Guyana Chronicle Epaper 14 07 2017

Exxon opens business development centre Page 9

Collusion ‘behind bars’ No. 104973

FRIDAY , JULY 14, 2017

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

... President determined to weed out corruption in prison system

79,000 Guyanese got U.S. visas last year

‘Smallie’ contacts NA prisoner Page 2

All weapons accounted for Page 8

Body of elderly woman pulled from trench

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U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway escorts, President David Granger into the main hall on arrival at the Guyana Marriott for the U.S. 241st Independence celebration (Delano Williams photo)

Don’t blame Ramjattan

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Prisons to remain under State control Page 4

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Don’t blame Ramjattan – President says minister inherited a broken prison system

By Ariana Gordon NO blame should be attached to Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan for the two Georgetown Prison fires in March 2016 and last Sunday, President David Granger has said. The President’s statement follows calls by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) for Ramjattan to step down from his post. But President Granger reminded that the prison system has been plagued with problems for a long time, while noting that the problems are not a quick fix. “It is quite unfortunate that Mr Ramjattan had to inherit a prison service which is in its present state,” the President told the Guyana Chronicle in an interview on Thursday. He noted too that even

while he was a member of the Disciplined Forces Commission 14 years ago, he was aware of the decrepit state of the infrastructure at all the country’s prison facilities. Following the March 2016 fire which left 17 prisoners dead, the President and the Minister of Public Security visited the Mazaruni Prisons where an assessment of the infrastructure was done and plans made to have the facility expanded to accommodate more prisoners. “…he was with me last year, we visited Mazaruni and we knew what had to be done. I would not blame him, I think he has a very difficult ministry,” President Granger added. Asked whether he believes the appointment of a junior minister to the Public Security Ministry would remove some of the pressures off Minister

Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan taking the oath of office before President David Granger back in May 2015 Ramjattan, the head-of- faced with its own chalstate said, “…the pres- lenges, and as such, he is ence of a junior minister awaiting a report from his may not necessarily re- advisor on security on the lieve him of the burden way forward relative to of the discrepant system.” reform of the force. Granger made the In the case of the Guypoint that each aspect ana Fire Service, the Presof the security sector is ident noted the need for

‘Smallie’ contacts NA prisoner

more equipment. “It is a high-expenditure ministry, but I would not attach any blame to him or any neglect of duty on his part. I think he is working very hard in a difficult situation,” Mr Granger asserted. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said Ramjattan should consider calls for him to resign following the second Camp Street penitentiary fire and jailbreak. Jagdeo labelled the minister as incompetent and said it would be best if the President asks Ramjattan to resign. “He has to take responsibility just like in the past when they used to call on PPP ministers, when there was a problem… to resign,” said Jagdeo, who served as President during the 2002 jailbreak and other prison

–– police beef up security after alleged plan to aid her escape

CONVICTED Bartica Massacre felon Mark Royden Williams, called “Smallie” is alleged to have made telephone contact with his girlfriend, Kelly Ann Martin--a remand prisoner at the female penitentiary in New Amsterdam, Berbice. Sources told the Guyana

Chronicle that the female prisoner received telephone calls on two occasions since the infamous Camp Street jailbreak and fire last Sunday and it is believed that the caller was the wanted man. “Don’t tell no one where I am. I will get you out,” Williams reportedly told Kelly Martin,

who was remanded after a smoke grenade and a quantity of marijuana were found at her home. Following that raid, investigators learnt that the woman was planning to smuggle the contraband items into the Camp Street Prison for the mass killer.

Particulars of the charge alleged that the mother of two, on February 16, 2017 at ‘B’ Field Sophia, had a CS smoke grenade in her possession without being the holder of the relevant licence. Following the phone calls, security has been beefed up at the New Amsterdam Prison

Mark Royden Williams called “Smallie” with an increase in members of ranks from the Guyana Police Force, the Prison Task Force and the Guyana Defence Force. Martin was expected to make a court appearance at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court on Thursday but was further remanded by Magistrate Pernita Singh from within the New Amsterdam prison walls. Sources said it is usual for a prisoner being held at the New Amsterdam Prison and having to travel to Georgetown to have their cases heard, to leave a day ahead of their court hearing. However, after it was suspected that the Camp Street escapees would try to aid Martin’s escape, a different approach had to be taken. Martin, 27, of Ram Singh Street, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was previously charged with being in possession of a narcotic for the purpose of trafficking, but that case was dismissed. On February 2, 2017, following a lengthy jury trial before Justice Roxanne George SC, Bartica Massacre

unrests. However, on Sunday night, during a televised press conference aired on the National Communications Network (NCN), Ramjattan cast aside calls for him to demit office. When asked whether be believes he should step down, given the two fires which occurred just over a year apart, Ramjattan said he is not to be blamed as he did nothing wrong. “If there is a fault on my part; well, the President can do that… I would have resigned if it was a fault on my part,” Ramjattan told reporters. He said too that because of the need to bailout the ailing sugar industry, large amounts were expended there and stressed that the government does not have the finances to construct a new facility immediately. felon, Mark Royden Williams called “Smallie” was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until death for the offence of murder. The sentence was handed down to him after a 12-member jury found him guilty of several offences. After that verdict, Justice George had imposed the death penalty on Williams called ‘Durant’ and ‘Smallie’ for eight counts of murder. As it relates to the guilty verdicts for manslaughter, the judge explained that it was determined by the jury that Williams did not intend to kill or cause four of the victims actual bodily harm. On February 17, 2008, at Bartica, he killed Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir and Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne. Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian, Irving Ferreira, Deonarine Singh, Ronald Gomes, Ashraf Khan, Abdool Yasseen, Errol Thomas, and Baldeo Singh were also killed in the massacre.

Remanded: Kelly Ann Martin (Kaieteur News photo)

Collusion ‘behind bars’ 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

... President determined to weed out corruption in prison system

… says Mazaruni to be maximum security prison By Ariana Gordon PRESIDENT David Granger has said that collusion among prison officers and inmates is nothing new, but he is deeply concerned about it, pointing out that with the right training, prison officers will realise their roles as important and will not compromise the security of the state. President Granger was reacting to reports that the Camp Street prisoners were up to something much big-

ger,with evidence pointing to elaborate planning as underground steel pipes at the facility were damaged to make weapons; one of the main fire hydrants disabled and several canisters of gasoline were placed at strategic locations. During the incident on Sunday, most of the buildings at Lot 12 Camp Street were gutted, as well as the Senior Prison Officers’ Sports Club, which was used as a holding area for the evacuated inmates. Speaking to the Guyana

Chronicle on Thursday at State House, the Guyanese leader made it clear that collusion between inmates and officers within the prison will not to be tolerated. He said collusion between the officers and prisoners have been an ongoing feature of the system. “… nothing new between the prison service staff and the prisoners…There obviously had to be some means by which cell phones, weapons and other contraband items were being taken in

President David Granger and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and prison officials during their tour of the Mazaruni Penal Settlement, last year (File Photo)

Officers sort the lighters which were seized last year during a raid at the Camp Street prison

repeatedly into the prison,” he said. HIGH-QUALITY TRAINING Meanwhile, the President said while the prisons are old, inappropriate and inadequate, a solution to curbing collusion and corruption is to properly train prison officers. He argues that professionalism is key and believes that by “having a higher quality of prison officers and better training at all levels,” corruption would be minimised. President Granger noted that persons from all walks of life join the Prison

haps, President Granger remains optimistic that with a modern maximum security prison at Mazaruni, there will be a reduction of collusion and glitches. The President who said he is “deeply moved by the two tragedies,” described the situation as “a serious blow to our work to make society safe and to guarantee the human safety of the population.” He explained that the situation was a difficult one, but noted that efforts would be redoubled to ensure no similar recurrence. “I am of course disappointed and at the same time I am not dismayed; I think we can overcome the problems over

and as you’ve known about 50 per cent of the prisoners in the Georgetown Prison are on remand. So in addition to very fragile infrastructure, we had overcrowding.” After the March 2016 fire, President Granger launched a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the prison riots, which resulted in the death of 17 prisoners. He confirmed that another CoI would be held into last Sunday’s inferno. “Yes, we must have an inquiry, but I can tell you that it is likely to confirm some of the information we had before from the previous inquiry. The point is that we were actually work-

A quantity of improvised weapons which were seized from prisoners last year Service and those very persons may be acquainted with inmates. “It therefore means prison officers must see their roles as important and therefore not compromise the security of the state. At the senior level, the President believes officers must be given the best possible supervisory training available, here and overseas “so we will have a truly professional prison service.” “We also need to ensure [that] the physical infrastructure is such that it would not be easily breached. When you have a situation where the prison is probably carrying three times the population, there is a lot of pressure on the staff, pressure on the infrastructure and as a result of that, we might have had glitches.” Notwithstanding the mis-

the next two to three years,” he said, pointing to what he described as a slight turn around in the Police Force in terms of law enforcement and crime-fighting. And, with the help of partners, the President believes that much improvement will occur. “So my disappointment will turn into relief when these reforms and changes take effect,” President Granger added. The Georgetown Prison was initially built to accommodate some 550 persons, however, at the time of the second fire on Sunday, 1018 persons were there. “So we are aware of the danger of keeping prisoners in the Georgetown Prison. We made an attempt after the 2016 riot to engage the judiciary to reduce the prison population, which is about three times its limit

ing on the implementation of the recommendations of the 2016 CoI and the inquiries held before, including the disciplined services inquiry of 2014.” “So it was a race against time,” he said, adding, “We never pretended that the prison system was adequate and we were racing to complete the Mazaruni Prison, so that we could have taken the excess amount of prisoners away from Georgetown, particularly the long-term, hard core, dangerous ones,” President Granger continued. He noted too that Sunday’s fire brought an end to a long saga of abuses in the prison system and “we will now have to find the money to find a final solution and that solution will be based [on] a maximum security prison at Mazaruni.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

Prisons to remain under State control

--modernisation plan underway, says Ramjattan By Ravin Singh

Sunday’s fire.

GOVERNMENT has opted to have prisons in Guyana remain under the control of the State, but will unveil a modernisation plan which will allow for those institutions to be run by a Board of Governors, Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan said. He was at the time speaking at a press conference held at his Brickdam office on Thursday. Following the most devastating fire at the Georgetown Prison on Sunday last, the Private Sector Commission called for the prison system to be privatised. Several countries around the world, including the United States have privately-operated prisons. But that will not be an option for Guyana, as the government has ruled out the proposal which was made by a consultancy firm. According to Minister Ramjattan, Dr Trevor Hamilton and Associates International Management Consultants was contracted to identify options for the modernisation of the Guyana Prison System. Among the recommendations were: for the prison system to be privatised; for it to be regionalised; a combination of both privatisation and regionalisation; or for the system to remain under the control of the State, but under the direct control of a Board of Governors. The director of prisons would be replaced by an executive director. The public security minister noted that after careful considerations and deliberations, the government opted to keep the system under the control of the State, with the installation of a Board of Governors. He said that

A LOT DONE However, Minister Ramjattan was keen to note that “a lot was done since the recommendations were made by the Commission”. He said most of the implementation work “cost a lot of money, so things will take some time”. And even with this being the case, he maintained that a lot of work had been done to have a safer and more secured prison system. Specifically referenced was an expansion project at the Mazaruni Prison, currently being embarked upon by the government. The minister reasoned that the project will take a few years to be fully realised because it is a major project which demands heavy capital investments. He suggested that the project could cost the State more than $2B.

An artist’s impression of the expanded Mazaruni maximum security prison

under that new governance structure, several amendments to the law were also recommended. To ensure the modernisation plan is well coordinated, Minister Ramjattan disclosed that Professor Duke

Pollard has begun examining the amendments needed for the Prisons Act, so as to accommodate the modernisation of the prison system. Government has also been using content from a Commission of Inquiry

(CoI) report to build on its modernisation plan. Observers have been critical of the government for not implementing some of the recommendations made in the CoI which could have possibly prevented

A bird’s-eye-view of the now-demolished Georgetown Prison

In the 2017 budget, government approved $278M for the expansion project. This money, Minister Ramjattan explained, will be used to develop the foundation for the expansion. He said next year, budgetary allocations will target the actual building which is intended to be four stories. The expansion will entail the construction of solid cast foundations, wall supports and internal fixtures such as wiring, utilities and other features being built over a one-year period. The new section, which will be adjacent to a part of the old prison, will also feature automated locks, sprinkler systems and forced ventilation. Twelve concrete houses are also being built to accommodate prison officers stationed there, at a cost of $178 million dollars. FIRST STEP The minister had said previously that this was the first step towards building a maximum-security prison which will accommodate some 400 prisoners. The successful completion of this project is expected to ease the problems of overcrowding at all other prison facilities across Guyana. “… it will take some time for construction. We have to go through the bidding process and all of that, but it will be a major project. So it will take time,” the minister said. Earlier this week, the minister had said it is not feasible for the government to build a brand new prison albeit it would accommodate 2000+ prisoners. He estimated a project of that magnitude to cost the state more than $6B – an amount he said that could not be afforded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14 2017

CDB signs MOU with Bank of China

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of China have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which will allow both parties to discuss opportunities for cooperation and coordination in CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). The MOU will allow both institutions to explore

co-financing options, as well as coordinate development strategies, concepts and activities in those countries. During the signing ceremony, CBD Vice-President (Operations), Monica La Bennett said that both CDB and the EXIM Bank hold a common conviction of the importance of trade in promoting economic ties between China and Caribbean countries. She

noted, therefore, that the partnership had tremendous potential. “We are especially optimistic about the prospects for co-financing projects in key sectors such as infrastructure; human resource development; agriculture; and renewable energy and energy efficiency. We, therefore, welcome this collaboration with the Export-Import Bank of

China and look forward to combining our resources, knowledge and expertise to further the development of the Caribbean Region for the benefit of its people,” she said. “CDB and EXIM Bank, we share the same target, to improve the economic development of Caribbean countries…I am quite sure that by signing this MOU we will expand this

kind of cooperation and achieve the given result, the economic cooperation between China and Caribbean agencies,” added Yu Wen, Deputy General Manager, Corporate Business Department, Export-Import Bank of China. The signing ceremony took place during a CDB-hosted conference on the use of Chinese Ren-

minbi in the Caribbean earlier this week. China EXIM Bank is a stateowned policy bank that supports China’s foreign trade, investment and international economic cooperation. It implements projects around the world, including in Latin America and the Caribbean. China has been a member country of CDB since 1998. (CMC)

Brazil: Temer wins corruption charges reprieve A congressional committee in Brazil has voted against recommending President Michel Temer be tried in the Supreme Court on corruption charges. The vote reduces the chances of the president appearing in the dock. But it is non-binding and still needs to be approved by the full parliament. The public prosecutor has said he will instigate new corruption charges.

Earlier ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would seek re-election despite a corruption conviction. Mr Temer was charged last month, accused of plotting to receive bribes from the boss of a giant meatpacking firm. He has denied any wrongdoing. The final decision on whether he is tried by the Supreme Court lies with parliament, who is expected to vote on the matter within

The charges on Thursday were the first of several against the president made by the public prosecutor

days. In order for Mr Temer to face prosecution two-

thirds of the 513 deputies in the lower house need to approve the charges

against him. The government is confident it has sufficient votes to block an eventual trial. The charges on Thursday were the first of several against the president made by Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot, who has said he will present more in the coming weeks. Meanwhile former President Lula gave his first public reaction after being convicted of corruption charges and

sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. Vowing to appeal, he called the case politically motivated and said he plans to run for president in 2018. “If anyone thinks that with this move against me they have taken me out of the game, they are wrong, I am in the game,” he said. Despite the conviction, and four more upcoming trials, Mr Lula remains a popular figure. (BBC)

Murder suspect ‘Sausage’ shot dead by police One of the men who was initially arrested for questioning following the double murders of Videsh Subar, 13, and his babysitter Hafeeza Rose Mohammed, 56, was killed by police officers during a gunfight on Wednesday morning. According to a police report, at about 4 am Kendall “Sausage” Garcia, 23, was shot during an exchange of gunfire with officers who responded to a robbery in progress at Orange Valley, Couva. Police said Garcia, who was originally from Valencia, was one of four men involved in the robbery. Officers of the Central Division Task Force responded and confronted the men, two of whom were armed with guns. Three of the men ran off, but police said Garcia began shooting at them, forcing the officers to return fire. Garcia was shot twice in the chest and subsequently taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility, where he was pronounced dead. An officer investigating the double murder said yesterday that Garcia was

arrested and charged for rape, which was pending before the courts. The officer said on June 27 when they received the call of Mohammed and Subar’s killings, they immediately ran background checks on possible motives. “This was when we discovered that Sausage was arrested and charged for rape and he was also known for robberies. So immediately he was brought in for questioning just after midnight (June 28), given the circumstances surrounding Mohammed’s death,” the police source said. “However, hours after, although we had a possible motive for Mohammed’s death there was still not sufficient evidence to prove that Sausage actually murdered her and the little boy so we

had to release him. He was released later that same day (June 28).” The T&T Guardian was told Garcia’s criminal profile shows he was a dangerous drugs and firearms offender. He had two addresses - 40 Gokool Street, New City, Valencia and at LP645, Eastern Main Road, Maturita Village, Arima. Subsequent to Garcia’s release, police held three other suspects and released two of them after they were not recognised in identification parades at the La Horquetta Police Station. A fourth suspect, a 25-year-old man of Sangre Grande, who alleged he was beaten by police and forced to sign a statement, was said to be still in custody.

Kendall “Sausage” Garcia,

A 54-year-old male relative of Mohammed has also been detained and a formal statement taken by investigating officers. Mohammed and Subar

were both found tied up and their throats slit at Mohammed’s home at Ajim Baksh Street on June 27. Speaking about the Garcia’s killing after he delivered remarks at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of T&T’s graduation ceremony in Port-of-Spain yesterday, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said it was engaging the attention of himself and acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams. Asked what was of specific concern to him over the killing that triggered a discussion with Williams, Dillon said whenever a killing is committed he would speak to the CoP, since this was a barometer by which

they are measured. “To single out this particular incident ... it is every murder is a cause for further interrogation and further inquiry to get an understanding of what has happened ...was there something we could have done to prevent it? Is it something that we could do now to speed up the arrest and prosecution as the case might be? So before and after the event there are always concerns to me.” Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, police are seeking assistance in identifying a Port-of-Spain drug addict and petty thief known only as “Yankee,” who was killed on Nelson Street early Wednesday. (Trinidad Guardian)

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

Searching Buxton backlands for escapees THE Guyana Police Force has made it known that based on intelligence, it is searching the Buxton backlands for the inmates who escaped the Georgetown Prison on Sunday after the unrest at the Camp Street complex. As more information is gleaned, the greater is the indication that this was not a spontaneous act, but one of careful planning and execution. It also raises questions as to how such planning could have been executed internally by the inmates without some sort of external support and who are the intellectual authors. As of yesterday, the figure of escapees has climbed to six. As a public service, the Guyana Chronicle will be carrying the wanted men’s pictures in order that their image can be etched in citizens’ memories, making it easier to report any sighting to the nearest police station, or calling hotline numbers 225-6411, 225-8196, 225-2227, 227-1149, 226-7065, or 911. The last thing the nation would want is a repeat of the four-year criminal mayhem that resulted from the 2002 jailbreak. The death of those escapees, though it brought a sigh of relief, where it is yet to be irrefutably known who were the masterminds and supporters behind their break-out and sustenance, the society is the poorer from this type of intelligence-gathering. The lesson of that era, if nothing else, has taught of the importance of getting to the bottom of the present unrest. The improvement in the force’s crime-fighting techniques will not only be put to the test, but be relied on to capture the escapees and engage in the needed interrogation work. Not wanting to frighten the society, but at the same time it cannot be ignored where illegal arms and ammunition may be lying

around, Guyana’s vast backlands and possible likely support, those escapees pose threat to lives, limbs and properties. This is why it is imperative they be captured as soon as possible. The East Coast Demerara backlands, which were built during slavery, connects to the East Bank of Demerara backlands and are an intricate infrastructural network, with forested and savannah lands which can be seen as havens to hide out. The nation cannot afford a repeat of the 2002 crime-fighting tactics whereby villages were held under siege and an entire group demonised. There would also be concern if there is an attempt to recreate the fear of one group, feeling it is being targeted by another. Once the escapees are at large, it could also create and present cover for other criminal acts and harken back to the 2002-2006 era. The horror story recounted by taxi driver Matthew Shivtahal, who said he was abducted by the four escaped prisoners on Sunday evening following the prison break in Georgetown and his car used to transport them to the backlands, serves as reminder. As an aside, though not unrelated to criminality, the Tuesday gun robbery of passengers on a Route 32 minibus at McDoom, East Bank Demerara, where the driver was shot by alleged bandits and later succumbed is testimony to the presence and illegal use of firearms. Among the escapees are Uree Varswyck, also known as Malcolm Gordon, who was on remand for double-murder since 2014 and Bartica massacre convict Mark Royden Durant, also known as Royden Williams. These are hardcore inmates. In 2015 Varswyck, who is a former policeman attached to the Tactical Services Unit, posted to his social

media/facebook account that he would be free from prison. Many could recall the brutal precision in which the Bartica massacre was executed and the getaway tactics of those involved in the crime. Certain crimes in our society create opportunities for political connotation and hostility, which carries sharp racial undertones that people have not been immune to or protected from. Looking at the present blame game by former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, former Presidents Donald Ramotar and Jagdeo, and former Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy via letters and statements to the media, is casting a dark shadow of what could likely ensue. On Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition Jagdeo even as he promised the escapees will have “no political support from the opposition and secondly, we are not going to go to any communities and ask them to provide safe-havens for any of the escapees so our security forces will not be shot at when they go into communities or have to face an entire community” could not resist the political mudslinging. Having said that, attention is taken of the constructive approach in making public, opinions on housing the inmates which is marked improvement to previous insensitivity and hopefully will remain.

Time to re-examine approach to crime-fighting Dear Editor, THE recent destruction of the Camp Street Prison, presumably by riotous inmates, makes it imperative that Guyana’s political directorate, in collaboration with the civilian authorities, move as a matter of urgency, to re-examine the existing approach to crime and punishment. Most important, is the need for an urgent examination of the root causes of crime prior to identifying solutions, to address them. Our collective conditioning on these matters, which finds us putting the cart before the horse, has made us ill-equipped to effectively deal with the crime situation in the country. Too often, the authorities – political and civil – have demonstrated an absence of awareness of how these matters evolve and what is required to deal with the challenges they pose

consistent with progressive thinking on these social/ economic related problems. In Guyana, we are predisposed to treat our imprisoned population as pariahs/social outcasts. On the other hand, we celebrate and glorify our “achievers.” Even when those so-called achievements are made possible from the proceeds of crime and corruption, we unhesitatingly take ownership of these persons, while at the same time we refuse to accept that law-breakers, whoever they are, are products of our society and can be found in every strata of the society. This phenomenon is reflected in Guyana’s prison population, since the big-time gangsters with their inexhaustible supply of money and who enjoy police and other forms of protection, are often not prosecuted and don’t find themselves in jail. It is the crimes done by the poor and powerless that result in

jail time and dominate the headlines of the news media. This is the reality in Guyana today. It is this reluctance to appreciate and address this grave contradiction in the society that makes it easy for policy-makers not to deliver lasting solutions to this important social problem. Our policy-makers advocate measures and allocate resources that are not in keeping with what is required for dealing with the problem. To correct this situation we need, as I have alluded to above, a paradigm shift, both in our thinking and practice. While reforming of the prison system and sensible judicial sentencing policies are necessary, more important is for us as a nation to take collective responsibility for what takes place in our society, be it good or bad. If we do so, we are likely to find consensus for a social contract that forces policymakers to be more sensitive

to the needs of the “ordinary” citizens and the under-privileged in the society. The unemployment and under-employment situation in the country is unacceptable. Those most affected are located in the country’s youth population. Our youth today are in a large way, products of the global digital reality in an ever smaller world, with its temptations of glitter. We have to recognise also that in a situation of very high cost of living, the wages and salaries paid to the majority of the workforce, while somewhat improved from what they were a few years ago, are still grossly inadequate. Our education system since the colonial days has underperformed relative to the need for it to produce citizens with the necessary transformative skills to effectively exploit our vast natural

resources. These are not recent challenges. They represent our collective failure for the last 50 or more years. Given the amount of wealth being stolen annually by gold smugglers and other citizens engaged in acts of corruption, bad decisions in implementing economic programmes and the use of tremendous resources to prop up ailing industries, the argument of resource limitation begs the question. The nation needs to commit to a welfare society, where human resource is our highest priority. I am convinced that until we are able to find employment for our youths coming out of schools and other educational institutions, we are unlikely to liberate them from crime and social degradation. These are some of the challenges posed by the recent riot in the Camp Street Prison. In the light of the potential wealth of the coun-

try, there is no convincing reason why a student should end school without some advance knowledge of where he or she will be employed. It is time we put an end to this travesty against our youths. I am keenly aware that when it comes to crime like most things, there is no one reason or solution for everything. My emphasis here however, is to reduce the flow of would-be offenders who are products of our unrealistic economic and social arrangements in the society. I end by saying, that, try as they might, the authorities will be unable to disprove my contention that nowhere among the 1000-plus prisoners who were housed in the burnt Camp Street jail, can be found one who was from one of the rich and powerful families in Guyana. Regards Tacuma Ogunseye

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14 2017

Desperate Maduro will seek diversion amidst unrest

Dear Editor

BEATRICE Rangel, a former Chief-of -Staff to former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez, has said that a desperate President Nicolas Maduro may well order military intervention into Guyana as a means of trying to divert attention from his internal troubles, but not a single platoon of the armed forces of Venezuela will obey that order. “It is not going to happen, the military is too fragmented” she said, in response to questioning by former Guyanese diplomat Wesley Kirton about such a possibility during a forum Thursday here entitled “ Voices from Venezuela,” put on by the Council of the Americas. Rangel had earlier argued that the Venezuelan president is desperate and is being “propped up” by a number of international criminal organisations, including the Russian

and Chinese mafia and the Colombian drug cartels which are currently directing the Maduro regime’s every move. She criticised the international community’s lack of action on brokering a solution to the crisis in the once oil-rich Latin American republic, saying that the violence which is likely to erupt this Sunday, may force it to act. The opposition and the government are scheduled to hold votes this month, the opposition holding a referendum on Maduro’s leadership this Sunday and Maduro holding a vote for a constituent assembly on July 31. This could be the bloodiest day in Venezuela’s recent history, Rangel said, pointing out that this may be the occasion for the Organization of American States (OAS) to invoke the Inter-American Democratic Charter and request the United Nations (UN) Security Council to address the crisis in Venezuela. Rangel said the OAS resolution which fell short of passage

by three votes at the recent General Assembly in Cancun, Mexico, was a result of threats and scare tactics carried out by Venezuela’s mafia connections which forced countries such as neighboring Trinidad and Tobago to abstain on the resolution out of fear. She said these groups had been terrorising Trinidadian fishermen off the coast of Tobago, making life difficult for Tobagonians. However, a representative of one of Trinidad and Tobago’s non-governmental organisations participating in the forum, later told me that Rangel’s analysis was flawed and that his country’s abstention had to do with future joint exploitation of oil and gas resources that are to be found in the maritime space of the two neighbouring countries. Asked about the role of the oil industry, Rangel said that is a complicated architecture of relationships and accused Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA of helping to finance and facilitate companies and

We have leadership, parental and academic problems Dear Editor This is where criminologists come in handy. A couple of weeks ago, the nation was pondering the anomaly of educated young men, with reasonably good jobs, taking up arms to rob a bank. It baffled many as to the causative factor and/or the modus operandi behind such thinking. Why would educated men, who can easily get into white collar crimes, descend into a realm that is probably out of their element? Well, the answer is simple. Desperation! The climate for white collar crimes changed drastically when the administration changed. Many of the avenues for a “lil’ hustle”, that took place before 2015, were closed when the Granger administration came into power and began tightening the screws. Banks have now instituted a host of hoops that you have to jump through, just to obtain or deposit your own money. No doubt, this mash-up many other bank ‘runnings.’ Additionally, the galore of audits reports caused many to virtually cease all (or most) illegal activities, even in ministries and companies that were not subject to any audits. This ‘new environment’ is causing many people to be very fearful of continuing in their old ways of consistently engaging in activities that were illegally supplementing their incomes. So now the white collar type of crimes have been significantly reduced. With this explanation as the backdrop, one must now understand that folk like the bank robbers, who might have been involved in such crimes, or who thought that their education might have provided an avenue for them to get involved

in those white collar kinds of crimes, have now found themselves in a tight spot. Their desires for ‘big-money’ are the same. Their need for extravagance has not been curtailed. But now, the established avenues for them to thrive have been reduced. So they resort to blue collar crimes. These kinds of crimes are more risky; they are crasser, and, they carry more jail time. However, in desperation, one is likely to try anything and I am thinking that that is what happened with those bank robbers. They crossed over into a realm that was unfamiliar to them and they botched the job. The rest is history. Now, let’s look at a different scenario. Four of the prison escapees abducted a young man. These escapees are all convicted murderers; all of whom have been convicted of killing more than one person. Again, the Guyanese public defaulted to the presumption that the young man would be killed. In the minds of most of us, he was a goner. What further solidified our suspicions that he was dead, was his race vis-a-vis the race of his abductors. However, Mr. Shivtahal is safely home with his wife and son. The convicted murderers did not kill him. (They might have promised to kill him, if he said what they told him not to say, but that is a different story for a different time.) Again, we have to go into the minds of those four escapees. What would make them not kill Mr. Shivtahal? Some say that it was because he begged for his life and because he has a young son. Well, is it not true that the men – at least one of them – were convicted for killing women and children? If the men did kill those people, some of them must have begged to have their lives

spared. So, begging for your life and claiming to have children are not sufficient reasons for convicted killers to not kill you. The point I am trying to make is that we in Guyana are shooting in the dark. We do not quite know what is driving our so-called criminals (the blue collar ones, especially). For seven years I have been speaking on this topic and I have been suggesting that the authorities create a semiformal process that will subject every arrested suspect to an interview. (Not an interrogation, akin to what the investigators have to do). But an interview, conducted by a person, or persons, who have the ability to win the confidence of the detainee. The interview should be designed to unearth modalities of behaviour: defective consciences, emotional immaturity, inadequate childhood socialisation, maternal deprivation, and/or poor moral development. Guyana does NOT have a crime problem. We have leadership, parental and academic problems which lead to crime. More than 60% of our criminals are repeat offenders and more than a ¼ of those locked up are on remand. For seven years I have been speaking on this issue and I honestly believe that if the successive governments had listened to me, those 18 guys would not have died last year and we would not have lost our prison and be internationally humiliated, this year. Editor, I will continue to address this issue until Guyana’s criminal justice system makes the necessary and timely changes. Regards Wendell Jeffrey

interests, whose access to finance and financial institutions has been cut off as a result of U.S. sanctions placed on them. She cited as an example a reported recent telephone conversation between Maduro and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Putin suggested that Maduro may want to ensure he operates within the Constitution and to which Maduro responded that such advice could force him to ask Russian oil interests to leave Venezuela. As for a solution to the crisis in Venezuela, Rangel said the international community has to broker a deal, but in the

process of negotiation has to recognise that it is not dealing in an environment of traditional negotiations and therefore has to be tough, offering Maduro the option of peaceful exile or imprisonment. She also argued that there will have to be the emergence of a new political entity to counter balance the current opposition. The new political party would have to be one that would represent the interests of the working and middle classes that supported the late Hugo Chavez. The forum also heard from a number of other presenters from Venezuela, includ-

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ing Jose Domingo Mujica, National Coordinator of the Electoral Assembly of Education, University Professor Juan Manuel Raffle and journalists Marianela Balbi and Nathan Crooks, Venezuela Bureau Chief, Bloomberg. President of the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) Mike Mc Cormack and President of the Transparency Institute of Guyana, Dr. Troy Thomas were among participants from CARICOM member states in the forum. Regards Wesley Kirton

All weapons accounted for

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

– except one pistol, says Prisons Director

By Vishani Ragobeer ALL OF the weapons, except one, that were stored in the Camp Street Prison Armory have been accounted for, Prisons Director Gladwyn Samuels said. The armory (or the prison’s arms store) was set ablaze last Sunday by escaping prisoners. “So far, one weapon is not accounted for,” Samuels told reporters at a press conference held at the Ministry of Public Security, Brickdam, Georgetown. He pointed out that some of the weapons recovered might have been damaged and did not rule out the possibility that one of the escapees might have the missing weapon or it

could still be lying uncovered in the piles of rubble. Questioned on whether the staff on duty at the prison last Sunday was adequate to man its operations, more so to manage the unrest and fire, the prisons director responded “adequate is relative”. He disclosed that there were about 40 staff in total last Sunday but could not ascertain how many of them were there at the time of the fire, since the staff attendance book was lost in the blaze. Samuels also explained that the number of officers scheduled to work on Sunday was in keeping with the staff quota for that day. The Georgetown Prison is equipped to communicate with the Guyana Prison Service Central headquar-

ters in Brickdam and to alert officers outside its environs. Both of these measures were used during the Camp Street fire, Samuels told reporters. The Guyana Chronicle had reported that the unrest and fire was a distraction that served the interest of a few prisoners. These reports made mention of a possible collusion between the prisoners and prison staff. But Samuels ruled out that possibility, contending that the incident was “well-orchestrated” with quite a few prisoners involved. THE ESCAPE During the fire, there was some confusion creat-

ed by the behaviour of the prisoners but the authorities fought resolutely to bring the situation under control. Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, who also spoke at the press conference, said the situation during the fire was volatile and commended the Joint Services for a job well done in maintaining order. According to the commissioner, security received intelligence directing them to guard the walls of the prison since prisoners could have escaped from there. And with a great majority of the forces focussed on securing the perimeter of the prison and the prison walls and skillfully evacuating the prisoners, all the while battling the conflagration, some of the prisoners channelled their attention to the front gate and overpowered the guards there. In all, five of them escaped along Camp Street.

Prisons Director Gladwyn Samuels Three of them proceeded to hijack the vehicle of Matthew Shivtahal, and Commissioner Seelall said, “They [the police officers] didn’t notice persons passing them on Camp Street.” Meanwhile, some of the prisoners were taken to the Prison Officers Sport’s Club, but that building was also set on fire. Miraculous-

ly, the officers were able to control the stampede of prisoners fleeing from the crowd. The unrest and fire have been reportedly orchestrated by Bartica Massacre murder convict, Royden Williams who managed to slip through the authorities’ grasp. Williams was housed in the condemned division in a separate cell. The death row inmate, also called “Smallie” was convicted of eight counts of murder and four counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to death. For the Bartica Massacre, Williams also has a second indictment for terrorism and three counts for break and enter and larceny. Based on initial information received, Samuels said Williams had recruited or otherwise sought the assistance of other inmates who assisted in breaking open his cell, allowing for his escape during Sunday’s fire.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Exxon opens business development centre … Trotman urges company to expand relations beyond GT

By Alva Solomon AS American oil giant ExxonMobil opens its centre for Local Business Development, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has urged the company to expand its relationship with the local business sector beyond Georgetown. Dubbed–The Centre–by Exxon, the facility which is located at the top floor of the Institute for Private Enterprise Development (IPED) building on South Road in the city, provides a space for local firms to learn about opportunities in the oil and gas industry, strengthen their competitiveness and prepare to supply the oil and gas industry with various ser-

vices. Funded by ExxonMobil and managed by DAI Global, the centre will provide business opportunities for local entities in the area of catering services, safety equipment, marine operations and warehousing. Over time the centre will evolve and will serve other sectors, such as the information communication technology (ICT), mining, forestry and agriculture. Minister Trotman in brief remarks at the opening of the centre on Thursday, expressed appreciation to Exxon and its partners Esso Corporation and Hess for showing their commitment to the people and government of Guyana. He noted the progress Exxon has made in the

Elderly woman fished out of Happy Acres trench THE body of 73-year-old Chandroutie Deonarine of Bushlot Village, West Coast Berbice was found floating in a trench at Montrose, East Coast Demerara (ECD) Thursday morning. Reports are that about 01:00hr Wednesday morning, in a state of hallucination, she left her home for an unknown destination. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) revealed that she was not in the best of health and was staying at her daughter’s home at Happy Acre, ECD. When the Guyana Chronicle visited the family home in Happy Acre, no one was there but neighbours said they saw the lady a few times and were not sure if she was in the best of health. Police have indicated that the matter is under investigation and the body is at Lyken’s Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.

development of the petroleum sector here, noting that there is the hidden factor in the evolving industry, that being local content. This includes Guyanese business and services and the building of capacity by ensuring that there is training. Trotman said that there are some who may be impatient regarding the development of the petroleum sector but he noted that the authorities are cautious as the sector evolves. “We are not in a sprint we are in a marathon and it’s going to last several decades,” he said. He noted that locally, there is a large body of businesses and he called on Exxon to carry the venture beyond the confines of the

building at South Road to other parts of the country. “So while you may have a storefront here it is important that you not confine yourself to this one location,” the Minister noted. Exxon’s Country Manager, Rod Henson told the gathering that the centre represents a key and visible element of the company’s strategy to provide opportunities for Guyanese businesses to participate in the petroleum industry. Henson said that it is important for the entity to move forward and work with local talent. The Centre will assist small and medium- sized businesses in the area of capacity building and competitiveness, Henson said, noting that local suppliers are critical to the long-term

success of the industry. DAI Global has been contracted by Exxon to manage the centre and develop a path to sustainability. The company will partner IPED, EMPRETEC and the Brain Street group in the venture. “We want to thank our Guyanese contractors for building a networking and training facility that provides Guyanese businesses with a world-class space to interact with the oil and gas industry. The local content of the office is 100 percent Guyanese built and contracted,” noted Zachary Kaplan, Director of DAI’s Energy and Resources Group . Local suppliers are important to the success of ExxonMobil’s operations

in Guyana, as elsewhere. Through the centre, ExxonMobil will work with existing suppliers, potential new suppliers, and other stakeholders to develop local companies and encourage an increasingly competitive industrial base. In addition to its skills development function, the centre aims to be a reliable and neutral source of information on technical standards, procurement opportunities, tendering processes, and project-specific matters. ExxonMobil, its contractors and subcontractors, the broader oil and gas industry, and the Government of Guyana will be able to utilise the centre to source local suppliers and services.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

79,000 Guyanese got U.S visas last year By Ariana Gordon

MORE than 72, 000 non-Immigrant and 7,000 Immigrant visas were processed by the United States Embassy last year, United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway disclosed on Thursday evening during the U.S.’s 241st Independence Day celebration at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown. Holloway noted that the issuance of visas here is important and noted that with the improvements in the economic situation over the last few years, the embassy’s refusal rate has been reduced significantly from a high of well over 50 per cent five years ago. “Luckily, only a very small percentage of Guyanese abuse their visas by staying illegally,” the U.S. Ambassador stated. Additionally, he said the Consular Section and Regional Security Office (RSS) of the U.S. Embassy worked with local law en-

bassy spent about US$30M or $6.5B in bilateral and regional foreign assistance here. “Remittances from the USA to Guyana are about US$225M a year or more than GY$48B,” he stated. Meanwhile, the US government has assisted Guyana considerably in the emerging oil and gas sector and according to the U.S Ambassador, the State Department’s Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative will continue to provide assistance to the Ministry of Natural Resources in supporting the development of a strong regulatory framework and oil-spill prevention strategies, in preparation for oil production come mid-2020. “We have also provided assistance via the Carter Center to help Guyana prepare for its candidacy for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative or EITI. I am optimistic that Guyana’s candidacy will be approved this year and

donor coordination working group on petroleum to ensure that we are not supplicating efforts and are seeking out synergies that will allow us all to provide maximum assistance to the government and people of Guyana,” Ambassador Holloway stated. Two explosives detection scanners for use at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) were also handed over to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure through the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The Ambassador pointed to assistance in the areas of USAID Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment (SKYE) project; the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Programme; work to help Guyana lower the incidence of HIV/AIDS and to ensure those infected can continue to contribute to society; transnational military assistance in the form of regional understanding and in-

Thumbs up! As President David Granger Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Leon Walcott, President of the Council of People with Disabilities at the U.S. Embassy’s Independence celebration on Thursday (Delano Williams photos) forcement to ensure the first successful prosecution for visa fraud in Guyana, which led to the imprisonment of an Internet Café vendor. The U.S. Ambassador said too, the RSS also assisted local banks on the verification of suspected counterfeit notes, as well as, assisted the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in running traces on suspected weapons involved in local crimes. In an outline of his Embassy’s work over the past year, Ambassador Holloway noted that over 500 Guyanese are employed by the Embassy and that em-

this will help ensure sound management of resources, as well as transparency.” Additionally, support was also granted to increase fiscal transparency and capacity in tax administration by bringing in advisors from Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance, to work with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to improve capacity, support retention of talent, provide tools to curb potential corruption; and help develop the Oil and Gas Office within the Large Taxpayer’s Department. “We also helped start a

teroperability; fellowships and the establishment of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) here, among other programmes. Since the establishment of the DEA, Ambassador Holloway said there has been increased information sharing between the U.S. and Guyanese entities, and that has thereby allowed for open investigations and “to deny bad people the ability to travel to the U.S. “We have done a lot and will be doing so much more as long as President David Granger and the people of Guyana want us to contin-

ue,” he said highlighting partnerships with past and present administrations. “At best at times, we have simply been a catalyst or strong supporter, but

development, education, governance, health, justice improvement and security cooperation and migration. “Guyana attaches great importance to the bond

er said, face the common threat of transnational crime which can be countered only through international cooperation. International terror-

U.S. Ambassador Perry Holloway shares a toast with President David Granger on Thursday evening at the Marriott Hotel. Also in photo are First Lady Sandra Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, and his wife, Sita Nagamootoo (Right) along with Rosaura Holloway, wife of Ambassador Holloway (partially hidden) the real work of advancing Guyana as a country has always been done by Guyanese and there is still more to do. I am here to tell you today that if you want us, then the United States will be by your side going forward,” said Ambassador Holloway. Meanwhile, President David Granger in brief remarks congratulated the U.S. Government and citizens for achieving its 241st Independence and emphasised the importance of collaboration. He told those gathered at the event that Guyana and the U.S have enjoyed high bilateral cooperation in several areas including but not limited to culture, defence, economic

and friendship which existed between our two countries since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations,” the President said. The Head-ofState said too that Guyana looks forward to deepening and strengthening its relations with the U.S and referenced the Caribbean 2020 multi-year strategy to Increase the Security, Prosperity, and Well-Being of the People of the United States and the Caribbean. “The strategy would be instrumental in strengthening the economies and sustaining security within Caribbean states,” said President Granger. Guyana and the U.S., President Grang-

ism, Trafficking in Persons (TIP), illegal weapons and narcotics all represent national security threats to states and “…international security cooperation is critical to combatting these threats. Cooperation is imperative to human safety, vital to preserving the Caribbean as a zone of peace, necessary to maintaining the integrity of the Criminal Justice System. Guyana and the USA have been reliable strategic partners over the years.” Guyana, the President added looks to the U.S, a global leader in the area of renewable energy technologies to assist in the reduction of high energy costs.

Representatives of the U.S. Navy stand at attention as part of a presentation during that country’s 241st Independence Celebration at the Marriott Hotel

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Father allegedly rapes daughter in grandmother’s care

A MOTHER of 10, whose teenage pregnant daughter was allegedly raped by her father, returned to her homeland, unexpectedly, so as to allow the police investigators to intervene in the matter. She is hoping that her four minors can return with her to their adopted homeland, in the not too distant future. The 40-year-old woman, who resides in the United States, told the Guyana Chronicle Wednesday that her 15-year-old daughter was allegedly impregnated after a single sexual encounter with an adult, who is currently incarcerated. The family only became aware of the conception when the teen was four months in gestation. Subsequently, the father, who previously lived in Suriname, returned to his place of birth in Guyana and took up residence with his mother and four of his children. Initially, the children -three girls and a boy, aged 15, 13, 10 and six years old respectively, had migrated to the United States in 2012 with their mother and five older siblings. But, two years later, their mother was forced to make the decision of having the younger children return to their homeland, and they were left in the care of their paternal grandmother. All was going well until their father returned to Guyana last November, and, on seeing his pregnant daughter, and realising the circumstances surrounding the minor’s pregnancy, allegedly told her that he needed to have sex with her. This, he reportedly said, would make “a passage for the birth of the baby”. But the teen rebuked him, saying it was not a proper thing to do. But the 42-year-old man allegedly forced himself on her. The act was done repeatedly, even after the teen delivered her son. When a report was made to the paternal grandmother, the young mother

was greeted with a series of expletives. Subsequently, the matter was reported to the overseas-based mother, who spoke with the children’s grandmother on June 24 last. ‘COME GET YOUR CHILDREN’ During the conversation, the grandmother reportedly said, “Come and get your children. I already put out my son. What more do you want me to do?” Unknown to her children, the woman returned to Guyana last Saturday, but instead of going to their home in New Amsterdam, she visited the Central Police Station and made a report. Thereafter, she was accompanied by the police to one of several housing schemes where the three girls were taken and subsequently medically examined by a doctor at the New Amsterdam Hospital. A file has since been sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution for advice while the suspect remains in police custody. Meanwhile, the teen’s mother, looking out on the verandah of her home, said it was never her desire to have her daughters become victims of sexual assaults, and, for this reason, she entrusted them in the care of their grandmother. “I thought I could have trusted her. This incident is an eye-opener. I decided to take all the girls because I did not want him to move from one child to the next. It’s a stain. Nothing can remove that stain when a father has sex with his daughter. As a victim, you can push another encounter out of your mind, but when a father forgets his role, and, instead of protecting, defiles his child… that can never be forgotten. “Just imagine, I had to return to Guyana to take a father to court, for allegedly raping his daughter. I cannot turn back the hands of time. I know someday he will have to be involved

in the life of the other children, but for now, he has forgotten his role and so, he has to face the consequence of his actions,” the mother, with tears rolling down her face, said. While she awaits the outcome of the investigations, it is hoped that the children would be given an opportunity to return to the United States where they are lawful permanent residents. Meanwhile, the father was granted $100,000 bail after he appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court, East Canje. He is required to lodge his passport until the determination of the matter. The 42-year-old unemployed man was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that between December 1, 2016, and May 13, 2017, at Bermine Housing Scheme, he sexually penetrated a 15-year-old girl. The unrepresented man told the court that his daughter lived with him for a period in Suriname and he never molested her. However,when he returned to Guyana last year to address immigration issues, the allegations were made against him. He claimed that he would never hurt his daughter as he is fully aware that he has to protect her. The matter is fixed for hearing on July 31.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Argentina pledges support for Guyana’s health sector

THE Argentine Republic will assist Guyana in the drafting of a roadmap for the delivery of blood services as the two countries strengthen their bilateral relations in areas such as health, security, sports, art and culture.

Argentina’s Ambassador to Guyana, Luis Alberto Martino, made the announcement in the presence of President David Granger, during a reception on Wednesday to mark the 201st Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Argentine

Republic at the Marriott Hotel. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; Minister of State Joseph Harmon; former President, Donald Ramotar; former prime minister, Samuel Hinds; Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland; Members of the

President David Granger, First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Argentina’s Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Luis Alberto Martino and Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon toast to the warm relations between Guyana and Argentina (Delano Williams photo) Diplomatic Corps, the Judiciary, Private and Public Sectors were also in attendance. Ambassador Martino told his distinguished guests that the haematology project forms part of a series of initiatives being undertaken here by his Government. It was explained that in recent years the Argentine Government has consolidated a number of existing projects while establishing new ones. “In the area of health for example, during the last quarter of 2015, under the umbrella of the South-South Cooperation Arrangement coordinated by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and involving the Ministries of Health for both countries, a team of Argentine experts in the field of haematology visited Guyana on two occasions--in October and November--on a capacity building mission,” Ambassador Martino pointed out. “During August 2016, Phase III of the project was executed, which involved a visit to Buenos Aires of three Guyanese experts to strengthen their capacity-building even further. Phase IV will take place in the last week of September, 2017,” he added. That phase, the ambassador explained, involves an assessment of the results in the area of capacity-building and the drafting of a road map for blood services in Guyana.

In the area of art and culture, Ambassador Martino announced that between September 2-9, a team of experts in plastic arts will be here in Guyana to work with the National Art Gallery at Castellani House to spearhead a project that would allow for the restoration and preservation of approximately 50 pieces of Guyanese art work. He noted too that in the area of defence, a graduate from the Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School is participating in a three-month long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean with the Argentine Naval Military. Importantly too, Ambassador Martino noted that Argentina’s independence is being celebrated at a time when the country is gearing up to host the Summit of MERCOSUR next week. In December, it will host the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and in 2018 it will host the Summit of the G20. CONTINUED COOPERATION Meanwhile, in expressing appreciation for the support provided by Argentina in the areas of defence, education, health and sports, President David Granger said he looks forward to continued cooperation in

the areas of renewable energy, forest and land management. Pointing out that Guyana and the Argentine Republic continue to collaborate within regional institutions, the Union of South American States (UNASUR), the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), President Granger emphasized that both countries continue to share common values of respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, respect for treaties and international law, and the maintenance of peace and security. “These fora provide us with the opportunity to work with other liked-minded states of the South to address issues of economic and social development of our peoples and promote the principles of peace, democracy and the promotion of human rights. Guyana and Argentina can look forward to working together to preserving the southern hemisphere as a zone of peace,” the President said. Guyana and Argentina established formal diplomatic ties on October 6, 1972. However, the Argentine Embassy was reopened here in Guyana in 2013 by Ambassador Martino.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Six escapees on the lam – joint services activate operations By Ravin Singh

SECURITY forces were able to confirm on Thursday that six Georgetown Prison escapees are still on the run, after a destructive fire demolished more than 50 percent of the facility on Sunday. That figure was communicated to the media by Public

48 to the facility at Timehri. In addition, 26 were granted self-bail, while another eight were able to post their bail after it was reduced. Fifty-seven prisoners were also granted early release by the minister, who is empowered by law to do so. He explained that those who were granted early release by him would have been out of prison by the

that the joint services are currently conducting several operations to recapture the escapees. “…at a joint services level, we have embarked on several operations which are consistent with the plan,” he said. That plan which he referenced, is an operational plan developed by the joint services to be presented to the National Security Com-

The six wanted escapees

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan (right) and Commisisoner of Police, Seelall Persaud Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan at a press conference on Thursday afternoon at his Brickdam office. On Wednesday, the Guyana Police Force had issued a statement indicating that eight escapees were still on the run. However, the Public Security Minister said on Thursday that two of the eight had been accounted for during an ongoing search at the Lusignan Prison – the holding area for the prisoners from Georgetown. The six escapees are: Mark Royden Durant called Royden Williams or “Smallie”; Uree Varswyck known as Malcolm Gordon; Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander; Desmond James; Cornelius Thomas; and Cobena Stephens, called “OJ.” Police believe that the first four mentioned are travelling together while the other two are separate. The Georgetown Prison, which was built to accommodate 600, was holding 1,018 inmates on Sunday. But after fire ripped through the correctional facility that day, authorities were forced to relocate more than 1000 of them to a walled field neighbouring the Lusignan Prison on the East Coast. No exact figure was announced. And according to Minister Ramjattan on Thursday, of that amount, 463 have since been removed from the field. He said that 83 were transferred to the prison at Mazaruni; 90 were sent to the New Amsterdam Prison; 151 to the Lusignan Prison; and

first week in August of this year. Their conduct in prison was also taken into consideration for their release. With more than 500 prisoners still being kept at the walled field in Lusignan, Minister Ramjattan noted that facilities provided there are being improved and that the prisoners will be transferred back to the Georgetown Prison when cleaning of the compound is completed. He estimated that it should take about one week to do minor repairs and that 250 prisoners could be accommodated at that location. Although most of the buildings at the Georgetown Prison were demolished, there are still a few concrete structures with cells which can provide accommodation for those prisoners. The minister explained to reporters that authorities initially encountered difficulties in counting the prisoners, because they were uncooperative by refusing to identify themselves. Meanwhile, Minister Ramjattan sought to assure the nation that every effort is being made to recapture the escapees – all of whom are murder accused and/or convicts. “Every effort is going to be made to catch those six escapees. The joint services will be doing their best to hunt them down and bring them in” the minister said. This was also the assurance of Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud, who shared

mittee. The objectives of the plan are to ensure: security of the prisoners; security of the prisons; to recapture the six escapees; and to restore order

in the prisons. According to Persaud, that operation, along with the others, is intelligence-led. Anyone with informa-

tion on the whereabouts of the escapees are asked to contact the nearest police station. It is a criminal offence to harbour fugitives!

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Prompt firefighters save apartment complex

PROMPT response by firemen on Thursday afternoon averted a major fire from flattening an apartment complex at Trench Road, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown. According to Andrew Ford, he was at his Lot 146, Trench Road home with his family around 14:30hrs on Thursday when he observed smoke entering his home via its roof. He said the fire started in the apartment next door at Lot 145 and he immediately started moving items out of his home. Ford, who works at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, said the Guyana Fire Service was called, and according to him, the firemen arrived promptly at the scene. “If they didn’t come this whole place woulda bun down,” he said. Ford said thankfully, only the roof at the back of his home was damaged but he noted that the entire house was soaked. “We got to clean from top to bottom,” he said. Seven persons reside at the complex. The man’s relative told reporters that the family was asleep at the time when smoke was observed in the roof of the apartment. She said no one was at home next door where the fire started. “The woman went out and her son went to work,” she noted. Persons congregated at the scene, while police officers maintained order. Anyone who wishes to assist Andrew Ford and other relatives affected by the fire can reach the family on 6867461.

Firemen prepare to leave the scene of the fire. According to eyewitnesses, the fire was first observed in the apartment at the centre of the photo

A man douses a gutted section of one of two apartments which were affected by the fire

Andrew Ford managed to save his television set from the fire, which damaged the roof of his apartment (Samuel Maughn photos)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Another 2000 youths to benefit from the second phase of HEYS

ANOTHER 2000 youths from 200 Hinterland villages will benefit from the implementation of the second phase of the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) programme. Phase Two of the programme was launched at the Sophia Exhibition Centre on Wednesday. During his remarks, Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock reflected on the lessons learnt from the Phase One implementation of the programme. He said that while there were some challenges, the ministry is proud of the outcomes. “We made some learning curve missteps… we clearly did not get it all right on the administrative and accounting side the first time, but this is something that we can now correct,” the Minister said. “However, on the programme side which deals with outcomes, we were very effective and we can today celebrate the fact that our Indigenous youths benefited

Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock from this programme and they are living testimonies of its positive outcome,” Minister Allicock added. The Minister lauded the programme as one of the “most encouraging investments” rolled out by the government in the Hinterland. “ The country can now boast of having young, skilled and enlightened entrepreneurs in our Indigenous villages; something that we could not do two years ago, Minister Allicock said. The HEYS

programme was inspired by President David Granger’s vision for chartering a course of sustainable livelihoods for Hinterland and Indigenous youths. His Excellency placed much emphasis on the HEYS in his Ten-point plan for bringing development in the Hinterland on par with those occurring on the coastland. Minister Allicock noted that in spite of the criticisms and setbacks, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs was able to deliver and bring life to the President’s vision. Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe, who has direct responsibility for HEYS, said that she is proud of the programme. “Throughout the hinterland, we see the great outcome of the programme; young people now have their own fuel depots and catering services. They are farming, rearing chickens and much more,” Minister Garrido Lowe said. She highlighted that the programme is on track with its intention of creating a

core of youths who have the skills necessary to better manage their community resources. Under the first phase of the implementation of HEYS, 2000 youths were trained. Eighty (80) percent of these youths now own their own businesses. Natucha Harris is one of the Phase One beneficiaries of the HEYS pro-

gramme. The 17-year-old from Kabubakuri, Region Two, shared with the Department of Public Information (DPI) how the programme changed her life. Harris, who is the sole breadwinner of her single parent family, told the Department of Public Information(DPI) that using the skills she had acquired and $120,000 saved in ad-

dition to a $50,000 grant, she has established her own business. Today, she is a successful entrepreneur. She rears chickens using her agricultural skills, and also bake bread, cakes and pastries using her catering skills. She then sells her products to residents in her community and surrounding areas. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

NTC gets land in Sophia to build secretariat

THE National Toshaos Council (NTC) has received a plot of land to build their Secretariat. The request for a Secretariat for the NTC was made last year at the National Toshaos conference by Indigenous leaders to

President David Granger. Chairman of the NTC, Joel Fredericks, told Department of Public Information (DPI) that the Council is very happy that their voices are being heard. The NTC Chairman

noted that the plot of land which is located next to the Heritage Village at the Sophia Exhibition Centre was approved by President Granger last month during a meeting with the NTC. Fredericks said that

the NTC Secretariat is “a place where we (NTC) can have our headquarters functioning, a place where the indigenous peoples can come and lay their issues, they can find some help and support there”. Construction of the

NTC Secretariat, Fredericks stated is expected to commence shortly, adding that the President has committed to supporting the venture. “We have some resources at hand what we can start with and his Excellency also com-

mits to giving some support” Fredericks stated. The establishment of the NTC Secretariat will facilitate more representation and development of the indigenous people from over 200 communities countrywide.

Rebuilding assistance for flood-affected Region 7 and 8 farmers ongoing FARMERS in Regions Seven and Eight continue to receive assistance, in the aftermath of the recent flooding in the two regions. Minister of the Indigenous People’s Affairs, Syd-

ney Allicock, told the media that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and his ministry “have been sending in chainsaws, tarpaulin, buckets, and agricultural tools.”

The tools are to help in the rebuilding of the homes damaged during the floods. They are also to enable farmers to restart cultivation on the hundreds of acres of farmlands that went under,

as a result of heavy rainfall in the Hinterland regions in May. “We continue to gather materials, some of the farms, some are within another year before they would be able to have their own farm going again. So we’re trying our best to see how we can help them to cope with that situation,” the Minister said. Heavy rains initially began in Region Eight on

May 17 and continued over a period of approximately five days resulting in severe flooding in the two regions. Over 1000 residents were affected by the flood waters in Region Seven and 3000 in Region Eight. In addition to the damages to several homes, the heavy rainfall also resulted in the loss of food security for residents. The farms in the two regions were flood-

ed and many completely destroyed. When asked if any measures were being put in place to prevent such a disastrous situation in the future, the minister said, “As much as we cannot control the weather, a better understanding and reading of weather patterns can help farmers to prepare in the future.” (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

UG to offer Mandarin studies

THE University of Guyana (UG) and the Dalian University of Foreign Languages (DUFL) in China have reached an agreement for UG to offer a minor in Mandarin Chinese studies and for development of a Bachelor’s Degree programme. This agreement was reached recently when a team from the University of Guyana comprising Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith; Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Planning and International Engagement, Dr Barbara Reynolds; Director of the Confucius Institute, UG, Al Creighton; and Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute Ma Tao, recently met in China with officials of the Dalian University of foreign Languages (DUFL) for the first official meeting of the Board of the Confucius Institute, UG. The meeting was hosted by DUFL, the UG’s partner institution in China for the operation of the Confucius Institute and it was held on their campus in the City of Dalian, China. Representing DUFL

were Vice-Chancellor, Professor Liu Hong, Dean of the Multi-language Base in Dalian for the International Promotion of Chinese Language, Professor Sun Yuhua and Li Fan of the International Office at DUFL. Professor Sun Yuhua pledged the full support of DUFL with assistance from Hanban – the headquarters for Confucius Institutes in China – for the programmes. UG will continue to offer Mandarin as one of the languages that UG students may choose in addition to Spanish, French and Portuguese. Mandarin will also be available as one of the foreign language requirements of the new School of Entrepreneurship and Business and Innovation (SEBI) at the UG. The meeting was chaired by Ma Tao and addressed by the two vice-chancellors, Dr Reynolds, the Dean of the Multi-language Base and the Director of CIUG. Both universities reaffirmed the MoU already in force between them and pledged continued cooperation, while Dr Reynolds put on

the table ideas for areas of future cooperation and ways in which the institutions can assist each other for mutual development. She also reaffirmed the vice-chancellor’s invitation to DUFL to visit the UG for the next meeting of the board. CIUG Director Al Creighton presented the report of the institute, covering its operations since 2014, the conduct of the programme in Mandarin as well as the academic, cultural and social events on the UG Campuses and in the Guyanese community. He presented the budget of the CIUG and outlined the vision of the institute, plans for its future development and ways in which there can be deeper academic exchanges. DUFL trains and makes available lecturers in Chinese Language Teaching for the CIUG. Although it was historically founded with its strength in foreign languages, it now has programmes in several other disciplines and the UG will now look forward to a widening in two-way exchanges involving areas beyond Chinese

UG and the Dalian University of Foreign Languages (DUFL) in China have reached an agreement for UG to offer a minor in Mandarin Chinese studies Language Teaching. With a current enrollment of some 8,000 students, UG has graduated more than 20,000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally, regionally and internationally. The university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry. Established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space

at Queens College, UG moved to its own campus at Turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the Tain Campus. It now offers more than 60 undergraduate and post-graduate programmes including engineering, environmental studies, forestry, urban planning and management, tourism studies, education, creative arts, economics, law, medicine,

optometry and nursing. Several online programmes are available and UG also offers extra-mural classes at four locations through its Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE). UG also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating, sports, and cultural, religious and professional activities.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday July 14, 2017

Planning for Mash 2018 begins

EDUCATION Minister Nicolette Henry wants Mashramani managed in a way whereby Guyanese receive value for money and the local culture is preserved. Henry, the chairperson of the newly formed Mashramani Central Planning Committee, was at the time speaking at the first meeting of the committee. The committee is hoping that Mashramani 2018 will be the most successful and the most memorable. The Ministry of Education Department of Culture Youth and Sport has wrapped up the organising aspects for a 70-strong contingent to represent Guyana at CARIFESTA XIII in Barbados. And planning for a more improved hosting of Mashramani 2018 festival has commenced. National Events Coordinator, Lieutenant Colonel Godfrey Bess and Permanent Secretary Melissa Tucker were also present at the meeting, where a proposed plan that may form the content of an enhanced Mashramani/ Republic celebrations for 2018 was presented. It was agreed by those present that the road to an early launch of the road map and schedule of events must begin soonest. As such, the first order of

Mashramani is a Guyanese activity and given that a list of possible options is available to her, it would be left up to the new committee to make a selection for possible consideration. The minister noted too that the committee’s decision would be taken to Cabinet and Cabinet will make the final decision on the most appropriate route to be used for the float parade that will end at the D’urban Park venue.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry business is the selection of an appropriate theme to encompass all the activities. It was agreed that by July 31, 2017, there should be a collection of submitted theme ideas from the public that would fashion a direction under which all activities will be hosted. Minister Henry as chair, stressed the need for continuous planning and commitment to the tasks at hand to make Mashramani a grand affair. Dates for events would be revised, including the launch of the theme as well as all activities. A regional briefing is planned to take place soonest for issuing of directives to all regional points of contact. As regards the route, Minister Henry noted that

TRANSPARENCY While the Government’s budget for the Mashramani 2018 national activities will be decided on after submissions are made, Minister Henry stressed the need for transparency in all dealings by those involved at the Central Committee level. Some of the issues addressed included options of consideration(s) of judges’ rotation, as well as the venue selections for all competitions. There could be some amount of reworking for the Chutney Monarch competition for more inclusion at the organising level. Minister Henry proposed that efforts will be made to engage Ansa McAl and other corporate citizens for the reintroduction of the Soca

Medicare Pharmacy sales clerks on $2M embezzlement charge THREE ex-sales clerks of Medicare Pharmacy were on Thursday arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on the allegation that they embezzled over $2M from the business. It is alleged that Celina Sukdeo and Vanmattie Ramnarine, together, between September 6, 2016 to June 2, 2017, being clerks or servants of Medicare Pharmacy, Georgetown, embezzled $655,245.88 on the name or account of Medicare Pharmacy. Both Sukdeo, 20, of West bank Demerara and Ramnarine, 23, of West Coast Demerara, pleaded

not guilty of the offence. Sukdeo and Ramnarine were represented by Attorney-at-Law Marcy Sharma, who requested bail for both her clients. It is further alleged that during the period of May 4, 2016 to June 15, 2017, at the Medicare Pharmacy, Georgetown, Zina Khan and Vanmattie Ramnarine, being clerks or servants of the Medicare Pharmacy, Georgetown, embezzled $1,604,989.31 into their possession on the name or account of Medicare Pharmacy. Both Khan, 43, of North Cummingburg, Georgetown and Ramnarine pleaded

not guilty to the charge. Khan was represented by Attorney-at-Law James Bond, who stated that his client has never had any other offence before, and proceeded to ask for bail in a reasonable sum. The prosecution had no objection to bail, but requested that condition/s be attached to bail. Such condition is that the three women must report to the Fraud Department, CID, at the Brickdam Police Station every Friday. Bail was set at $150,000 each by Chief Magistrate Ann Mc Leann. The matter was adjourned until August 4, 2017, for statements.

Monarch competition in 2018. There were much discussions about steelbands for concerts nationwide, as an addition to the Republic Bank-sponsored competitions. The government is the main contributor to Mashramani being a success, but efforts are to be made to improve private sector involvement in all areas. It was noted, however, that persons need to understand, that concessions cannot be given just because they want it as tax-collection is the main means through which Government generates needed finances for development. The minister also encouraged the need for a database to be created for designers. The team has been tasked with creating a plan, whereby benefits are across the board and the idea of development of a festival village in a stan-

dardised fashion that is economically viable, is also up for consideration. Acting Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain, during her grand power point presentation noted that as a priority, in a matter of days, convenors would be named who will be tasked with managing and overseeing the successful staging of national events. These include junior and adult calypso as well as Soca Monarch competitions. Chutney as well as Indian Dance Competitions are also on the cards as well as regional steelband concerts. The latter would be part of the equation for the annual Republic Bank Panorama. Further, Masquerade may be given a makeover to ensure greater participation and public support, while a Literary Street Fair that encompasses

Visual Arts is scheduled. While there are many activities that will form part of the Mashramani Calendar of events, much emphasis is to be placed on enhancing the costume and float parade through public and private support. Ministries will be working to generate more private sector participation. As opposed to the regular Bright up Guyana component, the option of promoting a clean and bright up Guyana initiative has been mooted. The plans may more than likely also see the staging of a Republic Lecture series, a Child Art and Essay Competition and a Mega Family Fun day. The team also agreed that Mashramani is not Carnival and should never be seen or promoted in such a light.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

Na-Mar Showroom --A digital solution to men’s shopping conundrum SHOPPING for clothing can be a tedious task in Guyana, as most of the options are either drastically overpriced or otherwise severely limited to certain brands or types of style. These options get even more limited for men, with the best clothing stores seemingly catering to men in a particular earning bracket. Now, with the crowd gravitating towards the Online shopping option to widen their horizons, it seems as though some of these problems have been solved, but here, still, comes the difficulties of shipping costs and waiting time. And here is where NaMar Showroom comes in, a soon to be launched Online male clothing store that intends to merge the beauty of electronic shopping with a solution to the problem of limited clothing options for men in Guyana. The brainchild of media personality, Mark Murray and business partner Namon Frank, Na-Mar Showroom will source clothing from a wide variety of international locations and have them available in Guyana. Customers will be able to place orders via the Na-Mar Showroom Facebook page, and later through their website, which will be launched later on. In an interview with The

available in Guyana and they said yes. So Na-Mar Showroom is a solution to the male clothing problem, basically,” he added. He admitted that currently, the business will be focused on strictly filling the gap in the market rather than making a profit. This, he said, should therefore make prices affordable for the average man. “Of course, there will be high-end stuff if they are willing to pay, but for the most part, we are looking for affordable alternatives; something that may look fashionable and trendy... And we also won’t be flooding our store with a lot of the same items, so people don’t have to be scared of seeing others in the same item,” he said.

Co-founder Mark Murray Buzz, Mark said that currently, only orders can be placed Online, while payment and pickup will be made in person. “This will give people the option to buy right away and not have to wait on shipping. We knew when we were entering the local market, there would be a lot of competition, but we believe that we will have an advantage, given the Online platform,” he said. “And our stuff is immediately available, compared to other [Online shopping] places where you have long waiting

time for shipping and so on.” THE IDEA Mark said that the idea for Na-Mar came about during a casual conversation with Namon as they discussed how difficult it was to find fashionable men’s clothing that are reasonably priced and easily accessible in Guyana. “So then, we threw the idea out to men to find out where they usually shop for their clothing, what difficulties they had, and whether they would shop from an Online store that had the clothing

CASTING CALL As the business gears to open its digital doors, an Online casting call will soon be held to select models for the site. Beginning this weekend, interested models can upload a professional headshot and a full-body photograph on the company’s Facebook page (NAMAR Showroom). Throughout the week, the followers of the page will be able to vote for their favourite model by liking/loving the picture of their choice. On July 21, Na-Mar will select the Top Five voted models, and on July 23, there will be a pre-launch, after

Co-founder Namon Frank which the business will officially be launched on July 24. For the next year, the business partners will be testing the market to see customer responses and preferences, after which, they will seek to look at having a physical location.

Mark said that they will also consider featuring the work of local designers in an aim to promote local talent. Following the launch of the website, young writers will also be given a chance to be contributors to a blog section available on the site.

Studio to Stage 2017...

A ‘must-see’ GEM of a performance! By Vishani Ragobeer

UST when patrons thought that the National School of Dance could not possibly top last year’s ‘Studio to Stage’ 50th Anniversary dance show, this year’s show managed to blow away the crowd. This year, the show was performed under the theme: “Gems 2”, a follow-up from last year’s “Gems”. In keeping with Guya-

nese culture, the show got off to a late start, but just as patrons were getting impatient, dancers rushed unto the stage adorned in their golden outfits. This dance followed by the next few dances, were spiritually themed. The highlight of this section was when the toddlers pranced about on stage, friskily moving to “Jesus loves me”. Just imagine about 30 girls, no more than three feet, on a stage fighting

to remember their choreography and bumping into one another. How cute is that? As the show progressed, the older children came on with their modern dances to the classic songs of the 70s and 80s matched with the style of clothes from that era. Amidst this, one group of beginners dropped their Caribbean-style dance with popular 2017 Soca song, “Full Extreme” (or as it is better known, “Jammin’

still”). While they gyrated, they ushered in the hype for the “Whip/Nae Nae” performance by another beginners’ group of girls. Then, the discipline of another group of dancers was tested since, due to technical difficulties, they had no music to dance to. Even without their music, the six dancers were able to gracefully pull off their dance and earn the loudest applause of the night.

The back-to-back energetic performances, then the remarkable show of discipline had the crowd going crazy, and then with a few more dances, the show had met its intermission. After the intermission, the stage was transformed into a village straight out of the Dreamworks movie, ‘Trolls’. The more classical dances were performed at this time, where each dance tied into an overarching story

of good and merry, versus evil and mysterious. This culminated in a dramatic dance of good vs. evil, which had all the children in the auditorium screaming until the three young male heroes saved the day. After this ended, the intermediate and advanced classes took to the stage, where they showcased their acquired finesse as they pulled off several compliTurm to Page 23

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14 2017

Collateral damage

--in a world turned upside down

MY heart reaches out to the family of Elton Wray, but as a father, I, too, have lived through the uneasiness where the worse was feared, even anticipated, even as I grieved with other parents whose children were caught up by a wrong choice, as spectators, or were at the said wrong place at the wrong time. Our society, in a not-sodark period of our history, was let loose to fend for itself at all levels by a failed administrative structure that thought politics, and only allowed familiar human resources to fill political echelons rather than applying what was necessary, in the interest of the people. I doubt that his family can find the answers to what went wrong, and why? But from what I have lived and witnessed and written about in the past, places me in the position to comment on the collateral damage of a world turned upside down. This young man was born in 1992. The testimony of a teacher on Facebook places him as a good student. His academic achievements testify to that. He was 13 years old in 2005, perhaps more

conscious than his parents even realised, of the world around him that had changed too quickly for his parents, like me, to fully grasp the profound influences of the netherworld transforming all that we knew as sane and functional. I can compare in my youth, when the items of conspicuous consumption were easily linked to skilled and academic excellence. Private cars were owned by successful businessmen, top civil servants, lawyers, doctors, customs officers and other main cogs in the machinery of society, that included progressive artisans. Also true is that there were no reconditioned car imports, where bruised excesses of the developed nations, mainly Japan, were filtered down to us. Even before 1992, an invasive culture had crept onto our landscape that the content of the ‘Baldeo Tapes’ with its references to international ‘backtrack’ activities, and the involvement of local top law enforcement would reveal in the early 90s. Guyana could not escape the net of the international criminal world, as an under-

developed nation with wide borders, mainly unmonitored, and a traditional economic position that was too pollicised. Thus, in the 80s, the parallel economy emerged; but smuggling merchandise and food items would pale before what was yet to come. It was not grass-root operatives that air-dropped cocaine and built air strips to facilitate Guyana as a transportation route for narcotics, but persons who were custodians of State authority. These initial indiscretions were, however, contained by the then state. A then Minister of Home Affairs, a lawyer, gave a weapons permit to a client who, because he was a career criminal, lost his job and had the licence revoked. As a young man, these were examples that guided us away from ‘badness’ in the world that my son, Elton Wray and other youngsters like them grew up in. LICENCE TO KILL A former dishonourably discharged Guyana Defence Force rank fatally shot a young food seller because he asked for a $20 he owed him. But the then Minister of

Home Affairs recruited him, placed an M70 in his hands, and gave him a licence to kill. Regardless of their professional grades, there is no time in the history of this country had the lines between good and bad become so blurred. My son would get into physical skirmishes as all males do, and when I insist that we visit the police station, he would reject this on the grounds that it was pointless. Then his friends would chide me about my cluelessness, and regale me of this ‘Big Man’ and that ‘Big Man’ in drugs with political connections that would neutralise the police, thereby making complaints and expecting old-school responses laughable. But somehow, our children always got the social information that this or that business was financed by which drug dealer. And it’s not because we’re a small country that businessmen, lawyers and their political patrons who were recipients of ‘drugs and backtrack money’ are known. So, the question is: Drom whence did our children acquire this knowledge? And the short answere is that much of it came from

a young generation of female and male thugs and ‘toys’ who were eager for the ‘cheese’ and de excitement which fell into dismal indulgences. And some later saw themselves in living digital colour and in prison. In their need to purge themselves of their peers, as all humans do and weep at times, tales are told. When the courts, the police and the administrators become subject to the micromanagement of a few, and human life trivialised, outside of a war zone, then that world is reversed. Worse yet is when the known transgressors in the advent of a new administration seem untouched, speaking loudly though foolishly. The reality, however, is that this may be ‘not just yet’ still, but the remote press and instant-change generation is eager, and it has to be done. Elton Wray is not the first youth with potential to be magnetised to ‘The bad-boy adventure’. And there were females, too. One such female volunteered to become a paid assassin; another desperately wanted money, was prepared to do anything, and was held as a drug mule. The Bharrat Jagdeo years cannot be taken for granted; it

constituted the worse period of human mismanagement in our modern history, and with painful tragic collateral damage. While composing this article Sunday, I heard that the Camp Street Prison was burning, and on completing the article the following day, a couple of thoughts hit me as follows: Years ago while teaching in that prison, I wanted to sketch the architecture of the wooden structures, but a friendly warder stopped me; it was against the rules. I lament that. Secondly, a prison is a facility of punishment, reform and redemption, so how can judges sentence young men with more than enough criminal military field experience to life without parole when we don’t have a maximum security facility, and not expect them to move in full defence mode. This is thoughtless. Thirdly, the management of this incident is so far handled by the Joint Services with incredible professionalism. Enough data was not gathered on the resources available to these men. Why? How could this not have been anticipated?

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

Fitness trainer is...

New Miss Global International Guyana WHEN Fit-Rex fitness trainer, Cynthia Dookie did not get the Miss India Guyana crown back in May of this year, that in no way deterred her passion for pageantry, so, it was on to the next one. And her persistence did pay off when she grabbed the Miss Global International Guyana crown. At an elegant little do at the Pegasus Hotel last Friday night, the 23-year-old was officially announced as the 2017 queen, as well as the new face of Jordana Cosmetics Guyana, one of the official sponsors of the pageant. She was crowned by her predecessor, Poonam Singh after an emotional farewell address about her amazing year as reigning queen. Dookie had finished second runner-up in the Miss India Guyana pageant, which

was her first go at pageantry, after being encouraged by friends to give it a shot. “I mean, it was disappointing not to win. Of course, no one wants to be a loser, but after the Miss Global International asked me, I decided to try again. I’m so excited and honoured that they chose me, and I think this is my shot, my chance to give it my all and bring home the international crown,” Dookie said. It was actually her experience at the Miss India Guyana pageant that gave her the edge, and paved the way to that crown. “We had about 15 delegates, and because of time constraints, we were looking for someone with experience. And so Cynthia Dookie came out as the winner, because of her experience,” revealed National Pageant Director,

Hashim Alli. “The applications would have been judged by a panel, and a decision was made for selection,” he said. Alli and his wife, Melicia Partab, took over as the pageant’s national directors some four years ago, and Guyana has seen some of its most consistent improved performances at an international pageant ever since, leaving quite the shoes for Dookie to fill. In 2014, Onesha Hutson not only finished in the Top Ten, and in the Top 5 for Best Talent”, but also took the coveted prize hor “Best Smile”. Then in 2015, Alicia Bess finished just one place behind – as second runner up, when the pageant was held in Trinidad and Tobago. Now, last year Singh finished as first runner up, while also copping special prizes for “Best Personality”, “Best

Cynthia Dookie being crowned by her predecessor, Poonam Singh Maja Outfit”, “Best Evening Gown (which was designed by local guy Quinton Pearson), and “Best National Costume”, which was designed by Melecia. Singh also finished in the top three for “Best Talent”. Hashim is eager to see this consistency continue, which means they’re gunning hard for that crown this year, and to leave a proud legacy behind

for others to follow. The Miss Global International was founded by Jamaican, Lachu Ramchandani, in his home country, but eventually moved to other parts of the world. Approximately 40 countries take part in the pageant, which features a variety of segments, such as national costumes, swimsuits, which must reflect the colours of

their country’s national flag, talent, evening gown, question and answer, and the segment with the highest score, the interview. This year, the pageant will be held again in Montego Bay, Jamaica from Sptember 6 – 10. Here’s wishing Miss Dookie all the best as she represents ‘The Land of Many Waters’.

Cythia Dookie (centre) with National Directors Melicia Partab-Alli and Hashim Alli

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14 2017

A ‘must-see’ GEM... cated moves. The advanced class, dressed in their allblack attire, performed what can only be described as a sexy and seductive routine, while the intermediate class brought the fun in their upbeat and colourful dance. Soon after, there was the finale, where all the dancers and directors came out on the stage to end the show. All in all, the show was a blend of modern dance, classical ballet, contemporary, ethnic dances, Caribbean and Guyanese styles. ‘Studio to Stage’ is an YOU can get your weekend started right by indulging all your obsessions on Friday night at the District Ultra Lounge, or stop by Tower Suites to drink some cold Coronas and win some cool prizes. The National Hip Hop and Poetry Slam continues at 704, so head over if you have the time and show some of our local talent some love! This Saturday, 704 Sports Bar is doing what it does best: Show sports! And this weekend’s buzz event is a boxing match between Robert Guerro and Omar Figueroa. This weekend’s fashion event, on the other hand, will be Neilson Nurse’s annual fashion show, this year called “The Journey”. And there’s also a pretty hyped-up athletics meet going down on the West Demerara. Sunday has barbeque at the Ramada Princess Hotel, club night at Club Monaco and an early-morning special at 704! TODAY Tower Suites wants to put a spin on things this Friday, promising to be a Friday like no other! Head on down to the Tower Suites Poolside as they introduce their new game, “Spin The Bottle, Corona Style”! There’s going to be lots of prizes to be won, and all you have to do is purchase two Corona Bucket Specials, and you get an instant spin (maybe even 2)! District Ultra Lounge will be transformed into an atmosphere of desire, as Pulse Entertainment brings to you “Obession”! Go out and let your thoughts and feelings dominate your mind as you party to the best music from DJ Ryan, DJ Anisah, and DJ Country Bouy! The party gets going from 20h00! Friday night in the sky! The National Hip Hop N’ Poetry Slam continues with the second preliminary night at 704 Sky Lounge! Latin Night with Desperados Tequila Beers Specials continues at The Vintage Wine & Cheese Lounge. TOMORROW It’s going to be an evening of fashion par excellence as Reflections presents “The Journey” at the Theatre Guild! See the return of one of Guyana’s signature fashion shows by Guyanese fashion designer Neilson Nurse! The Robert Guerro vs Omar Figueroa boxing match is showing at the 704 Sports Bar as you take in that sporty atmosphere! Robert Guerrero has been on a bad streak as of late. He will look to get back to his winning ways against the always dangerous Omar “Panterita” Figueroa Jr. The AP Invitational athletics meet, Guyana’s largest international meet, returns for it’s second edition this weekend at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora! Come and see athletes from almost 20 different countries compete for almost $4M in prizes! The hottest event of the day will see world champion Kim Collins take on Guyana’s best in the sizzling men’s 100m! Admission: $1000; VIP $5000. SUNDAY BRIGHT AND EARLY! 704 Sports Bar is going to be open from 08h00 for the British Grand Prix! Breakfast specials will be available for all guests! Ensure you come down early, as we will be serving from 08h00! FREE ENTRY for all of our guests. Breakfast early bird tickets cost $2,700. Marvelous Sundays continue at Club Monaco! Ladies free ‘til 23h00! Admission: $1000. Bring your family for An Afternoon of Fun at the Ramada Georgetown Princess and enjoy their tenderized BBQ Lunch Buffet Special at the splendid poolside with relaxing music!

annual production from the National School of Dance, under the Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture, Youth and Sport. Here, the progress of the students throughout the academic year is showcased at a two-day show held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC). This year, the show was held on Saturday July 8, and was scheduled for Sunday, July 9 also. Due to unfortunate events occurring on Sunday, however, the show has been postponed to this

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coming Sunday. Linda Griffith, NSC’s Director said that those who’ll be going to the National Cultural Centre need not worry about a shortage of dance presentations, styles and technique on Sunday. So if you didn’t catch the first show, here’s your chance to witness the finesse and talent of young, local dancers. Show starts at 19h00 (7:00pm) at the National Cultural Centre. It’s a must-see!

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

Venus eclipses Konta to reach Wimbledon final

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Venus Williams became the oldest woman in 23 years to reach a Wimbledon final as she defied her age and a despondent home crowd to inflict a crushing defeat on British hope Johanna Konta yesterday. Eight years after her last Wimbledon final and more than two decades since Martina Navratilova became the last 37-year-old to reach the same stage, Williams produced the sort of attacking performance that led her to five titles in her heyday. Her 6-4, 6-2 semi-final win over the Briton was a clinical execution and set up a Saturday showdown with Garbine Muguruza, whose own ruthless demolition of Magdalena Rybarikova whetted the appetite for an intriguing final. It will be Williams’ ninth at Wimbledon and the stage for a potential eighth grand slam crown and, having defied the odds to reach this point, few would now bet against her. Konta was looking to become the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon final since Virginia Wade in 1977, but her hopes were crushed as Williams picked her off at crucial points. The American, who has dropped only one set all tournament, was too strong for her opponent from the baseline and was able to produce booming serves whenever Konta threatened. After initially going toe-totoe with Williams, Konta was unable to generate any sort of sustained pressure and ended the contest a clear second-best, losing eight of the final 10 games.

Venus Williams of the United States celebrates as Johanna Konta of Great Britain looks dejected during the Ladies’ Singles semifinal match. (Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

She saved two match points before Williams finally ended her resistance with a devilish forehand that flew past the Briton and left the American to twirl in celebration on Centre Court. “You can play this game for a while if you love it; you put in the work and stay healthy,” Williams, who was beaten by sister Serena in January’s Australian Open final, told reporters. “I’ve played some good tennis in different points of my life. I think it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to play well and to be strong and have experience. Experience can either work against you or for you. I like to think it’s working for me.” Konta’s one chance to upset Williams came in the

ninth game of the first set when the Briton crafted two break points. It proved only a fleeting window of opportunity, however, as Williams saved the first with a backhand winner and launched a 106 mph second serve to snuff out the second. That was as good as it got for Konta, who was immediately broken in the next game to cede the opening set and then twice more in the second, as Williams wrapped up victory over her sixth-seeded opponent in an hour and 13 minutes. “She dictated the match from the very first ball till the very last one,” Konta said. “I think she just showed her true qualities and why she’s a five-time champion here, just a true champion that she is.”

FIFA whistleblower Chuck Blazer dead at 72 C H U C K B l a z e r, t h e former executive of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), whose revelations of corruption within football’s world governing body FIFA helped bring down its long-serving president, has died. He was 72. Blazer, who was said to be ailing from diabetes-related illness, coronary artery disease and rectal cancer, was banned from football for life in 2015 following his admission that

he and other members of the FIFA executive accepted bribes to vote for the hosts of the 1998 World Cup in France and South Africa in 2010.

Chuck Blazer

His revelations subsequently opened investigations into suspected corruption that eventually brought down FIFA pres-

ident Sepp Blatter and other powerful members of the football’s world governing body. For more than two decades, Blazer and former CONCACAF president Jack Warner transformed the confederation into a global powerhouse, significantly helping to grow the sport in the confederation. Media reports said that in part through Blazer’s efforts FIFA chose the U.S. to host the 1994 World Cup. He was named to FIFA’s powerful executive committee in 1997, and he remained there until 2013.

Bravo, Cameron apologise; player set to play for West Indies again ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Exiled left-hander Darren Bravo is set to play for West Indies again “with immediate effect” after he and Cricket West Indies president Dave Cameron exchanged apologies to end a nine-month impasse. In a statement yesterday, Cricket West Indies said the 28-year-old player would be “available with immediate effect to play in all forms of cricket.” Bravo had his matchtour contract cancelled and was sent home ahead of the Tri-Nation Series in Zimbabwe last November for labelling Cameron “a big idiot” in a controversial tweet. Cameron said Bravo was a “valuable part” of the West Indies side and had intended “no insult or offence” when he gave an interview last year appearing to criticise Bravo over his lack of form. “In early November 2016, I gave an interview to SportsMax TV during which I discussed player retainer contracts and the grades of contract that had been awarded to certain players,” Cameron said in the statement. “In the course of the interview I stated that Darren Bravo had previously been on an ‘A’ contract, which I have since been advised is not correct. I apologise for the misstatement, and wish to assure Mr Bravo that there was no insult or offence intended towards him. “Darren is a senior cricketer who has been a valuable part of the Windies set up for a long time, and I would hope to see his game continue to progress and mature, at both regional and international levels.” Bravo, the region’s leading Test batsman with an average of 40 from 49 Tests, said his reaction to Cameron’s comments in the media interview had been “inappropriate” and had now removed the offending tweet from his Twitter account. “On the 11th day of November 2016, after viewing statements made about me by Mr Dave Cameron, president of the Cricket West Indies, on a television sports programme, I tweeted a response which referred to the president which was, in retrospect, inappropriate,” Bravo said. “As I have always tried to uphold the best traditions of West Indies Cricket and its

players, I now therefore wish to withdraw the comment made on my Twitter account and apologise to the president of CWI and to all Windies fans. “I look forward to continuing to play a positive role in both the West Indies’ senior men’s team and regional cricket, as well as helping to grow and develop cricket in the region at all levels.” Bravo had also earlier this year initiated legal action against CWI over the matter but the release did not state whether this had been withdrawn. The controversy erupted after CWI announced that Bravo had declined a retainer contract for the period up to September 30, 2017, with news subsequently emerging that the player had rejected a Grade C contract – a downgrade from his previous retainer. In the controversial media interview, Cameron said Bravo’s performances had not merited an enhanced contract. “His averages in the last two years have been declining, so what do you do? Reward poor performance or do you encourage him to get better?” Cameron was quoted as saying. “If you continue to keep giving him an A contract then what is the motivation to get better? He has been on an A contract and he hasn’t done well.” In response, Bravo lashed out angrily on Twitter, tagging Cameron in a tweet which said: “You hav[e] been failing 4 d last 4 yrs. Y don’t u resign and FYI I’ve neva been given an A contract. Big idiot.” CWI slammed Bravo’s actions as “disparaging” to Cameron and demanded he apologise and remove the tweet. The player complied with neither. Bravo since then has been barred from selection and also from playing for his native Trinidad and Tobago. Only recently, Cameron said Bravo would remain sidelined until the tweet was removed. West Indies are expected to tour England next month for three Tests with a squad announcement expected this week but Bravo last month indicated his unavailability because of commitments in the Caribbean Premier League.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

GUYANA FOOTBALL FEDERATION INC. (GFF)

Extra Time

NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT FOR GIRLS U17 TEAM CONTINUES ... Capacity Building Session Held During First Week ... Entry for matches will be free In preparation for the CONCACAF Women’s U17 Qualifiers scheduled for August 2017, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) began national encampment for 28 female footballers from Saturday, 8th July, 2017. The national U17 female team is preparing for the CONCACAF Women’s U17 Qualifiers scheduled for August 9 – 13, 2017 at the National Track and Field Facility, Leonora. As part of the encampment, an interactive session was held with team members

on Sunday 9th July at the camp venue to build their capacity to interact with the media. This was facilitated by Debra Francis, GFF’s Communications and Public Relations Officer on July 9, 2017 following their morning training session. Among the key areas addressed were the art of introductions, responding to questions including development and structure of responses and the importance of non-verbal communication such as the posture and eye contact.

AKILAH CASTELLO HEAD COACH

Guyana is placed in Group D with Barbados and Cuba and match schedule is as follows: • August 9 – Guyana vs Barbados • August 11 – Barbados vs Cuba • August 13 – Guyana vs Cuba Matches will be free and held at the National Track and Field facility, Leonora beginning at 17:00hrs Patrons, especially groups, are encouraged to wear their yellow and support.

EON De VIRA GOALKEEPING COACH

TRICIA MUNROE ASSISTANT COACH

VICKY JONANNIS GOALKEEPER

RINA GOMES GOALKEEPERS

INDERA AMARDEO GOALKEEPER

RACHEL EDWARDS GOALKEEPER

LUDESHA REYNOLDS GOALKEEPER

NATIONAL U17 WOMEN’S TEAM NAME

POSITION

ACADEMY

CLUB

SCHOOL

Rina Gomes

Goalkeeper

Vicky Jonannis

Goalkeeper

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Siparuta Sec

Rachel Edwards

Goalkeeper

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Ludran Sec

Indera Amardeo

Goalkeeper

East Bank ATC

KuruKuru Warriors

Carmel Sec

Ludesha Reynold

Goalkeeper

Georgetown ATC

Georgetown

St Ignatius Sec

Upper Demerara ATC Kwakwani Strikers Hururu Sec

Odessa Smith

Defender

Upper Demerara ATC Kwakwani Strikers KwaKwani Sec

Lendey Adolph

Defender

Upper Demerara ATC Kwakwani Strikers KwaKwani Sec

Candac Fraser

Defender

East Bank ATC

KuruKuru Warriors

Soesdyke Sec

Veyansa Hope

Defender

East Bank ATC

KuruKuru Warriors

Soesdyke Sec

Tameka Atkinson

Defender

Rupununi ATC

Tabatinga

St Ignatius Sec

Althea Austin

Defender

Georgetown ATC

Fruta Conquerors

Everest Aca

Denisa Williams

Defender

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Orealla Sec

Shamin Pablo

Midfielder

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Orealla Sec

Emely Lewis

Midfielder

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Orealla Sec

Ashana Williams

Midfielder

Latesha Sutherland

Midfielder

Georgetown ATC

Fruta Conquerors

Carmel Sec

Tiandi Smith

Midfielder

West Demerara ATC

Foxy Ladies

Uitvlugt Sec

Siacy Adams

Midfielder

West Demerara ATC

Foxy Ladies

Leonora Sec

Shontel Greene

Midfielder

West Demerara ATC

Foxy Ladies

Leonora Sec

Noami Aaron

Midfielder

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Orealla Sec

Upper Demerara ATC Kwakwani Strikers KwaKwani Sec

Jalade Trim

Forward

Alisha Adams

Forward

Georgetown ATC

Fruta Conquerors

Plaisance Sec

Becky Benuex

Forward

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Line Path Sec

Sasha Rodriques

Forward

Rupununi ATC

Gladiators

St Ignatius Sec

Sherene James

Forward

Rupununi ATC

Tabatinga

St Ignatius Sec

Shenika Atkinson

Forward

Rupununi ATC

Tabatinga

St Ignatius Sec

Amanda McKenzie

Forward

Georgetown ATC

Fruta Conquerors

Carmel Sec

Rashana Edwards

Forward

Berbice ATC

Orealla

Orealla Sec

Upper Demerara ATC Kwakwani Strikers Kwakwani Sec

PRODUCED BY THE GUYANA FOOTBALL FEDERATION INC. (GFF) AND DESIGNED BY THE GUYANA CHRONICLE

For further Information or should you have questions/comments , please contact: General Secretary Guyana Football Federation (GFF) 17 Dadanawa Street, Section “K” Campbelville, Georgetown TEL: +1 592 227 8758 ext. 102 FAX: +1 592 225 2096

e-mail: gff@networksgy.com WEBSITE: www.gffonline.com FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/GuyanaFootballFederationInc INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/guyana_football_federation_inc/ SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/guyana-football-federation-inc LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/guyana-football-federation-inc TWITTER: @GFF_Inc_

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

Bounty GCC, Pizza Hut GCC Ladies unbeaten in a m re s er ik H si ep P dominate night two … THE Noble House Goals Galore Indoor Hockey championships saw more high-scoring performances on Wednesday evening, as the Bounty GCC men and Pizza Hut GCC ladies both made their first appearance with convincing wins while the Pepsi Hikers continued along their dominant road to the top of their table. The opening match of the evening produced high drama for the excited fans as Saints HC, beginning with +12 goals, needed to hold off an unbeaten GCC Spice (+4) in their debut match. It took Spice 15 minutes to add to their goal tally but once the breakthrough was made they seemed destined for victory with two more in the half. As Spice raced against the clock to close the goal deficit on Saints, national striker Tekeisha DeLeon drew the loudest noise from the crowd in her heroic defence for Saints, blocking several Spice shots and keeping her team’s hopes alive. With a hat-trick from Vanessa Pires, doubles from Tricia Fiedtkou and Tiffany Solomon and a final goal from Dominique DeGroot, Spice

managed to draw even with six minutes remaining. The final buzzer however beat Spice to the line as Saints erupted in jubilation at holding the pool

GCC, boasting several national players, cruised past the babies of the tournament, Spartans, by 17-13. With Spartans beginning on a plus 12 goal advantage,

cheer. By then, however, the Pizza Hut ladies who started with zero goals, had drawn even and dominated the rest of the

Spice’s Dacia Woodroffe is being challenged by Renee James of Saints.

leaders to a 12-12 draw. In the other ladies’ clash of the evening, the most senior side in the tournament, Pizza Hut

Froome’s failure on final slope sets stage for thrilling Tour finale By Julien Pretot PEYRAGUDES, France (Reuters) - Chris Froome’s failure to hang on in the final stretch of yesterday’s 12th stage of the Tour de France has set the stage for a nail-biting finale, as his main rivals have sensed a weakness in the defending champion. Briton Froome, who hammered the opposition in the first big mountain stages in 2013, 2015 and 2016 - the years he won the title - could not match the pace of the top guns in the finale in Peyragudes, surrendering the yellow jersey to Italian Fabio Aru. Frenchman Romain Bardet, runner-up last year, won the stage to stay third overall, 25 seconds behind Aru, while Froome slipped to second, six seconds off the pace. “It was a very, very hard finish. I didn’t have the legs in the finale, but there is still a long way to go,” Froome told reporters. “I had a bad moment here at the end. No excuses. I just didn’t have the legs in the final. It’s close. It’s going to be a great fight now all the way to Paris.” The battle will resume today when the 13th stage takes the peloton over 101km from Saint-Girons to Foix, with three category-one climbs on the menu. “It’s not the end of the world,” said Team Sky sports director Nicolas Portal, who saw some positives in Froome losing the yellow jersey. “Tomorrow it will be up to Astana to control the stage,” he said. Bardet, who claimed his third Tour stage win yesterday, is expecting fireworks. “It will be a crazy race. I know the terrain very well, I’m expecting a big battle,” the AG2R-La Mondiale rider said. “Sky’s pride is wounded, and I’m sure they will try to seize this last opportunity to regain control before the Alps. There may be big time gaps at the end of tomorrow’s stage.” After today, breakaway specialists and sprinters take centre stage again until the Tour reaches the Alps, where two punishing days of riding could decide the race. Froome, however, will still have the final time trial to make up for any deficit, as he is expected to gain at least a minute over Bardet and Aru there.

their lone additional goal in the match from a Makeda Harding penalty corner rebound in the 30th minute received the loudest

game with four more goals for the 17-13 win. Kerensa Fernandes was the top scorer for Pizza Hut with 5 goals; Ali-

yah Gordon scored four, both Marzana Fiedtkou and Sonia Jardine three and Gabriella Xavier two for GCC. The always entertaining Pepsi Hikers strolled to a 17-12 victory over SHC New Tricks in the opening men’s match of the evening. With New Tricks beginning on a plus-12 goal advantage, the Hikers dominated from end to end and gave a masterful demonstration of hockey to their youthful opposition. Captain Robert France lead the score sheet with 5 goals while teammate Aroydy Branford added 4. Randy Hope, Jamarj Assanah and Andrew Stewart with doubles each and singles from Colonel Heywood and Rayon Branford rounded out the scorers for the Hikers. Bounty GCC had a productive evening as they controlled both of their ties for the evening, first with a 19-14 win over the HHC Recruits and then a 17-12 win over SHC Old Dogs. Bounty captain Kevin Spencer was their main marksman of the evening with nine goals in the two matches while Mark Sargeant put in an entertaining performance with several solo

goals including a diving finish to end the final game. The young Old Fort Warriors created the upset of the evening in their men’s clash against the veteran GCC Vintage. With the Warriors enjoying a handicap of 20 goals in their favour to the Vintage six, they needed to use their youth and speed to hold their experienced opponents to less than 7 goals per half. Goalkeeper Paul Andrade produced a stellar performance for the Warriors as Vintage saw several shots being saved, each increasing the volume level of the keen Warriors supporters. Vintage were able to score four goals in the last 10 minutes of the match but still fell two goals shy of catching the Warriors who celebrated a 20-18 victory. The Pepsi Hikers and Bounty GCC lead the men’s tables with 6 points each while GCC Spice head the women’s table with 4 points followed by Pizza Hut GCC and the Old Fort Shooting Stars. The tournament continues today with the finals scheduled to begin at 18:40hrs tomorrow.

Western, Police maul opponents in Petra/Corona football By Stephan Sookram IT was a night of goals galore as 29 were scored on the second night of the Petra-organised, Corona-sponsored Invitational football tournament at the GFC ground Bourda on Wednesday.

non (33rd, 59th) each contributed while Linden Pickett, Mark Gritten and Darren Benjamin each scored one in the 22nd, 56th and 79th respectively. Game two was a more competitive fixture with Camptown needling GFC 1-0 thanks to Oziel Small in the 41st minute. The hosts had more than enough chances to take the lead and even equalise but failed to do so, giving them

their first loss of the tournament. Meanwhile, the night’s goal-scoring trend continued with Police mauling Beacons FC 14-1. Quincy Holder (7th, 37th, 39th, 45th) and Anthio Wallace (21st, 47th, 70th, 78th) were both on fire, scoring four each as the Police side arrested the Beacons unit, whose only goal came from Christopher Galloway in the 43rd minute

Camptown goal scorer Oziel Small

In the first of the triple-header, Western Tigers railroaded their Black Pearl FC opponents 13-0 in a goal-scoring frenzy with Andrew Murray leading the line with four goals in the 15th, 55th, 80th and 83rd minutes. Hubert Pedro (3rd, 37th), Devon Millington (10th, 29th) and Dwayne McLen-

Part of the action between Camptown FC and GFC. (Delano Willams photo)

Police also had a hat-trick from Stephan Ramsey (34th, 84th, 42nd) as well as a brace from Dwain Jacobs (72nd, 81st) and a lone strike from Jermaine Granderson (13th) Matches continue in the tournament today when Pele play East Veldt in game one at the same venue while Santos oppose Flamingo in game two and Riddim Squad FC play Northern Rangers in game three.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

Tutorial Academy sends warning, with a New coach Shastri promises more freedom for players 13-0 demolition of Port Mourant Secondary

Tutorial Academy goalscorers

IN 2012, Tutorial Academy defeated Berbice Educational Institute 3-2 on penalty kicks, in the 2nd edition of the Championship, to be crowned Region 6 Champions of the Digicel schools football nationwide tournament. Four years on, in 2016, they repeated the feat over Orealla Secondary. Playing at Burnham Park on Wednesday, Tutorial Academy Secondary School

(TASS) showed why they are two-time regional champions, scoring goals at will over Port Mourant Secondary. Outfitted in their slick green and black uniform TASS sent a warning to the other teams during their one-sided affair. Most of the TASS players had a good warm-up. Their goalkeeper had little to do. The players displayed confidence in their goal-scoring frenzy.

The demolition began in the 12th minute courtesy of Joshua Wilson. Port Mourant Secondary could field only 8 players. By the halftime stage TASS sent 6 goals to the back of the net. Resuming full of confidence and with the desire to score, Tutorial booted their 7th goal in the first minute of resumption, compliments of Kenneth Clarkston. Coach of TASS made sure the all

substitutes had a feel of the action as she made four substitutions in the space of 5 minutes. Goals continued to pour in at will in the 43rd, 47th and two in the 65th, while they ended the drubbing with goals in the 68th and 70th minutes. For TASS seven of their players scored. This was the final match of the first round stage. (Colin Bynoe (Jr).

Colours Boutique/Guinness Greatest of the Street Football

Action packed night expected ANOTHER action-packed night of football is anticipated when the Colours Boutique/Guinness Greatest of the Street National Football playoffs continue today with six more matches at the Pouderoyen Tarmac,W est Demerara. The Linden leg proved a tough hunting ground for teams from Berbice, East Coast Demerara and one Georgetown squad as they suffered elimination. Friday night’s programme will kick off with Plaisance of East Coast Demerara squaring off with Broad Street Ballerz of Georgetown at 19:00 hours. Show Stoppers of West Demerara will tackle River View of Bartica to be followed by Money Team of West Demerara coming up against Sparta Boss of Georgetown while Back Circle of Georgetown will face off with Hustlers of West Demerara. The winner of the Plaisance/Broad Street Ballerz will face the winner of Back Circle versus Hustlers clash while the winner of Show Stoppers/River View will take on the winner of Sparta Boss/Money Team for places in the semi-finals.

NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - New India cricket coach Ravi Shastri plans to adopt a more hands-off approach to the role than his predecessor Anil Kumble, with the 55-year-old saying he has no intention of trying to act as a tutor to the players. Kumble stepped down last month citing a breakdown in his relationship with skipper Virat Kohli, who according to media reports, resented the former captain’s ‘headmasterly’ methods. Shastri was handed the coaching reins on Tuesday, a year after losing the job to Kumble, and the former all-rounder promised a fresh outlook to the job. “At the highest level, cricketers are more or less settled,” Shastri told the Times of India newspaper. “So it is more to do with working on their mental strength, helping build their confidence, helping them stay organised in their daily activities as against tinkering with their style of play. “It’s not about ‘tutoring’

them about everything and telling them what and what not to do. There’s very little coaching at the highest level. It’s about fine-tuning and mentoring, about effective communication.” Shastri, who has served as team director in the past, enjoys a good rapport with Kohli and said he had no issues with players having more freedom off the field. “Why should I change anyone’s style, or for that matter, why should anyone change his own style of doing things? “As long as there’s a level of commitment, the hard yards are being put in and results are showing, why shouldn’t there be fun?” The Indian cricket board has also named former seamer Zaheer Khan as the team’s bowling consultant, while Rahul Dravid was appointed as batting consultant for overseas Test series. The first challenge for the new coaching set-up will begin later this month when India tour Sri Lanka for three Tests, five one-dayers and a sole Twenty20 international.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday June 14, 2017) 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 yesterday’s quiz: (1) Dinesh Karthik-48 (2) Virat Kholi Today’s Quiz: (1) How many T20 International centuries Evin Lewis has now made to date? (2) Which Indian batsman was dismissed via the ‘run out’ route in the recent T20 game against India? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

Part of the action in last weeknd’s matches

Two teams from the mining town - Dave and Celina All Stars and Silver Bullet have already booked their semi-final places following the successful staging of the Linden leg last weekend at the Mackenzie Bus Park tarmac. The teams eliminated were New Amsterdam Kings and East Bank Gunners of Berbice, Melanie and Buxton Diamond of East Coast Demerara, Tucville of Georgetown and

Swag Entertainment of Linden. The semi-finals, third place play off and final will take place on Saturday at Demerara Park, opposite Thirst Park. Director of Sport Christopher Jones as well as senior executives of Banks DIH Limited and Colours Boutique have been invited to witness the finals at Demerara Park. Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste disclosed that

all systems are in place for the finals and he anticipates another exciting two nights of competition in West Demerara and at Demerara Park. “It has been a long road for the Guinness Greatest of the Streets this season with Zone meets in Georgetown, East Coast Demarara, West Demerara, Bartica, Linden and Berbice and we will now witness “Who will be made of more” as we crown the 2017 champions,” he added.

English Racing Tips Newmarket 08:50 hrs Parfait 09:25 hrs Nyaleti 10:00 hrs Daawy 10:35 hrs Arabian Hope 11:10 hrs Tangled 11:45 hrs Being There 12:20 hrs Bustam 12:50 hrs Finishing Touch York 09:05 hrs One Minute 09:40 hrs Lustrous Light 10:15 hrs Gheedaa 10:45 hrs Visitant 11:20 hrs Silver Starlight 11:55 hrs Lapilli 12:30 hrs Pennysylvania Ascot 09:15 hrs Faraasah

09:50 hrs Dragons Tail 10:25 hrs Shabeeb 11:00 hrs Camerone 11:35 hrs Hyperfocus 12:10 hrs Addeybb 12:40 hrs Fire Tree Irish racing Tips Navan 12:25 hrs Tenth Amendment 13:00 hrs Dancing Doll 13:30 hrs Mirror Man 14:00 hrs Red Sabor 14:30 hrs I Am Power 15:05 hrs Duplication 15:40 hrs Pirolo South Africa Racing Tips Fairview 08:30 hrs Inviting Lily 09:05 hrs Elusive Ropse 09:40 hrs So Enchanting 10:15 hrs Sweetchild O Mine 10:50 hrs High Definition

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 14, 2017

GABF names team for Centrobasket U-17 tournament … Coach Mohan confident despite missing ‘best player’

By Rawle Toney

THE Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) yesterday named the team that will represent ‘The Land of Many Waters’ at this year’s U-17 Central America and Caribbean Basketball (CentroBasket) Championships, which is scheduled to take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 26 - 30. Guyana are placed in Group ‘A’ of the tournament that features Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The Guyanese side will open their campaign against the Bahamas on July 26, followed by a clash with Puerto Rico on Thursday, July 27, and then close off their group-play against Mexico on July 28. Te a m s w i l l p l a y i n round-robin format for three days, after which, the best two teams from each group

Kevon Wiggins in action at the 2016 CBC U-16 tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

will advance to the next

phase, where the first-place team of Group A will oppose the second-place in Group B and vice versa. The winners of the semifinals will advance to the ‘gold medal match’, while the losers will play for the bronze of the continental event. The top three teams from the tournament will qualify to the FIBA U-18 Americas Championship 2018, to be played in St Catharines, Canada, June 11-17, 2018. The team was selected by head coach Lugard Mohan following the conclusion of last weekend’s trials at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Returning to Guyana to play in the CentroBasket Championship is United States-based Guyanese Kevon Wiggins; a 6’0 starting guard at the Evander High School in Bronx New York. Wiggins was the leading scorer for Guyana at last year’s Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U-16, where the team finished

Guyana Under-17s edge Leewards by one run at Brian Lara Academy By Brij Parasnath in Trinidad & Tobago GUYANA youthful team rebounded from their firstround defeat to Windward Islands and regained some measure of respect when they fought hard to overpower Leeward Islands in their Cricket West Indies (CWI) Under-17 50-Overs second-round encounter at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, San Fernando yesterday. Guyana barely managed to win the gripping contest by a solitary run through the brilliance of left-arm spinner Kevin Umrao and medium pacer Gavin Schultz who shared the bowling honours when Leewards made a bold attempt to get the required 139 runs for victory in 21 overs after the 50-overs-a-side contest was reduced to a 21-overs-a-side affair because of rain stoppage during Guyana’s innings. Having been sent in to bat first, Guyana compiled 72 for 1 off 21 overs when the innings closed. Because of the weather conditions the officials were forced to use the Duckworth-Lewis method to get a result. Leewards faced a victory target of 139 in 21 overs. But Umrao and Schultz combined to stall Leewards’ progress after they were well poised to main-

tain their winning ways after they had beaten Jamaica in their first-round clash at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva last Tuesday. During Guyana’s innings, opener Alex Algoo struggled and was dismissed for three runs after he faced 15 deliveries, with the score 26 for 1 after 5.4 overs. But the talented Sachin Singh and Junior Sinclair combined to thwart the Leewards bowlers and fashioned a respectable unbroken 46run second-wicket stand that pushed the total to 72 for 1 after 21 overs when adverse weather conditions brought a halt to Guyana’s innings. Singh batted with confidence and registered seven boundaries off 62 balls while Sinclair was supportive and hit one six and three fours off 50 balls during their 15.2 overs partnership. Leewards made a bold attempt to get the required runs for victory but Umrao got into the act, claiming two quick wickets in his second over and the fourth of the innings. The left-arm spinner had Uri Smith stumped by wicketkeeper Kevin Christian for eight runs (2x4s off 14 balls) off the first delivery and two balls later captured the other opener Zawandi White, caught by Alphius Bookie for six (1x4 off 7 balls). Both

wickets fell at 21. However, Leewards recovered from the setback through the efforts of T. Francis 38 (2x6s and 2x4s off 25 balls) and P. Miller 33 (1x4 off 35 balls) who together featured in an attractive 77-run third-wicket partnership that threatened to give the Guyanese their second defeat in successive matches. Schultz made the breakthrough and claimed both players with successive balls (2nd and 3rd) in the fourteenth over. Leewards had raced to 98 for 4 after 13.3 overs. Francis and Miller blasted 77 runs in 9.5 overs. Re-introduced into the attack, Umroa created havoc and he undermined Leewards lower order and brought them to the verge of victory which was accomplished with two runouts in the final over. Umrao emerged as Guyana’s bowling hero with impressive analysis of 5 wickets for 26 runs in five overs. Kevlon Anderson also took one wicket for 22 runs from three overs. However, there was a tense battle for top honours as Elroy Francis 17 (1x6, 1x4 off 11 balls) and D. Benta 14 (23 balls) who rallied their team with a determined 28run fifth-wicket stand before Umrao provided the magical spell that pushed Guyana to a sensational one-run win off the final ball of the innings.

behind regional basketball powerhouse Bahamas. Guyana will also benefit from the coaching expertise of Kenneth Avent from the United States of America.

Head coach Lugard Mohan

Avent is a player development specialist with FIBA and is also a USA Basketball Licensed Coach and Youth Development Specialist, Gloucester Times – coach-ofthe-year and was also awarded American Professional Basketball League coach-of-theyear for 2016. The team, which will de-

part Guyana on July 25 and return on August 1, includes Nigel Bowen, Tramine Brown, Kelmar Carmichael, Akeem Crandon, Shamar France, Roydon Glasgow, Jether Harris, Andrew Johnson, Jermaine King, Kevon Wiggins, Anthony Yanson and Jahleel Young. The coaching staff will be led by Lugard Mohan with Avent as his assistant; Andrew Hercules is the team’s manager and Jonas Anestal the physical trainer. Speaking with Chronicle Sport following the release of the team, Mohan said “despite the team missing their best player in Jordan Alphonso, my competitive nature will make me prepare these guys to the best of my ability”. Alphonso was the ‘backbone’ of the team that finished second at the CBC U-16 tournament when the event was hosted in Guyana last year. The former Marian Academy student, before returning to the U.S., was considered the best

youth player in Guyana, and played a significant role in the team’s success. “The best player is not available, so instead of going there with our strength, we’re weakened, but, we still have to compete and, like I said, I’ll do everything to ensure that the guys maximise their potential,” said Mohan. When contacted, GABF president Nigel Hinds told Chronicle Sport that while Alphonso’s albescence will be missed, it was beyond the Federation’s control, since he was not satisfied with the arrangements that would have allowed him to represent Guyana. Meanwhile the GABF stated that they expect the high level of basketball competition in the Dominican Republic will “expose our youths to the intense training required to succeed at the international level. In addition, the exposure will also impart self-confidence, patriotism, and discipline among our youths”.

Sir Garfield Sobers Int’l Schools Cricket Tourney

St Joseph record second win; ‘Nations’ rebound from first-round loss ST Joseph high registered their second win in as many matches in the second round of the Sir Garfield Sobers Int’l Schools Cricket Tourney,defeating St Michael’s School of Barbados by seven wickets at Bank Hall, Barbados. Batting first,St Michael’s were bundled out for a paltry 112 off 33 of their allotted 40 overs. Jared Lovell topscored with 30,while Kai Patrick and Codie Ramsey weighed in with 20 and 15, respectively. Bowling for St Joseph, Stephon Wilson bagged 3-25, skipper Kennard Moonsammy 2-4 and Nkosi Beaton 2-18. Taking their turn at the

crease, the ‘Joseph’ lads made light work of the meagre total, reaching 113-3 off 19.5 overs. Skipper Kennard Moonsammy lead the way with 33, while Stephon Wilson completed a solid all-round performance, following up his three-wicket haul with an unbeaten 31; Timothy McCalmont chipped in with 27. Kyle Edwards took 2-24 for St Michael’s. Meanwhile, School of the Nations rebounded from their first-round loss, defeating St Leonard’s School of Barbados by 86 runs mainly through a stellar all-round performance by Mark Ramsammy. ‘Nations’

took first strike and compiled 178 off 34 overs. Ramsammy top scored with 33, while Ariel Tilqu contributed 25 and Christopher Kowsilla and Vishal Persaud,19 apiece. Nigel Desriveres claimed 6-33 and Aleyandro Davis 3-37. Replying, St Leonard’s were routed for 92 off 26 overs. Mark Ramsammy returned with the ball to capture 5-17 and he was ably supported by Bheem Hardyal and Chris Kowsilla, who claimed 3-16 and 2-7, respectively. For St Leonard’s, Kcey Williams made 26, Rashoud Eli 15 and Aleyandro Davis, 11. (Anthony Layne)

Pooran set for return after mending fences with CWI ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Cricket West Indies (CWC) and Nicholas Pooran have settled their differences, paving the way for the promising lefthander to return to West Indies colours. The announcement by CWI came just hours after they also revealed an end to the impasse with leading Test batsman Darren Bravo, on a day of rare reconciliation in West Indies cricket. Pooran, 21, had been suspended by CWI for opting out of the Professional Cricket League (PCL) despite being selected by Leeward Islands Hurricanes for last season’s campaign. However, the CWI said the period of the player’s suspension had since elapsed and both parties

had opted to “settle this matter amicably” in the best interest of West Indies cricket. “The parties jointly state, however, that following bilateral good faith discussions, they have decided to settle this matter amicably. The parties add that they are both committed to the development of West Indies Cricket at all levels and continue to have those interests uppermost in their minds,” a statement from CWI said yesterday. “Whilst not delving into the merits of their respective positions on the matter, the parties regret that it occurred as it did and accept that this has served as a learning experience for both players and administrators, in terms of best practice for the professionalisation

of cricket in the region.” Pooran will now be eligible for selection to all formats. The Trinidadian, an aggressive top-order batsman and wicketkeeper, has already played three Twenty20 Internationals following his debut against Pakistan in United Arab Emirates last September. He failed to make an impression, however, and mustered just 25 runs from his three outings. Pooran was picked up in the PCL draft but then snubbed the Hurricanes contract in order to represent Khulna Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League. CWI said then there would be “consequences” for players who failed to honour their commitments to the PCL.

GABF names team for Centrobasket U-17 tournament See

Page 35

Government, CPL sign contract for use of Guyana National Stadium CARIBBEAN Premier League (CPL) yesterday inked its contract with the Government of Guyana, which will allow for Guyana National Stadium to play host to the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ four home fixtures in the T20 spectacle. Guyana Amazon Warriors will battle Jamaica Tallawahs on August 17, Trinbago Knight Riders two days later, followed by a clash against Barbados Tridents on August 22, and would wrap up their four-game home stand against the St Lucia Zouks. The agreement was signed in the boardroom of the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture’s Main Street office by Omar Khan, Team Operations Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, in the presence of Hon. Minister Nicolette Henry and Permanent Secretary Melissa Tucker. Also present at the agreement signing was Anthony Xavier, the General Manager of the Guyana National Stadium. “It’s a significant part of the process and an opportunity for Guyanese to once more enjoy world-class international cricket and entertainment at the National Stadium,” said Khan. Khan noted too that Guyanese have been tremendous supporters of the CPL and of the Guyana Amazon Warriors and he expects that support to continue. Minister Henry at the agreement signing dubbed it an honour on the Government’s behalf to partner once again with the CPL.

Minister Nicolette Henry (second from left) and Guyana Amazon Warriors Omar Khan hold the agreement signed yesterday for the use of the Guyana National Stadium. Also in photo are Permanent Secretary Melissa Tucker and Anthony Xavier.

McKoy, Rogers and Samuels earn scholarships to Monroe College Bravo, Cameron

By Tamica Garnett

FOLLOWING their striking performances at regional meets this year, Guyanese athletes Claudrice McKoy, Avon Samuels and Onasha Rogers were offered full scholarships to study and train at Monroe College, and if all goes well they are expected to leave Guyana later next month.

essary arrangements to move on to this next chapter of their lives. “I feel very amazing you know to finally get this opportunity,” 18-year-old Samuels, a former Christ Church student, expressed about the opportunity.

100m and he was interested in me then started making contact with me. “So after speaking with my mom and coach we started to make progress and started getting things in order because I saw it as a great opportunity for me to further my studies and athletics,” explained Rogers who will be studying for a Diploma in Criminal Justice.

Onasha Rogers

Claudrice McKoy The athletes are currently in the process of finalising the nec-

Samuels and Rogers were approached after their performance at the South American Junior Championships, which was held in Guyana. Both sprinters, Rogers and Samuels each took a silver medal, finishing second in the 100m and 400m respectively. They both had a bronze from the Girls’ 4x100m at the Championships, while Samuels also had a gold medal from the Girls’ 4x400m. It has been a great year for these three female athletes. “After South American Juniors, one of the coaches from the college saw my race in the

Avon Samuels McKoy and Samuels will be studying for an Associate Degree in Business Administration. McKoy had also medalled at the SA Juniors where

she took bronze in the 1500m. This was after she had already won a gold and a bronze at the CARIFTA Games in April. It was at the CARIFTA Games that McKoy was approached with the scholarship proposal. Sixteen-year- old McKoy has been experiencing a phenomenal season so far, clocking all three personal bests this year. It was just a few weeks ago that she set her 800m PB at 2:15.36s, after she took silver at the National Seniors. In March she had a 4:38.56s PB in the 1500m. The athletes have already began processing their necessary documents and requirements, and are expected to travel to the U.S. by the end of August, ahead of starting college for the Fall Semester in September, 2017. Rogers, a former Mackenzie High student, also chronicled her PBs this season flying to 11.71 seconds in the 100m for the silver at SA Juniors. She got her 24.48 seconds best time in the 200m just last May. Samuel’s PBs are 24.6 seconds in the 200m and 55.12 seconds in the 400m. The excited athletes have already begun seeking support from corporate entities to assist with some of the expenses they will incur as they process their applications.

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apologise; player set to play for West Indies again See Page 31

West Indies Test left-hander Darren Bravo FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017