Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 22 08 2016

Vigilante justice No. 104651

MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2016

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

Granger rails against vigilantism, warns of repercussions

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Small miners tired of raiding lands …want legal claims to operate

Centre Pages

Small miners of North Fork Backdam, Konawaruk, surround Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, on Friday as they inform her of their plight

Man shot dead by 9 vigilantes

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…friend beaten in suspected attempted robbery

Bandit killed Integrity Commission by accomplice during robbery boost

Seon Clarke, called “Cash Money”

…govt mulls investigative, prosecutorial arms

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Bandit killed by accomplice during robbery

By Jeune Bailey Van Keric ALLEGEDLY known thief Odhan Lalbeharry, called “Stew”, of New Forest and Adelphi villages in East Canje Berbice, was shot in his head when one of his accomplices opened fire indiscriminately in a home during an early Sunday morning robbery at Edinburgh Scheme, East Bank Berbice.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the New Amsterdam Hospital, where police rushed him for medical attention.

His daughter, Shaline Sohan, told this newspaper that police visited her home at approximately 04:25hrs yesterday to inform her that Lalbeharry had been shot by one of his colleagues, after

they had shown her a photograph which she identified as that of her father.

Overwhelmed with grief upon learning of the demise of her only child, an unemployed man and father of three daughters, Lalbeharry’s mother, Elsie Lalbeharry, said he had eaten his dinner before leaving home dressed in black and promising to return soon.

Businesswoman Parbattie Jainabi, 48; her husband Nandkumar Datt, known as “Bald Head”, 45; their daughters Alicia Ramnarine, alias Pryia, 19; and Kelly Datt, called Shenna, 21, were reportedly awakened on the upper flat of their two-storey interconnected building by the sound of feet running on a galvanized shed which adjoins the

building that houses a residence, grocery and parlour.

Nandkumar Datt said he alerted his family of the imminent attack before fleeing from the upper flat and exiting the home to alert neighbours of the presence of intruders in his home.

The four bandits had meanwhile entered the bedroom of Alicia Ramnarine by breaking the louvre panes. Two held the teen while the other two seized her sister; they demanded to know where Bald Head was.

The girls were beaten by the lanky masked bandits, who were all dressed in long sleeved jerseys and dark coloured trousers. One of the bandits, they said, was armed with a shotgun, whilst another had a cutlass. The girls were taken to the lower flat via an inside stairway, and the bandits demanded that the lights be switched on, but that did not happen.

The bandits then demanded, and were given, phone cards and money garnered from the day’s sales.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

The business place at Edinburgh Scheme, East Bank Berbice which came under bandit attack

Odhan Lalbeharry, called ‘Stew’

Not satisfied with their haul, the four intruders were attempting to return to the upper flat with the girls when their mother came out of hiding and gave the bandits a yellow metal bangle which she was wearing along with additional cash which police said amounted to one million dollars ($1,000,000).

According to the victims, after the bandit with

the gun had collected the booty and placed it in his haversack, he fired a shot at the fridge, believing that Bald Head had returned and was standing in that vicinity. It turned out to be his accomplice who sustained the gunshot injury.

Once shot, the injured man and his accomplices exited the building through a door on the lower flat, but he fell in the vicinity of the entrance and was subsequently discovered by the police.

Chairman of the Glasgow New Housing Scheme Community Policing Group, Mr Visitor Seegobin, revealed that shortly after 01:00hrs, he heard rapid gunfire coming from a short distance

from his home. He immediately called Operations at Central Police Station, and three units were dispatched, including a unit from Reliance Police Station.

He recalled that as the police vehicles were approaching the scene, the bandits fled to the Glasgow Housing Scheme area. Police ranks searched the area and nabbed a man who was hiding. However, the man denied being a part of the gang.

Senior ranks, including Commander Ian Amsterdam, were on scene and recovered several spent and live black and red cartridges. Investigations are continuing.

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Vigilante justice

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

Granger rails against vigilantism, warns of repercussions

By Svetlana Marshall IN LIGHT of the recent cases of vigilante killings that have occurred in society, President David Granger had warned against the practice of vigilantism, saying that not only is it unacceptable, but can lead to serious problems in society.

On the sidelines of the opening of Mining Week, on Sunday evening at the Pegasus Hotel, the President had this to say in regard to vigilantism: “We can’t tolerate that. We accept that citizens have a right to protect their properties and so on, but we expect people to be organised in Community Policing Groups. But we can’t tolerate vigilantism, especially when

it results in the injury or death of anybody; it can get out of hand.”

President Granger’s comments come against the backdrop of two recent cases of vigilantism in which residents of communities took matters into their own hands and meted out vigilante justice to suspected bandits. In the first case, which occurred early last week, 37-year-old barber Roger Lovell, known for wearing a thick gold chain, attracted the wrong attention when two bandits on a motorcycle visited his North Ruimveldt home and attempted to rob him. One of the bandits reportedly acted as a lookout while the other made his way into Lovell’s home and woke him up by beating him with

a gun.

The startled barber was questioned about the specific gold chain, but as the beating continued at gunpoint, Lovell used his bed sheet to wrap the bandit’s arm and tug it towards a window. This caused both bandits to be caught by residents and beaten severely.

“Police come here in time, because they would of dead!” one man said. “I never see thief happy to see police,” another resident noted.

Police recovered a .32 pistol and live rounds at the scene. Both bandits have been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, and one is reported to be in critical condition. Lovell has also been hospitalised.

Then police have said that

Ramjattan plugs re-testing for elderly drivers …tougher requirements to obtain driver’s licence

AS part of a raft of measures to address road safety here, Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan has suggested that there be more stringent requirements for the acquisition of drivers’ licences and also re-testing for those who have grown old.

He made the comments at the launch of the Guyana National Road Safety Council’s (GNRSC), Road Safety Magazine Vol# 1 at Police Traffic Headquarters Compound, Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown.

The minister said the destruction and death that are caused by non-adherence to the traffic laws have resulted in greater expenditure on the public hospitals, which also results in families being affected with the loss of vehicles or relatives, financially and/or emotionally.

He noted that for the 31st week of 2016, there were 1096 cases of speeding made out against drivers and alcohol and inattentiveness

were major factors. For last year during the same period, there were 516 cases. The minister explained that the magazine is informative in assisting with traffic-related matters. He said the horrific statistics of death and destruction on the roads have made Guyana the highest in and around the Caribbean.

Underscoring that he will plead with Cabinet for more allocations to the GNRSC, Ramjattan said Government will assist in all ways to ensure measures are in place to reduce accidents. Touting one of the measures, he said there is need for a building code that recommends garages to be part of the buildings to ensure that no car is parked on the pavements or roadways.

In addition, he said there is greater need for speed bumps along with well-lit roadways.

Another factor he notes is the need for constant road-safety awareness at schools and more stringent

measures to obtain drivers’ licences, while re-testing drivers who have reached an elderly age. “Somehow we do not care for ourselves and others, and we do not realize that driving inattentively, driving with speed, under the influence of alcohol and driving in violations of the traffic laws cause great repercussions and consequences can follow, such as death which is the ultimate,” the minister explained.

In urging all drivers, pedestrians and motorists to use the roads with caution, Mr. Ramjattan said the magazine would be informative and many can learn from the content, especially the rules of the road and the consequences. “If at minimum persons take the responsibility of reading it, then be instructed by it to the extent of adhering, then it can benefit all,” he said.

He congratulated all the sponsors and contributors who made the magazine possible.

Correction

THE Guyana Chronicle wishes to correct a misleading report and headline in the Sunday Chronicle “African memorial to be set-up at Parade Ground”.

What President David Granger actually said at the commemoration ceremony of the 1823 Demerara Revolt on Saturday was that the “Government of Guyana will erect a memorial at Independence Park to commemorate the executions.” Guyana Chronicle apologises for inserting the word “African” and also for using the term set-up rather than erect in our report.

President Granger has said that the memorial at the Parade Ground will help future generations remember that freedom was bought at the high price of the martyrdom of hundreds of Africans on 20th August 1823.

President David Granger

21-year-old Seon Clarke, aka Cash Money, a resident of Old Road, Land of Canaan, E.B.D., was killed in the Pearl Village, E.B.D. community at about 22:30h on Saturday when residents suspected him to be a bandit. Another friend of Clarke’s was severely injured after he also was beaten by the group of public-spirited citizens.

Initial investigations revealed that Clarke and another male went into a grocery store at Johanna, E.B.D at about 14:00h on Saturday, and were observed by the proprietor behaving suspiciously.

The proprietor made his way to the public road and alerted a policeman who was passing at the time. The policeman responded, and in the process summoned other policemen.

Clarke and the other man fled into the bushes, and during

the search for them, two loud explosions were heard.

A search was conducted but they were not found.

At about 22:30h on Saturday, members of the community spotted the men on the Pearl Public Road and apprehended them. During that process, one of the public-spirited citizens allegedly shot Clarke and inflicted a beating on his accomplice.

The men were handed over to the police, who rushed them to the Diamond Public Hospital, where Clarke was pronounced dead on arrival whilst his accomplice was treated and sent away. This accomplice has since been taken into police custody, and is assisting with the investigation.

Vigilante justice has, over the years, been a common feature in Guyana. One of the more shocking cases occurred in May 2013 when Nigel Lowe was tied to a makeshift cross and beaten to death by residents. The incident had occurred following a spate of robberies in ‘A’ Field, Sophia.

Residents had allegedly caught 40-year-old Lowe and two “armed” men breaking into a house and had raised an alarm. The two men managed to escape, but Lowe was cornered in an outdoor latrine in a nearby yard. The man attempted to escape the residents, who by then had surrounded him and were

beating him with cutlasses and sticks. He ended up in a house in the yard where the pit latrine was located, but residents pursued him and continued the assault.

The man was then taken to ‘B’ Field Sophia, where the beating continued. Lowe’s lifeless body was then tied to a utility pole and covered with pieces of wood as though residents had intended to burn the body. Some 30 persons were involved in the Lowe attack.

Shortly after Lowe’s death, a similar incident occurred in Berbice, where residents mercilessly beat two persons: 45-year-old Alfred Munroe, called ‘Guana Man’, of Ulverston, Corentyne; and 18-year-old Annie Persaud, called ‘Short Hair’, of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, who had been accused of stealing from a businessman. Munroe was killed during that ordeal.

Police said in a statement that they had intercepted at Williamsburg, Corentyne a vehicle carrying Munroe and another man, and had found Munroe and Annie Persaud, called “Short Hair”, 18 years, in the trunk of the vehicle, tied with rope and with visible signs of injury about their bodies. They were taken to the Port Mourant Hospital, where Munroe succumbed to his injuries while Annie Persaud was treated and sent away.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

Turkey wedding suicide bomber ‘was child aged 12-14’ A SUICIDE bombing which killed 51 people in the Turkish city of Gaziantep was carried out by a 12 to 14-year-old, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Mr Erdogan said the so-called Islamic State (IS) was behind the attack, which targeted a Kurdish wedding party.

Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, is known to have several IS cells. The bomb wounded 69 people, Mr Erdogan added, 17 of them seriously. The bomber targeted the wedding guests as they danced in the street. The BBC’s Seref Isler, who is from Gaziantep, says the city of 1.5 million was already on edge because of events in Syria, where IS has been battling Syrian Kurdish forces.

A suicide bomber believed to have links to IS killed two policemen in Gaziantep in May.

The choice of target seems designed for maximum effect: those enjoying a moment of a celebration at a wedding party.

If this was an attack by so-called Islamic State, it could be a response to the jihadists’ recent loss of territory in Syria.

Kurdish fighters with the US-led coalition drove them out of a stronghold, Manbij. Perhaps this attack on a Kurdish wedding in Gaziantep was an act of revenge.

It comes as Turkey’s prime minister announces that his government will play a more active part in the Syrian conflict.

We understand that Turkish-backed rebels are preparing a further offensive into the IS-held province of Jarablus and will be granted safe passage across the Turkish border. This attack could have been a warning shot by IS. In a written statement published by local media (in Turkish), Mr Erdogan argued

there was “no difference” between IS, the Kurdish militants of the PKK, and followers of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt last month. “Our country and our nation have again only one message to those who attack us - you will not succeed!” he said.

The bomb went off in a part of town popular with students and which has a large Kurdish community.

Local MP Mahmut Togrul told the Reuters news agency it had been a Kurdish wedding. Mr Togrul’s party, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), said the wedding had been for one of its members. (Excerpted from the BBC)

Victims of the blast included a young child - and women, according to witnesses

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

Toshaos’ confab opens today … land titling, food security high on agenda

THE annual National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) Conference will open this morning at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre with the review of the Amerindian Act, land titling and food security, among indigenous peoples being major agenda items.

The conference affords members of the NTC to interact with members of the government to find solutions to their issues and explore developmental avenues.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Guyana’s First Peoples, Preserving Our Culture and Land for life.”

During a press conference on Friday Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Sydney Allicock disclosed that one of the main issues to be discussed at the conference will be the Amerindian Act of 2006. According to the Minister, Toshaos representing the 212 indigenous communities will be submitting recommendations for the revision of the 10-year-old Act. Minister Allicock pointed out that Guyana is the only country that has a legal document that speaks to indigenous people. However, the Minister also stated that, “It needs strengthening, time changes… and to make us stronger, we need to address some of these issues and there has been a call from all the communities and the ministry is willing to facilitate.”

Another issue that will be addressed the Minister said, is food security in the hinterland. Minister Allicock said that indigenous people should be able to effectively utilise their environment. “Food security is a must in these communities, and government led by the ministry of agriculture is working towards having agricultural institutes within these regions. Regions nine and seven are already in the process of establishing those institutions,” the Minister explained.

According to Minister Allicock, the establishment of the institutes will also lead to job opportunities, openings for higher learning and the introduction of new products on the market. Additionally, Chairman of the NTC, Joel Fredericks said that another issue affect-

ing the indigenous people, which will be discussed at the conference is land titling. Fredericks noted that he is aware that it is a process which will take time to complete.

However, the Chairman pointed out that members of the NTC will use the conference to “share some of

Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Vice President Sydney Allicock our ideas and our thoughts on how we see things in addressing our land issues because land is very important for the indigenous people’s way of life.” Fredricks further added “We want the government to listen to us, because despite some of us may not have a good education background, we know how to deal with certain issues because the indigenous people have been living there for years. “ The chairman is hoping to work together in unity in addressing issues not only for the indigenous people, but for the development of the country as a whole.

PNCR CONGRESS Meanwhile, in a statement on Sunday the ministry chided PPP Chief Whip Gail Teixeira for asserting that the NTC’s conference was rescheduled by government to coincide with the 19th Biennial Congress of the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR).

The ministry said Teixeira’s comment is nothing short of the imaginations.

“This assertion is, accordingly, rejected out of hand by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs. The Ministry makes bold to say

that the PPP is the political entity which has already commenced its harassment of Indigenous leaders by demanding meetings with them at the premises of a leading PPP sympathiser.

It is the PPP which seeks to piggy back on government spending in furtherance of its failing political agenda,” the release added.

According to the ministry it is regrettable that those who sat in the seat of government of this country and who at every opportunity ensured that our society remained divided continue even in opposition to plant seeds of division and discord. “The same mischievous and malicious acts of the PPP were clearly evident in the run up to the last NTC conference, Heritage celebrations and the reconstruction of the historic Umana Yana. This behaviour is demonstrative of a political group which has lost direction and is rapidly becoming irrelevant.

It reminds of the proverbial drowning man clutching at straws.”

The NTC is self-determining, the ministry’s statement added, stating that the executive committee of the NTC initially planned to have their conference from July 18th to 22nd. “Unfortunately, the preferred venue was unavailable for the planned period of time.

The records will show that, the Ministry of Social Protection had already secured that venue for the same time. Consequently, there was consultation on the matter involving Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Vice President Sydney Allicock who is an ex-officio member of the NTC,” the statement read. It added that Vice President Allicock proposed an alternative venue in a bid to ensure that the conference was convened on the planned date, citing the expectations of the Indigenous leaders who will be in attendance. Leading members of the NTC executive did not find favour with this proposal and in typical democratic fashion, the Vice President yielded to the majority.

The next available and most convenient date for hosting of this event was communicated to the Ministry by the NTC, hence, the

rescheduling of the conference to August 22nd to 27th 2016.

“The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs takes this opportunity to congratulate Guyana’s Indigenous leaders for their strength and continued resolve as they set about the several and varied deliberations

planned for this conference; that they have for the first time ever in the history of the NTC’s existence spare-headed the planning of their conference is testimony of government’s recognition of, and respect for their right to self-determine and their capacity to lead.

In this the year of our Golden Jubilee it is useful to reflect on the first ever meeting of Indigenous leaders of Guyana which

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was held at the Parliament Building in 1969.

There the delegation of Indigenous leaders (referred to as Village Captains) was led by Mary Williams of Mainstay/ Wayaka. This meeting resulted in among several other things, the establishment of the Amerindian Lands Commission and the commencement of the Land Titling process for Indigenous Villages.”

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Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

Editorial

People’s expectations CITIZENS throughout the world have expectations, and in many instances these are common. Persons expect, for example, to have the opportunity to acquire appropriate education and skills in furtherance of employment and economic opportunities, to meet at least basic needs.

Humankind is socialised to toil, and its members will always have the desire to compete with their peers in doing good, or outmatching the other in growth and development.

As people vote for government, national or local, they expect to be giving up some responsibilities to formal institutions and individuals who would develop and craft programmes that would benefit the society. Inherent in such programmes is the creation of opportunities for man to work. This does not just mean legislating laws to regulate the marketplace, but developing and implementing programmes that can attract local and foreign investors to make necessary investments. These programmes should include incentives in the manufacturing, natural resources, and services sectors.

In an area such as housing, citizens would expect assistance by way of programmes that would enable them to own a home. Such programmes would require meeting the needs of the demographics in the society; for instance, housing for the retirees, employed, middle income and low income, which are areas that need to be addressed by every government. As the Government speaks about building communities in its quest to drive the housing programmes, citizens would expect proper all-weather roads; a continuous flow of potable water; reliable electricity; access to shopping, community and recreational centres, which are considered necessity.

The idea of building communities is not new to Guyana, and has its genesis in the Forbes Burnham Government’s Feed, Clothe and House (FCH) the Nation programme. For instance, in Georgetown there exist the communities of South Ruimveldt, North Ruimveldt and Festival City, all of which were built with all-weather roads, proper drainage, shopping plaza and recreational centre. Whereas in today’s circumstance the plaza may be considered small, in the period when it was constructed, it was appropriate to meet the needs of those communities.

In the area of health, every person expects optimum health services, which requires building a health network using the data collected nationally to meet the needs of each demographic and community. As the developing world calls for its citizens to return and participate in the development of their respective countries, the availability of health services has always been an influencing factor in making the decision to relocate.

As people yearn for basic needs, education has always been one of the major hallmarks in the deter-

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

Industrialization overtaking a zoned residential area Dear Editor, FOR the second time in about a month, Senior Counsel Rex McKay has penned a letter to local newspapers complaining about the violation of zoning by-laws and the speed with which businesses and industry are taking over residential areas in the City.

I therefore drop this line in open support for the cause of Mr. McKay, and to indicate that I would be a willing and interested party to any action taken in any court or related body to correct the situation and prevent further decay.

For example, residents in Laluni Street, in the block between New Garden and Peter Rose Streets, are bombarded on a daily basis – Sundays; holidays, including Good Friday -- by a wood and furniture

factory owned by a prominent businessman with property interest in the very area where his factory annoys residents.

Additionally, shipping containers used to store wood and other materials for the factory attract termites.

Many of the wooden homes in the area are now termite-infested, despite urgings to the businessman to take action to eliminate the termites.

The noise from electrical chainsaws is overbearing. The containers make for an ugly assault on the aesthetics of Queenstown.

I therefore throw my support behind Mr. McKay, and urge other residents to begin the rebellion against the creeping industrialization of a zoned residential area.

And as I scribble this note at half past ten on a Sunday morning, the

noise from electrical saws forces residents like me to pump up our television volumes just to be able to follow Olympic coverage on Sports Max and NBC. For how long will this continue? I know City Clerk Royston King and the Engineer’s Department are aware of the situation.

Hope they will act soonest, as I quote the by-law as published by Mr. McKay: “No building to be used…for any manufacturing, trade or business shall be erected or built on any lot” (east of Oronoque Street). Secondly, “No such building shall be used for any such purpose aforesaid.”

Regards, BERT WILKINSON, Queenstown resident

What to know about Maracana Stadium Dear Editor, IT WAS most fitting for Brazil to stage its opening and closing Olympic ceremonies at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

That Stadium is famous for staging the largest crowd attendance of 199,854 people at the Brazil vs

Uruguay World Cup soccer match on 16 July 1950, and has since been renovated to the extent that its capacity number is reduced. At that soccer match, Brazil scored first but lost the final to Uruguay 2 to 1.

The great Pele was instrumental in Brazil’s winning the World Cup

mination of human development. The responsibility for education or having an educated nation is vested in the State.

Consequently, citizens will expect the State to always lead the way in guiding education policies and programmes; and those policies and programmes have to be consistent with the nation’s plan. All over the world, the discussion as to the role of government vis a vis the private sector is being discussed.

What is being found is that political leaders, while in opposition, see the role of government vastly different from when they are in the Executive. When in opposition, they would call for government to do more for the citizenry; and when the same leaders enter office, they call on the private sector to do many things government ought to be doing. It is this shifting of position that creates problems between the citizenry and sitting governments, which very often represents a lack of understanding of the role of government, and an absence of vision. Expectations are rising. Where people speak about one market place and world built on common philosophy, the United States, for instance, considered the bastion of capitalism, has not been without demands by its citizens to re-examine the role of government in meeting people’s expectations vis a vis the private sector being expected to do so.

The recent campaign by the unassuming outsider Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination, run on the platform of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor and government asserting a more leading role in delivering services to the people, posed a fierce challenge to the formidable Clinton machinery. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in her effort to unite the democratic factions behind her in her bid for the White House, has embraced some of the principles espoused by Sanders.

Development is a continuous process, and each succes-

for the first time in 1958 in Sweden.

I just thought it good to share information on Maracana Stadium with your readers.

Regards, JOHN SEERAM

sive administration, should they recognise the role of government, would seek to build on the successes of past administrations. Post-independent Guyana has seen the FCH as the nation’s development programme. This programme speaks to identifying a path through which a young nation can arrive at a level of self-sufficiency and compete in the marketplace equally as meeting the expectations of its citizens. The FCH planks would have required supporting elements for their achievement, and these include required funding and a healthy workforce. Producing our own fresh local products could have contributed to keeping our manufacturing sector engaged, reducing health risk, and minimising the possibility of contracting non-communicable diseases. Where government once sought to control the commanding heights of the economy, the return on investment from these supplemented the other forms of revenue earnings from taxation, which aided in laying the infrastructure in developing the country. A case in point is the development of roads, bridges and ferries to connect the hinterland to the coastland, rural and urban areas; and farmlands to main roads.

The building of the Lethem road that connects Georgetown to Brazil, which commenced during the Burnham administration, is still to be completed, in spite of successive administrations each seeing and speaking of its necessity.

This road was designed to facilitate cross-border trade with an eye on the development of hinterland communities and by extension Guyana. Superficial maintenance will not make it an all-weather road; the foundation has to be improved on, and such would significantly improve trade and development. As society evolves, so, too, will the people and their expectations. It is necessary that such expectations are heeded and factored into the developmental plan of the government.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

Tutorial High girl cops Summer Blaze Teen pageant crown

AT the end of a night of excitement and close competition, 15-yearold Paulene Dhuman of Tutorial High School walked away with the ‘Miss Summer Blaze Teen’ pageant crown and a degree scholarship from the University of Guyana.

Under the theme: ‘Suicide prevention and awareness’, Maggie’s Craft in collaboration with Ms. Summer blaze promoted the ninth edition of the contest at the Theatre Guild auditorium in Georgetown on August 13, and pageant Directors Natasha Cornette and Andrew Daly are pleased with the pageant’s success.

Suicide has become a

dominant social ill affecting youths in Guyana over the years and government has said that it welcomes support from non-governmental organizations as well in combating the scourge.

Reports earlier this year indicated that Guyana was a leader in suicide in the world. It has been reported that in January alone, there were 15 recorded cases of suicide in Guyana. Government, through the Ministry of Social Protection has held consultations with stakeholders countrywide on suicide prevention to discuss the way forward to reduce and eventually eradicate suicide.

While many pageants

complain of lack of support, Director Cornette told the Guyana Chronicle Miss Summer Blaze has gained favour with scholarships and gifts for its queens and platforms for awareness campaigns against suicide.

The pageant queen is expected to participate in forums on ‘suicide prevention and awareness’ in New York and Atlanta Georgia in the United States of America (USA), the Director said.

In addition, Queen Dhuman has won herself scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Guyana, compliments of Carimer Care, a return trip to the United States of America

(USA), compliments of Fly Jamaica and was also guaranteed a job with Fly Jamaica upon completion of her university degree.

University of Guyana, compliments of the Public Service Department within the Ministry of the Presidency, while second

La Penitence top students honoured at awards ceremony IN order to stop school dropouts and promote education a La Penitence Academic Awards ceremony 2016 was hosted for the first time by Influential Millennial in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister (PM) and Essential Care Agency.

The event was graced by the presence of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife, Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo. It was held at 175 Middle Road La Penitence.

Awards were given to the most improved student Mariam Mansook, National Grade six Assessment students that included: Rawle Alleyne, Rena Hilliman, Siara Evans, Ms Rayshane and topping the list with 550 marks was Ms Tasalya Congreaves who will attend Queens College. In addition, winners in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) category include Ms Candace Barrett, Stephan Sobers and the top spot went to Ms Omallia Thorington who gained eight grade ones, three grade two’s and one grade-3.

Students received tablets, vouchers, bicycles, backpacks, hampers and other prizes.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo in giving brief remarks congratulated the students

on their success while advising them about the benefits of education and the effect it will have on their lives and future. Reflecting that he started teaching at the age of 16 at the Corentyne Comprehensive School, the First Vice President said with determination and hard work anything is possible.

“Becoming Prime Minister starts from the very modest first steps that you take at this age in your life. You all have the opportunity to become Prime Minister, President or Ministers of Government if you start to prepare yourself from now, you have a friendly government that is paying attention to education and social needs…” the Prime Minister stated. “We can’t correct everything in one year, but we are trying to bring improvements to the lives of all in this country.”

Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo who is a Former Head Teacher, in her remarks noted that teachers should pay special attention to students while trying to develop their respective talents and growth. She advised students who did not do well that they should focus on their studies and try again next year, while paying attention to their school and home work. “Can you do it, yes you can,” she encouraged the students.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife, Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo flanked by students who received prizes along with Influential Millennial representative (extreme right standing)

Queen: Miss Summer Blaze Teen 2016 Paulene Dhuman First runner-up Kayanne Grant of North Ruimveldt Multilateral School won herself a Diploma scholarship to the

runner-up Kalisha Frank of Brickdam Secondary won a Phablet.

Third runner-up Afisha Phoenix of Bishops High

won a hair dryer set and gift vouchers. Ronise stoll won the Miss Congeniality award.

Sixteen delegates d r a w n f r o m Tu t o r i a l High, North Ruimveldt Secondary, Brickdam Secondary and Bishops High schools competed in the pageant, which was staged with the aim of boosting self-esteem in the teenagers.

Director Cornette said the pageant was an educational one with scholarships as its main prizes.

“So we’re looking at teen development,” Cornette said.

The contest featured three sequences - casual wear, evening wear and question and answer.

Other delegates participating in the contest are Tariquea Eversley, Queeneisha Inniss, Aisha Fraser, Tia Lashley, Trechell Horatio, Resheda Stoll and Iyanna Grenardo.

Pageant Director Daly said the pageant committee is grateful to its sponsors, which include the Ministry of Social Protection, Fly Jamaica, Ministry of the Presidency’s Public Service Department, Carimer Care and Banks DIH, among others.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

Integrity Commission boost

…gov’t mulls investigative, prosecutorial arms

By Ariana Gordon GOVERNMENT is keen on strengthening the Integrity Commission with investigative and prosecutorial powers, Prime Minister with responsibility for governance, Moses Nagamootoo has said.

He said too that the administration is also looking to create a mechanism through which the constitutional body could have oversight at the level of the National Assembly. Nagamotoo made the comments to the Guyana Chronicle last week, noting that the role of the body in ensuring the declaration of assets by public officials cannot be underestimated.

He said since the establishment of the Integrity Commission Act in 1997, the commission has been in many ways “a toothless poodle.” He said “It has a lot of bark and no teeth,” noting that it is critical that such an important commission has a policing aspect that allows for the investigation and prosecution of public officials who either do not declare their assets, or are

found to be in violation of the law.

Currently, Prime Minister Nagamootoo is examining recommendations for amendment of the Integrity law. He said the proposed amendments are relative to the creation of an investigative unit, a prosecution unit, as well as the creation of a consultative mechanism in the National Assembly that allows for the Integrity Commission to make periodic reports to Parliament. “…there should be a parliamentary oversight committee to ensure that the Integrity Commission would fulfill that role of making reports,” the Prime Minister told the Guyana Chronicle.

As such, the Prime Minister said, he will be approaching Cabinet shortly with the recommendations that have been made for amendment of the legislation.

He noted that it is the commission’s responsibility to have in place a reformed Code of Conduct for public officials. He added that incorporated in the law will be new Code of Conduct that sets the guide for the be-

haviour of persons in public office. Asked whether the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will be consulted during this process, the Prime Minister said when the amendments are formulated and taken to Parliament, the opposition will be included in vetting of the amendments.

“We need to have consensus on this issue of reforming the Integrity Legislation and strengthening the code of conduct and the enforcement mechanism,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.

“I believe that all political parties in Guyana have one thing in common, we all want to stamp out corruption,—it would make our politics cleaner, governance better…” he continued.

Recently, President David Granger said the Integrity Commission is likely to become fully functional before the end of the year, and noted that government is working to ensure that there are functional laws and a strong organisational structure established before the commission can function effectively.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

During the recording of the Ministry of the Presidency’s weekly televised programme, ‘the Public Interest,’ President Granger told reporters that what was inherited from the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration is “unworkable.”

Though he could not provide a specific timeline as to when the Integrity Commission will become functional, the President said there has to be “tightening” of the legislation to ensure that those who are found guilty of com-

mitting illegal acts while in public office are prosecuted.

“We are working on the legislation, it will be brought to cabinet, and I expect that before the end of this year there will be a functioning Integrity Commission,” said President Granger. The Integrity Commission, the President said, was a “poorly funded” and dysfunctional organisation. “We are going to create functional laws; functional organisation structure, and I expect that by the end of this year, when Parliament resumes in October, we’d be able to bring that legislation before the National Assembly. Give us time,” he remarked.

President Granger likened the functioning of the Integrity Commission in the past to that of a post office, where persons submitted their returns but no action was taken. “There was a perception that the PPP was using the Integrity Commission as a means, rather than preventing corruption, of checking people’s personal finances,” said the President.

The Integrity Commission Act provides for the establishment of the Integrity Commission and provides for the appointment of a Chair-

man to head the commission, not less than two (2) and not more than four (4) other members of the commission, a secretary to oversee the day-to-day work of the commission, and other officers for the proper performance of the commission.

The Chairman of the Commission should be a person who is or who was qualified to be a Puisne Judge of the High Court, or any other fit and proper person; and the other members must appear to the President as having experience and showing capacity in law, public administration, social service, finance or accountancy or any other discipline.

The Integrity Commission has been the subject of much debate in the past, despite the fact that the previous administration had sworn in members in 1999. Chairman of the Commission at the time, Bishop Randolph George (now deceased), resigned in 2006. Since then, the commission has been without a chair. The coalition government, while in opposition, had promised to have an autonomous Integrity Commission installed as a matter of priority.

Single mother, others seek relief from faulty Perseverance houses RESIDENTS who bought incomplete, faulty houses under the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government are wondering how much longer they must wait for the new government to rectify their issues, more than a year after moving into their properties.

An audit by the coalition government has identified numerous inconsistencies with the entire programme that facilitated the Perseverance, “Turn Key” East Bank Demerara housing project.

Residents say that several groups of ministry personnel have visited their homes, but nothing is being done.

“Different, different people just coming to your house. They not even calling or anything, they just showing up, coming in your house, say they checking and you never see them back,” a resident stated.

While homeowners declined to have their names published in the newspaper, they welcomed the Guyana Chronicle into their homes to show the substandard works that are still to be corrected. A single mother says her front and back doors pose grave security threats. Of the five locks on her front door, the mother said only one works. The back door is incomplete, since there is “a huge space” on its top half. A curtain and a tall cupboard are used to block

the outside. The mother explained that once she and her children were locked in the grilled-up house and the front door could not be opened. A neighbour had to forcefully open the door. She also complained about having to fix the uneven floor herself.

Another neighbour showed the Chronicle how easy it is for someone to enter the houses through the veranda ceilings, since they were all built with that security flaw. They complained about incomplete septic tanks, flooding because of broken wall pipes and missing items from their homes. They pointed to many missing louvres and several faulty fixtures such as flex hoses, faucets, pipes and locks that had to be replaced. Some neighbours say their homes are still incomplete, because some are missing kitchen units, closets, unfinished floors, and walls among others.

The “middle-income” homeowners have paid half a million dollars to acquire the land the property is on, and over $4m for the small two-bedroom flat. Residents were encouraged to take New Building Society (NBS) loans that will see repayments of more than $8m.

The housing ministry’s audit also proved that several break-ins had occurred at the Perseverance bond which had 24-hour security and it was

noted that the break-ins had not been reported to the police. When contacted, housing officials said any update on the progress of the housing project will be provided next week.

The incomplete septic tank and filter box

Broken pipes, flooded bedrooms

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

Ex-husband arrested in strangling death of 9-year-old Queens girl THE ex-husband of the woman charged with strangling her 9-year-old stepdaughter in Queens has been arrested for trying to shield the woman from police after the horrific murder, police and prosecutors said on Sunday.

Raymond Narayan, 65, the former husband of Arjun Samdhi Pardas, 55, was charged with obstructing governmental administration for refusing to allow police into his South Ozone Park home, where the alleged killer stepmom was being kept on Saturday, according to police and the Queens District Attorney’s office.

Police charged Pardas with the murder of little Ashdeep Kaur. She was found dead, curled in the fetal position in the bathtub of their 112th St. apartment near 101st Ave. in South Richmond Hill on Friday, police said. “This is a horrifying case of a child, a defenseless 9-year-old, who was left in the care of her stepmother who allegedly strangled her to death,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement. “Her actions, if true, are beyond comprehension and must be severely punished,” he said.

Police and Brown said a neighbor at the three-story complex asked Pardas about the girl when she saw the stepmom leaving the apartment with her ex-husband

Ashdeep Kaur, 9, was found dead in a bathtub in her Queens home (AARON SHOWALTER/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

Arjun Samdhi Pardas (c.) was charged with the murder of 9-year old Ashdeep Kaur (ALEX RUD/ NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

Raymond Narayan and her grandchildren, ages 3 and 5, around 5:30 p.m. the day of the killing. Pardas told her the girl was taking a shower, police said. But the neighbor’s concern only elevated as she noticed the bathroom light had been on since 11 a.m., the D.A.’s office said.

The neighbor then called Ashdeep’s father, Sukhjinder Singh, who told her to break the door down.

That’s when the neighbor and her brother, who helped breach the bathroom, made the tragic discovery around 6 p.m., police said. When cops tracked Paradas down to Narayan’s South Ozone Park home on 134th St., Narayan refused to come out or open his door to them for over an

hour, Brown’s office said.

The girl had only lived with her father and stepmom a short while. Ashdeep emigrated to Queens from India, where she lived with her mother, just three months ago, relatives said. But in that limited time it had already become apparent to Ashdeep’s uncle that Pardas was abusing her. “(Ashdeep) told me she got beat up by her,” the uncle, Manjinder Singh, said on Saturday.

Pardas and Narayan were awaiting arraignment Sunday afternoon. If convicted, Parabas faces up to 25 years-to-life in prison; also, if found guilty, Narayan faces a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. (NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

Man shot dead by vigilantes …friend beaten in suspected attempted robbery

By Rabindra Rooplall A MAN was killed Saturday evening and another badly beaten after residents of Pearl, East Bank Demerara, suspected them to be bandits and meted out vigilante justice. It is the second such incident to have occurred in recent days and authorities are concerned about this trend, which they fear can lead to a breakdown in law enforcement.

Dead is 26-year-old Seon Clarke, called “Cash Money” of Old Road, Land of Canaan, E.B.D. Police said investigations have revealed that Clarke and another male associate were beaten by public-spirited citizens from the community of Pearl Village, E.B.D., about 22:30hrs on Saturday. Police said that about 14:00hrs on Saturday, Clarke and a male companion visited a grocery store at Sarah Johanna, E.B.D, and was observed by the proprietor “behaving suspiciously.”

The proprietor, police said, made his way to the public road and alerted a policeman who was passing at the time. The policeman responded and in the process summoned other policemen.

The word quickly spread to surrounding villages. “The men fled into the bushes, and during the process, two loud explosions were heard.

A search was conducted but they were not found,” the police in the statement.

Again “about 22:30hrs on Saturday night, members

The second suspect in the incident being escorted by police (Mondale Smith photo) Seon Clarke, called “Cash Money”

of the community spotted the men on the Pearl Public Road and apprehended them; during the process, it was alleged that one of the public-spirited citizens shot Clarke and inflicted a beating on his accomplice.

The men were handed over to the police, who rushed them to the Diamond Public Hospital, where Clarke was pronounced dead on arrival, whilst his accomplice was treated and sent away. He has since been taken into police custody and is assisting with the investigation.”

The father of the dead man, Godfrey Clarke, said that he last saw his son two weeks ago in Georgetown since they do not live together. He said his son had previous brushes with the law and had been released from prison four weeks ago after being on remand for

simple larceny. He had spent four months on remand. The senior Clarke said he heard of the incident at “Aron Shop” at Pearl, EBD, but had no idea it involved his son. “I hear that police shoot behind someone, but is now I actually hearing that is he.

The last time he come home here he told me he had some construction work at Vega on the West Coast and when I saw him the next day, I ask him if he get paid and he said yes, but his money finished on the sea wall.”

The senior Clarke said he had advised his son to attend church and had asked him to change his life and get a job. Adding that his son’s mother died over a decade ago, Mr Clarke said he had spoken to his son on numerous occasions about his intentions and plans for his life. The elder Clarke said his son never took his guidance and the end result was death.

Road fatalities climb to over 84 …more than 45,000 cases for reckless driving FOR this year so far over 84 persons have been killed as a result of road accidents while in excess of 45, 000 cases were made against errant drivers, the country’s Traffic Chief Dion Moore has confirmed.

In urging motorists and pedestrians to take extra care, Moore noted that in 2015 statistics for the same period show there were 79 deaths and 35,000 cases against errant drivers. He said ‘A’ Division had the greatest number of road fatalities for

the year followed by ‘C’ Division, ‘D’ and ‘B’ Divisions.

With the launching of the Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) magazine, he said it is anticipated that it spreads the values of life while underscoring the need for road users to collaborate with the traffic department in compliance with the law.

“I want road users to work together with us along with other stakeholders to preserve the lives of our citizens and to promote road safety,” the Traffic Chief said. “Every

time someone dies, it is hard to tell the relative, mother or friend. It is not easy to deliver such a message that a member of their family has passed due to an accident.”

Acknowledging that there are drivers who constantly break the traffic laws, Mr Moore said the traffic department has been working very hard to ensure that motorists desist from law-breaking practices.

Moore also cited driving under the influence as the

major cause of some traffic accidents. He noted that everyday enforcement coupled with education and awareness across the country will be used to decrease traffic accidents. Moore pointed out several challenges being faced by the traffic department with the use of cellphones whilst driving being a major issue. He pointed out that effectively charging persons with this violation is difficult, since officers will first have to recognise the offence

which will be later contested by many drivers. However, the police are being assisted by the surveillance cameras that are installed throughout the city. These cameras have been assisting the police in bringing charges against drivers who breach traffic codes. Also on the agenda is collaboration among the police; the Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC); youth organisations and vocational training programmes over the August holiday to conduct educational programmes on road safety.

Traffic Chief Dion Moore

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

51 young people graduate from agro-processing training FIFTY-ONE (51) youths hailing from multiple regions across Guyana have graduated from a four-day Agro-Processing training programme at the Mon Repos Campus of the Guyana School of Agriculture, East Coast Demerara.

The first batch comprised fifteen students while the second was made up of thirty six students, all of whom were resident at the school during the training. The training was a joint effort among the Youth Empowerment Office of the Presidential Advisor, Mr. Aubrey Norton and the School of Agriculture, which only recently graduated its largest ever batch of 156 students at its fifty second

Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment, Aubrey Norton

annual graduation exercise.

Mr. Nizam Hassan, General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board and a former General Manager of the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, in delivering the main address to the youths, emphasised the need for budding entrepreneurs to do the crucial research which pertains to marketing new products and to develop a vision for their operation. He urged the participants to capture the opportunities found in agro-processing.

The course centred on four thematic areas, namely, Food Safety and Quality, Preservation of Meats, Processing of Condiments and Fruit Preservation. An impressive display of the items produced during this training was mounted. Mr. Samuel Saul, Senior Economic Empowerment Officer within the Youth Empowerment Office, Ministry of the Pres-

idency, also adverted to the additional training opportunities that will be offered to this batch of graduates to develop other capacities which will strengthen their ability to contribute to development through work.

Dr. Dindyal Permaul, Principal of the Guyana School of Agriculture urged the participants present to note that Guyana’s young people between the ages of 15-34 comprise some two hundred and fifty three thousand, all of whom aspire for decent work, which allows for productive employment for income, security in the work place, social protection for females and better prospects for personal development. Such opportunities, he noted, can be initiated by training. The School sees this most recent training, along with its endeavours to place all of its graduates at places which can provide short-term attachment or employment, as one designed to reduce unemployment in Guyana’s Youth, which is documented to be very high in relation to Caribbean countries.

Present at this graduation ceremony too, were Mr. Brian Greenidge, the Chief Executive Officer of GSA, Mr. Ronald Austin, Ms. Adeti DeJesus, Ms. Fayon Marshall, all of the Youth Empowerment Office, as well as Dr. Dexter Allen, Director of Administration, lecturers and students, all of GSA. (GINA)

Shears-wielding bandits nabbed after robbing couple TWENTY-year-old Anthony Dharamraj and 18-year-old Anisa Issehani of Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara were walking on the University of Guyana Access Road at about 00:30h on Sunday when they were attacked by two men, one of whom was armed with a pair of shears.

Besides dealing their victims several lashes, the men robbed the duo of

a cellular phone valued $60,000 and $20,000 in cash.

The matter was reported to the police, whose swift action led to the arrest of the men with the stolen items and the shears allegedly used during the commission of the crime.

Police also escorted the victims to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were treated for their injuries and sent away.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

Early childhood development in Guyana CHILDREN who attend childcare facilities need to be cared for in a special way by caregivers who understand the importance of early childhood development; because everything a child is exposed to in the early years can leave a lasting impression on that child.

During early years’ development (zero to 3 years) a child’s brain is like a sponge, soaking up and processing information, whether good or bad. This is one reason why early childhood experiences should be as positive as possible.

From birth to 12 months, children grow rapidly. A child starts out as a mere babe in arms, and 1 year later you usually have a walking, inquisitive infant who wants to try out everything. This is the natural progression of a child; and while children are growing on the outside, they are also developing on the inside on many levels.

Children develop physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually, and through language and speech; but what do you think would happen to a baby if, during that baby’s first year of life, no one ever spoke to, or interacted with, that baby? What if that baby were never held close to another human being? What if that baby were never kissed or even soothed when he/she cried? What if that baby were never given a toy to hold or play with?

Can you begin to imagine what that baby’s state of mind would be? It may take a loving, caring adult a very long time to reverse that child’s mindset to a sense of wellbeing where his/her social, emotional, and intellectual skills can begin to develop and assist in the building of his/her character and personality.

Although this is an extreme example of how adults can impact child development, there are children in

GDF sergeant injured in operation ‘HOMEGUARD’ DAYS after the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Field Tactical Exercise (FTX) commenced operation “HOMEGUARD,” a soldier was injured Thursday last and is currently a patient at the Medical Centre at Base Camp Ayanganna in high spirits.

According to the GDF in a missive on Sunday, on Thursday, August 18, 2016, at approximately 17:45 hrs, 17548 Sergeant (SGT) Christopher Alleyne was injured on Exercise (Ex) Homeguard when his section came under attack.

SGT Alleyne, who is a Platoon Sergeant, the army said had attempted to raise an alarm after a simulated attack was carried out on his position. “While raising the alarm a flare fell on his trousers igniting his left leg above his knees and resulting in first and second-degree burns…

SGT Alleyne was air-dashed to Base Camp Ayanganna, then taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he received treatment and was discharged. SGT Alleyne is currently a patient at the Medical Centre at Base

Christopher Alleyne

Camp Ayanganna in high spirits,” the army noted.

The GDF Exercise commenced Tuesday, August 16, with the final contingent of troops moving into the exercise area located in the jungles and savannahs of Ituni and Tacama (Region 10).

The army had previously stated that the Exercise is designed to assess the GDF troops in Close Country Warfare (CCW) and Open Country Warfare (OCW) simulations of battle. The exercise will also be utilising all available resources and pitting the troops against a simulated enemy, in order to validate training at all levels.

The exercise will continue and culminate on August 26.

our society who miss out on many positive early years’ experiences. There are parents who would tell a crying toddler, “I gan dash two lash in you…Shut yuh mouth!” instead of trying to find out why the child is crying.

There are bright, inquisitive children who want to learn and explore naturally, but their parents -- who do not understand this -- might say, “This child fast”, or “This is a disgusting child”.

No! That child is an open book longing to be filled by

you with positive, valuable and new experiences.

Early childhood development is in our hands as adults and as a nation; that is why everyone across Guyana who owns a childcare facility or who cares for three or more children in their home is now required to be registered and licensed.

There are new regulations which govern how childcare facilities must operate, and the standard of childcare they must provide and maintain.

The regulations cover things

such as ‘caregiver to child ratio’ and the amount and type of resources that are available for the children to play with at each facility.

Staff and caregivers will need to be trained in childcare development, and emphasis on child safety is also an important factor. The objective is to get all childcare facilities at least up to a minimum standard, thus ensuring that children receive quality care during their early years.

To obtain a registration form, visit the Early Child-

hood Development Unit at the Childcare and Protection Agency at Broad and Charles Street, Charlestown; and if you would like to find out more about the new regulations, call 227-4085.

Parenting tip: Play is an important part of child development. Don’t deny your child their childhood.

(If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, call the Childcare and Protection Hotline on 227-0979, or write to us at childcaregy@ gmail.com)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

Konawaruk small miner …want legal claims to operate

By Ariana Gordon SMALL miners operating in the North Fork Backdam at Konawaruk in Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni) are pleading with Government to provide them lands to mine.

Saying they are tired of raiding lands in order to provide for themselves and fam-

ilies, the miners complained that their equipment, which includes pumps and engines, have been seized by mines officers attached to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and by law enforcement officers because they were found working on lands belonging to Tesouro Resources (Mining).

Maintaining that they had received permission to work on the land from the security officials working with the mining company, the small miners explained that the security representatives of the mining company had approached and encouraged them to work on “worked out mines”.

“The Mines Officers came with police from Georgetown and seized our engines and pumps… Minister, next week is school… I have no engine, no pump, no dredge… I am here contemplating my next move… Do I have to go in the bush and look for an arrow and bow, or buy a gun or something? I don’t have no money in which I could get back this engine and pump… all I am left with is just my two hands and battel,” re-

A mined-out areas at North Fork

Frustrated, Kurt Rodney makes a point during a small mi North Fork Backdam, Konawaruk, Re

marked Kurt Rodney.

Rodney maintains that representatives of the mining company had given small miners in North Fork Backdam the permission to mine on the lands, and had also collected gold and money from the small miners.

“Representatives of the company come and show everybody where to work… took gold upfront and were to collect additional gold from the miners… Is them tell everybody to work… Why you feel people move in… People feel so nice,” another miner stated.

Braving the scorching midday sun to stand at the Konawaruk airstrip to meet Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, the small miners said they were never told to stop working on the lands.

“Nobody ain’t come and notify we that we have to move…there was no warning, nothing…they just come and take away we things dem,” another angry miner stated.

Like Rodney, Lucile Thomas of Tumatumari, Region 8, told Guyana Chronicle that she often feels like she is

living in a war zone. “This is not Guyana, this is the Middle East -- Afghanistan or one of them places; because every minute of the day you see people coming with guns like anybody thieving… Nobody ain’t thieving!”

Thomas said that on a number of occasions she was threatened, and her property was also seized by the GGMC and police. “I tell them I come here to fish and hunt. Whenever I ready to go home, I gonna go… They coming here and picking up we things…

Nobody does watchman them when the planes coming in and taking out the gold.”

The angry woman said mining is the primary source of income for her family, and she is hopeful that consideration and provisions can be put in place to ensure that small miners like herself can work honestly.

The concerns raised by the miners stunned Minister Broomes, who said she did not know of the seizing operation by the GGMC. “The concerns that you’ve raised, I will investigate them…I have no knowledge that GGMC were in here

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 22, 2016

rs tired of raiding lands Miner Garfield Wint took the opportunity to encourage his colleagues to unionize themselves by forming a small miners’ association. He is of the opinion that without an official body representing small miners, it will become increasingly difficult for “struggling small miners” to have their concerns addressed.

“We have no representative…we are like a wingless bird flying in the air. The

Backdam, Konawaruk, Region 8

iners meeting on Friday at egion 8

seizing things,” she said as she noted that while the small miners are operating for the most part illegally, the laws of the land must be applied fairly.

Minister Broomes was even more surprised to learn that the miners had been granted permission to mine the land by the security of the mining company, and had paid money to work, but were forced off the lands which they were mining.

“I am calling for a level playing field. I do not agree with illegal mining. I know you have a genuine problem and we have to find a solution to the problem,” she said, noting that “when there is a conflict, I will take the side of the regulation or law.”

The minister vowed to have the issues discussed with the acting Commissioner of the GGMC, Newell Dennison, on Monday; and she invited the miners to a stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

HEARTBREAK In an invited comment, Minister Broomes said it breaks her heart to see miners

suffering. She explained that the problems facing miners have been ongoing for decades, but she is hopeful there would soon be equality across the proverbial board in the mining industry.

Minister Broomes had visited the area earlier this year, and had promised to speak with Tesouro Mining. “The area is a place where the company would not go back and work, but the lil crumbs off of the table is what you are asking for. I went back -- I didn’t take your petition lightly -- I went to the Commissioner Acting GGMC and I asked him to call the company in.

I am going to tell you quite frankly (that) the company said ‘no way, I don’t want them around’.”

She made it clear that neither she nor the GGMC can force the mining company to allow small miners to work on the worked out mines.

“We need to look at how we deal with land…look at the mining permits so that we can come back to the table and re-examine the amount of land that you finish working, and what are you going to do with it now?” the minister declared.

“The miners complained that big companies like Tesouro Mining work the lands, and when complete, they leave large ponds of water and lots of slush, which are all unfriendly to the environment.

This whole place is a disaster, is sheer pools and big ponds just left there,” she said as she noted that there is no land reclamation.

On this issue, the minister said large companies should be penalized for irresponsible use of the land. She noted that sanctions should not only fall on small miners, but also medium and large scale miners.

“Everybody across the board should be regulated,” Minister Broomes stressed.

large miners association caters for the medium scale miners; we cannot go and complain to the miners’ association concerning ‘no land’ issue,” he said.

“After forming the union, then we could approach the Government as a body to form a committee; land reform committee, where all these blocks which these big tycoons got for all these years… They are doing nothing with it,” he added.

Wint told the Guyana Chronicle that without land reform, small miners will continue to suffer. He labelled medium and large scale miners as “greedy” because they refuse to have small miners work on the mined out areas.

“Please talk to the President, Mr Granger. We begging he to talk to these companies.

In his political campaign, he talked about refined product… it is the same thing…we don’t need this company to dash

away the back sand and grass grow up on it… We need to get the finest amount of gold we can get out of it, and these same lil gold will come back to the economy,” Wint explained.

Wint, a miner for over two decades, said small miners are struggling, and many are without money and food to maintain their families.

“We are in a terrible position just because of the greed for this mineral,” he declared.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday august 22, 2016

Australia strike first in opening ODI Spectacular ... Mitchell Starc becomes quickest bowler to 100 ODI wickets

(REUTERS)-STEVE Smith and Aaron Finch struck half-centuries to help Australia to a three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first one-day international in Colombo yesterday.

Sri Lanka, who lost the toss and were sent out to bat on a dry, turning wicket, set the visitors a target of 228, but Australia successfully chased them down with 19 balls to spare to give them the lead in the five-match series.

Earlier in the day, Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner took seven wickets between them to make life tough for the hosts.

Starc finished with three wickets for 32 runs in his 10 overs and drew first blood early in the Sri Lankan innings when he bowled opener Kusal Perera on one.

He became the quickest bowler in history to reach 100

ODI wickets, passing the record set by Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq nearly two decades ago, when he dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva for two.

Mendis into top-edging a slow offcutter to Travis Head at midwicket, before tempting Angelo Mathews into a drive that was caught superbly by

Dhananjaya de Silva became Michell Starc’s 100th ODI wicket Faulkner ended with four for 38, including two wickets in the same over.

First, he enticed Kusal

Head at point to send the Sri Lanka skipper back to the pavilion with a duck.

Dinesh Chandimal top-

scored for the hosts with a patient unbeaten 80 that contained just three boundaries, but his efforts were not enough to prevent Australia getting their first win of the tour after being whitewashed 3-0 in the test series.

Finch got Australia off to a blistering start, hitting seven boundaries and two sixes en route to 56 off 46 deliveries, while Smith struck five boundaries during a more measured innings that yielded 58 runs off 124 balls.

Smith and George Bailey piled on 62 runs for the fourth wicket, before the Australian skipper fell to an outstanding catch from substitute fielder Danushka Gunathilaka.

Australia had been given a solid platform, allowing them to ease their way to victory, with Faulkner and Starc, both not out on five apiece, easing them over the line.

Fourth day called off in first hour ALL efforts to get the Queen’s Park Oval ready for play were given up in the very first hour of the fourth day. At around 10.25hrs, the fourth day was called off.

Since the early morning on day two of the Test, there had been barely an hour of rain, but the outfield was in such a bad state that not a ball was bowled for three days.

The ground was not fully covered, it didn’t have a super sopper, and Test cricket went through another surreal day of no action.

With the Test certain to end as a draw, Pakistan were all set to become the new No. 1 Test team; India needed to win this Test to retain their top spot.(ESPN Cricinfo).

It was another sunny day with no play at Queen’s Park Oval.

Wet outfield wipes out play on day three in Durban DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - Play was

abandoned because of a wet outfield without

FASTEST TO 100 ODI WICKETS MITCHELL Starc (Australia): 100 wickets in 52 matches Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan): 100 wickets in 53 matches Shane Bond (New Zealand): 100 wickets in 54 matches Brett Lee (Australia): 100 wickets in 55 matches Imran Tahir (South Africa): 100 wickets in 58 matches

a ball being bowled on the third day of the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand yesterday.

Rain on Saturday had curtailed play from just before the end of the first session with New Zealand 15 for two in reply to their hosts’ first innings score of 263.

There was a much heavier fall of rain over-

night which left several wet patches on the outfield that the umpires wanted dried out.

They had two separate inspections at 12pm and 2pm local time but decided soft patches caused by the rain posed a danger to the players.

Play will start 30 minutes earlier today at 9.30am local time, the umpires said.

closing ceremony as Olympic flag goes to Tokyo

THE Rio Olympics ended with a spectacular carnival-inspired closing ceremony, and the official handover to 2020 hosts Tokyo.

The ceremony, which celebrated Brazil’s arts, was held in a wet and windy Maracana stadium.

The highlights were Tokyo’s impressive showcase and a vibrant carnival parade.

“These were a marvellous Olympics, in a marvellous city,” said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.

“Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, in difficult times for all of us, with its irresistible joy for life.”

Women’s hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh carried the flag for Great Britain, who finished the Games with 67 medals - their highest tally at an overseas Olympics.

Super-heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce had earlier won Britain’s final medal of Rio 2016 - a silver - as they finished second in the medal table to the United States, ahead of China.

Tokyo’s time The ceremony featured the symbolic handover of the Olympic flag. Rio mayor Eduardo Paes returned it to IOC president Bach, before it was passed to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.

That was followed by an impressive 12-minute showcase of Tokyo, which included Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe popping out of a green pipe dressed as computer game character Super Mario.

IOC president Thomas Bach: “Brazil we love you, thank you for your warm hospitality. Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, in difficult times for all of us, with its irresistible joy of life. You gave many reasons to be proud. These Games demonstrated that diversity is an enrichment for everyone. These Games were a celebration of diversity.

“These were a marvellous Olympic Games in a marvellous city. They are leaving a unique legacy for many generations to come. History will talk about a Rio before and a much better Rio after these Games.”

Rio 2016 organising committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman: “The Games in Rio is a great challenge, but a challenge with success. I am proud of my country, my city and my people. Rio has delivered history.”(BBC Sports)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

‘Brazil’s footballers exorcise demons to lift nation’

BRAZIL will always associate itself with two football tragedies at home, but now it finally has a defining moment it can be proud of.

The 1950 World Cup final defeat by Uruguay in the Maracana, and the crushing 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany in Belo Horizonte at the 2014 World Cup can never be erased, but by winning their first Olympic football gold, the hosts can at least point to a new chapter in their story.

Before the game, fans talked of “revenge” over Germany, but Neymar’s winning penalty also made this Brazil’s most successful Olympics as they won a sixth gold medal for the first time.

For a Games staged amid continuing social problems, and with relatively few golden moments for the host nation, the deafening noise at the finale was symbolic.

As Neymar sunk to his knees in tears, the 78,000-strong crowd bellowed “o campeao voltou” (the champions are back), a song which has echoed

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Flamingo Park 08:20 hrs Over Achiever 08:50 hrs Il Palio 09:25 hrs Variety Spirit 09:55 hrs Kingofmountain 10:25 hrs Queen Of Rock ENGLISH RACING TIPS Brighton 09:00 hrs Amelia Dream 09:30 hrs Indus Valley 10:00 hrs Dixie’s Double 10:30 hrs Flag Of Glory 11:30 hrs Wild Flower 12:00 hrs Jan Steen CARLISLE 09:15 hrs Foxy Boy 09:45 hrs Navarone 10:15 hrs Fyrecracker 10:45 hrs Swiss Lait 11:15 hrs Gaelic Tiger 11:45 hrs Mockinbird 12:15 hrs Monaco Rose

throughout the past fortnight and gave a sense of Brazil’s restored confidence after a bruising past few years.

BRAZIL EXORCISES ITS DEMONS Neymar missed the humiliating loss to Germany

Neymar has a twinkle in his eye holding up the first ever Olympic football gold for Brazil.((Photograph: Pedro Martins/ AGIF/Rex/Shutterstock) two years ago (known as the Mineirazo) after he fractured a vertebrae in the quarter-final win over Colombia, but it hasn’t stopped him from being asked what went wrong and if Brazil could ever recover from one of the worst episodes in the team’s history.

Both Brazil coach Rogerio Micale and Germany counterpart Horst Hrubesch tried to play down the relevance of

the rematch, pointing out there would be no-one on the field who played in the World Cup. But fans outside the Maracana were unconvinced. “It was a disaster and we want revenge,” one said. “Brazilian football has not been the same since.”

Many supporters felt Brazil would win easily, but as Germany hit the woodwork twice, then equalised through skipper Max Meyer after Neymar’s opener, there seemed a growing anxiety among the crowd that history might repeat itself.

Three previous Olympic final defeats did not help the mood; indeed when players wasted opportunities, the fans let them know of their frustration in no uncertain terms.

So when Neymar walked towards the penalty spot, kept his cool under remarkable pressure and scored to Timo Horn’s left, the outpouring of emotion was as deafening as it was heartfelt, as the demons from two years ago were banished.

And there are those who think it can point to a brighter future.

“After the World Cup and what happened against Germany, I think Brazil’s self-esteem was damaged,” said former international Rai. “I think the first gold medal can mark the new era for Brazilian football.”

NEYMAR PROVES

Guyana into CAREBACO finals for mixed doubles, boys doubles THE Caribbean Badminton International Championships (CAREBACO),currently playing in Aruba and which started on August 18, 2016 at

the Boys Doubles with Narayan Ramdhani & Jonathan Mangra.

In the Boys and Girls Singles,both Narayan Ramdhani & Priyanna Ramdhani lost in

THIRSK 12:05 hrs Hero’s Story 12:35 hrs Connacht Girl 13:05 hrs Manners Please 13:35 hrs Scruffy Mc Guffy 14:05 hrs Gwendolyn 14:35 hrs Ehtiraas 15:05 hrs Popsies Joy AMERICAN RACING TIPS Saratoga Race 1 Wake Up Smiling Race 2 Roustabout Race 3 Greyjoy Race 4 Detail Race 5 Turf Commander Race 6 Weekend Hideaway Race 7 March Race 8 Eskenformoney

POINT ON INTERNATIONAL STAGE Though Neymar was absent in Belo Horizonte, he still felt the pain and has played in these Olympics like a man determined to heal the wounds and prove he could win a first major international title.

This is a player used to winning trophies on a regular basis with Barcelona but, like club-mate Lionel Messi, has had only limited success in international football.

As captain, and one of the over-age players in the under-23 squad, he proved to be perfect leader material, chasing back to help out in defence as much as he kept his cool in front of goal.

His prodigious work-rate led to a goal after just 15 seconds of the semi-final against Honduras, and, in the final, he was cajoling and encouraging his team-mates until the final minute of extra time before he took centre stage.

After a bruising few years from a political and football point of view, Brazilians needed a role model to lead them forward, and the 24-year-old sealed his hero status on a night the country will never forget.

“The only thing on my mind was I had to do this,” said Neymar, who stepped down as captain after the game. “I have fulfilled my dream.” (BBC Sport)

Part of the action in the Boys doubles event at the Caribbean Badminton International Championships (CAREBACO). the Centro Deportivo Sports Hall,continued on Saturday.

The Guyanese players are into the Finals in the Mixed Doubles with Narayan Ramdhani & Priyanna Ramdhani;and

the Semi-Finals and settled for Bronze Medals.

In the Boys Singles which saw-No. 1 Seeded player Narayan Ramdhani Vs. No. 3 Seeded player Cesar Adonis

Brito Gonzalez of theDominican Republic,the Dominican took the first game at 21-18.

Narayan then came back in the second game to win 19-21.

Gonzalez then took the final game at 21-11.

In the Girls Singles-Priyanna Ramdhani Vs. Amanda Yearwood of Barbados;The Bajan took the first game at 21-14.

Priyanna then took the second game at 13-21,and then lost the final game at 21-13 Boys Doubles resultNarayan Ramdhani & Jonathan Mangra defeated Jade Allman & Joshua Smith (Trinidad) in the semi-finals 21-11, 21-18,to reach the finals.

Mixed Doubles resultNarayan Ramdhani & Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Renaldo Sinanan & Jade Renales (Trinidad),21-8, 21-7 to reach the finals.

The GBA would like to thank Mohamed’s Enterprise, Republic Bank, NSC, BK International, Hand in Hand Insurance, Crown Mining co., Gio Tech and Cosmopolitan Trading for their support.

Coach Roberts fails to turn up for GCF Disciplinary Committee hearing ––He should not have gone as coach in the first place – Compton Maycock Beckles

CYCLE coach Randolph Roberts,who accompanied a four-member team to the recently concluded Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships that were staged in St. Lucia, reportedly absented himself from a disciplinary Committee hearing on Tuesday last.

According to a source close to the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), Roberts was summoned to appear before the Disciplinary Committee to explain his absence during the Junior Caribbean Road Race where Guyana had four representatives in Christopher Cornelius, Raphael Leung, Jornel Yearwood and Andrew Hicks;all experienced and seasoned local riders from whom much was expected.

According to reports, on the day in question (July 31), Roberts complained of feeling unwell and told the team manager, Marc Sonoram, that he was experiencing a headache and so was unable to follow the race and feed (water) to the cyclists.This, according to reports, resulted in the cyclists becoming dehydrated during the 87.6km event that was conducted in very humid conditions.

However, former national junior champion and businessman Compton Maycock Beckles is questioning why Roberts could not have positioned himself along the 12.4km circuit and feed his charges on foot.

Beckles told Chronicle Sport that Roberts could have armed himself with bottles of water which every team is entitled to,and as the team members approach the point where he is positioned, they can get fed.

Chronicle Sport understands that when the locals (Guyanese) passed their empty bottles to the neutral feeders, the bottles were never returned to them, instead, the (filled bottles) were given to other riders and this left the Guyanese at a disadvantage.

Apart from Roberts, Sonoram accompanied the team as manager and was assigned a motor vehicle, but according to the rules governing the event, he could not have fed from the car and so he cannot be blamed for Roberts’ blunder.

Beckles,who managed a cycling team to the 1987 Pan American Championships,said Roberts should not have been appointed coach in the first place since he (Roberts) is not a qualified coach,and as such should

Cycling coach Randoplh Roberts not have been a part of the touring party.

“This is total nonsense, the same things keep happening year in year out, they (GCF) just appointing coaches who does not have the know how, who have maybe never saddled a bike at the local level, much less at the Regional or international levels” a very disturbed Beckles declared.

Beckles opined that a coach for a cycle team should be a qualified individual and preferably someone who is a former national cyclist who knows what it takes to be a champion “so there is no excuse for what has happened. This is total nonsense….Dwayne Gibbs would have been the perfect choice or even Enzo Matthews would have fitted in well…so this nonsense has to stop if we want our cyclists to get recognition” Beckles declared.

Quizzed by Chronicle Sport about the criteria used in selecting Roberts as the team’s coach for such an important activity,knowing fully well that he is not that qualified, the GCF’s source said Roberts was not actually selected by the executives of the racing committee, “but because he had one member of his Flying Ace Cycle Club on the four-member team, the Federation allowed him to accompany the team to St. Lucia” the source informed.

Roberts’ Flying Ace’s club member is Zaman Khan,who competed in the juvenile category and finished 23rd of 24 riders in the juvenile time trial and 31st of 34 starters in the five-lap road race for juveniles.

In the junior road race, there were 50 starters and only 37 completed the course with Cornelius finishing 16th, Hicks 18th, Leung 19thand Yearwood 28th.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

Kenya’s Kipchoge wins men’s marathon

By Scott Malone

RIO DE JANEIRO,(Reuters)-Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s Olympic marathon with a dominating performance, running alone into the Sambadrome and finishing in two hours, eight minutes and 44 seconds yesterday.

Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa claimed the silver medal and American Galen Rupp took the bronze in humid conditions on a rain-slicked course.

Kipchoge, 31, began to split the field after around 30 kilometers, starting with a group of a dozen runners about him that slowly dropped away until he ran the final kilometers alone.

“It was a bit slow so I decided to take over. Maybe it was the rain, maybe not. Everyone wants a medal. I was coming here for gold,” said Kipchoge, who has won seven of the eight marathons he has entered, including two London Marathon victories.

In previous Olympic ap-

pearances, in 2004 and 2008, he had competed in the 5,000 meters before shifting his focus

decided to have an attacking race,” Rupp said. “Maybe this is my best event.”

Eliud Kipchoge crosses the finish line. (Buda Mendes / Getty Images) to the longer distance.

Rupp, 30, also made the transition from a short event but did so at the same Games, having finished fifth in the men’s 10,000 meters eight days ago.

“I was emotionally drained after the 10K, but I got it out of the system and

It marked the third straight time a Kenyan had claimed a spot on the Olympic podium, following silver and bronze performances in 2012 and a 2008 gold.

As he crossed the line, Lilesa raised his crossed arms in the air, a gesture of soli-

darity with members of his tribe who have faced violent government reprisals to their protests against a plan to redevelop farmland.

Kipchoge’s victory came a week after compatriot Jemima Jelagat Sumgong won gold in the women’s marathon, marking the first time both races had been won by the same nation.

Yesterday’s race was relatively slow for a world-class marathon, which several runners blamed on the wet conditions. But Kipchoge said he aspired to eventually break the marathon world record of 2:02:57, set by countryman Dennis Kimetto in 2014.

“It is at the back of my mind, but I cannot say when,” Kipchoge said. “But I want to cap my career with a world record, yes.”

Rupp tipped his hat to the victorious Kenyan.

“It’s not like he’s a onehit wonder where he ran one great race,” Rupp said. “He’s done it over and over and over again.”

Shields becomes US first double boxing champion in 112 years

By Alan Baldwin RIO DE JANEIRO,(Reuters)-Claressa Shields brought one gold medal to the ring with her and left with two hanging around her neck after retaining her Olympic middleweight title and making U.S. boxing history yesterday.

As a gesture of confidence, having the 2012 gold at hand in the expectation of showing it off with another took some beating.

But so too does Shields, who has not lost a fight since 2012 and is her country’s first double boxing champion in 112 years.

“At London I knew I was going to win and I knew

U.S. pound Serbia 96-66 for third straight gold

RIO DE JANEIRO,(Reuters)-A ruthless United States pounded Serbia 96-66 to claim a third straight Olympic men’s basketball title yesterday to give coach Mike Krzyzewski a golden sendoff.

After scrapping to a tense three point win over Serbia in the group round, the United States quickly removed any suspense from the rematch, surging to a 52-29 halftime lead then cruising to their 25th straight win on Olympic hardwood.

Kevin Durant led the assault, pouring in 30 points including 24 in a brilliant

United States players pose with their gold medals during the presentation ceremony for men’s basketball. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic

opening half, while DeMarcus Cousins was again a beast on the boards, pulling down 15 rebounds.

The rout capped a brilliant tenure as Team USA head coach for Krzyzewski, who signs off having guided the U.S. to three consecutive Olympic gold medals and a near perfect 88-1 record in international competition.

The only blemish on the resume of ‘Coach K’, as Krzyzewski is known to many, is a semi-final loss to Greece at the 2006 world championships.

Earlier, Spain edged Australia 89-88 to take home the bronze.

Pacesetters, Colts abandon game -Colts win by default IT appears as if Guyana’s basketball scene will forever be haunted by teams failing to take the court,and referees terminating games.

Both were true when THG Pacesetters took on Bounty Colts in the Turbo Hard-Court Basketball U-23 Championships at the Plaisance Community Court last Saturday.

The game was set up to be a tightly contested one since in their previous encounter, Pacesetters had won with a hail Mary shot as time expired.

The match was scheduled to have a starting time of 17:00 hrs,but did not begin

until a little after 18:00 hrs ,because of some technical issues which had arisen from the fact that the Pacesetters coach had not arrived at the game.

One player assumed the role of player/coach and thus the game began. When the coach of Pacesetters,Clement Brusch did arrive, he demanded a restart of the game on the grounds that he was not informed of the game.

“The coach of the side was not present and the game should not have started without me” Brusch told the officials.

It was Pacesetters ball after

Coach of Pacesetters, Clement Brusch a referee’s timeout which had sent both teams to the bench.

When it was time to resume play, Colts took the court, while

Pacesetters did not. This Publication understands that it was Brusch who allegedly told his team not to take the court.

It was at this point that Dexter Douglas, head referee for the game, blew the game off and awarded it to Colts on the grounds that “Pacesetters failed to take the court after the referee’s instruction.”

This incident followed the walk-off by Dynas Ravens when they faced Colts earlier this year in the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) U-23 league final.

Additionally ,the first walk-off occurred in the ‘Road to Mecca’ Finals when Linden’s Retrieve Raiders walked off against Bounty Colts.

Claressa Shields (USA) of USA wears her national flag as she celebrates after winning her bout.

REUTERS/Peter Cziborra I was going to win here,” Shields told reporters after the unanimous decision over Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands.

“I’ve worked so hard to be here. You know not everybody can be an Olympic gold medalist. I’m a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Oh my god, I can’t believe I just said that,” she exclaimed.

Shields knew long before the result was confirmed, and the winner’s hand raised by the Vietnamese referee, that the gold was hers.

Climbing out of the ring after the announcement, she ran around the arena with the U.S. flag held aloft before wrapping it around her.

TWO TOGETHER On the podium, she slipped the gold won in London four years ago around her neck to stand and sing the anthem with the two together.

“I just wanted to win the first two rounds clear, that’s all I wanted, when I came back to the corner they were saying you got that round, you got that round. I said I have to be smart,” she said of the fight.

Shields won the first three rounds 10-9 10-9 10-9 but the fourth was closer, with two of the judges giving it to her Dutch opponent.

Fontijn’s medal was the first by a Dutch boxer since heavyweight Arnold Vanderlyde and light-middleweight Orhan Delibas won bronze and silvers in 1992.

Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova and China’s Li Qian took the bronze medals as losing semi-finalists.

The last American boxer to win two gold medals was Oliver Kirk, who claimed bantamweight and featherweight titles at the same 1904 St. Louis Olympics, where only U.S. boxers took part.

Women’s boxing was introduced to the Olympics in 2012 and Shields, unbeaten since then, follows Britain’s Nicola Adams - who successfully defended her flyweight title on Saturday - as a double champion.

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

Hinds wins FSCC’s feature 15-lap cycle road race TEAM Evolution’s Orville Hinds clocked one hour, 24 minutes and 10 seconds, in winning the Flying Star Cycle Club’s (FSCC) feature 15-lap road race which was staged around the outer circuit of the National Park.

The event was staged in memory of FSCC’s former executives Charles Chicester, Donald Roibinson, Oswald Taitt, Cecil Anderson and Stanley Boyce,who have all passed away.It was well attended and saw competition in five categories.

However, in the feature event which was for senior riders, Hinds went to front from the very first lap, along with his team mate Akeem Wilkinson and Team Alanis’ Raphael Leung.The trio stuck together until there were two laps remaining,when Hinds broke from the other two riders and opened a tremendous lead.He crossed the finish line unchallenged.

The fight for the second spot started about 500 metres from the finish line between Wilkinson and Leung.

However, Wilkinson outsprinted him and took the second spot,with Leung finishing third.Paul Cho-Wee-Nam and Michel Anthony of Team Evolution then battled it out for the fourth spot during the course of the final 600-metres,with Anthony claiming the fourth place with Cho-Wee-Nam in fifth.

Hinds also won six of the seven prime-prizes that were up for grabs, while Leung took the other.

In other results from the day’s programme, Warren McKay won the six-lap

Home alone: Team Evolution’s Orville Hinds crosses the finish line unchallenged to win the feature event of the FSCC’s Memorial Cycle Programme (Adrian Narine photo)

race for veterans under 45 years of age, while Jaikaran Sukhai was second and Junior Niles third.

In the veterans over 45 years of age, covering the same distance, Ian Jackson came out on top over Paul Cho-WeeNam and Raymond Newton respectively.

Andrew Hicks won the six-lap race for juniors in 46 minutes,42 seconds.

Second was Nigel Dugid, and finishing third was Christopher Cornelius.

The juvenile six-lap race was won by Adelemi Hodge. Second was Mario Ellis.

In the three-lap race for mountain bikers, Keon Thomas came out on top ahead of Seon Budhan and Nicholas Alphonso respectively.

The Event was sponsored by former national cyclists residing in the diaspora,including former national champions Neville Hunte, Victor Rutherford, Monty Davis, Randolph Toussiant and M. Rogers.

Chicester once served as the Vice-President of FSCC and was also a Vice-President of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF). He was also the Sunday Editor of the Guyana Graphic (now Guyana Chronicle).

Robinson,who acted as president of the Guyana Olympic Association for a short time, was the president of FSCC and also served as second vice-president of the GCF. Taitt was once a vice-president of the club and was racing secretary of the GCF, as was Anderson who served in both capacities. Boyce on the other hand was an ordinary club member.

Jamaica end Rio Olympic Games with 11 medals RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Usain Bolt insisted it was “mission accomplished” after signing off with a ‘treble-treble’ in his final Olympic race, predicting that his achievements may never be broken.

The world’s fastest man anchored Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team to gold on a balmy Rio night on Friday to capture the 100m, 200m and relay titles for a thirdstraight Games.

“I hope I’ve set the bar high enough that no one can do it again,” said sprint king Bolt, a ninth Olympic gold medal safely in the bank.

“It’s a great feeling — I’ve worked so hard every Olympics to win three gold medals and I’m just so happy I’ve accomplished so much,” he added, admitting his Olympic farewell was tinged with a little sadness.

“I knew it was going to be done and I’m definitely going to miss the crowd and the energy, and I’m going to miss the competition.

“I just have mixed feelings now, but it’s been a

Usain Bolt (right) and his friend and training partner Yohan Blake celebrate after winning the 4x100m relay with Nickel Ashmeade and Asafa Powell.

(Photo: AFP) great career. I’ll have to make a new bucket list now, I’ve achieved all I wanted to in track and field.”

Bolt, who has said he will retire after next year ’s World Championships in London,

brought Jamaica home in 37.27 seconds ahead of surprise silver medallists Japan and Canada — promoted to third after the United States were disqualified.

He also made it a perfect

nine wins out of nine Olympic finals he has contested, but confessed to feeling nervous before Nickel Ashmeade brought him the baton.

“I was just watching them and praying they didn’t mess up,” said Bolt, who turns 30 when the Rio Games close today.

“As soon as I got the baton, I knew I was going to win this one. There’s no one on the anchor leg going to outrun me. I told the guys: ‘Don’t give me too much work to do!’

Yohan Blake summed up his history-making teammate by saying: “Nine medals make Usain immortal.

He’s more than the greatest.”

Bolt has now won an astonishing 20 Olympic and world titles.

Bolt insisted all of his gold medals were special.

“They all mean the world to me,” he said. “It’s nine — all of them are special and they all came along at the right time.”

Bolt added: “I’ve proven to the world I’m the greatest, so it’s mission accomplished, pretty much!”

Britain revels in return to superpower status

By Mitch Phillips RIO DE JANEIRO,(Reuters)-The “Great Haul of China” in 2008 was seen as something of an aberration, 2012’s success was surely all through home advantage but, after their best medal return from an overseas Games, Britain is indisputably back as an Olympic superpower.

Twenty years ago, long before marketers invented “Team GB”, Britain trudged home from Atlanta with a solitary gold medal courtesy of rowers Steve Redgrave and Matt Pinsent and just 15 in all, placing a humiliating 36th in the medal table.

They leave Rio with 67, including 27 gold, sitting proudly second, above China and behind only the all-powerful United

Gold medalist Mo Farah (GBR) of Britain celebrates.

REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi States.

Remarkably that tally surpasses the 65 with 29 gold from the home Games of four years ago and is topped only by the London Games of 1908 when they won 146, 56 of them gold - totals inflated somewhat by many events where barely anyone else took part.

“It makes me bloody proud,” Sebastian Coe, the former head of the London Games organizing committee said this week.

“What a legacy. We wanted to ensure not just participation but to inspire people.

“We are winning medals across sports you would not have even have dreamed of even 10 years ago.”

When Britain started to begin punching its weight again in Sydney 2000, with 11 golds, the hosts joked that they could win only in sports where you have to sit down.

While it is true that cycling, rowing, sailing, equestrian and canoeing have continued to provide the bulk of the golds, the joke no longer holds water as Britain have won in Rio across 15 sports, more than any other nation. They also medaled in 18 of the 23 sports entered.

Track cycling was again the cash cow, as every member of the team came home with something in a haul of six golds, four silvers and a bronze.

Among those winners were Bradley Wiggins, who now has the most medals of any British Olympian with eight, including five gold, and Jason Kenny, who joined Chris Hoy on six as winner of most golds. Laura Trott’s double in Rio made her the all-time leading woman with four.

Rowing brought home three more, athletics, through Mo Farah, sailing, canoeing and equestrian, two each.

There were single golds in taekwondo, hockey, golf, tennis, swimming, boxing and triathlon but perhaps the most eye-catching performances came in gymnastics, where Max Whitlock won two golds and the country seven medals in all having never previously stood atop the podium.

The reasons behind Britain’s turnaround are varied but one constant and key driver has been the huge financial support offered by national lottery funding, which began in 1997.

That has enabled a wide variety of sports to invest hugely in facilities, coaching and all the other costly support network necessary to compete at elite level.

“Our high performance system is the envy of the world, thanks to sustained investment by our Government and The National Lottery,” said Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport.

“The world-leading coaching, science, medicine and technology provided has enabled talent and potential to translate into world-beating performances.”

Bill Sweeney, British Olympic Association CEO added: “It has been a brilliant Games but this is not an overnight success ... this is 20 years in the making and we’ve now enjoyed five successive Games of medal growth.

“No-one has come close to that and it’s an unbelievable achievement.”

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 22, 2016

Guyana retain WICB 50 overs Regional Under-19 title

By Brij Parasnath BRILLIANT batting by national Under 17 captain Bhaskar Yadram, together with a solid all-round performance from West Indies youth player Keemo Paul, and outstanding bowling

by Looknauth Chinkoo, allowed Guyana to retain the West Indies Cricket Board Regional Under-19, 50-Overs title.

The Guyanese celebrated a convincing five-wicket victory over Windward Islands in the grand finale contested at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex in St Vincent yesterday.

The Guyana bowling,which was spearheaded by Keemo Paul (5.20-16-3),and supported by Chinkoo (10-2-32-3), Sherfane Rutherford (6-2-232), Kheshram Seyhodan (10-1-32-1),and Marlon Hubbard (6-1-9-1),with excellent support from all the other players, stifled the Windwards batsmen and restricted them to 142 all

out in 42.2 overs.

In successfully defending their regional limited-overs crown, Guyana raced to victory with seven overs to spare,as they amassed 145 for

BHASKAR YADRAM 5 in 43 overs.

Batting at the number five position, Bhaskar hit five fours and topscored with an unbeaten 41. He steadied the middle-order and featured in a 21-run fourth wicket partnership with Raymond Perez 24 (50 balls),and a 25-run fifth

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday August 22, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Leon Johnson & Jason Holder (2) 6/46 (5/33 & 1/13)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which WI bowler took 3/54 & 6/48 in the third Test involving WI and India?

(2) What was the WI opening stand for the first wicket in the first innings of the recent third Test against India?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

wicket stand with Joshua Persaud 13 (37 balls).

Openers,Ronaldo Renee (7 runs, 1x4 off 26 balls) and Sherfane Rutherford (21 runs, 1x6 and 2x4s off 27 balls),shared a 33-run first wicket stand in 8.2 overs.

However,both departed in quick succession.

Keemo Paul entered and immediately set about increasing the tempo with positive attacking shots.

Together with Raymond Perez,they pushed the score to 73 in 19 overs before Paul departed for 20, that included two sixes and one four off 28 balls. Their 35-run third wicket partnership had increased the overall run-rate to above three runs per over.

Perez (24 runs off 50 balls), and Yadram added 21 in 5.2 overs.Joshua Persaud,who replaced Perez, played the supporting role as Guyana gradually pushed closer to their victory target.

Ronaldo Ali Mohammed was not out on four when Yadram struck the winning runs which sparked wild celebrations by the elated Guyanese team who demonstrated great fighting qualities during the last four matches, as the dominated even when they faced daunting task in defending relatively small totals.

Yesterday, they faced a relatively small target and displayed their true champion qualities by overpowering their rivals to reign supreme once again.

Yadram and Ali Mohammed shared an unbroken 25run sixth-wicket partnership and ensured that there were no more hiccups and they will surely cherish the title victory.

Earlier,when Windwards batted, Keemo Paul claimed the wickets of both openers.

He had Anil Matthew caught

by Sherfane Rutherford for 0; and Johann Jeremiah (8),also caught by Rutherford, who also got into the wicket-taking act after Chinkoo had destroyed the Islanders middle-order, with an impressive spell that brought rich rewards with the wickets of batting star Emmanuel Stewart, stumped by Joshua Persaud for 22; Alick Athanaze,who was caught by Akenie Adams for 18; and Ryan John, caught

by Marlon Hubbard for one.

Kheshram Seyhodan forced Othneil Lewis to offer a catch to Perez and departed for 11 (1x6 off 33 balls), while Hubbard bowled Kassim Peltier for 12 (1x6 off 37 balls).

Paul returned to the attack and prised out Daron Nedd for 14 (1x6 and 1x4 off 9 balls), while Rutherford, in his second spell,bagged the prized wicket of Johnel Eugene who was bowled for the topscore of 42 (1x6 and 2x4s off 60 balls) and Rasheed Fredericks who was adjudged LBW for zero,to dismiss the Windwards for 142.

Akenie Adams did not get any wicket;however, his probing and restrictive five-over spell yielded only fourteen runs.

Guyana had beaten Windwards by 28 runs in their round robin encounter; so they maintained their superiority and will reign for another year with the regional title.

They showed that their triumph in 2015 at home was well merited and that they can compete successfully away from familiar conditions. That is the true test of champion players who rise to the occasion when faced with unfamiliar conditions and other odds that test your resolve and resilience.

Brazil’s men beat Italy for third gold

By Anthony Boadle RIO DE JANEIRO,(Reuters)-Brazil’s men’s volleyball team defeated Italy yetserday to win their third gold medal in the sport and cap their country’s best Olympic performance with a total of seven golds in the Rio Games.

The Brazilians had lost to the Italians in a pool match but won the final in straight sets 2522 28-26 26-24, handing Italy its third silver medal in men’s volleyball.

Brazil struggled in the pool stage, losing two match-

heard in neighborhood streets across Rio. In the audience to witness the win was Brazilian soccer star Neymar, fresh from Saturday’s gold-winning final against Germany.

Brazil last won volleyball men’s gold in 2004 when it beat Italy in Athens, and took its first at Barcelona in 1992.

Earlier yesterday, the United States men’s volleyball team recovered to defeat defending Olympic champions Russia in a five-set battle for the bronze medal.

The U.S. lost the first two

Brazil’s men’s volleyball team defeated Italy on Sunday to win their third gold medal in the sport. es, to the U.S. and Italy, and only making it into the knockout rounds after a tense victory over France in the last game.

But having emerged from the pool, Brazil began to show its class and fueled by raucous home support dropped just one set between the quarter-finals and clinching gold.

The Brazilian victory was largely due to a barrage of winning spikes, serves and blocks by its outstanding outside hitter Wallace de Souza, who scored 20 of Brazil’s points.

Brazilian fans that packed Rio’s Maracanazinho stadium erupted with joy, chanting “The champ is back.” Cheering was

sets but came back to win 2325 21-25 25-19 25-19 15-13, with an ace in the tie-breaker by top scorer Matt Anderson helping to seal the victory.

The Americans, a young team with eight players who had never competed in the Olympics, came to Rio seeking a fourth U.S. gold medal in the sport and were favorites after winning the World Cup last year.

They lost their first two matches against Canada and Italy, who beat them again in the semi-finals.

The U.S. women’s volleyball team also went home with bronze after failing to win an elusive first gold for their country.

Guyana retain WICB 50 overs Regional Under-19 title See story on page 23

Spectacular closing ceremony as Olympic flag goes to Tokyo See story on page 19

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike waves the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony in the Maracana stadium

Athletes take part in a parade during the closing ceremony. (REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko) Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216.

Fireworks explode during the closing ceremony. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2016