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October 30, 2012 - Vol. 5 No. 44 - Price $80
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Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Brazil bound aircraft was painted over in less than a day - illegal airstrip was previously disabled Storm surf kicked up by the high winds from Hurricane Sandy break onto homes in Southampton, New York yesterday. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Hurricane Sandy batters US East Coast; at least 12 dead
Linden Commission of Inquiry…
Jagdeo/ Kissoon libel suit ...
Hicken refused to Freddie Kissoon called help dying Linden man - says Nursing Assistant
to the witness box
- one step closer to being Guyana’s national flag carrier?
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Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
Three new Judges sworn in A
s heads of the legal system continue to tackle the issue of judge shortage, three were sworn in yesterday adding to the country's existing panel of judges. Navindra Singh, Nareshwar Harnanan and Sandra Kurtzious are the new additions. The three persons were yesterday sworn in before Head of State, President Donald Ramotar, at the Office of the President. Friends and family of the new judges witnessed the swearing in ceremony. Following the oath and
signing ceremony, President Ramotar congratulated the new appointees and highlighted their significance in dealing with the back log of criminal matters. The President said that for a long time he had been hearing about the shortage of judges and thus hopes that with the appointment of the new judges, there would be a reduction in the hold up of cases. “I do hope that with your appointment, we will be able to reduce the backlog of cases. People would have justice and have their cases heard on time,” the President
Mark De Abreu turns self in
C
harlestown resident Mark De Abreu is in police custody in connection with the execution-style killing of businessman Ricardo Rodrigues. De Abreu, who was accompanied by his attorney, turned himself in to police yesterday. Police confirmed that
they are also questioning another individual about R o d r i g u e s ’ m u r d e r. However, Kaieteur News understands that they have no solid evidence to link either of the two men to the case. M e a n w h i l e , investigators have delayed the post mortem on Canadian Jean Le Blanc.
said. The President said, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” He is therefore looking forward to hard work from the three appointees. He pointed to their appointment assisting in prisoners not having to be incarcerated for long periods while awaiting their day in court. Attorney General Anil Nandall expressed satisfaction at the appointment of the new judges. He explained that their appointment is an accomplishment of a full complement of judges. Something he said the judiciary was unable to achieve for several years. Nandlall said that the shortage of judges had been a major problem. “One would expect that with the appointment of these judges, it would aid the court's capacity in a tremendous way of bringing the requisite speed to the Judiciary.” “ We h a v e h a d a n institutionalized problem of delay and one of the
Justice Nareshwar Harnanan (left) President Donald Ramotar; Justice Sandra Kurtzious and Justice Navindra Singh problems identified for those delays was the shortage of judges.” Two judges have been appointed to deal with the current criminal sessions. More are needed. Nandlall was asked about the likelihood of another judge or more being assigned to this criminal
session. Nandlall said that he would expect that if any addition would be done in the appointment of other judges to assist in the criminal circuit, he would expect the Chief Justice and the Chancellor to address the matter. He said that once the
need arises for additions to the criminal assizes, he had no doubt the changes would be made. The AG said there is an extremely slow rate of disposal of criminal cases and when that happens there is a violation of people's constitutional right to a trial within reasonable time.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Linden Commission of Inquiry… Brazil bound aircraft was Rohee to take the painted over in less than a day stand tomorrow
Local law enforcement agents and officials from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority are combing through an Ecuadorian aircraft. The plane was discovered at an illegal airstrip in the Rupununi region, and investigators are convinced that it was involved in illegal activities. Works Minister Robeson Benn yesterday confirmed the discovery of the aircraft. He told reporters that authorities have seized it and are preparing to fly it to a more secure location for a thorough examination. Security officials are still trying to locate the Brazilian pilot of the aircraft, Goncalo Ferreira Lima Neto, 42, who was alone on board. They want to ascertain what his true mission was. According to Benn, the aircraft entered Guyana about two months ago on what he termed a technical stop, which he said is not unusual. Such stops may cause aircraft to require fuel and other services on the way to their destination. “It was here some two months ago …We’ve been told that it required some maintenance work,” Minister Benn explained. Speaking at a press
- illegal airstrip was previously disabled
Minister Robeson Benn explaining the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the aircraft in the presence of his Permanent Secretary, Balraj Balram and Director General of the GCAA.
Missing pilot: Goncalo Ferreira Lima Neto briefing yesterday Benn, in the presence of Civil Aviation Authority officials, explained
to journalists that on Saturday the aircraft with the registration 8CCIK, departed the Ogle Airport, where it had undergone some maintenance, on a one and a half hour flight to Boa Vista, Brazil. Three hours later, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority declared the aircraft missing and efforts to locate it along the planned fight path were unsuccessful on Saturday. Some time Sunday morning the rescue coordination center was fully activated and the search for the aircraft intensified.
Minister Benn said that there was a report of the aircraft being in an area just south of Mahdia, Potaro. Then contact was initiated by the pilot on Sunday morning but according to the Minister, there was some garbled explanation as to the location of the aircraft. However, the information garnered was of little value in terms of locating the aircraft. “And there was concern later in the day as to the activities of the aircraft, since the Air Traffic Controls and the rescue coordination (continued on page 12)
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee is scheduled to appear before the Linden Commission of Inquiry tomorrow. Meanwhile, Crime Chief, Seelall Persaud, yesterday claimed that he changed phones during the period of the Linden protests which left three persons dead and several others injured. He could not say for sure that he spoke with Rohee on July 18. When attorney Nigel Hughes pointed to phone records which showed that there was a call from Minister Rohee’s phone to his (Persaud’s phone) at 17:45 on July 18, the Crime Chief said he “wouldn’t know.” According to the phone records, the call between Rohee’s phone and Persaud’s phone lasted for over two minutes. Persaud said that sometime around that time he had changed phones and all of the numbers were wiped out. He said that on the previous phone Minister Rohee’s number would show up as “Minister Rohee.” On October 24, the Crime Chief further testified that on July 18 he never spoke with Minister Rohee. He said that he never spoke to anyone at the Home Affairs Ministry regarding the Linden matter.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud He also said that he can’t remember talking to anyone at the Home Affairs Ministry on matters other than the Linden matter and if he did, that would be normal. Opposition political parties have been calling on Minister Rohee to take responsibility for the events of July 18 and to resign. In this regard, the Opposition was successful in having the National Assembly pass a noconfidence motion against Rohee.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the 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
Patrolling our borders This country’s inability to effectively patrol its borders and to prevent incursions is constantly being exposed. From as far back as one can remember, the borders have been infiltrated with near impunity. Abdul Malik, a man accused of murder in Trinidad successfully entered this country and might have escaped had it not been for some porkknockers who were alerted to the search for the man. Many Guyanese wanted for serious crimes, including murder simply cross the border into nearby countries and escape prosecution. When nearly a dozen men broke out of the Camp Street jail most of them escaped into neighbouring Suriname. Some were never recaptured but there was word that they were killed in that country. At the height of the crime wave men routinely escaped into Suriname. The now jailed drug kingpin, Shaheed Roger Khan was one. He was nabbed over there and unfortunately for him, the Surinamese set out to return him to Guyana in a manner that would have placed him firmly in the clutches of the United States federal authorities. In more recent times a number of men have either gone to Suriname or into Brazil to escape prosecution. Some dare to return clandestinely for a series of reasons. The very open borders allow for the flow of illegal drugs into Guyana and it is only the serious efforts of the law enforcers that allow for some of the drugs to be intercepted, often at the point of transshipment. The size of the country is a serious disadvantage. There are just not enough people to occupy the country and certainly not enough law enforcers to effectively patrol the country. There are other large countries but these days with the help of sophisticated equipment and the firepower countries can effectively defend their borders. For example, the Falklands comprises two large islands. One of them has no more than 100 people while the other has less than 3,000. However, the British who have established a military base at Mount Pleasant complete with fighter aircraft and supporting naval vessels. These jets effectively patrol the skies over the islands supported by ground radar. Guyana does not have military aircraft and certainly it does not have the kind of radar capability necessary for adequate surveillance of the skies. It is the same with every developing country that concentrates on its human development than on a military capability. Because of this foreign aircraft would repeatedly invade the airspace safe in the knowledge that more often than not the country simply cannot intercept them. Sunday, for the umpteenth time, the authorities found yet another aircraft and on an illegal airstrip. This aircraft had entered Guyana’s airspace and had been granted permission to and for maintenance works. Then it left and simply disappeared. It had failed to reach its intended destination. What is remarkable about countries like Guyana is the cooperation with the civilian air industry. Pilots are always crisscrossing the country. One of them spotted the plane. It is in the custody of the authorities but even its discovery highlights our inability to monitor what is happening within our borders. Those with nefarious dealings not only managed to repair a damaged airstrip to make it serviceable and to do so without the knowledge of the civil aviation authorities. They were able to move in equipment so that when the plane was discovered it had already been colour modified. It is indeed a costly exercise to patrol a country like ours. When we asked the American Government for assistance one ambassador actually said that aid is success driven. Under these conditions there is not much we could do to achieve success. We feel that aid should be forthcoming so that we could record success. We may never know what the aircraft came into Guyana with. We may never know if it made a cocaine drop before landing at Ogle. What we do know is that it will remain in our custody. But what about other aircraft that enter our airspace and make use of those other illegal airstrips? It surely takes a lot of luck to intercept an aircraft and more than luck to keep abreast of what goes on across the borders.
The Marriott Hotel project is all about the self-enrichment of a few DEAR EDITOR, During the televised debates on institutional corruption in Guyana, Minister Ashni Singh stated repeatedly that the Marriott Hotel project is a “public/ private partnership” and has justified the State’s investment as fostering a transformational project. It is clear that Parliament did not authorize the use of taxpayers’ money to fund this project and it is also clear the taxpayers of Guyana have not been fully apprised of this mega-project - labelled the largest Ponzi scheme in Guyana by AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan. Yet the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime was arrogant and conceited enough to tell the taxpayers that they plan to use some $4.3 billion of their money without their permission to build the Marriott Hotel, and that is if everything goes according to plan. The worst case scenario in the Marriott Hotel deal is the taxpayers could end up funding some 86% of this project if the plan fails and the chance of that happening remains very high, given the track record of the regime. We know from experience that the PPP has squandered billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money in their poor execution of several other mega-projects including the Skeldon Sugar Factory, the Enmore Sugar Packaging Plant, the Amalia Falls Road Project, and the Roll-on-Rolloff Supenaam Stelling. It appears as though either the
PPP is mulish or they have not learnt a single lesson from their financial failures, because it appears once more that those in authority are about to squander billions of dollars more of the taxpayers’ money on the Marriott Hotel when they indicated that the casino, night club and restaurant would not be part of the hotel management. Is the PPP regime outsourcing the main revenue earners of the hotel to their cronies? Shame on the PPP cabal!! Earlier, it was NICIL, now it is the Marriott Hotel. When is this crookedness going to stop? AFC leader Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan has criticized his former PPP colleagues for their blatant misuse of billions of dollars of the taxpayers’ money and their shameful exploitation of the poor and the working class who are worse off today than when Mr. Ramotar took office ten months ago. Others including Kaieteur News publisher Mr. Glenn Lall and APNU MP Joseph Harmon have stated that the Marriott Hotel is clearly designed to enrich the business buddies, families and cronies of the ruling PPP cabal. These wealthy PPP “untouchables” continue to rape and pauperize the taxpayers of billions of dollars every year, thus making the poor and the working class poorer. We have come across information of a grand scheme to build the Marriott Hotel and when the project fails, a group of sympathetic
investors all friends of the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime will purchase the hotel at a huge discount price, only to use it as a money laundering operation. This is the reason why the PPP does not care what the people think; they have already sounded the alarm that the Marriott Hotel must be built with or without private money. So for the Finance Minister to make statements like “all the norms of accountability are being followed on the Marriott Hotel project” is quite brazen, false and troubling. He is misleading the public. The PPP spin doctors even have the gall to go on public TV and make false statements about the project which are a stretch of the imagination and furthest from the truth. Why aren’t the international private sector and the business elite in Guyana not lining up and rolling over each other to get to the front of the line on this investment? There are several families that have the financial capability to fund this project as well as consortia such as DDL and Banks DIH. These conglomerates have shown no interest in investing in this Ponzi scheme. So let us examine the facts on the financing of the hotel. The Marriott Hotel project is estimated to cost just under G$12 billion. The PPP government, through NICIL and without the people’s permission, has invested some G$4.3 billion of the taxpayers’ money up front
with zero commitment from any private partners so far. The Jagdeo/Ramotar regime has a commitment in principle from Republic Bank to arrange for the additional G$5.6 billion that is expected to come from private financing to add to this G$4.3 billion of the taxpayer funds. But all Republic Bank will be doing is advising the PPP regime on the private financing for a fee to be paid by the taxpayers. Republic Bank is also expected to lead the negotiations with the syndicate of prospective private financiers and could invest directly in the project, if it foresees that it is a profitable venture. However, what Republic Bank would not do is underwrite the debt or offer any loan guarantee to the government. That financial responsibility/burden is being imposed on the taxpayers by the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal without their knowledge or consent. If this whole project fails to offer the rate of return that the syndicated agreement instructs, then the private investors have a right to call upon the National Treasury for the difference. Further, if the project fails completely, then the G$5.6 billion will have to be funded in full by the National Treasury, hence the taxpayers. This means that in the worst case scenario, the taxpayers could be called upon to fund 86% of this project (some G$10 billion). Continued on page 5
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Govt. justified in granting tax concessions to Hits and Jams Entertainment DEAR EDITOR, With reference to the multitude of letters and articles written on the recent announcement by “Hits and Jams Entertainment” that in collaboration with another business Partner and the Government of Guyana they will be bringing R&B Superstar and Grammy Award-Winning Artiste Chris Brown to Guyana, I wish to add my voice to the argument in favour of this proposal. I start with the assertion that “The Government should not grant the tax concession to Hits and Jams Entertainment”. While the basis for this postulation is unclear and hasn’t been argued with any merit or with any sense of impartiality, what is clear is that these writers are of the view that the Government should not be involved in the bringing of the artiste. The Tourism industry in any country is very important to the economy. In Guyana each year, the tourism industry is boosted mainly by
event-based tourism. Moreover, event-based tourism is seen as a legitimate form of economic development, earning substantial revenue for the tourism industry as a whole. Events are an important motivator of tourism, and figure prominently in the development and marketing plans of most destinations. The roles and impacts of planned events within tourism have been well documented, and are of increasing importance for destination competitiveness. Hits and Jams Entertainment, which has been in existence for more than a decade, is by far the largest and most commercially successful entertainment house in Guyana. That is not disputable. More people know Guyana because of their annual ‘Jamzone Summer Break’ than for most other reasons combined. In Trinidad and Tobago, whose economy is admittedly better than ours, the Government of that country
The Marriott Hotel ... From page 4 Is this what Mr. Winston Brassington calls 1/3 financing from the taxpayers? Is this what Minister Ashni Singh means when he says the overwhelming majority of the funds will be private funds? Where did they learn their arithmetic? And why is the PPP regime using the taxpayers’ money without Parliament’s approval to fund such a risky project that only their leaders know about? If this project fails, the Government will have to liquidate its financial assets to a consortium of a third party at a huge discount. Is this another CLICO being conceived and created by the PPP regime? And why should Guyanese believe in the political directorate and the few other private financiers of the PPP who will step forward to take control of this project at a huge discount from the taxpayers, thus leaving the people of Guyana with very steep losses? We have concluded that there is irrefutable evidence for the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime not to execute this financial racketeering on the taxpayers. The fundamental question remains “is there a need for another hotel in Guyana at this time after the significant investment in the industry in the run-up to the World Cup cricket? No! Is there a need for another mega hotel in Guyana when hotel occupancy rate in the country
is at roughly 50% and tourism is at its lowest level? No! And why is the PPP so flippant in spending the taxpayers’ money on such a risky venture? The combined opposition has to do more than just talk, and take whatever actions are necessary to stop the construction of the Marriott Hotel. Now is the time for real action and for the majority opposition to show the people the mettle they are made of. We call on the leaders not to allow this corrupt PPP regime to get their hands on more of the taxpayers’ money. Enough is enough. Guyanese do not need another failed project of this financial magnitude. In conclusion, we hope that this letter would encourage the people to confront the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal on this and other shady projects. We also call on Mr. Ramotar to scrap this venture, because we are convinced that this project has been hatched by the regime to compete with the Pegasus Hotel, which its business buddies did not succeed in getting. The Marriott Hotel has nothing to do with improving and expanding the tourism sector; but all about the new greedy, spiteful and corrupt ideology of selfenrichment of a few, while ignoring the plight of the poor and the working class in Guyana. Dr Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
was one of the main sponsors of the Beyonce Concert in February 2012. Of note is the fact that Beyonce’s performance fee and travel is estimated to be more than ‘three times’ the cost than that of Chris Brown’s (in excess of 1 Million USD). In Barbados, where Pop Superstar Rihanna performed in August of 2011, the Government of that country also doled out millions of dollars to bring the native
songstress there (again, in excess of 1 Million USD), even though the concert had been rumoured to be free. In Jamaica, the Government there doled out millions of dollars to help Reggae Sunsplash to be as successful as it is today. To promote Jamaica as a tourist and travelling destination, the Jamaica Tourist Board invited in 1983 the German band Supermax as opening act of the annual
festival in Montego Bay. They have supported every other large Concert in the country since; and the list goes on and on… In Guyana, the Government has only indicated that it will waive certain taxes, and political pundits with their own biased agendas and petty politics jump on the bandwagon, arguing that somehow the Government’s support is an affront to the tax payer - when
the Government is not footing the bill, but merely aiding by waiving taxes. In all countries that aim to boost their tourism sectors which play an important part in growing their economy, the Government always lends it support in a much more substantial way than the Government of Guyana plans to with Hits and Jams Entertainment and the Chris Brown concert. Continued on page 6
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Let the whole truth be told
DEAR EDITOR, Last Sunday evening I mused, how much more of this erosion of decency and democracy can we allow? During the week, I was invited by a keen media person to be interviewed on two matters, Peace and the situation at City Hall. I agreed and both interviews were done in an environment where searching issues and questions were put to me. At the end of the process, I bet my interviewer that the one dealing with City Hall would not be aired,
since the television station is owned by one of our billionaires who is clearly partial to the present administration. On Thursday, my secretary told me that she received a call stating that the said broadcast dealing with the affairs at City Hall would be aired on this Station (Channel 28) immediately after the news – there it is, I would lose this bet. So I sat with anxiety to listen to this broadcast. Instead, on the Current Issues and Analysis (CIA) programme with Michael Younge was Minister Irfaan Ali,
who told listeners how bad the PNC government was and how much more the PPP had spent in the several Regions on Roads, Education, Health etc. It was a sad and sorry display of juggling and distortion of figures clearly intended to fool ordinary folk as he did at the New Amsterdam Town Day opening last Sunday. But even if these figures he gave are accurate, he must tell the whole story. Someone once said “figures, and damn lies”. In glorifying how much his government has spent, I give but
just a few examples to expose his calumny. Infrastructure works, certainly his figures, must sound very impressive, but what is relevant is how much did the ordinary folk benefit from these massive sums expended. The truth is this; Government pays a contractor $65 million for a pump facility when examination reveals the total value to be about $25 million - a $40 million benefit to a chosen few. And this is an emerging pattern. When $600 million was
included in his presentation for the Supernaam Stelling, which failed so often, my dear Minister your stated figures did not tell us how only under this administration did we see the emergence of overnight billionaires in Guyana and abroad. Your figures certainly could explain the many magnificent mansions we see all over the place. Your mighty sums of course included since 1992, the huge sum spent in an effort to impose the disgraced Police Chief Bernard Kerik on us. The inflated sums are no secret – what you failed to tell us on channel 28 on Thursday was how much of those vast sums you claim were spent in Region, Health and Education have gone into the pockets of a privileged few. In Housing, what about these development schemes where the PPP top brass benefit. Is it the vast sums paid to ‘Fip’ Motilall who underperformed but was still awarded the contract to build the Amalia Falls Road? Dear Honourable Minister, they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating: in your Channel 28 broadcast, you extolled the wonderful delivery in the health
sector, quoting the vast sums spent. I plead with you to give an honest answer: How many of your cabinet colleagues, members of their families and top brass of the PPP have gone abroad for medical and health treatment, when we are purported to have the equipment and facilities in Guyana. Editor, I plead with you in the interest of justice to persuade the honourable Minister and his colleague who holds a substantive portfolio to give a truthful answer. You can fool some of the people, some of the time, but not all the people all of the time. In my next installment, I will explain why big ones, including those operating in the Ministry of Health make regular journey overseas, while the ordinary folks simple die to find a grave in an ugly, unkempt Le Repentir Cemetery, compliments of the government. I end with references to the sardines not the big fish. $20.8 million invested in a Water Cannon - that is a joke - and the $17 million luxury boat purchased for the Police. Let the whole truth be told. Hamilton Green, J.P.
From page 5 Others argue that it’s not fair to other promoters, but it is my contention that these persons are in denial – you don’t need a secondary school education to realize that Hits and Jams Entertainment takes the largest share of the market space in event-based tourism in Guyana. Further, when one considers the calibre of the artistes that they bring to our shores, coupled with the types of events and efficiency, as compared to other promoters, the Government of Guyana cannot be seen as being partial…and if they are, it has long passed the time. The government has supported other concerts promoted by other groups and they have done the same thing – waive taxes. Where were these commentators and critics then? I submit that this is nothing short of a personal vendetta against Hits and Jams Entertainment. Since the election period and Hits and Jams Entertainment’s “perceived” support of the PPP Government, those that are anti-Government have said anything negative that they could and tried to derail Hits and Jams at every corner. To think that even though no one from Hits and Jams Entertainment, as far as I am
aware, has ever come forward with a public endorsement of the government or any other political party, they would be chastised for the strip at the bottom of a screen that the PPP “paid for”, that said (Vote PPP), and was available to any other political party, is indicative of the smallmindedness of a number of politicians and political pundits in Guyana. Governments across the region, doing better than or worse off than Guyana, throw their financial support behind their main event-based tourism promoters, yet it is that in Guyana, with all that is going on, people take time off to criticize the Government for attempting to aid an industry in great need of nurturing. How this can be perceived as negative or an attempt to distract is beyond me. If anyone is of the view that an event that lasts for a few hours in a day has the ability to distract anyone from other “pressing” political issues affecting them ‘every day’ is easily debatable. People should rally around Hits and Jams Entertainment and support them if for no other reason, for their achievement in an industry that was in dire need of saving - Government ‘help’ or not. Neilson McKenzie (Jr.)
Govt. justified in...
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
What motivated our lawmakers to change “consultation” to “agreement?” DEAR EDITOR, I read with interest the contribution made by my good friend, Bryn Pollard, CCH.,SC, in which he stated that he had advised the Guyana government about the problem which the country could encounter if the two major parties do not agree on the candidates for the appointment of Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice. He suggested that the National Assembly, with no less than a two-thirds majority vote, should break the deadlock by making the appointments, but this suggestion was shot down on the ground that it was not possible to obtain a 2/3 majority in the National Assembly. It was very unfortunate for our lawmakers to ignore the advice from one of the leading constitutional experts in the Caribbean, who served as Legal Advisor to Caricom for a number of years before his retirement. Like my learned friends Nigel Hughes, and Teni Housty, former President of the Guyana Bar Association, I had written articles for Mr. Carl Singh and Mr. Ian Chang to be confirmed in
their positions as Chancellor and Chief Justice respectively, since they have been acting for a very long time... more than five years. I asked the question time and time again: what was operating in the minds of both the government and opposition politicians to change “consultation” to “agreement”, since it would be extremely difficult for the government and opposition to have the same choice for these two high and importance offices. I was not aware that the motion for change was initiated by Robert Corbin, the leader of the opposition, and agreed by the National Assembly. It was one of the few occasions where a motion from the opposition was passed and one wonders what prompted the PPP/C administration to agree to such a change. It baffles me why would Guyana change from the norm as in other Caribbean and Commonwealth countries. I know that there was a reason why the Head of the Judiciary in Guyana was renamed Chancellor and not Chief Justice. It was because Forbes Burnham, then Prime Minister, was not in favour of the sitting Chief Justice, Sir Joseph
A. Luckhoo to be the Head of the Judiciary and appointed Sir Kenneth Stoby, who was the Chief Justice of Barbados to be the President of the Court of Appeal and Chancellor of the Judiciary, with Sir Joseph remaining as Chief Justice, but in the No.2 position. Luckhoo did not stand for the humiliation and promptly left for Jamaica where he served in the Court of Appeal until he retired as President of the Court. Now that the PNCR has a new leader and David Granger is the leader of the Opposition, I wonder if he was approached to support the amendment. The PPP/C does not control the House, and can be outvoted by the combined opposition of APNU and the AFC, as was done before. Therefore, there should be more flexibility between the two major parties and differences should be ironed out in the best interest of the country. If President Ramotar is reluctant to approach Granger for a change, the Opposition leader should make the move to the President, since it was his predecessor who initiated the silly change. Oscar Ramjeet Guyana-born, former Solicitor General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize
Police need discipline DEAREDITOR, I agree withAdam Harris (KN Oct 28) that the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the July 18 Linden fatal shootings has exposed many shortcomings about the police, and, like him, I doubt whether we will have an honest, disciplined force ever again. From surveys I conducted in Guyana over the last twenty years, people expressed little confidence in the police and they believe the police are very corrupt – not that all are corrupt, but most of them are looking for “a lil thing” in order to do their work.Alarge number of them are tied with the kingpins of drug trafficking and are not really committed to policing, but using that profession as a cover to enrich themselves through illicit activities. We need to go back to that era where, as Adam highlights, police get long prison time for stealing a can of shoe polish. Unless the police are held accountable for their actions and performance, they will not become disciplined. In the U.S, when police misbehave or are involved in corruption, they are prosecuted and many have received harsh penalties. When the COI finishes its investigations (inquiry) into Linden and pens its report, I
expect it to reprimand the police force in its handling of the protest and make recommendations on how it handles protests as well as does its work, especially its record keeping – too many questions were left unanswered. The log-keeping into policing on that fateful day leaves much to be desired – not that July 18 was any different from any other day, for that is the nature of police work in Guyana. The police are sloppy in their work ethic and professionalism, and this has been going on since the police force became politicized in the late 1960s with the rise of Burnhamism. We have got to find a way to retrain and professionalize the police. Discipline is crucial and discipline can only return if those who flout the regulations and engage in criminal behaviour are given severe fines and jail time. All the political forces have got to be on the same page on this issue. Otherwise, our country is doomed to repeat July 18. I believe Commissioner Brumell is a decent, no-nonsense person, and we should give him support and ideas to transform the force. As we learnt from the testimony thus far in the COI, the police did not kill or injure the Lindeners. So I believe the police
will be vindicated for the shootings. Not one iota of evidence has been presented so far to indict the police in the killings, contrary to what the two opposition parties assured us when they demanded the inquiry. The PNC and AFC informed us that they had the “smoking guns” (evidence – video tape, spent shells, etc.) and we believed them that the police shot the protesters. Now, we are finding out that the opposition was bluffing and that forces other than the police did the shooting. The AFC brought a ballistic expert from England who, the AFC told us was going to nail the police for the shooting and embarrass the government. Instead, the expert has exonerated the police saying the bullets don’t match those used by the force and it is the opposition that is now embarrassed and are dissociating themselves from the COI. Regardless of who is blamed for the Linden killing, the police’s handling of the protest leaves much to be desired. It should have been meticulous in its entry recordings for all matters, not just Linden. The shortcomingsAdam identifies must be addressed to have a force that will earn the confidence of the population. Vishnu Bisram
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Ramdeo and his EZjet venture may be about to end their short flight into infamy DEAR EDITOR, When Sonny Ramdeo, the former CEO of EZjet, announced his EZjet venture, critics immediately claimed that Sonny lacked the personal resources to fund such an enterprise and accused him of fronting for the venture’s real owner(s). Sonny responded by calling a news conference during which he asserted that he had invested his own resources, had recruited other investors,
and was not fronting for anyone. Sonny also argued that his low-fare airline venture would do well and survive. Sonny came across as an affable man with a fantastic imagination and gilded dreams, a selfless patriot who was willing to risk his own resources to operate a low-cost airline in a highcost environment that had drained the cash and destroyed the dreams of others who seemingly
possessed greater business acumen than he brought to the table. But the news conference only had the effect of intensifying the criticisms and heightening the suspicions directed at Sonny. So when media headlines unexpectedly screamed that Sonny has been sued by his former employer for allegedly defrauding it of millions of US dollars to fund his EZjet venture, a sense of vindication overcame the
many skeptics who have never believed Sonny’s claim that EZjet has been made possible by his own money. And that sense of vindication became an article of faith when Sonny himself alleged that his employer’s money was in fact invested in EZjet by senior management of his employer. A U.S. court will ultimately decide who is telling the truth, but I offer readers some information on one of
Sonny’s companies at the centre of the lawsuit. I also offer some information on EZjet’s application to become a scheduled carrier, as well as information on flights that EZjet has plans to cancel between October of 2012 and May of 2013. Sonny’s former employer has alleged that Payserv Tax Inc. is one of the two companies through which Sonny funneled the millions he allegedly stole. Sonny registered Payserv Tax Inc. on 9/3/10, listing himself as the sole officer, registered agent, and incorporator and asking that 9/1/10 be granted as the corporation’s effective date of incorporation. When Payserv filed its 2011 Annual Report, Rohan Persaud was added as a director but Sonny retained all of his prior roles. On March 28 of 2012, Payserv made a new filing that removed Sonny from all of his roles and listed Rohan Persaud as the sole officer and new registered agent. So Sonny was no longer an officer or registered agent of Payserv effective 3/28/12. But was he an employee? I guess that time will reveal the answer to this question. Was money actually transferred from Payserv to EZjet in August and September of 2012? Sonny’s employer claims that US$5.4 million went to EZjet in those two months. But why did EZjet need a large infusion of cash in August and September? Perhaps an application on file with the United States Department of Transportation may provide the answer(s) to this question. The Federal Register (Vol.77, No. 190) of October 1, 2012 reports that EZjet has filed an application
requesting permission to operate as a scheduled airline between the U.S. and Guyana. A similar application (likely the same one), filed under OST-2012-0152, requested permission for EZjet to begin operating its scheduled service from as early as September 27th, 2012. So EZjet has made moves to go from a charter airline to a scheduled airline, an operation that probably requires much more money than a charter service. It is also worth noting that on 9/25/12, EZjet informed the U.S. Department of Transportation that it will cancel twenty-six (26) return flights it has arranged with its charter carrier Swift Air, Inc for some days between October of 2012 and May of 2013. Those flights are from JFKGEO-JFK and were/are scheduled for 10/7, 14, 21, 28; 11/04, 11/11, 11/18, 11/25; 12/ 02, 12/9; 1/20, 1/27; 2/03, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24; 3/03, 3/10, 3/17; 4/ 14, 4/21, 4/28; and 5/5, 5/12, 5/ 19, and 5/26. EZjet has promised that affected passengers will be placed on alternative flights or issued full refunds. It is interesting to note that EZjet is required by U.S. law to inform the U.S. government of all intended cancellations, which then become public record. Perhaps a similar requirement and action by the Guyana government would mimimize the number of customers that are affected when charter carriers like EZjet eventually go out of business. As we await the court’s decision on the lawsuit against Sonny, I have a feeling that Sonny Ramdeo and his EZjet venture are about to end their short flight into infamy. Lionel Lowe
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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THERE IS NEED FOR PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY OF PROCUREMENT IN THE HEALTH SECTOR The revelation that one company receives as much as eighty per cent of the value of government pharmaceutical purchases is a most worrying development which raises serious questions about whether the system of national procurement is stimulating competition amongst pharmaceutical companies. One of the main reasons why there is a system of competitive bidding is in order to ensure that the government gets the best value for money since it is held that through competition amongst bidders value for money is optimized. The government and especially the President, Donald Ramotar, therefore need to intervene to ensure that this undesirable situation is reversed, and for a number of reasons. The very fact that one company commands such an imposing share of government procurement in the health sector is indicative that the system of procurement being used needs to be examined to see whether it is meeting the purposes for which it was established. In the past, the procurement of drugs by the government has attracted the attention of the country’s Auditor General who had pointed out in his annual reports to Parliament that for many years in the past, competitive bidding was bypassed and waivers of tender board requirements were granted for certain
procurement to take place. Recently, the country was told that there was a system of prequalification of bidders for major contracts. Well, the fact that prequalification of bidders has also not promoted greater competition for medicines within the health system, means that the present prequalification system needs to be placed under the microscope to see whether it unfairly discriminates or disqualifies any companies. This task of placing the system of prequalification under the microscope, it was hoped, would have been undertaken by the Parliamentary Economic Services Committee but not much is being heard about the establishment of this committee which at least one opposition party had promised to bring into being following a High Court ruling that went against the government in relation to parliamentary committees. If the opposition is serious about making an impact on the culture of governance in Guyana, this is best done through scrutiny of government’s actions and not by passing unenforceable motions or by usurping executive functions through the tabling of its own legislation. The opposition cannot continue to give lip service to improving public transparency. It has to match its rhetoric by action and the best action that it can take is to ensure that the parliamentary economic services committee is up and running. The first order of business of that committee should not be
Dem boys seh...
Sandy only touch Guyanese Guyanese ain’t ordinary. of that would tell de world that Imagine a storm brush up de States and nuff people suffer. Couple Guyanese who live bad end up in water up to dem tail. Some of dem nearly drown and some of dem suddenly find family who live in dem apartment wha water can’t reach. Up come a reporter who never see de beacon and he file a news item. He claim how is only Guyanese get affected. De people shut down dem subway and de man write as if is only Guyanese does use de subway. He claim how de people cancel de main means of transportation fuh thousands of Guyanese. Ohh Pee was happy because de people inside was hoping that de breeze from Sandy woulda blow some of dem Guyanese back here and de rest would float pun de water. But dem don’t know Guyanese. Dem same Guyanese who go through all
things better than in Guyana. Some of dem can’t cook and de shops close but dem don’t care. Dem still prefer to stay deh than come home. In any case nuff of dem can’t come home. If that did happen in Guyana nuff people woulda deh pun de road walking about looking fuh rob people. But de police dem place a curfew suh anybody who deh pun de road got to have a good reason. People can’t use excuse that dem going by relatives because de police gun drop dem to de door. Imagine people opening dem door and seeing sheer stranger. Anyhow, jail good fuh some people. If Ed been in jail he didn’t have to worry bout hurricane and cleaning up after de flood. Sonny gun find out too. Talk half and wait fuh de big blast.
to demand the implementation of a procurement commission but to place the government’s procurement of medicines under scrutiny. There have been threats by at least one opposition party to interrogate the operations of NICIL in parliamentary committees but this threat has turned out to be a damp squib. There is a need for the procurement of medicines to be placed under the microscope to satisfy the public that everything is above board and that the system does not favour or discriminate against any
company or companies. Certainly from the perspective of the government there should be concern. It is not a desirable situation for any one company to have such a commanding share of government procurement in the health sector. Should this company develop problems, then a national crisis may ensue since the government is highly dependent on this one company for the supply of most of its medicines. Then there is the possibility of companies with monopoly standing taking advantage of
this dominance. But the more fundamental concern is that for one company to have such an overwhelming share of government procurement, means that there is an absence of any real competition and this is worrying for a number of reasons. It is worrying in that it may suggest problems with the system of procurement or it can be that the other local suppliers simply do not have the capacity. Either way, the problem has to be addressed and it is incumbent for the President to begin to look into this matter.
Unfortunately, public confidence is waning in the President and in the absence of any political will by the government to examine the issue of procurement in the health sector. It will be for the opposition to use the parliamentary economic services committee to interrogate the relevant government officials about the state of affairs of government procurement in the health sector.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 30, 2012
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Human rights as convenient tools The Arya Samaj Hindu denomination in Guyana issued a statement condemning the violence that emanated from the street protest in Agricola. There is nothing wrong with that. What is not right is what the Arya Samaj has not said. It is the same with the Private Sector Commission. For people in the Arya Samaj (that church is currently making a bust of Dr. Jagan saying that Guyana leaders must be honoured; they forgot a leader named
Desmond Hoyte), human rights are convenient tools. This same church hibernated when three protestors were killed and more than a dozen injured on July 18 in Linden. They were not harassing and robbing anyone but nevertheless were shot. The Arya Samaj deals with preaching the word of God. I am not a very religious person (choosing to study philosophy rather than religion for which I am unapologetic) but I often wonder why God does not
speak to those who preach his teaching but do evil things. When I was small, I often heard my mom asking’ Why God didn’t strike him down?” She uttered the words when she saw religious people doing dirty or nasty or hypocritical things. I inherited that habit from my mom. Up to this day I don’t know why God does not punish religious people for their hypocrisy. Why are the actions of
an opposition party to be condemned if violation of rights occurs but not when the Stare maliciously abrogates barefacedly. the rights of citizens? I didn’t hear or see the Arya Samaj question why four UG lecturers had their contracts terminated before official expiration. I did not hear or see the Arya Samaj in the picket line when Stabroek News demonstrated in front of Caricom against the withdrawal of state ads. To
this day, the Arya Samaj is silent on the stink stable of corruption that this paper has chalked up a reputation for exposing. But if you think rights are convenient for that religious body then the Private Sector Commission (PSC) is in a class by itself. From the time President Jagdeo became rampant in his abuse of power, this civil society entity has not once, I repeat, not once issued even a watered down statement on any of the mountains of egregious wrong the PPP Government has thrown upon this society. The list reads like a dictionary of authoritarianism. It doesn’t bother the PSC that this country hasn’t got a Human Rights Commission, a Procurement Commission, an Ombudsman. It leaves no indentation in the psychology of our goodly, patriotic business men that a modern country in the 21st century has only one radio station. It is possible that Cuba will open up faster than Guyana and will have private radio stations. Of late the PSC has come up with a unique theory in political behaviour. The only trouble with this theory is that it is asinine and the Guyanese people should treat it with the contempt it deserves. According to the PSC, the opposition and Government must give and take, engage in the art of compromise and work in the interest of the nation. Underlying this theory is the juxtaposition of two warring giants. This is not only misleading but stupid. There is nothing gigantic about the opposition. In a small, state-dominated, authoritarian country like Guyana with a constitution
Frederick Kissoon that bestows awesome power on the Executive, the opposition is, to use the word Basil Williams employed at the Commission to describe the behaviour of Commander Hicken during the Linden crisis, a eunuch. The opposition in Guyana has no power even in Parliament where it currently holds a one-seat majority. The Parliament is funded by the Government and as the Davies Report showed, needs to be separated from the tentacles of the Executive. Outside of Parliament the opposition’s eunuch status is conspicuous for the population to see. It is powerless to get the Government to govern fairly, to be accountable and transparent. The power of the government in a polity like Guyana is enormous. From the appointment of the coffee lady in a semi-autonomous institution like the Environmental Protection Agency to the Police Commissioner, the Guyana Government decides on who gets what, when, where and how in this land. How can the PSC talk about the spirit of compromise when the spirit of the opposition is still at Le Repentir. But this idiotic theory is a mask for reducing human rights to a convenient tool. Only when it hits the pockets of our billionaires then they open their mouths as the miners did with the Linden protest. Like my mother I ask; where is God?
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
Donna Bailey - new addition to the local bar Donna Lambert Bailey was on Thursday, October 25, admitted to the local Bar after her petition was presented before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the Supreme Court. Her petition was presented by attorney-atlaw Nigel Hughes who expressed delight in having the woman added to the legal profession. Bailey obtained her secondary education at North Georgetown Secondary School. Thereafter, she joined the ranks of the now defunct Guyana Airways Corporation where she worked as a flight attendant for a number of years. The invaluable experience she gained while working with the airline helped her to create the impetus to pursue studies in Social Work and
Law at the University of Guyana. In 2007, Bailey obtained the Bachelor of Social Science degree in S o c i a l Wo r k w i t h distinction. She was also the second best graduating student and received the Chancellor's medal. In 2010, Bailey completed and obtained her Bachelor of Law degree with credits at the University of Guyana. She later attended the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago where she obtained the Legal Education Certificate on September 7, last. Bailey recognizes that law is diverse in nature and plans to keep an open mind in respect of the many areas of the profession that exist. She, however, believes that the family as a social institution is fundamental
Shot businessman to undergo second surgery
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h o t c i t y businessman, A l b e r t Ramkarran, is scheduled to undergo yet another surgery to repair his left leg which was injured during an encounter with bandits on Saturday last. Ramkarran was shot at close range by two armed men during a mid afternoon robbery. According to the man’s relatives, the 56-year-old entrepreneur is in a stable condition but has complained about feeling “continuous pain” in his left leg even after he underwent s u rg e r y o n S a t u r d a y evening to remove a bullet. His son, Imran Ramkarran, told Kaieteur News that the bullet may have hit a nerve causing the unusual sensation. The Lot 60 Somerset Court, East Bank Demerara, man was reportedly attacked by two armed bandits as he closed up his hardware store. Reports are that Ramkarran was robbed of his gold jewelry valued over $1.4 million. The man was also relieved of his handgun and an undisclosed sum of cash.
The victim’s daughter said that her father who had just returned from a vacation in the United States was closing his business place A and C Ramkarran, located at 41 Harold Street, Werk-enRust on Saturday afternoon. He bent over to lock the gate to the establishment and two strange men came up from behind, shot her father in the leg and relieved him of his valuables. “He had just a gold chain, a gold band, his gun and some cash that the robbers took. Other business people in the area who rushed to his aid were also shot at” the woman said. Bystanders said that the suspects were being transported in a bronzecoloured motor vehicle. The bandits made good their escape while her father was assisted by persons who took him for medical attention. Ramkarran is currently a patient of the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
and pivotal to the development and evolvement of society, hence giving her deep interest in Family Law. The new lawyer endeavoured to do her best as an attorney for the advancement of the administration of justice in Guyana. As a firm believer in God, Bailey credited His direction for her successful completion of her studies. She also thanked her family and friends for their continued support.
Attorney-at-law Donna Bailey with Justice Brassington Reynolds (left) and Attorney Nigel Hughes
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Linden Commission of Inquiry…
Head of riot unit sees need for ‘softer hand’ There is need for the Police to exercise a “softer hand” in dealing with cases of public disorder, and for the Standing Operating Procedures of the riot squad to be reviewed, Senior Superintendent Lyndon Alves said yesterday. Alves is the officer in command of Tactical Services Unit (TSU), which is called into action in cases of riot and unruly protests. A half-unit from the TSU was sent to Linden on July 18, last, when a planned five-day protest was scheduled to begin. That unit was withdrawn when there were reports that protestors were killed and another half-unit was deployed to the town. Testifying before the Linden Commission of Inquiry yesterday, Alves said that he believed that on July 18, tactical errors were made. He said that there is a need to review the Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the issuance of firearms to ranks who are being deployed from the TSU. He said that he believes that units could be deployed more with batons and shields, because the presence of a
heavily armed “military type unit” can agitate a crowd. In addition, Alves said that the wording on the banner the TSU holds up to protestors should be changed, because the “remove or we will fire” approach can also make protestors uneasy. He would prefer the word “fire” to be removed. In addition, Alves said that he would recommend increased human rights training for the Police. As the head of the TSU, Alves said that he never had a hand in determining how many ranks of the TSU to send to Linden. He said that decision was made by Police Commissioner (ag) Leroy Brumell. In his testimony given to the Commission, Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken had testified that the half-unit that was sent to Linden in the first instance did not maintain a static presence at the volatile area of the Linden/Wismar Bridge. Alves said that when the TSU unit was called to the Mackenzie Police Station by Hicken upon instructions from the Commissioner of
Police, the crowd swelled. He said it would have been the better approach to have the unit at the site, controlling the bridge and preventing persons from loitering, blocking the bridge, or holding a public meeting. In addition, he said it would have been best if Hicken, who was the most senior Police officer in Linden, would have stayed on the ground as long as was humanly possible. Alves said that when the TSU unit commander, Assistant Superintendent Patrick Todd informed him that he was given instructions to clear the bridge, he urged Todd to observe the standing operating procedures. However, Alves said he was not in command of the unit; rather, the commanding officer on the ground was Hicken, who was in charge of the E&F Policing Division under which Linden falls. Asked then, why he felt the need to talk to Todd, Alves said he was merely offering advice, not commanding the unit. About 19:30 on July 18, Alves said he was called to a meeting of senior officers that included the Police
…tactical errors were made on July 18 SSP Alves reacts during his testimony to the Linden Commission of Inquiry.
Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner, Seelall Persaud. At that meeting, Alves said he learnt of unconfirmed reports of protestors being killed and others injured. Alves said he was instructed to have the first TSU half-unit recalled to Georgetown and for another half-unit to be sent to the town. The following morning, Alves said that he instructed that a check be made of the arms and ammunition that were returned by the first halfunit. He testified that four officers returned less ammunition than what they left with. Alves testified that while
a person was assigned to take written notes of the operations of the half-units sent to Linden, there were no notes regarding when the Police opened fired nor were there records of those who died or were injured. In previous testimony to the Commission, it was established that the bullets which were extracted from the Linden dead were coppercoated 00 buck shots. Alves said that the buck shots, which are issued to licensed firearm holders for the purpose of hunting, are held at the TSU Arms Stores. He said that he trained persons in the use of arms
using the OO buck shots for ten years up until 2002, when Assistant Superintendent Patrick Todd took over that role. Another officer currently does that training. Alves said that for the deployment in Linden No.6 cartridges were issued. Asked by Commissioner KD Knight when last buck shots were issued, Alves could not remember. Commissioner Knight pointed to records which showed that such ammunition was issued as recent as July 13 and July 19. Alves explained that if a licensed firearm holder wishes to have buck shots, he would go to the Police Divisional Office and make a request for a permit to acquire the ammunition. With the permit, the civilian goes to a dealer of his choice and pays for the ammunition. With the receipt of payment, he goes to the TSU arms store and is issued with the ammunition. Alves said that a record is made in the “Dealers” book of the ammunition leaving the stores room. Alves said that in his 20 years with the TSU, there has never been a case where the Police ran out of ammunition and had to use the OO buck shots from the civilian storage. He further testified that ranks of the TSU are given refresher courses twice a year in the use of firearms.
Brazil bound aircraft was ... From page 3 centre’s vectoring of aircraft into various parts of Region Eight and where it was presumed that the aircraft was, were unsuccessful in terms of identifying the aircraft on the ground.” By further vectoring towards the south of the flight path, in the Rupununi Region, authorities discovered the aircraft on an illegal airstrip east of Pirara, and according to Benn “activities of some great concern were underway.” There were reports that vehicles were seen near the aircraft when it was first spotted suggesting that the stop was a well planned one. “All that we are prepared to say is that he did not arrive where he should have arrived and the explanations that were given did not gel with what was seen in terms of the activity at the aircraft and also in terms of where he should have been when he called in yesterday (Sunday) morning. The Minister said that as soon as this was relayed to
senior security personnel, an operation was launched to seize the aircraft. This was achieved early yesterday morning. The aircraft was completely painted over in a different colour and the number had also been changed. “At the moment various law enforcement agencies including the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, are on sight conducting further examination of the aircraft,” Benn said. He explained that as soon as pilots who are skilled in flying the high performance type, pressurized turbo Cessna 421 aircraft, ascertain its airworthiness, it will be brought to a secure location on the coast for a thorough search. “We are suspicious about everything about this aircraft,” he said. Minister Benn reiterated that the airstrip where the plane was found was an illegal one, which was disabled some time ago. “It doesn’t mean that with some effort over a
day or two that it could not be restored to some use,” the Minister stated. He confirmed that the authorities had located at least two other illegal airstrips within recent times, both of which were also disabled. He did not respond to queries about how often is official surveillance done to identify illegal airstrips in Guyana’s vast interior region. “The Civil Aviation has a protocol with all pilots who fly all over the country that they must report any untoward or suspicious activity,” the Minister stated. The Minister said that local officials have been in contact with the authorities in Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname with respect to the missing aircraft. “All along the way we have been updating them with the status with respect to the aircraft...” He said that Civil Aviation Authorities will be going through their records to ascertain if the plane had ever been in Guyana before.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
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Kaieteur News
EZjet files in US to become full-fledge airline - one step closer to being Guyana’s national flag carrier?
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zjet Airways, which currently operates low-cost charters between Guyana and North America, has applied to the US for carrier status which will allow it to become a fullfledge airline. Once these permits are granted, EZjet will be able to fly from any point in Guyana to any part of the US. US records indicate that EZjet has requested a foreign air carrier permit to engage in “scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail between any point or points in Guyana and any point or points in the United States.” With this permission, EZjet should be able to comfortably gain approval from the Guyana government as this country’s national flag carrier. The future of the company which started flights to Guyana last December was thrown in question last week with news that its founder, Sonny Ramdeo, has been sued by Promise Healthcare and 11
of its hospitals for allegedly embezzling US$5.4 million and passing it through the accounts of EZjet. Ramdeo late last week denied the accusations and instead said that Promise was attempting to cover its tracks and in fact its officials are in court facing charges over US$550M which was diverted. He nevertheless stepped down from his CEO’s role. Over the weekend, EZjet’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rosalinda Rasul, insisted that all is well with EZjet and there has not been any drop in bookings. According to an application filed at the US D e p a r t m e n t o f Transportation (DOT) on September 6, EZjet wanted “Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier”. Earlier, this year, a series o f n e w s p a p e r advertisements had pointed to EZjet’s plan to become Guyana’s flag carrier. EZjet started its charter service from New York to
Guyana in December 2011. It introduced Canada and Trinidad to its route. But there have been questions about EZJet’s ownership and the source of its financing. Ramdeo, formerly of Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara said that the company was financed from his mortgage, pension and stock options as well as private investors who were never named. There have been speculations about the involvement of former President Jagdeo and his allies in EZjet’s financing. These speculations continued without any direct information on the company’s financiers. Over the weekend, EZjet admitted that there were other investors in addition to Ramdeo but declined to name them. EZjet’s low prices also created speculation about the company’s long term aim since several charters in the past have closed shops after running into financial difficulties, with the more recent, notably one being
Redjet. Ramdeo announced Friday that he has stepped down to clear his name following news of the alleged embezzlement. And, new CEO Rasul denied over the weekend that the company owed suppliers and other creditors and that she was still reporting to Ramdeo. Reporting on the financial health of EZjet, Rasul said the company is doing well. “I would not say that we are on top of the world but we are paying our bills.” Ramdeo said last week that he will be returning to the management fold of EZjet once he is vindicated. According to the Court House News Service website, Ramdeo and his two companies – Ezjet and ‘PayServ Tax Inc.- were accused of stealing the money from Promise through a “sophisticated scheme of fraud and deception”. “Specifically, Ramdeo incorporated a company called ‘PayServ Tax Inc.’
Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rosalinda Rasul and deceived Promise’s senior management into believing that PayServ was a legitimate payroll tax processing company affiliated with the nationally known payroll processing company, Ceridian. Based on this lie, he deceived Promise into transferring millions of dollars to PayServ Tax Inc.
Ezjet’s founder, Sonny Ramdeo and diverted over five million dollars of Promise’s money to himself and his companies,” the complaint states. Reports allege that Ramdeo forged signatures on standing transfer orders that purported to authorize Promise’s bank to debit f u n d s f r o m P r o m i s e ’s account for transfer to PayServ’s account at PNC Bank.
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Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
City Council worker drops dead in Tiger Bay
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City Council w o r k e r mysteriously collapsed and died around noon yesterday after using a public stand pipe in the Tiger Bay area. Suresh Persaud, said to be from Buxton, East Coast Demerara, reportedly fell at the stand pipe where he was washing off his body and had to be assisted by Tiger Bay residents who noticed him lying slumped over in the gutter. Persaud, an employee of Mayor and City Council (M&CC) was prior to his death, cleaning the avenue
on Main Street. According to a worker who gave his name as Smith, Persaud had finished working and had told his co-workers that he was heading to the public pipe to get cleaned off. Smith said it was regular that after work the man would clean up at the pipe and take a minibus from Main Street to his home on the East Coast. Residents said that Persaud had previously come to the area to use the standpipe. They said that they saw when the man went to the pipe but no one saw what
Suresh Persaud
happened to him prior to him ending up slumped in the gutter. Persons suggested that Persaud may have slipped and hit his head on the concrete surrounding the
pipe since they said the area is covered with “moss� and is very slippery. Kaieteur News was told that Persaud was assisted out of the drain and placed under a shed. The man was alive at the
time, but seemed ill, residents said. He later succumbed while lying under the shed. Police investigators said there had been no marks of violence on the body to
suspect foul play in the man's death. Persaud was later taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Mortuary where a post mortem examination is expected to be conducted.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
Govt looking to have 70 per cent trained teachers nationally by 2013 An ambitious target has been set by the Government through its Ministry of Education to realise a 70 per cent proportion of trained teachers in the public education system by next year. This aim was highlighted in the Government’s 2012 Mid-year Report which states that “under the Education Strategic Plan, the major objective of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) is to increase the number of trained teachers... by 2013, and to upgrade the knowledge and competence of teachers in their specialised areas at the secondary level.” The college, according to the Report, currently has 864 students pursuing the Associate Degree in Education Programme (ADE) and 910 students under the Trained Teacher Certificate programme. Of this number, 366 trainees are expected to graduate from the ADE in November while 600 are set to graduate from the Trained Teacher Certificate programme next year. It was just last week, during the Ministry of Education National Awards Ceremony, that Education Minister Priya Manickchand revealed that Government’s effort to train teachers from across the country has yielded noticeable improvements in the various examination results. She said that the Essequibo Coast, from where the Region’s top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination
...as Essequibo Coast boast a 100 per cent proportion (CSEC) performer (Sarah Hakh) was drawn, currently has 100 per cent trained teachers. This the Minister attributed to the fact that an arm of the college has been established there “so that the young men and women, who want to become teachers, can be trained right at home rather than having to come to Georgetown.” This development, the Minister said, amplifies the Ministry’s plan to ensure that there is equity in the delivery of education, a move she insisted will be sustained by Government in all areas that make up the social sector. According to the Midyear Report “universal secondary education, literacy and improved performance in core subject areas remain top priorities to this Government.” To this end, it added that the Education Ministry had implemented a strategic initiative which targeted 36 schools countrywide as part of a pilot to improve performances in both Mathematics and English at the CSEC examination. That intervention, it was noted, is awaiting the completion of an evaluation in order to determine its effectiveness although preliminary indications are that the programme was successful. The Education Ministry
has also been spearheading programmes in the areas of information and communication technology (ICT) which saw 46 training courses being completed in the regions with 1,150 teachers being trained. Another 26 training sessions were conducted at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) where 24 lecturers from CPCE and the University of Guyana and 20 from the Hinterland were trained. Additionally, the ICT-based Success Maker programme has been installed in 70 primary schools exceeding the targeted amount of 60, the Report notes. A total of 400 teachers were trained to use the software. Moreover, there are 110 secondary schools countrywide of which 79 have Information Technology (IT) laboratories. In this year 16 new secondary school IT laboratories are slated to be constructed along with 17 new primary school laboratories, while 16 existing secondary IT laboratories will be extended. These works, according to the Report, are at the stage of advertisement for tenders. In addition it was highlighted that Government will continue to invest in the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of education facilities countrywide for which works are expected to commence before year end.
In 2011, Government allocated additional sums to the Ministry in the National budget that saw more than 42,000 senior citizens receiving an increase from $6,600 to $7,500 a month. Recipients of Public Assistance also received an increase from $4,900 to $5,500 per month. With effect from May, 42,000 pensioners began receiving an increase of 33.33
percent on the $7500 they were receiving, or $10,000 monthly. Additionally, other support services are provided to pensioners including subsidies on water payments and medical care while they continue to benefit from free travel on public vessels. Public assistance recipients, with effect from May 1, began receiving $5,900 per month.
Pension books to be distributed in November
Pension books distribution will begin in November as the Human Services and Social Security Ministry commence its annual programme. The books are printed and distributed on an annual basis throughout the ten administrative regions at locations nearest to beneficiaries’ homes. At present, there are 42,000 pensioners and more than 9,000 public assistance beneficiaries. The early distribution is part of continual efforts by the Government to improve the distribution system while continuing to focus on ways to further improve the quality of lives of vulnerable citizens including children, the elderly and less fortunate. In 2010, Government increased the sum for pension from $3.3B to $3.5B which saw recipients receiving an increase from $6000, to $6600 monthly. In addition, $645M was allocated for the Public Assistance programme, benefiting over 8500 people.
GWI delivering water to Dazzell Housing Scheme - Contractor working around the clock to repair Bachelor’s Adventure Well Station Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) says it will be delivering water to affected customers of Dazzell Housing Scheme and other communities affected by the operational difficulties at the Bachelor’s Adventure Well Station. GWI is being assisted by the Civil Defense
Commission (CDC) to deliver water by trucks to several key locations within the affected communities. Works continue on the Bachelor’s Adventure Well Station to repair blocked screens and restore normal service to Dazzell Housing Scheme and other communities served by the station.
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De Sinco boss shows medical improvements Loved ones of the injured owner of De Sinco Trading, Frank De Abreu, have exhaled a breath of relief after being informed by doctors that improvement has been spotted in his condition. A medical professional attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) yesterday informed this newspaper that even though the businessman hasn’t regained consciousness, indications are that he will soon. The source said that De Abreu has been taken off the ventilator to which he was linked more than a week ago and is now able to breathe on his own. This newspaper also learnt that De Abreu has become more responsive to doctors as it relates to bodily movements and seems to be “…holding his own.” However, the businessman remains in GPHC’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and is still considered to be critical. Meanwhile, hospital officials say “doctors will continue to work assiduously to ensure that he (De Abreu) is successfully discharged from
Frank De Abreu this hospital.” It has been over a week since De Abreu’s car, PHH 9488, collided with a fire tender that was reportedly responding to a grass fire in Non-Pareil, East Coast Demerara. Though the four firemen sustained minor injuries, De Abreu’s injuries were serious. Surgery was performed to address his internal bleeding. He also sustained a punctured right lung, broken rib and damaged liver; and doctors declared that these were all fixed and no other
surgery has been since performed on him. Reports about the accident were that the fire tender slammed into De Abreu’s Honda which was heading east along Lamaha Street. The fire tender was heading north along Irving Street. The traffic lights at the intersection were not working at the time of the accident. After the collision, the driver of the fire tender, in an effort to avoid other impacts, steered the vehicle into a nearby canal. Four fire fighters were in the fire tender at the time. One of them, the driver, identified as Marlon Wilson, sustained severe injuries to the head, shoulder, neck and eye and he spent some time at GPHC and was discharged. The other firefighters sustained minor injuries and were treated at the hospital and sent away the same day. The De Sinco Trading owner was reportedly making his way home after checking up on ongoing rehabilitation works at Guyana’s top school Queen’s College since he had recently donated $1.5M for the aforementioned purpose.
OP, Finance Ministry appease Gender Commission constraints Financial, logistical and administrative factors were listed as the primary constraints that affected the efficient operation of the Women and Gender Equality Commission (W&GEC) during the past year. This state of affairs was amplified in the Commission’s second annual report for the period June 2011 to May 2012, which was presented to Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, and circulated among parliamentarians last week. Efforts to address the challenges have seen moves for shared services with the Administrative Department of the Human Rights Commission even as the Financial and Administrative Departments of the Office of the President and the Ministry of Finance have sought to chip-in in the management of the W&GEC finances. The W&GEC, which is chaired by former Human Services Minister, Indranie Chandarpal, is one of the four Commissions for the promotion and enhancement of fundamental rights and the rule of law that was promotion of national recognition and acceptance that women’s rights are human rights; gender equality and the protection, development and attainment of gender equality. Its main functions are to
promote the issues related to the enhancement of the status of women, girls and gender issues; promote the empowerment of women; and the promotion of women’s rights as human rights. It is also tasked with raising the awareness of the contributions of women and problems faced by women including the recognition and value of unwaged work even as attention is directed to women’s needs, interests and concerns in the wider spectrum of economic and social development. The Commission has a mandate to address both the practical and strategic needs of women as being different from those of men while seeking to educate and monitor employees and the public on desirable employment practices in relation to women and men. The W&GEC is additionally tasked with monitoring compliance and making recommendations for compliance with international instruments to which the Government accedes and which relate to the purpose of the Commission. The body is designed to evaluate any system of personal and family law, customs and practices or any law likely to affect gender equality or the status of women, and make recommendations to the National Assembly.
Accordingly, it is also expected to recommend and promote the implementation of legislation and the formulation of policies and measures to enhance and protect the status of women. It is also the responsibility of the Gender Commission to promote, initiate or cause to be carried out, research and the creation of databases on women and gender related issues. These issues could include health, especially reproductive health, violence against women and the family and their socio-economic and political status, as the Commission may deem relevant or as may be referred to it by the National Assembly. As a result, consultation and cooperation with women’s organisations in relation to decision making that affects the lives of women is imperative as is the need for training and technical assistance to support the initiatives by and for women and girls. In keeping with its many objectives and functions, the W&GEC during the past year was able to accomplish more than 70 per cent of its targeted goals. This, according to the report, was achieved with support from agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the British High Commission.
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Pirates on the rampage, fear grips fishing industry Fear has returned to the fishing industry. Pirates have launched an all out attack on fishermen plying their trade in the Corentyne River, which borders Guyana with neighbouring Suriname. One family is now living in hope because their loved one has been missing since Wednesday and as the days pass there is little hope that he will be found alive. His boat was hijacked by about five pirates. Chabdradath Harrynauth, called Kumar and Square, 49, of Number 73 Village has been a fisherman for all his life. According to his wife Asha Premnauth, the only thing her husband knows to do is fish. The couple has six children. The woman said that her
…one fisherman missing husband left home around 06:00 hrs on Wednesday to go on a regular fishing trip. These trips normally last between eight and 10 days. She is not too sure what time they left the wharf at No 66 Fish Shore Complex. He was captaining his sister-inlaw Surujdai Khan’s boat, Navin SK 1361. He was accompanied by a four man crew comprising Kumar of No 65 Village; Jagan of Number 74 Village; Cockroach of Number 68 Village; and Rohan of Number 69 Village. The boat was well stocked with over $250,000 worth in ration. The woman stated that she got the news of her
Missing Fisherman Chabdradath Harrynauth an his wife
missing husband on Thursday about 05:30 hrs when she went to the fishing complex to purchase fish and was told that her husband’s boat got hijacked and that he is missing. She was told that the other men just came in on another boat. She saw the four crew members with marks of violence about their bodies and the men were crying out in pain. She started to scream and telephoned her children and relatives. They were then told the horrifying tale of what took place. The men told her that they were fishing off Big Shell in Suriname, a 12-hour drive from the Corentyne foreshore. The men said that the pirates beat them mercilessly with cutlasses and wood, took away their fishes, fish glue, engine, gas bottle, two barrels with gasoline, ice box cover, and their belongings including ID cards, passports. The pirates also cut their seine worth over $2M, and ransacked and damaged the boat. They were then taken and placed into another boat. The woman kept breaking down in tears and she wondered how she would take care of her children since her husband is the sole breadwinner and she has three still in secondary school. Her youngest child is 13 years old. The other boat Natasha SK 769, a 50-foot craft, is owned by Jaichand Gopaul of No. 67 village. He stated that around Thursday his
workmen were towed into the wharf by another fishing boat that was also hijacked, but the men had a spare engine which they repaired and were able to get their boat into shore. He stated that his fiveman crew was taken by surprise by the hijackers. The pirates, after beating his crew and stealing their belongings, including their engine, fish and fish glue, then dumped the four other men into his boat and left them to drift. They then left with Harrynauth. A boat belonging to a Mon Repos fishing crew which was also hijacked was passing on their way home when they saw the “Natasha” drifting. The crew went to the rescue and brought them in with the nine wounded men inside. According to reports, the Mon Repos fishing crew was also beaten and one of the men had a chop on his head. Relatives ventured out to sea in search of the hijacked Navin SK 1361, which they later spotted drifting off the No 47 foreshore sometime on Thursday, but the fisherman, known also as “Capo”, was nowhere to be seen. The boat was eventually tugged into shore. Relatives said that they reported the matter to the Police and all the relevant authorities, but are basically left on their own. “The police don’t even visit the wharf.” The fishermen attached to the No.66 Fish Shore Complex are pondering their next move as many do not
Another hijacked boat Natasha want to return to the high seas. However, many do not have any other means of livelihood and being the only thing they know have to risk their lives to provide for themselves and family. They said that so far for the month about 15 boats have been hijacked. One fisherman who was badly beaten only last week was too scared to speak. However many do not want to come forward for fear of reprisal. The fishermen said that they know the pirates and have reported the identities to the police and the relevant authorities, including ministers of the government, but nothing is happening. “On many occasions they have seen the pirates’ faces”. Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy was scheduled to visit the complex on October 9, but never showed up. Trician Khan, of Number
78 Village who lives in Montserrat, has had a torrid one month. He returned to the country on Thursday with his dead mother-in-law who perished in the aircraft accident in Antigua a few weeks ago. He was unable to attend the funeral which took place on Friday, because of the circumstances. Not long after arriving he got the message that his mother’s boat was hijacked and that his uncle is missing. He has been with his relatives since then, going out on the high seas searching for his missing relative. He hasn’t slept two hours since arriving in Guyana. His wife who has been hospitalised since September in Montserrat is expected to give birth in the coming week. She has no relatives over there, only friends. His mother-in-law was travelling for the first time to be with her daughter when she died in the plane crash.
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Prosecution star witness Rabindranauth Hundreds of New York-bound Seemangal to testify today As Hurricane Sandy strikes in US …
passengers stranded here As New York braces for its biggest storm in recorded history, hundreds who came to Guyana are affected as flights out of here have been canceled pending forecasters’ approval in the United States. More than 60 million Americans at home in the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and others in Massachusetts are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Sandy after forecasters said it could be the biggest storm ever to hit the US mainland. Caribbean Airlines and Delta Airlines began cancelling flights since Sunday and continued yesterday pending approval from New York to offer flights. Airlines providing flights to the New York area say that passengers have been in contact with their offices and c o n t a c t n u m b ers and other relevant information have been taken to keep passengers informed on the status of flights and
- Airlines encouraging passengers to check websites for flight information
bookings. These Airlines are encouraging passengers to check their web sites for upto-date flight information before heading for the airport. H u r r ic a n e Sandy pounded the Bahamas four days ago after claiming 21 lives in the Caribbean, including 11 people killed in eastern Cuba. The hurricane — now a
category two storm — has wreaked havoc in Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas and Haiti, downing p o w e r lines, damaging hundreds of homes and ruining crops. Forecasters warn that the massive hurricane now could merge with North American weather systems and could morph into a powerful hybrid that US media have dubbed a “Frankenstorm.”
Robbery accused turned prosecution star witness, Rabindranuth Seemangal, is scheduled to take the stand today to testify against four of his alleged accomplices with whom he was jointly accused of stealing over $ 7 million from city businessman Malcolm Panday. Seemangal, Jermaine Mitchell, Hardat Kumar, Chandrada Rampersaud, Rayon Jones and Aubrey Simon were initially charged for the July 2011 robbery. Seemangal however decided to testify on behalf of the prosecution after he pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Yesterday, Shelita Lall, entered the witness box to testify against four of the accused. In her sworn testimony, Lall said that she has been employed by the businessman as a secretary and domestic supervisor for the past six years. The witness said that she recalled the day that the residence in which she works and lives, Lot 35 Bel Air Gardens, was robbed. Lall said that she reported for duty as usual on the said day. “A phone call came through for Mr. Panday around 11:30 hours so I went to get Mr Panday. As I was
walking over where Mr Panday was standing, I noticed that a short Indian man and a tall negro guy (whom she later pointed out to be Jermaine Mitchell) had entered the yard. “I kept looking at them and told the caller to hold and placed the phone in a chair and went to find out what is it that they wanted.” Lall further noted, that the persons who entered the yard were strangers and it was unusual for them to have strangers come into the yard. “I went to find out what they wanted before they got further into the yard” she said. Lall was responding to questions from lead prosecutor Glenn Hanoman. According to the witness the “tall negro guy” hit her on the head with his gun before she could ask any questions. |”I screamed and fell to the ground.” The woman said that she screamed because she was fearful for her life and thought that “the stranger” was going to shoot her. “He scrambled me at the back of my shirt forcefully and told me if I make another f**king sound he will blow my head off.” Lall said that the bandit entered the house through an opened window, dragging her behind him. The witness told
the court that once inside the house, the man enquired about the money. When no one responded he became aggressive, using explicit language and pointed the gun at members of the domestic staff, Ms Annie Ramsood and her two children, promising to kill everyone starting with the two children. “The Indian man, who had accompanied him she said, helped to put duct tape on the hands of the hostages.” “Ms Ramsood then replied don’t hurt my children or anyone; I will give you all the money.” The intruder with the gun pulled up Ramsood roughly; they left the room and went to the back of the house, the witness said. The witness told the court that the Indian guy (Rabindranauth Seemangal) remained in the room with the other persons whom he told not to be afraid of him because he is not a criminal, that it is the other guy who went with the lady to the back of the house who was the criminal. He added that he hoped he don’t shoot her. Just then Defense counsel, Omeyana Hamilton, rose to object to what the witness was saying as it related to Seemangal since it can be seen as “character vouching” on his behalf.
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Linden Commission of Inquiry… Lima murder accused appears in court Hicken refused to help dying Linden Cleveland Romeo, 30, of Lima, Essequibo Coast, appeared in court for charges of murder and robbery which were read to him by Magistrate Sunil Scarce. He was not required to plead. Romeo was charged for the murder of 66-year-old Herman Ramnarine, a pensioner of Lima Sea Dam, Essequibo, on October 24, last, at Lima. The man died as a result of strangulation. Additionally, Romeo was also accused of robbing Ramnarine’s wife, Haimwantie Ramnarine, of approximately $250,000 in cash, one gold chain, three gold bangles, one pair of gold earrings and a wedding band. Romeo was similarly remanded to prison on both charges, until November 26. When questioned by Magistrate Scarce about his occupation and his place of
abode, Romeo responded that he resides at Lima and worked as a fisherman and miner. Romeo further told the court that he was married and has one child. Police have also said they have not recovered any of the jewellery or money. On October 24, last, Herman Ramnarine’ wife, Haimwantie Ramnarine, found him dead in the lower flat of their twostorey house at Lima. Ramnarine’s hands were tied behind his back. A piece of cloth was also tied around his neck and mouth. His wife, Haimwantie Ramnarine, also sustained a severe beating at the hands of the bandits who, after killing Ramnarine invaded the upper flat and robbed the household. A post mortem examination conducted by Dr.Nehaul Singh suggested that Herman Ramnarine died of strangulation.
man - says Nursing Assistant A young nursing assistant said that Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken refused to help him take a dying Linden man to the hospital on July 18, when three Lindeners were killed at the start of the protest against electricity rate hikes. Ron Allicock, a nursing assistant with the Linden Hospital Complex, said when he asked for the Police vehicle to take the injured man to the hospital, Hicken told him to “fetch he (expletive).” The young man was called to testify yesterday when the Linden Commission of Inquiry continued taking evidence. Allicock said that he later learnt that the man he was carrying was Ivan Lewis, a 46year-old who was one of three persons killed.
Ron Allicock Allicock said he believes that the man could have survived if he was helped. According to the nursing
Grandfather remanded on marijuana charge Mohammed Ali, 67, a grandfather of Lot 231 Smythfield, New Amsterdam, Berbice who was in a house when the police conducted a raid and found a quantity of marijuana has been remanded to jail. The man, on Monday, appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo on the charge of
possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. According to prosecutor Corporal Orin Joseph, the police on Thursday morning around 05:45 hrs raided the premises in search of one Qwesi Samuels, called “Big Worm” who is wanted in connection with several matters
of break and enter and larceny. During the search Ali, who lives at the residence, was in the house. In one of the rooms in the house the police stumbled upon a large blue multicolored bag containing six brownish parcels each wrapped in black plastic bags and taped with brown mask-
ing tape. The items were seized and Ali was taken to the Central Police Station where the packages were found to contain six Kilograms of leaves, seeds and stems of the marijuana plant. Ali was subsequently charged and was remanded to prison until November 9.
assistant, he joined the protest once he had completed his shift at the hospital. That was about 15:30h. He said that the atmosphere was like a “fun day”. He met up with some friends and they started “drinking.” At around 17:30 hours, he said that he saw the Police with guns and they were firing shots and teargas. Allicock said that shortly after, he noticed persons carrying an injured man, and as a nursing assistant, he reached out to render assistance. At that point, he said the Police were still advancing and firing shots, and so he collected a white t-shirt and started waving, calling out to the Police that a man was injured. He said the Police paid no heed, and so he placed the man on his left shoulder and proceeded to the parked police vehicle. Allicock said he checked the injured man’s pulse to make sure he was alive. Satisfied that the man was alive, he pleaded with the police to take the man in their vehicle to the hospital. At this point he said the officer told him “Fetch he
(expletive).” He did not know who the Police officer was, but he said when the Inquiry Commissioners visited Linden on October 3, he recognized Senior Superintendent Hicken as the one who had refused to help and who hurled an expletive at him instead. Allicock said he also recognized Hicken after seeing his photograph in the newspapers. When Hicken refused, Allicock said he placed the injured man on the ground and checked his pulse again. He said the pulse got weaker and eventually faded. At this point, Allicock said that he started to do chest compressions and pleaded with persons around to call the ambulance. Allicock said the ambulance eventually arrived, but he was later told that the man who had died was Mr. Lewis. Lewis, 46, of Wismar Housing Scheme, took care of his 79-year-old mother, Daphne Lewis, before he was killed. The woman said that her son took whatever jobs came his way to support her. Lewis’s relatives say they want justice.
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Jagdeo/ Kissoon libel suit ...
Freddie Kissoon called to the witness box By Latoya Giles Taking the witness stand yesterday in the Bharrat Jadgeo libel suit was Kaieteur News Columnist and former lecturer at the University of Guyana, Fredrick Kissoon. Jagdeo wants $10 million from outspoken columnist Freddie Kissoon, the newspaper’s Publisher Glenn Lall, and editor in chief Adam Harris. The subject of the libel case is a column written by Kissoon. It charged that the former President exercised ideological racism in performing his function as President. Kissoon told the court yesterday that he’s an unemployed academic. According to the witness he was employed up until January 18, 2012, at the University of Guyana. Kissoon said that he was dismissed from his position as a lecturer within the Social Sciences faculty, a position he held for 26 years. Kissoon told the court that he’s trained in the areas of History, International Relations and Philosophy.
Kissoon said that he graduated from the University of Guyana in 1978 after completing a degree in History. After that, Kissoon said he competed for a “Macmaster’ scholarship to read for International Relations. The witness said after he had completed that, he went for his doctorate when he received a Toronto scholarship. He said that he served three years there before he answered a call by the Grenada Government to act as an advisor for Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. It was in 1986, that Kissoon took up an appointment with the University of Guyana. The witness was asked about a thesis research he had done. According to Kissoon, he had done a thesis research titled “Ethnic Power and Ideological RacismComparing Presidents in Guyana”. He was asked by Hughes if he had presented that document. According to the defendant he presented it at
the Guyana History Institute in June 2010. Hughes made an application for the document to be tendered into evidence. The witness was asked why he did the research thesis. According to Kissoon his academic interest is in the ethnic problematic that runs through the history of Guyana, therefore in his training it would have been ideal to investigate the racial dilemma. Kissoon said that the research is one of countless academic interests he had in studying the history of Guyana. He said that with particular reference to the research in question, it was driven by the manifestation of state discrimination in the employment policies. Kissoon further told the court that he has seen the features of racial state discrimination, and it has reached a level that he has never seen before. For him, Kissoon said that it was an area of life that needed to be investigated and thus he did it and presented the thesis (continued on page 21)
Bandits ransack Canefield home, escape with over $500,000 A section of one of the ransacked bedrooms
Bandits broke and entered a home at 77 West Canefield Settlement, East Canje ,in a daring daylight robbery and ransacked the entire house from top to bottom, leaving behind a messy trail. The intruders even took time to treat themselves to a meal and also urinated all over the living room area. Indra Singh said that the occupants of the home left for the airport earlier in the day (09:30 hrs) and upon returning home around 16:30 hrs, they discovered several boards
from the kitchen area, missing. “They ransacked and tumbled everything. When we came in we saw the door break and the wall board came out and everything was tumbled.” She stated that the thieves left with over $500,000 in cash and jewelry. Additionally, a portable DVD is missing. The kitchen, living room, and bedrooms were a complete mess as everything was upturned. A report was made to the Reliance Police
Station. Singh suspects a few individuals from the area and has reported this to the police. “Neighbours saw them passing here two or three times and they were looking in this morning. There is a lot of damage in the home…they eat and tumbled everything and urine up and smoke up in the house,” Indra Singh added. Police turned up yesterday (Monday) and started to take photographs of the ransacked house. No one has been arrested.
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Guyana’s bauxite exports to China rise Freddie Kissoon called...
China imported 47 per cent less bauxite for the year to September 2012 due to plummeting imports from Indonesia. But imports rose 48 per cent in August. China’s bauxite imports fell in recent months following export policy revisions in
Indonesia, a major supplier. Imports from Indonesia had plummeted in June, but picked up in August and September as shipments gradually resumed. Total bauxite imports for the first three quarters was 30.77 million metric tonnes, up a marginal 2% from the same
period in 2011. China also hiked its imports from other markets in September to cover reduced supplies from Indonesia. China imported 111,943 metric tonnes of bauxite from India. There were no Indian imports recorded neither in September 2011 nor in
August 2012. There was also a rise in imports from Guyana in September, at 27,681 metric tonnes, compared with 72.4 metric tonnes imported in August. There were no imports from Guyana a year a g o . (ProactiveInvestors.com)
From page 20 research. The witness was asked about the research methodology he used with the research. According to the witness, it took the form of examination of important documents, content analysis of policy markers’ speeches, interviews with relevant actors and the research of historical documents. He was asked by Hughes if he made reference to the sources he used. The witness said he did make reference and they were all in the acknowledgments. The witness was then asked if he had authored an article titled “King Kong sent his goons to disrupt the conference” which was published in the Kaieteur newspaper. Kissoon admitted that he wrote the article and that he’s a columnist at the newspaper. He was asked whether he had examined the concept of ideology and he answered in the affirmative. Kissoon said
that it was the same concept he used when he did the research. Kissoon told the court that ideological racism has to be defined by knowing what ideology is, and he relied on two European philosophers, Carl Marx and Louis Alatehssur. The matter was later adjourned for Thursday where questioning of Kissoon will continue. On the last occasion, race relations expert, Dr David Hinds, was the last witness to be called. Dr David Hinds is Assistant Professor of Caribbean and African Diaspora Studies at Arizona State University. He has written two books on race relations in Guyana Former President Jagdeo launched the libel case claiming that Kissoon’s article suggested that he is a racist and that “by extension, the State and Government of Guyana, practice racism as an ideology, dogma, philosophy and policy.”
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Lok Jack: Aviation attorneys valued slots at £5m International aviation attorneys Beaumont Clyde & Company advised the Arthur Lok Jack-led board of directors of now defunct State airline BWIA in late 2006 that the carrier’s one pair of landing slots at Heathrow International Airport in London was worth only about five million pounds sterling. This information was communicated to Attorney General Anand Ramlogan by Lok Jack in July 2011, through answers to a letter of request for information from the AG about a forensic management audit concerning the sale of BWIA’s London slots to British Airways for five million pounds sterling in 2007. The audit undertaken by a committee chaired by economist Jwala Rambarran, now the Central Bank Governor, suggested in its 137-page report that the country did not get fair value for BWIA’s Heathrow slots, arguing that they were worth between 23 million and 44 million pounds sterling. Lok Jack and his former BWIA directors-including Gervase Warner, Robert Riley and William LucieSmith — say they were surprised when the findings of the audit were published in the Express last week. Lok Jack, in a letter dated October 26 to Ramlogan, insisted that no member of the former BWIA board was contacted by the forensic management team and it
appeared that the committee “did not receive, or failed to take into account the information and facts which the former board provided to you regarding the sale of the BWIA slots”. This information was sent to the Express and offers answers to 16 questions asked by Ramlogan on July 6, 2011. In his July 26, 2011 response, Lok Jack points out that European regulations indicated that “time slots” were allocated to airlines for arrival and departure and the pair given to BWIA- 9.30 a.m. for arrival into London and 11.15 a.m. for departurewere “good slots but not prime as they were later than peak traffic hours”. Time slots are not technically “owned” by airlines and cannot be “sold” in the conventional sense because of European regulations but can be “swapped for compensation” between airlines, the Lok Jack response said. The BWIA board said it instructed former chief executive Peter Davies to obtain competitive tenders for the slots after it was determined the London route was unprofitable. Lok Jack said the board introduced as a key criterion for the slot arrangement the provision of airlift from London with direct operations into Port of Spain on a regular basis. Three airlines were considered — British
Airways, Virgin Atlantic and British Midland (BMI). BMI declined to tender and Virgin Atlantic’s offer was four million pounds and code share for three flights a week to Port of Spain or 5.75 million pounds with no flights to Trinidad and Tobago. British Airways’ offer was five million pounds sterling with flights to Port of Spain three times a week or an option to purchase equivalent time slots at Gatwick Airport at the end of three years if the airline that was to replace BWIA (now called Caribbean A i r l i n e s ) w a n t e d to reenter the London market. Lok Jack told Ramlogan the board determined the British Airways offer was better, Cabinet accepted the proposal in November 2006 after which a code share agreement was reached in March 2007. Lok Jack and his former directors feel that these details were not considered in the forensic management audit and want Ramlogan to provide them with a copy of the report so they can address what they say are “misleading and unfounded allegations”. They also want the AG to investigate how the report was provided to the Express. Ramlogan said on Saturday that the report was not yet ready for public consumption and was a matter before Cabinet.
Most health facilities operational - MoH KINGSTON, Jamaica — Ninety-eight per cent of the islands health facilities are now fully operational following disruption in some services post-Hurricane Sandy. Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse, Director of Emergency Management, Disaster Preparedness and Special Services in the Ministry of Health, reported that 24 of the 25 hospitals and 304 of the 307 health centres have resumed full service delivery. She was speaking yesterday at the Ministry’s National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC). “The Annotto Bay Hospital is the only hospital that is currently offering emergency services only due
to severe roof damages sustained during the passage of Huricanne Sandy. Outpatient services and elective surgeries are therefore not being offered at this time.” she said. She also reported that three health centres will remain closed until further notice due to roof damages and, or loss of power. These health centres are Chepstowe and St Margaret’s Bay in Portland and Lawrence Tavern in Kingston and St Andrew. The Duhaney Park Health in Kingston, while open is currently dealing with selective appointments and emergencies only due to limited power supply. DuCasse noted that
patients inconvenienced by these closures are being advised to use another health centre in their areas. In Portland, patients of the Chepstowe Health Centre are being asked to use the Buff Bay facility, while patients of the St M a rg a r e t ’s B a y H e a l t h Centre are encouraged to visit the Mount Pleasant or Port Antonio health centres. Asthma patients of the Duhaney Park Health Centre in Kingston should visit the Sunrise Health Centre for care. She also said that the Ministry of Health would continue to work assiduously from its NEOC to have all its facilities fully operational in the shortest possible time.
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Ex-con charged with murder of J’can truck driver in NY NEW YORK, USA (CMC) — An ex-convict who went on a rampage last week on a busy New York highway has been charged with first degree murder in the alleged slaying of a Jamaican truck driver and a police officer. Thirty-three-year-old Darrell Fuller, an ex-convict of Queens, New York, was arraigned in a Hempstead, Nassau County, Long Island courtroom on Wednesday following an incident on Tuesday that resulted in the deaths of 52-yearold Brooklyn resident Raymond Facey, and Officer Arthur Lopez, 29, of the Nassau County Police Department. Prosecutors charged Fuller with two counts of first degree murder, they also charged him with two counts of seconddegree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of thirddegree criminal possession of a weapon. “He was on parole, and he had a weapon,” said Assistant District Attorney Mitch Benson during Fuller’s arraignment. “These were senseless deaths, and my thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family,” he added.
Police said Fuller, who appeared briefly in court on Thursday, either shot himself or had someone else shoot him in what they described as a scheme to make him appear to be a kidnap victim. Meantime, New York police said they have also arrested Jamaican Gerard Williams, 27, of Queens, as Fuller’s alleged accomplice, charging him with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Police said Williams had loaned Fuller a car and two weapons, a Tec 9 semi-automatic and a Ruger 9mm — and that Fuller used them to kill Lopez and Facey, a father of four. “We are awaiting the results of a ballistics test to determine if the Ruger was the murder weapon,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown told reporters. Police said Lopez was killed after he stopped Fuller, who was driving a silver 2000 Nissan Altima and allegedly fleeing a hit-and-run accident, on a side street in Bellerose Terrace off the Cross Island Parkway between Queens and Nassau County.
The Nassau County Police Department says it requires uniformed members on duty to wear department-issued body armour. They say Lopez was not wearing a bulletproof vest when he was struck in the chest. Police said minutes later, Fuller ambushed Facey, who had just pulled off on the side of the parkway — not far from historic Belmont Park — to take a phone call from his daughter over Christmas travel to Jamaica. Cops said Fuller shot Facey in the face and ran off with his car. Seven hours later, police said they found Fuller in a stolen van near his home in St Albans, Queens. Cops said that he shot himself inside the vehicle, and gave up when they approached. “I’m Fuller — the guy you’re looking for,” police quoted him as saying. Police said Fuller, who served five years in jail for the attempted murder of a man in a 2004 confrontation over a parking space in Queens, was released from prison in May 2011 after a drug arrest that violated his parole.
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Kaieteur News
Losses in Cuba from Hurricane Sandy amount to millions SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (ACN) — The initial estimate of losses caused by Hurricane Sandy in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba is one of the highest in its history caused by the weather. So far, losses are estimated at over 2.1 billion pesos. This figure, however, will increase when the count of damages in the tourism, sugar, construction and other sectors is concluded, as explained on Friday during a meeting of members of the command post of the Civil Defence in the territory. Brigades from the provinces of Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Ciego de Avila, Las Tunas and Granma are currently
working in the re-establishment of electricity and telephone services, showing their solidarity with Santiago de Cuba residents now going through a difficult situation. In the case of housing, according to preliminary figures, 43,000 roofs were totally destroyed, and 15,000 houses collapsed, said specialists of the Housing Institute in the province. In this regard, Army Corps General Ramon Espinosa focused on the importance of guaranteeing the supply of tiles to people in need, particularly those of low income levels. Lazaro Exposito, president of the Provincial Defence Council, explained that another priority is the
cleaning of the province. The volume of debris is so high that it obstructs access to vital production and service centres, communities, and offices and facilities providing services to the people, he commented. Meanwhile, in Holguin, close to 17,000 houses suffered structural damage as a consequence of the strong winds of Hurricane Sandy, which left the island through that province. Most problems resulted from the partial collapse of roofs, according to preliminary data offered by Archi Lam, vice-president of the Provincial Administration Council.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
AG slams Rowley over ‘reckless’ OPV comments (Trinidad Guardian) Attorney General Anand Ramlogan says the Government has acted appropriately in the arbitration over the cancellation of three offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and is confident of a successful counterclaim against British Aerospace Engineering (BAE). The AG described as “misleading inaccurate and false” the headline of a Sunday Guardian article which stated that he requested $1.3 billion to settle a suit against BAE. Ramlogan said judgement in the trial of the OPVs, which took place last May, has been reserved and the Government is optimistic of a favourable ruling. He said the International Court of Arbitration is expected to give its ruling at year’s end. However, he did not deny that he approached Cabinet to acquire such funds. When contacted by phone regarding the statement, Ramlogan said he was at a function in Las Vegas and could not hear the questions clearly. In the press statement,
Ramlogan also lashed out at the People’s National Movement (PNM) leader Dr Keith Rowley. Ramlogan said Rowley had launched a reckless, spiteful and malicious attack against the Government at the PNM’s Annual Convention, when he (Rowley) said that the Government had lost the important arbitration. “The trial of the OPV arbitration took place in May 2012 and judgment has been reserved. That judgment is yet to be delivered by the arbitrators in the OPV arbitration between British Aerospace Engineering (BAE) and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Attorney General notes that the Opposition PNM has been predicting for some time now that the Government will lose the arbitration and be forced to pay BAE hundreds of millions of dollars,” Ramlogan said. The AG said Rowley’s “we told–you- so attitude” and “predictions of doom and gloom” for the Government amount to no more than empty political rhetoric of someone with aspirations of becoming the next Prime Minister. The AG
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan maintained that he had taken great care in the handling of the OPV arbitration and said the matter is now at a critical stage. He said it would be improper for the Government to make any further statements on the matter while the arbitration is still pending. He said further comments will only aggravate or prejudice the arbitration and that the Government is not prepared to elaborate further on this issue which is still under judicial consideration.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Full extent of storm’s havoc on Haiti now emerging PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - As Hurricane Sandy barreled toward the U.S. East Coast yesterday, the full extent of the storm’s havoc on Haiti was just beginning to emerge. Extensive damage to crops throughout the southern third of the country, as well as the high potential for a spike in cases of cholera and other water-borne diseases, could mean Haiti will see the deadliest effects of Sandy in the coming days and weeks. Haiti reported the highest death toll in the Caribbean, as swollen rivers and landslides claimed at least 52 lives, according to the country’s Civil Protection office. More than three days of constant rain left roads and bridges heavily damaged, cutting off access to several towns and a key border crossing with the Dominican Republic. “The economy took a huge hit,” Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe told Reuters. He also said Sandy’s impact was devastating, “even by international standards,” adding that Haiti was planning an appeal for emergency aid. “Most of the agricultural crops that were left from Hurricane Isaac were destroyed during Sandy,” he said, “so food security will be an issue.” Sandy also destroyed banana crops in eastern Jamaica as well as decimating the coffee crop in eastern Cuba.
But the widespread loss of crops and supplies in the south, both for commercial growers and subsistence farmers, is what has Haitian authorities and aid organizations had worried about most. The past several months have seen a series of nationwide protests and general strikes over the rising cost of living. Even before Hurricane Sandy hit, residents complained that food prices were too high. PEASANT CROP LOSSES A rise in food prices in Haiti triggered violent demonstrations and political instability in April 2008. Jean Debalio Jean-Jacques, the Ministry of Agriculture’s director for the southern department, said he worried that the massive crop loss “could aggravate the situation.” “The storm took everything away,” said JeanJacques. “Everything the peasants had in reserve corn, tubers - all of it was devastated. Some people had already prepared their fields for winter crops and those were devastated.” In Abricots on Haiti’s southwestern tip, the community was still recovering from the effects of 2010’s Hurricane Tomas and
Kartel trial postponed
Vybz Kartel (Jamaica Observer) Kingston, Jamaica — The murder trial of jailed deejay Vybz Kartel and two coaccused has been postponed until December 3. The trial was set to start in the Home Circuit yesterday but was rescheduled to December as the prosecution said it was not ready. The men are represented by attorneys Tom and Chris Tavares-Finson and Michael Deans. They were scheduled to go on trial yesterday in relation to the murder of a St Catherine man last year July. Kartel, who has been in custody since last year September following his arrest in a Corporate Area hotel, is to be tried along with Nigel Thompson and Lenburgh McDonald for the
shooting death of Barrington ‘Bossie’ Bryan. Bryan was shot to death in his community of Gregory Park, St Catherine, by men in a motor car. Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is on $3 million bail in relation to that charge but he’s been held in custody as he is facing another charge of murder for which he is to be tried in November. Others to be tried with Kartel for the August 2011 beating death of Clive ‘ L i z a r d ’ Wi l l i a m s i n Havendale, St Andrew are Calvin Hay, entertainer Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Andre St John, Kahira Jones and Shane Williams. Williams was reportedly killed over a missing gun. Meanwhile, the controversial artiste, along with Vanessa ‘Gaza Slim’ Saddler and Andre ‘Pim-Pim’ Henry are to be tried in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on November 12 on a charge of perverting the course of justice in relation to the Williams murder. Kartel is also facing a ganja possession charge.
a recent dry spell when Sandy hit. “We’ll have famine in the coming days,” said Abricots Mayor Kechner Toussaint. “It’s an agricultural disaster.” The main staples of the local diet, bananas and breadfruit, were ripped out by winds and ruined by heavy rains. In the southwestern Grand Anse department, a boat that regularly comes from Port-auPrince to deliver supplies and pick up produce to sell in the capital had not come in more than
a week because of the storm. The cost of basic things, like fuel, had already jumped. In Camp-Perrin, a mountainous region in the southwest peninsula where Sandy’s first fatality was recorded after a woman tried to cross a swollen river, coffee planters lamented the loss of a harvest they were weeks away from collecting. “Coffee is the bank account of the peasants,” said Maurice Jean-Louis, a planter and head of a coffee growers’ cooperative
in Camp-Perrin. Rain flooded many storage areas as well, soaking coffee beans that were set aside for export. He called the damage “incalculable.” CHOLERA IN THE CAPITAL In the capital, Port-auPrince, Sandy destroyed concrete homes and tent camps alike, where 370,000 victims of the 2010 earthquake are still living. Haitian authorities said 18,000 families were left homeless in the disaster.
Aid organizations began reporting a sharp rise in suspected cholera cases in several departments, with at least 86 new cases alone coming from Port-au-Prince’s earthquake survivor camps, according to Dr. Juan Carlos Gustavo Alonso of the Pan American Health Organization. Many communities are still cut off and only accessible by helicopter, he said, so the broader rise in cholera was “still too early to tell.”
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Tuesday October 30, 2012
Sandy wreaks havoc across Northeast US; at least 10 dead
Flooding at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan (AP photo) (CNN) — Though no longer a hurricane, “posttropical” superstorm Sandy packed a hurricane-sized punch as it slammed into the Jersey Shore yesterday, killing at least 10 people from West Virginia to North Carolina and Connecticut. Sandy whipped torrents of water over the streets of Atlantic City, stretching for blocks inland and ripping up part of the vacation spot’s fabled boardwalk. The storm surge set records in Lower Manhattan, where flooded substations caused a widespread power outage. It swamped beachfronts on both sides of Long Island Sound and delivered hurricane-force winds from Virginia to Cape Cod as it came ashore. The storm hit near
Atlantic City about 8 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center reported. It packed 80-mph winds at landfall, down from the 90 mph clocked earlier yesterday. The storm had already knocked down power lines and tree limbs while still 50 miles offshore and washed out a section of the boardwalk on the north end of town, Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford told CNN. And in Seaside Heights, about 30 miles north of Atlantic City, Police Chief Thomas Boyd told CNN, “The whole north side of my town is totally under water.” In New York, lower Manhattan’s Battery Park recorded nearly 14-foot tide, smashing a record set by 1960’s Hurricane Donna by more than 3 feet. The city had
already halted service on its bus and train lines, closing schools and ordering about 400,000 people out of their homes in low-lying areas of Manhattan and elsewhere. Flooding forced the closure of all three of the major airports in the area, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty. Water seeped into subway stations in Lower Manhattan and into the tunnel connecting Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, while high winds damaged a crane perched atop a Midtown skyscraper under construction, forcing authorities to evacuate the surrounding area. The storm was blamed for lamed for more than 2.8 million outages across the Northeast. About 350,000 of them were in the New York
city area, where local utility Con Edison reported it had also cut power to customers in parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan to protect underground equipment as the storm waters rose. But as water crept into its substations, Con Ed said it had lost service to about 250,000 customers in lower Manhattan — most of the island south of 39th Street. At least five people had been killed in storm-related incidents in New York state, including three killed by trees falling on homes in Queens and in the town of New Salem, near Albany, city and state officials said. Falling trees were also blamed for the two deaths reported in New Jersey and one in Connecticut, authorities there told CNN.
And in West Virginia, a woman was killed in a car accident after the storm dumped 5 inches of snow on the town of Davis, said Amy Shuler Goodwin, a spokeswoman for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s office. Sandy had already claimed at least 67 lives in the Caribbean, including 51 in Haiti. And before hitting land, it overwhelmed the sailing ship HMS Bounty, a replica of the historic British vessel, off North Carolina. Fourteen of the ship’s crew of 16 were rescued, but the body of one deckhand was found last evening and the ship’s captain was still missing last night, the Coast Guard said. Sandy’s expected storm surge could raise water levels to 11 feet above normal high tide, already the highest of the month because of a full moon. And forecasters said Sandy was likely to collide with a cold front and spawn a superstorm that could generate flash floods and snowstorms. “It could be bad,” said U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Steven Rattior, “or it could be devastation.” Mass transit shut down across the densely populated Northeast, landmarks stood empty and schools and government offices were closed. The National Grid, which provides power to millions of customers, said 60 million people could be affected before it’s over. Based on pressure readings, it’s likely to be the strongest storm to make landfall north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said. The benchmark storm, the 1938 “Long Island Express” Hurricane, contained a low pressure reading of 946 millibars; Sandy had a minimum pressure of 943 millibars. Generally speaking, the lower
the pressure, the stronger the storm. Its arrival, eight days before the U.S. presidential election, forced President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, to alter or cancel several campaign stops. Obama flew back to Washington from Florida, telling reporters at the White House that assets were in place for an effective response to the storm. “The most important message I have for the public right now is please listen to what your state and local officials are saying,” Obama said. “When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate.” And in Ohio, Romney asked supporters to drop off items and cash at his “victory centers” to be donated to victims of the storm. “There are families in harm’s way that will be hurt — either in their possessions or perhaps in something more severe,” Romney said. By yesterday afternoon, 23 states were under a warning or advisory for wind related to Sandy. Thousands of flights had been canceled, and hundreds of roads and highways were expected to flood. And according to a government model, Sandy’s wind damage alone could cause more than $7 billion in economic loss. Sandy was expected to weaken once it moves inland, but the center was expected to move slowly northward, meaning gusty winds and heavy rain would continue through tomorrow. On the western side of the storm, the mountains of West Virginia expected up to 3 feet of snow and the mountains of southwestern Virginia to the Kentucky state line could see up to 2 feet. Twelve to 18 inches of snow were expected in the mountains near the North Carolina-Tennessee border.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Anti-corruption crusader rattles India’s political class
Arvind Kejriwal, a social activist and anti-corruption campaigner, works on his laptop after his interview with Reuters in Ghaziabad on the outskirts of New Delhi October 22, 2012. (REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal) (Reuters) - From a shabby house in one of New Delhi’s grimmest suburbs, a mildmannered former tax official has launched a salvo of accusations of corruption involving some of India’s most powerful people, rocking the political establishment. In quick succession,
Arvind Kejriwal has publicly leveled charges of shady dealings against the son-inlaw of ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, the outgoing law minister and the leader of the main opposition party. His claims, carried live and endlessly raked over by breathless 24/7 television
(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday overcame opposition within his party to an alliance with a far-right group that opinion polls predict will help him triumph in a January election. Netanyahu had angered many Likud party faithful with a surprise announcement on Thursday of the merger with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s ultra-nationalist party. Some of Likud’s 3,700member ruling body tried to stall the vote by petitioning for a secret ballot, but the alliance won a quick show of hands after Netanyahu pledged in a speech that the move would “not change Likud” or supplant its leadership. “I’ve got news for you, I intend to lead Israel for many years to come,” he said to loud applause in a packed Tel Aviv auditorium. Some in Likud had objected to the merger with Lieberman’s faction, citing his Yisrael Beitenu party’s widely-criticized legislative moves questioning the loyalty of Israeli Arabs and calls to investigate foreign funding of organizations, a
move seen as targeting liberals. Others worried that the deal, which divides up parliament seats between the parties, could rob them of reelection. But many in Likud seemed swayed by opinion polls suggesting the new alliance would easily triumph in the January 22 national vote. Summing up his own decision to back the union, Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said on Israel Radio ahead of the vote: “It’s true they didn’t consult with us as they should, but now that the train has left the station, the risk of cancelling the deal is greater. The prime minister made a decision and it should be accepted.” NETANYAHU AHEAD IN POLLS Three surveys published Sunday and yesterday showed Netanyahu’s new bloc winning 35 to 43 seats in the 120-member parliament, well ahead of 20 to 23 for leftof-centre Labor, and a dozen to 15 seats for other centrist parties. The only challenger seen as possibly threatening Netanyahu’s lead was ex-
news networks, tap into popular outrage over the deep-rooted corruption in Indian politics, government and business that is often endured but rarely confronted in so public a manner, even by the media. “Our purpose is to tell the people that every single political party is corrupt.
Netanyahu wins party mandate for alliance with far right prime minister Ehud Olmert, former leader of the centrist Kadima party, who has not yet said whether he will run since his acquittal on most of the corruption charges that forced his 2008 resignation. A poll published yesterday in the Maariv newspaper showed Olmert winning just 10 parliament seats to 42 for Netanyahu’s Likud-Beitenu bloc. The gap was narrower when Olmert’s support was combined with that of other centrists such as former TV news anchor Yair Lapid, running as head of a separate party. Some pundits see a possible comeback by former foreign minister Tzipi Livni as a potential wild card in the race. Livni quit parliament in March after losing a party leadership race in Kadima to former general Shaul Mofaz. Livni and other centrists have been holding talks with Labor party leader Shelly Yachimovitch on the possibility of forging a broader ticket against Netanyahu. But most polls predict right-wing and religious parties more closely allied with Netanyahu will win a solid majority in the election.
They are in collusion with each other, they protect each other,” Kejriwal told Reuters as he sat in a sparsely furnished office receiving a stream of visitors. While none of Kejriwal’s claims have yet led to any formal investigations, his targeting of high-profile individuals is unprecedented. Anti-corruption activists have in the past pressed for stricter rules to tackle corruption but have refrained from naming and shaming. Even rival political parties have tended to shy away from personal attacks. It is, though, the parties that Indians perceive as the most corrupt institutions, according to Transparency International. A recent survey of upper house lawmakers by National Election Watch found their average net worth stood at about $2.3 million. Lawmakers earn about $900 a month. CRUSADER OR OPPORTUNIST? Kejriwal has fought a decade-long campaign to
bring more transparency to government, but it was in 2010 that he began to pursue corruption more vigorously. He was one of the architects of the India Against Corruption movement led by veteran social activist Anna Hazare, 75, whose public hunger strike against graft last year led to an outpouring of support from millions of middle-class Indians disgusted by the venality of the ruling class. Corruption is part of daily life in India - from bribes paid for something as simple as getting a gas connection, passport or avoiding a traffic violation, to multi-billiondollar scandals. Hazare’s campaign has fizzled, but Kejriwal’s targeting of high-profile individuals has thrust him into the spotlight. In the space of a few weeks the diminutive former bureaucrat, who often wears a short-sleeve check shirt that seems one size too big for him, has become a media sensation. His news conferences attract hundreds of reporters, and he has announced he is launching
his own political party. His critics dismiss him as a political opportunist, but acknowledge his shrewd use of the media, especially television, to amplify his anticorruption crusade. “He has shaken up the system. Whether that will result in the cleansing of the system, I don’t know,” said political commentator Swapan Dasgupta. None of Kejriwal’s corruption claims - which are based on government documents obtained through India’s Right to Information Act or whistleblowers amount to a “smoking gun”. But his outspokenness has emboldened Indian media to launch their own investigations into those named. TARGETS INDIA’S POWERFUL A Congress party leader called Kejriwal a “self-serving ambitious megalomaniac” after he produced documents alleging irregularities in land deals involving Sonia Gandhi’s businessman sonin-law, Robert Vadra, and Continued on page 30
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Tuesday October 30, 2012
Air strikes, car bombs wreck Anti-corruption ... last day of Syria “truce” (Reuters) - Syrian jets bombed parts of Damascus on Monday in what residents said were the capital’s fiercest air raids yet, at the end of what was supposed to be a four-day truce. “More than 100 buildings have been destroyed, some leveled to the ground,” said opposition activist Moaz alShami. “Whole neighbourhoods are deserted.” Each side in the 19month-old conflict between President Bashar al-Assad and rebels blamed the other for breaking the truce proposed by peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to mark a Muslim holiday. Two car bombs rocked the capital on Monday, state media reported.”I am deeply disappointed that the parties failed to respect the call to suspend fighting,” U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said. “This crisis cannot be solved with more weapons and bloodshed ... the guns must fall silent.” Although the military and
several rebel groups accepted the plan to stop shooting over Eid al-Adha, which ends on Monday, 500 people have been killed since Friday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition organization. Damascus residents said Monday’s air raids were the heaviest since jets and helicopters first bombarded pro-opposition parts of the capital in August. “Even electricity poles have been hit and they are lying among pools of water from burst pipes. There is no food, water, electricity or telephones,” said Shami, who said he witnessed three air raids in the northeastern suburb of Harasta alone. State media said “armed terrorist groups” had broken the truce over the four days in the cities of Aleppo, Homs and Deir al-Zor and had detonated two car bombs in the capital on Monday. One killed 10 people, including women and children, near a bakery in
Jaramana, a district controlled by forces loyal to Assad. The other was in Hajar al-Aswad, a neighborhood where rebels are based. INDISPENSABLE The conflict - which pits majority Sunni Muslims against a leadership dominated by Alawites - a branch of Shi’ite Islam - has grown increasingly sectarian. The Observatory said that more than 200 Kurdish civilians were detained over the weekend by “militants” and a Kurdish man died from wounds he sustained during torture. Rebels in Aleppo have fought with Kurdish militants in recent days, accusing Syria’s Kurds of siding with Assad. Many Kurds say they want to stay out of the violence by distancing themselves from either side. Brahimi, who met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday before flying to Beijing, said the renewed violence would not discourage him. “We think this civil war must end ... and the new Syria
has to be built by all its sons,” he said. “The support of Russia and other members of the (U.N.) Security Council is indispensable.” Russia and China have vetoed three Western-backed U.N. draft resolutions condemning Assad’s government for the violence. Beijing, keen to show it does not take sides in Syria, has urged Damascus to talk to the opposition and meet demands for political change and has advocated a transitional government. Big-power rifts have paralyzed U.N. action over Syria, but Assad’s political and armed opponents are also deeply divided, a problem which their Western allies say has complicated efforts to provide greater support. The Syrian Foreign Ministry released a statement after Monday’s car bombs, lambasting the Security Council for not condemning actions it said “encouraged terrorists to continue their crimes against the Syrian people.”
From page 29 India’s biggest property developer, DLF Ltd. Vadra has denied the allegations, saying they were “utterly false, entirely baseless and defamatory”. DLF, which has also strongly denied any impropriety, saw nearly $580 million wiped off its market value in a single day after Kejriwal’s claims. In making the allegations, Kejriwal trod on dangerous ground. The charges punctured the almost bullet-proof wall of silence that surrounds the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty, which is viewed as the closest thing India has to a royal family. Kejriwal, 44, smiles beneath his neatly trimmed moustache when asked about the bitter verbal attacks on him. “We expected all this to happen, which only means that we have been effective. They are all rattled,” he said. Outgoing Law Minister Salman Khurshid called Kejriwal an ant trying to take on an elephant after he alleged a non-governmental group led by Khurshid and
his wife misused funds. The Khurshids have denied any wrongdoing, and the prime minister publicly demonstrated his support by making him foreign minister on Sunday. One of Khurshid’s cabinet colleagues said he did not believe Kejriwal’s allegations that Khurshid had embezzled a sum equivalent to $134,000. “It is a very small amount for a central minister,” he said, adding that he would have taken the charge seriously if the amount had been 100 times larger. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called Kejriwal a “hitman” after he raised questions about a land deal involving BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Gadkari also denied any wrongdoing. RAG-TAG CORRUPTION FIGHTERS On any given day, the three-storey office of Kejriwal’s India Against Corruption in the east Delhi suburb of Ghaziabad is a hive of activity. Activists on plastic chairs tap away at laptops recording
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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===Letter to the Sport Editor===
N&M Intermediate 50-overs...
Is Mr. Kumar displaying a level of crass elitism?
Lionel’s 67 & 63 steers No. 70 Young Star into quarters; Kim Il Sung also in
DEAR EDITOR, I write in reference to a statement attributed to Neil Kumar, director of sport, as reported in your sports section in an article captioned ”Bishop’s win Digicel’s Schools’ Table Tennis Championships” (KN, October 27, 2012). Mr. Kumar was apparently one of the featured speakers at the closing ceremony of the table tennis championship referenced in the caption. According to your newspaper, Mr. Kumar said that “The battle between Queen’s and Bishop’s showed us that we are progressing pass where we just depend on potential and talent. It showed us that intellect is also important for athletes in schools in sport,”.... When I read this asinine comment, I immediately wondered what world Mr. Kumar lives in. I even wondered if Mr. Kumar was displaying a level of crass elitism. I further wondered to what degree Mr. Kumar’s decisions are affected by his dangerous and insulting view of our nation’s school athletes who do not attend Bishop’s or QC. Tell me, Mr. Kumar, do you honestly believe that the use of intellect was missing in our school sports until Bishop’s and QC displayed it during the just concluded table
tennis championship? Or is it that you believe our school athletes don’t have or use any intellect if they don’t attend Bishop’s or QC or another “top school”? People who know anything about sports know that getting to and staying at the top of any sport depends as much on the use of intellect as it does on the possession of talent or potential. So, for example, our country’s top school athletes in such tactical track and field events like the 400 and 800 meters got to where they are because they have always been prepared to use, and have been using, their intellect (brains) as much as their physical talent or potential. It should also be noted that our schools’ top cyclists, cricketers, and footballers have also been using their intellect to succeed. But because these athletes are not normally from Bishop’s or QC Mr. Kumar has failed to notice or acknowledge that they have been using their intellect and their talent or potential to succeed. Mr. Kumar owes our nation’s school athletes an apology for his insulting and derogatory view of most of them. Lionel Lowe Queens, New York
ABFA Awaits... From page 33 six weeks in hopes of accommodating the hosting of the CFU Caribbean Cup. This, according to General Secretary Gordon “Banks” Derrick, is on course. “APUA has come on board and they have done the initial cite inspections for us. We had asked them to do the technical drawings for us as it pertains to the ARG and they have just pretty much finished that now, so we are in full contact with the suppliers in the States, in Moscow. Lighting; so yes, it is tight but we are still trying to do our utmost to try and get them in time for the Caribbean Cup,” he said. “The way the lights are done at Paynters allows for what we are doing. They are actually modulated. So at Paynters you have a concrete base and they actually slip off the concrete base so we are bringing in four new concrete bases for the Recreation Grounds. The ones at Paynters will remain,” Derrick added. The CFU finals are slated to commence the first week in December with matches scheduled for both ARG and Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds. Antigua & Barbuda, by virtue of being hosts, gained automatic qualification for the final round here. (Antigua Observer)
Former Berbice Under-19 all-rounder Mark Lionel hit 67 (6x4 2x6) and his uncle Chatterpaul Lionel 63 (5x4 2x6) to steer No. 70 Young Star to 258 in their easy 174-run victory over Skeldon Community Centre when the Neal and Massy Intermediate 50 over cricket competition in Berbice continued. The points from the win
ensured Young Star ended as runners-up of the Upper Corentyne Zone thus sealing their place in the quarter finals. Kim Il Sung who had earlier defeated Young Star also registered a win over No. 71 to end as winners of the Zone. Collated scores: At No. 70 - No. 70 Young Star beat Skeldon Community
Centre by 174 runs. Winning the toss and batting first, No. 70 Young Star 258 all out in 43 overs; Mark Lionel 67, Chatterpaul Lionel 63, Rayon Yacoob 42, Clavern Beresford 4 for 44 from 9 overs, Nigel Trotz 2 for 21 from 4 overs and Paramanand Narine 2 for 53. Skeldon Community Centre 84 in 27.3 overs; Gajendra Nauth 27 not out,
Omesh Kumar 2 for 5 from 4 overs, Omesh Khemraj 2 for 9 from 5 overs, Chris Bollers 2 for 9 in 6 overs and Mark Lionel 2 for 27 in 8.3 overs. At No.71 - Kim Il Sung beat No. 71 by 67 runs. Kim Il Sung, winning the toss and batting first, made 181 in 29.4 overs; Ajmal Appalsammy 38, Anthony Seeraj 37, Clavern Beresford 34, Lakeram Latchman 2 for 26, Nazim Mohamed 2 for 27 from 3.4 overs and Shazad Khan 2 for 39 from 4 overs. No. 71 114 in 24.2 overs; Fiaz Mohamed 27, Nazim Mohamed 23, Jermain Reid 3 for 14, Wayne Garnett 3 for 26 and Clavern Beresford 3 for 26.
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Tuesday October 30, 2012
Hearts of Oak Master’s FC hosts Parent’s day today Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club of New Amsterdam, Berbice is taking its football programme to a higher level with the hosting of the club’s first ever Parent’s Day. The activity is set to take place today (Tuesday) November 30 at the All Saints Scott’s Church Ground commencing at 16:30hrs and is anticipated to last for two hours. According to Club Secretary Kenric Bowry, the purpose of the activity is to sensitise parents of the activities their children are engaged in whilst at the club in the afternoons. Bowry also stated that parents will have an opportunity to see what programmes are being done and what progress the youths have made since becoming members. The children will also be allowed to display what they have learnt for those visiting. He said that during the
interaction parents will have the opportunity to have some fun with the children by interacting. The Hearts of Oak Masters FC which was established on April 20, 1992 is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. The first name was Hearts of Oaks FC but that was changed in 2000 to its present name. It was established with the sole purpose of developing and promoting football among the youths in the New Amsterdam/ Canje Community. The club is presently the lead organizer of youth football in Berbice bringing off on an annual basis about eight (8) youth tournaments in addition to an ‘Annual Summer Camp and Teach them Young programme.’ Several of the club’s members are also involved in voluntary coaching in Secondary Schools and teaching football as part of the schools
Physical Education Curriculum. The current Executive is as follows: President - former national player Neil ‘Grizzly’ Humphrey, Sherwin Forde (Vice President), Kenrick Bowry (Secretary), Treasurer - former national Sam Jones, Assistant Secretary Treasurer (Ceon Bristol). PRO - former national goalkeeper Phillip Carrington. Humphrey is also the Coach of the club with Nigel Felix as his assistant. The New Amsterdam Prison Officers Club and the Scott’s Church Ground are utalised as meeting places for the club with the latter as the training ground. Recently, with the assistance of some public spirited citizens, lights were erected at the ground which makes it the only venue in Berbice with permanent lights and capable of hosting night football. (Samuel Whyte)
UNIPARTS /GCF Senior Chess Championship resumes today - Loris Nathoo/Maria Thomas on collision course Senior Chess players, Loris Nathoo and Maria Thomas have amassed 3 points after playing unbeaten, and lead several top players, including former senior national champion, Kriskal Persaud, when activities in the third-round of the UNIPARTS Senior Chess Championship 2012 Qualifiers concluded at the KEI-SHAR’S Sports Club over the past weekend. Persaud trails closely behind the joint leaders by just ½ point.
The two leaders will clash in a showdown when activities resume this afternoon at the same venue and the result of that match may well determine the eventual winner of the tournament. The other points standings read: Frankie Farley, Craig Sylvester,Alexander Duncan and Glenford Corlette (2 points apiece), Roberto Neto and Haatram Parbat (1 ½ apiece) while six other players are bundled on one point or less. Activities are staged
under the auspices of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) and was arranged to allow players to qualify for one of the 7 spots available to compete for the 2012 National Senior Championship currently held by Taffin Khan. Fifteen players are participating including past President of the GCF, Errol Tiwari, recently crowned 2012 Junior Champion, Anthony Drayton and Roberto Neto, another top junior player.
GCA/QUEENSWAY CUP...
Players, clubs rewarded for outstanding performances in Being rewarded for outstanding performances in sport serves as a great motivation for sportsmen and women. Queensway, the sponsor of the recently concluded Georgetown Cricket Association 50 overs competition rewarded the players for their outstanding performances in the tournament. Georgetown Cricket Club on Sunday last defeated host Demerara Cricket Club by 18 runs to take the title and received $120,000, a trophy and a freezer while the players were given medals for their efforts. The runner-up team collected $80,000, a trophy, while each player also took home a medal. Also receiving
awards were the Match Referee, Groundsmen, Scorers, Umpires and Journalists. Shivnandan Roopnarine (GYO), Jermin Reynolds (Police), Dennis Legay (GDF), Carl Rambharose (TSC), Rajendra Chandreka (Everest), Jermin Grovensor (GNIC), Robin Bacchus (GCC), Christopher Barnwell (DCC), Carl Rambharose (TSC) and Troy Gonsalves (ECC) were rewarded for their outstanding contributions in the preliminary round matches. In the semi finals, Robin Bacchus and Barnwell collected prizes for being man-of-the-match while Barnwell was voted the mostvaluable-player. Bacchus was additionally given a prize for the best bowling
performance and Rambharose was rewarded for his contribution with the bat. The award for the best fast bowling performance went to Bacchus (7-0-22-4) against GNIC. GCC’s Gavin Charles took the prize for the most outstanding Wicketkeeper in the preliminary stage. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, GCA President Roger Harper thanked the sponsor and congratulated both teams for their efforts. Queensway’s representative Mohamed Qualander said the games were of good quality and thanked the crowd for their support. He also lauded the GCA for organising a well run competition.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Busta Champion of Champions cricket...
Exciting semi-finals set for Wednesday Two close and exciting matches are expected on Wednesday when the semi finals of the 9th annual Busta Champion of Champions cricket tournament are played. Featuring the top eight cricket teams in the Ancient County of Berbice, the tournament which started on Wednesday last at four venues saw RHT Gizmos and Gadgets (RHTGG), Albion, Young Warriors and Bermine advancing to the semi-finals. At the Albion Ground, the home team would be facing a confident Young Warriors who have regrouped in the 2012 season and have in fact defeated Albion on their way to claiming the Annirud Ramcharitar 50 over First Division title. Albion, with revenge on their mind, would be spearheaded in their batting by former test opener, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Kandasammy Surujnarine, the hard hitting Jonathan Foo, Verapen Permaul, Sharaz Ramcharran and Andy Mohan while their all-spin bowling attack would be led by Chattergoon, Surujnarine, Devindra Bishoo, Permaul, Ramcharran, leg spinner Avinash Wajid and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai. An inform Gajanand Singh is expected to be the mainstay of the Young Warriors batting line-up along with Richard Ramdeen, Ishwar Singh, Shimron
Hetmyer, Seon Hetmyer, Balram Samaroo and Wahied Edwards. Medium pacers, Suresh Dhanai and Vishal Mohabir will spearhead their bowling attack with support from off spinner Kevin Ramdeen, Samaroo, Gajanand Singh and left armer, Richard Ramdeen. With their bowling attack considered weak, Young Warriors would need to put post a solid and defendable score. Defending champions RHTGG will host a youthful and determined Bermine at the Area ‘H’ Ground. The last time the two faced off this year (1st division tourney) RHTGG defeated Bermine by 7 wickets despite Bermine scoring 217 for 8. Bermine’s batting would centre around the experienced Anthony D’Andrade, Joemal LaFleur, Devon Clements, Eugene LaFleur, Keon DeJesus and Steve Latcha. Their bowling would be led by national Under-19 pacer Romario Shepherd, Clements, the LaFleur brothers, Julian Moore and Latcha. West Indies ODI player, Royston Crandon, Delbert Hicks, Renwick Batson, Rajiv Ivan, Eon Hooper, Jason Sinclair, Dominic Rikhi and Clinton Pestano leads a strong RHTGG batting lineup on home turf. Medium pacers Pestano and Batson would use the new ball while spinners Shailendra Shameer, Skipper
St. John’s, Antigua – Antigua & Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) could very soon have control of the country’s most historic sporting venue, Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG). This is according to President Everton “Batow” Gonsalves who revealed this week that the FA is currently awaiting approval of a lease that could give the football fraternity ownership of the facility for no less than a 25year period. The move, he explained, is a required condition to FIFA, giving approval for the removing of the lights currently located at the Paynters facility. “We are just about days away from getting formal control in terms of a long term lease of the ARG and we are a
practical association,” Gonsalves said. “The requirements for the lights at the ARG are immediately to host the CFU Championships and also to improve the lighting for our most prestigious tournament which is the Premier League, and as such, the Paynters ground will be going through a restructuring period where the natural grass, and people know that because of what was done to the area in terms of the removal of the top soil only scruffy cucumbers grow up there naturally, so natural grass would never be able to grow up there. So a synthetic turf will be placed there in the interim.” Plans are to have the sophisticated lights moved to ARG within the next five to (Continued on page 31)
ABFA Awaits ARG Lease
Shawn Perriera, Loyden Lewis, Crandon, Ivan, Rikhi and Hooper will do much of the bowling on a spin friendly pitch. Both matches bowl off at 09:30hrs. Teams Young Warriors: Shimron Hetmyer, Richard Ramdeen, Gajanand Singh, Seon Hetmyer, Ishwar Singh, Balram Samaroo, Vishal Mohabir, Kevin Ramdeen,
Suresh Dhanai, Wahied Edwards, Kassim Khan and Devindra Ramoutar. Coach: Hubern Evans; Manager: Sahadeo Singh. Albion: Sewnarine Chattergoon, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Verapen Permaul, Devindra Bishoo, Sharaz Ramcharran, Jonathan Foo, Andy Mohan, Balchand Baldeo, Avinash Wajid, G. Motie-Kanhai,
David Latchaya, S. Srikissoon and Latchmin Bishram. Manager: M. Permaul. RHTGG: Renwick Batson, Delbert Hicks, Jason Sinclair, Royston Crandon, Rajiv Ivan, Shawn Perriera, Clinton Pestano, Eon Hooper, Loyden Lewis, Shailendra Shameer, Dominic Rikhi, Arif Chan and Devin Baldeo. Coach: Michael Hyles;
Manager: Patrick Lewis. Bermine: Joemal LaFleur, Eugene LaFleur, Keon DeJesus, Devon Clements, Steve Latcha, Romario Shepherd, Julian Moore, Anthony D’Andrade, Tremayne Smartt, Hakeem Hinds, Jamally Odle, Troy Mickle, Mark Jackman and Trimson Bynoe. Manager: Carl Moore.
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Deonarine excited about Bangladesh tour prospects Bridgetown, Barbados – Narsingh Deonarine said he was looking to make his first trip to Bangladesh a memorable experience. The West Indies lefthander said he was excited about the prospects after learning that conditions were similar to his native Guyana, and wanted to prepare well to meet any challenge that he may face on the tour. “This is the first time that I will be going to Bangladesh and I am trying to learn from the guys that have been there previously,” he told WICB Media. “Most of the guys that have been there previously tell me that the conditions are similar to back home [in Guyana] – it is very hot and the pitches are flat, on the low side, and slow. I am looking forward to the challenge.” Deonarine has played just 14 Tests since he made his
debut seven years ago, but the 29-year-old became a valuable member of the side during the previous six months following a strong season in the Regional 4-Day Tournament. Both his left-handed batting and part-time off-spin contributed significantly to healthy and – at times – winning positions for West Indies in Tests during the period, and this has helped his confidence. “I have been performing year in, year out in the Regional 4-Day Tournament and I have gotten another chance,” he said. “I’ve been selected for a couple series now and I performed against New Zealand, so hopefully I can perform much better with bat and ball in Bangladesh.” Deonarine said one of the challenges he had to overcome was not playing a lot of high-level, competitive
matches. He was not a member of the winning squad at the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament and he said being restricted to just Tests can sometimes have its drawbacks. “Sometimes it can be hard, but it’s mind over matter,” he said. “You have to talk to
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Tino Best makes a point to Darren Bravo and Narsingh Deonarine during the West Indies training. (© WICB Media)
yourself and tell yourself that you’ve been selected to play Tests and you can only play to the best of your ability. “I am happy for whatever chance that I have been given to play for West Indies, but I am also working hard to also earn a place in the limitedovers formats of the game.
“The guys have told me what type of pitches to expect in Bangladesh – and that they can be very difficult at times – so I will have to work a lot on my technique against spin bowling before we reach there to be able to be successful.” West Indies face Bangladesh in two Tests from
November 13 to 17 at the Shere-Bangla Stadium in that country’s capital of Dhaka, and from November 21 to 25 at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in the south-western city of Khulna. The Tests will be followed by five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 Internationals.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
DF&GI / BCB U-19 Inter Zone Final...
Motie-Kanhai & Chan bowls Lower Corentyne to title Outstanding spin bowling by national junior cricketers, Arif Chan and Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai led Lower Corentyne to an easy 10-wicket win over New Amsterdam/Canje in the twoday final of the BCB/ Diamond Fire and General Insurance Under-19 Inter Zone tournament at the Cumberland Ground. Lower Corentyne’s victory denied New Amsterdam/Canje a hat-trick of titles after they had earlier this year won the Under-15 and Under-18 tournaments. Batting first after winning the toss, New Amsterdam/ Canje were bowled out for a paltry 53 in 33.5 overs. Only opener, Leon Andrews reached double figures with 11. Lower Corentyne opened their bowling with spinner Sharaz Ramcharran and Motie and set back the host immediately when inform national Under-19 opener, Shimron Hetmyer was dismissed in the 2nd over for 01. Motie took 6 for 20 from 16.1 overs of impressive spin bowling while off spinner Arif Chan had 4 for 10 from 9 overs. Lower Corentyne in reply, batted out their allotted first innings quota of 65 overs, ending on 148 for 9 for a first innings lead of 95 runs. Sharaz Ramcharran top scored with a responsible knock of 38* from 154 balls and received support from Shailendra Shameer 30 and Devin Baldeo 20. Facing a deficit of 95 on the first innings, New Amsterdam/Canje fared a little better in their second innings; Martin Singh batted well to top score with an attacking 55 (7x4 2x6) off 58 balls but only received support from Hakeem Hinds 15 and Suresh Dhanai 12 as they were bowled out for 102. Chan was again among the wickets as he claimed another 4 for 21, skipper Shawn Perriera 3 for 27 and Sharaz Ramcharran 2 for 18. Needing eight runs to seal victory, Lower Corentyne reached ten without loss off 3 overs; David Latchaya 7 and Brandon Prashad 2. At the Skeldon Ground, a brilliant century from Quancy McPherson led West Berbice to victory over Upper
Corentyne in the Third place play off. The visitors were all out for 227 in 43 overs; McPherson slammed 106 (14x4), Nick Ramsaroop 31 and Avisakar Sooknandan 22. Ramsaroop and Sooknandan added 54 for the first wicket. Bowling for Upper Corentyne, Deon Esuau claimed 4 for 65 and Omesh Kumar 3 for 12. In reply, Upper Corentyne was bundled out for 76 with only E. Williams 28 and Quancy Burnett 15 reaching double figures. Pacer Gresian Grant 4 for 18, Derick Narine 4 for 8 and Kevon Jawahir 2 for 9, bowled well for West Berbice who reached 39 for 3 in their second innings when the game was called off with Omesh Kumar claiming all three wickets. At the presentation ceremony, BCB Public Relations Officer Hilbert Foster described the tournament as a great success and praised the four teams for their passion, commitment and overall discipline on and off the field. Foster expressed the BCB’s gratitude to the Management and Staff of Diamond Fire and General Insurance for their continued investment in the development of players in Berbice. He expressed the hope that the relationship between the BCB and the company would continue in the future. Speaking directly to the players, Foster said that they were a privileged bunch as in Berbice they are able to play on a scale that is unmatched anywhere in the Caribbean with a record breaking 25 tournaments to be played in 2012 and early 2013. Regionol Manager of Diamond Fire, Phillip Kowlessar praised the BCB for organising a tournament of excellence and expressed pleasure at the high level of talent available in the Ancient County. The Insurance Company, Kowlessar disclosed, was pleased to be associated with such a dynamic organisation like the BCB and would continue the relationship in the future. The winning team received $60,000 and trophy,
the runner-up $35,000, 3rd place $25,000 and 4th place $15,000. Arif Chan was named player-of-the-final for his 8 wickets; he received $5,000.00 and a trophy.
The winning Lower Corentyne team with their silverware.
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Tuesday October 30, 2012
Mayor Green’s 78th birth anniversary Inter Ward 7 a-side F
ootball buffs, u s u a l l y entertained with the staging of the annual Mayor’s Cup football extravaganza will be happy to learn of a similar tournament, Mayor Hamilton Green 78th birth anniversary Inter Ward seven-a-side knockout scheduled to get underway
from Saturday, November 10 next at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground, Bourda. Corporate and individual support continues to flow towards ensuring a successful staging. Rtd Colonel of the Guyana Defense Force, Laurie London donated a set of footballs to organiser of the
tournament, Lennox Arthur who in turn expressed thanks to London for the timely contribution. Matches will also be contested at the Den Amstel Ground, WCD. Activities will run for approximately two weeks and the winning team will receive $200,000 and a trophy while the runners-up
Rtd Colonel of the GDF, Laurie London hands over the balls to Lennox Arthur.
receive $100,000 and a trophy. The tournament will be played under a strict set of rules which could be uplifted from the organizer, Lennox Arthur.
All matches commence at 18:00hrs and will last for 30 minutes. The fixtures for the opening day are: Bourda vs. Tucville, North Ruimveldt vs. Kingston, Alberttown vs. East
Ruimveldt, North East La Penitence vs. Sophia, West Ruimveldt vs. Festival City, Werk-en-Rust vs. Lodge, Tiger Bay vs. Castello and West Ruimveldt Estate vs. Lima Dam.
Pegasus Tennis Open serves off on Friday - registration closes today
Marketing and Sales Manager of Pegasus Troy Edmonson (right) does the symbolic hand over of the cheque to PRO of the GLTA Sandeep Chand.
C
ompetition in this year’s Pegasus Tennis Open competition is set to serve off on Friday at the Hotel’s Courts, Kingston, Georgetown. Pegasus Tennis Open is being held as part of the entity’s anniversary celebrations, the hotel being Guyana’s premier hotel for over 42 years. Competition will be held in the following
categories: Men’s & Women’s Singles, Men’s & Mixed Doubles, Men’s 35 Singles and Doubles, Boy’s and Girl’s 18 Singles, Novice Singles and Doubles for Intermediate and Beginner players. The deadline for signing up is today (Tuesday October, 30) at 18:00hrs. Interested persons can contact make contact with Coordinator Jeremy Miller on 643 4423.
Tuesday October 30, 2012
Kaieteur News
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American Football Company supports as preparations continue K&S Football Extravaganza...
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Vice President of Media World, Fabiola Tordin (right) pose with Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major shortly after handing over a sponsorship package. Also in photo are President of Sponsports, Miguel Trujillo (centre), Community Member of Sponsports, Colin Baker and representative of Planet Football, Eduardo Beltramini at left.
uch excitement has been promised when the 23rd edition of the Kashif and Shanghai Football Extravaganza gets underway from December 16 - January 1 next at venues countrywide and the organisers are working assiduously to ensure that local football buffs enjoy a tournament of top quality. The sustenance of the tournament depends largely on the input of the corporate community and already the organisers have received assurances from several business organizations. Recently, Director of the K&S organization, Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, travelled to the United States of America where he engaged several entities in discussions pertaining to corporate support. While many of those approached have said that they will discuss the modalities of any sponsorship they will offer, a few have already acquiesced to lucrative packages. Among them is ‘Media World,’ a sports conglomerate in the USA. Sixteen teams comprising the nation’s best footballers will face the starting lineup for a top prize of four million dollars while the team finishing second receives one million dollars. The third and fourth places will cart off $750,000 and $500,000 respectively. Additionally, the Most Valuable Player will win a luxury motor car while coaches will be compensated for their hard work when the best among the lot receives one motorcycle.
t r o Sp
GCC teams dominate GT&T Indoor Hockey C/ships T
The victorious GCC Teams pose with their hardware shortly after being presented with them from GT&T representative Dexter Wyles (standing third from left) last Sunday.
he Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) crowned off its successful weekend in cricket by making a resounding success of their efforts in the GT&T National Indoor Hockey Festival which ended on Sunday at the national Gymnasium. The GCC first division men, Ladies and veterans’ teams all managed to secure gold, while the Hikers maintained their solid second division record by carting off the victory in the only remaining competition. The men’s first division final saw a repeat of the thrilling matchup at the end of 2011 when the two teams clashed for gold in the International Indoor at the same venue. Old Fort took home the spoils by a narrow, one goal, margin on that occasion but GCC managed to produce when it was needed most this time around. C o m i n g o f f a n and released a scorching shot With their star-studded Leonard George were the final saw GCC dominate the GT&T’s representative, embarrassing pool round to give the Bourda boys their lineup, GCC were foiled on goal scorers in GCC’s losing Hikers to pull of the 3-0 win. Dexter Wyles, was on-hand defeat to Old Fort by 11-3, first lead. the goal line in several effort. Old Fort took third Alan Fernandes scored twice to distribute the trophies, GCC were left with less than Simon replied for Old attempts during the first place in this competition for the victors while Philip medals and prizes in the 48 hours to find a solution to Fort two minutes later to half of the match which with a 3-2 victory over Fernandes slipped home the presentation ceremony reverse their fortunes. even the score at 3-3 but ended with the game still Saints. The men’s over-35 third. following the finals. The match started apace Semple replied with his third dead even at 0-0. with tournament MVP, o f t h e n i g h t a l m o s t GCC’s midfield stalwart, Aderemi ‘Dove’ Simon, immediately after to silence Trisha Woodroffe, however, launching a penalty corner the vociferous Old Fort took over the second half missile high into the GCC supporters. Patrick Edghill with a plethora of strikes at net just 3 minutes into play. gave GCC a two goal the Hikers net resulting in GCC, determined not to cushion with his accurate three penalty corner goals to go down lightly fought back shot taking the score to 5-3 her name. with several goal raids and 6 for GCC with six minutes Hikers striker Shundel minutes later, star striker, remaining. Durant managed to pull one Orland Semple, managed to The game was far from back for her team and squeeze his shot past the over however, as Abrahams although national striker right leg of goalkeeper managed to bring Old Fort Cora Towler managed to Andy Sampson to even the back within one with four score a second in the final score at 1-1. minutes remaining and that minute for the Hikers, it was John Abrahams, who period of the game produced not be enough to deny GCC was in fine goal scoring form s o m e o f t h e m o s t their fourth straight victory for Old Fort throughout the entertaining hockey of the a s G T & T n a t i o n a l tournament pushed his team year as Aderemi Simon in champions by 3-2. ahead for the second time 2 particular kept the GCC The Hikers managed to minutes later when he defense busy to the final reinforce their reputation as latched onto an Aderemi whistle. the top second division Simon cross to guide his shot In the end however, it indoor side for the past two between the uprights. was GCC with the 5-4 years by retaining the trophy Semple would find the target victory and claim to the title with a well-deserved 4-2 for GCC once again to keep of Men’s first division victory over GCC. the scores dead even at the national champions. The Randy Hope led the half on 2-2. w o m e n ’ s f i n a l s a w score sheet for the Hikers The second half saw determined underdogs, the with a double, while Michael more end to end action as Hikers putting up a much Harding and second division The Hikers team that successfully Steven Xavier pounced on a tougher fight than may have MVP, Aroydy Branford, defending their title on Sunday. loose ball outside the Old been anticipated by those in added one each. Fort circle drove it forward attendance. GCC’s Eric Hing and Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210
- Hikers retain Second Division title