Guyana Chronicle Epaper 17 07 2017

Savour the ‘Java’ experience Page 14

New holding area ready No. 104976

MONDAY , JULY 17, 2017

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

–– prisoners at Lusignan to move to more habitable facility today

Page 3

Cows killed, persons injured One found dead in in separate accidents Page 11

Page 9

Moruca boat mishap

Guyanese teen perishes in NY accident Page 8

Two cows reportedly died on the spot and several persons suffered injuries when a cattle truck and a motor lorry collided on Main and Lamaha Streets, Georgetown on Sunday (Samuel Maughn photo)

Suspected Bandit shot dead at Tuschen

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Dead: Akeem Grant

Parlour refuses body of suspected murderer Page 10

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

Family of bludgeoned fisher cries for justice

VARSHANAND Dhalu called “Black Boy”, 22, laid motionless in his bed with a blank stare at his 18-year-old wife holding their three months old son as he struggles to respond to this publication.

“Pain… head pain,” the young fisherman of Number 79 Village, East Berbice Corentyne grimaced in a faint voice. That was all he could have mustered up the strength to say.

Varshanand was attacked, beaten and left to die by three men on June 30th while hanging out with his brother at a shop, a stone throw away from his home.

The aftermath of the incident left him bedridden, without a left kidney, internal injuries, severe head injuries and a medical bill of over $2M. His attackers are currently walking freely in the streets and continue to issue threats to him and his brother after being placed on bail for attempted murder.

His family, scared for their lives, reached out to Guyana Chronicle with the

a piece of wood charged at him.

“When me walk in the shop, before me reach the counter Tony pelt me wid wan bottle and me see Bambul and Chato a run to me. One get one big wood and the next one get wan iron bar. Them ash me and me run out but all three a them jump pan me buddy and start beat am till he fall down and them run way.”

The bed-ridden Varshanand Dhalu hope that the authorities would listen to their plight and render them help.

According to Varshanand’s older brother, Chandrika Dallu, 27, at around 23:00hrs on June 30 this year, he and his brother were hanging out at a shop in Number 79 Village, and as he entered the shop to purchase two Guinness, a man named “Tony” was cursing loudly but he paid no heed.

After finishing the Guinness, he left the shop but decided to have another round and re-entered to make the purchase.

But as he neared the counter, Tony, who was imbibing with two other persons whom he identified as “Bambul” and “Chato” threw a beer bottle at him.

And at that point, the two others, one armed with an iron bar and the other with

OLD GRIEVANCE Questioned on what may have started the fight, Chandrika related that the trio had an old grievance over money owed a few years ago to his younger brother.

“Couple years now them had an old story weh them owe me brother money and

when he ask them for am them stab he up but the matter done just suh, we never went court or nothing but since then them does want harass we every time cause people vex wid them fuh wah them do he since then,” Chandrika related.

He further related that on the night in question, they did not have any altercation or exchange of words when they were viciously attacked.

Varshanand’s wife, Farina Noordeen, 18, said she was at home when she heard her husband and brother-inlaw were beaten and she, along with her brother, ran over to the scene.

She said upon arrival, they found Varshanand lying motionless on the ground and bleeding profusely from the ears and mouth. He

An image showing the damaged kidney which had to be removed

was picked up and rushed to the Skeldon Hospital but was subsequently transferred from there. “ W h e n w e re a c h e d Skeldon Hospital, they called the ambulance and transferred him to New Amsterdam right away and when we reach there they rushed him to do scan and said he had a clot in his kidneys and they gun treat him for that and keep him overnight, but he wanted to urine, so I helped him and when I look in the container is blood so I got scared and started screaming to the nursed and doctors who told me it was ok that that is normal cause he had internal injuries but his was not responding so them decided to transfer him to Georgetown Public Hospital,” she said.

WORSENED Noordeen noted that upon arrival at the hospital, her husband’s conditioned worsened and he was not receiving the level of attention he needed and a decision was made to take him to a private hospital on July 1.

“When we reach Public [Hospital] in town them just get he on the bed, no saline or nothing nah connected See page 3

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New holding area ready

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

–– prisoners at Lusignan to move to more habitable facility today

PUBLIC Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said the newly tarmacked holding area at the Lusignan Prison Complex is almost ready and the handing over will be done today.

Following the handing over, the prisoners will be transferred from th e cu r r e n t o p e n - ai r holding area to the newly constructed facility, the Department of Public Information (DPI) said in a release.

Minister Ramjattan on Sunday visited the Lusignan Prison complex to get an on-site update on the works. The completion of the works on the tarmacked holding area was delayed as a result of persistent inclement weather in recent days.

The new holding area has been tarmacked and roofed and will temporarily house approximately 450 prisoners who were transferred from the Georgetown Prison which was de-

stroyed by fire two Sundays ago.

The transfer is seen by observers as timely.

Last Friday, prison officials confirmed that prisoners attempted to set fire to the Lusignan Prison after they reportedly accessed fuel from a generator at the facility.

Police and fire fighters acted immediately and extinguished the fire around 02:00hrs on Friday. Prison officials had told this newspaper that a round was discharged to simmer the situation and reports are a prisoner was grazed by the bullet.

The prisoners were upset at the flooded conditions of the walled area in which they are being housed. Security has since been increased at the prison and its environs.

On Friday morning, relatives of the inmates expressed dissatisfaction at a move by the prison authorities to not issue self-support cards, which are usually given to them

in order to take food and clothing for their confined relatives.

Following the Camp Street Prison fire which destroyed most of the facility two Sundays ago, over 1000 prisoners were forced to join their Lusignan colleagues.

Meanwhile, works are continuing at the brick prison building at the Georgetown Prison and another area which was not destroyed by the fire.

These two buildings will house a total of 350 prisoners at the Georgetown Prison location, further reducing the number of prisoners who are being held at Lusignan.

To date, over 400 prisoners in total have been transferred to the New Amsterdam, Mazaruni and Timehri Prisons.

At the time of the Camp Street fire, eight prisoners escaped, but three have been recaptured thus far.

Those still on the

run are Mark Royden Durant called Royden Williams or “Smallie”,

Uree Varswyck known as Malcolm Gordon, Stafrei Hopkinson Al-

e x a n d e r, C o r n e l i u s Thomas and Cobena Stephens, called “OJ.”

Recovering well: Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Sunday visited injured prison officer Hubert Trim at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Trim is recovering well and is no longer in the Intensive Care Unit. He was the duty officer at the time of the fire at the Georgetown Prison on Sunday last. Three other officers who received medical care at the GPHC have since been discharged and are recovering at their respective homes. They are Simeon Sandy, Drexel Gonsalves and Jason Maltay. (DPI photo)

Family of bludgeoned ... Soesdyke man killed in accident From page 2

to he, he just deh and crying out for pain. He tell me he nah nah gun make it, so we decide to carry he private when we reach, they did a scan and said they needed to operate on him right away cause his kidney damage and he gun die cause he bleeding a lot internally. Plus them show me a scan of he head where he get two blood cloth and after the surgery them show me the kidney how it damage from the hit he got.”

The young mother is of the view that the move to the private hospital saved her husband’s life since he received the attention and care despite a massive bill.

Relatives told this publication that the incident was reported to the police and the suspects were arrested and placed before the courts to answer to charges of attempted murder.

In the first appearance, the suspects were remanded but on the second, they

were reportedly granted bail in the sum of $300,000 each.

The family is of the view that the suspects have been issuing threats to them and should not have been released.

They say despite reporting the threats to the police, no action has been taken against the men.

“Since the incident me mek report and them seh fuh get a medical and me went hospital and till now nobody nah tell me nothing, no court date nah set fuh me or me nah get called to give evidence or nothing .Since the first court date them threaten fuh kill me in front of the police and me go in the station and mek a report now we all scared because them free and me brother life messed up. We don’t know if he will ever recover fully,” said Chandrika as he called on the authorities for justice.

THE police are investigating a fatal accident which claimed the life of a 47year- old man at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara (EBD) early Sunday morning.

According to the police, 47-year old Chandrapaul Persaud, 47, of Lot 53 Soesdyke, EBD, was struck down by the

driver of motorcar PVV 1923 around 03:00hrs.

Police say the driver of the car was proceeding north along the western carriageway of the roadway when he struck down Persaud, who was proceeding in the opposite direction.

The injured man was

rushed to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital at Diamond, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the car was tested and found to be above the legal blood alcohol limit. He is in police custody as the accident is being investigated.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

Hunt for escapees continues

-- Intelligence-led operation leads Joint Services to D’Urban backlands

By Ravin Singh EFFORTS are being intensified by the Joint Services to recapture five prisoners who escaped from the Georgetown Prison two Sundays ago during the most devastating fire at the correctional facility.

On Sunday, the Joint Services executed an intelligence-led search of D’Urban backlands, Georgetown, in an effort to locate the prisoners whom they believe are hiding in the backlands.

The search was aided by two Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopters and several military vehicles shuttling soldiers in and out of the area, which notorious criminals were known to have used for hideouts.

Entrance into the area was blocked for a few hours while a search was conducted. However, it is not clear if any discoveries were made by the Joint Services.

According to Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud, all of the ongoing Joint Services’ operations are intelligence-led. He did not say if the security forces were able to locate any of the prisoners, or trails they may have left.

A few days ago, 22-year-old Matthew Shivtahal, a taxi driver who was abducted by four of the escapees, claimed that they were travelling in the backlands.

Shivtahal related that after the men abducted him on July 9, they abandoned his car in North Ruimveldt and entered the backlands on foot.

He said that they walked south, eventually arriving at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, but he was released after they encountered a trench which he could not swim across.

The young man told reporters that some of the men were planning to head up the highway.

A military base sits a few miles away from the highway where two notorious criminals – Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins and Jermain “Skinny” Charles -- were killed in 2008.

The four escapees Shivtahal claimed abducted him were: Mark Royden Durant called Royden Williams or “Smallie”; Uree Varswyck known as Malcolm Gordon; Stafrei Hopkenson Alexander; and Desmond James.

James was recaptured on Friday evening at Canal Number One on the West Bank of De-

The five escapees who are wanted by police

merara (WBD). The other two escapees believed to be separate are Cornelius Thomas and Cobena Stephens called “OJ.” Royden Williams was convicted of eight counts of murder and four counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to death by Justice Roxane George SC, now chief justice. He was part of the notorious “Fineman” gang that had carried out three massacres, claiming the lives of 31 persons.

That gang was believed to have trained in the backlands to use weapons, many of which were identified as those which went missing from the army in 2006.

Shivtahal said that the men did not know exactly where they were at all times. “They find places where they know.

They cutting and going. Some of them said they going down the highway.”

He also recalled seeing the men using cell phones throughout the journey while two of them were armed with what appeared to be 9millimetre pistols. The Joint Services have since said that only one pistol is missing from the armoury at the now-demolished Georgetown prison.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17 2017

Suspected Bandit shot dead at Tuschen SUNDAY evening ended tragically for 33-year-old Eon Currency, called “Muscle” and “Slingerz Outlaw” of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank of Essequibo (EBE) after he was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head.

The man’s shirtless body was found tangled on a red bicycle which he was reportedly riding up to the time of his death.

He was shot to the forehead and reportedly collapsed along the roadside where he

died.

The man, who some c l a i m e d t o b e a v e ndor, was well known in the village. According to reports, Currency used to collude with other notorious characters and robbed persons at the ‘Blacka’ dam at Tuschen New Scheme.

Muscle was reportedly involved in a robbery sometime back, during which a policeman’s gun was stolen.

Executed: Eon Currency, 33, called ‘Muscle’ and ‘Slingerz Outlaw’ who was killed execution-style on Sunday evening at Tuschen (News Room Photo)

Secret Service denies vetting Trump Jr. meeting WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service on Sunday denied a suggestion from President Donald Trump's personal lawyer that it had vetted a meeting between the president's son and Russian nationals during the 2016 campaign.

Donald Trump Jr. has acknowledged that he met in New York with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya after he was told she might have damaging information about his father's rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

"Well, I wonder why the Secret Service, if this was nefarious, why the Secret Service allowed these people in. The president had Secret Service protection at that point, and that raised a question with me," Jay Sekulow, a member of the president's legal team, said on Sunday on the ABC news program "This Week."

In an emailed response to questions about Sekulow's

comments, Secret Service spokesman Mason Brayman said the younger Trump was not under Secret Service protection at the time of the meeting, which included Trump's son and two senior campaign officials.

"Donald Trump, Jr. was not a protectee of the USSS in June, 2016. Thus we would not have screened anyone he was meeting with at that time," the statement said.

According to emails released by Trump Jr. last week, he eagerly agreed to meet Veselnitskaya, who he was told was a Russian government lawyer. Veselnitskaya has said she is a private lawyer and denies having Kremlin ties.

On Friday, NBC News reported that a lobbyist who was once a Soviet counter-intelligence officer participated in the meeting, which was also attended by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and the president's former campaign manager,

Paul Manafort.

The meeting appears to be the most tangible evidence of a connection between Trump's election campaign and Russia, a subject that has prompted investigations by congressional committees and a federal special counsel.

Moscow has denied any

interference and the president and Trump Jr. have denied any collusion.

Sekulow's comments about the Secret Service drew quick criticism, including from Frances Townsend, who advised former Republican President George W. Bush on homeland security.

“Oh S#%^! His name is muscle. He is a big time bandit. Dem does rob people at the Blacka at night and he does deh selling back their jewellery at Stabroek,” one resident, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, shared.

Investigators have indicated that they will not be ruling out the possibility of robbery as the motive for the killing.

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

Curbing road accidents

FRIDAY night’s fatal accident on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway again reignited calls for our road users to slow down or stop the speeding. Most of the accidents that occurred on that particular highway have resulted in multiple fatalities.

And true to what has become the trend, Commander of ‘E’ Division, Senior Superintendent Fazil Karimbaskh, has informed us that speeding was the main cause of the accident that claimed the lives of three There is no denying that the Police Traffic Department is trying in managing road users. But there comes a time when interventionist approaches must be taken to stem what is evidently a disturbing trend. Accidents don’t happen, they are caused and in aiming for reduction, and possible elimination, the cause (s) must be addressed.

Only last week, we were informed that the number of road traffic accidents in Guyana has declined by 26 percent in the first six months of this year as compared to the same period last year, according to Traffic Chief of the Guyana Police Force, Dion Moore.

Moore, in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI,) said that the force recorded 824 traffic accidents in the first six months in 2017, compared to the 1,120 that were recorded for the same period last year.

He said that, of the 824 traffic accidents recorded so far for this year, 168 were serious, 240 were minor and 48 were fatal resulting in 51 deaths, of which one was a child. Of the 1,120 accidents recorded for the same period in 2016, 180 were serious, 295 were minor and 65 were fatal, which

resulted in 64 deaths, of which four were children.

It is of no comfort to any society to be losing its most vital resource -- i.e. its people -- through avoidable occurrences.

Road accidents can be avoided and therefore must be avoided.

The traffic department is not the only means to achieve this.

The time has come for bold, decisive action to curb accidents.

The penalty attached to this offence must be strengthened with the goal of making it avoidable. This means that our traffic laws must be accordingly amended. At the same time, it may be useful to address having violators do community service, immediately after conviction. This can take many forms, including cleaning the streets and sharing the experiences that led to the accident. The admonition by our elders that ‘those who can’t hear will feel,’ must inform penalty.

The traffic infrastructure, i.e. the signals (lights and signage), along with sidewalks must be revisited. This must be done to ensure that signals are working. The pedestrian crossing and other signs must be visible for all to see. In relation to our roads, for far too long they are being dangerously constructed, meaning that they are without sidewalks and the shoulders not properly tapered.

The absence of sidewalks, where needed, not only puts the lives of pedestrians at risk, but some motorists see this category of road users as a nuisance or hindrance in allowing them to use the road as they feel. This statement of fact does not ignore that some pedestrians use the roads badly. These must stop.

Our road culture has become crude and selfish. The building and maintenance of roads have too fallen prey to

this primitive outlook. Contracts for building roads, be they main or secondary arteries must require, where possible, that sidewalks be built and the shoulders tapered. Our roads must also be constructed within a foundation and to specific standards in keeping with our climate, traffic types and volume, factoring in at least 20 years of planning. Quickfix or cosmetic measures in building and maintaining our roads must no longer be acceptable.

The insurance companies must move to increase motor vehicle policies for those who are involved in accidents. The senseless use of our roads and less than acceptable construction must be addressed. Government must provide the judiciary and the Guyana Police Force needed resources to charge violators, sentence and fine them, have the traffic infrastructures modernised, visible and working.

The trouble to recoup bail money at City Hall Dear Editor, IN a recent letter to the editor, I outlined the nightmare I encountered while attempting to recoup some bail money lodged at the City Constabulary. As I proceeded with the final stage to collect the money, I discovered to my chagrin that the bottleneck appeared to be longer than the distance from City Hall to Imbotero Police Station on the northern tip of Guyana on the Guyana / Venezuela border. The process can be likened to a mixture of English and Spanish, which any reasonable person cannot comprehend.

Please permit me to briefly repeat some issues I mentioned in my previous letter to the editor. One of my friends was unjustly charged by a member of the City Constabulary for a very minor traffic offence and placed on $8,000 cash bail to attend the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He attended as ordered. The magistrate reprimanded him and discharged the case. He experienced great difficulty to

get back his bail money. He explained that he is residing at an interior location and it would cost him $32,000.00 in transportation to travel from that location and back home to make an application at the City Constabulary to recover the bail. In addition, he is forced to return sometime after to collect the money when it is available. This will be an additional cost of $32,000.00, thus spending $64,000.00 to recover $8,000.00. As a result, he gave me a written authorisation signed by two witnesses to collect the money.

I thought that it would have been an easy task to uplift the money. Here is the process I encountered. The prosecutor who is difficult to contact in or out of court, is required to endorse the bail receipt stating that the case was completed and that the money can be returned to the bailor. Thereafter, someone from the court office has to check several piles of disposed case jackets to find the one under review. The jacket and the endorsed bail receipt are then taken to the administrative officer for his

approval. He is not always available, as he sometimes performs duties at nights and is not on duty the following day. After approval is given, there is a mandatory 14 working days period of waiting to uplift the money from the treasury. I felt that it would have been an easy task to collect the money after the long and agonising 14 days waiting period had expired.

After the expiration of the waiting period, I went back to the City Constabulary. I was given back the bail receipt and the authorisation and politely directed to the treasury to collect the money. Written on the wall is a notice stating, “Cheques etc, Monday to Friday 9.30-11.30 am, 1.003.30pm.” I gave a member of the treasury the authorisation, my identification card and that of the bailor as instructed by the City Constabulary. He examined them more closely than SOCU’s anti-money laundering investigators would have done. He went into the office and returned about five minutes later. He told me that he wanted to see the identification cards

of the two persons who had signed the authorisation. I was shocked. I explained to him that I did not have their identification cards. The witnesses were in the interior and it would take me at least seven days to get their identification cards. He uttered a terse statement, “Sir, you have to get the identification cards of the witnesses or you cannot get the money.”

I left the office. While in the compound I saw a senior member of the constabulary who will remain nameless. He asked me if I had received the money. I explained to him what transpired at the treasury. In an effort to assist me, he went into the treasury. He came out a few minutes later and told me that I have to get the identification cards of the two witnesses in order to uplift the money, that is the procedure.

I returned 10 days later armed with identification cards of four persons spanning across four of the 10 administrative regions of Guyana. Perhaps, I could have qualified as a fit and proper person to be an em-

ployee of GECOM, but not as the chairman. I tendered my bail receipt and my identification card to a member of the treasury. He looked at them and went into the office. He returned a few moments later with a cheque for $8,000.00 written in favour of the bailor and asked me to sign for it, which I did.

No identification card of the bailor, no identification card of the witnesses, no authorisation was required.

Call it double standard.

Call it inconstancy. Put whatever label you may want to put on it. The present process to recover bail will not improve the image of City Hall or promote public confidence in the operations of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.

The process I encountered to recoup the bail money has the potential to promote unethical and corrupt behaviour. Persons in real need to get back their bail may be tempted to offer an inducement to an employee of City Hall to do so and that employee may yield to the temptation. On the

other hand, employees may demand that persons leave something to get back their money faster. If it has not happened or is not happening it will happen. The words of world-renowned Guyanese musician and now Sunday’s columnist Dave Martins keep wringing in my ears. “This is Guyana.” It might be interesting to find out how much unclaimed bail money is lodged at City Hall because of the system in place.

Something does not smell right at City Hall. No wonder there are so many issues and concerns with garbage and portable toilets at the Georgetown Mayor and City Constabulary.

All is not lost. There is the need for a more transparent and speedy process to be designed and implemented to refund bail at City Hall. This can be done if those in authority connect the dots and do some more thinking outside of the box.

Yours faithfully, Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police ( Retired )

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17 2017

Flooding and noise nuisance at Triumph Dear Editor,

RESIDENTS of Triumph Front Lands (North of the Public Road), must have suffered from the worst systems failure last weekend (14-16 July), caused by the National Drainage & Irrigation Agency (NDIA) and the Guyana Police Force.

Located immediately behind the Region Four administration building, the usual flooding once again inundated the area for the umpteen time. However, this weekend was special, we had the added sweetener of the NDIA Triumph drainage pump deciding not to perform its duties (never mind this area is regarded as the main basin on the East Coast), thereby allowing the water to stay on land to further fertilise the soil.

Not to be outdone, residents again had the opportunity to use their long boots to wade

through the waste (not garbage) infested water, have their cars parked on higher land for a change, breathe some rare, putrid air, among a number other benefits.

Never mind the Region Four housing compound is found within this little community, and where the Region Four chairperson, the regional engineer and other regional officials reside. But, we remain a small and insignificant group of villagers who will continue to find very creative ways of protesting.

Did someone suggest a town is in the making here, we will be waiting for you!

Not to be outdone, the Guyana Police Force was the next top performer, although we are acutely aware of the prison crisis response on the East Coast. A ‘wedding house’ in the neighbouring village, colloquially called Django Town (Mon Repos North), began playing ex-

tremely loud music from Saturday evening. This village is located contiguously east of Triumph Front Lands and with the easternly winds, we are at the mercy of this excessively loud music. Sunday, the music sprung up earlier, at about 2:00pm. It was so loud it rattled windows, set off car alarms, and blew our ear drums (coupled with the usual flooding). Old folk were discomforted, babies cried, and adults could not rest, read a book, let alone watch television. But it did not end there.

Calls beginning at 3:30pm were made to the BV police station to report this noise nuisance, literally a stone’s throw away from Triumph North, and in also in the direct pathway of the music. Naturally, the police promptly replied, “you know we have this situation at Lusignan prison.” I accepted, but indicated since the police

are traversing from BV to Lusignan and would pass Django Town on the way, it cannot be that hard to drop in for five minutes to give a first warning. Nothing happened of course, since loud music is something the police have always been complicit about, especially with residents of Django Town! And this is despite only two weeks ago the Minister of Public Security was on TV agreeing with senior police officers on the programme that noise nuisance will see more punitive action.

Not to be outdone, neighbours called me to complain and who also called the police. An hour later I called Cove and John Police Station, ‘C’ Division, which issues the loud music licence, to complain. The constable, reflexively said

“if they have a permit they got until mid-night!” So I asked if they have a right to play at any decibel level, she would not respond. But, she promptly said I should complain to the Station Sergeant at BV. Without much hope, I called back BV station, but the sergeant was surprisingly out. Another constable which answered this time relayed the same explanation about the music permit. I told her I asked a friend of mine in the neighbouring village to ask the wedding house to tone down the music, but that did not help.

She suggested I go talk to them again, as I apparently suddenly became a law enforcement officer! Saddened by continuous dereliction of duty and abject failure of the police stationed at BV, and the poor loud music licensing system at Cove and John. What more can be said

about loud music in Guyana, that has not been reported in the past!

It is now 8:30pm, and the music is at full throttle, DJ Bravo Champion song filling the air. As we prepared for further blasts on Monday evening (Khangan night) and Tuesday evening (advanced second Sunday), residents of Triumph North, the regionally housed staff of Region Four, and the BV police will be enduring further abuse from this music, all the while walking around muddy, and contaminated yards. What a travesty! Thank God for the sun’s evaporation and lack of rainfall over the weekend.

And I did not even mention the state of the road!! What can be done!

Yours sincerely, Concerned resident

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Guyanese teen perishes in NY accident THE life of 16-year-old Akeem Grant, formerly of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice, was snuffed out early Sunday morning following a vehicular accident in

Dead: Akeem Grant Queens, New York.

According to reports, a Jamaican national, referred to only as “Tuffie,” also died whilst receiving treatment at a New York heath facility, following the four-vehicle accident which also left many people

injured.

The Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the accident occurred when the driver of the vehicle in which the Guyanese teen was travelling attempted to avoid colliding with an approaching car.

Word is that rather than veering out of harm’s way as intended, the vehicle flipped several times before coming to rest, and that it was only when everyone had disembarked that they realised that the teenager was lying dead on the roadway.

The tragedy reportedly occurred around 06:30hrs in the morning as the teen, along with his cousin, Gladwin Grant Jnr, and three friends, among them two Jamaicans, were returning home from a party in Long Island.

Relatives here say that Akeem was the DJ at the party, and that he, his dad, Bevon, and two younger siblings aged 13 and five, had migrated to the U.S. only last December.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

Critical West Berbice sluices being rehabilitated

By Clifford Stanley

WORK is forging ahead on the rehabilitation of three gravity-operated sea sluices which will see an increase in the discharge capacity of the drainage system for rainfall floodwaters in West Coast Berbice.

The three existing sluices in West Coast Berbice have a total drainage capacity of 2100 cubic metres per second (2100 m3/s).

The three sluices now under rehabilitation are the ones at Trafalgar/Union, at Golden Grove/Lovely Lass, and at Number 12 Village, all built in the 1920s. The rehabilitation of these sluices will result in an additional conveyance capacity of approximately 1300 cubic metres per second (1300 m3/s) for rainfall water drainage.

The additional discharge capacity will provide a welcome relief for flood-prone areas in West Coast Berbice, General Manager of the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMADA) Aubrey Charles said last week.

He said that the decision to rehabilitate the old drainage sluices followed a

Officials during a recent site visit to the completed Trafalgar/Union Sluice visit to the area by Minister grating mud banks which ments will undoubtedly of Agriculture, Mr Noel had developed in front of it. impact favourably on the Holder, at the height of the The doors for the sluice drainage of floodwaters in rainfall-related floods in at Golden Grove/ Lovely the West Coast of Berbice.

West Berbice earlier this Lass have been complet The efficiency of the year. ed, but installation of the system will, however, de The minister reportedly winches and excavation of pend on the efficiency of instructed engineers from outfall channel through the the tertiary and secondary the MMA/ADA and the mud bank on the seaward elements, since the sluices National Drainage and Ir- side are currently ongoing. can only discharge water rigation Authority (NDIA) “The NDIA is work- delivered to them. to examine the old sluices, ing there right now with a “If the secondary drains which were at the time pontoon and excavators,” are in bad shape; if the terout of commission, to see Charles said. “They are tiary drains are clogged up, which ones could be resus- working on the channel then the conveyance capaccitated. coming in, and then they’re ity of these channels may The NDIA was also working on a channel going not be sufficient to bring instructed to provide the out to reach that.” enough water towards these approximately $30M needNoting that the sluice at outfall sluices,” the source ed for rehabilitation of the Number 12 is about 85% said. sluices. complete, Charles said: Charles said that The NDIA is also ex“What remains there is the three sluices should ecuting the excavation of [sic] the rollers. We want to be completed within a outfall channels on the install new rollers, pulleys month, following which seaward side of the system and wire ropes; and the out- the MMA/ADA will be to facilitate the flow of wa- fall channel gotta be done.” examining how they imter into the Atlantic Ocean, He said that there is a pact on the discharge of which is being currently dragline currently working floodwaters in floodblocked by siltation due to on the channel at Number prone areas of West Coast an expanding coastline.

12, which will take flood Berbice.

The MMA/ADA is in- waters into the primary He said that their efvolved with the actual re- drainage canal and through ficiency may inspire the habilitation of the sluices, the rehabilitated sluice.

MMMA/ADA to look at utilising their permanent He disclosed that there rehabilitating two or three construction staff. has been no work on the more discarded sluices.

Charles disclosed last seaward outfall channel at “We are already thinkweek that the rehabilitated Number 12 to date, since ing about two, namesluice at Trafalgar/Union is this is awaiting the NDIA ly: One at Number 22 Bel 100% complete, while the pontoon’s completion of Air Hopetown; one where outfall channel is about the work at Golden Grove/ the GPL office used to be; 90% complete, with some Lovely Lass sluice. and one at Bush Lot by additional works to be done A reliable source has Phagoo Dam going out,” to deepen it through mi- noted that these develop- he said.

The Trafalgar/Union Sluice with outfall channel at 90 per cent completion

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

Prisons must focus on rehabilitation, not punishment –– rehabilitated offender, now pastor Wendell Jeffrey

REHABILITATED offender, now pastor and positive social figure Wendell Jeffrey is calling for a more humane approach by prison administrators, contending that their efforts must focus on rehabilitation and not punishment.

Jeffrey in his early days was incarcerated because of a problematic childhood and exposure to criminal life.

The Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt resident, said his external environment had helped shape his already weakened moral and behavioural dispositions which led to his eventual imprisonment on drug-trafficking convictions.

While in prison, he said, he was awakened to the realities of prison life which fuelled his passion for prisoner rehabilitation, especially since he knew first-hand that circumstances led many persons to crime.

Following his release, Jeffrey said he moved his family to the United States and did a Bachelor’s degree in Ministerial Theology at Oakwood University.

While pursuing a masters’ degree at Andrews University, he said he founded the Practical Christianity Ministries and began his work.

He applied and was accepted as a volunteer chaplain and criminologist with the Department of Correc-

Pastor Wendell Jeffrey tions in the State of Indiana; working with a prison population of some 3000 men at the Westville Correctional Facility.

There, the pastor said, he developed “a Best Practice rehabilitation concept called ‘Practical Talk,’” whereby inmates are taken through a pre-release course in cognitive reorientation and then accepted in a post-release programme, which provides transitional services such as housing, job-skills, legal assistance, academic tutelage, and drug detoxification, among others.

“This is the kind of approach that is lacking in Guyana,” the pastor opined, adding that “Prison needs to be a developmental journey for the incarcerated. We can no longer see the prisons just

as penal institutions. And this is what I am offering to the authorities in Guyana.”

The pastor said the prison system needs sustainable prisoner-reform programmes, and in cases where skill sets such as tailoring, mechanic and electrical insulation are offered, they must be lasting or impactful.

Jeffrey charged that there are five basic criminogenic needs that must be met simultaneously, in order to reduce the occurrences of repeated crime and recidivism.

These, he said, are vocational training, housing, education, substance dependency and spiritual formation, which helps to maintain the chain of rehabilitation.

He noted that 97per cent of inmates are released back into society, while only three per cent who are either sentenced to death or life without parole remain.

A CONCERN This is a concern to society, he said, especially when persons come to prison are affected behaviourally, mentally, vocationally and financially.

“The criminal justice system then, is supposed to provide services that work at releasing a better person than the one who came to them.”

Prisons in the developed world have long moved away from being just penal

Moruca boat collision

Son found, father still missing A SEARCH party on Sunday morning found the body of a young man, who along with his father were feared dead following a boat collision at the mouth of the Moruca River, North West District on Friday.

Reports are that the father and son were tossed out of their boat near the Atlantic Ocean while returning from the Pomeroon River on Friday night.

The boat in which the men were travelling collided with a vessel operated by the Kumaka District Hospital at Moruca.

The body of 18-year old Rovin Piper was found by a search party around 08:00hrs on Sunday.

The search party included members of the Coast Guard and residents of Father’s Beach where Rovin and his father, George resided.

The hospital’s vessel was at the time ferrying a sick patient to Charity on the Essequibo Coast when tragedy struck.

Two other occupants of the smaller vessel in which the Pipers were travelling were rescued soon after the mishap.

institutions, the pastor said.

“Incarceration is now slanted towards rehabilitation. Ironically, Guyana, a country known for its criminal activities, has not caught up with the new trend. We still lock-up people, purely as a form of punishment.

And we do so without the ability to manage those we lock -up.”

He said over the years, the inmates with lots of idle time, get involved in all kinds of schemes and grow progressively more irritated when their basic human rights are constantly violated.

Many of the prisoners locked up here for protracted periods are on remand or

they have not been tried and found guilty.

“So what we keep having is a perfect storm. We have men who are sentenced and are being treated inhumanely; men who are not yet sentenced and are suffering the same fate; an inadequate officer-to-inmate ratio and prison wardens who are vulnerable to the overtures of the inmates, for financial gains. What happened last year, when several men died, was a coming to head of all those problems and the resulting explosion,” he said.

The pastor said given official reports, the Camp Street disaster was not an act permutated by the combined

frustration of the inmates, but a planned escape strategy, which he believes got cover from other prisoners because of their frustration with the system.

Jeffrey related that prison is about the restriction of freedoms and people do not like to have their freedoms restricted, so prison will always be a hated place.

“However, what has to be uppermost in the minds of the administration is the safety and well-being of the inmates.”

It would do government well to invest in establishing rehabilitation/ transitional facilities, with much stakeholder involvement, the pastor said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

Parlour refuses body of suspected murderer

THE decomposed body of fugitive Goldburn December called “Goldie”, 42, who fatally wounded his reputed wife, Mintie Karamchand, on June 22 last, was refused entry at a local funeral home due to the state of decomposition.

The couple’s eldest daughter, Drucilla told the Guyana Chronicle that her father’s body was also denied entry at the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary.

Drucilla’s younger sister Abisha, 15, believes her father is being penalised twice for a crime he had committed.

“He was a fugitive because of what he did to

mommy, and now after his death, they refused to house him at the mortuary. They [the authorities] punishing him two times,” she said.

Drucilla said it was a crab catcher who informed the family early Sunday morning that the remains of a man fitting the description of their father was seen suspended from a tree at the mouth of the Canje River, in Fort Canje.

“When we got there we saw his dried body. The muscles were all dried up.

It was just bones and skin.

But, we recognised him by his feet. They are peculiar. The soles are extremely thick and the toes

are huge. The rope that suspended his body was similar to the white rope he left home with. He also had on the black and red stripe shorts. But after he had killed mummy he fled shirtless, but on looking at his body, I saw him with a seemingly black shirt. It proves that someone was helping him,” she recounted as tears filled her eyes.

The daughter added: “But right now, there is much vexation within me.

I am still annoyed with the way he killed mummy. Now he is gone. The police say not to worry as they will bury him. A post-mortem will be conducted today

Dead: Mintie Karamchand and the burial shortly afterwards.”

The Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the now deceased was last seen and heard of on June 27, the day his reputed wife was buried. It is suspected that he may have hung himself shortly thereafter.

On June 22 last, Mintie Karamchand, a mother of five, had rejected sexual advances from her recently-deported reputed husband, resulting in her gruesome death at their modest two-flat wooden and concrete home located at Lot 19, Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje, Berbice.

Mintie was chopped and beaten repeatedly about her body, even as she attempted to escape through a downstairs wooden window.

In her bid to escape, her lower body got stuck in the window and her hus-

band, armed with a chopper was seen inflicting the fatal wounds, despite her screams for help.

Their eldest daughter, Drucilla, was on the upper flat with her 18-day-old baby, when she ran to her mother’s assistance.

At that time, her father was chopping at her mother’s body. She got between them, but her father warned her to move and go away.

As she moved away, witnesses saw her father lift a nearby bench and

bashed the right side of the woman’s head, rendering her unconscious, before walking calmly away with a rope in hand.

The witness said after neighbours converged at the scene, attempts were made to arrest him, but he fled towards the Canje river where he was seen plunging overboard.

The police were alerted and efforts were made to locate him, but to no avail; until Sunday morning when he was discovered dead.

The covered remains of Goldburn December after it was found Sunday

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

Cows killed, persons injured in separate accidents

By Ravin Singh

THREE persons who were involved in two separate accidents in Georgetown on Sunday are now nursing injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The first accident which occurred late in the afternoon involved a motor lorry which was transporting cows to a nearby abattoir and a paddy-laden truck.

According to reports, the paddy truck, bearing number plate GTT 9183 was heading south along Main Street when it collided with the lorry GNN 9079, which was transporting cows.

The lorry was proceeding west along Lamaha Street. The paddy truck is registered to A. Cayume Hakh and Son of Cane Grove Rice Mill while the motor lorry is registered to I. Hussain of Wellington Park, Corentyne, Berbice.

Eyewitnesses claim that the lorry failed to stop at the intersection and the two heavy-duty vehicles collided, resulting in the trailer of the paddy truck flipping on its side. The windscreen of that vehicle

was also shattered.

One eyewitness who spoke under the condition of anonymity, recalled seeing a man at the rear end of the open-back lorry being flung from it and ending up being pinned under the vehicle.

The eyewitness said that the driver also slammed into the windscreen and he is believed to have suffered serious injuries. They were both taken to the GPHC for treatment.

Two cows which were reportedly being delivered to the abattoir a few streets away were also killed on the spot. Pools of blood and a horn was found in a pile of paddy on the road.

Meanwhile, another accident occurred later in the evening at the corners of David and Alexander Streets, Kitty shortly after 20:00hrs.

According to an eyewitness, a silver-grey 212 motorcar bearing number plate PSS 5332 was heading north along Alexander Street when a dark green route 44 (Georgetown-Mahaica) minibus, with number plate BTT 6080 slammed into it.

The minibus was reportedly travelling east to

west along David Street and failed to stop at the intersection.

The car was hit from the rear end and reportedly spun after another impact to its side. One woman, who was seated in the backseat, was reportedly injured and was taken to the GPHC for treatment.

One bystander alleged that the driver of the minibus was seemingly intoxicated and onlookers noticed alcoholic beverages in the bus. They claimed that the man had just returned from the creek with a few people. Children were among the occupants of the bus. “He went under the influence of alcohol plus di bus got a set ah alcohol in it and children been in di bus,� an eyewitness claimed.

While the identities of the individuals were not released, one source revealed that the driver of the motorcar is a police officer. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital by some friends, while the driver of the minibus was taken to the Kitty Police Station.

Investigations into both accidents are ongoing.

The route 44 minibus which slammed into the silver-grey motor car at Alexander and David Street Kitty, injuring two persons (Ravin Singh Photo)

The paddy-laden truck which flipped on its side after it collided with a motor lorry, killing two cows and injuring two persons (Samuel Maughn Photo)

The badly-damaged motorcar, PSS 5332, which was involved in the accident on Sunday evening (Ravin Singh Photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

All Saints tops Region Six at NGSA -- REDO reports region did very well, all things considered ALL Saints Primary School is the top performing school in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) at the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), with a pass rate of over 75 per cent.

This is according to Regional Education Officer (REDO) Region Six, Volika Jaikishun, in an overview of the region’s performance at the examination.

Said she, “Sixty-five pupils sat the exams, and of that, a total of 49 gained 50 per cent and over in English.

Forty-two gained 50 per cent and over in Mathematics; 49 gained 50 per cent and over in Science; and 51 gained 50 per cent and over in Social Studies.”

All Saints was closely followed by Port Mourant Primary, then Rose Hall Primary, Cropper Primary, St. Therese’s Primary, Skeldon Primary, Corriverton Primary and Crabwood Creek Primary in that order of the top seven schools in Region Six that achieved 50 per cent or more overall passes.

The REDO explained to the Guyana Chronicle that of the 1669 pupils that sat the examinations in the region, 704 obtained a score 50 per cent and over in Mathematics; 813 obtained a score of 50 per cent and over in English; 714 scored 50 per cent and over in Science; and 724 gained 50 per cent and over in Social Studies. The figures for Mathematics and English, she said, represent a 31 per cent and 48.7 per cent increase in passes at those subjects, respectively.

And, unlike in other regions, where most of the top positions were dominated by private schools, for Region Six it was less than two per

cent, which means that all the credit must go to the public education system.

The REDO was high in praise for the government’s intervention, especially in the area of mathematics, as in 2016, only 11 per cent of the children that sat the examination were successful, as opposed to 42.2 per cent in 2017.

“I would want to credit the intervention by the government for this,” the REDO said, adding: “After the government recognised the poor performance in Maths not only in Region Six, but across the country, Cabinet made a decision, where they released extra funds and we had an intervention in Mathematics where we had monitors at schools and training for teachers.

“We had fortnightly cluster meetings, extra training and work, so we were able to see this improvement.”

‘WE CAN DO BETTER’ However, despite the overall improvements, the REDO and her team are not letting go of the reins since, according to her, “We can do better.”

She explained that while the larger schools have done better, there is still considerable work to be done with some of the smaller schools.

“In the smaller schools, we are seeing the need for improvement; it is not the type of results we would have liked,” she said.

“At Scapemoed Primary, which is located on the East Bank of Berbice, one student sat the exams but was not able to gain 50 per cent or over in any of the four subjects.

“I think that is poor; we have to work with the

grammes.

“In Region Six, we have a continuous development programme, where we are training our teachers,” she said. “We have a modularised programme our teachers would enroll for; this course, which is of 12 months duration, we have 25 teachers at a time once per month.

“The teachers are given a certificate of completion, and then we continue again.”

Regional Education Officer, Volika Jaikishun

schools; we have to get the headteacher to come in, and we have to work with these low-performing schools.

“Additionally, at Sanvoort Primary, two pupils sat the exams, and one was able to gain 50 per cent and over in English A, while in Social Studies, no pupil gained 50 per cent and over in Mathematics and Science.

“This is a concern for all of us, whereas in the big schools, they have so much [sic] children... In light of this, we will have to do a one-and-one with headteachers.”

The REDO revealed that she has already tasked the headteachers to prepare action plans, given that the results have exposed the various weaknesses at the regional and individual school levels. She noted that she has a planned date set aside when the action plans will be discussed and fine-tuned, so that when the new school year begins, the plan can be

implemented from the first day.

“They are going to come up with strategies to get on the bus to go forward,” she said, adding: “We have asked them to prepare action plans, because now that they have the results, they were able to identify the weaknesses and various subject areas, and we have asked them to prepare action plans and together we are going to sit with them and discuss it.

“I know we have done well, but there is still room for improvement, so we are not going to take it as it is, we can do better.”

The REDO further stated that her teachers have done a good job, and deserve a pat on the back, but should not become complacent, since a lot more work remains to be done. To this end, she explained that she ensures her teachers are always kept up to speed, by way of continuous development pro-

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has retained the services of a special needs officer in the region to ensure that students with special needs are given an equal opportunity to receive a formal education.

The REDO explained that this is in keeping with the government’s plan of ensuring every child has an equal opportunity to education.

“We have a special needs school in New Amsterdam, and we would lend support to the CBR in Port Mourant that deals with special needs learners.

“We also have a special needs classroom at Skeldon Primary, and we have one at Berbice Educational Institute.

“Not only persons with physical disabilities will be in that classroom, but once we recognise them from other schools, we put them in that classrooms and we are working to improve it.

“I know there is more that can be done, but we are working hard; our special needs learners are very dear to us.”

She continued that apart from the formal classroom setting, the students are also

trained in signing.

“Our learners from the special needs schools in the secondary levels we would bring them over to the practical instructions centre where we train them in TVET, because our teacher there is trained in sign language .In fact, one of our special need learners from the New Amsterdam Special Needs School took part in the para Olympics in Brazil in 2016 (a runner). Right now we are preparing our special needs learners for an upcoming Signing B competition in September, competing with other special needs schools.”

In Region Six this year, three children with disabilities wrote the NGSA examinations and were successful. The three students, who were diagnosed with Autism, down syndrome and cerebral palsy and were from Albion Primary, Port Mourant Primary and Skeldon Primary respectively. The students were each provided with a special needs invigilator, who assisted them throughout the examinations.

The REDO also called on parents to play their roles in the education of their children, since she noted that while teachers would work with them, the parents need to follow up at home and ensure that the children study and do their homework. She further noted that parents need to be considerate, especially when the children are being prepared for examinations and if possible relieve them of some of their chores, so more focus could be placed on their education.

Jaikishun noted that while the overall performance of the region stood at 42 per cent, her goal for 2018 is to surpass the figure and is aiming for a minimum of 50 per cent and higher.

Region Five gets ‘smart’ health centres REGION Five (Mahaica/Berbice) is slated to receive two new health centres designed and constructed in keeping with the concept of “smart medical facilities.”

One centre will be constructed at Mon Choisi Village, on the West Coast of Berbice, at an approximate cost of $28M, and the other

at Carlton Hall, Mahaicony, at an approximate cost of $26.5M. Regional Engineer Mr Dhanpaul Sukha, disclosed that tenders for the two facilities have been received, are currently being evaluated, and are expected to be approved by Cabinet.

The concept of “smart”

health facilities state that they create dynamic and engaging settings that cater to the individualised needs of patients, and identify opportunities for staff and administrators that broaden treatment options, as well as where that treatment is provided.

Sukha explained

that there are certain facilities which will be built into the two centres such as access ramps and washroom facilities for the differently abled, lots of natural ventilation, adequate fire protection, as well as ‘green economy’ concepts such as the installation of LED light bulbs in the buildings, instead of the traditional fluo-

rescent lights.

The centre at Carlton Hall will replace the building currently being used at neighbouring High Dam, which, according to Sukha, was more of a community building than a health facility.

One of the major disad-

vantages with that building, he said, was that the health facilities were on the upper floor, which posed a problem for patients having to negotiate the stairs.

The centre at Mon Choisi, meanwhile, replaces the one currently at Cotton Tree, which had been constructed on a plot of privately owned land.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17 2017

Region 10 new agricultural frontier

By Vanessa Braithwaite

MINISTER of Agriculture, Noel Holder has affirmed that the intermediate savannahs, located in the Upper Demerara and Upper Berbice districts of Region 10, are now being considered as the new agricultural frontier for Guyana.

Holder and a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture made this announcement at an outreach held in the Regional Democratic Council’s 10 boardroom on Thursday.

He said that the move to commence large-scale agricultural production in these areas are as a result of government’s effort to pursue mitigation and adaptation measures to fight climate change, therefore there is need to move agricultural activities inland and to higher ground.

Another area earmarked for massive agricultural extensions are the South Rupununi Savannahs of Region Nine.

Holder said that massive agricultural stations will be established at Ebini, in Region 10, and will include orchards, nurseries and seed production as well as cattle rearing establishments to provide breeding stock to farmers.

“These initiatives will create new employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly, as the country’s economic base is moved inland and will complement other activities such as mining, forestry and support service activities,” Minister Holder said.

He posited that with Region 10’s strategic location, and its wealth of borders spanning all three of the country’s main rivers, the project is bound to be a success.

“This region is unique; there is no other region like this, so well connected, well wired to the entire country,” he said.

More importantly, the region has no threat of rising sea levels, has skilled labour, and vast land areas of over 17000 square kilometres.

With the decline in mining activities, he opined that the region’s survival is dependent on agricultural production, and to ensure this strategy reaps success, good

planning and governance are necessary for both social and economic development.

Several studies have already been done in an effort to garner success, among them land allocation planning, land air and river transport planning, water supply and distribution planning, institutional and organisational framework, a social services plan, a physical infrastructural plan, agricultural services plan, and a study of the areas eco-tourism potential.

IDB FINANCING Minister Holder, however, expressed his disappointment that despite the region’s budgetary allocation has skyrocketed over the past two years, there was no allocation for agriculture.

But the good news is that the proposed Sustainable Development Agricultural Programme will be financed by the Inter-American Development Bank at a cost $105.7M for the period of 2017 to 2022. Some of the crops that will be cultivated under the project are soya beans, corn and orchard crops, in addition to cattle rearing.

Dr. Jean David, who is the focal point of the Region 10 sustainable agriculture project, outlined in her presentation that the savannahs that will be exploited sum up to 270, 000 square kilometres, and include areas such as Kimbia, Ebini, Ituni/ Tacama, Kibilibiri, Eberoabo and Wiruni.

These savannahs, she said, have a history of cattle rearing, legumes and orchard production with the brown soil that has been deemed fertile.

They are, however, in dire need of infrastructural and support services such as land regularisation, health and transport services. In fact, it was outlined that the satellite small-scale farmers in the areas struggle to source markets for their produce because of limited transportation and accessibility.

As a result of the foregoing limitations, many of the farm produce are left to go to waste. In the process of land allocation, Dr. David outlined that there is need for transparency, and that each farmer should submit just cause as to why a plot

of land should be allotted to them.

Studies have indicated that 55 farming plots have been identified: 22 at Ebini/ Kimbia, five at Wiruni, 13 at Ituni/Tacama, and 18 at Kibilibiri/Eberoabo. These savannah lands include a mixture of scrub, forest, swamp, savannahs and waterways.

Dr. David also pointed out that this large- scale project will not dislocate small

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder

farmers or affect them in any way; that in fact the Ministry of Agriculture will work in synergy with these farmers and provide whatever assistance they may need.

Minister Holder said he well understands the plight of the small-scale farmers, and that there need for a different approach when it comes to agriculture and marketing. Farmers, he said, need to ascertain their market and how their produce will

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be transported before they plant crops and it is wasted.

He said, too, that more information needs to be garnered as to the level of agricultural activities there is in the region, since he does not even know how many farmers there are, so as to provide the needed support to them.

He however said that he is collaborating with the Minister of Public Infrastructure for a boat to return to the Berbice River.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

Savour the ‘Java’ experience IT was supposed to be just another exciting adventure for outgoing proprietress, Evie Kanhai-Gurchuran, when she took up the offer to volunteer her services aboard the Christian book boat, Logos.

She was accustomed to volunteerism, since, for many years, she had dedicated her time to helping others, rendering services free of cost to local religious organisations and other charities.

Gurchuran had never expected, however, to become engrossed in a culture that she is now so keen on sharing with her countrymen.

The Logos had docked in the Middle East, and Gurchuran said she was completely captivated by the thriving entertainment life that was sustained by mainly coffee and tea.

She described the location as having lively tea houses that gave an unusual experience, where people were having deep conversations, dancing, and generally having a good time much like that of a club scene.

The one difference is that instead of alcohol, they consumed a variety of expertly prepared teas and coffee, given their alcohol- free lifestyles.

“So when I came home, I really missed that, and I wanted to bring it to Guyana,” Evie said.

With her husband, Miguel, the 33-year-old mother of one has brought the Middle Eastern passion for coffee and tea and a good time to Guyana.

They operate the cozy and elegant Java Coffee Bar and Bistro at 80 Duncan Street, Newtown, and manage another outlet housed at the Giftland Mall on the lower East Coast.

Java is inspired by the bold and extravagant Middle Eastern flair surrounding their love for coffee and tea, and healthy eating culture.

Evie said she had fallen in love with her experience, although she nor her husband were prepared for restaurant management or anything remotely connected to that line of business.

Determined to realise her dream, Evie said she took the initiative to attend the Carnegie School of Home Economics where she learnt baking and other cooking techniques to enable her to better operate in the kitchen.

For the first year, she said, she was the establishment’s sole cook and baker. Now, more than 30 persons work with the business, and except for her driver and handyman, everyone is suspected to be below the age of 30.

She is responsible for developing all of Java’s recipes.

She was not discouraged by Guyana’s hold on their staples and other local cuisines, so she gradually introduced the Middle Eastern taste to her customers, especially those with a healthier appetite.

Evie Gurchuran, Java’s CEO BIG ON VEGETABLES Middle Easterners consume a lot of vegetables and grains such as couscous and quinoa, which are not so big locally. However, while this might be ideal for health-conscious persons and vegetarians, Java also offers tofu balls, sea food, wraps and other healthy treats.

Breakfast is served all day at the restaurant, since customers can’t get enough of the waffles and pancakes.

The beverages are, however, the stars of Java’s operations.

Evie says that their milk shakes and smoothies are a hit with especially young persons and the health conscious.

Outside of that, she said that Java’s baristas are trained to international standards, with knowledge in preparing specially crafted espressos, temperature points and other features.

“They don’t just make a cup of coffee; they craft it,” Evie said, adding: “We want that anytime you come to Java Coffee Bar, you are getting a premium beverage; you’re not just getting a cup of coffee or a cup of tea.”

Java takes pride in customer service, and the employees are trained to understand this nature of the business.

Evie said that customers can have their orders tailored to their needs, based on their likes, dislikes and allergies. This flexibility is not often available.

As a young entrepreneur, the businesswoman believes that young people must go after their dreams; they must not be afraid to try and fail.

She said she was given all sorts of advice, including that which was discouraging, but she was determined to succeed.

“I wasn’t going to let what other people say or are accustomed to in Guyana deter my vision from what I could offer at a global scale,” she said.

And, given Guyana’s intent on going global, businesses can no longer make decisions based on the local climate. She said that now is the time for businesses that cater to a global market, given the oil find.

Gurchuran’s advice to young people is: “You’ve got to get up every day and try your best, and everything you can to make it.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 17, 2017

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

Thompson wins 100m, sets Rabat Diamond League Record RABAT, Morocco, (CMC) – Olympic champion Elaine Thompson’s smooth buildup to next month’s London World Championships continued when she streaked to a new meet record in capturing the women’s 100 metres at the Rabat Diamond League here Sunday.

The 24-year-old clocked 10.87 seconds to post her 17th consecutive 100m win and finish ahead of Cote d’Ivoire’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou in 10.90, with Trinidadian Michelle-Lee Ahye clinching third place in 11.02.

Thompson, the heavy favourite ahead of next month’s

showpiece, said she was exactly where she wanted to be in her preparation.

“I’m pleased with my race. I came here last year and the organisers made a lot of effort for me,” the Jamaican said.

“My races are going fine, I’m in the shape that I want to be in and I’m looking forward to the London World Championships.”

Running out of lane five, Thompson was kept honest over the first 40 metres by countryman Christiania Williams in lane one and Nigerian Blessing Okagbare and Ta Lou, as they all

challenged strongly.

Ta Lou in lane six seemed to be getting the better of the last 40 metres but Thompson battled back superbly to pull away at the end.

Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo also tasted success when she raced to victory in the women’s 400 metres to clinch her 10th straight win.

Miller-Uibo, the reigning Olympic champion, clocked 49.80 to force Americans Natasha Hastings into second with 50.86 seconds and Quanera Hayes into third with 51.08.

“This was actually a training race for me,” Mill-

Winston George’s participation ... is being sold as Usain Bolt--the world’s fastest man over the 100 and 200

metres--final hooray at a major IAAF event as the Jamaican prepares to hang up his cleats.

George, who would’ve qualified for his third World Championships in the 200M and 400M, could see himself missing out as the eyes of the world zeroes in on Bolt’s alleged final ‘big meet’.

T h e 3 0 - y e a r- o l d George put on a show at Saturday’s Aliann Pompey Invitational--running a new National Record in the Mens 400M, when he clocked 45.16 seconds; erasing his old mark of 45.25 seconds which he set during the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, China.

Speaking to reporters after wrapping up a double (200M and 400M) at the AP Invitational, George said “I’m not sure, let us just leave it at that; I’m

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not sure.”

However, in seeking clarification, president of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hudson, told Chronicle Sport he told George that his presence in London hangs in the balance since he’s behind the deadline in applying for his visa.

“When I initially spoke to Winston George, my communication was very clear. The IAAF would normally send us two tickets to the world championship because of the status we’re in, and we will not move from that status until we have more people qualifying for the games.

But what the AAG has been strategically doing every time we have a competition of such nature, is that we send all of our qualifiers,” Hudson said.

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er-Uibo said. “This time is good but it is not very important for me now. What counts are the World Championships.”

Jamaicans Novlene Williams-Mills (51.18) and Shericka Jackson (51.20) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In the men’s 200m, former Anguilla star Zharnel Hughes finished third in a season-best 20.22 as Canadian Andre de Grasse took the win in a meet record 20.03.

Jamaicans Rasheed Dwyer (20.43) and Warren Weir (2.48) were sixth and seventh respectively.

Continued from back page that “what Winston George needs to do is hasten to get his visa issue straightened out. We’ve been calling him over and over, to come in, to sit down with us to have the application completed, and if he’s too late with it, it would be no fault on us that Winston George wouldn’t be at the World Championship.”

“Every single Guyanese require a visa; once you do not have a U.S. Passport. Right now the only athlete that doesn’t need a U.S. visa is Troy Doris. We would’ve completed application for both Brenessa (Thompson) and Kadecia Baird” Hudson highlighted.

Hudson said that the AAG intends to ensure that Guyana is properly represented at the World Championship, but urged George to corporate in order to have his visa.

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20

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

Proteas set England mammoth 474 to win second Test

NOTTINGHAM, England (Reuters) - England must chase down a world-record 474 to win the second test while South Africa have two full days to bowl them out after the tourists’ batsmen provided the strongest possible platform for victory on the third day on Sunday.

Hashim Amla

It could have even better for South Africa who, after declaring on 343-9 just before the close, thought they had Alastair Cook lbw first ball, although the decision was reversed on review.

England survived two other frenetic lbw appeals before reaching 1-0, still 473 adrift and facing a huge task on a wearing pitch as South Africa push for the victory at Trent Bridge that would level the four-match series 1-1.

No Test team have scored more than 418 to win, while the record at Trent Bridge is a more modest 284-7, which England chalked up to beat New Zealand in 2004.

When South Africa resumed on 75-1, England knew they had to take early wickets and will rue the basic error that allowed Hashim Amla to escape at 91-1 when they failed to review a

half-hearted appeal by Stuart Broad. TV replays later showed an edge to the keeper.

Inevitably Amla made England pay, seldom looking troubled by still difficult conditions to make 87 -- his second half-century of the match -- before falling lbw to Liam Dawson on review.

The bearded right-hander shared strong partnerships with Dean Elgar, who made a steadfast 80 after surviving a sharp early chance to Jimmy Anderson, and Faf du Plessis.

Ben Stokes claimed the wickets of both partners: Elgar fell fending away to a ball which rose spitefully while South Africa’s captain was trapped lbw by one that kept low after a watchful 63, dismissals that proved why the high-energy Durham paceman was England’s most potent bowler.

The day proved a first real captaincy test for England’s Joe Root, seeking to avoid his first defeat as captain in his second test as South Africa

threatened to disappear out of sight.

Surprisingly, Root chose not to turn to Moeen Ali, who had taken 10 wickets in the first Test, until 3pm, a decision made more perplexing by his eventual return of 4-78, the best by an England off-spinner on the ground since 1956.

Even the new ball failed to check the tourists, with Vernon Philander (42) and Chris Morris increasing the tempo as the sun came out in the final session.

Morris fell to a good catch

by Gary Ballance off Moeen for 13 while Broad bagged an even better one, tumbling to his left on the boundary to dismiss Keshav Maharaj off the same bowler for 1 as South Africa pushed for quick runs ahead of a late-evening declaration.

When it came, their bowlers showed England how tough the next two days will be. The all-time Test record is held by West Indies, who scored 418-7 to beat Australia in 2003.

SCORECARD

SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings 335 (H. Amla 78, Q. de Kock 68, V. Philander 54; J. Anderson 5-72) England 1st innings 205 (J. Root 78) South Africa 2nd innings (Overnight: 75-1) H. Kuhn c Root b Anderson 8 D. Elgar c Anderson b Stokes 80 H. Amla lbw b Dawson 87 Q. de Kock c Bairstow b Anderson 1 F. du Plessis lbw b Stokes 63 T. Bavuma c Root b Ali 15 V. Philander c&b Ali 42 C. Morris c Ballance b Ali 13 K. Maharaj c Broad b Ali 1 M. Morkel not out 17 Extras: (b-8 lb-8) 16 Total: (for 9 wckts, 104 ovrs) 343 Fall of wickets: 1-18 H. Kuhn,2153 D. Elgar,3-154 Q. de Kock,4216 H. Amla,5-253 T. Bavu -

ma,6-275 F. du Plessis,7-304 C. Morris,8-307 K. Maharaj,9-343 V. Philander Did not bat: D. Olivier Bowling: J. Anderson 20 - 4 - 45 – 2, S. Broad 19 - 4 - 60 - 0 M. Wood 18 - 5 - 68 – 0, M. Ali 16 - 2 - 78 – 4, B. Stokes 20 - 4 34 – 2,L. Dawson 11 - 1 - 42 - 1 ENGLAND 2nd innings (Target: 474 runs) A. Cook not out 0 K. Jennings not out 0 Extras: (lb-1) 1 Total: (for no loss, 4 overs) 1 To bat: G. Ballance, J. Root, J. Bairstow, B. Stokes, M. Ali, L. Dawson, S. Broad, M. Wood, J. Anderson Bowling: M. Morkel 2 - 2 - 0 – 0, V. Philander 2 - 2 - 0 – 0.

Raza puts Zimbabwe on course for first Test win over Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sikandar Raza closed in on his maiden hundred and put Zimbabwe in sight of a first test victory against Sri Lanka on the third day of their only match at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

The touring side, who also won their maiden one-day international series against Sri Lanka which finished last week, reached 252-6 in their second innings at the close of play for an overall lead of 262 runs.

The 31-year-old Raza was unbeaten on 97 for his highest test score and has added 107 for the unbroken seventh wicket with Malcolm Waller, who remained 57 not out.

Sri Lankan spin spearhead Rangana Herath (4-85) had helped the hosts to reduce Zimbabwe to 59-5 at one stage but Raza and Peter Moor, who made 40, launched a fightback with a stand of 86 for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, Zimbabwe captain and leg-spinner Graeme

Cremer (5-125) took his maiden five-wicket haul to help his side to restrict Sri Lanka to 346 after the hosts had resumed on 293-7.

Sri Lanka have been hampered by a left hamstring

injury to all-rounder Asela Gunaratne, who has been told he needs a recovery period of up to 10 days and will not bowl or field in the remainder of the ongoing Test.

SCORECARD

ZIMBABWE 1st innings 356 (C. Ervine 160; R. Herath 5-116) Sri Lanka 1st innings (Overnight: 293-7) Dimuth Karunaratne c H. Masakadza b Tiripano 25 Upul Tharanga run out (Tiripano) 71 Kusal Mendis c Chakabva b Cremer 11 Dinesh Chandimal c Chakabva b Cremer 55 Angelo Mathews c H. Masakadza b Williams

41 Niroshan Dickwella b Cremer 6 Dilruwan Perera run out (Musakanda, M. Waller) 33 Asela Gunaratne b Cremer 45 Rangana Herath st Chakabva b Williams

22 Suranga Lakmal c&b Cremer 14 Lahiru Kumara not out 1 Extras: (b-8 lb-10 nb-3 w-1) 22 Total: (all out, 102.3 overs) 346 Fall of wickets: 1-84 D. Karunaratne, 2-107 K. Mendis, 3-116 U. Tharanga, 4-212 D. Chandimal, 5-226 N. Dickwella, 6-238 A. Mathews, 7-274 D. Perera, 8-322 R. Herath, 9-343

S. Lakmal, 10-346 A. Gunaratne Bowling: C. Mpofu 11-2-41-(w1), D. Tiripano 10-1-38-1, S. Raza 18-2-60-0, G. Cremer 39.34-125-5 (nb-1), M. Waller 1-0-2-0, S. Williams 23-3-62- 2 (nb-2) ZIMBABWE 2nd innings H. Masakadza lbw b Herath 7 R. Chakabva b Herath 6 T. Musakanda c Karunaratne b Herath 0 C. Ervine c Karunaratne b D. Perera 5 S. Williams b Herath 22 S. Raza not out 97 P. Moor c sub b Kumara 40 M. Waller not out 57 Extras: (b-4 lb-7 nb-1 w-6) 18 Total: (for 6 wickets, 68 overs) 252 Fall of wickets: 1-14 R. Chakabva,2-16 T. Musakanda,3-17 H. Masakadza,4-23 C. Ervine,5-59 S. Williams,6-145 P. Moor To bat: G. Cremer, C. Mpofu, D. Tiripano Bowling: Suranga Lakmal 9 - 0 - 28 – 0, Rangana Herath 23 - 2 - 85 – 4, Dilruwan Perera 21 - 1 - 69 – 1, Lahiru Kumara 11 - 3 43 - 1 (nb-1 w-2), Kusal Mendis 4 - 0 - 16 – 0.

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

Federer wins record eighth Wimbledon title LONDON (Reuters) - Behind Roger Federer’s artistry and charm lies a ruthless streak of razor-edged steel which surfaced again on Sunday as he thrashed suffering Marin Cilic 6-3 6-1 6-4 to secure a record eighth men’s Wimbledon singles title.

The incomparable Swiss turned his 11th Wimbledon final into a procession as tearful seventh seed Cilic, battling his nerves and a bloody blister, suffered a torrid afternoon.

Federer described Cilic’s predicament as “cruel” after ending his torment with an ace after one hour 41 minutes -- but there was no hint of sympathy as, 23 days before his 36th birthday, he became the oldest Wimbledon men’s singles champion.

That attitude from the third seed, who last triumphed at the All England Club five years ago, was not surprising since Federer’s dream of title number eight had been shattered by Novak Djokovic in the 2014 and 2015 finals.

His take on Cilic’s injury spoke volumes for the killer instinct that has earned him a record-extending 19 majors and taken him past American Pete Sampras’s record of seven men’s singles titles at Wimbledon in the modern era.

“I couldn’t tell what it was,” Federer said. “But if I saw him limping around, or if I saw him pull up hurt, I would start to think, maybe I’ll throw in a dropshot to really check him out, then one more, because that’s what you do.

“You need to hurt him where it hurts already.”

It was not really necessary as Federer enjoyed one of his easiest title victories.

Having reached the final without dropping a set, he was braced for Cilic’s power tools but, apart from the first four games, resistance from the Croat was about as daunting as a man brandishing a stick of celery.

In winning the tournament without the loss of a set, Federer matched the 1976 feat

of Swede Bjorn Borg and his own run 10 years ago at the Australian Open.

off, I don’t know!” said Federer, whose family has doubled with the addition of twins Leo and Lennart to go with twin

Roger Federer wins record breaking eighth Wimbledon title as he rolls back the years on Centre Court against stricken Marin Cilic

LATEST MILESTONE His latest milestone continued a remarkable resurgence for Federer, who took six months off last year before returning to win the Australian Open -- ending a five-year wait for an 18th grand slam many thought would remain elusive.

“I’ve got to take more time

girls Myla Rose and Charlene Riva since his 2012 title -- all of whom were watching on Sunday.

“It is very special. Wimbledon was always my favourite tournament, will always be my favourite tournament. My heroes walked the grounds here.”

For Cilic, who beat Federer

in the U.S. Open semi-finals before going on to claim his sole major in 2014, his first final at the citadel of tennis, was a living nightmare.

In pain from a blister, his legs appearing tied together and his mind in turmoil, Cilic seemed on the verge of quitting as the tears flowed and the crowd murmured in embarrassment.

“I got a really bad blister,” Cilic said, explaining his midmatch meltdown that had fans nonplussed. “It didn’t hurt so much that it was putting me in tears. It was just that feeling that I wasn’t able to give the best.”

SHAKY START Nerves were apparent for both men as Cilic opened the 131st men’s final with a shaky service game.

Federer, who lost serve only four times in the fortnight, saved a break point at 1-2 and in the next game.

At 2-2 Cilic took a tumble to the turf trying to reach a Federer dropshot

and followed that with two lame backhands to hand master front-runner Federer control.

Scenting blood, Federer polished off the first set before breaking Cilic to lead 3-0 in the second.

Cilic slumped to his chair, sobbing, as the physio and doctor stood by and for a moment it looked as though the final might end in a retirement for the first time since 1911.

Cheered on by the crowd, Cilic returned to the fray but any sense of a real match had vanished as Federer raced through the rest of the second set.

After treatment on his stinging feet, Cilic at least showed some spirit to detain Federer for 40 minutes in the third set.

But the outcome was never in doubt as the Swiss, eyes narrowing for another batch of records, broke in the seventh game before wrapping up the match with his eighth ace.

Hamilton slashes Froome survives French coup attempt to retain Tour lead Vettel’s lead to one point

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates his win on the podium.

SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton won his home British Grand Prix for the fourth year in a row on Sunday while a penultimate-lap puncture slashed Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead to a single point.

The Briton’s drive from pole to flag on an overcast afternoon was lonely, uneventful and dominant -- in complete contrast to his Ferrari rival’s afternoon -- with Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas finishing 14 seconds behind to secure the one-two.

“The support has been

incredible this weekend. I am so proud I could do this for you all,” said Hamilton, who threw himself into the fans for some ‘crowd surfing’ after the podium celebrations.

“The team were faultless this weekend, Valtteri did an incredible job as well so it’s the perfect weekend for us.”

Far behind in his wake, as Hamilton cruised to a 57th career win and soaked up the applause from an army of flag-waving fans, came sudden drama.

Vettel, who had battled on worn tyres but looked

like securing the final podium position until the blowout, finished seventh after an emergency pit stop with a shower of sparks from the wheel rim.

“There was no sign of that happening,” said Vettel over the team radio. “There were vibrations but I had it for 20 laps and it didn’t get massively worse. The tyres didn’t look great but they never look great.”

The German’s Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen, who had been second before also being hit with a late puncture that sent Bottas and Vettel ahead of him, took third.

At the halfway stage of the 20-race season, Vettel has 177 points to Hamilton’s 176 with Bottas on 154.

Hungary, a circuit where the Briton has won five times before, is next up.

Hamilton became only the third driver, after his late compatriot Jim Clark and Frenchman Alain Prost, to win the British Grand Prix five times and the first to take four successive victories at Silverstone.

Clark won four in a row in the 1960s but one was at Aintree and another at Brands Hatch.

LE-PUY-EN-VELAY, France (Reuters) - Chris Froome survived an attempted coup by Romain Bardet’s AG2RLa Mondiale team in a treacherous, hectic 15th stage to retain the Tour de France overall leader’s yellow jersey on Sunday.

Dutchman Bauke Mollema, the strongest and smartest of the breakaway riders, who had three top 10 finishes on the Tour, won the 189.5-km stage from Laissac-Severac L’Eglise but the action was elsewhere.

Defending champion Froome was first caught at the end of a

split caused by French team AG2R-La Mondiale, who continued to press the pedals when the race leader suffered a mechanical problem shortly before the key climb of the day.

Chris Froome

The Team Sky leader kept his cool, however, and powered his way back to stay on top of the general classification with an 18-second advantage over

Italian Fabio Aru. “It was a stressful moment. I thought I might not get back to the front,” said Froome, who takes the yellow jersey into Monday’s rest day.

“I’m just grateful I survived today. Tomorrow is a rest day so I will regain some energy and hopefully be fresh for the third week.”

Bardet, who enjoyed huge crowd support in his home region in the Massif Central, while Froome was booed at one point, stays third 23 seconds off the pace. Colombian Rigoberto Uran is fourth six seconds further back.

USA edge Nicaragua 1-0 to top Gold Cup Group B DEFENDER Matt Miazga scored in the 88th minute to give the United States the margin of victory it required to capture first place in Group B with a 3-0 victory over Nicaragua in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday night.

After Panama topped Martinique, 3-0, earlier in the day to move provisionally atop the table, the Americans needed to win by three goals in order to avoid a quarterfinal meeting with Costa Rica.

The U.S. had two penalty kicks saved by Nicaragua goalkeeper Justo Lorente, but Miazga’s late header –

off a Graham Zusi free kick – settled matters. Opening knockout round opposition will be the third-place team from either Group A or C in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Alejandro Bedoya setup the first goal in the 37th minute, slicing a right-wing cross to Joe Corona. The midfielder cut back, slotting the ball through several bodies for a 1-0 edge.

Five minutes into the second half, Nicaragua’s Marlon Lopez pulled down Dom Dwyer in the box to concede a penalty kick. Dwyer took it himself, but Lorente dove to his right to deny the Sporting Kansas City star.

Kelyn Rowe punctuated a tremendous passing sequence to boost the U.S. into a 2-0 advantage in the 56th minute, finishing from close range in the left side of the box for his first international goal in his third appearance. Once again, it was man of the match Bedoya providing the service.

Lorente saved his second penalty -- after a handball in the area -- denying Corona in the 63rd minute.

Nicaragua played the final five minutes a man down after Luis Copete was issued his second yellow card.

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

Aliann Pompey Invitational Meet here to stay

Part of the action at the AP Invitational meet on Saturday. (Delano Williams photo)

By Rawle Toney AFTER seeing the completion of another AP Invitational Meet, Aliann Pompey pronounced that the event is here to stay, and lauded those who would’ve contributed to its success.

Pompey, the Commonwealth Games 400M gold and silver medallist, told Chronicle Sport on Saturday that this year’s meet held in her honour, in association with the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), was beyond successful.

“I think it’s a successful meet in the sense that a good amount of athletes competed, meet records were broken, team Guyana did well… I think it was also successful in the sense of the amount of people that came out to watch the event; they were certainly entertained” Pompey said.

This year’s AP Invitational featured St Kitts and Nevis’ world-rated sprinter Kim Collins, the 2003 World Champion in the 100m, who joined athletes from over 17 countries, including Trinidad and

Tobago, Jamaica, the USA and Bahamas in the event.

“The key thing is us being able to have the calibre of someone like Kim Collins here to compete, and we were able to do that with the additional support from sponsors and key partners” Pompey noted, while adding “I think as we’re able to grow, it will get bigger, and we have to offer incentives for those athletes to come here.”

“Not that we don’t have what it takes to reach out to athletes, but we have to give them a reason to come

here; we have to tell them financially it makes sense, we have to be able to tell them it’s well attended and we have to be able to sell out Guyanese hospitality” said the 39-year-old former National athlete.

Pompey said that like everything in life, there’s always room for improvement. However, she “don’t really see anything glaring that would prevent us doing this in the future. I would like to commend the officials for the job that they’ve been doing.”

Hosororo barges into Region One Digicel football final

20th HOOMFC 1 Teach Them Young’ programme kicks off today in Berbice

THE Heart of Oaks masters Football Club (HOOMFC) will kick start their Annual `Teach Them Young’ football camp from 09:00hrs today at two venues.

According to the organisers, the four-week camp which is cost free to the participants is aimed at having the targeted youths from age six years and over appreciate the rules and regulations of the game of football, improve their knowledge and skills and understand general sportsmanship, as well as to establish a greater relationship with others while improving their self-discipline generally.

The programme will be conducted five days each week (Monday to Friday), from 09:00hrs to 13:00hrs at the Scott Church ground, New Amsterdam and the All saint’s Primary School, New Amsterdam.

During the programme which caters for both boys and girls, the participants will be taught the finer points of the

Athanaze, Yadram level series for Young Windies PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa, (CMC) – Lower order batsman Alick Athanaze struck a bold, unbeaten half-century to lift West Indies Under-19s to a crucial four-wicket win over South Africa Under-19s here Sunday and set up a thrilling end to the fivematch series.

Bhaskar Yadram

The winning Hosororo team

HOSORORO is the first team to reach the Region One finals of the 2017 Digicel Schools Football tournament following a 5-4 penalty win yesterday afternoon over North West Secondary School.

The game ended at a stalemate after regulation time and required penalties for a winner to be decided.

In the end, it was the Hosororo side who advanced to

the final.

Earlier in the day, the Hosororo side booked their spot in the semi’s by defeating Wauna 1-0, thanks to a Shawn Hercules’ goal.

Santa Rosa Secondary will play Matthew’s Ridge to determine the other final spot at 8am, with the winner moving on to challenge Hosororo for the regional title at 16:00hrs.

(Stephan Sookram)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday July 17, 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) Australia (2) West Indies Today’s Quiz: (1) Who are the current Women’s World T20 Champions?

(2) Who were the losing finalist of the last Women’s T20

World Cup? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

game, including receiving the ball, passing the ball, shooting it, dribbling, goal keeping and throwing.

The youths will also be schooled in discipline, etiquette and general education with the latter including sessions on HIV and AIDS. Additionally, this year the organisers plan to do something different as they are seeking to offer incentives as a form of encouragement for outstanding performances during the programme.

The HOOMFC is seeking the support of the general public and more importantly the business community.

The organisers have noted with much concern that despite the longevity and success of the camp over the past 19 years, both the Guyana Football Federation and the National Sports Commission have not contributed to their annual programme, but instead injects significantly into similar programmes in Georgetown.

Chasing a modest 208 for victory in the fourth Youth One-Day International at City Oval, West Indies got home in the 45th over with Athanaze top-scoring with 66 not out.

Bhaskar Yadram extended his good run of form with 65 while Matthew Patrick chipped in with 28 on debut.

Sixteen-year-old off-spinner Kgaudisa Molefe claimed three for 51.

The hosts had earlier stumbled to 207 all out off 48.2 overs, after they were sent in, with opener Matthew Breetzke stroking 55, captain Raynard van Tonder, 38, and Hermann Rolfes, 37.

Nyeem Young, a 16-yearold pacer from Barbados, picked up three for 42 while Patrick ended with two for 26

with his off-breaks.

The victory levelled the series at 2-2 with Wednesday’s fifth match in Durban now a virtual final.

South Africa were handed a great start when Breetzke anchored two successive half-century stands at the top of the order to propel his side up to 111 for one.

He counted seven fours in an 83-ball knock, putting on 51 for the first wicket with Jiveshan Pillay (23) and 60 for the second with van Tonder who faced 44 deliveries and counted four boundaries.

Van Tonder’s run out in the 23 rd over triggered a slump where six wickets tumbled for 22 runs to leave South Africa tottering on 133 for seven in the 35th over.

Rolfes and Fraser Jones (24) then staged a rearguard action with 53 for the eighth wicket to bolster the innings late.

Molefe than rocked the Young Windies, grabbing two early wickets as the visitors crashed to 59 for four in the 16th over.

But Athanaze came to his side’s rescue in an innings which required 80 deliveries and included nine fours and a six. More importantly, the Dominican put on 99 for the fifth wicket with Yadram who hit nine fours in his 75-ball knock.

Molefe returned to get the breakthrough, trapping Yadram lbw in the 32nd over but Patrick held his nerve in a 45-run sixth wicket stand with Athanaze to put the Windies over the line.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 17, 2017

Vintage GCC takes Noble House Goals Galore title

By Stephan Sookram

EXPERIENCE was on show in full splendour last evening as the GCC Vintage side outshone the younger Bounty GCC side in the finals of the Noble House Goals Galore Indoor Hockey Championships at the National Gymnasium.

The Vintage side had previously escaped elimination at the semi-final stage via a 1 goal margin after a tiring semi-final battle against the OFHC Warriors, but rallied to beat their more youthful opponents.

According to Captain Damon Woodruff, while his side was not on par as It relates to the energy to run pound for pound with their opponents, they were able to use a few tricks en route to the title.

“You’ve got to learn to pace yourself because we are much older and we used our knowledge and ability

and experience to our advantage,” he said.

there were some big handicaps, so we had to work

really hard fought.”

Vintage started a goal

The winning men’s team, GCC vintage (back row) stand with the ladies champions Pizza Hut Ladies (front row) after the respective finals of the Noble House Goals Galore Indoor Hockey Championships.

He, however, praised the tournament, saying “they had some young teams which is good to see,

hard to try and beat them, we lost one or two games but the final was just a lone goal difference and it was

up with a +6 handicap while their opponents had +5 and they immediately converted it to a two goal advantage

Jamaica held to 1-1 draw by El Salvador JAMAICA drew 1-1 in a dour match against El Salvador in their final Group C match at the Alamodome on Sunday.

It was the fourth meeting between the two teams in the Gold Cup with Jamaica winning the previous three matches. However, it was El Salvador who took the early lead, in the 15th minute, when forward Nelson Bonilla got through on goal and slotted into the right hand corner past goalkeeper Andre Blake.

Both sides missed opportunities to score as the teams went to half-time with El Sal-

Part of the action in the Jamaica, El Salvador match.

vador leading 1-0.

Jamaica would get the chance to equalize in the 64rd minute after the Reggae Boyz

were awarded a penalty when Narciso Orellana handled the ball inside the box.

Darren Mattocks booted

home from the penalty spot and became Jamaica’s leading scorer in the Gold Cup competition. From there the game petered out to a tame draw which sent Jamaica on five points to the top of the group and into the quarter-final round.

Mexico (4 points) is to play Curacao with anything other than a loss seeing them topping the group and also go through to the next round.

El Salvador who also have four points are also likely to advance as one the of the two best third place teams.

Preparations for Guyana Cup Horse race meet starts

--- Over $8M in prize money and other incentives up for grabs THIS year’s Guyana Cup Horse race Meet promises to be bigger and better than the previous 10 staging of the mega event which has on offer over $8M in prize money up for grabs.

The eight-race programme which is being coordinated by the Jumbo Jet Business Enterprise and Stables is slated for the Rising Sun Turf Club facility on

August 13.

According to the event’s coordinator, Junior `Jumbo Jet’ Mohammed, the feature event is a 2000m race and is opened to B Class horses-both imported and Guyana Bred--and the winning stable will receive $2M and a trophy, while the other top four performers will earn $1M, $500,000, $250,000 and $125,000 respectively.

The `E and Lower ’ 1500m race is opened to all imported and Guyana Bred horses three years old and over, with the winning stable set to earn $1.2M. Other races carded for the day include a 1500M event for `G and Lower’ Guyana and West Indian Bred horses and the winner will earn $700,000. `H3 and Lower’ Guyana

and West Indian Bred horses will battle over 1100M for the $400,000 first prize, while two-year-old Guyana Bred horses will also contest a 1100M that has a first prize of $350,000.

Three-year-old Guyana Bred and `H and Lower’ horses will compete in the 1100m for the $300,000 first prize .

The ‘J2 and K’ and Low-

through Devin Hooper two minutes after the opening whistle.

Bounty responded four minutes later through Mark Sargeant, but Vintage rolled back the years with some aggressive play with Hooper scoring his second goal of the night and Edghill adding two of his own.

The Bounty side was by no means about to surrender their title and dropped in two quick-fire penalty corner goals from the tournament’s highest goal-scorer, Kevin Spencer, but eventually ended short by two goals, leaving the scoreline 10-8.

Meanwhile, the Pizza Hut GCC ladies completed the club’s domination of the competition with an easy win over Saints to win the female trophy.

Pizza Hut captain Kerensa Fernandes said, “Im very happy because every year we have this tournament and

GCC pizza hut ladies always have a difficult time because we always get zero handicap or a minus handicap, but (in) this tournament we did pretty well to win all our games.

The young Saints team were able to hold on for their semifinal win against the much more experienced Woodpecker Hikers for a 13-9 victory.

Saints started with a +12 goal handicap, leaving the Pizza hut ladies a task and a half to overcome that deficit especially against the eventual best goalkeeper of the tournament, Donyale Nurse who blocked more than her fair share of shots.

However, the Pizza Hut ladies were still able to secure their win; Marzana Fiedtkou and Gabriella Xavier netting four each, with tournament’s topscorer, Sonia Jardine and Aliyah Gordon scoring hat-tricks and Fernandes topping it off with a double.

TT humiliate Guyana in Regional Under-17 tourney TRINIDAD AND Tobago extended their unbeaten run at the Cricket West Indies Regional Under- 17 tournament with a crushing eight wicket win over Guyana at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair Saturday.

The Trinidad and Tobago spinners continued their dominant form in the tournament with Sameer and Nicholas Ali ripping through the Guyana batting lineup.

They combined for eight wickets as Guyana were dismissed for 38 from 22.3 overs. Trinidad and Tobago finished on 39 runs for two wickets off 17 overs to claim victory.

Leg-spinner Sameer bamboozled the Guyana batsmen to finish with figures of six wickets for nine runs from 6.3 overs.

Leftarm spinner Nicholas, who has been one of the most economical bowlers at the tournament, had a another miserly spell that yielded two wickets for five runs from six overs. The national Under-17 team picked up invaluable bonus fast bowling points from Jayden Seales and Ronaldo Forrester. Despite the spinners taking the bulk of wickets, the quicks played an integral role in the victory. The new ball pair removed Guyana opening batsmen Alex Algoo (five) and Sachin Singh (duck) to set the stage for the spin attack.

Sameer and Nicholas proved to be handful as they bowled with variation and guile. They complimented each other perfectly as the Guyanese batsmen found it difficult to score which was also aided by stellar fielding.

Trinidad and Tobago skipper Mbeki Joseph led the way with 23 runs off 29 balls which included three boundaries.

The left-handed batsman was caught by Algoo off Junior Sinclair’s bowling, leaving Avinash Mahabirsingh (four not out) and Michael Ambard (12 not out) to see the hosts to their third victory of the tournament.(Extracted from Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday). er class horses will contest a 1100M race for a winning purse of $250,000, while the `L and Lower’ horses will cover a similar distance for a $200,000 first prize.

Already on board in

terms of sponsorship is Industrial Supplies of Guyana Inc. (ISG) whose representative recently handed over the company’s sponsorship cheque to Roy Jafferally of the Jumbo Jet Stables.

Vintage GCC takes Noble House Goals Galore title See

Page 23

Dave and Celena’s cop sixth edition of Guinness Street football title

Winners! Dave and Celena’s All-stars collect their trophy from director of sports, Christopher Jones

By Stephan Sookram DAVE and Celena’s Allstars are the new champions of the Colors/Guinness greatest of the streets football tournament following a 4-1 thumping of Hustlers in the National Finals on Sunday evening.

The Linden champions ran rampant in Georgetown

to beat Hustlers; something that didn’t seem likely during the early stages of the competition.

The eventual winners got off to a shaky start as Hustlers started attacking them from the initial whistle in an attempt to score early.

However, their plan backfired when Rawle Gittens capitalized on their high press

to complete a one-two play that gave Dave and Celena’s their first goal in the 6th minute.

6 minutes later, they doubled the lead through Kenard Simon and the game looked all but set as the whistle sounded for the half.

On the return, Gittens would net his second and

Keon Sears his first to take the tally up to four; but not before their team conceded one goal which came through Hustlers’ Anthony Sancho.

Earlier, in the third place play off, Hubert Pedro was the determining factor as Showstopppers downed Jermaine and Family Silver Bullets 1-0.

In the earlier semi-finals,

the Silver Bullets went down 4-3 to the eventual champions in a replay of the Linden Leg finals, with Gittens scoring a hat trick ( 20th , 31st, 34th min.) while Simon added the fourth in the 29th.

Jermaine & Family Bullets had Damion Williams (8th) and Jamine Samuels (30th, 36th) on target.

Meanwhile, Donald

Winston George’s participation at Thompson wins IAAF World Championship in jeopardy

100m, sets Rabat Diamond League Record

By Rawle Toney DESPITE qualifying for the IAAF World Championship, Guyana’s Winston George could find himself not attending athletics’ second biggest showpiece (after the Olympics) in London next month.

The event, set for August 4 – 13 in London,

Turn to page 19

Aubrey Hudson AAG president

Winston George

McKenzie helped Hustlers overcome Showstoppers.

With the win, Dave and Celena’s took home $550,000 and the coveted trophy, while runners-up, Hustlers, carted off $300,000 and trophy.

In the third place playoff, showstoppers took $200,000 and Silver Bullets $100,000.

See Page 19

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson displayed class and strength when she sped to an impressive 10.87s (0.3 m/s), setting a new meet record at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco.

Roger Federer - the standout statistics

Most successful men in singles Grand Slams 19 titles - Roger Federer 15 - Rafael Nadal 14 - Pete Sampras 12 - Novak Djokovic, Roy Emerson 11 - Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver 10 - Bill Tilden 8 - Ken Rosewall, Fred Perry, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl Most successful men in Wimbledon men’s singles history 8 - Roger Federer 7 - William Renshaw, Pete Sampras 5 - Bjorn Borg, Laurence Doherty 4 - Reggie Doherty, Rod Laver, Anthony Wilding 3 - Wilfred Baddeley, Boris Becker, Novak Djokovic, Arthur Gore, John McEnroe, John Newcombe, Fred Perry, Bill Tilden

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MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017