GIHA Crime Report - Indians Betrayed

D

-.S**;,BLAGK ON INDIAN VIOLENGE rrElrr a r .c- rlr aarrralr --"'f

"'i.1-

DENIAL & INAGTICDN FEBRUARY 23n2oo2- FEBRUARY 2a,zoos

rcGO\,ERNIUIENT'S -firy^lt:=atlrEEDrrf,rElr-r(E

Fffi

g*7

crHAcffiEPoRr.K.0-ffi

a:

/

///'

'nr

/

/

fit,Lika:'coo ti e" tusel I Don't,Like Coolie" yAfrican Guyanese Bandit cut ut otf her long hair 1,200.2

lndian Heritage Association Alberttown, Georgetown, Guyana. 592-223-6385 qiha@futurenetqv.com

-tt-"-

CONTENTS

Foreword Executive

............1

Summary

.......

5

In Guyana

By Ramesh Gampat, PhD and Somdat Mahabir PhD, MPH..................... 8 Cross Sectional Studies of Crime and the Criminal Transfer ofWealth

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Gender Issues Surrounding

Violence in Guyana A GIHA

Report

Ethnic

.....................7

What the Papers Said And Didn't Say: The Failure of the Vledia to Report Ethnic Violence as Ethnic Violence and Race-Hate Crimes

By Ryhaan Shah ......... ......24 State and Societal Violence Against [ndians in Guyana: The Indian Ethnic Security Dilemma - 81; Rcwi Dev............................. 44 I

Nlanufacturing Docility: Black on Indian Violence in Guyana and Why Don't Indians Respond - By Svrami Aksharananda....................

Recommendations: The Way Forwardfor

Guyana

Violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Guyana

............

1,02

117

..... I 19

Daily Crime Report: February 23,2002 - February 28,2003 ....... :...... 120 Victims Dossier: Mctims' Personal Accounts of Hate

Glossary

Crimes

...... .. 149

......... 164

Foreword

FOREWORD

It is time

r,ve.

the people of Guyana, take responsrbilrty tbr our histow

-

our past and current

history and the legacy that is being handed down to our future generations. This reporr on the ethnic violence perpetrated bv Africans on Indians rn Guyana does not stand in isolation but rs the third such report that records the race hate that rocks the country whenever the Peoples Progressive Pafi (PPP) - r,vhich is race-based and attracts the ma;oniy lndian vote - gains political offrce.

The 1964 Wismar Report commissioned by the then Government to iruestigate the racial disturbances in the Wismar area on NIa.'-' 25 and 26, 1964. concluded: "Your Commissioners are convinced that 'this rvas a diabolical plot, ingeniously pianned and ruthlessly executcd.' " Neariy 200 Indian properties r,vere destroyed. hundreds of Indians beaten. [ndian lvomen raped, and t\,vo Indians killed by Africans in that diabolical plot. The over 3.000 Indians who lived in the area were evacuated and have never returned.

In 1998. the Guyana Indian Foundation Trust (GIFT) published a report on the ethnic violence against Indians between 1997 urd 1998, with a full report on the atrocities perpetrated dunng Peoples National Congress (PNC: Guvana's other race-based party with African support) violence on January 12, 1998. The Report stated. "Each qfthe 228 cases examined show thatthe perpetrators w'ere entirely Blacks eliminating al1 doubts whatsoever about the racist nature of the disorder."

This report by GIHA does not uncover a new phenomenon in Guyana. Sadly. it only confirms

the 1964 and 1998 reports. It brings the statistics up-to-date and shorvs how the ethnic violence has evolved to become a more sophisticated terrorism. Ethnic violence in Guyana is nor,v a high+ech industry rvith powerful AK-47 rif'les being used rn the attacks against Indians. The drabolical plot to destro.v Indians in Gu.vana uses banditry as a subterfuge and economics as a justification. but the

statlstrcs. and the personai accounts that lay bare the race hate that drives the attacks, are damning.

Ethnic terrorism in Gu-u-ana occurs whenever the PPP is in office. It happened in the 1960's. and started agarn in 1992 when democratic electrons putthe PPP back into government folloi,vrng twenty eight years of PNC rule that was kept in place through blatantly rigged elections. (The PPP commands 50 percent of the electorate and the PNC, 42 percent.) The PNC. now out of power and

little hope of gaining offrce through free and t-air elections given the ethnic arithmettc. has embarked on a policy to make the country ungovernable. This much r,vas stated in a public threat from the late PNC Leader. Mr Desmond Hoyte. and the PNC's campaigns against its political opponent always includes vrolence against the PPP's supporters: lndians. If enough Indians are seetng

killed and even more flee, then the figures at the polls r,vould favour a PNC return to porver through democratic means.

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Note the use of rvords: the PPP gains otfice and the PNC. power. It is a pivotai difference around r,vhich the violence is played out. Nlanv expected President Cheddi Jagan. on attaining office

in 1992. to make the necessarv stmcturai

changes to usher in lastrng peace and prospenr_r* in Guyana.

Hor.vever. he did not. There were no substantive reforms of the predomrnantll, African civil service,

police and armv and Gu--vana continues to pa-v- a high pnce for this negligence. Through its hoid on three of the main arms of the instrtutions of the state. real power remains rnthe hands of the PNC. President Jagan. who had promised rnclusivirl," of governance rn the run-up to the 1992 general elections, never made good on his promise. He never extended a hand of reconciliation and fnendship to the PNC by presiding over institutional and constitutional reforms that would allow for an accomrnodation of Guyana's race/ethnic groups at a parliamentary level. He lacked the statesmanship and vision that could have lifted Guyana out of the morass of its ethnic politics. His shortsrghtedness r,vas fueled perhaps by the PPP's Communist beliefs that impose a class-struggie para-

digm onto a country r,vracked by racial/ethnic conflict.

The PPP's insistence on seeing Guyana's problems through this pnsm continues. and their blinkered view continues to exact a high toll of lives lost and lndians fleeing as refugees of ethnic violence. The irony is that the mass of the PPP's supporters does not understand, or care to understand Communist theories They vote race just like the PNC supporters do.

Race-based politics in a multiracial socief-v*'"vhere poveq,, illiterac,v, poor health. unemplo-vment, housing, electncity and ,,vater supply are major national issues is bound to be explosive. The

racc out of pow'er has much gnst for its mril. From the time the PPP regarned office in 1992, the scene was set for a renewed cycle of ethnic violence by Afncans on Indians to protest their loss of political polver. Nlore fundamentally. they face the dilemma that, given the racial/political alignment of the electorate, they may never have a chancc to gain politrcal office legitimately.

If this is the cntical issue - political power - why then is it ignored'/ Until norv. the PNC has never showrr a willingness to discuss an inclusive form of governance. They. like the PPP were jockeying for absolute power. Holvever, the PIC seems to have come around to the idea and are willing to discuss the implementation of such a system. The PPP, however, is not budging and is continuing its charade of pretending to be a multrracial party that is representative of ail of Guyana's race and ethnic groups.

The reaction to our symposium held at the Hotel Tower, Georgetown. on June 2,2003.to present the preliminary findings of this repor[ was not unexpected. Denial and criticism were understandable from the PNC. They have never yet admitted the engineering and execution of ethnc terrorism in Guyana though the truth of this is common knowledge in Guyana.

The PPP's denial is the more troubling of the two. The PNC's is expected: it is instinctive to their self-interest and self-preservation. But why would the PPP, ur the face of all the evidence of the ethnic violence that has marred Guyana's landscape since it attained office in 1992- deny rt'/ Their denial stems from a complexity of untruths that props up the PPP. The PPP lies that it is a multiracial parf-v. It is a lie that flies in the face of the known truth that its support base is Indian. and has always been Indian. The lie is instinctive to the PPP's own self-rnterest and self-preservation. Ifthe PPP is to retain its absolute hold on the countrv's administration, it has to stay all attempts to change Guyana's system of governance to one of inclusivrty That is. if it can get away with its 1ie that it is multiracial. then there is no need for any po\,ver shanng arangement. As wrth all lies. once presented. it has to be supported. fed and maintarned- or the whole structure will crumble.

ffi, ffi"'Page lâ‚ŹS'

2

Foreword

The bloodshed and violence Guyana rvrtnessed betu,een February 23.2002 to February 28.

2003, is

onl-',*

part of the high cost exacted for the maintenance of the PPP's 1ie. Absoiutely temfied

of appearing Indian. of appeanng biased in protecturg its supporters. the PPP seems fully prepared to have its supporters destroyed. Collateral damage is a small price to pay tbr the grand prize of keepurg

one's office. Add to the iie the PPP's failure to truly empower its government with balanced armed forces that would heed and carrv out its orders. and the violence was just waitrng to be unleashed.

An offlce tbr refugee status abroad asked GIHA to clarifu an issue that puzzled them. "The tantamount question on our Board Nlembers' mrnds is why an Indran government cannot protect its Indian voters?" the-v- asked.

GiF{A explained to them the PPP's derual of its ethruc-based support. and its failure to balance the armed forces in order that the Government should have the power to maintain law and order, a fundamental state mandate. This refugee status office and others in North Amenca are dealing with more and more Indian Guvanese refugees. GIHA has helped several victims with their cases. Indians are fleeing and seeking refugee status abroad on the basis of the ethnic violence directed at them.

Here lies the saddest irony of Guyana's situation. Foreign governments are acknowledging the Indian Guvanese realrt_v - thcir distress. and fear of living in a country where they can be terrorized and killed for their ethnicity by Afiican Guyanese.

Here. at home. lve have to continue to live lvith the denial. The "coalition tbrces" guarding the denial is formidable: The PPP/C Government, the PNCR Opposition, the Guyana Human Rights Association, Amnesty lnternational. civic organizations. et al.

The denial effectivel-v- blocks the path to addressing the root causes of and finding solutions for Guyana's ethnic dilemmas. The denial condemns Guyana to a future of hopelessness and further destruction.

It is our hope that this report will be taken seriously by the United Nations, the British Foreign and Commonw'ealth Office and other international agencies. It is our hope that someone, somer,vhere will be concerned enough to bnng pressure to bear and force everyone in Gu.vana especiall-v our politicians - to be courageous enough to confront our realiry deal r.vith our pain. and find a path to lasting peace and prosperlty.

This. before it is all much too late

Guyana Indian Heritage Association

Georgetown, Guyana June 20,2003

ffi "fv .**6',

l" Page 3

fuewunS o^rlncoxll

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A study undertaken by GIFL\ of the vear of violence between February 23 - 2002 and February 28. 2003. revealed that the majority of the violence \.vas ethnically directed at Indian Guvanese by Afrrcan Guyanese bandits.

The criminality had clear ethnic/political motives as evidenced by the ',vords of race hate hurled at the Indian victims, and by the bandits' own words. reported rn the Victims' Dossier by three kidnap victims: one had escaped. and the other two were released bv their captors after paving a ransom. The year of violence included the PNCR protest of July 3.2002, a day that followed the pattern of other such protests: Indians were beaten, robbed and molested on the streets of the citv by African Guyanese supporters of the main opposition party.

Dunng the 1,ear under studn 155 people died as a result of bandrt attacks, police killings. vigilante justice. and drug lvarfare and gang r,vryfare. A phantom force. rumoured to be a Business/ Govemment-backed mercenary force- was also credited with several murders, While most of the killings and some of the robberies were Black-on-Black violence. the majority of the assaults. robbenes. ktdnappings. and rapes were ethnically directed atrocities of Blacks on lndians.

Of the 155 murdered. 30 rvere Indian civilians and poiicemen. gunned down by Black bandits. The highest incidence of lndians kriled occurred in September 2OO2 with seven deaths, six of them in separate shooting rncidents on September 25 and September 27 .2002. The highest death toll occurred in January 2003 with 3 I deaths. one per day. Twelve of those killed during that month were bandits. suspects- "phantoms". and thieves.

Twenty-one of those murdered were police, inciuding two CANU offrcers. Four of the policemen killed were Indians. The first person killed, during the pnson outbreak of February 23.

2002. was Pnson Officer Troy Williams.

Forry-eight bandits. thieves, wanted men, suspects, etc. were krlled during the penod under study. and 44 were African Guvanese, 91.6 percent. Of these. 26 were killed during confrontations wrth police. The rest rvere found shot dead, r.vere killed in gang shootouts. or by the "phantoms".

There were l0 kidnap incidents involving 18 people, all lndians. Of these. two were killed. six escaped, nine were released and the fate of one youth. Sadesh Sahadeo, is still unknown. An estimated $85 million was paid out in ransom.

@ ?t page l"

,P4,'

5

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Eight rvornen r.r'ere killed: thrce Africans. trvo Indians. one Chinese. and hvo of \,lixed race.

Tu'o non-Guvanese rvere krlled: one Brazilian. a miner during a robbery,- and a Tnnidadian.

The total amount of money and valuables stolen dunng the ,vear under study amounted ro $ 176.8 million. Of this. S 149.9 mrllion was robbed fiom lndians. 8.{.7 percent of the total. The Afncan loss r,vas 9 3 percent: Others. 2.9 percent: and Organisatrons etc. suffered a 2.9 percent financial loss. Including propertv damage - burning of homes, businesses. destruction to cars. etc. the total loss reached $231.9 million. Of this 80 percent, $185.9 million, rvas sufflered b,v Indians, and 15 percent. $35.6 million

Alncans.

The bandit attacks occurred mainly in Georgetown and along the East Coast. Of 631 incidents. 1 7 incident per da-v* fbr the year- 273 occurred on the East Coast. ar;rd267 rn the citv. The East Bank of Demerara suffered 30 attacks, the Lindennvismar area. l8: Intenor regions, 16; Corentyne b-,-

and Berbice, 14: and West Coast. West Bank and Essequrbo combined. 13.

During the attacks. 22 handguns \,vere taken from police, secunry* guards and civilians, and 38 cellular phones, stolen. There were 46 caqackings. and the number of reported rapes during bandit attacks numbered six. (Mary- rapes \^rere never reported to the poiice.)

Through the GIHA Jahaji Fund established in September 2002.39 victims were treated by a

for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Seven suffered Chronic PTSD and 32 Acute PTSD. Tlvo-thirds of those counselled were women. Trvo of the victims r,vere African Guyanese and all the bandits who had carned out the atttacks rvere Aliican Gu-v-anese, except one.

The counsellor dealt lvith three rape victims, and two women r.vho suffered attempted rape attacks. fvtost of the attacks. 34. occurred in homes on the East Coast.

The statistics show clear evidence that the vast majority of the cnminality'was ethnically/ politicalty dnven and the analyses undertaken and published in this report seek to explain and expose some of the underl-vrng causes of Guyana's ethnic violence, a problem that has haunted our country since the 1960s.

The studies report on the trauma of tlre abuse taced by Indians. and the involvement of

prot-essional counsellor

African Guyanese women in the violence against Indian men and lvomen; detail the statistics of the banditry that show a clear pattern of wealth berng cnminally transferred from Indians to Africans, roots expose the media's failure to report the ethnic violence as ethnic violence; analyse the historical of the Black violence against Indians in Guyana; and probe rrto the reasons why Indians no longer defend themselves when under attack. ' 'Ihe arm of this report is not to simply state and analyse the facts of our country's ethmc/ that' if political violence but to offer solutions to bnng about peace- tncluded are recommendations heeded. could result in a renewal of hope for Guyana' The citicatissue is Guvana's style of govemulce ud GlF,lsupports the calls for consUfut'ional reforms that wou.ld create a Govemment for Guyana where evev race and ethruc gr1up ls rncluded and plays an active role in shaping our policies. legislation- and institutions.

@--

33.1" P.g" o ,rt*S'

Cross Sectional Studies of Crime and the Criminal Transfer of Wealth ln Guyana Ramesh Gamp"t, PhD & Somdat Mahabir, PhD, MPH

GIHA CRIME REPORT - INDIANS BETRAYED!

Cross Sectional Studies of Crime and the Criminal Transfer of Wealth ln Guyana Ramesh Gamp"t, PhD and Somdat Mahabir, PhD, MPH

In a 1998 letter to the Stabroek News- a quasi-independent nelvspaper in Guyana. lve observed: "Crime ... has reached epidemic proportions and now poses a threat to societv and to In&ans in particular ... ." Today, the situation is worst: some have equated the cnme epidemtc with domestic terrorism.

The crime epidemic is a symptom of a national duel between trvo racist partres: the African dominated PNC and the Indian dominated PPP, nerther of which admits to being racist. Both, however, seeks exclusive political power and

will do anything to stay in office. Cnme is merely one

manifestation of the current struggle between these tlvo political parties for the "Cacique Crolm."

Violent crime is not of recent origin in Guyapa. For example, the Wismar Nlassacre of Indians borders on ethnic cleansing. Then during the Bumham dictatorship crimes against lndians in panicular became r.videspread. In fact. the entire country suffered and people of all stnpes emigrated in droves. It was during the Burnham dictatorship that Guyana witnessed the more brutal gun-rvielding,

"krck-down-door" banditry that once again preyed upon Indians. NIr. Burnham was successfirl in reorganizrng the secunt_v forces with approxrmately 95 percent Africans and this was an important coirelate with tho'criminal activiliss cngulfrng t}te ctruatry.

The Hoy'te regirne- rvhich reintroduced the deeth pen:rlry catne dorvn hnrtrllw on this nerv generation of criminals and contained the up*ard spiraling of violent crime. Violence flared up again

rrfien tho PNC rvas dofcatcd by its archrival. thE PPP.

n

1992 during thc country's first froE and fair

A period of relative calm followed. r,vhich facilitated robust economic growth rritiated by the Hoyte regime with the Economrc Recovery Programme, which was generously

eiection in 24 years.

supported by the international donor commuruq,-.

The lead-up to the 1997 national election saw the beginmng of a campaign by radical African

urtellectuals from the PNC. WPA and ACDA to sow the seeds segment charged

of discontent among the African

of the population. When the PPP won the elections in December that it was rigged and commenced a penod of massive protests. The

199'7. the opposition Monda,v, January i2.

1998- nots and violence were probably the r,vorst the country had ever seen.

A

"forensic audit"

Gross Sectional Studies ef Grime and the Griminal Transfer of Wealth ln Guyana

cleared the eiection of all charges and a truce 'was brokered with the assistance of Caricom but at a price: the PPP agreed to cut its term of office b.v almost trvo vears in exchange for relatl,e pexce.

When the PPP rvon the thrrd free and fair election n Nlarch 2001. it became clear that the PNC would be unable to hold the rerns of government given the present ethnic anthmetic. Protests. violence and riots \,vere resorted to once again. With the escape of the five cnminals from the Brickdam Prison in February 2002 and the open call on public television for the liberation of Afrrcans. violence exploded. reaching epidemic proportions and bordenng on terrorism.

Indians have been the targets of violent crimes tbr a sustarned penod of over forty years noq as the nots ofthe 1960s - 1992. 1997. 1998, 1999, and the political violence since 2000 demonstrate. There is one curious thurg about these penodic outbursts of violence against Indians: almost r,vithout exception, they have all been r,vaged during penods of PPP rule.

A11

cnme data used by this report were obtained from reports carried by the Stabroek News,

Guyana Chrontcle

alrtd

Kateteur News together with follow-up investigations.

DATA ANALYSIS A.

The Victims: December 1997 to December 1998 (Study 1)

'

176 reports on violent crimes, slightly more than 14 per month. Going pureiy by

narnes/ of the 345 rrjctins

ofrrj:brtam e,1512

fien

wele trrdians ard 18.5?; werpAfi-i'turs The rest. 5.1Yo. were of other races or ret'er to situations in which names were not mentioned or the ethnicrty of the victims was unclear. ' Including the 303 Indian victims of the Januar-v 12, 1998 nots identrfied ur the GIFT report, the total number of victims would rise to 648. Of these, 564, or 87o/o. were Indians. ' The average age for all victimp is close to 30 years. For Indrans. the average age rvas 31 years: for A-fricans. it r.vas 32 years: for "Others" it was 24. of

'

Clearly. victims of violent crime, regardless of their ethnicit_v, were young and rn the pnme of their life (average life span rn Guyana is about 69 years).

'

Of the 345 victims, there were 222 (64 3%) male and 107 (31.0%) temale victims.

No gender lvas reported or could not be identified for 16 (4 6%) victims rvhose ethnictties were also unknown.

'

Of all identified male victims,TZYowere lndians: 23ohwere Africans. and 5o% were "Others." Of all identified female victims, 81.3% were Indians. 12.2%o lvere Affrcans; and 6.5%

were "Others."

'

Fifty-four persons were murdered. Of these deaths. 59.3% were Indians; 33o/, were Africans; and slightly over 1Yo were "Others." ' Overall, therefore. there were 21 murders during robbenes and assaults and almost all were Indians (20 or 95.2 %). One of the victims was ;ur Aircan. More detaiied scrutiny of the data revealedthat 13. or 6l.9Yo, of these 21 murders were committed execution-st_vle dunng robbery and assault incidents. Twelve (92.3%) ofthe victrms of these execution-slvle murders were Indians.

Only one of the victrms was an Ahican. ' For the specific locations of the 171 reports on violent crimes, Georgetown alone

#

!Si'Pase t"dg'

9

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

accounted tbr 94 (55%) of the reports: East Coast Demerara

fbr l.l (82%):

for I7 (9 99/o): East Bank

Demerara

fbr 10 (5.892o): and the rest of the countq,. rvhere the bulk of the Indian population lives, tbr the fer,v remaining reports. ln other r.vords. the county of Demerara West Demerara

accounted for 78.9'% ofthe violent crimes committed in the country dunng the thirteen-month penod. ' This concentration of reported violent cnmes in Georgetolm certarnly* does notmean tvhat these reported statistics suggest: that Indian-domrnated areas. such as Berbice and Essequibo. are aimost cnme-free as the,v accounted for only 8.8% of the violent cnmes in the country dunng the

study penod. What it means is that the coverage in these trvo counties is verv rnadequate. To thrs extent. the suffenng of rurai folks fiom vioient crimes is not adequately exposed to the public. We interpret this as an indication that our anai,vsis has underestimated the actual rates

of cnme in the country.

The true point estimate should be bigger. but its magru-

tude can

onl-v-

be determined by a validation studv.

B.

The Victims: Februarv 2002 to Februarv 2003 (Studv 2) The number of assaults. robberies and kidnappings during February 2002 to February 2003 totaled 460. As Figure 1 shows, 725% r,vere commrtted against Indians: 21.7% against Africans: 2.8% against Others: 1.5% against organizations: and the rest, l.1Yr, were unknowns.

Figure

1

The terror wave kilied

15 5

persons during ttns twelve-month period (Figure 2), which.

by simple arithmetic, meant that someone's life was snuffed out on average every 2.5 days. Two of the 151 persons killed rvere non-Guyanese: 1 Tinidadian and i Brazilian

Monthlv Killines. Feb. 2002

-

Feb. 2003

Deaths Month February 2002 .......................,...........,.,..... 1 ........................ 3 March 2002

Julv 2002 ...

-{uo.-4r f ool

.. ...

September '02 October 2002

...................... 20 ...................... 20

November'02 ............ ... .............. 17 December'02 ........ ... .. . ....................... 12 January 2003.... .................................... 3I February 2003 ........................................ 14

Total..............

............... 155

Figure

2

Strictlv onthe basis ofttus data. approximately 20 persons have been krlled for every 100.000 of the country's population during this twelve-month penod (Table i. opposite), jumping from the

Cross Sectional Studies of Crime and the Criminal Transfer of Wealth ln Guyana

Table

1.

The Crime Soree and Murders

Period December l997-December

1998

illurders 52

Murder Rate ....... 6.8

79 200i.......

142 ...................

2002...........

February 2002to February 2003 .......... i55 .. 82 ...................

Januarv to April 2003 .

10.4 18.7

t99 10.8

.l@g: number of persons murdered per 100.000 persons in the population Soarce: .{uthors' calculation from hgures reported in the printed press

'

It is perhaps time to pronounce that violent cnme in Guyana has graduated to phase marked by features unknor,"l rn the past:

a new

x Car-jackings: x Kidnappings:

x Open calls on pubiic television to overthrow the duly elected Government and "liberate" Africans: and * Use of sophisticated equipment. including computers, cell phones, tracking de vices and powerful \,veapons that outmatched those of the police.

'

From Februaryto August 2002. thenumber of killings per month remained relatively low' - albeit higher than previously - but took off suddenly in September when the number of peopie murdered jumped from 7 in the previous month to 20 and then peaking at 31 victims in January 2003.

Sevenr,n*-four percent (112)

of all victims murdered during the entire penod occurred between September 2002 and January 2003. During these blood.v six-months. someone was killed bv violent crime every 1.6 days. Modern Guyana has nolv entered its kiiling age: the coexistence of democracy and the deadly dance of ethnic vioience perpetuated by one ethnrc group upon another. Unfortunatel,v, the duly eiected Govemment appears to be no more than a spectator as the internecine drama unfolds. ' There were 10 rncidents of kidnapping involving a total of 18 victims. Three of them were females with one being a 14-year-old girl. All kidnapped victims were lndians and all the perpetrators were, from al1 GIHA rnvestigations. Africans. Two of the kidnapped victims were murdered; 6 escaped: 9 were released upon the payment of $85 million in ransom: and the fate of one is stillunknown. ' The perpetrators of the hernous crime wave mainly used guns to ply their trade.

Compared to the past when revoivers were corrmon, the weapon of choice today is the AK-47.

While a portion the weapons was stolen from the police and civilians (22 handguns stolen from police, security and civilians), all were not obtained through robbenes. Tlls implies that crimrnals have other sources for obtarning weapons, that the heinous crime wave is apparently an organized business, and that at least part of the loot is invested in the business. tepid rate of 6. 6 per year for the penod 1994-1996 . For companson. it may be observed that for Cari

@ t5 :F age P.i$-

11

GIHA GRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

tepid rate of

6. 6

per year tbr the period 1 994-

96. For comparison. it mav be observed that

for Canbbean countries as whole the corresponding statrstic was 3.5 in l99i: forTnnidad. it was 6.6 in 1994. Nlurder in Guyana has norv reachcd epidemic proportions.

'

Finally. like the earlier period

studied. the current reported crime r,vave is reiatively- concentrated geograplucally Eighteight percent of the reported violent criminal incidents occurred rn Georgetown and East Coast

- an area of about 15 miles - where most of the Afncan popuiation lives.

Hor,vever. the data also suggest that the violence is moving to other parts of the country. For

example, it has spread to Berbice and Essequibo. rvhich makes the geographical reach of tlls round of the violence much more inclusive, and to even the intenor of the country (although it is not r,vaged against the Amenndians for the simple re&son that the are too poor and do not pose a political threat to Afncans) Of 631 incidents (Figure 3). I 7 rncident per day for the year,273 occurred on the East Coast. and267 in the crty. The East Bank of Demerara suffered 30 attacks, the Linden/Wismar area.

18: Intenor regions, 16: Corentyne and Berbice. 14; and West Coast, West Bank and Essequibo combined, 13.

'

There is thus a simultaneous tnple effect of the cnme epidemic: large-scale killings

in a so-called democratic country; accelerated migration; and depressed economic grolvth. Guyana nolv stands on the precipice ofchaos and only a political solution can save her.

C.

Criminal Transfer of ,w*ealth

The data on the cnme epidemrc revealed a substantial transfer of wealth from predominantiy Indians to predominantiy Afrtcans. Leading Afiican intellectuals. activists and politrcrans justify the criminal transt-er of r,vealth on the ground that the PPP Govemment favors Indians and margmalizes Afircans: that Indians are nch and Afrrcans are poor and that Indians have dispossessed Africans. But. of course, there is little truth in this. Instead. we poslt the vrew that the current spate of crippling violence has a political motive and invokes economics as its justification It is impossible to put a pnce on intangibles such as disgrace and abuse meted wives and unilurEtl wn0se llusDaflrilnurcrs ilave oeen senselessly m0we0 00wn: lower eoucatlonai ailalnment for chrldren: psychological and emotional trauma: and the rmpact on identity and culture. Thrs is to say nothrng about the medical costs directlv incurred in treating victims of the cnme eprdemic or tndirectlv incurred in treatrng those affected by the crime: and lost output to the economy resuitrng from the death (injuries or other disabiiities) of the hundreds persons or from those who have migrated as a result of the crime wave. ' For the periods December 1997 - December 1998, S159.5 miliion in cash and valuables were stolen, of rvhich $13.2 miilion was looted on January 12. 1998 (Table 2). This, surely, is the srngle biggest one-day heist in the hrstory of the country.

@_ ?t

I'Fage 12

lo*4'

Gross Sectional Studies of Crime and the Griminal Transfer of Wealth ln Guyana

Table 2.Criminal Transfer of Wealth in Nlillions of Dollars Indians

Africans

Others

Total

Period: December 1997 to December 1998 Robbery & Assault 113.5 ........

Burglary

21.5........... t46.3 January 12. 1998 Percentxge

of sub-total

84.7.....

1.8

13.5........... 100.0

Period: Februarv 2002 to February 2003 49.1 .................13.7 4.6 .... . . .

Cash & Vaiuables ....... 15.8 Undisclosed 2.8 .............0.7 .......

Ransom...

.

67.4 19.3

85.0

3.8

Unknor,vn

1.3

Sub-total...

...... 185.9 ....

35.6 ............ 5.3 ......... . 23t.9 Percentage of sub-total....... . 80.2.....

15.4 2.4 ................ 98 38.5........226.8 391.4 Grand Tota1.......... 321.0 83.1................10.0 6.9.......... 100.0 Percentage of total Nole: Amounts shorvn for December 1997 to July 1998 represents actual cash; no estimate is available forvaluables or damage to properfy. The grandtotal of $391.5 miilions rncludes the "ethnic amounts" as well as the $3.8 mrllion and $1.3 million for organizations andunknowns, respectiveiy In the same period. the overwhelming portron of the loot (84.7o/r) belonged to Indi-

ans: 1.87, was stoien from Africans: and 135% from people of other ethnicities. Besides Chinese, Portuguese and people of mixed

ethnicities, the latter includes amount looted

from people w'hose ethnicities r,ve could not determrne from the reports carried rn the press.

Many of those with undermined ethnicity are possibly Indians with non-Indran names. ' For the second penod, February 2002 and February 2003. the booty of cnme is estimated at $176.8 million (Figure a). Eighty four percent of thrs amount was stolen from Indians: 9o/o from Africans: 2.9o2

from Others: and about 2.97o comprised

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

amounts stolen fiom organrzations and unknolms.

'

For both cross sectionai studlz penods. 5336.3 million rvere looted from the citizens of Guyana. Indians were the pnncipal victims with 8.1%. beionging to them. Afncans r,vere aiso victtms but on a much smaller scale - only l0% of the loot r,vas taken from them. Others- wluch rnciude people whose ethnrcities could not be identified. accounled for the rest of the boory (6%). ' Between February 2002 and February 2003. thetotal losses rncurred. includrng property damage amounted to S231.9 million. Of these losses. 80o% rvere rncurred by lndians. 15.a% by Africans.

.

2

.3oh b _v Others: and 2 2 by organizations and unknorws

.

A conservative econometnc anal-v*sis suggests that a 10% increase in violent crimes pushes economic growth down by 0.6% through the r,vithdrar,val of hvestment- psychological and emotional impatrment of the r,viliingness to r,vork and migration to other countries. At a functton organized b.v the orgamzation for Social and Health Advancement in Guyana. the US Ambassador, Mr. Ronald Goddard. said: "Certainl.v- the general economic slorvdoum has hurt Guyana, but the

crime lvave and politrcal stalemate has served to undermine the rnvestment climate and discourage investment." (Kaieteur News, April 11, 2003).

'

One other aspect of the current crime epidemic should be noted: its prof-

Exciuding damages to properfy. the average loot rvas $327 .391, ivhich is I .7 trmes the country's per capita GDP rn 2002. rvhich r.vas about S188.000. If only crime against Indians is taken into consideration. then the average would be $341,522 or 1.8 times the country's per capita ilcome. Put simpl.v, cnme pays and its pa.vs even more highly if indians are targeted t itabrlit--r,'.

Conclusion We are fully aware of the limitations of using ner,vspaper repor[s to assess crime rates and loss resulting from crimes. However, given that Guyana is riddled r,vith comrption, bureaucrattc red tape, and political control of institutions, accessing data ofthis nature from govemment sources is an exiremely difficult task.

The easiest rvayto do these t111es of preliminary analvses is to access the data from readily available newspaper reports, which are not wildly inaccurate as these reports are often corroborated wrth those of the police . In ths future, we hope t0 access funding to conduct a more decisive study

of

crime and ethnicit_v in Guyana.

There are other limitations. The press suffers from "Georgetown-centnc bias:"

it

reports

mostly sensational cnmes; and it underestimates the magnitude of violent cnme rn the country. However, certain findings have emerged consistently: crime pays, especially if Indians are the targe! the overwhelmrng share of the victims are Indians: the overwhelming share of the perpetrators are

Africans; the majorrqv of those siain are young males: and cnme exerts a depressive eflect on the economy.

More importantly, it sends a "scare wave" into the psyche of Indians who are norv migrattng ur larger droves

Gross Sectional Studies of Crime and the Criminal Transfer of Wealth ln Guyana

Appendix 1. Methodolory/Assumptions The data for this report rvas based purely on articies carried by the country's three ieading nervspapers: Stabroek News. Guvana Chronicle and Kaieteur News. coupled rvith rimdom verilication of data by GIHA for the second penod ( Februaw 2002 to February 2003) It is a factual analysis of the data.

The data was checked for internal consistency and repetition (as it is not unusual tbr the same incident to be reported more than once). The cleaned data was then entered into a Microsoft E,rcel and a statistical program for manipulation and analvsis. The data can be verilled bv anyone r.vho has the time and

inclination to check the nervspapers.

Forthe period Febmary 2002to February 2003:

'

'

' ' ' '

Undisclosed sum per ethnic group: There is little argument thatundisclosed amount canbe known with any degree of certaintv. Our approach is to assume that undisclosed amount is equal to a proportionate share ofcash and valuables stolen as follor.vs: (i) obtain average ofcash andvaluables stolen per incident For Indians, for example, apart from July 3rd & August 30th, 2003 . 137 incidents of robberies were reported and the sum of $-16,091.1-10 was stolen in cash and valuables.

This averages out to 5336,432/incident; and (ii) multiplies the result of (i) by the number ofundisclosed reports. For Indians this i,vas -t7 Thus, the undisclosed amount stolen from Indians is $15.8M.

The sum of 5.19,091.1-t0 robbed from Indians is arrir,ed at by adding the value of $46,09 1,1-10 to the sum of $3M. The $3.M is calculated by using an average of $20,000 per individual that was stolen from Indians on Juiy 3rd, 2002 (conserv-atively. 100 incidents) and on August 30th, 2002 (conservativel.v, 50 incidents). Most hrjackrngs were of African-owned cars: it is not clear whether some of the drives had activeiy cooperated.

The average cost of damaged Indian-owned vehicles on August 30,2002 (Andrelv Douhglas'

funeral)was$100.000. Ownerswerecontactedandaskedtoestimatethecostofrepairs.

Average repair cost budgeted on damaged hrjacked cars assumed: $100,000. The same assump-

tion

as above.

An average of$20.000 per individual rvas stolen from Indians on Juiy 3rd and on August 30, 2002 based on intervielvs conducted.

A conservative estimate of 100 persors rvas robbed on July 3.2002, and 50 persons robbed on

August30,2002. Another50suffereddamagestotheirvehiclesatanestimatedvalueof$100.000

' '

on August 30th.

Foreign currency stolen was converted At $ 1 90/ 1 USD. Vhluables stolen rvere costed as follows. using current market values:

Cellphone-$30.000:Weddingband-$20,000.Goldcharn-$10.000:Goldnng-

$5,000:Ezrnngs-

$5.000: Gold wrist bands- 525.000: Silver wrist bands-$5,000. Pistol -S50.000: Shotguns / rifles$ 100.000. Watch - $5.00(): Scooter- $ 150.000: Outboard engrne- $500,000, Jewelry: (2 nngs, 2 pairs earrings. 1 charn- 1 silverbilnd. 1 goldband)-$60,000; Tape deck -$20.000: Groceries -$50,000. Siiver ring- $ 1.500, 'pieces ofjewelry' - $8.570 ($60.000/7); Television - $-10,000; CD player- $30.000: Stabilizer -$15,000: Foonvear -$ 10.000: Bicycle -$10,000; Radio set- $20.000: CarVbus- $500,000.

Dr. Ramesh Gampat is an economist. He has published articles in academic

journals

on poverty and

culhre, history, economics,

inflation, and has written extensively

on

and poverty and population issues for news-

papers.

from New York Institute of Technology, PhD from Nw York University, and MPH from New York Medical College. Dr. Mahabir is trained in biology, clinical nutrition and eprde-

Dr. Somdut Mahubir received his

fuISc.

miology. He is a scientist specializing in cancer prevention.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Gender lssues Surrounding Ethnic Violence in Guyana

A GIHA Report

Post Traumatic Stress Disorderand Gender lssuesSurrounding Ethnic Violence

Post Traurnatic Stress Disorder and Gender lssues Surrounding Ethnic Violence in Guyana

A GIHA Report

During the period under study. February 23. 2002 to February 28. 2003. GIHA volunteers visited hundreds of homes, most of them on the East Coast of Demerara where the Indian coflrmunities suffered dail,v ethnic attacks and abuse from African Guyanese criminals - harboured in and operating out of Buxton.

We became actively involved in helping victims after the July 3, 2002, PNC protest when we

lvere contacted by victims of the ethnic vioience that occurred that day. GIHA produced a minidocumentary of one victim's story - a lvoman who had been stnpped. robbed and cuffed about by a gang of Afrrcan protesters - and this was aired on GTV Our visits to the East Coast began in August following the attack on Anita Singh and her famrly on August 4,2002, at Melame Damishana. Dunngthat attack, Anita's long hair was cut off. an act of cultural rape, to words of race hate. The bandit told her as he chopped offher hair rvith a knife:

"I'm

doing this because I don't like coolie."

Part of that quote: "I don't lke coolie" is uscd as the subtitle of this report because it states in srmple direct words the race hate that dnvep the ethnic violence by Afncans against Indians in Guy'ana.

When rve started our visits in August, we went to meet and talk to people who had been attacked and to offer heip through the GIHA Jahaji Fund. There were six volunteers involved. including tr,vo males. who visited respective areas at different times. Nlost often this was in response to attacks that had been reported rn the media, or because of personal reports that reached us of mcilestations or rapes. The volunteers' main purpose was to offer comfort, and give infbrmation about the counseling available to victims through the GIFIA Jahaji Fund, established for victims of ethnic violence in August 2002.

A professronal, trained counselor provided hrs servrces free of charge to GIHA. and monies from the Jahaji Fund were used to provide the victrms of the violence with medications prescnbed by

the counselor: transportation to and from the counsellor's offi.ce: and, financial help where

it was

needed.

GIFIA responded to as many attacks and reports as possible withrn the limitations of the number of volunteers and funds available. and those placed on our own movements because of events on the East Coast. Often, for attacks that occurred on the eastern side of Buxlon, we had to wait for days sometrmes to make sure that it would be safe fbr our volunteers to travel through Buxton to reach the victrms.

@_ "{.$4*-

l'Paoe 17

GIHA CRIME REPORT

It

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

became evident after a rvhile that the intensw and rvidespread nature of the attacks

warranted recording. We started to rvrite dou.n the stories. A hotline rvas estabiished in August 2002 and was used

until October

r,vhen inappropnate phone calls forced us

to discontinue the service.

The victrms filled in infbrmation that rvas never reponed in the media, and questions that

u'ere

of them r,vere: What was the race of the bandits w'ho attacked you'/ Did the bandits use any derogatory racial terms'?

ahva-v-s asked

l.

2.

3.

If

so. rvhat r.vere the.v?

We undertook the recording of all the attacks reported in the press

-

including the rapes.

- between February 23- 2002 and February 28.

2003 andthe personal accounts of some of these stories are published inthe Victims' Dossier.

In all of our visits to victims and fbmilies of victims. the bandits who had attacked rvere airvavs African Guyanese- except in one instance. The exception \,vas the attack on the Non Panel

kidnappings. carjackings. robbenes. and murders

communit--v'on August 28-2002.

All the families

rve visited there reported that the marauding gang

of

youths were Black and rvere led by an lndian. His description fitted the notorious lnspector Gadget.

the late Premkumar Sukraj. The residents said that he r,vas the oldest and the leader, and that seemed to be training the Black youngsters in the art of terrorism.

he

GIHA Jahaji Fund We believe that at least two women w'ere raped in that attack but can only confirm one. She and her famil-v* \,vere among those who were counseled and received medications through the GIFLA

Jahaji Fund. She rvas raped by two of the bandits - the Indian one and a Black one.

While most of the victims we visited and offered comfort and assistance to were lndian, r,vas caught up the madness. Interestingl,v, GIHA extended help to one African Guyanese family "vho the only home we w'ere ever turned away from yas that of an African Guyanese family. This was in Non Pariel following the August 28s attack. While the home was identified as one that had been terrorized. a young woman at a lvindow told tw'o GIFIA volunteers that no one was allowed in. The volunteers stated the reason for their visit but the young lvomarl w-as adamant and they left.

While monies from the Jahaji Fund were used mainly for medications prescribed by the counsellor there was one instance when medications were bought for a victim who had been hospitatized.. The late Haroon Rasheed died of burn injuries inflicted by bandits during the attack on Non Pariel. GIHA volunteers who visited Mr Rasheed at the Georgetown Hospital were asked by those rn charge of the ward to purchase certain medicines tbr him which were not available at the hospital's pnarmacy. Ivlr Kasneed rcld me GIHA volunteers who visrrcd him that ft'was lour Black youths who had doused him wrth kerosene and set him alight.

Mr Rasheed's story was particularly heart-rending because he had been keeping wake for his wife, who rvas killed in a road accident. when he was attacked. He never attended her funeral and he himself died on September 1", four days after the attack.

It was difficult for our volunteers to keep themselves from responding emotionally to the famrlies they dealt with. and many of the victims and families of victims have become part of the GIHA family since we were most often the only people to visit them and offer any assistance and comfort. Going into the situation after the July 3'd PNC protest. r,ve had no idea that the crime was

Post Traumatic Stress Disorderand Gender lssuesSurrounding Ethnic Violence

going to sweep on for months on end. and w'e had to respond as best we could as the situation unfoided.

Race Hate The racist nature of the attacks was clear from the words spoken and those targeted. On Jul-u-- 3'd- dunng the PNC protest, two lndian women r,vere robbed, cuffed, their clothes torn and their bodies fondled bv a group of some dozen African Guvanese men on New Garden Street. Dunng the attack- they were told: "You coolie skunt. You don't know you mustn't wear gold'/" and: "You fucking coolie. rve going to strip you."

They r,vere among the hundreds of Indian lvomen who have been sexually molested over the past year. sexual molestation being touching a woman's body r'vithout her consent. Wlule on the ground. they saw another womarr berng stnpped. She was rescued. The_v said their tight jeans being difEcult to remove r,vere the only thing that saved them from berng raped.

Savitn Teakram of A&R Bargain Center on Robb Street was robbed on August 23'd w'hen seven African Guyanese bandits came to her store. They stnpped her - leaving her in her under garments only.

Sharon Chatterpaul. of Mahaiconv. a mother of three, was stnpped and robbed on August 30,2002, the day of Andrew Douglas' funeral in Burton. She was traveling in a mrmbus to the crlv when the bus w'as stopped and robbed. When she got out of the bus, the Black bandits said to her: ''You come here, you coolie skunt." She was w'restled onto the ground and stripped of her top and was rescued from being raped by a passerby, an African Guyanese man. when she called out fbr help.

Amanda Khan, 20 years old and two months pregnant r,vas attacked and robbed, along wrth her father- on October 23 . 2002 by five armed bandits. One of them kicked her in the stomach and said: "You fucking coolie, you and you child go dead here today."

Rape and Rape

Affempts

t

Most of the vrctims who came fbrward for help. and accepted counselling \,vere women.

Nlany were r,vidows. or were subjected to humiliation and abuse besides being robbed and cuffed ab6ut. The humiliation of lndians by the stripping of [ndian women is a major part of the violence and abuse. While we dealt with three rape victims through the Jahali Fund, rve suspected there were at least six others. None of these were rapes that were reported to the media.

One suspected victim. a -voung lndian girl,

was being hustled away to her grandmother rn Figure 5 Essequibo when we arrrved at her East Coast home. The family would only go so tbr to say that the Black youths had stnpped off her top and fondled her - sexual molestation. The shame and stigma of rape are pervasive and prevalent and the public denial is understandable.

@ age 19 f 1.t,t"{*'

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Of ail the victims and families rve visited. 39 were counseled through the Jahaji Fund. Some fbit they did not need counseling. others said they preferred to see their own doctors. (Of all the vLctrmsonlv one \,vas not relaled to the terrorism. She had

Figure 6

been manhandled by llinistry of Housing thugs sent to destrov her house on the East Coast.)

Thrrty-nrne victims visited the counselor, 80 percent of the visits occurring between August and October 2002. Of the 39, 29 - that is, trvo-thirds were w'omen (Figure 5). Tlvo of those women were A-frican Guyanese (Figure 6).

13 of them under 15 - who had w-itnessed among other

The victrms included children things their mother being stripped. abused, beaten. and raped. Three of the victims had been raped. and there were two lvho suffered rape attempts.

Seven

of the victims \ /ree

teenagers

aged betrvecn 15 and 19 years. Seventeen vic-

tlms lvere betr'veen 22 and 44 -vears old, and t'"vo were over 44.

Except for one instance. the bandits were all African Guyanese (Figure 9, opposite) and they moved in packs ofthree or more. There was no ilstance where there w'as only one ban-

Figure

7

drt operatrrg alone, and only one instance rvhere,

there were only trvo. Ninetv percent of the terrorism was carried out by groups of three and more.

Nlost of the terrorism happened in the victims ' homes . Thirry-tr,vo of the 3 9 incidents occurred on the

East Coast.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Tlurry-two of the victims who visited the counselor suffered from - and were treated for Acute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and seven for Chromc Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Thirry' cases were treated rvith medication and psychotherapy and 35

with psychotherapy: that is. oniv five cases rvere treated with only psychotherapy (Figure 8) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD. is diagnosed through syrnptoms that

ffi_ 3f i"q,

i'Page 20

Post Traumatic Stress Disorderand Gender lssuesSurrounding Ethnic Violence

rrclude depression. tearfulness. tlashbacks. recurent dreams of the traumaric event. tremors. nervousness. imtabilrry loss of appetite. sleeplessness. and drfficult-v in concentrating. PTSD is chronic when the s)rynptoms persist tbr three months and more. and is diagnosed as acute when the patient marlages to regain normalcy within three months.

One of the Chroruc PTSD cases lvas that of an East Coast family where the mother had been beaten and verbally abused by a group

ofAfrican Guyanese in 200 1 . She

and her children. who

had witnessed the mother's beating, are still suffenng trauma from that vioience.

Nlostly Women Counselled According to the counselor more women come fbrward for counseling because they are more disciplined and more compliant. NIen are less compliant to being counseled for several reasons.

In most instances during the bandits' attacks. they- are rendered helpless. being tied up and gagged.

Their post-traumatic stress includes suppressed anger at being made rmpotent, helpless, and unable to protect their families. Their shame prevents them from r,vanting to speak to anyone about the event. Thev simply shut doum.

In one situation. a teenage boy did not speak to anyone after the violent robbery of his family's home. He was the eldest male in the home. He only started to speak again after his psychotherap-v- session wrth the counselor.

African Women's Race Hate Until norv- r,ve have dealt with the violence as that of men - African men perpetrating atrocities on Indians: men, women and children. But there is anothcr very heinous srde to the violence. While compiling this report. a Black woman academic remarked at a public forum that she had not seen any media reports on how the

crime rvave was affecting women. She seemed to be making the assumption that all the cnminality was done by men and that all'Gu,vanese women are affected srmilarl-v"

i.e.. that there is a commonalrty' of experience shared by all women equall.v, that there

Figure 9 is a sisterhood of Guyanese women.

In Wismar in 1964. lndian women were raped and brutalized by Black men, [ndian men were beaten and two killed, and 197 Indian properties were destroyed. The Wismar Report tabled in Parliament in December 1964 states: "African lvomen played their part ur these events to the fullest extent.

"

The GIFT report on the ethnic violence perpeffated on January 12, 1998. states: "What strikes one ... is the large number of women assailants and the viciousness with wluch they attacked not only men but their fellow women as well."

Our report bears out the full involvement of Black women in the assaults. From the Victims

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Dosstet there is the report of tr,vo Indian women rvho rvere robbed. beaten and cursedby agang of some 17 Alrican Guvanese on July 3.20V- on Avenue of the Republic. .{.mong them r,vere three

it lvas the women who tned to tug the trousers of the Indian \,vomen off - not the men. gang When the dispersed and the Indian \,vomen set out to get a bus home by' Stabroek Nllarket. a Black r,voman vendor shouted at them. "They should-a 1a11 you coolie skunt." lvomen and

Nlala Phagoo. a voung mother from Enmore. was horriblv burnt when a mrrubus she r,vas traveltng in was attacked dunng the 2001 ethnic terrorism in Buxton. A channa bomb was thrown and exploded. and Nlala ran doq,n the road her harr on fire. She said Black women lined the road and she thought she r.vould appeal to their sensibiiities as women. She said she screamed: "Help me. I have a iittle baby at home." She sard the Black women laughed. jeered and mocked and hurled verbal abuse at her. She said it was as if they rvere watching a movie unfbld. An Indian \,voman set on fire

by Afncan men lvas entertainment for them.

No Sisterhood of Women There is no sisterhood of rvomen in Guyana. only race hate and hate crimes .,vhere Black women laugh. jeer, partrcipate in. and aid and abet atrocities on lndians. rncluding lndian r,vomen. Yet Alrtcan Guyanese female academics and professionals would stand at various forums to speak about atrocities that women face at times of conf-lict. They would take you to Bosnia and Rwanda and Cambodia and recount the rapes and abuse that women suffer there but would never gtve a fuil accounting of the atrocities that African Guyanese men perpetrate on tndian women dunng ethnic conflicts here.

Indian women were gang raped by Black men in Wismar on ivlay 25 and 26. 1964 . There are reports that Black men took bottles and pushed it up Indian w'omen's vaginas, and reports of rnstances lvhere Black men pushed broken bottles up Indian w'omen's vaginas. GIHA intends to pursue research into the Wismar Nlassacre and record the atrocities. If thev are not recorded the ethnic atrocities will be forgotten, then derued. , Black women ieaders in Guyana not only ignore r,vhat Black men do to Indian women but never address the role that Afi:rcan Guyanese women pla,v in the ethruc atrocities on Indian men and women. They would taik of the poverl,v that drives Afncan women to protest in the streets of the cit_v and ignore the horrors these women participate in. The rationale of poverty and marginalisation rs ever.rthing, j ustifi es everyching.

Conclusion The denials- evasions and iies that surround ethnic vioience rn Guyana make for a complex and tangled web. La,vers are added wtth each bout. each eruption. The denial comes from authorita-

tive quarters like Government itself. the main opposition partv, and the Guyana Human Rrghts Association. If we are ever to get to the truth that lies at the center of the web, we rvould need courage as a nation to face the harsh realities.

This is the third reporl on ethnic violence in Guyana's modern political history. It is time for a Truth and Reconciliation Commrssion in Guyana to be established. It would be the first step to truth-telhng, and the unburdemng of this legacy of vioience.

@_ r 1 .Haoe P€F'

WHAT THE PAPERS SAID, AND DIDN'T SAY:

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence as Ethnic Violence and Race Hate Crimes

By Ryhaan Shah

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

WHAT THE PAPERS SAID, AND DIDN'T SAY: The Failure of the Media to Report

Ethnic Violence as Ethnic Violence and Race Hate Crimes

By Ryhaan Shah

"Heads must roll in the Prison Service" - February 25, 2002 "The five are out. The nation must expect a spate of violent robbcnes since the escapees are going to need money, lots of it."

Kaieteur News

The above excerpt from Kaieteur News 'editorial of February 25- 2002, was prophetic.

Wntten tw-o davs after five African Guyanese prisoners escaped from the Georgetoum Pnson. it correctly predicted what lvas to follow. But evgn Kateteur lVelrs couid not have fbreseen the crime wave that wouid throlv Guyana into crisis, and their subsequent editorials were as adamant as those of Stabroek News, and the Chronicle - even the state-or,rmed Chronicle could not help but criticize the Government at times - about the crime lvave and the cnsis it created. The three national newspapers rosc to the occasion through their editonals to criticize. offer solutions, ask pertinent questions, and at times. like everyone else. get plain angry as the crime wave swept on unabated.

However they all also have their respective biases which get m the lvay of fairness. accuracy and truth. And they all. like all the other media - television and radio - conspired in a particular silence that hid a fundamentai truth about the cnminality that best served the cnmrnals, their mindersand Government's refusal to confront the truth about the ethnic nature of the majonty of the cnmes.

Those turther vrctimized b;z this untruth were the victims themselves. Beaten, robbed. raped, krlled. and kidnapped- they r,vere made invisible by a conspiracy that never acknowledged who they r,vere. who their attackers rvere. and why thev were targets for attack.

The Media in Times of Conflict The media plays a vitallv important roie rn any country where there is conflict. In Rrvanda. the media was notorious for setting the stage for the massacre of the Tutsis by disseminating propaganda that demonized them. providing just cause for the Hutus' putting them to death. In Rwanda. no

@&,

Yt.'Fase 24 t'.i*'

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

one paid heed to the danger signs. not the United Nations or anyone else.

Guyana.

r,ve

until it rvas too late. ln

have learned nothing from that experience or from our owrr historv that has been marred

by eruption of ethmc/political nots and violence.

-

not Govemment. nor anv of the political parties except ROAR. not the Human Rrghts Association nor Amnestv International, not the media besides some scant, isolated references rn editonals about ethnic violence in Guyana - admits that there is ethnic terronsm rn Gu.vana though the reign of terrorism inf'licted on the nation between February 23 -2002 and February 28, 2003 - the penod under study - 'uvas directed mainly at lndians. Indian businesses and Indran To date- no one

families.

Nervspaper editorials are tndicators of a nelvspaper's philosophy and political direction and this reporr has been compiled from editonal excerpts from the three daily ne\,vspapers - Ihe Chronicle.

Stabroek Ner.vs and Kaieteur News - betlveen February 23,2002 and February 28.2003 of whatthe

newspapers said and didn't say about. the cnme lvave.

Editorial Bias Editonals also display prejudices and bias. \Mhile they could indicate the nervspapers' grasp of the realities of a situation they also serve to alert readers to the slant they can expect from the respectlve news reports.

The fundamental truth evaded by all the newspapers

-

and by radio and television as well

-

is that of the ethnic nature of the majorit-v- of the cnmes committed during the year under study.

Ethnic violence is alluded to. referred to and even plainly stated in a ferv editorials but look for the nelvs reports to substantiate these statements about the brutal violation of a people's - in Guyana's case. the Indians' - fundamental right to lit-e. to own propertv and to live in peace, and there w-ere none. Every editorial reference to Guyana's ethnic violence stood in isolation, without concrete factual evidence within the newspapers' pages and could easily be ignored. And they lvill be. They have been. in the past.

I The media conspired against truth and fairness in reporting while being fully aware of their responsrbility to report accurately and fairly. They were alr,vays fully aware of Guyana's political/ ethnic violence and all this means to Gu.vana's rrternal secunty: and also kner,v who the bandits were and ivhere they were harboured. However even with all this informatron. they steered clear of making the obvious connections and reporting fully and truthfully r,vithin their newspages on the ethnic nature of the vast majonty of the attacks.

With vital information left unsaid andunreported the crimrnalit_v and its motives were open to individual interpretation. [n the end. the facts were eroded by perceptrons and biases that suited mdividual ends, and untruth. evasion and dishonesty contmued to thrive, as it has done for all of our sociaVpolitrcal history.

Our history is hrjacked and retold to suit political ends and Guyana continues to siide further and further into chaos since the center - a web of untruth

- does not hold.

It happened just two years ago, in 2001 . The magazrne, Emancipanon. published by and for the Afrrcan Guyanese commumty, carried a cover story "Buxton Uprisrng". that glorified the ethnic horrors perpetrated against Indian Guyanese in Buxton followmg the Apnl 2001 elections. Not a single mention was made of the ethnic terrorism, of the channa-bombing of buses and cars wrth

Indiars

ur them. The months of cnmrnal/ethnic/political horrors were made over rrto

African Guyanese

GIHA GRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

glorv. This happened because there exrstno ne\,vs reports that state the race of the perpetrators of the crimes. Ahicans. and the ethnicrtv of the victrms. Indians. Into the void. came untrurh. There has not been a single murrnur of protest about this travestv ofjoumalism from any qllarter, including the media establishment.

The horrors - aided. abetted and encouraged by denial. untruth and silence - flounshed. and tn February 2002, not surpristngly-- Guvana began to reap ar1 even fuller and even more bitter harvest of the horrors. Everyone pointed fingers at the bandits, at therr Ahicanist political minders, at the armed forces. and Govemment as the guilty ones. But surelv the guilt has to be shared by those who supported the ethnic terrorism by evading therr responsibility'to report the whole story with truth and

accurac\,..

In Rr,vanda. the ethnic horrors were openly Lnstigated by the media. In Guvana. the conspiracv of siience by the media on Gu.vana's ethnic terrorism is no less damrung.

The Newspapers Tiae Guyana Chrontcle (and Sunday ChronicLe) being state-or,rned. answers to Government and is one of the main media mouthpieces used to promote and support Goyemment's position on every issue. However, even the Chronicle. r,vlule it dutifully published Government's excuses for

its inactton over the crime wave. did on a ferv occasions express the nation's anger and frustration over the situation through its editorials.

Stobroek l"tews purports to be independent and. in so far as it is independent of Govemment, this is true; but the newspaper has a decidedly Euro/Afrocentric bias that supports such ideas as cultural assrmiiation - Indians must assimriate into Black Creole culture - as promulgated by Africanist academics like Umversity of West lndies' Professor Rex Nettlefbrd. Cultural annrlllation for Caribbean Indians is the ultrmate pize.If one must disappear culturally wouid there not be tacit approval for one to disappear physically as well? Not surpnsingly- most of the newspaper's columnists are drawn from the very minonty Workrng Peoplep Alliance party whose Euro/Afrocentnc prejudices find comfortable quarters within Stabroek News'pages.

Kqieteur,Ay'evvs is the new krd on the block r,vith a tabloid sensationalist appeal because of its full-coiour and, at times, gory pictures of dead broken. It is an rndependent newspaper that carries columns by pro-Government and anti-Government rvriters. There are no sacred cows and no one is above criticism within its pages. This subscnbes to a liveliness that has mass appeal: every reader's priijudice is satisfied.

Nledia On Vledia (Kevto abbreviations thatfollor,v: CH: Guyana Chronicle; SN: SraDroeArVews:

li\:

Kaieteur llews.)

CH: "Worrying trend" - April 12,20Oz "The media are not supposed to take sides on issues but to report as fairly. accurately and as balanced as possible."

The above editonal excerpt showed that media were fuily aware of their responsibility to fairness and accuracy rn reporting. Comrng from the Chronicle with its overt Government bias, it was farcical. Nevertheless. the statement confirmed that. however thev chose to behave. there r,vas

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

an awareness of the ethics and pinciples that govern good journalism.

Stabroek lVews

in its VIav 23. 1002 editorral went further and remarked on the media's

responsibilit_v'to help reduce conl'lict by truthful and proper reporting.

The media. as the excerpts from the editorials below sholv. were also a'uvare of the vacuum created r,vhen there is no information. or poor information from official sources. Kaieteur News charged that the poor flor,v of information that came from authonties. such as the Guyana Police Force. created a vacuum that television talk shorv hosts rushed to

fill

r,vrth rumour. speculation and

worse. Kaieteur ly'ews reiated in its Novembe 24h editorial how the Iack of adequate information can feed further confusions and tensions among the public.

Given their statements on the responsibilities of authontres for disseminating information. the

of fair and accurate reportrng - and of failing to report on the ethnic nature ofthe bandits' attacks - amounted to a silence that aided and abetted the ethmc/political crimes in our sociery.

newspapers must be aware horv their orrm lack

SN: "The irrationality of ethnicity" - NIay 23, 2002 "One sign that the irrationality of ethnicrty is becoming more prevalent is that facts and detailed analysis become irrelevant

The object of the programme is not to shed light but to reaffirm prejudice....the media can instead be an instrument of conf'lict resolution, it can present reliable .

..

information. respect human rights and represent diverse vie'ws. It can seek to enable society to make well infbrmed choices. to reduce conflict and foster human security."

CH: "Doing the necessary in anti-crime battle"

-

August

ll,

2002 "The Government has done well in norv moving to stiffen legislation to help ur arming the courts to deal more effectively with convicted crrminals and those who have made a virnre of their commitment to misuse the electronic media to spread race hate and encourage violence."

I

KN: "The relationship between the police and the media"

-

November L2, 20OZ

"Betlveen the infrequent, uninformative police releases and the barrage of conflictrng media reports, the public is frustrated and confused. The trvo sides ought to recognize that their dynamic relationship is so interrelated that the perceived "secretiveness" of the police feeds the perceived

''irresponsible openness" of the media and vice versa."

KN: "Crime anxieties continue to mount" - November 24, 2O02 "Without adequate information from official sources, the public's views are influenced by a confused mixture of facts and fancies. truths and untruths along with all sorts of rumours, gossip and wild speculation.. . Unless official sources provide believable iulswers, the populace will remain tense and fearful and tlus will in turn cause rvidespread anger and distress wrth dire social consequences."

Politics and Crime Besides being aware of their own editorial responsibilrty, all the newspapers stated a fuIl understanding ofthe insidious mix of crime. politics and et}nic violence in Guyana. Kateteur News in April 2002 put the current crime into perspectrve b,v notrng that it began n 1997 . From the December 1997 elections to now. the PNCR has openly spoken and acted to rnstigate instabiliqv

@_

Yâ‚Ź';Paoe 27 i"4'

- to use the

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

words of the late PNCR leader: "to make the country ungovernable''. The editorial excerpts below are self-explanatory. Taken together they stated clearlv that cnme was a political tool used by tho main oppositlon parry*. the PNCR. ln Gu-"-ana this also meant that the cnme took on a clear ethnic pattern srnce Guyana's politics are governed bv race and ethrucity.

The victims of the July 3. 2002 PNCR protest violence were Indians, as were the victims

of

the post-1997 election violence, as were the victims of the 2001 Buxton violence. Stabroek ly'ews ur

its editorial comments urged the PNCR to take responsibihtv for its constituenc-v, Buxton, and nghtly accused Government

for its short-sightedness in not ensuring internai secunty against criminaliry

rvith or without political cover.

When the late PNCR leader Desmond

Holte spoke to Buxtonians rn October and denied

barefacedl-v that the village had any links to the crime (SN editorial October 14. 2002). this was as

much as admrttrng publicly the PNCR's hand in the banditry.

For its part, the Chronicle. with no police success stories to report and performing true to form. accused critics of undermining the protcssionalism of the police tbrce to give politrcal advantage to cnme - still. however. admitting the link and on January 18. 2003 noted that in ''politics and race relations" Guyana is an ''anti-model" rn the Caribbean region.

KN:

ooTime

to get

serious, be innovative and aggressive on crime fighting"

-

April

4,2002 "Molent crimes have so shaken the foundations of our society, especially since 1997, that police intelligence reports conclude that there's 'a clear pattern of criminal activities designed to create a climate of instabilrty in the country.' "

KN: "Escalating crime wave has far-reaching

consequences"

-

June

2, 2002

"For its part, the oppositron must more actively oppose bandits even if it means giving up for the nation's sake, opportunities to score politica/ points."

SN: "Turning towards the light" - July 7,2OOz "For what happened in the Presidential Secretariat, the PNC/R has to take full rcsponsibilrty... For some reason the party has allowed the radicals including those harbourlng anarchy in their souls to dictate its ends and its methods."

SN: 'Dangerous deterioration" - July 8, 20Oz "Du:itsr is o strunghold uf tlte PNC/R.. IL [00, should

be providurg leadershrp. Buxtomans

must not only be mustered for the PNC/R's street work. they must be led in the drrection of responsible behaviour."

SN: "Runaway crime"

-

July 22,2002

"The police have failed but the bigger failure must be laid at the feet of the government. For the last decade, it has farled to grasp the seriousness of the threat that cnmrnals - wrth or without political cover and supporl - pose to the security of the country."

SN: "Going beyond the condemnation of crime" - July 24, 2002 "In its strongholds. r,r,here crimrral. networks have penetrated and received succour age 28

and

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

outlawry prevails. the PNC/R has a morai and civic obligation to intervene. Buxton has unforrunateiv been one of those viilases."

SN: "Another 24 years" - July 26, 2002 "The PPP never had. and does not now have. a poiitically sympathetic army and police force."

SN: o'Legacy" - December 29, 2002, on discussion paper bv Hoyte before his death in response to Social partners' invitation: "Implicit ur the late leader's statements is the first recognition (at least publiciy) by either of the tr,vo major parties that voting patterns are ethnically determined, and that given the ethnic anth-

metic, the PNCR cannot be voted into office in the immediate term."

SN: *Buxton revival" - October 14,,2002, on Hoyte's speech to Buxtoniqns: "He failed to use the oppornrnitv ... to impress upon its [Buxton's] law abrding citizens and the others ',vho have gone the opposite way that lalv and order is the foundation of anv system of administration and that the banditry that was taking place r,vithin therr sight had to stop... Secondly'. his statement that Buxton is not harbounng crimrnals is not grounded in realit-v. Buxton is harbouring

criminals. The best intelligence of the secunty services, the da.v-to-day horrors committed on hapless cornmuters and resrdents of neighbouring villages and the experiences of those living wrthin Buxton attest clearly to the inaccuracy of this statement."

SN: "An armed struggle"

-

November S, 2OO2 "There is ample evidence now tltat there is in existence a group of Ahrcan Guyanese militants who are conducting an armed struggle. This group is not led or controlled by the People's National Congress ... . but what NIr.Eusi Kwaypna describes as the mastermrnds have some political connections. "

CH: "Are the Police the enemy?"

-

November 9,

2OOZ

"A culture of opposition to the police force is berng nurtured in the country. It aims at undermining the professionalism of the force and placing all its members at risk. It is a culture intended to maximize the political advantages of crime."

SN: "Just what is going on?" - December 15, 2002 "That there was a political element in all this was clear from the appearance of an armed camp in Buxton and inflammatory handbills penned by political extremists - among other things ... "

CH: [n Guyana crime - grim lessons for T & T": January 18, 2003 "For reasons of politics and race relations. corrrmentators have usually have usually pointed to Guyana as an anti-role model whose example T & T must avoid at all costs."

Police and Army Failure Given that President Bharrat Jagdeo "commands" police and army forces that are loyai to

@_ ffi

l'Paoe 29

,irs.'

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

the PNCR. r,vhat can the PPP/C administration expect from these forces r,vho rvere publiclv called on by their late leader. Hoyte- to be loyal to their krth and kin?

The unabated vioience r,vas just wartrng to happen. Editonals tn Stabroek News and KaieterLr rVews slammed the police for rntemal corruptlon. poor investrgatlve ,,vork. r,veak cnme fightrng tactics

- like Operation Torniquet and erecting bamers

betr.veen communities

-

and their overall abject

failure to ever be on top of the srtuation. Was it anything but f-arcical that police stations iocked their fiom bandit attacks?

Tlte Chrontcle turned a blind eye to ail that \,vas so obviousl.v wrong and stated in its editonal of November 9- 2002 that cntrcisms of the police are aimed at undermining their professronalism to

gates to protect themseives

give crime "political advantage", berated the battered public for its lack of support for the police- and excused police faiiure b-vtelling the public the cops are stressed out! Government expected the pubiic

to endure rapes. robbenes and murders. and be totally understanding that its tax dollars were spent to keep a police force that cannot do its job.

(That the police appeared to be totally unaware of the large numbers of illegal lveapons and ammunition available on the black market is another rssue that Govemment must address. No one has yet put the question to them.)

True to its olw biases. also. Stabroek News in an editorial devoted to the Guyana Police Force on December 22- 2002. stated the need fbr more professionalism, and for upgrading skiils and equrpment wrthin the force but stopped short of addressing the gross racial imbalance as being a component of the problem. Not that Stabroe,t was unalvare of the issue and its dire consequences, In its editonal of Jul,v 26. 2002. Stqbroek I'lews stated: "The PPP never had, and does not now have, a politrcall-v sympathetic army and police forcc."

The issue rvas recognized but the newspaper failed to include in its advice that ethnically balanced armed forces must be part of the solution.

CH: "Worrying trend"

- April

12, ?OOz

"The Police Force has been at pains to pornt outthat pubiic support is essential to itsjob and has consistently appealed for understandrng of the difficult task

it faces agarnst cnmrnals who some-

times pack more firepower than the cops going after them."

'

CH: "Cops going after them"

- April 14, 2002

"Ridiculing and making life more difficult for members of the security forces at a time when they are stressed out ... seerns cowardl;, and unpatriotic."

KN: 'oA grim reality - Policemen are no longer sacrosanct" - Muy 21 ,2002 ". . . one cannot ignore the iink between the police and sections of the cnmrnal socrery- " SN: "Public safety"

"...

-

July 16,

2OOz

there has been an equally startling nse rn certain rogue elements and comrpt characters

rn the Force who have been accused of havurg links

to crime.'

SN: "Another 24 years" - July 26, 2002 ''The PPP never had. and does not now have. a politicaily slmpathetic army and police force."

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

SN: 'Nlonday's events and opportunities" - November 4, 2002 -'The police are notorious tbr not doing adequate investigations wcrk after shootings

and

tracking doun all the leads."

KN: "llore than meets the eye" - November 5,

2002

"The risrng tide of gun crime and the inabiliw of the authonties to curb it are a source of the most dire nationai alarm. What meets the eve is that the Guyanese cnminals are involved ur weilfunded. highly organized cnmrnal conspiracies."

CH: *Are the Police the enemy?"

- Noyember 9,2O02 "A culture of opposition to the police force rs being nurtured in the country. It aims at undermining the professionalism of the fbrce and placing all its members at risk. It is a culture intended to maximize the political advantages of cnme."

SN: Editorial: December 9'h, 2002, following Regent Street armed robhery, Dec, 6'h: "The [Policel force failed miserably'and the army- rvhether or not it had been rmmediatelv notified of the Regent Street raid - didn't do any better. The gunmen escaped into an area that falls within the mandate of the army as defined by Operation Torniquet. The gunmen should have been apprehended .. The task ofthe police and army is also greatly complicated b.'," the depth of moral and material support for the bandits. . . .lt is quite clearlv subscribed to by otherwise law-abiding citizens who for some tr,visted rcason or another believe that they are contributing to a cause they will ultimately benefit from. "

KN: "It's time to win the crime fight"

- January 15, 2003 "The deployment of army ranks in Buxton is yet to allay anxieties about the increased lawlessness in that area since people are still beinS robbed and roads are still being dug up... .We are

also once agarn challenging the government to seek foreign assistance.''

CH: 'oThe counter offensive"

-

January 15, 2003

'The police as the major target group are totally cxposed and completely vulnerable."

'

CH: "Stop the politically induced domestic terrorism" -'Since

-

January 16, 2003

it is perceived that Annandale has been facing manv attacks by cnminals sheltenng rn

Buxton. residents there should ... get themselves involved in communrt_v policing to support the efforts of the law enforcement agencies ut maintarning law and order and protecting the village fiom these rampages."

SN: "And after the barriers?" February 3, 2003 "Erecting the bamers will clearly bring some relief to Annandalians and others who

have

been under siege by armed gangs from the Buxton/Fnendship area and for that reason they must be seen as a welcome even

if

desperate act by the government and the secuntv forces in the wake

the continuing abominations.

..

of

The bamers standoffbrings into sharp focus the underlyurg weakness

of the cnme-fighting campaign by the police and the arm.v...Much of their operations depend on

ffi_ 1S

i'Pase 31

toeS'

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS EETRAYED!

opporrunistic conlrontations rvith bandits and suspects. Since it nor.v has a pronounced presence in Buxton/Friendship. Guvanese had expecteC that the arm-v- lvould have been able to arrest wanted men and prevent lncurstons into other commumties. The armv has signallv faiied

to do this."

KN: o'Outside help may be necessary" - February 4, 2003 "... our law enforcement agencies should deem it necessary to seek outside help to combat the violent cnminals that are toting their guns wrth impunity."

Buxton and Crime None of the newspapers held back on placing the center of the crimrnal activittes in Buxton. an Afi:ican Guyanese village. 12 miles east of Georgetown. Th"y all made impassioned pleas to Buxton's commurur-v- leaders to help reverse the situation. and stabroek News s editorial of october 7. 2002. stated what has become common knor,vledge: that Buxtonians r,vere benefiting tinancially

from the crime.

CH: "Where are the community leaders?" - NIay 9,2002 "Bux'ton cannot be regarded as an enclave of any kind and it is time that its communltv leaders and elders stand up and speak out against the excesses by the criminal-minded that have stained the good name of the village."

KN: "Government's inability to

solve Buxton's situation is frustrating"

-

May

26,

2002 "Buxton has become

virtual s;.rnbol of crime and chaos and as violence and despair mount daily, the Government seems alarmingly impotent rn dealing i,vrth the situation." a

SN: "Crime machine well financ.Ai - October 7, ZOO| "Countless mrllions have been seized from helpless householders and businesses ... the rampage ofthe criminais has become a self'-sustaining enterprise. Some of the money is undoubtedly being spread around in host communities rn Buxton while the rest is funneled to organizers and for payoffs to others in return for their silence."

SN: "Answers needed" - November 11'h 2OO2: "A savage fea[ure of the post-February 23 crime r,vave has been the rampages of gangs of youths...Whether it was the holding up of buses outside of Buxton andthe robbtng of defenceless women and children or the krdnapping and subsequent murder of the farmer Motilall. these youths have added a chiilingly new dimension to the 'uvave of cnme... .How could their parents allow them

to take up this life of cnme'/ How could their commuruty ieaders? How could their village? Hor,v couid society'?"

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

CH: "Buxton is not a state within a state"

"lt

-

January 14, 2003

cannot go without noticing that rvhenever these so-called human kind choose to exhibit

their true nature, they stop at nothing - beating. robbrng, killing of rnnocent people and causrng damage to infrastructure in their seemingly rutlrless campaign .. "

Nlarginalisation The rall-ving cry for the Buxtonians criminality - coming from African Gu,vanese academics

-

has been "marginalisatiot". Stabroek News in this discourse. which r,vas not given much space in the newspapers' editorials on crime. hit the nail on the head by pointing out that and professionals

a UNDP study showed that both Indian and Afrrcan communities have depressed communities and endure povert-v. and on November 28- 2002. posed the central question by asking whether this marginalisation would include "the loss of politrcal power".

Given that racial/political unrest reared its head once more r,vhen the PNC is out of po\,ver and that. as the editorial excerpts under "Politics and Crime" show violence is being used by the PNC to obtain its ends, the cry of "marginalisation" \,vas seen as little more than political propagan-

dizing. For anvone to even attempt to use poverl,v as a rationalization for wanton and destructive cnminality and violence, is criminal in itself.

KN: "Exploring the links between crime and poverty"

-

November 10,2002 "Behavioral scientists don't claim that all or even the majorit_v of poor people are criminals but that there is a higher incidence of cnminals from impoverished backgrounds."

SN: "African marginalisation" - August 17,20Oz "Are Afro Guyanese now poorer than Indo Guyanese? Are African villages more depressed?

To answer these questions one would have tol look at the I-,NDP report on poverty by Dr Clive Thomas and the Household Income and Expenditure Surv'ey. What seems clear at this stage is that the generai problem of underdevelopment and poverl_v afflicts both communities."

- November 28, 2002 ''How do you define marginalisation? How do you measure it'/ Does it include issues like the loss of political power in 1992... .'1" SN: "Is useful debate possible?"

Denial and Inaction: Government The following edrtonals on Government's absolute denial and its attendant rnaction over the crime wave that grew to monstrous proportions stand as testimony to the pervasive frustration and anger of the nation as the criminahqv took hold and bandits carried out their attacks rvith absolute impunit-v: unmasked. walkrng away calmly, and terrorizing mainly Indian women. children, and busi-

in Februarv and Nlarch of 2002. Kaieteur rVews and Stabroek already sounding alarm bells. No one knew then that because of Government's gross

ness people. From the very start. rVervs rvere

irresponsibilrty, inabilit-v and inaction. that Guyana would become a nation rn the grips of domestic terrorism. Even the Chrontcle could not help but join the just and right cause and add their voice to

ffi_ ff

i'Pase 33

.peg,.

GIHA CRIME REPORT - INDIANS BETRAYED!

the outrage agarnst Government's totai rnaction. their failure in the fundamental duty to maintain and

uphoid law and order.

There rvere political links to the cnminairtv, Buxtonians should be more responsible. and the

poiice and army- could be more proti:ssional but all the newspapers agreed that the responsibilitv to deal r,vith the situation was Government's and that it tailed in this paramount dury to the country's crtizens.

In its editorial of August 11, 2002. Stabroek

the fundamental reason for ''The parqv rejects the proposiGovernment's abject failure to deai effectively r,vrth the crimrnalrty: tions that the society itself is split along ethnic lines. that the PPP is not a multi-ethnic part-v, that it does not represent all ethnicities in the country..." Government. scared stiff of acting condignly rVervs stated

against the cnminals in Buxton (it always had the option to ask for external forces to help) because this lvould appear as biased protection of its supporters. Indrans. preferred that lives were lost and

that the countrv should descend into chaos. For the PPP/C Government. the loss of life and peace were the collateral damage necessary to protect its lie of being multi-ethnic and its failure to insitute affrrmative action prograrnmes to balance the country's armed forces.

Its hands were indeed tied as its diehard supporters would tell you. supplying their accepted rationale for Government's failure. Government does not command the armed fbrces, can do nothing. and w'ere terrified of upsetting the Afncan opposition rvluch commands the police and army.

That the Government has succeeded in tying rts or,m hands by not having ever addressed the ethnic/ racial, and therefore political. rmbalance in the police. army and civil service is never questioned by Government supporters.

While Chronicle did criticize Government's inaction, it also gave one of administration's more popular excuses for its inaction on the crime wave, as rn January 17, 2003's editonal, that cnme rvas happening everywhere in the Caribbean: so what's your problem? Chrontcle made these statements without relaying to readers the stiff anti-crime measures that Caribbean states bnng to bear in

their countries and the prionty which cnme is giyen in their policies and in police actions. None

oftlls

happened here. Chronicle only told a partial truth.

SN: Nlarch 6,2002: Page One Comment: "Considenng that the men are armed, dangerous. and have been on the loose for almost a r,veek and a hal_f. the public r,vould like to know - in very general terms - what measures are being talien in relation to their capture."

SN: March 22, 2002, Editorial: "We have entered on what for this country is an entirely new phase of crimrnal activlty, characterised by a level of bmditry which puts the ordinary citizen constutl,\l onthe frontline (penods of protest accepted) .... and yet the authonties have had nothing to sali about it.,,

KN: "Government's inability to solve Buxton's situation is frustratin 2002

gr,

-

May 26,

'Surelv- the policv of 'rvhen in doubt do nothing' could have d^ire consequences for larv and order and the countrv's fragile democracy."

@_ r.1 . rage .P6$-'

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

KN: "The government must be blamed for the crime wave" - June 3, 2002 "In anv other part of the world. with the cnme wave being r,vhat it is, the Home Affairs Nlinister would have resigned for tbihng to execute his dun. . . instead of the por,vers that be demanding action from the Mimster, or sacking hrm tbr incompetence, they simply direct blame else-

where."

SN: otlnaction and denial"

-

August

l,

2002

"The Govemment has failed. It has failed at the most fundamental level, namel-v, in marntaining law and order...As it is the Government is simply playing at berng a government."

SN: *New analyses" - August

ll,

2OO2

"The position of the governing party has been very consistent over the years. As far as they are concerned, democracy simpl1, means free and fair elections, and the winner then takes all... .The partv rejects the propositions that the society itself is split along ethnic lines, that the PPP is not a multi-ethnic partv, that it does not represent all ethnicities in the country and that disaffections rn the African communitv has its origrns in the fact that an 'lndian' government is rr office...And as forthe matter of why the nation is in the middle of a tempest. the answer according to the PPP is because of the actions of the PNC which is misleading its supporters...the PNC has exploitedthe sense of alienation rn the Afrrcan communiw when an Indian govemment is in power but it has not created it...All of which does not mean to say that the PNC has operated rationally either. It has bullied, rntimidated and blackmailed and like the PPP. it has not acknowledged the root of its problem - at least not in public...Has the leading opposition parqv forgotten so quickly the sense of oppression which the Indians felt dunng its long years in office. . . 'l . . . Given the parameters, exactly what is it the PNC wants'l lts leadership is not so unsophisticated as not to know that achievrng power by force is not an option... ."

I

it

can get" - August 16, 2002 -'Here is the fiamework of the state disintegrating nght underneath the feet of the members of the administration, and they are totally oblivious to it, as if they were living in another dimension."

SN: "All the help

'

CH: "Another troubling episode"

-

August 17,20Oz

it is true that a solution to the crime is not the easiest thing to find. rvhat is worryurg to the average Guyanese is the apparent lack of urgency on the part of the authorities to implement decisive anti-crime measures." '<. . . while

SN: "Do something" - September 8, 2002 "First there is no acknowledgement that there is a crisis; second, there is a lack of congrurty between the realrry and responses to that realit_v: and thrrd. there is a sense of a vacuum at the epicenter of power.'

SN: o'Saving the state" - September 27,2002, after killings at Nutoo's Bar: "This rs not the time to mince words We are lookrng at the disintegration of the state and an

@_ ?T

)"Page 35

t'd$"

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

ethnic i.r,ar. .After what happened at Natoo's does the admrrustration seriousiv believe that rntroducing the offence of the commission of a terronst act into our legislatron reallv gorng to deter perpetrators who seem to have taken

Ai

meaningfui

-

their model . .. Lrp untii thrs point if it does nothing - or at least if it does nothmg very

Capone's Chicago of the 1930s as

Government has appeared to take a line that

the probiem r.vill eventuallv go alvay-"

SN: "Go to the source" - September 30,

2OOZ

"The govemment's strategy has failed because it has adopted a defensrve posture- prefernng to try and protect vital artenes and to mount penpheral patrols in the hope of dissuading and intercepting the bandits...The only wa.v-they rvill be stopped is by going to the source. Buxton has clearly established rtself as an armed guenila camp. . . Numerous complicit residents have given them cover and utihzed cell phones to warn them of approachrng dangers, All of their needs - tbod. shelter and medical care have been taken care of apparentiy in return for a share of the spoils from attacks on businessmen...The inteiligence gathered has to be used to go into the village to apprehend those who have particrpated in these terror attacks and to seize the illegal w-eapons that are providing the builets intheir campaign of death."

SN: "State of emergency"

"If

-

October 22,

2OO2

a state of emergency is not the anslver to the questron of internal secuntv, what rs?"

CH: "The justice system and the global face of crime" - January 17, 2003 "Gun related mrnders and crimrnal violence have plagued not only Guyana but most of the C aribb ean C ommunit_v states throughout 2 0 0 2. "

KN: "It's eyery man for himself'

-

January 19, 2003 to a deafening silence on the crime w'ave. This position must be a case of ignonng w-hat rs happening and it will go away. Only this week, Head of the presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon announced that the members of the business commurutv- should secure their own personal protection by wa1, of bodyguards. What he was saying "Amazingl1,, the government has rcsorfed

simply is that the government cannot protect the businessman. .. This is an indictment. In an,v other part of the lvorld. the government would have descended on the cnminals with such alacnty that there lvould have been no crime wavo. the likcs of which r,ve have in Cuvana."

SN: ((Loss and pretence"

"...

-

February 23, 2003

here in this countr,v we havE a supposedly over-archrng state auLhority whioh we now discover caffrot protect a handful of cornmunities agarnst the mg,rrrrding teenrgers frorn c. singie nerghbounng village. and cannot deai with the problem of that village either."

CH: "The Buxton attacks continue" February 24, 2003 "It is ciearly time for ner,v strategies to be deployed by the authorities to try and stem

the

conttnuing brutai attacks by armed gangs on vehicles that have to pass through Buxton whiie dnving along the East Cost main road. The bandits are on the ofFensive and the authonties have to come up rvrth strategies to show that they can maintain a 'safe corndor' along that part of the East Coast."

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

Denial and Inaction: Guyana Human Rights Association While Government denied a crisis and did nothrng- the Atiican Guyanese tbrces came together to create their or,vl scenario b-v-. providing, within the comfbrtable vacuum of denial. their own vieu,point about ''extra-judicial" killings by the police fbrce. ln this. the PNCR WPA. ACDA andthe Guyana Bar Association. had everv support from the Gur,'ana Human Rrghts Associatron arrd Kai eteur

lvews r'vas the only media house that highlighted the human rights' body gross bias.

KN: "\Yhat about the innocent people who were killed by criminals, GHR{?"

-

February 26,2002 "Seizing the moment. the GHRA. has come up r,vith a detailed account of police killings stretching back some 20 vears. That is commendable. But what everyone r,vants to know is why the GHRA did not see fit - and in fact has never thought it necessary over the years - to compile and publicise a simrlar report on persons killed by criminals."

Nledia Cover-up of Ethnic Crimes Which brings us to the final point regarding the most heinous cover-up, denial and evasion of the fundamental truth in r,vhich all the media conspired: the truth of Guyana's ethnic crime. race hate and hate cnme that compnsed the vast majority of the criminality. The media agreed there was cnminaliw. that it was centred in Buxton, that the East Coast communities '"rere targeted and terrorized. and that the criminality had a political nexus.

Thev also tacitly' agreed to a cover-up of the most blatantly obvious fact about the crime even r,vhile alluding and ref'emng to it. Why is this so? Is it the accepted and acceptable norm? Is it because that both the PPP and PNC deny the ethruc violence and the newspapers. aligned along racral/ethnic and political lines. are doing their respective masters' bidding? Is it the lack of Hate Cnme legislation that w-ould tbrce these atroc{les to be investigated by police and reported by the media as hate cnmes'/ Is it that the GHRA. ignores it rather than press for recognition and resolution'l Perhaps the silence by the media on the pervasrve. ongoing ethnic violations are a combination of all of these factors. Where then does one find truth if the media are biased'/

SN: "De-escalating" - July 15, 2002 " l-he cnme r.vave has had two particular targets. the Indo-Guyanese communit-v and

the

police."

CH: "Doing the necessary in anti-crime battle"

-

August 11,

2OO2

"The Government has done well in now moving to stiffen legislation to help in arming the courts to deal more effectively with convicted criminals and those who have made a virnre of their commitment to misuse the electronic media to spread race hate and encourage violence."

SN: "Saving the state" - September 27,2002, after killings at Natoo's Bar: "This is not the time to mince words. We are looking at the disintegration of the state and an ethnic war... " SN: "Kidnappings"

-

October

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDTANS BETRAYED!

". . . the kidnapping threat is not really a problem for the police. It is a problem for the hapless men. \,vomen urd children who have been snatched and their relatives who have had to wart in agonv rvhrie financial transactions take place."

SN: 'oA living hell" - October 30,2002 The rvav fonvard is increasinsll, difficult to see. The most pessrmistic r,vho have lost all hope see the future as a combination of political and ethnic strife and criminal warlordism as in Colombia.

CH: o'Crime and politics"

-

January 19, 2003

"Last Fndav's attack by armed gangs from Buxton on residents of nearby Annandale seem to be the latest example of r,vhy the secunty fbrces need to be engaged in round-the-clock operations in a state of emergencv . .. "

KN: "Crime and crime fighting" - January 23, 2003 "Looking at the issue from a race-hate, hate-crime perspective, those r,vho condone these crimes ciaim that it's a wa.v of "evening up the score" - gefting at people who have an economic advantage over their "depressed" compatriots. at the police lvho enforce the law agarnst criminalrty, and at those civilians perceived to be poltce informers."

KN: "Guyana in dire straits"

-

KN: "Who feels it knows it"

-

January 24-25, ZOO3 "...mosttemfied must bethe people rvho live in the communities onthe lor,ver East Coast Demerara. They have been subjected to marauding gangs r,vho have ternfied them."

January 28,

2OO3

". . . the only rational explanation we have of people justify'ing attacks on the police by criminals. or attacks on civilians by cnmrnals becajse these civilians run successful businesses and because the cnminals come from depressed neighbourhoods, is that these people have not expenenced at first hand being shot at. being raped. being robbed at gunpoint. being beaten with a gun or with any other "criminals" instrument, being kidnapped, or being stuck up and thrown out oftheir vehicles. . . It

may be true that onlv who feels it knows it, but we can shape our sense of humanr{,' to identifl,ing rvrth the notion of cnme and helping to curb it before it becomes a personal. bitter experience."

On September 27.2002, Stabroek News' editonai mentioned Guyana's "ethnic war": on October 30, 2002, there was "ethnic strife"; on Juiy 15. 2002. "lndo-Guyanese and the police" said ,\tabroek were rhe "two particular targets", There lvas ethmc stnfe and Indo-Guyangso 1i,efe paf-

ticular targets but ethnic stnfe between whom and who are targetrng Indians? War is waged by opposing forces. what trvo opposing forces were locked in battle rn an ethnic war in Guyana? How manv casualties did both sides suf[er'/ How many Blacks. that is- lvere gunned down. raped, terrorized- beaten, and robbed by Indians'/ To read Kaieteur News on this issue was to wade through coded information that had to be broken down. On January 23 . 2002- Kaieteur stated that ''Looking at the issue from a race-hate, hate crime perspective, those who condone these crimes claim it's a way of evening up the score."

Kaieteur gave us "depressed compatriots" and terrified people living on the lower East Coast. Who ,W, H*ffiP4ry,( -1 Hage Fis'

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

were the compatrlots and rvho the temfied peopie in the race-hate campargn'/ What races are thev'?

Chronicle, of course. hid the ethnic vroience behind coded editonals and ne\,vs reports as rvell - but allusions still crept in. On August I 1. 2002. the ner.vspaper commended government on its anti-cnme legislation that would arm "the colrrts to deal more effectively r,vith those ... who misuse the electroruc media to spread race hate and encourage violence."

So. race hate does exrst. Govemment admitted. But again. r,vho was hating r,vhom and what r,vere

the hate crimes being carned out?

Reporting Hate Crimes In Rwanda. the Hutus slaughtered the Tutsis. All the ner,vs agencies reported the hate crimes thus . In the Congo recently the Lendus kiiled Hemas. In Bosnia. it was the Serbs against the Bosruans.

Ethnrc violence happens in other parts ofthe world and is reported

- truthfully.

In Nigena. there were

recent clashes between the Ijaws and Itsekiris. and they were fighting for political por,ver. The reports are alr'vays clear on who is kiiling whom and r,vhy. But that is abroad. elsewhere.

Here in Guyana. w'hile the editonals confirmed that there were race-hate, hate crimes, and ethnic strife. there \,vere no news reports to substantiate these statements. From the Nigerian l{ewswatch magazine of Apnl 6. 2003 - lve read: "Ijar,v ,vouth. '"vho resent the politicai supremac-v of the minonty Itsekiri, vow to continue fighting with our last drop of blood."

There has never been a news report rn any of Guyana's media that stated: "African Guyanese political protesters lvho resentthe political supremacy of the majonry Indians. stripped and robbed

Indian \.vomen in the streets of the cit1,, and bumed the properties of Indian busrnessmen." or that "Alircan bandits went on a rampage in an Indian village and robbed. assaulted and raped the villagers.

"

Cracking the

Codes

/

To find the ethnic strife. the hate crimes, and who is targetrng Indians. one has to learn to crack the media codes. You have to bring all your local knowledge to bear when reading or iistening to the nelvs. You must knor,v that Buxton is a Black village: that Annandaie and Enterprise and the East Coast communities referred to are Indian ones. You must knor,v that Persaud. Kissoon. Ramdial are lndian names and that Blair Roach and Butcher are Africans. You wart and rvatch for photographs to help you with the decoding process.

There have been instances when an Indian bandit was involved in a crime. It was such a remarkable event that many media groups pounced wrth alacnty and glee on the infbrmation and rushed to broadcast and print

it fulsomel1, that the bandit was Indian. Because of this tendency,

one

of the notable codes was: when the race of the bandits was not menttoned - the vast majonty of the time - it was understood that the bandits were African Guyanese.

Brr stating the ethmcrty of teh bandit when an Indian bandit was involved in a crime showed that Guyana's media did not suffer some localised aversion to reportrng the race or ethniciry of bandits. nor were they unaware of the importance of disseminating this information to the public.

However, even though the rncidents involvng Indian bandits were rare - and most dunng the

year under study rnvolved the 1one, late Indian, Premkumar Sukraj - their biased reporting helped shape public opinion and create an impression that ail races were involved in the banditry in equal

GIHA GRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

numbers. According to the statistics. 91.6 percent of the bandits- tirieves. and suspects killed during

the vear under studv r.vere Afi:ican Guvanese. Horvevet at tmes of heightened tensions. popular perceptions hold swav over facts and statistics.

If the bandits included all races in equal

numbers

then - voila! - there

r,vas no ethnic violence, especiaily since there was also a small percentage of African Guyanese who suffered robbenes and assaults.

All the lodnappings that occurred during the vear being anal-vsed were Indians. Yet Stabroek wrote on October 28 . 2002- of the kidnappings being a "problem for the hapless men and women and children who have been snatched..." We rvere aiwavs hapless and Lnnocent- but we lvere never Indians- even 'uvhen we were rvholly'. as in this case- the victims. Indians r,vere bandits: yes. lndians were victims: no.

The Nlisuse of Language at Times of Conflict Language is tiactured and misused at times of conf-lict. The hype of rvartime propaganda is a knor,rm phenomenon. Its dangers are aiso r,vell annotated. Guyana's political/ethnic conflict is not free of this misuse and the media are fully cooperative in the propaganda.

The misuse of language is so subtle. so cleverthat we are not ahvays alvElre of holv we are being manipulated. When the late PNCR leader Desmond Hoyte. made his naked threat to national

security in 200 I r,vith his phrases "more fire" and "slolv fire". these words were soon tnvialized.

They became "mo' frah" and "slor,v tyah" in the media. They were emblazoned on mrnibuses and taxis and became part of our jolli, little folklore. Properties were destroyed by fire months later. The threat had been fulfilled. The joke had turned serious. The victims were mainly Indians.

Who cares?

Last July. I attended a meeting of the defunct Citizens Group days after the Rose Hall terrorism executed by African Guyanese bandits in which Indian businessmen were robbed and three Indians were killed. I spoke at the meetrng of the terrorism and stated what I just did here: the bandits 'uvere African Guyanese: Indians w'ere rpbbed and killed. A voung Black man walked out rn disgust attcr challenging my statement.

The young man's challenge was based on this: he had not read nor heard it reported anywhere in the media that the bandits rn the Rose Hall auack lvere Black. He rvas right. I could sti1l be challenged on this here. ln February 2003, in an "Issues and Answers" call-in, television programme with ROAR MP Ravi Den a caller a.voung Afircan man. on the same issue, made a case tbr Indian bairdits r,vith shaved heads against windows at midnight who could be rnistaken for Blacks.

He chose to ignore. totally. that the African bandits were doing their business publicl,v, rn dayiight. in fulI vier,v of witnesses. and were glorified by Afrrcans like WPA and ACDA member Tacumse Ogunseve s,ho claimed them proudly as resistance fighters. and that the bandits have glorified themselves publiclv on televisron, as well, as liberators of Africans in Guyana.

There r,vas discomforr among some African Guyanese about the Afncan criminality. That was obvious. But it was unclear r,rhether the discomfort stemmed from the actual brutality of the atrocities. or because of attempts to publicly state that the atrocities \,vere camed out by Africans against Indrans.

African Rewriting of History The failurc to report on ethnic

as ethnic violence

40

- and not as general cnme - has

The Failure of the Media to Report Ethnic Violence

long-reaching repercussions. I have aiready ref-erred to the 200I Emancipationmagazine's rewrittng of the ethnic atrocitles in Buxton as a glorious African revolution. S4rere there are no records.

lustory can be quickly rewritten. The racial/political conflict in Guvana. which began m the earl-v1960's. has evolved from then to now. Whereas ne\,vs reports then, too. never pinned dor,vn the violence as ethnic or race crimes - again this was left to editonal comment - the violence of the I 960's \,vas pure in nature - to use an incongruous phrase to descnbe violence - in that it was ethnic/ political violence.

Startrng in the 1980's. during the PNC dictatorship. the lack-down-the-door banditry sar,v the use of crime as a cover to terrorise Indrans. The recent escalation racked the notches up much further.

Because of all the other lvpes of crimes involved rn the year under study drugs and gang rvarfare, vigriante justice. police kilhng bandits, bandits killing police, phantom killings - it has become

-

even more imperative to properly define and report the ethnic crimes as ethnic and not as general

cnmrnal atrocities.

Hate Crime Legislation One question asked of GIHA by an offrce for refugee status abroad brings up an rmportant ''What issue: do the Guyana police actually do when an Indian compiains about being victrmrzed?" they asked. Our justice system offers redress onlv fbr excrting racial hostilrty through the media. speeches. etc.. through the Racial Hostilitr,'Act. 1964. but not for the actual commrtting of a crime motivated by race hate. GIHA plans to lobby for Hate Crime legislation directlv. Such legislation could act as a deterrent for eruptions of ethnic terrorism. The police force would also have to investigate ethmc attacks as hate crimes. and thc media r,vould be forced to report these incidents as such.

Ho'uvever, such legislative issues bnng up the issue of the Afncan-dominated armed forces whose loyalty hes with the main opposrtion party. The constrtuting of a balalced army and poiice that

reflect the ethniciracial make-up of the country's peoples rs fundamental to the instrtutions ofjustice and the respect for human nghts for every citizen in Guyana. Without a police force that'uvould properl-u- investigate and prosecute hate crime offences.

Hate Crime legrslation would become

a

white elephant.

'

Who Was Our Nledia Guarding?

Lrttle or no research has been done in this area where the entire media of a countr-v Government, rndependent and quasi-rndependent - collude totall,v in not reporting the truth of a situation. Such complete denial happens under dictatorships rvhen media are solel.v state-o'uvned or censored. It would appear that the media in Guyana have imposed a ban on themselves.

In an article. "The Biased Truth of Arab Media." journalist Abd Al-Rahman A-Rashid.

"Scores of stories were concealed because they contradicted Baghdad's official line or bestates: cause the source was American. IJrus the question remains: How are we to knolv the truth if the media have chosen to become its biased guardian?" Al-Rashid r,vas wnting n Al-Sharq al-Awsat Apnl 1. 2003. to protest the media cover-up of the Iraqi opposition to the recent war.

of

Who was our media guardrng'/ [n the end. it was the cnmrnals and their political mrnders. If it rvas all just cnme. it was not ethnic or political. The hidden political/etiuric agenda - even though

age 41

GIHA GRTME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

relal,ed cleariy in editonal statements

- can be dismissed.

There were no news reports to substan-

tiate those very starements. The media also guarded lvell Government's lies that there are no ethnic problems rn Gu,v-ana. In the final anaivsis, the media stood guard against Indians rn Guyana.

In the United States. an incident involvtng a white cop and an.{fri.can American would send

up flags to rnvestigate it as a race-hate crime. Thrs is normal. accepted. Here in Guyana. Indians were beaten. robbed. raped. kidnapped and kiiled by Afrrcans - and everyone looked the other way.

There are no news reports to confirm our historv and our pain. We are negated. our realiW is denied and can be found ua no ofActal records.

Newspapers began and are still seen the rvorld over as the darl-v- record of our politics, society. culture. etc. They bear a grave responsibilrtv:, a civic responsrbilrty- to all citizens.

Indian deaths, rapes, robberies have never been important enough for proper accounting in Guyana - except Indians do it themselves. as in this published report. [n GuYana, we iive at the fnnges of the national consciousness and the media collude to keep us there.

We hope this report serves as a u,ake-up call and that rve begn to see a media that underfairness. stands its responsibility to the most basic of journalistic ethics. truth, accuracv and

Ryhaan Shah is aiournalist' She has an honottrs clegree from the Ltniver' si

t1t

of |vt

iss ott

o/Joarualisn.

i'Co lumb i a b Scho o I

She

hasworked in lhe

media in the \'nited Stotes, Britain, the Caribbean and Gu.vana. She is President of GIH4.

@_ 1.

\ .Hage 42

t'.i$'

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

By Ravi Dev

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYEDI

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

By Ravi Dev Introduction In an interview. the Nobei Laureate V.S. Naipaul. revealed one of the reasons for lus unique "I don't forget mv peasant ongins...and that we were so unprotected, our famil--r,; people like us in Trinidad."l Narpaul, of course, is acclarmed as one of the most sr1,,_'le

of r,vnting and perspective:

perceptive r,vriters in the English Language and rr his search for understanding that "unprotectedness",

to, and explored. many societies across the globe where Indians may have had some nexus. But even to a casual observer of societies such as Guyana, South Africa, Fiji. Nlalavsia.

Mauritius, Uganda, Keny'a, as well as Naipaul's Trinidad. this 'unprotectedness" of Indians is palpable. [n each of those societies, Indians have been, and contrnue to be, the victims of mass violence from other groups in those societies.

Ifviolence is a constant against Indians, then the reason for their "unprotectedness" has to lie erther in their culture or in the structural cgnditions of their new societies into rvhich thev were inserted or a combination of both factors - sinie these dynamically influence each other. Thrs paper attempts to offer part of the answer to the question of "unprotectedness" of indians. by lookurg at thc structural effects of state and societal violence on the Indian cormunltv of Guvana. into which. as with the other countries mentroned. Indians had been transported, generally as indentured labourers in the runeteenth century.2 ' British planters brought Indians to Guyana as "indentured servants" beginning in 1838. Bet\,veen then and 1917, when indentureship was ended- 238,907 of them had been imported. By then, even though 65-000 had retumed to India after the expiration of their contracts and countless thousards oillers had perishetl (hef death rate was grcarer than their binh rate) they had become the largest ethnic group in the societ-v. That societv was deeply variegated since rr addition to the rndigenous Amerindians. the Europeans had also brought in Portuguese, Chrnese. West Indran Africans. and Afircans to provide a "reliable" supply of labour after the abolition of slavery which had utilised primanl), Africans.3 he has travelled

I Interview b.v Farukh

Dhond-v. originallv published in Literary Review. 2001 I ln a paper "Conquest ofthe trndian lvlind". (presented at the Worid Conference ofHinduism. U\W. 'trinidad. 2000) the writer looked at the culture of the Indians in India and Guvana as it confronted the deplovment of "slmbolic tbrcE,, uiier the British conquest ancl iluring indentureship (in

Guyana) utilising the Gramcian probiematic of "heqemonv". freEd slaves and the approximately 12.000 freemen (mainly Coloured.4vlixed) rvere also joined by the following

I For Guyana the 88,000

immi$ants:Portuguese(i835-1882)-30.685.Chinese (i85-r-1912)14.189.WestIndians(1s35-1892).10.783,.\fncans(1838-1865) 13.335. Dwarka \autlu .\ History oflndians in Guyana. 2nd revised ed. Butler and Tanner, London 19?0 ( Ori_sinally published bv Lonqsman 1

950).

age 44

State and Societal Violtsnce against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

From the onset. violence \.vas part and parcel of the immigrants' realiw. Firstl,v- Bntain and the rvorld- up to the nineteenth centurv. rvas a much more violent place than the present: the Bntrsh

intlicted an urordinate amounf of violence on even their own citizens as they hurtled into their "lndustrial Revolution". Secondl-v- lndians 'fferc a colonised people. r,vhose country had been conquered by the Bntish through violence and mrllions of them had been made jobless, homeless and hungry. Then finally; they were replacrng slaves on the plantations of another British colony built on the institution ofslavery intended to produce sugar and othertropical crops as cheaply as possible. Ifslaverv were one of the most violence-suffirsed social relations rn the history of mankind. it wouid have been naiv'e to believe that the conditions would have been significantly different fbr those who directl-v replaced the slaves. The variegation of the socrety itself and its hierarchrcal orderurg, piayed its part m the urf'liction of violence. srnce it was easier to act in an inhuman manner against an "other" whose

"alien" culture. religion, physrcal appearance and habits r,vere defined as infenor. [n other words a "divide and mle" strategy became more feasible for the Europeans in maintaining "order" in such a plural socieqv, and in turn the pluralrt_v itself r,vas encouraged b-v- the strategy.4 In Guvana, the colonial state itself rvas formed specifically to further the interests of the European colonists - and the Impenal govemment. [n general, the modern state as an instrtution developed rn Europe after 1648 for the consolidation of power in the monarchy and later. for whichever group that acquired politrcal pow'er. The state arrogated to rtself the monopoly on the use of legitimate force and utilised thrs force. violently r,vhen necessary as the ultimate sanction to maintarn power for its controllers. Vlany institutions r,vere designed to protect the interests of the rulers but the Armcd Forces (especially the Police) Judiciarv and Civil Service the pnmary instrumentalities "vere of suppression and repositories of state violence. The state further deployed all its subsidiarv rnstitutions - such as the schools - to create and maintain socral relations in a manner that also always furthered the interest of the ruling group. In Guyana. lhe raison d'etre for the local state - an agent of the metropolition state - was primarily the protection of planter interest. On the fer,v occasions r.vhen those interests divergcd tiom those of tle "home government"- the favoured interests were never those of the population but always those of the metropolitan imperial power. The generai population rvas caught betrvcen the devil and the deep biue sea. ln a colonial setting such as Guyana. in no lvav could the ongrnal ratronale tbr the origin of thc state be applied.s The coercive realit_v of the state lvas magnif-red extraordinanl-v here. In some colonies such as the US. Canada and Austraiia. r,vhere the rmmigrants lvere preponderantly Bntishers rvho w'anted a better life in the nerv colonies and actuallv seuled lhere. one couid trace some continuity in the structures of the state. in terms of its organic connection with. and concerns for. its citizens. The rmmanent violence of these settler-states was tempered as they incorporated reforms for themselves. reaching furthest in the US. ',vhich tbught tbr its independence and created its own state-structure.5

ln almost all of the tropical colonies. however. the Bntish decided that the physicai environment was not suitable for their mass settlement and viewed these colonies simply as sites for erlractrWest.IndianCommissionofl89T-

"Theydonotintermix andthat,ofcourse.isoneofthEgreatsal'etiesinthecolonieswhentherehasbeenany

rioting. Ifone ofour Negroes were troublesome every coolie onthE estate would stand by one. Ifthe coolie attacked me I could with confidence trust my Negro friend for keeping me from injury." i While in the literature on Guyana there has been a great debate over whether the "consensus" or "conllict" model is most fruitful for analysing our societv the model of conflict adopted in this paper rssumes that power will always be contested and will combine the two approaches from a structural perspective to cxplain the behaviou of the two major groups within fint, the colonial era pre-1947. then within thâ&#x201A;Ź Westminster system of govemment as they competed for political power.

6 Even here. ofcouree. when the Founding Fathers declared tB!. ''all men are created equal". they meant ''all White men".

ffi (f

i'pase 45

,F$

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

ing rvealth to improve their lifestvies in their "home" country of England. In the West Indies and Guvana. the state came before the societv and in fact created the latter as the native popuiations lvere rviped out to be replaced first by slave and then urdentured labourers.r The Plantation r,vas the institution rnvented to extract the greatest profit through agnculture on a day-to-day basis. and the state 'ffas geared primanlv to facrlitate this extraction. This paper wiil look at the concrete practices of state violence agarnst the Indians as rvell as the vioience fiom the plantation owners and later "civil soctew" and examme the structural effects of that violence on the Indian communlryThe practices of an institution (as a set of rules) are given life when we vieu, it as an "organisation", marmed b-u- human beings. This simple fact has profound consequences fbr all rnstrtutions but especiailv so tbrthe State as an "institution". The colonial state r,vas actually an "integral" state. where! as lve stated. violence lvas utrlised b.v both state and societal rnstitutions agarnst first slaves, then ex-slaves and indentured servants to further the interest of the Whites. In the stafEng of the coercive institutions of the state, however. a conscious "divide and rule" policv r,vas implemented b,v the rulers, which resulted rr the creatron of structural conditions that rnduced conflict between the various groups. As an instance. in the matter under consideration, lvhen the local ex-slaves were considered to be the pressing threat to the colonial order. Barbadians r,vere recruited as poiicemen on the assumptron that they i,vould easier subdue local Atiicans. Then when lndians, r.vith ail those cutlasses in their hands, r,vere judged to pose a threat, local Africans, r,vho had shown themselves quite amenabie to the new dispensation. were suddenl-v- re-evaluated as suitable for recruitment into the Police Force. This paper r,vill examrnethe structural rmpact onthe Afi:icans and Indians of the official poiicl, to recruit former group rather than the latter into the Police Force- and later the army.

Those Airican policemen were not only called on to violently quell protests by sugar r,vorkers for better r,vorking conditions but to enforce the "pass laws" ("Exemption from Labour Certificates") that aimed to restrict the rmmigrants to the plantations. Additionall-v, they r,vere called upon to execute \,varrants for expulsions of immigrants from the plantation:

to lew rents and to act as bailiffs who

evicted tenants. The immigrant was alr,vays loo$ng over his shoulder for the African policeman who

would harass him.S This paper will examine the rmpact of this continuous and violent harassment of Indians by the African poiicemen and other secunty forces on the Indian community from their arrivai in 1 83 8 to

the present. ' Aftcrthc abolition of slavcry it was not surprising thatthe ex-slaves would strive and struggle for higher \,vages thanthat paid during the transition "apprenticeship'' penod between 1834-1838.

The,v would have reasonably assumed that the planters would stril have been trying to extract the maximum profits dunng that final period of planter oontrol over them. It was a confluenco of planters' fears that the freed slaves rvould not be reliable workers without the crack of the r,vhip. (sugar had to be planted and reaped at specific intervals), lowered pnces for sugar due to ioss of'preferentral markets in England. fears that their heaqv loans could not be serviced and of course their economic dnve to maximise profits. rvhich fuelled their search for alternatrve reliable (and cheap) labour. r Lr Guvana. a

modu vivendi rvas anived at with the local -\,merindian populations. The three tribes near to the coasLal settlements were dealt wrth fiequently hired to hunt down runawav slaves. \\4rile some .\merindians ltom the interior tribes rvere enslaved. there was not the blanket rnstitutionalised situation as was the case with Alrican slavery.

3 ChiEfJusticc Beaumont rEcounted one ofthese quotidian acts ofharassment by an Alrican policeman on a couple oflndians (he took away their "handsome polished stick" because he claimed thev had "no passes" and rvas lbrced to intâ&#x201A;Źrvene. Quoted in \{angnr. Basdeo. A History of East Indian Resistance on the Guyana Susar Estates. Edwin Press. London. 1996. p. 86-87. as allies and rvere

age 46

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas It rvas elso not surpnsing that the ex-slaves remaining on the plantations would be resentful of those who undercut thetr bargeining porver. even to the extent of siding rvith the manaqers agarnst Indians dunng "strikes". This paper wrll consrder the relations betrveen the ex-slaves and the Coloured section in "civil socieqz" and the lndians- especially as it relates to hostiliqv and vioience emanatmg from that histoncal tension.

Wrth the spread of the norm of equalrtv. a \,vave of "decolonisation" spread across the world from the early decades of the tr,ventieth centurv. Questions as to who r,vill control the State were now piaced on the agenda of the politicallv conscious in the colonies. In the Bntish colonies. the rules of "Westminster democrac,v" declared that groups \,vere supposed to compete tbr control of state po'wer - it was their dulv. Politrcians. therefore, not unreasonably utilised pre-existrng markers of group identrtr, to mobilise support for thetr "causes" Based on the origins of the Guvanese population it is not surprisrng that such identrficatton was ethnic: form r,vas dictatrng function. This paper will examine the competition for political po\,ver befi.veen the major ethntc groups in Guvana - the Indrans and Afncans - and the structural conditions that ma-v have precipitated ethnic conflict in the modern era.

The fact that Guyana has groups that are ethnically different (i.e. it is a plural societ_v) does not mean that there is rneluctabtlrty about violence between these groups. The fact that there is

political competition between these groups also does not mean that conflict is inevitable. What it does mean, howevet is that if rn the competition for power. any group believes that it is being excluded from the "spoils' of the societ-v. it will look at other options to seclrre the same, by maximisrng lvhatever resources thev have: vioience being one of those options. This will be true whether the groltps choose to identifl, themsclves on "class" or "ethnic" lines. Under the Westminster systemthe capacitv to aggregate voters excecding fift-v- percent of the electorate ensures "legitimate" control of the state. This paper w'ill examine the impiications of poiitical competition rn Guyana, under such rules The paper concludes that Indians in Glyana have an Ethnic Secunt-v Dilemmae

- to wit that

even though in the post lndependence political milieu they form a majority of the electorate in Guyana

and can win any ''fiee and

ibir" elections. they cannot guarantee stabiirty or peace. This rs because the Africans also have their Ethnic Secunty Dilemma - that if they participate in a Westminster s,vstem of governance r'vhere voting rs ethnicall,v determined. being a numerical mrnority (barely)they are doomed to exclusion tiom executive offrce.ro Hor,vever. their histoncal incumbency and eff'ective control of the State coercive apparatus and the histoncal willingness of their urban lumpen elements to not-r] olfers Aincan leaders the option of violence (among other extra-legal options) against their opponents to secure executive power. This violent option in the hands of their political opponents - the Afncans - creates in Indians a real and existential fear of being exterminated at any

time. This paper emphasises that bv strcking to the Westminster system- the structural forces generated by the Ethnic Secunty Dilemmas impel both groups to "don't-spiit-the-vote" by huddling under the tents of their ethnic parties - the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) and the Peoples National Congress (PNC) e

-

and. as a rationai choice, to emphasise. protect and utilise their respective strenglhs

The tem was introduced bv Dr Bal4oram Ramharack of the Jasur Comittee for Democracy in 1988.

Discussing "the possibility oflndian control and takeover" !1r. Kwayana advised, "It is very important. in mv view. for Indo-Guyanese who are the largest segment ofthe population to realise thatmany people, especially their closestrivals innumbers and ambition, (Afro-Guyanese) have this fear which can be plaved upon and exploited." Eui Kwayana. "Guyana's Race Problems and lr{y Part in Them". The Rodnevite. Vol 2 No 3 Augut 1992 It .\gain, this his nothing to do with race. it is sociological: all poverty-stricken groups placed in an urban milieu develop certain group behavioum.

The urban underclass is a worldwide phenomenon.

I0

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

-

numbers versus vioience. In such a Nlexrcan standoff. there

rvill alwavs be political entrepreneurs

rviil exploit such tendencics to create penodic vioient cont-licts.

As emphasrsed. the underlving conditions have nothing to do rvith individuai Africans or lndians - each group operates within a structure of roles that are heavrlv influenced by the system.

Whether r,ve like it or not mores. norrns and even vaiues are conditioned b-u" our circumstances - rn this instance our social and political competrtion. For the present. both Africans and Indians do not only have to change themselves - they will have to change the system that, ro a iarge degree. conditions their behaviour rn dysfunctronal r.vays. Finally theretbre. this Paper rvill offer proposals for institutional changes to assist in defusing those structural conditions inducrng violence between the two major groups rn Guyana - the Ethnic Secunty Dilemmas of both Africans and Indians. r,vho

Culture, Institutions and Structures The paradigmatic unequal drstribution of por,ver between the slave and the master defined

"fieedom" and ''unfreedom"l: and therefbre. from the moment of the formation of Guryana on the backs of slaves. the existential question for the people of Guyana was the allocation of porver both betrveen the state and citizens and betrveen the crtizens themselves. The allocation of power in a polity is the domain of politics, r,vhich. like everv activitv. is govemed by its local culture. Therefore. if "political culture" consists of the attitudes, beiiefi. values and orientations about politics ur a given population at any given time, we have to examine the historical formation of our political culture in Guvana- if 'uve are to change our political behaviour rvhich. most agree- is d.vsfunctional.

Similarl,r. rf the structures of a political s-vstem refer to the regulanzed activities that make up that svstem. then structures, which are comprised of roles guidcd by norms. are also historically determrned. The totalrty of norms or rules. rvhich govern a particular structure would be referred to as an "institution". The Police Forcc, for instancc. is an institution - the total set ofrules, established bv statute. which defines its permissible activitiys. The Police Force is simultaneously an example of a "structure", a set of patterned activities of its members. such as the Commissionet orthe Commander of a station, executing roles detlned by rules, but inevitably going beyond those rules. Thus while the Police Force sets cntena for admission for recruits. invanably the relatives of Policemen have an advantage in recruitment and this becomes part of the behavioural pattern of the Force part of the "structure".13 "Structure" is therefore a more inclusive term than "institution" since rules rafel-v descnbe the full range of incurnbeirts'activities. Ivluch of our critique of present-day rnstitutions in Guyana, in this paper, w'ill reall;z deal lvrth the structural imperatives that have accreted around them. like straightjackets.

LilG the wider generic term 'culure". polidcal culture is shaped by the totalir_v- 0f activities (structure) of its practitroners and in turn shapes those activities: political culture is thus simultaneousl_v constituted and constitutive. Poiitrcal culture and political structures are tlvo sides of the same coin and they urteract continuously to shape, influence and modifr each other. The political culture. structures and institutions of a country are t_vpically shaped by that nation's history and '1"The social constmction offreedom was made possible by the relation ofslavery. Slavery had to exist betbre people could even conceive ofthe idea offreedom as a value, that is to say, find it meaningful and uefirl. an ideal to be striven for...Slavery immediately made possible something that had never existed before: the absolute. unprotected- unmediated power oflife and death of one person ovEr another." Orlando Patterson. "Freedom.

Slavery and the modem construction of Rishts '' in "Historical Change and Human Riehts: The Odord .{mnestv Lectures, 1944 , Oliver Hufton

ed. Basic Books.

NY

D The writer Edgar

1995.

Vlittleholzer. a card carrying member ofthe early twentieth century mulatto elite. in his autobiography, A Swarthy Boy, describes how his couins with absolutely no qulitications rvere rble tg*!e admitted to the L-orce based on 'comections".

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

evolve out of the interaction. disagreements and conflicts among institutions and social forces, as the-v anempt to secure their equitable share of po'wer. The Guvanese experience rvith power (and so

politics) is that it has ali,vays been ethnic: up to fitt_v vears ago porver r,vas always rn the hands of Whites from England. Therefore it lvas not unreasonabie tbr another ethnic group to assume that rt could assume porver as an ethnic group.

The expenence of a people on an issue-

if

sustarned over a long period inevitably structures

their response on that issue. For instance dunng slavery. slaves could not marry and that experience has shaped the ex-slaves' response to "familv" throughout plantation Amenca. While all Afircans accept the "institution" of marriage. the practices of a substantial bloc varies substantially from the rules of the institution. These are the structural accretions. For Indians. the relative closure of the State-system to them after they compieted their indentureship- structured their move into other avenues

of employment to survive

-

and that meant the independent professions or nce cultivation

(w'hich they had developed into a commercial product). While the institutions of the Police and Nlilitia

mav have been described as keeping "lar,v and order", the Indians' experiences of vrolence at the hands of the Police, the N[ilitia and the army inevilabiy structured their responses to these institutions

will now be examined in the follor,vrrg sections. The conclusion reached is the experience of unremitting harassment and vioience induced a structural condition of fear and hostility in the Indian communiw vis ct vis the securiry apparatus, which shaped their response to

These actions and reactions

those institutions

-

avoidance - leading ultimately to their Ethnic Security Dilemma.

Violence against Indiansll The Precursor: The Portuguese Experience

iu,

,

We can discern the bttline of the stnrytural dynamics that shaped the social relations of Indians in the present, from the experience of the Portuguese r,vho arrived here in 1835. These earl.v Portuguese indentureds (along rvith some West lndians, Africans and Indians) heiped to break the Afrrcan strike of 18-18. The Portuguese rvere attacked vrolently by A-fricans rn that same year Nlarch I848 in Berbice. Portuguese indentureds. on the expiration of their contracts. immediately moved offthe Plantations and into the vrllage and urban milieu established the Afncan population that haii decamped the plantations by 1849.15 In February 1856 and again inl889. there were wider

Ahican anti-Portuguese riots. dunng n'hich the Portuguese lvere beaten and their shops especially targeted. in obvious retaliation for sq,rnierng the early Coloured and Afncan's attempt to tbrm a commercial class.l6 These riots are an earlv exemplification of the hostihtv generated in the inevitabie competition for scarce resources (including status) rvhen one group moves into niches considered the domain of another. They also demonstrated the rmportance of leaders to direct their follorvers into open violence. After the 1856 nots. it was authorised that on every Plantation. 6-10 muskets were to be kept in the custody of the Manager.

Withrn the furtherance of the Bntish "divide-and-rule" policy, we note that Indians lvere !' To help avoid the charge ofbias I will rely pnmarily on quotations tiom reputable scholas as well as Jagan and Bumham. Ofcourse. the charge ofbias can never be completely overcome since the very act of selectinq quotes indicates a penpective.

1! .{damson. Alan H.. Sugar Without Slaves: The Political Economy of British Guiana. 1838-1904. Yale Lhiversity Press. New Haveru 1912. p 31.

16 ..\damson, Alan H.. Sugar Without Slaves: The Political Economy olBritish Guiana, 1838-i904, Yale University Press. New Have4 1912. p 69'11.

&

ffi;'Pao"

as

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Afncan rioters during the confrontatron in rural areas. It has also been claimed that the Whites may have encouraged the riots from behind the scenes. to clip the wings of the nsing Pornrguese rvho preferred commerce to lvork in the fields and to set the Aincans agatnst the Portuguese.i; The same dvnamics also operated in the riots of 1905. r,vith the added element of some Afncan sugar rvorkers joining in lvrth the urban protestors. from nearby Plarrtations. What we knolv for a fbct. is that the fuot Act was not read m the first trvo riots and in the third, only after numerous poiicemen and thirry-one out of fifq,' members of the Volunteer Force had been tnjured. along N,ith rvidespread arson. damage to properr,v* and beatings of Portuguese. The same held for the fburth not. in 1905:three persons lvere killed but onlv after erlensive damages to persons and propert_v.r3 From the beginning, therefore. we perceive a differential application of official violence.

The Portuguese experiment was haited early on and their numbers never reached a level to threaten other groups wrth total exclusion fiom all spheres of activrty - economically or politicall-v, even though their economic success and Caucasian features enabled them to wield polver out of proportion to their numbers. The massive "quantit-v'" of the Indians shipped into Gu-v-ana r,vas to shape the "qualitv" of their relations with other groups and precipitate nelv and more intense fears inthe societ-v, when those lndians inevitabll, followed the Portuguese into "open" societ-v. used to put dotvn

Indian Indentureship: 1838-1917 The Experiment The first batch of Indian indentureds who arrived on May 5tr' 1838 r'vere regarded as an experiment and the bare statistics of that experiment suffice to give an intrmatron of rvhat was to follow down to the present: Shipped from Calcutta. ....

414 Died dunng Voy-age tp* Landed ur Guyana

396

Returned to India in 1843 ...

Deaths I 83tt-l tt+3 ........ .....

'

Absconded Remained i. Gr;;;

......................

2

60

What this means was that 116 of 414 immigrants or 2SYopenshed wrthin five vears of their arrival - l8 had not arrived at all. The figures on the total scheme do not change the deadly picture any: of the 238.937 introduced between 1838-1917. 65.588 were repatriated leaving 173.391 in the

colony. Even with the shortage of women, there were numerous marriages and alliances that led to children. yet in 1917. the total Indian population rvas 137.959 - 35.959 less than those who had remained.le One can only imagine the short, and brutish life that these Indians were forced to endure.

Indians rvere beaten and maltreated bv the managers and drivers (the latter r,vere Africans): 17 "Bv comparison with the treatment ofttre lndian and Negro populations. treatrnent ofthe Portuguese and Chinese was benign ifnot enlightened."

Latin American Bureau, Guyana. Fraudulent Revolution London 1984. LAB goes on tojustify this statement. P 18.

r8

Il

It is instructive that from the tax imposed to defray the cost ofreimbursing the Pomrguese, 55000 was allocated to the plantations security lbrces. addition to the olhcial state sanctioned violence there was always a reseryoir of potentiai violence against the Indian if he were to follow the

Portuguese out of the Plantations. 'e Dwarka

\atIU .\ Historv of Indiam in Guyana. Butler & Tlgrer. London ( I970). Originallv published by Longrrans, 1950. p.

@_ ?tTirus" so l*d$' Ueu63s3tr(L-

Ilf*ur|,{,,

23 I

State and Societal r/iolence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

several who ran a\.vay under the misguided notion that thelr could rvalk back to India were appre-

who were Atiicans: their agreed rate of pay denomrnated in rupees were devalued by merchants - W-hites, Porluguese or Africans -and the conditions of their contracts \,vere consistentl.v broken.ro The eleven women r,vho rvere shipped in wrth two hundred and eighry-eight hended

b-u*

police

-

men created its ornm set of sociai problems. amongst the lndians.

The Bnrish Foreign and Anti-Slavery Society, on behalf of the Central Emancipation Committee had sent John Scoble to rnvestigate the conditions on the experiment and his report was so damming in its details of crueltres and rnequities that the scheme was cancelled by India until 1845.21

It was to set the pattern for the rest of indentureshrp - violence and violations on Indians foilor,ved. every tlventv years or so. by officral Inquines and recommendations. i,vhich were invariably observed only rn the breech.

The Plantations The plantation has been described bv some as a "total institution" that acted to socialise. through force and other coercive methods, the lvorkers into an organized machine for production.2: There is no question that the planters had a clear picture of rvhat was the ideal piantation rvorker ought to be - docile. industrious. concerned about the plantation's interests ahead of his own and r,villing to tbllow orders.?3 That the workers r,vould have resisted this dehumanisation of therr being was also not unexpected and the plantations were structured to overcome this resistance. The plantation, founded on siave labour, r,vas predicated on violence, backed by the ahvays available State institutions of violence. The demands ofthe plantatrons (and especrally for sugar in Guyana) required comparatively large investments and to deliver a consistent return on such investments. in turn, demanded consistent and cheap production. Violence and coercion was an integral feature of the plantation economy. to discipiine individuals into this ner,v technoiogy of production. The Abolition of slavery r,vhile a landmark change in the legal relatrons betw'een planters and lvorkers, simply forced changes in the methodolog-v- of applying the violence to e\tract production. during the indentureship period and after.

Workers were organised into gangs under the direct supervision

of "drivers"

"vho

r.vere

selected for the position b-v supervisors (i,vhite overseers) who ludged them most willing and capable of obtaining the greatest amount of labour for the least amount of money from their fellow r,vorkers - b1- an-r- means necessary. This arrangement \,vas crucial since the nature of sugar cuitivation and

''task" harvestrng created varrabie conditions necessitating daily bargaining over the content ofthe that had to be completed for a day's pav Drivers of women's gangs. as well as the Whlte overseers. rvere notorious for taking advantage of the women in their gangs. These tr,vo issues

- wages and

women -'were at the heart of most of the "official" violence against the Indians during their sojourn on the plantatrons. r,vhen they protested the quotidian rnjustices. The managers had a tactic of initrating the issuance of summons for any infraction, with its withdrawal contingent on the worker agree-

ingtopaycosts. Upthe 1880's,themajontyof dnversoverlndiangangslvereAfrrcansandthere roDwarka Nath. AHistory of Indians in Guyana. Butler & Tamer, London, (1970). Orieinally published by Longmam. 1950 p. 10-20 11 Scoble. John. Hill Coolies: A brief exposure of the deplorabie condition of the hiU coolies in British Guiana and Mauritiu. and ofthe nefarious means by which they were induced to resort to these colonies. London : Harvey and Darton. 1840 l This was tirst suggested by George Beckford in: Becklbrd, George. Persistent Poverty: Underdevelopment in Plantation Economies of the Third

World. NewYork: OxfordUnivenityPress. lg12.HeborrowedtheconceptfromkvingGofman.Asylums, (1961) Totallnstitution:"Aplace ofresidence and work where a large number oflike-situated individuals- cut offfiom the widersociety for an appreciable penod oftime together, lead an enclosed. formally administered round oflife." r He has been satirised enough in the ligures of "Sambo" and*"Uncle Tom"

5{

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

were manv reports of these drrvers assaulting lndians.:a The plantatron discipline featured floggings-

fix the Indian mind. the image of the A-fircan dnver as a -'bullv".

The atritude ofthe planters was exemplified b,v the planter Wiiliam Russell. who agreed with the view of with plantatron managers that indentured i,vorkers should be "at lvork. in hospitai or rr assaults etc. that helped to

goal".:s These locales detlned the three instrtutions over rvhich total control of discipline and domrna-

tion could be exercised over the rmmigrant: the "overseer-driver" s,vstem to deal r,lrth the rmmrgrant at lvork: and the medical and judicial svstems. to impose the planters' wish and u,i1l over them within the "hospital and goai".:6

State Coercive Institutions The Hospital As part of tJre agreement for the immigratron scheme, the planters had agreed to establish on each plantation to deal rvrth the medical problems of the immigrants. The problem in this arrangement was that the plantation olvners paid the plantation's medical doctors. They orved their continued employrnent to the manager and these managers exerted total control of the doctors. It r,vas the brave doctor who rvould go agarnst the requests of the managers. The medical doctors then aiways sought to get the ill immigrants back into the fields - every immigrant amving at the plantatron hospital r,vas expected to be a malingerer. When the individual insisted that he w'as uruvell, the doctor w'ould in turn tell him he r,vas fit for work.

In his indictment of the rmmigration system in 1869. Des Voux (see belor.v) not onlv castigated the magistrates (w-ho r,vould tlpically have lunch r,vith the local manager before presiding over his court. and beside q,hom the manager r,vould sit if charged by an immigrant) but the medical doctors. who conspired to ensure that immigrarlts get back into the fields. The hospital became part of the svstem and surveillance of the immigrants to ensure that the ideal w'orker rvas available to the plantation.

The Judiciary The laws and apparatus of the State were also respectivel."- drafted and deployedto ensure the production of the compliant worker. During the indentureship penod- with the lndians contractu-

ally bound to remain on the plantations. indentureds had to have a pass. issued by their plantation managets, on their persons whenever they went offtheir plantatron. Indentured rvorkers were literally "bound" to the plantations. The Police were mandated to monitor the movement of the lndians and the latter could be charged and brought before the courts at any time.

The state passed ordinances afFecting Lmmigrants. which treated offences that rvould be defined rn any other jurisdiction atthe time as civil offences- as crimrnal offences. The cluef weapons were the Labour and Vagrancy Laws: the planters used these ordinances to intimidate the immigrants not to resist the injustices meted out in the lields. These minor infractions \'vere prosecuted as ro Mangnr.Basdeo.

1r \langnr,Basdeo.

:6

A History ofEast lndian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates, Edwin lvlellen A History ofEast Indian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates, Edwin llellen

Press, London, 1996. p 85 Londoq 1996. p 85.

Press.

It is not coincidental that these tkee imtitutions have been defined as "total institutions".(GolTrnan) and as "irutitutions of discipline and control". (Foucauit)

State and Societal Violence against Indians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas cnminal oflences utd upon convictlon: the rmmigrants were subjected to jaii sentences. Charges lvould be brought against the immrgrant for the smallest infiaction of work rules. or even fabncated ones. For instance. the charge of "neglect of duqv" could cover an--vthrng and could result in a fine of $2 one weeks' wages forthe immierant.rT The chart belor,v gives an indrcation of the use of the complaints weapon by the planters. Anyone who has had exposure to the social relations of a sugar

-

plantation can only imagne the courage of a worker who would dare bring charges against a manager - and then testilv in court. Even the small number of charges against emplo.vers is surpnsing.

Number of Complaints Between Employers and Indentured Indians 1881-1911:8

Yea(Quinquential)

\0. oflndentured

No. ofEmployers'

Io,

Indians

Complaints

foain$ Bmplovers

vs

Ind.

ofInd. Complaints

JJ

1895-6 1901-2 1906-7

20.480 14.609 10,597

.........4.2s5 ......3.423 4,003.........

ml 2

The planters preferred the courts because they not only had the lar,vs drafted in their t'avour but had the magistrates literally in their pockets.

I

The Armed Forces For the penodic eruptions on the plantations- r,vhen the r,vorkers could not srvallow their humiliatrons and pnvations any longer the planter could always rely on the Police Force and the Militra to support the plantation's security force, in breakrng any stnke action - whrch r,vas the onlv weapon avaiiable to the worker. After the armed fbrces invanably pacified the lvorkers by using force, the judiciary would step rn to impose draconian fines, impnsonment. floggings (at the scene of the 'crime') and expulsion from the plantatron. The immrgrant and the resident plantation workers were expected to "go along to get along". We now consider the nature of the Armed Forces of the State that were used on behalf of planter interests. to produce the compliant worker.

Nlilitia

r7

Mangnr,Basdeo. A History of East Indian Resistance on the Guvana Sugar Estates, Edwin Mellen Press, Londoru 1996. p 66-67.

TlTanRamarine. Over a hundred yean of East Indian disturbances on the sugar estates over Guyana, 1869-1978: AnHistorical Overview. in DavidDabydeenandBrinsleySamaroo, IndiaintheCaribbean-HaroibPress.Londoru 1987.p119-141. :8

ffi_ lff

i.Faoe 53

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

To enlbrce the siave larvs and relationshrps of slavery the Dutch had organised a Burgher Nlilitta n which every White male betlveen the ages of 16-50. was expected to serve. The British maintamed this policJ', and every plantatron r,vas expected to suppl--v men for the Nlilitia. Amerrndians. lvho had been widelv used to hunt escaped siaves and put dou,n slave rebeilions. became superfluous during indentureship. The Nlilitia was alwa-vs available to the planter but became a reserve force. as

the ofTicial Police Force after i838. repiaced the infonnal watchman system used dunng slaverv.

There had been onl.v about six watchmen ur Georgetolw at the abolition of slavery and a srmrlar number in the countrr,side. This small number r,vas deemed adequate because each piantation was expected to keep the order (the r,vord of the manager was the law) on therr bailiwick.

A local Nlilitia Force was formed in

1856 and a Volunteer Force

drawn from the propertied strata to protect their interests

b-u-

rr

1877178, which was

acting as further backups to matntain

in Guyana as a reserve to keep "order". As a matter of fact, dunng the very first major protest by immrgrants on the plantations - at Leonora in 1869. units of thrs regiment were calied in rvhen the police could not handle the situation to the satisfaction of the planters. The Regiment departed in l89l .ln 1942. the Nlilitia was transformed into the British Guiana Regiment and the recruitment r,vas opened up to ordrnary (but primarily to urban) order.2e The 2"d West Lndia Regiment rvas also stationed

Guvanese. for the r,var efforl.

Rural Constabulary A Rural Constabularv was formed in 1849. Originally four constabies

r,vere authorised

for

every 100 persons in each village, settlement or Piantation The numerical limitations lvere removed rn i858. The "watchmen" on the plantations were eventuall.v integrated into the rural constabulary.

They ensured everyday order on the plantations and r,vere the proxrmate backup for the Police. rvho 'uvere the primary institution to keep "order".

The Guy'ana Police Force Background We can begin to appreciate the prvotal role of the Police Force - r,vhich is today the most visible and ubiquitous symbol of the state - when we consrder that this institution qpically; has the soie authority to use force against the citizens of a countw. even to the point of executing them. The

Guyana Police Force (GPF) was organized in that traditron and has certainly done its share

of

executions.

The GP F was founded in I 8 3 9. after the abolition of slavery - just a decade after the launch-

ing of the London Police Force. In companng the trvo Forces bnefly, we may grasp the essence of the former. The London Force was organised after much debate b.v- the middle class of England, sensitised by their experience of rvinnrng power from a monarchy that had abused its prerogatives.

They were petrified of the potential for nerv abuse b1, an instrtution conferred r.vith the authonty and capaclt_y to use force against themselves. So while they lvanted protection fiom the "mob-violence" tendencv of the newly created urban workrng class. the,v ensured that the new Force was not turned agarnst them by appropnate rules for the new organization.

The Brrtish Police became charactertzed bv a decentralized structure. rvhich ensured that :'John Campbell. History ofPolicing in Guyana.

Guvana

Force. Georgetovm. i987. p.10.

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

locai sentiments and concerns were addressed. Most of the Force \,vas unarrned. up to the present.

The emphasis of the British Poiice is to protect the British citizenrv. (of course as defined by the ruling groups). In their definition of the duty of the police. "to maintain ialv and order", their police's imperative was to uphold the iar,v.

The British view of the role of the Police in its coionies however was the opposite to the above stance. Here. their prime concern lvas to maintain order so as to protect British interests and thev orgamzed the police forces here appropnately. The Royal Insh Constabulary is a good example: it r.vas verv.- centraiized. heavil-v- armed and ethnicized. That is.

it

consisted mostly of Irish

Protestants and English Offrcers, to ensure the imposition of order against the predominantly Catho-

Iic populatron. The tbcus of the Insh Pohce was to marntaln order i.e. to protect the secunty of the state. The GPF was explicitl.v orgamsed ur Irishtradition.3o The GPF had ahvays beenhea',rly militansed

but as the protests on the sugar plantations intensified in 1889 the force was reorganised and its structure and training methods made more explicitly militarv. ln 18 9 I r,vith the deparlure of the West India Regiment. the entire Police Force r,vas armed and became a semi-military outfit.

Divide and Rule: Exclusion of Indians from the GPF It is noteworthy that the motto- "To Serv-e and Protect" rvas not adopted until over a hundred years after the formation of the GPF: it was very obvious that the British were not moved to serve and protect the ner,vlv freed slaves. The early rccruits were primarily from Barbados so as to ensure that an-v orders from the Whites to use force on the nelvly freed slaves might not be disobeyed. out of sympathy for "kith and kin''. That the same technique 'ffas utilised on the lrish. showed that "control". not race. was the prime motivation. The GPF was organized with a highly centralized command structure to deal with anticipated upnsings from the local Aiiicans. The British had honed its "divide and rule" policy to a tee. When the ex-slaves proved compliant to the new order, and indentured labourers rverc brought in to replacg them on the plantations. the latter were determined to be posrng a threat. purportedly because of the implements (cutlasses) rn their possession.st (Of course. it was an implicit acknowledgement that the abysmal conditions and atrocious pay would provoke the Indians to rebel). The Police Force lvas expanded. especially in the rural areas. to

counterthelndian''threat".TheestrmatesfortheGPFreflectthernexorablebuild-up: I850-$19.000.

1868 - 533.500. I tt79 - 580.000. ln I881 the Governor repeated the officral apprehension. The rnterest! of the plantcrs. as thev defined their secuntv needs. rvere made coincident ',vith the securitv needs of the country. The converse- of course, also heid: the lndian on the plantations represented a threat to the nation.

The locai Afiicans were soon recruited into the GPF to deal with the new "threat" and set into motion a histoncal discrimination against Indian recruitment that continued to the present. It did not f1t in with the Bntish policv of playing off one ethnic group against others. to have an integrated

force. The British were old hands at the arl of discnminatlons and they used various stratagems to

r0

Ordinance 13 of 183 8 had onginally established the Guyana Police Force but afler Govemor Henry Light (and the Secretary of the State tbr the Colonies) leamt of the irnovations of the Irish Police Force to keep the lrish in line - under an Inspector-General, given semi-military training and ranks in barracks - thev collaborated with the Commissioner ofthe London Metro Police and came up with Ord#9 of 1839. John Campbell.

History ofPolicing in Guyana. Guyana Police Force, Georgetown 1987. rt By the I 870's. Govemor Kortright noted, that there were over 60.000 Indians on the Plantations with cutlasses in their hands and this presented a clear and present danger ofan uprising. Armed police were recommanded for the rural areas. John Campbell, History ofPolicing in Guyana- Guyana PolicE Force. Georgeto*rl. 1987. p. 53-54

age 55

GIHA CRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

exciude Indians from the GPF. In Guyana. "minimum physical requirements" was one of their pnme

tools. The ph-v-sical requirements tbr males \,vere as follows: Height: 5' 8". Weight: 135 1bs.. Chest: 34".3: During the mneteenth century the average height of the Indian male was about 5' 3" and so in one slvlpe, most Indians were excluded. The age requirement rvas 18-25 years and the applicant

to be unmamed.r3 Up to the middle of the 20*' century, however Indian cultural practices ensured that most males were married by that age. Food. which was geared for the tastes and diet of the Africans. was another barrier to lndians. who had religious proscnptlons agamst certain foods.3a These t-actors. i,vhich \,vere supposedly faciali-v- neutral and not changed untrl 1968. produced a disparate rmpact on Indians and ensured earl.u* on that the-v learnt the lesson that the Police Force not a piace r,vhere Indians were r'velcome.3s Indians turned to other avenues for r,vas aiso requrred

emplovment.

"vas

As late as 1884, of the 624 non-Commissioned officers and police ranks in the GPF. only 13 non-Commissioned offtcers and 161 constables r,vere local Africans, as opposed to 49 non-Commissioned Officers and 246 constables were Barbadians. For the record. at that time. forty*-nine "vho constables (8%) lvere from India.36 It was not a question of literacy rn English since many Barbadians. local Africans and even Vtrhites, u,ho were admitted, r,vere iiliterate. Dunng the 19n centurv- in onl-v one -"-ear (1885) rvere Indians recruited in significant numbers - 58 of 157. The record showed that the.v performed credibly.3' Inspector-General Cox, lvho addressed the batch- found it necessary

to instruct: "If you see Coolies, your owrr race. breaking the larv vou must arrest them the same v-ou r,vould Black people."38 Indians were obviously not trusted by olficialdom.

The planters continued their histoncal opposition to Indians in the Guyana Poiice Force into modern times. In 1939, the Sugar Producers' Association (SPA) demanded a military man to command the Force: "With their thousands of labourers of an alien race of little or no education and a speciai aptitude for conspirac_v, the estates' need for police protection rs a pressrng one at this time".3e Eighteen years after the last rndenture contract expired, Indians were still an "alien race", lvhich, of course. made them easier to mow down.

I The sugar interests held slvay and on the eve of Independence in 1965, not much changed in recruitment patterns, even though the lndian population had burgeoned to over 50o/o.4o Indians comprrsed 20 7% of the GPE compared with 71.9% Africans. .{nd thrs was after the PPP Government of 1957 -1964 had deliberately increased the number of Indians recruited. The PPP then, had to have recognised the security threat posed by the imbalance in the GPF since at that time, they conducted such a vigorous program to increase Indian recruitment.

Thevhad accepted 239 Indians versus.l32 Africans from 5.877 versus 9.081 applications respectlvely. that rs 4.1% of Indlan apphcants versus 4 7 % of Aliican applicants.il The International

h Guyana. Traroaction Books, New Brunswick 1982. p. 33-3.+. p.34. raBreakfast was typically tea and bread, while lmch and dinner leaned heavily on ground provisiom. (plantams, yams. eddoes -fried and in soups) beef, pork. saitfish.( Muslims did not eat pork while Hindu ate neither beef nor pork.) John Campbell. History of Policing in Guyana. Guyana Police Force. Georgetown. 1987. p. 82. r!

1965. the Ilternational Commission of Junsts were to note the advene impact of Ildian recruitment caued by these l-acton. lntemational 12

Dams. George K. Domination and Power

13

Ibid

h

Comission of Jurists, (ICJ) "Report of the Bntish Guiana Comission of Inquiry - Racial problem in the Public Service". Georgetowq Oct 1965.

35

p.4l

ofPolicins rn Guyana, Guyana Police Force, Georgetown, 1987. p. 62. i7 John Campbell. History ofPolicing in Guyana, GPF. Georgetowru i987. p. 1. r8 John Campbell, History ofPolicing in Guyana, GPF, Georgetown. 1987, p. 73.

John Campbell. History

rolvlangnr.Basdeo.AHistoryofEastlndianResistanceontheGuyanaSuearEstates.EdwinMellenPress.London. roDrvarka Nath.

.\ History oflndians in

Guyana. Butler

&

1996.p.27.

Tqg4er. London. (1970). Oriqinally published bv Longmans. 1950. p.236.

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

Commission of Junsts (ICJ). mvited by the PNC in 1965 to rnvestigate the ethnic imbalances in the state sector. concluded that the Police Force shouid reflect to a greater degree. the composition of the population. Thev recommendedthatT5oA of recmits and cadets for the next five .vears be Indian unt1l the goal r,vas reached.r2 The PNC accepted the recommendations of the Commission and

claimed that the very next year,76 of 102 police recruits \,vere Indians.a3 A Government publication clarmed that by 1968. the ne'uv policres of the government saw "the proportion of Afrrcans declirung

from 73.lohrn1964to 67Yo in 1968, while the East Indian representation grew from 21.4 to 34% in this penod."at This rs quite unlikeiy since the "minimum physical measurements" (NIPNI) r,vas only discontrnued in 1958.

Additionall.v, Prof. K. Danns claimed that the PNC ceased to make statistics available after 1966. but that data collected by him showed that the Government did not implement the ICJ's recom-

mendations and actually decreased the number and percentage of Indians accepted. He shor,ved that

between 1970 and 1977. while the size of the force was berng doubled, 92.2% of recruits were Africans with only 7 .84yo berng Indians. Therr numbers dropped to less than ten perccnt of the GPF.'5

Nlany Indians r,lho \,vere accepted were placed in the Special Branch, (plain clothes) and posted to Indian villages to spy on their fellor,v Indians. This pohcy created further distmst of the Police Force amongst Indians. Dunng the long fivent_v years of PNC's ruie. Indians in the GPF r,vere seen as PNC's tools since the requirement for such a job lvas a PNC Par[y card.a6 lvlany lndian policemen'were grven dead-end postlngs and treated wrth disdain b.v African subordinates who had comections i,vrth the PNC. Al1 of these negativities simply reinforced the h,rstorically- conditioned experience of the lndian that the GPF was not an rnstitution that r,velcomed him.

The Army The British Guiana Regrment was disblnded in 1947 and reconstituted in 1948 as the British

Guiana Volunteer Force.ri This Force. composed of a battalion of approxrmately six hundred resenes and fuil time oftjcers. buttressed the armed response ofthe Government to internal problems.

The battalion ivas rccmited b-v.' an urban-based Selection Boardt8. which drew the troops from, and stationed them in. primanl-v- urban areas.4e It should not be surprising that the troops were overr,vhelmingiy Afncan. It r,vas the rifle companv of this Force that stood by r,vhile the Wismar atrocities weie committed on May 25 1964.

A PPP's motion to form a "Britrsh Guiana Army" was passed by the Legislature in October 1962. but was never assented to bv the British Govemor. Instead, after the ethruc violence of 1963 had convinced the PPP to go along wrth a change of the electoral rules (to introduce PR and thus to 'r Dams. George K. Domination and Power in Guyana. fransaction Books, New Brunswick, 1982. p. ll7 ' ICJ Report. 196 5 Recomendatiotr: 1) that further companies of ttre Volunteer Force be establishe d in areas

where there were likely to be a large number oflndian Volunteen: 2) In each year for a period of 5 years. whenever the number ofqualified applicants ofconstable or Cadet Offrcer level pemit, 769lo ofthe applicants accepted should be Indian and 2596 from otherraces.

$

Sunday Graphic. April 3rd. 1966, Quoted in Tyrone Ferguson- To Suruive Seroibly or to Court Heroic Death, Public Enterprise. Georgetown- 1 999 '1 News tiom Guyana, March 29. 1968. 13/1969. ri G. K. Dam, Domination and Power in Guyana (New Brumwick: Transaction Books, 1982 ) p.117-l18.

'6 G. K. Danns. Domination and Power in Guyana (New Brunswick: TransactionBooks, 1982 ) 17 David A. Granger. "The New Road: A Short History ofthe Deitnce Force" GDF, Georgetown. 1975. p 17-19.

s Ibid. p

Afairs Consulting

18.

"The battalion is made up of a Headquarters' Company in Georgetown and lbu rifle companies of which one is stationed in New Amterdam and another at Mc Kenzie." Wismar Comission Report. December 1964- p 17.

{q

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

commrt political surcide). the Bntish orgamzed the paramiiitary Special Service Unit (SSU). rvith equal numbers of Indian and Afrrcan recruits. There r,vas no problem of attractrng lndians to this

battalion and in fact many of them had to be tLrrned awav and appiications came trom some verv qualified rndividuals. Tlus concrete example should dispel all accusations that. "Indians do not wantto

join the armed tbrces". The politrcal r,vill has to be present to remove obstacles and to

create the

appropriate environmenl.

The ICJ had recommended. in ref'erence to the armv (it mentions the Volunteer Force since the PNC had not launched the army but had retained the Volunteers and the ethnically-balanced SSU: "that flirther companies of the Volunteer Force be established in areas r,vhere there were hkely

to be a large number of Indian Volunteers".50 N[r. Bumham was most cognisant that the Indian Ethnic Secunty Diiemma

-

neutralisrng the

Indian numerical majont-v* - depended on the Armed Forces being staffed by PNC's suppofters.

Directiy after the PNC/UF took offrce in 1964. he sent some hand picked individuals for officer training at Nlons rn England. When he launched the Guyana Defence Force on Nla1, 22. 1966. he disbanded the ethnically balanced SSU and the Volunteer Force. took only thrrfv seven of their men (primarily Ahicans) and used the new Mons-trained officers as the core of his new Affrcan-dominated Armv.51 Thrs Afncan-dominated pattern of recrurtment continued as the PNC formed another GDF batLalion in 1968 and embarked on a militansation drive by forming t\,vo new armed forces - the Guyana Natronal Service (1974) and the Guyana People's Militia (1976) In all of these organizations. Africans dominated with ninet-v percent of the manpower. By 1976. according to one researcher. Guyana had "Disciplined Forces" r,vith a combined strength of tr,venry--one thousand (from 2631 tn 1965) and its soldier to civilian ratio of 1:35. was one of the lughest in the r,vorld.S2 "The intake

into ail of the disciplined services is 90% black. reflecting the wrdespread violation of entrance requirements exercised by leaders of the ruling partr,."sr The PNC's women's .,ving - t[e Women's Revolutronary Socialist Movement, and the Youth arm

-

the Young Socralist Nlovement (YSN,I) r,vere also given arms and mrlitary trairung.

Up to the 1997 general elections- the Disciplined had their votes counted separately from the rest of the population and the vote for the PNC invanably reflected the African percentage of the Forces - in the nrnety percent range. In 1997 of the 5900 odd votes cast. 5300 rvere for the PNC. Institutional memorv was not just a theory: Indians were faced with overwhelmmg military fbrces

thrit defined them as potential enemies of the state. The Indian Ethnic Secunty Dilemma was alive and weil: further inflamed by the increase and skerved composition of the Army

J0

Report of the Iltemational Commission of Jurists. Georgetown. 1965. liom the SSU was passed over bv Bumham tbr Major Clarence Price,

!r )vlajor Raymond Sattaur,

resigned.

J2

5r

l. No. l. 1978.

Latin ..\merican Bureau. Fraudulent Revolution. p.56.

Ken Dams. Traroition- Vol.

@l'Fuo" sa ffi

a

British trained Atican Offrcer LIaj. Sattaur soon

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

Application of the State Violence: Historical Induction of Indian's Aversion to the Armed Forces As mentioned above. the unstated policy of the state in Guvana throughout the nineteenth century and up to the middle of the tw-entieth was. "!vhat's good tbr sugar is good for British Guiana (B.G )" There was more than a kernel of truth in the popular saying that "B.G." stood for "Bookers Guiana": after the largest sugar companli "Bookers Bros".

Harassment While most of the violence of the Armed Forces was deployed to quell labour upnslngs on the plantations. there were other dailyhumiliations urt'licted onthe immrgrants. John Campbell, chronicler of the history of the Police Force noted that. "Police were emploved to levy rents and to act as bailiffs (and) East Indrans quite rightly viewed the police as agents or allies of their oppressors".io Chief Justice Beaumont noted police harassment of Indians in the 1870's as "galling subjection".5s The iaws rvere changed in 1883. unfoftunately, by that time the practices and image of the poiice as bully and enemv in the minds of Indians had been set and the damage had been done.55 Pr otests Since anv act on the plantations in protest over their working conditions could be defined as

an ''overt rebellion". and result in an increased length of indentureship- immigrants did not lightly enter into such actions. Yet the immigrants did protest: one could only rmagine the provocations. We will scrutinize the consequences for the immigrants.

Up to 1869, the official record is fairly bereft of Indian immigrant protests. The "stop-start" nature of the immigration program would have been one reason. There were no shipments after the experiment of 1838 until 1845. followed by another gap to1848. On resumption. recruitment had shifted to the Bhojpuri area ofrBihar and Uttar Pradesh and most of the shipments rvere from Calcutta. B-v- 1869. ansing out of their cultural unifbrmity. there would have been the beginning of a critical mass of immigrants on the plantations with some sentiment of communit_v and solidarity. Conditions on the plantations. by then. rvould have been voiatile as can be gleaned by the bare statrstics onpopulation. Of the 69.380 Indian immigrants that had arrived

by t869. 6.523 had

It meant that if no one had been born, or 26oh had died.s? And many had been born into the institutions of pain and discipline.

rctumed to India but only 44.936 showed up in the census.

17'.921

Something had to give.

1869: Leonora, West Coast Demerara ln July of i869. forry workers of the shovel gang at Plantation Leonora disputed the wages for work done and it was alleged that the-v assaulted a manager. The response was swift. after their protest was supported by fellow workers: "Although the Colony was the HQ of the 2"d West India Regiment the Police was charged wrth the first line of defence. In 1869 troops were sent to Pln. i{

John Campbell, History ofPolicing rn Guyana. Guyana Police Force. Georgetown. 1987.p 54.

JrQuoted in Mangru, Basdeo. A History ofEast lndian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates. Edwin Mellen Press. Londorq 1996. p. 86. i6 John Campbell, History ofPolicing in Guyana. Guvana Police Force, Georgetown, 1987. p. 62.

J' By 1869. there were .14.936 Indian immigrants in the colony the vast majority remaining on thE plantations. By now they would have far exceeded the resident African popuiation and were 22o/o oflhe total population. Dwarka Nath, A History of Indians in Guyana, Butler & Tamer.

-

London, (1970). Originally published by Longrnans. ,nt1.,_,!#:O

ffi

"ny_t,page ,,-si+

59

GIHA GRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

Leonora after Police had been defeated even though Governor said it was a Police matter. After the Leonora Rrot. the Police Force rvas regarded as the most heavilv armed Police in the Bntish West Indies."s8 Even though no one was killed. the protesting workers \,vere arested. convicted and jailed.

The system had begun to perfbrm a "one-t\,vo" - first the Police r,vould use violence to maintaur ''order'' and then the judiciarv r,vould emphasise the condign lesson to the immigrant by applying the

"lal''. This r,vas to be the pattern for the next hundred

years.

.

The Leonora protest had wrde reverberations. A tbrmer stipendiary magistrate. William Des Voux, , upon hearing of the incident. wrote a tbrty-page expose and sent it to the Secretary of State.

Lord Granville. rvho gave it wide exposure in London. A Royal Commission of Inquiry was sent out

ln 1870, and in addition to several recommendations. it observed: "The Coolie despises the Negro. because he considers hrm not so lughiv civiiised: while the Negro in turn. despises the Coolie. because he is so immensely inferior to him in physical strength.

There rvill never be much danger of seditious disturbances among East lndian immigrants on estates so long as large numbers of Negroes continue to be employed wrth them."se

1870: Countrywide Strikes and violence swept Plantations Uitvlugt. Hague, Zeelugf- Vergenoegen (on W'est Coast. near Leonora) and Success. NIon Repos and Non Pariel. on the East Coast of Demerara. At issue were disputes over pay fbr ''tasks".60

1872: Devonshire Castle, Essequibo Coast Five immigrants killed, seven wounded. The Devonshire Castle protests r,vould be a rvatershed event. as it represented the first time that Indian immigrants would be shot and krlled by the Police. It was obvious that the Royal Commission's recommendations of 1870 were merely a palliative and there w'ere no lastrng reforms of the system. From this point onwards. "strikes" "vould be deemed as ''riots" at r,vhich the Riot Act coqld be read and the strikers be shot dead.

The casers belli at Devonshire Castle '"vas the mistrust of the Indians for the judicial system.

On Sept 29 Parag had been arrested for assauitrng a Manager at Devonshire Castle. but r,vas rescued from confinement. He cross-charged the Nlanager. The next day Parag refused to appear at the Nlagistrate Cour! 'uvherc the Manager would have been allolved to sit beside the Magistrate.

Instead he. along r,vrth 250 other rmmigrants, appeared at the Estate and prevented the Nlanager or anyone eise to enter. Twentv-three armed Policemen and the Magistrate appeared and the latter ordered the Policemen to load their nfles. The Police r,vere then ordered to charge - the immigrants stood their ground and one policeman (Archer) discharged a shot. The other Policemen thought the order to shoot had been grven and nme other Alncan Pohcemen trred. It ls noteworthy that of those

who did not fire. were the two Indian Policemen. At the Inquest. the Policemen's actions were exonerated as'Justifiable homicide' The Colonisl. a paper fnendly to planter interests. exulted. "the leaden argument has brought submission quicker than all honeyed words that could have been used."6r The "leaden argument"

J8

Adamson. Alan H.. Sugar Without Slaves: The Political Economy ofBritish Guiana. 1838-1904. Yale Universitv Press. New Haven. I972 Quoted by Mangru. Basdeo, A History of East Indian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates. Edwin \zlellen Press, London- 1996. p. l3 1. o Mangnr. Basdeo. .\History of East Indian Resistance on the Guyana Suqar Estates. EdwinMellen Press. London. I996. p. 73.

5e

@_

33.'Page 60 .r"4s,

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

from fie Police guns was to speak r,vith temfi,'ing regulariw against Indians from then on and help to make "police" a r,vord for Indians to scare their chiidren. That the poiice r,vere invariably Afncans. did not assist in amicable race-relations berween Aircans and Indians.

1873: Skeldon, Corentyne, Berbice The underlying cause was. once again, the r,videspread mistrust of the Judiciai syslem b-v Indians, andthe collusion of the dnvers intheir oppression. Intlus instance. a lvlagistrate fined an immrgrant tbr allegedly (by a driver) rnciting others to be absent from r,vork. Aware of the unfairness

of the charge. tr.vo hundred other immigrants. demandedthe release of the accused andthe magistrate. in fear. compiied. Then the workers demanded that the driver be handed over. Other immigrants brought the situation under control yet the originall-v charged immigrant and tw'o others were sentenced

to five years of penal servitude.

1873: Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara The casus bel.lr tvas 1or,v wages for fieldr.vork. The workers compiained to the Nlagistrate, lvho asked that they return to work and that he r,vould examine their complaint. The workers complied but the Manager hired Barbadians at lor,ver rates. The lmmigrants chased them offand compiarned again to Nlagistrate. rvho agail promised to investigate. The 'uvorkers then gathered before Nlanager's house. pursuing one Brown. They wrecked the house and beat off a parl,v of regular and rural constables. Fift_v armed Policemen wrth the Magistrate appeared and the Inspector-General himself ordered them to load their nfles. The Indians dispersed and r,vere pursued by bayoneted officers. Tlventl,-five men rvere arrested and charged. The judicial svstem fulfilled its role by fining the r,vorkers.

1879: Skeldon, Corentyne, Berbice Serious figlrting broke out betvveen Indians and Africans dunng the Nluslim Tadiah festival of Nluhhoram. and members of both groups were arrested. The lndians attempted to rescue their comrades and all police from the Corenttme were mlrstered after the prisoners \,vere transf'erred out.

Inspector-General Cox. who had also been at Uiwlugt. travelled to Skeldon bv train while armed policemen proceeded by schooner. The crowd had dispersed but tburteen more lvere arrested and all.tried and sentenced.

1896: Non Pariel. East Coast Demerara Oct 1896. 5 killed and 59 wounded. The dispute arose over rates for a task after rvhich. the manager demanded that five rvorkers be expelled from the plantation for "incitement". He later obtarned warrants and called in the police to execute. This expulsion of rvorkers rvho objected to working conditions r,vas to become a frequently used weapon in the planters' arsenal. The Afrtcan policemen were called il to execute these wararfts. The Police fired into the massed crowds that had gathered in solidanty with the accused, without reading the fuot Act.62

1903: Friends, East Bank Berbice 61

u,

. p . l3 3.

Quoted by Dwarka Natlu A History of lndiaro in Guyana. Butier & Tanner, London, 1970. (Originally published by Longmans, 1950) M*g.u, Basdeo. .{ History of East lndian Resistance on the Guyana Suear Estates. Edwin }Iellen Press, London, 1996.p. 126.

@_ lffr'Paoe

61

GIHA GRIME REPORT - INDIANS BETRAYED!

May 1903, six killed and seven wounded. The dispute arose over

pa_vment

fbr task

work. The rvorkers i,vanted to lav their grievance before the Immigration agent but the manager had the r,vorkers arrested. The Police .,vere called in and they arrested srx immigrants. The Rrot Act lvas read and when the crolvd resisted. the Poiice fired.'r

1905: Georgetown, Riots and Partiality 6 Killed, 14 wounded. On 29n November 1905 r,vorkers in Georgetown \,vent on strike and rioted. assaulted innocent citizens and looted and stoned houses inciuding those of officia1s. The Police finally opened fire. krlling four and wounding ten. Crowds attacked the Parliament Burldings - the Nlilitia was called out. but only 200 out of 300 responded since many lvere sympathetic to the rioters. Government officials had to be srvorn in as special constables and. assisted by troops from two battleshrps. quelled the nots three da-vs later. At Pln. Ruimveldt in the meantime. crowds attacking the Manager's house r,vere fired upon. and tr.vo r,vere krlled r,vith four wounded.

Trvo points can be discerned. Firstl.v, r,vhile lives r'vere lost durrng the 1905 nots. the authonr,vere ties willing to absorb a tremendous damage to propertv before maximum force w-as ordered: quite unlike the norm on the plantations. Secondly. the reluctance of the Afncan-dominated Police and Militra to fire on fbliow Alncans became qurte open.

1912: Lusignan, East Coast Demerara Sept. 18, 1912: One killed. Shovelmen struck over a task dispute. The lvorkers alleged that the Nlanager fired a shot at the crou,d of rmmigrants. wounding one worker. who later da,v. The manager was charged rvrth murder but lvas acquitted. Witnesses reported that: ''Negro factory hands were aiso armed and placed at the windows to keep watch."5a 1913: Rose Hall, Canje, Berbice April 1913, 14 killed. The dispute cgntred over a promised holiday granted to workers then rescinded by a manager. Seven individualS protested and the manager attempted to expel them from the plantation. Later. rvarrants were issued for some other immigrants. The police, rncludrng the

Inspector-General from Georgetown himself attempted to execute the warrants and the crolvds resisted. The Rrot Act rvas read and the Poiice fired. and fourteen immigrants r,vere krlled. One policeman was also krlled. It was the largest number of Immigrants ever kil1ed in one protest. ' The killings at Rose Hall created a strr in India and heiped to convhce the Government of India to abohsh the Indentureship Scheme in 1917.

1924: Ruimveldt, East Bank Demerara

April 3'd. Thirteen killed, eighteen wounded. On 1" Apnl 1824. a stnke broke out in some Water Street firms in Georgetown. The stnkers' march turned violent against persons and properfy - salr.rniils. wharves. the Porver urd Railr,vay stations. Sewerage and Water Works. hotels,

pnvate homes of the etc. The Militia was cailed out since the Police drd not contain the ',vealth-v violence. The press blamed the African policemen for being partial to their kin: "The government wiil be well advised to set about strffening the ranks r,vith a number of European non-commissioned 6r Dwarka

Nath. AHistory of Indians in Guyana. Butler& Tamer, London, (1970). Originally published by Longmars. 1950.p. 133-34 n Dwarka NattL AHistory of Indians in Guyana. Butler & Tanner London- (1970) Originally published

by Longmam. 1950.p. 134.

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas ''6s

officers...

On Apnl 2'd mobs attacked the manager's house at Pln. Providence- but the Police put down the disturbance with no violence.

On

April

3'd. a large crowd

of some five thousand persons (10-15% Afncans and the re-

marnder Indians) marched to\,vards the Georgetor,r,n from the East Bank Plantations and were stopped

by the Police. under the command ofthe Inspector-General ard members ofthe N1ilitia. at Ruimveidt.

The Rrot Act was read by a magistrate and the order was given to fire. Thirteen persons were krlled

-

twelve Indians and one Afiecan - and eighteen wounded.66 The Indians were so traumatised by the incidents at Ruimveldt that there were no

strikes recorded for the next three years. They also lost all faith in Critchlow's BGLU. The killings torpedoed a Colonisation Scheme, which envisaged re-opening Indian immigration.

1930's: Sugar Plantations The Great Depression percolated down from the metropolitan countnes into the colonies and Guvana was lvracked b-v- strikes on the Plantations. as the r,vorkers w'ages and w-orking conditions rvere squeezed mercilessly throughout the thirties. "Unrest in British Guiana was so widespread that rn 1 93 3 Govemor Denham instructed the press to suppress publication of news of labour disturbances in estates."67 1935: East Demerara A State of Emergency was proclaimed on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara but the situation was so combustible that the Police felt it necessary to deploy so many of their personnei that they had to employ civilians in October for routine tasks.

1937: Sugar Plantations Stnkes broke out on the East Bank gf Demerara and Blairmont, W.C. Berbice. where stnkers were taken before the courts for allegedly assaulting a driver and overseer.

1938: Sugar Plantations Stnkes continued on the East Bank and Police rernforcements from Georgeto\lrr were thought forty seven persons were convicted on vanous

necessary to quell demonstratrons. One hundred and

chirrges.

1939: Leonora, West Coast Demerara Four Dead, Four injured. The protests on the plantations continued unabated and in February 193 8 the police cracked down on behalf of the planters. even as the West Indian Commission (Moyne Commission) was conducting heanngs on the phenomenon of violence that had engulf-ed the West Indies. over the crisis in the sugar industry. [n fact the strikers at Leonora had attempted to cross the Demerara River to meet the Commission and were prevented from dorng so. After the stnkers (includurg several Afiicans) resisted the local police's efforts to disband them, reinforcement The Daily .A,rgosy. .\ril 2nd 1924. Quoted by Clem Seecharan, Tiger in The Stars : The Anatomv of Indian Achievement in British Guiana 191929". Macmillan, London 1997 pl12.

6 Clem Seecharan. Tiger in the Stars: The Anatomy oflndian Achievement in British Guiana 1919-29". Macmillan London 1997.p 365.

6lvlangnr, Basdeo. 3, History ofEast Indian Resistance on the Guvana Sugar Estates, Edwin Vellen Press. Londoru 1996. p. 209 6!

&

-ffir'Pao"

es

GIHA GRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

ftom Georgetolvn arrived and eventuallv the order to fire was given and three Indians and one Alncan died. As usual- a Commissron of Inquiry exonerated the Police from any blame.

"The reporl. however was rather contradictorv in that rvhile justrhing the shooting, it fbund that demonstrators 'did not resorl to the direct use of lethal 'Neapons or gather wrth the preconceived intention of destroying litb or proper&-.

"'5E

The Nlan-Po.,ver Citizens Association (ivIPCA). led by rLlr Avube Eden r,vas recognised as the bargaining agent for the sugar workers the next year brit very quickly their ardour for representing r,vorkers' irrterests r,vaned as the Sugar Producer's Associaflon (SPA) bought out some executives. The factory r,vorkers. it should be noted. chose to be represented b.v Cntchiolv's BGLU. Ethnic concerns rvere coming to the fbre more expiicrtly.

1948: Enmore, East Coast Demerara Five killed, nine injured. In Aprii 1948. there was a spiit in the MPCA and a nerv union the Gurana Industnal Workers' Union (GIWI) - called a strrke on the East Coast Demerara Piarrtations. over a change in the work mles fbr cane cutters. On June 15h three overseers were stnpped and embarrassed by strikers. The next day Police reinforcements lvere sent to the plantations: the strikers fblt threatened and confrontations ensued. The Police fired and five.'"vere kiiled and nine urlured.

After the 1948 stnkes and krllings the State felt that a ne\,v approach lvas needed to keep the Indians on the Plantations in line. A "Special Branch" lvhich lvas pattemed after Scotland Yard. was established. The officers in "plain clothes" could easr.er keep surv-eiilance over the Indians, who were still defined as the greatest threat to the state.

The killings of the "Enmore Marfvrs" led to the formatron of the People's Progressive Parr_v

in 1950.

1957: Skeldon, Corentyne Berbicg Stnkers at Skeldon. rn February 1957. alleged that the Nlanager refused to hold a meetrng wrth their Committee as stipulated in the labour agreement. The workers struck- the Skeidon Police Station felt they could not handle the situation and Poiice fiom New Amsterdam rvere sent rn. Tear gas \,vas thror,vn and fired into the crolvd, which scattered. A little later holvever, a policemen fired on a group r,vith a "Greener Gun" that wounded thirteen r,vorkers wrth pellets. The policeman was fodnd to have made an "error of1udgement" The Poiice and Judiciarv were still doing rheir 'onetw-o"

*Mantrm, Basdeo, A History of East indian Resistance on the Guvana Susar Estates. Edwin Mellen Press.

London 1996. p

25 7-5 8

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

Violence from Civil Societv: Random Inter-ethnic Violence During indentureship. the level of the interaction between Indians and Afrrcans lvere very limited. As mentioned above, the Creoles had their own economic and geographic ruches and this helped immeasurably in minimising clashes. There were clashes. some quite extensive but they were ail locahsed.5e The Tajah processions precipitated their share of battles - both between Indians and indians and lndians and Aircans.

The protests of the Indians over wages and r,vorkrng conditions became another arena for Afncan-Indian violence since Atiicans present at an-y- riot where the Police r,vere subduing Indians. r,vould rvillingly offer their help. Tlus. of course. r.vas the converse of what had occurred when Africans attacked Portuguese in 1856 and 1889. Then there were the clashes when Barbadians r,vould be hounded for being willing to accept lvages lo"ver that the Indians, for which they had earned a reputation.

Up to this point rn Guvana's history the actual physical clashes between Afiicans and Indians in the societ_v- were the exceptlon rather than the rule. primaril-v* because of their geographical separation. In those clashes the lndians and Africans each gave as good as they got for even though the Africans looked on the Indians as puny, the latter's "ackia sticks helped to even out the score.

The Police did not notrceably take sides. so that the primary advantage the Afrrcans may have received was that they might have been personally acquainted w'ith some policemen. While on the average the African was phvsicaily bigger than the Indian, by the sixties, that drfference in size had lessened since the da1,s of Indentureshrp. The Indian r,vas also feared because of the "cutlass" u,hich had replaced the ubiquitous ''ackra" stick by the silrties.?o While by that time the Indian and Africans lvere still in the main occupying different geographical nichcs. there had been Indian migration to Georgetown w'here they had become about l67o of the urban population. In the villages and s"hl"m"nts there had also been cross-movements. For instance. even in the vrllage of Buxton. r,vhtch had been originally purchased by slaves, there was a significant Indian presence. The trvo groups rvere beginning to have greater oppornrnities for comparisons and cvaluations and the clashcs increased.

The political compctition betrveen the two groups in the sixties would change the history of clashes betlveen the trvo groups and in fact the violence rvould escalate to such sustained and directed levels as to be labelled a virnral civil war.

6eMansru Basdeo. A History ofEast Indian Resistance on the Guvana Sugar Estates. Edwin lvlellen Press. London. 1995. p. 87-91.

-0 On the whole. Marxists such as Dr. Jagan and Dr. Rodney have painted a much too sansuine account ofthe supposed harmony between the Aaicans and the Indians. Brian \.,Ioore, Basdeo Mangnr and Clem Seecharan have offered much more balanced pespectives.

&

ffi;'Pus"

es

GITIA GRIME REPORT - INDIANS BETRAYED!

Onset of the African and Indian Security Dilemmas 1917-1957: The Colonisation Scheme and RepercussionsTl Indentureship was ended rn l9l7 - meaning that there rvouid be no more shipments of immigrants and all exrstrng contracts would expire in Aprii 1921 . The event marked the beginning of a new era in more wavs than one. and not onlv for Indians. LIp to this juncture. whiie there had been opposition fromAfrrcans and Coloureds to the ntroduction of lndians into Guyana. the oppositionhad fbcused on the inequrw. to the Creole population. ofbringing in competition in labour - and partially at therr expense. Norv the opposition rvould be pitched at much higher stakes - the highest - political controi of the country. Events rvere going to precipitate the African and Indian Secunry Dilemmas that remain as structural determinants of our poiitical behaviour to this day.

After the cessation of Indian indenturshrp- the planters still desired new Indian immigrants for all the same reasons that had 'Justified" the old system. Horvever. in 19 19, to preclude criticisms based on the old excesses. they proposed a svstem of indentureship that r,vould involve settling large numbers of Indians immigrants as independent t'armers, after the-v- serv'ed a three--vear contract. J.A. Luckhoo. (solicitor and first Indian member of the Legislature) and a group of Lndians re-launched the BGEIA in Georgetor,m in April 1919. after it had lapsed since its formation in Berbice in i 9 16.i2 NIr. Luckhoo and Dr. Her,vle-v- Wharton. the first Indian doctor in Gu-u-ana. r,vere authorised- on behalf of the BGEL\. to convince the lndian authorities of the f'easibilit.v of the scheme. They reached India 1919-20 but opposed by Gandhi and others- they failed. However as part ofthe rationale to convince their indian audience. they ofFered that their aim r,vas '-to induce more Indians fiom the motherland to join our ranks, increase our numbers and so help us make Bntish Guiana an Indian Colonv."73 ln reaction to this assertion. r,r,hich precipitated the inchoate concerns ofthe African/Coloured leadership.theNegroProgressConvention0\PC)wasformedonAug. lst1922.NathanielCntch-lon. the noted labour leader, was a founding member of the Convention. which took an aggressive stand against the Colonisation Scheme. But since they advocated that if necessaryuvorkers should also be imported in equal numbers fiom Afi:rca. it r,vas obvious. even if they did not state it explicitly'. that they lvere concerned about the strategic implications of the Afircans and Coloureds becoming a minonw in Guvana. The question of local political control of the state - tilted in favour of the non-Indian middle class by the 1890 Constitution - rvas now rising on the agendas of the trvo major ethnic groups. In 1921, the Indians were just aboutl2o/o of the population'-a rvhile Afiicans lvere 39% and Coioured - lOot'o,1s Even though universal franchise was nol even on the horizon. an Inclian urajority would hawe rncant profound changcs for thosc rvho cxpcctcd to inhcrit porver the Coloured rnd African elite ln 1923-24. JA Luokhoo and Nunan (,\ttornoy Goneral) r'isrted India oncc again to get the Scheme approved and this time they were successful. The NPC and BGLU. how-ever. were d.etermined to derarl this rnitiative. Francis Karvall. President of the BGEIA at this point. and some others 7r The writerwould like to acknowledge the seminal work done by Clem Seecharan to give a more nunced accounl ofthe RuimveldtRiots that had been touted by -Varxist historians such as Cheddi Jasan and Waiter Rodney as simple "collaboration of the workins classes." z The re-launching of the BGEIA and the participation of several executives in the Colonisation Scheme may not have been totally coincidental.

a COlll/636(Gaeenwood),

14 .A.pril 1920. Quoted in Clem Seechararu Tiser in the Stars: The Anatomy oflndian AchievEment inBritish Guiana 1919-29*. ivlacmillan, London 1997. p 364. 'aDwarka Natlu AHistory of Indians in Guyana, Butler & Tamer. London, (1970). Originally published by Longmaro. 1950. p 236.

7!

The Dailv Argosy, Leader 15 Vlarch 1929. "This paper considered the demands bv the NPC that one Black should be brought inlbr every Indian immierant introduced. a case of'political self-deftnce. especially as there had been injudiciou talk about British Guiana bccoming an Indian Colony' quoted by Clem Seecharan. Tiger in the Stars: The Anatomy of Inclian .{chievement rn British Guiana 1919-29,,. Macmillan London

1997. p 373.

age 66

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

in the BGEIA. rvere now aiso bitterly opposed to the scheme. The record shows that fiom 1919 to 1924 the sugar workers on the East Bank had been in touch with Crichiow (and in 1924',vith both Cntchlorv and Kalvall) about their labour grievances. The NPC had petitioned the Colonial Olfice on the Colonisation Scheme with their concerns about anv increased Indian population. The petition adumbrated most of the arguments that r,vould be used against Indrans in the followrng decades. down to the present. about the Afrrcan Ethruc Secunw Dilemma. The Scheme was a "distinct act of

discnmination" against Blacks lrho were entitled to 'first consideration' since they were the 'pioneer settlers'of BritishGuiana. Additionalh: the scheme "would tend to rob (Blacks) of their politi-

cal potentialities, as they would be the minority in any voting contest - the Indian vote would become more than or equal to the votes of any two of the other sections of the community; it would be detrimental to good govemment and the preservation of the peace..."76 "Atthe celebrations to markthe 5n anniversary of the BGLU, in Jan i924, A.V Crane, a Black law,ver...asserted that'rf the colonv tvas flooded with thousands of people of one race the vested interests of the other races lvould be affected."'' "A.A. Thorne, a prominent Headmaster and Black leader in a memorandum to the Colonial Offrce (a month before the Ruimveldt Tragedy) argued that the Colonrsation Scheme had produced 'much firction and aroused racral feeling in the

colonv'. He salv also sar,v it as rnjunous to Biack interests. and expressed fears that 'the introduction oflabourers ofanv favoured race at the expense ofthe others is both undesirable and dangerous."'8 The tragic events at Rurmveldt made the Colonisation scheme moot - and addressed, tbr the while. immediate concerns about the African Security Dilemma. While some such as Rodney and the PPP had hailed the ''multiethnic" nature of the protest of 1924 at Ruimveldt, others such as Prof Clem Seecharan have a different perspective: ''The evidence sltqgests that the NPC (Ivegro Progress Convention) used its influence on Crttchlow and the BGLU to cctpitalise on the grievances o/'predominantly Indian sugar wctrkers on the Eqst Bank Demerara tn Apnl 1921.The BGLU ousted the weak leadership of the BGEIA. Its emis.varies insisted on marchiys to Georgetown, although the whole colctny was under maritctl law. As a result, at Rurmvelclt, l2 Inclians and one BLack were hlled by the militict. Contrary to entrenched assttmptions, these events were hardly a mantfestation of working-class unity: there seemed to have been a deep undercurrent of Black manrpuLatton of Inclian vvorkers' dissatrsfaction, to court conJrontation, in order to cripple the Colonisation Scheme and stem potential Indian dr.tmtnatton. The disaster qt Ruimveldt strengthened Indian

Jbars of-the motives of Black leaders.'''e lndian support tbr the BGLU and Critchiow dried up after tlus tragedy and betrayal and there were no morc stnkes recorded in the sugar belt until four years later.

While the Colonisation scheme lapsed and the NPL faded. the Coloured and African elite continued to organize themselves in seeking to protect and increase their garns inthe porver relations.

In the zero-sum arrangements of the political system (in 1928 the British had imposed a Crown Colony government on Guyana) this meant organising against lndians who were makrng comparaa CO 111/652. Thompson to lhomas. contidential,9 Seechararu Tiger

.\ril 1924. encl.: Vemorandum of 'Reasoned Statement'submitted by NPC. In Clem in the St rs: The .{natomy oflndian.\chievement in British Guiana 1919-29". Macmillan. London 1997. p 364. .\atomy of Indian Achievement in British Guiana 1919-29", Macmillan, London

'

Quoted by Clem In Clem Seecharan. Tiger in the Stars: The

E

Quoted by Clem In Clem Seecharan, Tiger in the Stars: The Anatomv oflndian AchievemEnt in British Guiana 1919-29". Macmillan London

1991. p. 116 1997

p

T Clem

111 Seecharan. Tiger in the Stars: The Anatomy oflndian.\chievement

@_ ffir'Paoe

in British Guiana 1919-29". \,Iacmillan London 1997. p 365.

ez

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

trvelv rapid economic stndes in the 1930's. The Unrted Negro Improvement Association (LNIA) of Nlarcus Garvev out oithe U.S. had formed several brarches across Guyana by the thirtres. The

London-originated Leaeue of Coloured People (LCP) however. became the most established organisatron and had the most impact in Guyana from the thrrties up to the trfties. They r,vere in the fbrefront to confront r,vhat was seen as Indian encroachment on the Coloured preserve during that time. "The-v were already envious of the economic stndes the Indo-Guyanese had made and considered them a threat." 8'' The threat \,vas not only' felt economically. but polrticall-v-: sociall.v, the Indians were still seen "backrvard".

"When polver lvas graduall-v- seen to be passing from the colonial government to as local groups in Guvana, a process commencing in the 1930's but not really getlrng under way until after WW1l. a great deal of attention became fbcused on ethnic or racial associations. For the Afncans the League of Colourecl Peoples provided this outlet r,vhile for the lndians the East Indian Associarion, an organisatron in existence since 1919. served to promote their rnterests."81 The Coloureds. because of their White forbears. pref-erential recruitment rrto the juruor bureaucratic positrons of the Civil Sen ice and their greater emulation of 'English culture', had conferred legitrmacy upon themselves as the inhentors of the colonial mantle, rvith all its pretensions and privileges. The Afncan communitv had conceded this presumption. and in f-act. buttressed it in seeking elevation of their status by entry into the Coloured section through marriage, education, life

style and money. 'uvluch state jobs provided. The arrival of an Indian middle class in the late thrrties: the enlargement of the franchise to rnclude more Indians in 1947; the amval of the umversal franchise in 1953, andthe political mobrlization of the East Indian masses by Dr. Cheddi Jagan from 1950.

threatened that presumption and precipitated the Ethnic Securrtv Dilemma of the Africans.

It is important to understand why the Afncan/Coioured section felt that they w'ere the "natu-

ral" inheritors of the Britishmantle and resentedthe Indians tothe degree the-v- did. It was rooted in the competition over relative group worth engendered by the ngid stratrfication created in the society by the British. In Guyana, as in the West Indiep as a rvhole. because of their pnor arrivals2, greater acculturation to Whrte values, eariier entry lnto governmental services and politics, Coloureds and Africans viewed themselves as having greatff nght to the national patnmony than Indians, Amenndians and other groups. The Indians, however, rejected this claim and from the 1930's. armed lvith the burgeoning acceptance of the international norm of equality. countered that their citrzenslup and contribution to the development of Guyana conferred on them as much right as other groups. to all that rhe courury offered.*' The British Guiana Constitutional Commrssion (1954) noted that the Indians'. "very success...has begun to aw'aken fears in the Alircan section ...and it cannot be denied that since Irrdia rEcEivEd her iudependEncE nt 1947 thErs has bEcn a marked self-assertedncss amongst Indians

in British Guiana."8a By 1950. with universal francirise on the horizon. this assertiveness included 80

Ashton Chase, Guyana: A Nation in Transil Parnik Pres. Georgetowrr, Guyana, 1994. p 12.

Malcolm Cross .'The East Indians of Guyana and Trinidad: Vlinoriry Rights Reporl London (Revised 1980 Edition) p 7.

32 Some Alrican activists after 1998 have assErted the clam that .$ricarx are "indigenous" to Guyana since they do not }<now exactly from where in Africa they originated.

83The Whdddington Comission of i950: "In his Caribbean enviroment. the African. u'ho has until recently fomed the largest racial goup in the county, has absorbed the traditioro of a Europe m civiliution. . . (Howwer) the hdian population has recently rism to about 195.000.. . .They. .. reruined a community rvithin a communiW with an allegiance to their motherland oflndia. rvhile for their part. the Africans have won their way by effort and education to prol-essional and public apporntments. "Indian aloofness has now given place to a realisation oftheir permanent place in Guianese life and to a demand for equal participation in it. This clainL reinforced by their growinz literacv. leads them to compete lbr positions which they have not hitherto sought. This challenge from an able and energetic peopie has stimulated the other racEs into closing their ranks."

8a Report of the Bntish Guiana Constitutional Comission 1354, flN,{SO 8L

State and Societal Violence against Indians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

competing fbr politrcal power by leveraging their demographic advantage to address their secunry concerns.

The potential for ethnic conflict. in Guyana or elsew'here is stimulated when there are changes in the society that cause one or more ethnic groups in the given sociew to feel threatened by

other groups. There r,vere changes aplentv in the thirties and forties. Compoundtng this psychological

insecuritv was the demographic factor and the rmplications tbr participating in and eventually con-

trolling the government: by the nineteen-forties. the East Indians had a much greater birth rate than Africans and Coloureds. Combining their newlv acquired economic stndes with an rmminent maloritv of voters. rn a politrcal arena to be governed by majoritarian rule and universal suffrage. it was norv quite to both Indian and African thrnkers that as the leaders of the NPC had feared. the Indians could deny the Afrrcans control of the Government in perpeturtv.

This stmctLrral condition created r,vhat we have labelled the "Ethruc Secunty Driemmas" in the both the Afircan and Indian sections. For the Afncan section. which felt that others who it had categorized as "backward" r,vere bypassing it and that that group may also rule them in perpeturty under the rules of the political game; the srtuation was untenable It r,vas rational that Afncans would utilize whatever resource would help to equalize the playing field. Their trump card would be their serendipitous domination of the armed forces.

1947-1950: Birth of the PPP Precipitation of the Security Dilemmas From the 1930's. the violence agarnst the Indians began to acquire a political dimension as the anti-colonial struggle (a "political" activitv. if there were ever one) became widespread across the globe. Dr. Cheddi Jagan's entry into politics in the 1947 election was a watershed event, since hc

to challenge the establishment- gn behalf of the "'uvorking class" which included the Indians. Priorto 1947. politics had a distinctly middle class orientation - Dr. Jagan changed all ofthat.

Before Jagan. the Portuguese/ Coloured/African middle class dominated political activism and the minuscule Indian middle ciass- up to then. played a distinctlv junior role. Jagan would place the ordinary Indians at the centre of the political equation and thrs dramatic shift would heip to preciprtate the African Ethnic Secunty Dilemma.

For the 1947 elections. under an eniarged. but still restricted. franchise Dr. Jagan entered the race in 1946 as an lndependent (even though he was a member of a political group. the PAC Political Action Commitree) fbr the East Demerara constrtuency. r,vhich rncluded Buxton. The new rules sr,velled the Indian electorate and, concomitantly. also swelled the concerns of A-fircans. The young Sydney Krng (no'"v Eusi Kwayana) who supported Jagan's candidacy later reported that r.vhen an Afrtcan. Palmer. entered the race. "a number of Afio-Guyanese defected from the Jagan candidacv." but that it was not racism, as lve know it today.ss Jagan was elected wrth broad African supporl but the 1947 elections brought the Ethnic Secunq, concems much cioser to the surface. Race was a significant factor rn ail the constltuencies.36 A Hindi slang, which slmbolised the Ethnic Securit_v Dilemmas, at this trme was introduced

\,vas prepared

and My Pan in Them". The Rodneyite, \lbl 2 No 3 Augut 1992, leader.

Chronicle. 11-26-47 p.4: "Crowd gave Cheddi Jagan Wimem Cheer" Mr Jacob. loser. conceding, "One sad note is the question ofrace and hope that in the years to come such a thing will disappear."

'! Eui Kwayana, "Guyana's Race Problems 86

ffi_ tt

I'Page

I4B'

I

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

into the Guvanese vocabularv: Aapan .Jhaat - Vote Jbr vour own. 3i With the knor,vledge that the Nloyne recommendatrons rvould soon introduce universal fianchise to Gu,vana (it was introduced in Trinidad in 1946) Dr. Jagur did not just approach the middleclass voters but took to the streets in the viilages to mobilise even the Indian sugar workers who had not been orgamsed by the polrticians. According to Dr. Cheddi Jagan. i,vho had been involved rr organisrng the 1948 sugar r,vorkers' stnke. the events at Enmore inspired hrm to launch the poiitical partv - the Peoples Progressive Parry*. rvhich he did rn 1950. It is obvrous that he concluded after witnessing the massacre. that control of the state was necessarv' to make the changes to reallv assist the sugar workers.

Lookrng back twenty-fivc years later Dr. Jagan sar,v the formation of the PPP thus: "The PPP r,vas born in struggie and rooted in the working ciass. The bullets that snuffed out the lives of the Enmore martyrs acted as a catalyst agent. And the betrayal of the workers by the opporurusts of the Labour Parl-v (underthe leadership of Dr. J.B. Singh. past president of the BGEIA and the Maha Sabha) set the seai for the birth of the PPP . . . in

1

95 0. "88

As a Marxist, Jagan mav choose to remember the PPP's ongins in purely ideological terms in his attempt to avoid dealing wrth the consequences of ethnic identification - the Ethnic Security Dilemmas in the concrete circumstances of Guyana - by stressing the commonalities of the ciass interests of r,vorkers of all ethnicities. However. that he r,vas not obiivrous to the existence of ethnic identrtv, and its realrty for poiitical mobiiisation in Guyana. is attested by his carefui crafting of an ethruc coalition in the first Executive of the PPP. His actions in putting together an executive was quite pragmatic: to address the Ethnic Secunty Dilemma of the Alrrcan Guyanese. they kept a place for the bnlliant scholar, and nelvly minted lawyer, Forbes Burnham- as Chairman ofthe parr.v. Jagan was to be Leader.

if Jagan. by his own

admission, kept the post of Chairman of the PPP open for Burnham as the Afncan leader. then he, Jagan was in his own mind, the Indian leader wrthin the PPP. Some haye speculated that lvhen Latchmansingh and Jarnarine

What has not been anaiysed enough is the fact that

inthe spirt of 1955, Jagan was not displeased since their departure left him with no Indian with a significant. independent base, to challenge him for leadership ofthe PPP. From that point onr,vards, Jagan r,vas al',vays "senior'' to every other lndian in the PPP and he rvas beyond Singh joined Burnham

challenge.

In discussing the LCP's antagonism to Burnham tbr acceptrng a role in the PPP's Executive. lanO in a junior role to Dr. Jagan) Ashton Chass. a close fiiend of Burnham's in thc earl.v years. (and who stepped aside for Burnham to be Chairman) repor:ted: "The second group of antagonists r,vere

the League of Coloured People Leadership. To them. hrs (Bumham's) associating wrth the Indo''coolies" Guyanese, crudety referedto as and "lndians" was like a death bloiv, a betrayal of his own... Somehow they sarv the Afro-Guvanese hanging together and advancing politically on their o$m."8e The Coloured/Afncan leadership would be rn the forefront to prevent Dr. Jagan and the Indians from "usurping" a role for which they felt hrstory had prepared them. The L. C.P for rnstance, opposed the rntroductron of the universal francluse rn its submission to the Waddington Commission: thev knew it could be their death kneli. politically. The contours of the Afi:ican Ethnic Secu-

nty Dilemma were discerned quite clearly b], 1950 87

There has been an intemirable debate about rvho introduced the

- the dilemas of the two groups reinlbrce each other. s ''Cheddi Jagan on Critical Support". Georgetown. .\ug 3 s

Ashton Chase, Guvana:

tem:

the point hou.ever. is that the concept was deemed necessary bv both eroups

1975.

,\ Nation in Transit. Pavnik Pres.;$eorgetowru

Guvana. 1994,

ffi__ H:'P,s"

?o

p 12.

State and Societal Violence against Indians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

1953: The Golden Nlovement or What could have been Eust Krvayana recounts the same dvnamics operating later rn 1953 when. before the PPP had won the elections. Burnham \,vas supported bv mostlv urban Blacks rvhen he challenged Jagan

fbr the legislative leadership: ''...Jagan \,vas too pro-Nloscow and r,vould antagomse the USA and Bntain and- secondly. that electing him would be a signal for Indians in Guyana to lord it over others."eo After the elections. Bumham agarn challenged Jagan for leaderslup and the press openly discussed the raciai implications of Jagan remaimng as leader. Kr,vayana was proposed as a compro-

"I'd

serve under him." Burnharn was clearly responding to the Ethnic Secunty concerns of Atncan Guyanese of berng politically dominated by Indian Guyanese stnce he could openlv announce that was not prepared to "serv-e" under an Indian. This was the Afi:rcan Ethnic Secuntv Dilemma playing out.

mise candidate and Burnham said.

1956-57: Parting of the ways Burnham's struggle for control of the P.P.P.. the split of the PPP

in 1955. and the formation

of the People'National Congress [P.N.C.] in 1958. no double reflected Burnham's personal ambrtions. But pla.ved out as it was against the background of the "challenge" by the East Indians to the Coloured/African sections. Burnham's actions r,vere also a reflection of the deep seated concerns aroused in the latter communitv- about their future under Indran political leadership. With the departure of Burnham in 1955- Jagan accepted that the PPP had lost its Afncan membership and opened up the PPP to the Indian middle class - disingenuousiy defining them as "progressive" el This, not unsurprisingly, did not go down well with the young, AJrican lularxists (King, Carter et al) who had stuck with ,Jagan rether than departing with Burnham. ,Iagan qppctrently did not realise the irony ctf his .\tcttement that he was disappointed with the srtbsequent departure o.f King since, "King would have become chairman of the par1) at the Congress in September 1956".n How would he have known that King would have been Chairman'? Were there not supposed to be elections) IVhat itrshowed was that Jagan wcrnted a token AJrican lecrcler ancl regardless of the qmbtttons o"f Burnham, ,Iagan saw African Ieqders as tnherently disquali-fied to lead the post-L956 PPP. This would have driven Indians -/rom the pctrry.nnce lhelt saw the PPP as prolecting thetr security interests. .lagan, his protestations to the contrary. accepted that he Jilled thqt role Jbr Indians. Dr. Jagan wqs to maintoin this tacnc of selecting an African as chairman of the PPP to convince Afrtcans thqt therr Ethnic Security Diiemma wa.s being addressed. 'tilth King s departure, Bridley Benn was selectecl b.v Dr Jagan ro f ll the role.

Another action that convinced African leaders, inside and outside of Gu-vana that Jagan was pandenng to Indians to the detnment of Africans was his negative stand on the proposed West Indian

W.I. Federation - they'"vere afrard of they r,vould lose their advantage of numbers rn the political game.

Federation.e3 The Indians. unlike Afrrcans. did not want a

being swamped by Africans

-

Indian leaders such as Debedin, Sugrim Singh and Luckhoo had severely criticrzed Jagan's equrvocatron on the issue in the 1 95 3 elections. With all lus ideological postunng, Jagan lvanted to retain the {

Eusi Kwayana. "Guyana's Race Problems and My Part in Them". The Rodneyite, Vol 2 No 3 August 1992, leader.

1956. "Communist Plan to take over B.G." Dr Jagan's Presentation to the 1956 PPP Conqress. " Jagan, Cheddi. The West On Trial, Seven Seas Books. Berlin. rev ed. 1972. p. 186. 'r Asked why he left the PPP, Eui Kwayana said that 1br he and the "ultra-radicals" as Jasan had described the young Alrican radicals m the PPP "the main issue... was West Indian Federation." Kwayana saw Jagan backliding since ''Jagan himself had argued in favour ofFederation in 1947 in the Legislative Council." Indo Caribbean World, April 2i, 1993.

't Daily Ckonicle.Dec.22

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Indian mrddle class that he had accepted into the parl_v aiter the split- since he reasoned- to do othenvise would doom the PPP to be a frrnge group.e' Dr. Jagan was caught in his oum contradiction

-

it r,vith an ethnic base.

On the other hand. "the urban African and 'coloured' (mixed) middle class could not support a party of r,vhat appeared to be such extreme left-wing vielvs . (They) were obviously fbr less swaved by ideological considerations and much more by racral distaste: a f'eeling that rvas exacerbated by the increasing migratron of lndians from the country to the urban perimeter."es The 1958 he r,vanted a mass iVarsrst parl,v, but could only* do

coalition of the Burnhamrte faction of the P.P.P.. r,vrth the United Democratic Party [representing the posttions of the L.C.P.] and Eusi Kwayana fthen Sydne,v King representrng the Afticans] to fbrm the PN C. can be understood as a reaction to the success of the Jaganite P.P.P. After Jagan overr,vhelmingly retained the tndian vote in the 1957 elections. despite the presence of tw'o prominent

Indians tiom the PPP ur Burnham' s faction. Burnham at that juncture have realised that "vould Indians r,vould not split their vote. Burnham understood that the behaviour of both the lndians and Afrtcans were not the result of "racist" attitudes but were the result of fears that lvere structurallv induced.e6

Burnham had attempted to do lvhat Jagan \,vas to perfbct over the next half century: appointing handpicked representatives of the other ethnic group into the part_v executive, hoping that this manoeuvre r,vould address their secuntv fears. It did not lvork for Burnham and it never w'orked for Jagan. Burnham had to consolidate the Afncan vote and address AlHcan secunty concerns

-

apart.

from his own ambitions. The shift in the P.N.C.'s ethnic orientation became complete when one

of

these trvo Indians, Latchmansingh died and the other Jainanne Singh departed the P.N.C. in appar-

ent disagreement with the shift.e7 To a great extent, Eusi Kwal,ana helped to set the tone for relations betlveen the tr,vo major groups in the sixties. He admitted later that between 1958 and 1968, he had concluded that Indian interests lvere artagonistic to Afncan's.

The middle class Coloured and African elite norv dominated the P.N.C. though it still claimed

to be a socialist party. The strategy and tactigs of the parr,v retlected their position: they made a decrsion to consolidate their constituency with the lower class Afrrcans by evoking racial fears of domination b-v Indians in the latter group. The Ethnic Security Drlemma of the African would no.w take precedence over every other consideration.t8 The PNC rvas the mirror-image of the post-1956 PPP, even though the more ideologicall-v dogmatic Jagan insured that the PPP was never totally dominated br, non-Manusts.

Daily Ckonicle.Dec. 22 1956. "Communists Plan to Take over B.G." Jagan. rn his address to the PPP 1956 Congress (in writing) accepts that the .{frican support had departed with Bumham and jrutihed the invitation ofthe Indian middle class on the grounds that rhey were ''progessive" lbr displacing the Portuguese class. who were the allies ofthe British Imperialists. e! lvlalcolm Cross ."The East Indians of Guyana and Trinidad: Minority fughts Report- London (Revised 1980 Edition) p 8. 'a

e6

Forbes Bumharn- A Destiny to Mould, Longman. London. 1970. p.41.

Jainarine Singlu Democracy Betrayed. 1997. Georgetown. % "I did not want to form another African party to divide the Africanvote...I would have split rvhat political power the AJrican electorate had."

Kwavana. Indo-Caribbean World. p.8. April 21.199-?. e7

&_ fr'.Page I{B

72

Eui

State and Societal Violence against Indians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

Violence from Civil Society: Organised 1960's: Contradictions of Ethnic Securify Dilemmas Provoked Inthe I960's, as the political struggle tbr

ahead. thetwrr became explicitly co-joined. Elec-

the controi of the state came to

strands of potential violence against Indians -state and societal tions were supposed to represent a vehicle fbr the peaceful allocation of power m democratic poiities

-

and the Westminster svstem was so defined. In Guvana. the struggie between the lndian and the African Guvanese tbr control of the state. through their poiitical representatives the PPP and the PNC, took a more confiontationai approach after the victory of the PPP at the 1961 elections. in which race/etluricity u,as the prime issue. The promise of the Bntish Government to grant independence to Guyana after that election ient a special urgency to the struggle betr,veen the fi,vo groups.

Each group tblt that it r,vas "do or die" to protect their secunq, interests.

As fate would have it, Guvana's future and the ddnouement of the Ethnic Secunty dilemmas of the Afrrcans and Indians became enmeshed in a larger struggle. the Cold War betr,veen the U.S. and the USSR. It is a historic irony that the part)- of the Indians - a most capitalistic onented people, induced by their histonc exclusion from the state system - should have been led by an individual frrmly r,vedded to the tenets of Mar.<rsm-Leninism. Within the context of the Cold war, Dr. Jagan's further choice of the Soviet's version of Nlan<rsm sealed the fate of his part_v- afterthe defeat of the U S. tbrces at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. The US r,vould not permit another Cuba in "its hemrsphere" - and the Indians just happened to be backing the r,vrong horse - a very sincere but obtuse horse.

1962: Jagan and the West The British. after some hesitation. in

1962 agreed r,vith the US to remove the PPP from (following office because the US a visit by Jagan to Washington) beLeved that Jagan was an unsalvageable Communist lvho transform Guyana into a pro-Soviet state. According to one "vould

rvitness. the allies were so convinced about Jagln's intentrons that Britarn's NII6 attempted to recruit

him to become a radio operator who could operate out of the bush - fully expecting that if Jagan established the communist state, opposition forces r,vould have to resort to lungle r,varfbre. [n the meantime. thev proceeded rvith their more prosaic (and less expensive) course of action to r,vork rvith the PNC and the UF and remove Jagan through the imposrtron of a Proportional Representation

electoral system.ee The only question that remained was horv would they convince Jagan to go along'?

Even before 1960. Bumham had protested the ''unfairness'' of the distribution of seats to his party under the "first-past-the-post" constituency system. which the 1961 election results further magnified. ln the latter election. the PPP, with 42.6oh of the votes received 57'/o of the seats as opposedtothePNC's-11.3%delivenng3l%of theseatsandthene'"vLrF's 16.3% earning l2%,of the seats. The PPP had the advantage because its Indian supporters were more evenly spread out across the country whereas the PNC's African supporters were concentrated in Georgetolrm. It did not take the Amencans long to figure out that PR and a coalition of the PNC and the UF r,vas the way to go to oust Jagan and the PPP. For his own ambitions, and the ethnic dilemma of his Afncan constituency. it did not take long for Burnham to also see that this rvas the way to go. The strategic occupation of the armed forces and the civii service. by the African supporters of the PNC, sug'Morrison. Andrew. Jutice: The Struggle tbr Democracv in Guyana - 1952-1992. Red Thread Women's

Press. Georgetown 1999.

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

gested a lvay to persuade Jagan that PR rvas in his. and hrs Indian Constituencv's. interest to accept.:r'n

Whiie the fears and apprehension had gro\,!r1 benveen the groups with the advance of the Indians into "open" society. such fears did not automatically- lead to rvidespread violent clashes. It took the deliberate strateg-v- and decisions of ethruc leaders to wlup up such t-ears into violence. The point about strategy is that the resources availabie to the parties alr,vavs dictate it. An option is not an optron uniess it is an exercisable option. Lr the instance of a leader choosing a strategy of violent confrontation asainst political opponents. the leader rvould have to have appropriate resources with which violence could be unleashed or crerte such resources.

In 1962. those resources for a sfiategy of violence, in the form of large sections of the Armed Forces and lumpen elements rn Georgeto'um. lvho could be mobilised into violence. were made availabie to interests supporting Bumham - the urban unions. (liot to mention monetarv and operatronal support from the U.S. and Bntain especially through the T.U.C.) In the follow-up violence 1963, the PNC joined the fra_v- directl-v-. In that penod. as lve will shor,v. the armed resources of the state were derued to Jagan and the interests he represented. In an act of desperation. during 1964 the PPP unleashed violence using cadres trained in Cuba and armed by its communist allies. With the

PPP's strength resident on the sugar plantations. the fight rvas launched in the rural areas but soon spread across the country. The lesson that Jagan evidentl,v learnt after his 1964 foray into violence was that he and his party did not have the capaclt_v to challenge the Armed Forces controlled by his

poirtical opponents. After Independence was granted in 1966, he apparently accepted the Indian Ethnic Securit-v Dilemma as a realrty he could not change.1ol Let us follow the details of Jagan's education.

1962: Georgetown, Demerara Black Friday: Feb. 16 1962 The fears in non-Indians of Indian domlnation were aroused and exacerbated r,vhen increasing numbers of Indians were emploved in the police, the crvil serv'ice and other governmental institutions such as schools by the PPP government, between 1957-1962.\t'2 While this may have been due to neutral policies rectilring past discrimination. the cumulative effect was a condensation of a centurv of apprehensions as to the space for non-Indians. The Portuguese business class was especiall_u-' bitter about the success of the rising small Indian businesses in the former's "traditional" areas of importation and retailing.

T7rc 1962 budget became thc prctcxt for thc Afrioan dominated Trade Union Council (advised ond supported by the LI.S.) to call a gerreral strike that the Indians in the Civil Scrvice and the

sugarvvorkers ln the countryside refused to support. Massive demonstrations were launched but. "throughout the demonstrations, the police remained largely inactive - allolving demonstrators to flaunt the regulations govermng public assembly."ro3 The Police Commissioner refused to take or1@

A1ier pointine out that the PPP elected to offtce, had to ask the PNC "to save us rnd help u", Bumham offered the explanation,verv cnpticallv: ''... there is the question ofthe signiticance of the support of the PNC....the majority ofmental and manual skills are within the ranks of the PNC." Forbes Bumham. .\ Destiny to Mouid. Longman, London. 1970. p. 105-106. rorThis decision of Dr. Jagan's (and in fact telling Indians they must "take their lieks") has exacerbated the historical inability to conltont their institutional oppression and ended blaming themselves for their predicament. The impact ofthe Ethnic Secunty Dilemma on the Indian, after it has not been addressed has resulted in the frustration being intemalised and resulting in severe social problems, beginning from the lndentureship Period. These include, notably intra-ethnic violence ofpassion. alcoholism and suicide. The rate ot'suicide amongst Indians is cisht to ten times that ofAJiicans.

I02

Forbes Bumham. A Destiny to jvlould. Longman. London. 1970. p.

.11.

@_ ffi

)'Page 74

.pe*-

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

ders from the Home Affairs. Nlr. Balram Singh Rai and even advised Dr. Jagan to resign. The strike

demonstrated the ethnic split in r,vorkers' allegiances, as each group supported "their side". Class interests lvere thror,rm overboard

-

if

they were ever aboard.

On Fnday February l6h. matters got out of hand: "Soon. rioting broke out, accompanied by

arson. and the looting of severai East Indian-owned businesses. The Poiice and paramilitarv units. s).rnpathetic to the black noters and to Burnham's PNC. did very lrttle to interv'ene and to control the

destruction."toa "psrhlg[ese demonstrators set about vengefullv setting fires to East Indran business premises. Blacks joined in the fray and looted .. (r,vhile) East Indian hucksters were beaten by

blacks in the crty markcts".los The violence only ceased lvhen the Governor decided that the violence was getting out of hand and rvas spreading to Whrte and Pornrguese businesses. He deployed the British troops that were already in the countrv. and had been denied to Dr. Jagan's earlier call. Six rioters r,vere shot and killed.'06 The Indian Ethnic Securrtv had been proven. Q E D The PNC would nor,v appreciate even more

fully its own trump card.

The Wynn Parry Commissron, establtshed to enqttire tnto the riots found. inter alia.

"There is no evidence oJ' the disturbctnces betng the direct result oJ'a racial conJlict. though a certain measure of tension between the East Inclian and African rqces, which had lately become noticeable, acted as a contributor,tt factor"t1T The end result. however, was that the vtolence ctgainst Indians were now heinu tnJlicted by ordinary, Jbllow ctttzens in "civil society - and not tn the main as in the past, the Armed Forces. The Indian fear that the Africans dominqnce of the Armed Forces made htm physically vulnerable was now proving to be a real and rational fear in that his area oJ'vulnerabiliry - his "unprotectedness" - was expanding.

Ilhere would the vulnerabilin end?

1963: Country-wide: 80 Day Strike On

April

1

-

Jagan's "Blank Check"

5 and I 6 I 963. inf'lammatory rumours sparked massive mob violence that resulted

in Indian stores on Water Street and other par6 of Georgetorvr being burnt and Indians beaten by Atiicans. On April l8h the TUC and the Teachers Union called another general strike - this time purportedly against the Labour Relations Bill the PPP wanted to introduce. Police were attacked as they attempted to stem the trde. The political intent of the Bill's passage \,vas to have forced a poll rn the sugar industry for the recognition of the PPP's GAWU. In May, the Police raided the PNC's headquarters and found a detailed plan for sabotage, assassinations, arson etc - the notorious ''X-13 plan". Along r,vith the plan were found arms and materiel for making bombs. On Nla,v 30h at the funeral of the PPP's Nlinister of Home Affarrswhere other ministers were showered rvith bncks and bottles, a rumour of police brutaliW sparked a riot as, "about 50 persons. mainly East I-ndians, were beaten and attacked and this marked the begmning of a series of racial attacks against East Indians in Georgetowl."lo8 On June 10-12'h rioters slvept the city and Indians were attacked indiscriminately ending with an attack on the car of Dr. Jagan. "This was the signal for more violence and immediately mobs I0r

Dams- George K. Domination and Power in Guvana.'fransaction Books, New Brunswick. 1982. p121.

Perc-v, Capitalisrn- Socialism, and Socio-political Conliontation in -\4ulti-racia[ Developing States: A Comparison of Guyana and Trinidad, Unpublished Ph.D Dissertatior Yale Univenity. 1981. p 330.

rn Hintzen

Danns, George K. Domination and Power in Guyana. Transaction Books. New Brunswick 1982. pI29 .\Nation in Tramit, Bumham's Role. Pavnik Press, Georgetown. 1994. p. 281. ro7 Parry, Wyrur, et al. Commission of Inquiry into the Disturbances. 1962 ro8Danns. George K. Domination and Power in Guyana. Transaction Books, New Bmnswick. 1982. p134 t01

16 Ashton Chase. Guyana:

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

moved down the sucets lootrng and attacking East Indians. Riotrng continued into the night and ending ivith ten being shot bv the Poiice and sixteen badly beaten bv noters."loe The strike ended in Juiy after eightv davs. r,vith the government ignomiruouslv r,vithdrar,ving its Bill. "Ten persons lost their lives and hundreds- mainl-v* East lndrans- were lvounded during the course of the

80-da_r-

stnke. Racial

violence betlveen East tndians and blacks (sic) rvas one of the outcome of the industrial unrest."llo One important politicai consequence of the stnke, which was also heavily subsidised by the

U.S.. lvas to convlnce Dr. Jagan that r,vith the secunry- forces of the countrv arrayed against. while his par6,- could w1n office he r.vouid not be abie to govern.rll ln other words, a demonstration of the Indian Ethnic Secunty'Drlemma. A most explicit descnption of Dr. Jagan's comprehension of the lndian Ethnic Securrty Dilemma rvas NIr. Bumham's accollnt- in a speech to the PNC in September 1963. recounting a meeting betrveen himself and Jagan. during the efforts of the LN to broker a settlement betr,veen the hvo partres. Il response to the PNC's request to control the Nlinistry of Home Affairs in a coalition wrththe PPP. NIr. Burnham said. "...he (Dr. Jagan) contendedthatthe People's National Congress already controlled the police ibrce. and.

if to the actual control rvhich

he

said existed there rvere to be added the legal controi, then he and his party would be injeopardy and

to quote him accurateiy and precisely. 'their heads would be in danger:.)'1r: Mr. Bumham ieft the meetings convrnced that, "the People's Progressive Party is now in fear, in absolute fear, of the People's National Congress.''1i3 The realit_v ofthe Ethnic Securit-v Dilcmma ofthe lndians rvho supported his parfl llas again made clear, as Dr. Jagan attempted to explain the famous "blank check" he gave to the British at the Constitutionai conference in England a month later during November 1963 After davs of negotiation. the PPP PNC and UF delegations were deadlocked over details that included the nature of the electorai system for the next general elections. Dr. Jagan offered. to the surprise of everyone. that the British brcak the deadlock and that he would go along with whatever the British proposed. To the subsequent surprise of onlv Dr. Jagan, thc Bntish chose proportionai representation (the PNC's choice) and rejected all of the PPP's proposalsp Dr. Jagan wrote: "Our position as a government had become untenable and humiliating. In actual fact. although we were in office we w.ere without any of the real pou,er rvhich a govemment ordinarily has- (read control of the armed forces) as has been shorm. especially during the 1963 disturbances rvhen our government was under siege...ln addition, it was my firm belief that had we returned home without a decision on independence, the opposition would have found some new pretext to stir up riots and disturbances...and bloodshed would have continued. "

11'l

If this were Dr. Jagan's understanding of lus (and his partv's) strategic position at the end of 1963 - tl is diffrcult to understand the logic of his decision upon returning to Guyana, to call for "C.R.

('cut-rass'

-

a good crashing) and not P.R." One had to ask. whose "rass" lvas he expecting to be

"cut"'.) rD John Campbell. History

ofPolicing in Guyana. Guyana Police Force. Georeetowr 1987. p 186.

George K. Domination and Power in Guyana. Transaction Boolc. New Brunswick, 1982. p135.

Itr This conclusion was stated quite openly by Burnhamin 1963. "...speaking as one from the inside, it is my clearview and contention that...rcsistance was received from the American trade unionmovement... One advantage which tlowed from the strike was a clearerrecomition than that which existed betbre on the part ofthe People's Progressive Party that a majority ofseats in the legislature did not conlLr on them the right to rule regardless of the feelines, reactions and points of view of other sectioro of the communitv."Forbes Bumham. .{Destiny to Mould. Longman.

London 1970. p. 100. rrz Forbes Bumhanu A Destiny to Mould, Longman- London, 1970. p. 105 It' Forbes Bumham. A Destiny to Mould. Longman. Londoru 1970. p. 103 rra Jagan. Cheddi. The West On Trial. Seven Seas Books, Berlin. rev ed. 1912. p. 279-80. rr0

Dam,

@_ flf

)'Pase 76

t"*$

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana; The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

1964: Countrywide Violence Dilemma

- D6nouement of the Indian Security

In 1964. Dr. Jagan realised that lus naivete in placrng in the hands ofthe British the nature of the eiectoral system had destroyed any chance of his parr,v returning to power, when the Bntish ruled agarnst his parr-v''s recommendations and accepted the PNC's iong demand for Proportionai Repre-

sentation. His PPP-controlled sugar union

- the Gu,vana Agncultural

Workers' Union (GAWU) called a stnke in February 1964 in the sugar industry ostensibly to demand a poll in the industry for their recognition as the oltcial bargaining agent for rvorkers. Everyone understood that the strike lvas an act of desperation on the part of Dr. Jagan to regain some sorl of initiative. The strike w'as. in the phrase made tbmous in the politics of Guvana by Burnham, the occasion for the war, not the cause of the war. And war it lvas.

Very quickly, the stnke- which lasted from February 6 to July 25 1964 - almost half a vear, turned ugiy and racial as the sugar producers utilised strikebreakers - mostly Africans - much as the PPP strikebreakers in the PNC-backed Public Workers' Union strike of 1963 r,vere Indians. Trvo stnkebreakers, Gunral and -\lunroe. lvere krlled in a bomb blast in Berbice and a tit-for-tat violent routine developed. as murders. arson, beatings, bombings. refugees. evacuations etc became the order of the da1'. executed by terronsts from both the PPP and PNC. Gradually ordinary citizens r,vere dra"r,n into the tienzv as the battle lines became starker. It became a racial civii lvar focused initially on the West and East Coasts of Demerara. "ln NIay the terrorism switched to East Coast Demerara where an African couple was killed aback Buston. The Africans then began to retaliate, first in Georgetown '"vhere Indians were attacked openly on the streets. . . The wave of attacks against Indians moved sr.viftly to Nlackenzie rvhere the Africans drove all Indians out of Wismar. beating and killing men and raping lvomen in the process."1r5

Violence: Wismar Pogromrr6 ''The culmmation of the racial violence.r .took place in the bauxite mining town of NlcKenzieWismar in NIay 1964. While the police and Special Volunteers looked on passivel.v, the Alio-Guyanese engaged in an orgy of violence against the Indian community, involving rape. arson. beatings and murder."rrr On Julv 6r' a tbrry transporting passengers to NlacKenzie exploded and thirw seven Africans were killed. The PPP was blamed and reprisals against Indians fbllorved swrftly. Betr,veen 7m and 8m Jull'. seven of the thirr-v or so lndians who had returnedto the area were murdered.rr8

'

An offrcial police urvestigation revealed that elements of the Armed Forces r,vere totally

supportive of the PNC's efforts.lre While this may be due partially to the policy of the British government to remove Jagan. 'uvhrch the senior officers of the Force may have been aware of. the pull of "kith and kin" rvas verv evident. "[n 1963 the-v (the Police) refused to remove squatters from staging a

virtual siege around governrnent offrces despite pleas from the minister of home affairs: in 1964

IlJ John Campbcll.

116 Latin American 117 Latin American tt8 (Daily Chronicle

History ofPolicing in Guyana. Guyana Police Force. Georgetown. 1987. p 191Bureau, Guyana, Fraudulent Revolution. London. 1984. p. -14.

Bureau, Guyana. Fraudulent Revolution. London, 1984. p 43-.14.

6-6-03) Ina letter "Sun Chapman' incident linked to 'X- l3' operations" a )v{r. A Nedd disputed NIr. Hamilton Green (GC, June 41h.2003) pastGeneralsecw.ofthePNC.whoclaimedthatthe SunChapmanrvasblownupbysaboteurs. lr4r.Nsddclaimedthatdetonators were being trarsported near the boat's engine and blarned the PNC. lte Police: Supt. Paul Britton: Research Paper on the .{ctivities of the PNC"s Tenorist Organisation- l4-8- 1963. Paragraph +17 named 50 individuals found to be "memben of the securit_v forces". *45. On 2lst July 1963 at i0.07 am LFS Bumham met .\rthur Forde. Warrant Offrcer of the BG Volunteer Force... (Forde) promised to give him the names of the men who had control of the vaults. A truted party member was then told that he would be responsible to make contact with the men in order to get hand grenades. sten gms. rifles. and ammunition.

&

ffi'Fage ,roc*'

77

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

stnkers lvere brutall-vtreated bvthe police as thev squatted in front of sugar estates.''r:(' The PNC and the UF coalesced after the elections of December 1964 and formed the government - oustrng the PPP tbr what rxas to be twentv-eight years. After the PNC/UF coalition lvas ensconced in office. the PNC boasted that it had brought stabiliw and peace to Gu-u*ana. Guyana

\966. Dr Jagan questioned the choice of the date. "The part-r- faiis to understand. horvever the sigruficance of the date. N{av 26h, unless it is the r,vish of the Bntish and British Guiana government to make it synbolic oftheir contempt for the Guyanese people and a gnm became Independent on NIay 26-

reminder of the unfornrnate events at Wismar on

NIa-v- 25125

. 1 964. and their aim to keep the Guvanese

people divided.';1:t The Commission appointed to investigate the Wismar Pogrom. (r,vhich resulted in 3.399 Indians fleeing their homes. three murdered- six rapes - many rapes lvere not reported - dozens brutalised- and two hundred and twentl, homes burnt to the ground) reported that, " Several members of the Police and Volunteers lvho gave evidence said that they had seen large crowds of people moving up and down but committing no offence."l2: Witnesses. however. levelled a different series of charges against the forces: "These include bribery partakrng in loot, standing by and refusrng to give assistance whilst rape and assault r,vere berng committed. to extinguish fires. supplying gasoline to arsonists and being politically paftial by telling people who ,,vere beaten and stnpped. to go to their

politicel lcaders.''r

:3

End of strike By the end ofthe strike. one hundred and seventv six persons had been murdered: thousands beaten and made homeless: millions (billions m todav's terms) of dollars of property destroyed, and

the country made practically as segregated as South .A.fiica. The union. GAWU. did not receive recognition: the war had been for naught. It was Dr. Jagan's last hurrah for tr,venry--eight years.

What was surprising lvas that if Dr. Jagan understood the Ethnic Securit_v Dilemma (as he explained only a few months before) of his supprters and bv exlension. his part-v. r.vhy did he choose to challenge the PNC - backed by the western po\,vers and the local armed forces in 1964? Did he believe that his Cuban-trained cadres, with weapons and explosives brought in from Cuba and the USSR. r,vere going to turn the tide'? Or did he believe that the USSR would have intervened on his side? Or did he'want to prove to Burnham that he was not scared or "w'eak"?'t' Whatever the ans\,ver Dr. Jagan from the end of the '64 strike. totally rejected a frontal attick on Burnham's base: even during the deepest days of the dictatorship that was to be soon ushcrcd in. Bridley Benn. his handpicked erstwhile Chairman, soon departed in bitter disagreernent with this passive policy. Up to 1968, Jagan probably hoped that the demographic growth of his base would return him to office: Burnham's ploy of electoral ngging in 1968 dashed that hope.

Jagan's only answer to the Indian Ethnic Security Dilemma throughout the PNC years of dictatorslup (1968-1992) was to seek to push the PNC in a more ngidly Marxrst ideological direction Dam,

George K. Domination and Power in Guvana. Transaction Books. Ncw Brunswick, 1982. p 137. Prof. Dams believes that the differential behaviour is due to the grcater importance siven to planter interest, but as he concedes the racial component played a part. "Accuatiom of compliciw ofthe black-domrnated police force with the beatings ofEast Indians may bejutified. It is not that the police were the supporters ofthe PNC and this clouded their functioning, it is rather their controllers were opposed to the government of Cheddi Jagan." P 13 8.. r2t Jagan. Cheddi, Ihe West On Trial, Seven Seas Books.

Berlin. rev ed. 1972. p 338. ruVolunteer Force membem a paramiliury force from which one company - D Company - had lbur Ofrcers and ninetv one ranks at Wismar "the majority of them (being) .{fricans." Wismar Comrnission Repor! December 1964 ra Wismar Commission Report December 1964, p 17. t?a Referring to Jagaru Burnham remarked. "They say: 'ofthe dead. speak no ill; I would say: 'ofthe weak speak no ill." Tfuoughout their long engagement Bumharn treated Jagan consistently. based on hisSpsessmenL Forbes Bumharn- .\ Destiny to Mouid. Longrnan, London 1970. p. 79.

-

?tl"Paoe 78 i.,4,

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

to seek a coaiition r.vith the PNC under that umbrella. In other u'ords. Dr. Jagan and the PPP was to ''solve" the Indian Secuntv Dilemma by defining it out of existence: it was not "real" - as ethnicrry itself was nor ''real". It was a product of false consciousness. and

The PNC and the African Security Dilemma Drrectly upon assuming office. tire PNC moved to defuse the Afncan Secunty Dilemma.

The PNC did not depend on anv one technique: ''The PNC's rise to national political office was the result of the capaclty to mobihse its supporters in a campaign of vioient confiontation r,vith the 1egally elected pre-independence government of the countrv. The party's continued hold on national power has depended, on some extent. on its abiliqv to mobilise the coercive resources of the country through

its Black supporters who dominate the state sector. including all of its armed branches, andtowards the end ofthe seventies, on a campaign oforganised thuggery directed against polrtical opponents."l:5

Surrender of Arms Even before the PNC/UF coalition took office. a call had been made for all arms in private hands (licensed) to be surrendered. "and by August 1964- the Commisioner of Police. . . reported that more than 1000 shotguns had been surrendered."l26 Nlost of these shotguns had been issued to

farmers who were ovenvhelmingly Indians. These guns lvere never returned and made the rural farmer compietely at the mercy of bandits who r,vould begin their "krck-doum-the-door" terror in the late seventies. The Indian Ethnic securiw Dilemma had been exacerbated.

lncrease of Armed Forces and Decrease of Indian Component Because the LN Committee on Decolonisation in 1963 had raised concerns about the imbalance in the Armed Forces and possibly becausp the Bntish had signalled the same concerns when their Govemor had constrtuted the ethnically balanced SSU in i964. Burnham invited the International Commission of Junsts (ICJ) to examrne the ethnrc percentages in the staffing state's rnstitutrons. As we saw. the PNC did not tbllow through fbr long with those recommendations. rvhtch had insisted on ethnic balance One analyst suggested that this may have been due to the PPP not demonstrating enough enthusiasm for the first batch of policemen of 1966 which had 76'/o Indians.r2TThe evidence suggests otherw'ise: Burnham understood the nature of power too well.

In an interview fbr Ebony Magazine (published Apnl 1967). Era Bell Thomson - r,vith the ICJ's recommendationinmind -posedaquestionto NIr. L.F.S. Burnham. "Wouldtroops. half (being) Indian. be loyai...should racial strif'e return'1" She then'"vrote: "The Prime Miruster rose fiom the table and stood at full height. He smrled the broad smile. His e-ves twinkled. And although his answer r,vas couched rnthe charming dialect of the Canbbean. he was still the poiitician. 'Nladam.' he satd softl1,. 'We not as srmple as we is Black!"' No one would ever accuse Mr. Burnham of being "simple". As described above are the steps he took to both increase the absolute size of the Armed Forces. while decreasing the Indian percentages.

Hintzen Percy, Capitalism. Socialism, and Socio-political Confrontation in Multi-racial Developing States: A Comparison of Guyana and Trinidad, Unpublished Ph.D Dissertation, Yale University, 1981. p. 237 i6 John Campbell. History ofPolicing in Guyana. Guyana Police Force, Georeetown. 1987. p. 192-93. The retum ofthese gurx was one ofthe demands that Jagan had made in his letter to the Secrelary of State rn October 1964.

127 Fersuon. Tyrone. To Suwive Sensibly or to Court Heroic Deatlu Public Affairs Coroulting Enterprise, Georgetom, 1999. p. 7 r25

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

Burnham rvas quite expiicit as to rvhat he expected of the GDF in terms of the Ajrican Ethnic Secuntv Dilemma and its posture to any PPP aspiration of governing. Speakrng to GDF

Otficers in 1970. Burnham satd. "I expect you to be loyal to this government. If there is any other government, it is a matter for you to decide about that, but so far as I am concerned I don't want any abstract loyalty."r:s

The Introduction of Institutionalised Rigging In this vear the PNC made its move to address the Ethmc Secunq,- Dilemma of its African base. r,vithout the help of the UF : it introduced the rigging of Guvana's general eiections on a regular almost institutionaltsed basis, to neutralise the numerical advantage of the tndians and the PPP. The introduction of "overseas voting'' was the first of manv ploys. such as proxy voting. postal votrng all of which came in 1968 to give the PNC a majorit-v on its own.

In 1973. two elements undergirding the Ethnic Secunt_v Dilemmas were combined when PNI Burnham assigned to the GDF the task of ensuring the "orderly conduct" of the 1973 electrons and transporlmg ballot boxes to GDF Headquarters in Georgetown tbr the ballots to be counted. In 1974.

Dr Ganraj Kumar - leader of the Liberator Party received, anonvmously. a document. "The SuperviDav l6h July 1973", which detailedthe instructions. Dr. Kumar released the document to the media and was charged r.vith "seditious libel" but when the case w'as finally called tn 1977. the Chref-of-Staffdenied ever receiving such instructions! i:e sion and Control of Ballot Boxes on Electron

The GDF. rvhich had supplanted the GPF as the premier Armed Force prectpitating

the lndian Secunty Dilemma, lvas nolv directly involved in checkmatrng the Indian Queen - its eiectoral majontv. This rvas a very dangerous development because the Army lvas now berng given operational leew-ay to negate the Afncan Ethnic Security Dilemma.

The elections of 1980 and 1985 were also rigged.l3o Nlany well-meaning Afncan Guyanese excused the rigging of the electrons because they f'elt that there rvas no lvay out of the Afrrcan Ethnic Secunt,v

Dilemma.

t

Constitutional Dictatorship The PNC also made another move to neutralise its securitv Dilemma in 1973. it awarded itself a two-thirds majoriW in Parliament. It could now "legally" change the Constitution to ensure that it could never be voted out of offrce. Legally. It enacted a nerv Constitution in 1980 after a ngged i978 referendum. which gave President Burnham more polvers that the President of the US.

National Security Act Even though Dr. lagan had called offhis armed sfiuggJe in 1964. some offus lpglativi,,is in the field disagreed wrth hrs stmtegy and several acts of sabotage were corrrmitted during 1965.

In 1966' a defector from the PPP, Akbar Alli (who had been trained as a terrorist in cuba) revealed many of the PPP's secrets. He was assassinated on the East coast of Demerara. The pNC Gov-

ffi":j,t::i:*):riolai,Detentiln

41,

r'vhich rater rvas supplanted bv a more comprehensive

po\vers

"r

'.;;;;; "**r'r"r#i"#; #;

]B...{'ddressonGDFbyL.F.S.BurnhamtooffrcesandnewRecruitsofGDF.oct.,u.,,,o.ffi lBMorrisorq'{ndrew'Justise:rheStruegler".o..""r""rinLuyrnu-rssz-rssi.R.a^T]r;eadwomentpress.Georgetown r30

''Political Freedom in Guvana''.

pr.ilu^"nt"ry,r^r"

ni-rtto Group, London, \rovember. r9g5.

?T i'Paoe 8o 1T'iP ri;$'

1999,p.r2z

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

operatives were arrested and detained under the old emergency regulations and the new Acts. The PPP's armed challenge rvas defused - ironically solvrng Dr. Jagan's internecine "problem". Even though PPP activists 'were to run several trarmng camps for armed struggle up aiways insisted that, "the objective conditions \,vere not nght "

to

1990. Dr. Jagan

Differential Application of the Law Under the PNC regime the Indian was still treated in a discriminatory memner. An idea of how the lndian faced discnminatory treatment under the law can be gleaned from the follorvrng anecdote. Lr NIa.v 1969 there \,vas a fracas at Krvakwani involvrng Indians and Afincans. Based on

the reports he received from his investigators. Sr. Supenntendent Dick La Borde recommended to the Director of Public Prosecutions. as was the standard procedure- who should be charged and tlus included both races. His superior told him that orders from the very "top" (five times) dictated that "whenever Black people and East Indians were charged jointly, the charges against the Black people

must be lvithdrar.w." La Borde refused and rvithin a month he was transferred from Berbice to Georgetonn and on April 28 r,vas olficially ordered to proceed on pre-retirement leave.13rLa Borde's experience was not an exception.

P

olitical Assassinations

On 4s October 1971, the lull in political violence that the PNC boasted they had ushered in upon taking office was broken by the attemptcd assassination of a political opponent to the adminis-

- University of Guyana lecturet Dr. Joshua Ramsammy. Guyana had crossed a crucial line, Nlany had felt that the violence of the 60's was an aberration. and was stirred up by the Western

tration

po\,vers. Thrs assassination attempt. hor,vever, was directed at the opposition. most likely by Govern-

ment forces.r3? T'he assassination had a chilling effect on the opposition especiallv other Indians.

Ramsammy was not even PPP, but a member of a Marxist, University-based group - Movement Against Oppresston

(MAO) The PNC

was sigrplling that it was not going to tolerate any opposition

- other than the PPP. Tr.vo PPP activists were killed in Berbice rvhen tlre.v attempted to prevent the armv personnel tiom seizing bailot boxes in 1973. but this action was a t-ar cry from the WP{s members who were all victims of Armed Forces ''extra-judicial" killings.

Other political killings where there were govemment cover-ups included those of Education Minister Vinccnt Teekah defector from the PPP (24'h Oct 1979). Fr. Bernard Darke (July l4'h 1979), Ohene Koama W?A activist Qrlov. l8'h 1979), WPA activist Edward Dublin (28e Feb 1980). and Dr. Walter Rodney Leader of the WPA (13'h June 1980).133

Dr. Walter Rodney and the WPA With Walter Rodney as a leading figure in the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA), a new threat was presented to the rule of Burnham after 1974. not to mention the African Etlrnic Secunty Dilemma. Rodney was attracting suppoft from the PNC's African constituency and more danger'Iluead Women's Press, Georgetown. 1999.263-264 'rr \Iorrison. Andrew. Jutice: The Struggle for Democracy in Guyana - 1952-1992. Red Andrew Morrison claimed that the Deputy Crime Chief, who happened to be at the scene at the time and who ordered roadblocks which were never set uP, saw a Special Branch offtcer standinc and observine. The Dep Crime Chiefwho should have been in charge ofthe case. was neve! involved. The case was never solved. Morrison, .{ndrew, Justice: The Struggle tbr Democracy in Guyana - 1952-1992, Red Thread Women's Press. Georgetowru 1999. p. 233.

1rr Morison, Aldrew. Jutice: The Struggle tbr Democracy in Guyana - 1952-1992. Red Tkead Women's Press, Georgetom, 1999. p 147-149.

Andrew Vorrison also claimed that Rabbi Washinglon of HOI accepted that members of his t'lock had committed the murder of Fr Darke. 139-146 1r2

@_ ffir'Puo"

ar

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

ouslv. support from r,vithin the Army. It rvas not tbr nothing that Burnham dubbed the W?A. the -'Worst Possible Alternative".

With the shift of the fbcus of the PPP from opposition to the PNC to 'critical support' by 1975. many of the supporters of the PPP were dismaved at their ineffectualness and looked atthe WPA as presentrng a more credible opposition. Since 1966. Dr. Jagan and the PPP had told them that the PNC had the capaciqv'to wipe them out ph-v-sically and this simply confirmed the secunty dilemma that they had always lived wtth. But the entrance of the WPA on the political scene in the mrd 70's demonstrated that the PNC could be challenged... even militaniv - at its strongest point. Since Jagan had been telling Indians for over a decade that this could not be done, mann* of them had concluded that onl.v an A.frican leader could effectively challenge the PNC. The Afrrcan leadership of the opposition to the PNC would have addressed the Afircan secunqv Dilemma: hence their supporl for Rodney.i3a On June I3d 1980. Dr. Walter Rodne-r- was assassinated and most observers con.cluded that the PNC had a hand rn it. Since his return to Guyana in 1974- Rodney had posed the greatest challenge to the PNC regime as the livervire of the Working Peoples' Alliance. It rvas very apparent that Rodney had despaired of removing the PNC through the ballot boxes, and had chosen armed struggle by 1979.13sln 1979. after the PNC's Secretanat rvas torched andW?As leaders. including Rodne-v. were arrested. Burnham declared to the nation: "The battle is joined. We ask no quarter and we shall give none. We shall use every weapon at our disposal. Let there be no weeping

or complaints."136 After Rodney was assassinated. .,vhile one analyst noted that. "opposition elements have become cautious, afiaid. or else complacent"l3?. for many Indians the assassination lvas even more devastating. With Rodney's murder, Indians could only think that if even someone with the credentials of Rodney could not shake the PNC then who rvould? Their Ethnic Secunty Dilemma only increased dunng the intensification ofthe "kick-down-the-door" banditry that had been launched after the referendum of 1978. t

The Final Solution?

Andrew Morrison. editor of the Catholic Church's newspaper- recounts a conversation betrveen Burnham and Pat Carmrchael (Executive Chairman of GNEC rn the I 9 8 0 's) r,vhere Carmichael implicitly criticised Socialism in pointing out that the lndians on the Corent-r.ne looked prosperous but they were not Socialists. Burnham agreed then added. "if push come to shove, I'll shoot the lot".i38 The Indian population took this threat seriously especially after frequent armv exercises that involved "army occupation of government buildings, army blockades. Deployrnent of troops to rural areas. and a show of tbrce by troops in nril battle dress patrd)ng Ihe srreels."""

rr' The sriter

is of the opinion that if the politics had reverted to electoral competition- much of the Inrlian support tbr Rodney rvould have dissipated' The same would not have been true for Africans - they would hur" ."uron"J tiui iodney uuney woulo would nave have protected their Ethnic secuntv Protected the even though his method would have been aiferent.rom

?jl,'*,' ;"*"l:srJ':li:'""T*j*1iltil:rJe o.

,l:;-ot

Bumham.s.

against the PNC. RoJn.v .pp"u$ to have insisted on a multterhnic force. His cell on the wesr coasr or.

tn" oeopies' Victory'" '\ddress bv cde LFS Bumharn Leader of

rr7 Danns' George rr8 \'lorrison'

rhe

pNC. plvL 3rd Biemial Cong ofpNC. Sophia .{ug 22-25. 1979.

K. Domination and power in Guyana, Transaction Books, New Bnrnswick 19g2.

-Andrew. Justice: The Struggle ror o"-u".u"f G_uyrn" is5)-iilzl women.s press. Gcorgetown 1999. p 272 Hintzen' Perey' capita'lism' Socralisrn a-na socrc-poliiical 'ro conlrontation ,. peveioping svsruPlng states: A uomPansol )tates: companson of Guvana and Trinidad. Unpublished ph.D Dissertation- yale Lniversity,

-

Dst. p.

;:0.

1il"d;ad vur,i**lri

,

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

From a tnckle in the earlv 70's. Indian emigration from Guyana to the US and Canada became a deluge by the 1980's. Indians had decided that if Jagan had decided against "fisht" the "f1ight" was their onl-v- option. Unlike many dictators. Burnham did not prevent this emigration. Whv should he have'l He rvas provided rvith a safer_u" valve for discontent r,vhile the demographics changed in his favour - both wavs he won and the Indian Etluric Secuntv Dilemma increased.

Institutionalised Political Violence from Civil Society New crimes encouraged by Politics Apart from the violence fiom other citizens- primarily Africans. during protests and riots, Indians became the victims of several new crimes that had direct political origins. These r,vere also perpetuated on them pnmanly bv Africans and added tremendousiy to the fear induced by the lndian Ethnic Securrty Dilemma.

o'Choke and Rob" In 1962

a new criminal phenomenon appeared on the Guyana scene

- "choke and rob". The

PNC and the UF encouraged their urban supporters to harass and intimidate supporters of the PPP. What this meant in real terms \,vas that voung. urban African street elements lvere encouraged to attack primanly rural Indian visitors in Georgetown. The attackers soon discovered that Indians frequently carried large sums of cash on their persons and rvore expensive gold jewcllery and relieved the Indians of the same. Very quickly. the ''choke and rob" phenomenon became entrenched as it became a ne!v, and lucrative occupation for urban youths. which fitted in perfectly with the street-comer urban culture. I ao After the PNC-UF coalitron took over;the Government. even though the Government condemned the practice. thev could not do much to wipe it out. The PNC . ho'uvever. at least should have appreciated the unintended consequence of their tactic. which '"vas to create the structural conditions tbr a new cnminal enterprise for urban Black youths. The survival of the practice helped perpetuate. in the minds of Indians. the image of the Afiican as a "bully". In the present. the ''choke-and-rob" phenomenon is very prevalent in the Stabroek Market-Demico HouseiBerbice-EC car park area from where rural Indians enter and leave Georgctown. Every da-v- in that area. whether there are nots or not, the Indian is reminded of his Ethnic Security Dilemma. When there are PNC protests or other riots, this area is the pnme area for the beating, robbing, molestatron and humiliation of Indians by the lumpen Afncan youths, r,vhile other A-fricans that domrnate the locatron. look placidly on.

Kick-down-the-do

o

r Banditry

After the Referendum of 1978. a new form of violence r,vas unleashed on Indians. who, by this time had become wise to the "choke and rob" routine and left their heav_v jewelry when they had to visit Georgetou,n. This new phenomenon rnvolved heavilv armed gangs (r,vitir automatic rveapons) invading the homes of primarily rural Indians in military sryle and unleashing ovenvhelming violence 1a0 Dodd, David J. and Pams, Michael, Manuscrip! UG- 1974, p 31.

.\n Urban Plantation: Socio-Cultural

ffi

. c2^-.

.&*,' "t.iPage

83

Aspects of Crime and Deliquency

in Georgetown Guyana".

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

onthe occupants whrle stnppingthem of ail theirmonev and jernels. This rvas the original "shock and arve''. These bandits discovered that rural Indians did not use the banks to keep money and jelvellery

but secrcted them in hiding places around their house for easy access.

Bv shootrng indiscnmrnatel-"- into other homes etc. neighbours were cowed into non-resistance. According to Ashton Chase. elements of the GDF rvere invoived since. "among the new recruits lvere persons r,vith criminal records - suppressed to give preference to loyalty. It was ths element. as well as some 'rotten eggs' from the GDF r,vho rvere later to become 'kick-down-thedoor' bandits.''1'11 The krck-dor,rn-the-door banditry became so perv'asive by 1985. and so directed against Indians. that Eusi Kr,vayana. of the WPA and the past Elder of ASCRIA. called for "firm police action against violent cnme which in Gu-v*ana has often. but not alwavs- an ethnic direction r.vrth a flavour of genocide...Although indo-Gu.v-anese are the marn victims. a f'ew other Guyanese have also suffered... Our population is too sma1l and fiail to tolerate criminal or pseudo-political murder squads."rr2 The Police. over the last two decades in which the crime r,vas born and grer.v- has been singularlv unsuccessful in ever arriving within a half hour of r,vhen the the cnme was committed, much less apprehending an-r* of the bandits.

The House of Israel (HOI) - goon squad for the PNC - r.vas also involved in the Kick-downthe-door banditry as part of their program to counter an imminent ''race lvar" in Guyana. They spoke of this eventuaiitv openly in their dail.v radio broadcasts over the government or.med radio statron: ''Widespread protests over the offensive racist message disseminated daiiy over the nationally statecontrolled radio have not succeeded in getting hrs program over the air." The head of the House, apologised for thc role his orgarusation had plaved in the open. daylight murder of Fr. Bernard Darke. at an oppositron meeting in Georgetorrm.la3 "In NIay 1982 ...the Rabbi openly boasted that his House considered itseif a 'military organisation' . .. (which) had been involved in mrlilary trainrng over the past six years". The WPAs assertion in 1979 that a batch of weapons, including G3 rifles. bayonets, and small arms. had been transferred from the army to the HOI seemed then to be vindiCated. "l

{4

I

As had occurred r,vith the ''choke-and-rob" criminal practrce. the kick-down-the-door phenomenon became institutionalised within the African communiryl''s. Even though, Pres. Desmond Ho{e, successor to Burnham. re-introduced hanging in an attempt to address the fears of the Indian communlw, it was too liule. too late. In a poor country like Guyana. r,vith so many rndividuals having military training, quite a number of policemen and soidiers ("ex" and "active") found the lure of easy money too enticing to pass-up. The krck-dou,n-the door banditry became institutionalised as an op-

tion fbr "making a living" within a section of the African masses. It was norv a structural condition that deepened the Indian Ethnic Security Dilemma to ne'w and terrifying depths.

Guerrilla Warfare and Resistance Fighters In the wake of violent urban protests by the PNC in Georgetown after that partv claimed that the December 1997 general elections were rigged. anti-lndian riots erupted rr Georgetown on Jan. 12h 1998. (see below p. ) Throughout 1998. the kick-down-the-doorbanditry againstlndians Iar Jshton Chase- Guvana:

A Nation in Transil Bumham's Role. Pawik Press. Georqetown- 1994. p. .16.

Kwavana. Forward to the Democratic Republic, \!?A Georgetoun. 1985. p. 10-li.

Irr \Iorrison..\drew. Jutice: The Struggle for Democracy in Guyana - 1952-1992, Red Tfuead Women's Press. Georgetown. 1999.

Ie Latin .\merican Bureau Guvana. Fraudulent Revolutioru London, 1984. p.99 I{! lndian cnmrnals also joined this enterprise. primarily as iillbrmers rvho point out victims. roz

Eui

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

intensified to such an extent that one magistrate called

it "guerrilla

r,varfare against lndians".la6 In

this new round of violence in which thirtv-one Indians lvere murdered. lndian businessmen were the targets. The attacks and murders - primanly on Indians

-

contrnued in tandem wrth regular protest-

related violence in Georgetorvn dunng 1999 and 2000.

Follor,ving the elections of Nlarch 2001. after several nots in Georgeto'u.r,n, lvhich as usual targeted Indians. a new and escalated level of murders and other fbrms of violence r,vere unleashed

on Indians along the East Coast of Demerara - especially on the Buxton public road. On Feb. 23 2002 frve prisoners escaped from the Camp Street Jail. announced that they were "Afi:ican Freedom Fighters", and launched an unprecedented wave of kidnappings. car-jackings. robberies. and murders prrmarily against lndians. Withrn one vear. there were 161 murders and.$261 miilions stolen.

This wave of violence against Indians took a new turn. The bandits declared war on elements of the police who they felt had been targeting .A.frrcan youths and executing them "extra-

judicially". Cnminals from all over Gu.v*ana congregated in Buxton and dared the authonties to remove them. One unit of the GPF was especlallv targeted - the paramilitary "Black Clothes" unit formed by the PNC under Pres. Hoyte to deal rvith banditry The bandits actuaily managed to disabie the ''Black Clothes" unit by their direct attacks. In the meantime. Indians in the villages around Buxlon r,vere subjected to almost daily robbenes. murders. rapes. beatings. krdnappings. and etc many in broad day'light. While the cnme r,vave include drug-related murders and lodnappings- the political nexus ofa large percentage rvas evrdenced by its ethnically directed slurs, identification of victims. comments to kidnappees etc. and. of course. their definition of themselves.

Once more political concems in the Afncan Guyanese about their security dilemma had encouraged and rnstitutionalized criminal behaviour in their communiw. The cnmrnals at various junctures have tumed one each other. With the neutralization of the Black Clothes, there is evidence of a Business-Government approved ''Phantom Gang" that has been targeting the bandits. Between February 23.2002 and Feb 24.2003 there ha'u,e been 171 murders in Guyana with at least 154 havrng the criminals combine operating ogt of Buxton. The vast majorit_v of those killed by the "vith bandits in robberies etc are Indians: but the vast maJorrty'of those krlled overall are Afiicans. The structural damage done to the Afncan communiw should give pause to those who extol the cnminals a nexus

as "Freedom Fighters".

This time the Ethnic Securiry Dilemma of the Indian Community became so stark that many have given up hope that it can ever be resolved. What is particularly rvorrisome to many is that in

fleing of political

-

1962- 1963. 1964. 1992- 1998- 2001. 2002 - the intensrty of the violence against Indians has deepened. Where will this ''unprotectedness" end for

each round of the

muscles

lndians: genocide? While this statement may sound excessive, the logic of the histoncal escaiation suggests that rt is a reasonable and rational fear.

16 Vic Puran on the

Bibi Narine TV program. "Timeout".

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

Response of Indian Organisations British Guiana East Indian Association (BGEIA) The Bntish Guiana East Indian Association (BGEIA), ,,vhich had been formed in Berbice in 1916 by middle class and mo$ly Christian Iadians.rrr took offr,vhen it was transplanted to Georgetor,rm

in

1919. Whrle in most respects the otAcials

of BGEIA remained an urban-based. middle-class.

English educated elite. they were still connected organically to ordinary the lndians on the Plantations and their problems. With the end of lndenturestup. even the token representation of sugar r,vorkers interests offered by the lmmigration Agents had dried up and the BGEIA filled the void.

In 1919-20 and again in 1924 there r'vere delegations from Bntish Guiana to India. inciuding officials of the BGEIA that supported the re-openrng of the Immigration scheme under various guises different from the indentureship arrangements, to supply labour to British Guiana. The plans lvere eventually approved in 1924 over the strenuous opposltion of Gandhi rn India but were never implemented in Guya:ra. The notable feature rvas that in India. the leaders of the delegations, especially Luckhoo, pushed the scheme as having the potential of creating an Indian maJont-v- in Guiana.

(at a time rvhen Indians constituted less that 10% of the eiectorate but 42o/o of the general population). He envisaged Guiana as an "lndian state. wlthin the British Empire". Indian ieaders were already. by 1924- strategising of assumrng national leaderslup. This potential and possibilitv did not go

unnoticed by the ColoLrred/Afncan leadership. which protested vociferously agarnst nerv lndian immrgration. Luckhoo's scheme was opposed b.v others in the BGEIA. notablv Francis Kawall, President of the BGEIA in 1924, rvho r,vas more concemed with the efflects that ner,v immigration rvould have on wages on the plantation. (see pg...for a discussion of the consequences tbr inter-ethnic relations).

Before the introduction of the universal franchise m 1953, political activismin Guyana was. not surpnsingly, confined to the pnmanly urban. middle and upper classes that qualified for the limited

franchise. The middle class Coloureds and A$icans were represented by the League of Coloured People [L.C.P.], which fielded independent candidates from rts membership. Its counterpart, the

BGEIA did the same, from the Indian population. Whiie their political mobilization r,vas confined to their middle classes. this did not preventthese organizations from championing the causes of their lorver class fellow ethnics. For instance. the BGEL{ on countless occasions spoke up fbr the sugar r,vorkers on the piantations. as did the LCP for urban Afncan workers. The BGEA also articulated wider tndian concerns about education, underdevelopment of Berbice and Essequibo. rice. culture. etc.i{8 These politrcians did not need to mobilise those masses, since they could not vote, so their work rn the Indian communiw must then be seen as selfless acts of altruism and not as ''opporn:nistic" as Dr. Jagan defined them.

However, the BGEIA made representation to the Waddington Commission in 1939. about racial discrimination against Indians. they did not tbcus on the Armed Forces. They still looked to the Government of lndia to protect their interests by requesting an Indian Resident Agent-General. ln response, the Commission "refused to appoint an Indran Resident Agent-General on the grounds that La7 Many of these young, educated Indians - converts to Chnstianity, while decrying the "backwardness" ofHinduism. adopted a very militant and nationalistic Indian posture. SeE J.Ruhoman 1894 speech...it was verv evident that they were reeeiving publications from India especially about the activities 01'the hdian National Congress (NC). ra See for irotance the Papers and speeches at the Comemoration of the 100th aruriverearv of the arrival of hdians to Guvana. Baytoram Ramharack-ed."CentenaryCelebrationoftheArrivaloflndianstoBritishGurana(i838-19380:TheBGEIA" ChakaPublishingHouse.SanJuan.

2001

.

.,#.

{ffii"Pase 85 ry ,i"d'

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

no racial discnmination existed."raeThe Indian Ethmc Security Dilemma had not quite crystallised in 1939.

In

1948, after the i948 Enmore massacre. the BGEIA denounced the Police action and stated most forcefully that the intervention of the police had precipitated the crisis.r50 The launching of the PPP by Dr. Cheddi Jagan. preciprtated by the massacre. marked the begrrring of the end of the BGEIA. Dr. Jagan had j oined the BGEIA on his return from the U. S . but assessed them to be too bourgeois and reformist minded and ''opporhrnistic". The politicians of the era had all attempted to

work r,vithin the system and that system dictated that reformist approach. It was only r,vith the granting of universal franchise in that the bastions could be stormed - fbrm dictates function. Dr. J.B. Srngh. the life force in the BGEIA and President of the Hindu Nlaha Sabha. was defeated b-v the PPP in 1953. and the BGEL\ faded.:5i

Trade Unions An offrcial of the BGEIA. Avube Edun, formed a sugar union, the Man Polver Citizen Association (NIPCA) in 1937. It soon became the largest union in the country after the,v lvere recognised by the Sugar Producers Association (SPA) in 1939, following the killings of four stnking sugar r,vorkers at Leonora. [ndians r,vere begirning to orgaruse and assert their economic rights. It is

noter,vorthy

for our subject that the mostly African factory workers opted to be represented by

Cntchlor,v's BGLU. The NIPCA very quickly sold out r,vorkers' rights. In 1946, Dr. Jagan helped form the Gurana Industrial Wbrkers Union (G[WU) along with trvo olficials of the BGEIA - Dr. J.P. Latchmansingh and Amos Rangela. (President and Sr. V.P. respectively in both organizations) to compete with the NTIPCA

for the support of the sugar workers.l52 These nvo individuals were also to be recruited into

the nerv PPP

in

1950.

The NIPCA was challenged for the support of sugar r,vorkers by the GIWU from 1946. and by the Guvana Agricultural Workers Union (G1AWU) tiom i962. The last was, and remains. controlled by the PPP From the entry of the PPP on the Guyanese scene we can discern a total obsession of Dr. Jagan rvith consolidating all Indran organizatrons under his PPP banner. This included religious ones like the Hindu lvlaha Sabha and the United Sad'r Islamic Anjuman. The lndian Securit-v Dilemma. therefbre. fiom 1950 became the sole responsibilitv of the Peoples Progressive Pan.u-. Hor,v did they deal rvith it'?

rfe\{angnr.Basdeo-.\HistoryofEastlndianResistanceontheGuvanaSugarEstates,Edwin\,{ellenPress.Londoru

1996.p.226.Twovearslater

when the BGELr\ again petitioned. the Govemor accepted that there was discrimination against lndians but to recdry, "would aroue a good deal of t-eeling among the blacks who are in many ways t'eeling the pinch of the superior intelligence and astuteness of the East Indians". 227 M Vangnr. Basdeo, .\ History of East Indian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates, Edwin Mellen Press, London, 1996. p. 285 rJI Cheddi Jagan se.lected an.\fiican shovelman, Fred Bowmaru to nrn against Dr. Singh who had served in the Indian-dominated West Demerara district for decades. Even though Dr Jagan boasted that Dr Singh's defeat was a victory of class comciouness, he had instructed at every meeting in the dislrict: "A vote for Bowman is a vote for me." rr2 Ishton Chase. Guvana: A Nation in TransiL Bumham's Role, Pavnik Pres.

Georgetowru 1994. p. 148.

&_ ff

i'Pase 87

l"4S'

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

People's Progressive Party (PPP) 1964-L968: Hopes dashed their augressive program of recruitment of Ildians into the Police Force. between 1957-1964. the PPP displaved a\'vareness of at least some anomalv in having a police force so skew'ed rn favour of one ethnic group -and sker,ved in favour of their political W-e have alreadv shor,vn that through

opponents. (pp ) We have also shou,n. that after it was demonstrated to Dr. Jagan that he couid never govem if those forces 'were arrayed agarnst hrs government- he had conceded the realitl' of the Indian Ethnic Secunt-v Diiemma. The disastrous consequences of the GAWU stnke of 1964. called by'the PPP evidently further reinforced that understanding: On June 1" i964. ''Janet Jagan resigned as Nlrruster responsible for the Police- protesting agarhst actions of the Police. In a document. she complained that Police Commissroner Owen and his

men set hard test papers for rural recruits and easy test papers for crt-v' recruits so as to create a 'racial imbalance' in the Poirce Force. She also accused the Pohce at Wismar of standing by and allor,ving Indians to be murdered.:'153 Tr,vo months before the elections that were

to remove him from office in Dec. 1964. Dr.

Jagan moved to have the Indian Ethnic Securrt_v Dilemma addressed b.v making recommendations

that r.vent to the very heart of that Dilemma. In a letter to the British Secretary of State for the Colorues, Dr. Jagan recommended. on behalf of his govemment. the following: "12(iv) to disband immediatelv the Volunteer Force. which is drawn from the Opposition strongholds of Georgetorm. New Amsterdam and Mackenzie: (v) to recruit a new force of Volunteers consisting of twelve companies from tweive recruiting areas scattered throughout the country thus ensuring that the force reflects a broad cross-section of the commumty: (vi) to take immediate steps to correct the racial imbalance in the Police Force, not in the next five or seven years- but in the next few mgnths. and to seek a grant from the United I(ngdom fbr this purpose: (vii) to revoke the Order for the recall of licensed firearms and to return all such arms to their owners:"15a One observer noted that in a memorandum on "Political and Racial Discrimination in Guyana"issued in January l97i. "The PPP specificall-v refers to the recommendations of the lnternational Junsts concerning the Poiice Force and they note that these have not been implemented and further. ' ..that those (Indians) rvho are recruited are so pressured that they leave in disgust".'ss We note that this statement was made in the aftermath of the PPP's support of the PNC's nationalisation of the Bauxte industry when they had not received any concessions from the PNC for their support. and the issue was dealt with very cursonly Ashton Chase. a founding member of the PPP. an African and one who had remained a supportet had this to sav about the iapse of the recommendations of the International Commission of Junsts' recommendations. rvhich had fbllor,ved Dr. Jagan's positron of 1964 so very closely: "There was no 'hue and cry' againstthis. (the non-implementation of the ICJ's recommendations) but. the matler just drifted into oblivion after mild demands by the r53

Jolur campbell. History ofPolicing in Guyana. Guyana police Force. Georgetown. l9g7.p 191. tla Letter from Dr Cheddi Jagan to Secretary of State. 20th October, 1964.

Li! Memorandum ofthe Peoples Progressive Party on Political and Racial Discrimination in Guyana, Georcetosn. Jan. 15. 1971, euoted in..The East Indians of Guvana and Trinidad: \Ialcolm Cross. Minority Rihts Report (Revised l9g0 Edition)

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

Opposition". and Chase wondered whether, "the main Opposition Party allowed these recommendations to go a-begging for fear of being stigmatised as an "Indiflr" party.r:rse

The question arises as to r,vhat were the PPP's position. strategy and tactrcs concerning the Indian and Atiican Ethnic Secunty Dilernmas. if as Mr. Chase clarms, and the record shor,vs, the PPP abandoned the

call tbr the Armed Forces to be balanced. Horv

r,vas

the indran Ethmc

Securrty Dilemma to be addressed'l The ansrver is. as mentioned before. that after Burnhamneutralised

the PPP's numerical advantage in the Westminster majontanan svstem m i968 through rigging and also augmented the Armed Forces at his disposal- Dr. Jagan elided concerns about the Ethnic Secu-

ritv Dilemma of Indians. Hor,vever he persrstentlv attempted to address the Afrrcan Ethnic Secunqv Diiemma. His preferred option was to attempt coalttion with the PNC - under cover of "the need fbr unity of the "rvorking class"". When rebuffed. he attempted to forge "untty" with some other groups. such as the W.P.A. that had African elements. so that Afiican representatives would be represented in anv possible Government. As ahvays, he also insisted on selecting Africans for leadership positrons in the PPP's executive.

1969-1992: PPP - Equivocation and Avoidance The reality after 1968 r.vas that Dr. Jagan and the PPP had no strategv- for removing the PNC irom office: Burnham- the chess player had checkmated his old rival. Survival became the PPP's mantra and thelz retreated further into Communist obscurantism to justrfi; the ner,v strateg-r" tbr survival: if you can't beat them - join them". The ratlonalisation was> as Dr. Jagan now stated r,vith a straight t'ace. was that the fight r,vas never really about obtaining powerls? - the fight rvas really against ''Anglo-American imperialism" and this demanded uniry at any cost.

In 1969. Dr. Jagan. in a speech to the Conference of Communist and Workers' Parties. formally declared the PPP a communist party He called it a -'homecoming" and on his return to Gu-vana proceeded to reorganise the PPP along the lines of an orthodox Communist Parry. The rdeological orthodoxy also follor,ved and the parly intensified its insistence that the crucial divisions in Guvana were ''class" and not "race/ethniciw:'.158 ln line with the nerv policy rn the Internatronal Communist movement, (after the Havana Conf'erence of Latin America and the Caribbean Communist parties) the PPP declared on Aug. 9 I975. that rather than alr,vavs criticisrng the government. as was traditional with an opposltlon rn the Westminster svstem, it would adopt a policy of "critical support" tor,vards the PNC. which had alsb declared itself a Nlarxrst party in l974.tse -' ..tire PPP cannot close its eyes to the changes brought about (by the PNC which) "have the effect of r.veakening imperialism... .our political line should be changed from non-cooperatron and crvil resistance to critical support. This can lay the basis for a political support. It will also help to frustrate the PNC's attempts to rsoiate the parry... .Remember that our tight r,vas not against just the PNC and the UF; our main enemv was ,4,ngio-American imperialism."160 Dr. Jagan failed to note that even though the PNC in 1974 had announced that rt was a socialist parry, it had aiready doubied the size of the army and was introducing new armed forces rJ6

Ashton Chase- Guyana: A )iation in Traroit. Bumham's Role. Pavnik Press. Georgetown. 1994 p45.

Bumham had a realist view ofpolitics: "...the politician who tells you he does not \vant power is either a ibol or a rascal." Forbes Bumham.

A Destiny to Mould, LonsmaL London. 1970. p85-86. i57

I5sPoliticalAfairs. l969.CheddiJaga4 1,969. (June5-17),SpeechtotheConl'erenceolComunistandWorkers'Parties.

(June5-17),Voscow of Sophia. PNC, Georgetown. 1974. 'e "Thunder, September - December, 1975. Vol 7 No 3 ''Address delivered to 25th Anniversary Conference on behalf ofthe Central Committee rle Declaration

of the PPP by

Dr

Jagan"

GIHA CRIME REPORT. !NDIANS BETRAYED!

staffed aimost exclusir.,elv bv its Afrrcan supporters.i6r Burnham. the realist. lvas taking care of the business of politicians

-

buttressing hrs power bases.

ln

1976- out of power for fweive years- and

evidentlv r,vrth prodding from his Soviet pavrnasters. Dr. Jagan tblloi,ved up his 1975 policy of "cntrcai

support" of the PNC w-rth a proposal for a "political solution", - a coaiitron trons broke off and agreement never reached.162 Burnham complarned thatunrty' is not based on class but on ethnicrt--v' regardless of class. W?rere is the "unitv"r"te; Dr. Jagan was caught in his or,vn contradictions and refusai to political rmpasse

rvith the PNC. Negotia-

"much of the talk about socialist content of such state the truth about the

The next year the PPP rn a tbnnal statement. reached out to the WPA towards formrng a ''Natronal Patriotic Front Government" alliance. The PPP was to hold out this offer up to the i990's

it is important to understand rvhat the PPP meant by this proposal. The PPP stated explicitly, that. "in keeping wrth the realities of Guyana. it rs necessarv to devise a system where 'w'irrrer does not

so

take all' and the two major parties and their allies are involved in the process of governing. The

S?A

later agreed to the concept of a "Government of National Unity'" but rejected the notion that the PNC could be part of the solution rvhen it was the problem. It r,vas the W?A s rejection of the PNC. as r,ve1l as poaching on the latter's strateglc turf, that made the WPA more of a threat to the PNC than did the PPP. In 1985. the PPP and PNC once again initiated offrcial talks that dealt wrth the possibility of the two partres coalescing - based, of course. on their need to counter the threat posed by "imperialism" It is noteworthy that at this time, the krck-dor,r.n-the-door banditry had reached such epidemic proportions against Indians that Eusi Kr.vayana profferedthat it had ''a flavour of genocide".(see p 34) The death of Bumham scuttled the talks. which. according to one participant had proceeded almost to consummation.l6a Burnham's successor. Mr. Hugh Desmond Hoyte rigged the elections heid in December 1985 to give the PNC a greater Parliamentary majorir,u* than under Bumham.165 He abandoned the Socialist experiment and the PPP was again on its olm.

After 1985, the PPP r,vorked r,vrth a bo$y of opposition parties (the "Patriotic Coalition for Democracv" - PCD) to ensure that a "Government of National Unity" would be formed, if the PNC r,r,ere defeated. Once again. this approach was supposed to ensure that the African Securiry Dilemma r,vould be addressed with the inclusion of the WPA. which at that point. everyone felt commanded a substantial block of Afrrcan votes.L66 Negotiations broke down within the PCD in 1990 over the division of seats and the choice of Presidential Candidate, as it became apparent that "free and fair" elections \,vere a distinct possibility. Apart from the jockeying fbr polver. which is usual rn all coalitions- the Ethmc Secunt_v Diiemmas inevitabiy rose to the fore.

It is noteworthy that for the first time in Guvana, there was public discussion over the fact that Dr. Jagan. as an Indian, would pose a probiem for a nelv govemment to be recognised by some institutions. It was felt that thc army might rcbcl undcr that contingcncy: thc Afncan Sccunty Di16r

The Guyana National Seruice was also launched

in

1974.

For A National Front Govemenl Central Comittee Documenl PPP Augut 1977. pp29. "The talks collapsed on December 3, 19'76. without on questions Ike local qovernment slections. peoples militia. national service. discrimination and appointment ofPPP representative s to the Public Service Comission and the Police Service Comission."

L6rEconomicLiberationthrouehSocialism: Leader's.{ddress.2ndBiemialCongressofthePNC- tug. 12-20 1977.

162

L&

Halim \,{ajeed, Kaieteur News.

I6rGranada Television Report. 1968. Something to Remember,

"Political Freedom in Guyana". Parliamentary Human Rights Group, London. ).lovember. 1985.

L6 The group to which the writer belonged to at the time - the Jazuar Comittee lbr Democracy -questioned rvhether the VPA would have been able to obtain large numbers ofvotes trom either the African or Indian segments. Our analysis and survevs showed that the Ethnic Securiry Dilemmas were too strong' .,tfft.-,

ffi :"e,.,,page .vsd'

9O

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

lemma rvas being artrculated more openly. Dr. Luncheon. an Afiican protege of Dr. Jagan's lvas proposed as a substitute but he was rejected as being too "red" even though he was ''Black". The

"Civic" component compnsed of a group of individuals outside of the traditional PPP membership. It included some Atricans. notably NIr. Sam Hinds. an engineer lrom the Bauxite industry. He had aclueved some visrbility as the Head of a new civic grouping - GUARD. r,vhich had rallied across the country for free and farr elections. Dr. Jagan was back on familiar ground. The African Ethnic Securiry Dilemma was expected to be addressed PPP abandoned the PCD inrtiative and came up'uvith a

thorough this manoeuvre: number two in the PPP

\,vas once more an

Afircan.

Revierving the record of the PPP in opposition after I968. we can discern trvo not contradictory impulses towards the Afrrcan Secunty Drlemma. Firstly there r,vas the movement to seek some soft of unitv with the PNC - even at the price at being a junior partner. under cover of "socialist class unlt_v-" That is. the PPP lvas willing to concede its majontanan advantage (under the Westminster rules) to address the African Secunt_v Dilemma without anv reciprocal concession from the PNC on the Indian Securit-v Dilemma. Secondl-v. when the PNC proved un',villing, the PPP attempted to seek a coalition arrangement with groups that had African membership in an effort to also addrcss the Afncan Securir-"- Dilemma. In all the interminable discussions r,vith these ner,v erstwhile partners the PPP never brought up the lndian Ethmc Security Dilemma.

One hypothesis could be that this silence rvas tacticai - that the PPP wanted to at least obtain a share of the government from which base it would have attempted to rectit/ its Ethnic Securiw Dilemma. The actions of the P PP after it was retumed to office in 1992, following "free and f'air" elections should test that hypothesis since they have had over ten years to implement programs that Dr. Jagan pronounced on, as far back as 1964.

After all. in the elections of 1992 and all subsequent elections, under the retum to the "normal" Westminster rules. the PNC consistently maintained the 42o/o of the vote that it had secured way back in 1964. This was just about the percentage of ethnic Africans/lvlixed in the population: there had been practically no "vote-splitting" pThe Armed Forces- in the meantime had been expanded end rvere even more heavily African than in the sixties. indicating that the African Ethnic Secunty Dilemma rvas alive and well. Unless it rvas addressed, the PPP should have expected that they rvould not have been allowed to govern - as in the 1960's. since nothing had changed strucfurally. But evrdently the effects of having no strategy for addressrng the Ethnic Dilemmas for over hvenr_v*-tbur y-ears ( 1968- 1992) and actually pretending that they did not exist, had induced their own

structural effects on the

PPP.

1992: PPP's Return to Office As soon as it became apparent that the

PPP/C had been permiued to win the general PNC's African supporters noted in Georgetou,n elections of Oct against lndian persons and businesses. Mobs besieged the Elections Commission offices: broke the rvindow's of Indian businesses and numerous persons - pnmarily Indians. lvere beaten. The riot was only put down when Mr. Desmond Hoyte, leader of the PNC, ordered Army troops to shoot. if necessarv: the Police had proven unreliable. Obviousl-v- the Afrrcans in the Civic component of the PPP/Civic goverrnent had not persuaded Africans that their Ethnic Security Dilemma had been addressed. It took the bold decision of Mr. Hoyte for the govemment to survive.r6i 5.e- 1992 elections rn Guyana,

167 Hoyte's decision precipitated a bitter debate within the PNC about the wisdom of the decision. Those opposing thE decision were led by Hamilton Green, erstwhile strongman of the PNC. He was eventually expelled from the part-v.

ffi_ ?{l'Paoe 14.

91

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Dr Jagan appointed a one-man Commission. in the person of NIr. B.O. Adams. S.C. to investigate into the nots and to make recommendations. Mr. Adams recommended, among other things, that the Government ensure that the Police Force be more ethnically balanced and that the Government have a riot response plan to contain any future recurrence. Everyone. including the members of the Armed Forces, had expected that the PPP would "clean house", if not the Aegean stables. The PPP mystifyingly. buried the Adams report and refused to make any changes.168 It left therefore. the structurall-v destabrlising organizational makeup of the Discipiined Forces- intact. in the face of the manifest concerns of Afiican Guvanese about their Secunty Dilemma.

Starting from 1990, the present r,vriter and others. as members of the Jaguar Commrttee for Democracy (JCD) \,vrote extensively of the Afircan and Indian Ethnic Secunty Dilemmas and the implications for stabilrt-r,' and peace if they rvere addressed on their merits.l6e f'he PPP responded by a deafening silence: those Ethnic Security Dilemmas survived alive and lvell, but the PPP seemed determrned not to address it. The PNC regrouped and reviewed ils strateg-v- on how to achieve political power. It was only a matter of time that the contradictions 'uvould explode, as the writer predicted

in

1993.1'o

1997: The Indian Ethnic Security Dilemma Explodes After the December 1997 elections, anti-lndian riots broke out on January 12e 1998, in Georgetou.n, precipitated by the PNC's refusal to accept their defeat at the polls against a background of charges of discrimination and victimisation since 1992.1" The writer lvrote to the press as follow's: "Africans descended into an orgy of mindless violence - beating, robbing, raping, stnpping, looting and brutalizing Indians for no other reason than being Indian."1'2 A group of prominent Indians formed the "Guyana lndran Foundation Trust" (GIFT), which rejected the silence of the press and the Government about the extent of the violence against Indians. Initially the Government even denied that Indians were targett:d in the violenge and refused to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the violence. GIFT produced a report proving that at least223 Indians had been beaten, robbed or molested.r'3The violence. and the refusal of the Police Force to maintain order drove the PPP to make concessions after a CARICOL interv-ention that included truncating its term of offrce and -'inclusiveness" in Governance.rra Furaccepting Constitutional changes, intended to ensure greater the.r vioience led to more concessions and the rnstitutionalisation of r,varlordism.l?s 16 The Report was not even laid in Parliament. r6e Ravi Dev. For a New Political Culture in Guyana. (1990), The -\atomy of Power, etc ; Baytoram Ramharack.

Consociationalism. (1991) Position Papen for the Jaguar Committee tbr Democracy. rm In June 1993, at a Cotulerence on Violence and Youths in Tnnidad. the witer predicted that tbr all the reasoro outlined in this paper - the Ethnic Securiry Dilemmas - violence would erupt in Guyana within a few years. fhere were sEvere criticisms of the prediction from members of the PPP

back in Guyana.

1'r There were several reasons given by Africans for the .{nti-Indian violence: Dr. Jagan had died in I 997 and the race ofhis Jewish will. Janet Jagan who was the PPP's Presidential candidate, became an issue. One analyst. Vr. Linden Harry [SN 2-2-98] proposed that since IndianS voted lbr the PPP this necessitated "the extraction ofbooty and the iniliction ofpain'' trom them by Ali'icans. .\nother. Mr. CRB Edwards,[2-5-98] suggested that the racist ac,tivities ofthe PPP sovernment precipitated that salutary txeatmenl \Is Eileen Cox, Consumer .{dvocate, ISN 5-22-98] ofering another novel explanation, Indians' "celebration" oflndian .{rrival Day can cause ''noihing but tumoil" tiom Africans who "have nothing to celebrate". One PPP llinister \dr. Reepu Daman Persaud, in an ironic echo ofDr. Jagan in 1964 promised, "Licks like peas" 1br the PNC. OfcoursE he was referring to the PPP numbes. The PNC resorted rvith its trump card. rz SN 1-23-98. "The Accord Rewards the PNC tbr Jettisonine ihE Rule ofLaw". The letter precipitated a wave ol'rewlsion on thE silence around the antllndian violence amongst Indians that has not yet subsided. The PNC denied it had a role h the violence.

L The GIFT Report. June 1998, Georgetown.. The report showed that not only "street elements" were involved in the violence.

Herdmanston Accord. Janurv 1998: Guyana Constitution. 1999 rmendmen! .\rt. 13.

The St. Lucia Accord. demanded comtitutional changes to give the opposition a greater role in Parliament While this may have been necessary by dealing outside the Constinrtional institutions with leaders that had exerted force in the streets. the goverunent was encouraging cxtrar7a 17!

constitutional measures to deal with political problems

@1==

?q*ir"s" .F6q.'

92

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

It r,vas all dela vu. One rvould have thought that with the election da-r- experience of 1992 and the institutional memorv of its removal from offrce in the 60's. the PPP government rvould have been more aware of the tenuousness of its grasp of por,ver and r,vould have embarked on a program of rectification that Dr. Jagan had adumbrated as far back as 1963 Horvever. the PPP having changed almost nothtng in the Armed Forces and even retarned the Poiice Commissioner lvho had been head of internal secunty, reporting directly to Burnham the denouement 'was not surprising.116 After the unrelenting, rvidespread violence following the nots of Jan 12 1998: and workrng r,vith Disciplined Forces that it \,vas never sure it couid command in the crunch. but refusing to place its concerns openly to t}re Forces or the nation. the PPP increasrngly came to depend on the elite. heavily-armed ''Black Clothes Unit" of the GPF. This unit had originally been established in the 80's by the PNC, to deal wrth the. by then. endemrc violence. The PPP pushed by its lndians supporters for relief after the latter rejected the PPP's advice to "bear-up urd take the licks"l" was impelled by its evasions and vacillations on the Disciplined Forces, to give even more operational leer,vay to the Black Clothes to secure their serv'ices.173 Unfornrnatelv. rvhile the criminal enterprise evolved in firepow'er, frequency. types, brutality, plarning, logistics and supporl, intelligence (especiallv through contacts in the Police Force), and execution. the Unit retained rts rough and read.v, frontier-type of crime fighting techniques in the absence of Government-sponsored innovations or adaptations. Complaints about the Black Clothes' operations w'ere inevitablc. even though Indians kept silent because. to them. the unit lvas the lesser of two evils as their Ethnic security Dilemma played out. The PPP also pret-erred to work with individual police offrcers rvho r.vere r,villing to work rvith them, r,vhile individual businessmen paid-off others for protection. The PPP did not appreciate that they rvere destroving any oppornrnity to construct a professronal fbrce and was simultaneously aggravatrng concerns r,vithin the Force and in the Ati-ican community. It was only buying time.

By 1999. the Constitution had been amended to incorporate many changes acceded to in the Herdmanston and St. Lucia Agreemer;ts, and also from subsequent countrynvide consultations. In addition to several innovations that addressed ''urclusivitv in government". which r,vas the thrust of the PNC's demands: a Disciplined Forces Commission had been incorporated that could ''examine the structure and composition of the Disciplined Forces'.tte Unlike the PNC. which subsequentl)- pushed for the implcmentation of provisions on its agenda. at no ttme did the PPP even suggest that the Disciplined Forces Commrssion be constituted to fulfii its mandate. This would have addressed the core of the Indian security Dilemma. While branches of the Police Training School r,vere established in Essequibo and Berbice. the PPP never made a sustained effort to encourage Indians to enlist - as thev had done between 1957-64. By not piacing the need to balance the Armed Forces on the national agenda. the PPP was acting as if placing Indians into the Force was a surreptitious. clandestine activrry, rather than necessary for national stability. Of course- if it had stated the Indian Security Dilemma openly, the PPP would have had to accept that its subterfuge of incorporatt76

Malcolm Haripaul. an ex-GDF ollicer. close to the PPP in 1992, reported that may of his amy tiiends told him that they were fully expecting a shake-up and were surprised whEn no chanses were made. (pesonal interview), rz This advice was given by Moses Nagamootoo over the TV but was passed on to their supporters also tkough the very effrcient "word of mouth" mechanism ofthe PPP 1r A US court found in 2002 that (named) elements ofthe Unit acted as enlbrcem to a rogue visa officer ofthe US Embassy, and committed several acts on Guyanese citizens. The goverunent took no action agairot anyone.

I7e .lrticle l97A (5), added to the Constitution, authorised that: "Disciplined Forces Commission may be constituted by the National Assembly...with power to examine the structure and composition ofthe disciplined tbrces and make recommendations generallv with a view to promoting their greater effrciency, and givhg effect to the need in the public interest tlat the composition ofthe disciplined lbrces take account of the cthnic constituenls of the population.''

age 93

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

ing a "Civic" component rn Government. had not addressed the Airican Ethnic Securiq.Dilemma.

And once agarn. r,vith no substantive structural changes in the Ethnic Secunt_v equatron. rt then became onlv a matter of trme r,vhen the next explosion would come: it lvas an old script wntten in the sixties. which had been rvell rehearsed. Players did not even have to be instructed or rehearsed. in their roles.

2001- Present: African Freedom Fighters In what was now becoming routine in Guvana. anti-Indian protests follolved the PPP's victorv at the Nlarch 2001 electrons. This time the protests spread to the East Coast and centred pnmarilv on the African-PNC stronghold of Buxton. (see pg . .. for details) The modus operandi of the Black ClothesUnit. descnbed earlier gave an pretexl for individuals, lvho had concerns about the African Secunty Diiemma. to launch a frontal assault not only on the Unit. but on lndians and on any other larv enforcement olficrals the,v considered to be sympathetic to the PPP The "A-frican Freedom Fighters",i80 as they stvled themselves. gained wide (if silent) support from r,vithin the A-frican Guyanese communitv. not just fbr taking on the Black Clothes unit and other perpetrators of "ex:tra-judicial" kilhngs. but for highlighting the political concerns undergirded by the African Ethnic Secunty Dilemma. The Army w'as highly praised for their "professionalism" in not getting involved in the "pacification" of Buxton. while the Black Clothes were excoriated as traitors. isl The Indian Security Dilemma was being exemplified daily in the nervs. The Army was stationed in Buxton rvhere the bandits had taken refuge. Even though there were sightings of crrminals strolling around wtth automatic rveapons. kidnapped victims held in safe houses. firefights r,vith police officers. hgacked cars abandoned. Indians in surroundrng villages beaten. robbed, raped, shot, murdered etc. yet practically no one was arrested, even when the soldiers were in "hot pursuit". The crux of the matter, however. was not that the Forces not acting professionally. but that if in an ethnicall.v divided sociery the Disciphned Force; lvere drawn overwhelmingly from one ethnic group, thcir professionalism will be sorely tested during ethnic tensions that pits their group against other groups. And then. of course. there was the institutional memory of Burnham's instruction that rt lvas up to the Army to be loyal or not to any government other than the PNC.iS: The PNC had been ambiguous over the violence emanating out of Bur:ton until an American diplomat r,vas krdnapped in mid 2003. r83 The US very iikely exerted some pressure on all forces in the country to bnng the sltuatlon back to some normalc-v, because there was suddenl-v a flurry of activit-v fiom even the Army.

In terms of whether there were centrall.v directed forces behind the violence. the PNC would obvrously have been the beneficiaries if the escalating rounds of violence convinced enough Indians that the PPP would never be able to control the situation- and those Indians exercised their option (legally or illegally) of emigrating. However just as ASCzuA demonstrated inthe 1960's. ts Handbills were circulated giving rationales whv "booty"

was to be sxtracted ftom Indians. One member appeared on T.V in full battle gear to explain the reason fbr their resort to ams. r8r The army has consistently asserted that it could not make arrests without the presence ofpolice. Yet on tkee occasions individuals, purportedly working against the bandits - privately or in collusion with the govertrnent - with weapons and equipment were apprehended as t-ar as Berbice. This indicates that not only can the army act alone in making rffests but that.\my Intelligence is still the best among the several established during the Bumham resime. r8x Those ''voung ofFrcers" who Bumham had exhorted in 1970 are now (2003) in command of the Army. rB VIr. Ho1te. tbrmer head of the PNC, had even denied that there were cminals in Bu.rton.

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

other groups in the ,\frican Guyanese communiw would also be concerned about the African Securitv Diiemma and these could take independent action to 'rectifv" the dilemma.

Simultaneously'. the PNC has pushed, with some success, to have the constitutional provisions on the sharing of Administrative and Legislative power lvith the Opposition. (post Herdmanston/

St. Lucia- mentioned above) implemented. It is uniikelv- hor,vever. that in a desperateiy poor counrry as Guyana- Afrrcan Guyanese, as they remain mired in poverty; will be convinced that havurg PNC members sit on Boards and debate issues

in Legislative committees

'uvould have addressed their

Ethnic Secuntv- Dilemma. Our history suggests that the underlying structural conditions i,vill induce future violent assaults b-"- African Guvanese on the svstem for 'justice". Unfortunatelv under the present system such assaults will be launched against Indian Guyanese. And rve are back to the Et}nic Secunty Dilemmas of the Indian and the African.

This will not lead to stabiht-v. Stronger medicine than the present reforms are necessary: and they cannot be taken in sips: they will have to be swallowed in one big gulp. Quickly.

CONCLUSION This paper has demonstrated that from the time Indians were introduced into Guvana. the State had explicit policies and procedural practices that established a pattem and practice ofexclusion of Indians fiom the Armed Forces of this country. It has demonstrated that the Armed Forces were used in a systematic manner to rnflict violence and r,videspread harassment on Indians during that time. We have hypothesrsed that these historical policies and actions have created structural conditions within the Indian community that induce lndians to avoid joining the forces rn the present. ln thc main, Indians are fearful of those Forces in terms of his secunty. We have also shown that in those (rare) penods rvhen there w-ere deliberate official policies to recruit substantial numbers of Indians into the Forces (1885, 1957-64,1964/lSU) there r,vere no problems obtaining recruits who performed credibly The paper has also demonstrated that African Gu-vanese after their histoncal circumstances of having endured slavery: their amval befbre lndians and their acceptance of wcstern norrns. language, behaviour etc ahead of Indians. there r.vas a structural expectation generated of urheriting the British mantle upon the latter's departure.rsa The rules of the politrcal system - the Westminster majoritanan system - however allocates Executive control of the government to the group agglomerating the majorrty of votes and by this rule. the Africans would be doomed to remain forever in opposition. This is the African Ethnic Secunqv Dilemma: that if he plays by the rules, he is always the loser.

For the Afircan section, which feels that its is being bypassed by another group that it had categorized as "backward"r85 arld that they may aiso be ruled by that group in perpeturt-y under the rules of the political game. the situation is untenable. Groups in this situation are overwhelmingly initiators of ethnic violence. once they calculatc that they have the appropriate resources, as they project their anxiety and insecunty onto the other groups rvho are seen as threats to their survival. It r8a Forbes Bumham showed a thorough grasp ofthe psychologicai vesus sociolosical l'actors operating amongst Africans and lndians. Forbes Burnharr- .{ Destiny to Mould, Longman, Londoq 1970. p. {0-42. r8s "lt must also be recognised that in spite of the new values now becoming part of the Indian repertoire there is a lag between the foruard group and the rest," Forbes Burnharn- A Destiny to Mould. Longman, London. 1970. p. {1.

GIHA GRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

is a structural condition. rndependent of "evil" poiiticians: the stnkes af 1962 and i963 againstthe PPP lvere not necessariiy called brv the PNC. bLrt the latter exploited the situation once the r'veakness

of the PPP's situation became apparent.

We have showa rhat the histoncai preferentral recmitment of Afrrcan Guyanese rnto the Armed Forces have predisposed many African .v-ouths to consider these forces as emplo-vment avenues. With their serendipitous occupation of the Armed tbrces bv the time of political competition for control of the state. and with the oppoffune interv'ention of the western po'wers, the Afircan Guvanese segment seized control of the State between 1962-64. Once the genie was out of the bottle it rvas almost rmpossible to get it back in. Thus lve see that tbllolvrng every generai election: escalating levels of vrolence are inflicted on lndians.

The question rs rvhat shouid be done r,vhen stmcturally induced lustorical eventualities impede the achievement of societal goals such as peace, stability and justice? In 1990. betbre the contemporary intemecine warfare. r,ve stated: Any proposed solution to Guyana's problem must address this fundamental fear of the African Guyanese: the fear of being swamped and subordinated by the Indians who form a numerical majority. Any proposed solution to Guyana's problems must also address the integral experience of Indians: living under the fear of physical extermination.ls6 From a policy standpoint, 'fie can only begin by creating ner,v institutrons that offer incentives to both ethnic groups and their leaders. to move the situation from the present "\,vin-lose" scenario to a ''lvin-lvin" one. While, as we have pointed out, institutions will not encompass the totahtv of the responses of peoples, it is a beginning and the only option for politicians. Form can influence function.

Other groups can attempt to change d,vsfunctional behaviour through other techniques. We can begin by making changes rn the institutions firstly in the political system that structures the operation of the Indian and Afncan Ethnic Securitv Dilemmas and secondl-v. in the composition of the Armed Forces

that is at the root of the seminal Indian Ethnic Secuntv Dilemma.

'"6 Ravi Dev, For a New

Political Culture. JCD. WCD.

1990.

@ ffi,'Pro"

se

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnio Security Dilemmas

Proposals The Ethnic Secunty Dilemmas in Guyana manifest themselves in the competition for the poiitical controi of the state. ln Guyana the fivo maJor groups. who approach each other rn size. deploy their major weapons rvithrn the political arena that gives each of them an advantage: fbr Indians it is their numerical majonw: fbr Afrcans it is their control of the armed forces. Nerther side concedes legitimacy to the other. The ethnic dilemmas have tntert'*ined to create a politicai problem.

which consequently demands a political soiution. We r,viil have to create rnstitutions that allocate power between the groups rn a fashion that both accept as just.187

African Ethnic Security Dilemma One theorist, Arthur Lervis, the eminent West Indian economlst. who rvas rntimately rnvolved with the politicians ofthe region.188 r,vhile considering the political problems ofthe multiethnic. (but uni-racial) societies of West Africa, made some comments r.vhich he f-elt \,vere apropos to Gu-vana. This r,vas

in

1964, just betbre the P.N.C. captured polver and marntained

it afterwards by

electoral rigging.t8e He proposed that.

"The word 'democracv' has two meanings. Its primary meaning is that

a1l who are af-

fected by a decision should have the chance to partrcipate in making that decrsion. either directly or through chosen representatives. Its secondary meaning is that the rvill of the majorrty shall prevail.

ln the latter ... politics is a zero sum game1eo.

'Translated ... to a plural society. this view of politics is not just irrelevant, it is totally immoral, inconsistent w'rth the primary meaning of democrac,r', and destructive of any prospect of building a nation in which different peoples might live together in harmony. Are lve, on counting heads, to conclude that ... the Indians of British Guyana may liquidate the Negroes? In a plural society the approach to polrtics as a zero sum game is immoral and impracticable."lel .

Arthur Lervis rvas obviously cpncerned about the Ethnic Secunty Dilemma of the Ahicans of Guyana - he assumed that Burnham lvould have gone along wrth the Westmrnster ruies of the political game. With that premise in mind. he did not onlv criticize the Westminster system but suggested possible avenues out of the African Ethmc Security Dilemma. whrch rvere later reaffirmed subsequently by man-v- theortsts of democracv in Plural Societies.

'The democratic prohlem in a plural societ,v is to creqte political instittrtions which give all the various groups the opportuntty to pqrttctpqte rn decision makrng .. Each group wants to be representecl by it,v own pctrty ..the solutron is not the single party bLt, Coq-

lition and

Federaltsm.'1e2

It is an interesting

footnote that even future Nobel Pnze winning academics have their Ethnic Secunt-v Dilemma brases. Dr. Lewis had worked very closelv with Dr. Eric Williams who taken Trinidad to independence in 1962 after his Afrrcan dominated parl.v won their 196'1 election over the Indian pafiy there, ,,vith a srmiiar majoriry* as the PPP in Guyana. But no concerns lvere ''Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as trutl is of systems of thought." John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Harvard U. Press.

Cambridge, Mass. 1971.(p. 3). rs Sir.{rthur Lewis. wimEr of the Nobel Prize lbrEconomics in 1984?. was one of the many Afrrcan intellectuls lrom across the globe who attended the eround-breaking Manchester'?an-Airican Consress" in I945, that considered measures and strategies for conducting the Anti- colonial stnrggle afta WWtr, in the Westlndie. Afiica and elsewhere. He was later closelv associated with efforts to save the West trndianFederation aller it lbundued.

187

Isseeforexample."somethingtoRemember": ReportofthelntemationalTeamofObservereat*reElectionsinGuyana,Decemberl980. rs .lrthur Lewis. Politics in West Africa. London. George A.llen& Unwin. 1965.p. 64. This. secondary meaning. of course is the premise of Westminster system.

our

GIHA GRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

raised by' Sir Arthur as to rvhether the Indians of

T&T - labeled by Dr. Williams

as a "recalcitrant

minontv" - may be "liqurdated". Simiiarl,v, a1ler so poignantlv and lucidly captunng the predicament of the African minonty in Guvana. Dr. Lewis was never to raise these concems of "liquidation'' of Indians rvhen the Aircan-dominated minoriqv Govemment of Forbes Burnham addressed the Afncan Ethmc Secunt-v Drlemma. posed bythe majoritv East lndian. by rigging elections from 1968. Sir Arthur was made Chanceilor of the University of Guvana (U G ) and r,vas the architect of NIr. Burnham's first development pian of 1966-1972. The point- of course. it that the Ethruc Secunt_v Dilemma affects everyone: it is based on rational calcuiations. even though it mav be aegravated by irrational fears.

Whiie the previous attempts at Coalitions befrveen the PPP and PNC have foundered,1e3 it is noter,vorthy that the PNC, has recently put up fbr national discussion, its proposal for "shared governance" and the PPP its thoughts on "inclusivlt]'". It is our hope that even though the trvo proposals are verv far apart- the PPP and the PNC r,vould agree that they are both assuming that there is a necessity for the representatives of the two major races should work together to develop this country. It is my firm belief that once there is agreement on the "whv" the "horv" will follor,v.

While this is not the place to elaborate on Federalism and Muiticulturalism, the r,vriter has- (and once aqain does) proposes these as an institutional mechanism and policy' rrutiative to address the Ethnic Secwrw Diiemmas of Guvana.lea

Indian Ethnic Security Dilemma The scholar Cynthia Enloe. who studied Guyana first hand. concluded after a r,vorldr,vide surv'ev in her essay. "Police and lV1ilitary in the resolution of Ethnic Conflict" and offers a proposal that addresses the Indian Ethnic Securit-v- Drlemma: "The resolution of inter-et}nic conflict demands that armies and police forces be examined not as neutral mstruments that cope with problems, but as potential causes ofthe problems as well

..

.

Any

lasting resoiution of ethnic conflict may require t-|rat the distnbutron of political authonlv and influence rn the society be basically reordered and that,'as part of that reordering, the poiice and mrlitary be

ethnically reconstituted at the top and the bottom. Resolution of inter-ethnic conflict will be tenuous if the security that is achieved is merely state security and not security for each of the state's resident communities."les

'

As detailed above. there is a Disciplined Forces Commission authonsed by Parliament. r,vith specific terms of ref'erence. whrch includes its onginal mandate to inquire into the composition of the Disciplined Forces. The President and the Leader of the PNC, rvho is also Leader of the Opposition, are presently (June 2003) discussing its composition. It is therefore heartemng that both the PPP and

PNC have decided that the compositton of the Disciplined Forces needs to be examined. We cannot avoid the balancing of our forces: there are several imperatives why this must be so other than the Ethmc Secunty Dilemma of the Indian community. rer

ArthurLewis, Politics in West Alrica, London. George Allen &Unwiru 1965. p.66. re2 adhur Lewis, Politics in West .\liica.

London, George Allen & Unwin, 1965. p. 66-68. lerBoth Jagan and Bumharn from the point they ended up in two parties. considered the coalition oftheir two parties as a solution to the political impasse. Invariably, the negotiations broke down over who would be on top. Some asserl however that in 1985, agreement had been reached between the two of them on a Coalition formula, 'ea Ravi Det, Federalism as a Structural Mechanism to Address the Ethnic Secunfy Dilemmas", Presentation at GIFT Symposium on Ethnic Violence, Jul-v, 1999. tes

Enloe, Cynthia, Police,

\tilitary

and Ethnicit-v.

.p153

*"

_ffi_

lfr"Puo"

sa

State and Societal Violence against lndians in Guyana: The Ethnic Security Dilemmas

State

-

The Disciplined Forces are not just anv run ofthe mill rrstitution: thev are institutions ofthe and key ones at that. Governments mav come and governments may go. but it is the State

that assures our continuitv and survival as a viable nation. It is imperative. therefore. that the instrtutions of the State be constituted rn the image of the societv rhat has created it - legitimacy and

impartiality lvould be so much strengthened. These are ahvavs necessar.v vaiues but even more so in a divided societv as ours. And even further so in the Discipiined Forces, where resides the porver that defines the State itself - the power to use the ultimate sanction of death on citizens. A second reason for balance is that not only does a grossly ethnicallv sker,ved Disciplined Force ur a plural society induce fcar in the underrepresented communltv - it puts a tremendous pressure on those Forces to remain professional in sttuatrons of ethnic tensions. This is what the lvriter predicted to several offtcers of our Army when troops were first stationed rn Buxton last -vear. They scoffed - but '"ve have seen the reality since. A third reason is one that paradoxrcallv. several critics of "balancing"

have made: Indians have to bear their equitable share

of det'ending their country externally

and

marntaining lar'v and order rvithin.

Hor,vever. we cannot be oblivious

to concerns raised in the Afrrcan Guyanese cornmunltv

about the adverse impact on African youths who are structurallv conditioned to vier,v the Disciplined

Forces as avenues of emplor.rnent and no.,v r,vould experience a situation r,vhere may be far lor,ver mrmber of available places. Concomitantlv therefore. ',vith efforts to balance our Armed Forces. we must address the necessrty

of

creating emplovment opportunities for Afncan youths.

In summary then. the Disciplined Forces of Guyana must be constrtuted so as to reflect the population of Guyana. addressing in the process, the Ethnic Secunt_v Dilemma of the Indians of Guyana. In like tbshion. the African Ethnic Secunty Dilemma must also be simultaneously addressed: we colrlmend Sir Arthur Lcwis' proposal of "Coalition and Federalism" wrthin the overarching policy of Nlulticulturalism.

Ravi Dev is an MP, and Leader of the ROAR Guyana lulovement.

He has a BA in Economics and is a JD (US Law).

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Selected Bibliography Adamson, Nan H., Sugar LVithortr Slaves'. The Poiitical Economy ofBntish Guiana- 1838-1904, Yale Universit-v Press. Nerv Haven. 1972.

Forbes Burnham. A Destinlt ro f,,[ould, Longman- London, 1970

John Campbell, Ilistory of Policing in Guyana. GuvanaPolice Force, Georgetown, 1987.

Ashton Chase. Guyana: A Nation in Transil Burnham's Role. Pavnik Press. Georgetorvn , 1994.

Malcolm Cross . "The East Indians of Guyana and Trinidad: Minoritv Rights Report. London (Revised 1980 Edition).

Dabydeen. David and Brinsley Samaroo, India in the Caribbear. Hansib Press, London, 1987.

Danns, George K. Domination and Power in Guyana, Transaction Books, New Brunswick, 1982.

Ferguson. lvrone, To Survive Sensibly or to Court Heroic Death, Public A-ffairs Consulting Enterpnse.

Georgetown, 1999.

Hintzen, Percy, Capitalism, Socialism, and Socio-political Confrontation in iv[ulti-racial Developing States: ,4 Comparison of Guyana and Trinidad, Unpublished Ph.D Dissertation, Yale University, 1981.

International Commission of Jurists, (1C) "Report of the British Guiana Commission of Inquiry - Racial problems in the Public Service". Georgetown. Oct i965.

Jagan, Cheddi. The West On Trial, Seven Seas Books, Berlin. rev ed" 1912.

Latin American Bureau, Guy-ana. Fraudulent Revoliltion. London. 1984.

Mangru, Basdeo. A History of East Indian Resistance on the Gnyana Sugar Estates, Edwin Mellen Press.

London.1996.

Mornson, .A.ndrew, Jastice: The Stmggle for Demouacy in Cnyana .

Georgetown, i999.

- 1952-1992, Red Thread Women's Press,

Dwarka Nath, ..{ History of Indians in Guyana, Butler & Tanner, London.

Longmans,l950.

(

1

970). Originally published bv

Parry, Vr-!rur, et al, Commission of Inquiry into the Disturbances.1962.

Scoble, Iohn, Hill Coolies: A brief exposure of the deplorable condition of the hill coolies in British Guiana and fu[auritius, and of the nefarious means b1t which they were induced to resort to these colonies. London : Haney and Darton, 1840.

Clem Seecharan , Tiger in the Stars: The ,4natomy of Indian Achievement in Brirish Guiana I 9 l9-29"

London 1997.

@ ffi.Puo"

roo

,Macmilarl

Manufacturi ng Docility: Black on lndian Violence in Guyana: Why Don't lndians Respond?

By Swami Aksharananda

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Manufacturing Docility: Black on lndian Violence in Guyana: Why Don't lndians Respond?

By Swami Aksharananda The accounts of what took place

at Wsmar are shochng

and

revealing. Armed Police and Volunteers stood by while looting, arson, rape. and murder were committed, and made no effort to intervene. Two girls for instance, were being raped on the l|'ismar side of the river. Persons on the Mackenzie side saw the incidents and asked four armed volunteers who stood by to rescue the girls.l The Volunteers refused.

Janet Jagan quoted rn, The West on Trial, p.310

Introduction The new spate of violence, perpetrated by Blacks on Indians in the aftermath of the 1997 general elections, wluch reached a state of frenzy on 12 January 1998. escalated even further m the twelve months following the 23 February 2002 jall break. As the Guyana lndian Foundation Trust

(GIFT) report of June 1998 reveals aboutthe 12 January disorder the ethnic dimension ofthe cnmes was clear. Indians, regardless of their economic, social or religious background, were being deliberately and callously singled out and attacked as Indians. Bamng a few letters to the edrtors in the three pnncipal newspapers of Guvana. the most conspicuous aspect of this phenomenon is the lack of an lndian response. Man.v, including foreign diplomats. wondered how far the perpetrators would have to go before Indians did something to protect their life and properry. Given the fact that Berbice and Essequibo have not been directly affected by the daily outrage and humiliation, why have not the Indians on the East Coast nsen rn protest? Indeed, why have not the Indians of Annandale, the communiW most traumatized by the killers. nsen in some krnd of response? Troubled by this incomage 1O2

Manufacturing Docility: Black on lndian Violence in Guyana-Why Don't lndians Respond?

prehensible lack of interest in their orvn self-preservarion, some began raising questions of a genetic Indian docilrry. a genetic Indian cowardice.

Excepturg for the period after the jailbreak. much of the violence against tndians is relateC to elections: 1992. 1998-99. and 2001 . It has often been suggested therefore that the violence. devastatrng as it is- is not merel-v* rampant cnminalrtv'. It has a clear political objective. which is rvresting office

from the People's Progressive Party (PPP). Consequentll, many see a connection between the riots urd demonstrations that have targeted Indians and Indian businesses and the confrontational politics

of the People's National Congress (PNC). Thus. there is widespread belief, particularly among Indians. that despite its public posturing to the contrary if not directed by Congress Place. the antiIndian violence has its tacit knowledge and blessing. While one expects the PNC to be true to its histoncal role of resorttng to violence against Indians as a means of subduing the PPP and removing it from office- r,vhat confounds many commentators and observers is the lack of a response from Indians themselves.

It is obvious to many Indians that the party for which they have routinely voted and the government it has formed. have scant regard for Indian security. Indians themselves claim, for reasons given belolr. that they carnot expect the police and army to protect them. Given all of tlus, and in this clear case of racial violence, why have Indians remained so resoiutely silent and stolidly inactive? Why this ''dociiit-v" among Indians? What are its origins'?

This paper seeks to understand the reasons for the apparent docility of Indians. The paper is I have discussed my ideas believe that they possess some exploratory in nature but those with "vhom validitv. Needless to say it ciaims no finality. Social processes are t'iuid and open-ended. I claim no here. While some of this matenal is based on my own onginality for much of ,,vhat I have "vritten experience, I have merely sougtrt to re-present views I have distilled h'om others in endless hours of conversation and discussions. NIv hope is that this understand the Indian predicament in Guyana.

will

be the beginning of a discussion seeking to

Let me conclude this introduction by sapring that the rvidespread t-ear that exrsted in Guyana during the Burnham era, continues today. Even in closed ofEces lndians in conversations about the political and social situation in Guyana today would lower their voiccs. It is not just the tbar that comes from the fact that every lndian is a potential victrm of the racial crime that stalks the land. lronically. it a fear of their or.r,n "kith and kin." [n mv own community. I rvas sub.;ected to a daily verbai attack immediately after the 2001 elections because I had dared to r.vrite about the partv holding its election meeting next door to the temple during worship. There is fear in the land. President Bharrat Jagdeo. year after year whether dunng the Shivaratri celebration at the Cove and John

Ashram or during the Indian arnval day programmes, makes disparaging remarks of a certain individual hidrng behind a monk's saffron robe. There is only one Hindu monk that speaks out on issues

affecting Indians and Hindus in Guyana. There is fear in the land.

A prominent businessman, cognizant ofthe rrtimidation and victimization that are rampant in the society reported how one senior minister of government accused him of being in the "lvrong group" though he works exclusively in the cultural and religious fields. Where there is no fear, instil f-ear. A prominent Indian Guyanese. of considerable social stature. lamenting the state of affairs in Guyana in a conversation with me has thought of leaving "these people". that is the parly. but is "afraid" of the campaign of vilification. There is fear in the land.

There is fear of not getting the job or the fear of losing the job. There is fear of not getting

@ ffi.Pus"

tos

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

that promotion. There is fear of being denied the contract. There is f'ear of not getting that scholarship. Because of this fear many of the relatives of victims of the crime spree have been hesitant to even speak.

The lndentureship Experience In the context of the tndian historical experience with the indentureship system. the view of Indian "dociliq,*" need not be taken senously. One needs only to have a mere cursory look at our

history during the indentureship period to know that Indians were involved rn a relentless struggle against the plantation system. a struggle in which many lost their lives. For example, bet\,veen i 874 and 1895 no less than 65.000 indentured immigrants r,vere convicted tbr breaches of the iabour larvs. in his book, The Colony of Bntish Guyana. H. V. P. Bronkhurst tells us: The Coolies rvill carry their gnevance to headquarters, and it is bv no means an uncolTrmon

to see fifty or sixry Coolie labourers appear in Water Street on their way to the Immigration Ofice. They have come from some estate in the country armed with their shovels and forks. just as they have struck r,vork to lay a general spectacle to the merchants and storekeepers of Georgetown

complaint against the managers, overseers, or foremen of the estate to which they belong.

After the Leonora disturbance of 1869. protests on plantations increased in frequency and gravity. One of the most serious of these occurred tn 1872 at Devonshire Castle over the problem of wages. As usual the fuot Act was read and five persons were krlled in police action. According to the coroner's report Indian women played a significant part in the disturbance. A magistrate who was on the scene made the following statement at the inquiry:

in the most ...About 50 women came in front of the rioters and screamed and cursed diabolical manner. One woman in particulhr. apparently their leader, went through the most extra-ordinary gesticulattons I ever beheld. Knowing legally that women are rioters, and rioters of the worst description from my own knowledge, I sent the interpreter to request them to retire and leave the fray to the men: theirs was q coolie curse too horrible for translatton.

They said they would hll us or they would die with their husbands.

In the five years from 1886 to 1890 there were 102 stnkes on the plantations involving rndentured rmmigrants. In almost everv case, these strikes were caused by the arbitrary reduction or stoppage of wages. Often, they led to tho invocation of the Rrot Act in wtuch armed forces wcre

called upon to suppress the insurrecttons. The earl,v years of the 20e century witnessed a further escalation in the confrontations with planters. The last major disturbance that occurred before indentureslup was terminated was at Rose Hall, Berbice. in 1913 when 15 workers were shot and killed and an equal number senously injured. ln Leonora. in 1939. and in Enmore. in 1948. a virnral repetition of the Rose Hall upnsing occurred.

In the face of such ovenvhelming evidence one can easily dismiss the charge of Indian

docilitv dunng indentureship. The question for us nolv concerns the present generation of lndians particuiarly since 1948. The refusal of the Indiantoday to produce a mearungful response to the

ffi_ ff

Pase 104

t"*S'

Manufacturing Docility: Black on tndian Violence in Guyana-Why Don't lndians Respond?

vioience that has affected them is a product of lustoncai conditioning, which comes from t'w'o pnncipal sources. The first ts connected withthe Indian experience coming out of contiontation wrththe colonial police dominated bv Blacks. The practice to use a Black police tbrce to contain and penalize lndians as they engaged rn their struggles aganst the evils of the plantation s-vstem, as weil as the general Indian experience wrth a sometimes hostile and sometrmes rrdifferent police force and the army- lvould have contnbuted to create a mindset in Indians mrlitating against the kind of response,

the absence of rvhich is being discussed here.

The second source of the historical conditiorung is connected i,vith the Indian experience with the PPP and its allied organizations as thev have sought to contain, control. and manipulate Indians based on their Nlaniist ideology and on the illusion that they are not an ethnic part-v. that is. thev are a parr,v of both Indians and Afrrcans.

Human behaviour in most cases is conditioned, that is it is caused by and is a response to, extemal factors. For the past ten years. Blacks in Guyana have been taught that they are dispossessed. disenfranchised. and marginalized. And. whether directly or indirectly. they are also taught that Indians are the pnncipal agents of this disenfranchisement. The violence that has come about as a result of this belief has been a learned behaviour. A whole people do not wake up one morning and

suddenly begin to act in a particular

wa-v-.

Just as Black violence against Indians is a learned behaviour follolving a long process

of

indoctrination, so too the Indian non-response to tlls violence is a learned behaviour follolving a long process of indoctnnation. Indians did not wake up one morning and found that they had lost the will and abilitv to act. Realrt_v and the responses to this reality are both sociall,v constructed phenomena.

How did a people- with a known history of resisting evil and injustice. Iose their will to act? Tlus is what we will now find out.

Indians and the Police Forcp The Indian experience of victimization and humiliatron at the hands of the Black discrplined forces in Guyana can be constructed in tw'o One is the expenence that comes from dealing "vavs. w'rth the police. fbr example. in their individual capacities. as persons who go to the police station. or

call forhelp in case of attacks and robbenes, or who. as drivers of motor vehicles. are accosted by the police. This day-to-day experience with the police, tbr example, assures us that they are an aciive instrument in our oppression. [t has taught us. not only never to expect justice- but in tact to expect police harassment and persecution. The second part of thrs experience is seen at a commurutv and political level as Indians have engaged in their legitimate struggle for justice. decency. and

politrcal self-determination. These are not independent and separate spheres. They are part of a social rvhole and help to reinforce each other.

Many Indians would speak of the disrespect and humiliation they receive at the hands of the police whenever they have to go to a police station to make a complaint. Many years ago, I accompanied a family to the local police station to make a report of a missrng ten-year-old girl. It w'as at first diffrcult to get the attention of the police. They pretended that we were not there. At last. we managed to engage their attention. After some of the most painful and degrading comments. the officer told us to go home and relax, that the child had gone looking for a man. The black female officer who was there burst out in the most densive laughter imaginable. The male offi.cer has long

105

GIHA GRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

passed on. Of the female nothing is known. But the memory of that comment and laughter continues

to nng in mv ears- and the experience of shame and humiiiation still scorches mv memorv till todav.

But that r,vas a long time ago.

Not so long ago- I was stopped bv the police and taken to the No. 51 station in the Comet_vne.

A police officer had been on a motorbike lvrth dozens of vehicles behrnd hrm. obviouslv in a shorv of power danng the motonsts to overtake him. As soon as I drove past. I r,vas stopped and hauled rn to the police station. As

I

there. waitrng to be booked. a -voung Indian woman came into the station with marks of violence about her body. She made a complaint about her husband r,vho was drunk and rvho had beaten her. The police olficer instead of deaiing with the matter on hand. began haranguing the r,voman r,vith a conversation laced lvrth sexual innuendoes. In response to his question. when the r,vas

lvoman said that she r,vas beaten with a piece of wood. he instantly retorted. "Don't worry wrth his wood, I have a lvood -v-ou rvouid love." And then followed the laughter. God forbid if it's an Indian woman making the complarntl Even more recently a young Indian man had cause to go to the same police station in mv area. When the policeman learnt that the bus dnver about lvhom the complarnt was being made was

a relative of his- he became almost violent. An argument ensued and he threatened to lock up the person making the complarnt. The complainant .,vas ordered to remove his wnstwatch and other jer,velry.

A rrng he r,vas trying to remove fell

over the counter r.vhere the police

olicer

r,vas standing.

it. -'What ring are you talking about'?" he asked.

One also only has to look at the vastly disproportionate numbers of lndian vehicle drivers. especiall-v- mini-bus drivers. who are stopped and harassed on a dailv basis by the police. and who would have their vehicles impounded for the most trifling of traffic ofFences when giving the dnver a traffrc ticket would suffrce. The police deliberatellz and illegally impound vehicles for several hours, sometimes a da-v or more, knowing full weil they are affecting the livelihood of the persons involved.

This is a \,vav of exacting a toll from drivers and owners. for who r,vould want his vehicle to be He immediatel,v- stepped on it and refused to return

impounded and lose a r,vhole day's

earning'/

t

Guvana was alreadv a sociefy- riddled with the problems of race and violence before lndians were brought here. Indentureship compounded these problems. Black resistance to Indian presence. rvhile it mav have had its economic ongin. soon began expressing itself in terms of race and culture.

On the other hand. Indian resistance in the colony both to the demeanrng rnstitution of indentureship

Blacks to ndicule and marginalize them became more pronounced and demonstrations and uprisings soon became a common feature on the sugar estates. A few of our historians and attempts

b.v_-

have documented for us the heroic struggles of Indians on the sugar plantations.

For more than a hundred years from 1869 Indian resistance onthe sugar plantations was rnet with thc repressive hands of the planters and the state . This took Extrome forms and throughout

this penod Indians were killed r,vith alarming frequency on the sugar estates. Whenever the police were brought in. it was a Black force that the Indian indentured workers had to confront.

It was a Black force that shot and killed Indians. As a rule then whenever Indians. ahvays unarmed. rose up

in rebellion and demonstrations, what they saw were Black policemen pornturg

their rifles at them. The confrontation that occurred penodically during these one hundred years with an all-Black police force must have played an important role in conditioning the Indian mind. Indians came to leam by force of thrs experience that a Black force would deal with their resistance rn the harshest possible way. The indentured lndian could not have lost sight of the fact that it was the

Manufacturing Docility: Black on lndian Violence in Guyana-Ullhy Don't lndians Respond?

Black man who had the por,ver of life and death in his hands, it rvas the Black man r,vho had the gun.

From 1962 to 1964 racial conllict broke out behveen Indians and Blacks on a scale larger

than an-lthing seen hence. r.vith a clear political dimension- and on both sides Guyanese died. This cont'lict cuiminated in the Wismar massacre of Indians in NIa-v 1964 With the subsequent mampulation of the constitution that led to the defeat of the PPP in December 1964, Indians greeted the prospect of independence r,vith great fear and foreboding especiall-v since the date was fixed fbr 26n NIay 1966, to commemorate the slaughter of Indians inWismartwo years earlier. So deep rvas the

of betraval and defeat that Indians refused to have anything to do wrth t}te celebration of independence. and their part-v'too. for the first time in the opposition. hammered it in their heads that it rvas wrong to do so. Suddeniy the same parry after more than thirr-v long years. finds virnre rr commemoratrng rrdependence, r,vhich it resumed in 2001 any explanation to its faithful. "vithout 1964 to 1992. the period of the ascendanc.,* and decadence of the PNC. it lvas a reign of terror for lndians. Violence. offrcial ard unofficral, continued to be perpetrated agarnst them. The dtfference in the violence in this period r,vas its one-sided nature, r,vith Indian being the principal victims. Weaponless Indians lvere now made to face the ner,vly fbunded Guyana Defbnce Force that r.vould routinely conduct patrols and military exercises deep in lndian communities with the clear sense

objective to terrorize and intimidate.

In the 1973 general elections. rvhen lndians in Berbice tried to prevent the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) from seizing ballot boxes- the soldiers did not hesitate to use maximum force and, as a result. Indians were shot and killed. In 2001. when Indians on the Corentyne gathered in front of the

police station at Albion to protest thc failure of the police to make arrests in a series of cnmes that was sr,veeping across the coast. police again open flred and Indians were again killed.

Dunng the daily protests and nots of 1998. 1999. and again in 2001 when Indian businesses were targeted, and lndian civilians rvere moiested, beaten. robbed. raped b.v Black youths, Black children. Black men. and. y-es, Black women rvho handed over their Indian women victims to Black men. where were the police') Who rvould belieye that much of this happened under the very nose, r,vithin arm's reach. of the police'l Who r,vould believe that. with the marauding hordes roamrng the streets looicrng fbr their victims. the police would somehow manage to make no srgnificant arrests'l Not in January 1998. not in June 1999. and not again in 2001! The police either looked on merrily and thereb-v participated. or turned a'uvav and thereby participated.

According to the GIFT report. of the 228 statements examining the role of the police, I70 peisons indicated that the police rvere nowhere to be seen and in 26 instances the police were present but rendered no assistance. The Report adds: "We are firmly convrnced that January 12 could not have been unanticipated. Thus. the apparent unpreparedness ofthe police and failure to minimize or prevent this disorder demands an explanation." For over three Blacks were on "veeks, the streets rn Georgetown engaging in marches, beatings and robberies. The Commissioner of Police

himself was quoted inthe Sunday Chrontcle. January ll. 1998 denouncing the marches and the atrocities that were a part of them. How could the police not have been prepared'/ What the GIFT report discovered in 1998 was already known 34 years eariier. In the ''West on Trial", Dr Cheddi Jagan again and again remarked on thls particular propensity of the police rvhen it comes to the defence and protection of Indians. as well as the collusion between the Black population and the Black police in times of conflict. For example. wnting on the situation on the West Demerara in 1964. Dr. Jagan makes the following observations:

GIHA GRIME REPORT - INDIANS BETRAYED!

'

The sugar planters emploved scabs urexpenenced in agncultural work. mostly

Afri-

cans fiom Georgetor,m. Nlany of them acted as "vigiiantes." terronzing Indian workers who had started a passive resistance campargn. particularly on the estates in West Demerara... The police.

mostly Afoicans. cooperated r,vith the Afncan vigrlantes in terrorizrng the stnkers who squatted at strategic points: police vans were used at Leonora to transport the scabs. Retaliation r,vas inevitable and several clashes took place. . . In Gu-vana. because the stnkers were mainly Indians and the scabs

marnly African. an industnal dispute lurned into a racial rvar. . (p. 306)

'

The tension in West Demerara resuited ur a full-scale racial not wrth the Afrrcan police mostly taking sides rvith Afircan rioters. (p. 307)

'

On NIa.v 21. at Zeelug, r,rhile 3 Indian r,vorkers rvere standing by the roadside, a

police officer opened fire. killing 2. Hanuman and Ramsaroop. At lvleten-Nleer-Zorg, a nearbl,' village.

a

r,vorker lvas beaten by a policeman and died a felv hours later in the Public Hospital, Georgetor,-m

.... The stnke culmrnated on Mav 24 in the massacre of Indians at Wismar.... Women and even children were raped and otherwise savagelv maltreated. E-vewitnesses stated that the police and armed volunteers did nothing to help. (pp.308-09)

'

The accounts of what took place at Wismar are shocking arld revealing. Armed Police and Volunteers stood by while looting, arson. rape, and murder were commified. and made no effort to intervene. Tlvo girls for instance, were berng raped on the Wismar side of the river. Persons on the Mackenzie side saw the incidents and asked tbur armed volunteers who stood bv to rescue the girls. The Volunteers refused. (p.310) t Nhnd vou. lve are leaving out of this inaiysis the even more glaring behaviour of the members of the GDF stationed along the roadside in Buxton and neighbouring viilages on the East Coast

during the cnminalit_v that started in February 2002. In their verv'presence. vehicles were stopped. occupants robbed and beaten by gangs of Black youths who would then nonchalantly retire back into

the village of Buxton. We are told that the GDF did not have orders to arrest. Evew day we hear protestations of rvhat a disciplined, profcssional and apolitical fbrce we have . But tiris is another matter. Nor do we need to comment on the scarcely concealed. politically grounded. conflict betw'een the President

of Guyana as Commander-in-Chref and the GDF

Further leaving aside for a moment the wideiy held belief, that many policemen and soldiers. currently serving or retired. have been part of the banditry how are we to understand this Indian experience in the encounter with the police? Overall it can be concluded that police behaviour tor.vard Indians in Guyana is not an accident or coincidence. It springs from an unwritten. perhaps written, policy. It is a well cuitivated. well executed policy and has created a deep conditioning in the Indian mind: exactly what it rvas intended to do. Internalising all of this. lndians have learned not to protest, not to fight back. even u,hen their vital interest oflife and death is threatened.

Manufacturing Docility: Black on lndian Violence in Guyana-Why Don't lndians Respond?

PPP and the Indian Non-response As stated above the second source of the conditioning of the Indian people in order to produce a non-response to racial cnmes against them. comes fiom their expenence r,vith the PPP. Lrkethe PNC. the PPP is an ethnic political part_v- its Nlamist rhetonc notwithstanding. If n every election 98 percent of the Indian electorate votes for the pan-v. it is clear that its support base is solidly in the Indian communrty Being an ethnic parry, ir realizes that it does not have the legitrmacy to govern all of Guyana. and a deeplv racially fractured Guyana at that. An ethnically Indian-based and dominated PPP governrnent has air,vays had to deal r,vith an African ethnically-dominated bureaucracy and disciplined force. To bridge this gap, the party has to engage in an enormous selfdeception. that is. it is a paqv and a government of all Guyanese. President Jagdeo. tbr example.

frequently invokes this line. though interestingly he does so only to lndian audiences at

a time when racial attacks.

This position is further strengthened by the Nlarxrst dogmas thatthe parfy- espouses. It sees no race or at best racial conflict as an expression of economic disparities. The contradiction that presents itself here is that while the part.v lives on the blood of Indians and can only survive on Indian sllpport and vote. it must at the same time distance itself from values and syrnbols of all that is Indian in the Guyanese context. Because the partv has to live this dupiicrt-v it has tailed to give its Indian supporters clear direction and leadership in times of racial conflict. lnstead it proclaims that it is a part1,- of all Guyanese. Indians and Africans. It must also do everything in its power to prevent an lndian response to thc racial situation as such a response could easily spiral out of their control.

Instead it is prepared to allow Indians to be massacred in order to appease Black rage. The periodic onslaught on Indians that has happened at each ofthe general elections - 1992- 1997-98. 2001 - is tolerable so long as it can indulge in the illusion that it is in power. This penodic onslaught is also acceptable once its selt--image as a parrv of Afncans and Indians, which it needs as rts legitimacy in its quest tbr polver, is not in any wav impaired.

the-v are under severe

I

The ways in which the PPP distances itself from Indian symbols and values

'

Innocuous as it may seem. the r,vav politicians present themselves in the many ethnic programmes thev attend is of importance in Guyana. For example, in the year 2000. when President Bharat Jagdeo went to the Emancipation Day sod-turning programme, he took care to bedeck himself in what Stabroek News of August 2. 2000 describe as "an African shirt." The president must be applauded for this shows sensitivrty and respect for the African people and their culture in Guyana.

.

Eariier in May of the same year. the president was present at the Indian Arnval Da-v programme in Georgetown dressed in a regular shirt. The performance was repeated in May 2001 and again in2002. The same sensitivrty and respect shown urthe case of the African prograrnme was absent when the president attended the lndian programme. ' In hrs Emancipation Day message he referred to Africans under slavery as "our enslaved tbrefathers." (Stabroek News,8/l/2000) and at the sod-turning event the next day he spoke of "the indomitable spirit of our foreparents." (The emphasis on "our" is added.) ' Speakrng of lus historical connection with the peoples of Guyana the president re''history is the history of the Amerindian people. . . of the early settlers (Europeans). . . of marked that his

age 1O9

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

the Africans rvho were brought to this countrv" (Gryana

Chronicle.8l2l20o0). In accordance w'ith the florv and tenor of the speech. one would expect to next hear "and of Indians." But this was not to be. He simpiv added: "and of all the people r,r,ho came after." Note how he specifically" mentioned some peopies by their names "Amenndians" and "Alncars" and how he deliberately refused to specif_v his Indran connection. How could the president remember tus connection wrth Amenndians and Afncans. but not Indians'l "vith ' In his statement to mark Indian Arrival Day 2001. President Jagdeo (Sunday Chrontcle 51612001) spoke of the contnbutions of people of East Indian descent since their amval here. Later on in his speech. he shifted fromthird to second person when he said of lndians: 'yoa have contnbuted rr a great r,va.v-." As if to buttress the president. the PPP rn its Indian Arrival Day

messagespokeof Indians and"their descendants."Howisitwhenthepresidentandhisparr,vspeak of Africans rt rs "our enslaved tbreparents" and the "indomrtable spint of our foreparents," and r.vhen the president. rvho obviously looks Indran and leads a party that lives on Indian blood and is supported bv 98 percent of the Indian electorate, retbr to Indians tt rs their arrd yoi? (The italicized emphases are added.)

These are not spontaneous expressions. Thev are carefully crafted speeches and state-

ments. To say the least. this kind of language points to the fear that the PPP harbours of being It is a deep psychological fear that has sunken into their sub-conscious. It follorvs then to resist the image and perception of being Indian and to distance itself from Indian

perceived as Indocentric.

interests and concerns. syrnbols and values on the one hand. and to cultivate. on the other the image and perception of being on the side of Africans, aggressivelv courting Afrrcan approbation, adopting African concerns and interests, symbols and values as its very or,u1, and using the term "their" for Indrans, while reserving "our" for Africans.

Looking at the context of these statements. they were not made in a vacuum. They were made, and contrnue to be made, in the contextpf a deep racial fissure in our country between PPP Indian supporters and PNC Black supporters.'They were made and continue to be made at a time when Indians are subjected to severe racial violence the nature and magnitude of wluch this country has not seen since the Wismar massacre.

A clear and positive refusal to identifr with the Indian victims of racial aggression when it would have been absolutely legitimate to do so, and on the contrary, clearly and positivelv choosurg to idontifl' rvrth that seotion of thc conununity from lvhich the perpetrators come. sends a clear and positive message to the Indian supporters that undermines and debilitates therr spint and resolve as they face the uncertainties of the cnminal onslaught.

Denying the Existence of Ethnic Conflict ln the present situation. the strategy of denial takes two forms. Firstly, the party denies that there is an ethnic problem or conflict in Guyana, and, secondl,v, it norv claims that there is no crisis ur

l2 January 1998. in response to the discourse on ethnicity, the PPP and its leadership have been busy denying that Guyana has an ethnic problem. To concede the centrairt_v of ethnicrty in the Guyanese socieW. the party would have to admrt that it is an ethnic parr-v and thrs, rn rts understanding, will delegitrmize its clarm to power. To concede the importance of ethnicrt-v in the

the country. Since

@ ?3 Fage 110 "{P .'"df,,

Manufacturing Docility: Black on lndian Violence in Guyana-Why Don't lndians Respond?

present spate of crimes against Indians. the PPP rvould have lo renounce its communist ideology that

all conflicts are class based. Rather than t-ace the reaiilv and come to grips with the t-ailure and bankruptc-v- of their "one-love" and "everr,lhing wili be airigtrt" political ideolog.v, the PPP is quite prepared to see more Indian lives sacnficed.

As a parf-v whose legitrmacy to govern has been constantlv challenged bv an Aliican domi-

pa

that is uncertain of its own iegrtimacy to govern, the PPP needs to demonstrate that it possesses the widest supporl across the racial divide. hence its invention of and attachment to the myth that it is a multi-raciai partv. principallv of Indians and

nated bureaucracv and armed forces- as a

.v

Afncans. even at the expense of its Indian supporters. Srnce for the parlv- a one-sided slaughter of Indians is preferable to an open racial contlict. as the latter would demonstrate its tbilure even more than the former. the party' has to engage on a course of action to sedate its Indian supporters. If Guyana does not have an etlrnic problem. then its Indians supporters wouid be forced to look for other reasons they are being specifically target in racial crimes.

If the cnme directed at Indians is not ettrric. then r,vhat it is? We have seen that in order to maintain its image the PPP. for over fitt-v years, has chosen to ignore and downplay the ethruc dimension of political life in Guyana as it soughtto provide a communist paradigm to explain what has been going on here. Thus. when Indians are beaten, robbed and raped, this has nothing to do with the

race of the perpetrator or the victim. but is related to haves and have-nots; it is a matter of class conflict where in the r,vords of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan- in an interv'iew lvith Festus Brotherson rn

the Cctribbean Contact (August 1992). Indians are the bourgeoisie and Blacks are the working class. In responding to that intervieu,. I 'uvamed then that that lvas a dangerous oversimplification and r.vas setting Indians up for serious reprisals. The history of the past ten years has vindicated that prediction.

One of the ways that the party has sought to deny the ethnic dimension of the problems in Guvana is to have its propaganda department argue that cnme is a universal phenomenon. Abundant statistics are unearthed to show that other Caribbean states, pnncipallv Jamaica and Trinidad, are faced r,vith the same problem. The party''s ideological stalwarts use the radio, newspapers. and

telcvision to show that even in the United States, to r,vhere Indians are tleerng for security, violent crimes are on the increase. But r,r,hat must people believe: their owrt experience or what the party dictates'l How can anyone rcasonabl-v tell the traumatized communities of Annandale. Strathspel,, etc... that Guyana does not have an ethnic problem'?

No Crisis in Guyana?

The other form that PPP's denial takes - which the party propaganda machinery has begun churning out - is that Guyana has no crisis. Indians are beaten. robbed. and raped, and the Goebells in the parly have been busy convincing them that there is no crisis in Guyana. 155 persons have been killed in one year from February 2002 to February 2003 in an unprecedented upsurge ofviolence. and the parf-v tells Guyanese there is no crisis. Many of these murders had a clear ethruc pattern. and the

partv seeks to convince Indians there is no cnsis.

What does this mean'/ When Indians see themselves as the victims of racial attacks as never before in our country's history and the parry tells them there is no crisis, it means: your painyour death. your rape are all false.

age 111

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

What is the party's message to the perpetrators of vrolence'/ You have killed a hundred and more in the past trvo vears- but there is no cnsrs. Is this not an open invrtation to the perpetrators to continue their spree'l

The Violence is Widespread Another technique used by the parf,v to deflect attention from the ethmc nature of the cnme is to constantlv remrnd Indians that rt is not onlv Indians that are being ki1led. Of course the statistics show that Indians and Ahrcans. civilians and the police. have been killed. The f-erv Indian actlvists

to speak out are labeled racists because they allegedly rgnore the fact that Blacks are also killed. There is no doubt that there is a great deal of violence in Guyana. There are

r,vho have the courage

Black cnminals w-ho gun down Black and Indian policemen. and Black and Indian civiiians. There is also the fact that the Black-dominated police force have scored some success in eliminating some Black crrminals in which case there rs also a good deal of civilian protests led by groups like the Gu-vana Human Rrghts Association. rvhich is pecuiiarl.v silent on the killing of Indians. In ali the krlling that goes on ho'uvever Indians are not the perpetrators. One realrty'in this overall situation of violence

is that Blacks are krlling Indians and Indians are not killing Blacks. So when the party lumps all killings together choosing not to separate and deiineate the nature ofthe cnme. it is blatantly seeking to obscure its ethnic dimension and the truth that Indians are being lalled for no other reason than thev are Indians.

Revolutionary Non-Violence? Do Not Retaliate ln the aftermath of the 12 January-violence the pa _v went on ablitz through Guyana telling their indian supporters notto retaliate. No less a person than the Honourable Nlimster of Information, Comrade Nloses Nagamootoo commended the tgemendous efforts of Government to get its support-

to its Indian supporters as lndians.

The party simpiy categorises them as "its supporters.") He suggested that they should take all the PNC anger and hate, and not retaliate. As R. K. Sharma puts it in the GIFT report: "In a very explicit ers not to retaliate. (In passing. note holv the PPP never refers

manner, an entire ma;ority civilian population is asked by a government directive 'not to retaiiate, be

toierant and take as much as possible and be ca1m.' " He concludes: "The PPP supporters dutifully coinplied." (p 159) What does this mean? Retaliation would rmpl1, an ethnic conflict. Retaliation rvould mean cnsis. Retaliation would mean the inability to govem. It seems that the goverrunent was responding directly to the late PNC Leader Desmond Hoy,te's threat to make Guyana ungovernable when it urged Indians not to retaliate.In addition to this message of non-rekliation, ntmours lvere rnyented around the same trme that Blacks r,vere rvaiting for the opporfunltli to unleash another Wismar-like massacre on Indians.

It is for this reason that every spontaneous attempt made by members of the public and members of families of Indians who rvere kiiled in criminal activity to hold public protests and demonstrations, whether in Enterpnse and Annandale on the East Coast or Atbion on the Corentlme, was sabotaged and undermined in a variew of ways by the parry. Promises, that rvere never fulfilled, q'ere made to families of victims to appease them at the time of their anger and sorrow. Tlus is a

Manufacturing Docility: Black on Indian Violence in Guyana-YYhy Don't lndians Respond?

clear case of inventurg non-action and paralysis. It is a clear case of manufactunng dociittv.

It rs tbr this reason - to show that Gu-v*ana has no ethnic problem - that despite calls from man_v

quarters. rncludrng international groups. the PPP government has not only refused to constitute

a commission of enquiry into the i2u January violence- it denounced members of the GIFT as middle-class racist extremist lndians when they decided to publish a report based on an inqurry the-v conducted. An inquirv would cenainl-v- establish that the society has an ethnic problem. So, rather than confronting this realiry. the govemment refused to constitute an rnquiry and instead unleashed a vicious attack on those who called for the inquiry.

To justif, its call to Indians not to retaliate, the party r,vas forced to engage in other forms of deceptrve arguments. One heard for example that Indians \,vere no match for the Atri.cans, '"vho r,ve were told were heavily armed. Furthermore, lvhile in public the government and the parry announced their complete faith in the armed fbrces, in pnvate they were telling their supporters that they could not be sure of the obedience of the armed force. When confronted r,vrth the fact that the paruy has been in office for ten years nolv and has done notlung to balance the armed force, the parf_v responds b,v blaming Indians for not wanting to join the forces.

On the question of balancing the armed forces there has been considerable equivocation on part of the government. so after ten years in office the country is nor,vhere nearer to having an ethnically balanced force. In this regard rt is caught rr the trap of its own rhetoric. tbr as long as the government continues to hold the position that there is no ethnic problem in Guyana then it abdicates the moral and legal justification required to establish a balanced force. Refusal of the PPP government to take the steps necessary to balance the armed forces is a clear indication that Indian security interests are not of paramount importance to them.

Yet fbrty years ago dunng the racial confrontation between 1962 and 1964, this is exactly the call that r.vas made by no less a person that the father of the party, Dr. Cheddi Jagan. Writing in 1965 to Anthon-v- Greenwood in a lengthy letter which is reproducedrn. The West on Trial-he observes the

tbllowing

i

'

As regards the Volunteer Force. I told you that because it was drau.n only from Georgetolvn. New Amsterdam and Nlackcnzie. it was composed exclusivelv of one ethnic groupabout 95'% being Afio-Guvanese. I pointed out that the massacre and raping of Indians and the wholesale burning of the homes at Wismar occurred principally because the Volunteers and Police stationed there refused to discharge their duties impartially. I indicated my government's proposal to disband the existing Volunteer Force of about 600 men and reconstruct on the basis of 1200 men drawn from l2 areas ofthe country on the principle that it should reflect a broad cross-section ofthe countrv. (p. 330)

'

So far as my government was concerned therefore, the matter to be rnvestigated as regards the Police and Secunqv Forces was merely one of the methods of implementation for the correction of imbalances. (p. 330)

'

If public

confidence is to be ensured and government institutions are to function democratically in the future. the correction of imbalances in the Police and Secunty is a basic prereq-

uisite for British Guiana to move forward free from fear to independence and natronhood. (p. 332.)

Returning to the question of crimes- Gu,vanese in general. and Indians rn particular,

ffi_ ?5

Fase 113

tds.'

'uvere

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

assured that government was doing all

it could to deal rvith the situation. And the impatient and the

critical lvere disarmed by the rhetoncal question that r,vas used again and again across the countn- in the Indian communrry: What more do vou want the government to do'/ One rationalizarion tbr its message of non-retaliation r,vas that lndrans had a lot more to lose. The argument rvent that since the Blacks have notlung to lose- it is Indians who i,vould stand to lose a lot more were there to be a conflict.

The last scenario that is invoked is the return of the PNC. Indians are openly asked this question: Do you r.vant the PNC to return to polver'l This is enough to whip everyone in line and nip the bud of disenchantment and disaffection. Once the specfie of the return of the PNC is waved in front of Indrans, 1t acts as an instant palliative and induces consent. Indians quicklv and dutifully fall in line.

The Nlove Against Independent Indians To strengthen its propnetary hold on Indians and to presen'e and consolidate its dominance among them. the parl,v employs strategies not only to sedate tndians into silence and inaction. it also necessariiv has to move against individuals. groups. and movements that directly- or potentially threaten

its stranglehoid on the Indian communitv. Knorving that the PNC rvould not be able to make anv headway among Indians. the parEy controls very carefully r,vhat goes on among them.

Independent action by Indians, no matter how,much it benefits the Indian communltv. once

it

is viewed w'ith suspicion, and eventually concluded to be anti-PPP and anti-government. Independentthinking is ahvays discouraged. Any such independent action is quickly destroyed and its authors maligned in a campaign of vilification since, in ef[ect, any Indian group is not sanctioned by the

parr-v-

engaging in action among Indians would be seen as competing for Indran loyaltv.

While the majontv of hrdians stand dutifully behind the PPP. there are some who have the courage to defll it in the political arena. The PPf has ahvays vier,ved Indians as its possession. as its sphere

of rnfluence. Intruders. especially if they are Indians are not welcome. Thus those who

organize independently ofthe partv inthe Indian community. whether in political, cultural, or religious spheres are automatically perccived as creating "division." r,vhich explains r,vhy the themes of divisiveness and unitv are major ones that Indians are never made to forget. Of course, unrty here means

nothing but uniry behind the parly.

'

Another strategy to deal rvith "non-coopcrative" and "intrusive" Indians is to find a way to If you are concerned about Indian secunty that automatically makes you an Indian extremist. an Indian racist. The efflect of this characterization is to rnduce silence and acceptance. In the deeply histoncally polanzed political environment in Guyana, the parc-v has so conIabel them as racists.

structed its theory of alliances that if one is not wrth the PPP then ipso facto you are with the PNC. This is its ultimate trump card to terrorise Indians and scare them away from associating with persons and groups concerned with their securitv ln order to intensifu its hold on the Indian communiry the pafi must necessanly seek to arurihilate or subjugate whatever appears to constitute an obstacle or danger to rts consolidation of power. Wlule the PPP deliberately seeks to sedate Indians into silence and inaction. it turns on rndependent Indians and Indian groups with a rare viciousness. The objective of course is to discourage "disloyalty" and to teach Indians what would be their fate if they are bold enough to defu the

114

Manufacturing Docility: Black on lndian Violence in Guyana-Why Don't lndians Respond?

party and work independently-among lndians.

The display of such an exlra-ordinarv strategy of terror and victimization was seen a terv vears ago as the partv sought to combat the Ravi Dev phenomenon. The top luerarchy of the PPP. including the president. the former president. the pnme miruster, the general secretary and other leading luminaries. gathered a mob in front of the home of Dev. ur rvhat it called a political rall.v, and

of intimidation and larvlessness ever history of politics in Guyana. Forbes Burnham for all his diabolical ingenurty and the dreaded House of Israel. r.vould have been put to shame by what transpired that fateful day - the rape of truth- the rape ofjustice. the rape of decency. Even for the PPP it must have been an all-time lo'uv.

The PPP over the years, has succeeded in exercisrng maximum control over all dimensions life of Indians. On the one hand. by the demobilisation and tranquilisation of Indians collective of the at the trme of the greatest racral violence they have ever experienced in Guyana. it has achieved an Indian non-response thereb-v preventrng "open racial conflict" that would reflect negatively on its abilrt_v to govern. Given the bi-polar nature of poiitics rn Guyana and the one-sided racial slaughter, Indians r,vould have nowhere else to go but deeper in the arms of the PPP. On the other hand by its efforts to demonise and delegitimise any and every Indian and Indian group operating independently and r,vithout its sanction in the Indian commumry over which it has such absolute propnetary control, it rs ensuring that no viable threat to its dominance occurs. In either case the end result remains the same - lndians must continue to suffer. engaged in perhaps the most obscene and r.ulgar demonstration seen in the

Swsmi Aksharananda rs the Principal of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan. West Coast Demerara, Guyana. He has a lv[asters in Ancient Indian History and Culture, and a PhD rs South Asian Studies.

@ ffi.'Fro"

rrs

RECOMMENDATIONS The Way Forward For Guyana

RECOMMENDATIONS - The Way Forward For Guyana

RECOMMENDATIONS The Way Forward For Guyana

The Gu1'ana Indian Hentage Association. by this report for the period under revierv. concludes that there were explicit human rights violations and abuses to Indian Guyanese at the hands of African Guyanese, and having seen a denial bv Government and society at Iarge of this realrty, concludes further that the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rrghts. whereas member states have pledged themselves to achieve. in cooperation with the United Nations. the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human nghts and fundamental freedoms under Article 1 that "All human beings.. . are endorved wrth reason and conscience and should act tolvards one another in a spirit of brotherhood" - that these fundamental rights as they pertain to Indian Guyanese have been violated by the Government of Guyana. and socief.v* at large.

In an effort to correct this abuse and to assure peace in Guyana, GIHA calls on the Guyana Government to implement and constitute the tbllolving measures with due regard to lhe urgencv I needed given Guyana's state of decline: 1)

AlErmative action and measures to balance the armed tbrces to reflect the ethnic/race composition of Guyana. thereb,v, acknowledingthe insecurrtv experienced by tndian Guyanese with regard to their safetv and their fundamental nght to life and liberty in their countrv.

2)

Constitutronal reforms to implement a power-shanng mechanism that r,vould provide parliamentary representation for all the race/ethnic groups in Guyana and. therebv. acknor,vledge

that the country's ongoing ethnic violence is a manifestation of the political insecurity of

Afrrcan Guyanese.

3) Hate Crime Legislation to ensure that human rights are protected

law. Hate Cnme Legislation would cnminalize attacks on Guyanese on the basis of race. ethnicrt_v. creed, political which affiliation. and other cntena. Such legislation would provide a framework "vithin victims can seek redress.

4) A Truth and Reconciliation Commission to fully r-nvestigate the historical and current causes of Guyana's ethnic/racial problems and to reconcile and seftle the major differences beb-v

tween Africans and Indians.

5)

An independent Commrssion of Enquiry into the crimrnality and violence that erupted after

&_ ?3

Page 117

t'e$'

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

February 23- 2002 rvhen fil,e .A.frican Guyanese prisoners escaped fiom the Georgetown prison to investigate and report on all the eiements of the violence. including that of ethnic/ political violence, uncovering the poiitical mastermrnds behind the terrorism, the distnbution of the spoils. the links between the cnme and the disciplined forces- and the creators of the phantom force. and to recornrnend comprehensive measures to prevent a reculTence.

6)

A Compensation Scheme for the vrctims of the violence for the loss of urcome by the

deaths

of bread-wrrrers. damage and destruction of propert-v. displacement. an Education Trust for

the fatherless or orphaned children. and medical expenses incurred by violent assaults. and psychoiogical trauma.

7)

A

Programme

to build and establish essential commumty services such as post offi.ces.

clinics. police stations ,,vithin Indian Villages so that they are easily and safely accessible to lndians and Indian communities.

8)

A Policy to facilitate more expeditious

to legal guns for business people so that they can protect their persons, families and propeqv from cnminal attacks access

Partition The final recommendation to Government and the Intemational Community is that if these recommendations are not implemented so as to arrest the socio-political decline of the country into violence and destruction, that Partition r,vould be the onl,v option available so that Indians are not condemned to live in constant fear of ethnic terrorism.

PNCR and Violence GIHA recommends that the PNCR renounce the use of violence as political tool to destabrlise the country through violence on Indians.

Human Rights Investigations GII-IA recommends. finally. that the United Nations Commission for Human Rights and .{mnestv International headquarters urgently investigate the anti-Indian bias practised by the management of the Guyana Human fughts Association and the local Amnest,v International office. respectivel-v-. (GIIIA has rvritlen letters to the headquarters to thrs effect and presented them with copies of this report ) GIHA expects these investigations to result ur local offices that execute their mandate so that ail human nghts abuses are acknowledged. reportcd and dealt wrth according to the principles and spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rrghts.

APPENDIX A . VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGTITS IN GUYANA

APPENDIX A VIOLATIONS OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLAR{TION OF HU}IAN RIGHTS IN GUYANA "Whereas it is essential. if man is not to be compelled to have recourse. as a last resort. to rebellion against tyramy and oppression. that human rights shouid be protected by the rule of lar,v."

So it is declared r,vithrn the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and under internationally accepted human nghts standards. that governrnents have a responsibilrty to respect, protect and fulfi1l its obligations to all its cittzens with regards to human nghts.

When a government fails in its obligations and duties in this regard, it shares responsibility with those who commit the abuse and violations.

The following fundamental human nghts r,vere trampled on with impunity during the recent excesses of violence, including the ethnic violence on Indians by Africans. without any decisive action or measures being taken b-v the Government of Guyana to stop the violations:

Article

2:

1) Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, r,vithout distinction of any kind. such as race, colour sex, language. religion. political or other opinion, national or social ongin. properqv, birth or other status.

Article

3: Everyone has the right to life. liberty and securiw of person.

Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel. inhuman or degrading treatment or punish ment.

I

Article

7:

All are equal befbre the law and are entitled without any discnmination to equal protection of the law. All are entitied to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against anv incitemcnt to such discnmination.

Article

8: Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitutron or by law.

Article

13: 1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence withrn the borders of each State.

Article 21: 2) Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in hrs country.

Article

28: Everyone is entitled to a social and inlernational order in which the nghts and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fullv realized.

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

APPENDIX B Daily Crime Report: Feb. 20A2 to Feb. 2003 Feb. 23rd: Prison Otlicer Trov Williams rvas shot and killed

durine a Nlash Day jailbreak. Prison Otllcer Roxanne Wintield r,vas shot and badly injured during the breakout that involved

t,uvo

hijacked cars. The i'ive who escaped were

March 18ft: Tlvo vendors, the conductress and dnver. occupants of a route 42 minibus were robbed by tbur armed bandits and a car hijacked in the vicinity of Friendship ECD at about 4:i 5 am.

Dale Moore- Mark Fraser. Troy Dick, -\ndrew Douslas end Shawn Brorvn-

March 21": A taxi driver r,vas hijacked by two armed men in Camp Street and ordered to take them to Linden: prison

Feb. 26th: Oliver and James Staker, two Securicor secunty guards. rvere held up by two armed bandits and stripped of

escapees r,vere suspected.

their weapons outside a business place in Festival City

March 26c: The owners of John Jewellerv Establishment of Alberttowh were shot and robbed o1 580.000.

North Ruimveldt. The bandits used a hijacked

car.

March 6h, 7pm: Vivekannd Parsram and his wite of

March

Arnandale r.vere hcld up by tive armed men in their shop.

S1.5 million in cash and lbodstulf were taken. The bandits t-Ied in a rvhite minibus that was tbund abandoned the next day at Goedvenvagting.

nessman Ramchand Nanne was attacked and robbed of

30m,

7.-l5pm: Montrose Barbeque restaurant busiS

I .3

million cash. a .23 Taurus Revolver, and a cell phone

bv

armed, rnasked bandits.

April lst:

Bandits hrjacked three cars in a tive-hour spree

ol

March 6s, 8pm: Businessman Errol 'Taps' Butcher, 55, rvas shot t-rve times in his stomach in the vicinity ol his

hijackings and robberies that led liom SherilT Street to Buxton. Army Otlicer Lt Col. Christine King. was robbed.

business place on America Street, Georgetorvn. He died on

terrorized and her car hijacked. Bandits attempted to hijaok La Familia Nlanageress' car, and the car ol Omar Cromwell was hijacked on the Railway Enbankment Road at Buxton atier he was kickcd out of the vehicle and robbed. A taxi driven by Mark Ilobinson was hijacked in Sherif Street and driven to the Linden Soesdvke Highway. Robinson was tied to a tree bv the highway and the car lvas driven away by the bandits.

March 126.

March 15h: One of the bandits who had hijacked

a car was shot dead bv police at the Mahaica Bus Park, Georgetorvn, after a police chase. The driver of the hrjacked car was robbed of575,000 from his ATM account.

March 16s: Overseas based Guyanese, Paul Hardeo ol Alness, Corentyne,lvas stabbed to death by three maskef bandits around 1:30 am at his home.

March 16h, {.30pm: Businessman Kulwinder Singh, 31, was trailed tiom his store at Robb and King Streets and his car was hijacked by three armed men rvho pounced on him when he retumed to his home in Campbelville. He had S2.3 million in the car. The car was found the next day abandoried by the UG Road. A cell phone and passport were

April 2nd: The tive escapees are believcd to have krlled Police Otllcer [-eon Fraser- .12, known as Rambo, of the Special Target Squad. Fraser rvas ambushed and killed at Yarrowbarra on the Soesdvke Linden Highway.

April 5th, 8.30pm: Deion Joseph, 39. a gold

miner, was shot in the chest xt Amatuk l'alls, Essequibo bv three qunmen. They took Si22.000 in cash and 22 pennyweiehts in raw gold.

also taken.

March 166: Four armed bandits hijacked a car outside a Campbellville restaurant. robbing the woman in the car S2O,OO0 belbre

diving

olf.

of

April 6th: The Target

Special Squad shotwanted man, Shaka

Blair. dead in his home at Buxton. He was wanted in connection with a number of robberies and hrjackrngs. Buxton crupted inlo protest atler the shooting and vehicles were attacked.

March 17e, 2am: Bandits trailed

a car

tiom SheritTstreet

to the East Bank. At Friendship rhe driver lost control ol his vehicle and it ended up in a ditch. The bandits also ran olf the road and tive armed men in bulletproolvests emerged.

They took 52.500 and passports iiom the driver. Thev stopped a truck and blocked the road and proceeded to rob the stalled vehicles. The last car was a Le Mendien tax with a Canadian and Grenadian in it. They were tbrced out of the taxi and the driver was ordered to take them to Buxlon.

There they ransacked the baggage and escaped.

@ is'

April 9th: Managing director of Anral Shipping, Ramjeet Andre Ramphal. 4lt. olsubryanville. and Marceline Basdeo.

23, were kidnapped by bandits. Basdeo's car used on April 1Oth bv bandits rvho attempted to rob a home in section ,K' Campbellville and rvas later abandoned in itont olthe Amencan School. Ramphal and Basdeo rvere kept by lbur gunmen and managed to escape trom a house in Bel Air park the next dav.

age 12O

APPENDIX B - Daily Grime Report: Feb. 2OO2 to Feb. 2OO3

April l2th:

Sheik NI. Asrveem and his wil'e were robbed at gunpoint oi S110.000. cell phone and jewellery at Camary Chincse restaurant on Niandela Avenue. Gcorgetorvn.

exchanged gunlire with guards lrom Advanced Securiw Services and tled atler robbing the couple and beatine them.

The bandits then hijacked a Green Line taxi after pushing

out the driver. Levone Van Sluytman.

April 13th. 2am: Gavin Sobers was killed and

Nlelroy

Goodman was injured bv unkno.uvn gunmen when a channa bomb was thrown into house at Church Road. Bachelor's

May {th: Police laid siege to a home in

Prashad Nagar,

Adventure. ECD.

nddling the home with bullets. The building \,vas unoccupied but rvhen police entered they found lood boxes. beer, newspapers. clothes and antibiotic capsules, which indi-

April

15th. 7am: Harry Kooseram, a detective sergeant, was killed on his

catcd recent occupation.

way to rvork at the Cove and John

May Jth: Armed bandits struck at J&N Supermarket New Amsterdam, beating a relative of tho cashier and employees belbre taking o1r with the day's eamings.

police station- ECD. The gunman, said

to be sporting rasta plaits, tlred six bullets into his chest.

May 5th: A contractor was robbed at gunpoint of S10,000

April 15th: John Nelson

and equipment valued at more than 5200,000 by armed bandits at the railway embankment road arter his car ran into a ditch.

and George Sampson were injured at Buxton during the chaos that erupted ailer Shaka Blair's luneral. Police used pellets and tear smoke to disperse the crowd. A policeman who lives in Buxton was beaten in tiont of his daughter with a qun at his home by an assailant.

Albouystown by a gunman in a white

April

May 6th: US based Guyanese. Mark Anthony Sancho. was

19th: Rosanna Lakhan of Ea;t Bank Essequibo, was

May 5th, J.30pm: Shawn Butcher. 25, son of slain businessman 'Taps' Butcher, was shot and injured in car.

sprayed in a taxi and robbed by the driver olsome 5250,000

shot dead, and trvo others, Junior Callender, Osmond Fraser.

in cash in Georgetown.

were injured in a drive-by shooting in Mandela Avenue.

Stephen. 19, of moming robbery. Sources

April 21st: Police shot youth, Selwyn Agricola. EBD, in the thigh aller

a

May 6th, 8pm: Roy Claude and a lriend were shot at by drive-by gunman in a white car.

a

said that he was selling cocaine at the time. He died the next

day.

April 21st:

Three armed men robbed a resident in

Campbellville of 5300.000, US 320, fwo gold bands, one silver band and one NBIC AIM oard. t

April 2{th: Gunmen

drove bv and opened llrc on Kenneth

Clark who was sitting in a car at Go-Slow Avenue. Tucville.

Clark was injured.

April 26th:

Escapee Shawn Brown and Compton Cambridge were suspects in the shooting of Bnan Chester and his ieputed wife, Dionne Glasglow, at their home in Buxton.

The couple was injured.

May 7th, 1.30am: Police exchanged gunfire with three gunmen who atLacked the home of Lillawattie Sukhu oi Cove and John after the men had poisoned her dog.

May 7th: A man approached a shop in Norton Strect.

Lodge under the pretext ofpurchasing a cigarette but tired a number oi bullets betbre escaping.

May 8th: A taxi driver reported to the police he was hijacked in Pike Street, Kitty and robbed by two men. one ol' whom he identified as prison escapee Shawn Brown.

May 8th: Rayman Baird, 36, a contractor was shot in the leg and struck in the tace by a man who claimed he would get him because he was a friend ofslain cop, Leon Fraser.

May lst: Taxi driver, Lorex Evans, was robbed of cash and jewelrv by bandits and his sar taken in Sophia. Georgetown.

May 9th: E,vening News and Capitol News broadcast a

May 2nd: Driver and porter employed with Prettrred Dis-

taped message tiom escapee Andrew Douglas who appeared a la bin Laden with an automatic rifle, protesting his inno-

tributors Inc. were robbed of S1.5 million and three baies of cigarettes valued at 560,000 by armed bandits at Coverden,

cence.

EBD

May 10th, 12.30pm: Police

May 3rd: A police patrol reteated in the southem section of Buxton/Friendship affer gunshots were tired in the area.

AK-17 in his hand.

shot and killed Princes Street resident, Wesley Hendricks, r,vho they claimed had a loaded

llth: A police vehicle on mobile patrol near the Buxton Sideline Dam was shot at. The driver lost control of the vehicle and it ended up in a trench. Policemen Kingston and Wahid ."vere injured.

May

May 3rd, 5.30pm: Businessman Patrick Seebarran and his wife, Gina, werc attacked by eight heavily armed bandits as they retumed to their home in New Haven. The bandits

GIHA GRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED! May 11th. 7.30pm: Busi-

May 30ft: Policernan Andy.A,twell rvas shot and killed during a hait ol gunlrre on the Alberrto"vn police station during the night.

nessman Rumdeo Persaud. of KC Candv. and his wit-e.

Sita. of -Annandate. ECD, were shot dead bv bandits lt their home. The heavily lrmed bandits, some with

May 30s: Two cars were hijacked in Georgetown earlv in the moming.

rwo guns. jumped the ftnce

June 1't, 9.30am: Ramnauth Persaud.44. a cashier at Com-

and went into the home, de-

merce House Cambio. was shot dead and owner Kennard Gobin shot several times durins an armed robbery.

manded monev. shot the couple and calmly walked

back on the road into

June 5th: Ian Johnson of "Everyhing lvlusic" was robbed

Buxton. Rumdeo rvas shot

o1S1.000.000 in electrical equipment during the night when thieves broke into his store.

t',vice in the back and Sita shot in the chest. Their three

children rvere made to lie lace-dorvn during the at-

June

5t:

Two bandits broke into the Pete's video club to 5500,000.

stealing items up

tack.

June 6th, 3.30pm: Compton Cambridge. 28, known

as

May l-lth, 8.J5pm: Businessman Dhanpaul Odit, 31, of

'Nand' died at the home of his paramour in Nabaclis. ECD.

Health Nlart Grocery and Vanety Store escaped with his wile rvhen two unmasked qunmen entered his shop and pulled a gun. A friend, Nlohamed Sattaur who r,vas in the

dunng a shoot-out belween himself. three accomplices and police. The three other bandits escaped unhurt west'ward through the backyard of the house.

shop. was robbed of cash, a wristwatch and a motor scooter on which the bandits rode otT.

June 7th: Businesswoman- Monica Rodrigues. 49, ol

May 16th, 1.30pm: Bandits

shot security guard. Chaitram dead and carted otT 5600.000 from Jairam's

Etrvaru. 42General Store on Saffon Street. Charlestorvn. Thev also took Etwaru's gun.

Beterverwagting, ECD. was strangled during an armed robbery on her premises. and her husband rvas beaten and tied up by the bandits who escaped. Rodrigues ran a vanety store. The bandits carted otf some S100-000.

June 11th, 1.30am: Five heavily armed bandits stormed May 20th,3.30pm: Contractor Harripaul Singh was on his wav to a Coldingen site with payroll of 5200.000 when fwo

May 20th, 5.50pm: Six unmasked bandits robbed Ramesp

the home olSuresh and Monica Bhagwandin of Hope, EBD, and demanded cash, retreating only after tbur young children pleaded for their parents' lives. The bandits broke into the one-t-lat home while tiring high-powered weapons to keep the neighbours at bay.

Persaud of Mon Repos ol over 52 million in cash and jewellery. He is the brother of slain businessman Ramdeo

June l1s 2:30pm: Bandits beat and tied up housewilb Anne

armed men rode up on bicycies and demanded the cash.

Sookwa at her Campbellville residence demanding cash but Sookwa managed to escape.

Persaud.

May 20th, 8.J5pm: Two bandits carted otf a canister with cash lrom Lambert Electronic and Electrical Contractine

June 13th, 1.25am: A gang of heavily-armed, river-bome bandits shot and killed the wife, Claudette. 60, of sawmiller Hilton Ng-See-Quan. 64. seriously injunng him when they stormed the couple's Verqenoesen. East Bank Essequibo home. They escaped with 5400,000 in cash. a 12-gauge shotgun and two pistols. In their escape bid the bandits tried to hijacked a fishing boat but instead got away with a 5500.000 l5 hp Yamaha engine belonging to Deznarine

Service.

May 25th: Michael Singh, a water vendor of Annandale, was attacked and robbed by wo gunmen when he went to t-rll a tank in Buxton.

May 25th: Four policemen were iniured in an ambush in Coldingen during the night. A patrol had responded t0 reports that bandits were attacking residents in the area.

May 27th: Four bandits robbed Colin Lovell of Coverden Gas Station. EBD,

of

Si10.000.

May 27th, 7.30pm: Constable Shenwn Alleyne, shot in the ambush at Coldingen on May 25th. ctied.

May 28th, lO..l5am: A Bakewell Bakery salesman was robbed of 546.000 as he was delivering bread in Buxton.

Boodwah.

June l-lth, 5.30pm: Davendra Shamsudeen, 22, an employee of Universal Airlines was attacked and robbed by llve armed bandits during the iirneral of wanted man.

Compton Cambridge, on the Railway Embankment at Buxton last Fridav attemoon. He rvas ,obb.d *hil" hi, .u.

was in a tratfic jam on the embankment road on his way to Corriverton. A sun was piaced in his mouth. and two other quns were held at the sides of his head. He was robbed of

USS700. GuvS5.000. a laptop valued at USSg0O. a eold

@-ff'Fase l*$'

122

APPENDIX B - Daily Grime Report: Feb. 2002 to Feb. 2OO3

chain

June 25n, 10.50pm: A 51-vear-old resident of Cove and John rvas dnving his minibus elong the Fnendship Public Road ,uvhen he r.vas attacked b1' nvo men who threw gasoJune l-lth. 3.05pm: Three armed men in the viciniw olthe line into his bus and set it alisht atter he stopped to collect Wismar Polioe Station shot Constable Rawle Thomas'when a passenger. An hour later, an Enmore resident was beaten thev opened t-rre on a mobile patrol Two other ranks Trevor and robbed of his wrisnvatch. and had his car taken by tive Cumberbatch, 24, and Leslie Henry 26, sutlered minor in- armed men on the Friendship Public Road. band rvorth 531,000. and a gold chain rvith a gold valued at 565.000. and trvo cellular

phones.

..yuries.

June 26th, 7pm:

June lJth, 3.50pm: Taxi driver Narinedath Mahabali- 54. Two gunmen held was held up by two gunmen in Lamaha Gardens. The gun- up -A.ubrev Samuels in Alberttor,vn and men lbrced Ali out of the car and sped awav in it. ordered him out

June 156, 2:45am: Trvo police ofhcer and lwo overseas-

of

his car. a white

Toyota

Carina based Guyanese were among six persons robbed bv armed whichtheyhijacked. bandits at La Penitence. Jasonson said she was relieved

ol

three eold bracelets vaiued 590.000 and four gold nngs val-

ued 536,000 Noble was robbed of 535,000 and his kevs rvhile the others were robbed of tbur gold rings fwo bracelets valued at 547,000.

bus June 26th, and lL.30pm: Five heavilv armed bandits opened I-rre on

June lSth, 9.45pm: Two gunmen robbed city business-

the home of

man Omadat Shivnauth of an undisclosed amounl of cash. Nlohamed Kavan of Baksh.

Shivnauth, who operates a varietv store at the corner Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD. killing the formcr sugar estate Ner,v Market and Thomas Strcets, had a gun pointed to worker. The bandits attempted to burst into the home but head and was relieved of a large quantilv ofcash. just as abandoned this then calmly walked away. and his employees were about to close the business for day. Mahabali's hijacked car was used in the robbery.

of his he the

4'7.

June 286: Four armed men tbrced their r'vay into a Lime June 16th, 7 .25am: A hijacked car carrying three suspected bandits plunged into the trench between Vlissingen Road and Irving Street. The car had been speeding with a speeding pick-up truck behind it when il ended up in the trench.

The three suspects t-led in a taxi leaving two guns and 88 rounds of ammunition. One olthe men retumed to the scene in the taxi and retrieved a pouch iiom the ditched oar Th7

Street home and robbed the occupants of hundreds of thousands

oldollars and gold jewellery.

July l't, 10am: GDF ibund a grenade in a Nabaclis yard wherewantedmanComptonCambridgewasshotandkilled bv police a few weeks betbre.

ol

July 3'd: A PNC protest in Georgetown resulted in Indians htjacked car belonged to Nanndath Mahabali. The driver the taxi in which the suspccts lled was held lbr questioning. being beaten. molested and robbcd. Protesters invadod the OtIice ol the President compound. Two protesters Ray Crawtbrd and Alberta Fit'e were shot dead. The Payless June 16th, 9.30pm: Constable Rarvle Thomas died at Store on Regent Street was gutted bv fire.

Georgetown Hospital alier gunmen in Wismar shot

the him.

June 17th, 10pm: TaxidriverLaurelHaynes.3T.ofExecu- July {s: Shelleza Hanifl. a teacher rt a primary school in tive'Cabs was ibrced to ditch his cab in a trench at Sophia Georgetown. was robbed of her jer,vellerv by wo armed when three bandits attempted to hrjack the cab. The bandits bandits in a classroom in tiont of her students. One placed made otl with a radio set worth 5150,000 and used it to a gun to her head while the other grabbed her chain and bit contact the owner of the taxi service. Paul Giddines, to the ring otlher linger. The jewellery was worth 522,000. demand money.

JuIy {h, 12:l5pm: Miguel Accra.25, was shot dead by a June 18e,2.30am: Police came undcrtiretiomacarloadol licensed t-irearm holder a short distance tiom his home in gunmen while pursuing them around Bagotstown.

South Rurmveldt. He was one of three men !\fio attacked the firearm holder.

June 24th: A deserter tiom the GDF. for whom police had issued wanted bulletins, was nabbed at a roadblock on the Railway Embankment Road at Good Hope, ECD. A 9mm pistol and 13 rounds of ammunition were tbund in the taxi in which the man was traveling.

Juty5h,8:15 am: ThebusinessmanwhoshotAccra-Vincent Lei- 52, Dep. Manager of RG Humphrey Machinery. was hospitalized with a fractured skull when a young man en-

phoand

July 6t: Porter Clem Hinds. 24. was shot in his eye at his Bent Street home when he reiused to hand over his gold

June 25h: Buxtonians pounced on a Stabroek News tographer Clairmonte Marcus and seized his camera, threatened to harm him.

& fr t+

tered the store and shot him.

Page 123

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

rings and chain to a known bandit. The bandit pulled a gun lrom his r,vaist ands shot Hinds then tled the scene empwhanded.

July

6th, 7:30: Buxtonian Quincy Blair entered the home of Latchman ol Strathspey- and robbed her ol cash and jervellery then chopped her on her head. Residents rushed to her aid. Blair ran towards Buxton with residents in hot pursuit. FIe took retuge in a house rvhose occupant relused to hand him over. Police were summoned but about 50 Buxtonians, including women and children. armed r,vith guns and outlasses. stormed Strathspey tbrcing residents to t'lee their homes. Police rvere summoned and llred several shots into the air to lorce the Buxtonians to retreat and allorv the residents to retum to their homes.

July 13h 10:20pm: Carpenter Sanjay Sapvack was shot in the neck rvhen lbur qunmen invaded the Middle Pocket Arena nightspot in La Penitence. 'Ihe bandits held up the barman and relieved him over S100.C00 and rode olf rvith a soooter belonqine to Mohan Ramiall.

^A.nn

July 7s, 8: 40pm: Mohan Singh, 38. a watchman at "NIy Choice" speedboat camp, Leguan was shot in the

the

July 1Js: Fisherman Rabbaohandra Lall.47. collapsed rvhen gunmen attacked his Annandale home and carted off over 5600.000 in cash and jervellerv. Lall. who suffers ilom a heart condition, had to be revived by his wife.

July l-lth, 9.15pm: Three gunmen attacked the Anna Cathenna home ol Naikam and his family. The businessman bit a bandit and wrestled a rifle away tiom him dunng

the robbery and the bandits lbrced his daughter-inJarv to hand over her jewellery. The bandits escaped with jer,vellery and cash amounting to over 5400,000.

t-ace

in a 45 minutes ordeal rvith three bandits who made otTwith tuvo outboard engineS and his wrishvatch. Singh died. Seven bandits in a speedboat attacked watchmen at a second camp. tving them up and beating and robbing them.

July l5s, 8.30pm: Oyama Williams Baptiste. 24, son of

July 9ft, l2.l0pm: Gunmen shot dead

July 15h: Hamilton's Esso Service Station, Friendship, was robbed of 58.000 cash, :14 phone cards, a cell phone and

securiW olficer Carlisle Wickham ol Edr,vard B. Beharry and Sons when they robbed a delivery van at the UG Access Road. Turkeyn.

They escaped into Sophia with Wickham's gun and supplies tiom the van.

slain businessman "Taps" Butcher, was shot outside his Two gunmen pulled up outside his home and pumped bullets into his chest.

Kitt_v home.

other articles by three men. one of whom r,vas armed with machine gun.

a

July 16h: Buxtonians returned the stolen articles to Brian

July 9s, 8pm:

Businessman Hayman Narine, his rvit'e Ivlichelle and trvo children Rookmine-11. and Anor 16.of Belmonte, Mahaica. were terrorized and beaten by four heavily armed bandits. They were robbed of cash and jer,vellery. The escape car used by the bandits had been hijacked a tew days betbre ttom Upnsing Taxi service in

Wonmanville.

July

I

lls, llpm: Det. Corporal Adrian London. 33. was

shot dead execution style by three gunment on Joseph Pollydore Street. London was pulled liom his motorcycle which he was riding along the street and shot twice in the back. His iittackers stood over him and discharced several rounds into his lifeless body.

July 11ft: Following London's murder.

a band

of gun-totine

bondito *ttomptod to rob two reotauranto, a hotrl and a g*o sratiur 0Il slierifl street.

July

12'n, E:40pm: Tr,vo gunmen robbed shopkeeper Walcott.37. of Wsrock housing scheme at gunpoint of his day's protit then fled in a white car.

JuIy 12e, 10pm: Three hrjackers grabbed a car lrom Comlbrt Zone taxi servioe and told the driver they would use rt in a blitz.

July 13b, 8.10pm: Four heavilv armed men in tull police gear robbed lour cambio dealers in America Street of

Hamilton, a popular Buxtonian resident.

July L6h, 2.20am: Two sunmen pounced on ataxi in Wismar and robbed the three occupants ofover S120,000 in cash and valuables. The three robbed were Stanley Blair, Royston Lester and an unnamed passenger.

July L6h, 8pm: Five gunmen snatched a scooter from

a

lvoman rn Water Street. The gunmen drove up in a lvhite car and forced her to stop. Two ofthem rode otf on the scooter

July 17ft, 10:30pm: Tarrachan Bharat, a llsherman, and his r'vile. Patncia. of Brrrsche T)am Vigilance were rohhed an undisclosed amount ol cash and jewellery by three bandits.

DL*r*t ..rv lzvrrvrr 9uriug drv rvlzlzvrT *,,9 his rrifvg q rlvrvul Christian, preached to the bandits to give up their ways.

July l7m, 12pm: Hardat lJanr, 49, of Enterprise, owner of a grocery store. was of S135.000 cash and 51 i9,000 in jewellerv by three bandrts.

July 18s, 8pm: Baksh Jei,vellerv

establishrnent, Camp

Street, was robbed of 565,000 in cash and jewellery. Tanq Baksh handed over the cash and jer,vellery to three gunmen armed with AK-17 riiles.

July 19h, {.55am: Police ranks broke into the Vgilance

5500-000 in foreign cuffency. They brandished rilles and

home olChandra Phagoo and her husband Rekha Persaud. 'fhe police ransacked the house rvhich was occupied by the couple's son, Anil Ramroop. saving they rvere hunting for a

tled in a white Toyota Canna.

wanted man, Mshnu. However. the left r,vithout question-

APPENDIX B - Daily Crime Report: Feb. 2OO2

ins the house's ocsupants. Residents claimed that the police broke into the house to steal.

July 19c, 7.30pm: [our masked. armed bandits robbed the Texaco qas station, Bel Air. ol S18,000.

July 19h 9:45pm: Five heavily armed, masked bandits broke into the Soesdvke home oiAndrew and Cleopatra Famey.

They made offwith 5300,000 cash. lour chain saws worth over 5700,000, a cell phone. and gold jewellery. Thcv also drove otf with the Fameys' Marino car which was found abandoned the next day at Kuru Kuru.

July 20d, Spm: MelissaMengitu. 24, was shot in the stomach in La Penitence by lwo gunmen who rode up on a motorcycle. It is believed that the shots were meant fbr her boy-

to Feb.

2OO3

ized Rose Hal[ Town. Corentyen. just hours at]er the end ol the PPP/C general conference heid at Corenlvne High School.

Three people rvere killed and several were injured. Dead are PC Outar Kissoon-.16, of i2 villaee Corentvne.PC Ramphal Pardat.52, of Rose Hall Town. and Balram Kanhai. 18. of Golden Fleece, Essequibo, a delegate ofthe PPP conqress. A resident olthe town. Mohan Latchman, 72, died of heart tbilure during the shooting spree which lasted several hours.

Over 5750,000 was taken by the gang tiom severai robberies. The bandits escaped bv boat from the Rose Hall foreshore.

July 23'd, 2pm: Two bandits beat the proprietrix of Shanghai Restaurant. Joseph Pollydore St., atler refusing to pay tbr tbod they ate. They also robbed her ol cash.

iiiend Floyd Barrow.

July 23'd, 9.30pm: Businessman Orin Rutherlbrd, 37, owner of Onn's Hangout. Enmore, was robbed of S10,000 by two

July 20th, 8:30pm: Three securiry guards rvere shot and injured bv gunmen who t'led with their tirearms. Injured

armed bandits.

were Terrence Murray and Monica Wills, guards at Citizens Bank- Camp Street. and Neville Moonasammy, a _euard at Demerara Bank across the street.

July 2Jth 9:30am: Two gunmen posing as passengers robbed over 13 passenqers in a minibus ofan undisclosed

July 2l't. 1.30arn: Gunmen in

Julv 25th, l0am: Krvame Pindleton and Leroy Lowe ',vere shot dead in a shootout with police at the UG Road,

near a large crowd of revelers in

Street nightspots.

a dark green car opened

tire

tiont of two popular Sheritf

No one was injured.

July 2l't, l2.30am: Eight gunmen tied up a supervisor Edward Grant, 51, and secunty guard Levi Van Hersel. 28. at Demerara Timbers Ltd, Wismar nnd made off with a company Land Rover laden r,vith stolen items. Among the cquipment stolen were a generator, battery. chain saws. tool kits, Motorola handset and torch lights.

amount of cash and jervellery.

Turkeyn. Police had tbllowed the car in which tbur armed men were seen and the men had opened fire on the police on seeing them. Trvo others in the car escaped and may have hidden in a nearby oanal betbre tleeing. Pindleton was wanted lbr several robberies and Lowe r,vas the driver olthe vehicle.

Weapons and amrnunition were found in the car. 5300,000 was reported to have bcen lbund in the car.

July 266, 2.J5am: Bandits made off with a 51.8 miilion July 21't: Three bandits robbed the Guyoil Service Statiory

payroll alter overpowenng six guards and nipping the locks

Mctoria. of more than S 100,000 cash. Secunty guard Patrick Rodney was shot during the attack and was relieved ol his revolver. Securilv guard Amamath Bharat was also relieved

ol BM Enterprise Inc.. Houston, EBD.

ofhis gun.

July 21't, 8.30pm: Lookie and Drupattie Narine ol Tnumph rvere robbed of 5200.000 bv three armed gunmen.

Thev beat the couple then took their monev.

July 276, 9pm: A rninibus driver called Fine Man was robbed and his bus taken arvav rvhen he took some passengers into Buxton. As hc rvas driving out olthe street- he was attacked by youths armed rvith r:utlasses. sticks and knives.

July 22"d, 7pm:

July 28th 2:30am: Trvo gunmen robbed a t-emaie secunly guard at Caribbean Seafood Ltd.. West Ruimveldt. ol two gold rings and a wristwatch. They asked lbr hcr llrearm but

A

she had told them she was not armed.

soap t'actorv at

Foulis belonging July 29s: Two bandits rode up to a shop in Lincoln Street,

to Gowkarran and Indra Pirmal was set alight and bumt bv a group

Enterpnse. and one pointed a gun at the shopkeeper's son.

He shut the door and raised an alarm. The gun-toting bandit pounced on a salesman of Edward B. Beharry and Sons and robbed him ofhis cash.

of youths in the neighbourhood.

The lamily had

July 29s: Wing Lung, or,vner ol Hung Fat restaurant,

sutTered attacks lbr two weeks. The tbctorv was bumt along with the Pirmals'

Strathspey, was robbed by and jewellery.

two armed bandits of 530-000

car.

July

22nd, 11.30pm:

A gane olheavily armed bandils terror-

@ ,ffi.Puo"

July 30th, 300am: Two armed and masked bandits, sporting bulletproof vests with a 'Police' emblem broke into

tzs

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

Suzette Svdnev's- 28. Guyhoc Park home. cartine otf close

to S23.000 cash. clothine. tbotwear and eight gold nngs. tbur gold bracelets. tlvo goid chains and nvo pairs ol gold earrings.

JuIy 30s, 9.J5pm: Three gunmen hijacked a car at lvliddle

gold band in lull view of hundreds of people around the Stabroek Market area.

August 4tn, 7.30pm: Anita Singh and her

and Thomas Streets.

mother- Savitri Sookdeo, were

August l't, 4.30am: Four sunmen shot and robbed Bartica

robbed

businessman Ramchand Boodhoo and his rvil-e. Juliene on

5300.000 in cash and jewellery by three armed ,qun-

the Wisrock. Linden Road. Boodhoo was shot in the letl instep and robbed of 5.100,000. jewellery, his shotgun and cell phone while driving his truck to Madhia. Mrs Boodhoo was relieved ol her jewellery and cell phone.

August 1't, 3.30pm: Nlinibus driver Shawn Thomas

was

shot twice by lour bandits who robbed the passengers. The bandits joined the bus in Georgetown and one of the men asked that the bus stop at Middle Street. McDoom. The lbur got out and two pulled guns and demanded cash and jervellerv tiom the passengers. Thomas was shot when he tried to prevent the bandits from taking his jewellery. The

men fled into NIcDoom and escaped.

August 1't: A taxi driver tiom Georgetown had two hours of terror when t'uvo bandits hrred hrm to take them to Queenstown. There they pulled out guns, tied up the driver and bundled him into the back seat ofthe car. The bandits drove to Haslington. ECD, then tumcd around and proceeded to Buxlon rvhere they stopped and stripped the car of all its tape deck. ampliiiers and 10 audio cassettes. They then sent the dnver on his way.

August 2nd, llpm: Four bandits escaped with 5250,000 in tuel and lubricating oil from Toolsie Persaud wharfat Providence. EBD. The bandits wielding cutlasses and knives a1 tacked guard, Khemraj Rajubir, holding rvhile carrying out the robberv.

a outlass to

his head

August 3'd: June Ann Anthonv. an Enmore housewilt, was stransled and robbed of nearly 530,000 by two armed banJit". D.rrid5 rL. -#-.k7 rL- t*nJ;i.

J.*OO'J,\rlih-u]

hcralight.

Augusr J'": I'hree heavily armed men beal and robbed a Buxton tisherman of an undisclosed sum ol cash. Thev tired shots into the air as they escaped.

August 3'd, 3am: Ruben Cumberbach. 38. a Linden boat captain rvas shot at by two men when he relused to take them bv boat to the Mackenzie shore. The men attempted to pilot the boat but abandoned that idea rvhen it got stuck on a sandbank.

August -lh: Police were forced to open l'ire on a crowd ol people at the tuneral ofLeroy Lowe rn Buxton alier people in the crowd shot at them. a

their

Damishana home and shop. One of the bandits cut off the r,vomen's hair before they lefl.

August 5ft, 3.30pm: Four sunmen set t-ire to vehicles, tyres and spare parts at Tony's Enterprise Tyre Shop and Auto Parts Repair. The estimated Iosses amount to S9.5 million. Proprietor is Rural Constable Ra-v Anthonv Rutherlbrd believed the aftack r,vas a reprisal for a number of arrests he made related to thetls and robberies. The gunmen t'ired several shots betbre tleeing in a white car.

August 7th, 2.30am: Four masked. armed bandits broke into the home of vendor Marilyn Converty and robbed them of cash and jewellery. The gunmen fired several shots in the air during the robbery then calmly walked away from the soene.

August 7h: Heavily armed men bumed two houses belonging to the Chester lamily in Brusche Dam, Buxton. Edris Chester. 63, jumped from the upper flat of one building with her tbur-year-old grandson. Two tbmily members were injured by gunshots and another was burnt while trying to escape. It is believed that the t-amily rvas targeted because they were intbrmers.

iutv

her bedroom, doused with kerosene and threatened to set

August .lb, 10am: A lone gunman robbed

men at IvIelanie

of

women of her

August th, 8.30pm: Angela Seecharran, an Annandale busiilcsswurllilil, rvas rubbcd by l-our amlsd ba[dits who rode up to her snackette on bicycles. The men pulled out guns and held them to the heads ofSeecharan. her srster, Jennrt'er deAbreau and that of her tbur-year-old daughter. The men btt a ring off Seecharran's finger and took close to 5200,000 worth of jewellery tiom deAbreau.

August 9ft: Three GDF privates were detained lor questioning when an AK-17 rifle with a tully loaded magazine was found in their barrack room. The privates were attached to the Coast Guard. A check at the Coast Guard armory revealed that an M70 assault rit'le was stolen some time ago. The privates were suspected oi being part of a gun-running racket.

August 9s: Minibus dnver Mangal Rampersaud of Enmore had a piece of his nose blown otT bv a bullet when two

APPENDIX B - Daily Crime Report: Feb. 2OO2

bandits tried to rob his conductor. The bandits had joined the bus in Georgetown and tried to rob the conductor when

thev disembarked at Paradise. After he was shot.

Rampersaud sped

otf with the vehicle.

August 96: A qunman robbed the postmaster at the Generai Post Otfice, Melanie Damishana of an undisclosed sum of

to Feb. 2003

and nvo other accomplices. The couple raised an alarm and Tappie rvs caueht end taken to the police station. He handeC over the jewellerv stolen but his accomplices escaped with the cash. The Kissoondials were preparing to flv out ol the country when they were robbed. They have since lelt and said they would never return to Guvana.

cash belonging to the post otTrce. The bandit casually walked

August 12u, 2.1<am: Securitv guards Mark Holder

away lrom the scene.

Julian Caesar were held up by tbur armed men at the New Silver Citv School. Linden. The bandits made otf with three water pumps, two mechanical vibrators. a generator and

August 10h, 9.05pm: Three cars were hijacked bv gunmen rvithin the space of an hour at Tucville Housing Soheme,

and

chainsalv.

South Ruiveldt, and Krtt-v.

August 1{s, 2.10am: Cambio dealer Cecil Payne, 55. was August 10h: PC Jaenandan was shot in his abdomen in

a

driver-by shooting outside the Club Night Lile disco, Camp Street. A bullet grazed his colleague PC Richmond.

robbed of over 5760.000 at gunpoint at his West Ruimveldt home by three armed, masked bandits.

August 1{s, 7pm: Three bandits robbed ,\tlantic Netsuri, August lls, 8:45pm: Four heavill' armed men hijacked a Corolla belonging to Hayrat Haywood outside Demico House. Haywood was hired to take them to Campbellville but before reachins the destination, a gun was placed at

Turkevn. of an undisclosed sum olmonev. Two were armed rvith guns while the third had a ohopper. They robbed the 20 persons who r,vere at the caie at the time.

Hawvood's head and he lvas ordered to stop. He was bound and gagged and placed in the trunk. The car was driven to New Thriving Restaurant. Camp Street. There they relieved secunty guard Lloyd Bacohus of his .38 Smith and Wesson revolver and robbed the restaurant manager, Lui Gnos-l{an. of 540.000. The bandits drove to Herstelling where they ditched the Corolla and hijacked a car belonging to Ral-eek Ghannv ol Bagotstown. Ghannv said the men were wearing bulletprood vests marked "Police" and were carn'ing AK:17 rifles. The bandits attached him and his passenger as wcll as rwo other people nearby and robbed of a cell phone and S14,000. The bandits tled with Ghanny's car and the driver in the trunk of the abandoned car was rescued. The bandits drove to the KFC. Bagotsto',vn. wherp

August 16h, 8pm: Four gunmen hrjacked the car beloneing to Albert Caesar at Princes Street. Georgeto'"vn. The ban-

they robbed the outlet of56.000 and a customer o1S10.000.

They then drove to the Two Brothers sas station, Eccles. robbing the station of 545-000. They drove to East Ia Peni tenoe.,vhere thev abandoned their second vehicle and made ofl with a 'fovota Hilux Suri belonging to Janet Lord. Lord and Lcna Abrams. an American citizen, were taken akrng with the bandits while Vemon Mingo and Neil Fung who wefe also in the vehicle managed to escape. During the drive.

Lord was relieved on wo wedding bands. a gold chain, three gold bracelets. USS200 and Guy$30.000. and two ATM cards. Abrams was robbed of her American passport, a gold

August 166: Police cordoned otf an area of South Ruimveldt Park alier receiving rcports ol an attempted hrjacking. Polioe believed the suspects were holed up in a house there and clocked otf the area tbr two hours. Horvever, they lelt when it became clear that the bandits had already i1ed.

chain and USS76. The women were driven to the Nova Scotia Bank, Robb Street. where the bandits withdrew an 'Ihe women were undisclosed sum tiom Lord's account. dropped offon Thomas Road and the bandits drove otfand ditched the vehicle at Vryheid's Lust. ECD.

dits drove up the East Coast and robbed Sharmela Mohamed a pair oi uold eamngs, three gold rings and a gold chain valued at 590,000. Mohamed reported the matter and the police gave chase atier spotting the car. When the bandits turned into Buxton, the police were reluctant to tbllow. The car \,vas dumped in a trench at Companv Road, Buxton.

ol

August 16s: Four heavily armed men opened tlre on

a

'fareet Special Squad patrol in East Ruimveldt seriously injuring a senior otlicer. During the shootout. residents nearbv had to duck tbr cover as bullets pierced of several homes.

August 16h, 8.15pm: Joseph Alexander. 39. a driver at My Choice taxi service had his car hijacked bv tive armed bandits on Howes Street. Charlestown. Thc bandits lrisked hrm and took 562.000 and ordered him baok into the car. holding a gun to his head. Three ol the tive hijackers sat with him in the back seat and they took him to Agricola.

EBD. where they tied him up and put him in the trunk. But Alexander managed to loosen his hands and when the bandits stopped at a gas station to retuel. he managed to get out of the trunk and make a report to the Providence Police Station.

August 12h, 9pm: Three police constables, Lewis, Kobeer and Joseph. were injured in a dnve-by shooting outside the

Ministry of Home Alfairs, Brickdam.

August 12h, 1.30am: Rajday Kissoondral.T2, and his wit-e Sita. 63, ofECD. were robbed at knifepoint of over 5250,000 in cash and jewellery bv a nieighbour known as "Tappie"

August 17h, 10.30am: Non Pariel pharmacistAskia Certrma was robbed by three armed bandits who struck her across the tbce and demanded money and jewellery. Certima'rvas locked in a toilet and the bandits made otf with 57.000.

August 18h, 9pm: A gold-colored car was hrjacked in Ban Street. Kitty, by gunmen.

GIHA CRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYEDI

August lllh: Bourda vendor Naitnam Ramroop rvas robbed ol 582.000 by trvo knil-e-r'vielding bandits at Nlernman's ivlall.

He rvas shot bv lbur heavilv armed assassins atler leaving his home at Melanie Darnishana to buy his darlv nervspapers. There rvas a sinsie gunshot rvound on the right side of his head and multiple gunshot wounds on his body.

August 19s, {.30pm: Rastat-arian Onvin Malcolm, 35. was shot nvice lvhile escaping Irom three gunmen rvho artempted

Ivlalcolm was visiting Guyana and lives in New York.

August 2{e: Buxtonian Patrick Bess.33. was sunned dorvn in Kittv. A liiend who was with him went into hiding. Bess was krlled by a dreadlocked man who had dnven up and

August 19t, 9.30pm: Gunmen hijacked e r,vhite station

spoken to Bess and his friend. Al arsument had ensued and the dredlocked man opened tlre on Bess and his iriend.

wason near the Soesdykerlinden High-"vay then placed the vehicle across the East Bank Road bv Jettoo's Lumber Yard and proceeded to rob commuters who were lbrced to stop.

August 2-1ft: Two armed bandits robbed butcher Khayum Baksh, i4- ofover S.15,000 cash and t-rve pounds ofbeefat

to abduct him tiom M-!111e Apartment Complex.

Eccles.

the Annandale Market. The bandits iled on a bicycle.

August 19m: Revellers at Nabaolis, ECD. shot into the air tbr up to three minutes rvhen a popular dancehall tune, "Badman Ah Badman". r,vas plaved at a danoe.

August 21't, 8pm: Securitv Guard Nlichael Cumberbatch was shot dead as he stood guard at Bhagan's Drug Store, Camp Street. Two armed men went up to Cumberbatch. one ofrvhom sported a Rastatbrian hairstyle, and shot him then escaped with his firearm in a white Toyota.

August 2Jn: Five armed bandits htjacked a taxi dnven by Clifton Grilfith at Durban Street then drove up the East Coast. They attacked the Shell Gas Station at Oele, robbing everyone at the station. Griffrth r,vas dumped in Plaisance rvhile the men t-Ied.

August 2.1h, 9pm: Three gunmen attacked the Underground Bar, Lusignan. robbing several customers as well as the

proprietor.

August 21't, 10am: Three gunmen invaded the Central Georgetown Fishermen's Coop Society at Meadowbank.

EBD. and made olf with 5300,000.

August 24h: Trvo armed bandits attacked and robbed a t-emale vendor at Mon Repos market. A plain clothes polioeman reiused to pursue the bandits who t-led on a bicycle.

August 22nd, 9.30am: Dentist Neville Fung-A-Fat, 77, of Nerv Amsterdam was krlled at his surgery. He was found lving l-ace down r.vith his hands and 1-eet tied.

August 22nd: A&R Bargain Centre, Robb Street. was robbed of cash and jewellery valued at over 5300.000 by five bandits. armed with cutlasses. and one with a gun. Ou,ner Savitrie Takren had her biouse ripped oiT by the banditp betbre they 1e11, rvalkrng away casually in the direction of Bourda Market.

August 22*d: Filipino dentist Dr Domingo Tan rvas robbed

August 24n: Five bandits broke into a mining camp at Port Kaituma. N-WD, and stole over S1 million cash.

August 23'd, 7pm: Three gunmen escaped atler crashing into a bus at Vreed-en-Hoop. The bandits were in a hijacked car in Kitf_v earlier and were comered by police ranks. However, the rank's rit-les jammed and the bandits escaped.

August 24h, 6pm: Two armed bandits robbed three

cus-

tomers at a Non Pariel rum shop. The bandits escaped on bicvcles with six gold rings and S10.000 cash.

at his Newburg clinic by two bandits. Tan was robbed of c10.ooo. hic itq'bq..

_A.Tti.,f

.o"d -.d rTl

zC'{, c.73yttt,

oqr..r

QlwuLvo vvrrrlvto Iliturv*iliv

cUU

ivlahadeo Shivpaul were robbed bv three armed bandits of 5200-000 cash at Enterprise market. The bandits discharged warning shots into the air then escaped into a nearby vil-

r!,5rr-f a<ti/ 1 <orh, oili If!,^no7 F,5F;-t-f -r-. chia-ee restaurant in Annandale was attacked and robbed oian undinvluosrl JUrfl ur v4Dll u,y tyyu u4iluit,), lludllg lydJ Jl4Jli[u several times across his face during the attack rvith a broken

bottle. The bandits also picked up a chopper and threalened Huang's family before ileeing the scene on bioycies.

lage.

August 23'd, 6.15pm: Two shots were tlred liom a passing car at a cror,vd outside the Quik Stop Ice Cream parlour.

Norton Street. A rank liom the polioe lbrce was in the orowd.

August 23'd, 7pm: Three gunmen escaped atlcr crashing into a bus at Vreed-en-Hoop. The bandits were in a hijacked car in Kitty earlier and were cornered bv police ranks. However. the rank's rilles jammed and the bandits escaped.

August 24h, 5.{5am: Depury Head of CANU Mbert Inniss r,vas murdered execution style on the Buxton public road.

August 25h, 9pm: Sundar Singh ofEngland and receptionist Michelle Chase of Bourda were robbed of S17.000 be two bandits at the Sleep lnn l{otel. Church Street.

August 26s, 1.30pm: Salesman and driver Lall, 41.

was

robbed ol 5680.000 by two gunmen on bicvcles at a Chinese restaurant in Cove and John. He was beaten about the head during the attack.

August 26h, 6am: Escapee Andrew Douglas. 34.

rvas

ibund

dead in a car abandoned at Farm. EBD. He had been shot on the lett side of his chest and his groin. His body.,vas wrapped

APPENDIX B - Daily crime Report: Feb. 2OO2 to Feb. 2Oo3

in nvo r.vhite sheets and propped up in the back of a

car.

August 26h, 8:30pm: Taxi driver Paulette Daniels had her car hijacked bv lwo men who posed as passengers. In North Ruimveldt she was told to stop and one of the men held a gun to her head and robbed her ofS2,000. She was driven to Turkevn and ejected liom her taxi. The car was recovered the next day in North Ruimveldt stripped of its tape deck, speakers and batteries.

August 27th: Detective Constable Feroze Bashir. 20, rvas gunned down in Buxton when he went to visit his girltriend.

He was shot in the neok by a man who walked up to him and demanded money.

August 27h: Several residents olNon Pariel residents rvere atlacked by a group olabout 12 youths. One rape was

confirmed and at least

trvo

brutallv chopped to death bv bandits at Canal No. 1. EBD.

Lalt had picked up two persons in i(rt$ in his Luxurv Cab taxi and rvas supposed to drive them to La Granse. Lall had tried to escape his arLackers and had run into a yard at Canal No. 1. His cash and jewellery had not been stolen.

August 30m, Jpm: An Annandale resident. Persaud, and his t'\\,'o sons were robbed olthree gold rings by nvo bandits on a motorcvcle.

August 30s, 5am: The Alpha Filling Station. Good Hope.

EBE. owned bv Ahmad Hussein was robbed of 5294.000 bv two bandits.

August 30h, 5..l5pm: Annandale businessman Basil Singh threrv money at bandit who held a gun to his head. While the bandit scrambled to pick up the cash, Srngh drew his pistol and tlred three rounds. However he missed the bandit

rvho tled.

others

suspected.

Up to seven

August 30h, 9pm: Oscar Hill.38, of Sophia was shot in the

households

a minibus in Agricola. The gunmen, Hill who tried to lleht baok.

rvere attacked and robbed of

cash and jewellery.

Haroon Rasheed. 56. was

who

head bv gunmen who tried to rob him as he was travellinq. in

two with ritles. shot at

September 1't, 5pm: Ramlall Rambajasi and his tamily were attacked and robbed at their Bladen Hall home by three armed bandits. The bandits made otTwith an undisclosed sum ol money and beat Rambajasi's daughter during the atlack.

keeping rvake

tbr his rvilb. killed in a road accident, was doused with kerosene and set alight by lour of the vouths.

August 27e, 10.30am: Butcher Motirarn Ram ot the East Coast was robbed of 529.000 alier leaving GBII, WatT Street. by tbur men, one of whom posed as a police inspector.

August 27h, 10.J5pm: The Bourda Hideoul Pool Place.

Robb Street. was robbed ol 530-000 bv three bandits.

Septemher l'(: Haroon Rasheed died at the Georgetown Hospital tiom burn injunes sustained during the attack on Non Pariel on August 27h.

September l'(, 2am: Seven gunmen robbed Surapena Farms at Linden

ol an undisclosed sum of

cash.

September 1", 12pm: Trvo Buxton youths who went to a Chinese Restaurant in Annandale were shot at by three Annandale residents in a :lx4 who said that the vouths' waist rvas bulkv and they suspected they wcre bandits.

August 29ft, 8pm: Chanwattie Shamshadar, 50, was robbed ol S1 50.000 bv three dreadlocked bandits as she was about to close her business. Parsram Persaud. 21. was shot on his right arm bv the bandits tlceing the sccne.

September I't. 6pm: Shawn Sahadeo. 28. a conductor on a minibus rvas sprayed rvrth mace and robbed of S13.000 on Durban Street.

August 29e, 2.-t5pm: Over 50 persons rvere attacked and

September

robbed. and vehicles and propertv damased dunng the funeral of Andrew Douglas in Buxton.

sengers in a minibus heading tbr Georgetorvn. At Mon repos.

August 29e, 7.30pm: Owner of First Priority Store, De Willem. WCD. Samad Parboo, was robbed of S150,000 cash and $100,000 jewelry by three armed bandits.

August 29ft, 6.J5pm: Paul Nawbat, owner of Stretch Your Dollar store. Regent Street, handed over an undisclosed sum of cash to three bandits who pulled up in a white car.

August 30h: Taxi driver Motilall Lall. .15, of Kitty was

l't, Jam:

Three armed bandits robbed 10 pas-

one of the bandits pulled out a gun and told the driver to stop. They then robbed evervone ol their cash and valuables.

September 2nd, -l:30am: Three bandits tried to rob Malcolm James,66. of Liliendaal and his wit-e of household article. James. a licensed t-ire arm holder, shot one, Brian Chung, in the leg and ohest. and the others managed to escape.

September 2nd: Stall holders at the La Penitence market

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

closed their stalls as rvord spreud three gunmen r.vere in the market. The gunmen visited the market nvice bur no one

was robbed.

September 2nd: Nigei Kasson was shot bv the police aller a group of about 20 persons included himsell was seen at the comer oI Annandale market road. Kasson who was shot in thc chest rvas arrested after he t'led into a vard. According to residents the men r'vas armed with cutlasses. guns and stioks. The invaders lvere liom Buxton.

September 2nd: Eric Nurse and Peter Daniels, guards from the Guyana Beverage Companv. said lbur men with handguns attacked them. They robbed them ol S17,000.

September'6th, 3:30am: Three armed bandits broke into the home of businessman Farouk Hussain of Bagotstor.vn.

The bandits stabbed Hussain in the chest and made otf rvith 5800.000 a quantiw oijer,vellerv and a Rolex watch.

September 6th: Three armed bandits oosing as clients robbed Scotia Enterpnse at Pike Street Kitf_v 5500,000 tiom two tellers the bandits also relieved the securiry guard of his mobile radio and also stole lrom customers.

September 6th: Four gunmen trailed businessman Andrew Famey to a Strathspev lumber yard and robbed them of two cell phones. approximately 570.000, several gold rings. rncluding a vvedding band. a wristrvatch and a gold wrist band.

September 3rd: Three emplovees ol the HN Tony Trading Company were robbed olmore than 51 million by a 'tralfic cop' decked in the unilorm ofa corporal rvho furned out to be one of the bandits.

September 4ft, 3am: Three bandits carted oif more than 5657,000 in cash and jerveiry after holding up Ramnarine and Janet Mahadeo at their North East Ruimveld home.

September .ls, 11.05am: Taxi driver Swastika Narine picked up a passenger at Thomas and New Market Strsets and took him to Campbell Avenue where the passenger disembarked and reh-rrned with a gun which he pressed to Narine's head. He took 53,000

September .lth: Alimudeen Noorhassan a police of Marshall Street shot a Buxtonian in his yard rvhile the maX was trying to escape. He said he has since received threats.

Noorhassan was told that thev would bum down his house and kitl him. He said he rvas not prepared to nsk his life by stnving in the village.

Ooytvrrrbvr {tL, 1yrrr. r\ Ourvivol guyvrurorhvl iluvh iu D'Urban Street was robbed bv armed bandits, lbr the secOng ilinu lI a wos[, tno otlycrual rcllgygo 0I a[ un0ts-

ol

6th, 12:30pm: Four gunmen struck a1

September 6th: Chief Inspector Leyland October, 49, of La Penitence was shot dead. October was getting into his car on Russell Street atler buying ice cream to take home

lor

his four children rvhen be rvas gunned down by three men passing by in a vehicle.

September 6th: A Bourda market vendor was robbed of 56,000 while traveling in a minibus.

liom Narine then drove the car around

the city, stopping to tell a group oi men on Durban Street: "I got one ofthem here." The hijacker eventually stopped the car and told Narine he wanted the tape deck. Narine helped him to unscrew it.

olosed sum

September

Balgobin's lofto booth at Mon Repos and carted olf thousands of dollars in cash, phone cards and jervellery.

September

6th:

wards the Nlocha Backdam rvhen another male passerby saw what r,vas happening and went to the girl's assistance.

September 7h, 9.30pm: Six masked gunmen invaded the Big T Hotel and Restaurant at Yarrowbarra and robbed the owner, Hector Talbot,73- and three guests ofover S500.000 in cash and jewelrv. They clubbed Talbot and took his .32 Taurus pistol.

September 7th: Wavne Oliver Percival. 36. was hacked to dvatl U'y rvoidsulo v1-0uvvsoo. otlvr Ls rreo vou5irt rqtttgrin< items tiom a home l-re and others had broken into.

September 7th:

cash.

{th, 7:30pm: Four well-dressed men with machine guns robbed trvo Merriman Mall vendors ot' approximately S180.000. Those robbed were Veronica Mohan September

and Usha.

September 5th, 9:10am: Four armed bandits held up a minibus between Company and Church road. One of the bandits placed a gun to the driver's head and order him to tum off the engine and then snatched 55,000 tiom him. The man then robbed a woman of 520.000 and her wedding band. The man next to her was robbed of 55.000. Meanwhile the other bandits robbed the other passengers oftheir jewellery cash and cell phones. The bandits then calmly rvalked away.

@

17-year-old student liom Bamwell. Mo-

cha, rvas beaten and sexually assaulted. The rapist fled to-

A Golden Grove contractor

Sylvester

Persaud expressed 1-ear 1br his lil-e and his property after a gang ofyouths stoned his home.

September 7h, 10:10 pm: Tr,vo teenagers were struck tiom a motorcvcle and attacked bv 20 men carrying guns and cutlasses on the Annandale public road.. Philip Jones and his fnend Ranston D'Oliviera were struck with a piece ol wood causing them to l-all tiom their motorcycle. The men then robbed them ofa 20-pennyrveight ring valued 530,000 and S15,000 gold chain.

September 7th, lpm: Three armed men robbed a Lusignan barber

ofhis gold ring and chain valued 520.000.

September 8th, 7:30pm: Nlarcia Tasher, 36. was grazed

ffi.Paoe 130

APPENDIX B - Daily Grime Report: Feb. 2OO2 to Feb. 2OO3

on the hecd by a living bullet in Hadfield Street. There had been suntire earlier near the OtIice ofthe President. A bodv ."vas tbund in a oar at Meadow Brook Dnve. The dead man rvas Delon Accra whose brother had been killed in Tiger

Bav when he attempted a robbery. Aocra was shot dead ',vhen he and two accomplir:es attempted to hrjack a car tiom a licensed irrearm holder The men made of with the car but not belbre the or,vner shot Accra dead.

September Sth: Bandits robbed th.e Reggae Vdeo Club.

Robb Street, ol over 51.5M in x-rated DVD's and other items.

September 8th: The battered and halfnaked bodv ofDereck Pirerre. 5(). was lbund on the Hogg Island beach. A shallow grave had been dug near his body and a bloodstained sheet, a damaged celluiar phone, a 9mm spent shell and an upturned boat were nearby.

September 8th: Sergeant Eon Smith and another policeman were injured when their car crashed into a lamppost in the vicinirv olHadtield and Lime Street. The crash occurred when tbur gunmen opened tire on them.

llth. 6:30pm: Bandits threatened to stransie e one-vear-old child when thev attaoked a home in Melanie Damishana. The three men also chopped a woman on her lett arm and her breast belbre makine otf with 5500.000 in cash and jervellery.

September

September 12ft, 1.30am: The body of taxi dnver Johniel Wilson. 24, of Linden was discovered by police on the raihvay embankment at Ogle. According to police the bodv thrown liom a car aller he r,vas shot.

'"vas

September 12t. 7:30: Armed bandits struck again at the Bourda Mall robbing three vendors in succession and carting offwith over Sllvl in cash.

September 1.Ift, 1.30pm: An Alberttown housewil-e was raped and robbed by a sunman who posed as a Guyrva olficral. The gunman is suspected to be Inspector Gadget.

He and two accomplices took USS8,700.

September 1J6: Four gunmen robbed t'ive canecutters of their salanes minutes atter they received their pay tiom the

LBI

Estate.

September 8'h, 8.30pm: Three youths who hrjacked a taxi with a tov gun are no,uv in police custodv atler they were

September' 156: A Smith and Wesson firearm and 10 rounds

apprehended at a police,/army roadblock at Good hope East Coast Demerara.

EBD. 'the car, with three men tiom Nandy Park, EBD, and

September

llt,

of ammunition were reoovered tiom a car near Houston, East La Penitence, were stopped by ranks from the Traffic Department who said the men were ecting suspiciously.

9.30am: Krssoon Rambarran, 36. a kero-

sene vendor r,vas robbed in Paradise of 528,000 cash by two

bandits. This is the second time in hvo months Rambarran ,,vas robbed.

September 9th, l0:30pm: Four masked bandit robbed the Banks DIH -\rvida Quik Srev at Lindcn over 550.000 ip cash no one lvas hurt but the bandits tlred a i'e."v shots.

September th. 9.30pm: A DHL vehicle with Phillip Bruce and Errol Prescoft was held up by live armed men in a hijacked car on the East Bank road while retuming tiom the airport. The men made off with three mailbags and two oomputers.

September 1Oth: Sonia Ragbar. 29, a pregnant woman, was shot in her hip when a group ofbandits broke into her Ruimveldt home at around 4am. Her husband was also shot rwice in the lett thigh. The gunmen escaped empty handed.

September lSth: Four policemen were injured when a orowd ol 75 stoned the police ranks on patrol in Buxton.

Two of the injured ranks were identily as Khan and Gomes.

September 16th, Jam: Danish Sukhu, a gold miner and his thmily of Annandale were robbed and beaten by bandits.

Over 5350,000 in cash and jewellerv and household items were taken. lhe bandits had threatened to shoot their baby.

September 16th: Four armed bandits using a hijacked car attacked the tuel station at Strathspey. beating one of the employees and makrng otf with more than S 130,000 in cash.

September 16th, 3:30am: Businessman Malcolm Carryl sutlered over SlM in losses when bandits broke into his pharmacv at Stanletorvn. WBD September 17th: Rhyan Greenidge a taxi driver narrowlv escaped death when he glanced into the rear view mirror

September l0rh, 9pm: Emmanuel Wright and Junior Liverpool were shot dead by members of the Special Target Squad rwo men at Republio Park. An accomplice escaped.

The three were spotted by police in a vehicle hijacked two days betbre. Police recovered a Mac 10 submachine gun and a carbine rifle tiom the slain bandits.

September 1lth: A group oiarmed men attacked and robbed Rov's Pharmacy in Bourda of an undisclosed amount of cash.

of

his Indian Chiel Taxi at Hadfield Street Lodge and saw man pointing a gun to the back ol his head and dodged bullet meant for his head.

a a

September 17th: Chandrawattie Jaipaul was relieved of 5205.000 by three bandits who entered her Alexander Street beverage store shortly betbre 7am.

September 17th, 12:50pm: A pump attendant at the Strathspey Texaco gas station was injured when tbur gunmen held him up and escaped with 573.000 in cash and

other items.

age 1 31

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

September 18th: Tr.vo armed bandits carted off more than S100.000 ofpennv bank savines after holding up a 75-vearold reverend and her two assistants at the Lodee Truth Church on Norton Street.

September 22nd, 12:45pm: Mini bus dnver Brian Persaud.

26. conductor Vshal Permaul. 22. rvere hijacked and released by three gunmen in Buxton who used the bus to get lo a cross street olf the Railwav Embankment Road rvhere

September 18th: An Enterprise resident r'vas robbed of

thev were released. Thev were then pounced upon shortlv afterwards bv a gang of heavily armed teens on bicycie who tried to rip a tape deck tiom their minibus.

550,000 at the Buxton Gas station as he was in the process

of putting air in his bus tyre. Ten people were present but no one came to his rescue.

September 18e. 6.J5pm: Two qunmen attacked Under-

September 22nd, 1.30pm: Two armed men pounced upon two l'cmale staff at the Kwalitv Cald on Regent Street and relieved them of S 1 i -000 in oash.

ground Bar in Lusienan and robbed the owner US 5400 and GYS6,OOO

September l9th : A bandit used a tov gun to attack and rob Kilorvattie Seelall .36. a pregnant housewil'e of Strathspey.

During the ordeal he stabbed her in the knee \'vith a knitb, tried to set mattress on tlre and even pelted her with hot dhat. The bandit took a pair of gold earring and artifioial ring. He also pioked up a photograph ol her husband and promised to retum and kitl them if she went to the police.

However ls the bandit rode o1I, police ranks give chase and caught him.

September 19s, 8.-lSpm: Ivlichael Alleyne, 20, and Tony Evans were shot dead and a third man was wounded by tbur gunmen outside a shop at Hunter and James Streets. The men calmly walked away atfer the execution. The rvounded man. Ronald aka 'Pukin'. was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital rvith gunshot wounds to both legs.

September 22nd, 3:15am: Police shot and wounded Bettcr hope man \vho along rvith t!,vo others had robbed t-ellow villager of cash and jeweliery.

a rl

September 22nd, 10am: An Ann's Grove houservife Savitn Kallicharan was robbed of 5500.000 and tied up by two masked gunmen. The gunmen untied Savitri betbre making

their escape.

September 23rd: Roy Marshall. a taxi driver. had parked his oar outside a bakery on D'Urban Street. While in a shop. three men entered his vehicle and drove off.

September 23rd: Julian Hanley. 31, a porter was shot by police in the vicinit-v of Stabroek market after he tried to attackcd a police rank with a knife.

September 2-lth: Gunmen opened fire on a police patrol in Buxton. No one was injured.

September 19th : Raj Rajinarine who stopped at o beverage stall near Croal Street rvas robbed by t'ive youths of S150.000,a 36 pennv weight gold ring and other valuable documents in tull view ofabout 15 persons.

t

Scptcmber 19th: Three knilc and cutlass wielding bandits tbrced their wav into the Dharm Shala building in New Amsterdam. They bound and gagged two elderlv caretakers

September 2,lth, 9am: Five youths opened llre on a policeman rvho rvas riding a motorcycle on the Buxton road. In the process thev wounded porknocker Birchman Marcelano, 26, a commuter in a minibus

2lth: A passenger was shot in a 44-route minibus ',vhen three armed men attacked the vehicle in Buxton.

September

and escaped with over 560,000 and other items including towels and other items.

September 24th, l0:.l5am: Lumber-yard operator,

September 2Oth, 2:30 pm: Two armsd bandits robbed

Looknauth Persaud ol Nfelanie Dhamishana. was held at gun point lor the third time and robbed o1580,000 in cash,

Balwant Chand.44- a GUYSUCO employee two radio sets. a gold rilg, Si00 and hiri rllotorcycle in Non Pariel.

as his cmplovees and horse cart operators looked on helplessly.

Srpterrrber Z0(h: Three armed men stnpped a couple ot

September 24th: Two gunmen posing as customers robbed businessman Md Ricknarrth of C;rmp Streetolover $?oo,ooo worth ol equipment and cash. They locked the employees in the wash room and escaped.

their gold jewellerv vesterday and shot Ronald Henrv 34 in his leg betbre cycling away in the direction of Sophia.

September 20th: Three bandits tbrced their way into Dharm Sala building in New Amsterdam they bandage and gagged two caretakers and escaped with over 560,000 including pieces of clothing.

September 20th, 12:30pm: Three bicycle bandits shot Ronald and robbed him and his wilb Maylene Henry at Cummings Lodge ECD. The bandits took several gold nngs and two gold bands betbre shooting Henry in his leg.

September2.{th: Odit Homchand- 45. of Chin's Manulacturing Companv and his t'"vo porters were aftacked at about 1:30 pm by two gunmen at One Mile Wismar Linden who escaped with 570.000.

September 24th, 1:30pm: Deodat Beepat. his tather and two friends. of Annandale. were attaoked and robbed bv bandits. The bandits escaped rvith 540.000 tiom Beepat, while his sister. Dharam Kumarie. lost several pieces of

age 132

APPENDIX B - Daily Grime Report: Feb. 2OO2 to Feb. 2OO3

jervellerv iind uash valued at S50.000. Beepat's nepherv estimated his loss at 5260,000.

September 27th 12:45pm: Trvo ermed bandits robbed an electronics store on Camp Street o1S45.000 and other items

and escaped on bicvcles atter looking the owner Vid September'24th, 6pm: A gang olarmed vouths used nailspiked logs to block the Bu>con Public Road and robbed a

Ricknauth- 31. and his emplovee in the washroom.

car with four commuters. Deodat Bhagwandin lost his wrist-

watch and his wallet and the others were robbed ol their jewellery and cash.

September 27th: Seeram Pomdass, 44. and Cecil Shahadeo.

63, two Berbieians traveling to the airport were shot dead by a gang on the Buxton Public road while two other relatives escaped and continued on their way to the airport and

September 2-ls, 6:{5pm: Delroy Gomes. 19. was shot

out ol the country.

dead dunng a contiontation wrth tlvo gunmen at his home in

September 27u: Clyde Duncan. 29. of Buxton was tbund dead in a village trench with a bullet wound to the head.

Campbelville.

September 25th, 6.{5pm: Lloyd Singh, his sister Jov Agune, racecar driver Gavin Narine. and Fazeer Baksh rvere slain by gunmen at Nathoo's Bar in Kitty. Injured were Hanoman Singh, Kennard Baran, George Sutherland, Deon Clark, Balram Persaud, and Beharry Dookre, proprietor oi the bar.

September 25th, 6.30pm; Angry Lindeners beat Orin Murray of Mahaica to death because they suspected that he and trvo companions were bandits. The residents clubbed

September 276: Clyde NlcRae. 35. ol Buxton was shot and wounded by a GDF patrol. The GDF said thev returned fire atler they were shot at.

September 28h, 5am: GDF and poiice cordoned off an area in Buxton called the Gulf to search tbr notable criminals, and unlicensed tirearms. They searched 25 houses and tbund nothing. They were abused and threatened by residents during the exercise.

him to death with sticks. iron bars and other crude weapons.

September 25th, l:15pm: Housewife Nazilla Sukram ol Non Pariel. was beaten and robbed of 525,000 and two gold rings bv an armed bandit.

September 28u: Rice iarmer Premchand Rampersaud ws robbed ol 5260,000 and groceries at Drilt, Mahaicony by t'uvo armed bandits ,'vho pretended to be taxi drivers. A1-ter he was picked up, thinking he would be taken home to Industry. the men tumed into a lonely road at Drill and the bandit sitting next to Rampersaud pulled a gun. Rampersaud

September 26th, 7:30pm: A gang of about 20-25 people approaohed the Mgilance station and riddled with bullets.

put up a struegle and the bandit was shot in his right leg.

September 26th: Roland Alberts. 32, remain in critical

The driver then pulled another gun. Rampersaud was robbed then ordered out ofthe car. He rvalked a distance then oaught a minibus to Georgetown and reported the incident at Brickdam police station.

condition xt iI ciw hospital where he was admitted atler hp rvas shot in the back with an arrow.

September 28h, 7pm: Two armed bandits on mountain

September 26h, 10.30am: Armed bandits robbed the Best buy hardware store in Non Pariel of an undisclosed amount

bikes robbed the College View Snackette and General Storc.

Cummings Lodge, of $50,000 during a blackout. The business is owned by Charles Jaipaul.

grenade thrown

in police vehicle.

of cash.

September 26s, 9.20pm: Three bandits invaded the Ituni home of Jiimes Duke. 72. James wrestled a home-made shot gun tiom one of the bandits and thev fled empty-handed.

September 26s, 7.30pm: A group of gunmen nddled the Mgilanoe Police Station with bullets. Police returned i'ire.

No one was injured.

September 26th, 8pm: Six gunmen in a black car drove up on Camp Street between the Prison and Sports Club. and riddled the building with bullets and wounding Pnson Supenntendent Maurice Greene. Lloyd Bruce,52, an ex-prison ollicer. and Mohamed Alli, 25, a prisoner were also injured.

Audwyn Altted, 34. and Simeon Marc, 36. were shot in the back and in the upper right chest respectively and a pedestrian Karen Sobers was shot on her upper back and shoulder.

&_

September 29th: Just one day atter a police/army search in Buxton came up emply, gunmen robbed a busload of passengers while the vehicle r,vas passing through the village

September 306, 7.10pm: Taxi driver Gavin Joseph rvas shot dead and bandits used his car to escape atter robbing Johnny P Supermaket and Snackette and Westem Union Cambio. Aubrey Barker Street. during a blackout. Joseph resisted the bandits' etlorts to hijack his car and-was shot in the head and pushed out of the car.

October 1't, 8.30am: Four gunmen krdnapped businessman Kamal Seebarran. 37, liom his SheriffStreet business, Ray's Motor Spares and Auto Saies. An eyewitness reported that he saw a burgundy car. PF:llI 6872, pulled up in

tiont of the shop and that three of the sunmen, heavily armed with rilles, went into the shop and shortly after retumed to the car with Seebaran who had guns pointed at

?3Page 133

r4'

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

his head. The car drove olf north xnd turned right into the embanlLmcnt road that led up to the East Coast. An otllcial

in cush and 550.000 in jervelrv. Benn said that ciuring ihe attack. no police ranks tiom the La Penitenoe Police Sta-

report tiom the Police stated that the bandits took an amount of jewelrv and oash liom the premises.

tion. just -100 vards awav. came to the sccne.

October 2nd, .l.30pm: Seebarran was released unharm€d.

Reports stated that a red car beanng the number ptate PIIH 6171 stopped in iiont of a home in Durubana Square. Lamaha Gardens. Georgetown- and that three men exrted the car and started walkinq east. A t-ew minutes later. Seebanan came out olthc vehicle and the residcnts called his homer and he rvas picked up. The abandoned car was discovered to be a stolen vehicle. It is rumored that Seebaran paid S25 million

tbr his release.

October 3'd. 5pm: Two passengers were injured when route

a

i0 minibus

narrorvlv escaped being attacked in Buxton.

The driver of the bus veered to the shoulder of the road to avoid several planks r,vhich had been placed across the Raillvav Embankment road between Company Road and Brusche Dam as the bus rvas traveling east to Berbice. As the driver escaped the attempt to stop the bus. about six youths lashed the bus with sticks. shattering the windscreen.

Two passengers rvere injured bv the splinters. The incident occurred .;ust hours after the police and army stated that they had secured the highways against such attacks.

October .lth: Three bandits robbed Sharon Hall, 2.1, of 560,000 as she letl the NBIC bank in Linden. Hall reported that the bandits drove up in a white car, one ofthem got out and pressed a gun to her throat and ordered her to hand over the money. The men t'Ied in the car.

October 6t: lna Coral Vermeeren rvas shot dead and three othcrs injured in a drive-bv shooting on the Railwav Embankment. Turkevn. They rvere traveling towards the crw when their Toyota Marino r,vas shot at bv the gunmen who sped past them spraying bullets. Those injured were Quincy ivlcDonald. Gary N1ajor and lvlarsha Semple. Another passenger. Gavin lvlajor. escaped the shootinq unhurt.

October 7s, 5.{5am: A minibus driver was kidnapped on Lamaha Street bv a carload of men who stopped to ask directions to Dowding Street, Kittv. He was providing the directions when trvo of the men jumped out olthe car wieidine knives and started to beat him. He was tbrced into the car and taken to Mocha. East Bank Demerara. rvhere he was beaten asain, S450 taken ttom his wallet. and released. The driver is a lbrmer poiiceman and said he had been receiving death threats.

October 7h, l.{Spm: Four gunmen attacked a Bener Hope varicW store and made otl with an undisclosed amount of cash. The proprietress saw thc men approaching with their guns drar'vn and fled upstairs leaving the shop unattended.

The bandits ransacked the shop, took the cash and calmly walked away and joined a minibus on the Plaisance Railwav Embankment Road,

October 5h, 1.30am: A gunman raped awoman, aged 32, in

October 8h, 9pm: Two gunmen robbed a Kitty-bound minibus. The bandits rodc as passengers and when the bus stopped at Pere Street, Kifiy, they got ol the bus and put a gun to the conductor's chest. A GDF army rank, Ruth

front of her husband and fwo children at-ter breakins into therr shack at Caneville- East Bank Demerara. It is reportefl that thc gunmar entered the home by kicking down the tiont door. He demanded cash and jewelry and the woman

Downer. rvas relieved of a S25.000 gold chain, Ruth Downer of a gold chain, and the conductor, Dennis Clarke. had a S15,000 silverband. a S20.000 CD plaver.an S18,000 chain. and 58.000 cash taken tiom him.

gave him S1,500, telling him that she had nothing more. The

gunman then ordered the husband and children, aged nine and six, to lie facedorvn on the lloor and raped the woman.

He then calmly walked out of the home.

October 66. 4.30am: Jean Badrinauth. -16- of Foulis. Fast Coast Demerata, was attacked and robbed in her home by three armed bandits. The bandits ransacked the house and found over 5150-000 in cash. One of the men pulled out a sun as the lwo others were leaving. The tw<-r instructed him to kll her. Badnnauth reported that she began to pray and she then told the bandit that she would give him two gold chains if he spared her life. He agreed. Up to the atlernoon of the day of the attack. the police had not yet visited Badrinauth's home.

October 6h, 2am: Four heavily armed bandits robbed the East Rurmveldt home of former policeman Colin Benn and his lamily. Benn runs a shop, and said the men shot out a window and entered his house. The bandits demanded cash and jewelrv and threatened to kill Benn's wife. Hazel, their demands were not met. '[he bandits left with S124.000

if

October 9n, 9am: Two gunmen on a stolen motorcvcle & V Tax Service in Lusignan $t 9am. The taxr service's owner, Vidyrvatti Persar-rd- was rohbed of a cell attacked NI

phone and gold chain worth over 540.000. The bandits fired several shots to ward otl residents who, at t'irst, tried to

apprehend them.

October' 9o, 7.10pm: Two bandits. on bicycles. eluded a police patrol after a brief shootout in the Annandaie area at 7.10pm. Reports stated that the bandits had just robbed

two youths.

October lls, 5.,l0am: Police ranks came under fire from a lone sniper hiding nexl to the Friendship Post Olfice. The police returned t-rre and the sniper. said to be sporting dreadlocks. tled.

October 116, 8.30pm: Wanted man Shawn Welcome. 37. was shot dead by police during a scutfle atler he was arrested. Welcome was wanted lbr lour murders and several robbenes. I{e was a[ested at a house in Roxanne Bumham

@Fts" ts+ -ffi

APPENDIX B - Daily Crime Report: Feb. 2OO2

Gardens. Georgetorvn. anci a semi-automatic pistol. hand grenade, cocaine and cannabis were lbund in his possession.

October l2h: Police and three ermed bandits had a shootout at lvlaraj Gas Station, New Amsterdam in the evening. No one rvas hurt.

October 15t, 7.50am: Two armed men robbed the Bourda Post OtTrce of over 5150.000 cash and S140,000 worth ol phone cards. The men entered the building and ordered everyone to lie thcedown on the tloor. Four men were in custody later that dav in connection with the robbery.

to Feb. 2003

Singh's body rvas lbund by the manager Deonarine Singh. .,vith his throat slashed and his pockets turned out. Relatives claimed that 520.000 was taken from Roy Singh.

October 20e, 9.30pm: Shar.vn Smith, 24, rvas shot dead in olthe Republic. Georgetown- lbllowrng a buneled robbery. Reports allege that Smith and two other bandits had robbed a woman in America Street and were pursued by two armed men. Smith's accomplices escaped but Smith was shot lvhen he was cornered.

the Avenue

October 21't, 3am: Mohamed Daoud. 3.1. oi Plaisance, ,uvas shot in the upper afin when bandits opened tire while trying to enter this home. Daoud runs a hardware store and was awakened by barking dogs and saw three ECD,

October 15h, 7.30pm: The home of Drepaul Beharry, Triumph, rvas attacked by tbur masked gunmen. The bandits made o11- with cash and jewelrv and threatened to return.

Beharry and his wife and two children left their home atler the attack. l-earing lor their lives October 166, 7.15pm: Police constables Kwame Wright and Ceon Pollard were shot and inyured in separate shooting incidents. Wrieht was shot at the Berbice Car Park and Pollard at the Crystal Bay Bar, D'Urban Street. Nicklette Tappin was caught in the shootout with Wright and was shot in her right ankle and lett thigh.

bandits trying to remove louvre panes in order to gain entry to his propcrtv. Daoud. a licensed t-rrearm holder. shot at the bandits when thev opened t-tre and was injured. Daoud lives a stone's throw from the Sparendaam Police Station but the police did not respond immediately to the sound of gunshots.

October 21't, 2pm: A DIDCO sales clerk was robbed of S200,000 by a bandit at Bourda Market. FIe had just colIected the cash

tiom several market vendors and rvas robbed

while urinating.

October 16t, 8pm: Gladwin Fecker and Orin Shultz were gunned down outside Video Phonix Entertainment Centre, Joseph Pollydore St., Lodge.

October 16h, 8.30pm: Altied Crandon, .19, was shot dead bv one of two gunmen who were passengers in a minibus that slopped in Buxton to let them otI. The two men walked to the back ofthe bus and opened tire, killing Crandon and injuring another passenger in the shoulder

t

October l8s, 9.{5am: Dr Khrishna Sankar was robbed of 5.12.000 and his tlrearm at his Vrvheid's Lust Clinio by two armed bandits, one of whom identilied hrmself as Inspector Gadget. When the men leit the clinic. there was a scuflle with David Singh ol Lusignan who had brought a patient to see Dr Sankar. Gadget had pointed his gun at Singh's head and in the scutTle the gun went oif and wounded Singh in his abdomen. The gunmen took away Singh's t-irearm and left.

Singh underwent emergenoy surgery tbr his wound.

October 18m, 10.30am: Businessman Claudius Sam was killed by gunmen at his home. First Street. Alberttown, when tbur gunmen pumped 11 bullets into his chest. Sam had been acquitted twice tbr the murder of cambio dealer, Neville Sarjoo. had been detained tbr a robbery last vear, and had been linked to rwo other murders.

October 19h, 11.15am: Two armed bandits attacked and robbed two employees. Francis Khan and Samuel Campbell.

ol Mike and Sons Bakery at North Ruimveldt

October 21't, 3.-l5pm: Three gunmen robbed the Demerara Ice Factory of 5300,000. The bandits held the stalfat gunpoint and made employees.

offwith

cash sales and monev

October 23'd, 12.15pm: Charles Sarjoo and his daughter.

Amanda Khan were attacked. beaten and robbed when t'ive heavily armed men came to their rumshop. Flighway 701 , at Fnendship. EBD. Sa4oo was hit on the head several times and had to seek medical attention and his rwo-month preg' nant daughter was kicked in the stomach.

October 23'd, 2.30pm: Nivaldo Boyo and Robert Ragunandan were shot und injured and a policeman narrowly escaped death when tbur gunmen opened tire at the Brazilian Restaurant in Alexander Street. Georgetown. Two policemen eating at the restaurant at the time seemed to have been the target of the attack.

October 23'd, 6pm: Businessman Camaldeo Ghanesh.

27. was kidnapped in the Buxton area and a 5500.000 demanded Iansom Ghanesh's mother said that the kidnapper asked that the

money be brought to the Buxton Railway Embank-

bandits. armed with a gun and knife. got awav with $25,000.

mentwithin 15 minutes of the oall. The ransom had also

October 20s, 1.30am: Roy Singh, 51, of West Ruimveldt' was killed while guarding Agn Parts Ltd. Mandela Avenue.

been demanded of another relative who thought it was a joke.

Park. The

@

ffiPaoe

tiom various

13s

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

October 23'd, 8,3|)pm: -A. policeman rvho shot in the leg when his vehicle was spraved with bullets in the Houston.

EBD. area. The qunmen lired at nvo other cars. and hrjacked

it into r trench along the East Coast highwav. Police in the Lamaha Gardens ereu killed Delon Nelson when he reportedlv threw a grenade at them.

one vehicle rvhich rvas later tbund abandoned in r\lbouystown.

October 2Jh. 7.10am: Businessman Bramanand Nandalall

October 286, 7.15pm: Wavne Bristol rvas bumt to death in a car rn Buxlon. lrate Buxtonians burnt the man. saving he was an inlbrmer. Owner of the car, Manu Durant. escaped.

was kidnapped tbllowing a shootout with tbur gunmen.

Nandalall had arrived to open his shop. Keishar's on regent Street, when he noticed the kidnappers. They pursued him and caught him outside the Citizen's Bank on Camp Street.

October 25u, 7.30am: Kumar Ramprashad and his 13vear-old daughter. Gomattie. were kidnapped in Golden Grove by tbur armed bandits and held in a house in Buxton.

They were released several hours later alier a hettv ransom was paid.

October 2-ts, 11.1sam: Proprietors ol Kanhai's General Store. Fazil Mohamed and his wil'e Nadia Khan r'vere robbed

October 29h, 9.20am: Melroy Goodman. 28. ol Bachelor's Adventure rvas shot dead by police during a shootout with the wanted man at Bachelor's Adventure. ECD. Goodman is said to be wanted tbr robberies and tbur murders including the buming death of Haroon Rasheed olNon Pariel in August.

October 29h, 9.20am: Ramdial Desai. 49. of Enterprise was shot dead in the crosst-rre between the police and lvlelroy Goodman. Desai was at a

bicycle repair shop at Bachelor's Adventure

cash. jervelry and phone cards rvorth 5350.000 by i'rve unmasked armed youths who were no older than 17. The vouths pointed the guns at Khan's head and demanded money. Customers in the shop at Eccles, EBD, were also robbed. Khan's elderly lather. Shamsudar Khan. who was

when he was caught in the

ailing collapsed and died on heanng the news.

group of young bandits robbed a minibus at the Annandale railway em-

of

October 25s: Three armed vouths held up vendors in the Enterprise Nlarket and made off rvith cash and merchan-

shootout. He was the father oi t-rve.

October 29rh, .lpm: A

bankment road then made

off into Buxton.

dise.

The

youths got awav with some jewelry and cash

October 26h, 3.-l5pm: Satie Singh,45- of Enterprise GarOctober 30e, 10am: Jinga lvlotilall, 65. of Annandale was kidnapped as he was working in his sugarcane tlelds at the back of Vigi-

dens, ECD. and her 15-year-old daughter. Amrita. were ter-

rorized by three heavily arm bandits rvho beat them and robbed them of S50.000 r:ash and jewellery. The bandit entered Singh grocery store held up and robbed of 52,50$ his r,vrisf'"vutch and oell phone by tbur gunmen. The bandits entered a passing minibus atler the robberv.

lance. Three heavilv armcd

men abducted him and a ransom oiS20M demanded

October 26h, 8pm: Richard Manichand and his wil-e,

tiom his

Debbie. had their hire car hrjacked by fivo men who posed as passengers. Manichand picked up the men at Wales.

WBD, and near Goed Fortuin. they asked Manichand to stop. They spraved the couple with mace. When Manichand tried to attack the men with a cutlass, one of the men held a gun to his rvit-e's head and threatened to shoot her. The men dragged the couple out of the car and made ot'f with the vehicle.

October 28s, -l.15am: Seven men were shot dead in shootouts that ended the live-day kidnapping of Bramanand Nandalall. The shoot-out started when escapee Dale Moore and Tenence McPherson attempted to collect USS1M, the remainder of the ransom asked lbr Nandalall. During the transaction at Lamaha Gardens. Nanadalall's associates opened lire killing the two kidnappers and Nandalall escaped. Michael Singh ,uvas shot at Le Repentir Cemeterv and escapee Mark Fraser, and Lancelot Roach rvere shot dead in their oar at Annandale. ECD. Franklyn Solomon rvas shot dead by two men who exited his car al1er he drove

@_ J$

October 31't, lpm: The body oi Jinga lvlotilall was

Ibund in the Buxtonr Annandale sideline trenr:h.

He had been shot in the jaw and in the region of his left ear.

November 3'd, 12.30pm: Bhimeshwar Achaibar. 25. and his brother Taijpaul, 24. of Lusignan were nttasked and robbed by lbur gunmen in Buxton. The brothers: both butchers. said they were called into the village to buy sheep and when they drove into Church ol God Road. the gunmen appeared. placed guns at their heads, and made them lie t'acedown on the road. The brothers were robbed of a gold ring, over 540,000 in cash, and a cell phone beibre the bandits calmlv walked away. Thev said a GDF contingent was at the top ofthe road but did not respond rvhile the incident was happening.

Page 136

1"6q.'

t-amily.

APPENDIX B . Daily Grime Report: Feb. 2OO2 to Feb. 2OO3 November J'h. 7.3Opm: Kevin lvlarks. called ''Plain Clothes", 26. rvas shot dead when he. i.rlone with lour others. all armed. attempted to rob rhe home of Persaud of lvliddle Road. La Penitence. Persaud was. at the time, sharing out Diwali sweetmeats to neishbours across the road. A licensed tlrearm holder, he shot at the bandits as the gang attempted to enter his home. The ibur other bandits escaped.

November J'h, 9.40pm: Andrerv McPherson. Dereck Torrington. Othneal Embrack, Oliver Springer md Buckman were shot dead execution stvle with AK 47s at Robb and Light Streets. The men were traveling in two taxis owned

by NlcPherson rvhen the occupants oI'xnother car opened t'ired on them.

November 5h, 8.45pm: Dorothy Williams. 54. and Adnan Greene, 27. were krlted during a shootout between the polioe and rwo suspects. Police had trailed a car carrying Greene

and anothcr suspect and the shootout occurred al 1'7i1'7 Wbrtmanville Housing Scheme when the suspects exited the vehicle and tled. Williams was standing at the comer and ."vas crusht in the crosst'ire. The police held the olher suspect.

November 6s, 5.-l5pm: Amamauth Merai. known as Peter Ber.lin. a trawler operator ol Ivlontrose, ECD, was injured when gunmen nddled him with bullets. A white car with the gunmen had stopped some 40 meters tiom where Berlin was standinq on the public road. Berlin saw the men and started to tlee. Three gunmen chased him and caught up with him as he tried to hide in a trench. They riddled him with bullets and one hit him in his neok. Berlin was taken to a cit_v hospital and subsequently sought medical attention

November 12ft: Cuban doctor. Dr Ohibo. rvas robbed bv e lone sunman at his clinic at Silverton, Linden. The bandit took S19.000 cash and a cell phone.

November 13d, 3.30am: Randolph Chapman. known as Super Cat. i5. ofWismar, was found dead bv a GDF patrol at the junction of the Railway Embankment and Companv Road. He had been shot several times about the body.

Chapman was wearing a bulletprooi vest. A police nev/s release said Chapman was a "reputed thiet" who had at lelst two criminal convictions.

November 136, 6.15am: Edmund Solomon,62. a contractor ofAnnandale was brutally assaulted and robbed by three armed bandits as he was leaving tbr work. Tr,vo bandits were armed with choppers and one rvith a gun. Solomon was kicked in the back. chopped and sprayed rvith mace.

He was robbed of S17.000. Neighbours rushed to his assistance and he managed to ilee his attackers.

November 13'r', 10.15am: Three armed bandits attacked and robbed a Banks DIH beverage truck in Wisroc Housrne Scheme. Wismar. They r,vrestled the salesman to the _sround and robbed him of 540,000. The bandits were armed with a long knil-e and gun and an eyewitness overheard one oI'them urging another to shoot the salesman. After the attack, the bandits calmly walked awav and even stopped to chat with a resident in thc street. Police arrived at the scene shortlv afterward.

November t{th, 8.30pm: Premkumar Sukra1. the notonous bandit, -'lnspector Gadget". rvas shot dead by an unknor,vn gunman in Nliddle Road. La Penitenoe. Police reports stated that Sukaj had been granted bail tbr a robbery under arms

incident pending at the Providence Magistrate's Court.

abroad.

i

Nnvember 7h, llam: A tiagmentation grenade was thrown at pohce ranks tiom a house in Fnendship. ECD, but exptoded a short distanqe awav. When police invaded the house thev discovered a liagmentation grenade. a concussion grenade. one 1.25 Astra pistol. 2 emplv magazines, 9 live i2-guage cartridges, 16 live 9mm rounds, 1 live .380 round, 1 I.32 Taurus magazine. i 2O-inch TY 4 t-emale wigs. 1 Nokia cell phone. 1 t'ull Saline bag, 2 bottles hvdrogen peroxide solution. I bottle Aleve, and hypodermic synnges. No one was arested tbr the erenade attack or lbr possession of the ammunition cache.

November 9o, 6.30pm: Bharat, a market vendor, narrowly escaped being shot when gunmen opened lire on his mini bus as he was returning to his Brusche Dam home.

November l2s, 9.30pm: Alwin Callender',vas shot dead at Melanie Damishana. He had two bullet wounds to the back of his neck.

Sukraj rvas subsequently wanted bv the police in connection with a number of robberies. kidnappings, extortions. murders xnd rapes.

November l5s, 5.J5pm: Shivpaul Boodraj. the proprietor of a Paradise rioe mill, and three olhis employees were held at gunpoint by two gunmen and robbed o1 5250.000. This is the sixth time that Boodraj has been robbed.

November l5h, 6.55pm: Kampta Persaud was delivering bread in Annandale when two men approached him to buy a loat. When Persaud was about to eive them their change. one of the men pulled out an ice pick and stabbed him on his hand. Thev robbed Persaud o1S10.000 and a cell phone and

tled into the Buxton area.

November 156, 9.30pm: Businessman Glendale Cordis.

38. of Wismar Squatting Area, and his wife. Claire. were robbed

ofa cell phone. and S179,000 in

as they were about

cash andjewellery

to shut up their shop. The two bandits

were armed rvith a shotgun and cutlass.

November 12h, 10.15pm: Joel E,vans. 30, of Bagotstown, EBD, was shot dead by a gunman rvho calmly walked away atler the shooting. Evans had gone to a bakerv in Charlestown when he was shot. He was shot four times.

November 16e, 2.50pm: Bridget Deodat was lying in her bad at her home in Annandale South when she saw a man

jumping her t'ence and entering her yard. She got up to shut

GIHA CRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

her door but rvas contionted bv l bandit rvith a eun. He placed the gun to her hcad and pushed her back into the house. The bandits made olf into Buxton with 5500 and rwo pairs ol sold eanine

November 16u, 7pm: Police disoovered the bullet-riddled body of Nlark Rutherlbrd in a trench aback Buxton/ Annandale. The man had been killed execution stvle and his body r,vrapped in a hammock. The bodv rvas decomposed.

Rutherford rvas a Stabroek Market trader. Following the

tinding of the body. violence erupted in the Buxton/ tiend rvere dnving aiong the Railwav Embankment Road when bursts of

,Annandale area. Randolph Mangar and a

gunfire made him panic. He lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a huge boulder at the side ofthe road. A group ofvouths approached the car. Mangar's friend escaped but Mangar was beaten. a gold chain valued at 532.000 taken. and his car was set alight. Shortly atier- another vehicledriven by Courtney Wilson was shot at. The back windscreen lvas shattered. Wilson managed to reverse his vehicle und went to the Mgilance Police Station to make a report.

November 16ft, 8.30pm: A Berbician,48. staving at tamily at ivlon Repos, ECD. had his minibus hijacked bv three armed men who stood in the middle of the road by the Annandale Sideline Dam and stopped him. They robbed him of 58,500 cash and his wedding ring then took him with them. letting him otf at Bladen Hall. The bus rvas tbund bv the seawall at Strathspey the next day, stripped of its parts and burnt.

November 176, 7.50pm: Iwo armed bandits relieved a Brans securitv guard at a Robb Street restaurant of his Taurus pistol and six live rounds bf ammunition.

I

November 186, 3.-l0am: Two gunmen ransacked a Tucville home and made otf with S25,000 in jewelry and a stereo set worth 58.000. Thev raped a 16-year-old girl betbre leaving.

November l9s, 3.{5am: A lone gunman held a baby boy hostage and rohbed a lamily at Grove EBD He raped the mother in tiont her husband. He made off with 525,000 in cash andjewelry and a shotgun.

Nowembcr 19ft, 7.50pm; Trvo bondits tlaegod down a nioibus in Buxton. When the bus stopped, they sprayed mace in the conductor's laoe and fled with S5.0OO.

November 20h, 8.35pm: An Executive Cab taxi was hrjacked tiom driver Devon Russell.28. Russell rvas robbed of 55,700 cash, a Motorola handset. and tape deck and bundled into the trunk ol the car. The bandits told him thev had to go "to work".

November 20s, l0.lspm: Graham. a sold miner called Piano. was shot and injured by a drive-b-v shooter at Trench Road. East Ruimveldt. The car used was the taxi hijacked Itom Devon Russell. Russell was in the trunk during the shooting. The car was then driven to Sussex Street where

the gunmen let out Russell and told him to drive arvav.

November 21't, 2.35am: Two youths. aged 16 turd 17. were arrested bv a mobile police patrol atler thev robbed the Guvoil Service Station, Sheritf and David Streets. Thev had attempted to rob nvo security guards a l-ew minutes earlier.

November 21't, 8am: Tr,vo armed bandits robbed and terronzed a Coldingen resident. Ruth O'Selmo. placing a gun

at a toddler's back and demanding cash and jervelrv. The bandits tled with 55.000 cash. a goid wedding band and earrings. television set. two tape recorders and an electnc iron. Neighbours said that others were outside the residence on the lookout while the attack took place. Police responded and caueht up with the bandits at Strathspey and exchanged guntire. The bandits escaped into the canetield aback Fnend-

ship.

November 21't,

llam:

Wanted lelon Omali Roqers was

captured as he hid in the trunk ofa car heading up the East Coast Demerara. The police used three vehicles to block the

highway near the UG access road and stopped a gold coloured car heading east. Rogers r.vas discovered in the trunk. He was wanted for at least nine robberies. Sherwin Dalgelv drove the car.

November 23'd: Gunmen opened tire in Buxton and dunng the shooting spree. Sean Spaulding. 35. ofTrinidad. rvere shot dead. He was shot in the head and upper body. At the time. he was wearing a US army unitbrm and a tlak jacket.

GDF Private, Ryan Thompson, 20. was shot in the head during the crosstire.

November 27ft, .l..lSpm: Police shot Michael Simon- who is suspected tbr number of robberies on minibuses in the Buxton area, in his lefi instep. Simon was spotted on the Fnendship road and ran when police ordered him to halt.

He lvas shot while trying to run away. He was taken to hospital under police guard.

November 27h,2.30am: Gilbert Bovell. -12. and his tamily were robbed and terrorized bv armed bandits at his North Ruimveldt home. Bovell, a gold jewelry vendor at Stabroek Market. was shot in the thigh during the assault. The bandits got away with 540.000 cash, a gold chain. a video camora, ooll pLuuc. VCR aud tapv.

Nowcmbcr 28h: A bandit rvos shot rvhile he rvac irvinq to break into Bonzie Hotel, Bartica. Hotel owner Gary Jordan fired two rounds at the bandit tiom his .32 Taurus revolver. wounding him in his left thigh and instep. He was wanted lbr several robberies in the area.

November 28h, 10.25am: Oswald Benjamin,23. a carpen-

ter tiom Berbice staying with relatives at Brushe Dam. Friendship, was shot in his left thigh and right tbrearm when he was accosted by three armed youths who demanded his cash and valuables. Benjamin was walking along the dam when the incident occurred. Polics believe the same youths were responsible tbr the robbery ol an East Coast butcher

of 517.000 two hours

138

later.

APPENDIX B - Daily Crime Report: Feb. 2OO2

James. 18. A white car stopped at

November 28h, l1am: Trevor Roopar. owner of Jamrock Music Centre. and his wite Loydessa Edrvards. was robbed of 568.000 bv fwo gunmen at their store.

Streets and when he got to Barama Avenue.

South Ruimveldt, the men stopped the car and he was robbed at gunpoint of cash and other items. He was placed in the trunk but manaqed to escaPe in the Tucville area as the men

iff and Duncan

with the

Alim Shah

Store and trvo

armed gunmen held up the guard shoutins, "Gimme the monev! I'll shoot." The staf tled through a side door. Eveand 'uvitnesses said all the bandits were Atiican Guyanese 20 than to be no more were said Shah at Alim Store the two years old. They were carrying ntles. StaIT believed thev mistook the shop tbr Gobind's Cambio that was next door.

Betbre the bandits 1e11 ibr Gobinds, they threw two channa

November 28s: A taxi driver. 28. was hijacked by two armed bandits. He picked up the men at the comer olSher-

sped away

to Feb. 2OO3

bombs into the shop and one caueht l'ire on a couple rolls of fabric. The statTthrew the buming tbbric onto the road. The bandits made otTwith S2.5 million in Guvana currency and an undisclosed sum in foreign culrency tiom Gobind's. The Esso gas station opposite was shot uP as were cars parked on the road. The bandits made otT down Regent Street. shooting up in the air. The police gave chase and lost the

car.

November 286: Police krlled Brandon James- a barber, of North Ruimveldt dunng a conliontation at a sal-e house in Subryanville. Wanted man Romel Reman was injured and escaped. Police found ammunition, a multlband radio, a grenade and a number of wigs.

bandits in Plaisance. The bandits escaped on lbur motorcycles hrlacked at LBI.

November 29ft, 8pm: Shawn Forde and Sehv-vn Pollvdore r,vere killed and three people were injured in Albouvstown when lwo gunmen opened iire on them. Injured were Treston Talbot, Herman Pillai and Gita Singh.

December lm, Police searched cantields aback of Lusignan and tbund two armv tvpe camoutlauge jackets, a 12-guage pump rii1e, camouflage caps and helmets and various caliber ol ammunition. Also tbund were a laptop computer

capable

Georgetown. Fotlowing the arrests. a number of houses were searched in Georgetown and a number of persons detained tbr questioning. The three men were granted bail ol 5500.000 and charges were not laid on the men and two others: Christopher Small and Rajesh Sahadeo. Beltield was a Target Special Squad police on special assignment according to law-vers ibr the tive.

November 306, 6am: Police have held two men who allegcdlv hijacked a hired car the night betbre tiom Avinash Jainarine 22, at Prospect housing scheme. The men were urrested at Caneville, EBD. November 30s, 7:00 pm: A man was shot bv a cit-v constable on Longden Street. The constable was sitting across the road when he observed a gang ofmen robbing a shopper.

The wounded man was handcutled and the rest

olthe

December {h, Rubex enterpnse at Light Street Georgetown was robbed ol items valued over 5500,000 it appeared that the bandits gain entry through a back door.

gang

escaped.

November 306, 9pm: Two masked gunmen raided the home

ol a N0. 71 village housewife making otf with up tp s200.000.

November306 6pm: aBrazilian minerworktng inthe North West districr was doused with kerosene by nvo gunmen rvhen the miner told the that he had no oash or rarv gold the miner manage to

raise an alarm and esoape.

November 30s, 9pm: Vishnu Kalikha 22, an unknown gunman shot a goldsmith of Strathspey in his right Pam as he rvas walking home liom a Bar Be Que a short distance arvav. Dindyal Dhanraj a i-rsherman was shot a t'ew hours Iater at another Bar Be Que in Montrose when a carload of gunmen drove up and opens fire Dhanraj was hit in his lett ankle.

December 2nd, 12:30am: Dayanand Mohabir i3, drove his tax into the Good Hope bridge as he tned to fight otl a bandit who he had unknowingly picked up. Mohabir was rescued after two hour by an almy patrol he sulfered broken hand and tiacture hiP.

of interceptine cellular calls. and a map of

a

December 3d, 9am: Three carloads of armed bandits terrorized the Regent Street area by King Street. The gunmen who started to shoot wildly murdered police rookie Quincv

&_ ffirPuo"

December 6s, 1:35pm: Three gunmen robbed the home of goldsmith Seeram Nladray of two ounces of raw gold worth

Sl l.l.000 and 25 pennyrveight of 12 carat gold worth 535.000. Atter the robbery the men calmly walked awav.

December' 7h. 2:30am: Dina Thornhill 33, of Costello housing scheme was beaten and robbed bv three masked gunmen who escaped with S250,000 in jewellery and 515,000 in cash.

December 8h, 12pm: Gavin Smith a gold miner of Peronong Landing, Enachu was sleeping in his hammock when he t'elt someone pressing a cutlass to his throat his attacker robbed him o1S120.000.

December 9s, 9am: Seven bandits. two armed rvith guns. terronzed and beat GUYSUCO workers at Coldingen. Thev beat the men and robbed Seedath Sooblall, a mechanic- of his wristwatch, two silver rings, and S1300 cash. The men had to seek meciical attention lbr their injunes. Thirty minutes later" the same gang terrorized and robbed 22-year-old Jasodra Gagaram at her home. They placed a gun to her head and robbed her ofthelewelry she and her ftve-monthold daughter rvere wearing.

res

GIHA CRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

December 9s, 6pm: Nigel Blaize 26. a vendor. rvas shot

while sitting in a car in Cemeterv Road. Blaize'r,vas shot several times at close range called out to name Speedv.

in the lbce by a man he

had

December 9ft, 2.30pm: A Courts Fumiture Store deliverv truck was robbed by three gunmen in Buxlon olall of its 53 million worth olmerchandise. A GDF continsent helped to recover most olthe eoods stolen except a TV wonh S1 1 5.000 and a Sonv music system valued at 5202,000.

December 1.lth: three armed bandits robbed Edrvard Kingslev and his reputed wil'e. Vanessa Maxeil. of ovcr 5400, 000 in cash and jewelry, The bandits beat the couple and threatened to shoot their seven-vear-old daughter. The bandits' attack took over half hour and the couple made several calls to police station during the robberv but got no response. Police turned up at the scene nrne hours later.

December 1-lh: Patrick Sohan. 28. of Annandale. was sprayed with mace and robbed ola gold chain worth 520,000 on Amenca Street. Vendors on the street said they were

December 9o A live hand grenade .,vas tbund in a drain outside C & F Supermarket the police r.vere summoned to deal with the situation.

accustomed to the screams of people being robbed on the street bv gangs of vouth who sather at the comer to pick

December 9e: The bodv of an Amerindian man Miguel Toney 39, with gunshots wounds was discovered in the Gowong Vallev. at Paramakatoi. Police are continuing with their investigation.

December 1.1h, -l:30 and 5:30 am: police/army raided abandon house in the villase oiFriendship and tbund a 12-guage shotsun. a videocassette a number of photographs and nvo passports.

December 11e, 6pm: Gunmen made olf with 51 million in raw gold tiom a camp at Three Miles, Arakaka, and North-

December 1-lt, 7.50pm: Police seized a concussion grenade and an unlicensed tirearm during a stop-and-search exercise on Avenue of the Republic. 'fwo of the lour men traveling in the car rvere arrested and are tiom Albouvstown.

west District.

December 12ft, 5.30am: A vendor. Sandra James. 39. oi Mabura. tried to fight offtwo armed bandits r.vho attacked her at Meadowbrook, EBD, and snatched her handbag."vith S105,000. James was shot in the thigh during the attack.

Residents pursued the bandits rvho dropped the handbag with the cash and escaped.

December 12h: Two suspected robbers were teiken into custody atler a shootout with police at Friendship Middle Walk Dam. No one rvas injured. Police picked up the men al1er they had allegedly robbed Cleme nt Prince. 29, a butcher

of Plaisance in Buxton of his cell phone and 56,500 Thf same robbers were suspected of attacking Talat Manhood, of Lusignan, at 9.30am. Manhood had gone to the Buxton Post Otllce and rvas robbed of his Seiko watch, bicycle and 53,190. The suspects were armed with a gun and cutlass.

December 12o: The windscreen of a car of a Corentvne resident was shattered by a single gunshot that was llred as the'c:rr lvas passing elong the Golden Grove market road.

December l2t, 3am: Kenroy Martain 23, were robbed over SlM in raw gold, bv gunmen following a raid on a mining camp at Three Miles, Arakaka. in North West district.

December 13h, 1.30pm: A DeSinco Trading truck and nvo employees. Junior Ghanie and Shawn Fraser, were hijacked at Golden Fleece. West Coast Berbice. by three armed bandits. The men's hands and t'eet were taped. and they were robbed oftheir personaljewelry and cash, and the dav's sales of $750,000. The truck was driven t,vo miles to Adventure where the bandits ran it into a ditch and escaped.

The salesmen managed to free themselves and report the incident.

out their victims.

One olthe men was alreadv facing sion of arms and ammunition.

a

charge of illegal posses-

December l-lh, 11.30pm: A vounq lvoman was rape d. beaten and robbed by a bandit on the West Coast Demerara rvhen she went to use the toilet. She said she was erabbed by the hair and the masked man placed a gun to her head. hit her on the head rvith the gun. and threatened to shoot herifshe did not hand over her cash and jewelry. She gave him 53,000 and a wristwatch and he then raped her and left. She was rushed to hospital tbr treatment after she raised an alarm.

December 1-16: Police have identit-ied the three bandits who were killed during a conliontation with several ranks in West Ruimveldt alter thev broke into the Hibiscus Place.

The men were identitled as Winston Richards of Sophia, Philip Reynolds of Albouvstown and Sheik Tut-ail a deportee.

Deccmber 15h, 3um: Currenol' dsaler and businossman Gopaul, known as Rakesh. was attacked and robbed at his home in La Penitence bv tbur armed bandits who made otI with USS15.000 and 300 pieces of gold jewelry. Gopaul. who was in an adjoining apartment. heard gunshots and hid in a water reseryoir, breathing through a straw. The bandits terrorized his sisters-in-larv and three children at his home and ransacked the place to look lor the cash and'jewelry. He said the ordeal lasted over 20 minutes. The bandits l'led in the direction of West Ruimveldt.

December 15t, 3.30am: Three bandits were shot dead by police and one escaped rvith a quantity of firearms during a high voltage shootout in West Ruimveldt. The dead bandits are deportee Sheik Tutail. Phillip Reynolds and Winston Richards. The shootout occurred after a mobile patrol respondod to an alarm raised by Leon Lavne. 55. The bandits

@_ ffi'P,0"

rao

APPENDIX B . Daily Grime Report: Feb. 2OO2

tried to gain entry to Layne's home: trring two shots dunne the break-in. Lavne armed himsell with a cutlass to conliont the bandits and told his lamily to leave the house. He called out to the passine patrol that took up strateuic positions and shot the bandits. A constable was injured dunne the shootout. It is believed that these tbur bandits were the same qans that robbed Gopaul (report above).

to Feb. 2OO3

raped bv two mini-bus conductors and the other bv six men.

December 19e: Dion Williams 15. student oiAnnandale Secondarv r,vere kidnapped and being held tbr S2NI ransom in Buxton. The teen managed to escape r.vhen one oi the kdnappers letl him unattended.

December lss, 12.30pm: Ivor Moore. 31. died at 7 :15pm after being shot in his leti side by police. Ivloore attempted to set tire to the DOCOL plant at Eccles- EBD. trvice by throwine ohanna bombs into the compound. once around middav and then later in thc atlernoon, at 5.15. He was shot dunng his second attempt.

December 206 10:45pm: Heavily armed men sprayed the tiont of Vigilance police station and later opened t-lre at Cove and John. It is also believed that the same men hurl bottle bomb and shoot up the home ol Mgilance businessman, Chetram Jawanand.

December 16s Businessman Shakir Ali of De Willem discharged a round in the air the ward otT a man who he said attacked him with a sharp instrument.

December 20h: Bajwag Singh. 47. a Good Hope photoerapher was relieved olhis cellular phone, a Seiko wrisfwatch.

560.000. and a camera lens valued 540,000 by two armed men in the village of Good Hope.

December 17u 1pm: Sadesh Sahadeo 19, of Mon Repos

was

kid-

napped atter

he let't his home and

went

December 20th 3:59pm: A Wismar businessman shot Patnck Henry 35, in the leti shoulder and thigh while he was attempting to steal articles.

December

into

2l't: Ricklbrd

Sampson

ot.NWD was walkine

along Campbell Avenue with his brother Wesley Lewis when

three men srabbed them and demanded their valuables.

Sampson was beaten and stabbed while his brother tried to escape and was rescued by an Impact Patrol. Two ol the bandits were apprehend the other made eood his escape.

Buxton to oollect money owed to him Sadesh was being held ransom tbr S5M and jer,vellery.

December 18th 1l:l5am: An Lnvestieation has beep launched into a shooting incident involving fwo Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit otfioers in which Kellon La Rose 17. was shot and wounded in the upper right arm outside Swiss house cambio.

December 18m: The dead body of a cattle t'armer Lakshmi Nanne, 42, was tbund aback ol Diamond EBD. The post mortem revealed that marks ol violence were all over

December 21": Four men all armed with guns entered the home ot Shabana Solomon and her father ofAnnandale and demanded cash and jewellery then held a 14 month-old baby hostage to make their escape.

December 23'd 9:{0am: Robin Dekla. 30. and Mulchan Ramdeo. .17. distributors of Texgas in Berbice were robbed of 5250,000 outsidethe DOCOL ofiice at Ecsles.

December 23'd 7:50am: Constable Colin Robertson, 25. had at least a dozen bullets pumped into his bodv by two gunmcn just as he leti his home in Sophia. The gunmen then stripped the constable oi a 550.000 gold chain and his cell phone betbre calmly walking away.

Narine's body.

December 18e: Deo Persaud 36- tjsh vendor was stuck up and robbed of 5320.000 by two unmasked gunmen while in the vicinilv of Demioo House. Brickdam.

December l8h, 3pm: Brazilian national Rosanna Rodwell and a cook were held at gunpoint at Enachu. NWD as gunmen robbed them of over SIM in gold, diamond and cash Rodwell were forced to eive the men 5300,000 in cash, a 13carat diamond,three gold chains valued 5600.000, a S1 00,000 gold band and a $24.000 watch.

December 19h: Police have held one man and are hunting lbr seven others lbr rape of two teenagers a 13-year-old and

i5

year-old in separate incidents. One

December 23'd: Mohamed Baksh a mini-bus driver borrowed his tiiend car to take a drive. Baksh stopped the car to purchase cigarettes when two armed men with handguns pulled up in a car they got out lash him in the right eye then order him to move to the liont passenger seat and drove awav in Baksh vehicle leaving their car behind the men later dump Baksh at the Ocean View hotel.

December 24h 11:15pm: Clifton Thom was relieved of his car and 560.000 by nvo gunmen.

December 2-1ft: Trvo me wearing camoutlage outl-rts lay await as Paul Nedd. 31- a ta:o driver park his car in Dazelle Housing Scheme and gunned him down.

ofthe teenagers was

&_ ?{

,y*fi,,

Page 141

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

December 24u': I:lazrat Ally Razack a tlsherman of Vriesland WBD is tburtul tbr his lit-e arler.,vanted oriminai Ivor Glen

who accused Razack of tbrming a vigilante group to oapture him and demanded 520.000 lrom him. Razack ignored him and Glen t-rred two shot but the sun sfuck both times.

December 2.ls: Nlohabir Lall. -10. of Non Pariel was shot rn the head by one of two bandits who ettacked him as he reversed his truck in tiont ol his home. Lall died tbur davs later.

December 246 8pm: Bandits who snatched a woman's handbag were pursued into Waterioo Street by police. One

January l't, 8pm: Constable lvlark Latour.29 of the CID, Eve L,-arv. was shot dead at the Arapaima Restaurant Main and Quamina streets. Latour entered the restaurant and was shot bv a qunman who whipped out a pistol and discharged six rounds at the cop. The gunman then lled the scene. Six 69mm spent shell and two bullets were tbund at the scene.

January 2nd: Police Constable Rayon Anthony Roberts, 32 of the Tactical Service Unit was shot seven times and krlled at a Bent street shop. Three gunmen had walked up to the constable and tuvo of them had whipped out handguns and shot him. Thev then calmly rvalked away. Police recovered ilve .32 spent shells at the scene.

was shot and lvounded.

January 3'd, 2pm: Ron Anthony Gaskin 23, rvanted by December 28ft 10:25am: Oswald Benjamin. a Berbican, was shot in the leti thigh and right tbrearm by three armed men rvho attempted to rob him of cash and other valuables in Buxton.

police, was shot dead when police raided homes in Durban Street. Police shot the bandit after he opened t-rre on them.

A 12-gauge salvn-otf shotgun \,vith 9 cartndges rvere found in his possession.

December 28h llam: Trevor Roopan. owner olJamrock Music center, and his wife. Loydessa Edwards of D'urban Street, were robbed of 568-000 by two gunmen who en-

January 3'd, 7:.l5pm: Gunmen laid siege to the East Ruimveldt police outpost injuring lbur people including

tered their store.

rural Constable Phillip Knights 32, of East La Penitence.

The gunmen had arrived in a grey Marino car and opened tlre on the ranks there.

December 29h, l.30pm: Basil Singh, a businessman of Annandale, rvas atlacked, along ,'vith his son. Muneshrvar, at his grocery store. The lather was shot l-rve times and died at 8..15pm that night. His son received a shot in his knee.

Three bandits on bicyoles rode lrom Buxton into Annandale, tiring shots into the air. then sprayed Singh's grocery store with bullets. '[wo bandits entered the shot and when Singh, who was asleep, woke up and reached for his gun, he was riddted with bullets. Singh's store was also attacked on August 31't a1ler the f-irneral ol the bandit Andrew Douglas,.

January 1't, l2.30am: An armed man broke into a home

I at

the Vgilance Squatting Area and struck the male occupant on the head and raped his 16-year-old wit'e. Two armed accomplices joined him. They tied up the woman and cuffed her about the body and took turns raping her They le11 the home without robbing it.

Jaiuary 1't, 3:l5pm: A

suspected bandit, 17, r,vas beaten

by angry residents of Mgilance North Squatting Area. The youth and two other bandits had robbed a businessman at gunpoint of 540,000 and US S40. They also robbed a customer in the shop of a cell phone andS30,000. The youth was beaten after residents raised an alarm.

January 1't, 3:30pm: A man was shot in the knee in

an

armed contiontation with police in,Republic Park. This loilowed an incident on Peters Hall Public road when a t'emale passenger in a minibus was robbed at gunpoint of a gold chain valued 525.000 by the robber and an accomplice.

Both men are said to be tiom Agricola and are suspects in robberies in the Eccles area. Police found a .32 magnum revolver with 13 live rounds and one 9mm live rounds on them.

Januar-v J6, 9:10pm: CANU officer Harold Duncan 50. of Agncola was gunned down by tu,o men at his home. The gunmen discharged seven rounds at him and also shot at the home of another CANU oflicer who lives nearby. The gunmen took Duncan's 9mm pistol with filleen rounds and rvalked arvay liom the scene.

January 5s, 6:20pm: Three

teenagers were injured when a police special patrol on the Ogle Embankment Access Road opened tire on a car that relused to stop when ordered to so.

The three teenagers aged between 15 and 17 were arested

then taken to the Georgetown Hospital. They were later taken into oustody. The unlicensed driver of the car managed to escape.

January 8h, 6:30pm: Police

Constable Nandkumar

:..1

Nlohabir r,vas shot and

,

as he was

kilted

.

drivinc other ranks

rlong the Buxton

Publrc

,:,,'.

Road. His colleague. Con- :.:. stable Surujbally. sustained,,.,,,',:, injuries rvhen he jumped ' tiom the vehrcle atler it came under lire. Despite weanng a ..

bulletproof vest. Mohabir was shot in the right side chest with a high-calibre

iiti:t,:,,,.

weapon.

January 96, lam: Ten armed men -'channa" bombed and robbed Two Brothers gas station at Eccles EBD of more than 5500000 in cash. Two of the pumps rvere destroyed while several glass windows were shattered.

@ ffi.Puo"

r+z

APPENDIX B - Daily Crime Report: Feb. 2OO2

January 9s, lpm: Buxtonian

set lires alight and dug up the embankment road at Friendship Middlewaik. This appears to be a response to the military operation a dav betbre.

January th: Patrick Cumberbatch and Trinidadian Sheidon Ollieverre were shot dead by police at a roadblock at Ogle, ECD. Thev are said to have open tire on the police causing the lawmen to retaliate. Several quns along with ammunition and bulletproof vests were tbund in the vehicle. Thev rvere suspected to be part of the phantom gang.

to Feb. 2OO3

Januarw 13o, l0:40am: Melanie Damishana lumber vard operator. Looknauth Persaud was held a gunpoint bv llvo

bandits and robbed

ol an

undisclosed quanlity of cash.

Employees and some horse carts operators looked on heiplessly during the aftack.

January 13s: Businesswoman Roxanne Seckle. 39-

was

shot dead in her bed at her Agncola home by two gunmen.

Seckle's son Clifton Seckle Jr. was seriously wounded when he went to the rescue olhis sister. The Seckles were robbed ol cash and jewellew.

th, 6:45pm: Six gun toting bandits robbed the shell service station on Camp Street. They attempted to set

January 136, 8:10pm: Non Pariel businessman Chandrakar

the station alight atler robbing it bv saturating the compound with gasoline but tailed. As they lett the station they

Sukhdeo rvas held up by two sunmen and robbed of as he lvas about to close his shop.

Januar-v

$1

1

000

relieved three passersby of gold jewellery.

January Januar.r 1ls: Taxt driver Shawn Hollinsworth took a passenger to Sophia and as the passeneer was embarking nvo gunmen robbed him o1 S10,000. a 56,000 silver band. his drir.er license and ID card. fhe gunmen robbed the passenger Julian McAlmont of USS57, Barbados S50, S13000 and a 530000 gold ring and vins four bicycles behind which was taken to vhe Viqilancc police station.

January 1lft: A minibus traveling throueh Buxton was attacked by t gang olvouths and the commuters were robbed.

One man was chopped on his hand as he tried to resist the attackers.

13th, 8:3Opm: Businessmen Roy Khan and Mohamed Khan and five others .,vere attacked and robbed bv tive gunmen on the Mabura road. The bandits made with USS 1 000 beloneing to Mohamed Khan and 530000 in clothing and tbod supply. The business tled into jungle where they spend the night.

l{h: Tutorial High School teacher Vanessa Wilson was robbed ol her handbag containing oash and other valuables by a man sitting next to her in a minibus. The man placed a knife on Wilson's and robbed her when the bus stopped at Friendship to put him off.

Januarrr

January 15h, 7.30pm: Ravi Ramlall,40, owner of a liquor January I ls, 8: 10pm: Junior Thompson was gunned down in the presence of his three children. He was shot several times in the t'ace and chest by a lone qunman at his Tiger Bay residence. The gunman then tled through several yards. tlrine shots to scare otf residents as he escaped.

I

restaurant at Fourth Street. La Penitence, and his 51-yearold mother. Bibi Ramlall were robbed by three armed bandits. They took Ramlall's 565,000 cell phone. an S18,000 gold band and a watch valued at 526,000 His mother was robbed ola Si5-000 gold band. a pair of gold eamngs and S1-000- while a oustomer was relieved of 5500.

Januara 12s, l1:30pm: Keith Aubrey Hopkinson..l2, of East Ruimveldt was brutallv gunned down in his vard bv a man accompanied bv a group of voung men and a woman.

The man llso shot at Hopkinson's nephew but missed. The woman is said to be the killer's mother.

l2o: Polioe Constable Mark Ya."v. 22, was krlled by ihree gunmen at the corners of Cummines and Croal streets. The gunmen were traveling in the minibus with Yaw. They asked to disembark and when they got out of the bus. thev whipped out their guns and shot him. killing him instantlv and wounding another passenger in the hip. They

January

January l5h, 7:45pm: Three gunmen barsed iilto the homc of goldsmith Seeram Madray at lot 40 Fourth Street La Penitence, tbrcrng him to hand over S12 0-000 in je."vellery and 57.000 in cash. They also robbed Anil Singh, a triend oi Madrav's. of a 530.000 cell phone and S 1 8-000 in cash. The gunmen were said to have committed a robbery in the same

slreet 15 minutes earlier.

January 16th, 10:15 am: Guysuco pump operator.

Navendra Mangal. 45. was seized by six gunmen at Strathspey and released an hour later atter being given a

hijacked a taxi that was tbund by the police in North Ruimveldt. a short distance tiom where gunmen in a minibus opened tire on a police patrol hitting police constable Rampersaud Mckam.

severe beating and a waming to pay ransom or risk having

January 12s, 11:45pm: Errol Grant, 22. oi Supplv. EBD.

January 16h, 6:45 pm: Lloyd Hazel, 53. of Hill Street, Lodge. survived an execution attempt after two men shot

,uvas

shot when he attempted to relieve a police of his ser-

his house torched. The gunmen snatched Mangal tbrm his work place, brandishing guns and terrorizing Mangal's colleagues.

jaw back and ribs. He was shot in his home atter which the men quickly left and entered a

vice pistol during a scutle in a police vehicle. Grant had been arested tbllowing a search and discovery of one .357

him. hitting him in the neck,

magnum revolver, an improvised silencer and six live rounds in his possession. He was shot while being transported to the police station.

."vaiting car.

&

ffirPaoe raa

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

January l7h: Businessman Rakesh Sawh. his rvit-e

and

some oI' his emplovees were traveling alone East Coast Demerara towards Georgetown ',vhen six armed bandits ambushed them. They were hcld hostaee and relsased alter an undisclosed sum was paid.

Januarrr 17s, 8:15 pm: Three gunmen attacked a Cove and John Chinese restaurant robbing the or,vner patrons of 528.000 and jewe.llery.

oi S50.000

and

January 17h: L,vndon Hoyte. 34. ol 173 Campbell Street.

Albouystown was shot and krlled in the Tucville ball tield less tlian trve minutes away tiom the East La Penitence Police Station. Hoyte rvho rvas a taxi driver was shot in the head. His car was later lound abandoned on the lower East Coast Demerara.

His rvii-e wtrs also rvounded in her tbot. Police recovered tiom the scene a quantitv o17.62 mm shells used by the AK .17 rveapon.

January 20h, 8:10am: Police Constable Gregory Brusche, 37. of Sixth Street. Albefftown was shot in the neck. nght temple and right jarv whrie walking to work at the Bnckdam Polioe Station. A lone gunman in the vicinity of Action Tyre shot him. The sunman lrisked the wounded policeman betbre nding a,way on a bicvcle.

January 20h, 7.30pm: Arvinda Umrao, 18. and his brother Armit, 16, were kidnapped tiom the bridge of their home in Annandale by three armed gunmen. The brothers were being taken into Buxlon when neighbors raised an alarm and tlashed torchlishts at the kidnappers. causing them to release the brothers and retreat. The kidnappers had demanded

January 17s, 11am: Four gunmen on bicycle entered Vlck

5500.000 and jewelrv tiom the brothers.

Parsaram's store in Annandale, and carted offabout S1 10.000

in cash. The robbers tlred several shots as they retreated into Buxton. wounding retired schoolteacher Jainarine Singh.

January 18'h, 6am: Jainarine Singh, 51 died at

January 20h: Wanted criminal Hoilman Lall rvas shot dead

just outside the Stabroek Market by the police. Lall was wanted in connection with the murder of Harold Duncan.

the

Junior Thompson and Roxanne Seckle. Duncan's service gun was reoovered tiom the dead man.

January 186, 10am: A large group ofteenage gunmen raided several homes in Vigilance, holding guns to housewives' head and robbing them ofjervellery and household items including television sets, CD pla-vers, a stabilizer. a ce.llular phone and footwear. Vllagers claim that this rvas almost a weekly occurrence. The bandits are said to be between 14 and 17 years old. Repeated demands were made tbr "de

Janunry 21't, 2.30am: Irate Victoria residents at a wake beat a suspected thiel to death. The residents had noticed

Georgetown Hospital.

estate monev".

January l8e,

5:,10

pm: Charles Hinckson,23, and Marlon

Wilson. 19- both olNorth Sophia were shot dead by potiqp alfer thev were comered in an outdoor bathroom in a Bent and Lime Streets yard. Using cutlasses, they had eariier robbed 2O-year old Samantha Jones ol a gold chain and a handbag. As they were escaping thev ran into a police pa-

trol.

his suspicious behavior, save chase and comered him when he hid in a trench. They displayed his body at the side of the road and he died on his way to hospital.

January 21't, 3:30pm: Buxtonian Quincy Blarr- 24, was shot dead by ranks of a mobile police patrol in Brusche Dam, Friendship. He was considered a notonous criminal.

In retaliation to the kilting, Buxtonians went on a rampage damaging property and molesting people.

Januarv 21't, 8.15pm: Brazilian diamond buyer, Belirio Perreira, 63, of Bottle Green Diamond Co., Georgetown, was shot in the head by rwo bandits at Eping Landing.

Mazaruni. He died, The gunmen also bound and gagged

t'emale emplovee January 19h, 4:05am: Gunmen torched

a car near the Railway Embankment and Coldingen Road belonging to Imran

Khan.24. a fish vendor of Enterprise atler they iailed to rob him.

betbre escaping

with

a large haul ol cash und diamonds.

January

22"o,

8.20pm: Business-

January

19th, 3pm: Businessman Ralph Basoo of Better Hope was killed atler he was shot in the head when tive heavily armed bandits robbed his shop.

Atler

rec

elvrng

S100,000 in cash and

a

quantitv of jewellerV

man

Leonard

Paqohn- 31, owner ol Steven Beer Garden Cheap Shop in Charlestorvn. and Carlton Norton. 22.

of

Charlestown.

were shot dead alier a I0-minute sieee of

and terrorizing Basoo's

gunl-lre tiom three carloads of armed

wit'e. they killed him.

bandits. The gun-

a

APPENDIX B - Daily Crime Report: Feb. 2oO2

men fired on Parlohn's premises rnd at the Pet Bovs Beer Garden and Pool Hall alter taking up strategic positions on Ketlev Street. They entered both premises. tiring as they entered. Eight people r,vere injured in the shoot-out. Police arrived on the scene 15 minutes later but the gunmen had tled. Sharon Reece rvho was injured in the shootout died of her injuries on January 25, 2003.

January 23'd, 8am: Tactical Service Unit rank Sergeant Putrick Cumberbatch was robbed on Regent Street by

to Feb.

2oO3

building, and his accomplice surrendered. The policeman rvho came to the scene was traveline in a minibus when he saw the attempted robbery of a securitv guard. The suspects had knives to the guards' throat.

January 2-lh, 5.30pm: A vendor reported that she was shot when gunmen passing in a car sprayed bullets as they traveled through the Good Hope-Lusignan area. She was wounded in the right leg.

a

gunmen. He was robbed of 565.000 in gold.lervellery and

January 25h, 11.30am: Police caught one suspect and

55.000 in cash.

least three other bandits escaped when the bandits were tbrced to stop the minibus that police had been trarling. The bandits ran into the busy market. liring shots.

January 23'd, 7pm: A GDF patrol lbund the body ol Orin Livingston, 39, on the sideline dam separating Annandale and Buxton. He was shot in the jarv.

January 23'd, 6:50am: Police ranks liom the Mgilance Polioe Station came under tire trom gunmen near the Buxton railway embankment. The patrol was on its rvay to Annandale RaiNvay Embankment road where a hrjack car had been abandon rvhen it came under fire.

at

January 26s: Two Buxton residents lbrced a gang of Buxton youths to hand back articles and cash stolen trom passengers in a minibus. The youths had held up the bus and stolen a

CD player, wnst\,vatches and

oash.

January 26s, 8..l5am: Omarie Cromrvell, 19. of Buxton Ivliddle Walk, ,uvas shot in the stomach and lett hand by a dreadlocked man who accused him of being an informer.

Junuary 23'd: Police shot a thief as he and three others snatched a eold chain trom a woman. The three accom-

Cromwell underwent surgery tbr his wounds.

plices escaped.

January 266: Two men were arrested by CANU ranks

January 2-lth, 3pm:

tbllowing the discovery of a TEC 9 Luger submachine pistol with 46 rounds of ammunition in their possession. The men wore arrested at Schoonord, West Bank Demerara.

Yacoob Mohamed, 63. known as Aman. was shot in the head and killed'"vhen six bandits.

Januar.r 276: Businessman NlohamedWalter, "11. oflethem was robbed of 300 Bolivars by an armed gunman dressed in army fatigues. Walter was retuming tiom Brazil in a canoe when the gunman discharged a round tiom his gun tbrcing Walter to abandon his canoe. The gunman placed his gun to Walter's had and robbed him.

'"vith stockrngs over

their laces,

robbed Dolly's Vaneqv Store in Better Hope. The ban-

dits armed with AK47s drove up in a car.

Two of them entered

January 276, l2.30pm: Three bandits robbed thc ''168

the shop while the othcrs remained outside.

The attack lasted no more than 10 minutes and the bandits and Dollv handed over the entire day's sales. When leaving the bandits shot Mohamed in his head splitting open his skull. Dolly's shop had been robbed by bandits in October 2002.

Po.lice and gunmen were involved in a 10minute shootout at the back of Easwille Housing Scheme.

ECD, in the allernoon.

January 24u:

January 24ft, 5.3Oam: Police shot and killed Lennox Younge-Benn. 51 , who was hiding out in a olump of bushes behind the Guystac Trade Two building. The man attacked police with a cutlass. He was shot in the left cheek.

Chinese Restaurant" in Campbellville and took S100,000 in cash. The wit'e of the o.'vner- He Jia Bin. and her and tburyear-old son were tied up hand and tbot and gagged atler the wit-e gave them the money. As the bandits were leaving the owner returned and he was hit and rvounded with the butt of a gun by one of the bandits.

January 276, 8.30pm: Taxi driver Prem Persaud was hijacked bv two gunmen .,vho had hired his car liom the citv.

At Enmore. a gun was p.laced at Persaud's head and he rvas ordered out ol the car. The bandits sped otf with his oar back towards the ci!y.

January 27u, 9pm: Businessman ''Sworby" and his

January 24e, 8.10am: Police shot Rawley Haley, 31, dead in an attempted robberv under arms nearthe bank of Guvana

@_ ffi

Fage 145

,F64

cus-

tomers of Sophia Wireless Intemet Cald rvere robbed by three gunmen. two ofrvhom seemed to be teenagers and one of whom was dreadlocked. The bandits ordered evervone to lie on the tloor and carried away 570,000 worth of phone cards. 580,000 cash. and 1 8 cell phones from the o"vnet and the eight customers.

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

January 28s, 8pm: Police shot and killed 18-vear-old Errol

Februarv 3'd: Police nabbed three men after a search. ArBuxton. ivlark King ol' Goed Fortuin and Anthonv Williams of Buxton. The men were

Immanuel at Bnckdam and Stabroek. Immanuei was coniionted bv a vanioad of police rvho sothim nvice . Immanuel's tnend rvho was with him rvas arrested.

rested r.vere Anthony Gibbs. ol

Januarv 28s: An unidentiied man was shot

3rd: A youns second lieutenant olthe GDF rvas attacked bv ibur vouths while he was travelins in a bus near Melanie Damishana. Army sources said that the four youths remarked that only three people had died and that the intended to killed some more. The otficer cautioned the men and identified himself as a GDF otlicer. One of the youths responded by striking him on the head. The youths disembarked at Melanie Damishana and told the otficer that he was lucky that he was a soldier.

dead by piainclothes police after he snatched a chain lrom a passeneer in a minibus near the Kitty-Campbellville car park. He was shot r'vhile trving to escape.

Januar_v 29n, 7.15pm: Vendor Garv Jankie called "Rasta", 36, r,vas gunned dorvn in Campbellville by lbur gunmen on

hvo motorcvcles. Jankie was shot lbur trmes in the forehead. neck- chest and stomach.

January 30h, 9.10am: Police Constable Deon Joseph ol Kitty Police Station was shot eight times and killed by fwo gunmen.,vhile riding near his home in Sophia. The gunmen had laid in wait tbr him. They lled with Joseph's service revolver.

February 1't, 7.30pm: Ervin Jai Jai Ram, owner ofa lemonade tlctorv in Rose Hall Town, Corent_vne, was attacked and robbed by three armed bandits, two of whom rvere masked and rvere suspected to be tiom the area. The bandits made otTwith 5300.000 cash and 550.000 in jewelrv.

Februarv

2nd,

suspects

in sevcral robberics.

February

February 3'd, 11:50 am: A threatening lerter, r,vhich tdentrfied a senior othcer at CID headquarters tbr possible execution. rvas delivered to the police force. A previous threat by telephone on the police hotline at Brickdam was received on Januarv 31" Februar,v .ls, 12pm: Army patrol recovered tlvo spent 7.62 shells near the Buxton market square. The patrol had responded to guntire and saw a man running iiom the scene with an ,AK 47 rille. The patrol did not persuade the man.

February -lh, 9pm: Hemchand a taxi driver was lured by a woman to the Scottsbure beach. where a gang of four. He was robbed S10,000 and t\,vo gold rings valusdS12,000. the gang also took his oar.

7.{0 pm:

Albert Peters, 45, proprietor of Shanghai Beer Garand Shurland Diamond were krlled whcn up to eight bandits attacked the beer gar-

Februariv 5u, l0:10 pm: Carlos Walton a constable attached to the QRG was shot by three youths on bicvcles and had to take cover in the vicinity of Gaumont Guest

den. Four oithe bandits had been watohing the beer garden aoross the road and entered the shop where Peters lnd his wrt'e rvere hosting a

February 5c, 6pm: Gavin Hinckson, 25. a teacher was injured in an accident. He was taken to the Georgetown hospital where the securitv guard checked a bag he was

den. Charlestown,

birthdav party tor

House.

a

neiehbour. The bandits demanded money and took the monev lioin thc oash drawcr and procccdcd to rob cvcryone ths

il

shop. One bandit tbund a knit'e on Diamond and stabbed trim in his abdomen with ir. Alier Lhe robbery Lhe bandiE took Peters outside and shot him three times in his chest and lell his body on the road.

carrying and discovered an M-i0 Beretta submachine gun and a magazine containing 22 9mm live rounds. The man was placed under guard at the hospital as the police continued their investigation. Hinckson was deported three years ag(J.

Februara 5*, E;JOam; Two gunmsn robbgd a dcliyely IrucK in Mgilanoe despite the presence ot an olf duty police ofIicer. fhev relleved the truck dnver oIa wnshvatch, US$JU and 56.000 along rvrth other items.

February

2nd,

8.{5pm: Detective Constable Gary Will-

iams was shot at by occupants in a car who tlred at him as he was walking to work along Croal Street at the Bnckdam

February 5m 7:3Opm: Businessman Kirk Bro.,vn ofNorton Street. Lodge r,vas shot twice in the upper back r.vhen gun-

Police Station. Williams ran and sought shelter near the Action Tyre building. He was unhurt.

men barged into his home and demanded money and jewellery. They got S30-000. Teenager Radish George. of Princess Street. r,vas shot in his right thigh rvhen the sunmen discharged several rounds while lleeine the scene.

February 3'd: Police Constable Ronald Abel. 25. was fatally shot by five armed men in Buxton-Friendship while visiting his mother and babv daughter. He was shot in the

February 6ft, 3:30am: Armed bandits terrorized David

head and right shoulder.

Ganawav and his lamill, of South Sophia and escaped r,vith a quantilv ol cash and jewellerv and grocerv items.

APPENDIX B - Daily Crime Report: Feb. 2OO2 to Feb.

February 66, 7pm: Three armed men robbed shopkeeper ol 525.000 in cash in the N.WD

John Levona. 27.

llpm: Bandits carrying cutlasses raided the camp ola Braziiian miner and robbed him of several articles valued more than S100,000.

February 6s,

2OO3

robbed him of 540.000. Fifteen rninutes later. a president's guard was robbed 575,000 bv lwo gunmen as he rvas lvalking along the .{venue of the Republic. Two hours late. Bntish High Commissioner statf Quincy De Abreau, 27. was robbed ofa ceil phone and other articles totaling 5115.000.

February llrh, 11 pm: Constable Februalv 7h, 10:31)am: D.Singh and Sons security guard Indar Sanichar was relieved of his bicycle and wristrvatch bv lbur men on the Railwav Embankment Buxton.

Februar,v 7s, 11:30am-J: 30pm: Gunmen robbed the employee of a bakery deliverv truck of S45,000. The sprce continued in Paradise where a laborer Mitra Mahadeo was robbed oi53,500 bv tive bandits.

February 8s: Police shot two men dead outside of the New Building Sociew main otlice on Avenue of the Republic.

Two men were walking on the Avenue of the republic and the mobile patrol rvas in the area one ol the men turnaround and upon seeing the police open fire on the police. Dead are suspected bandits Junior Reece. called Knuckle, and Gary

Peters was heading for his home at Nandv Park. EBD. when two men shot at him.

The men lired at least six shots. Fortunatelv, none of the bullets struck him and the constable scaied his t-ence and retreated to the sat-ew of his home.

February 12h, 1:10am: A tbmily olnine

l'eared

lbr their

lives alter an explosive device was thrown at their Mgilance home.

Februar,v 12ft, 9:30pm: Ronald Joseph, 33. of Buxton and Rawle Goodridge. 22, of Friendship were gunned down in a car on the Ogle old road, ECD. The men were shot dead by the occupants olanother car. A quantitv of arms and ammunition was recovered tiom the vehicle. Williams has been linked to l3 murders including tlve committed on policc.

Jobe.

Februar,v 12ft, 2:30am: Bandits entered the home of

February 8h, 10:15pm: A gang of tlve armed men with cutlasses. knives and pieces of lvood attacked a security guard on dulv at the Survival supermarket on Vlissengen road and relieved him oi his tlrearm, and took a handheld radio lrom a colleague rvho had responded to his alarm.

February th, 12: 45pm: Youg-Yi-Houg. 3 1. ol Sheriff Street, was robbed ol 535,000 by two men aller he disembarked tiom a speedboat at the Vreed-en-hoop stelling.

February 9e: A businessman of Georgetown claims he sut't'ered a racial attack outside a resident at Zeeburg as he waf

a

Nabaclis residenttrnd businesswoman and stole several items.

One t'amily member arose and raise an alarm the bandits then llee the scene. The police were contacted by the owner but got no response. A pubtic-spirited citizen recovered some of the items.

February l3th, 11 am: Two armed bandits robbed and terrorized a La Union. WCD. tamily. Mrs. Shivsankar and her maid were at home at the time. The gunmen threatened to shoot the babv. Atier the men took all the valuables, one of the bandits sarv Mrs Shivsankar's wedding band and bit it otf her tinger. f hey escaped with S 1 M in cash and jewellew.

driving his car in the company of a triend when a horse cart

with about nine men stopped in liont of his vehicle. He was verballv abused and relieved valucd S90.000.

ofa chain and a gold

band that

February th, 5:30am: Compton Henry.45. was shot three timcs by a Lamaha Gardens businessman. The busrnessman saw fls1ry rvith some plants and enquired tiom him how to got them. I{enry pulled out a cutlass and attacked the businessman who shot him.

February 13h, 9:1()pm: Devita Deonarine and her tbmily were attacked at their home in Palmyra Mllage. CorenWne. by six gunmen who tailed io gain entry then demanded that they throw out therr monev. The t-amilv did not complv and the bandits tired three shots into the air and leti.

February l.le.3pm: Lumberyard owner Looknauth Persaud of Melanie Damishana suftered tbr the tburth time at the hands of bandits This time he was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash to two armed men on a bicycle.

February 10h: Police reported Nvo men on a motorcycle shot at them while they were on patrol near the Kitty raitrvay embankment. The men abandoned their motorcvcle aller the police returned fire on them.

February 11s, 12:30pm: David Balram. 59. was shot in the arm by one of t'ive unmasked gunmen in liont of his Annandale home, rvhen ltve young men demanded to be let in. He refused and the gunmen opened tlre.

February 15h, l0:35am: Ramra.j Sukhu. 51- of Annandale was riding his bicvcle when two boys who r,vere ridine in the opposite direction stopped him and pulled out a gun and took awav his bicvcle along with 55.500 belbre riding away. Andrer,v Maxwell was taken into custody after he was seen lvith the bicvcle half an hour later.

February 156: Gunmen robbed a couple of 532,000 in two wedding bands and a cell phone while thev were awaiting transportation on the Annandale Public Road. cash,

February 11s, llam: Bandits robbed three persons. The first was Lance Corporal Terry Bisnauth. ,13, was about to enter Commrade's Inn guest house. when two gunmen

age'147

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

them 533.000 and his wit'e handed over 58.000

February I 5h, 10:50 pm: Three sunmen invaded thc Shaikan Guest House on Princess Street and made otf with 540,000, a pair olearnngs and one gold ring alter raping the 29 year-

old receptionists.

February l5s 10:20pm: Three bandits armed with cutto rob the Two Brothers gas station at

lasses attempted

Eccles. The owner Shamaz Ali dischareed thrce shots and

they

February 20e: Police Constable Persaud was attacked bv men armed with knives aller he disembarked liom a minibus in vioinit-v of the Guyana National Co- operative Bank.

They robbed him of 518,000 and U.S 5100.

Februarv 21't 9:30pm: Kenneth Providence. 39, a driver emploved rvith Banks DIH Limited was chopped across his face bv an occupant of a blue Marino car as he was retuming to Georsetown on the Pouderoyen Public road.

t1ed.

February t6h, 8:30pm: Three masked gunmen robbed

a

Iiquor restaurant and lotto outlet olvned by Durga Persaud at Rose Hall Torvn on the Coren{ne Thev took away an S110.000 CD player, 5700,000 in cash and 20.000 worth of telephone cards. Persaud's brother r.vas robbed of a bicvcle lvorth 5?0.000 and a cell phone. Dereck Macoon lost 58.000 and a bicycle valued at S17,000 and Chriskel Persaud was relieved of S110.000.

February 22"d: A minibus picked up three men on Company Road Buxton. Two ol the men entered the bus while the other one pushed his hands in the bus and grabbed a eold chain tiom Walton Brummell. a sergeant attached to the Tactical Service Unit. The sergeant resisted and was shot in the chest. Belbre he died. the sergeant retumed fire, shooting Biko Ed'"vards. Bus conductor Shawn Semple was also shot and injured.

February 16s: A gunman pretending to be a passenger stopped a taxi and requested to be taken to La Penitence.

On arrival. he pulled out a gun and hijacked the vehicle . The police later recover the taxi. Thc 524,000 tape deck, spare whcel and hydraulic pump were missing.

l

February 16th, 5:30am: Businesswoman Puipyera Boahid of Rose Hall, Corentyne, was attacked by tbur gunmen.

Boahid was relieved of two pairs of bangles valued 540,000 and tbur gold rings worth S10,000. Her mother Dhanmattie Ramcharran was relieved ol 520,000 and her sister lost one gold chain valued 530,000, one pair ofbangles worth S20,000, and three gold rings valued 58,000.

February 22nd: Jermaine Man'in and James Wiltshire were shot dead in a drive-bv shooting in Barr Street Albouystown.

A car drove up and open tired on them as thev were ridine on a motorcycle. They I'ell to the ground and their motorcycle burst into flame.

February 23'd: Injured minibus conductor Shawn Semple died in hospital.

February 23'd llpm: Cyrit Singh was shot dead by CANU olficer in the New Msion Testament Churoh compound in David Street, Kitty. Singh was reportedly attemptrng to steal a plant pot.

Februarv 16s 11:15pm: Three men armed.with ritles and cutlass made oif with a tractor and 535,000 belonging tp Harold Roeers. 48. of Deer Park, Kwakrvani.

February 25h 5:17pm: Police caught bandit red-handed robbing city shopper quantit-v gold jewellery at the comer of Longden and Amenca Street.

February 16h: A GDF private was walking along Ozama Street when I'wo men who were armed

with knives attacked

him. The soldier got the upper hand in the battle, tbrcing the bandits to t'lce.

February 26s, 1:15am: Special constable Thomas was atol his llrearm in the Guyana Rcvenue Authority Compound on Lamaha and East Street bv an tacked and relieved

unidentified man.

February 17m: An Annandale woman managed to escape tiom three bandits. while she was walking along the South Annandale Nlarket Road. The woman said she saw the three men one of them was carrying a gun and tumed rnto a near bv shop end raised tn altm firrcing rhe trandit,s to flee

February l7n, 9:30pm: Police exchanged gunfire with rwo

February 26h, 2am: Rhonda Phillips of East Ruimveldt had her door kicked down by tbur bandits, all armed with guns. The bandits held her at gunpoint and demanded eash nd jewellery; the.v a.lso took arvay horrsehoid appliances.

men on motorcycle in Sheriff Street, but the gunmen managed to escape.

February 27s, 1:30pm: Astras Majeed. 37, rvas lashed otf his bicycle and relieved of 53,000 in Buxton by a bandit. before riding away with his bicycle.

Februarv 19h, 7:45pm: Troy Baptiste was shot seven times by gunmen in a car some 15 vards tiom his Sophia home. He died.

February 27h,2:3Dam Three bandits invaded the home Boston Chester- 55. of Wismar was lbrced to hand over 592.000, his driver licensed and other doouments to the men who was armed r.vith handsun and cutlass.

February 20u: A GDF warrant officer and his wilt were robbed bv a gang oliive youths while waiting at a roadblock February 27s, 9pm: Berbice prison escapee Gogonand rnBuxton. Thevouthsdemandedcashandtheollioerhanded

.,d.-.

ffi, ?t .,d*.

Ramotar ',vas shot and klled bv ranks of the euick Response Group at the Cromarty Dam Corenryne. Ramotar iir.d .rt th. police *ho r"tumei t,r". killing hlm.

Page 148

APPENDlxc.Victims'Dossier:PersonalAccountsofRace.HateGrimes

Appendix

G

Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts of Race-Hate Crimes "You coolie skunt don't know ,vou can't wear gold?"

(PNC/African male protesters to Indianwoman: July 3,2002)

"We go rape you fucking coolie skunt'" (PNC/African male protesters to Indian woman: July

3,

2002)

" carulot trust any Afro person for the rest of my life 2002) (Nalini - stripped, robbed andbeaten by PNC/Africanprotesters: July 3'

"I

"They should-a kill you coolie skunt."

(PNC/Africiur female supporter to lndian women: July 3, 2002)

"Give me all the money and gold.. or I will shoot you'" (African Guyanesebandit to Anita Singh: August 4,2002)

" "You fuckrng coolie, you and you chil$ go dead here today (African Guyanese bandit to Amanda Khan: Octobet 23,2002) and get rich' Every Black boy in Buxton [must] have a gun to rob and kill tndians october (Afncan Guyanese kidnapper to Kumaldat and Gomattie Ramprashad:

[We] would never rob or

kill

25 ,

2002)

25 ,

2002)

a Black man, only lndians'

october (African Guyanese kidnapper to Kumilrdat and Gomattie Ramprashad:

"....this coolie has to die."

(Africam Guyanese kidnapper to Dev Sharma: March 6' 2003)

3-2002, was attacked' robbed RS, 36. an tndian f'emale victim of the PNC protest of July and a tnend' a young woman' Nalini' had and stripped on New Garden Street around midday. She a few persons hurrying about saying gone to Georgetou.n to shop and do business when they heard was clearing the streets' ,h. p.o,.rr.rs lvere in Georgetown. The stores were closing and everyone

age 149

GIHA CRIME REPORT - INDIANS BETRAYED!

including their vehicles. She rvas rvorried that her

fiom school.

I3

-year-oid son rvould be on the road tn,ing to get

left schooi and the tr,vo women proceeded up Regent Street thrnking the.v might be luckv to get a bus or a car to get home. They r,vere scared and sarv a bus stop by Camp St to put offpassengers. and an Indian girl came walking toi,vards them a bus to get home

She was told that he had

and said the bus had been robbed and that she had been robbed and cuffed in her face. The women

started running up Regent St and saw an Indian boy holding a blood.,- slurt to his tbrehead. He had

of his gold charn and r,vailet. They ran through New Garden Street and came to face wrth a group of about i2 African Gu-v-anese men rvho circled them. The lvomen had already taken offtheir jeweilery and put them in their bags and the men grabbed their bags and threrv the \,vomen

been robbed

like: "You coolie skunt don't knorv you can't gold" and "You fuckrng coolie. we going to stnp you."

While the-v were on the ground. RS sarv another group stripping the top off an Indian lvoman's but an Aliican man stopped his car and rescued her. He did not see the tlvo women on the ground and drove alvav. The men told the two 'ffomen that they were going to rape them and RS curled her into a foetal position with her knees to her stomach to trv and protect herself. Tr,vo of the men pulled her arms above her head and others pulled her feet down and they ripped her blouse.

Their hands r,vere all over her body. groping, and their sweat lvas dnpping on her.

The men continued to terrorise the r,vomen b-v trying to unzip their jeans and they cned out in f'ear and pra-ved while another group of Afrrcan men and women mocked and taunted them with their laughter. They both thought they would be raped and killed. After about five minutes of this grabbing and fondling and tugging and cursing, the men rvere called arvay. Someone called to them. ''Let's go no!v". and they left the women. taking all their belongings in their bags. The women got up. shaken and trembling. and covered themselves as best they could. The,v r,valked up New Garden Street and near to Lamaha Street, an Indian man stopped his car and gave them a nde home.

The r,vomen continue to be traumatized. They said it was an experience they will live with for the rest of their lives. t Goods stolen from RS included: cash $15.000. Jervels 570,000, Stationery 52.000 clothes and matenal $4.000. atotal of $91,000.

on the ground using racist remarks and dirry expletives r,vear

Nalini S, 19, lvas the Indian firend of RS r,vho suffered the attack on Ner,v Garden Street on Jul.v 3rd along with her. She worked with RS as a serving machine operator and had gone shopping wrth her. She recounted the fear of being raped and killed and remembered the curses and race hate that the gang of Black men shouted at them: "You coolie skunt! Wha ;rou-all doing hele'?"

" 'Take o{Iyou ru0tdng Jeans "We go rape you fuckrng coolie skunt."

Nalini said it was obvious that the men felt that they. tndians. had no nght to rvalk on the road. to wear jewellery have money. have digrulv. or even have the right to live.

She said their hands were everywhere. npping her brassiere and fondling her breasts. and some of them had pushed their hands into her panries.

Since the attack. she retumed to her home in Mahaicony and never came back to Georgetolr.n until late September. When she made thattnp. she was the only lndian in the minibus and she said the Blacks made a joke of it and. laughing. said tlungs like: "Lermve hide she."

@ ffi.Fuo"

r so

APPENDIX G - Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts of Race-Hate Grimes

She said that the \,vaJ1 she tblt nolv. she cannot think of traveling to town anvmore.

traumatized by the attack and

I cannot trust any Afro

"l

am still

person for the rest of my life. They robbed me

of cash 55.000 jewels S12.000 and two tops worth 53,000. I still get nightrnares of that was temfied for my life."

da-v when

I

Savitri, an lndian teacher at Zeeburg, West Coast Demerara- lvas also attacked, robbed and molested on July 3rd. She and a femaie colieague from West Bank were in Georgetown to do some corrections to Common Entrance Examrnation slips. They were at the bus park near Stabroek

Nlarket to get transportation back home around 1:30pm when they were attacked by a group of about 17 African Guyanese. The group included three women. Savitri sard that, as with RS and Nalini. the group suddenl-v converged as if a signal had been given. The group tugged at them, cuffed them about the tace and body. took therr handbags, jewellery and even Savitn's spectacles. Savitn remembered that the rvomen r,vere the ones trying to tug at their trousers to get them off. Dunng the attack they were cursed and racist remarks r,vere hurled at them. When someone sard. "Alright. lcrwve go now". the group moved arvay. Savitn said that as they moved closer to Stabroek Nlarket. to get transportation home, a f-emaie African vendor laughed at them and shouted: "They should-a kill you coolie skunt."

Bibi Nesha of Bare Root, ECD, r,vas attacked by African Guyanese men and women. A group of them had been breaking up the road during election time, April 2001. and when they ran to hidc in her yard r,vhcn the police came, she told them not to come into her yard. She thinks this incensed them and one morning earlv she w'as palled out of her home - the person sa.ving they had a message tbr her - and r,vhen she came out of her house thev attacked her stnpping her and beating

her about her entirc

bod-u-

and breaking her hand as well. She rvas told that her coolie mouth like to

talk and that she must get out and go and live r,vith coolie people. The attack r,vas carried out in front of her children. She was forced to move tiom the village. She rvas hospitalized and still suffer from those injunes. She said Atiican Guyanese moved into her house rvhen she left.

Mala Phagoo, of Enmore. East Coast Demerara. lvas travelling in a minrbus through Buxton during the post-elections violence of 2001. when a channa-bomb was hurled into the bus by Atiican Guyanese protesters in Buxton. \lala's long hair caught fire in the explosion and she ran down the road towards Annandale. the neighbounng Indian village. She said that Afncan Guyanese women lined the road and. the mother of a young baby. she thought she would appeai to their sensibilities as women: and she screamed: ''Help me! I have a little baby at home." She said the r,vomen laughed. jeered and hurled ethnic abuse at her. She said it'uvas as ifthe scene of horror was a movie scnpt that r,vas being acted out for them, that an Indian women set on fire was entertainment for them. She rvas rescued by Indians in Arurandale and taken to Georgetown Hospital. She discharged herself the next

GIHA CRIME REPORT

. INDIANS

BETRAYED!

day and u'as treated at r private hospital. She said that the African Guyanese nurses rvere neither slrnpathetic nor kind in their treatment. NIala had to be treated for her severe burns overseas and still bears the scars of her ordeal.

Anita Singh of North Nlelanie. East Coast Demerara. was robbed early- Sunday evening 2002. Three Afrrcan Guvanese bandits made off with over 5300-000 in cash and jeweis.

One of the bandits grabbed Anita by her waist-length hair and told her that he r,vas going to cut it off because " I don't like coolie". He then cut her hair offr,vith a knife.

The attack happened as Anita's 57-r,-ear-o1d mother Savitri Sukdeo, and her l2-year-old August

-1.

son, Ryan. were r,vatching a movie. The bandits entered the house through an open wrndolv. Three other children \,vere sleeping in the bedroom, Puran, 16. Hemraj, 15 and Oma, I I Savitri. heanng a noise in the bedroom. peeped through the door blind and her eyes made four r,vith a bandit who rvas pointing a gun to her

face. She was so scared she could say nothing. Bv then another bandit rvith a Rambo knife entered. and the third held Anita rvith a gun pointed to her throat. "Nobody move.

No noise. Everybody stay quiet," he said. Anrta said

she

was trembling but the gunman held on to her tightly and took

her to her room. The other bandit forced Savitri to lie face dor,vn and then tied

up Rvan. and stuffed his mouth r,vith the

charr back and few pieces of cioth.

Anita said the bandits demanded that she "give me all the money and gold". She told him that that she had no money pnd he said. "Yes. you have to bring it or I rvill shoot you." She then gave him $30.000 from a box and S150,000 which was to do a religious function. $23.000 which Ryan saved at school in a Thrift bank. and $150.000 in jewellery. Seeming satisfied wrth their rewards. the bandits led Anita out of the room and placed her face dou.n in a chair. While the knifeman lvas guarding her. the gunmen went to the cllldren's room and Oma r,vho was ar,vake lvas tlreatened r,vith her life too. She r,vas told that if she didn't tell them w'here the money ''vas, she would not go back to the Paradise school. Oma was forced to open the r,vardrobe. and the children was stripped of their rvatches and a camera.

Whilc thc gunmen left through the open windor.v'- the bandit with the knife cut off Anita's nair. Tney all calmlv wall(ed a\,vay from the house

Serojonie Lall. her husband and daughter an Indian Guvanese familv r.vere robbed in Juiy 2002 bv gunmen. at their home in Buxton of jervellery and $80.000 cash. Thev reported that they witness robbenes of Indians daily but are scared to talk because they fear for their lives. Thev are

wiiling to sell their house but cannot find a buver r,vho rvould give them a satisfactory price so that thev could buv another house elser,vhere. Mr Lall suffers from a heart condition and his familv rvere

@ ?t'p

"fFase ro(S'

152

APPENDIX G - Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts

distressed that he could suffer a fatal hearl attack because

of Race-Hate Grimes

ofthe trauma and stress created bv the

situation.

Savitri Teakram, an Indian Guyanese businessr,voman. of A&R Bargarn Centet Robb St., Georgetown- on August 23.2002. was robbed when seven Atncan Gu.vanese bandits came to her store. They took arvay goods r,vorth 5600.000 and an undisclosed sum of cash then stnpped Savitn leaving her in her under garments only. The robberv occurred around I I am when a group of men entered the shop and asked the pnce of some items. She noticed them taking a keen interest in her son r,vho was counting some US currency at the time and who then left the shop. As she r,vas about

to complete the transaction of one. a third one, with a haversack- emptied it in front of her and took out a gun. Savitri said she began to tremble and the gunman asked for her son. demanding money and other items from her.

She was about to take the money from the canister. lvhen tr,vo other bandits whipped out cutlasses. and she noticed four others standing in the doonvay with choppers. She took them to the cashier cagc and handed them a sum of cash and they then asked for US currency. She told them she did not have any and the,v asked for her son. When thev could not find him. they threatened her saying. "Where is the US? You have it. Give r.ve or else we gon kill you." Savitri cned and pleaded with them. insrsting that she had none. Seemingly satisfied. each of the men grabbed bags and looted the store untrl their bags rvere full. Savitri said the gunman told her to take offher clothes and when she resisted this order. he became funous and proceeded to np offher clothrng. He rvas about to Lut her r,vith the gun'"vhen one of his accomplices urged him to leave her alone and they all left the store.

She cried out for help and the men from the liquor store beneath her shop responded and called the police. Savitri said shc r,vas fed up with the situation and did not f'eel safe anymore.

Non Panel. an East Coast Demerara village. was attacked by a group of about twelve young bandits early in the morning of August 28. 2002. There rvas one hrdian bandit in the group of Blacks and hc. according to the rictims. had the ''long gun'' rvhrle most of the rest had handguns All the

victims t'elt that the youths \,vere on a training exercise. The young bandits split up into groups and robbed. brutalized and raped. Up to six households rvere attacked. While GIFIA knows of one rape, we believe that others occurred but that the victims are reluctant to make this pubiic. The rape victrm and tamily rvere helped through the GIHA Jahali Fund but have asked that their names are not made public. The following are the stories of the households GIFIA visited and helped rvith counseling and medications.

Lilliah

and their three young cluldren were robbed of a few thousand dollars when the bandits broke into their home. coming through a window. They pushed a pistol into Shoba's mouth and terronzed the tamiiy asking for mone\r. The Lilliahs have a small chicken busi-

Shoba and Suraj

ness and Suraj does some carpentry so they had little to give the bandits. The fbur r,vho came into the

home. including the Indian one. left wrth a small amount of cash and a hammer from Suraj's tools.

The hammer turned up dunng the attack on Ramona and Maniram. When their home was

GIHA GRTME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

broken into. Ramona was hit in the face rvrth the hammer and her husband r,vas hit on the head rvith the hammer and one of the bandits placed him on the floor and stood on his neck. The bandits made

off rvrth some cash and jewellery fiom this home.

At another home, X. a young \,voman in her trventres lvas raped by the lndian and one of the Black bandits. She and her mother r,vere terrorized and the bandits made offr,vrth little more than a pair ofbrand name sneakers and a haversack.

Haroon Rasheed, 65. was sitting up still at his home with a coupie of young men after people had left the wake being held for his r'vife r,vho had been killed in a road accident. Four Black bandits attacked the home. The tivo men with Rasheed tled the scene. Rasheed had suffered a stroke and could not lvalk. Dunng the attack. the bandits took awav several rtems from the home including a television. They then threr,v kerosene on Rasheed and set lim alight. Rasheed r,vas taken to Public Hospital r,vhere GIFIA visited and provided medications for him that rvere not avarlable at the hospital's pharmacy. Rasheed died on September 7,2002. On the day before he died he told GIHA that the attack rvas carried out b,v four -r-oung Black bandits and he said he did not know r,vhv they had set hrm alight.

Sharon Chatterpaul, 37. an Indian Guvanese of Mahaicony. and a mother of three. was stripped and robbed near Annandale on August 30. 2002, the day of (escaped bandit) Andrerv Douglas' funeral in Bur:ton. She called the GIHA hotline to tell her story. She said that she r.vas on her way to Georgetown lvhen the minibus she lvas traveling in r,vas stopped and robbcd by a group of Afncan Guyanese men. She was robbed of 520.000. a pair of gold eamngs. nng, and a lvristwatch. When she got out of the bus. they said: "You come here, you coolie skunt." She was wrestled onto the ground and stnpped of her top and was about to have her skirt stripped off when she grabbed the ankles of a Black man passing by on the road and begged for help. saying. "Nlister. mister please help me. They say they go rape me." The man shouted at the gang and fiey ran away.

Sharon said she rvas afraid that the men rvould rape her and kill her. She was rescued by people rn Annandale r,vho gave her a..lersey to lvear since her blouse had been torn She spentthe night with relatives and traveled home the next dav.

Monica Mohamed. a mother of five, of Robb Street, Georgetown, has experienced several afiacl$ by Aliican Guyanese bandrts sincE 1994, In 1994, when shE lvas livmg rn Derbice. bandits

- she r,vas eight months' pregnant - and threatening to cut her open and take the child out from her. During the attack, she r,vas hurled rvith curses and racist remarks. She handed over money and jewellery during that attack. ln November 2001, she raped her stepsister, holding a cutlass to her belly

was attacked n her Georgetown home when a bandit put a knife to her throat and robbed her. Dunng the July 3,2002. PNC protest, her son r.vas attacked and robbed.

& ffi,Pase

1se

APPENDIX G - Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts

of Race-Hate Grimes

Charles Sarjoo and his daughter Amanda Khano of East Bank Demerara. were attacked and robbed at midday on October 23. 2002 b-v five armed bandits. four of whom r,vere African Guvanese and one of whom they descnbed as mixed. The men entered the business prerruses. a rumshop. Highrva-v 701. having exted a mrnibus comrng from the cilv which drove a'uvav empt_v.

Sa4oo said the men were armed lvith rifles. He thought they were AK 47s. He said the men were unmasked and lvere not weanng bulietproof vests. The men ordered his son-in-lar,v and lus tiiend to

hit Saqoo on his head. The bandits demanded money. They asked specifically for the "black bag". Saqoo said he used a black bag r,vhen he \,vent to to\,\.n to do busrness and that he then realized that his movements had been watched.

Amanda,who 'ffas two months pregnant. r,vas upstairs cooking lunch when she heard the commotion downstairs and came down to investigate. She was kicked ur the stomach and dragged 1ie fbcedown and

back upstairs by trvo of the bandits . She said she screamed out that she was pregnant but that did not stop them from kicking her.

The-v-

told her: "You fucking coolie. vou and you child go dead here today."

They demanded the black bag and Amanda handed it over. Sar;oo said it had $4.5 mrllion in local and foreign currency cash. They dragged Amanda back dolrnstairs and left her lying face dou.n in the yard. They took awalz the licensed firearm

of Saqoo's son-in-law. The bandits calmiy walked out ofthe shop after the attack and disappeared into the bushes, and the police arrived about 45 minutes later. He said the first question they asked was how much money had been taken.

Sarjoo suffered several cuts to his head and recerved medical treatment. Amanda \,vas seen by her gynaecologist. She did not mrscarrv the baby.

Sarjoo's rvife and )'oung son were out of the countw at the time of the attack and he said he seriously considering closing up hrs business and leaving the country. He told GIHA that he had supported the PPP all his life and had given monev for their political campaigns but that since the

r,vas

attack no one tiom the party had called or vrsited him.

On October 25.2002. Kumardat Ramprashad. a gold smrth and o\,!rrer of Kumar's Jewellery.

Cove and John. ECD. and his l-l-vear-old daughter. Gomattie, were kidnapped by four armed bandits in Golden Grove at around 7.30am. Gomattie. a student of President's College. had gone on an'agricultural field trip and rvas being picked up by her father w'hen the kidnappers. all Afiican

Guvanese. drove their car across the Golden Grove Road to block Ramprashad's car. The bandits were armed r,vith a pump nfle, machine gun and a 9mm pistol. Ramprashad was shoved into the back

of the car and the gunmen were putting Gomattie into the trunk then decided agarnst that.

The car had been hrjacked and the driver was in the trunk. Ramprashad reported that all the African Guyanese residents of Golden Grove saw the kidnapping but when the police and medra went to them later, they said they saw nothing.

Ramprashad and Gomattie were taken into Buxton, to an old, flat house. Everyone in the area saw them being held. The kidnappers rvalked openly with their victims and rvere not masked.

Gomattie was put to sit in a chair and was threatened that she would be raped by an Aids victrm. and that she would only live one year after that. Thev threatened to cut off her toes and slapped her a couple oftimes. They cuffed Ramprashad several times. They placed a plastrc bag over Ramprashad's

155

GIHA CRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

head to get Gomattre to talk about the monev thev had. Gomathe sard the bandits talked wildly about

getting S40 - S50 mrllion ransom.

Gomattie toid them all she knew and since this corroborated lvhat Ramprashad had said they removed the plastic bag from tus head. He sard he had neariy died. They tred Gomattie's mouth wrth a dirLy* vest that was lying on the floor. One of them brandished a gun and threatened to kril them and

another tied a grenade over Gomattie's head and threatened

to

blor,v them

up

if

they made any

mrstakes. The bandits sard that they had informatron that Ramprashad had lots of diamonds, and guns

including two AK 47s. Ramprashad agam told them r.vhat he had rn terms of monev and gold and that

olwer of a 3.2 Taurus. The bandits demanded everr.thrng he had.

Ramprashad said the bandits all had ceil phones. Another had jorned them at the house, so there were five of them and voung boys on the road outside r,vho were the iook-outs. One of the hdnappers called the Ramprashad home and spoke to the older daughter. She r,vas told rvhere to

he u,as the

make the drop-off of the ransom. Ramprashad begged them to let his brother do the drop-off and not

his r,vife or daughter.

The family had gathered up $-16I.000 in cash and some five pounds of gold rn jer,vellery for the bandits. When they retumed with the cache they seemed to want more and complained that the gun \,vas not in the bag. Horvever. Ramprashad said the glitter of all the gold seemed to satisfy' them.

Before the bandits left them- they warned them that they r,vere not to talk to the police. arn-v or media and that

if

the-v-

did. that they would thror,v grenades at their house and at their famrl-v's houses and

wipe them out.

After they collected the loot, Ramprashad overheard them whispenng about killing them but then they sard they would let them live but that they were to take a message to the President and the people of Gu-vana. The bandrts gave Ramprashad S 1.000 from their money to get them home and 1eft teiling them to stay put for an hour and then to leave. Ramprashad said they waited for about half an hour and then walked out onto the Burlon public road. An army detail sarv them and turned arvay and Ramprashad and Gomattie got a bus andrw'ent home.

The message Ramprashad rvas given rvas that all the crime r,vas onl.v* the begrnrmg of a reign of terror against Indian business peoplc to get the government to resign. The bandits said that they would go rrto Indian communities and slaughter Indian business people like ammais and rvipe out whole communities. especially Annandale. Ramprashad r,vas targeted because- the.v told htm, he was Indian and a big supporter of the PPP. They told hrm that they controlled up to 70 percent of the army and police. and that the few who lvere loyal to the government would be siaughtered.

The message for the president was that if he did not resign and allow a B.lack to rule that all the above actions would take place. Ramprashad said they were persistent in their demands for guns ard said that they wanled every Black boy in Buxton t0 have a gun m rob and kll hdrans and get nch Ramprashad said that the bandits seemed to be making cails to high profile people. One of the bandits spoke to someone and said: "Yes, sir. we have them."

The one rvho seemed to be the leader said that they would never rob or krll a Black man. oniy lndians. He said they said they rvould kill Home Affairs Mrnister Ga.1ra3 and assassrnate the "fucking president".

Ramprashad said that he would tell lus story to the United Nations overseas, and to local

diplomats. He said he did not trust to sav anything to the armv police, the Guyana Human Rights

ffi._

7 Y 92nA

tâ&#x201A;Ź,''

156

APPENDIX G - Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts of Race-Hate Crimes

Association- or the local I-.rN office because of the locai peopie who r,vork in these offices.

Ramprashad and Gomattie's ordeai lasted some tbur hours.

The Ramprashacl famillt have since emigrated and live abroqd.

The body of Jinga

ilIotilall,

65. an An-randale businessman r,vho was kidnapped on Wednes-

October 30- 2002 at his sugarcane fields aback Annandale and Buxton- was fished out of the Buxton/Annandale sidelme rench the next day. Nlotilall r,vas abducted b_"- five armed African Guyanese youths at 9.30am as he sat on a bridge with field r,vorkers. He r,vas dragged awav to\,vards the da1,.

Fnendship area. When

GIHA visited the family

the next day, one

of the sons. Nlike. sard that the bandits had asked for a S2OIVI ransom but had subsequentlv said that they were not interested in the money. The familrz sard that they had told the bandits they could raise $5NI but that the bandits had said that that r,vas pocket money.

The family received calls on Thursda-v- telling them to pick up iVlotilall's body but a search had proved fuuitless. After further phone calls. another search at about lpm turned up Nlotiiall's bod-u-.

He had been shot in the jar.v and around the area of his lett ear.

GIHA visited the famrlv on Fnday and spoke to the big son. also called Jinga. He said that lus father had lived well r,vith his African neighbours in Buxton and hired many of them as labourers in his sugarcane fields. He said that his father was proud of his good relatrons with the Black people at Buxton who. he said. would call his father "uncle" and "cha-cha". He said this made his t-ather feel saf-e despite all the recent cnminalrt-v'. He believed that the killing had soryethrng to do w'ith the lands at the back of Buxton that his father had bought over to cuitivate and extend his sugarcane production. He believed that this had created some jealousy among some elements at Buxton who had noted that the lands. which had been laying waste. were producing tons of cane.

Ramdial Desai, 49. of Enterprise was shot dead in

a

shootout between the police and suspect. Nlelroy Goodman, on Oc-

tober 29. 2002, at around 9.20am. Desai had stopped to repair his bic.vcle at a shop in Paradise when he 'uvas caught in the shootout.

He was the father of five. His wit'e. Sukmattie. rvas ill and GIHA helped facilitate medical attention for her at the Georgeto\ rr Hospitai and provrded some financial assistance lbr the famrly When GIHA visited the home just days after the shooting the famiiy said that thev had been offered no help or compensation from the poiice or any Government agencies. Sukmattie saidthatthe police came and apologized and that the Finance Minister came and said that "somebody would come" but that to date no

GIHA CRIME REPORT - INDIANS BETRAYED!

one from Government had vrsited them. While three of the children are gro\rrr up and marned.

Sukmartie strll has to care fbr the trvo school-age bovs. Nlohandas and Omesh.

She said that Ramdial

as a labourer on the estate and that they had started building ',vorked Foulis East Coast a house at on the but that she rvas nor,v reluctant to go and live in a mixed communiw. GIHA f-acriitated getting the tamil-v's story into the KaieteLtr Nervs.lt had been noted that the death of a black \,voman. Dorothy Williams. also shot in a shootout. had received full and immediate attention and support from the Government and police. The police paid for Williams' flineral. After the Desai's story appeared in Kaieteur l{ews, aiong with a letter to the press pointrng out the discnmination. the President met i,vith NIrs Desar. tlvo r,veeks after her husband's death, and promised help r,vith funeral expenses

and pension benefits.

The Desai family received some help from Government to complete the house started by the late NIr Desai. However the money ran out and the house was incompiete. GIFLA. arranged fbr the comple-

tion of the home through the generosrty- of an Indian-owned business entrty.

Businessman Camaldeo Ghanesh,

27

,

was krdnapped in the

Buxton area on October 23, 2002 at around 6pm .,vhen he had gone there to visit frrends as usuai. His mother told GIFIA that her son had received a call from a woman and then left.

A $500.000 ransom

\,vas

demanded tiom the family and his mother said that the kidnapper asked that the money be brought to the Buxton Raihvay Embankment r,vrthin 15 minutes of the call. The family had no way of geuing that

kind of money in that space of time and feltrthe krdnappers intended to ki1l Ghanesh. Ghanesh's famiiy had no idea r,vhv he had been targeted since he had frrends in Buxton.

Ghanesh's brother felt that the Buxtonians might be trylng to tell everyone that Indian people lvere not rvelcome in Buxton. Ghanesh's body. partially eaten. was discovered three da,vs later rn the

Buxlon Backdam. He had been krlled execution style r,vith a single gunshot to the head. He had been a Stabroek market vendor. His mother r,vas particularly distraught at the homble r,vay his body had bden teft to rot and be eaten by dogs.

The brother who had gone to identi! the body said that Ghanesh's face had been eaten ar,vay and that he rdentrfied him by an operatr.on scar he had. Ghanesh Ieaves a w'rfb- Sumta Goddette,

aud tryg uhiidtun fuuur" and Aja,v. agud E arid 4 rvspcr,Lrvcly.

Ghanesh's mother said that no Government official had visited them to offer sympat\ or help. When GIHA asked whether it was true that Ghanesh had a girifriend in Buxton, she said she did not know if that was true. She said the rumours that he was involved with drugs were not true and

that she and her t\,vo sons had worked hard at their market stalls where thev sold fabrics.

A family in an East Coast village rvere terrorized for about 20 minutes one night rn October.

The husband was on the verandah and lus wrfe and two children and a neighbour's child q,ere downstairs rn the krtchen. At 6pm there \,vas a blackout and just before 7pm. the husband heard

ffi ?3p !",iS-

age 158

APPENDIX G - Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts of Race-Hate Crimes

screaming from dor,rnstairs and as he got up to check. to go do*.n the internal staircase. he saw trvo armed Afncan Guyanese bandits. They asked tbr money and jeweiry and he gave them all the jervelry amounting to $300.000 and the little cash he had. The bandits taped his mouth. and his hands together, and took h.rm dor,r,nstarrs where there were tr,vo other armed bandits. The chrldren

lving facedo\

n

r,vere

on the floor. The bandits still demanded more money and jewelry and harassed the

r,vife. One bandit had a kmfe and stnpped the wife completely naked of her clothes and tr,vo of them

took her upstairs. Her hands rvere also taped together.

She prayed. "Jesus save us" and other pravers aloud and constantlv. The bandrts continued to demand monev of her and she pointed to the drawer lvhich thev ransacked and took the little savurgs she had. She sa:d that they rvere ready to rape her but didn't as she kept praying.

A neighbour had heard the wife screamed and telephoned the home. The bandits ripped the phone out r,vhen it started to ring. The neighbours suspected that bandits r,vere in the home and started to call the nearest police station in Beterverwagtlng but got no reply. One neighbour rushed over to a securitv guard at a school across the road. He r,vas Black and just laughed and offered no help. A neighbour about six houses ar,vay started to shoot in the air. When the bandits heard the shots they decided to leave.

One in armv clothes and the longest nfle said casuallv to the others as the-y r,vere leaving: "Wh-v you rvasting time'? Just shootthe fucking people and lervwe go."

The husband and wife recailed that only one of the bandits was masked. The bandits were cool and caim throughout and even helped themselves to cane juice from the refrigerator dunng the attack. The couple said that the men entered the house from the back. A vacant 1ot at the back extends to a sideline trench and the bandits amved and left in a boat. They tracked smelly. messy mud from their big boots in the house. The couple said that neighbours had seen four others guarding the back ofthe house, as the four entered to carry out the attack.

They said that they had dismissed reports from neighbours that some men in a white car had been in the neighbourhood and had asked ,uvhqre they lived. Thev believe that the bandits had mis-

takcn thcm tbr big business people who rvould have lots of monev at home The husband is a professional. emplo-ved at a financial institutron.

This was the most seriously traumatized familv that GIHA visited. The husband rvas in complete denial of his trauma and was suffenng trom memory lapses. The wife said they were receiving counseling through their church. GIHA extended its medical counseling service.

The couple did not want their names published because of the social stigma and public humiliation of the wife's stnpping. Alread.v, the wife said, neighbours were talking about how "that lvoman get rape by a black man".

The couple had been beaten wrth the butts of the guns. The wife sustained a bad blow to her nght eye, which w'as completely bloody and shut. There is some nerve damage to the eye.

Police arrived l5 mrnutes afterthebandits left andthe first questionthey askedrvas, "How much money and jewelry they took?"

Friends of the family were there at the time and took the couple to a crty hospital to be treated for their urjunes.

The police took fingerprints and a report later. The family left the house and returned about a month later.

The husband said they never heard back from the police but read in the newspaper reporl

&

ffi.Paoe 1se

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

that Nlelroy Goodman. a rvanted man rvho rvas shot dead by police weeks later was among the bandits who aftacked his house. His fingerprints had been found at their house.

followtng is a first-person account of a hclnapping and escape that occurred in fuIarch 2003. The victrm was Dev Shqrma. an execurive oJ'the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. Gultana. Though it falls outside of the period under study, the srory is compelling evidence oJ'the race hate ancl polincal motivations that drtve the ethnic violence in Guyana.

The

On Wednesda.v, 6th Nlarch. 2003. I arrived home at approxmately 8:45pm. As usual, I came

out of my Toyota 4 Runner and lvas attemptrng to open my gate r,vhen I noticed tw-o men of African descent approaching me on foot to my right. Simultaneouslv, another Afiican rushed me fromthe left. All three men rvere

armed with pistols. which they held to my head and ribs.

I shouted for my wife who

rushed out. Upon seeing the men attempt-

ing to drag me off my gate, rvhich I was clinging to, she started screaming. One of the men then shot her. She fell to the ground instantly. Instinctively. I cuffed the man r,vho had shot her. He in tum, hammered my forehead wrth the handle of his revolver. With blood flor.ving from my head,

the men then bundled me into my owll vehicle and attempted to reverse it. The vehicle struck a light post and cut out. Berng unfamiiiar wrth

the l,ehicie. m-v abductors rvere unable to rcstart rt.

They then pushed me out of my stalled vehicle and fbrced an approaching car to stop. The kidnappers hauied out the driver and a small child rvho r,vas asleep on the front seat. One of them told the car dnver. "Don't worry. .vou'll get your car back because .vou are black. but thrs coolie has to di'e." They then bundlod mo into tho back seat of thc car and told mc thcy wcre taliing me to Buxtort. a

village some 40 km from my home which is well known rr Guyana fbr its cnminal activities. Trvo of

them r,vere in the car with me. which meant that one remained in my home village.

During the trip. they kept taunting me, using derogatory racial remarks interspersed lvith numerous expletives. The one I cuffed. even expressed regrets that my icrds were not outside so they

could have taken out "the little nits." They also kept insisting that I was nch and they rvanted a ransom of $50 million. I maintained that I was a poor schoolteacher barely ekrng out an existence: that I was renting the house I lived in; and that I had borror,ved the -lx4 vehicle- but they wouid have none of it. The bandit who was guarding me in the back seat had my head in a vice on his lap and kept

hruurg the back of my head wrth his gun for messrng up his pants rvith my blood. I rvas gagging from the tight arm lock he had me in but they rvon't let me up even to vomit.

On entering the village of Buxton. they stopped the car and the dnver went off in search for

@_ ffiPaoe 'rd$'

16O

APPENDIX C - Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts of Race-Hate Grimes

the boss-man called ''Sadist". At this point. I r,vas left alone with the other kidnapper. I decided that it,,vas norv or never. I figured that the-v- r,vere under rnstructions not to kiil me untrl the boss issueC such tnstructions. So I opened the car door and made a mad dash for fieedom. Instantly he was after me. I didn't get very far before mv tormentor spmng on me and started pistol r,vlupprng me. accusrng me of being possessed for even trying to escape. He then took me back to the car to awatt the amval

of the other gangsters. Bv this time. I realized that I needed to cultivate an entirely different rnage

if

I rvere to try to escape later. I pretended to be semi conscious. \\'hen the others, including "Sadist", returned to the car. mv guard informed them what I had just done.

Thev rvere incensed and dragged me out of the car and started punching and krckrng me. I pretended I r,vas unable to 'uvalk and was dragged to a place called "the hole" where most lodnapped victrms are usuaily held. I know this. because the krdnappers told me that they could tell me the truth since there was no r,vay I r.vas ever coming out of Buxton alive. In fact one asked me,"You knor,v r,vhy we have on no mask'?"

"Because you plan to kill me," I replied.

"Correct." was therr reply.

I w-as pushed and pulled up a short stainvay to an unpainted cottage and put to sit in a srngle chair. By nor,v it r,vas close to midnight. The area had no electricrry and the only light i,vas that of cigarette liglrters they kept flicking on and o1T, and a torchiight. All the time they kept insistrng that I 'uvas a busrnessman r,vith "nuffcash". that I lvas "Jagdeo's boy" and that no coolie ever gave them so much trouble. They said the.v had "special treatment" reserv-ed for me. They would dig out my eyes and burn me to death in the morning rather than just put a bullet through my head rvhich was what happened to other victrms they killed. They even showed me a can of gasoline r,vhich they had for tlus purpose.

At this point, a black bo_v- of about 16, peered into my face and asked me if I knew him. I recogmzed him as a habitual loiterer who used to brace agalnst my fence at home. Apparently, he lvas profiling me and rnformrng his colleagues in Buxton about

me Thus. they had fairly good intbrmation on me.

Luckily, they had no contact information since my cell phone was in my vehicle and I refused to place any calls when thev thrust a cell phone into my hands to contact my family. My refusal to cooperate hcensed them and they started burning me about my face and hands with cigarettes and cigarette lighters. One held a gun rn my mouth and threatened to kill me if I hollered. They then started slapping and gun-butting me again. One encouraged me to plead for my life. Again I refused since I felt this rvould onl-v give them incentive to torture me more. This provoked a new set of beatings. A1l this time, my mind was focused only on one thing: escape.

The group that had escorted me from the car then claimed that they were leaving to kidnap another businessman. Two others were now left to guard me, the youth and one I hadn't seen before. The vouth, (the same one tiom my village) decided that I needed some more torfuring. He

GIHA GRIME REPORT . INDIANS BETRAYED!

brought a kitchen knif-e to cut offmy fingers one bv one. He told the others that they

."ui-"*

offmv

fingers and "suck the blood". I pulled out a grocery recelpt fiom.my pocket, the oJy tnirrg not alreadl,

taken arvav and sholved it to hrm. provrng that I rvas diabetic and that

I

to convince him that it was a medical certtficate if he should chop offm-v fingers. I would be dead in under an managed

hour. I obviously then couidn't call for ransom in the momrng. Thrs seemed to convince tnm. Either the place \,vas too dark- or he was too illiterate to knor,v the difference between a grocery biil and a medical certificate.

The-v kept insisting that the-u* i,vould kill me regardless of my famil,v pa,ving the ransom since "no cooiie has dared to escape us" and that I had seen their taces. Any questions from me provoked an instant slap or crgarette burn. After a r,vhile, I requested permission to urinate. I got the green light

but to keep up m-v- weak-image faqade I crar,vled to the back of the inside of the cottage where I stumbled to my feet and r,vas instructed to urinate against the r,vall. Adjoining the wall where I was urinating, I noticed the only unbarred lvindorv in the house. a rvooden r,vindow that pushes outwards to open. I stuck m-.,* head outside to pretend to vomit and in the process shoved the w-indorv all the wa-v up. w'edging it w-ith the stick that was supporting it. The bandit immediately hauled me awa-v threatening to krll me if I jumped through. I pretended to faint and this apparently distracted hrm from the windorv. He and his colleague decided that since I no longer posed any threat, they could tie me up and get some sleep.

They did so with my own tie and socks and then dragged me to a room. They kept talkmg between themselves about how they would have fun lighting me up in the moming.

They said they would burn mv house dovm as further reprisal for the trouble I had given them. They even mentioned that their colleagues rvould pass back to my house the very night and bring my wife whom they would rape rr front of me. I gave no indicationthat I r,vas conscious but knew that these guys were deadly serious.

After a while. I heard them snonng. This gave me the courage to loosen my hands from the tie. I planned to make a dash for the windolv bgt somehow could nol actually bring myself to do so.

About lam, I heard a loud rapping on the door. NIy tr,vo guards scrambled to their feet and let in another one r,vho appeared to be their senior. He upbraided them for sleeping and they lvent to check on me. I had, b.v this trme. slipped m.v hands back into my tie and doubled it so it appeared that I rvas tightly bound. After a couple of kicks into my stomach failed to elicrt any sound, they seemed satisfied.

'

Again. the three went over plans to lall me the next da-v after I had called for the ransom. Bv this time. I was cursing myself for not trying again to escape. The latest arrival now sat lumself rr the "unnal area" blocking my potential escape route. After w'hat must have been an hour, I heard three distrnct snores I felt that despite the odds, I should try at all cost to escape. I quickly freed my hands again and then my feet. I then tiptoed to where the third bandit was. He was lying on tus back. palm outstretched with his revolver inside. I knew that shootrng him r,vould have alerted not only the other

two. but also the entire area, which was rnfested with cnminals.

So, I snatched hrs weapon and brought it dorvn with ail the force I could muster again his temple. I placed my left hand over lus mouth and gave hrm several more whacks on the same spot wrth his revolver. Apart from a squeak, he did not make any noise. I then backed through the windowand slid down a post to the ground. Apparentl-v. the other tlvo lvere still sleeprng since I heard no shouts.

APPENDIX C - Victims' Dossier: Personal Accounts of Race-Hate Crimes

I had made. I ripped off my bloodied slurt and threr,v it in the Rushing in the opposite direction. I encountered a zinc t'ence rvhich I

Keeping to the escape plan

direction thev had dragged me. hauled mvself over. I then jumped about tbur or five more fences moving in random direcrions. After a wlule. I sarv the Buxton backlands wluch compnse dense vegetation and abandoned cane llelds. I plunged into the thickest vegetatron I could find and started ploddrng mv lvav west in the direction of Georgetorvn. Being former cane fields. the topographv consisted of many- imgation canals. I drd not hesitate to lvade or swim across these.

If fact. I drank canal water to ward offthe dehl,dration I was

f-eeling from losing so much blood. rVy one thought r.vas to be wrth my

wife and kids and to stop mv

fiom being financially ruined b.v.. pa.v-ing a ransom r,vhich rvould have meant nothing At one point, I got the scared for my life when I saw crocodiles inside one ofthe canals. I ran along the bank to put some distance between myself and them then plunged into the water. I much referred dealing with the crocs that those subspecies I had left back in Buxton.

Eventually, I crossed the last canal and made my way into the compound ofthe Guyana School OfAgncultr:re, sometwovillages awayfromBuxton. Because I camethroughthebacklands, I encountered no on along the way. I managed to rouse some students who led me to the guard hut. I called the police at Vigilance Police Station from there only to be told that they had no vehicles to pick me up. I then called my fatherwho picked me up shortly after.

What I find peculiar, even to this day, is the fact that my wife had made contact with my boss after I was kidnapped and he had called the police immediately. The police told him they would track down the car. Yet, there was not one single road block along the route to Buxton where I was taken. There are only two main exit routes out ofthe city of Georgetown, and neither were blocked. The drive from my home to Buxton takes approximately 30 minutes and there would have been time to block the escape routes.

As the situation remains, there is no way i can possibly return to my country as I have been receiving many calls from family and friends who advised me there were threats ofreprisals against myself wifb and children.

I believe the primary reasons for reprital against me are: my race, my perceived affluence ofbelonging to the business community, my political views, and a strong desire onthe bandits' part to "save fbce". I feel that the manner of my escape must have humiliated my captors who would feel compelled to take revenge. famii.v-

De.v Shcrrma and his Jhmillt now

live abroad.

GIHA GRIME REPORT. INDIANS BETRAYED!

GLOSSARY

ACDA: Atncan Cultural and Development Association Buxton: Atrican Guyanese village on the East Coast of Demerara, 12 mrles from the crty Channa bomb: Rudimentary bomb made by filling a glass bottle wrth split peas and gasolene and settrng it alight rvith a wick

Coolie: derogatory term for Indian Guyanese Guyanese Currency: US$l = Guyana$195

Kick-down-the-door bandits: Bandits who attacked by kicking dor.m doors then robbing and sometimes killing their victims; a phenomenon of the PNC dictatorship rn the 1980s. most of the victims were Indians

Minibus: Privately owned 14-seater bus: minibuses provide public transportation i Phantom force: Business/Government-backed mercenary force of gunmen PNC: Peoples National Congress; African Guyanese political party PNCR: PNC's current title reflecting "Retbrm" component of professionals and Indians PPP: Peoples Progressive Parry; Indian Guyanese political parry

PPP/C: PPP's current title reflecting "Civic" component of Africans and professionals

ROAR: Rrse, Organise And Rebuild; political partv Skunt: the worst expletive in Guyanese vernacular WPA: Working Peoples Alliance: political parcy

@ ffi.Pus"

roa

f

I

l,t:if iilii.fiilii:iiil:i.t:il:ji#iii;:i

A GIHA Publication @..lune 2003

Guyana lndian Heritage Association 37A Third Street Alberttown, Georgetown, Guyana. 592-223-6385 qiha@futurenetqy.com