Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Kaieteur News

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL A bad deal, worsened by haste (Republished from The Guardian) The 650,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled what the UN human rights chief has called “a textbook case of ethnic cleansing” must have the right to return to their homes in northern Rakhine state, Myanmar. To say otherwise would be to concede to those who forced them out – the security forces and militias who have raped and beaten civilians, burned houses and killed even infants. Authorities say the campaign is directed against militants who attacked police, but the civilian toll speaks for itself. Despite this, some of the Rohingya now living in wretched conditions across the border in Bangladesh have said they wish to go back. It is equally clear that refugees must not be forced to return. Many more of them, according to NGOs supporting them, are determined never to go back or are terrified of doing so without guarantees of their security, property, livelihoods and freedom of movement. Some were persuaded to return after escaping previous waves of violence, only to find their lives in peril again. Previous episodes of displacement and return “do not inspire confidence”, UK’s House of Commons’ International Development Committee has warned, noting the failure to consult refugees and expressing its grave concerns about plans to send them back. Just over a month ago, Bangladesh and Myanmar announced an agreement to begin repatriation next week. Human Rights Watch called that an impossible timetable for safe and voluntary returns. Now the governments say that the process will be completed in two years. Bangladesh officials say they have already picked 100,000 people, selecting them at random, and say they will be asked their wishes once vetted and approved by Myanmar. Worse still, Myanmar has said it plans to house 30,000 in a “transition camp”. Consider its record. Around 120,000 Rohingya who returned after violence in 2012 are held in internment camps in central Rakhine state, with another 200,000 in villages with similar restrictions on their movements. “Parts of the camps are literally cesspools,” Unicef’s spokesperson Marixie Mercado reported last week. She noted that restrictions have got even tighter since 2016, making it still harder to deliver aid and worsening conditions. Education and healthcare are desperately deficient, but accessing services outside is often impossible. Inhabitants must pay for a permit even if they are leaving for medical treatment, and need a doctor’s certificate. It is not surprising that Bangladesh, with its constrained resources, should be anxious for the Rohingya to leave. A funding conference in October won pledges of around £266m; Bangladesh estimates that the cost of even basic services for the displaced could be more than £1bn a year. International donors should step up. But when they do so, they should press the two governments to not just delay but scrap this agreement, and to include the UN high commission for refugees in their new discussions. Meanwhile, they should continue to press for accountability for those involved in atrocities – who otherwise have every reason to believe they can repeat them with impunity. They should demand the release of the Reuters journalists charged under the official secrets act after investigating the crisis. Ultimately, the Rohingya – still dismissed as illegal “Bengali” immigrants – need a proper path to citizenship, but that is a more distant aspiration. The haste to repatriate the refugees is disturbing. But the real problem is not the timeline but the deal itself, and the assumptions and attitudes underlying it.

Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.

Reject the recommended candidate for Chancellor Dear Sir, I write in great concern on the matter relating to the appointment of Chancellor of the Judiciary and would like this letter to be published. Both the acting Chancellor and Chief Justice should be given the opportunity to be confirmed in these positions. Immediately upon reading an earlier article in relation to the appointment of Justice Benjamin who currently heads the Judiciary in Belize, I became

concerned and felt that these distinguished women remained in this country and gave their service to the Judiciary and people of this nation. The said President David Granger considered them suitable to act in the capacities and they have proven themselves and are loved by their peers. My questions are 1) Why not confirm them? 2) It is because Justice George didn’t rule in the Government’s favour a few months ago? I call on the

Opposition leader, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, not to agree with this decision. Stand up for what is right. Also the President of the Bar Association, Mr. Kamal Ramkarran, the Women’s Lawyers Association and the entire Judiciary including Appeal Court Judges and the members of the Assemblies of God in Guyana to come out in full support for these two distinguished women and not to allow this to occur. I.Watson

GWMO has been extremely active Dear Editor, The Guyana Women Miners Organisation writes in response to the Kaieteur News article January 15, 2018, and Stabroek News, January 16, 2018 respectively. The letter to the editor was titled; “The GWMO Needs Fresh Blood” from M. Higgins. The initials of the editor seemingly represent a member who has not financially contributed since 2014 and has not attended any meetings in her statutory capacity since 2016. The GWMO continues to reserve its efforts in the development of systems and policies as we continue to assist our country’s most vulnerable women and children.

Firstly, the Guyana Wo m e n M i n e r s Organisation continues to work in compliance with the Laws of Guyana and the Friendly Societies Act. Contrary to the articles, we have been audited within the past three years and have held our Annual General Meeting within that timeframe. Had this information emanated from a financial member, the individual would have been informed at our last quarter general membership meeting on October 25, 2017 and communication platform that our next AGM will be held during the first quarter after our 2017 audit is complete. Furthermore, we feel

forced to provide an education in response to the blatant malicious misinformation on the failing to carry the mantle against human trafficking and empowering women in mining. Within the past two years we have successfully executed the following: 1. Rehabilitate the Baramita Clinic: allowing miners and women to benefit from improved healthcare facilities. 2. Successfully completed our Region One Trafficking in Persons, Sensitization, Rescue and Advocacy Project through the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Program, which included Trafficking in Persons sensitization in

Matthews Ridge, Port Kaituma and Barima/Waini. 3. Assisted mothers from Canal Bank, Falls Stop and Port Kaituma with school supplies for their children. Not to mention, provide direct support with education supplies and materials to the Mabura and Issano Primary Schools, in a n e ff o r t t o i n c r e a s e community access to education. 4. Advocated for the repair of Aishalton Police Station, which was included in the 2017 budget and Matthew’s Ridge Police Station, which was included in the 2018 budget allowing for the improvement of substandard conditions which will be a morale (Continued on page 6)

City Hall can’t shake off its cash-strapped status Dear Editor, Please permit me the space in your columns to highlight a fundamental problem which faces the City Police. But before I do, I would like to restate for the records that very few Guyanese are aware that the City Constabulary is in fact the oldest police force in this country with a distinct legislative mandate; that less than desirable image then, which the City police have displayed through the years, is but symptomatic of a wider problem which has its roots in Guyana’s political culture. The governments of Commonwealth countries are often wary of municipalities that become too powerful, in so doing, clever strategies are employed to keep them in check. This is why all previous governments sought to gain and retain control of the Georgetown

Municipality. There are only four municipal police departments in the world whose legislative mandates closely resemble that of the City Constabulary and they are still headed by a Chief Constable, with the Durban Metro Police having a developmental trajectory that is almost identical to the one under review—one of political interference and financial manipulation among others. These challenges have long prevented the City Constabulary from carrying out its mandate in a highly professional manner. As an example, I returned to Guyana from a period of studies in Canada during late December 1993. The next day the late city Councilor Anthony Boyce invited me to a meeting which was kept under his house. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce Mr.

Hamilton Green who by then was certain that he could win the candidacy for Mayor of Georgetown. I asked Mr. Green if elected, how he expected to raise funds for the city, since in my estimation it was hardly likely that he would find favour with the administration then in office. In response Mr. Green outlined a Lotto fund, paid parking, a container levy, and two other items of which I am now oblivious. So far the municipality has not been able to benefit from any of these initiatives. In fact, after submitting the Lotto proposal to the previous government the Georgetown municipality never received a response until it was mentioned in the press that the government was about to introduce a Lotto Fund. By-law policing is a catalyst for safety, security and the maintenance of good order in the city. By-law

enforcement requires a coordinated effort from a wide range of officials with varying expertise. Furthermore, strategic Bylaw policing is seen as contributing towards crime prevention, especially by addressing environmental factors and prioritising the following: The integration of by-law enforcement activities, Standardisation of by-law enforcement processes, Implementation of the docket process, Community involvement, and Contemporary policing approach. None of the above could be achieved given the current socio political dispensation under which the City Constabulary operates taken into account the systemic problems caused by its cash strapped status, the diminished moral of its officers and the lack of educated manpower. Clairmont Featherstone

Thursday January 18, 2018

The judge got the decision wrong DEAR EDITOR, The recent landmark rulings by Chief Justice(ag) Honourable Madame Roxanne George whereby Head of State and Commander in Chief President David Granger has been deemed to act unconstitutionally and unlawfully, are cause for serious concern due in particular to the implications for the rule of law in this country, and democracy, generally. It is incumbent, then, that we deeply examine the rulings in light of the abject failure of state attorneys to adequately represent and defend the President’s actions despite mountains of evidence to do so. It is only fair for the general public and the world to be made aware of the pertinent reasons for these matters going to the courts in the first place and to determine whether its damnable conclusions are justified. As a lay man, I am not the competent person to do so; but as a resident of this community for just over 60 years with intimate knowledge of all issues relating to these lands; a former school teacher and a Tutor with the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (UG); a community leader; and a middle management employee of MMA/ADA for several years, I feel compelled to offer my two bits on these rulings for the third time in two months. The rulings seem woefully lacking for their dearth of an investigative element. For a cursory check would have revealed that the leases granted by former President Donald Ramotar are for lands that have been occupied by two registered Co-operative Societies for over three decades. These Co-operative

Societies remain registered. Seafield Co-operative Land Society Ltd Reg. No. 1720 and No. 40 Farmers Co-operative Society Reg.No. 1513 have developed, maintained and paid for these lands through the decades up to the time they were arbitrarily seized from these Societies and given out to other individuals in the form of 50-year leases. The actions of Mr Ramotar’s administration have resulted in deep social acrimony amongst Villagers; numerous police interventions, enormous legal costs and a legacy of discord in our Villages. Moreover, by these actions, Mr Ramotar’s administration seems to have violated the MMA/ADA Act 69:11which defines its relationship with entities and institutions in the Region and does not in any way allows for the MMA to tamper with the operations of these entities/ institutions( MMA Act69:11;4(1) h; Sec. 21(1,2,3). The Co-op Act, Laws of Guyana Chapter 88:01. Sec. 38 (1) to 46(3) as well as our constitution Articles 11 and 16 all seem to have been violated by the MMA and the administration of Mr. Ramotar. However, it is President Granger who sought to correct these injustices and unlawful acts. His action is being deemed to have acted unlawful and unconstitutional. But do judges investigate prior to giving their rulings? Or do Judges familiarise themselves with all the issues relating to matters before them? In the cases under reference this doesn’t seem to be so. But my recent experience with Honourable Justice Madam Melissa Robertson shows at least some do. Appearing before her for two overseas-based Guyanese for whom I am their power of attorney, on land is-

Beware the geeks DEAR EDITOR, I read a recent ‘feature’ which advised, among other things, that “Guyana should support India. India has never dabbled in local politics. It does not present a threat to Guyana. The interests of the two countries, when it comes to global politics, coincide. India is showing that it is prepared to fight for developing countries and to prevent policies which are harming these countries.” What? But “Where’s the beef”? Did not an Indian IT group some time ago offer to set up an IT training scheme away from the city - in a country area - to further train locals in the art? What has happened since? Did our leaders realise that it may have been a case of the ‘do-gooders’ seeking to relocate? An outfit from that coun-

try, with the help of a team there, had not so long ago created much mischief among the vulnerable elderly of the UK, during night time, and drained people’s bank accounts. They tried their tricks on me, I had misgivings, halted their progress, and the following day reported the steps used to my pension payers, who were in a position to trace their footsteps and put out a general alert. “Beware the geeks”. They have cards up the sleeve. I have to look out for my compatriots. Geralda D.

PAGE 5

Kaieteur News

sues was very timely and educational. One case had to do with the granting of transport for an individual whose parent died intestate. The other had to do with a parcel of land occupied by a family for decades but another family had valid transport for all the lands in as many decades. The cases have been subjected to some of the most rigid examination and investigation; both into the current status and the history of the lands. All documents have been examined and questioned. And most astoundingly, the Honourable Judge made a site visit to verify some of the information given to her. This was after either one or both attorneys made the request. It was a marvel to see the Honourable Judge arriving in an ordinary hire car with a few of her staff to do a site visit. On arrival she questioned, “Do I have to put on long boots?” To which we replied, “No Justice, you don’t have to.” Imagine, a judge prepared to put on long boots to get it right!!! Mr Robert Corbin former opposition leader and Mr Ramesh Rajkumar are the attorneys in one of the cases mentioned. They can verify. Now these plots of lands are less than one acre each. Now juxtapose the above mentioned cases with that of the two Co-op Societies with an average of 800 acres combined and let us question ourselves whether the Judge in this matter did anything near what Justice Robertson did to get to the bottom of the issues at hand. Certainly had there been some questioning of the history of the lands under consideration and the legitimacy of the actions of Mr Ramotar in issuing those leases, then our current President Mr Granger would not have been deemed to have acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally. Unsurprisingly, the MMA that was a part of the writ served on the Attorney General did not contribute to the defence of the actions of the President. The MMA was a key element in the seizing of the Co-ops lands, yet there is nothing in the case that refers to a submission by MMA. With state attorneys at sea on the whole matter, former Attorney General Mr Anil Nandlall and his team could not have had it better. Yours faithfully, Patrick Hamilton

A critical look at changing the political culture in Guyana DEAR EDITOR, By now, most of us can agree that the political culture in Guyana is stagnated, toxic and based on a tradition that traces its roots back to the divide and conquer era of the British. Our leaders have chosen to double down into ethnicity battle for power mainly because there is the belief that only through race politics can an ethnic group gain a better life and gain wealth. This old way of politics has stifled us from the contemporary approach to politics that benefits countries like Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, Singapore and the Scandinavian region. What is consistent among these countries is their desire to put the country first over everything else and their move to educate their population so that they can make the right decisions. In turn the politicians have become efficient at nation building by linking social objectives to economic growth. Such as good health care and education, which we know, stimulates the economy and provides the basis for better democracy. In Guyana we face multiple critical adversities that keep us back and there is no silver bullet to solve these problems, however, I may speak for many Guyanese that would like to at least see some effort from all players that points us into the direction of progressive and responsible politics. We are tired of tribal behavior cloaked in nice suites and fancy words. We need to see genuine action that sets an example of progressive thinking and compromise for the people’s interest and not personal or party needs. In his lecture at the State University at Binghamton, NY, Walter Rodney had put forward that the ethnic divide perpetuated by politicians is used as merely a tool for the bigger of objective to achieve class superiority over the poor and in the end it doesn’t matter which race suffers, as long as the status quo remains intact. He further contends that

the upper class has always schemed to control all factors of Guyana power levers and that upper class is not limited to a specific race or ethnic group. Rodney believes that when it comes down to it, upper class Indians and Blacks have always find a way to work together to keep the rest of Guyana in a state of dependence. Even though today the lines between the upper class and poorer Guyanese have blurred a little, where persons have the opportunity to become economically stable through hard work and education, the problem still exists in the political arena, where a lot of the middle class have not veered away from the gang politics that aligns them to ethnicity. This is disappointing because you would expect that with the improvement of higher education, the desire for a better political process should naturally evolve. This is why; I believe Ralph Ramkarran had alluded to a deliberate political struggle in order to change the mindset of the people so that they can hold their leaders and political parties accountable. However, I do not agree that a third party will solve the problem, only awareness and education can. Then, if the mindset changes among the people, the existing or new political parties will have no choice but to concede to the wishes of the people. But there is more to this than what is said above, I believe that we cannot simply leave the entire burden on the people, there are two other things that must happen in conjunction with awareness and that is politicians must start changing their message and behaviour towards a less toxic style and move towards a more contemporary form of politics through actions and decisions. And secondly, the private sector, that also in-

cludes the multi- national corporations, such as Exxon and others, must now actively intensify their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mechanism to foster a more inclusive and progressive environment. The CSR strategy should be flexible and unique to Guyana’s needs, such as providing education on progressive democracy, contemporary forms of business, negotiations, community activism, a platform for free (impactful) speech and act as a check and balance to Government malpractice. In terms of the latter, we can assume that by Exxon declaring the recent US$18 Million bonus to the Government was an act that forced the Government to be transparent and therefore Exxon would have tactfully created a check and balance in that situation. It may not have been ideal, but the people saw the results. On the leadership side, political parties will have to start demonstrating the intestinal fortitude to transform their political approach to our democracy by doing more to change the old way of thinking regardless of seniority in the party. And to be specific, we must do away with group think and giving all the leverage of decision making to a select few who may develop or have subjective goals that puts the Country at a disadvantage. Political parties must simultaneously create trends and adapt to a new climate that fosters independent thought, disagreements and find ways to cultivate positive results even from critics internally and externally. I believe that if Guyana will remain with two major parties, these parties must transform or be held accountable for their role in keeping Guyana stagnated or moving forward. Malcolm Watkins

PAGE 6

Kaieteur News

Thursday January 18, 2018

Minister Holder is unaware of the GWMO has been extremely active reality DEAREDITOR, Our Union has noted reports appearing in several sections of the media concerning the press conference by the Alliance for Change (AFC) held on January 15, 2018 and more so, the comments made by leaders of that Party with regard to the severance payments to the some 4,000 sugar workers of Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara Estates. GAWU found the statements attributed to leaders of that party which has boasted about its links with the sugar workers as incredulous, to say the least. They say a lot about the sincerity of the AFC concern about the plight of the sugar workers. Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, is quoted in the January 16, 2018 Guyana Times, as saying “[f]inding the $4.5 billion in severance is a difficult thing to do” but, seemingly, it was not difficult for the Minister and his colleagues to send home 4,000 workers which have directly impacted the well-being of approximately 20,000 Guyanese men, women and children. From the Minister’s perspective, using 1.8 per cent of the 2018 Budget in the interest of a large group of our citizens is a difficult thing to do. This is adding insult to injury. The Agriculture Minister didn’t stop there. According to the Times, also is reported to have said “paying the entire severance amount was impossible” which seems to indicate that the Administration hadn’t any intention to fully settle its indebtedness to the workers. We cannot help but wonder what the Government had intended to do to the already beleaguered, now jobless, workers. Moreover, Minister Holder’s recent statements are also in complete contrast to what he said in the December 22, 2017 Guyana Chronicle.

At that time, the Minister was quoted to have said “…the Ministry has an allocation for GuySuCo of $6.3B but other funds are supposed to be available through other avenues involving subsidies from the Ministry of Finance”. Was the Minister being less than honest when he spoke to the Chronicle back in December, 2017? Then Minister Holder’s colleague, Minister of Natural Resources and AFC Leader Raphael Trotman, in the January 16, 2018 Stabroek News, is quoted to say “[w]e knew we had to pay severance, we just weren’t sure where it would come from”. The statement by the AFC leader leaves us in disbelief and causes us to wonder if this is how the affairs of the State and the business of the people are managed. Clearly, the Administration needs to do a better job at dotting it’s I’s and crossing its T’s. Also, Minister Trotman, in the Stabroek News report, in an effort to justify the unjustifiable said that Government “…had to divert billions to readying both Lusignan and Camp Street [prisons]”. We recall on the evening of the catastrophic July, 2017 Camp Street Prison fire, Vice President and Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, in seeking to explain away the incident, pointed to sums the Administration directed to the sugar industry as a rationale for the prison blaze. Now the tables have turned and the prison is the cause for the workers being denied their legal entitlement. Then Minister Trotman, in a report appearing on the NewsRoom newscast of January 16, 2018, also said “Guyana Sugar Corporation that should be paying the sever-

ance but the Government has taken up the responsibility to make the payments”. But the Minister while wanting to have the Administration appearing to be benevolent seems to forget that the Government approved the plans to shutter the estates and put the workers on the breadline. Further to that, GuySuCo is a state-owned enterprise and, therefore, the Government has an obligation to the workers. That newscast also reported Minister Holder as saying “…that the sugar workers may prefer to receive their severance in installments so that they will not be tempted to spend it all out at once”. It seems Minister Holder perched atop his ivory tower is unaware of the realities and difficulties the workers face. Certainly, had they desired their payments in increments they would have so expressed that desire. Moreover, how does the Minister explain the workers very vocal demands to receive their payments in one installment? What is more worrying though, is that the Minister seems to say that the workers need to contend with their severance monies for some period as they have no other income to look forward to. That, if it is so, seems to indicate that no accommodation, whatsoever, has been made by the Coalition Government to address gainful employment of the displaced workers. For the GAWU, it is disheartening also to recognize that the AFC press conference took place on the same day that the world took time to pause and reflect on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King whose advocacy on behalf of the downtrodden is well-known and which serves as an inspiration for the working and oppressed people of the world. Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine

Pay sugar workers’ severance DEAR EDITOR, Having been instrumental in the formation and success of the Coalition administration at the 2015 national elections, I cannot escape my responsibility for the precarious situation in which sugar workers now find themselves. It is therefore in this capacity that I proceed with further dia-

logue with this administration. The administration’s recent position on payment of sugar workers’ severance is not anything I or anyone who supported the Coalition in the 2015 elections bargained for, and is totally unacceptable. In respect of the recent declarations by Mr. Harmon

regarding the payment of sugar workers’ severance, I wish to state that I shall not consider these remarks. I strongly urge the Coalition to reconsider the wisdom of its current stance and meet its fiduciary obligations to Guyana’s sugar workers. Regards, Craig Sylvester.

From page 4 booster for the serving men and women of the Guyana Police Force. 5. Rescued, assisted, reintegrated and advocated for victims of Trafficking in Persons from Eyelash, Lethem, Brazil, Baramita, Port Kaituma, Dominica Republic and Venezuela. Needless to add the twenty six women and girls rehabilitated in 2016 through our Together in Peace project, in collaboration with the Sisters of Mercy. This project is continuing to serve as our mandate of protecting victims as they attend court, earn an education, acquire skills, and benefit from the warmth and support of our qualified staff; whose commitment aid greatly in the success of our residents. 6. When our Executives first took up their positions the organization was a member of the Hinterland Intelligence Committee and an observer on the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Board of Directors. Through our commitment, drive and informed contributions to the development of various sectors and the country, we now sit on the National Trafficking in Persons Task Force. In addition, we served as a Director on the GGMC’s Board of Directors and held the post of Vice Chairman in 2016. We represent small miners on the EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group, and serve on boards of the El Dorado Mining Initiative, Guyana Skills Development and Employability Project, National Malaria Technical Oversight Committee, Alliance for Responsible Mining – Market Entry Committee, Green State Development Project: MultiStakeholder Expert Group and continue to serve on the Hinterland Intelligence Committee. We s e r v e o n t h e Amerindian Land Titling Project steering committee and the Peer Group that coined the Ministry of Social Cohesion’s Five Year Plan for peace. The only board that offers a minimal stipend is the GGMC Board of Directors, please note that it is payable to our representative and not the organization. The representation has led to the adaption of three policies in 2017 alone, as well as, made contributions towards the

enhancement of the commission for the benefit of staff and miners. 7. In 2016 we organized with our regional representatives to submit over one hundred applications to the Close Area Committee during their Land Distribution Exercise. This resulted in fifty two members being selected as successful applicants. In 2017, we advocated for an extension of their payment, which was approved by the Honourable Minister of Natural Resources but not executed by the GGMC. We continue to advocate on their behalf because assisting women in mining remains our unwavering commitment. 8. Fifty families including women escaping abuse, and foster families who are within public assistance, received food hampers compliments of Food for the Poor and Troy Resources. We have not forgotten that we play a critical role in the lives of women. 9. In 2017, the GWMO was the only organization from Guyana and the Caribbean that participated in the 14th Annual International Trafficking and Social Justice Conference, held in Toledo, Ohio, United States of America. Since then stakeholders have expressed their interest in aiding the organization with its functions. 10. The GWMO has continuously afforded our members opportunities to develop themselves and their businesses: a. We partnered with the Guyana Mining School and Training Center Inc. to empower women and men in mining building capacity in the areas of soil sampling methods and surveying – these programs would not have been affordable to these vulnerable groups which are now enabled to execute their duties efficiently and at the same time transferring the knowledge to their peers. b. Our member, Mrs. Quyanna Elliott, was selected to participate in the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme held in Trinidad in 2017. This was a capacity building programme which provided training on geological data digitization techniques, field mapping, resources estimation and database management of Developing Minerals while sharing knowledge with peers from Africa, the Caribbean and the

Pacific. c. Several of our members have benefitted from training programmes through the Centre for Local Business Development. d. Ten members have earned Associates’ Degrees in Project Management through IDB’s PM4R Programme. Women who not only function within the organization, but also within their respective businesses and some who lacked confidence due to their educational background, were reminded that they are never too old to learn. All successfully completed the programme. 11. In 2017 we collaborated with GOInvest and the Ministry of Natural Resources to afford our women land owners to have a platform to market their properties for investors. In 2018 we are striving for a reoccurrence of this activity. 12. We are partnered with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association and the National Mining Syndicates to advocate for provisions for miners in the 2018 budget, which resulted in the reduction of the tributor’s tax, among other benefits to provide relief and assistance to miners. 13. We continue to serve as a partner in the Marudi Mediation Agreement, representing the interest of our members from Region Nine. Over twenty of which are now land owners, awaiting the government’s allocation of land to them, through the aforementioned Land Distribution Exercise. It should also be noted that this resulted in the establishment of the legal landing in Region Nine being established. 14. The Guyana Women Miners Organization is the Coordinator of the National Network Group on Trafficking In Persons. This is a component implemented under the project “Strengthening Guyana’s capacity to effectively combat TIP and assist victims of trafficking” financed under the U.S. Department of State Grant to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). We invite any financial member to visit our office for further clarity. Our books are always open. Executive Committee of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Thursday January 18, 2018

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

First ‘ghost ship’ of 2018 washes up in Japan with dead North Koreans Tokyo (CNN) Another ship bearing grim cargo has washed up on the shores of western Japan. Police discovered a wooden ship carrying the corpses of seven men on a beach in Ishikawa prefecture last week. Inside the boat they also found a badge with the likenesses of North Korean leaders Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, along with a cigarette box with Korean letters, officials said.Last year, 104 socalled “ghost ships” were recorded, officials said, many with the corpses of their former crews on board. The ship found in Ishikawa was the first in 2018 found carrying dead bodies, though eight other vessels have also washed up.On the same day, a man’s body was also found on the same beach, about 15 meters away from the boat. It is believed the vessels are coming from North Korea, based on markings and belongings found on the boats, as well as a handful of crew who have survived. Hunger and desperation are thought to be driving them further out to the

choppy seas between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. “Generally speaking the winter ocean in (those seas) is very rough, and the tougher winter brings more shipwrecks,” an official from the Japanese Coast Guard told CNN last year. North Korea is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Japan and many of the North Korean boats drifting onto Japanese beaches are illequipped to travel such a vast distance across open sea. Some experts argue that the surge in “ghost ships” is tied to new pressure from the North Korean government, which may be prompting fishermen to go dangerous distances to haul in their catch. “Fish are a vital resource for North Koreans because they are the cheapest source of protein and they can sell it to China for cash,” said Ma Chang-mu, a senior researcher at the Korea Maritime Institute in South Korea. According to the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, North Korean seafood exports to China surged 88% in the first half of

The bodies of seven men were found on board this ship.

2017, compared to the same six months in 2016.Another factor may be overfishing in North Korean coastal areas.

Researchers said Pyongyang granted fishing rights to Chinese companies years ago, leading to depleted fish stocks

in nearby waters. Analysts said North Korean fishing ships often offload their catches on the high seas, allow-

ing them to be labeled as caught by other nations and get around the stringent international sanctions placed on Pyongyang.

PAGE 22

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News

Latent fingerprint was retrieved from slain... WANTED FOR RENT

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6004212: We create A/works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Eagle’s: Re-gas –low prices, washing machine repairs, gas stove, plasma flat Screen, computer repairs & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158

VEHICLE FOR SALE F150 late model GSS series no problem lifted suspension for $2.4 million on best offer, excellent condition. Contact:695-7676/676-3612

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY- $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-2274754. Video games and consoles at affordable price. Repairs to video game system .Call:6722566/265-3231 Rohan & Rohan Timber products 164-165 Friendship EBD Rough sawn crabwood & Locust 300 BM each @ US $1.80 per BM. Contact: 2662686/663-8685 12ft & 14ft Aluminum boat for sale 222-5671, 641-6162 1 longboom hitach Ex200LC 1 315BL Excavator, 2 John Deere tractor 5403 & 5705. Tel# 661-4255/686-1962 Freezers. Call: 671-3004 Combines 7300 John Deere (2000hrs), Fiatagri L413 (2500hrs), Laverda 132 & Tractors: Massey 399, Fiat 110/90, Ford 6610-Call: 6859878; 338-4354, 654-5662 1 Toyota Corolla NZE, 1 Toyota IST, very good price + condition. Contact R.Sookraj & Son 226-4173 or 615-1831 (cell) Three pure breed German Shepherd. Seven weeks old. Tel: 626-0953/650-9998 1 Mack truck, 1 Mercedes Bendz, 1 Pathfinder. Contact: 665-1154

Toyota premio PSS7517 1.8M 2005 model C light recorder Axio 2.5 Bluebird 2.6 Tida 2.2 #655-3400

Study in Canada/USA 100% acceptance. Micrographics Vreed-en-hoop. 264-3057

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR R E N TA L : S U V F O R RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:6435 1 2 2 /6 5 6 - 0 0 8 7 , ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807

First Aid/CPR and Home Nursing. New classes starting shortly at St John. Tel: 2259082

WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494

EDUCATION Now Registering 9 course diploma in computers office 2016. $40,000. Computerized accounting, Micrographics, Vreed-en-hoop. 264-3057

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.- CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Vreed-en-hoop junction. Lessons place, storage bond, office, other. Call 603-6400. Business place/Store for rent. Located at Grove EBD. Contact: 684-6331 2 bedroom semi-furnished apartment, tiled, grilled, secured at 13 Lyng & Sussex St Charlestown. No children, contact 601-1585/674-6394, 225-1418. 1 two bedroom apartment to rent @ Better Hope, E.C.D – Call: 617-3001 Tower space to rent in Georgetown ideal for Telecommunication and Broadcasting Contact 2235273-4 PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 15 Public Road, #2 Village, W.C.B. 49ft x 10,314ft $25M Negotiable Contact 648-7109/ 686-4818

Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm Experienced drivers, Waiters, Roti & puri cook, apply with written application, Hacks Restaurant, 5 Commerce St. Experienced hire car drivers and dispatchers for princess hotel Contact 616-5419, 2657076 Salesman, good verbal/ excellent attitude, knowledge in stocktaking, computer literate & team player. Keyfood McDoom. Experienced Handyman, porter all below 40 years. Apply with written application. Keyfood McDoom Village. Private tutor for ACAA, Any two papers among F5-F9. Email interest to odalexa@yahoo.com Experience hair cutters/ stylists, nail technicians and Estheticians required at upscale salon. Please contact: 688-6945 Tyre changer Technician to repair tyre changer. #688-2651 Responsible hire car driver and contract cars. Tel: 2317200

SALON Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $90,000 Nail Technician Course: $35,000. Call: 647-1773/688-0009 LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages). Ultraviolet Driving School is offering a 6 days driving lesson for $7,500. Come and enjoy it! Call 602-2583 LAND FOR SALE Parafaite Harmonie (Onderneeming) $1M Uivlugt (100ftx50ft) $3.6M with reserve. Tel#656-0701 Parafaite Harmonie (100ftx50ft) High income $2.8M Farm (East Bank) $3.5M Eccles $6M Tel#6511969 Parafaite Harmonie 2.5M 1.6M Ten year up 3.5M Herstelling 3M Tuschen 5.5M 5M. Call: 666-2326 Parafaite 2M main road 1.6M 3M Herstelling 3M Farm 3.5M Tuschen 5M 1.8M Uitvlugt 3M. Call: 604-6724/ 686-9608

American Variety Store 140 Regent & Light Georgetownwanted experience cashier, supervisor & salegirls apply in person. Sales persons apply to Shanta’s. 225 Camp St 1 Female Typist, Must have excellent command of English Language, Proficient in Microsoft Office Suites, Age 25-35, 648-1821/219-0468 Urgently need one land to buy in Eccles. Artist to paint portraits & scenes. Tel#6117223/656-0701 Land to buy- Parafaite Harmonie, Tuschen, Farm, Uitvlugt, Eccles, Herstelling, Zeelugt. We pay cash. Call:666-2326 Seeking property to rent for restaurant in Georgetown, Call: 615-0317 One property to purchase in Georgetown below 30 million. Call: 615-0317 TOLET Furnished 1 & 2 bedroom apartment in Nandy Park. Parking available. Call 2335560 evening only (for further information)

tions. According to Lance Corporal Johnny, “As a result I made checks on the upper flat of a two-storey wooden and concrete structure. I observed a light blue curtain to a door on the northeastern bedroom and another curtain (white in colour) to the western bedroom. I also observed a yellow curtain to the entrance sepaVACANCY rating the living room and Cook/Baker & Kitchen kitchen area.” Assistant for interior location. He said that he observed Applicants must be red spots which he suspected experienced. Call: 618-2020 to be blood on the curtains Experienced Security which he photographed. He also said that he dusted Professionals. Must have 3 yrs. experience, past military/ the walls of the north-eastern security. Send resume & bedroom for fingerprints and picture by email:. found a latent fingerprint bvisecurityandinvestigators which he uplifted and placed @ g m a i l . c o m onto a crime scene card. The detective added that One female cleaner and driver he caused one Bertram Taylor for office in Eccles. Call: 233- to sign as a witness on the card. 2745 Continuing his evidence Cleaner – submit written in chief, the police witness reapplication to Barton-Sukhraj called that he returned to the Accounting Lot 78 Breda & Brickdam Police Station where Hadfield Street, Werk-en-rust he initialed the curtains and or e-mail to placed each of them in selfbs.taxes@yahoo.com sealing evidence bags before Temporary Tax Consultant – lodging them in the property Minimum qualification – CXC room. The police witness reinclusive of Mathematics, counted that he later visited Accounting & English, e-mail application to CID Headquarters where he printed six colour photobs.taxes@yahoo.com graphs depicting the curtains Vacancy exists for 1 he retrieved from the dead experienced pharmacy woman's home. technician to work part time He said that the crime @ a reputable pharmacy scene card with latent fingerGeorgetown- Call: 227-0630 print was handed over to Shipping Assistant, Accounts then-Superintendent of Police clerk- must have knowledge Ali for him to analyze. The three self-sealing eviof QuickBooks. Tel: 616-5591/ dence bags each containing a 665-3676/226-0395. curtain and six photographs Receptionist/Washer & depicting the curtains were Presser/Hotel attendant/Bell tendered into evidence after boy info@vgiworld.com the lawyer for the murder acP o r t e r / C l e r k / D r i v e r cused raised no objections. The court was allowed the info@vgiworld.com 227-7714/ opportunity to see the cur223-3448. Live in maid, must know to tains after Lance Corporal cook and clean. More info 664- Johnny was instructed by the trial Judge to show the red 5503 or 676-1748 spots suspected to be Cashiers @ Nirva Superstore. bloodstains using a marker. please apply in person with Lance Corporal Johnny rewritten application at 49 counted that on February 3, Sheriff & Craig St. Tel#227- 2014, he went to the East La 5771 Penitence Police Station, One maid for East Bank area, where he met Jacobs, who was must know to cook and clean. in custody pending a murder probe. Call: 614-4358 The court heard from the Live-in or part time maid, call detective that he requested of 695-5505 or 611-6364 between Jacobs to take her fingerprints, and she agreed. 9am to 4pm During cross examination Office clerk Senior/Junior CXC by Thompson, the police witE n g l i s h / M a t h e m a t i c s , ness was asked if the fingerComputer knowledge an prints retrieved from the home asset, Call: 223-7500 matched those of the murder accused. General maintenance Guy, In response the witness room attendant ages 25-45 said, “I can't say”. When furyears old. Tel: 225-0198 233 ther questioned, the detective South rd, Lacytown. disclosed that he was not instructed to take fingerprints Experienced waitress to work from a knife that was found at at bar in Kitty. Contact: 692- the crime scene. 3571 This trial continues. From page 13 met other senior police ranks who gave him certain instruc-

PAGE 24

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News

Public workers to stage two-day strike BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) yesterday announced plans for a two-day work stoppage in a bid to force the Barbados government to meet its demands for salary increases to its members. “Public servants have taken the brunt of this Government’s draconian cost – cutting measures and can take it no more. We deserve better,” the union said in a statement announcing its planned action. NUPW general secretary Roslyn Smith said that the action today and tomorrow followed the ultimatum given to the Freundel Stuart government that expired on January 15 without any response from the administration. “We are looking at today and tomorrow. Obviously we are in the process of informing the shop stewards of the planned action…and we are meeting today with the immigration workers…as regards to what part they will play in the work stoppage,” she said., In the statement, the NUPW said that it would be calling out its members for “two days of protest and resistance”. Earlier, the government warned that the action would further damage the ailing economy. The union had given the government until January 15 to respond to its pay demands, which include a 23 percent pay hike and a BDS$60 million (One Barbados dollar=US$0.50 cents

lump sum payment as a “coping subsidy” for the workers following recent increases in the cost of living. But the deadline passed without any response from the government whose earlier offer of a BDS$49 million lump sum had been rejected by the union. The NUPW did not indicate what form the industrial action would take but McDowall suggested that it would seek support from other unions on the island.But Housing and Lands Minister Denis Kellman told the online publication, Barbados TODAY that the union and its officials were acting in a selfish manner, given the current economic and social challenges facing the country. “When one considers the timing of it, it is obvious that they do not care about the tourism season, it is obvious that they do not care about what is going on the south coast [with the sewage over-

flows] and it is obvious that they are thinking about self and not country,” Kellman said. “You know sometimes people might make an error by going for a pay-out because it looks big, but in one year’s time, they suddenly realize the pay-out is less than their salaries for a year and they could be working for ten or 15 years, so it’s judgmental,” he added. Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Minister, Donville Inniss also expressed concern about the ability and capacity of the country to withstand the impact of an all-out strike across the Government sector at this time. “This economy can well do without any industrial action. We already have the challenges of inadequate levels of productivity in Barbados . . . and in any disruption . . . there are no winners,” he told the Barbados TODAY publication.

We don't intend to make the mistakes... From page 11 and applications will be invited this month. The tax chief said it should be noted that this unit will initially be under the Large Taxpayers Unit and later spin-off as activity increases. Last year, Kaieteur News carried several articles highlighting how the governments and the citizenry of quite a few nations paid greatly for mistakes made with oil and gas. The Central African nation of Chad is considered to be one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. When news surfaced in the early 2000s that it had struck oil, everyone thought that this should have been an instant blessing. In spite of the country being landlocked and dirt poor, ExxonMobil expressed interest in Chad and demonstrated this to a great extent. So great were the contributions that Chad's President, Idriss Déby, threw out two other oil companies that were operating in the country at the time and decided that Exxon

was to be dealt with solely. In the beginning, oil seemed to be a tremendous economic turning point for the nation. The country earned billions of dollars in revenue; about US$9B to be exact. But with all that money in its pocket, Chad it seemed, ended up in a situation of 'more money more problems'. 1Instead of oil revenues being used to increase poverty alleviation and improve public services like education, infrastructure, and healthcare—It brought instead, more corruption, pollution, and the misuse of natural resources. Additionally, the World Bank in one of its reports on this nation found that Chad's oil failed to reduce poverty, but instead became associated with increased civil conflict and a worsening of governance. In short, Chad is worse off than it started. To read more in this regard, follow this link: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/category/what-guyana-needs-to-know-aboutexxonmobil/

PAGE 26

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News

St. Vincent ramps up campaign for UN seat Govt. launches new initiative (CARICOM) country indiKINGSTOWN, St. to provide jobs for displaced workers Vincent cated that it had already - CMC – The St. ROSEAU, Dominica - CMC – The Dominica government yesterday announced the creation of more than 1,000 jobs in a bid to help those being Made redundant and displaced following the passage of Hurricane Maria last September. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, told a news conference that the employment opportunities would be for both skilled and non-skilled workers. “It is the government’s view, while we would be building homes, putting roofs back on our heads, building roads, river defences, building schools, we should not lose sight of the human aspect of development and therefore we need to ensure that we can maintain the sanity and dignity of our citizens”. Skerrit said the decision to establish 1,100 jobs “would be a costly exercise but in our view it will be an investment that is worth while because the cost of repairing any potential damage would be more significant to the country and in the process we want to ensure that men in particular can maintain their respect and rightful place

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit in their household”. Prime Minister Skerrit said that men traditionally has been viewed as head of the households “and if they unable to bring in on a pay packet at the end of the month they may lose that position”, Skerrit said it is a position to given to men by God, telling reporters “it is clear in the Bible and it must not only be in name, it must be in practice. “And therefore if you are unable to bring in a pay check as a husband or boyfriend to

your girlfriend or your wife then you have a problem and while it may sound like a laughing matter it is a serious matter.” Skerrit said the government had engaged various stakeholders on the issue and as a result ‘we have decided to create those 1100 jobs paid for by the government of Dominica with funds from the CBI (Citizenship by Investment Programme) to engage people who have been displaced. “These people still have their mortgages, these people still have to eat, these people still have to send their children to school and on top of that they still have to find monies to fix their homes that had been destroyed by the hurricane”. Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm tore into Domenica on September 18 last year, killing an estimated 28 people and leaving billions of dollars (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents0 in damages as it made its way through the Lesser Antilles,Skerrit said the decision to provide the employment opportunities is the most “important” one to him adding that the authorities will provide details of the initiative on Monday.

Vincent and the Grenadines government has intensified its bid to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council next year. Prime Minister Dr .Ralph Gonsalves said the island had been taken a cautious approach in its campaign, noting ‘we began to do it in a meeting under the radar, so to speak, for the election the middle of next year for the two-year period 2020 to 2021 to be a member of the United Nations Security Council, a nonpermanent member. “If elected, we would be the smallest country ever to have been elected to that position to deal with issues concerning war and peace,” he said of his country’s attempt to gain one of the revolving, nonpermanent seats on the Council. “St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a particular perspective and we are selling ourselves on the basis of small island exceptionalism, which has a voice to carry on

Dr .Ralph Gonsalves issues relating to climate change, issues relating to world peace, issues relating to nuclear weapons, issues relating to solving conflicts by peaceful means,” he said. Gonsalves said that climate change is an existential question for small islands and countries all over the world. St . Vi n c e n t a n d t h e Grenadine sin 2010 put forward its name for consideration for a UN Security Council seat. However, it withdrew its potential candidacy after one Caribbean Community

given a commitment to support Columbia, which was St. Vincent and the Grenadines competition in the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean. Gonsalves said that Kingstown wanted its candidacy to he supported by all CARICOM countries at the United Nations. He dismissed suggestions made by a former Caribbean government that St. Vincent and the Grenadines was going to be a “stalking horse for Venezuela”. He said that, in reality, at the time Venezuela was having a rapprochement with Columbia and when the island withdrew its candidacy, the then ambassador to the United Nations, Camillo Gonsalves, was of the opinion that Colombia could have been beaten. “But, my own mature judgment and understanding said that we would pull back and we select the year 2019 to go after it again,” Prime Minister Gonsalves added.

Thursday January 18, 2018

Jakob Bhula’s 180 leads New Zealand to 436 and a crushing victory ESPNcricinfo - New Zealand produced an immense batting performance against Kenya, their top three batsmen raining 14 sixes at Hagley Oval to rack up 436, the highest total of this Under-19 World Cup so far. The result was a formality after that, and with two wins in two games, the hosts have qualified for the quarter-finals. They will top Group A if they win their final match against South Africa. Kenya were made to rue their decision to bowl first, as Jakob Bhula and Rachin Ravindra added the highest-ever first-wicket partnership of 245 in 35.5 overs. Ravindra made 117 off 101

balls before he was stumped. There was no respite for Kenya, though, as No. 3 Finn Allen cracked 90 off 40 balls, his six sixes giving him a strike rate of 225. The score was 401 in 47 overs when Bhula was eventually dismissed for 180, the highest score in all Under-19 World Cups, off 144 balls. Allen was dismissed off the next ball, the first of the 48th over, and Kaylum Boshier was run out the delivery after that, meaning New Zealand had suddenly lost three wickets in three balls. Dale Phillips gave the innings a powerful finish, though,

with 26 off 12 balls. Kenya used eight bowlers and not one of them went for under 6.50 runs an over. Ravindra had a good outing with the ball too, dismissing Kenya opener Rene Were lbw in the sixth over, and then returning to trap the other one - Aman Gandhi - for 63 in the 35th over. New Zealand were able to take only four wickets, though, as Kenya batted their 50 overs to score 193. Scores: New Zealand Under-19 436 for 4 (Bhula 180, Ravindra 117, Allen 90) beat Kenya Under-19 193 for 4 (Gandhi 63, Ravindra 2-33) by 243 runs.

Thursday January 18 , 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Be cautious while traveling to foreign countries. Get involved in groups and organizations that are of a distinguished nature. Your intuition will be right on. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You will be entertained and intrigued by the logic foreigners possess. Get ready to do some fancy footwork when it comes to taking care of your financial situation. You must look into your options. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Family outings that aren't expensive will be enjoyable and help strengthen ties. Restrictions may be difficult for you to live with. Focus on your own domestic problems. CANCER(June21–July22) Do not sign contracts or get involved in any uncertain financial deals. Do not ruffle feathers if possible. Don't think the worst if you hear something negative about your partner. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Don't make any drastic changes or begin new projects today. Find a way to consolidate. Put your time and energy into travel, philosophy, and soul-searching. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You will be full of good ideas, and your choice of activities may bring you enrichment far beyond your expectations. Discuss your objectives with partners or peers. Focus your efforts on details, and keep to yourself in order to finish your work.

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Try to curb overindulgence today. Your romantic inclination should lead to a committed relationship. Get busy trying to make more money. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Drastic financial losses may be likely if you lend money. Take some time to change your house around. If you can't get away, make plans to do something special with friends or relatives. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You are best not to discuss your personal life with others. Be careful signing important contracts today. Invite friends over. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You can make gains if you look at long-term investments. You will be encouraged to get involved in a moneymaking venture. Resist the temptation to gamble. Risks will not be profitable. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your ability to put a deal together wil l s u r p r i s e o t h e r s . I t ' s t i m e t o get yourself back on track. Don't let others bully you into agreeing with them. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You are best to avoid joint ventures, and whatever you do, don't lend to friends or relatives. Abrupt changes in your home may send you for a loop. Don't bother getting even; they'll make themselves look bad.

Second seed Wozniacki battles back from the brink MELBOURNE (Reuters) Second seed Caroline Wozniacki saved two match points as she battled back from 5-1 down in the deciding set to beat Melbourne Park debutante Jana Fett 3-6, 6-2 7-5 in the second round of the Australian Open yesterday. Former world number one Wozniacki was simply outplayed by the Croatian for large parts of the match but rallied when the 21-yearold blinked and knocked off six straight games on the trot avert the upset and claim her place in the third round. “That was crazy, I don’t know how I got back into the match,” said a relieved Wozniacki. “I‘m very proud of the way I came back. It was definitely very difficult. Definitely wasn’t my best match, especially in the beginning. “All of a sudden seeing myself down, almost out of the tournament, I started playing better and started really playing the tennis that I wanted to play.” Fett, ranked 119th in the world, played some brilliant shots throughout the contest and rattled off eight straight points to win the opening set in 33 minutes. Fired by the first of two rows with umpire Richard Haigh over delayed challenges, Wozniacki worked her way back into the contest to take the second stanza when Fett hit a return long. The Croatian refused to fade away, though, and Wozniacki threw her racket to the ground in disgust after being broken for 3-1 with Fett driving home her advantage to stand on the brink of the third round at 5-1 40-15 up. “I was thinking at that point she still has to win four more balls to win this match,” said Wozniacki. “I felt like I was one foot out of the tournament. She served a great serve down the T, as well. It was just

Round 2 victories for... From page 31 cemented their spot in the next round by reaching 104 for 6 in 12.4 overs. Batsman Rishi Persaud struck a belligerent 51, while Ramesh Joseph scored 15. Neazi Khan 3-11, Amad Khan 125 and Azarudeen Mohammed 1-20 were the main wicket takers for the #70 MYO team. #72 Cut & Load won by 4 wickets. The competition continues.

slightly out. I was kind of lucky. “Then I felt her tighten up just slightly. I thought to myself ... ‘make her win it, don’t give it to her’.” Fett twice served for the match but nerves got the better of her both times and Wozniacki took full advantage to set up a third-round meeting with Belgian Kiki Bertens. The Dane looked every inch the world number two as she briskly served out for victory, which came when a crestfallen Fett dumped a backhand into the net after a shade over two and a half

hours in the sun on Rod Laver Arena. “Tennis is a very mental game,” said Wozniacki, playing her 11th straight Australian Open as she continues her quest for a maiden grand slam title. “Throughout my career (I’ve tried to) keep playing one point at a time. It gets old, but that’s really how I’ve tried to go through my career. “It’s going to be ups and downs, rough patches, and everything. But I feel like if you really work hard, you stay focused on your own path, eventually it’s going to turn.”

PAGE 28

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News

Debutant Ngidi leads South Africa to series victory vs. India

Pujara created an unwanted record of being the only Indian batsman to be run out twice in a Test ©AFP PRETORIA (Reuters) Debutant Lungi Ngidi took six wickets as South Africa defeated India by 135 runs to claim victory in the second test in Pretoria yesterday and also win the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match contest. Seamer Ngidi, 21, recorded figures of 6-39, his best in first class cricket, as South Africa bowled out India for 151 just before lunch. India are the top-ranked side in test cricket according to the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings with SouthAfrica second, though the Proteas will not be able to overhaul the subcontinent side even with a 3-0 series win. The third test starts at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Jan. 24. “It took a lot of hard work and was one of the harder test matches in terms of what you had to put in,” South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said at the postmatch presentation. “Bowling was tough, batting was tough, but over the five days I thought we were on top most

of the time.” India resumed the final day on 35 for three chasing a victory target of 287, having been dealt a huge blow the evening before when Ngidi bagged the wicket of captain Virat Kohli (5). Their slender hopes were dealt a further set-back when Cheteshwar Pujara (19) became the first Indian player ever to be run out twice in a test. Ngidi had a hand in that too as he chased the ball down to the boundary and stopped a four, with his cut-back to AB de Villiers allowing for a bullet throw to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock that saw Pujara short. Pujara had also been run out first ball in the first innings and has now been involved in six of India’s last eight run-outs in tests. It would start a procession of wickets as Parthiv Patel (19) picked out Morne Morkel on the fine leg boundary off Kagiso Rabada (3-47), with the big fast bowler pulling off a magnificent catch on the run. Hardik Pandya (6) was

caught by De Kock off Ngidi, before the seamer also induced an edge from Ravichandran Ashwin (3) to the wicketkeeper to leave India reeling at 87 for seven. Rohit Sharma (47) took the attack to the bowlers before he was magnificently caught at fine leg by De Villiers off Rabada attempting a hook. The innings wrapped up quickly after that, as Mohammed Shami (28) was caught by Morkel off Ngidi and Jasprit Bumrah spooned a catch to Vernon Philander at mid-off to hand the youngster his sixth wicket and debut match figures of 7-90. “We thought the wicket was really flat to play on, it was quite surprising,” Kohli said. “We tried our best but South Africa were better than us in every department, especially fielding.” Scores: South Africa 335 (Markram 94,Amla 82, du Plessis 63,Ashwin 4-113, Ishant 3-46) and 258 (de Villiers 80, Elgar 61, Shami 4-49, Bumrah 3-70) India 307 (Kohli 153, Morkel 4-60) and 151 (Rohit 47, Ngidi 6-39) by 135 runs.

Makwetu, Rolfes lead South Africa... From page 30 selection. The final nail was drilled by Coetzee in the 46th over as their campaign went pear-shaped with one to play. This meant a potentially highvoltage match between New Zealand and South Africa on Saturday was reduced to a dead rubber. South Africa had started cautiously and had progressed to 77 for 2 by the 18th over when the game came alive courtesy a controversial decision. West Indies had opener Jiveshan Pillay out obstructing the field when they appealed for what seemed a

harmless pick-up of the ball from the batsman after it had stopped besides the stumps off an inside edge. This led to a break in play for four minutes as the third umpire deliberated the matter with the on-field umpires. Pillay, who carefully constructed 47 to keep South Africa chugging along, accepted the decision and walked back without a trace of dissent even as most at the ground were stunned by the very basis of the appeal, even if West Indies were within their rights to make it. South Africa’s lower middle order didn’t let this

passage of play distract them. While run-scoring was difficult, they took the innings right till the end. In what turned out to be a gamechanger, Jeavor Royal put down a sitter at deep midwicket to reprieve Makwetu on 49 in the 44th over. He would go on to smash 50 more in an exhilarating passage where West Indies’ bowlers kept missing their lengths. Scores: South Africa Under-19 282 for 8 (Makwetu 99, Pillay 47, Rolfes 4-33) beat West Indies Under-19 206 (Athanaze 76, Kallicharan 44) by 76 runs.

Nadal mows down Mayer to reach third round M E L B O U R N E (Reuters) - Top seed Rafa Nadal continued his marauding path through the Australian Open, hammering Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to reach the third round yesterday. Channelling his early years with a sleeveless shirt, the muscular Mallorcan threw Mayer like a rag-doll around the Rod Laver Arena court for two hours and 38 minutes, pounding the world number 52 with a barrage of top-spin bombs. A masterful performance was blighted only by a late wobble, when Nadal was broken serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider. But the Spaniard found an extra gear in the

Rafael Nadal celebrates after beating Leonardo Mayer in three sets last evening. (Reuters) tiebreak, wrapping up the match with a monster serve to the corner that Mayer battled to get a racket to.

Nadal’s bid for a 17th grand slam title continues against Bosnian 28th seed Damir Dzumhur.

Australia breeze past Zimbabwe to improve quarter-final chances ESPNcricinfo - Australia scored their first win of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, by a comfortable seven-wicket margin against Zimbabwe in Lincoln. Their victory was set up by new-ball quick Xavier Bartlett, who, after his captain won the toss, knocked over the top three Zimbabwe batsmen inside 11 overs. Zimbabwe never recovered from 34 for 3, regularly losing wickets to be dismissed for 134 in 33.2 overs. Robert Chimhinya topscored for them with 27 at No. 8. Bartlett finished with 3 for 20, while Will Sutherland and Lloyd Pope claimed two each. Australia’s openers Max Bryant and Jack Edwards set off at terrific speed in the chase, adding 46 in 4.2 overs before their stand was broken. Edwards was the first dismissed for 40 off 20, while Bryant made 44 off 27. They got home in 18.2 overs. The victory meant that Australia were well placed to progress to the quarter-finals, after having lost their opening Group B match against India. Their final group game

Lloyd Pope took two wickets against Zimbabwe. (Getty Images) is against Papua New Guinea. Scores: Australia Under19 135 for 3 (Bryant 44) beat

Zimbabwe Under-19 134 (Bartlett 3-20) by seven wickets.

West Indies spark spirit-of-cricket debate... From page 29 Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop had defended the U-19 side against criticism for the mankad, but he was less supportive of this obstructing-the-field dismissal. “This is an unfortunate issue,” Bishop, one of the commentators at the game, told Fox Sports. “The batsman isn’t trying to gain an advantage. He is not trying to being unfair. The umpires have done what they need to do. The ball has stopped. It’s not threatening the stumps. I don’t really necessarily feel as if

that’s a good law. It could take a re-look. “The batsman is not trying to gain an unfair advantage. All he is trying to do is help out the fielding team. I would have to have a deeper look at myself if I was the fielding captain. Can I use some discretion here for the sake of the game and whatever the spirit of the game means? I wouldn’t have gone that way. He’s obviously a bright kid and he understands the letter of the law. On this occasion it’s slightly different for me compared to the last World Cup.”

Thursday January 18, 2018

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Koreas to form unified ice hockey team, march together in Olympics SEOUL (Reuters) - The two Koreas will field a combined women’s ice hockey team and march together under one flag at next month’s Winter Olympics in the South, Seoul said yesterday, after a new round of talks amid a thaw in cross-border ties. North and South Korea have been talking since last week - for the first time in more than two years - about the Olympics, offering a respite from a monthslong standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes, although Japan urged caution over the North’s “charm offensive”. The two Koreas will compete as a unified team in the Olympics for the first time, though they have joined forces at other international sports events before. North Korea will send a delegation of more than 400, including 230 cheerleaders, 140 artists and 30 Taekwondo players for a demonstration, a joint press statement released by Seoul’s Unification Ministry said, adding the precise number of athletes will be hammered out after discussions with the IOC scheduled for later this week. Prior to the Games, the sides will carry out joint training for skiers at the North’s Masik Pass resort and a cultural event at the Mount Kumgang resort, for which Seoul officials plan to visit the sites next week.

“Under the circumstances where inter-Korean (relations) are extremely strained, in fact just some 20 days ago we weren’t expecting North Korea would participate in the Olympics”, said Chun Hae-sung, the South’s chief negotiator and vice unification minister. “It would have a significant meaning if the South and North show reconciliation and unity, for example through a joint march”. The North Korean delegation will begin arriving in South Korea on Jan. 25, according to the joint statement. The North will separately send a 150-strong delegation to the Paralympics, Chun said. ‘IT‘SNOTTHETIME’ Twenty nations meeting in the Canadian city of Vancouver agreed on Tuesday to consider tougher sanctions to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the North it could trigger a military response if it did not choose dialogue. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said the world should not be naive about North Korea’s “charm offensive” over the Olympics. “It is not the time to ease pressure, or to reward North Korea”, Kono said. “The fact that North Korea is engaging in dialogue could be interpreted as proof that the sanctions are working.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has refused to give up development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States in spite of increasingly severe U.N. sanctions, raising fears of a new war on the Korean peninsula. The North has fired test-fired missiles over Japan. Earlier on Wednesday, state media warned the U.S. of “meddling” in inter-Korean issues at a time when it had to “mind its own destiny rushing headlong into self-destruction”. “The U.S. is miscalculating,” the North’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary. “Although the U.S. makes desperate efforts to disturb peace while wielding a nuclear stick, it can not provoke us as long as we have the strong nuclear deterrent”. ICY RECEPTION Seoul has proposed a joint ice hockey team, which triggered an angry response from athletes in the South suddenly being told they may have to play alongside total strangers. “I don’t know if it will happen, but a joint team will be a good opportunity for ice hockey to shed its sorrow as a less-preferred sport as many Koreans will take interest,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in told players dur-

Bad Blood card on Saturday at CASH

Boxers pay Sports Minister courtesy call By Sean Devers The Guyana Boxing Board of Control has collaborated with MCG to bring Professional Boxing back to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) Saturday night. Yesterday the stars of the Bad Blood card, Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques, Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry and Dexter ‘Cobra’ Gonsalves paid a courtesy call on Sports Minister Dr George Norton at the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports. President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) Peter Abdool, a member of the MCG Promotion team and three fight night models accompanied the pugilists on the visit. Minister Norton said only recently he appointed Orland Rogers as Boxing Coach for the Hinterland and noted that a Girl from Lethem participated in the last Amateur Boxing Card at the Gymnasium. “We all know that indigenous people have good jaws, which is important in Boxing. I am pleased when I see young males involved in Sports and I am encouraging

Cooperate Guyana to come out and sponsor such events and I am urging the public, come out in their numbers to support Saturday night’s card.” Abdool praised Minister Norton for his support of Boxing and his desire to spread the Sport. The GBBC Head added that Minister Norton is trying to spread Boxing all over Guyana both professional and Amateur fights. “Steve Ninvalle (President of GBA) is also doing a good job and I will ensure that more Pro Cards are held locally since that is the only way that the local Boxers will remain active,” Abdool stated. Anson Green, Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques, Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry, Shawn Corbin and Dexter ‘Cobra’ Gonsalves will come up against an army of fighters from T&T, Barbados and Venezuela in the six fight card which also includes a fourround affair between James Moore and Sherwin Clarke in a cruiserweight bout. Guyana’s Dexter Marques headlining what should be a sizzling six-bout Card when he

battles Venezuelan Dionis Martinez Arias over 10 rounds in the main event. Trinidadian Sheldon Lawrence puts his WBC Fecarbox Light Heavyweight Title on the line when he takes on Guyanese Shawn Corbin over 12 rounds. Elton Dharry will match gloves with Jesus Vargas Garcia of Venezuela over eight rounds in a Bantamweight clash, while Dexter ‘Cobra’ Gonsalves will oppose Venezuelan Felipe Larez Barcelo in a 10-round match-up. In the other international bout of the night Anson Green will be in action against Bajan Keithland King over four rounds in a junior middleweight bout. The weight-in is set for 16:00hrs tomorrow at the Giftland Mall after a press conference before the weighin. Tickets for the card are on sale at the Giftland Stores and Assuria General Insurance offices in Georgetown, Diamond, Berbice, Parika and Vreed-en-Hoop and cost $4,000 (VIP), $2,000 (Ringside) and $1,000 (Stands).

ing a visit to a training center. The number of petitions to the presidential Blue House’s website opposing a unified team shot up to more than 100 this week, with the most popular one garnering more than 17,000 votes. “This isn’t the same as gluing a broken plate together,” said one of the signers. The prospect of a combined team had long been unsettling for the South Korean players. As in most other winter sports, the South is much stronger than the North. “Our players were really nervous,” Sarah Murray, South Korean women’s hockey head coach, told Reuters last month during the team’s training swing through the United States. “We can only take 23 players to the Olympics, and they thought these North Koreans are going to come in and take our spots”, Murray said.

Chun, the South’s lead delegate, said the decision on a united ice hockey team is not yet finalised, as it requires the consent of the IOC and related international body. “We’re well aware of the people’s concerns and interests about this”, he told a news conference. “But I would like you to see the other side that it could make a positive contribution to peace of the Korean Peninsula and improving inter-Korean relations”. On Tuesday, the North said a 140-person orchestra would perform in South Korea during the Games. Pyongyang is also planning to send a large delegation in addition to the athletes and orchestra. Paik Hak-soon, the director of the Center for North Korean studies at Sejong Institute in South Korea, said North Korea was using the cheering squad to draw at-

tention to its apparent cooperative spirit. “Seeing good results in competitions thanks to the cheering squad would enable the North Koreans to say they contributed to a successful Olympics and the South Korean government would likely agree,” said Paik. “In the end, they are using this old tactic to get to Washington through Seoul.” Reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South, Japan and their major ally, the United States. China, which did not attend the Vancouver meeting, said yesterday the gathering showed a Cold War mentality and would only undermine a settlement of the North Korea problem.

PAGE 30

Kaieteur News

Thursday January 18, 2018

Athletics review 2017 part 2

Districts 10 retain schools’ championships 57th National Schools’ Championships Track and Field winners, District 10.

District 13’s Anfernee Headecker who won the open boys’ 5000m, 1500m and 800m races.

District four’s Angelina Barclay.

District Ten’s Under-20 champion girl Chantoba Bright and Boys under-18 champion boy. After not being utilised for two years since its commission by the organising committee of the National Schools’ championships, the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC) was finally used to host the 57th edition of the National Schools’ Championships’ Track and Field arm.

The event was run off in a collaborative effort between the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Athletics’ Association of Guyana (AAG). District 10 (Upper Demerara/Kwakwani), who were crowned champions of the 57th National Schools’

cycling, swimming and track & field championships for the third consecutive year and 16th overall, continued their dominance in the track and field arm of the six-day event. In District 10’s victorious track and field campaign, World Junior 400m silver medalist Daniel Williams, broke the under-18 boys’ 100m, 200m and 400m records to be adjudged under-18 champion boy. After his successes on the world stage earlier in the year, Williams, was expected to better the 400m race at least

and he did so, in addition to the other two sprint races he competed in. South America Junior Championships Gold medalist, Chantoba Bright of the champions District 10, was tied with Joanna Archer of District 3 (West Demerara) for the under-18 champion girl award. Bright won the long, triple and high jump events, while finishing second behind counder-20 champion girl Joanna Archer in U-18 400m. Archer won the 400m, 800m

and 1500m events. District 10’s Deshanna Skeete was scintillating in the girls’ under-16 category, winning three gold medals, while breaking two records in the three races that she competed in. She won the 100m, 200m in a record 24.97seconds time and the 400m in a record time of 57.96 seconds. CARIFTA Games and South American Junior championships silver medalist Anfernee Headecker was phenomenal in the three races he competed in, and capped

off the 2017 season well. Headecker dominated the under-20 middle distances (800m & 1500m) while destroying the field in the 5000m. District four’s (East Coast Demerara) aim of leaving a lasting impression was successful and President’s college’s Angelina Barclay helped that when she broke the girls’ under-16 triple jump record after leaping to an impressive 11.69m breaking the 11-year-old record set by Roxanne Rigby of District 15.

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News

Page 31

Cycling Coach/Organiser Hassan Mohamed aiming to consolidate in 2018

Coach Hassan Mohamed presenting these youngsters with their trophies after one of the National Park races. The name Hassan Mohamed has been permanently etched in the annals of cycling history in Guyana. The former National cyclist turn Coach has been in the business of organising cycling races as some would say, since time immemorial. His programmes which are run at the Mecca of the sport, the National Park including his marquee event, the ‘Teach Them Young Programme’ which will mark 42 years in

existence this year, makes a huge impact on the development of the nations cyclists and compliments in a major way, what the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) does. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, Coach Hassan Mohamed, who works with the National Sports Commission as a cycling Coach and is also the Racing Secretary of the GCF, informed that he would continue to play his part in

the development of the sport. ”I’ve been in this for so many years and will continue to make my contribution as long as I have life because it runs in my veins and I am committed.” Mohamed’s Te a c h T h e m Yo u n g Programme, which is run each year during the months of July and August, has impacted on the career of all of Guyana’s cyclists for over four decades. And apart from this programme which is sponsored by the National

Sports Commission, multiple races are held in the National Park and around Guyana. ”This year I intend to continue along their vein and have already secured my traditional sponsors and am seeking to increase in this regard also.” The 2018 season will pedal off on January 27 next with the traditional Ricks & Sari Mashramani National Park Meet. Among the other traditional sponsors on board

are Banks DIH through their Malta Supreme and Powerade brands, R&R International, Laparkan, Seven Seas, Star Party Rentals, Payless Variety Store, DeSinco Trading, General Auto Spares of Enmore and Hand in Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance Company. These sponsors have been making their contribution towards the sustained development of the nation’s cyclists at the

junior, senior and veteran’s levels. Mohamed reminded that he has been in the sport since 1958 when he commenced his competitive career which ended in 1972. He has not left the sport and has ventured into the realms of c o a c h i n g a n d administration. Coach Mohamed has extended gratitude to all his sponsors as well as the media for their continued support. (Franklin Wilson)

West Indies spark spirit-of-cricket debate with controversial dismissal ESPNcricinfo- West Indies have once again ignited the spirit-of-cricket debate at the Under-19 World Cup, when they appealed against South Africa opener Jiveshan Pillay for obstructing the field in their Group A fixture in Mount Maunganui. Emmanuel Stewart, the West Indies captain and wicketkeeper, made the appeal after Pillay picked up the ball close to off stump, even though it was stationary after rolling off an inside edge. The third

umpire Ranmore Martinesz was called in and the decision went in West Indies’ favour after a long wait and a number of replays. The incident occurred in the 17th over of South Africa’s innings, when they were 77 for 2. Once the decision was referred to the TV umpire, it was going to be difficult to give the batsman not out unless Stewart and West Indies withdrew the appeal. Law 37.4, which deals with ‘returning the ball to a fielder’, states: “Either

batsman is out obstructing the field if, at any time while the ball is in play and, without the consent of a fielder, he/she uses the bat or any part of his/her person to return the ball to any fielder.” South Africa Under-19 coach Laurence Mahatlane was measured in his reaction during the innings break. “Our take is very simple: we play to the laws of the game and it’s part of the laws,” he said. “It’s happened and hopefully we’ll learn for a long time from it.”

West Indies’ actions in this game are likely to be debated widely, as they were at the 2016 World Cup when their bowler Keemo Paul effected a mankad to dismiss Zimbabwe’s last wicket Richard Ngarava - to win a must-win group game. They eventually went on to win the tournament. West Indies were in a must-win position against South Africa in this game too, having lost their tournament opener against New Zealand. In 2016, former West (Continued on page 26)

West Indies captain Emmanuel Stewart appeals. (International Cricket Council)

Page 32

Kaieteur News

CWI Digicel Regional 4-day C/Ships

National Junior Chess Qualifier 2018

Joshua Gopaul & Eathan Lee lead after three rounds

Action in the contest featuring Joshua Gopaul (St. Stanislaus College) vs Gareth DaSilva (Marian Academy). Joshua Gopaul and Eathan Lee have assumed the early lead, as both players are undefeated in the National Junior Qualifers 2018 after the initial three rounds of play which began last Saturday at the National Aquatic Center. The tournament saw 24 juniors registered from various schools across Guyana participating with the majority coming from Marian Academy. Registering wins in the first round was Joshua Gopaul who got the better of Gerath DaSilva. Ghansham Alllijohn defeated Joshua Williams, Akili Theophile won

against Alexander Ally, Nellisha Johnson outwitted Andrew Ally, while Waveney Johnson was better than Rebecca Ramlall. Closing off the winners row in the first round was Rachael Ramlal who defeated Savir Gookul, while Jaden Taylor and Odit Rodrigues played to a draw.In round two play, Joshua Gopaul defeated Dwayne Bess, Ghansham Allijohn followed up his round one win with another against Roshawn Washington, Akili Theophile continued his form to defeat Rachael Ramlal, Sasha Shariff won against Nellisha Johnson and Eathan Lee got the better of Waveney Johnson.

As the second round heated up, Jaden Taylor eased past Runako Wi l l i a m s , O d i t Rodrigues handed Savir Gookul his second loss, Nickel Charles defeated Alexander Ally, Rebecca Ramlall won against John Wong, Gareth Da Silva defeated Zackary Persaud and Andrew Ally got past Joshua Williams. Joshua Gopaul, Eathan Lee, Jaden Taylor, Nellisha Johnson, Dwayne Bess, R o s h a w n Wa s h i n g t o n , Chelsea Juma, Rachael Ramlal, Savir Gookul and J o h n Wo n g , Wa v e n e y Johnson all won during the final round of play last

weekend. The points after the completion of the three rounds, Joshua Gopaul and Eathan Lee 3, Jaden Taylor 2.5, Sasha Shariff, Ghansham Allijohn, Akili T h e o p h i l , Wa v e n e y Johnson, Nellisha Johnson, Dwayne Bess, Roshawn Washington, Rachael Ramlal and Chelsea Juma all on 2 points, Udit Rodrigues 1.5, Runako Williams, Gareth DaSilva, Rebecca Ramlall, Andrew Ally, Nickel Charles, John Wong, Savir Gookul and Zackary Peraud all on 1 point each. T h e t o u r n a m e n t continues this Saturday from 13:00hrs and Sunday from 10:00hrs for the final four rounds.

Makwetu, Rolfes lead South Africa into quarter-finals ESPNcricinfo - South Africa joined New Zealand as the second quarterfinalists from Group A after they dumped defending champions West Indies out of the Under-19 World Cup in Mount Maunganui. The result capped off an incredible evening, where South Africa were comfortably behind the game for the first 40 overs after being put in. Then, in a ferocious display of lowerorder hitting, wicketkeeper Wandile Makwetu made an unbeaten 99, with 37 of those

coming in the last three overs off which South Africa blasted 58. The last 10 overs fetched 112 as they posted 282 for 8. On a cold, rainy evening where there was enough moisture underneath the surface, South Africa’s pace bowling trio of Gerald Coetzee, Thando Ntini and Akhona Mnyaka came hard at West Indies. By the 21st over, the top four were dismissed for 87. As the asking rate spiralled, Kirstan Kallicharan and Alick Athanaze fought back to put

together 90 for the fifth wicket to bring the target close to double digits. But in a bid to hit out, Kallicharan, who oozed class and confidence in his 50-ball 44, was trapped lbw by medium pacer Hermann Rolfes off the third ball of his new spell in the 39th over to leave West Indies 177 for 5. It left the lower order needing to rally around Athanaze. But they had other ideas, looking to tee off instead of rotating strike and bringing the well-set batsman back on

Thursday January 18, 2018

strike. This resulted in two more wickets in quick succession that helped South Africa close out the game. Athanaze, who took a while to set himself in and consolidate to make his second youth ODI halfcentury, was the ninth man out for 76, trying to take it upon himself to inch closer to the target. It left West Indies wondering what may have been had the middle order shown a little more application and better shot (Continued on page 26)

Jaguars face Red Force at Providence today Guyana Jaguars will be looking to formalise their fourth straight title success in the final round of the CWI Digicel Regional four-day Championships when they come up against a Red Force side that has lost their last three matches to fall out of contention from today at Providence.The home team settled for a draw against Pride in the previous round and a few of their players made lasting impressions – and this is likely to continue over the next four days. Recent results favour Jaguars. They have won all but one of their last seven matches which have been played in Professional Cricket League era and will be looking to complete the season sweep after winning the fourth-round contest by an innings and 217 runs at the Brian Lara Cricket Ground. WINDIES left-handed batsman Shimron Hetmyer makes his first appearance for the Jaguars this season following the Tour of New Zealand and Jason Mohammed returns following the same tour for

the One-day International squad. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and all rounder Romario Shepherd have been rested by Jaguars. The Umpires are Guyanese Shannon Crawford and former West Indies pacer Deighton Butler from St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Javed Persaud is the reserve Umpire while former West Indies fast bowler Reon King is the Match Referee. Jaguars: Leon Johnson (captain), Anthony Adams, Anthony Bramble, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Ve e r a s a m m y P e r m a u l , Akshaya Persaud, Raymon Reifer, Sherfane Rutherford, Vishaul Singh. Red Force: Denesh Ramdin (captain), Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Amir Jangoo, Steven Katwaroo, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Anderson Philip, Khary Pierre, Isaiah Rajah, Jeremy Solozano, Daniel St. Clair, Tion Webster.

Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka to seal quarter-final berth ESPNcricinfo - Reigning Under-19 Asia Cup champions Afghanistan reprised their regional success on a global stage at the World Cup in New Zealand, defeating Sri Lanka by 32 runs on DLS Method in Whangerei. Having already beaten Pakistan in Group D, Afghanistan clinched a place in the quarter-finals for the second time in their history, having done it in 2014 in the UAE before losing to eventual champions South Africa. The success for Afghanistan is also a 180degree turn from the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, when they were similarly placed in a group with Pakistan and Sri Lanka but were defeated by both sides. Yesterday’s victory was set up by a trio of halfcenturies from Ibrahim Zadran (86 off 112 balls), Ikram Ali Khil (55 off 89 balls), and Darwish Rasooli (63 off 44 balls) to set up an imposing total of 284 for 7. The chase was in the balance

when rain arrived after 24 overs with Sri Lanka 108 for 3. A revised target of 127 off the final 14 overs was set when play resumed, and the required run rate jumped from 6.80 to nearly ten an over. Afghanistan’s bowlers seized on this to successfully apply pressure. Captain Naveen-ul-Haq snared two wickets in the first four overs after play resumed, including the well-set Jehan Daniel for Sri Lanka’s eventual top score of 48. Naveen finished with 4 for 35 in eight overs and also effected a run-out. Afghanistan play Ireland in their final Group D match. Sri Lanka play Pakistan with the winner joining Afghanistan in the quarterfinals. A tie or a washout would also put Pakistan into the knockouts due to the net run rate tiebreaker. Scores: Afghanistan Under-19 284 for 7 (Zadran 86, Ikram Ali 55, Rasooli 63) beat Sri Lanka Under-19 202 (Daniel 48, Naveen-ul-Haq 4-35) by 32 runs on DLS method.

Thursday January 18, 2018

Kaieteur News

Page 33

Magnum Tonic sponsors LABA’s KMPA girls to compete at the New Balance Games this weekend in the USA ‘Fashion Meets Basketball Reload’ ...Colts to face Royals in grudge match

Star athlete Chantoba Bright collecting a plaque from LABA president Lawrence Simon. The King Medas Pansy Adonis girls who will be competing this weekend at the New Balance meet. The King Medas Pansy A d o n i s ( K M PA ) g i r l s consisting of Kcaysha Medas-King, Kayleigh Jameison, Alana Moore and Anissa Moore, are registered to compete at one of New York’s largest indoor games, the New Balance meet, tomorrow and Saturday at the Armory centre in Manhattan. After not so long ago completing a superb run in the 4x2 under 12 girls relay that got them a spot at the upcoming Millrose games, the KMPA girls are excited to get back in competition, in order to help promote Guyana’s track and field talents. Andy Medas-King, the founder and organizer of the King Medas-Pansy Adonis

Classic Games which is Guyana’s First ‘Junior Olympic Games’, is of the view that the girls will use these meets to get in shape f o r t h e i n d o o r championships set for March 2018. Medas-King explained that unlike the athletes in Guyana where there are limited track meets he will be able to see where his athletes’ weaknesses are. Medas-King noted that Kcaysha is now coming back from a severe hip injury and a track meet like this will both get her into the competition mood and get her mileage up within a competitive field, while explaining that things like these are needed for athletes in Guyana. Andy Medas-King

further noted that if Guyanese athletes want to go to the next level, they need to be given the opportunity to compete year round. Medas king posited that Guyanese athletes are the only ones that are off in December and explained that the mighty Jamaica are usually encamped during the festive period. The KMPA Athletes are not all Guyanese but are made up of Jamaican and American back grounds, all coming together for one common goal of promoting Track and Field in Guyana. And, with the success of his girls, Medas-King is hoping that coaches and schools would put together more relay teams, something that is very rare in Guyana.

It is now being dubbed ‘Reload Basketball Meet Fashion’ with the blessings of major sponsors Ansa McCal Trading through its Magnum Tonic Brand, and so it would be for sure when the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) starts its new season on Saturday where the stars will be out at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court from 19.00hrs. With a blend of fashion to go with a Georgetown versus Linden basketball matchup where National Club Champions Bounty Colts, just off a two point victory comes up against Linden’s best Victory Valley Royals in what will be the night cap where another clash featuring the upcoming basketball stars of Linden square-off in an East against West game to go with the

fashion displays. According to LABA president Lawrence Simon the rain prevented the show to hit the bright spot that evening even though top national field athlete Chantobra Bright appeared as a model and brightened things after the event was badly affected by persistent rain. He said however, there is an interest for the event to be reloaded and as such they are giving the fashion and basketball lovers to see a night where they will meet some of the star sports persons on the basketball court. Bright will again be on show as the sports stars will be out to see the fashion displays on a night when basketball and fashion will converge at the MSC hard court.

Top Linden designers Ms. Crystal Lam and Ms. Setra O’selmo and will present several displays to whet the appetite of those who love fashion and the designs should be attractive enough to cause some ooohs and aahs when the promotion takes place this Saturday. The basketball aspect will be the main attraction with the West seeking to get the better of their East rivals this time and a specially arranged 3 on 3 girls matches will also be part of the night’s card which will culminate with the Georgetown versus Linden basketball clash. Several athletes and sports persons will also find themselves on the basketball court and as they will be recognised for their outstanding performances over the last year in their various field of endeavors.

Upper Corentyne Cricket Association/Roy Baijnauth 20/20

Round 2 victories for #72 Cut & Load and #43 Scorpions Cricketing action in Round 2 of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association/Roy Baijnauth T20 competition continued over the last weekend as the remaining 12 teams battled to secure spots in the quarterfinal round of the competition. At the #73 Young Warriors ground, #43 Scorpions defeated #77 Cricket Club by 50 runs in their match which was witnessed by an enthusiastic bunch of spectators. Batting first the Scorpions scored 118 all out with batsmen T. Persaud 24, Ronald Pottaya 15 and Farook Drepaul 12 being the main run

scorers. Bowling for #77 Gajendra Ramnarine, Kenny Rogers and Nazarudeen Persaud had figures of 3-15, 3-22 and 2-24 respectively. In their reply, #77 CC were bowled out for 68 runs in just 14 overs. Nazarudeen Persaud and Trishan Ramdass were the only 2 batsmen to show any resistance to the Scorpion bowlers and scored 13 and 12 runs respectively. Farook Drepaul was the pick of the #43 Scorpion bowlers as he took 4-18. The Scorpions received disciplined bowling from T. Persaud 3-17, Marcel Harvel 2-12 and Bhojpauldeen 1-11.

In the second match, #72 Cut & Load got the better of #70 MYO at their Club’s ground in #72 Village. Winning the toss and batting first, #70 MYO scored 101 all out in 17.2 overs. Fazir Ali top scored with 49, while Jameel Assad 18 and Alim Haniff 11 provided valuable and much needed support to the total. Bowling for Cut & Load, Rishi Persaud 4-17, Davenand Chatterpaul 2-17, Ramesh Omapersaud 2-20 and Clavern Beresford 1-20 were the wicket taking bowlers. Batting second, #72 Cut & Load raced to the target as they (Continued on page 25)

rt o p S Bad Blood card on Saturday at CASH

Boxers pay Sports Minister courtesy call P.27

Sports Minister Dr George Norton (3rd from right), GBBC’s President Peter Abdool (left) with the Boxers and Fight night models at the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports yesterday. (Sean Devers photo)

Makwetu, Rolfes lead South Africa into quarter-finals

Debutant Ngidi leads South Africa to series victory vs. India P.26

P.30

Wandile Makwetu unleashed an onslaught. (International Cricket Council)

Lungi Ngidi finished with an impressive six-for on debut to seal the series for South Africa ŠAFP

Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.