Kaieteur News

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April 23, 2012 - Vol. 5 No. 16

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2012 Budget to be approved with no cuts Pg. 3

…$4.5B CJIA airport expansion money approved unchallenged Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling in danger of collapsing - Demerara Speedboat Association Vice President

Demerara Speedboat Association Vice President, Lancelot Moseley examines the bridge

Pg. 2

Guyanese Miner chopped couple in to death murder/ in Puruni suicide Backdam Pg. 18

Pg. 7

Dead: Cheryl Withrite

Dead: Travis De Souza

Page 2

Kaieteur News

Monday April 23, 2012

Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling in danger of collapsing Persons who use the Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara (WBD) stelling say that they risk serious injury because of the deplorable state of the structure. Vice President of the Demerara Speedboat Association, Lancelot Moseley fears that the rotting and unstable structure may even collapse, resulting in fatalities.

Mosley told Kaieteur News that the steps leading from the landing to the boats have been in a dreadful state for years and nothing is being done despite numerous complaints.

He stressed that both passengers and workers have made complaints to the Transport and Harbours Department and also to Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn but according to one passenger, “it passes through one ear and goes through the other one.”

Moseley said that a woman fractured her foot on the badly damaged step.

“The whole step can fall any time.”

The vice-president added that in the morning hours, over close to 200 persons traverse the 'rotten step' daily.

- Demerara Speedboat Association Vice President “At any time this step can collapse. It can collapse with a huge number of persons and it can be fatal.”

Contacted yesterday, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn said that he understands that some repairs were made to the stelling last year. He said that occasionally, speedboats would ram into the structure, but the Minister promised to investigate the complaints this week.

Kaieteur News understands that the speedboats are required to pay a daily fee of $1440 to operate in the vicinity of Vr e e d - e n - H o o p a n d Georgetown.

“Why is it they can't use that same money and repair the stelling? If I walk too hard on this step, it shaking hard hard.” Moseley claimed Moseley stressed that he had earlier addressed these problems with former President Bharrat Jagdeo at a meeting. “At that meeting Minister Benn was there and he promised that he will look into the matter but up to this

day nothing is done,” Moseley claimed.

A passenger, Sheliza Ramlakhan said she traverses the stelling daily and is “tired” of making complains to the authorities.

“Every day I does use this stelling because my work is at Georgetown and it is over-bearing that we the passenger gotta be in this situation although we paying tax and pay bus fare. School children also use here and when the rain is falling the step is slippery and shaky,” the passenger claimed.

Passengers fear that this 'shaky' step (arrow indicated) will collapse

Another section of the deplorable stelling

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 3

…$4.5B CJIA airport expansion money approved unchallenged

By Gary Eleazar With just three days remaining for the Combined Opposition to make any cuts to the $192.8B 2011 Budget, all indications point to the estimates being approved without changes.

This is according to a very senior official involved in the negotiations and affiliated to A Partnership for National (APNU), who contends that in light of the ongoing negotiations, it is very likely that the 2012 budgetary estimates will be approved without any cuts to the estimates allocated.

Several senior government sources have confirmed that one of the primary objectives of the extra-parliamentary meetings on the budget is to ensure its smooth passage through the House.

Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, on Thursday when he made his announcement to the House had said that “the Government believes that these meetings have been useful in creating a wider and better understanding of the inevitable, specific trade-offs in the fashioning of our nation’s budget and in avoiding unnecessary collisions.”

On the issue of the Linden electricity tariff, PM Hinds spoke of ensuring a strict adherence “to the allocation provided in Budget 2012 bearing in mind applicable budgetary constraints.”

The APNU official said that while the issue of wages will continue to be on the front burner of the talks, it will boil down to more than numerical statistics and references such as the allocations in the budget.

The official said that at the very least APNU is looking for a concrete, positive indication from the President (Donald Ramotar) and his team that there can be a return to respecting/ observing the Collective

Bargaining Agreement among other pertinent and related issues.

The official underscored APNU’s insistence that the government must desist from each year, arbitrarily imposing an increase at the exclusion of unions and other stakeholders.

The APNU official says that the coalition of parties believes that the issue of wage increase should not be at the behest of politicians and rather the employers and unions should be among the primary determinants.

The official says that another key element on the agenda is that of the reduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT) but conceded that these issues would require long term and in-depth analysis and as such the remaining three days with which to trim the budget leaves little time to realistically and holistically address the problem.

The official explained that APNU, and speculated that the (Alliance for Change) were both not interested in slashing the budget merely for the sake of cutting.

As per the Parliamentary Standing Orders, the opposition is limited to successfully trimming or completely degutting allocations in the budget using its one vote majority.

It is the Finance Minister, (Dr. Ashni Singh) however who is the sole authority to make an increase for any expenditure provided for in the allocations, or can reallocate monies for spending in another arena.

To date there has been only one substantial challenge to any of the allocations and that was defeated when APNU abstained from voting.

AFC’s Chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan had submitted a $9.8M slash to a security allocation for the Housing Ministry after the substantive Minister failed to satisfy the

Head of State Donald Ramotar

Leader of the Opposition, APNU’s Brigadier David Granger

Parliamentarians’ request.

The allocation was for $18.8M, up from $7.3M. Ramjattan unsuccessfully proposed to slash that vote.

Despite the opposition pronouncements on issues such as the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Project, APNU has not threatened to cut anything.

When the more than $4B allocation for this project came up for debate in the House, first time Parliamentarian Joe Harmon, from APNU’s frontbench sought to find out if the Minister would be willing to provide the contract document only to be told that this was already done.

This marked the end of the challenge/queries on the project which APNU has criticized repeatedly, and Harmon took his seat.

This past Wednesday the Finance Minister reported a whirlwind breakthrough from Office of the President as a result of the talks with Ramotar and Granger.

Dr. Singh reported that the Government had agreed to increase the old age pension to $10,000.

This was a departure from the announcement made by Dr. Singh during his budget presentation when he said that government would have increased the payable old age pension from $7,500 to $8,100 — a $600 increase that was scoffed at.

The following day’s announcement by the Prime Minister came against the backdrop of a protest in Linden, and he also announced results from the Ramotar/Granger meeting, saying that there would be a focus on the reactivation of small business financing facilities for the depressed community.

He also announced that more TV licences would be issued among some other measures.

The Opposition Leader, Granger had explained that at the end of the debates aspect of the 2012 Budget sessions APNU was invited to a meeting at the behest of Speaker of the House Raphael Trotman where both the Alliance for Change and Government were represented.

Granger said that at that

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds makes his announcement in the House time it was recognized that there would be grave difficulties as it relates to Budget consensus as the legislators were about to sit in the Standing Committee of Supply where any cuts could be made to the budget.

This, he said, was unless some changes were made and drew reference to his budget presentation as well as the presentation of the AFC where it was expounded on that “there were some aspects of the budget which were not acceptable. It was in this regard that the Speaker convened the meeting.”

Granger said that arising from that meeting, certain decisions were taken with one such being to “seek a negotiated way out to prevent a collision which would delay the passage of the budget.”

The former brigadier in the Guyana Defence Force turned politician told this publication that “all we

wanted to see was that some of the concerns that had arisen during the campaign and the interest which we were committed to ensuring were given representation in the budget and taken on board.”

Granger said that the meetings outside of the House were aimed to ensure that the Budget satisfies the will of the people and their interests.

“This meant that concerns about old age pension, concerns about employment of public servants and concerns about the University of Guyana would be reviewed by the government side so that we wouldn’t attempt to proceed with a budget which left these important issues out.”

Granger said that this resulted in the meeting with President Ramotar yesterday morning, “and these matters were put on the table.”

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Kaieteur News

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

Editorial

EARTH DAY

In 1970, an American Senator, Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, became incensed with the inattention being paid by his Government (and officialdom on the whole) on the growing menace of pollution and its effects on the Earth.

Despairing of initiating any change in their posture from the inside, he launched a movement - Earth Day, April 22nd - among the ordinary citizens with the twin objectives of sensitizing them about the fragility of the earth’s ecosystem and persuading them to badger their officials to do something about it.

In the intervening forty years, the dangers posed to the delicate balance of the Earth’s environment by the activities of mankind has increased geometrically while the awareness amongst ordinary folks to the clear and present threat has, at best, increased only arithmetically.

Today, we have one model informing us that within fifty years, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will double and precipitate a rise in global temperatures between 1.5 degree Celsius and 4.5 degree Celsius.

Because of the cumulative rise since our factories started spewing carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the industrial revolution, we are already witnessing the collapse of the north polar ice cap, which may vanish in less than twenty years. All of this, of course, should be of great concern to us, who live on a coastland that is some four feet below the high tides of the Atlantic, since a melting ice cap means a higher sea level.

The food shortage that is now knocking over even the middle classes of the developed world, much less those that live below the poverty line in poor countries like ours, is caused by a confluence of several factors, of which global warming is right up there on the list.

Australia, for one, which was one of the largest producers of rice for the export market, has seen its output drop by an astounding ninety-eight percent.

So we come now to Earth Day 2012 –commemorated yesterday - with the theme “Mobilise the Earth’’. We have to do what we can to help in the struggle to literally save the Earth. Earth Day has spread and governments have woken up to the dangers of global warming but we still have a long way to go.

Guyana, small as it is has taken a lead, through its offer to sequester most of our forests and of course, the carbon in them. Our LCDS is a model for a national holistic approach to deal with the problem.

But we believe that Gaylord Nelson’s insight of almost forty years ago is still relevant: left to themselves, the governments of the world will continue to point fingers and drag their feet in the implementation of identified initiatives to reverse the threat of pollution and global warming.

There is still no successor regime to the Kyoto Protocol.

There have been interminable meetings, the latest one being one in South Africa but we still have too much diddling and “passing the buck”.

The slowdown in the economies of the developed countries, have made them back off previous commitments and they are very skittish in taking new initiatives. Yet they continue to be major contributors of pollution.

They have been joined by China (now the largest polluter) and India – but in all fairness to these two still developing countries they have made serious efforts to incorporate technologies most sensitive to the dangers of pollution.

The thrust of Earth Day, to spread awareness and activism amongst the ordinary folks, will have to be intensified. Guyana has done more than most and it is the major countries – especially the US, where Earth day actually started, that will have to do better.

They are the ones that got us into the mess the entire globe in enmeshed in – and they have to take commensurate responsibility. It is no use pointing fingers at China.

The new motto will have to be “all for one and one or all” because this is literally the position in which we find ourselves.

Monday April 23, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

APNU/PNC’s betrayal of the AFC will backfire spectacularly DEAR EDITOR, APNU/PNC and the AFC exhibited their full political naivete and inability to comprehend the Machiavellian complex that operates within the PPP. The PPP may be overrun by incompetent dunces and corrupt pilferers but there is one area this party still dominates the political sphere in; machiavellianism, cunning and chicanery.

When it comes to using nefarious means to extract desired results, the PPP is a oneeyed monster operating in a blind man’ country with the AFC and APNU/PNC around.

This past week was like taking candy from babies for the PPP. It is a prime example of the perfect set-up, the finest head fake the PPP was able to execute against these shallow political parties. The PPP is playing these opposition jokers like a pack of cards stacked with jokers.

For the few in this country who understand realpolitik, cunning and political intrigue, they understand what happened here.

APNU/PNC is primarily to blame here. While the AFC’s hardline stance on many aspects of the budget was evidence of the failure of its leadership to be flexible, APNU/PNC should have

tried to seriously engage the AFC to get it to moderate its position. It didn’t.

The end result would have been a combined opposition offer that showed opposition unity and that delivered moderate cuts targeted at the areas that should really be hammered such as ‘fat cat’ salaries for PPP cronies and friends.

Instead the PNC/APNU disrespected the AFC and went behind its back to get into bed with the PPP. Kudos to the PPP for this tactical masterpiece.

The PPP’s inner circle has many former PNC types.

Thus, the PPP intimately knows how the PNC/APNU operates and thinks. This is why the PPP always makes a fool of APNU/PNC. The PPP figured out how to get what it wanted. What it wanted was to divide the opposition and split the PNC/APNU and the AFC. It accomplished this by using the PNC/APNU. The PPP set up the PNC/ APNU by taking a hardline on the preparation of the budget initially. Doing this meant the PNC/APNU felt that any concessions from the PPP thereafter would be like gold.

They did not expect to get anything from the PPP. The PPP pushed the fruit so far up the tree that when it came offering insignificant fruits

The Editor’s reference to the investigator’s perception of the young woman’s character is quiet unfortunate DEAR EDITOR, I wish to comment on two editorial pieces in two of the dailies, first the Editorial note to my letter published in the Kaieteur News on Friday April 13, 2012. In this note, the Editor’s reference to the investigator’s perception of the young woman’s character is quiet unfortunate.

Since it gives the impression that if someone is a repeat offender, has a limited capacity to present a coherent story or have a questionable past they have forfeited their right to seek justice under the law, when there are violated.

Then if that’s the intention of the law, many in our society will lose the right for recourse from our judicial system.

The other note I will like to comment on, is the editorial of the Guyana Chronicle of Saturday April 14, 2012 in which the Editor made a valiant attempt to draw a comparison between the allegations leveled against the Commissioner of Police and those that were leveled against Political leader and

popular television producer Mr. Sharma.

The Editor’s comparison is like comparing cheese to chalk. The two allegations are serious crimes that should not be tolerated at any level within a civil society and they should be condemned vehemently.

He also attempted to draw a comparison with the approach or public position taken by the opposition political parties and leadership when the allegations became public.

In the case of CN Sharma, charges were made and the justice system was allowed to take its course where both parties were and will be given a chance to prove their cases while no attempt was made to vilify the traumatize victim a second time.

However in the case of the Commissioner of Police, the justice system was halted even before it started, and the public disclosure of aspects of the young woman’s traumatize encounter just add insult to injury.

Bevon Currie

like $1900 more per month for pensioners, the PNC/APNU went wild thinking it was getting good fruits since any fruit was better than no fruit in its mind.

The PPP got the PNC/ APNU to meet with it in secret after excluding the AFC by ‘bad-talking’ the AFC and noting it was an impediment to settlement and by stating that it preferred to deal with the PNC/APNU than with the AFC. Classic divide and rule tactics. The PNC/APNU fell for it like an infant falling for a wound-up toy.

The PNC/APNU sold the AFC down the river for a few pieces of brass thinly coated in silver. The problem with the PNC/APNU doing this nasty piece of work is it will need a paddle and a boat to navigate this river over the next four and a half years. The AFC may not give it that boat or paddle.

APNU/PNC is playing a dirty dangerous political game in giving itself away so freely to the PPP. Its constituency comprised of mainly Africans did not ask for this game. The people want cooperation but not selling out. Most definitely, they did not vote for APNU/ PNC to sell out its opposition partner when there is a four and a half year road ahead. The PPP was not really targeting the PNC/APNU here.

As long as race voting continues, the PPP knows the numbers will always see the PNC/APNU come second to it in any free and fair election.

This secret talk manoeuvre was instigated by the PPP to cut the throat of the AFC, its biggest threat. As long as

Nagamootoo remains in the AFC and the former PPP-ites continue in the AFC, the AFC remains a threat to split the Indian vote and to snare some of those Amerindian and Mixed voters the PPP obtains.

Because of these reasons, the AFC is the biggest threat to the PPP. Not the PNC/APNU. If the PNC/ APNU continues this turncoat behaviour and continue to backstab the AFC, it may end up vanishing the AFC from the political scene but it must know that those Indian, Mixed and Amerindian PPP voters who switched to the AFC will return right back to the PPP, giving it majority upon majority while the PNC/APNU keeps getting sloppy seconds.

PPP budgets will be passed without any need for deal-making and life will return to its elected dictatorship status. The PNC/ APNU has to be truly dumb to not see how this would unfold. Its betrayal of the AFC is a danger to its own political future. This is not an organization with any kind of perceptive capacity. It is run by a bunch of misfits who are only able to think short term without seeing the forest for the trees.

The PNC/APNU is a disgrace to its supporters, and Africans in particular.

Africans needs new leadership away from the PNC/APNU. I am not done in exposing the stupidity of the PNC/APNU in this dealmaking nonsense with the PPP. I will write again on how this party is a shocking disgrace for an opposition party.

M. Maxwell

Emile Dodson was not a member of Puran’s outfit DEAR EDITOR, I write in relation to attorney, Emile Dodson. Ms. Dodson has informed me that contrary to what I published, she was not a member of the political party formed by her legal colleague, Vic Puran. She added that she attended two exploratory meetings held at the Muslim orphanage on Alexander Street, Kitty but did not become a member of Puran’s outfit.

Frederick Kissoon

Little spin could be applied to Ms. Jagan- Brancier’s expressions DEAR EDITOR, It has become rather difficult for outsiders to criticize the present PPP/C administration, because the latter would normally condemn those criticisms as normal opposition propaganda.

However, when those criticisms come from the daughter of late Dr, Cheddi Jagan, and Mrs. Janet Jagan, little spin could be applied to her expressions.

Editor, I draw attention to, and agree with recent sentiments of Ms. Jagan- Brancier. She said that the current leaders of the PPP/C and current Government lacked the very, very, very high moral standards which her parents embodied when they were alive … she concluded “if the leaders don’t show the moral values, then people won’t do it, and your children won’t grow up with moral values.

Morris Wilson

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 5

Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news

Linden folks eat, sleep and breathe dust

DEAR EDITOR, A letter in the Stabroek News publication of March 15th 2012: “BOSAI’s proposed expansion should be viewed with concern given its history of environmental non-compliance”, by Charles P. Ceres has once again raised many serious concerns and questions, shedding further light on the ubiquitous age old dust nuisance that is a main characteristic and permanent feature within the Bauxite Operations, the Town and the long overdue dust collector issue.

Ceres must be respected for the interest shown in the health and welfare of the residents of the mining Town/Region 10 and more importantly bringing his profession/experience to bear on BOSAI’s expansion/ development, dust and environmental effects.

It is always refreshing and breathes a sense of hope when we see engineers and other professionals, conscious of their true purpose and intent of their acquired knowledge, putting it at the service of the peopleso good.

While it is true that “development comes at a cost” as was quoted by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, one senses an undertone and uncomfortableness in reading the Minister’s remark.

And so Ceres was in order when he reminded the Minister: that BOSAI inherited a wide range of environmental liabilities when it acquired the Bauxite Operations-details of which can be found in a report at the Adam Smith Institute, and which the company has scarcely touched since its acquisition of the Operations.

Ceres can be opening a can of worms here. He was equally correct in his rebuttal of the puerile and flippant comment/term by BOSAI’s Secretary that “only fine dust” is being emitted.

This was not the least amusing and was probably made from a genuine stand point of ignorance: since the destructive power of “fine dust” lies in its subtleness to consume all residents.

But the effects of the dust in decreasing property value and increasing maintenance cost and respiratory illness is so well known, having been said a thousand times to no avail. In a letter some months back addressing this dust hazard, I wrote: “This disgusting agent has long been the ‘Dennis the

Menace’ of residents, destroying their homes, window curtains, furniture and many other items.

Most importantly, it is a health hazard, and from the inception has been part and parcel of a kind of unwritten agreement for employment and economic development we have come a long way since then where industries are compelled to address the question of pollutants, irritants and any suspected toxic matter. They cannot be overlooked any longer, must be treated as a number one priority, ensuring the safety and longevity of man and his environment.”

Also in 2008, Linden IMC Chairman Orrin Gordon had demanded the setting up of “appropriate laboratory and medical facilities in Linden to pursue investigations into the impact of dust emission on the community.

Ceres seems to know definitely “where it’s at” on environmental matters, and from concerns raised, seemed to be pulling the right cords.

However, and as expected like other disciplines/professions used engineering/scientific terminology and even references to highlight and substantiate his case, and which unfortunately are beyond the comprehension of the layman. a)”During beneficiation, additional air toxins include sulphur dioxide, sulphur trioxide, carbon monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide, Non Methane Volatile Organics and Methane Volatile Organics” b)”ILO and WHO guidelines state that the danger from silica particles occurs for diameters less than 5 microns since those particles when inhaled can reach the alveoli and lead to lung impregnated disease”. c)”The exposure pathways should at a minimum consider inhalation, dermal contact and ingestion

of both dust and food contaminated by deposition of dust.” d) “Any contaminants discharged to groundwater can, depending on mobility, impact groundwater quality resulting in significantly increased cost to provide portable groundwater to residents in our coastal plane, etc.”

These technical language are definitely above the head of not only the ordinary people, but also some senior staff who I guess would be at sea as to the depth of destruction/hazard and the sphere of knowledge as outlined by Ceres, but once enlightened, one expects to see a qualitative approach/ behavior that reflects such awareness and not business as usual. Gandhi in listing his seven blunders of the world included “Science without Humanity”.

Of much greater concern was Mr. Ceres’ call on the Ministers to address the likelihood of groundwater, during the proposed expansion/development, to ensure that it does not imposed unnecessary burden on future generations.

The Government of Guyana with its 30% stake in BOSAI as stated by Ceres, and also with control over the Environment Protection Agency, must be seen showing keen interest, watching over and protecting the health, safety and concerns of all citizens; their first mandate. I suggest that whatever technical team the EPA is made up of, should include or incorporate the likes of Charles P. Ceres.

Linden folks eat, sleep and breathe dust, and once more I want to say: When a thorough and in-depth investigation is finally done, I contend that there will be some alarming revelations about the effects of this bauxite dust emission over the decades.

Frank Fyffe

The opposition wants an end to the rape and plunder of the state treasury DEAR EDITOR, On Wed 18th April 18, 2012 I was passing in the vicinity of Parliament Buildings when I happened upon a scene that was reminiscent of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s when the PNC regime routinely coerced state and gov’t workers to demonstrate in favour of the Government. This time it was the “PPP democracy” that had forced workers to picket in favour of the budget.

Workers told me that they were threatened with dismissal if they did not comply with orders to picket.

Most of the workers were ashamed to be there and pleaded with me not to photograph them. Only the mother of a senior minister asked me to take a picture of her with her placard. I met an old PPP/PYO comrade from the West Bank Demerara, Krishna Persaud, who fought valiantly against the “PNC dictatorship” and I saw the shame on his face. I saw my old Math teacher from the Cyril Potter College of Education, Mr Goolsarran, and he turned his face in shame. I ran into a very senior

Civil Servant who jokingly said, “Malcolm bhai, in the 70’s the PNC forced me to picket, now the PPP forcing me to picket!”

Whilst the PPP has now emulated the PNC, the circumstances are not the same. In fact, they are quite opposite. In the days of the “PNC dictatorship” and the socialist experiment, funds were scarce and there was petty corruption and theft, but today we have billions of dollars and massive corruption and downright thievery.

The 2012 budget was tailored to continue the leakage of billions into the pockets of PPP cronies and sycophants. Opposition Leader, Brig. Granger in a his usual scholastic style exposed the budget as one that failed to provide adequate resources for security, education, and health and indicated that the APNU would spare no effort to ensure that much more funds are made available to those sectors.

So contrary to what the Government is peddling to workers, the opposition

wants an end to the rape and plunder of the state treasury, much more pay for workers, and job creation. The PPP regime, afraid of the imminent stoppage of the “disappearance” of funds, has resorted to lying to workers that if there were budget cuts there would be loss of jobs. Government Ministers Robeson Benn, Anil Nandalall, Irfaan Alli, and Ganga Persaud were there ensuring that their workers turned up to picket. So too were Office of the President functionaries Gail Texeira, Kwame McKoy, Odinga Lumumba, and Juan Edgehill.

I wonder if Ms Texeira has no shame. She was there in the trenches fighting the “PNC dictatorship” pre-1992, and there she was in 2012, standing with Minister Robeson Benn and former PNC thug Odinga Lumumba telling the police to remove a handful of APNU supporters from the area, when in fact the “PNC dictatorship” permitted the PPP to protest in front of parliament. The Jagans must be “tsunami -ing” tears at what their party has become.

Malcolm Harripaul

Surprised at no mention of Food for the Poor’s input into Amerindian communities DEAR EDITOR, In an article captioned “Amerindians have a better life today”’ published in the Kaieteur News of Thursday April 19th 2012 and written by Latoya Giles, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, during her budget debate proffered that Amerindians were enjoying greater and improved services and opportunities resulting from the enhanced economic status the Government was able to realize through its prudent management of the economy.

As a resident of Region Two, Essequibo Coast, I certainly agree with the Minister that Government has significantly improved the

living standards of the Amerindians but one must not be oblivious to the tremendous work Food for the Poor (Guyana) Incorporated in collaboration with its overseas donors has done for the Amerindian Community.

If I can recall distinctly, over four Amerindian villages had been constructed in Region Two, namely: New Haven Siriki, Capoey, Tapakuma and Mashabo.

More than two hundred houses had been built in those villages, inclusive of sanitation blocks, and the villages have been blessed with community centres and schools. Some of the schools received computer training kits to assist with their

Information Technology Programs.

The residents of Siriki are in receipt of a Woodmizer Sawmill that assists the Amerindians immensely with their logging, and the chickens pens located at Capoey will go a long way in empowering the residents of that village.

I was fortunate to be present at one of the opening of the villages where The Honourable Minister was the guest speaker and am most surprised that no mention was made of the great input Food for the Poor has been making to the Amerindian community.

Wendell Thomas Lima Village, Essequibo

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Kaieteur News

Monday April 23, 2012

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Guyanese couple in murder/suicide

Cheryl Withrite A heated argument between a Guyanese escalated into a murder/ suicide on Saturday at St. Maarten.

SMN News identified the female as Cheryl Withrite, 52, a Burger King employee.

Police Spokesman Richard Henson said police found the woman dead inside her apartment above Tire Max, which is across from Flourish Supermarket, while the man was found seriously injured at the back of his apartment.

Henson said the man jumped through the window and he was found with a large open wound on his stomach while his throat was slashed.

Henson further explained that when police found the man he was still alive and was transported to the St. Maarten Medical Center where he died shortly after.

Residents on AT Illidge Road identified the killer and now dead man as Cleon Anthony Bourne 54, called ‘Tall Boy’ also of Guyana and former employee of Divi Little Bay. Cleon Bourne is originally from La Grange West Bank

Demerara, Guyana. Bourne is the father of one child.

Contrary to what was reported in SMN News Withrite does not have any children. Both of the parents are said to be deceased.

Meanwhile in Guyana, an aunt of the woman Minerva Withrite-Smith who resides at Vreed- En- Hoop, WCD told Kaieteur News that it was friend who resides in St Maarten who broke the news to relatives in Guyana.

Kaieteur News was told that the friend called sometime before lunchtime on Sunday.

“The friend called her sister and told her that she was killed and Bourne had committed suicide” the aunt stated.

Withrite-Smith told this publication that she was told that it was her niece’s neighbour’s in St Maarten who called the police after the heard the couple arguing and fighting.

The woman said she was told that after the police arrived at the home, they were forced to kick the door down.

The aunt said she was told that her niece had a gaping wound to the neck.

This publication was told by the aunt that Bourne also had a wound to the neck and he jumped through a window. He died shortly after at a hospital in St Marteen .

The aunt could not say what caused the argument.

She told Kaieteur News that the two had been living in a common-law relationship for years. The woman said her niece lived in St Maarten for over 15 years and would normally come to Guyana every October. Withrite-Smith said that she contacted the dead man’s mother.

IMF chief seeks fresh funds for poor countries WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the International Monetary Fund yesterday renewed a push to fully fund a $17 billion lending package for poor countries, which are threatened by high oil prices and the risk of euro-zone contagion.

Two days after the IMF secured $430 billion to deal with economic spillovers from Europe’s debt crisis, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said her next focus was to raise funds for the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, which provides low-cost loans to poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Lagarde urged wealthy countries, which made a profit from the IMF’s sale of 403.3 metric tons (444.56 tons) of gold last year, to reinvest the windfalls into the PRGT. “We need more money in that trust if we want to finance concessional loans for the low-income countries,” she said after talks in Washington with African finance chiefs.

The IMF in 2009 set a target to raise $17 billion to lend to the poorest countries. So far, 32 IMF member countries have reinvested profits from the gold sales into the fund.

Lagarde’s comments were aimed at easing concerns that the IMF and donor nations may turn a blind eye to poor countries as they home in on containing the euro zone crisis.

Elizabeth Stuart, a spokeswoman for Oxfam, said poor countries have exhausted their resources to deal with contagion from the rich world, while facing the first drop in aid since 1997.

“Governments are throwing money at the IMF to deal with the European crisis, but where’s the money for poor countries?” she asked.

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Kaieteur News

Feeding frenzy at UTT A forensic audit into the University of T&T (UTT) by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has unearthed a multimillion-dollar feeding frenzy among its staff and students at the expense of taxpayers. The findings of the audit, UTT chairman Curtis Manchoon said, has led to several job contracts being terminated to curb its growing expenses in the last few months.

As much as UTT would like to review salaries for contracted workers, Manchoon said finding highly qualified staff was not easy, hence the reason why attractive salaries were offered. All this, Manchoon said, contributed to UTT losing millions, with no benefits in return.

Last year, Manchoon said, UTT faced a $67 million deficit, while its operating expenses were estimated in excess of $400 million. UTT, Manchoon said, has been operating on a deficit for a couple of years, stressing that it would take a while for it to come out of the red.

Questioned if UTT was overstaffed, Manchoon replied: “I don’t know if to say that the place was overstaffed or the staff that was brought in was not properly utilised.

You have to hold people accountable. It is taxpayers’ money you are using. The

money is not falling from the sky.”

Manchoon said some UTT workers did not know what they were doing, while others had outside jobs.

“How it happened I don’t know. What I discovered was that people could come to work when they want and go when they want...and nobody would ask them anything.

They did not want their work time recorded. We attempted through the HR (Human Resource) manager to curtail that. There was huge resistance. The sense you get is everybody protecting one another.”

Promising to tighten UTT’s belt and make it a viable state enterprise, Manchoon, a former accountant, with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, and banker said that in his opinion people saw UTT as a “milking cow.” UTT forks out $300 million annually, Manchoon said, to pay its 1,200 staff at its nine campuses.

He felt the $300 million was too much in terms of salary disbursements “if you compare it to what we are earning from an economic point of view.” He added: “It is up to this board to clean up this horrendous mess and put in place a proper accounting system.”

UTT has a student population of 8,000.

IPI to push for abolition of defamation as a crime in 4 Caribbean countries The International Press Institute (IPI) has announced it will be sending missions to four Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, as the next step in an ongoing effort to abolish criminal defamation laws in the region.

IPI representatives will travel to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago

…Forensic audit reveals millions being squandered

Monday April 23, 2012

next month to meet with government, media, and civil society representatives on decriminalising libel offenses.

The missions are a continuation of IPI’s previous work on the s u b j e c t , including a previous mi ssion to Jamaica in December of last year.

All 13 independent states in the Caribbean maintain

criminal defamation laws, with each providing a penalty of at least one year in prison.

The IPI argues that libel cases belong in civil courts and not in criminal courts. It argues that journalists investigating corruption or abuse of power, in particular, should not face imprisonment for their work.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Lawyers hope for change Curtis Manchoon Manchoon said the board did not sanction the payments. He said an undergraduate who worked in a private enterprise for $12,000 salary was hired at UTT for $36,000. The audit revealed: • One staff member was paid $40,000 a month for three years and was never seen in UTT. This amounted to approximately $1.5 million in wages.

• More than 50 per cent of 130 high-performing athlete students on scholarship dropped out. The students, representing 12 sporting disciplines, fell under the High Performance Sports Unit. This programme cost taxpayers $100 million each year to manage, with housing, meals and transportation provided. They also used the vehicles provided to visit nightclubs.

• A lecturer collected a salary of close to $100,000.

• An expatriate of India, who came to teach music, had no students in his class for three years. The teacher was also provided with a housing allowance.

• One student was awarded a staggering $3.3 million scholarship.

(Trinidad Guardian)

JAMAICAN LAWYERS are hoping the Shanique Myrie case against the Barbados Government could bring an end to discriminatory practices throughout the Caribbean.

Michelle Brown, who led the arguments in the successful application for leave before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) last Wednesday, said they were hoping that the lawsuit becomes a turning point for

discriminatory practices throughout the region.

“It’s a matter of regional importance,” Brown said, “and how persons move throughout the region will determine whether or not we have a single market.

“Standards that are set in a case such as this will go a long way in determining whether or not the integration movement actually takes off and to what level.”

(Barbados Nation)

Shanique Myrie

Bermuda boosts ties with China A major agreement to boost Chinese business and investment was signed last week in Beijing between Business Bermuda and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the Island’s first official trade mission to China last week, led by Business Bermuda CEO Cheryl Packwood and Minister of Business Development and Tourism Wayne Furbert.

Ms Packwood said the MoU’s main purpose was “expanding Bermuda’s trade relationship with China through exchanging information, participation in

Wayne Furbert hosting and attending events, and facilitating official delegation visits to each country”.

Speaking from Beijing, Ms Packwood said the business development opportunities with the world’s secondbiggest economy were “immense”.

Chinese companies already have strong Caribbean links with the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands viewed as the offshore centres of choice.

And Beijing has invested heavily in projects, roads and ports across the Caribbean from a $17 million cricket stadium in Dominica to the $3 billion Baha Mar mega resort and casino in the Bahamas due to open in 2014.

Now Bermuda is looking for its share of Chinese money. (The Royal Gazette)

Hugo Chavez’s weeklong silence spurs uncertainty CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been out of sight for a week, speaking only through Twitter messages and written statements while undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba.

The lack of any appearances on television has Venezuelans wondering

about what his unusual silence might say about his struggle with cancer, and whether Chavez may be coping with a particularly tough phase of radiation therapy.

More than 30 messages have appeared on Chavez’s Twitter account since he left for Cuba on April 14. He has

cheered on supporters with slogans such as “Let’s continue building socialism!”

In others, he has praised his military commanders, announced funding for local governments and vowed to survive and win re-election in October.

But he has seldom mentioned his cancer treatment.

National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello reiterated on Friday that Chavez is expected to return to Venezuela soon.

“The commander ’s presence here isn’t necessary, because just the same he’s the commander of the

Hugo Chavez

revolution,” Cabello said.

But even some of Chavez’s supporters have been saying recently that they wonder what’s going on with his health.

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

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LINDEN SHOULD HA VE BY NO W BEEN THE HAVE NOW INDUSTRIAL CAPIT AL OF THE CARIBBEAN CAPITAL Linden is one lucky community. Imagine having to pay $15 per KWH for electricity while the rest of the country is burdened with tariffs that are three and one half times this amount.

Not many Guyanese were aware of this discrepancy in the cost of electricity between Linden and the rest of the country. If a survey was conducted today, it is likely that 90 percent of the people of Guyana would not be aware of this positive discrimination in favor of Linden.

Yet the people of the mining town are complaining.

Most will eventually have to accept that they cannot enjoy such luxuries anymore.

The excuse that Linden cannot afford to pay anything more at this time is not going to be convincing, more so considering the substantial subsidies that that community has enjoyed over the years, including since the PPP took over.

When the PPP took office in 1992, bauxite was already on its knees. It was losing billions and the government for more than ten years made direct transfers to the industry to the tune of billions each year.

No other industry, no other sector, no other town, no other community in Guyana has enjoyed such a high per capita subsidy as the people of Linden.

In fact today, the electricity subsidy is calculated at in excess of $300,000 per year per consumer.

There were also indirect subsidies to that community which when aggregated and combined with the direct subsidies would probably make Linden the most subsidized community in the entire English-speaking Caribbean.

Ontopofthis the government has promoted new investments

to the tune of hundreds of millions of US dollars, secured over two billion dollars in funding under the LEAP and LEAF initiatives spent hundreds of millions in infrastructural work, including opening hundreds of house lots in Amelia’s Ward and established a thriving agricultural settlement in West Watooka.

With extremely low electricity rates Linden should have by now been the industrial capital of the Caribbean. Businesses in the rest of the country should also have been moving their operations to that area to take advantage of the low electricity tariffs. After all, a business should enjoy superior competitiveness if its energy costs are one third that of other local competitors.

The fortunes of Linden by and large still however revolve around bauxite and this is one of the disappointing developments in Linden. One has to ask why despite all the preferences given to this community, it is not much richer today. Why has it not diversified faster away from bauxite given the fact that the fortunes of that industry fluctuate with world market prices and once China stays as a major player the future for bauxite is not good?

These are questions that need to be addressed because on the basis of the electricity tariffs alone and the other indirect and direct subsidies that have been given to Linden, it should have been thriving today. It is for the development planners to assess why Linden has not turned out to be the developed industrial hub for the country.

But for now what has to be questioned is the longterm application of direct subsidies such as what has been given by the electricity sector in that area. In fact, the

government itself says that the average household consumption of electricity by the people of Linden is almost one and half times the national average. This is the downside of too many subsidies on electricity. Once electricity is too cheap, people will waste electricity.

In the old days electricity used to be free in Linden. That was when electricity used to be provided by the bauxite industry. There were stories about electricity consumption in those days.

There was for example the story that you could drive around Linden see houses having their exterior lights on all day. Nobody bothered to switch off the lights because electricity was free and there was no incentive to conserve. There were other stories also including one about a homeowner who hired an electrician to rewire his home. The homeowner bought all the electrical wiring and fittings.

When the electrician began to rewire the home he noticed that there were no on/ off switches and so he asked the homeowner where were these switches.

The homeowner told him, so the story goes, “No need to switch off anything here.

Electricity is free.”

The rationalization of the electricity tariffs as proposed by the government must therefore be seen as helping the people of Linden to become more efficient in the use of electricity and to avoid wastage of this precious power source. It should also drive home the economic point about the effect of subsidies. While in the short term, these provide a cushion, excessive reliance on direct subsidies leads to a lack of competitiveness and reduces the

Dem boys seh Jagdeo tek all he benefits before he lef office Bright and early Sunday morning some people went in de market looking fuh cheese.

There was a shortage. People walk up and down and couldn’t find any till one boy tell dem that dem got to go to dem Minister house because he hear de Waterfalls boss man telling everybody how dem Minister got all de cheese.

Well if dem got all de cheese dem boys want to know why Prakash worrying to cut de budget. It don’t have no cheese and that is why de public servants can’t get a pay increase. Uncle David smart and that is why he ain’t wasting time trying to cut de budget.

But dem boys seh that politics is a strange game. Only de other day all dem opposition party team up against de government. Now dem team up against demself. And it look like if dem doing more damage to demself than to de government.

But some people doing damage too. Dem pass a Bill in Parliament fuh Jagdeo to get all he benefits. Lo and behold, since de man come off in November, according to Ash Knee, de man ain’t get one cent. Dem boys know de

truth though.

Jagdeo tek all he benefits before he lef office suh he ain’t got no more to collect. That is why Ash Knee can stand up in Parliament and tell de nation that de government ain’t pay he one cent. Henry get he own though and some people vex.

Dem same people who vex trying to test de law which is quite clear. Dem want go to a higher court to appeal. And while dem trying to appeal dem boys want to know wha happen to de lady and she blackmail charge. De DPP ain’t recommend no charge and all dem protesters ain’t saying nutten. Is like if you commit one crime all you got to do to get it drop is to accuse somebody of committing another crime.

But Henry stupid. De woman come to he to break de law and he tek a piece. All he had to do was to arrest de woman after he tek he piece. De whole story woulda tun out different.

Talk half and just think about de other half.

incentive to be innovative.

Obviously for a community accustomed to paying low tariffs, it will take some time for persons to get used to paying increased electricity bills.

And no one likes to pay more for anything.

The government has however said that the full impact of rationalization will be phased in over years. And even with the increases, Linden will still enjoy favored treatment because it will still have far lower tariffs than is paid by the rest of Guyana.

Instead of protesting the increase in tariffs, greater

energies should be devoted to addressing how Linden can build a strong and sustainable economy without having to rely so much on government subsidies. The extent to which Linden can reduce its traditional dependence on bauxite, is in fact far more important to its future than all the brouhaha about the proposed rationalization of electricity tariffs.

Linden has enormous potential for tourism, but as you drive along the banks of Wismar you encounter a range of structures blocking the view of the tranquil river.

Just imagine if there could be

a clear view from the road running alongside the river.

Imagine what that would do for tourism. Imagine if that entire waterfront area was cleared and re-developed.

Linden should therefore use this period to develop a road map to develop the town into a thriving but diversified industrial centre, one that would reduce and eventually remove its extreme dependence on subsidies from the State.

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Writer, artist and folklorist Barrington Braithwaite is calling on Government to make massive investments in Guyana’s underdeveloped but potentially rich cultural industry.

Braithwaite, who is also a founder member of the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA), believes that an investment of this nature would not only bring international recognition and preserve the country’s cultural identity, but will also bring huge financial rewards, as it has done for countries like Jamaica.

“It (a vibrant cultural industry) will make money for Guyana, it will help to define Guyana, but it needs participation from the Government, like any other industry, but the government

Kaieteur News

must have guidance from the arts community and not from political appointees.

“The traditional economic industries cannot sustain the country, that’s why we have to rely on other industries, including our cultural industry. Every country in the Caribbean is investing in its culture except Guyana. The cultural industry is a vibrant industry, as revealed in Jamaica and Trinidad. We are bombarded by America’s cultural industry… the Hong Kong industry produced the martial arts films…if Greece received five percent of the profits from every non-Greek movie studio and every book featuring Greek mythology, that would take Greece out of its economic hardship.

“The first time that many people heard of a place called British Guiana was in the

A scene from ‘Legend of the Silk Cotton Tree’

movie To Sir With Love with Sidney Poitier; he came here, but was not even embraced by the Government officials.”

He added that the Jamaican culture is

value of the cultural industry.” Braithwaite, the creator of the graphic magazine series ‘The Jaguar’, which was the genesis of a play by the famed Norman

“It will make money for Guyana; it will help to define Guyana, but it needs participation from the Government, but the government must have guidance from the arts community and not from political appointees.”

- Barrington Braithwaite internationally recognized “because a Jamaican Prime Minister devoted a large part of his budget to Jamaica music in the fifties and sixties.

“It was when Bob Marley’s estate came up for sale that many of us regonised the

Beaton, represented ACDA a few months ago during a meeting with Government officials, including President Donald Ramotar and Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh.

He also recently gave Government officials and

Monday April 23, 2012

members of the Opposition a document entitled ‘Resolutions on Workshop on Culture and Cultural Industries’. While he said that Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh was receptive to his suggestions, he believes that the present administration must take much of the blame for the stagnation of arts and culture.

“From the time that the PPP came into power, there was a de-emphasising and distancing itself from the arts. ... the arts was the first thing to receive the short end of the stick.

“I was an illustrator who did a comic strip in the Guyana Chronicle. We were talking with Trinidad and Jamaica about setting up a Caribbean pullout magazine that could be syndicated throughout the Caribbean. They (Govt. officials) kicked it aside after 1992.

Sharief Khan (Chronicle’s Editor- in-Chief) even ordered (Sunday Editor) Claudette Earle to drop ‘Shadow of the Jaguar’ from the Chronicle. Shadow of the Jaguar was a graphic magazine and became a play that was written by celebrated UK-based Guyanese actor Norman Beaton. Braithwaite also used his prodigious knowledge of folklore to produce the magazine ‘The Legend of the Silk Cotton Tree.’ That became the basis of a play that was featured during CARIFESTA XI. One of the things that Braithwaite wants is for the Department of Culture to become a separate entity from the Departments of Youth and

Barrington Braithwaite Sports. The other is a formation of a Council on Cultural Arts that is managed by those with experience in the Arts.

“We need a Council that has extensive experience in the Arts. We need people who have participated, who have written plays, who have written short stories, who are active now in the arts, to work towards production of things (cultural) that can go on the market almost immediately.

“Culture (in Guyana) has become populated by people who know nothing about Culture and that is how the arts in Guyana have faltered.

“We succeeded at CARIFESTA XI because Dr. Paloma Mohamed (a Guyana Prize winner) was in charge and was able to gather her peers to produce a Guyanese CARIFESTA. What happened at CARIFESTA XI was an ad hoc thing that relied on the talents that were here.”

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Delegation visits Angoy's Avenue The depressed community of Angoy's Avenue (Cow dam) in New Amsterdam, Berbice received some high-level visitors on Friday when a number of officials stopped by as part of an outreach activity organized by the management Committee of the Central Police Station, the Central Police Station Operational Outreach programme, Youth Club and Scout group.

Close to 50 elderly residents received hampers.

The delegation included Director of The University Of Guyana Berbice campus Professor Dizal Samad; High Court Judge, Justice William Ramlal who is presiding in the civil court of the Berbice High Court; Region Six Regional Chairman David Permaul Armagon; Commander of The Police B division Assistant Commissioner Dereck Josiah; Director of The New Amsterdam Hospital and General Sergeant and aircraft pilot Dr. Bob Ramnauth and Attorney at Law Raymond Alli.

Representatives of the Mayor and Town Council, The Berbice Chamber of C o m m e r c e a n d Development Association, the New Amsterdam Prisons, Station Management Committee, New Amsterdam Technical Institute, community policing groups and the Police Scouts were also present.

Professor Dizal Samad stated that occasions like these are very good and serve many purposes especially when one can do something for the elderly and the differently able.

“These activities tend to bridge the gap between the society and the police, either of which can't work without each other.”

He congratulated the Guyana Police Force for the wonderful initiative taken especially Inspector Ramlakhan and station Sergeant Michael Newland.

These sentiments were echoed by all of the other speakers.

Justice William Ramlal said that he is also pleased with the activity and was most happy to be invited.

Regional Chairman Mr. David Armogan was also very appreciative of the gesture.

“The police are doing something good and people are interested in seeing society return to some semblance of what it used to be.”

He stated that the force is willing to work together with all stakeholders to help reduce crime.

The location was not chosen by chance, but a strategic way of doing things differently.

Several residents had their blood pressure tested

by Dr. Ramnauth, Medic Lynette Toney of the New Amsterdam Prison and other staff of the New Amsterdam Hospital.

From left David Permaul Armogan, Raymond Alli, Dizal Samad, Justice William Ramlall and standing at right Dereck Josiah.

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Monday April 23, 2012

Monday April 23, 2012

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Stabroek Bazaar fire…

Victim rebuilds, still awaiting GPL response on compensation

The newly built structure re-stocked with goods

The burnt out remains of the stall Almost three weeks after fire of suspected electrical origin gutted her stall, Chandroutie Dass is still awaiting word from the Guyana Power and Light Company.

Dass told this publication yesterday that a team from the utility

Monday April 23, 2012

company visited her Stabroek Bazaar stall, removed the burnt out meter, and informed her that they will need to do 'forensic tests' on it.

Dass said a few days after the fire she was visited by a GPL official and was asked to submit an estimate

of her losses and cost to rebuild. However recently when the woman sought to enquire from the company on the issue she was told that the matter of compensation has to be addressed at the company's board level.

“They tell me that only on the 25th of every month

the board does meet and then they will discuss and then they will get back to me. In the meantime they said that they waiting on the results from the investigation.”

Further, Dass said she is frustrated over the fact that she was forced to rebuild and restock on her own but she is still waiting for GPL to reconnect her.

“I have cheese, sausage and other stuff that needs to be stored in a refrigerator and two weeks ago they told me that it would take fourteen days before I could get back the light,”.

Yesterday when this publication visited Dass at her Stall Number 149-152, she was putting in the final

touches to her newly rebuilt structure. The woman said she has however kept all the receipts she acquired during her rebuilding process as well as receipts for the goods which she re-stocked.

Around 03:00 hours on Good Friday, Dass, said that she received a telephone call informing her that her business, Stall Number 149152, was on fire.

The woman said she immediately raced down to the scene but by the time she got there the fire was already out. Upon arrival she noticed dozens of fire fighters at the scene as well as persons who appeared to be working with the Guyana Power and Light Company.

She said that the fire service did a good job at containing the fire since all of the other stalls are very close to each other. The two stalls located on the right and left of Dass' were merely scorched.

The woman had stated that she and other stall holders in the area made several complaints to the Power Company about a transformer which would spark when it rains or whenever there were high winds.

The woman said it appears as if their complaints fell on deaf ears, since to her knowledge no one ever came to check out the transformer.

Monday April 23, 2012

Today I left the village post office and a really muddy scrawny chicken shot across the road narrowly escaping being dinner and then returned almost faster when it ran into a cat. Why did he do that? Because he was a dirty-double crosser, that’s why. That is also the reason for calling a missing parrot a polygon, and explaining that the turkey didn’t finish his dinner because he was already stuffed.

However, in the avian world, and in the annals of ornithology, that doublecrossing chicken is not unique. Many years ago, the Trinidad Calypsonian, Lord Christo (Christopher Laidlow), sang about a parrot named Lorito who, aided by a young mute, warned him that his wife was having an affair. Every time the lady’s boyfriend (a gentleman named Rouse) visited the

Kaieteur News

house, the mute would point at the back door, and the parrot would say to Christo, “Walla walla bing bang, today!” Eventually, both the boy-friend and the parrot disappeared in a stew.

A few years ago a Chinese man from Chongqing City who ignored the bird in hand and sought solace outside the matrimonial home, discovered that he had been sold out by his feathered friend, a Mynah (Maina or Mina) bird, which seemed to have become a stool-pigeon. Mynah birds, from the starling family (in South East Asia), are known for their ability to talk. They are very expensive.

The man’s wife, already in a stew and her feathers thoroughly ruffled because of her suspicions of her husband’s infidelity, is now seeking a divorce because of the bird. The woman heard

the Mynah bird saying words like, “Divorce”, “I love you”, and “Be patient” after it overheard telephone calls between her husband and his mistress.

She realised that the bird became very talkative any time the phone rang.

According to a newspaper report, the woman “brought the bird to a law office for consultation, hoping it could testify in court.” In China, there is no equivalent of the American charge of contributing to the delinquency of a Mynah.

However, the question in this case is whether a Chinese Mynah can give evidence in a matrimonial matter? Maybe in the case of a voyeuristic Peking Duck.

One old lady may have a solution to the husband’s dilemma. Her son Myron, knowing the old woman was hard to please, finally came up

Motorcyclist killed in crash with ‘drunk’ driver A thirty five year old motorcyclist was killed after he was struck down by a drunk driver, on the Grove, East Bank Demerara public road shortly after midnight yesterday.

Father of three, Rodwell Mercurius, of Lot 59 Friendship, EBD was pronounced dead on arrival at the Diamond Diagnostic Center.

The police have arrested the driver of the car who according to them was over the legal limit in terms of alcohol consumption.

Carol Mercurius, said he last saw her husband alive on Saturday morning when he left for work. It was shortly after midnight when someone called the family to say that her husband was involved in an accident. By the time

Dead: Rodwell Mercurius relatives arrived at the hospital, Mercurius had already succumbed.

Kaieteur News was told that Mercurius had just left his sister’s home at Grove,

East Bank Demerara and was heading home. According to eyewitnesses, the driver swerved into his path. His motorcycle ended up underneath the car and Mercurius was flung several yards onto the road.

According to the police, investigations have revealed that Mercurius who was driving his motor cycle was struck down by motor car PFF 1671 which was proceeding in the opposite direction. He was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The police said that the driver underwent a breathalyzer test and was found to be over the legal limit in terms of alcohol consumption. He is in police custody.

High Court Injunction stalls function of GTU executives Execution of duties by Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) newly elected Central Executive Officers is stalled because the High Court approved an interim injunction filed by three union members.

The Ex-parte application for Interim Injunction was filed by Milne Seymour, Raelene Phillips and Selwyn Seymour. Milne Seymour was one of the nominees for Union president at the recent elections.

This action stemmed from discrepancies in the recent elections. It is alleged that some members did not their

receive ballots on elections’ day. The injunction prohibits the newly elected officials from exercising powers and functions as the Central Executive Officers of the Guyana Teachers’ Union for the term 2012-2014.

The body is also restrained from purporting to act for and on behalf of the

Union. They cannot exercise any executive functions and or authority which vests in the organs of the GTU until the hearing and determination of a Summons returnable for May 15.

All parties are expected to appear before Justice Brassington Reynolds on May 15 at the High Court.

with a truly inspired birthday present, a gorgeous Mynah bird that spoke six languages.

He paid an extremely high price and arranged to have the bird delivered to his mother in an antique cage.

The evening he came by for his mother’s birthday dinner.

“So, Mom,” he asked, “did you get my present today?”

“Yes Myron,” she replied. “I did. I must say it’s cooked up very nicely.”

Myron gasped. “Don’t tell me you cooked it!” he screamed. “Mom, that bird cost me five thousand dollars. It spoke English, Portugese, Mandarin, Urdu, Arabic and Russian.” “Now, Myron,” the old woman chided. “If it really spoke all those languages, why didn’t it say something?”

One of the mysteries of the universe, apart from how pigeons know that you’ve just polished your car, is what causes Mynah birds to be such good singers. A millionaire went into an upscale Beverly Hills pet shop to buy a Mynah bird.

He demanded the best saying, “I want a bird that sings like Sinatra, with the range of an opera star, and with the tone of Pavarotti.”

The clerk said, “That will cost you five thousand dollars.”

The millionaire replied, “If it does what I want, I don’t care about the price.” The clerk then pointed out, “You’ll also have to buy this other bird for ten thousand dollars?”

Page 15

“Why the second bird?” asked the puzzled man. The clerk said matter-of-factly, “He’s the arranger.”

Apart from arranging, birds are credited with considerable skills and a wide range of behaviours that prompt some very difficult questions. For instance, owls are said to be smarter than chickens solely on the evidence that there is no fast food chain called, “Kentucky Fried Owls.” However, what do you do with an owl with no wings? Do you take it out for a spin? And what do you call a parrot wearing a raincoat? Polly unsaturated.

There was the canary who didn’t want to pay for his date’s dinner because he was too cheep. And the duck who walked into a drugstore and asked for a tube of lipstick.

When the cashier said, “That will be $1.50” the duck replied, “Just put it on my bill.” There is the matter of ascertaining the difference between a Mynah bird with one wing and one with two wings. It is a difference of a pinion.

This is what David had with an expensive Mynah bird he got for his birthday. The bird had a bad attitude and even worse vocabulary.

Every other word was an obscenity. David tried very hard to change the bird’s behaviour but the bird

refused to cooperate. David tried very polite language and tried to set a good example, but the Mynah was obdurate.

Finally David lost his temper, shook the bird and then shut it in the freezer.

From outside he could hear the bird swearing, kicking, shrieking and squawking.

Then everything went quiet.

David was scared that he might have hurt the expensive Mynah bird. He opened the freezer door and the bird calmly walked out and said, “I am extremely sorry that I might have offended you or caused you discomfort with my language and choice of expressions. I humbly ask your forgiveness. Give me one more chance and I will correct my behaviour.”

David was amazed at the great change that had occurred in the Mynah bird and was about to ask the bird what had caused it when the Mynah continued, “May I ask what the chicken did?” * Tony Deyal was last seen telling the story of a woodpecker who, while on holidays, was pecking at a tree when lightning struck and split the tree in two. The bird said, “It is a strange phenomenon that a person does not know how hard his pecker is until he gets away from home.”

Page 16

Kaieteur News

Monday April 23, 2012

Bio-fuel MoU…Ansa McCal approached Govt. for ‘non-financial’ support

By Gary Eleazar The Ansa McCal Group of Companies had approached the Government of Guyana to solicit non financial support for the establishment of a sugar cane based ethanol plant.

This is according to Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy who during this week’s Parliamentary Sessions responded to A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Dr. Rupert Roopnarine who was seeking clarification on the MoU inked.

Dr. Ramsammy was made to respond, in writing, to Dr. Roopnarine’s request for details of the agreement reached, “to avail a foreign i n v e s t o r, r e p o r t e d l y o f more than 44, 515 acres of state land for the establishment of a facility to produce ethanol.”

This format for a reply by a Member of Parliament, is provided for under the Standing Orders.

Dr. Ramsammy informed the House, that the investor (Ansa McCal) has an interest in participating in the growing bio-fuel industry, as part of its future expansion and diversification.

He said that it is in this regard, the investor (Ansa McCal) has developed a concept plan for the production of bio-ethanol using sugar cane.

“The investor has approached the Government of Guyana to consider a feasibility study which will investigate the possibility of sugar cane production of about 2M tons per year and the production of bio-ethanol of about 40M gallons annually.”

Dr. Ramsammy also informed the House that the company “has requested non-financial support from the Guyana Government to build a commercial bioethanol business in Guyana.”

This support, Dr.

- Dr. Ramsammy

Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy engaged in deep discussion with his colleague Parliamentarian Dharamkumar Seeraj.

Ramsammy said, involves the commitment of the Guyana Government towards an agroenergy policy.

“This policy was being

developed since 2007 and this year we will finalize the policy,” he said.

The Agriculture Minister also informed the House that

the Government of Guyana has also agreed that should the feasibility study lead to Ansa McCaL investing in the development of a cane-based

bio-ethanol enterprise, the Government will be in a position to lease at least 42,000 hectares of land for this purpose, with the possibility of adding more land for sugar cane cultivation and further expansion of bio-ethanol production.”

The MoU inked with Ansa McCal gained traction in the local media after it was discovered to have been done secretly in Trinidad and Tobago by the previous administration.

The company officials subsequently flew to Guyana and denied engaging in a secret deal but did concede a delay in making the announcement.

At a press conference held at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Ansa McAl executives said the multinational company is putting TT$17M into the feasibility

study.

If the study shows that the project is viable, the company said that it would be willing to put between TT$250M and TT$300M to get the project up and running.

Currently, the company said they have no partners.

In doing so, the company would need a huge expanse of land to plant whatever crop they choose with sugar cane being the preferred option at this time.

It was the Trinidad Guardian which announced that the MoU was signed between the Government and Ansa McAl on September 30th, 2011.

Prior to that publication, the Guyana Government did not make the signing of the MoU public.

A statement by Ansa McAl had originally said that the agro-energy industrial project will be built on 110,000 (approx. 425 square miles) hectares of virgin land.

Clients, attorneys, judges dead, but High Court cases still pending There are approximately 6000 backlog cases in the High Court, including matters in which the judges, attorneys or clients have died. Some go back to ten years and are still to be heard.

“In some cases that go ten years back…the lawyer, the client and even judge are deceased….but the case is still pending,” a legal official explained.

Officials say that one contributing factor is that because of the low processing fee, people rush to court instead of trying to amicably resolve the issue. It is believed that if the processing fee is increased it would be a deterrent for persons. Moreover the low compliment of judges to deal with matters, adds to the backlog.

Attorney General Anil

Nandlall last year had stated that Guyana needed to amend its laws to see the appointment of new judges.

He said that it was patently obvious that the current legal complement of judges cannot deal with the case load that is currently pending in the judiciary.

Nandlall had sought to highlight certain mechanisms which could result in the backlog decreasing. He said that the delay of cases is one of the major problems facing the judiciary and as a result of that, there is a tremendous backlog of cases which are in the system waiting to be heard. Alternative Dispute Resolution is one mechanism that was identified to tackle the problem.

The ‘Alternative Dispute Resolution ’system allows both parties to have the

- over 6,000 backlog matters

The High Court

option to take voluntary mediation. According to Nandlall, judges are legally empowered to order mediation in appropriate cases. Nandlall stated that new legislation was already passed in Parliament.

However, the administration is still in the process of setting up the infrastructure for the legislation to function.

Another mechanism Nandlall highlighted was the ‘New Rules of Court’. This measure was designed to ensure that the civil litigation is conducted in an expedient manner, thus the case, which is required to be tried by a judge, is clearly defined and the witness’ statements are prepared and submitted long before the trial.

The rules, Nandlall said, will in actuality help simplify the entire litigation process.

Another initiative the lawyer gave was the abolition of the Preliminary Inquiry in serious

criminal offences.

It was explained that in an agreement between the prosecution and the defence, the preliminary inquiry process, which usually takes years to be completed, can be dispersed with and the trial with a judge can begin at an earlier date.

The legislation for this has been passed in Guyana.

Another mechanism can also be plea bargaining.

This is a relatively new piece of legislation, which allows the prosecution and defense to agree to a penalty, thereby there would be no need for a trial in a criminal matter. Nandlall also stressed that with the appointment of lay magistrates to deal with minor offences, trained magistrates can concentrate on more serious matters.

Further, the lawyer told Kaieteur News that the court system must also be computer-ready.

To this effect Nandlall

said that there is already a plan to introduce into the court, a computer-generated recording system to record in permanent form what is orally said in the courtroom.

This new feature, Nandlall says, would remove the need for manual recording what transpires in the courtroom.

He said that the task continues to be a work in progress and new and more innovative mechanisms will have to be realized for the “backlog” issue to be successfully overcome.

The Modernization of Justice Administration System Programme focuses on reducing the backlog of cases, strengthening the Judicial Service Commission; enhancing the skills and productivity of judges, High Court administration, rehabilitation and physical improvement of court rooms and improvement to civil and criminal law procedures among other areas.

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 17

The Abigail Column An unwelcome kiss goodbye Dear Abigail, A friend’s husband gave me a drop ride to the gym, and when I went to hug him goodbye as I have always done when we parted, he grabbed me by the arms and kissed me on the lips several times. I wasn’t expecting it, and I certainly hadn’t invited it. I made light of it, but it

made me very uncomfortable and I don’t want to see him again. My problem is I don’t know how to end my friendship with his wife. I would never tell her, and I do not wish to have this standing between us, so I’d rather just end the friendship.

How should I handle this?

She occasionally contacts me for lunch.

Dismayed

Dear Dismayed, You’re lucky the wife contacts you for lunch dates only occasionally. It means she’s a casual friend, which will make disengaging easier.

When she calls, all you need to do is tell her you have other plans. You do not have to mention that foremost among them is avoiding any future contact with either of them because of her husband.

Monday April 23, 2012 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Today your patience might be tested when one or more of your projects gets put on hold by someone else, either because they have power over you, or because they have flaked out on their part of things. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Your intense energy makes you a great candidate for a leadership position right now, so if you are ready to take on more power, grab it today! You have a way of ef ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): If you aren't sure if you are ready to commit to a party, a date, a new job or anything else that will take a chunk of your time, then don't say that you will commit just because you are afraid to hurt someone's feelings. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Too many different elements in your life are overlapping with each other right now -- and it's your family that may fall to the bottom of the heap. So today, step back and slow things down. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): The issues you'll be dealing with today are very complicated ones -- you will have to navigate your way through some very gray areas. You may find yourself wishing things were simpler and easier to figure out! ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept.

22): You'll get along best with people who appeal to your more analytical side, today.

Surprisingly, all of the folks who are trying to tug at your heartstrings will get little if any sympathy from you. ********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Pick a cultural event that's coming up and get some tickets for it today. It's

time to inject your life with a little dosage of high art -- an opera, touring musical, play, art opening, ballet or modern dance performance would fit the bill nicely. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): Someone will challenge a belief that you've held for a very long time today -- and they will say an awful lot of things that make sense. Your first instinct will be to defend your position as you have in the past, and discount their opinion if they don't eventually come around to agreeing with you. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): Someone in your life needs to step up and take on more responsibility -- and you need to tell them to.

You've been getting a little tired of bearing the brunt of a certain project or task, and this inequity needs to end today.

So how do you communicate this to them? .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Breaking the rules is not always a bad thing -especially if the rules limit your creativity. Today, you shouldn't do what you are told. You should do what you want to do. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): Have you been feeling a bit bored with your life lately?

Well, good news! Today offers you a great opportunity to stir things up and get your adrenaline going again! Sure, it might require you to take a risk or two, but isn't that the only way you can win sometimes? ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): Communication is very important today -- written, spoken and even nonverbal body language will all convey potent meanings.

DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55hrs. Sign On 09:00hrs. Live! With Kelly 10:00hrs. Spice Goddess 10:30hrs. Everyday Exotic 11:00hrs. The View 12:00hrs. World News 12:30hrs. The Young and the Restless 13:30hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 14:00hrs. The Talk 15:00hrs. Boy Meets World 16:00hrs. Beverly Hills, 90210 17:00hrs. The Wayans Brothers 18:00hrs. World News 18:30hrs. Nightly News 19:00hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00hrs. Channel 8 News 20:30hrs. Dancing with the Stars (New Episode) 22:00hrs. Movie: City Island 23:00hrs. Sign Off NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 05:00hrs - Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 05:15hrs - Meditation 05:30hrs - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 06:00hrs - R. Gossai General Store Presents Shiva Bhajans 06:15hrs - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Shiva Bhajans 06:30hrs - Muneshwar Limited Presents Shiva Bhajans 06:45hrs - Double Standard Taxi Presents Shiva Bhajans 07:00hrs - RRT Enterprise Presents Shiva Bhajans 07:15hrs - M & M Snackette Presents Raja Yoga Discourses 07:30hrs - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc Presents Shiva Bhajans 07:45hrs - The Family of The Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Shiva Bhajans 08:00hrs - NTN This Morning Live with Reyaz Husein 09:30hrs - Indian Soap - Choti Bahu 10:00hrs - Indian Soap Yahaan Mein 10:30hrs - IPL 5 RAJASTHANI ROYALS v ROYAL C. BANGALORE 14:00hrs - Indian Soap Pavitra Rishta 14:30hrs - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 15:00hrs - Indian Soap - Punar Vivaah

15:30hrs - Headline News 16:00hrs - Drying Tears Live with Pastor Edson 16:30hrs - Devotional Time 17:00hrs - Investigation Discovery:18:00hrs - Ganesh Parts Presents - BHAGAVAD GITA ( Discourses in English) Serial 18:15hrs - Birthday Greetings/ A n n i v e r s a r y / Congratulations/ Death Announcements & In Memoriam 18:30hrs - HARE KRISHNA TODAY 19:00hrs - Ricks & Sari Presents Bed Time Songs Live with Joel 20:00hrs - Health in Focus 20:30hrs - Indian Soap - Choti Bahu 21:00hrs - Indian Soap Yahaan Mein 21:30hrs - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 22:00hrs - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 22:30hrs - DANCE INDIA DANCE 24:00hrs -.Sign off with the Gayantri Mantra NCN CHANNEL 11 03:00hrs – Movie

05:00hrs – Inspiration 05:30hrs – Newtown Gospel 06:00hrs – NCN Week in Review(R/B) 06:30hrs – Kala Milan 07:00hrs – Guyana Today (Live) 08:00hrs – Weekly Digest 08:30hrs – Law Enforcement & You 09:00hrs – Stop the Suffering 09:30hrs – Cartoons 10:00hrs – Cricket 3rd Test West Indies VS Australia Day 1 12:00hrs – Lotto Cricket Info & Quiz 12:35hrs – NCN Newsbreak 12:40hrs – Cricket Resumes 17:00hrs – Anderson 18:00hrs – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30hrs – Feature 19:00hrs – Al Jazeera 19:30hrs – Feature 20:00hrs – 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05hrs – Feature 21:05hrs – We Linkin 21:35hrs – Excellence Dazzell Show 22:05hrs – NCN Late Edition News 22:35hrs – IPL#31 Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers (Delayed)

Guides are subjected to change without notice

Page 18

Kaieteur News

Monday April 23, 2012

Miner chopped to death in Puruni Backdam (From page 19)

MASSAGE American style massage services. Call: 609-4036 Treat yourself to a relaxing massage. Call: 622-6256

TO LET Short term apartments Eccles. Call:679-7139 Building-16000 sqft , yard50000 sqft, can be used for Bond, factory etc.

Contact:225-7643, 225-7493 Furnished 2 bedroom apartments in linden, for short term guests’; internet available. Call: 614-4415, 4444704 Eccles-60,000-US1100, Nandy Park-US800, Hotel & Bar US3500, Apartments Bonds etc. Diana: 227-2256, 626-9382 New 2&3 bedroom apartment, prime location Diamond AA block X. Call:682-3483 Furnished & unfurnished apartments. Call: 602-5089, 676-0399 Short term apartments. Call: 667-1549 Two bedroom house t rent.

Call: 663-9816 1 bedroom studio for rent Atlantic Ville $60,000 month furnished. Call: 616-3825 One bedroom bottom flat @ LBI. Call: 220-7399

PROPERTY FOR SALE Two story wooden and concrete building located at 14 ‘A’ Kersaint Park, L.B.I., E.C.D land measuring 75ft, by 75ft, kitchen cupboards, window grills, 6 bedroom, alarm, system,concrete fence and drains, large storage bond adjoining property price 21 Million (negotiable). Call: 643-2403, 227-2712 East Bank-12M, Prashad Nagar-40M, Republic Park25M, Sheriff Street-150M. Diana: 227-2256, 626-9382 Kitty-$14M- $24M, Kingston -$16M, South- $25M, B.V$10M, Queenstown- $35M. Diana: 227-2256, 626-9382 FOR SALE OR RENT Double butcher stall @ LaPenitence Market. Contact: 665-9498, rent or sell for Sunday

EDUCATIONAL Learn Spanish. Call: 673-1232 CAKE & PASTRIES 1-lb character cakes $5,000, pastries at whole sale prices.

Call: 223-9497

TOUR Suriname vacation shopping site-seeing 28th April1stMay, trip. Contact Matthew:639-2663, 6655171,644-0185, 227-8290

CAR RENTAL Progressive auto rental, cars from $3,500 per day. Call: 643-5122, 656-0087, www.progressiveautorental.com Premio, 110 Corolla. Call: 679-7139

Register now for full time & adults CXC classes. Call: 6835742, 227-7627 Princeton College Forms 15, CXC adults’ classes’; $1500 a subject S.A.T/ Phonics etc. Call: 690-5008, 611-3793 Reading and writing lesson with personal private tutor.

If this is your need. Call: 6494247 Alliance Francaise lf Guyana French classes recommence.

Tel: 226-0854, 682-7943, 2261897, 218-1108

Police have detained a man following the hacking to death of a 29 year-old miner at Chinese Creek, Puruni.

According to reports, 29 year-old Travis De Souza of 13 Section ‘C’ Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara died at his mining camp early Saturday morning after being chopped about his body by four men who had invaded his camp.

The dead man’s mother Rona De Souza said she received a call early Saturday morning from her son’s reputed wife saying that he was dead.

Mrs. De Souza said she was told that the incident occurred at around 04:00 hours on Saturday.

According to De Souza she last saw her son alive on Wednesday when he left for the interior location.

“His girlfriend call and say that four men come in the camp and while they were sleeping one of the men started chopping Travis.”

- suspect held The woman said her son’s girlfriend further related that when her son was chopped the first time he sprung out of his bed calling the name of his attacker.

“He girlfriend say that when he get the first chop he jump up and say Matthew this is wha you gon do to me, all ah we is friend.”

However, despite Travis’ plea with his attacker to stop this publication was told that the man continued hacking away at him. This publication was told that one of the men who entered the camp has been identified as an ex-cadet officer.

His mother said she was told that her son had a confrontation with the men after some items from his camp were stolen.

“Travis come home for Easter and all he keep telling me is that he can’t stay long because he got plenty

valuables left in the camp so he hurrying to go back.

He even bring out some of his things but I ain’t know if them boys take he thing because they think he ain’t going back in,”.

The woman speculated that her son’s attackers were not pleased with the way her son may have spoken to them.

Mrs. De Souza said her son’s girlfriend was left unharmed in the camp.

She added that she is still awaiting additional information as to what else transpired leading up to her son’s death.

“The last call I get is that the police went back to the area with Travis girlfriend and they get one of the men who went in the camp and he in police custody, but I still waiting till she come out so I could hear is wha really happen,”.

DEAD: 29-year-old Travis De Souza According to De Souza, on Saturday evening her s o n ’s remains were brought out to the Bartica Hospital Mortuary and transferred to the Lyken Funeral Home where it is currently awaiting a post mortem examination.

Up to press time yesterday too this publication was told that a team of detectives was still in the location looking for the remaining suspects.

Four men in Robb St. murder to get trial date today A date for the commencement of the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the death of 72- year-old Robb Street resident Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris is expected to be given today to the four men who are accused of assassinating the elderly woman in her home on June 30, 2011.

Orin Hinds, 35, of Burnham Boulevard, Mocha, East Bank Demerara; Cleon Hinds, 34, of 23 Middle Road, Albouystown; Kevin October, 29, of Second Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara; and Roy Jacobs, 34 of Evans Street, Charlestown; were remanded late last year for Parris’s murder.

The matter is being heard

by Magistrate Sueanna Lovell. The case had been called on numerous occasions, but according to the court prosecutor, the matter could not get underway because of unforeseen circumstances.

It was revealed that on some occasions the file did not reach the prosecutor nor did the lawyers turn up in court. It was also said that the police were conducting further investigations since the murder appeared to be the doings of covert parties.

Slain Robb Street woman, Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris It was however revealed that the lawyers representing the accused had asked for a paper committal and further asked that the file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.

The police had revealed that the four men had been hired by persons unknown to commit the murder and they were reportedly paid $400,000.

During investigations, the lawmen were convinced that there had been a fifth and sixth party involved in the crime.

When Jacobs had appeared before the court he was fingered as the mastermind of the operation.

It was alleged that he hired other persons to kill the woman who apparently developed enemies since she was involved in a bitter court battle over the property in which she lived at Lot 42 Robb Street.

The men had entered the woman’s house while others waited a corner away from the house in a vehicle. Parris was shot twice under the armpit, once in the chest and once in the back by the gunmen.

Initial reports were that on the night in question, two men went up the flight of stairs leading to the woman’s front door where they

encountered the victim’s brother. They inquired about Parris’s whereabouts and upon hearing persons asking for her, the woman appeared at the door. The men opened fire on the elderly woman hitting her several times about the body.

It is alleged that the woman’s brother tried to tackle the gunmen but he was overpowered and pushed aside. Subsequent to the shooting the men made their way back down the stairs and escaped via a waiting vehicle.

Parris was rushed to the hospital but had succumbed shortly after arriving.

Car disappears outside city bank

A white Premio (PNN 3547) was stolen from in front of Scotia Bank on Robb Street, Georgetown early Saturday morning, 15 minutes after the owner parked it there.

The owner, Mohamed Shazam Isfehani of Alberttown, Georgetown said that around 08:45 hrs on Saturday, he parked his car in front of the Bank. He returned 15 minutes later and his car was gone. He said that he immediately started to question passersby whether they had noticed anything suspicious but no one had, so he summoned the police and the insurance company to notify them about his missing car.

Isfehani said that the police searched some city streets but found nothing. He is asking the public to call him on 6435842, 6855559 or the nearest police station if they have any information.

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

SERVICES Permanent &Visitors Visa Applications Professional Immigration Consultant Room E-4 Maraj Building 225-6496/662-6045.

WANTED East Coast Guyoil wanted day & night pump attendants, washman, manager, office assistants & sales girls. Call: 684-2838, 671-3983 One manager/clerk to work in Indian Boutique (Georgetown). Call: 2278096, 226-7015, 638-8500 Porters & sales girls apply with written application at Lot 1 E Dennis& Milton Street Campbellville One live in domestic.

Contact:658-9495 / 627-2550 Female workers needed 3 subject or sound secondary education. Age 18-28yrs.

Call: 225-7307

WANTED Drivers for car/van/canter, 3 years experience. Call: 2250188, 225-6070 Live in/live out babysitter/ clerk/domestic. Call: 2250188, 225-6070 One live in or out maid & experienced sales girls. Call: 264-3356, 253-3149, 668-3985 Manager’s Assistant general duties including Custom and Bond, Security Guards, accommodation available.

Call: 676-6700 1 Tutor to teach Form 1, apply Bissan’s Trading, 94 King Street. Call: 227-7306

Taxi drivers. Call: 225-3234

Care taker to live on Linden H/Way farm couple or elderly male and dog Friendly. Call: 666-7480

Maid/Helper cosmetologist.

Tel: 227-4799, 223-5451.

One night security. Call: 2335235, 667-5717, 623-2728

Excavator Operator, Mechanics (Caterpillar, Perkins & model M Trucks) Jetmen, Marrack, sailors.

Call: 223-5273-4

Porters to work on water truck $15,000 per week. Must be from the W.C.D. Call: 6848231

One live in maid. Call:2235324 Sales girls and porters boys a 127 Regent Street opposite Broadway Fashion Avishkar Building. Call: 666-3877 One maid, one cook.

Contact: 223-5273-4 Experience taxi drivers, dispatchers and bus drivers.

Call: 265-7076, 616-5419 The resort in Mabaruma North West, looking for people to run restaurant.

Call: 688-0072, Mrs. Eva, 6926307 Mr. R.Narine One experienced salesperson to work in cosmetics store on East Coast. Age 25-45.

Call: 642-1141 One experience TM driver to work in interior. Call:6420176,670-1052 Sell us your old house in G/ Town or East Bank area. Call: 669-9843. Get cash right away 1 general domestic East Bank Area. Call: 614-4358 Office clerk; CXC English/ Mathematics. Call: 225-4492, 225-6070 One male to work in interior $60,000. Call: 686-2201 Live-in domestic must know to cook and 1 waitress, salary 50,000 monthly. Call:610-5043 Persons/family to live & take care of farm @ E.C.D, attractive salary offered.

Contact: 690-1943, 691-8021

2 Mechanics to work in Trinidad work permit available. Call: 684-8231 Cooks/ waitress and bartenders to work in Kitty area. Call: 226-7054 One mechanic to work in supply E.B.D. Call:624-7036 1 experience waitress apply @ Mambo’s Bar, 93 Barr St. Kitty.

Counter servers, kitchen assistant Handy Boys, Cleaners. Apply Hack’s Halaal 5 Comerence St. Bet9-11am E&N Beck 3 Princess Machinist/ crankshaft machine operator. Apply in person.

Urgently needed live-in waitress to work in bar, reasonable salary offer. Call: 259-0574 Looking for (2) saw men to work in interior, (1) female to work in shop $80,000.

Call:686-2201 Sales girls. Call: 225-6631, 9am-5pm Seamstress to cut from patterns. Call: 225-2598, 6410784 Two experienced waitresses to work in interior. Contact: 616-7543 One Christian maid to work in Georgetown, serious enquires only.Call:225-2940, 225-0350 Two male shop assistants to work in Georgetown & the interior, serious enquiries only. Call: 225-2940, 225-0305

Page 19

VACANCY Have an interest in customer service? Then be apart of Q! Call:220-0401, 225-6466 Salesgirls & salesboys.

Apply Avinash Complex Water St. Georgetown. Call: 226-3361, 227-7828

FOR SALE Dell computers complete with 19” monitor LCD from $69,000. Future Tech.

Call:231-2206, 644-6760 Roofing shingles $5,995 per bundle. Call: Mr.Skepmire: 227-5195

ONLINE SHOPPING NO COMMISSION, WEEKLY S H I P M E N T S , AFFORDABLE RATES, FREE PRIVATE MAILBOX T E L # 2 3 1 - 5 7 8 9 FREIGHTLINKEXPRESS@ GMAIL.COM

1 refrigerator & washing machine technician/ Trainee.

Call: 683-8734, 231-0655

Electronic Treadmill $80,000, serious enquires only. Call: 641-9379

Fish cleaners- Eccles.

Call:233-2546, 675-6467

WE FILL OUT PASSPORT & VISA FORMS:USA, UK & CANADA TEL#231-5789

One live in maid/ nanny 3045 yrs, long term employment. Call: 656-1284

1 new Centurion 5000 W generator at $175,000, 1 new gas stove at $125,000, 1 32 inch LCD TV at $115,000. Call: 694-5371

We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer. Omar:231-0655,6838734

Security guards apply in person to P.Ramroop & Sons, 23 Lombard Street, with references from previous employers.

Spares for washer, microwaves, fridges, stovetimers, gear boxes, pumps etc. Contact:225-9032, 6472943

For Driver, Checker & Accountant, Good Hope branch Rosignol, Albion.

Contact: 330-2399, 6235920

Toyota Starlet 2 E Turbo engine with gearbox and ECU: Call: 624-7155.

We refill HP cartridges for $1,800. Call:650-7699 Repairs, sales & spares, air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & Stoves.

Ultra Cool: 225-9032, 647-2943 Looking for a Job? Office, domestic & need assistance.

Contact: Angela:694-0096 6 weeks Dressmaking course. Morning & evening.

Call Sharmela: 225-2598, 6410784 US & Canada Visa application services. Call: 643-6630, Family Discounts Available.

Repairs to gas stoves, deep fryers, washing machine, electric stoves. Call: 686-6209 Let US attorney assist you with your Visa application.

Call: Mrs. Elias:233-2338 LAND FOR SALE Land V/Hoop 2 acre: School, housing, factory etc.Call:658-0115

SALON Make up courses, artist trained & certified in Trinidad: 660-5257,647-1773 Cosmetology courses. Tel: 225-6026, 682-2604 Quality yourself in Cosmetology or nails, make up, Register, Limited spaces.

Call Abby: 216-1950, 6197603, 666-5241 Fashion Empress; upstairs Satro Building 10% all hair services from Monday – Thursday 50% off all pedicures. Call: 602-2337 For the best in hair nail, pedicure, manicure lashes, waxing etc, please. Call Leoita. 602-2337 Arita Harris. Certified courses in Nail Art & Technology from $6,000.

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Sales clerk porters, drivers with lorry license, apply with written application 2J’s General Store. Call: 225-2350 Apply in person to P. Ramroop &Sons, 23 Lombard Street, with reference from previous employers Beauty specialist certified in body massage and facial salary $50,000-$65,000. Call: 231-0320 FOR SALE 1 Daf 45 flat bed, 26 Ft tray.

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Page 20

Kaieteur News

Monday April 23, 2012

BCB and Berbice Chamber Million-dollar 20/20 cricket tournament launched The collaborative effort between the Berbice Cricket Board and the Berbice Chamber of Commerce was taken a step further with the launching of the joint 20/20 cricket initiative, which is scheduled to be held on 26th May Independence Day at the Albion Sports complex.

The tournament will be played under the theme “Celebrating Guyana Struggles, molding our future through the development of sports.”

The launching ceremony was done recently in the board room of The BCCDA. Speaking at the ceremony, President of The BCCDA, banker, Imran Sacoor stated that it was a pleasure for his organization to have the privilege and the opportunity to work with such a dynamic organization as the BCB. He stated that it was a pleasure for the BCCDA to be

Members of the two organisations pose with some of the trophies that will be up for grabs at the launching. a part of the joint venture with the BCB. He mentioned that when the BCB visited the BCCDA a few weeks ago and the idea came up. It was jumped upon, because the BCCDA saw it as an opportunity for the two organizations to work

together in a new relationship to do better and good things for the Berbice community which they both served.

He stated that they have always admired the work of the BCB and over time, see themselves as doing big and wonderful things for the

Sebastian Vettel beats Kimi Raikkonen to Bahrain GP win World champion Sebastian Vettel took his first victory of 2012 in a close battle with Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver built an early lead from pole but was caught by the Finn, who started 11th, after half distance.

Vettel then pulled away after the final pit stops, despite Raikkonen’s attempts to close him down.

L o t u s ’s Romain Grosjean was third, with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finishing eighth and Jenson Button retiring.

Force India’s Paul di Resta, doing a two-stop strategy in contrast to the three employed by the rest of the

main contenders, drove an excellent, studied race to take sixth place.

The Scot was running fifth going into the final 10 laps but was helpless to defend from Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, who was on fresher tyres in the closing laps.

Di Resta seemed poised to lose a further place to Button, but the Briton’s McLaren suffered a puncture with three laps to go and dropped out of the points, before retiring on the penultimate lap with a broken exhaust.

The Scot also just m a n a g e d t o h o l d off a challenge from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the closing laps. Rosberg was

investigated for possible dangerous driving in defending from both Hamilton and Alonso earlier in the race, but was cleared of any wrongdoing by the stewards.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa produced his strongest race of the season to take ninth, ahead of Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher, who battled up from 22nd on the grid.

The result means Vettel takes the championship lead, after starting the race in fifth place, while Hamilton has slipped down to second, ahead of Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber - who finished fourth in Bahrain - Button and Alonso.

community. He mentioned that Cricket is a wonderful way to start. He stated that they want to make the activity an annual venture and for it to be a part of the National sports Calendar in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism. He said that the ministry has already being notified and are delighted about the plans.

Mr Sacoor stated that the day is ideal, noting that on Independence Day not much happens in Berbice. He stated that Independence unites people. The concept of Independence is a struggle that was fought for by everyone and Guyana was successful.

He mentioned that the

BCCDA as a business body and a parent organisation is always willing to partner with others in doing good things for the community in which they operate and garner their support.

Speaking on the tournament Anil Beharry Treasurer of the BCB and also an executive member of the BCCDA stated that the organizers want to make it the biggest cricket tournament in Guyana. He stated that they have already put together a body made up of persons of both organizations who are working on plans for the big day.

Prize monies totaling over $1M will be at stake, while patrons will be eligible to collect attractive gate prizes.

Four teams will be involved in the tournament with all the top players in Guyana and a few from the West Indies taking part. Two teams will be from Berbice, while the other two will be finalized shortly.

The tournament will be a day and night affair.

A number of activities will be organized for children including, Merry Go round, Trampoline, castle and other activities, while a number of dignitaries will be invited and patrons will be treated to a full night of Cultural activity which will also include Fireworks.

Proceeds from the activity will be used by both organizations to enhance their community work.

GT&T 10/10 nationwide softball...

From back page on 93-1 in 6.5 overs. Captain Amreith Rai blasting an unbeaten 45 (4x6) and opener Mohamed Karin 41* (3x6 1x4) blasting their team into the quarter finals in pugnacious style.

At the end of their first 5overs, the Warriors were 461, requiring another 47 to win from the following five. The manner in which Rai and Karim went about the job after the strategic time-out left the entire ground in awe as it took them a mere 1.5 overs to achieve the remaining runs.

In the 6th over, Karim smashed Chabilall Eatwaru for three consecutive sixes as that over yielded 24 runs (70-1).

Captain Rai did not want to miss out on the party and he took centre stage in the next over to blast the remaining runs in just 5deliveries as they ended 931. Rai and Karim showed the class of the defending champions, it would take some solid cricket to depose them of the championship.

It was truly a spectacle to watch with the pro-Affiance Storm crowd being silenced by the raging Wolves.

The other exciting match on the day was produced by Rising Star and Wiruni Conquerors with the former

registering a nail biting 3-run win, led by player-of-thematch 15-year-old Roshana Harper whose all-round performance and composure made the difference.

Wiruni responding to Rising Stars’ 89-7 off their 10overs ended on 86-7when their 10-overs ran out. For the losers cousins, openers Wayvon King (28) and Pamela King (22) set the perfect platform of 56 but the entire reply went array after the strategic time out and they never were able to keep the momentum as they {Wiruni}lost wickets at regular intervals triggered by airtight bowling and efficient fielding from Rising Stars.

Harper was a spectacle to watch when Rising Stars batted; she top scored with 27 and is surely one of the risings starts of this year’s tournament. Natoya 20 and Adela Graham 18 baked up Harper.

The other two matches were blow outs; Speed Boat Sports Club powering their way to a massive 10-wicket win a tame Platinum Jaguar who were dispatched for a meager 18; wickets falling at 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 11, 15, 18 and 18.

Six of the batsmen made duck.

Shazim Hussein garbed 35 and Greg Singh 2-5 as Speed

Boat hit off the required 19 runs without losing a wicket.

Both Singh (14) Hussein (4) were the men that rubbed salt in the wounds of the Platinum by returning with the bat to take their side to a memorable victory.

The day’s opening salvo was another one sided affair as Mike’s Wellwoman were in a class above their opposition, Mora United whom they blasted away by 10-wickets.

Mike’s Wellwoman ended on 67-0 with Onika Wallerson 36 (5x4) and Katawa Mentore 26 (1x6 1x4) guiding the process.

Earlier, Mora United was limited to 66-7 off their 10overs; Angil Raphael 15 and Lorrimel Conyers were the principal contributors while Zola Telford was the leading wicket taker for the Mike’s Wellwoman with 3-10.

With the dust now settled on Super-16-Round play attention will now turn to the quarterfinals from this weekend and fans can brace themselves for many more exciting action leading up to the grand finals in both the male and female competitions. Semifinal berths are now at stake as the competition enters the home stretch.

Monday April 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

‘Guinness Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Football Tournament

Team with best record from preliminary phase sent packing It was a case of a ‘bridge too far’ for Commacka United, the only team to have won all their preliminary matches prior to their encounter with a determined and focused Rough and Rugged unit who they faced in the Round of 16 in this year’s Linden segment of the ‘Guinness Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Football Tournament on Saturday evening, at the Wisroc / Amelia’s ward Bus Park.

It was the first game of eight matches that were contested on a night of entertaining action witnessed by a capacity crowd that saw the usually efficient Commacka United team fall 20 to Rough and Rugged to make their exit out of the competition.

Jamie Wilson, who exhibited deft skills proved a thorn in the flesh of the opposition, scoring two wonderful goals to cause their elimination, while it gave them entry into the quarterfinals to be played tomorrow, at the same venue.

Wilson’s efforts came in the 2nd and 16th minutes of the game and were enough to initiate a hush among the Commacka United fans.

Amelia’s Ward Russians produced a similar gutsy performance to remove Amazing from the tournament after beating them 3-1 through goals off the boots of Shawn Daniels (1st), Terrence Aaron, who netted in the 2nd and 11th minutes, while Errol Davis (8th) strike had kept the contest alive at one stage.

Pokerburg then defeated Goal Getters 2-0 with Leon Gishard scoring a brace in the 10th and 12th minutes.

Pepper Skull then sent home Trainline Warriors via the penalty shootout route after their skirmish ended in a 0-0 stalemate after regulation time, while Sheriff Squad led by former national mid-fielder Collie Hercules sent El Dorado packing after a 2-0 win.

Hercules was on target in the 14th minute and he was supported by Colwin Davis’

Rough and Rugged goalscorer Jamie Wilson (with ball) attempts to dribble past a defender from Commacka United during their encounter on Saturday evening. strike in the 20th.

Retrieve Unknowns were recipients of a similar result against Top Class after their encounter ended 1-1 with Marvin Hartman’s (7th) minute effort giving the latter the lead, before Marcello Jansen equalized four minutes later.

Oswald Benjamin pair in the 6th and 12th minutes, along with a single goal from Randy Small in the 20th min handed Hard Knocks a comfortable 3-1 triumph against Star Boyz whose lone response came from Jermaine McBean in the 21st minute.

A double by Half Mile/ One Mile’s Seon Brewley in the (12th and 16th) was enough to give them an easy 2-0 victory over Classic Six. In full results: Game 1 Rough and Rugged beat Commacka United 2-0 Scorer: Jamie Wilson 2nd and 16th min Game 2 Amelia’s Ward Russians cruised past Amazing 3-1 For the winners, Shawn Daniels 1st min, Terrence Aaron 2nd and 11th min were the men on target, while Errol Davis 8th responded for

James halts Bollers charge to...

From page 23 was able to reach was good enough for first place. PPYC, Troy Williams was second with best leap of 13m34cm while long jump gold medalist, Leon Bishop, settled for third with 13m.

The women version saw Tracy Moses turning the tables on long jump gold medalist, Juanita Hooper, with her best leap of 10m35cm. Alita Moore’s 11m07cm leap won the junior female’s triple jump; Marcia Isaacs was second with 10m64cm.

Natasha Alder took the women’s javelin and shot put with throws of 31m69cm and 9m36cm respectively. Leslain Baird remained unbeatable in the javelin after sailing the object to 57m28cm to earn a gold medal.

The athletes under the age of 23 will be in action again Sunday at the Police Sports Club ground when the Under 23 Games gets under the starters and officials orders.

Amazing.

Game 3 Pokerburg beat Goal Getters 2-0 Leon Gishard10th and 12th min Game 4 Pepper Skull and Trainline Warriors drew 0-0 Pepper Skull won 3- 2 on penalty kicks.

Game 5 Sheriff Squad defeated El Dorado 2-0 Scorers: Collie Hercules 14th min and Colwin Davis 20th min Game 6 Top Class and Retrieve Unknowns drew1-1 Scoring for Top Class was Marvin Hartman 7th min, while Marcello Jansen responded in the 11th for Retrieve Unknowns.

Retrieve Unknowns won on penalty kicks 2-1 Game 7 Hard Knocks beat Star Boyz 3-1 Scorers: Oswald Benjamin 6th and 12th min, Randy Small 20th min Star Boyz 1 Jermaine Mac Bean 21st min Game 8 Half Mile/ One Mile beat Classic Six 2-0 Scorer: Seon Brewley 12th and16th min Meanwhile, the quarter finals is set for tomorrow, starting at 18:30 hrs.

In the fixtures: Sheriff Squad go up against Retrieve Unknowns; Rough and Rugged plays Amelia’s Ward Russians; ½ Mile / 1 Mile tackles Hard Knocks and Pepper Skull square off against Pokersburg Two exhibition games are planned that features Bosai vs. L.E.I and L.U.S.C.L vs.

Team Greatness.

Page 21

LTI to clash with LFS while ‘Multi’ faces MHS in today’s semi-finals After a round of intriguing contest and upsets, the 8th Victory Valley Royals School’s basketball championship is down to its final four teams.

In today’s semi-finals, the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) will play Linden Foundation Secondary (LFS) in the first game at 14:30 hours, while game two brings together defending champions Mackenzie High School (MHS) and Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (Multi).

So far, the biggest upset of tournament was the defeat of LTI by LFS in overtime in a game that brought out the Technical Institute’s weakness which was playing without their star Linden Fraser.

Nicknamed ‘The Sheriff’ because of his presence in the paint, Fraser’s absence brought about a sense of happiness from the LFS players given the fact that there was no one to intimidate them in any way.

The Junior National power forward is so far the tournament’s leading candidate for the ‘Best Defender’ accolade and has also been a scoring threat to all of the teams given the fact most of his baskets come from scoring his team’s second chances at the rim.

However, with Fraser back today, it would be interesting to see how LFS match up against an LTI unit with him in it but one thing is for sure – they will be heading into the game boosting with

confidence because of their previous win.

Game two is a sort of redemption drive for the defending champions who were soundly beaten by ‘Multi’ when they met in the preliminary round of the tournament.

Only losing to LTI in the tournament so far, ‘Multi’ is a strong contender for the title being led by point guard Emmanuel Archibald and Travis ‘Babylon’ Dryden and had easily defeated MHS when the two met previously.

MHS’ Parish Cadogan the tournament’s leading individual scorer (42 points against LFS) is determined to seek revenge and get a chance to really defend their title in the finals on Wednesday.

Caribbean Container Inc. sponsors Jnr FIDE Rating Chess Tourney Six unrated junior chess players will challenge four of their senior counterparts for FIDE (World Chess Federation) ratings in the Caribbean Container Inc. (C.C.I.) sponsored FIDE rating tournament which begins next weekend at Olympic House, Kingston.

The junior participants took part in the 2011 National Junior Chess Championship.

They are current National Junior Champion Hai Feng Su, Cecil Cox, Ron Motilall, Anthony Drayton and the Khan brothers, Sham and Kana.

The six juniors, the youngest of whom is 15 years old will clash over the chess board with senior players Taffin Khan (FIDE rating 1809 ) , S h i v N a n d a l a l l (1715), Ryan Singh (1456) and veteran player David Khan (1386).

The tournament is a single round robin encounter and consists of nine rounds. The tournament is scheduled to conclude in early May. The junior participants are required to score at least one point each in the upcoming tournament to earn FIDE ratings. In tournament chess one point is given for a win, half a point for a draw and zero point for a loss. The ratings are an indication of a chess player’s strength and international chess grandmasters are rated at 2500 and over.

In a simple ceremony on Friday last, Company Secretary and Administrative Director of Caribbean Container Inc, Ms. Patricia Bacchus handed over the sponsorship cheque at the

Caribbean Container Inc’s Ms. Patricia Bacchus (left) hands over the sponsorship cheque to Secretary of the Federation Vishnu Rampersaud. company’s head office, Farm, East Bank Demerara to Secretary of the Federation Vishnu Rampersaud who thanked the company official for the gesture. Ms. Bacchus

also reiterated her company’s annual support, the second of its kind to chess. The tournament is organized and conducted by the Guyana Chess Federation.

Risk-free Aussies go for kill...

From back page Roach to keep the pressure on Australia.

In Trinidad, he became the first West Indian since Curtly Ambrose in 1993, and the fifth West Indian overall, to pick up a 10-wicket match haul against Australia.

Kirk Edwards, with an injury to his left knee, has been withdrawn and replaced by the uncapped, left-hander Assad Fudadin.

He has only scored two centuries in eighty first-class innings, but both of those came in the recent regional 4-day competition.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

Monday April 23, 2012

Looks like a Western Tigers vs. Fruta History in the making as Shillingford Conquerors clash in Mayor’s Cup final prepares for “home” Test The final and third place playoff in the Mayor’s Cup Annual Knockout Inter-Ward football fiesta will be played on Saturday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground. The final has all the appearance of a Western Tigers versus Fruta Conquerors clash based on the players representing the respective teams, West Ruimveldt and Wortmanville, in the final.

West Ruimveldt where the Tigers are based will have Dwayne Alli, Devon Millington, Philip Rowley, Nedd Fraser, Sherman David Orville Milton, Jerome Richardson, Raul Giles and Ryan Adolph leading their attack. All play for the Tigers outfit.

Wortmanville’s challenge will be spearheaded by Pernell Shultz, Eon Alleyne, Colin Edwards, Dellon Williams, Joshua Brown, Paul Daniels, Royan Morrison, Jahal Greaves, Dwayne Lawrence and Jermaine Brown, who all represent Conquerors.

Keen competition is anticipated as is customary whenever these two talented and determined outfits collide.

The third place playoff, which will precede this final, will be a battle between West Ruimveldt Estate and Bourda, who lost to the above mentioned pair in the semis. Two preliminary games are scheduled starting from 5:00pm with Brave heart tangling with Kuru Kuru, while Santos Masters will battle their counterparts from GFC to whet the appetite of the fans.

At stake in the Mayor’s Cup tournament is the Banks DIH Ltd top prize of $500,000, while Digicel took care of the second prize of $250,000.

Beepat and Sons has donated $150,000 for the team finishing in the third place, while the Guyana Beverage Company provided the $100,000 fourth prize.

Several other corporate

Marco Marcus

Dellon Williams

Orville Milton

Nedd Fraser

entities have also contributed to the success of the tournament including MACORP, John Fernandes Ltd, Nazar Mohamed of Mohamed’s Enterprise, Lombard Street, CIDI, General Equipment Guyana Ltd, New Thriving Restaurant, Sterling Products and Courtney Benn Construction Company.

Coordinator Lennox Arthur is expressing heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors, big and small, for their assistance in ensuring the tournament came off. He noted that this year they moved away from staging a club tournament but opted for the Inter Ward format because the organising committee wanted to stay away from any football politics. He noted that his interest is seeing football played without any

inhibitions and that growth takes place in the sport and among the players.

Meanwhile, individual awards will be presented to the outstanding players with the MVP down to receive a trip to Kaieteur Falls compliments of Roraima Airways and a Lazy Boy recliner from AH&L Kissoon our local furniture giant. The highest goal scorer will get a $20,000 gift voucher from Keishar’s. Leading that hunt is Anthony Sancho with 4 followed by Desford Williams, Pernell Schultz and Hubert Pedro all with 3 and in with a chance of increasing that tally.

Arthur has also promised fans turning out for the finals improved lighting, seating and toilet facilities on Saturday.

Roseau, Dominica — Shane Shillingford is set to create history today when he becomes the first Dominican to play a Test match on home soil.

The tall off-spinner bowled well against the Australians on his comeback to international cricket in Trinidad last week and is expected to retain his place in the team for the allimportant third and final Digicel Test at his home ground.

First ball today is 10 am (9 am Jamaica Time).

The picturesque Windsor Park hosted its first One-Day International back in 2009 and Test cricket came to the island for the first time last year.

Shillingford missed that match, when the West Indies played to a hard-fought draw against India, but he is now eager to take the field and perform in front his family, friends and countrymen.

Shillingford is only the fifth Dominican to play Test cricket. The others were the late Grayson Shillingford, as well as Irving Shillingford, Norbert Phillip and Adam Stanford. One other player born in Dominica, Philip DeFreitas, played Test cricket

Shane Shillingford for England.

“I’m looking forward to the chance of playing at home, being the first one to play a Test from Dominica in Dominica. It’s a very special feeling. I’m pretty much looking forward to that. I know the Dominican people will be coming out in big numbers to give their support,” Shillingford said.

“I’m confident coming on from the game in Trinidad, even more so knowing my family, my fans are coming out to support, so I really want to do well and we come out with a victory to level the series.

“Most of our players have

played here a number of times already and seeing for the Australians this is their first time, the environment, first time being here, playing here, so I think it’s a bit of an edge for us. But we do have to do the basics to come out with a win.”

Shillingford toiled hard on the Queen’s Park Oval pitch in Trinidad and came away with some reward, as the two teams played to a draw as rain washed away hopes of an outright result. He had the impressive figures of 49-1792-3 in the first innings and took the new ball in the second innings and had returns of 23.5-4-55-1.

Shillingford, who made his Test debut back in 2010 against South Africa at the Queen’s Park Oval, said he much enjoyed bowling on the surface in Trinidad, but expects the pitch “at home” to be somewhat different.

“Most of the time I try to bowl and build pressure. In the second innings in Trinidad I was happy to use the new ball and try my variations. As you saw, we were trying to get early wickets to give ourselves a chance to win the game,” the 29-year-old outlined.

Kolkata take rain-hit encounter; Deccan remain winless Yahoo!

Cricket – CUTTACK: Gayatri Reddy put up a brave face. There was little else she could do.

Her team, Deccan Chargers, had just devolved to their fifth defeat in as many matches this season, their campaign lurching from one loss to another, their morale in tatters.

Chargers’ five-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the rain-delayed fixture at Cuttack was largely a product of their own inability to seize the moment. Gautam Gambhir elected to field – a decision that satisfied both captains – and Chargers were off to a flier.

They didn’t lose a wicket until the last ball of the sixth over, when Kumar Sangakkara was castled by L. Balaji, and although the

batsmen that followed spent a reasonable – by Twenty20 standards – time in the middle, none of them carried on to make a difference as Chargers settled for a middling 126-7.

Chargers even had a chance to arrest Kolkata’s progres s . A l t h o u g h t h e target was manageable, tight bowling brought the requirement for Kolkata to 26 in four overs, as Dale Steyn returned for his second spell. The first ball was edged by the well-set Jacques Kallis through the vacant slip region, all the way to the third man boundary.

The second ball, pitched up, found the edge too, but this time it came to rest in the gloves of the wicket-keeper.

Things might just have swung the way of Chargers then. But once again the Hyderabad team failed to capitalise. In the next over, Debabrata Das was dropped at long-on off Veer Pratap Singh, and when Amit Mishra leaked 10 runs in the 19th, it was all over but for the shouting.

For Kolkata, skipper Gambhir struck a neat 30, while Manoj Tiwary’s unbeaten 30 ensured that the chase was seen through

despite the frequent loss of wickets. Steyn, as usual, bowled impressively, as did Ankit Sharma, but the paltry 126 failed to test Kolkata’s strong line up.

Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan opened the innings and scored a run-a ball halfcentury, failing to break the shackles when he attempted to break loose.

Parthiv Patel was run out, Craig White rushed into a pull by a Brett Lee special, and nobody else stuck around for long enough to impact the scoreboard.

Lee was as miserly as ever, bowling his last two overs for just four runs.

The last five overs of Chargers’ innings yielded just 28 as Sunil Narine and Balaji returned to bowl tight closing spells.

Another loss for the 2009 champions plants them even more firmly at the bottom of the table, with little hope of redemption d e s p i t e t h e p r e s e nce of stalwarts such as Steyn and Sangakkara.

Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 127 for 5 (Tiwary 30*, Steyn 2-24) beat Deccan Chargers 126 for 7 (Dhawan 50, Balaji 2-22) by five wickets.