GuyanaTimes

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 2557

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, July 17, 2015

City bears brunt of coastland flooding guyanatimesgy.com

...Govt activates CDC, opens shelter

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin inspecting flood damage businesses on Regent Street suffered

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo and former Public Works Minister Robeson Benn chat with residents as they took part in the walkabout in flood-affected Albouystown

…more rains predicted in next 24hrs

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Earth tremor shakes Guyana P2 ...GRA staff flee building

Murder toll climbs to 83 with stabbing of Sophia woman P9 Trotman floats salary hike, stimulus package to jumpstart P10 economy Ogle Airport receives first night flight P10

Govt to bump up school uniform voucher P11

…targeting road, river transportation for students A man wades through flood waters in Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara

Small P13 Business Trust hit by $14.9M fraud …helped to finance 537 new businesses in 2014

2 news

friday, july 17, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Earth tremor shakes Guyana ...GRA staff flee building, other citizens tremble in fear

Stats Bureau misses deadline for census report

By Devina Samaroo

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mid heavy downpour and flash flooding, Guyanese across the country were on Thursday morning rattled by a mild earth tremor, which caused the staff of at least one major state-run entity to evacuate their faulty building.

It is believed that the tremor is as a result of a two small earthquakes that shook Barbados in the wee hours of Thursday. Reports are that just four hours after an earthquake shook Barbados and neighbouring islands, another stronger quake was recorded. There were reports of people panicking and buildings being evacuated as the 6.4 magnitude tremor shook around 11:16h. It occurred about 125 km North-East of the capital, Bridgetown; 234 km East of Castries, St Lucia and 255 km East SouthEast of Fort-de-France, Martinique, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

St Lucia, Trinidad and Dominica are among the other Caribbean islands that felt the tremor, based on reports on social media.

The earlier 5.3 magnitude tremor hit at 07:01h, at the same depth and the same distance from Barbados, but 240 km East of Castries and 262 km East South-East of Fort-de-France. Meanwhile, the Trinidad Express has reported that the Seismic Research Unit (SRC) has recorded five earthquakes off the North-East coast of Barbados in a five-hour period on Thursday, the latest happening at 12:23h.

University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismologist, Dr Joan Latchman said the SRC recorded a quake at

T

GRA staffers congregate outside of the agency’s Camp Street office

11:36h on Thursday with a 5.3 magnitude and location of latitude 13.90 North, longitude of 58.63 West and a depth 10 kilometres.

At 11:29h, a magnitude of 4.1 with location of latitude 13.86 North, longitude of 58.99 West and a depth 10 kilometres was recorded, while a 6.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 11:16h, with its location of latitude 13.96 North, longitude 58.87 West and depth of 10 kilometres. The earliest reported earthquake was at 07:01h on Thursday morning, mearuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. Its recorded location was latitude 13.92 North, longitude 58.82 West with a depth of 10 kilometres.

These tremors were felt in Barbados, St Lucia and Martinique. However, Latchman said reports from citizens across Trinidad and Tobago feeling the earthquake have been confirmed.

UWI Seismic Research Centre in St Augustine is the facility responsible for monitoring seismic activity in the Eastern Caribbean.

According to Latchman, the SRC has located about 130 events within the area 9.5N-11.5N and 58W-63W since the start of 2015, off the Trinidad area. This information was dated April 29. As of May, SRC has recorded in the Barbados zone 11 earthquakes, which Latchman said has to update.

Feeling dizzy

Here in Guyana, the tremor was felt around 11:21h. “I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden I felt the building shaking... at first I thought I was feeling dizzy, but then I realised it was a tremor,” Avenash Ramzan told this newspaper. Similar experiences were related from citizens from as far Essequibo.

Guyana Times Essequibo Correspondent, Indrawattie Natram reported that many Essequbians were awoken by the shaking of their homes. “Many persons related that they were in the kitchen when the tremor hit them.” Natram said the tremor was felt in Essequibo

both around 07:00h and then again at around 11:00h.

According to Housewife Juilet Manniram, she was in her home when she saw her glass wares in the cupboard shaking. “I knew it was an earth tremor,” she related, adding that she quickly held on to the cupboard for support. Another resident, Cindy Blackman, said she thought she was dreaming when she felt her bed shaking. “I feel the shaking... it was like I dreaming it. Is later I realised that a tremor passed.”

Across at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Camp Street, in Georgetown, staff bolted out of the building – which has a structural defect – after it began shaking. “Everybody rushed out of the building and some people thought it was going to collapse because stuff started falling,” one GRA employee explained.

Reports indicate that GRA staffers were sent home for the remainder of the day as officials were called in to inspect the building to ensure its safety.

he Bureau of Statistics on Thursday announced that its selfimposed time frame for completion of the detailed Census analysis could not be met.

At the launch of the Preliminary Report June 2014, the Bureau had indicated that it was expected that in another year, the analysis would be fully completed (June 2015).

However, owing to a number of logistical challenges, this did not materialise, the Bureau said in a release.

“The Bureau’s policy intention was to complete the Census Analysis within a period of three years from Census Day, thus significantly improving on the fiveyear time span taken for the results of the 2002 Census to become available. We are still within the three-year self-imposed time frame since Census Day 2012, and are in the process of finalising our data dissemination plan to respond to the most frequently demanded set of data such as the ethnic composition of the nation, still prevailing most, followed by interest in the age-structure, the quantum and components of the foreign-born population, the gender distribution of the population and the economic activity and labour force profile of the population,” the release added.

Chief Statistician Lennox Benjamin said that “the Bureau is well aware of the national interest that is engendered in the results of a Population and Housing Census; however, in the face of considerable challenges, the Bureau opted for accuracy and credibility over the pressures of time”.

Guyana conducted its seventh post-war Census of the Population and Housing in September 2012, Census Day (the date for the commencement of enumeration activities) having been set as September 15, 2012.

Previous post-war Censuses were held in 1946, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1991 and 2002.

The Census of 2012 was part of the global 2010 round of Population and Housing Censuses which were conducted worldwide by almost all countries during the period 2005 to 2014. Guyana synchronises its Census activities in such areas as planning, training, questionnaire design, questionnaire content with other Caricom countries under the coordination of the Statistics Division of the Caricom

Secretariat.

Mammoth volume of work

However, Guyana was one of the last Caricom countries to conduct its Census, most conducted theirs in either 2010 or 2011. The implication for Guyana has been that since the Census of 1991 it has been unable to hold its Census like many other Caricom countries in the years demarcating the Census round (2000 and 2010) because of the reality of Guyana’s political calendar.

Most persons associate the activities of a national Census with the house-tohouse enumeration phase only, but that is just a small part of the total Census activity. Reference was made earlier to the planning and training phases which must be completed before the enumeration phase can commence. When the enumeration phase is completed, the most important phases then commence – the editing, coding, scanning, verification and cleaning of the data to permit the generation of all detailed tables on the population from which the detailed analysis is done. For Guyana, close to one million questionnaires are involved, individual plus household questionnaires from all 10 Administrative Regions.

Such a mammoth volume of work can only be accomplished in the shortest space of time with the employment of significant numbers of temporary staff. However, the experience has been this Census that there has been a much higher than anticipated turnover of staff, with attendant poorer than anticipated quality of work, slowing of work output as each period of loss of staff had to be followed by a period of rerecruitment and training of the new cadres, with obvious loss of productivity and further slowing of output.

Management concluded that the very nature of employment (temporary) served as a catalyst for all such staff to move on to permanent employment at the first opportunity, with detrimental effect to the completion of work on the data.

Despite these challenges, the Bureau’s staff was able to compile and present to the nation the Preliminary Report on the nation’s Population and Housing, that Report presented by the then Finance Minister and Minister responsible for National Statistics, Dr Ashni Singh, on June 30, 2014.

news

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friday, july 17, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, July 17 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, July 18 – 05:30h-07:00h

By Vahnu Manikchand

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The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, July 17 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, July 18 – 05:15h-06:45h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily.

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers with sunny weather can be expected in the morning, while thundery showers with heavy rain can be expected in the afternoon. Partly cloudy conditions can be expected in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to South-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 3.12 metres per second.

High Tide: 05:41h and 18:04h reaching maximum heights of 2.64 metres and 2.54 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:39h and 23:52 reaching minimum heights of 0.60 metre and 0.67 metre respectively.

wednesday, July 15, 2015

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eorgetown and its environs bore the brunt of coastal flooding caused by two days of heavy rain and thunderstorm. Several other communities along the East Coast, West Coast and West Bank Demerara as well in Essequibo also have been affected by flooding.

Government has since activated the Civil Defence Commission National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and opened shelters for those whose homes have been flooded.

Thursday morning, several areas throughout the country once again experienced widespread flash floods.

This resulted in many persons and businesses suffering losses as their belongings were damaged.

Georgetown, the East Coast and Bank of Demerara, West Demerara, and several areas in Essequibo and Berbice experienced intense flooding.

Late Wednesday evening, it began to rain heavily causing the water to start accumulating in several communities across the country.

There was also an occasional strike of lightning. However, it intensified around 01:00h the following morning with persistent flashes of lightning and ear-splitting thunder rippling throughout the sky. This was followed by heavy rainfall the rest of the morning until around 07:00h when it eased.

Later on Thursday morning, Guyana Times took to the streets of the city to assess the extent of the floods. Some of the areas that were badly affected include: Cummingsburg, Alberttown, Queenstown, Bourda, Werk-en-Rust, Albouystown, Ruimveldt, Durban Backlands and Central Georgetown. These areas were under water for most of Thursday.

Businesses suffer

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City bears brunt of coastland flooding

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Many businesses suffered losses as water managed to get into their premises even though they had invested in constructing high retaining walls at the entrances. This was particularly the case along Regent Street after the floodwaters had receded. Many persons were seen dipping water out from the stores while others were pumping the water out onto the pavements, where water was still lodged late Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, the three major markets in Georgetown were a sea of water causing business to be halted for the day. However, some ven-

Vendors at the La Penitence Market selling in the floodwaters

dors outside the markets braved the water and continued with their trade. A visit to the La Penitence Market saw vendors along the roadway crying out at the conditions in which they have to ply their trade in order to make a living.

One of the vendors, Shirley (only name given), told this newspaper that before she left on Wednesday around 18:00h, water had already started to accumulate in the market and upon her return on Thursday morning, it was the same.

The woman stated that whenever there was flooding, which was every time it rained heavily, the water usually receded fast, but this time that was not the case.

“The water going down slowly and it’s affecting business.

I secured my goods so I don’t have any losses but nobody coming here to buy … who gone want come in this nasty water,” she pointed out.

Another vender, G Watson, explained that the Charlestown (Sussex) koker was broken hence the water was taking such a long time to recede. “This is a normal thing that happens here since they had done the bridge and put a small pipe under. We get floods every time it rain, but today the water compound because the koker not working properly and they repairing it,” he disclosed.

The man added that he hoped that the koker was fixed as soon as possible so that the floodwaters would not remain there for such long periods.

ECD inundated

Along the East Coast, water filled many bottomflat houses and businesses.

The communities most affected stretch from Ogle to Buxton. The main entrances and streets within many of these villages were under

water in the morning; however, as the day progressed, water began receding, until barely an inch of water was left. Some residents in villages, such as Vryheid’s Lust, Atlantic Gardens, Better Hope, La Bonne Intention, Beterverwagting, recalled

Vue, West Bank Demerara (WBD); Good Fortune; Railway View, Meten-MeerZorg, West Coast Demerara; and Canal Number One Polder, WBD. In addition, Parika, East Bank Essequibo was also flooded. The Public Road was under several inches of water for most of the morning, but it receded later in the day.

According to Region Three Chairman Julius Faerber, he visited three of the four most affected communities and meet with residents who have indicated to him their many losses as a result of the floods. He stated that while most of the water has receded throughout the day, there were still some lodged in some areas.

The Regional Chairman pointed out that his office does not have the adequate financing or equipment to take any drastic precautionary measures ahead of the expected rainfall within the next 48 hours. Nevertheless,

This business place on Croal Street had to pump the water out

that the water began rising Wednesday night and when they got up the following morning, it was several inches high. Up to late Thursday evening, there was still about an inch of water lodged in some of these areas.

On the East Bank, the situation was the same, many residents in villages such as Prospect and Diamond woke up to find their yards and bottom flats under water. However as the day progressed, the water receded, but not without causing damage.

Heading over to Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), almost all of the villages were flooded; however, the ones that were most affected include: Belle

Faerber said he indicated this to the engineer attached to the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) responsible for Region Three, who promised to get back to him. Additionally, the Regional Chairman stated that while the Conservancy was not overflowing, the water was very high and as such he had ordered that it be released into the Demerara and Essequibo Rivers and this was done.

The entire Parfaite Harmonie community was left out any electricity for the entire day on Thursday. This was as a result of lightning reportedly striking one of the GPL outlets that provides power to the community.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friday, july 17, 2015

Views Keeping youths from gangs Editor: Nigel Williams Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Ending the AIDS epidemic

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ccording to a report released earlier this week in Addis Ababa by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS), the world has exceeded the targets contained in the Millennium Development Goals to halt and reverse the spread of HIV, and is on track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

This is indeed good news for governments, NGOs and other stakeholders that have been involved in the fight against HIV/ AIDS. For years, policy makers and international development partners have been pumping resources and working tirelessly to decrease the number of persons being infected and dying as a result of contracting this deadly disease.

Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé, was quoted as saying that fifteen years ago there was a conspiracy of silence. AIDS was a disease of the ‘others’ and treatment was for the rich and not for the poor. He proudly stated: “We proved them wrong, and today we have 15 million people on treatment—15 million success stories.”

The report, “How AIDS changed everything - MDG 6: 15 years, 15 lessons of hope from the AIDS response”, was launched on the sidelines of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development which was held earlier this week in Ethiopia. The report is both a look back on the journey over the last 15 years, and a look forward to the future of the AIDS response and the path to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

For every one of us, the report indeed offers much hope that the international community is well on its way to winning the battle against AIDS. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon boasted that 15 million people on HIV treatment means millions of families protected and billions of dollars saved. It also means that nearly 75 per cent of all pregnant women living with HIV have access to antiretroviral medicines that improve the quality of their lives and protect their children from HIV. According to the report, worldwide, new HIV infections have fallen by 35 per cent and AIDS-related deaths by 41 per cent, while the global response to HIV has averted 30 million new infections and nearly 8 million AIDS-related deaths since 2000, when the MDGs were set.

There are a number of countries which must be commended for the tremendous strides made in halting the spread of AIDS and Guyana is certainly one of them. HIV/AIDS is on the decline in Guyana due to a number of effective and timely measures being implemented by the Government and NGOs with the support of the donor community.

Earlier this year, the Health Ministry through the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) reported that the most recent estimate has revealed an HIV prevalence of 1.4 per cent (2013) which shows a steady decline from the 2.4 per cent reported in 2004. Further, the proportion of all deaths attributable to HIV/AIDS has declined from 9.5 per cent in 2002 to 4.8 per cent in 2012. Also, the Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme here, has been extremely successful in reducing the number of babies being infected with the virus.

Certainly, the fight must continue. We have seen how wise investment and effective policy implementation have greatly reduced the numbers of persons being infected and dying as a result of HIV/AIDS. As correctly stated in the report referred to earlier, the response to HIV has been one of the smartest investments in global health and development, generating measurable results for people and economies.

However, to do so, the report calls for dramatically changing the status quo in terms of both resources and efforts.

There is general agreement that the necessary funding must be provided for countries to implement and continue critical programmes to bring a halt to the disease, especially for lowincome and low-middle-income countries.

While the world is on its way to an AIDS-free generation, countries including Guyana, cannot become complacent. It is therefore expected that governments and international donor partners will build on the gains made so far. We are convinced that concerted action over the next five years can end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

The right attitude is everything. Villa La Carcova is one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Argentina. But at a local church, children between six and 11 years of age are encouraged “to shoot ball not guns” as part of a social project (BBC News)

Democratic sovereignty Dear Editor, “ D e m o c r a t i c Sovereignty” is a coinage anchored in a misplaced extrapolation from a descriptive reference to a political concept in Article 1 of the 1980 Constitution: “(…) a secular democratic sovereign State(…)” not intended for, and/or amenable to, judicial transmigration.

Yet, this seems to be precisely the tabula in naufragio that underpins the recent ruling of the learned Chief Justice (ag.) in Richardson .V. AG et al, otherwise popularly considered as the President’s right to a “third term”. His Honour, in seeking to do justice in the application before him, appeared to equate one with the other or, better still, treated the concepts interchangeably.

This in itself does not however infect the final decision with fatal consequences.

Moreover, justice is, by definition, liberated from the strictures of the notion of democracy, yet may have some co-incident praxis.

Loosely, democracy is egalitarian in purpose, but justice, constructed on principles evolved from time immemorial, is not dependent upon democratic suasion.

In many States, democratic or otherwise, by way of an amelioration to this acknowledged dichotomous theorem, a plenary judicial mechanism of an odd-numbered appellate bench to review a decision of a single judge, has been contrived.

It is, perhaps, in this context, that justice can be viewed as driven by a semblance of a democratic process, meaning a decision of the majority prevails, but no elemental democratic principle ought to aid in the decision-making process.

With this backdrop and analytical conspectus, it is, at best, doubtful that the term “democracy” has found expression in the lexicon of judicial determination whereas the concept of “sovereignty” has enjoyed a tenure as extensive as there have been disputes between States.

The latter is essentially, indivisible, and illimitable according to Austin, in a municipal context and finds expression in precisely such a manner in Article 1 of the 1980 Constitution.

By way of further articulation, the supreme executive authority expressed in Article 99 therein, and invested in the President of Guyana, merely confirms that the legitimate will of the electorate, is ceded to that individual, generally, at quinennial plebiscites.

We tend to overlook, or at least, not wish to acknowledge that the political sovereign is the electorate.

Therefore, the essence of the legal and political parameters of a sovereign State, such as Guyana, is definiitively enshrined in a charter of destiny by way of composition in our 1980 Constitution, and one of its pre-eminent provisions/ articles, was the entrenchment of an Executive

President with limitless tenure, but deriving his sovereign status from the electorate who are given explicit recognition in Articles 1 and 9.

However, that a “democratic sovereign State” contemplates procedures for alteration of this seminal and fundamental document, must be followed, if and when found necessary, needs little expiation or philosophical dilation.

Perhaps, implicit in the proviso to Article 164(2) (a) is a caveat, subliminally captured but overlooked in the current discourse, which was intended in the amendment to secure the mature deliberation and better judgment of the people’s representatives in the National assembly, collectively giving expression to the “sovereignty” which by Article 9 “belongs to the people who exercises it (…) under this Constitution”.

Viewed with more discernment the proviso relating to Article 164(2) (a) may not be without its difficulties and especial care ought to be given to its construction and syntax, when the Constitution is viewed holistically.

The latter involves the words appended to the permissive requirement by way of a two thirds vote, so that “it shall not be necessary to submit the Bill to the vote of the electors”.

Given their most rational, purposive and generous interpretation, an acknowledged method in constitutional challenges, these words do not pre-

clude imperatively the exercise of the better judgment of the members of the National Assembly in seeking the approbation of the electorate the ultimate imprimatur of the people whose original approval was the cornerstone of the promulgation of the 1980 Constitution. Otherwise, to what end would these words be added to the proviso?

Though Parliamentary supremacy, on this occasion, could be said to be equated with Constitutional supremacy, the learned Chief Justice (ag.) may yet be vindicated in his aspirational interpretation of the normative values embedded in Articles 1 and 9, given the democratic polity and foundation that inspired the configuration of the architecture of this most vexed Constitutional Charter.

In engineering terms, the tensile strength of the structure is compromised by amendment of the specifications of its materials, thereby rendering it unstable and unfit for the purpose for which it was designed.

In consimili casu, the learned Chief Justice (ag.) aimed his bow of arrows from his interpretational quiver at the “representatives” of the electorate for overreaching their mandate, thereby compromising one or more provisions of the superstructure of the original 1980 Constitution, designed and authorised by a referendum in 1978.

Leila Ramson

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, july 17, 2015

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NACTA: Opposition UG law graduates need our help has edge in Trinidad Elections

Dear Editor, In Trinidad, neither the ruling Peoples Partnership nor United National Congress and opposition PNM enjoys a significant advantage over the other in terms of popular political support or seats projected to win, according to the findings of an ongoing tracking opinion poll being conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association.

The election (based on NACTA intercept contact polling thru July 10), is very tight and can swing either way in a narrow victory by one or two seats.

The minority parties are polling small amounts of support and not projected to win a single seat but could impact the outcome of the elections in all the marginal constituencies as they dent into the traditional support base of the two major parties.

The latest poll of 400

voters nationally (40% Indians, 38% Africans, 20% Mixed, and 2% Others) and 100 voters (reflecting the demographics) in each of several marginal seats over the last week, and based on trends in several NACTA polls over the last two months, show both major contenders winning eighteen seats each, and five very tight that could go either way.

Some seats among the 18 projected for each party are competitive and could change hands depending on candidate selection and the swing in support as the campaign gears up.

Some quarter of the likely voters are undecided with many saying the PP’s candidate will determine how they vote; the PNM has already selected its 41 candidates. If the election were held right now, the PNM will eke out a 21-20 victory.

However, the UNC has not announced candidates

as yet whereas the PNM has announced candidates.

Once the right candidates are chosen, the PP/UNC could win a minimum 21 seats. All the polls have a closely contested race, though other polls have either the UNC or PNM in the lead.

Voters are displeased with representation in several marginal seats (all controlled by the UNC) but most of them are trending PP except for three that will give the PNM the 21 seats it needs.

In terms of popular support nationally, the PNM is polling 34%, PP 34%, ILP 4%, TFM 2%, MSJ 2%, and Undecided 24%. Based on these numbers, it would seem that whatever alliance is formed among the various parties could determine the outcome of the elections especially in the critical marginal ones.

Yours truly Vishnu Bisram

Police control needed to stop crime Dear Editor, The Crime situation is getting out of control. Every day we have reports of robbery assaults, shooting and even murders. It is very worrying and people are living in fear. We need more police intervention to stop this crime.

Suggestions to counter crime include increasing police patrols around the city, in towns and country areas. Mobilising vehicles from other Ministries, and even from the private sector should be done especially at nights. They must be equipped with radio communication or mobile phones to remain in constant contact

with the stations.

Searches should be conducted at all major police stations, such as Providence, Sparendaam, Mahaica, Albion and Leonora.

Vehicles must be stopped and searched as part of visible police operation, especially at the Demerara and Berbice Bridges after the peak hours of the day.

Joint patrols between the army and the police must be done. 911 and telephone communication must be in working order at the police stations.

Police should be able to provide quick response to urgent situations, with

available vehicles and armed officers readily available.

Community policing groups must be more active and visible while groups of people loitering must be broken up or be arrested.

The Crime situation is stopping Guyanese from visiting Guyana and encouraging many to leave.

This is not good for our country.

Appropriate measures for motorcyclists and criminal hangouts should also be put in place.

We need action now!

Chandranarine Sharma

Dear Editor, We, the Executive members of the University of Guyana Law Society (UGLS), wish to humbly express our concerns for the law graduates of the University of Guyana (UG) who are preparing to enter their second and final year of studies, in the Legal Education Certificate (LEC) programme at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) in Trinidad and Tobago.

On Tuesday, July 14, the HWLS, on its website, unveiled new tuition fees which are effective from the new academic year.

According to the information published, students from UG who are looking to pursue their LECs at HWLS are now required to pay TT $91,014 per year for the two-year programme.

This brings the cost for both years of studies to TT $182,028.

The new tuition represents an increase of roughly G $1.6 million, as the previous total cost to complete the LEC programme was approximately G $4.2million, at a yearly cost of around TT $67,500.

There are currently 27 UG graduates preparing for their second and final year of LEC studies at HWLS. The majority of these students would have graduated at the top of the graduating class of 2014, thus earning one of the coveted 25 automatic placements availed to UG students last year. The others gained acceptance into HWLS after successfully taking the school’s entrance examination. This examination is extremely competitive and only the very best performers from across the Caribbean are granted places at the school.

Needless to say, the batch of students representing UG at HWLS at the moment is no doubt among our country’s sharpest budding legal minds.

Many of these students come from families which couldn’t afford the tuition on their own. Through de-

termination and resourcefulness, they accumulated the required sum needed, at least for the first year’s tuition. The UGLS is aware that some students were still in the process of accumulating the tuition for the final year when the new fees were released. However, the provisions that they had put in place will only see them acquiring the former amount of around TT $65,700.

It is also material to point out that in addition to tuition many of these students have to find funds to cover housing, food, electricity, gas, and transportation costs. These costs come up to several thousand TT dollars monthly.

The UGLS has spoken to several of these students and they all expressed concern that the increased fees may result in a premature end to their LEC studies.

The changes forces students to pay 100 percent of the tuition by the stipulated academic deadline.

Failure to do so will result in a defaulting student being barred from commencing and completing the final year of the LEC programme.

The UGLS is therefore asking that the Government of Guyana (GoG), including Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams, to intervene in this matter in a manner that will see a favourable resolution for our students.

The UGLS recommends that the government, in this instant, either cover the additional amount of G$800,000 through either a loan or work-service arrangement with students who are in need.

If this is not feasible, the government may consider, in a one-off arrangement, paying the school’s economic cost for the coming academic year. This would serve to reduce what students going into their final year are required to pay.

Yet another option would be to engage financial entities toward having them rendering assistance to the

students.

The government may also try engaging the officials of HWLS to allow our students some amount of leeway.

It must be noted that the fee increase doesn’t apply solely to Guyanese students but also to nationals from several other countries which do not pay the economic costs for their students.

In light of the foregoing, we also reiterate the call for Guyana to establish a local law school at which students can read for their LECs and other such qualification. We are aware that the CLE had approved a past request for Guyana to set up such an institution and that a location had even been selected. The President of Guyana, David Granger, during an engagement with UG students during his campaign, indicated that his government will work toward ensuring that such a school becomes a reality before his tenure is through. We submit, however, that the time is ripe, and that steps should commence as soon as is practicable.

This hike in tuition fees will send Guyanese, as well as students from across the Caribbean, looking for more affordable arrangements.

Guyana would be able to provide that. The quality of the UG LLB is in every way on par with the UWI LLB, yet the UG LLB pogramme costs a fraction of what the UWI LLB is offered for.

There is no doubt, that Guyana will be able to produce an LEC programme comparable to what is offered at HWLS and law schools across the Caribbean. The establishment of such a school though, is not over night, or in a few months.

HWLS, though, opens its doors again in just about two months. Our UG graduates have limited options.

They need our assistance.

We need to help then in one way or another, Yours faithfully UGLS Executive Committee

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friday, july 17, 2015| guyanatimesGY.com

Normalcy being gradually Bandit shoots accomplice restored as water recedes during robbery in NA – shelters provided in severely affected areas

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he Civil Defence Commission (CDC), through the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), is reporting that normalcy is gradually being restored to some communities as floodwaters begin to recede.

At a meeting convened at 18:00h at the CDC’s office to brief acting President Moses Nagamootoo, and Cabinet on the flood situation, it was reported by the Centre that while Regions Three, Four and Six are the most affected, water has started to recede in some communities.

The acting President told the members of the NEOC that they must “work ‘round the clock” to ensure that the lives of citizens were not affected much longer and noted that the Centre has the support of the Government.

Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence announced that shelters have been established for residents who are affected.

Specifically in Albouystown, one of the hardest hit areas, Minister Lawrence said that shelters have been established at the Albouystown and the Selman Fraser Nursery schools for children

while affected elderly residents can contact the Social Protection Ministry on telephone numbers 225-6545 or 225- 7112 for assistance.

Meanwhile, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson informed Cabinet that all measures are in place to ensure that all of the pumps and sluices remain in operation to facilitate fast drainage of the floodwaters.

Reports from the major utilities were also presented at the meeting. The Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) reported that there were power outages in 28 areas earlier in the day. However, up to press time, that number had been reduced to one area and the representative of the company said that it was expected that the community’s electricity would be restored before the end of the evening. The Guyana Water Inc (GWI) has not recorded any breach of its water resources.

The total losses and the total number of persons affected by flooding are yet to be determined. One tool the Centre is using to gather data for that assessment is social media. Residents

in affected areas are being advised to share photos of flooded areas and information on the level of the floodwater in their areas or homes, any health problems being experienced, the level of nearby canals and the extent of damage they have experienced or witnessed. These can be shared on the Facebook pages of the NEOC, Habitat for Humanity, the Guyana Red Cross Society and the Civil Defence Commission.

The weather forecast for today shows overcast conditions during the morning, with light to moderate showers and possible thunderstorms in some areas over the coastal regions, becoming partly sunny in the afternoon with a few light showers. Some areas of Regions Four and 10 may experience outbursts of thunder during the afternoon.

All other locations will see partly cloudy to cloudy skies with a few passing showers. Rainfall is expected to be between 15.0mm and 30.0mm within coastal areas and between 0.0mm and 15.00mm in other locations.

M Ali and Son Supermarket at Main and Pope Streets, New Amsterdam

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olice in Berbice are looking for two men, one of whom may be wounded after armed bandits carried out a robbery at M Ali and Son Supermarket at Main and Pope Streets, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Thursday evening.

Reports are that shortly after 19:00h two men walked into the supermarket and made their way to the back where Nazmoon Ali was. At the time, both owners Mohammed Ali and his son Sammy Ali were at a masjid in observance of the holy month of Ramadan.

The unmasked men whipped out two guns and held Ali at gunpoint while demanding money and other

valuables. Ali was gun butted after she refused to obey their demands, and one of the men broke into a drawer and removed an undisclosed sum of cash. Also removed was a firearm which is owned by the Alis.

The men also removed phone cards during which time they discovered that a female store attendant from Mount Sinai, commonly referred to as Angoy’s Avenue, had recognised them. This publication understands that the attendant tried to hide herself as one of the bandits pointed his gun in her direction. His colleague, who was standing behind him, then fired a shot which hit him in the upper body.

After the shot was fired,

the men hurriedly left the supermarket through the front door which was the only exit. When Guyana Times visited the store, blood splatter was evident on the floors from the back to the front door. According to staff members, who were shaken by the incident, the injured man might have been hit in the neck or behind the ear.

Eyewitnesses say the men escaped in a waiting car which was parked on Pope Street at the side of the supermarket. Police are investigating the incident. Up to press time, one person had been taken into custody.

The perpetrators of the robbery are said to be deportees who reside in Mount Sinai.

Scenes of the flood

Residents in Albouystown had to use this cart to block the road because the water was too high for vehicles to pass

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo and former Public Works Minister Robeson Benn visited the residents of the Dharm Shala Home of Benevolence for All Races in Albouystown

The Charlestown koker reduced floodwaters from nearby villages into the Demerara River

The photo shows the canal along South Road overflowing, covering the entire roadway

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friday, july 17, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt keen on T&T offer Govt nixes $10,000 school grant to supply oil, lubricants …insists it is unsustainable G G

overnment has begun pursuing the commitment made by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar to assist Guyana in the oil and gas sector, Governance and Patrimony Minister Raphael Trotman has disclosed.

He told journalists on Wednesday that the issue has gained the attention of Cabinet members and was under discussion.

The offer, he stated, will be explored at two levels.

“One is the supply of oil and lubricants to Guyana to see if there could be favourable terms and concession from the twin-island republic for the supply and the other is for the actual assistance in the development of the oil sector itself, in terms of exploration, agreements and being able to interface with the investors who come,” Trotman informed.

Persad-Bissessar made the promise to Guyana’s President David Granger earlier this month when she met with him on the sidelines of the 36th Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Barbados.

The Guyanese leader used most of his speech at the opening ceremony to solicit support from his regional colleagues, against the adamant claims of Venezuela that it was the true owner of a portion of Guyana’s waters. Persad-Bissessar had expressed full support for Guyana, describing the decree

by Maduro as “unilateral”.

“Trinidad fully supports Guyana ...,” she said, add-

The two Heads of State when they met for talks earlier this month

ing that her Administration had offered to assist “in any way”. “We pledge our support to Guyana in this matter, we have always supported Guyana in the border dispute and we will continue to do so,” Persad-Bissessar said. She noted that Port of Spain had indicated its willingness to help Georgetown in its oil exploration “because of our long history in that industry”.

She said while her country understands in some regards the constraints of the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro “our understanding with our experts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that this decree is in violation of the international law and, therefore, if we are looking at the legality of it, we do not support the issuing of the decree.”

She said while Trinidad

was in full agreement with the call by Granger for a withdrawal of the decree, “we are saying there may be room for dialogue. We are prepared to assist in that regard as well.

Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the Caribbean and is also the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas. Oil and gas account for about 40 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 80 per cent of exports. It has transitioned from an oil-based economy to a natural gasbased economy. In 2007, natural gas production averaged four billion cubic feet per day. Should Guyana receive the promised support from the twin-island republic, it could closely follow behind as oil has been found in Guyana’s waters.

US$1M upgrade for Golden Grove/Haslington market

Minister Dawn Hastings-Williams visits Golden Grove/Haslington market

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he Golden Grove/ Haslington market, on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) is expected to undergo some massive developments.

The Ministry of Communities, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) under a Guyana/India Brazil South Africa (IBSA) South-South Cooperation will plug US$1 million into the Guyana Solid Waste Management Improvement Programme, which will see

the development of the area.

Minister within the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hastings-Williams met with officials from the Region Four Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), officials from the UNDP and Golden Grove market vendors to ascertain needed improvements in the operations of the market and its solid waste management.

Two main challenges which this project will address will be the lack of a san-

itary block and proper drainage facilities. Meanwhile, some vendors were still reluctant to use the Golden Grove/Haslington NDC market tarmac and this was another area the Minister vowed to address.

When the $14.9 million tarmac was handed over, it was the intention of the then Ministry of Local Government to reduce the incidence of roadside vending, by provide a healthy environment for consumers to make their purchases.

overnment says the “Because We Care” $10,000 cash grant initiative is not fiscally sustainable and is currently reviewing the programme, which parents across the country have been clamouring for Government to continue.

Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman, briefing the media on Wednesday, said that Cabinet has been advised that the grant was fiscally unsustainable, since when one studies development and economics when cash transfers are given, they should be targeted, accompanied or guided so that the most vulnerable in the society are the primary beneficiaries.

“It is not fiscally sustainable for any economy. We want to review it to ensure for example that a child living in abject poverty who previously received $10,000 would now receive $100,000 when a child attending a private school does not receive a $10,000 because he would be depriving a child in need”, Trotman told Guyana Times upon inquiry on Wednesday.

He explained that to give a grant to every school child without being focused on those who need it more, is fiscally unsustainable in any economy.

Trotman said the grant is currently being reviewed, and has been stopped for now. He said the idea of giving to children was good, but the process was poorly implemented. The Minister said however that Government was continu-

ing with the uniform voucher which stands at $1500 per child.

Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine had indicated to Guyana Times that Government would be discontinuing the cash grant programme which began last year and which the PPP/C said was to assist students of the public education school system.

The initiative was approved in the 2014 National Budget and was set to target each child in the public education sector. More than 188,400 families were to benefit overall from the initiative.

Minister Roopnaraine had explained that the termination of the programme does not mean that Government did not care, but added that the Administration was against the initiative even while it was in the Opposition, stating that it is the Government’s contention that the “Because We Care” cash grant was terribly administered from its inception and was instituted merely as a political gimmick to win votes for the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

A new school term is set to begin in September and for all purposes of adding emphasis, former Education Minister Priya Manickchand is hoping that the Government would revisit its decision and reinstate the programme. “(I am) truly saddened to learn that the [A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change]

APNU/AFC Government is terminating the “Because we Care” cash grant programme… The PPP/C fully intended to continue this programme and said so in its 2015 election manifesto.

Here’s hoping that the new Government that promised positive change will revisit its harsh decision and reinstate this programme,” she stated in a social media post recently.

The former Education Minister highlighted how the programme benefited all of Guyana, regardless of an individual’s political affiliation. “This was a programme started by the PPP/C Government that saw each public school child in Guyana entitled to 10,000 dollars.

The grant was meant to assist parents to send their children to school by helping to pay for transportation, etc. It was complimented by other programmes, again started by the PPP/C Government, such as the uniform assistance programme where every child in the public school was entitled to assistance to purchase uniforms and/or school supplies and the school snack programme where every child in public school in Guyana from nursery to Grade Two was in receipt of a snack or hot meal.

Parents from all over Guyana said how beneficial (the programme was) and welcomed the “Because We Care” programme…,” she posted.

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friday, july 17, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Barry Dataram’s drug case delegated to Magistrate Fabayo Azore

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he question of 129 kilograms of cocaine being in the possession of Barry Dataram, Anjanie Boodnarine, Trevor Gouveia and Komal Charan has been delegated to Magistrate Fabayo Azore in Court Five of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Magistrate Ann McLennan transferred the matter to Magistrate Azore’s court on Monday after the defendant’s were obligated to present themselves for reports and to receive their statements.

The matter was initially to be tried by Magistrate McLennan, however, due to unstated reasons, it was transferred to Court Five.

Due to the nature of the offence and his past brushes with the law, some indicated their assumption that

Magistrate McLennan may want to attend to the matter herself.

However, it was explained that Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP) Stephen Telford’s position as the Prosecutor made it necessary for the matter to be transferred to Court Five where he is officially stationed as that Court’s Prosecutor.

The quartet was charged for 129.230 kg of cocaine that was found at Dataram’s Lot 661 Fourth Avenue, Block X, Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) residence on April 16. They were charged for possession with the purpose of trafficking.

According to ASP Telford, on the day in question, ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics

Unit (CANU) carried out a raid on Dataram’s house at Fourth Avenue, Diamond, New Housing Scheme, EBD. Telford stated that the accused were found with the illicit drug. The court was also told that Dataram is Guyanese by birth but has US citizenship and Gouveia and Charan were his friends.

Representing the four accused was Attorney Glen Hanoman who claimed that contrary to the Police reports, Dataram resided at Vriesland, West Bank Demerara (WBD) and Boodnarine lives at Patentia Housing Scheme, WBD. Dataram gained notoriety in 2007 following the kidnapping of his wife, Sheleza, and their threeyear-old daughter by two Venezuelans; one of whom

was later shot dead in a confrontation with Police.

He was then arrested and detained by Police beyond the 72-hour constitutional detention period.

His lawyers subsequently approached the court with a Habeas Corpus Writ, but the Police asked for an extension to conclude their investigations into the kidnapping, which they said was drug-related.

What followed was a series of court appearances during which Dataram was twice set free and rearrested. He was finally set free in December 2008.

Initially, the quartet were all remanded to prison. However, later court dates saw each being released on bail, the highest being an estimated $2 million from the High Court.

Surinamese Miner Case withdrawn remanded for escaping against Royston Police custody King

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Miner who works in Suriname was remanded to jail on Wednesday after appearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for three charges against him.

Regan Rodrigues, age 37, of Riverview Squatting Area, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, made his appearance before Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and escaping lawful imprisonment.

In court, Guyana Times heard that on July 12, he was found with a Brandon Thomas pistol in Riverview, East Ruimveldt, although he is not the holder of a firearm licence.

On that same day, 14 live rounds of ammunition for the pistol were

also found on his person.

Thus, he was given a second charge of unlawful possession of a firearm without being the holder of a firearm licence.

The third charge against him stated that pending the unlawful possession of the firearm charge, he escaped lawful custody.

Rodrigues pleaded not guilty to all three charges. He told the court that officers were trying to set him up as they are always trying to pin a charge on him. He said he is rarely in Guyana and only comes to check on his primary school-age younger brother who he takes care of.

He was represented by Attorney Adrian Thompson.

He is expected back in court on August 4.

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he suggestion was made recently by Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green, that all charges against Royston King be withdrawn but on Thursday, it became official when Magistrate Judy Latchman announced in Court Three of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts that all charges against Royston King are to be withdrawn.

Mayor Green had made these comments as recent as last Sunday at City Hall’s statutory meeting. There, he indicated that City Hall has been communicating with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) over King’s case.

He revealed that through this the forgery charge against his former Public

Relations Officer (PRO) will be dismissed so he can be installed as the Town Clerk for the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).

Thus, it was no surprise to anyone when King was installed as the Town Clerk on Monday. However, it was only on Thursday that the court heard Magistrate Latchman inform King about the charge against him being dropped.

King was charged for forgery after he was accused of writing a letter to Beacon Foundation, stating that he was the Acting Town Clerk.

Although it was not mentioned in court, Guyana Times understands that the DPP had instructed the dismissal of the charges after City Hall had withdrawn the charges.

Eyew tness The best laid plans...

...for fun and frolic ere it was, your Eyewitness’ been preparing for months to see real live cricket. We know why we’re relegated to cricket on the boobtube, don’t we? The small islands can’t even fill their stadiums half way, and yet they get cricket up their kazoos. It all has to do with the fees they pay to the WICB because they know the value of the tourist dollar.

And it’s not just tourists coming to their games... it’s the advertisement they get for their sun, sand -and surf attractions in the tourist markets.

Your Eyewitness figured that soon, he mightn’t even get CPL cricket here - if the kvetching and moaning results in cuts to country fees, as are being threatened.

What’s to stop the CPL from moving the Warriors’ franchise to a new site as they did with the Antigua Hawkbills.

This Eyewitness hears that Florida’s offering all sorts of benefits to attract this hot new sport (to the Americans!) called “T-20”.

Being forewarned (from previous years) your Eyewitness forearmed himself by leaving early with his better half and the offsprings. Still took him an hour to get to the stadium from GTown. 4:30 wasn’t “early” enough for a 6pm game? By that time though, he had that sinking feeling that was more than a foreboding: the dark clouds and the thunder and lightning ensured that.

But not to be deterred, your trusty Eyewitness ploughed on and into the Stadium. And to his great pride, the crowds had turned out in their numbers.

Contrary to what’s bandied about in the islands, we Guyanese are made of sterner stuff. The band was blasting party music, the mound was full and the joint in general, was jumping. Your Eyewitness joined the crowd in what unfortunately must’ve been considered a “rain dance” by the gods, because just as he thought we’d at least have a truncated game, the heavens opened up. Again.

He could’ve done without the blessings that issued forth on the ground (why does it have to be water and not rose petals?) ...so the umpires decided to call it a night. But they say “Where there’s life, there’s hope, no?” And hope does beat eternal in this Eyewitness’ bosom when cricket’s concerned. Come Friday night, he and his family are once again heading off to the ball park.

He’d been hoping to witness the rematch between Gayle and Narine. He had no doubt in his mind that the local boys would’ve come out ahead. But be as it may, Friday will also be their night.

Lightning doesn’t strike twice at the same place, does it?

Naaaaah!

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...for City Flooding The inauguration of the new the president was accompanied with record rainfall. To half of the population (the half that’d voted him in, you think?) this was occasioned by the aforementioned “blessings”. And these worthies came out in their multitudes and cleaned up the city in record time.

OK, there was the flooding of homes and businesses but it was taken with such good cheer!! Not to worry!

The new powers-that-be promised this was going to be last time we in the city were going to suffer this indignity.

Canals were redug, kokers were cleaned, pumps were fixed to their pumpable maximum and all the maintenance crews were on high alert. So while the rains ruined your Eyewitness’ ball game, he was thrown for a loop when he headed back to his lair in the city and found everything under water?

What the heck was going on? Was the new administration being tested by the big fella up there?

There’s evidently only so much blessings we in Georgetown can take! ...finally put into action Guyana’s been waiting for a SWAT team to plunge into action for over a decade. And finally the moment arrived.

So why’d it take so long?

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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friday, july 17, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Murder toll climbs to 83 with stabbing of Sophia woman … killer on the run; woman stabbed 18 times

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triangular love affair ended deadly on Wednesday evening after a Sophia, Greater Georgetown shopkeeper was stabbed to death by her suspected lover while her husband was injured in the process. The incident occurred at about 20:15h.

Forty-year-old Janice Paul of Lot 38 D Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was stabbed 18 times to her body by the suspect whose name was given as Jerry Dalrymple.

She was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital while her husband, Eusi Paul, 40, who received two stab wounds to his face and hand was treated and sent away.

According to information received, at about 20:05h, the couple had just returned home when the suspect confronted them and an argument ensured. During the argument, the suspected reportedly pulled out a dagger and dealt the man two blow after which he turned his attention on the woman.

Although the injured man screamed for the now dead woman to run, Dalrymple pursued her and dealt her several blows. The argument reportedly stemmed from the woman not answering her phone when the suspect was attempting to contact her.

Guyana Times understands that the stabbing incident occurred during the heavy down pour on Wednesday evening hence

Dead: Shopkeeper Janice Paul

persons in the area were unable to hear the scream. After committing the act, the suspect reportedly fled the scene.

Reports received revealed that the injured man left his wife lying on the ground as he ran to the Turkeyen Police Station to alert them.

Lying in wait

Reports gathered indicate that the couple returned home in a taxi and due to the heavy rainfall, the husband exited the car and went to the house to collect an umbrella while his wife waited in the car. After he returned to the car and his wife had exited, they proceeded to walk through the dark track to their home. It was at this point that the suspect confronted them and committed the act.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times that Police ranks have since visited the suspect’s home but there were no signs of him.

He noted that they will con-

tinue to pursue the suspect.

In addition, this publication was made to understand that the suspect sells “bombs”– a drink made with several ingredients and would have been seeing the woman for sometime unknown to her husband.

Paul’s death is the 83rd murder recorded thus far for 2015, along with the recent murder of Ganesh Ramall, who was gunned down at his La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara home. To date, two persons have confessed to the murder which they claimed was planned over two months ago. Six other men were arrested for the murder of Ramlall but after ballistic tests were conducted on the weapons found on their persons, they were further implicated in the murder of Travis Rudder, whose body was riddled with bullets at his Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara home on Father’s Day. A member of the gang Rudder was allegedly a member of was already charged for his murder as Police hunt for four other suspects. On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud disclosed that crime is not out of control; a statement which was quite alarming to many, since several days prior to his disclosure, the Police had reported that serious crimes had increased by nine per cent when compared to the same period last year.

Floods shut down UG Turkeyen Campus

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he University of Guyana closed the Turkeyen Campus on Thursday as a result of widespread flooding in the area.

Some of the affected buildings include the Library, the Law building, the Centre for Information Technology and the Cheddi Jagan classrooms. All class-

es were cancelled.

In a release, UG said the decision to close on Thursday was made in consideration of the state of the campus infrastructure and recognising that staff and students may have difficulty travelling to campus because they may be directly impacted by flooding in the communities where they reside.

“Our thoughts are with those who are experiencing hardship from the heavy rainfall and flooding that has affected several parts of Georgetown. An announcement regarding the operating status for the University tomorrow, will be posted on the University website and Facebook page on Friday, July 17 by 8:00h.”

Gunman killed in Butcher’s Pool Hall shooting identified

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fter weeks of investigations into the fatal shooting at Butcher’s Pool Hall, Millington Street, Georgetown, which occurred on June 25, the Police have positively identified the man who was shot and killed.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times that the man was identified via the Acer Fingerprint Information System, controlled by the Guyana Police Force. The Police made the breakthrough on Wednesday evening and would have contacted relatives of the deceased who positively identified the man as Odell Harris of Campbellville, Georgetown.

Police had stated that the man was of African descent with dreadlocked hair.

He appears to be in his 40’s, fair in complexion, about five

feet, nine inches tall, medium build and has a tattoo on his back with the words “Spine Doctor”.

Blanhum explained that based on the fingerprinting system, the now dead man was previously charged with several offences. He noted that the Police will continue to investigate the shooting incident but was not sure why the relatives of the dead man did not turn up to identify the body since the shooting occurred.

It was reported that on the night of the shooting, at about 23:20h, a group of men; including a Policeman and a member of the Guyana Defence Force, were at the Butcher Pool Hall at Middleton Street, Georgetown, when two men approached and discharged rounds in their direction.

As a result, Paul Chow who was in the grouping was hit to his chest and right side jaw. Police further stated that both the Policeman and the soldier returned fire and one of the armed men was hit about his body, while his accomplices managed to escape.

However, it was reported that prior to the shooting incident, Chow and the now dead man were seen engaged in a heated argument. The deceased reportedly left the shop and returned with two other men who opened fire.

Chow was shot in the process, and a Police rank attached to the Criminal Investigation Department pulled out his firearm and shot Harris to his chest. He reportedly ran a short distance before collapsing and died.

Trade between EU, Caribbean at 5-year low

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ver the years, Caribbean countries and the European Union (EU) have been trying to forge better trading relationships; however, while in some areas there have been improvements, generally, there has been a significant decrease in trade between the two regions over the last five years.

Nonetheless, steps are being taken to ensure the situation is rectified and that trade between the two blocs picks up. The EU, for its part, said it looked ahead to a period of greater economic stability and growth and it would do everything it could, including implement better trade policies, to achieve that. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, during the opening of the Third Meeting of the joint CARIFORUM-EU Council, disclosed that there have not been massive increases in trade between the two regions as was hoped for.

“We must acknowledge this fact. But that does not mean that we should give up on this deal. And even less so, on the whole economic relationship between the European Union and countries of the Caribbean. In fact, it means quite the opposite.

What we have to do is work out why we are where we are ... and then take joint action to put things back on track,” she said.

2008 crisis

In October 2008, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago, and the Dominican Republic signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU to facilitate greater trade between the two regions.

Malmström pointed out that almost one month before

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström

the agreement was signed, the American bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy which marked the beginning of the most serious economic and financial crisis the world has experienced since the Great Depression.

The effects greatly influenced the Caribbean economy, she noted, especially because the Region was still feeling the aftermath of the spike in global food and raw material prices over the years prior. Therefore, as a result, instead of investing in international trade markets, local entrepreneurs were basically struggling to survive.

However, the Caribbean was not the only region immensely affected by the crisis. In fact, the EU representative said Europe was still experiencing the aftermath of that global economic downturn.

“We have 25 million unemployed people across our Union! One result of that is that our imports have grown much more slowly than would normally be the case. And that affects exporters here in the Caribbean,” she said.

Another reason why there was a decline in trade could be the fact that member countries have not yet implemented everything which was agreed upon.

On the Caribbean side, Malmström said some countries still have to ratify the agreement. Some provisions of the deal to promote regional integration have not been

put into practice. “And rules on competition policy and intellectual property still need to be implemented,” she explained. Some EU member states still have to ratify the EPA also.

“Getting some of the development cooperation projects off the ground has also taken longer than we would like. I hope that we are now on track for that to take effect. And I’m happy to say that we will have a budget of over 100 million euros for the Region to keep us moving ahead over the next five years,” she revealed. The EU has a full duty and quota-free regime for products from the Caribbean. Thus far, many CARIFORUM countries have taken steps to lower their tariffs.

Some of the more advanced provisions of the EPA – like services – have also come into force. For example, progress has been made towards the mutual recognition of some professional qualifications.

Also, the EU and its Member States are now supporting projects that will facilitate tax reform, the development of the Private Sector and the capacity building of institutions. Already, UK film studio company Pinewood has invested in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica-based mobile operator Digicel has expanded to several other Caribbean countries. The main exports from the Caribbean to the EU are fuel and mining products, notably petroleum gas and oils; bananas, sugar and rum; minerals, notably gold, corundum, aluminium oxide and hydroxide; iron ore products and fertilisers.

The main imports into the Caribbean from the EU are boats and ships, cars, constructions vehicles and engine parts; phone equipment; milk and cream, and spirit drinks.

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friday, july 17, 2015

News

CDC, Social Protection Ministry Trotman floats salary hike, stimulus leading flood response package to jumpstart economy

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he Civil Defence Commission (CDC) is coordinating flood relief efforts and, together with Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence, is assessing the need for temporary shelters in affected communities.

This is according to the Ministry of the Presidency, under which the CDC falls.

Additionally, the Social Protection Ministry has been mandated by Cabinet to ensure the safety and well-being of residents of senior citizens’ homes and other vulnerable citizens that fall under the purview of that Ministry. Cabinet met again at 08:00h Thursday where a report on the assessment of the flood situation in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six was given. From that report, Cabinet was able to determine that Region Four is the most affected region, with some flooding on the West Coast and the West Bank of Demerara in Region Three. According to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, the Regional Chairpersons and Regional Executive Officers in the other assessed regions have reported that the flood situation in their regions is manageable.

Aerial survey

Further, the release stated that with Cabinet’s approval, an aircraft was sent out Thursday morning at 07:40h on a reconnaissance mission. The information that was gathered through that process will be shared with the CDC, the Ministries of Public Infrastructure, Social Protection and

CDC Director, Colonel Chabilall Ramsarup

Communities as well as the regional administrations.

That report was also expected to be presented to Cabinet at 18:00h on Thursday

by Agriculture Minister Noel Holder. Meanwhile, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who has responsibility for the CDC, met with the Director of CDC, Colonel Chabilall Ramsarup.

Government said too that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will be briefed and invited to participate in the flood relief efforts. With the long-range weather forecast suggesting that there will be further intense rainfall, flooding is likely to abate within a 48hour period.

04:00h meeting with the President

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, President David Granger convened an emergency Cabinet meeting at 04:00h in light of the current flood situation affecting Georgetown and other areas along the coastal regions of Guyana. A statement by the

Ministry of the Presidency said that over the past 16 hours Guyana has experienced an intense period of rainfall. Georgetown received approximately 70 millimetres (mm) of rainfall.

The East Coast of Demerara received approximately 100mm, while Leonora in Region Three received around 225mm. This resulted in flooding in most low-lying areas.

At the Cabinet meeting, it was agreed for an aerial survey of the coastal areas of the country to be done to ascertain the extent of the flooding along the coast; the Ministries of Public Security and Communities will contact all regional offices, stations and Police outposts to obtain a quick briefing of any affected areas; shelters will be established in suitable areas for any residents that require temporary accommodation; traffic restrictions will be issued and citizens are advised that all non-essential travel should be avoided.

The statement said that the President was briefed

by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson and assured that all mechanical pumps in the city were operational during the night. At low tide, at 07:00h on Thursday all sluices in Georgetown were opened, with the exception of the one at Sussex Street, which is under repairs. This will bring some measure of relief to the higher sections of Georgetown. Rainfall of 20mm to 40mm is anticipated in the next 12 hours, which will contribute to additional flooding in low-lying areas.

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n increase in wages for public servants could be an answer to reports of a dip in the country’s economy.

Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman on Wednesday said salary increases are one of the known ways of stimulating economic growth and fighting inflation. He said, however, that that is a question that the Finance Minister would be better able to address.

“When we go Cabinet, some members will urge a significant wage increase for the public servants in particular, and hopefully the Private Sector will follow suit by raising salaries as well.” This determination will be made when the National Budget is presented early next month.

Meanwhile, as it relates to the recent reports of a failing economy, the Minister said Government has taken the reports into account, but would prefer to sit with members of the business community to work out how the economy could be stimulated.

He said prior to elections, there was the normal electoral jitters. These continued afterwards to some extent. That, coupled with the rattling with Venezuela, has not necessarily helped the economy

he said.

He said the country is not in a bad shape and while there are some jitters, Government prefers to have meetings with the business sector to see how things could be moved at a faster rate. “We do not offer prescription before first hearing from them where they feel things have slowed down and why, and of course we are prepared to work out any stimulus package where we believe they are warranted”.

He said the Public Security Minister has already met with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) to discuss the worries they have in the mining sector.

He said if Government is able to address those concerns, it will bring some level of comfort to the miners.

Minister Trotman said the usual rainy season has also been making it difficult for the miners to produce.

“We are not accepting that there is recession or anywhere near there, we don’t want to scare anyone and we will continue to meet with the Private Sector to see how we could keep business going,” the Minister said cautiously.

Meanwhile, Trotman informed that Finance Minister Winston Jordon

is currently assessing what implications the state of the economy could have on the rice, gold and sugar sectors.

He said Government had taken note of widespread information which suggested that the Guyana/ Venezuela rice deal was under threat, noting that rice “is continuing to go to Venezuela”. He added that all of Guyana’s rice is not sold to Venezuela.

He related that 30 per cent of the rice produced here is sent to Venezuela, and although that amount is “a favourable size and there is preferential price”, there are other markets which Guyana supplies and is working to offer more to.

He said the country is also looking to secure other markets.

As it relates to gold, he said there are other issues surrounding the price of the commodity on the market, nothing that nothing could be done from Government’s standpoint.

Trotman said he has recently spoken with the Finance Minister for a stimulus package that could be used to raise production levels to a higher plain. He said rice farmers are currently being paid by Government, although it is a burden that has been inherited from the previous Administration.

Ogle Airport receives first night flight

Passengers deplaning LIAT’s historic night flight at Ogle Airport

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istory was made last Wednesday when Ogle Airport received its first regional night flight when LIAT’s ATR42 made a flawless touchdown at 21.54h Wednesday with 17 passengers aboard from Trinidad and Tobago, immediately following a torrential downpour that threatened to flood the Airport and postpone the historical occasion.

Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Acting Director General Chaitrani Heeralall, accompanied by senior GCAA staff and Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) Director General Donald Mc Phail, visiting from Antigua for the occasion, were all there to observe the landing and mark the occasion.

The LIAT flight originally scheduled to arrive at 19:40h was forced to postpone its departure from Port of Spain because of the huge storm which engulfed the capital city and bucketed rain on the Airport and its approach just after sunset Wednesday night.

Passengers booked on the historical flight were forced to drive through blinding rain seriously affecting visibility and a flooded East Coast highway approach to the Airport in order to make their flight.

The skies over the Airport began to clear about 21:00h and at 21:45h when the lights of the LIAT aircraft appeared over the north-west approach to the Airport, visibility was near

perfect for the landing.

Thirty-nine passengers boarded the virgin flight for Barbados, from Guyana’s side, after a quick turnaround of the aircraft for a 22:37h departure rescheduled to arrive at approximately 00:40h.

LIAT’s expanded schedule will now include night flights between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, departing Piarco Airport, Port of Spain, at 19:40h (07:40 pm) and arriving at Ogle Airport at 20:40h (8:40 pm), every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and between Guyana and Barbados, departing Ogle Airport at 21:10h (9:10 pm) and arriving at Grantley Adams Airport, Barbados, 23:10h (11:10 pm).

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News

Govt to bump up school uniform voucher …targeting road, river transportation for students

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efending its decision to stop the $10,000 cash grant for children in public schools, the Education Ministry said that it would significantly enhance the school voucher assistance and also provide transportation for targeted communities as part of a more comprehensive package to address the needs of students living in difficult circumstances.

Government has come under fire for discontinuing the cash grant programme which it said was fiscally unsustainable. (see other story on page 7) In a statement, the Ministry said it noted with concern the “Opposition’s disingenuous campaign in response to the Government’s decision to review and very likely not renew the Education Cash Grant, originally represented as a means to boost flagging nursery to secondary enrolment and poor student attendance under the previous Administration”.

According to the Ministry, as the then Opposition, the new Government supported the grant, via budgetary approval, on its professed merits as a one-off initiative intended to provide critical intervention on a significant problem in our education system. This support, the Ministry said, was offered despite vibrant criticism from several sections of society that the programme appeared illconceived though ostensibly well-intended, and that it would turn out to be an electioneering gimmick on behalf of the then incumbent.

“As evidenced by the kitsch branding of the grant with the “Because We Care” slogan and the mobilisation of several senior Government officials for

cent of the grant target was reached, while 93 per cent of the budget was expended. c) It should also be taken into consideration that $92 million of the amount budgeted for was allocated presumably for administration of the grant and as executed, the project put tremendous strain on the existing human resource infrastructure of the Education Ministry, resulting in lost man hours that should have been assigned to other tasks and lower efficiency in the way the Ministry functioned over the period of the disbursement.

Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

photo opportunities at disbursement centres in the months leading up to elections, the latter criticism was in retrospect not unfounded.”

More importantly, the Ministry asserted, there are three critical flaws of the cash grant approach, none of which the former Government saw fit to share with the general public: a) There is no monitoring and evaluation mechanism built into the system to ensure either effective use of the grant, or actual impact on enrolment and attendance.

This means that there exists no plan to verify that the money was used as intended whether directly or incorporated into the budgeting for the child’s educational needs. It also means that there was no plan in place to measure whether the funds allocated resulted in increased enrolment and, more importantly, attendance. b) it is inherently economically unsustainable with hidden additional administrative costs, and disproportionate real costs such as security. According to unaudited figures, 85 per

More rains on the way

The weather forecast as of Thursday night:

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ainly fair to cloudy skies will continue for the evening, becoming overcast in the early morning with occasional light to moderate showers along Regions Two to Six and in some areas of 10.

A few heavy downpours and possible thundershowers may be experienced in some locations. All other locations will see brief light showers.

Rainfall is expected between 0.0 mm. and 35.0 mm.

(1.37 inches) with highest in Regions Two and Six. The temperatures are expected to range between 20.0 and 23.0 degrees Celsius.

The wind conditions will be a light breeze.

The tide is falling and will be at its lowest of 0.68 of a metre (2.23 feet) at 22:26h (10:26 pm).

High tide will be at 04:24h (4:24 am) at a maximum height of 2.98 metres (9.77 feet) which is above normal.

Moderate seas can be expected with wave heights between 1.0 and 1.5 metres (3.28-4.92 feet) in open waters. Above-normal high tide advisory is in effect and will continue until July 20, 2015.

Sun will rise at 05:44h (5:44 am).

Priority areas

The Ministry said that under this administration, the priority for education development is measurable, cost-effective service delivery with a strong focus on monitoring and evaluation

to ensure that programmes result in tangible benefits to those the public education system is intended to serve – the young people of Guyana. “The central challenge of optimising attendance and enrolment has to be overcome by a targeted programme aimed at meeting particular individual and community needs as well as improving upon existing national initiatives, even as we ensure value for money in service delivery. Recommendations under active consideration by the Ministry include: the expansion and intensification of the school feeding programmes to include, for example, the provision of breakfast for targeted students. “The provision of meals has been a proven and tangible method of increasing or sustaining attendance preceding the pre-

vious Administration.”

It added that the provision of transportation services for targeted student populations, particularly those in Hinterland and riverine communities will also be pursued, adding that with the help of the business community, for example, a 40-seater boat has recently been procured to ferry children living along the Pomeroon River to and from school.

Increasing the value of the uniform voucher to more accurately reflect rising costs in related goods and services, over the past few years; the exploration of the establishment of a fund that will provide additional direct financial support for students in difficult circumstances and the contextualisation of education assistance within a holistic programme of poverty alle-

viation that includes a review of the taxation system and salary increase among other measures are also areas the Government said it was looking at.

“We cannot, as a Government, afford to engage in grand fiscally unsustainably, irresponsible, politically expedient gimmicks when the core service of education remains underserved and public education teeters at the brink of a crisis. Deliberately emotive, simplistic and misleading appeals on social media cannot be a substitute for effective policy analysis, particular considering that the former Minister is listed as a member of a parliamentary opposition that refuses to take its place in Parliament, the proper forum for incisive, accurate, and recordable debate on policy issues.”

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Folk music to be included in school’s curriculum – Education Minister

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ducation Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine said folklore music and traditional Guyanese songs will be a part of the new curriculum when music education is reintroduced into schools across the country.

Recently, the Education Ministry launched a fourweek music workshop for primary school teachers, with the aim of building capacity and developing the necessary skills to effectively deliver a music programme in primary schools.

During an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, Roopnaraine lamented the fact that students are deprived of this crucial aspect of learning and therefore he intends to at least have choirs in all schools across the country.

Folk music to be included in school curriculum

The few schools that do offer music education, it must be noted, the majority of the type of music practiced has no roots in Guyanese culture or history.

Roopnaraine explained that he wants children to be exposed to a diversity of musical teachings and therefore, would like to see them taught both English classics and Guyanese traditional songs.

According to the Education Ministry’s website, “a wealth of scientific research over the last decade is proving that music education is a powerful tool for attaining children’s full intellectual, social and creative potential.”

It also highlighted that music study requires a high degree of precision in auditory processing: being almost in tune is not good enough.

This means that musically trained children are bet-

ter able to distinguish subtle details of speech, leading to improved reading, better comprehension and also a greater ability to interpret what other people – children and adults – are really saying. Most importantly, music gives children a means of expressing themselves, an outlet to unleash their creativity and to be inspired by their own boundless capacity for personal growth.

Against this backdrop, it is the Ministry’s intention to get its young people more involved in this art.

The workshop for primary school teachers will last a total of 60 contact hours and will be conducted during the August vacation period.

This workshop will be the first of a series of training sessions.

Gradually, the Minister hopes more features can be integrated into the programme such as having the

necessary classes for those desirous to learn to play musical instruments and basically do more with music – all during their primary years of learning.

Roopnaraine, during the launch of the workshop, had urged the teachers to make the best of the programme so they can in turn deliver the best to their students.

Facilitator of this initiative, Paul Cort, who is also the Assistant Chief Music Examiner for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), pointed out that Guyana has not been performing well in the subject of Music over the years.

This programme, therefore, is aimed at improving this area by helping students develop a passion and appreciation for music which will ultimately reflect on their performances at the examinations.

Essequibo residents count losses as a result of flood

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One of the fallen GPL poles in Golden Fleece Estate

esidents of Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) were forced to stay indoors for most of Thursday as their yards were inundated with knee-high water the result of a broken drainage system and persistent heavy rainfall.

The excessive high intensity rainfall experienced Wednesday and Thursday resulted in kitchen gardens, poultry pens and many yards being flooded.

The rain, accompanied by loud thunder and lightning, plunged the entire coast into darkness, as the power network suffered storm damage. Two Guyana Power and Light (GPL) utility poles were uprooted in the village of Golden Fleece, causing grid failure and the diversion of traffic.

The entire Essequibo

Coast has now been without power for almost 12 hours

bailing water out of their lower flats in villages such as Reliance, Perservance, Anna Regina, Queenstown, Devonshire Castle and Aurora. “We does get flooding, but the water came very high this time, I tried to save some of my ducks and chicken, it’s my living,” one resident Kevin Jaglall related.

Reports from the Region Two Administration indicated that several pumps were put into operation. The drainage and irrigation section is monitoring the water level.

It was also disclosed that the pumps would not be able to work 24 hours owing to

A house under water at Queenstown

and counting. This and other frequent power failures are taking a toll on many businesses.

Residents were seen

the administration being cash-strapped. The heavy winds and rains experienced in Region Two also damaged several billboards and trees.

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Small Business Trust hit by $14.9M fraud … helped to finance 537 new businesses in 2014

By Jillicia Pinder

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he Small Business Development Finance Trust (SMDFT) Inc announced that it has contributed to the start-up of some 537 new projects for last year, but the agency is battling to recover over $14 million that was allegedly stolen by an employee who has since been fired.

In its Auditor’s Report, the Trust said it is currently engaged in a court battle with an ex employee who was accused of embezzling $14,975,378 of the company’s funds. The company’s report stated that they have brought legal action against the ex employee on 52 counts of fraud. They have on record advances to clients in the amount of $14,975,378, which they are seeking to recover from the ex-employee, on grounds that these funds were converted for the exemployee’s own use.

Management is of the opinion that that the amount ($14,975,378) for which they are claiming restitution through the courts, will be fully recovered, and accordingly, no provision for the effect of any loss relating to the collectability of this amount has been recognised in their financial statements. The Auditor’s Report stated that management considers that such losses, if an, will not have a material impact on the company’s financial statements, and had such losses been provided for, profit for the year and loans balances would have been decreased by $14,975,378.

537 new projects

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, Sattaur Gafoor shared that for the year 2014, SBDF Inc reported a net income of $33,104,252.

He shared that the company has contributed to 537 new projects to the value of $438.0 million which direct-

From right, US Charge’ d’Affaires Bryan Hunt, Minister of Investment and Business Dominic Gaskin, SMDST Chairman Sattaur Gafoor and Managing Director Manjula Brijmohan

ly and indirectly generated some 3200 new jobs while sustaining existing ones. Its generated surplus for the year 2014 stands at $33.1 million.

He also stated that in the past year, the company experienced some economic difficulties, mainly due to the downturn in the sugar industry and lack of a timely announcement of prices to rice farmers. This in turn caused delayed payments to rice farmers by millers.

All of these led to cash flow difficulties to farmers in rural areas. To compound the problems, the changing weather patterns has created tremendous difficulties; in some cases a total loss of an entire crop was suffered.

Gafoor added that the achievements of the SBDF indicate the maturity of the institution, notwithstanding the challenges experienced over the last few years.

During the year under the review, however, SBDF Inc through its financial support was able to rescue quite a number of small entrepreneurs from financial ruin.

The Chairman mentioned that they are looking forward to the Government’s continued support, in particular for farmers who can contribute immensely to the economic development of people in the rural areas through direct and indirect employment.

Flooding and business loss Also

addressing

the

gathering was Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin who said that Government is aware of the substantial losses incurred by the business communities every time floods occur, and they too are unhappy with the situation.

He stated that while they cannot change the weather or stop the rains, they are committed to ensuring that all the systems that drain our city and the coastlands are functioning effectively so as to minimise the impact of the adverse weather on our people, our businesses and our economy.

He mentioned that there is a cost to our entire nation whenever so many businesses take such big hits, and this is a cost that Guyana cannot continue to bear on an annual basis. He added that this situation is receiving the most urgent attention from the Government.

Gaskin stated that the Government through the Ministry of Business and the Small Business Bureau will promote micro enterprises as a means of establishing economic independence. He stated that it is the Administration’s belief that a well administered programme for developing small and micro enterprises can see a new culture of entrepreneurship among our youth population and provide a generation of business role models.

US Charge’s d’Affairs Bryan Hunt congratulated the SBDFT for the hard

work it has done to lift the profile of small businesses in Guyana, and urged all individuals involved to redouble their efforts in order to ensure a brighter future for the sector and the economic development of Guyana. He also shared that entrepreneurship and the innovation it engenders will be an essential element to restoring growth to our economy, creating job opportunities, and leading the way to technologies that address 21st century challenges in climate change, public health, education, and food security, among others.

He added that in Guyana also, recognition of the importance of Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) sector to the development of the country has been heightened. Over the years, this has resulted for example, in the evolution of supporting institutions such as IPED, SBDFT Inc, the Guyana Small Business Association and the Small Business Council. Additionally, attempts have been made to create an environment con-

ducive to small business development; an example being, through the implementation of the Small Business Act which was enacted in 2004.

Hunt added at a time when we are all still working to sustain the global economic recovery and put people back to work, helping folks to start new businesses can spur broad based growth, not only in Guyana, but around the world.

Twelve years ago, the SBDF was founded with a mission to strengthen the economic base of the micro and small scale business sector in Guyana through increased access to lending, technical support and nontraditional financial facilities so that small enterprises could position themselves to be competitive and take advantage of their size to participate in world markets in an era of intense global competition.

Construction worker gets bail for simple larceny … remanded after unable to pay

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Queenstown man was granted $60,000 bail on Thursday when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a charge of simple larceny.

Gregory Bramdeo, 37, of 29 Anira Street, Queenstown, Georgetown, made his first court appearance before Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer the charge.

The charge read that he allegedly stole a Canter battery valued $80,000 from Brian Fernandes between May 13-14, while on First Street, Albertown, Georgetown.

The charge is indictable thus he was not required to plead but Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers made an application for the case to be tried in the Magistrate’s court and the request was granted.

Gregory Bramdeo

Bramdeo then pleaded not guilty. He told the court that he is employed as a Grass cutter and a construction worker. The prosecution had no objection to bail, hence Magistrate McLennan granted bail in the sum of $60,000. However, Bramdeo was unable to pay this sum and was remanded.

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Govt Ministers fan out as floods batter city

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overnment Ministers on Thursday fanned out to communities across the city as heavy rains battered Guyana’s capital Georgetown, shutting down businesses and leaving several streets covered with water.

President David Granger, before departing for the summit of the Union of the South American Nations being held in neighbouring Brazil, had instructed that his Cabinet Ministers meet with residents of affected areas in Georgetown. Upholding the presidential order, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson was joined by Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence and Citizenship Minister Winston Felix in the streets as they listened to the concerns of residents.

Minister Gaskin met with business owners along Regent Street early Thursday morning and assured that Government was doing everything it could to ensure that the water recedes within the fastest time possible. He commented that the state of the city’s most busy and business-oriented street

Acting President Moses Nagamootoo and other members of Cabinet being briefed on the flood situation at the Civil Defence Commission

was troubling. “The water is receding fairly rapidly, but a lot (the businesses) to their credit have built up their stores thus preventing water from entering. However, the roads, the pavements and gutters are all flooded hence it will be a bad business day. Persons have been up all night take precautionary measures. Some of the stores had water lodged inside and had to pump the water out,” he stated.

Meanwhile, his colleague, Minister Lawrence, accompanied by Junior Social

Protection Minister Simona Broomes, went into Sophia, Greater Georgetown, where she interacted with the residents. Minister Felix assured residents of Festival City and North and South Georgetown that actions were being taken to ensure that the floodwater receded.

On the other hand, as a result of the persistent heavy rainfall throughout Wednesday night, a special Cabinet meeting was organised at 08:00h this morning, where a report on the assessment of the flood situation

Flood Advisory

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he Environmental Protection Agency advises the following for all areas affected by floodwaters: Remove all chemicals and harmful products from water *All service Stations, gas stations, fuel storage dealers are to ensure the underground tanks are safely secured from floodwater so to minimise or avoid contamination *All food items should be removed to a location safely away from floodwater *All funeral homes in affected areas need to ensure their operations are secure especially their holding tanks and all chemicals that are used in their operations.

Additionally, a stand-by generator should be available should there by prolonged periods of power outage. This will avoid further decomposition of the corpses. *All water treatment/ distribution suppliers must ensure their facilities are protected/secured from floodwater. *Industries ( mining, agriculture, plant manufacturers where chemicals are utilised/ manufactured must secure containers and move them to higher ground or dry areas. *Bulk terminals in flood zone should cease transferring fuel *Garbage should be placed in garbage bags or big rice bags and placed in areas away from water, until regular pickup resumes or proper disposal can be done. *Aquaculture facilities in flood or potential flood zone should place sand bags

to build up their pond berms to prevent the escape of farmed fish and ingress of native species.

Guyana Water Inc

In flood situations, treat or boil all tap water intended for food and drink preparation and personal consumption (brushing of teeth, etc.) Boil for 15 minutes or add three to four drops of household bleach to each gallon of water and mix well and let stand for 30 minutes before use. Store in tightly sealed containers.

Guyana Power & Light

Customers are asked: In the event of flooding, turn off your main switch and place all electrical appliances on higher ground.

Do not touch exposed electrical wires and ensure that all exposed ends are insulated.

Stay away from trees that are touching power lines or may sway in the breeze and touch power lines.

Traffic Department

The Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force advises that many roads are water logged, especially in Central Georgetown, which presents a hazardous situation for motorists and other road users to navigate along these roadways at this time.

Roads affected by flood: Vlissengen Road; Homestretch Avenue; Croal Street; New Garden Street; Oronoque Street; Albert Street; Light Street; Orange Walk; Bourda Street; Alexander Street; Camp Street; Wellington Street; Avenue of the Republic; Main Street; Middle Street;

Waterloo Street; Carmichael Street; Thomas Street; Barrack Street; Cummings Street; entire Alberttown: First Street to Fifth Street; Cemetery Road; Hadfield Street West of Vlissingen Road; Ogle College Rd; Sandiman Place; Haley Street; Hardina Street; Irving Street; Aubrey Barker Road ,South Ruimveldt and Princes Street.

The public is encouraged to use the following alternative routes: Robb Street, Brickdam, Norton Street, Mandela Avenue, Hadfield Street East of Vlissingen Road, Ruimveldt Public Road, Water Street, Vlissingen Road between Regent and North Road, Lamaha Street, Young Street, Seawall Road, Irving Street and Sheriff Street.

National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA)

Flooding has been reported in Regions Two, Three, Four, and Five.

The current water level in the East Demerara Water Conservancy is reported as 57.60 Georgetown Datum (GD) at Lama, 58.15 GD at Flagstaff and 55.75 GD at Land of Canaan, with 54.0 GD in the Mahaica Creek.

The critical level of the conservancy is 58.50 GD. There are no instances of overtopping or breaches.

However, water is being released at Land of Canaan and into the Hope Canal in an effort to avoid overtopping. The present level of the Boerasirie Water Conservancy stands at 62.40 GD; as such, water is being released at Five Door. The critical level of the Boerasirie Conservancy is 62.70 GD.

in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six was given.

Based on the report, Cabinet determined that Region Four was the most affected region. In an early morning interview, Minister Patterson disclosed that a flyover was done which revealed that the two worst affected areas are Regions Three and Four.

He noted that there were teams on the ground examining the areas which have been severely hit by flooding and assured that the Public Infrastructure Ministry was doing everything it could to ensure that the water drained off the land.

Patterson disclosed that while all the sluices were working, two pumps needed works to be done on them; as such, emergency repairs were activated. “We have

teams of community workers on ground to assess situation and lend assistance if needed. We are doing what we can, but, unfortunately, because of the intensity of the rainfall, it will take us at least a while to get (water) off. We are considering the possibility of getting additional pumps from the NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) but we have to remember that is countrywide and not just Georgetown,” he stated.

Nevertheless, the Minister said that they were discussing emergency measures in the case of persons needing to be evacuated or vehicles breaking down on the roads. He warned more heavy rainfall was expected today and as such, all unnecessary travelling must be

avoided.

Furthermore, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, outlined that Government has activated the national emergency operation centre, where all relevant state agencies work along with stakeholders such as Red Cross under the Civil Defence Commission to concentrate on preparing a detailed response to the flooding. He disclosed that an aircraft conducted a reconnaissance flyover in Regions Two, Three, Four and Five, during which it was observed that additional information was needed from several areas in Region Three, including Dem Amstel, Leonora and Uitvlugt, while more attention had to be given to the area within Ogle and Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara, Region Four.

However, Harmon explained that it was important to note that over the past 24 hours, the amount of rain that fell was the highest seen in 24 hours in over 100 years.

“The rainfall in one day has been the largest since 1829, so it is quite unusual, it is even larger than what we had in 2005 … In the whole 1900s and 2000s, this has been the highest amount of rainfall in a 24-hour period.

So, it is an unusual situation and we have to act outside of the box, hence the response centre was activated,” he pointed out.

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CPL fever continues

Dinesh Ramdin

this weekend @ Providence

Kevin Peterson

Kieron Pollard

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nfortunately, Guyanese cricket fans who braved the weather on Wednesday evening to witness the first game in the Guyana leg of the Hero’s Caribbean Premier League did not see a ball bowled but partied like never before.

However, with another three games to be played in Guyana, cricket fans are expected to turn up in their numbers, not only to look at

the games but also to party since it will be a carnivallike atmosphere.

With music provided

by Hits and Jams Deejays and a touch of comedy from Guyana’a best Kirk “Chow Pow” Jardine, the environment will be electrifying.

The tastiest foods and the best drinks will be in galore as we rally with the Amazon Warriors.

Also, the Guyana Amazon Warriors are con-

fidence that they will defeat their opponents come tonight, Saturday evening and Tuesday evening with a chance of getting to the top of the table.

This evening, the Warriors will take on St Lucia’s Zouks while on Saturday evening they will clash head-on with the Barbados Tridents and on Tuesday evening, they will put out the steam of Trinidad and Tobago’s Red

Steel.

On Friday evening after the games, spectators can continue the victory party at Club 704 on Lamaha and Albert Streets and blow the night away with the latest music in town and the best deejays on the consoles. If you are not too keen on 704, then the ultimate place will be Gravity Lounge with the outdoor facility, music, appetisers and bottle specials on Eldorado Rum, the offi-

set for August 7-10 @ NCC

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uyana’s number one satirical review “The Link Show” is all set for the National Cultural Centre from August 7-10.

Dubbed “The After Elections Link Show” special edition, the proficient team of Producer Gem Mahdoo and Director Ron Robinson, have decided that they just can’t let the golden opportunity to satirise the just concluded General and Regional Elections slip by them.

As a result, they summoned their script writers, production and stage managers and a cast of seasoned

and professional actors to stage what is anticipated to be the Link of all Links.

Since the establishment of the Link Show in 1981 by the Theatre Company, Guyanese theatre goers have looked forward to their yearly dose of the lampooning of politicians and other key public figures.

They can rest assured that no one will be left out this time round. The timing is also perfect as it coincides with the emancipation celebrations when many Guyanese and tourist alike will be vacationing and the children are home from school.

In the recent past, the producers have been working with young and upcoming dramatists who have all benefited from the vast experience of esteemed Director Ron Robinson.

Local actors Mark Kassim, Sean Thompson, Mark Luke Edwards, Randolph Critchlow and Lloyda Nicholas-Garrett are just a few of the beneficiaries. They will be joined by the seasoned Henry Rodney, Michael Ignatius, Simone Dowding, Sheron Taylor, Kirk “Chow Pow” Jardine,

Collette Jones-Chin, Kijana Lewis, Paul Budnah, Max Masiah and new comers Chris Gopaul, Shevon Henry, Stephen Mohamed, Leon Cummings and Simone Persaud to make up the cast of this special edition Link Show.

Tickets cost $2500, $2000 and $1500 and are available at the National Cultural Centre; Ashmins Trading, High Street, Georgetown; Nigel’s Supermarket, Robb Street; and Kester D Gospel Centre.

cial rum of the CPL. Then on Saturday evening, after the game, 704 will host a concept party called “Lash Out” which will see groups of four or seven being admitted to the Club at reduced prices.

In addition, once a patron wears a band from the cricket, they will also be entitled to the same offer.

Get groovy on the dance floor as the BOOM Deejays entertain to the maximum.

Doors to “Lash Out” will be opened from 20:00h.

Again, Gravity Lounge will host a victory party with television sets placed at strategic locations for patrons to view the delayed match. Drink Specials will definitely be on, as patrons can purchase a bottle of 12-year-old rum and get the other free.

Then the after party will also continue at the Lambada Sports Bar, located obliquely opposite the Guyana National Stadium and at Stadium View, opposite Princess Hotel, on the East Bank of Demerara.

The Original Palm Court on

Main Street is surly expected to be packed to capacity with cricketers and spectators.

If spectators want a more wild experience, then Sita’s Bar is another choice along with several other popular party spots.

“Hilarious Humpday” continues this Wednesday

@ 704 Sky Lounge

M

any would have seen members of The Reactors theatrical group performing on stage at several events including “Nothing to Laugh About”, “Comedy Jam”, “National Drama Festival” and other theatrical presentations but the group thought it was time to create a show of their own.

After planning, they group launched a show with a difference that will take them to another level. The show is called “Hilarious Humpday”.

The show is featured on the last Wednesday of every month at the 704 Sky Lounge, Lamaha and Albert Streets, Georgetown. The

first show was held on June 24 which saw a massive turn out, but this time around, it is expected to be bigger and more hilarious.

The show is set for Wednesday, July 22 and will feature performances by Sean Thompson, Mark Kazim, Mark Luke Edwards, Leon Cummings, Tasha Inniss and Rudolph Critchow. They guarantee that the show will be nonstop laughter and encouraged persons to come prepared to be entertained.

Admission to the venue costs $500 and patrons can either pay upon entry or can contact any of the cast members for tickets. Showtime is 20:00h.

guyanatimesgy.com

Plans moving apace for

Summer Break 2015

friDAY, july 17, 2015

Vocal pandemonium poised and ready as Princess Star Show moves into

L

Romain Virgo

I

n a matter of weeks, Jamzone Summer Break 2015 will be held at Hits and Jams Water World, Providence, East Bank Demerara and from all indications, plans are moving apace to host the event, set to commence on August 14.

Many are wondering what form this year Jamzone Summer Break will take, and always first with the 4-1-1 in entertainment, the event will be off the hook. The organisers are in the process of finalising contracts for several artistes that are known to spice up the scene. For sure, a young reggae artiste who left his mark when he performed in Guyana earlier in the year has already been confirmed as one of the performing artistes. This young artiste “mash up” the stage he shared with Reggae Legend Beres Hammond.

He is none other than the young, talented and charming Romain Virgo. He along with others will perform at a grand concert on one of the nights that will be announced soon. This year, there will not be a Regional Night or an International Night or even a Bollywood Night, but rather one night, one stage and a plethora of performances.

However, pageant lovers will be in for a treat this Jamzone as 10 delegates from the Caribbean will be vying for the crown of Miss Jamzone International 2015. The delegates will arrive ahead of the pageant and will be showcased to Guyana and the rest of the world.

Kids, you will not be left

out since the Water World will be the ideal locations this Jamzone to have a blast.

From water rides, to face painting and stage shows, the place to be is at the venue. Bikers Fest is definitely among other events.

Come August 14, the Hits and Jams Entertainment will blow you away… Be sure not to miss a day of fun and frolic at Jamzone Summer Break, 2015.

round

Azzarudin Laljie

Aaliyah Rosheuvel

Dameon Apple

ast Saturday, the clash between contestants from Bartica and those from the city was quite fiery as the Princess Karaoke Star 2015 Show moved into the fourth round at Club Next, within Princess Hotel.

This showcase was certainly exciting as singers took to the stage, unleashing creativity and spellbinding performances that made the work quite difficult for the judges to arrive at the top 13. These 13 singers will then move into the fifth round slated for tomorrow night.

Dameon Apple of Bartica continues to pack a walloping punch with the support of many Barticians, but he is getting fierce competition from Georgetown’s Lashaun Charles.

But one has to make room for the Bartician Powerhouse Silyne Griffith

who continues to shine like a diamond, and songbird Aaliyah Rosheuvel who is quite a showstopper at this event.

Rapper Gino Fullington is now at the mercy of newcomer Jamal Benjamin who has moved into the top five and will certainly have to step up his game.

However, the star of the night was Azzarudin Laljie who continues to storm the scene, captivating both the judges and audience with superb vocals and a raunchy stage presence.

Ayodelle Gilbert continues to sparkle, while Lisa Walcott and Oquela Jones have improved somewhat.

Michael Spencer disappointed the judges last week with a song choice that did little credit to his vocals, while Louis Ebenzer continues to impress as always.

Romeschelle Brummel did not exercise her talent when she chose a reggae selection last week, but nonetheless, made it into the top 13. Also remaining in the competition is DJ Mongo Slade, Shawn Williams, and ‘wildcard save’ Raphielle Stoner, while M Bastino is one of the dark horses to look out for in the competition.

Tomorrow night, the 13 contestants poised for battle will have to bring their best or face the whiplash of elimination from the judges. At the end of the competition, the eventual winner will take home cash prizes, bragging rights and a recording deal with one of the top recording studios, plus an all expenses paid weekend for two at a top resort in Guyana, and the opportunity to represent Guyana in Trinidad.

Magician Kemarch Dodd to perform in Guyana

J

Miss Guyana Jamzone 2015 Cardella Hamilton

19

amaican Kemarch Dodd, better known as “Wizard the Magician” who is well recognised for his finger rolling, coin cutting and pulling pieces of cloth from thin air, is expected to perform in Guyana on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26.

The two performances are set for the Mackenzie Sport Club ground on the first evening and at the Demerara Cricket Club ground on the second evening.

“Wizard”, a professional magician for eight years, is only 25-year-old, but will remian committed until he is “150 years old” he says.

This magician’s tricks include making doves appear from thin air, producing balls from one’s ears, creating the illusion that eggs are coming from one’s mouth, making hard things appear to be passing through glass, making women disappear and reappear, making glass freeze in mid-air, among other eye dazzling tricks.

There is no magic in the words a magician uses, nor is there a language of ma-

gicians outside of common phrases adapted. These phrases – ‘abracadabra’, ‘boom shak laka’, and even ‘presto’ – are used to enhance the presentations, making them more believable.

Aside from being a magician, he enjoys playing the violin and football, in addition to performing as a clown, but he’ll never be a clown performing magic tricks.

Children on the streets often flock to him as testimony of the impact he has made on their young minds when he performs at birthday parties and in schools across Jamaica. His magic has been shown in other Caribbean islands such as Grenada and Curaçao.

Tickets for the Georgetown show cost $1000 and available at Gismos and Gadget, Wellington Street, Georgetown; and Trendy Plus Boutique, Robb Street, Georgetown; while tickets for the Linden show are available at Muslim Top Up Shop and cost $700.

Gates for the show open at 15:00h and showtime is at 18:30h.

Kemarch Dodd

friday, july 17, 2015

Kusal record fifty wins tough chase I

t was the tale of two lefties in Pallekele. Kusal Perera hammered Sri Lanka’s joint fastest fifty in ODIs, which made a target of 288 look like a cakewalk. But when Pakistan’s tenacity brought them back and put the game on a razor’s edge - 92 runs needed off 112 balls with only four wickets left - debutant Sachith Pathirana produced a decisive cameo -33 off 28 to help the hosts square the series with an action-packed two-wicket victory.

Sri Lanka have lately struggled to find batsmen down the order who can handle the pressure of a chase, or that of a top-order collapse. From his first impression, Pathirana seems a good bet. Although known more for his ability with the ball, hence his batting position at No. 8, he displayed excellent mettle under fire.

Pathirana allowed himself a few balls to get used to the pitch, and the wisdom of that decision became apparent very soon. From 4 off 11, he produced a smart late cut to shift gears. He smashed anything short either side of the pitch, and was even able to pick Yasir Shah’s googlies.

One of those shots was calmly lofted over mid-off’s head.

It must have helped though that he had a very composed Dinesh Chandimal for company, as the pair added 52 runs off 49 balls.

Pakistan deserve credit for finding their senses after Kusal bashed them silly. He reached his half-century off 17 balls, filled with pick-up shots over the leg side very much like the one who’s record he equaled, Sanath Jayasuriya.

Mohammad Irfan’s extra bounce posed little threat; Kusal’s smashed him at a

Kusal Perera pulls en route to his 25-ball 68

strike-rate of 242.85. Kusal v Rahat Ali was another no-contest as well - 26 runs off eight balls. Even Mohammad Hafeez, with his penchant for dismissing left-handers, was carted around at a strike rate of 242.85. Kusal faced Anwar Ali for only three balls, but it included a flat, hard, vicious six over square leg. The innings lasted only 25 deliveries, but yielded 68 runs.

By the time he creamed one of the bevy of length balls that Pakistan paraded for him down the throat of deep square leg, Sri Lanka were 92 for 1 in the ninth over. At the same time, the visitors had been 27 for 0. Slow and

steady does have a history of winning the race, but it was the hare’s day today.

The tortoise, of course, did not throw it away. Even with three runs required off 18 balls, Anwar got a leading edge from Thisara Perera to settle in point’s hands.

But as that was happening, Chandimal had made sure to cross. Chandimal, who had produced a fine half-century four days ago but ended up on the losing side, did not want to feel that disappointment again. He struck 48 off 63 balls and was there until the end, as per his new role as a finisher, and sealed the third-highest chase in Sri Lanka.

The fortunes of both teams changed frequently and somewhat drastically.

Pakistan won a good toss, but their top order was not allowed to capitalise because Sri Lanka’s bowlers were extremely tight. At one point Angelo Mathews, who trusted himself to take the new ball and bowl in the death, strung 24 dot balls in a fiveovers spell. But the other bowlers could not maintain their levels through the innings and Pakistan took advantage of that - 88 runs in the last 10 overs. There were also several catches dropped - Pathirana dropped two in the space of four balls - and umpteen misfields - Nuwan Pradeep on the boundary was a terrible liability.

Those lapses contributed to Pakistan getting off the hook.

Azhar Ali had laid the foundation with his fifth fifty-plus score in eight ODIs. He was 8 off 23 balls, but got going with a well thoughtout loft over long-on. Singles and twos fed his innings until a less clever swipe towards cow corner cost him his wicket for 79 off 104 balls.

That’s when Shoaib Malik took over with a runa-ball fifty. With his experience, he was quick to assess the Pallekele pitch was rather slow. Brute force only worked against the bad balls, so until they came, Malik used the spinners’ pace to pick his gaps.

Fifteen runs were collected behind point, and 26 more belted into the leg side.

Finally Mohammad Rizwan hit 52 off 38 balls, and pasted Lastith Malinga around for 20 runs in the 47th over to leave Pakistan with an excellent chance to extend the lead they had coming

into this game. As it stands, Sri Lanka have squared it 1-1.

Although not without huffing and puffing. They lost four middle order wickets for only 19 runs, and a lot of them were ugly. Upul

SCOREBOARD Pakistan innings (50 overs maximum) Azhar Ali* c Siriwardana b Dilshan 79 Ahmed Shehzad b Pathirana 30 Mohammad Hafeez c Mathews 9 b Pathirana Babar Azam b Siriwardana 12 Shoaib Malik b Mathews 51 Mohammad Rizwan lbw b Pradeep 52 Sarfraz Ahmed† lbw b Malinga 7 Anwar Ali not out 29 Yasir Shah c 1 Siriwardana b Malinga Rahat Ali not out 0 Extras (b 4, lb 3, w 9, nb 1) 17 Total (8 wickets; 50 overs; 215 287 mins) Did not bat: Mohammad Irfan Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-75, 3-96, 4-179, 5-197, 6-217, 7-273, 8-278 Bowling: AD Mathews 10-236-1, N Pradeep 8-1-42-1, NLTC Perera 2-0-15-0, SL Malinga 10-0-64-2, SS Pathirana 9-0-702, TAM Siriwardana 5-0-22-1, TM Dilshan 6-0-31-1

Tharanga was caught napping by an indipper from Rahat. Tillakaratne Dilshan dragged on for 47 off 63, Angelo Mathews called for a single and was halfway down the pitch before he realised Lahiru Thirimanne was not interested. The Sri Lanka captain could do little more than just give up.

Then Thirimanne added to the slide by slicing a catch to deep third man. Pakistan

Jeffrey Webb extradited to United States E

x CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb has been extradited to the United States to face charges of corruption, numerous sources have reported.

Last week Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice revealed that an unnamed suspect, who sources famil-

iar with the situation identified to be Webb, agreed to be extradited during a hearing.

The FOJ approved his extradition “immediately in a simplified process,” the report revealed and it was said that the suspect would have been handed over to U.S. authorities within 10 days.

According to reports

Webb was handed over to a three-man US police escort in Zurich on Wednesday and accompanied on a flight to New York where he will face charges. Webb was one of seven officials arrested in Zurich, Switzerland a little over a month ago following the unsealing of a 47-count indictment in a New York

court. The embattled official is expected to answer to 29 counts, among them corruption, bribery, racketeering and money laundering.

The former president of Cayman Islands Football Association is also facing fraud charges in that country, relating to a healthcare scandal. (Digicel Sportsmax)

became favourites at this point. But they had not accounted for Chandimal’s resilience.

With the required rate always at manageable levels, Chandimal understood that the key to Sri Lanka’s victory

Jeffrey Webb

Sri Lanka innings (target: 288 runs from 50 overs) MDKJ Perera c Yasir Shah b Mohammad Irfan 68 TM Dilshan b Rahat Ali 47 WU Tharanga b Rahat Ali 28 AD Mathews* run out (Babar 8 Azam/†Sarfraz Ahmed) HDRL Thirimanne c Anwar Ali 4 b Rahat Ali LD Chandimal† not out 48 TAM Siriwardana lbw b 26 Mohammad Hafeez SS Pathirana st †Sarfraz Ahmed b Mohammad Hafeez 33 NLTC Perera c Shoaib Malik b Anwar Ali 15 2 SL Malinga not out Extras (lb 2, w 7) 9 Total (8 wickets; 48.1 overs; 288 230 mins) Did not bat: N Pradeep Fall of wickets: 1-92, 2-140, 3-155, 4-157, 5-159, 6-196, 7-248, 8-285 Bowling: Mohammad Irfan 10-0-61-1, Rahat Ali 9.1-0-73-3, Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-61-2, Anwar Ali 7-0-33-1, Yasir Shah 10-051-0, Shoaib Malik 2-0-7-0.

was for him to stick around.

And so he did. Thirty-two of his 43 runs came from singles. He did not let the pressure suck him into the big shot. Nor did he let the occasion of Sri Lanka’s victory suck him into a glory shot. It was a delicate little glance to long leg and up came the arms and out came a roar. It would seem that Chandimal had decided to mature. (Cricinfo)

sports

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21

Woods 11 shots and 15 years off the pace A

t the venue where he stamped his greatness on the sport with the lowest score to par in major golf history, Tiger Woods trudged off the 18th at St Andrews on Thursday with his spectacular decline well and truly validated by the Old Course.

As Jordan Spieth effortlessly assumed the mantle of golf’s number one draw with a five-un-

gled from the start.

His second shot at the opening hole found water leading to a bogey and he dropped another on the second when he left his approach short and then opted to putt on and was again short.

The player who was world number one as recently as last May is now ranked 241st in the world and even that looked generous as he dropped three

first birdie at the parfive 14th and, for a player whose default expression was a scowl even when he was winning everything, he looked remarkably relaxed around the course and was still trying to look positive afterwards.

“I know that today is a very benign day and guys have been shooting good numbers. Unfortunately I did not do that but hopefully the conditions will

more shots to sit five over after 10 holes -- already 10 shots behind Spieth.

Woods routinely took an iron off the tee to try to keep some control leaving him considerably shorter than his rivals and it forced him into some tough approach shots that he all too often got wrong.

He did manage to settle things down on the way home, claiming his

be tough tomorrow and I can put together a good round and we’ll move up the board progressively,” Woods said.

“I’m so far back and the leaderboard is so bunched that in order for me to get in there by Sunday, I’m going to have to have the conditions tough and then obviously put together some really solid rounds.”

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Tiger Woods

der par 67 and Dustin Johnson went two better with a 65, Woods cut a forlorn figure as he carded a ragged four-over par 76.

On the course where he posted a 19-under par 269 total in 2000, the only 269 on the horizon this week is his room number at the St Andrews Hotel, where he has stayed on every visit since that 2000 success, and even making the cut this week already looks unlikely.

Fifteen years ago Woods became the youngest man to complete a career grand slam when he won the British Open with a masterful display of ball control at St Andrews.

He triumphed again at the home of golf five years later but his game today bears almost no relation to that of his glory years when he ruled the sport and chalked up 14 majors.

The last of those came in 2008 and after a series of injuries, off-course dramas and swing changes, the prospect of him adding a 15th any time soon looks unlikely in the extreme.

On Thursday he was out mid-morning with the best of the weather but while everyone around him was racking up birdies galore, Woods strug-

(Reuters)

Red Steel thump...

SCOREBOARD Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel innings (20 overs maximum) JH Kallis b Rampaul 49 CS Delport c Rampaul b Nurse 29 WKD Perkins st †Hope b Peterson 1 DM Bravo not out 80 DJ Bravo* not out 14 Extras (lb 6, w 3, nb 2) 11 Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 184 Did not bat: Kamran Akmal†, J Botha, KK Cooper, JPR Scantlebury-Searles, S Badree, DYA Davis Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-50, 3-125 Bowling: R Rampaul 4-059-1, JO Holder 4-0-41-0, RJ Peterson 3-0-14-1, RR Emrit 4-0-26-0, AR Nurse 3-0-201, KA Pollard 2-0-18-0 Barbados Tridents innings (target: 185 runs from 20 overs)

DR Smith b Badree 13 EMDY Munaweera st †Kamran Akmal b Badree 10 AR Nurse b Kallis 12 SD Hope† c Botha b DJ Bravo 9 Misbah-ul-Haq c Delport b Davis 19 KA Pollard*c & b Davis 2 JO Holder b DJ Bravo 5 AJ Hosein c & b Botha 8 RJ Peterson c Botha b Cooper 14 RR Emrit c Scantlebury-Searles b DJ Bravo 14 R Rampaul not out 1 Extras (b 4, w 1) 5 Total (all out; 18.4 overs) 112 Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-39, 3-39, 4-65, 5-70, 6-75, 7-80, 8-85, 9-110, 10-112 Bowling: S Badree 4-0-202, JH Kallis 3-0-19-1, DYA Davis 4-0-22-2, J Botha 3-022-1, DJ Bravo 3.4-0-163, KK Cooper 1-0-9-1.

22

guyanatimesGY.com

friday, july 17, 2015

GTTA names IGG squad Rogers and Smith lead Australia in dominant showing O

Shemar Britton

T

he Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) named a 15-member squad on Thursday that will participate at the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) from August 6

to 10.

The team will feature eight males and seven females that will compete in the trination tournament against Suriname and French Guiana athletes.

The players named are: males – Shemar Britton, Kyle Edghill, Elishaba Johnson, Stefan Corlette, Sheldon Atherley, Miguel Wong, Alec Hopkinson and Nicholas Romain; and females – Chelsea Edghill, Priscilla Greaves, Neveah Clarkston, Selenas Jackman, Aneka Philips, Abigae Martin and Davonna Bess.

The GTTA will also be looking to field a development team in the games or as part of a goodwill series comprising players selected to represent Guyana at the Caribbean Pre-Cadet Championships scheduled for September 1-7 in the Dominican Republic.

The developmental players include: Tyriq Saunders, Jonathan Findlay, Niron Bissu, Shakiel Lewis, Kayson Ninvalle; Jamal Nicholas and Yeudister Persaud., The GTTA also noted that it has discussed, identified and will meet with a panel of coaches to discuss the commencement of the final preparation for the team.

The coordination, management and preparatory aspects of the team are being coordinated by Linden Johnson, General Secretary of the GTTA.

Ticket holders for...

Those who purchased tickets for the Grass Mound and do not have their stubs can obtain Grass Mound tickets for Friday’s game by presenting their Passport or National Identification Card, also only at the Stadium’s Ticket Office, Providence.

The Ticket Office has a record of all those who pur-

chased tickets, and hence will be able to verify this.

Only persons who purchased tickets at the authorized ticketing outlets will be eligible for this exchange programme, and ticket holders must be present in person. Complimentary tickets will not be exchanged.

The management of the

n the first day in Cardiff, Joe Root had a life on zero and went on to score a century. On the first day at Lord’s, Chris Rogers had a life on zero and went on to score a century. In Cardiff it was Brad Haddin who dropped Root; at Lord’s it was Root himself who missed Rogers’ edge at third slip. Root’s hundred set up an England victory; Rogers’ ton might yet do the same for Australia.

in this Investec Ashes series, they had to take their half-chances. And they didn’t. James Anderson drew the Rogers edge that flew at catchable height over Root’s head, but other chances were missed later in the day.

On 50, Smith edged a good Ben Stokes delivery that moved away off the pitch and Ian Bell, at second slip, got his hands low to the ground but failed to cling on to a chance

he had passed his previous highest Test score of 119 and as the evening grew near he steered a boundary through third man to bring up his 150. Among Australians, only Don Bradman and Bill Brown have scored Test doublecenturies at Lord’s, and Rogers will begin day two with a realistic chance of joining them.

He had well and truly overtaken Smith, who beat Rogers to a century by

from back page

Amazon WarriorsFranchise is appreciative of the support from all cricket fans during the hosting of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) games in Guyana.

There will be subsequent releases to the media to address all fans who were affected by Wednesday’s rained out match.

Chris Rogers scored an unbeaten 158 to put Australia in a dominant position.

Of course, it is not as simple as to say that had Root got his hands above his head to snare Rogers the day would have belonged to England. But a wicket in the first over would have been the perfect start. Instead they had to settle for one breakthrough for the entire day, a David Warner brainfreeze that brought Rogers and Steven Smith together to begin a 259-run partnership.

By stumps, Australia were in a dominant position at 337 for 1. Rogers was on 158 and had earned a place on the Lord’s honours board, a fitting achievement given the service he has provided to Middlesex over the past four years.

Smith was on 129 and got his name on the board too, five years after he made his Test debut at Lord’s as a No. 8.

For Rogers, this day ended a frustrating run of half-centuries that failed to turn into hundreds, seven in consecutive innings until that streak ended with his 10 in the second innings in Cardiff. For Smith, it was simply a continuation of his remarkable first-innings form of the past eight months: it was the sixth time in the past eight Tests that he had scored a firstinnings century.

The Lord’s pitch offered little for Alastair Cook’s bowlers. The pace was slow and sideways movement infrequent. But if they were to give themselves the best shot at a 2-0 lead

he should have taken. A tougher chance was missed when Rogers was 78, his attempted sweep off Moeen Ali brushing the glove on the way through and ricocheting off Jos Buttler’s gloves down the leg side.

It was a frustrating day for England’s bowlers. The fast men struggled to have any real impact, though a couple of balls fizzed past edges. Moeen delivered enough scoring opportunities that the batsmen could wait him out. Except, that is, Warner, who on 38 had struck two boundaries already in Moeen’s first over when he intemperately tried to thump him over long-off for another and was caught.

That left Australia at 78 for 1, but two-and-ahalf wicketless sessions followed. Rogers had been the more positive of the opening partners and although he slowed done somewhat after Warner’s departure, the scoring rate never stagnated too much. He was especially strong when latecutting the spinners and punching the fast bowlers through point, and he finished with 25 boundaries.

He slowed as triple-figures approached but from his 209th delivery Rogers pushed a drive back past the bowler Anderson for four. Almost as soon as the ball left his bat Rogers let out a scream of excitement, knowing that it would reach the boundary and a Test hundred at Lord’s was his.

By the end of the day

two overs. The milestone came from his 161st delivery with a pull for four off Anderson, and it was one of 13 fours (plus a six) he struck over the course of the day. His runs came all around the wicket, a perfectly timed on-drive off Broad and a dancing coverdrive off Moeen among the highlights.

Smith’s first fifty came from 111 balls and his second fifty from 50 balls, but his pace then dropped away again as he complemented Rogers’ lifting tempo. The two men worked together to ensure they reached stumps safely, though an edge from Rogers in the last over fell just short of Bell at slip. If everything went England’s way in Cardiff, at Lord’s it was quite the opposite. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Australia 1st innings CJL Rogers not out 158 DA Warner c Anderson b Ali 38 SPD Smith not out 129 Extras (b 4, lb 6, w 1, nb 1) 12 Total (1 wicket; 90 overs) 337 To batl: MJ Clarke*, AC Voges, MR Marsh, PM Nevill†, MG Johnson, MA Starc, JR Hazlewood, NM Lyon Fall of wickets: 1-78 Bowling: JM Anderson 183-64-0, SCJ Broad 16-2-470, MA Wood 16-3-56-0, MM Ali 22-3-82-1, BA Stokes 130-55-0, JE Root 4-0-23-0, A Lyth 1-1-0-0.

England team: A Lyth, AN Cook*, GS Ballance, IR Bell, JE Root, BA Stokes, JC Buttler†, MM Ali, SCJ Broad, MA Wood, JM Anderson.

guyanatimesGY.com

friday, july 17, 2015

23

Chelsea Edghill to Dr Chase cycle road race on Sunday participate in China-Latin C America training camp in Puerto Rico

Chelsea Edghill

N

ational Junior Champion and junior Olympian Chelsea Edghill will benefit from a high-level training programme from August 11 to 17 in Puerto Rico.

The training camp will feature and allow the top 22 junior and cadet players selected from the Latin America Region the opportunity to practise, train and play matches with Chinese national junior players in one week of intense training under the guidance of Chinese Olympic and World Champions team coaches headed by world-renowned top-level Chinese Coach Zhang Xiaopeng.

The selected players will

stay free of cost at the Hyatt House San Juan Hotel, Puerto Rico for the duration of the training camp.

However, the GTTA will have to cover the airfare for Chelsea and her coach.

As an added incentive, the programme offers the best players (one boy and one girl based on their ability, results, technical level and commitment to training) participating in the training camp to participate in higher levels and continuous training. The China Table Tennis Association will deliver DHS equipment to all participating countries.

The players from the Region were selected based

on an allocation quota as follows: Central America: seven players (4 girls + 3 boys) Cadet or Junior.

Caribbean: seven players (3 girls + 4 boys) Cadet or Junior.

South America: eight players (4 girls + 4 boys) Cadet or Junior.

The National Associations within the Region were allowed to nominate a maximum of two players, one female and one male, from which the regional confederation chose one athlete to attend the training camp.

Edghill and Shemar Britton were Guyana’s nominees and she was chosen.

The Latin America Table Tennis Union utilised the criteria as listed below to select the players from the different regions within the Union: •Results Regional Cadet and Junior Championship 2015 (South America, Central America, Caribbean).

•LATTU Ranking to June 2015.

•Cadets and juniors players playing in senior national teams and participating in events of the Olympic Cycle.

•Projection athletes qualify for the Olympic Youth Games “Buenos Aires 2018”.

Revenge-seeking Amazon...

from back page

The Guyana Amazon Warriors during a pep talk prior to the commencement of training on Thursday

On the other hand, the Zouks sit on nine points with one game remaining, and would, no doubt, want to end on a high, but in their path are the rampant Amazon Warriors.

Meanwhile, when this publication visited the National Stadium late on Thursday afternoon, the ground staff were busy putting on the final touches.

The overhead conditions could be a significant factor in this game as the weather forecast suggests that there

is a high probability of rain for most part of today, but the Providence Ground has the best drainage system of the international venues in the West Indies and is among the fastest drying Test grounds in the world. Once there is no continuous rain, the game will not be affected.

The Amazon Warriors moved to seven points following the “no result” game against Jamaica Tallawahs Wednesday evening.

However, with three games in hand, they can

still progress to the playoffs, but they will need to win at least two of those remaining matches to be confident of competing in the knockout stages.

If they win all three games, there is a theoretical chance they could finish top of the league and qualify automatically for the final, but that too would depend on how results go for the other teams.

The game bowls off at 20:00h, providing there is no rain.

ompetitive cycling will return to the West Demerara roadways on Sunday when Dr Chase, in collaboration with Massy Distribution (Guyana) Inc, stages its annual 50-mile road race, starting at 08:00h.

The sixth annual event will commence outside the Wales Police Station, proceed to Bushy Park, Parika, and return to Schoonord for the finish.

As has been the case over the previous five years, the event is being coordinated by national cycling coach Hassan Mohamed, who said he was once again pleased to welcome Dr Chase on board.

Mohamed added that the sponsor has demonstrated an interest in the development of cycling, as was evident in the renewal of the investment.

Defending champion of the main race, Paul DeNobrega of Team Alanis returned to the top podium spot on Saturday last at the P&P Insurance’s 35-lap School Boys and Invitational Race to chalk up only his sec-

Flashback! Open category winner Paul DeNobrega receives his trophy from Pharmaceutical Manager Karen Connell in 2014

ond win of the year following victory in the ‘Dash for Cash’ 40-lap race in March.

With confidence back, DeNobrega will look for another victory on Sunday, after he won last year’s event in a time of one hour, 52 minutes, 56 seconds (01h: 52m: 56s).

Other category winners from last year are Michael Anthony (Junior); Wasim

Hassnu (Veteran); Ozia McUally (Mountain Bike); Toshawna Doris (Female) and Monty Parris (Veteran Over-60).

Officials of the sponsor, including Pharmaceutical Manager Karen Connell and Dr Chase representative Claude Gunraj will witness the race and assist in the presentation of prizes at the conclusion.

Elbow injury forces Serena out of Swedish Open

A

persistent elbow problem has forced Serena Williams to withdraw from the Swedish Open ahead of her second-round match.

Serena Williams’ run at the Swedish Open has come to an abrupt end after the world number one was forced to retire injured before her second-round clash with Klara Koukalova on Thursday.

Fresh from claiming her

second ‘Serena Slam’ – holding all four grand slams titles at the same time – with victory at Wimbledon, Williams eased through round one on Wednesday, beating Ysaline Bonaventure in just 53 minutes.

The 21-time grand slam champion appeared to have picked up right from where she had left off at the All England Club, as she claimed

her 40th WTA Tour win of the year, but she will not be making it 41 in Bastad.

Williams addressed the crowd to explain her decision, saying: “In my warm-up this morning unfortunately my elbow started hurting.

“I had the same problem at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. I don’t want to make it worse.” (Digicel Sportsmax)

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

friday, july 17, 2015

Revenge-seeking Amazon Warriors take on St Lucia Zouks tonight it’s important to maintain the winning momentum, says Ramdin nitely look to settle scores against the Zouks after their bad-tempered clash earlier in the League when they lost by two runs.

During the pre-match press conference on Thursday, Amazon Warriors Captain Denesh Ramdin admitted to the importance of

coming out victorious.

He told reporters that it was also important to maintain the winning momentum.

“Tomorrow [today’s match] is a very important one, and it’s very important we do the basics right and keep the winning momentum going. The result Wednesday

night has affected us badly, but the one point is good to get, taking into consideration our position,” the West Indies Test Captain said.

Ramdin added, “Despite the weather, the vibes in the camp have been good so far. It’s unfortunate we hadn’t got to play last night

(Wednesday night) so that we could have got that two points, but having said that Providence being our home ground, we have a good record here, so we are looking forward that the weather stay clear so we can earn some points.” turn to page 23

Guyana Amazon Warriors Head Coach Carl Hooper and Captain Denesh Ramdin addressing the media at Thursday’s pre-match press conference (Rajiv Bisnauth photos)

By Rajiv Bisnauth

W

ith one eye on the weather, title aspirants Guyana Amazon Warriors will have revenge on their minds when they clash with St Lucia

Zouks this evening at the Guyana National Stadium in Match 26 in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Fully aware that any slipup could prove costly, the Amazon Warriors will defi-

The Guyana Amazon Warriors going through their paces

Hero CPL…

Ticket holders for washed-out game can exchange tickets to see today’s game free of cost

T

he management of the Guyana Amazon Warriors Franchise has put in place a “ticket exchange programme” through which persons who purchased tickets for Wednesday’s rained out game can claim tickets for today’s game between the Amazon Warriors and the St Lucia Zouks.

The decision was taken Amazon Warrior fans on Wednesday during the washed-out game

following the abandonment of the game between the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Jamaica Tallawahs, as well as taking into consideration the passionate support of fans for the games in Guyana and the Caribbean.

Ticket holders for Wednesday’s game can obtain tickets for Friday’s match by

presenting their ticket stubs, which will have their names on the stubs, and a form of identification (Passport or National Identification Card) to the Ticket Office only at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara between the hours of 08:00h and 15:00h on Friday. turn to page 22

Red Steel thump Tridents for 1st home win T

he Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel had their most comprehensive victory of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) when they defeated the Barbados Tridents by 72 runs on Thursday evening at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.

Red Steel won the toss and chose to bat and were off to a stable start of 49 runs before Cameron Delport fell for 29 runs.

However, a 44-ball 80 not out along with Jacques Kallis 49 runs as well as a quick fire 14 runs of four balls from Dwayne Bravo allowed the Red Steel to reach 184-3.

Robin Peterson was the pick of the bowlers for the Tridents with figures of 1-14 off three overs.

In reply, the Tridents never got their innings going with a few batsmen getting starts but unable to carry on to give the innings any momentum.

Misbah-ul-Haq was the highest runs scorer for the Tridents with 19 while Dwayne Bravo was on fire for Red Steel with the ball picking up figures of 3-16 of 3.4 overs.

The CPL will continue today with the Guyana Amazon Warriors taking on the St Lucia Zouks at The Bravo brothers (Dwayne and Darren) the Guyana National Stadium, Providence from share a moment during their blistering 20:00h. (see scoreboard on page 21) display with the bat.

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