation where the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had failed to win a seat and made reference to the failure of the electorate here in the 2016 constitutional referendum to approve a measure that would have allowed for there to always be a Leader of the Opposition. The OAS official, whose team of observers had visited more than 100 polling stations during Tuesday’s “peaceful and enthusiastic” elections, said that recognising that unregulated financing from unidentified sources “has the potential to impact the equity of the democratic process and in order to promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process in Grenada, the mission reiterates the recommendations of previous OAS observation missions” for campaign financing.

He said the previous missions had urged the Grenada government “along with appropriate stakeholders consider…campaign finance regulations that establish clear limits on campaign spending (and) require political parties to disclose their sources of funding. He said the parties should also “prohibit anonymous and foreign donations and limit private and in kind donations to political and electoral campaigns. “In this regard, the OAS model legislation on campaign financing may provide a useful point of departure,” he said, noting also there had been a slight increase in the number of women who participated in the election.

According to Mendez, 11 of the 45 candidates that participated in the poll were women, a 24 per cent margin, as compared to eight out of 46 in 2013, a 17.3 per cent figure. He said he was also pleased to note that the NNP had included seven women in its line-up.

But he said Grenada should consider taking steps to ensure more women participate in the entire political process and should consider possible legislation and legal resources to assist in that regard. (CMC)

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

All nations must act now GIVEN the rapidity of occurrences of natural disasters, which bear the unmistakable stamp of the effects of climate change, Mother Nature has been unrelenting in her angry responses, making the new Millennium an age of death and destruction in almost every region of the world.

The following sample of Mother Nature’s revenge, points to a frequency that has become a part of mankind’s now daily expectation of a phenomenon, for which the latter has played no uncertain role in its destructive culmination.

A devastating earthquake, in Indonesia in 2004, followed an equally destructive tsunami that swept the Indian Ocean archipelago, exacting a death toll of 375,000. These were riveting, graphical images from this apocalypse-like scenario, illustrated by bloated corpses and untold destruction to entire villages.

Guyana was visited by what has since been described as the great flood in February 2005, that inundated large swathes of the low-lying coastlands. Then there was Katrina in the U.S., also in 2005, described as the sixth deadliest storm with an $81B damage cost tag, where a storm of intense fury visited destruction with scenes of entire New Orleans cities flooded to roof-top levels, and unforgettable misery among tens of thousands of residents.

And if the latter display of nature’s anger were not enough, then later that year she struck in the form of a deadly earthquake in the disputed Kashmir province, registering a list of 79,000 deaths. Still in Asia, Myanmar had a bitter taste of Cyclone Nargis that tolled a reported 138,000 fatalities; while in China, a few days after, in Sichuan province, a devastating earthquake claimed almost 80,000 lives.

Who will forget the massive quake that smashed the already impoverished Haiti, that accounted for in excess of 300,000 lives; Russia, recording the hottest summer in 2010, in over 100 years, and the Arctic, where the growing effects of global warming has been resulting in the rapid melting of giant glaciers. Even Africa, south of the Sahel, has begun to

experience unusual floods, as in the cases of Mozambique and Uganda, along with landslides in Sierra Leone, the latter occurring within recent times.

The already known reality of large volumes of rainfall in a very short period, as is now realised in Asia, and in the context of Guyana, as experienced in 2005; and in 2010 in the Pomeroon, where there were unprecedented floods, points to the unmitigated effects of a climate that is becoming warmer by the day. In fact, this unusual example of the Pomeroon, was replicated in Regions One and Two, in 2017, prompting a high government official to refer to the effects of climate change.

It is interesting to note that these displays of natural phenomena are not isolated or geographically confined, but are instead occurring on every continent, concurrently, affecting developed, developing, and poor countries alike. For instance, it has always been customary to associate floods with countries that do not have proper infrastructure, especially those in the realm of hydraulic technology; therefore, how does one explain the constant flooding of American cities – where such engineering is impeccable -- after unusually heavy rainfall ? Or the “Hand-of-God” flood that struck Queensland, Australia, or the constant flooding of British cities, and the extreme cold weather and snow, now reported there?

Even the Caribbean is now visited by the devastation of extreme phenomena, as exemplified by the total destruction of Barbuda, and most parts of Dominica, the latter for the second time in two years; and the British Virgin Islands, battered by unusually fierce winds, and virtually unceasing rainfall.

It was instructive that the latter weather upheaval, although taking place during the annual hurricane season, also evidenced similar natural extremes in parts of the United States, as per Florida and Texas; Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Mexico, was concomitantly struck by successive devastating earthquakes, at that material time.

There is a realisation which mankind needs to understand as to why their very existence is now threatened. Although the world has made great strides in its ground-breaking technological development, that began with the industrial revolution, and which concomitantly brought about great socio-economic transformation and untold benefits for improved living standards -- it has done so at great costs to the environment, the results of which are now unfolding with almost catastrophic results.

Definitely, the existence of mankind and their future survival are now seriously challenged by the fact of climate change, whether or not those who are the doubters accept its gradual creeping reality. No country, however powerful, should ignore the looming perils and incessant warnings posed by what is now the greatest threat to the survival of our planet. For nature’s fury is non-discriminatory, and unmatched in its ferocity.

It explains why the early Iwokrama Project came about since the latter 1980s, as well as the Low Carbon Development Strategy in the mid-New Millennium; and from 2015, the all-inclusive Guyana Development Green Strategy, that is geared primarily to the development of a Green Economy that will ensure the development of a sustained economy, while protecting the country’s environment.

Now is the time for urgent action, on the part of all nations, great and small; for to delay will only be courting an even greater scenario – the point of no return. All nations need to act now, before it is too late.

Minister Gaskin responds to media reports

Dear Editor,

HAVING heard and seen a number of critical responses to a presentation I made at the Private Sector Commission-sponsored Oil and Gas Seminar a week ago, I am of the view that the usual suspects have exhausted the available raw material and that nothing new is likely to be added to their outputs on the matter.

I therefore wish to respond to some of the comments made over the past week regarding my remarks at the above-mentioned seminar.

The heading, “Business Minister Dominic Gaskin appears to be confused or worse, misleading,” appeared on the front pages of a daily newspaper (KN 2018/03/07) as well as in the introduction and in the conclusion of the accompanying article. While not pretending to be an oil and gas expert, I am certainly not confused when it comes to what I said at that event. It would also be presumptuous of me to attempt to mislead the likes of those in attendance. I therefore reject this as a flawed assessment.

In the same article, it was reported that “… the Business Minister noted that Guyana has a royalty and production-sharing-type of agreement. But Ghana, he said, has a royalty and taxation model. Whichever you choose to call it, oil and gas experts agree that both are Production-Sharing Agreements.” The final assertion is untrue. Granted, there can be some overlap, there is a distinction between

the two models which makes it foolish to compare just the royalty aspects of the Ghana and Guyana contracts without looking at the other revenue streams. Independent research will show that the royalty and taxation model also referred to as a concession contract was an earlier model, which many countries have since discarded in favour of Production-Sharing Agreements (PSAs). I am not qualified to pronounce on the merits of one over the other, and was therefore simply pointing out the incompleteness of the royalty comparison.

I believe this was understood by most persons in the room.

The article continued “… The minister failed to mention however that in comparison, Guyana still did not secure a better deal for its non-renewable resource.” This is correct.

I never attempted to imply that Guyana got “a better deal” than Ghana. I merely sought to add substance to the limited information that was being shared by certain persons.

It went on ,“Furthermore, the minister stated that Ghana has Petroleum Exploration and Production Legislation that gives government a 10 – 15% stake in oil production companies, subject to payment of their share of operating expenses. He noted that Guyana’s Petroleum Act has no such provision.

But several local oil and gas commentators found this to be an appalling statement from the minister. In fact, Guyana’s legislation has provisions for that same kind of interest.”

Please find below the relevant sections of

the respective Acts which your readers can interpret for themselves. Please note that the “Corporation” referred to in the Ghanaian Act means the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.

Ghana - Petroleum Exploration and Production Act (2015), Section 10 “(14) A petroleum agreement shall contain a term that the Corporation shall (a) hold an initial participating carried interest of at least fifteen per cent for exploration and development, and (b) have the option to acquire an additional participating interest as determined by the petroleum agreement which (i) may be exercised within a specified period of time following the declaration of commercial discovery, and (ii) shall be a paying interest in respect of costs incurred in the conduct of petroleum activities other than exploration costs.”

Guyana - Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act (1986) “22 (2) There may be included in a petroleum prospecting licence provision with respect to the exercise by the State, or any agency thereof identified in the licence, of an option to acquire on stipulated terms, or on terms to be agreed, an interest in any venture for the production of petroleum which may be carried on in any block or blocks to which the licence relates.”

The Ghanaian mandate is very clear, while Guyana has no mandatory requirement for Government to acquire an interest petroleum

activities.

The article also sought to mislead the public on the issue of the stability provisions with the following extract: “The politician goes further to state that the Ghanaian contract has stability provisions. But this too is false.

There is not a single paragraph or sentence in the Ghana contract which says that ExxonMobil would be insulated from future laws and taxes to be imposed by that nation.”

Sub-sections 26.3 and 26.4 of Article 26 – “Miscellaneous” of the Ghana agreement read as follows: “26.3 In the event that after the Effective Date any applicable law, rule, decree, or regulation of Ghana is made or amended (or there are changes in interpretation or application of any applicable law, rule, decree, or regulation effective as of the Effective Date) that makes further observance of the original terms and conditions of this Agreement impossible or has a material adverse effect on the rights, obligations, and benefits of Contractor under this Agreement, or otherwise materially affects the economic, fiscal, and financial balance of this Agreement, the Parties shall, if Contractor so requests, meet as soon as possible to negotiate, in good faith, possible modifications to the Agreement as may be appropriate to restore the economic, fiscal, and financial balance of this Agreement; provided that, at a minimum, to the extent Contractor’s rights, obligations, Turn to page 8

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

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IWD event was grand, reflected planning and thought Dear Sir, I ATTENDED the function hosted by the Ministry of Social Protection to celebrate International Women’s Day. It was a grand event, which reflected planning and thought. Both were well executed. Honourable Minister Amna Ally and her team of workers deserve the highest commendation. The First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger’s address was on target and so were the other presentations. I am wedded to the concept of ancestral piety, because no matter how a tree flourishes, we must always pay attention to its roots.

And so it is that I remember those women who earlier kicked down the doors of prejudice around the world to demand their rights as normal human beings. The likes of Susan B Anthony, who inveighed against a system whereby women in North America were not allowed to vote. And at a time when Africans here and elsewhere were still slaves, she posed the question, ‘Are women

persons? (1873) - and in our Mother Country at the turn of the century (1913) in the continuing campaign in Britain for women to have their suffrage, Emily Pankhurst with many light-minded females made her famous words ‘I am here as a soldier.’

More recently, on November 23, 1974, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India contended that it was important the women of India be given equal opportunity. We remember Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou resisting the discriminatory laws which existed, particularly in the southern states of the USA. I admired Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of Great Britain, better known as the ‘Iron Lady,’ because she ‘manfully’ dealt with issues in Europe and beyond. These ‘gallant girls’ used their vesticules to slap the faces of the male chauvinists of the day. My favourite female was Yaa Asantewaa, that courageous heroine and Queen Mother of Ejisu, of the Ashanti Empire, Gold Coast, West Africa.

Her bravery must be seen against

the background of several angloashanti wars, and the arrogance of certain British governors, one who demanded the Ashanti, the pride of the Africans, the golden stool by asking the Ashanti to hand over the Golden Stool, and other acts of unbelievable boldness, disrespect and disregard for the Africans.

In 1900, Yaa led the Ashanti rebellion known as the War of the Golden Stool or the Yaa Asantewaa War and organised forces to attack the British Fort in Kumasi. She is my woman of women. At home, for the first time, women made it to our legislative assembly in 1953 and as a young activist I remembered the joy it brought when the 3 J’s (Jane Phillips-Gay, Janet Jagan and Jessie Burnham) immaculately attired in white suits led the PPP parliamentarians through the grounds up to the Chambers of Parliament. Mrs. Janet Jagan later became our first female Executive President. In all of our struggles, we had women who sac-

rificed everything for the independence struggle. I remember when the police fired tear gas outside of the Electricity Company, Kingston, Upper Water Street. We were demonstrating the harshness of the late 50s and early 60s.

I recall the police party lobbing a tear gas grenade. Elsie Skeete, better known as ‘Reds’ of Agricola, ripped off her skirt and caught the grenade before it hit the ground. A remarkable feat even as we men were retreating. I witnessed this unbelievable bravery via a woman, I say we must not forget them.

Others, to name a few, Beatrice Rowland aka Black Bee, Gertrude Alsopp, Carmen Clarke, Carmen Vieira, Mrs Vieira of Agricola, West Coast Berbice posse and dozens of others who supported the struggle for justice and independence. Nearer in time, Ms Viola Burnham, Shirley Field-Ridley, Winifred Gaskin, Hyacinth Goddette, Beryl Simon, Rajcoomarie Singh, the ladies of the Rayman family worked assiduously to break

the bonds which traditionally made women inferior.

I remember the hot water in which a certain gentleman found himself when at a wedding ceremony in the 70s, a Minister of Religion in Georgetown insisted that women and men must sit in separate sections of his church.

The wife protested by walking out, but the husband remained.

When he returned home all hell broke loose. Female ministers, Members of Parliament, female managers and others who now hold high office in the several professions must know that they owed the status to the work and courage of those females who blazed the trail on which they now travel. Perhaps, Minister Ally may wish to consider assembling a team to prepare a dossier in time for next year’s Women’s International Day. This should be an inspirational event, which would be a best-seller.

Regards Hamilton Green

Upholding peace and civil rights

Dear Editor,

THE state embraces and is obligated to abide by this nation’s constitution. That constitution addresses almost every aspect regarding the fundamental rights of constituents and the responsibility of those entrusted with upholding Guyana’s constitution.

Those responsibilities ought to transcend personal feelings or partisan political positions, and contribute towards the stability and progressive development of this Cooperative Republic.

So I, like many others by way of writing, am exercis-

ing one of the constitutional rights. It is our collective expectations that those to whom the matters relate will take responsibility and act towards ensuring that being Guyanese becomes the envy of every other nation on earth. It is not the responsibility of those bestowed with public trust to take umbrage at, or become unduly defensive when faced with realities by those they are obliged to serve. It is an opportunity for them to improve their competence, trust, and ultimately add to making life livable and a good one in Guyana.

Reference is made to a

letter captioned “Noise nuisance is killing me” in the March 14, 2018 edition of the Kaieteur News, which was submitted by “A distraught senior citizen”. The writer still seems to be in a traumatic state and is equally petrified to the point of seeking anonymity. Several posts have also been made over the past year by a gentleman named Malcolm Harripaul, regarding a similar situation where he lives in Region Three. I know how it feels to endure such horrible experiences.

I know how much restraint it takes to resist the temptation to respond in simi-

larly irresponsible ways. Why aren’t the rights of some of our citizens being respected?

Why are a selected few being allowed to continually get away with irresponsible acts at the expense and violation of the rights of other citizens?

What will happen if we all decide to violate each other simultaneously, because those bestowed with ensuring civility do not act in timely or responsible manner to deter

demagogic perpetrators?

I invariably attach my name to every missive I post. I am not bothered nor afraid to do so. It is a part of my innate and constitutional right to express myself in a responsible way on matters of concern or contribution to the development of Guyana and preservation of its sovereignty. No other nation on the face of this earth owes me the obligation of

protection like Guyana. The same applies to every person born within the jurisdiction of Guyana, and by extension others who have taken the oath to citizenship of this beloved land. Citizens of Guyana have the right to undisturbed peace, and those who abuse their liberties must be made to act responsibly.

Regards Orette Cutting

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

Minister Gaskin responds ...

From page 6

or benefits (including the economic, fiscal, and financial balance) which existed at the time the Agreement was executed by all Parties, cannot be restored, even though the Parties have agreed to modify the Agreement, the State shall indemnify Contractor for the adverse effect on Contractor’s rights, obligations, or benefits (including the economic, fiscal, and financial balance) through financial compensation or other means acceptable to Contractor.”

“26.4 Should the Parties be unable to agree on a mechanism to restore the economic, fiscal, and financial balance of this Agreement pursuant to Articles 26.3 or 26.4 within thirty (30) days from the date on which the notice above was received (or such longer period as may be agreed by the Parties), then any Party may refer the matter to arbitration pursuant to Article 24 of this Agreement, and the arbitration panel so appointed shall be directed to order such remedies, including damages or modifications to the Agreement, in order to restore the economic, fiscal, and financial balance of the Agreement as at the Effective Date.”

If the above does not qualify as a stability provision, then perhaps I am indeed confused, since this provision is not unlike the one contained in Article 32 –(“Stability of Agreement”) of the Guyana Agreement .

Next came a letter from Christopher Ram (SN 2018/03/08) claiming that the minister (me) “stunned at least some in the audience with his attack on sections of the media, his unbelievably

misinformed and inappropriate comments on the Esso/ Hess/CNOOC Petroleum contract, and his incomplete and flawed contrast between oil and gold.”

He then comments on three “outlandish statements” made by myself at the seminar.

“1. That the 2016 Agreement is not a new Agreement.

The minister needs only to compare cover pages to see that while the 1999 Agreement was with ESSO Exploration and Guyana Limited, the new Agreement is with three companies – ESSO, Hess and CNOOC.” Ram seems to be judging the book by its cover and not its contents. I stand by my statement that this a modified version of the 1999 agreement. Both documents are publicly available and contain pretty much the same structure and language except for an additional Article (# 33 Signing Bonus) inserted in the 2016 agreement and few modifications the effects of which have already been ventilated. I did speak of the contract between ExxonMobil and the Government of Ghana being a “new contract” for the company to begin oil exploration in that country. That should inform Mr Ram of the context in which I understand a contract or agreement to be a new one.

“2. That there were no formal negotiations. Is the minister not embarrassed to admit that the government has entered into the largest Agreement ever in this country, granting what amounts to a 40-year tax holiday and binding succeeding governments for the same period, without any negotiations?” I stand

by my statement that; “there was no formal negotiation process. The company had a valid agreement with the government of Guyana which was not up for renegotiation.

So there was no obligation on the part of the company to enter into any negotiations with our government.”

“3. Most unbelievable of all, that the company was under no obligation to negotiate. Does the minister not know that it was Exxon that requested a new Agreement and a new licence, because the 1999 licence was about to expire and that Exxon threatened a GGMC team visiting Texas last year that for ESSO to start spending, a replacement petroleum licence and agreement was required?” Requesting a new licence is different from an obligation to negotiate or renegotiate a valid existing agreement. I maintain there was no obligation for the company to renegotiate its contract with the Government of Guyana. The period of validity of the contract is addressed under Article 29.1 of the 1999 Agreement as follows: “ This Agreement shall be deemed to have been terminated if the petroleum prospecting licence granted to the contractor pursuant to Article 3 and every petroleum production licence granted to the contractor under Article 8 has either expired or, under and in accordance with the Act and any relevant provision of this Agreement, been surrendered by the contractor or lawfully cancelled by the minister, pursuant to section 42 of the Act, but save as aforesaid, shall continue in full force and effect so long as

the contractor continues to hold any of the said licences.”

Monday’s Peeping Tom column (KN 2018/03/12) also took a stab at my presentation, including the point that “we cannot play hard ball with investors, because they can take their investors [sic] elsewhere.” Why would Peeping Tom not have quoted exactly what I said, which is; “The fact remains that you can’t just start off with no industry and no proven reserves and want to play hard ball with investors who have years of experience in the field and who can easily take their business elsewhere without any major consequences.” I stand by this statement and it should be noted that I did point out that; “I don’t blame the previous government for the terms and conditions of the contract they negotiated. In the context of an offshore basin that had not yet been de-risked, it may not have been prudent to demand more.”

Peeping Tom also contends that; “The minister is reported as saying that there is lot of room for improvement in the agreement”, and then asks; “Well, if there is room for improvement, why was it not improved? Why did Cabinet give its approval to the deal when it would have been presented with an opportunity to improve it?” I’m not sure if Peeping Tom actually heard or read my remarks but, had he done so, he would not have had to ask those questions. In my presentation I specifically made the point that the company had a valid contract signed in 1999 and was under no obligation to renegotiate it. I also acknowledged that there were some agreed-upon modifications to the contract in 2016 and expressed the view that; “You don’t unilaterally amend a contract after the other party has invested hundreds of millions of dollars under the terms and conditions of that contract. Governments have to behave responsibly when it comes to business dealings, especially if we want to do more business down the line.” I stand by this particular position. One cannot overemphasise the importance of governments honouring contracts and agreements when it comes to doing business.

The room for improvement can be addressed in future negotiations, which is why I mentioned that: “Guyana is now in a better position to negotiate the other petroleum blocks.” Peeping Tom does not agree and that’s fine. Time will tell and we shall see.

My comparison of government revenues earned from gold with those likely to be earned from oil appears not to have been understood by Peeping Tom. The comparison was factual and designed to illustrate that: a) By no stretch of the imagination could the Guyana Government’s take of oil rev-

enues be considered “chicken feed,” since in the first year of oil production government is likely to receive revenues equal to what it received in the last eight years (the best eight years in the history of gold production in Guyana) from all the gold produced in Guyana; and b) It is important to look at the entire regime and not just the royalty, since the same value of gold from which the government received approximately US$300 million in royalties and taxes over the last eight years would have yielded approximately US$700 million in government revenues under the terms of the much maligned Production Sharing Agreement.

I am very aware of the spin-off benefits of the gold industry to Guyana’s economy. However, the discussion was about oil and not gold and my reference to the gold sector was purely for the purpose outlined above.

Peeping Tom’s question about the US$830.7M in foreign exchange earned from gold exports in 2016 and its impact on the local economy is therefore superfluous to the arguments concerning government revenues under the 2016 Petroleum agreement. Nevertheless, I would be the first to acknowledge that a significant portion of the proceeds of gold sales are retained and circulated in the local economy, and that this is a good thing. I also made it clear at the outset that I was not “knocking gold” and that I liked gold.

Another article (KN 2018/03/08) under the heading; “Gaskin belittles gold sector to please Exxon… throws it under the bus, even before a barrel of oil is produced – Chartered Accountant” referred to my comparison of government revenues from the gold sector to that expected from the petroleum sector as “vacuous” and reported that “Chartered Accountant Nigel Hinds believes that Gaskin was out of line.”

Hinds is also reported to have said that my “behaviour is most disingenuous, unpatriotic, premature and immature.”

That’s rich. I’ve already addressed my remarks on the gold revenues earlier in this letter and will not comment on all the arguments raised

by Mr Hinds against what I had said, except to say that he clearly did not get the point and is unlikely to get the point as long as he remains bent on attacking anyone who does not share his contempt for what is probably the most positive development in Guyana’s post-independence history.

He is also reported to have said that “Gaskin is palavering about economic issues and industries of which he has minimal knowledge, just to please the Exxon Overlords of Business in Guyana” and that I was “engaged in a

fruitless attempt to rationalise an illogical contract that the government signed with Exxon.” This is just plain silly.

The fact the other contracts with similar terms and conditions have surfaced points to the use of a standard contract or a standard set of terms and conditions by the previous government. Article 2 of the 1999 Agreement refers to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) as being “authorised by the minister to negotiate this agreement subject to the provisions of the Act and Regulations …”. Is Mr Hinds suggesting that the GGMC, the previous government and the current government and their respective legal advisers all failed to recognise that this was an “illogical” contract, or is he simply lashing out at a contract that he himself is unable to rationalise?

Perhaps the most illogical response so far is the one appearing in the Guyana Times on March 10th , 2018, signed

by Peter Ramsaroop, Ph.D., MBA, Chairman, Vision.

Mr Ramsaroop quotes me as saying that “the 2% royalty is decent, since the royalty earned on gold in the past eight years would amount to just one year of earnings from oil.” That’s not exactly what I said. Mr Ramsaroop was there and should know this.

His statement that: “For the Minister of Business to ignore the more than $2 billion in cost recovery and profit that ExxonMobil would be walking away with each year is to assume that the minister is now singing for his supper,” is absolute rubbish.

Which sane investor would invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a venture and not expect to recover this money?

Would he?

Mr Ramsaroop also posits that “Lower oil prices could very well mean that Guyana would earn little to nothing on royalty, while ExxonMobil secures all earnings to meet cost recovery”. This too is rubbish. Fortunately, this made-up scenario does not arise under the terms of the contract, since cost recovery is limited to 75% of the gross earnings, no matter how low the price of oil.

In closing, a few comments from the leader of the opposition, who may very well have been the architect of the 1999 Agreement. In his usual gloomy style, he offered a scenario based on oil prices at US$25 per barrel. Is this his campaign promise? He then accused government of waiting for oil and promising Guyanese that, “We wouldn’t have to work anymore, we will have free gas from the government…”. This doesn’t say much for his target audience.

I challenge him to disclose who in the current government made such promises.

Regards Dominic Gaskin Minister of Business

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

New rice variety piques farmers’ interest RICE farmers in Berbice and across the country are excited about the prospects of a new variety of rice that can see them reaping almost double what they are currently getting per acre.

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) through their research and development arm, is presently testing what is referred to as a candidate variety across the country in two-six-acre plots to get feedback from farmers about the feasibility, as well as its ability to withstand pests and climatic conditions under which rice is grown in Guyana.

So far, farmers have been giving nothing but good reviews and their main concern at a field day on Tuesday last, when GRDB introduced the variety to a few more farmers in Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, was how soon they could get some to cultivate in their fields.

According to the farmers, they usually consider 25 bags of paddy per acre as good, with 30 being considered excellent. The candidate variety according to the GRDB can give as much as 55 bags per acre.

Explaining this, Dr Mahindra Persaud stated that the most common variety in use,

A section of the rice farmers at the open day held at Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder A sample of the new candidate variety of rice that is currently being tested by the Guyana Rice Development Board across rice-growing regions

such as the GRDB 10, produces about 150 grains per panicle, but the results from the candidate variety have been giving an average of 250- 300 grains per panicle, which translates to over 40 bags per acre.

Persaud continued that unlike varieties of the past that produce good yields, but the plants fall due to its inability to withstand its weight (lodging/falling) this variety has less than 5% lodging as compared to 3040% of the more popular varieties. “It has a very strong plant life. It is tested in all

parts of Guyana and we have not had any issue with it.

The likelihood of this going forward obviously depends on the farmers’ reaction, so for that purpose we are here to hear their views so we can compile and find a way forward if we are going to recommend for further use.”

The farmers who tried the variety explained to this publication that the plant is indeed strong and so far, they have no major issues and would love to have the GRDB make it official, so it can be available in larger quantities.

Accused of not returning gold jewellery A 38-year-old man was taken before a city magistrate Monday on a charge of fraudulent conversion.

He is Leron Harris, a taxi driver who resides at Sussex Street, Albouystown.

It is alleged that on February 17, 2018, Harris was entrusted with one gold chain worth $100,000 and one fin-

ger ring worth $24,000 which he fraudulently converted to his own use and benefit--all the property of Marshall King.

Harris pleaded not guilty to the charge.

According to the virtual complaint, he went to the home of the accused where he took off the items and

gave Harris to keep. But Harris failed to return the items.

The matter was reported to the Brickdam Police Station and Harris was arrested and charged.

Bail was granted by Magistrate Judy Latchman in the sum of $100,000 and the matter was adjourned to April 25.

Security guards collected but …Court hears of missing $1M did not deposit in tamper-proof bags THREE guards from a top security company appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on a charge of simple larceny.

Clarence Patterson, 50; Shawn Goodluck, 44; and Cosmo Chichester, 48, were jointly charged and they all pleaded not guilty.

It is alleged that on November 13, 2017, at Charlotte and Oronoque Street, Georgetown, they stole two Republic Bank tamper proof

money bags containing $1M cash, along with $2.2M in cheques--property of Marics and Company Limited.

The court heard that the three men were employed by Massy Security as ‘Cash in Transit Officers’ responsible for collecting daily sales from various businesses to deposit in the Bank.

Police Prosecutor Simone Payne told the court that on the day in question, the security officers collected the

money bags with the cash inside to be deposited at Republic Bank.

However, the company later discovered that the money was not deposited and reported the matter to the police.

With no objections raised by the prosecutor, the men were granted bail

by Magistrate Judy Latchman in the sum of $200,000 each and the matter was adjourned to April 25, 2018.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Guyanese wanted for NY murder nabbed …US official files application for extradition AFTER being on the run from United States (US) authorities, Troy Anthony Thomas, who was wanted in connection with a 2011 murder, was on Wednesday morning caught in Liliendaal on the East Coast of Demerara. He is expected to be extradited soon.

Thomas, 31, of South Ozone Park, Queens, New York was nabbed by police during an operation on Wednesday morning which had commenced since January 31, 2018. He was later brought before Senior Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus before whom an application was made by a US official for Thomas to be extradited to the US to be formally charged with murder.

The 31-year-old, who

Troy Anthony Thomas

Lolita Callender called “Lola”

was unrepresented, told the court that he did not know about “any murder”. Nevertheless, he was remanded to prison until March 26 for report on the extradition.

According to reports, on

December 11, 2011, 20-yearold Keith Frank was shot once in the torso in a flash of violence outside a South Richmond Hill party. Frank, who moved to Queens from Guyana when he was 12, died

IICA confab zeroes in on trade diversification AS the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) continues to foster and develop several areas in agriculture within its member countries, several ministers and deputy ministers of agriculture from the Caribbean are currently participating in a series of activities in Brazil’s capital--Brasilia.

The meeting which is part of a mission led by the Director-General of IICA, Manuel Otero, commenced on March 12, 2018 and is expected to conclude today.

The meeting was organised to bring together ministers and deputy ministers of agriculture in the Caribbean with the aim of diversifying the trade of nations that are vulnerable in terms of food security and the effects of climate change, in addition to facilitating access to new technologies and cooperation.

The meeting also serves as a follow-up to the commitments undertaken at the 19th Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on the 25th and 26th October 2017.

Director of the Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU), George Jervis is attending on the ministry’s behalf.

It is expected that Guyana’s participation will significantly impact the country’s access to IICA-funded projects and initiatives to

further develop the sector over the next four years.

These projects and initiatives will also be incorporated in IICA’s 2018-2022 medium-term plan that is currently being developed for the benefit of the institute’s member countries.

Ministers and deputy ministers of agriculture from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, The Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, The Dominican Republic and Suriname, will also be engaging a number of high-ranking Brazilian Government officials during the trip.

The events will also include participation from senior representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).

The first event, titled “South-South Cooperation/ Brazil-Caribbean”, took place on Monday, 12 March at the IICA Delegation in Brasilia, with presentations being done by the Brazilian Minister of State and the President of EMBRAPA. During the conference, IICA’s Director-General is also expected to provide details of “IICA’s New Technical Cooperation Model” and Brazil’s National Secretary for Food and Nutrition Security.

“This mission’s arrival in Brazil marks the fulfilment of a specific commitment I made at the start of my administration — that of making IICA an institution that serves as a bridge between countries, regions, international agencies and issues, developing a new solidarity within our continent. We are determined to ensure that the Americas cease to be the continent with the lowest levels of trade among its countries.” Otero said.

The second day of activities will see the participants visiting one of EMBRAPA’s facilities that operates a climate-simulation chamber for the production of vegetables under different environmental conditions, as well as a station where organic fertiliser is produced. The ministers and deputy ministers of agriculture will also attend a lecture on good vegetable-production practices for family farming.

Several other visits to farms and other facilities will be conducted during the trip.

The ministers’ activities in Brazil will conclude with them having meetings with the Portuguese-speaking country’s Minister of Social Development, the Director General of IICA and Brazilian parliamentary leaders, who are heavily involved in the agriculture sector.

After their visit to Brazil, the Caribbean ministers will travel to Argentina.

exactly two months before his 21st birthday.

The NY Police Department began looking for Thomas in connection with the shooting. However, within hours he allegedly fled the jurisdiction and crossed over to Canada from New York

State.

In Canada, he used travel documents belonging to a relative and boarded a Caribbean Airlines flight, arriving in Guyana in the early hours of the morning before the bulletin could reach Interpol (International police)

Also in police custody is Thomas’ fiancée, Lolita Callender called “Lola”, a local make-up artist and social media personality of East Ruimveldt. She was arrested in connection with harbouring the fugitive and for threatening behaviour.

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New Paruima primary school to open within two weeks

STUDENTS of Paruima, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) will within the next two weeks begin classes in a newly constructed primary school.

This was disclosed by Regional Education Officer, Akbar Chindu during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI).

According to the Education Officer, the estimated cost for the construction of

the building is $20M and is large enough to accommodate approximately 400 students. He also highlighted that President David Granger has made a commitment on behalf of the government to furnish the school with a reading room.

Chindu stated that a team will be dispatched shortly to the community to ensure that all works are completed in the school

and that it is in a habitable condition. Students who attended the old Paruima Primary School are currently housed in the community’s village office.

Additionally, the Regional Education Officer disclosed that approval was granted in the 2018 National Budget for a similar school to be constructed in Kamarang at an estimated cost of $26M.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

‘It was cold tablets I gave them’

…woman accused of poisoning children to know fate today HOFOSAWA Awena Rutherford who is on trial in the Demerara High Court before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury for the March 27, 2014 alleged ‘rat poisoning’ of her two children at Branch Road, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara will know her fate today.

Justice Singh will sum up the evidence at 09:00hrs after which the jury will retire to deliberate and arrive at a verdict based on the evidence presented in the courtroom which saw about 10 witnesses testifying.

On Wednesday when the trial continued, the accused, leading her defence, opted

to give an unsworn statement from the prisoner’s box.

Rutherford told the court that she did not poison her children and she is tramautised by the memory of losing them.

“I didn’t buy rat poison to kill my children; it was cold tablets I gave them.”

Rutherford in a very teary-eyed address to the court on Wednesday said she was not treated fairly by the police because they accused her of poisoning her children.

Those who took the stand on Wednesday included Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, who gave the cause of death as pesticide poisoning by carbon tablets

(rat poison) also called aluminium sulphate. Rutherford has since pleaded not guilty to the charge of two counts of manslaughter and is being represented by defence counsel, Adrian Thompson.

Meanwhile, the state’s case is being led by prosecutor, Tiffini Lyken in association with Shawnette Austin and Abigail Gibbs.

Lyken, in her opening statement following the empanelment on Monday, told the court that one-year-old Jabari Cadogan and fouryear-old Odasia Cadogan died from pesticide poisoning. She added that the cause of death was revealed during an autopsy.

Labourer gets 20 years for manslaughter TWENTY-SIX-YEAROLD Talesh Chattergoon, of Paradise Village on the Essequibo Coast was on Tuesday sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for manslaughter.

The decision was handed down by Justice Sandra Kurtzious at the Suddie High Court after the jury returned a guilty verdict following hours of deliberation.

Chattergoon was charged on May,12, 2015, for murder committed on 71-yearold Richard Ivan Etwaroo.

Etwaroo was discovered dead between May 6 and 7 at the Paradise sea dam.

The matter was tried at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, and Chattergoon was not required to plead to the indictable charge of murder.

The preliminary inquiry was then conducted in Essequibo before Magistrate Sunil Scarce. Six witnesses testified in the High Court trial, including two policemen, Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh and three civilians.

Justice Kurtzious accepted a plea of guilty to

Deceased: Richard Ivan Etwaroo

the lesser count of manslaughter and sentenced the youth to 20 years imprisonment.

Man to spend six years in jail for sexually assaulting child JUSTICE Sandil Kissoon sentenced Vijay Singh to six years in jail for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl back in 2015 in Berbice.

Singh, 21 pleaded guilty to the indictment of sexual activity with an underaged child which was committed on October 8, 2015.

Prosecutors said that on the day in question, Singh, who was a part time employee of the victim’s father, had lifted the minor on his lap, and was seen by an older sibling committing the act.

An alarm was raised and the parents were alerted. The police were later summoned.

Legal Aid attorney, Sasha

Vijay Singh

Roberts, in a plea of mitigation, observed that her client

came from a poor family background, who sought employment at an early age in an attempt to supplement his family’s income.

Singh, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, has expressed deep regret, and pleaded for leniency, his lawyer said.

However, Justice Kissoon, noting the seriousness of the offence, commenced the term of imprisonment from 20 years, but, deducted 10 years for the convict’s guilty plea, and a further four years for the mitigation. As a result, Singh will serve a six-yearterm of imprisonment.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

City Markets Committee still crafting – after starting the process street vending policy two years ago

By Telesha Ramnarine AFTER two years, the administrative arm of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is still waiting on the Markets and Public Health Committee to create a policy for street vending in the city.

Town Clerk Royston King had in the past lamented the fact that while the committee fails to come forward with the policy and with suggestions for relocating vendors to facilitate certain projects, the administration is severely criticised each time it takes a decision.

“It is not easy at all to do a policy document,” Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the said committee, Mr. Lionel Jaikarran, told the statutory meeting last Monday.

While the committee benefitted from a policy outlined

by Mayor Patricia ChaseGreen, Jaikarran suggested that it’s a lack of cooperation from the town clerk which is holding up the process of relocating vendors so that the Stabroek Market wharf can be repaired.

But King pointed out that the street vending policy is not to be confused with the repairs of the Stabroek Wharf.

Jaikarran said the town clerk should cooperate some more with the committee to identify available spots for the relocation.

“We shouldn’t shift our responsibilities. It is the duty and responsibility of the committee to walk through the streets and identify such spots. It is not fair to throw it on the administration,” responded the Mayor.

She noted that if councillors continue to depend

vendors on the parameters of the 1763 Monument (populary known as the Cuffy monument).

Councillor Welton Clarke suggested that the committee should be more effective and equipped with people who have ability, capacity and a willingness to work.

Councillor Andrea Marks made it known that she has Chairman of the Markets and Public Health Committee, Lionel Jaikarran

on the administration, then they will not be acting independently.

King said there are several activities which hinge on the creation of the street vending policy. He observed that while there has been no vending at the Stabroek Market Square, there has been a ‘slow but steady’ increase of

Judge throws out challenge to sentencing provision for drugs, firearm possession HIGH Court Judge JoAnn Barlow on Tuesday dismissed a constitutional motion brought by Vinnette James and her nephew Dellon St. Hill, challenging as unconstitutional the imposition of the mandatory minimum sentencing provisions in the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Chapter 10:10 and the Firearms Act, Chapter 16:05.

St. Hill had been found guilty of the offence of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking on July 20, 2017, at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court

by Magistrate Peter Hugh.

He had been in possession of 281 grams of cannabis.

However, by fixed-date application dated September 15, 2017, James challenged the constitutionality of the imposition of the mandatory minimum sentencing provisions in the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Chapter 10:10 and the Firearms Act, Chapter 16:05.

She claimed that the mandatory minimum sentencing

provision in the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act, Chapter 10:10 and the Firearms Act, Chapter 16:05 are contrary to Articles 8, 39, 40, 65, 122(A), 141 and 154(A) of the constitution.

According to James, who was represented by Attorney Eusi Anderson, the mandatory minimum sentencing in provisions in the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act Chapter 10:10 and Firearms Act 16:05 are unconstitutional, null, void and of no legal effect, insofar as they seek to abrogate the doctrine of separation of powers by encroaching on the exclusive jurisdiction of the court to determine sentences.

She argued that the mandatory minimum sentence under the said legislation is grossly disproportionate, arbitrary and excessive. Moreover, James posited that the mandatory minimum sentence amounts to torture, cruel and inhumane punishment.

In response, the state, represented by Oneka Archer-Caulder, argued to the contrary. Archer-Caulder

told the court that the cited Acts are constitutional and reminded the court that the power is and has always been vested in the legislature to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of Guyana.

The attorney said too that the mandatory minimum sentencing provision as contained in the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Chapter 10:10 and Firearms Act, Chapter 16:05 are proportional and just, considering the nature and seriousness of the offence and the prevailing legal, social and economic climate.

Meanwhile, the court in making its decision observed that the principle of the separation of powers is not an overriding supra-constitutional principle, but a description of how the powers under a real constitution are divided.

The state contended that the mandatory minimum provisions did not infringe upon judicial discretion, but rather defined the parameTurn to page 14 ►

already suggested seven possible spots where the vendors can be relocated.

Meanwhile, the Public Infrastructure Ministry has indicated that it will be starting works on the Stabroek Market wharf before the end of this year’s first quarter, and the mayor has for the longest while been lamenting the “lackadaisical” attitude

with which the Markets Committee has been approaching the relocation of the vendors.

“I am not hearing from the [committee] and I hope that we can start consultations with those persons, so that they will be able to give us ideas of where they can be relocated while the wharf is being constructed,” she said last year June.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Guyana was notified of impending catfish ban – US Embassy THE United States (U.S.) Government on Wednesday through its Georgetown Embassy said the ban on the import of Guyana’s catfish follows notification to the Government of Guyana of impending changes to its food safety regulations regarding fish and shrimp, among many

others.

The U.S. Government’s statement on the matter follows earlier comments by Veterinary Public Health Director, Dr. Ozaye Dodson, who said the ban on the country’s catfish species from the U.S. export market though a temporary technical barrier to trade is a “big

blow.”

Dr. Dodson in a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Health said the move by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a “protectionist measure” by that country’s public health system and the catfish farmers who have invested heavily to develop

the industry there.

However, the U.S. Government’s statement Wednesday said, “We notified the Government of Guyana of these pending changes in November of 2015, more than 18 months before they were to go into effect. We even gave Guyana an extension until February 3, 2018 to comply with the new regulations.”

The U.S. Embassy said too that most countries in the hemisphere have since complied with the regulations.

“We believe that Guyana eventually can and will comply as well.”

“We understand that the Government of Guyana is working on complying, but it has not fully met the standards of the new processes associated with the regulations and until it does, we cannot accept any catfish from Guyana,” the statement said.

The Embassy said the U.S. Government takes very seriously the protection of the world’s waterways and marine life and is constantly updating its regulations and processes to ensure that waterways and marine life are protected.

The Embassy said too that the U.S. Government has offered technical assistance to the Government of Guyana to help local fishermen and women to comply.

“Our offer still stands, but it cannot be accomplished overnight.”

The U.S. Government said its goal is to ensure consistency in food safety

regulations across products and countries and to protect marine life for future generations; a goal it is confident is shared by all Guyanese.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health said Guyana’s Veterinary Public Health Department has been mandated under the 2002 Fisheries Act and the Fish and Fishery Product Regulations of 2003 with guidance of the inspections manual to monitor, inspect and certify vessels, landing sites, fish processing establishments and fisheries products for the local and export markets.

Dr Dodson said there are daily inspections and certifications of the catfish products to guarantee their “wholesomeness for human consumption”. He explained that the US Food Safety Inspection Services (FSIS) had asked Guyana to provide the relevant documentation to verify this country’s inspection system equivalence to the US standards or its equivalent degree of public health system to that of the U.S. Guyana, Dr. Dodson said, complied with the request.

However, the country fell short of the U.S. standards in three areas: non-presence of inspectors; insufficient documentation detailing verification of each step in the sanitation and Guyana’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) process; and insufficient documentation specifying how the industry manages adulterated catfish products.

New U.S. standards for import of catfish species

demand the presence of inspectors on plants for one hour during an 8-hour shift, but according to Dr. Dodson, Guyana’s inspection pursues a “risk-based approach” which is a European Union (EU) standard.

The Veterinary Public Health official said Guyana’s HACCP and documentation of its inspection frequency will be upgraded to satisfy the new U.S. standards.

“Our (Fisheries) Act is broad, covering all species of fish. The U.S. has specific regulations for the catfish species (and) there has been no change to the local Act since 2003. There will have to be some adjustments to the Fisheries Act Inspection Manual and Regulations to bridge the gaps,” Dr. Dodson said.

He said changes to the country’s Fisheries Act and Regulations will be taken shortly to the Attorney General’s (AG) Chambers and published in the Official Gazette.

When this is accomplished, U.S. officials will conduct an audit of the local Fisheries Department and other relevant agencies “to pave the way for the country’s likely re-entry into the American catfish export market.”

Guyana was among several countries banned recently from the U.S. catfish export market.

Others were Bangladesh, Canada, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Judge throws out... ters in which the judiciary is expected to exercise its discretion, so as to ensure that any penalty imposed is not arbitrary and/or excessive.

The court agreed that while the power is vested in the legislature to make laws to govern the prevailing social and economic ills plaguing a country, which the mandatory minimum sentencing provision sought to do, it yet in its wisdom included in the legislation section 73 which in itself mitigates the harshness of the mandatory minimum provision and allows the

magistrate to impose a sentence of less than three years, while taking into account any special circumstances of the case.

The court observed with some consternation that while it was unfortunate that for too long the magistrates have thought themselves restricted to the two stated special circumstances within the legislation (young person and for possession of cannabis under five grams), there was nothing in the section which limited the magistrate’s discretion in applying special circumstances to both the

From page 13

offence and the offender and applying a lesser sentence than three years.

Justice Barlow in examining Section 73 of the legislation, noted that the only requirement was that the magistrate should state in writing the reason for giving a lesser sentence than the statute imposed.

As such, the High Court Judge ruled in favour of the state and found that the imposition of penal provisions in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Cap 10:10 were constitutional.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

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Repair works again halted at Kitty Market - Councillor Oscar Clarke

By Telesha Ramnarine

CHAIRMAN of the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) Finance Committee, Councillor Oscar Clarke on Monday questioned whether a deliberate attempt is being made to stymie works at the Kitty Market.

He told councillors that the contractor undertaking the project has been directed by an engineer

keeping back the works.

Last March 10 was the estimated date given for the return of vendors who are selling fruits and vegetables along Alexander Street and Assistant City Engineer, Rasheed Kellman who had taken media operatives on a tour of the market last month, said that this phase of the project is costing $25M.

This phase sees work being done on the

M&CC receiving in excess of 300 applications. The market though can only accommodate 90 vendors.

The upper flat of the market will house a health center, a rates and taxes office, and office space that will be up for rental.

According to Kellman, the intention is to create a supermarket-like arrangement with new designs and modern facilities, and to make it ‘drive-through’ Repair works have again been halted at the Kitty Market.

Shell Road, also now boasts an auditorium for community events.

The Kitty Market has missed countless deadlines for its re-opening with City Hall often citing a lack of funds as the reason for such.

A decentralisation of Council’s work is expected when the market comes back on board, as it will take into account the needs

The stalls which will house vendors who now sell along Alexander Street.

The vendors were expected to return to the market some days ago.

from the Ministry of Communities to halt all works.

According to Clarke, the contractor has since related that nothing is keeping him from proceeding with the repairs, except the instructions from the engineer.

The councillor noted that City Engineer, Colvern Venture and the other engineers ought to be supervising any works that are being undertaken in the city by a contractor.

Town Clerk Royston King undertook to contact the Permanent Secretary within the said ministry to find out just what is

eastern side of the market, completing some 15 stalls that will accommodate the fruit vendors.

The Ministry of Communities has partnered with the City Council to provide the funds needed for the completion of the market and hence Kellman had assured that phase two of the project will get underway immediately after phase one is completed. The second phase should cost somewhere in the vicinity of $60M.

Meanwhile, the market has drawn increased attention due to the repair works, resulting in the

friendly.

The stallholders rent, though, will have to be increased and a final figure will have to be worked out between them and the City Council. The plan is for some services at the market to be offered on a 24-hour basis.

By the time the market is completed, Kellman said about 80 percent of its originality will still be intact. While the ground floor was previously made of wood, the contractor has now made it into concrete.

The upper flat of the market, located on Alexander and Barr Streets and

Two NOC students recaptured, eight still at large TWO students who had escaped the New Opportunity Corps facility in Region Two during a church service Thursday last, were on Tuesday evening caught at Airy Hall Village, Essequibo Coast.

They were captured by police who were accompa-

nied by staff from the facility. Those who were caught were two 16-year-olds.

Police acting on information went to the neighbourhood around 16:30hrs and captured the students who were seen loitering along the dam. Eight students serving years at the

facility are still at large.

Reports are that a social worker attached to the NOC, Camilla Gonsalves, told the police Thursday last that the students made a run for it around 14:30hrs and made their exit through the back gate of the institution.

of communities between Cummings Lodge and Kitty.

“People from Cummings Lodge to Kitty don’t have to come all the way to City Hall to pay their rates and taxes. We are aiming to re-introduce the system that was in place many years ago,” Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had told the Chronicle.

The Kitty Market was established in 1882,

two years after the Bourda Market had come into being. Like the Bourda Market, Kitty Market is timber-framed.

The 19th century structure had suffered massive deterioration over the years prior to its renovation, causing vendors operating in its environs to lodge numerous complaints with the City Council.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

Elderly woman killed at Belle West

A 68-year-old woman was on Wednesday morning discovered dead with her throat slit at her Belle West, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home.

Ursilla Padarat called ‘Didi’, who celebrated her 68th birthday last Saturday, lived alone at her Masjid Street home. According to relatives, Padarat received approximately $123,000 Tuesday from her grandson, who resides overseas, to build a septic tank. Given her eagerness to have the septic tank constructed, she engaged a contractor who reportedly resides in the said community for an estimate to complete the job. However, when the contractor, whose name is unknown, arrived at the woman’s house early Wednesday morning, he discovered her sitting in a chair close to the door with a stab wound to her neck.

Relatives told Guyana Chronicle that the woman’s house was not ransacked, but all of her money and documents were taken. “The money she collected yesterday the person take, she pension money and she had some US (currency) there and she documents them. She had all them things in a bag,” said

Ursilla Padarat called ‘Didi’

junkie” from the community threatened to “deal with” the pensioner. As news spread of the woman’s demise, relatives, friends and neighbours converged on the premises even as police gathered their evidence. “The contractor was here last night and it was he who come back this morning and find her dead…I really can’t say what is going on, but she called a relative that works at a hardware store around 8 o’clock last night to get up the stuff she needed

Relatives and friends gathered at the Belle West home of the murdered 68-year-old woman

a relative who also noted that Padarat’s mobile phone was also removed by her killer.

When the Guyana Chronicle arrived on the scene just after 09:00hrs, police had arrested a resident of the community. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the man, whose name is unknown, was present when “a

but when the guy come here this morning, she was already dead,” said Naresh Singh, Padarat’s nephew.

He told the Guyana Chronicle that according to reports, the elderly woman’s neighbour--a male from the community--would usually clean her yard and they had

ter daily but noted she did not call Wednesday morning.

“She does call us…when me hear that thing me feel bad.

her. They said the fact that they did not gain access to the woman’s home by force meant that she was comfort-

Naresh Singh, the dead woman’s nephew (Samuel Maughn photos)

some issues after he finished cleaning her yard Tuesday.

“He said he would deal with her…that’s all what I hear, but as you can see the yard is clean,” said Singh who questioned why someone would want to kill his aunt.“I don’t understand this,” he remarked.

Her son-in-law said the woman would call her daugh-

A policeman arrests a man from Belle West to assist with investigations

That lady is not a bad lady, you ask anybody,” said the son-in-law. Relatives are of the opinion that whoever killed Padarat was known to

Relatives and friends lined the road as word spread of the woman’s death

able enough to let them in.

“She does get some junkie boys; they would come to clean and she does cook for a boy name ‘Brother’ and she use to cook for the one name ‘Uncle’ who opened the door this morning,” said Padarat’s sister, Chandroutie Singh, who was for the most part inconsolable. Singh told the Guyana Chronicle that her mother was a “free-handed” woman who would help all in need.

Investigations into the murder are continuing.

Region One villages map out strategies to improve livelihoods

ELEVEN villages and satellites in the Santa Rosa, Moruca Sub-District, Barima/Waini, Region One, are benefitting from a four-day Village Improvement Plan (V.I.P.) workshop.

The initiative, being executed under the Sustainable Development Framework (SDF), is aimed at building sustainable village economies.

The V.I.P was launched on Tuesday, March 13, in Santa Rosa, Moruca. In the feature address to village leaders, councillors, and residents, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, said “Indeed, if you are honest with yourselves you will admit that there has been a drought of sustainable plans for some years now in Santa Rosa. And even if the great ideas were there, the will and skill needed to implement have been lacking for some time now.”

Emphasising the need for villages to formulate V.I.Ps,

the minister said “many villages do not have plans for the future, so we are going to help you strengthen your economies. We need to make plans that would last us for years to come -- sustainable plans. Not plans that will change with the election

Attention was paid to two major projects that will soon be executed in the region -- the Coffee Project in Santa Rosa and the Cassava Flour Project in Kwebanna.

Another potential economic driver is the establishment of a bakery. Noting the many

Some of the residents who participated in the opening of the Village Improvement Plan (V.I.P.) workshop

of new Toshaos. We need the people to get on board with these long-term plans -- not just a Toshao and a few Councillors. This is the only way we will continue to move forward.”

benefits to be derived from the soon-to-be-blossoming oil sector, Minister Garrido-Lowe advised, “now is the time to prepare ourselves and our community to benefit.”

She pointed out that

among the key areas that should be considered for inclusion in the respective V.I.Ps are education, culture, health, governance, livelihoods, nature and environment and economic diversification. Special mention was made of the support received from Conservation International Guyana, which has been and continues to be a key partner in rolling out the V.I.Ps. The plan has, to date, made significant strides in Region Nine (Rupununi).

Forty percent of the villages and satellites in that region have completed their V.I.Ps with another 40 per cent to be completed by the end of next month. Similar results are expected when the programme is rolled out countrywide.

Meanwhile, also partnering with the ministry was the Canadian High Commission through Geophysicist and former Chief of the Bear Clan (Canada’s First Peoples) Glenn Nolan, who shared pertinent information with

Geophysicist and former Chief of the Bear Clan, Glenn Nolan

residents. Chief Nolan, who is on his maiden visit to Guyana, is also a key figure in Canada as it relates to mining and the indigenous peoples there. Nolan said his community ventured into mining in the 40s as an opportunity and today there are many success stories to be told.

“We didn’t have all the conveniences that we have today, so we started off working in mining as labourers;

some of our people had little or no education. They worked with the company to get their education, so that they can become tradespeople, whether welders, mechanics or electricians and they became the role models for the next generation, which is my generation.”

He added that based on what he has seen during his visit, the area has tremendous potential and he is looking forward to returning to see the strides the villages will make. The Cabinet-approved SDF has been rebranded and is now known as the Sustainable Indigenous Villages and Communities Policy. The Village Improvement Plan was designed to support the Indigenous peoples by improving their well-being as Guyana pursues a green, diversified and resilient economic development path. The V.I.P is among several innovative projects on stream, in pursuit of the Green Agenda. (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

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Prof Narine briefs Region Two RDC, businesses on ‘Morning Glory’ cereal plant …says facility no political football

manufacturing practices designed to accommodate ISO accreditation.

The council was told that the capital for the project $101 million.

‘Markets’ Professor Narine said that at the moment, marketing of the product is slow, but the product is currently available at all leading supermarkets.

Cereals are also being supplied to the National Feeding Programme and the Guyana Defence Force.

‘Expansion’ Due to the profitability since the plant’s commis-

sioning, there are plans to build a lunch room for staff, reinforcing the drains and installing security cameras at the facility. The plant also hopes to employ more people as business increases.

Further, there are plans to manufacture nutrition bars at the facility.

Chairman for the Essequibo Chambers of Commerce, Daleep Singh, commended the IAST for executing such a state-of -the- art project in Region Two, one that provides employment opportunities for persons, as well as highlights the region. Singh

however raised concerns over marketing of the project and called for more promotional advertising to be done within the region.

Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt at the end of the presentation thanked Professor Narine for giving a brief overview of the operations at the plant, which he said was timely. Ramdatt said he is always happy to have engagements with the IAST on development of the Anna Regina cereal plant and anticipates future engagements.

PPP councillors posing with a box of cereal - from left, are Miss Vilma Da Silva, Doreen Jacobus and Juliet coonjah

By Indrawattie Natram DIRECTOR of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), Professor Suresh Narine, said that there is no need for the ‘Morning Glory’ cereal plant located at Anna Regina to be a political football, noting that both administrations played a pivotal role in getting the plant to the stage it is.

“I think both sides need to be given credit for allowing the project to happen and both sides need to realise that they have tremendous kudos to be had. Thankfully, this is happening and I have no interference by the present government,” Professor Narine said.

Professor Narine during the statutory meeting for the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Region Two, was allowed by councillors to give a brief overview of the ‘Morning Glory’ cereal plant which was officially commissioned on October 8, 2017.

During his PowerPoint presentation, he explained to councillors as well as to members of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce, the operation that is currently ongoing at the plant. Professor Narine made in-depth presentations on the ‘Morning Glory’ rice cereal to the council. He also showed a video demonstrating the process of production.

He reminded councillors that the ‘Morning Glory’

cereal is a product that had never existed in the past and as such, it needed time to become accepted on the local market. He called on persons not to set unreason-

institute in acquiring shelves space in the local supermarkets.

“Morning Glory cereal has been able to command shelf space right next to its Professor Suresh Narine giving an overview of the project, ‘Morning Glory Rice Cereal’ to RDC councillors.

The processing facility at Anna Regina

able expectations on the performance of the new product, which is doing very well.

‘Patience in business is as important as green. Green is very good and it drives the economy. Too many government projects focus on employment and social impact only; my approach on this project is a balance on social and employment impact, together with fiscal responsibility,’ Narine said.

Narine told the councillors that compared to other leading cereal brands ‘Morning Glory’ rice cereal is being offered at a cheaper price at local supermarkets, which allows the IAST a more comfortable market. Professor Narine said that the IAST is currently working with an exclusive distributor, Ansa McAl, which is assisting the

competitor, so when a consumer goes to a store they are seeing a cereal costing twice as much and one costing half as much, but with a superior nutrition value, and so we believe that is very important,” said Professor Narine.

Some of the commodities used during the manufacturing process are broken rice, rice bran, sugar and molasses, which are sourced from Guyana except baking soda, vitamins and salt, which are imported.

He said the ‘Morning Glory’ Rice Cereal plant is the only plant in Guyana that is adding value to rice, which caters for the increase of acreage towards which farmers are aiming. He said that the manufacturing process is very ascetic and is done according to good

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 15, 2018

Regional countries adopt agreement to protect rights of access to information

Representatives of 24 Latin American and Caribbean countries who were gathered in San Jose, Costa Rica earlier this month adopted the first binding regional agreement to protect the rights of access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters (Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development), an unprecedented legal instrument for the region.

At the conclusion of the

Ninth Meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the Regional Agreement on Principle 10, the government delegates, along with representatives of the public and experts from international bodies, agreed to the final text of the accord, which had been under negotiation since 2014 and which also enshrines the protection of human rights defenders in environmental matters.

The closing ceremony was led by Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo

Solís and Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations regional organization that acts as technical secretariat of this agreement. Other participants included Edgar Gutiérrez, Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy; Marcelo Mena, Chile’s Environment Minister; and Alejandro Solano, Costa Rica’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs

and Worship.

“The agreement that has been achieved here in Costa Rica marks a turning point; it is very good news for a continent that needs it a great deal for its fight against crime, poverty, inequality and hate.

It is also crucial for the very survival of our species,” President Solís said during his remarks at the meeting’s end.

The President indicated that it is necessary to bring people into environment-related decisions, making them

participants in development, since “the right to a healthy environment is a human right,” he stated. He also highlighted the legal relevance of the agreement and of “environmental democracy” as a new legal term that implies the participation of all in the protection of the environment.

Meanwhile, Alicia Bárcena stressed the importance of this process that culminates today with the adoption of the first binding regional agreement on environmental democracy. “With this agreement, Latin America and the Caribbean attests to its firm and unequivocal commitment to a foundational democratic principle: the right of people to participate in a significant way in the decisions that affect their lives and their surroundings,” she indicated.

Bárcena added that this regional agreement, along with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, respond to the international community’s quest for answers aimed at changing the current development pattern “in order to build peaceful, more just, caring and inclusive societies, in which human rights are protected and the protection of the planet and its natural resources is guaranteed.”

“The great merit of this regional agreement lies in placing equality at the center of rights of access and, therefore, of the environmental sustainability of development,” the senior United Nations official indicated. “This is a second-generation accord that links the environment to human rights and rights of access, and which undoubtedly will contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.”

According to the final text approved today, the agreement’s objective is “to guarantee the full and effective implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean of the rights of access to environmental information, public participation in the environmental decision-making process and access to justice

in environmental matters, and the creation and strengthening of capacities and cooperation, contributing to the protection of the right of every person of present and future generations to live in a healthy environment and to sustainable development” (Article 1).

In addition, Article 9 indicates that “each Party shall guarantee a safe and enabling environment for persons, groups and organizations that promote and defend human rights in environmental matters, so that they are able to act free from threat, restriction and insecurity.” The agreement also establishes the creation of a Conference of the Parties (Article 15), which will be convened by ECLAC no later than one year after the agreement has entered into force and which will hold ordinary meetings at regular intervals, in accordance with what the Conference decides.

The text states that the agreement will be open to the signature of all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (33 nations) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, from September 27, 2018 to September 26, 2020, and that it will be subject to the ratification, acceptance or approval of the States that have signed it.

In the final act of the Ninth Meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the Regional Agreement on Principle 10, the signatory countries invite all Latin American and Caribbean States to sign and ratify this agreement as soon as possible. They also thanked ECLAC for its support and the public for its meaningful participation during the negotiation process. In addition, they request that ECLAC take the necessary steps to submit the final text to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, so that he shall be the depositary for the agreement, and express that the adoption of this legal instrument will be reported upon at ECLAC’s thirty-seventh session, the institution’s most important gathering, which will be held in Havana, Cuba on May 7-11, 2018.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Gov’t working to implement Green Tourism THE Project Management Office (PMO) which falls under the purview of the Ministry of the Presidency has been working closely with the Office of Climate Change (OCC), the Department of the Environment (DoE) and other agencies to ensure the implementation of programmes and projects related to the REDD+ platform.

Head of PMO, Dr. Marlon Bristol, in providing an update on several of these projects, said the agreement for the Cunha Canal, which is being implemented, was signed in 2016. According to Dr. Bristol, “it is a project which re-establishes the original alignment of the Cunha Canal, it allows the water to be sourced into the Demerara River… it allows those at the back to be less flooded, so it is part of our mitigation efforts.”

In 2017, the focus was placed on the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), the Sustainable Land Development and Management Project and

has been doing for the most part, trying to get all the projects under the GRIF out. We have some hurdles to cross and as soon as we cross those hurdles we will be able to bring forth the other projects in the pipeline, which is Green Tourism, Reduction in the loss of Biodiversity and Adaptation, including some work we are doing with regards to the opting in of forested communities,” he noted. The major

Head of the Project Management Office (Ministry of the Presidency), Dr. Marlon Bristol

the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Project for Hinterland, Poor, and Remote Communities.

Agreements for most of the projects were signed and approved by the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) and are in

full implementation. However, the Sustainable Land Development and Management Project and the ICT project for Hinterland, Poor, and Remote Communities, which were signed in November last year, are in the star-up phase.

“That’s what the office

challenge, Dr. Bristol said, is the release of the fifth and sixth payments into the Trustee’s account by the Government of Norway.

The platform, Dr. Bristol said, has been created for the crossing of this hurdle following an agreement between President David Granger and the former Minister of Environment of Norway. The criteria for the release of these funds include the completion of the GSDS and the Renew-

able Energy Policy.

The PMO also acts as an interlocutor between implementing agencies and international organisations for some of the projects approved by the office. For example, the PMO works closely with the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and the United Nations Development Programme in relation to the ICT project for Hinterland, Poor, and Remote communities.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Toddlers reading programme launched in Linden

By Vanessa Braithwaite The Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) on Tuesday launched a special early childhood development toddlers’ reading programme at the One Mile Health Centre.

The launch saw in attendance scores of parents with their infants and toddlers who were encouraged to take advantage of the programme as reading is essential to a child’s development.

The initiative themed “Back to Basics” was made possible by the CCPA in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health/Maternal and Child Health Unit and the National Library.

Director of Child Services Ann Greene posited in her remarks that reading is part of a child’s normal developmental process and parents must be integrally involved.

She said the book

A mother reading to her toddler at the launch

shelf that was unveiled at the health centre must be used when parents visit the post-natal clinic.

“We got to get back to basics, we got to get back to the time when children learn to read on the lapse of the parents,” Greene commented. She also encouraged the clinic to initiate a ‘Baby father day’ as fathers too

should get involved in teaching their children to read.

Both Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland and Regional Chairman Renis Morian emphasised the need for fathers to play a role since all of the parents present were mothers. Holland said some parents may think that teaching a child to read at such a tender age is useless,

but the toddlers do understand.

“Don’t think they don’t understand what you are saying, they do understand, but they are just unable to express themselves,” Morian said.

Registration and License Officer Daunne McFarane explained that the programme targets children

The bookshelf for parents at the One Mile Health Centre

from birth to three years old.

The One Mile Health Centre is the facility for the pilot project in Linden.

“It is our intention to have similar set-up in other Mather Child Health Clinics across Region 10. These clinics will be monitored and support given where

necessary,” McFarane said.

The programme was launched at the East Ruimveldt Health Centre and should be rolled out at 361 health centres across the country. The public is being asked to donate books to the book shelves that have been made available.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Aries You might be wondering if you really must go through another rerun of a recent emotional experience. The simple answer is yes, especially if you haven’t fully acknowledged the influence of the past on the present. There’s no reason to resist this detour down Memory Lane today. Let go of your fear about arriving at your destination late. It’s more important to follow your feelings now, wherever they take you. Actor John Barrymore said, “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you did not know was open.”

Taurus You aren’t very clear about your long-term goals now, even if you’re already committed to a specific trajectory. Although you may be questioning your wisdom, it’s more likely your dreams are so strong that you’re lost in their splendour. Don’t set yourself up for frustration by attempting to define your life within a narrow field on the spectrum of experience. Give yourself permission to think with a panoramic filter. Oscar Wilde wrote, “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”

Gemini Ironically, fuzzy thinking inspires you to set higher goals to motivate your ambitions.

Nevertheless, imagining your success in the vaguest possible terms should not be confused with having a practical plan to reach a specific destination. You might need to wait a couple more days before your path clears and the urge to take action returns. Irish statesman Edmund Burke wrote, “Our patience will achieve more than our force.”

Cancer You have your heart set on making a dream come true, but the magic of manifestation can be elusive. Unfortunately, there’s no simple recipe to follow when every situation is vastly different. However, practicing some form of meditation is always helpful because it calms your mind and enables you to prioritize the steps you need to take on your way to success. Rather than talking about whatever pops into your head, bring only the most relevant issues into your conversations now. Mildred Barthel wrote, “Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.”

Leo You’re eager to share your ideas for a new adventure with a cohort, but secretly you wonder if you’re just distracting yourself from something more important.

Although you are drawn toward making plans for fun activities, you know there’s more to life than what appears on the outside. Instead of putting another event on your calendar today, explore your unspoken need to create a deeper emotional connection with someone you respect. Author Khalil Gibran wrote, “Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.”

Virgo Your interactions with others bring you face to face with your own feelings today.

However, it’s all too easy to shift the focus onto another person by thinking they are being too emotional. Instead of assuming that someone else is being inappropriately needy, examine your current discomfort about stepping away from objective logic and toward subjective opinions. Responding honestly to peoples vulnerable disclosures requires courage on your part but is well worth the risk.

Every relationship is another mirror to your soul.

Libra You’re uncertain where to start today, but you know that you don’t have the luxury of wasting time. Nevertheless, there are still several unknowns and you can’t finalize your calendar until you receive more information from others. Rather than working yourself into a state of frustration now, follow your common sense and jump in wherever you can. Filling in the open spaces on your schedule with the most pressing tasks enables you to be as efficient as possible in the present moment. Success depends on knowing your priorities.

Scorpio Carve out some time to explore your creativity today, no matter how busy you are with prior commitments. It’s as if you possess a direct link to access your imagination now, and it would be a shame to waste this opportunity. However, there’s no need to be production-minded while you utilize your visionary gift. It’s not about making observable progress; it’s about being inspired on your artistic journey. Dieter Uchtdorf wrote, “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.”

Sagittarius Your innate desire to wander the outer reaches of the cosmos shifts gears today as you look inward toward your soul. You’re less interested now in jumping on a plane for an adventure than finding a quiet space that allows you to sit still and reflect on the meaning of life. Others may not see this contemplative side of you and wonder why you’re not as outgoing now. Don’t waste energy on trying to correct anyone else’s observations. Just follow your instincts and seek your satisfaction by exploring the mysteries of your own mind.

Capricorn You are more secure when there’s a concrete agenda to follow, but there’s something very liberating about working without a plan now. Oddly enough, you may end up being more productive today than you thought possible. Being tied to a schedule has its purpose but might prevent you from reacting effectively in the moment. Actor Ryan Hansen wrote, “Being spontaneous at times is a must. Being spontaneous all the time is a crazy person.”

Aquarius You may experience a wave of confusion today, but it’s just a gentle reminder that intellectually knowing the truth isn’t enough. It’s been said that too many facts can lead you to making a wrong decision. Your current hesitation is a gift. Questioning your direction could be the catalyst that opens new doors to your future. Just be sure to come back to reality when your uncertainty has taken you sufficiently far.

Goethe wrote, “Doubt can only be removed by action.”

Pisces You are soaring on the wings of your imagination today, but you must be careful not to fly too high. You could become so enamoured with the magic and beauty of your fantasies that you don’t want to bother with the real world. Unfortunately, this strategy only works for short amounts of time, since the practical considerations of life are always pressing. Trusting your intuition now is only the first step on the road to success. Colin Powell wrote, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Ministers & Royal Family will not go to Russia UK government ministers and members of the Royal Family will not attend the World Cup in Russia after a Russian-made nerve agent was used on an ex-spy.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, are in a critical condition after the incident in Salisbury on 4 March.

Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that the relationship between the two countries “cannot be the same”.

Buckingham Palace said “no plans had been made”

for any of the Royal Family to travel for the World Cup in Russia.

Prince William is the president of the Football Association (FA).

When asked whether senior FA officials should also not go to the World Cup - which runs from 14 June to 15 July - Mrs May said: “I’m sure they will want to be considering their position.

“Attendance at sporting events is a matter for the sporting authorities - it’s a

WICB boss reignites ... problem. Most of them don’t know cricket,” Cameron said at the time.

“The game of cricket is very complicated. They don’t know the history and neither are they interested. That becomes an issue. When we went to school, most of our PE teachers, if not all, were male.

“So they coach cricket, football, track and field, and we’re not getting that anymore.”

Trinidad and Tobago Education Minister, Anthony Garcia, blasted Cameron over the comments at the time, arguing female PE teachers were fully equipped and trained to aid in cricket development.

Continued from back page “Our female teachers are as qualified as our males,” he was quoted as saying by the Trinidad NewsDay. “In fact, at UWI we have programmes in physical education and coaching – those programmes are up to the Masters level, and both male and female teachers have been accessing that programme for a number of years.”

He added: “I do not hold much talk to what Dave Cameron says. In fact, Dave Cameron’s contribution to West Indies cricket has resulted in the demise of cricket in the West Indies, and as a result I will not pay attention to what he says.”

from Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ...Continued back page "Her goal is to be as ready as ever to take on the world," he said, alluding to her statement in February about her planned comeback.

"If you are a 10.70-runner in the 100m, double Olympic champion, quadruple World

Champion and you are going to make a big comeback I wonder what that comeback will be!

"She is training hard and she is pushing to be back on top in track and field again." (Sportsmax)

matter for them.”

In a statement, the FA said it will “continue to work closely with the UK government and relevant authorities”.

“Our priority for all England matches is to ensure the safety and security of the fans, players and staff. As is standard practice, we will take all travel guidance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,” it added.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Office updated its advice for those visiting Russia. It

said UK nationals in the country should be “aware of the possibility of anti-British sentiment or harassment” due to “heightened political tensions between the UK and Russia”.

It said the British Embassy in Moscow was “not aware of any increased difficulties for British people travelling in Russia at this time” but recommended UK nationals “remain vigilant, avoid any protests or demonstrations and avoid commenting publically on political developments”.

Rage are winners of ‘Saddist’ birthday dominoes tourney

Team Rage and best female player Sharon Jerome (right) pose with organiser Richard ‘Saddist’ Mittleholzer and their awards.

IN a keenly-contested final, tem basis then sudden-death received $10 000 while the Rage were crowned the win- as the final nine teams re- best female player was Sharon ners ahead of Spartans and mained.

Jerome of C-6, who made 53 Phantom in the Richard ‘SadFinal scores were Rage 75 from a maximum of 54 games. dist’ Mittleholzer 47th birth- games, Spartans and Phantom She was the recipient of a day dominoes tourney which 73 games each, with Spartans 5-pennyweight gold earrings concluded last Sunday at the gaining the upper advantage by compliments of YK InvestTurning Point Sports Club. scoring seven sixes compared ments.

The game, which com- to Phantom who had five. Rage In his closing remarks, menced on Saturday at the took away the lucrative $150 Mittleholzer thanked the Mayor’s residence, involved 000 for 1st place while second- teams and sponsors and 17 teams who pulled no stops and third-placers received $80 promised it would be an anagainst one another in order to 000 and $40 000 respectively nual affair. He also promised win the guaranteed lucrative with matching trophies. improvements, come next prizes that were advertised.

The Most Valuable Play- year. Other sponsors came The game was played for er was Solomon Caine of from Grill Kings and Trophy four rounds on a points-sys- Phantom with 17 games. He Stall.

Khan confident in ... last season - Chadwick Walton, while all-rounder Shoaib Malik, batsman Cameron Delport, leg-spinner Imran Tahir and ICC Americas player Saurabh Netravalkar are the new international faces for the Warriors this year.

All-rounder Rayad Emrit, Luke Ronchi, Jason Mohammed, Gajanand Singh, Veerasammy Permaul, Keemo Paul and Roshon Primus were retained, while Shimron Hetmyer and Devendra Bishoo

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Mrs May, speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, said the government would “look at security and protection of any UK football fans travelling to the World Cup”.

She also announced the UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats and revoke an invitation to the Russian foreign minister to visit the country.

Russia denies being involved in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal.(BBC Sport)

returned after playing for the franchise in 2016.

The Trinidadian also believes the balanced nature of the squad will make the Warriors difficult to beat in the upcoming tournament, which runs from August 8 to September 16.

He, however, indicated that while the Warriors always have that winning formula, the elimination of mistakes at crucial moments is vital for their success in South Africa Racing Tips Vaal 08:10 hrs Malinga 08:45 hrs Doosra 09:20 hrs National Key 10:00 hrs Mardi Gras 10:40 hrs Great Shaka Arab Emirates Racing Tips Meydan 10:30 hrs Cape Of Eagles 11:05 hrs Almanaara 11:40 hrs Big Brown Bear 12:15 hrs Moosir

this edition of the tournament.

“In T20 cricket, the team that make the least mistakes always come out on top, so we have to eliminate the mistakes ... we have to ensure we do the basics right all the time, be consistent with the bowling plans and work out situations.

Once we can get that right we can win the tournament, since there is no question of the quality of players. It’s about going out and executing,” 12:50 hrs Sheeba 13:25 hrs Dawwass 14:00 hrs Heraldic English Racing Tips Towcester 09:45 hrs Cornerstone Lad 10:25 hrs Ceegem 11:05 hrs Haul Us In 11:45 hrs Portrait King 12:25 hrs Princess Mononoke 13:05 hrs Orioninverness 13:40 hrs Behindthelines Cheltenham

Continued from back page Khan pointed out.

According to Khan, the franchise management is currently looking at the appointment of head coach, assistant coach and captain.

Meanwhile, the local newcomers have all thanked the management of the local franchise for offering them the opportunity to be a part of the Biggest Party in Sport in the Caribbean. They are determined to make the opportunity count.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

91 days to go …

Ronaldo vs Messi: the rivalry, records, goals, statistics and awards

Lionel Messi (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo

WITH the FIFA Russia World Cup 2018 just 91 days away, today Chronicle Sport will look at the game’s two global icons, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

The players will be among the world’s best in Russia, but all focus will be on their ability to win the one title in their careers that they are yet to boast about – the World Cup! Cristiano Ronaldo has been described as being “from another galaxy” by Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane after the striker scored both goals in the 2-1 La Liga victory against Eibar on Saturday.

Ronaldo netted a brace to take his tally to 14 goals in the last eight La Liga matches, Marca reports. The Portuguese star has also now scored in seven consecutive games.

Quoted by ESPN, Zidane praised the striker for his match-winning performance.

Zidane said: “He is from another galaxy. What he has is so positive - he knows he is going to score. He is a different player, special. His stats speak for themselves.

We did not play at our best, but Cristiano knows what to do - with few chances he can score many goals.”

Ronaldo is now level with Barcelona star Lionel Messi on 33 goals in all competitions this season. But Real’s star has reached 33 goals in seven fewer matches than Messi. With at least 15 matches left the duo could both be on course for 50 goals this

campaign.

In the league Messi currently leads the scoring charts with 24 goals - six ahead of Ronaldo who has 18. Marca says that it’s “clear to everyone watching” that Ronaldo is eyeing the ‘Pichichi award’ La Liga’s top goalscorer gong.

We take a look at Ronaldo and Messi’s incredible scoring feats and their career statistics.

Sporting Lisbon (2002-03) Nationality: Portuguese Ballon d’Or wins: 5 (2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, and 2008 – at Man United) The Best FIFA Men’s Player: 2 (2016 and 2017)

CRISTIANO RONALDO VS LIONEL MESSI: THE RIVALRY

Lionel Messi player profile Age: 30 Clubs: Barcelona (2004-present) Nationality: Argentine Ballon d’Or wins: 5 (2015, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009)

Cristiano Ronaldo player profile Age: 33 Clubs: Real Madrid ( 2 0 0 9 - p r e s e n t ) ; M a nchester United (2003-09);

Ronaldo vs. Messi: the statistics According to the MessivsRonaldo.net website, here’s how the pair compare in terms of goals,

Messi and Ronaldo smile as they talk on the pitch at Old Trafford during a rare clash

hat-tricks and goal ratios as of March 12: All-time career (club and country, but excluding club friendlies) Ronaldo: 641 goals and 205 assists in 898 appearances Messi: 600 goals and 246 assists in 747 appearances Hat-tricks: Ronaldo 49; Messi 44 Career goal ratio: Ronaldo 0.71; Messi 0.80 Club career (excluding friendlies) Ronaldo: 562 goals and 178 assists in 751 club appearances Messi: 539 goals and 209 assists in 624 appearances

Hat-tricks: Ronaldo 44; Messi 39 Club goal ratio: Ronaldo 0.75; Messi 0.86

International career (friendly and competitive matches) Ronaldo: 79 goals and 27 assists in 147 appearances for Portugal Messi: 61 goals and 37 assists in 123 appearances for Argentina Hat-tricks: Ronaldo 5; Messi 5 International goal ratio: Ronaldo 0.54; Messi 0.50 Ronaldo vs Messi in European football Statistics according to uefa.com: Champions League

WORLD CUP FACTS

How a Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi World Cup final could happen THE World Cup groups have been set, and it’s possible that the two greatest players on earth could meet in the final. What has to happen for Lionel Messi and Argentina to play Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal on July 15 in Moscow? Let’s take a closer look at the bracket.

As a reminder, Portugal are in Group B, along with Spain, Morocco and Iran. Argentina were drawn to Group D, which includes Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria.

The World Cup bracket was already set before the group draw, and matchups have been pre-set according to the finishing order within a group.

One thing to remember in general: If both Argentina and Portugal win their respective group, or if both countries finish second in their group, a Messi-Ronaldo final is impossible.

If Argentina win Group D: - Portugal cannot win Group B (they would meet in the quarterfinals) - Argentina would likely face Spain in the quarterfinals, and Germany or Colombia, Poland, England, Belgium in the semi-finals.

- Portugal would likely face France in the quarterfinals and Brazil or England, Belgium in the semi-finals.

If Argentina finish second in Group D: - Portugal cannot finish second in Group B (they would meet in the quarterfinals) - Argentina would likely face Brazil or Belgium, England in the semi-finals - Portugal would likely face Nigeria or Croatia, Peru, Denmark in the quarterfinals and Germany or Belgium, England, Colombia in the semi-finals.

goals: Ronaldo 117 (including 15 for Man United); Messi 98 Champions League hat-tricks: 7 each Both players have scored 60 all-time group stage goals Did you know? Ronaldo is the only player to score in three UEFA Champions League finals

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Ronaldo vs Messi: Trophies won Ronaldo club honours Premier League titles:

FA Cup: 1 English Football League Cup: 2 La Liga titles: 2 Copa del Rey: 2 Spanish Supercup: 2 U E FA C h a m p i o n s League: 4 UEFA Super Cup: 2 FIFA Club World Cup: 4 Ronaldo international honours UEFA European Championship titles: 1 (2016) Messi club honours La Liga titles: 8 Copa del Rey: 5 Spanish Supercup: 6 U E FA C h a m p i o n s League: 4 UEFA Super Cup: 3 Fifa Club World Cup: 3 Messi international honours FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1 (2005) Olympic Gold Medal: 1 (2008)

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THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), under the leadership of Hilbert Foster, has continued to fulfil its mandate in ensuring that cricket is being played at all levels across the Ancient County.

To this end, the board launched the second edition of the New York Business Group Under-19 tournament last Monday at the Albion Cricket Club ground.

The group, consisting of several New York-based businessmen teamed up with BCB and the management of the Albion Cricket Club in ensuring that cricket is played at the Under-19 level.

Foster hailed the launching as another red letter day in the history of Berbice cricket which, he said, suffered a lot due to the absence of Inter-club tournaments over the last two years.

The tournament will be played on a one-day two-innings basis at the group stages, while the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be two-day affairs.

The BCB selection committee would be looking closely at the first rounds of matches in order to select the best possible Berbice team for

BCB launches NY Business Group U-19 tournament

President of the Albion Cricket Club, Pastor Lloyd Kanden, hands over sponsorship to Berbice Cricket Board vice-president Albert Smith in the presence of cricketers and parents.

the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board Under-19 tournament.

Foster expressed his gratitude to the businessmen for their massive investments of close to $700 000 and hailed them as true

friends of Berbice cricket.

The BCB president also made special mention of Orvin Mangru for his hard work and dedication in securing the sponsorship.

Mangru stated that the

PROFORMANCEy Why You Should Be Doing arr B l i e Multiplanar Training With N

LOTS of people remember Manuel Neuer, Claudio Bravo and Tim Howard for outstanding saves, or Kieron Pollard, David Warner and AB De Villiers for near super-human catches. Believe it or not, there is immense preparation that is done to allow athletes to pull off an amazing dive and while the technical aspect of it differs across sports, the fundamental components of their training principles remain the same.

In this volume of ProFormance, we will look at one aspect of training that is easily overlooked- multiplanar training.

WHAT IS MULTIPLANAR TRAINING? Movement occurs in three planes of motion--forward/backward, termed sagittal plane; left/right, termed frontal plane; and rotationally, called transverse plane.

Multiplanar training is therefore training in all three planes of human movement.

BENEFITS OF MULTIPLANAR TRAINING Athletic activities occur in all three planes of motion, yet when it comes to strength training, motion in one plane is most popular. Squats, front lunges, curls and the leg press are

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

all sagittal plane exercises, and while they are good for building strength, they do not offer the complete package of getting your body ready for complex movement patterns.

group was delighted to once again be involved in Berbice cricket. The group first sponsored the tournament two years ago but due to the problems affecting Berbice cricket, the tournament was

put on hold.

He pledged on behalf of the sponsors that the tournament would be an annual event.

The winning team would receive $100 000 and a tro-

and therefore, movement training is at a premium, both on and off the court, pitch or field of play.

portant role in injury prevention.

Even if your sport does not employ many rotational

pressure situations, you need to have good control over your movements, termed motor control. Just like speed, strength and flexibility, motor control can be trained, and should be trained in multiple

The Side Lunge

The side Plank

A goalie making a flying save, a squash player opting for a surprise drop shot or a batsman playing a pull shot are all examples of movements that occur in multiple planes of motion. In order to be able to effectively perform these movements with power and precision repetitively and at will, especially in high

planes.

Your body does not know individual muscles as well as it knows movement and motor units--the functional components of muscles. Unless your sport is weightlifting or powerlifting, you’re likely employing many movement patterns over the course of a game,

By consistently training multiple movement patterns, your body’s control system learns those patterns better, called motor learning. Consistent repetition and focussed training of the movement patterns are important to your sport and leads to what is known as motor development.

Just like preparing for a maths test by reciting multiplication tables over and over again, until they become second nature, movement repetition becomes ingrained in your system, until you develop the ability to sharply call on those patterns during the clutch moments of your sport.

In addition to influencing motor control, multiplanar training helps you strengthen muscles that provide stability during rotational and lateral movements, and plays an im-

movements or even none at all, like cycling or sprinting, minimizing twisting and side-bending forces allows you to concentrate your energy on moving forward powerfully. For bodybuilders, weightlifters and powerlifters, repetitive stress injuries can be quite damning, but training the synergistic (supportive) muscles of the big movers decreases the risk of injury and saves you time spent in rehab.

EXAMPLES OF MULTIPLANAR TRAINING As always, consult with a trained professional to ensure you are performing exercises and training routines safely.

Below are examples of how to modify conventional sagittal plane exercises into transverse and frontal plane move-

phy, the runner-up team $50 000 and a trophy while the man-of the-final would carry home $15 000 and a trophy.

Trophies would also be given to the best bowler in the finals, best batsman in the finals, best overall bowler, best overall batsman and best overall wicketkeeper.

The sponsors would also stand the cost of umpires from the quarterfinals stage.

The teams expected to play are Upper Corentyne, Port Mourant, Rose Hall Town Pepsi ‘A’, Albion ‘A’, Albion ‘B’, Rose Hall Town Pepsi ‘B’, Young Warriors, Rose Hall Canje, Tucber Park, Police, Blairmont, West Berbice, Bush Lot United, Tamarind Root and Big Star.

Rose Hall Town Pepsi Under-19 team are the defending champions.

The New York Business Group consists of Seepersaud Charran of Ryan Trucking Service, Richard Mahase of Little Guyana Bake Shop, Jamel Mohammed of City Buyers Garment Factory, Sheik Hassan of Westchester Stairlift, Permaul Trading and Distribution and Ajit Mootoo. ments.

In addition to performing the plank, try the side plank and plank star.

To add to frontal pane stability try variations of the lunge, such as the side lunge.

With regards to anti-movement training in multiple planes, resistance bands are good tools to provide challenges to your motor control systems and help you engage more of your muscles as seen in the modified plank oblique.

Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War, explains that victors do not wait until the heat of the moment, but rather prepare thoroughly for all facets of the battle. The elite athletes mentioned earlier did not wait for those opportunities to come before training for them and neither should you.

A hallmark of Pro-athletes is their commitment to learning, so if you have questions about other multiplanar exercises or other questions related to this column in general, check out the upcoming ProFormance Facebook page.

This column is meant for the benefit of athletes, coaches, trainers and trainees, so your feedback is both welcome and encouraged. Finally, if there are specific topics you would like to see discussed here, you can also email proformance592@gmail.com or leave a message on the Facebook page.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

Ministry of Education rolls out National Relay Festival THE stage is being set for the successful hosting of the 3rd annual Ministry of Education/Allied Arts National Schools Relay Festival 2018.

A committee, headed by Nicholas Fraser, coordinator of Physical Education, yesterday held a meeting ahead of the two-day mega event, which is scheduled to take place at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

A date for the event was not stated by the Ministry, though it is projected to be held within the first quarter of 2018.

The event, according to the Ministry of Education, is being hosted in collaboration

From left: Marketing coordinator Mondale Smith, Officials and Volunteers coordinator Tandika Caldeira, AAG president Aubrey Hutson and chairman of the committee Nicholas Fraser.

with the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), with an objective to afford secondary and tertiary institutions a chance to showcase their skills at the 52-event track and field meet.

“The event will see par-

ticipation from seasoned athletes as well as provide a platform for the discovery of others who may well further put Guyana on the international circuit, with the expectations of stars being born

and records being broken,” Fraser said.

“Invitations have been issued to all Regional Education offices, inviting them to field the best athletes from secondary schools, and higher edu-

Teams react favourably to OSCL’s introduction of white balls ... Albert Ramcharran returns as president

By Frederick Halley TORON3TO, Canada -Players attached to the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) have reacted favourably to a decision by the governing body to introduce white balls when the 2018 season kicks off in May. Unlike in 2015 when white balls were used in the Caribbean Sensation-sponsored 10-over tournament, they will be used in all three formats (20-over, 15-over and 10-over) this time around.

At last Sunday’s annual general meeting, held at Number 42 Police Division, Scarborough here, it was also decided that the OSCL will make every effort to accommodate a few teams who are not in favour of the change and a final decision will be made shortly. The proposal is for them to continue playing with the supreme balls.

OSCL vice-president Terry Mathura debunked fears by some members that the playing conditions weren’t suitable for white balls, pointing out that they are comparable and are even better than those in Guyana, Orlando, Florida and New York where the balls are used exclusively.

Prior to the election of office-bearers for the new twoyear period, outgoing president Albert Ramcharran described 2017 as the most challenging in the 23-year history of the OSCL. He, however, pointed out that through the cooperation of his hardworking executives, the league was able to overcome the several obstacles faced and once again complete a very successful season.

According to Ramcharran,

the OSCL intends to implement a more rigid policy in the cancellation of matches since some teams have been abusing the privilege and it is an area of grave concern.

He disclosed that the league had received feedbacks where teams deliberately abused the privilege, some even claimed that their close relatives had passed away when it was not so.

Ramcharran reminded members about the zero tolerance policy of the City of Toronto regarding the consumption of alcohol on any permitted facilities without prior approval from the City and that any violation of this policy will result in the immediate cancellation of the league’s permits.

The City of Toronto is also calling on all park users do

Sue Bakery and Home Trust also came in for much praise from the president who said he was looking forward to their continued support.

Meanwhile, Ramcharran, who disclosed at the OSCL’s presentation, dinner and dance last October that he wasn’t seeking re-election, had a change of heart and was re-elected to serve as president for the next two years.

cation institutions and we are awaiting responses by March 21, 2018,” Fraser noted.

“This is the third year since the commencement of the festival which was launched as part of the Ministry of Education Golden Jubilee activities in May 2016.”

Already, Fraser and his team have commenced engaging prospective sponsors. However, according to a release, the Education Department is still hopeful that other sponsors will get on board to ensure that their brand is a part of history, as they support the development of the nation’s budding athletes, some of whom have gone on to represent Guyana at regional meets.

Rabada appeals against two-match ban

By Nick Said

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - Kagiso Rabada is appealing the guilty verdict handed to him by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching their code of conduct in a lastditch bid to be able to play in the rest of the gripping Test series against Australia.

Kagiso Rabada

Standing (from left) are assistant secretary/treasurer Bobby Ramlagan, coordinator Vish Jadunauth, registrar/statistician Patrick Prashad, assistant registrar/statistician Ranjan Persaud and secretary/Public Relations Officer Frederick Halley. Sitting (from left) are vice-president Terry Mathura, president Albert Ramcharran and treasurer Kim Sue.

Ramcharran also highlighted the OSCL’s participation in the 2017 Guyana Softball Cup after several years’ absence and extended kudos to Wakenaam captain Ravin Babulall who led the side and played a major role in getting the squad together.

The longstanding founder member of the OSCL once again lamented the gross indiscipline on the part of a few, who, he said, are bent on destroying what the league has striven to establish over the years but still felt the discipline overall was quite good.

their part to keep parks clean and beautiful. To this end, they are advising that group members ensure parklands are maintained and left clean.

In view of this, Ramcharran pleaded with players to adhere to the rules as established by the city since the league stands to lose permits for grounds.

The OSCL president also took the opportunity to congratulate the winning and runner-up teams and all the other participating teams across all formats in the league.

The several sponsors, including Harri Sukhu, Norman

Also re-elected were secretary/Public Relations Officer Frederick Halley, treasurer Kim Sue, coordinator Vish Jadunauth and registrar/statistician Patrick Prashad. The posts of vice-president (Terry Mathura), assistant secretary/ treasurer (Bobby Ramlagan) and assistant registrar/statistician (Ranjan Persaud) were not up for grabs since all positions are for a two-year period.

The disciplinary committee comprises Dhanraj Patram, Krishna Persaud, Triveni Singh, Natasha Ramadar and Nandalall Bodo.

The meet director is Aubrey Hutson, president of the AAG, who assured that his association is fully on board because the event provides another platform at the schools level for Guyana to produce, prepare and also build on the local pool of athletes for local, regional and international engagements.

The committee members are Fraser - Chairman, Regina Torrington - Secretary, Lorraine Barker-King - Finance and Hospitality coordinator, Hutson - Meet Director, Tandika Caldeira - Officials and Volunteers coordinator, Trevor Williams - Venue coordinator and Mondale Smith -Marketing coordinator.

Fast bowler Rabada was found guilty of “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player” after leaning with his shoulder into Steve Smith when he dismissed the Australia captain in the first innings of South Africa’s six-wicket win in the second Test in Port Elizabeth.

The result levelled the fourmatch series, 1-1.

The 22-year-old, who took 11-150 in the game, was fined 50 percent of his match fee and given three demerit points, which took him past the tally of eight that triggers an automatic two-game suspension.

“ICC confirms that Kagiso Rabada has appealed against the level-two breach following the incident with Steve Smith during the Port Elizabeth Test. ICC will now

appoint a Judicial Commissioner at the earliest opportunity and hearing details will be confirmed in due course,” the governing body said yesterday.

The ICC has 48 hours to appoint a commissioner and a hearing will be heard within a seven-day period. Rabada will remain suspended unless the commissioner takes a decision to allow him to play in the third Test in Cape Town starting on March 22.

Although there was contact made with Smith, Rabada maintains that it was accidental and at the time he was not even aware he had brushed against his opponent.

“If I knew I did it deliberately, I wouldn’t have gone to contest (the charge),” Rabada told reporters after the game. “I didn’t even feel contact in that moment because I was so pumped up.”

Smith has suggested the Australian team wanted Rabada to play the remainder of the series as the seamer rose to the top of the Test bowling rankings following his performance in Port Elizabeth.

“He’s a world class bowler and you always want to come up against the best, that’s for sure,” Smith said.

“He’s right up there. He’s unbelievable the way he’s been bowling.

“If he’s there, he’s there ... if he’s not, he’s not. It’s our job to try and play some better cricket.”

Rabada is the fifth player to be punished by the ICC in what has been a tempestuous Test series so far along with Australians David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh, and South African Quinton de Kock.

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

GFF/Pele Alumni Frank Watson U-15 League - EBFA

Timehri Panthers’ Pulsarran helmet-trick carries team to sixth win in seven matches

TIMEHRI Panthers bolted to their sixth win in seven matches with a helmet-trick from Ishmael Pulsarran, giving them a huge 12-1 win over Diamond United and second place in the points standings, as action in the East Bank Football Association leg of the GFF/Pele Alumni Frank Watson U-15 Intra Association League continued on Sunday at the Timehri Red ground.

Grove Hi Tech claimed their fifth win in nine matches with a 1-0 triumph over Soesdyke Falcons thanks to their captain Devon Padmore’s 22nd minute effort. The win took Grove to 18 points, the same as Timehri with the latter enjoying a better goal average. Agricola Red Triangle who did not play last weekend are still in the lead by a single point.

Pulsarran rocked the net in the 21st, 31st, 42nd and 50th minute, taking his tally of goals in the league to nine. He was well supported by Neron Barrow

who tucked in a hat-trick in the 34th, 37th and 49th minutes. Prince Forde accounted for a brace (6th, 25th) with one each off the boot of Patrick Paul (47th), Antone Denny (53rd) and

Rohit Sharma

Leading the side in the absence of rested regular skipper Virat Kohli, opening batsman Rohit hit five fours and an equal number of sixes in his 61-ball knock to guide India to 176-3 in their 20 overs.

Bangladesh, who also lost their first match of the tournament to India, managed 159-6 in reply. The winner of tomorrow’s match between Sri Lanka and Ban-

the other win on Sunday, 2-0 over Friendship All Stars.

Yohance Porter in the 33rd minute and Jermaine Harry in the 50th minute were the players on target for Mocha Champs.

Kuru Kururu Warriors, after taking the lead against Diamond Upsetters, had to fight their way back in order to enjoy an equal share of the points. The Warriors had opened proceedings thanks to a John Freder-

icks’ 12th minute goal.

However, that advantage was matched by Diamond Upsetters’ Jamal Thomas in the 27th minute and the first half ended 1-1. It was Upsetters who took the lead for the first time in the match on 43 minutes through Isaiah Hendricks.

Upsetters held on to that lead until the 57th minute when the Warriors restored the balance with a Colin Charles goal, the match end-

ing 2-2.

Meanwhile, four matches were contested on Saturday at the same venue.

Kuru Kururu Warriors hammered Diamond United 6-0, Timehri Panthers defeated Diamond Upsetters 3-0, Swan needled Soesdyke Falcons with Herstelling Raiders and Samatta Point/ Kaneville battling to a 2-2 draw.

Matches continue this Saturday and Sunday.

Latest Points Standings

Ishmael Pulsarran registered a helmet-trick for Timehri Panthers

Rohit returns to form, guides India into T20 tri-series final COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - India’s stand-in captain Rohit Sharma returned to form with a fine 89 to set up a 17-run victory over Bangladesh yesterday and reach the final of their Twenty20 tri-series.

Tywell Lovell in the 54th minute.

Diamond United’s consolation goal was scored in the 35th minute by Shaquan Braithwaite.

Mocha Champs recorded

gladesh will meet India in the final on Sunday.

Off-spinner Washington Sundar ran through the Bangladesh top order with the new ball, taking three wickets in his first spell of three overs.

The 18-year-old finished with 3-22, his best figures in the format.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was also economical in his four-over spell of 1-21.

Former captain Mushfiqur Rahim notched up his second consecutive fifty but his 72 not out in 55 balls was not enough.

Rohit’s highest score in his previous six T20 matches, including the threematch series in South Africa, was 21 and he opted to be watchful at the start of his innings after India were asked to bat.

He added 70 with Shikhar Dhawan for the opening wicket before the latter was bowled by paceman Rubel Hossain for 35.

Rohit then had another fruitful partnership of 102 with Suresh Raina, who fell to Rubel in the final over of the innings after a 30-ball 47.

The 30-year-old Rohit, who has two hundreds in the shortest format of the game, was run-out on the final ball of the innings.

TEAM

P

W

L

D

F

A

GD

POINTS

Agricola

7

6

0

1

22

3

+19

19

Timehri Panthers

7

6

1

0

31

3

+28

18

Grove Hi Tech 9

5

1

3

12

11

+1

18

Kuru Kururu

8

5

2

1

16

9

+7

16

Swan

7

4

3

0

20

7

+13

12

Mocha Champs

7

3

2

2

9

5

+4

11

Diamond Upsetters

9

3

4

2

7

12

-5

11

Herstelling Raiders

8

2

4

1

24

15

+9

10

Samatta Point/KV

7

2

3

2

9

16

-7

8

Friendship All Stars

8

2

6

0

6

16

-10

6

Soesdyke Falcons

9

1

7

1

10

21

-11

3

Diamond United

6

0

6

0

2

51

-49

0

Messi majestic as Barcelona crush Chelsea 3-0

By Rik Sharma

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Lionel Messi scored two brilliant goals and created another for Ousmane Dembele as Barcelona thrashed Chelsea 3-0 yesterday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.

Messi opened the scoring after two minutes and eight seconds, the quickest goal of his career, slipping the ball through Thibaut Courtois’ legs from a tight angle.

The Argentine forward created the second with a blistering run from the halfway line which left three Chelsea defenders stumbling in his wake, before squaring the ball for Ousmane Dembele to rifle home his first goal for the club.

Marcos Alonso hit the post and Olivier Giroud was unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty for a tangle with Gerard Pique as Chelsea tried to launch a comeback, before Messi killed the tie with his 100th Champions League goal.

Chelsea manager Antonio

Conte said his side needed a perfect display to progress but they started disastrously at a packed Nou Camp when Luis

needing two goals, nearly got one before halftime.

N’Golo Kante dragged a shot inches wide and Marcos

Lionel Messi

Suarez teed up Messi, who squeezed a low strike through the legs of Courtois from a tight angle.

Chelsea responded well with Giroud and Willian, who scored in the 1-1 first-leg draw at Stamford Bridge, particularly bright in attack.

But a mistake from Cesc Fabregas on the halfway line allowed Messi to break in again after 20 minutes and the number 10 left the Chelsea backline in tatters to set up the second goal, expertly finished

by Dembele.

The English side, now

Alonso crashed a free kick off the post.

It was the third time across the two legs that Chelsea hit the woodwork

and Antonio Rudiger did it again in the closing stages.

Giroud appeared to be brought down by Pique in the area but referee Damir Skomina did not bow to Chelsea’s protests for a penalty, before Messi drove at the defence again and slotted home Barcelona’s third in the 62nd minute, shooting low between Courtois’ legs for the second time.

Barcelona reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the 11th consecutive season while Chelsea were left facing a battle to qualify for the competition again, as they scrap for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday March 15, 2018)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to Tuesday’s quiz: (1) NZ won 3-0 (2) Shimron Hetmyer 127; Chris Gayle 123 Today’s Quiz: (1) Which Group A teams have made it to the Super Six round of the ICC WC Qualifiers?

(2) Which WI woman scored most runs in the recent 3-match ODI series against NZ? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 15, 2018

I just want to do well for Guyana - Hamzah Eastman

By Michelangelo Jacobus

STARTING out in 2010 on the cycling scene at just 14 years old, as a B M X r id e r, H a m z a h Eastman has now become a household name for cycling fans and enthusiasts in Guyana.

He has been consistently in the top bracket of cyclists in Guyana since 2014

and in a recent interview with Chronicle Sport, the now 22-year-old revealed that he has big plans for 2018.

The Team Coco’s rider’s first club was the Flying Stars Cycling Club.

However, since moving on from the latter in 2015, Eastman has gained more experience and has a firm vision of where he wants to be in the cycling world.

Matthews, Taylor hit half-centuries but Windies slip to defeat

MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand (CMC) – Teenage opener Hayley Matthews and captain Stafanie Taylor stroked half-centuries but West Indies Women lost momentum late in their run chase and slipped to an eight-run defeat in the opening Twenty20 International here yesterday.

In pursuit of a competitive 168 at Bay Oval, Windies Women came up short at 159 for six off their 20 overs, despite an attacking 53 from Matthews and an unbeaten 51 from Taylor.

The Caribbean started the final over requiring 13 runs for victory but experienced seamer Sophie Devine, who ended with two for 27, kept Akeira Peters scoreless from the first three deliveries before conceding just four runs from the over.

Opener Hayley Matthews … top-scored with an aggressive 53.

Sent in, the White Ferns had earlier posted 167 for six off their allotted overs, with wicketkeeper/batsman Katey Martin top-scoring with a fluent 54, captain Suzie Bates getting 49 and Amy Sattherhwaite, 36.

Devine perished early in the second over, top-edging speedster Shamilia Connell to mid-on, for six, with 15 runs on the board but Martin and Bates combined in a 76-run, second-wicket stand to bolster the innings.

Bates struck seven fours and a six in a 38-ball knock.

When Bates top-edged a sweep at leg-spinner Afy

Fletcher and was taken at short fine leg in the 12th over, Satterhwaite joined Martin to put on a further 52 for the third and frustrate the Windies bowlers.

Satterthwaite smashed six fours off just 19 balls before top-edging a heave at medium pacer Deandra Dottin (2-27) to be caught by wicketkeeper Merissa Aguilleira running around to silly mid-on.

Martin followed in the 18th over, holing out to deep backward square off off-spinner Anisa Mohammed.

In reply, the Windies took command of the contest through the aggressive Matthews, who stroked 10 fours in an exciting 31-ball half-century.

She posted 42 off 35 deliveries for the first wicket with Aguilleira who struggled with just five off 14 balls.

West Indies were rollicking along at seven runs per over when Aguilleira missed a slog at Devine and had her stumps shattered.

Matthews raised her half-century off 28 balls in the eighth over when she swung a Hannah Rowe full toss to the square leg boundary but she then fell in the next over from off-spinner Leigh Kasperek, stumped after missing a charge.

On 60 for two at that stage, Windies Women suffered slide where three wickets tumbled for 37 runs before Taylor and Kyshona Knight (19) revived their side’s hopes in a 56-run fifth-wicket stand, off just 32 deliveries.

Taylor was excellent once again in gathering her third half-century of the tour, facing 31 and belting three fours and sixes.

The game, however, remained in the balance with 22 required from the last two overs but Knight’s dismissal in the penultimate over – caught

by Satterhwaite running in from long-off off Kasperek – shifted the advantage to New Zealand.

Windies Women play their second match at the same venue tomorrow.

Team Coco’s Hamzah Eastman just wants to do well for Guyana on the international circuits.

“This year I’m working on developing my technique, I will use my experience gained on the international circuit to try to work on my cycling game.

Instead of sitting back with the pack, like normal, I want to be able to take a race by the neck and take the attack to my competitors,” Eastman revealed.

Having recently won the 12th Annual Diamond Mineral Water meet at the National Park in dominant fashion last Saturday, Eastman said that it was his first race and as such he used it as a sort of fitness test to see just how his body would respond.

“It was great, I didn’t expect to win by such a large margin, I set out to lap the field but I wasn’t expecting such a big gap

so early, I’m feeling great fitness-wise and I’m going to try to maintain it.”

INTERNATIONAL ASPIRATIONS Meanwhile with cycling left out in the cold from Guyana’s contingent to the Commonwealth Games next month in Australia on the Gold Coast, Eastman spoke of feeling as though his spirit was broken.

“I mean I took an early off-season last year just so I could prepare for the Commonwealth Games only to hear that the authorities say that because they’re not sure if we (cyclists) could complete the race we can’t go; it almost broke my spirit, what sense does that make?”

Nevertheless, the 22-year-old said that he

will continue to train hard and work on himself as a cyclist. He has his eyes set on racing in the Caribbean and the USA, competing on the local scene as well. However, the challenge often faced by cyclists in Guyana has reared its ugly head.

Eastman revealed that while his international aspirations are there, he would need a sponsor to assist, as it would be a very tough task for him to personally foot all the expenses involved in travelling to compete.

“All I want to do is do well for my country and with the right support system I will put Guyana on the international cycling map. That’s my deepest desire - to do my country and myself proud.”

YBG launches 13th National Schools Basketball festival … Tournament to bounce off March 23

TO get an idea of the future of any sport discipline, one just has to take a look at the level of talent and competitiveness in the school system.

For the sport of basketball, Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) will provide that opportunity shortly, through the 13th staging of its National Schools Basketball Festival.

Dubbed by many as a nurturing ground for emerging talents within the academic institutions countrywide, the National Schools Basketball Festival is once again set to bring forth another crop of players, who would be viewed as having the potential to one day represent Guyana.

The action will tip off with the Regional Conference on March 23. That aspect of the championship will run until June 16. Thereafter, the organisers will hold what is named ‘Championship Week’ from June 24 to July 1.

This segment of the event will see all the top teams from the various Regional Conferences do battle with the ultimate intention of owning the title of National Champions.

Co-director of YBG, Chris Bowman, speaking at the official launch yesterday morning at the tournament venue, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, commended sponsors Edward Beharry Group of Companies and Banks DIH Limited for their steadfast support to the initiative.

This year marks a decade the Beharry Group has been

onboard, while Banks DIH Limited has notched up nine consecutive years of partnership with the organisers.

“This is indeed a noteworthy accomplishment in this environment where sponsorship and support for healthy, valuable youth alternatives are far and few,” Bowman said.

vious years, YBG is keen on welcoming new talents to the event, pointing specifically to the Chase Academy team who bring their own flavour to the tournament.

Director of Sport Christopher Jones commended the organisers for providing a platform for talents to be spotted and nurtured. He also

to partner with YBG because we recognise that if you want to look at the long-term development of this particular discipline you have to start at the grassroots level.”

In a show of support, representatives of all key partners were present at the launch to make remarks.

Nicholas Fraser repre-

Representatives of the various entities (seated) share a moment with some players who would be competing in the tournament.

Bowman further pointed to one of the specific plans for this year’s competition, which is being held under the tagline ‘dedicated to the supporters of school basketball’.

“We should expect to see continued acceleration of female basketball. Female basketball has been a very bright spot in schools basketball over the last few years,” he highlighted.

Bowman said like pre-

expressed delight with the progress made by YBG over the years.

“We recognised that when they would have started some years ago they would have only been able to identify or work with a few regions. But over time that has broadened and more regions are now onboard,” Jones reflected.

He added, “The National Sports Commission, as I mentioned before, is excited

sented the Ministry of Education’s Unit of Allied Arts, while Communication Manager Troy Peters spoke on behalf of Banks DIH Limited and Chico and Champion Brand Manager Reena Williams addressed the gathering on behalf of the Beharry Group.

They all spoke glowingly of the work of the YBG team and promised their continued alliance for years to come.

Ministers & Royal Family See will not go to Russia Page 31

Khan confident in Amazon Warriors unit … says elimination of mistakes at crucial moments vital for team’s success

(From left) Romario Shepherd, Akshaya Persaud and Sherfane Rutherford read their contracts before affixing their signatures. (Adrine Narine photos)

By Rajiv Bisnauth FROM its inception in 2013, the Guyana Amazon Warriors have been the most consistent team in the history of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), reaching the final on three occasions but failing to win the title.

This year, for the sixth edition of the tournament, the local

franchise has decided upon a squad composed of experience and lots of youth - a squad who, Team Operations manager Omar Khan feels, will land the local franchise their first title.

Khan, speaking to media operatives yesterday when local newcomers Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and Akshaya Persaud signed their respective con-

tracts, indicated that his unit opted for a more balanced team as compared to last year’s.

The former West Indies team manager also revealed that based on the schedule, the Warriors have opted for more local players.

“At the end of the day we tried our best to look at the best composition in terms of

The Guyana Amazon Warriors Team Operations Manager, Omar Khan, with the three local newcomers

a balance and what is required for the conditions, since this year we have five preliminary games at home, in addition to the semi-finals, so looking at the schedule ... obviously we will want to pick a team that can use the home conditions the best, so that’s why we thought we will give the opportunity to the local players, who we feel know the conditions the best

and will captilise on situations,” Khan stated.

He added, “In addition to that, we want to have that mix of international players who will bring their expertise to the locals, and at the same time we hope that they (local players) will learn as much as possible.”

At the start of the draft which took place on

March 1 at Gfinity eSports Arena in London, the Amazon Warriors immediately retained Pakistan’s left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir who has been the spearhead of the attack for two consecutive years.

The Warriors have also retained their best batsman

See page 26

WICB boss reignites gender debate in cricket ... insists ‘boys learn from men’

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce begins 'greatest comeback' in June

THREE-time World and twice Olympic 100-metre champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is expected to return to the track during the summer to begin what she has described as the greatest comeback ever.

The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist missed the 2016/2017 season to have her son Zyon and to recover from a nagging toe injury that played a part in her failure to become the first woman in history to win three consecu-

tive Olympic 100-metre titles.

After more than a year out, the 31-year-old Fraser-Pryce announced in February that she intends to have the greatest comeback ever while speaking at the Howard Aris Memorial Lecture.

Yesterday, her manager Bruce James revealed that comeback begins in a few months.

"Shelly-Ann is training to compete this year. She is expected to take to the track by early June this year. So she

After more than a year out to have her son and heal her injured toe, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce plans to begin her comeback in June.

is training and will be training right through the Commonwealth Games," he said. "Her aim is to be ready by the end of May, early June to start her official competition."

According to James, the three-time 100-metre World Champion will not be easing her way back into competition at the local or regional level. She is planning to go up against the best early.

Turn to page 26

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Controversial Cricket West Indies president Dave Cameron has reignited the gender debate in cricket, insisting again more men were needed in the game’s development in order to facilitate the growth of the sport in the region.

Attempting to clarify comments regarding the gender issue which caused a furore last month, the Jamaican administrator told media here that because “boys learn from men”, it was important to address the “specific issue”.

“Of course, we want female (physical education) teachers at schools, but that was not the issue,” Cameron said following the launch of CWI’s Chirpy’s Classroom Adventure academic manual at the Hyatt Regency Hotel here.

“The issue is we need more men if we are going to grow the game of cricket specifically for the male side because boys learn from men,

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which is a specific issue.”

Cameron argued that unlike other sports, cricket was “technical”, suggesting the need for greater male involvement.

development at the school level had been hindered by the presence of female physical education teachers who “don’t know cricket”.

This, he argued, had

WICB president Dave Cameron

“The game of cricket, ok, while it’s technical or whatever the case is, requires a little bit more than track and field and football,” he asserted.

Cameron copped heavy criticism for comments last month when he told the Jamaica Gleaner that cricket

been a significant change from previous years where males had been dominant in the developmental process.

“Firstly, we only have female PE teachers - which is a

Turn to page 26 THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018