Guyana Times Daily

saturDaY, august 23, 2014 | guYanatimesgY.com

GGMC pledges support for Mahdia miners

The Natural Resources and the Environment Ministry, through the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), will host a series of activities to celebrate the people in the mining sector, their culture and their achievements.

Mining Week celebrations commence today in Mahdia with a range of activities which in-

cludes a stakeholder forum, where miners and residents can interact with the Ministry and the Commission and matters of interest can be addressed.

The Ministry in a release said it “remains committed to engaging the various mining communities and residents to address their concerns and identify feasible and working solutions”.

Outreach forums for communities will be held in Port Kaituma on August 27 and various other mining communities will be visited in the coming months.

The GGMC remains resolute in its commitment to the mining sector and to the community of Mahdia, the release said.

“We are cognisant of the challenges and constraints facing the mining sector and every effort is being made to overcome these challenges.

“However, continued success of the programmes and measures being implemented, is hinged upon the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders working towards the common goal of developing and promoting the sector to its fullest potential,” the Ministry said.

Infrastructural works

The Commission recently signed a contract for the sum of $70 million for the rehabilitation of the road from Brian Sucre Junction to Mahdia. These road works which have commenced, will be using new technology (material for mechanical stabilisation of pavements) to ensure that value for money spent is achieved.

The Government, the Ministry said, is cognisant of the condition of the internal roads of Mahdia, and as such,there are plans to asphalt the roads, given that monies have been expended on continuous rehabilitation.

“In this regard, a site visit and inspection for the paving of Mahdia internal roads will be done through the Ministry of Local Government. A preliminary estimate to asphalt the internal roads has been examined and the project is expected to commence in the last quarter of 2014.

“The Ministry and the Commission will be providing financial assistance to desilt two creeks, namely Boysie and Anna Creeks, at a cost of $2.5

million. This is expected to reduce the overflow of the creeks and subsequent flooding that occur and disrupt the lives of residents.

“Financing will also be provided for the construction of a Water Treatment Facility for Mahdia at an estimated cost of $80 million. The importance and effect of a stable and potable water supply for Mahdia cannot be overemphasised and it is in this regard that funding is provided to Guyana Water Inc to ensure that the facility is completed in a timely manner.

The water treatment facility will include the construction of a 360 m3 capacity ground-storage tank costing $40 million; the rehabilitation of source intake, desilting and sealing of an existing porous channel at Salbora Creek at a cost of $20 million; and rehabilitation works on the water distribution system at an estimated cost of $20 million.

Lottery/auction

Given the calls of miners, the representation of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), and the fact that declaration levels have been lower than expected, the Ministry and the Commission launched an auction and lottery to open new mining lands to the sector.

The auction was held during the week of August 11-15 and the lottery on August 18, in Mahdia, Port Kaituma, Linden and Georgetown, simultaneously.

A total of 2000 blocks of 1200 acres each were identified for location via the lottery and auction, with 1000 blocks placed in the lottery and 1000 placed in the auction.

“To ensure that the process for the lottery and auction was as transparent and equitable as possible, both were modified. Each of the 2000 blocks were numbered from one to 2000 and all even numbered blocks were placed on auction and odd-numbered blocks allocated for lottery. This ensured that blocks with geological information would not only be restricted to auctions, but rather these can be accessed by persons via lottery.

“It is expected that another lottery and auction exercise will be held before the end of the year,” the Ministry said.

OPENINGS

WEATHER TODAY

Forensic tests for narco-sub … five

questioned about operations

By Bhisham mohamed

As investigations continue into the discovery of the semi-submersible craft in a creek off the Waini River, North West District, Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh, says a team of experts are presently conducting forensic tests to determine if it is capable of crossing the Atlantic.

He said that the test entails looking at the design to verify whether or not they are similar to those built in other countries. The engine is also being looked at as well as the shape and the size among other features.

These features, he added, will give investigators a better understanding rather than just boasting that they have found a semi-submersible vessel.

With these tests being conducted, it will put to rest all speculation, whether or not the vessel has the capability to cross the Atlantic Ocean and more so the range that it can travel. Right now, he stated, they are trying to acquire information as to who had constructed the vessel.

“We established that it was fully constructed in Guyana and it was ready to move from its location… in our opinion, it was going to collect a quantity of contraband for another location,” he added.

Singh also confirmed

that about five persons were questioned but said he could not divulge any information since the investigations are ongoing out of Georgetown.

The vessel is still in the middle of the “jungle” and CANU is making all arrangements to have it removed .

He added too, that at this point in time, investigators need to determine whether or not any other vessel of this nature has been built.

“If it is just one, then we have to make sure we put things in place so that Guyana is not seen as easy pickings where someone can come and build these sort of vessels,” CANU head posited.

Guyana Times understands that the camp was built about eight months ago, but when asked if the discovery could not have been done earlier, Singh explained that in other countries with more resources at their disposal, they find it hard to make such finds and with the lim-

ited resources they have, he thinks they have done well.

Recently, CANU, along with Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces, Coast Guard and Air Corps, acting on intelligence from an ongoing investigation conducted an operation along the Waini River.

During a search of one of the creeks branching off from the Waini, the vessel was discovered about two miles in, along with a camp consisting of three structures – accommodation, workshop area and generator.

The accommodation had the capacity to sleep approximately 12 persons. In addition, there was also a kitchen area located within the accommodation. T he workshop consisted of pulleys, power tools, paint, and several fibre-glass materials. Based on the items present, it is believed that the vessel found in the creek was built in the area.

These vessels were first detected over a decade ago; however, those craft were semi-submersibles as they could not dive since they only had a small area for the cockpit with the exhaust gas pipes above the water. But with the advancement of technology and officials clamping down on narco-trafficking, more modern and fully submersible craft are being built. Back in 2011, the US Coast Guard had recovered a so-called “narco submarine” that was reportedly used by Colombian drug cartel members to ship cocaine to the US.

The month before, the crew of the Coast Cutter Seneca (Coast Guard) intercepted a cocaine-carrying, self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in the western Caribbean, just off the coast of Honduras, a short distance from the Nicaraguan border. (bhishamm@guyanatimes. com)

Bicycle thief nabbed after robbing UG

student

Kevin Innis of Ramsingh Street, B Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was nabbed moments after he robbed a University of Guyana (UG) student of his phone and other personal items.

The victim, Michael Gupta, 19, of Number Two Village, East Canje, Berbice, was reportedly held at knife point by the perpetrator who took away an Apple iPhone 5 worth $185,000, among other items.

According to information received, the teenager was standing at the UG access road, Turkeyen, waiting on public transportation when the suspect confronted him.

Innis was armed with a knife, which he placed at the

victim’s neck, relieved him of the items and escaped on a bicycle.

Guyana Times understands that the Police were a few metres away setting up a roadblock and the young man reported the matter.

The Police immediately went after the suspect and managed to intercept him in Sophia where a search was conducted on his person and the articles were recovered. The knife was also found on his person.

He was taken to the Sparendaam Police Station where he was placed in custody and is expected to be charged on Monday.

Meanwhile, a senior rank of C Division (East Coast Demerara) told Guyana Times that the force

has beefed up security along East Coast Demerara in light of the escalating robberies in targeted areas. He also noted that more frequent roadblocks are being mounted to curb any potential robberies leading up to Jamzone Summer Break this weekend.

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

Closer look at CSEC results

The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results over the years have been a celebration of the top performers, but a closer examination of the results indicate that overall, there is not much to celebrate. The 2014 results are yet another example which indisputably points to the need for more careful planning and purposeful execution to yield meaningful improvement.

The Ministry reported that overall, some 60 per cent of the candidates who sat the examination secured Grades One to Three passes, but strangely, it was not disclosed what were the private schools’ contribution to the overall pass rate. The breakdown of the results as per region was also not provided, even though Chief Education Officer Olato Sam had earlier this year spoken about parity in the education system, and even went as far as to write to this newspaper after his assertion was challenged.

The Education Ministry had promised to provide the evidence to support his position, but more than five months after, no such information has been forthcoming. From the information provided by the Education Ministry thus far, the Chief Education Officer’s statements on education parity appear far flung from reality.

However, the goal can be achieved if education administrators put their “shoulders to the wheel”. At this year’s examinations, some outstanding performances were noted from schools outside of the capital city, but the performance of those schools taken collectively, is no match when compared with their Georgetown counterparts.

Of course, if one is to ask if there has been any improvement compared to the outcome 22 years ago, the answer will be a resounding yes, but if the question is whether or not the performance today is commensurate with the investments made in the sector, the response will be a flat no.

Notwithstanding the prevailing evidence, the Chief Education Officer, who has not retracted his comments, appears to hold tightly to the views he had expressed on education parity. Perhaps, as the lead education manager, he should report to the nation what ground the Ministry has gained in terms of achieving education parity over the last four years or so.

As pointed out in a previous editorial, though marginal improvements have been recorded in students’ performance for the past three years (2012 to 2014), it has reflected a decline compared to the results achieved during 2009 to 2011. The performance in English and Mathematics is not different, with the exception of the outcome in Mathematics this year.

What the results indicate is, despite continuous increases in public spending on the education sector, there has been no meaningful improvement in terms of students’ performance in the past three years. No one knows the exact performance of the public schools at the examinations, and it appears as though if the private schools are excluded, it is likely that less than 50 per cent of students in the former achieved Grades One to Three passes.

It also means that less than 38 per cent of students attained Grades One to Three in Mathematics and less that 46 per cent in English. While amid heightened monitoring and evaluation as reported by Education Minister Priya Manickchand, a meagre one per cent increase was recorded in English.

In Mathematics, a significant nine per cent increase was achieved, but the results were poor when compared to the performance of the Region. According to the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), on average this year, 49 per cent of students in the Region who sat Mathematics achieved Grades One to Three passes, while for English, it was 59 per cent.

The Minister in her 2013 Education Month address had announced that the Ministry will be unveiling a National Literacy Plan that will address primarily the problem in the school system. With Education Month 2014 upon us in a few days from now, it is hoped that the plan is right around the corner.

Human Services Ministry has been involved in suicide prevention

Dear Editor,

In response to a letter headlined, “An open letter to the Human Services Minister”, which was published in the August 18 edition of Guyana Times, I wish to commend the writers on their proposed response to our growing problem of suicide, which is indeed a troubling one, and a concern which we share.

The Ministry has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at addressing the issue of suicide prevention, and is not averse to extending its support to other initiatives aimed at achieving the same objectives.

It is heartening to see renewed interest in the prevention of this social ill that has plagued our society. The Labour, Human Services and Social Security Ministry has long recognised the need for partnerships and extended networks to advocate suicide prevention.

In February this year, the Ministry partnered with the New Jersey Arya Samaj Humanitarian Mission, and several local entities, including the Ministries of Education and Health, the Regional Democratic Council Region Six, and some private businesses to begin a new awareness and education project aimed at preventing suicide.

This event was well attended by leaders and members of faith-based organisations, with more than 300 students from secondary schools along the Corentyne Coast, and members of civil society in attendance.

They were enlightened by presentations made by a number of specialists including Psychiatrist, Dr Bhiro Harry, business leaders, and Dr Sharma of the Regional Health Authority.

The First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar and I have also addressed this issue and we sought to identify some of the root causes, and how these issues should be addressed. Let me reassure the writers of Government’s

commitment and growing concerns for this issue.

The presentations were followed by an interactive session and informative suggestions/presentations emerged which serve as guidance for continued work in this area. Many of the resource persons engaged at this forum have since continued the work in various areas.

Similarly, the Government of Guyana was engaged in an effort to train about 600 members of faith-based organisations to prevent and care for, counsel and support persons affected by social ills, including suicide.

I wish to mention that the Ministry also works closely in collaboration with a number of NGOs, and through its Probation Officers, a core group of professionals, who are assigned to the 10 administrative regions, have expanded its network to conduct public education and sensitisation awareness activities on this issue, as well as the issue of gender-based violence. Their interaction allows for all levels of contact, from the grassroots level to all levels in society.

During a country-wide campaign against gender-based violence, the Ministry, through its Women’s Affairs Bureau and Men’s Affairs Bureau, has addressed the issue of suicide, especially with the children in schools.

This issue was dealt with also with men in their own grouping and young girls. The Ministry is also supporting a suicide prevention committee working in Corentyne with various groups.

Last year, the Ministry began efforts to address this issue in the work place and held sessions with employers and employees at their places of work, including the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Guyana Business Coalition on HIV, and staff at the Skeldon Sugar Estate. These are just some of the efforts undertaken to address the issue of suicide.

However, I wish to highlight the fact that the Probation and Social Services Officers of the Ministry address these issues on a smaller scale on a daily basis as they continue their work in communities, homes, the prisons, orphanages, homes for the elderly, religious groups, and wherever else their work might take them as servants of the people.

These are by no means sufficient, as suicide continues to occur in Guyana. Hence, the Labour, Human Services and Social Security Ministry again wishes to reiterate its call for greater partnerships to boost its capacity to better address the issue of suicide prevention in Guyana.

With respect to the issues raised regarding attitudes towards mental health issues to combat the taboos, misinformation, biases, I wish to assure the writers that Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran and the Health Ministry have developed a Mental Health Strategy which will be formally launched by October 10 in observance of World Mental Health Day.

The Health Ministry has also conducted training sessions in areas of depression and suicide for 250 persons with the support of an international psychologist, Dr Doorn.

We also thank Caribbean Voice for its interest and efforts and would like to extend an invitation for them to meet and interact with some of the Ministry’s managers to share our experiences, and to learn more about your efforts as we seek ways of collaborating and improving the services we provide to the Guyanese people. We remain committed to supporting initiatives aimed at reducing this abhorrent trend in our society.

Sincerely, Jenifer Webster Human Services and Social Security Minister

Kaieteur News photos are misleading Making Guyana better not on the Opposition’s agenda

Dear Editor,

The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has made it very clear that no logging has taken place at Kwebanna by Bai Shan Lin for 2014, and that the photographs of logs taken by the Kaieteur News are logs that were harvested in 2013.

This tells John Public that the photo evidence of that paper is totally misleading, which instead rubbishes its own unfounded and mischievous claims that logging activities are taking place at Kwebanna.

But what is important

to note as well is the hypocrisy of the hullabaloo over logs exportation by Bai Shan Lin shown by some media houses.

Janet Bulkan has relatives in Joint Venture arrangements with Bai Shan Lin and Kwebanna Wood products. In this regard, it would be interesting to know what are her views. If Bulkan was a genuine expert on forest matters, she would have humbly made herself available to apply her expertise in Guyana’s forestry sector.

But no, Bulkan, like some media houses and

the political Opposition, always wages an antiGovernment agenda, particularly on forest matters under the pretext of forest expertise.

Kaieteur News’ photographs of logs on the ground are not factual evidence of Guyana’s forest assessments. What the photographs represent is mischievous, misleading and erroneous information about Bai Shan Lin’s logging activities and matters that pertain to Guyana’s forest sector.

Yours sincerely, Peter Persaud

Dear Editor,

The Opposition today claims they have our best interests at heart, but I’m confused because all I’m seeing and hearing are complaints from the AFC/ APNU. They’re set out to “cut” again. Clearly the Opposition is wasting hard earned tax-payers money. They are being paid salaries to make our lives uncomfortable and insecure.

The Government is doing its best, and apparently making Guyana a better place to live is not on the Opposition’s agenda. We are confident that we can make strategic adjustments, so that we do not

harm the momentum we have built in recent years, especially our investment in the quality of our country.

The strength of a country is the excellence of its people, and we will strive to protect this excellence. To protect as many jobs as possible the Opposition needs to stop this nonsense of “budget cuts”. They should act decisively and not foolishly.

Finally, we must stay true to our core values and goals as we make any financial decisions, instead of undermining the beneficial decisions of the nation; beyond doubt would

be shortsighted and a failure for all.

Do the Guyanese people really support the drastic cuts to the National Budget? The “service cutters” often claim popular support, but that’s only in the abstract. The poor suffers and the correct answer in poll after poll is no. No budget cuts, it’s simple as that. If they want a balanced approach that asks most of those with the most to give, not the least. Let’s have a budget plan that truly reflects the will of the people.

Respectfully,

R Persaud

The people being trafficked matter Relief aid to residents of southeastern Ukraine

Dear Editor,

We welcome the final agreement concerning all variables involved in the urgent delivery of Russian humanitarian relief aid to southeastern Ukraine using the Izvarino-Lugansk route.

This is the result of intense and multi-dimensional efforts which, in addition to the practical organisation involved in transporting a large batch of food, medicines, essentials and electric power generators – already a major logistical challenge – involved maintaining intensive contacts across various areas with the Ukrainian side, as well as the leadership and employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other international partners.

As a result, we have

managed to facilitate the speedy and effective achievement of our main goal, which was to deliver and distribute the much needed humanitarian aid to southeastern Ukraine. We would like to express our appreciation to the ICRC leaders and employees for their effective cooperation. It was not easy, but we managed to achieve the desired interim result.

Notably, we have reached agreements regarding the delivery, under the auspices of the ICRC, of humanitarian aid to southeastern Ukraine from other Ukrainian regions. Importantly, the convoys should now be able to reach their destinations without any mishaps.

The Russian side con -

firms its security guarantees for the ongoing relief effort. As is known, similar guarantees have also been provided by the Ukrainian authorities and self-defence fighters. We warn against possible provocations with the goal of disrupting the delivery.

We urge the conflicting sides to declare a cease-fire for the duration of this delivery and suggest that the UN Security Council make a statement to this effect. We count on the support of the international community regarding further efforts to alleviate the humanitarian plight in southeastern Ukraine.

Denis Kopyl Head of the Consular Section Russian Embassy

Dear Editor, I am writing to you in hopes that I could get these words out. Words that need to be said but I don’t know yet if they will make sense and have a point.

Well, the point is to let you know about human trafficking, a modern-day crime. But, most of all, why it matters. The people being trafficked matter. And just like any other crime, it needs to be stopped. But, perpetrators of human trafficking are hard to be held accountable, especially in Guyana.

The United States ranks the world’s coun-

tries yearly based on their efforts to end human trafficking in a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Guyana, according to the TIP Report for 2014 ranks as a Tier Two Watch List country.

We are just below the par for Tier Two, and one step down to Tier Three. And the US Department of State has penalties for countries on Tier Three, such as imposing various sanctions that would prevent financial assistance under certain guidelines.

This past Tuesday, there was an article in Guyana Times about the

need for the mining community to get rid of its trafficking in persons stigma. Getting rid of the human trafficking stigma may not mean much but, to someone who is being abused physically, mentally and otherwise, it may mean everything.

Just as there is the crime of human trafficking there is the possibility to end it, and we must do more than just get rid of the stigma. We have to work proactively towards ending it.

Sincerely, Sasha R

Page Foundation

BY SARAH HENRY

If you have a mad scien-

tist on your hands, you probably know it. These are the children who flick the light switches on and off, trying to figure out how they work, the ones who dismantle your alarm clock or obsessively collect and categorise rocks, shells, coins –even toys or cars.

Whether your preschooler seems like a born scientist or you’d simply like to nudge her to explore her world, here are some ideas for encouraging young da Vincis.

Use what you have on hand to bring science to life

You don’t have to spend a penny. Water, ice, steam, soil, bubbles, magnets, shadow, air, wind, and light can provide hours of discovery. Preschoolers can also experiment with everyday ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, food colouring, and plastic containers. Stumped for ideas? See a whole host of interesting activities for children. And look online at places such as Science for Preschoolers and PBS Children.

Explore the science of everyday things

Cooking is a great way for preschoolers to see science at work. Things burn, boil, change colour and texture, rise and fall, separate and mix. Take a nature walk and examine the plants, trees, leaves, footprints, and creatures along the way. Investigate the science behind art, as what happens

when you mix colours.

Try outings with a science twist

Visit science museums, natural history centres, zoos, and discovery play spaces, especially if they have hands-on activities for small children. These field trips let your child try projects you don’t have the equipment, expertise, or space to handle at home. Besides, someone else gets to clean up the mess.

Look for science classes or camps

Many natural history museums and summer camps have science courses for preschoolers. Museums may offer week morning or af ternoon classes; summer

camps may be weeklong and include a science theme, along with time for free play. Popular topics for preschoolers include creepy crawlies, dinosaurs, and chemical concoctions.

Veer into the nonfiction section of the library

Your curious child may like books on reptiles, weather, or trains. Look, too, for guides to doing science experiments at home. The Magic School Bus series is a big hit with many children curious about how and why things work.

Let magazines and TV fuel her interest

Magazines such as National Geographic Children, Your Big Back Yard, and Wild Animal Baby teach preschoolers about animals, water, stars, and more – all in a way they can relate to. And nature documentaries and sciencerelated TV for preschoolers, like Sid the Science Kid on PBS Children, bring these things to life in a way that books and magazines just can’t do.

Spring for a preschooler-style science kit

You can also find them online at sites such as Steve Spangler Science. Think a butterfly net or bug catcher for your naturalist, test tubes for your chemist, or blocks and other construction toys for little engineers. For the compulsive collector, hardware stores sell plastic containers with multiple drawers perfect for categorising shells, rocks, and crystals.

Embrace experimentation

Often, curious preschoolers don’t need any prodding to turn their home into a laboratory – just the als, and supervision to safely do their

cover any surfaces you’re worried about – then make cleanup part of the project.

Follow your child’s lead Your job is to expose her to lots of science-related subjects and let her pick and choose. Maybe your twoyear-old is consumed with bugs but has no interest in other animals. That’s fine. Introduce other topics but respect your child’s right to focus on one interest.

Expand your child’s horizons through her pet project

What you can do is rein in the urge to nag about making a mess –science is a messy venture. Lots of science projects

doors. When inside,

Say your four-year-old is crazy about dinosaurs. Find creative ways to incorporate them into music, art, drama, and movement. This way you can use your child’s obsession to expose her to a range of activities.

Read books and sing songs about dinosaurs, do art projects about them, go on a dinosaur dig in a sandbox for dinosaur “bones.” Use toy models to make footprints in clay, and act out dinosaur stories with her tyrannosaur and triceratops stuffies.

Resist the urge to set the agenda

Children with a knack for science often don’t respond well to direction, preferring to do their own thing. That’s how she learns. Your job is to provide the props and materials and then let your child get busy.

A good rule of thumb: Offer assistance if asked. Otherwise, it’s best to stay out of it.

Avoid both lavish praise and correcting mistakes At this age, it’s better to focus on the process and discovery rather than the result. Some of the best science breakthroughs come when things don’t quite go according to plan. So encourage your preschooler to try new things and assure her it’s fine to get things “wrong” (provided her way of doing things is safe, of course.)

Make observations about what you see, or ask your child what she’s doing and what happened as a result. Try “Why do you think there were a lot of bubbles?” instead of “I think you used too much vinegar in your volcano.”

Watch your little scientist carefully

Don’t let your child mix substances (even seemingly harmless ones) until you’ve verified there won’t be an adverse reaction. A quick peek in a science textbook or a Google search should do the trick in most situations. Children who like to experiment need specific rules for safety. Remind children never to put substances in their mouths, noses, or eyes.

CANU burns billions worth of drugs

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) on Friday morning destroyed in excess of $5 billion in cocaine and marijuana that were seized through several operations in 2013 and the first quarter of 2014.

The drugs, which totalled close to two tonnes, were set alight in the presence of media operatives, members of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Guyana Fire Service on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.

A total of 1970 kilograms of marijuana with a street value of $196 million and 730 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $5.2 billion, were destroyed.

The value was calculated on the basis of prices in the US and Europe, since the drugs were destined for those countries. The estimated cost per kilo of cocaine in Europe is reportedly 45,000 Euro, while in the US it is being sold at US$35,000.

Head of CANU James Singh at the destruction exercise told media operatives that the drugs were found at airports and during other operations throughout the

country. He also added that apart from Europe and the US, some of the drugs were destined for other parts of the Caribbean and Canada.

Singh noted that ever so often drug mules find the most innovative ways to export the illegal substance, but with the establishment of the task force by the Home Affairs Ministry, they were able to put a dent in the drug trade.

He made reference to the semi-submersible vessel that was recently discovered in the Waini River, North West District, as one of the innovations used to transport drugs in large quantities.

Quite recently, there have been other innovations that were used to ship the drugs out of the country. These included achar, milk powder, fruits, vegetables, mail and frozen fish, among others.

He added too that a high percentage of cocaine and marijuana are seized on an annual basis by the Police Narcotics Unit.

Singh said despite the limited resources, he was elated to report that local law-enforcement officers have seized more drugs than

other countries which have the best drug-enforcement units.

The official also stated that a high number of prosecutions are also done. CANU is not only focused on getting the bigger “fishes”, but also scouring the country for the middle men who will ultimately lead to the dealers.

On this note, he stated that it is wrong to say that Guyana is a narco state. “We are seizing them as they come in and go out… this is an indication that the Government of Guyana is supporting law-enforcement officers in carrying out its mandate.”

The CANU head also believes that there has been an increase in seizures compared to the previous years. And with resources available at their disposal, his department has managed to clamp down on the amount of drugs being shipped into and out of the country.

He is however, optimistic that with the collaboration with the other law enforcement agencies of the task force, CANU will become more effective in its work.

BK International condemns Kaieteur News as diabolical

Quarrying giant BK International has slammed the August 22 front page headline of Kaieteur News, which sought to besmirch its image, and reputation as malicious and diabolical. The company was referring to the headline “Incomplete BK-built Vreed-en-Hoop wharf stalls US$26M power station”.

However, the article makes no reference to BK International as being responsible for the delay.

“In fact, the article instead makes reference to comments from the Deputy Chief Executive Officer Aeshwar Deonarine and noted that ‘The wharf is being built in a swampy area, and in difficult circumstances, along the western bank of the Demerara

River’”.

Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Company Chief Executive Officer Bharat Dindyal noted “that the terrain has been challenging, with 800 piles driven to ensure the foundation of the new station remains stable”.

BK International said the photographs suggest to readers that they are showing the present state of the project – this is not so. In fact, the company said that the photographs were taken several months ago and do not reflect all of the work done to date.

The only reference to BK International in the article is to say that “… a contract to BK International for the building of the wharf and fuel lines.”

“The absence of any direct or indirect link between the work being done

by BK International, and the date for the commissioning of the project, exposes the real intent of the Kaieteur News front page. BK International is satisfied that it has worked diligently on this project and has kept the GPL management updated on the progress of the works.

“Since the revetted driveway through the mangrove swamp, to connect with the reinforced concrete catwalk and berthing area, has been completed, the GPL management team has been able to make direct inspections of the progress of the work,” the construction company said.

Work on the wharf continues during the periods of low tide as high tides are not conducive to this type of operation in the river.

Guyana Festival winner receives car

Acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali on Friday handed over the keys of a Toyota Runnex to Maharanie Singh in the presence of her husband Mahadeo Singh, for winning the gateway prize at Guyana Festival 2014.

Minister Ali said he was proud to

make the presentation to the young family and hopes that the festival will continue to enjoy overwhelming support.

Maharanie said when she bought the passport from Ashmins Trading, she did not expect to win the car, but was overjoyed when she did.

The car was donated by R Maye Hardware Inc. All patrons who purchased a Guyana Festival Passport had a chance to participate in the draw as long as they filled out a form with their name and contact information, and dropped it in the boxes provided.

Meadow Bank resident remanded for alleged robbery under arms

Appearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Fabayo Azore was a 22-year-old pork-knocker who resides at Lot 623 Meadow Bank, Greater Geotgetown.

Howard Rambarose was on Friday remanded to prison after he was charged with two counts of robbery under arms.

Rambarose was not required to plead to the

charges. The charge alleged that on June 30 at Medicare Pharmacy at Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, Georgetown, being armed with a gun, he robbed Nalinie Kawall of $833,000 in cash and other articles, totalling $955,000. The defendant was not required to plea since the charge was indictable. The other charge read that on July 14 at Ramchand Auto Sales, Sheriff Street,

Georgetown, he robbed Leroy Hinds of $1.7 million. He was represented by Attorney Mark Conway who told the court that while the Identification (ID) Parade was held in Georgetown, his client was in the interior.

Police Prosecutor Michael Grant informed the court that Rambarose is wanted in connection with other robberies. Bail

was refused on the grounds of the nature of the offence, the prevalence, the usage of the firearm and that the Police are investigating other matters where the defendant is a suspect.

With this, the Magistrate refused bail and remanded Rambarose until his next court date, which is set for September 22 before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Eyew tness

The AFC mountain...

...and its mouse motion

The 2011 results were announced in the wake of David Granger and his troops marching up and down in front of the GECOM Chairman’s home. The Opposition were then gifted a great power – to throw out the Government at will. To do so in Parliamentary democracies, all the Opposition had to do to was move a successful “Motion of noconfidence”.

That’s it!! Now dear reader, you’re probably wondering if that’s all it takes to throw the incumbents out, why isn’t the “noconfidence” weapon used all the time. Well, the trick is – if you’re going to go that route, then you’d better have the votes to make good your threat. If not, since most Parliamentary democratic governments are formed when they have a majority in Parliament – the Opposition would be left up the creek without the proverbial paddle.

Unless, of course, they’re able to persuade some Government MPs to “cross the floor”. But that’s rare. The “noconfidence” vote’s more common with those governments formed through coalitions. If the major party throws its weight around, the juniors would be more likely to pull the rug from under their feet through the noconfidence route. This was quite common in several European countries, like Italy where Governments were changed more often than underwear.

What made our situation unique was Burnham’s innovation that “the party securing the largest share of the vote secures the Presidency and the Executive”. He felt while he mightn’t be able to rig himself in office forever, with the exodus of Indians, he’d at least be able to secure a plurality. And so we arrived at the past where the PPP/C in 2011 – under smart-fly Burnham’s manoeuvre – got the plurality and the Executive. But the PNC/APNU/AFC combined snagged the majority in Parliament.

So from day one, the wankers could’ve brought down the Government rather than huffing and puffing about the PPP/C’s “excesses”, blah, blah, blah. But they didn’t because they just didn’t have the guts or the testicular fortitude. Finally, three months ago, Nagamootoo, blurted out that the AFC was “contemplating the noconfidence motion”. Then they were going to “draft it”. Then they were going to share it with the APNU to study.

More months.

Now we see the motion is a single sentence: “Be it resolved that this National Assembly has no confidence in the Government.” And this took the wankers in the AFC months to “craft”. And APNU further months to study??

The mountain strained and produced a mouse.

...can run but it can’t hide

But the AFC got caught with their pants down with their “no-confidence motion”. They thought President Ramotar and his party would’ve been shaking in their boots at the thought of new elections. When Prezzie immediately replied, “C’mon...bring it on!!” you could see the panic in the camp of the Opposition. They were like deer caught in the glare of incoming headlights. They couldn’t very well pretend to be “studying” a one-sentence motion for three months, could they? We know the Opposition aren’t exactly chock-full of bright bulbs – but still!! The APNU waited until Parliament was about to slide into recess and then announced they’d be supporting the motion.

Nagamootoo then dropped it off to the Clerk. They thought they were safe for another three months – until October when Parliament reconvenes. The wankers nearly had a heart attack when the Clerk promptly informed them they could convene an “extraordinary” sitting if they wanted their motion debated. But the mover Nagamootoo would have to so request.

Had to say, “No thanks”!!! They can run, but they can’t hide. Retribution is coming!!

...of hypocrisy

Back in the day, Nagamootoo and Ramjattan fought the PNC to deliver a clean voters’ list. Now they’re in bed with the PNC, they’ve rejected the PPP/C’s request to extend GECOM’s sanitising exercise by seven days. Rigging is contagious!

Granger calls for greater effort in anti-drug fight

– Felix admits PNC failure

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has issued a call for President Donald Ramotar to play a leading role in the fight against the narco-trade; one week after a narcosmuggling marine vessel was discovered in the Waini River.

In the presence of APNU Shadow Home Affairs Minister Winston Felix, Opposition Leader David Granger told journalists on Friday that the President must do more to curb the thriving trade.

“He must become personally involved in directing the war on illegal narcotics which apparently are now being exported on an “industrial scale," Granger said.

According to him, the Donald Ramotar Administration should waste no time in executing a credible National Drug Strategy Master Plan, but this he said must be complemented with an effective National Enforcement Structure and equipped security forces.

The Opposition Leader said too that Government must be cognisant of the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report in which the US Department of State reminded that the country was a transshipment point for South American cocaine on its way to North America and Europe.

Despite this fact, Granger claimed that the Administration has no effective counternarcotics strategy in place. It was pointed out that the National Drug Strategy Master Plan came to an end five years ago.

“This country’s two counternarcotics agencies – the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit and Police Anti-Narcotics Unit – have never been provided with the surveillance aircraft, coastal patrol boats, all-terrain vehicles and trained personnel needed to secure the country’s international transit points, coasts and borders.

"They are incapable of locating, identifying, investigating and prosecuting the major drug cartels,” Granger opined.

According to him, hardly a month passes without cocaine being detected in shipments of fruits

and vegetables – achar, awara, boulanger, coconut milk, mango, pineapple, rice, ochro, pepper, star-apples and other commodities.

Granger said the President must act on the recommendations currently being given to the Government with keen attention being given to the National Drug Strategy Master Plan.

Included in the plan is an architectural structure which allows

Joint Committees followed by the Regional Intelligence Committee (RIC) and District Intelligence Committee (DIC) followed by the Police and soldiers.

Turning his attention to the discovery of the self-propelled, semi-submersible (SPSS) marine vessel in Region One, the APNU Leader said it is not only shocking but disgusting. According to him, it speaks to the magnitude of operations being conducted here in

laws, regulations, polices and/or programmes to put an end to the narco-trade, Felix said enforcement has not been forthcoming.

But even as he criticised the PPP/C Government, he also conceded that during the reign of the People’s National Congress (PNC), the then Administration, “did not put the resources where they were necessary”.

It was explained that a Witness Protection Programme was recom-

for the careful dissemination of information on the narco-trade.

At the helm of the organisation are the President, Home Affairs Minister, Legal Affairs Minister and other key officials while on the second level there are

Guyana.

Feix said drug traffickers are now capitalising on the country’s "soft spots" as they extend their trade.

While Government has in some cases implemented the requisite

mended but this fell on deaf ears.

Felix said witnesses would not testify against a drug cartel, if adequate protection cannot be offered by the security forces. Nevertheless, this recommendation still stands.

Former soldier accused of torching house, attempted murder

Rawle Glasgow, a former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant who allegedly set his house on fire with his wife and two children inside was on Friday charged with arson and attempting to commit murder.

The father of two made his first court appearance at the Vigilance Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Zorina Ali and the charges were read to him. He pleaded not guilty after the Administration of Justice Act was applied.

The security guard was subsequently remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on

September 12. The father of two went berserk two Sundays ago and set his Enterprise, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home on fire after threatening to kill his wife during an argument. He committed the act while his wife, son and daughter were in the house.

The arsonist was subsequently taken into Police custody as he turned up at the Georgetown Public Hospital seeking medical attention after he allegedly consumed a poisonous substance. He was under close arrest until Friday after he was slapped with the two charges.

As result of his action, his wife Dianne Nestor sustained lacerations to the body while his daughter Shaneze Nestor and son “Rawlo” also received bodily injuries.

According to information gathered, the man armed himself with a knife and cutlass and threatened to kill his wife after accusing her of being unfaithful.

A scuffle ensued between the man and his son. Instead of leaving the home, Glasgow reportedly went to a nearby table, collected the flammable substance and set the house on fire, resulting in his wife and two children scampering to safety.

He subsequently escaped to his sister’s home in Enmore, East Coast Demerara and while there,

he drank the poisonous substance. He was taken to the Enmore Health Centre but was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. It was there he was arrested.

Where is the money?

... Lindeners demand accounting for cash collected to rebuild One Mile Primary

BY SVETLANA MARSHALL

Two years after approx-

imately $12 million was collected for the construction of the One Mile Primary School, contributors are questioning where the money is, now that the Government has taken up the mantle.

In 2012, the One Mile Primary School was among more than 10 buildings that were reduced to ashes in Linden when a protest over a proposed hike in electricity tariffs spiraled out of control, resulting in the death of three persons.

Under the stewardship of the Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Vanessa Kissoon, Lindeners near and far had vowed to rebuild the school, shortly after the month-long protest came to an end in August.

But of recent, contributors have been asking where is the money.

“We were told that over $12 million was collected from residents and other

persons and organisations locally and overseas to rebuild the school, apart from contributions that people made of materials and now we are left to wonder what has become of our contributions, since the new building is being built by the Government,” Alex Cort, a concerned contributor said.

According to Cort, the Regional Chairman when approached explained that an audit is being conducted; however, one year after a report has not been forthcom-

ing.

When contacted by Guyana Times, Solomon said he is aware of the concerns currently being expressed by residents. He explained that a special committee headed by Councillor Maurice Butters was given the responsibility to oversee the spending of the monies collected.

Butters when contacted by this newspaper on Friday indicated that the committee is now going through its record to determine the amount collected, spent and the remainder. He assured this newspaper that when the process is completed, a detailed report will be issued.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Leader David Granger when questioned about the monies received, said the monies were collected by the region, explaining that it was done on behalf of the people and not APNU or the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR).

“No, the PNC never authorised the collection of any money; the PNC does not hold any money for the One

Mile Primary and I cannot say how much was collected or where the monies went… I don’t know and I am not going to accept responsibility for that,” Granger said in response to a questioned posed by the Guyana Times

The One Mile Primary School which was burnt down in August 2012, resulted in more than 800 students and teachers being displaced. They are now being accommodated at three other schools in Linden. The new state-of-the-art facility is being built to the tune of $170 million and is expected to be completed by February 2015.

De no-confidence motion and de commotion

De KFC no-confidence motion ain’t had no motion since from de first time when de Nagga man tink bout it. And he had tink bout it while he was havin a motion he self. So de no-confidence motion end up tekkin after de same pattern of de Nagga man regular motion...every ting was hard.

Just like de Nagga man motion, de no-confidence motion had a hard time startin up, then it had a hard time in between, and it had a hard time gettin done. Plus it had a hard time gettin any body to join in. Then it was a hard time lettin it out.

Even de FLAPNU people couldn’ta mek up dem mind if to join in or stay out of de Nagga man motion. Plus at that time, half of FLAPNU had no-confidence in de other half of FLAPNU. And de whole of FLAPNU had know a long time that it ain’t easy bein around de Nagga man motion. Dem know very well that every ting bout Nagga motion does be hard.

Then a lil gyal by de court seh that whah de Nagga man was really hopin woulda be hard don’t ever be hard. She seh that is why de Nagga man does be so hard with every ting else. Is that he hopin that one day de hardness gon be exactly wheh he want it to be.

De lil gyal seh that although de Nagga man is a old man he does fuhget whah old people seh bout teachin a old dog new tricks. Or it could be that de Nagga man prefer to dream on all he life hopin that some day de hardness gon come back wheh it used to be a very long time ago.

Well, in de end it had so mucha commotion wid de noconfidence motion that by de time de Nagga man and Rum Jhaat done, both of dem ain’t had no motion.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! So both motion end up gettin a hard time. Old people does call that constipation!

Suspect remanded for businessman’s murder on Vlissengen Road

Travis McDougall, 24, of Lot 422 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, Georgetown was on Friday charged with the murder of 43-year-old businessman, Ashook Ragghu, who was gunned down on August 18 outside of the Botanical Gardens, Georgetown.

Appearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Fabayo Azore, the charge against the accused alleged that on August 18 at Vlissengen Road, McDougall during the course of a robbery relieved Ashook Ragghu of a bag containing of $4 million and shooting the said businessman to death.

He was not required to plead since the charge was indictable. The dead man’s wife, Shyrazadi Ragghu was also shot in her thigh during the robbery. The couple resides at Pike Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.

Police Prosecutor Michael Grant told the court that on the day in question at around 13:00h, the deceased and his wife were in motor car PGG 8291 driving along Vlissengen Road when they stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of Vlissengen and Regent Roads.

Subsequently, the defendant and an accomplice rode up on a Honda CG motorcycle and shot the businessman to

his chest. They also shot the man’s wife during the robbery since she was reluctant to give them the bag containing the money. According to the Prosecutor, Mc Dougall was positively identified at the Brickdam Police Station by Shyrazadi Ragghu. The defendant was represented by Attorney Kendaise Rodney who told the court that the detectives used an electrical taser on her client. The lawyer requested a medical report for Mc Dougall. He was remanded to prison and will return to court on October 6 before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry.

Pork-knocker sentenced for intent to commit murder; escaping Police custody

Appearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday morning was a Porknocker of Lot 217 B Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, who was sentenced after pleading guilty to his charges; intend to commit murder and escaping Police custody.

The charge alleged that on August 20 at Port Kaituma, North West District, with the intent to commit murder; Quincy Hoyte, 24, unlawful-

ly and maliciously wounded Dexter Abrams. The defendant was not required to plea to the indictable charge.

The other charge alleged that on August 21 at the aforementioned location, the defendant being in Police custody, escaped from custody. Police Prosecutor Michael Grant requested an application of Administration of Justice Act (AJA), the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge laid against him.

There were no facts presented in court for this case. However, Grant objected to bail on the grounds that the defendant intended to commit murder and he may be a flight risk.

With this, Magistrate Azore accepted the grounds and sentenced the defendant for 18 months imprisonment for the escape of custody charge and remanded the defendant for the intent to commit murder charge.

Police award millions in bursaries

– Commissioner announces CSEC scholarship from

next year

Some 124 graduates from the National Grade Six Assessment have benefited from this year’s Guyana Police Force Bursary Awards.

During the ceremony, which was held at the Police Officers Annexe Eve Leary on Friday, the Force distributed approximately $4.2 million in bursary awards to children who would have excelled at this year’s NGSA examination.

Acting Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, congratulated both the parents and students for their achievements.

He reflected on the establishment of the bursary awards 70 years ago, noting that it was designed to help parents with the expenses and materials that are needed to educate children.

Persaud said that he hopes with this assistance, students will be motivated to continue their academic success. He added too that by having disciplined parents, children should inherit some of these qualities and character traits.

“We want our children to be naturally curious, confident, flexible and happy learners, and that is one of the reasons we make this contribution…so we take away some of the stresses of the economic burden from the parents…

"We also want to instill in them important life skills like discipline, flexibility, critical thinking and problem solving,” he stated.

According to the commissioner, the support of a tertiary education for these awardees after they would have completed secondary school is among several activities that the Welfare Officer has been tasked with to address.

Following these procedures, Persaud noted it might be possible that these

awards can be expected as early as this year. He noted that recently, the Police Force has put in a lot of efforts towards the development of its ranks.

Chief Education Officer Olato Sam noted that academic success is best gained with co-operation among all stakeholders, particularly between parents and their children.

He urged parents to support their children and play a significant role in their education, even if they do not have the time to physically be there for them.

“I’m fully aware that many of you serving officers here may not be at home every day your children get home but you don’t have to; a telephone call, a neighbour, a cousin, a sibling or simply structured rules,” he said.

“We must facilitate process as parents. The next three years should be spent on teaching your child how to teach themselves; what are their resources and sources of knowledge and how to effectively access and navigate these to ensure that they express mastery of the knowledge base required,” the CEO stated.

The CEO pointed out students need structure and orders to guide them along the right path.

He added that children these days are being given too much freedom and encouraged parents to pay more keen attention to them.

Sam continued that parents should ensure that the minds of their children remain active by making them read a lot and keeping abreast with the news so that they are enabled to form opinions on current issues facing the society.

Each of the 124 students was given a voucher for $25,000 along with another voucher for $2000 that is redeemable at the Police

Prisoner on bail for allegedly raping attempted rapist

Aremanded prisoner who allegedly raped a fellow inmate in the New Amsterdam Prison was on Friday granted bail in the sum of $150,000 when he appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs Marcus at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

Krishendat Seeram is alleged to have committed the act against a victim of the Amerindian Reservation of Orealla, situated 50 miles up the Corentyne River. The victim has been charged with attempted rape.

Police Prosecutor Sergeant Godfrey Playter told the court that Seeram of Yakusari North, Black Bush Polder, on June 25 sexually penetrated the al-

leged victim without his consent.

The alleged victim reported the incident to wardens the following day after feeling much pain and being ashamed to divulge what allegedly had happened to him.

According to Platter, both men were in a cell when the incident occurred. The alleged victim was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where it was confirmed that he had been violated.

Seeram before committing the act was on remand on a robbery under arms charge.

The rape case comes up for hearing again on September 8.

Consumers’ Co-op Society. In 2012 the Police Force spent some $3.6 million in bursary awards for 97 children.

Then last year there were 115 awardees and $4.1 million was expended to facilitate these students.

Additionally, six of the top performers received special monetary awards for the outstanding performances.

Kelly Bacchus and Brently Singh were both given $200,000 by the Guyana Police Force while Kelly Gurrick got $175,000.

The police also awarded Avia Lowenfield with a voucher for $150,000.

The Police Consumers Cooperative Society presented Shania Smith with $135,000 and Garfield Dover got $115,000 from the Police Credit Union.

GFC staff targeted, laptop with forestry records stolen

Police are investigating the breakin of a car belonging to Jacy Archibald, Company Secretary, Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) in the vicinity of Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

A Police source revealed that about 17:30h,

it was discovered that the car was broken into; the perpetrator/s reportedly smashed a window and the only item stolen was a laptop.

There were other items in the car, but these were not removed by the perpetrators. The laptop belonging to the GFC and con-

tains vital and important information.

Meanwhile, a number of staff have been targeted and even threatened in recent days as the Commission has been very aggressive in debunking misinformation and misrepresentation of the forestry sector.

FAO urges sustained support for animal disease monitoring

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FA)) earlier this week told ministers of health and agriculture meeting in Indonesia that animal disease monitoring systems require sustained support and have a critical role to play in preventing human disease threats.

“Animal health remains one the weakest links in terms of how the world deals with disease risks,” FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth said in remarks delivered at a meeting on the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) in Jakarta, Indonesia (August 20-21) being attended by human and animal health authorities and experts from around the globe.

According to Lubroth, the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a “tragic reminder” of not only the need for increased support for public health systems in the developing world, but also of the importance of ensuring that countries are able to monitor and respond to animal health diseases as well. While curbing humanto-human transmission remains the most important focus in West Africa, the epidemic there is thought to have started when the virus crossed over from infected wildlife into the human population.

Other recent outbreaks

of diseases affecting humans – including avian influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) – are believed to have had their start in animals. Indeed, an FAO report published last year highlighted that 70 per cent of new infectious human diseases detected in recent decades are of animal origin.

“Zoonootic diseases that can make the jump from animals to humans are a real concern, but there is much that we can do before the jump occurs and outbreaks take place, causing loss of life and disrupting fragile livelihoods,” said Lubroth.

Better resources needed

“To be more resilient in the face of such risks, countries need the resources to be able to better understand where disease is coming from and to prevent it from ever reaching people in the first place. By understanding animal health threats, we have the potential to be ahead of the curve and help prevent human tragedies from happening,” he added.

According to FAO, there is a need to rethink how the international community provides global health support, with a new focus on investment in infrastructure, systems and capacities at the national level to help reduce the risks of such emergencies happening in the first

Killer of Linden CoI Commissioner shot dead

The man who pumped five bullets, at close range, into the head and body of Trinidadian Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal has been identified as one of three men killed in a Police shootout at Freeport on Wednesday. Senior Police officers who are directly involved in Seetahal’s murder probe confirmed that David “Junior” Baker, 28, was one of the key suspects involved in the well-planned assassination.

way on June 20, 1995.

Two men identified as his assassins, Jamaat al Muslimeen members Abdul Quadir and Curtis Felix, were both themselves murdered days after Richardson’s killing. No one has ever been brought to justice for Richardson’s killing.

place and increase the resilience of communities and health systems to respond when they do.

To support such a transition, FAO and its partners are advocating what is known as the “One Health” approach, which looks at the interplay between environmental factors, animal health, and human health and brings human health professionals, veterinary specialists, sociologists, economists, and ecologists together to work on disease risks in a collaborative way.

At the Jakarta conference some 60 countries as well as international organisations such as the FAO, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are discussing how to collaborate under the auspices of the GHSA, an international effort to strengthen health systems to help prevent, detect and respond to emerging disease threats.

In Jakarta, the FAO is also making the point that better prevention of disease has long-term development benefits as well. Both animal and human diseases have broad impacts on societies, including reductions in food production and food availability that impact food security in the short term, as well as disruptions to rural economies and livelihoods that can linger for years.

The officers spoke on the strict condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to disclose sensitive information relating to the case. Deputy Police Commissioner (Crime) Glenn Hackett offered no comment on Thursday when questioned about Baker’s involvement in Seetahal’s murder. But Police said Baker’s death has not seriously affected their investigations into the murder.

Commenting on the development, Seetahal’s sister, Susan Francois, the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit, said: “If he (Baker) was one of the persons involved then I would hope the Police would move speedily to get the others involved and bring them to justice.

“Do they want a repeat of the Selwyn Richardson result?” she asked. Richardson, 59, a former Attorney General and National Security Minister was shot dead by two hitmen in his Cascade drive-

The Guyana National Council on Public Policy (GNCPP) together with the organising committee for the Guyana National Civil Society Summit and the Secretariat of the Guyana National Civil Society Summit (GNCSS) has reported that a proposal for the summit to be rescheduled has been accepted.

According to a release, the decision to re-schedule this first ever Summit of Guyanese Non-Government Organisations and Civil Society Organisations at home and in the Diaspora was/is as a consequence of in-depth consultations and

Seetahal, 58, who worked closely with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as the lead prosecutor for several highprofile cases, was ambushed shorly after midnight on May 4 along Hamilton Holder Street, Woodbrook, as she made her way to her One Woodbrook Place apartment.

She also worked closely with the US, giving advice on key proposals to reform the criminal justice system.

Seetahal’s murder sent shockwaves across the criminal justice system in Trinidad, crippling key office-holders with fear and prompting acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams to assemble one of the most diverse and experienced investigative teams to solve it.

Williams is on record as saying “Seetahal’s murder is the number one priority of the Police Service.” The team includes personnel from the Homicide Bureau, Criminal Gang Intelligence Unit, Cyber Crime Unit, Special Branch and the Strategic Services Agency.

The investigators are being assisted by data an-

inter-executive agreements involving participating international organisations, sponsors and supporters, distinguished guest speakers and overseas affiliates.

GNCPP is a platform for members, who include all of Guyana’s civil society, including educators, students, journalists, businesses, professionals, ordinary citizens, religious organisations and public officials, believing in a democratic, free and peaceful Guyana that does not end at its sovereign borders and in particular.

The organisation among other things proclaims that human rights, social jus-

alysts and other technical experts, including agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigations and other experts from the United Kingdom.” Within hours of Seetahal’s murder, CrimeStoppers offered a TT$1 million bounty for information leading to the successful arrest and prosecution of those responsible. That figure was increased to TT$3.5 million by the Government. That reward remains unclaimed.

Details of hit Investigations have so far revealed that Seetahal was followed after she left the Ma Pau casino on Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, and was ambushed near the Woodbrook Youth Facility and killed.

Police said a panel van, which had been parked near the youth facility blocked her path, and two men, one armed with an assault rifle and another with a handgun, walked up to her Volkswagen Touareg.

The man with the machine gun fired several shots in the air, leaving behind close to 15 spent 5.56 ammunition shells, while the other, now identified as Baker, stood near the driver’s door and fired repeatedly at his target.

Forensic analysis revealed that the shots were fired so close that gunpowder residue was found on Seetahal’s face and clothing. (Trinidad Guardian)

tice, the rule of law, pluralistic democracy, accountable government and environmentally sustainable development are common values, to which all Guyanese subscribe.

It believes that matters of Guyanese relations, sustainable growth and development should not be left for politicians and diplomats to decide upon – and that the positions of civil society must be better articulated and heard.

The GNCPP also recognises the key role of civil society and people-to-people cooperation in the peaceful and harmonious development of Guyana.

Region Two farmers request long-boom excavators

Scores of rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast are requesting long-boom excavators to clean the main facade canals leading to rice lands which are clogged.

The appeal was issued during a recent farmers meeting at Riverstown and Sparta.

The meeting was organised by the Guyana Rice Development Board and the Rice Producers Association (RPA).

The farmers during the interaction told Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud and other officials that the rice crop is approximately 102 days old and they have been suppressing drainage and irrigation problems.

The farmers made this request before the commencement of harvesting in the region and called for the regional administration to assist.

Meanwhile, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Chief Executive Officer Lionel Wordsworth said some $79,044,000 will be spent on the rehabilitation and clearing of the main facade canals.

Wordsworth, who was part of the farmers’ meeting, said excavation works will be done in a number of areas including

“Clean-Up

Somerset to Westbury, Perth to Dartmouth, Perth to Walton Hall, Devonshire Castle to Hampton Court, Windsor Castle to Lima, Queentown to La Union, Affiance to Three Friends, Mainstay to Anna Regina and Cullen to Annandale.

Wordsworth during his interaction with farmers said the canals will be excavated to the lines, levels and dimensions. The contracts for the excavation

works will be awarded within weeks. He noted the work will enhance the efficiency as well as send water to the cultivated areas.

He assured farmers that he will try to deploy at least two excavators to Region Two. Farmers have complained that their rice fields have a lot of water and they are forced to pump water in an effort to irrigate their fields.

My Country” Committee monitoring ongoing works

Members of the “Clean-Up My Country” Programme Implementation Committee say they are monitoring activities in areas where work is ongoing.

According to a release, over the last few days, several complaints were made in respect of the piles of debris which are left on parapets as a result of the cleanup exercises.

The Monitoring Unit on Friday conducted inspections in the areas where work is in progress. In Albouystown, the committee reported that the contractor stated that the piles of debris which were placed on the Independence Boulevard’s parapet are from the market.

He stated that it was difficult to clean the market during the day since vendors would carry out their trade at that time, and as a result, work was carried out during the nights, and in many cases until 03:00h.

Moreover, silt and debris were

transported to the boulevard for temporary holding. He also pointed out that some residents have requested the use of some of the silt to landscape their yards.

As of August 17, the piles of debris were removed from Independence Boulevard. Currently, work is ongoing and there is some messy debris since there has been heavy rainfall.

In West Ruimveldt, work is ongoing and the contractor has been removing debris from the areas and transporting it to the Haags Boosh Dumpsite in Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

“The contractors also elaborated on a few uncontrollable challenges which they have been encountering during the cleanup exercise. One being very limited holding areas, if any at all, in the city, hence, this is a major inconvenience to both residents and contractors. Two, the difficulty they will encounter if they try to remove the silt immediately after it is excavated from

the drains because of the excess water it carries. Three, the impact of the high tide which goes back further each day. Once the tide is high, the drains cannot be de-silted; consequently, the workers will programme some of their activities according to the tide schedule. It therefore means that work will extend into the nights and the Haags Boosh solid waste disposal site closes 16:00h,” the Committee said.

The Programme Implementation Committee is working with the community contractors to manoeuvre around the uncontrollable elements in order to remove the remaining debris as quickly as possible.

The Committee says it apologises to the residents within the affected areas for the inconvenience the activities are causing, and assures that the members that the team are working assiduously with the community contractors to remove the debris.

Caribbean hotel income steadily improving

The average Caribbean hotel enjoyed an 18.6 per cent increase in net operating income (NOI) during 2013, according to the newly released 2014 edition of Caribbean Trends in the Hotel Industry published by PKF Consulting USA (PKFC).

This is the third year in a row that Caribbean hotels have experienced a doubledigit increase in NOI and the highest annual growth in profits achieved since 2008.

“Caribbean hotels have unique operating challenges that result in relatively higher expenses,” said Scott Smith, MAI, Vice President in the Atlanta office of PKFC.

“Fortunately, recent increases in visitation to the Region have resulted in top-line revenue growth that has overcome the high costs and resulted in strong growth in bottom-line profits.”

The Caribbean hotel industry is made up of a large number of resort properties, which creates the opportunity to earn profits from a variety of services and amenities. Rooms revenue (56.8 per cent) remains the largest source of revenue for the properties in the Caribbean Trends sample, but significant contributions come from food and beverage sales (28.8 per cent), as well retail and recreation outlets (12.7 per cent).

“From 2012 to 2013, we observed healthy increases in both rooms and food and beverage revenue. On the other hand, we noticed a slight decline in other operated department revenues. Visitors to the Caribbean are not spending as much

money on extra amenities, such as golf courses, casinos and spas, as they used to,” Smith stated.

In aggregate, total revenues for the survey sample increased by 4.4 per cent in 2013.

In 2013, total operating costs for hotels in the Caribbean increased by 1.9 per cent. Due to the 1.6 per cent increase in occupied rooms, the greatest increase in expenses was observed in the rooms department. Conversely, the properties in the survey sample enjoyed a 3.4 per cent decline in utility costs.

“Caribbean hotels have been at the forefront of green and sustainable practices, and we are starting to observe the benefits of their efforts in the form of reduced energy costs,” said Smith. With revenues growing greater than expenses, Caribbean hotel profits were able to increase by 18.6 per cent in 2013. However, a comparison to comparable properties in the US found that the higher costs of goods, services and utilities in the Caribbean does result in relatively lower profit margins. In 2013, Caribbean resorts achieved a 16.3 per cent profit margin compared to a 21.4 per cent margin for comparable US resorts.

With profits growing, the Caribbean Region is attracting the attention of developers from all around the world. As reported in STR, Inc’s June 2014 Construction Pipeline Report, there are 27,690 rooms either under construction or planned for development in the Region. In addition, several hotels are undergoing major renovations and improvements.

(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Around the world

Father and son shot dead in Trinidad

With their hairnets still on, two Japs Fried Chicken workers were among the crowd at St Helena who took turns trying to get the best vantage point to view the bodies of father and son – Devanand and Jeremy Gokool – who were executed on Thursday. Around 17:30h, Police said a man dressed in black approached the duo who were seated on white plastic chairs facing an empty lot of land behind their St Helena home.

Police said the 52-yearold Gokool, a money-lender and an employee of the Works Ministry, was approached by the man who pretended he wanted to borrow money. As the two discussed the terms of agreement, the shooter, who Police believe was a paid assassin, shot both men once in their heads and walked away. He then got back in his car and drove off. The make and model of the car along with the licence plate were captured on camera and Police say they

would review the footage.

Jeremy Gokool, Police said, was shot in the chest on January 18 after hehad got into an altercation with a man allegedly over a Government contracting deal that went sour. On April 10, Siewdath Ragbir, Managing Director of RS

Pavers Limited, appeared before a Chaguanas Magistrate charged with shooting Gokool. Police are not linking the two incidents. At the double murder scene, a crying relative said there were three Police officers living in the area and they all failed the family. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Health City Cayman Islands performs first LVAD heart surgery

ACaribbean man suffering from heart failure now has a new lease on life following the successful installation of an artificial heart pump (LVAD – Left Ventricular Assist Device) by the medical team at the recently opened Health City Cayman Islands, a state-of-the art tertiary care hospital, located on Grand Cayman.

Believed to be the first such treatment performed in the Caribbean, Health City Cayman Islands officials explained that at advanced stages of heart failure, when the organ has become severely weakened and unable to pump sufficient blood to the entire body, the most promising forms of treatment are either heart transplant or the implantation of devices that support the failing heart and takeover of its functions.

Mild forms of heart failure can be treated with medications and patients can have a reasonably normal life. But, when advanced heart failure occurs, medications won’t be effective and patients are likely to be incapacitated, home-bound and their life expectancy significantly reduced.

The challenge with heart transplants is the availability of a donor heart,” lamented Chief Cardiac Surgeon, Dr Binoy Chattuparambil, who performed the lifesaving surgery on the Caymanian man alongside Cardiologist, Dr Ravi Kishore, head of the heart failure clinic, and Dr Dhruva Kumar who heads an experienced team of anesthesiologists and critical care specialists with deep experience handling such high-end procedures. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

MH17: Minute of silence observed as Malaysia mourns

Malaysians observed a moment of silence following the arrival in Kuala Lumpur of the bodies of 20 Malaysian victims of Flight MH17 that crashed in Ukraine in July.

A specially chartered plane took off from Amsterdam and landed around 10:00 local time (02:00 GMT). National flags are flying at half-mast for the day of mourning.

Flight MH17 is believed to have been shot down by a missile fired by pro-Russian rebels. They deny the claim. All 298 passengers and crew on board the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 died on July 17.

From office workers to train driv

ers, many among the nation of 30 million observed a minute’s silence as white hearses drove the remains from the airport to private funerals in various provinces.

The country’s public transporta-

tion, including the national rail system and Kuala Lumpur’s monorail, paused during the minute of silence.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who

Colombian Army, rebels meet face-to-face at peace talks

Colombian military officers and leftist guerrillas met faceto-face on Friday for the first time in their 50-year war, starting talks on a ceasefire that would take hold should the government and the rebels reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

The Government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Marxistinspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have been engaged in peace talks in Cuba for nearly two years, reaching three partial agreements on their five-point agenda.

The two sides recent-

ly opened talks on another key point, that of reparations for war victims, and began hearing testimony from those who have lost loved ones or been displaced by Latin America’s longestrunning conflict, which has killed more than 200,000 people since 1964.

But peace negotiators decided to get a head start on what is expected to be the most difficult agreement: how to end the conflict and enact a definitive, bilateral ceasefire. Active-duty officers had never before sat down with members of the

to talk

BBCI donates to church, mandir

The Berbice River Bridge Inc (BBCI) on Thursday donated 20 sacks of cement and 200 hollow blocks to the Number Two Shivashram Sanga Mandir following a donation request to construct a kitchen storeroom.

The BBCI in a release said the company was privileged to have the opportunity to make the donation.

The company said it decided to support the worthy cause mainly due to the fact that other than worshipping, the mandir will be used for other religious functions, youth and cultural activities.

The BBCI also donated 20 sacks of cement to the

Packed agenda for Education month 2014

Activities for this year’s Education Month observance will start off with a grand interfaith church service in Region Seven on August 31, while the official launch will be held in Region One.

The month of September has been designated Education Month and this year the month is being observed under the theme “Literate by Grade 4 through consistent home, school, and community involvement”.

As part of the observance, several “Face the community” meetings have been planned for every administrative region where Education Minister Priya Manickchand will be addressing residents and other stakeholders.

Other activities will include empowerment talks, a logo competition, and library science workshop for teachers of Region Two, exhibitions, literacy camps and rallies, and Spelling Bee competitions, said the Government Information

Agency (GINA).

During the month-long celebration, there will also be the launch of the Sports for Development Programme, which will be held in Bartica, the inter-secondary schools volleyball tournament with participation from schools in Region One, as well as exchange visits among schools in Region Seven.

In Region Five, there will be the teachers’ debating competition, the operation CARE rally, elocution competition

for students, as well as the Spelling for Life competition.

Activities slated for Region Six include a steel band presentation, and face the community meetings.

During the month, several outstanding persons in the education sector will be awarded for their contributions and efforts.

There will also be several national conversations with teachers and other stakeholders on the Guyana Learning Channel.

saturDaY, august 23, 2014 | guYanatimesgY.com

UNSIDS Conference outcome important for Caricom

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) is viewing the Third International Meeting on Small Island Developing States (UNSIDS) in Apia, Samoa, September 1-4, as an important opportunity to engage the international commu-

nity on the development challenges facing the Region.

Over the past two years, Caricom member states have been fully engaged in the processes leading up to the meeting which is being held under the theme “The Sustainable Development of Small Island

Developing States through genuine and durable partnerships”. Caricom is recognised by the international community as the major driver of the SIDS-Programme of Action (SIDS/POA) and this meeting presents an opportunity to seek ways of harmonis-

ing the SIDS/POA framework with the strategic development objectives outlined in the Community’s Strategic Plan 2015-2019 recently approved by heads of Government.

The SIDS/POA had its genesis in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED 1992) where it was recognised that SIDS share unique characteristics that make them economically, environmentally and socially vulnerable to shocks over which they exercise little or no control, placing them at a distinct disadvantage in comparison with larger countries.

The SIDS/POA was adopted at the first UNSIDS which was held in Barbados in 1994 and defined various challenges that SIDS face in their efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth and development.

This programme of action was reshaped at the International Review Meeting in Mauritius in January 2005 and highlighted the need to accelerate efforts to assist small island states in building resilience to environmental, social and economic vulnerabilities.

Emerging issues

The strategy adopted addressed new and emerging issues, including the impact of HIV/AIDS, security concerns, the importance of information and communication technology, the need for special and differential treatment in the face of erosion of trade preferences, and the protection of indigenous cultures and cultural industries.

Since 1994, much action has been taken by Caricom (SIDS) towards their sustainable development using most of their own available resources to implement the SIDS/POA with limited assistance from international development partners.

Many sustainable development initiatives, programmes

and projects have been instituted at the regional and national levels. At the regional level, major initiatives include establishment of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre; Cleaner Production Project; Integrating Watershed and Coastal area Management in Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean (IWCAM); The Eastern Caribbean Waste Management Project; Caribbean Global Water Partnership; and Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM).

These projects have benefited from funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the European Union, and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), among others.

There have also been attempts to garner the support of the international community towards capacity-building, institutional strengthening and networking in a number of other areas including Information and Communication Technology and the development and use of renewable energy.

Economic crisis

However, the financial and economic crisis of 2008 has led to significant decline in the global, regional and national investment, trade, incomes, employment, consumption, and wealth along with features such as the credit crunch, and the food and energy crises.

Caricom economies have been hit very hard. Economic growth, tourist arrivals, and foreign direct investments have declined, fiscal positions have deteriorated, and the levels of debt have increased in a number of Caricom member states, which has led to high levels of unemployment and

the adoption of austerity policy measures across the Region. The meeting therefore provides another opportunity for the Region to press the international community on the issue of using per capita income criteria to determine access to concessionary development financing.

Against that background, Caricom member states will be seeking to ensure that the new SIDS /POA to be determined in Samoa, reflects their development aspirations and embraces a broader understanding of the conditions of SIDS. This is critical as the Samoa gathering is the last major opportunity for small states to consolidate their issues as the negotiations draw to a close on the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Partnerships

“Given the theme of the meeting, the community welcomes the opportunity to develop partnerships with the international community, since these are of strategic importance for small, open economies like ours, if we are to succeed in our poverty alleviation and sustainable development efforts. Innovative partnerships can be an effective mechanism to facilitate the scaling up of best practices and in implementing global commitments.”

The Region’s strategy has been geared towards building on and expanding areas in which there is already some level of ongoing activities, demonstrated interest and institutional capacity.

This approach of building synergies, filling gaps and utilising existing national and regional institutions should optimise the effectiveness of any new financial resources, strengthen capacity, reduce lead time and increase the sustainability of activities that would improve the lives of the people of the community.

IDB highlights catalytic role of women-led SMEs

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) will host the 13th Annual Summit of the Global Banking Alliance for Women (GBA) at its headquarters in Washington, DC.

The three-day event, to be held September 17-19, brings together representatives from the banking sector, governments, leading non-governmental organisations, and the development finance community to exchange best practices and discuss business models that help build women’s wealth worldwide.

The summit will feature a Special Forum on “Achieving Sustainability through the Female Economy” on Thursday, September 18, which will focus on the link between corporate sustainability and serving the women’s market, as well as the power of data in advancing the business case for women’s financial inclusion.

IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno and Chris Sullivan, Chair of GBA and Deputy Chief Executive of the Royal

Bank of Scotland Group, will deliver opening remarks at the forum.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, women-led Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) make up a highgrowth, yet underserved segment of the economy – the financing gap is the highest in the world at an estimated $85 billion.

To provide incentives to banks and other financial intermediaries to test innovative, inclusive lending models, the IDB launched in 2012

the women entrepreneurshipBanking (weB) programme, a joint effort between the IDB’s Structured and Corporate Finance Department and the MIF. Under this programme, more than US$110 million in loans and technical assistance has been approved for 11 banks in the Region to increase the access to credit for over 100,000 women-led SMEs during the next five years. As sponsors of GBA, the IDB and the MIF encourage financial institutions in the Region that are interested in taking advantage of the women’s business market to attend this year’s GBA Annual Summit. Interested banks can contact Laura Giraldo to request further information. The GBA is a global consortium of financial institutions driving women’s wealth creation. GBA members include 39 financial institutions that work in more than 135 countries to build innovative, comprehensive programmes that provide women entrepreneurs with vital access to finance, information, education and networking opportunities.

33 victims of fire, high winds assisted – Relief Council

The Guyana Relief Council (GRC) has assisted 33 victims of fire and high winds during the first half of the year.

The GRC in a release said the families were offered temporary residence at the GRC shelter, but they all opted to stay with family members for moral support.

The Council assisted them with relief packages consisting of groceries, mattresses, hygiene items, kitchen utensils, clothing and toiletries.

Monthly care-packages were issued to four families in difficult circumstances.

The families are Milton Alli (family of seven) of Friendship, East Bank Demerara; Savitri Williams (family of five) of Tuschen Housing Scheme;

Chance meeting leads to generous donation

to

The South American country of Guyana is getting a little help from the Bay area, thanks to two men who came together after a chance meeting.

Mike Mielke is a Sergeant with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and also the pastor of Wilderness Lake Church in Land O’ Lakes.

A trip to Guyana five years ago left Mielke wanting to do more. So he started the charity Guyana Mission Development International, or GUYDMI, to help locals there start their own EMS system. As part of that effort, Mielke had been collecting medical supplies and equipment to send overseas.

Not too long ago, Mielke struck up a conversation with Terence Ramotar at a car wash. The two had never met before and when the topic turned to Mielke’s missionary work in Guyana, Ramotar could not believe it.

“A shock went down my spine and he said why do you look so shocked,” said Ramotar. “I said because my entire family is from that country.”

As it turns out, Ramotar is the Vice President of TransCare Tampa, a medical transportation service.

“The only missing pieces he needed were ambulances,” said Ramotar. “So I said you’re in luck. I just happen to have ambulances that have been in storage that we need to dispose of.”

The two ambulances are 10 years old and not allowed on the road anymore in Hillsborough County. But Ramotar said they both still have about 200,000 miles left on them.

Each is now on its way to Guyana, filled with the supplies collected by Mielke and GUYDMI.

“It’s very humbling,” Mielke said. “Really truly humbling.” (Bay News 9)

Amanda Anthony (family of two) of Hope, East Coast Demerara; and Roxanne Winfield (family of four) of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara.

“Persons desirous of supporting our humanitarian work can contact us at our office, Lot X West of Public Road, Riverview Ruimveldt or on telephone,

225-3081 or 225-2874.

“Our office will be closed from August 25, to August 29.

"Arrangements have however been made for im-

mediate response should there be any emergency. In such instance, we can be reached on telephone, 2231568,” the release said.

DNA of body found at Liliendaal being tested in Trinidad

The DNA samples that were taken from the decomposed body of a female found at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, last month is currently being tested in a Trinidad laboratory, Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud has said. He said the samples were sent to the Caribbean island after there were discussions between the labs from the two countries. “There were discussions at a technical level between our lab and their lab that’s why they used that lab,” he stated. Persaud noted that this is the first time that they are using the Lab in Trinidad and could not say when the results are expected. “We used Trinidad because the discussions seem to suggest that we are likely to get the results earlier,” the commis-

sioner said.

This is not the first time the police have sent samples overseas for DNA testing. Previously, the Force had sent samples to Brazil, Jamaica, Barbados and the United States. Samples from the famous Sheema Mangar case was sent to Brazil and the Lindo Creek Massacre samples were sent to Jamaica.

After years of anticipation, Guyana first Forensic Lab was commissioned early July. However, the lab does not have a facility to conduct DNA testing. Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee had told the Guyana Times that DNA testing will be facilitated in the second phase of the Citizens Security Programme funded by the Inter-American Development Bank. Discussions are currently in

progress to design the second phase.

These samples that were sent to Trinidad are suspected to be that of missing St Stanislaus teacher, Ngyozi Goodman. The 36-year-old Goodman was last seen on July 6, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, where she had accompanied her school’s basketball team to the National Schools Basketball Championships. Goodman, of William Street, Kitty, was last seen sending off the basketball team with another teacher.

On July 24, a female body at an advanced stage of decomposition was found and was suspected to be that of the missing teacher. However relatives could not have positively identified the body as Goodman’s, hence DNA samples were taken. One of Goodman’s

brothers had told reporters that there was no flesh on the body and the only way the woman could be identified is by a bad tooth in her mouth. Due to the state of the woman’s corpse, local Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh had to be taken to the scene to perform the postmortem examination, but after more than 30 minutes of examining the remains, he declared the cause of death as inconclusive.

However, he reportedly found signs that the woman might have been stabbed. Samples of the woman’s remains are expected to be sent to Brazil for further analysis. The pieces of samples were placed in brown paper bags and taken away by members of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Berbice to honour past Test cricketers

−Gov't supports move

At long last pavilions for cricket grounds in Berbice will be named after outstanding Test cricketers and this was as a result of assistance from the Guyana Government through the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The Skeldon Cricket Ground will be named after John Trim, the first Guyanese to play Test cricket, the pavilion at Port Mourant will be named af -

ter Rohan Kanhai, and dressing rooms after Basil Butcher and Joe Solomon.

The two ends of the ground will be named after spinner Ivan Madray and batsman Alvin Kallicharran. The Rose Hall Canje Pavilion is to be named the Leonard Baichan pavilion.

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) is celebrating its 75th anniversary and had requested GuySuCo to name

the pavilions after outstanding Berbice cricketers. The Corporation willingly agreed after receiving clearance from Government.

Cricket pavilions in Tinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and other countries are also named after outstanding cricketers. The celebrations will get underway on August

Beer Division One League… Grove, Diamond, Agricola and Timehri in action Sunday

Table toppers Grove

Hi Tech will be seeking to further consolidate their position at the top when they take on Diamond United in the feature game of a double header when the Stag Beer sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) division one league continues on Sunday at the Grove Playfield.

Joint leading marksman, Domini Garnett (10), who is also Captain of the Grove team, will be at the helm yet again for his side as they look to garner full points in

their quest to win the first place prize of $300,000.

Diamond can be a handful and must not be taken for granted but given the consistent form that the home team has been displaying in this second half of the league, Diamond could be in for a torrid time.

The stats table below will tell the story in terms of the level of effectiveness of both sides in the attacking and defensive third.

Opening action tomorrow at 13:30h will see Agricola Red Triangle and Timehri

facing off in what is anticipated to be a humdinger of a clash. Both sides have played 9 games apiece but Timehri enjoy a slim one point advantage.

Both Agricola and Timehri have also displayed a tendency to attack while being solid in defense; Agricola will be unleashing joint top scorer Gordon Grant (10) on the Timehri defense but the Timehri boys will have in their lineup, Collis Messiah who has scored 5 goals to date.

31 with a dinner andpresentation ceremony, which will be attended by President Donald Ramotar, the Minister of Sports, and the Regional Chairmen for Regions Five and Six.

Test and national cricketers from Berbice as well as outstanding administrators will also be honoured by the BCB, and presentations will be made to the awardees.

The Guyana

Government, through the Ministry of Sports, is playing an important role in the celebrations by covering the cost of the dinner and presentations, as well as to finance the cost of producing a large portrait of former Windies captain Rohan Kanhai, the most outstanding batsman the county has produced.

The Ministry of Tourism has provided tokens and gifts while the Public Service Ministry

has made a financial donation to the celebration.

Among the celebrations planned are: the renaming of the BCB Office, the Leslie Amsterdam Office, Hall of Fame for Administrators, a panel discussion, delivering 75 hampers to less unfortunate families, an essay competition, a public exhibition and a quiz competition. (submitted by Oscar Ramjeet)

Sprinter Alisha Fortune started her campaign at the North, Central American and Caribbean World Masters Athletic Championships (NCCWMA) in San Jose, Costa Rica, on a successful note as she captured gold in the Women’s 25-39 400 metres on Friday.

Fortune clocked 56.32secs to easily win the final ahead of Alejandra Cedeno (01:03.79) of Venezuela and Heidy Segura Gonzalez (01:05.81) of Costa Rica who came second and third respectively. Fourth was Mayra Valentina Carrillo of Mexico and fifth Beatriz Araya Granados of Costa Rica.

The Guyanese sprinter will also contest the 100 metres (today) and 200 metres (Sunday) and is expected to take gold in those events have entered with the fastest times.

Speaking to Guyana Times Sport prior to her departure on Tuesday, Fortune had expressed optimism of

returning good results as she is well prepared and in high spirits, despite being uncertain of travelling at the last minute since sponsorship was slow in coming.

“Fortunately I am ready to go and by God’s grace I will go and do Guyana proud and come back with gold.”

Fortune’s trip is

through the blessings of the Guyana Masters Athletics Association (GMAA). The GMAA had said on Tuesday that the association will also be hoping to have Fortune and others participate in the South American Masters Championships in Medellin, Colombia in November.

Neymar likely to miss opening La Liga game

Barcelona forward Neymar is likely to miss the Spanish club’s opening

The 22-year-old Brazil international scored twice during a 6-0 pre-season defeat of Mexican side Leon on Monday. But less than a week after being given the all-clear from the fractured vertebra

he suffered at the World Cup, Neymar was injured in training.

“Tests have shown a grade one sprain,” said a Barcelona statement.

“His return to training will depend on how the injury treatment evolves.” Barcelona begin the season under new coach Luis Enrique having overhauled their squad following their first season without a major

trophy in six years. They paid a reported £75m to sign Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, although Barcelona subsequently said the figure was nearer £65m, while defender Thomas Vermaelen was bought from Arsenal for £15m.

They have also signed goalkeepers Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, defender Jeremy Mathieu and midfielder Ivan Rakitic.

Neymar scored twice during a 6-0 pre-season defeat of Mexican side Leon on Monday

Guyana Cup Horse Race Meet….

Overseas jockeys, more horses register

There is a big buzz in Berbice and especially at the Port Mourant Turf Club as the highly anticipated Guyana Cup draws nigh. More horses have registered while jockeys have started to arrive in the country for Sunday’s event.

The annual Guyana Cup horse-race meet, which has a mammoth $25M and over sponsorship package this year, including a record $4M for the animal that wins the C1 and Lower race, is now giving an award to the jockey that wins the feature event.

A colourful new starting gate will be in place to add to the day’s event, while some big names in horse racing in Guyana have been registered for some of the day’s nine races.

Among them is the inform Battle Hymn that is expected to be featured in the ‘G’ and ‘H’ class races, while Cat Messiah will be in the ‘H’ class event and is expected to take charge.

Trophy Stall has also come on board to increase the number of sponsors for the biggest sporting event in Guyana at this time of year.

Meanwhile, jockey Kumar Singh from the USA has arrived and is expected to be featured in several races, including the C1 and Lower feature race. Singh joins overseas-based jockeys Nicholas Patrick from Trinidad and Brian Blake from Jamaica as overseas jockeys already registered for the event.

The top jockey, along with the runner-up, the top

stable and champion trainer will all be presented with trophies and other incentives, compliments of the or-

ganisers.

In the C1 and Lower race, the second prize is $2M. The third-place finish-

er gets $1M, while half that amount goes to the animal finishing fourth.

Three-year old horses bred and born in Guyana and the West Indies will

race over a distance of 1,600 metres with the first to end the race receiving $2M, while the Two-year old West Indian-bred horses will race over a distance of 1,000 metres for a first prize of $1.5M. The E class and Lower 1,400-metre event has a first prize of $800,000 and the G1 and Lower $600,000. That race will be over a distance of 1,200 metres.

There will be a Two-yearold event for Guyana-bred horses over a distance of 1,000 metres. The top prize in that race is $600,000. The H and Lower 1,000-metre race guarantees the winning horse a purse of $450,000 while the ‘I’ and Lower race also goes the same distance with the winner receiving $350,000. The J and Lower race will be 1,200 metres with the winner getting $250,000.

Park Players investing in tennis future

− four players to attend ITF U-12 Developmental Programme

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

The Park Players Tennis Club is doing its part to ensure the game of tennis is passed on to the younger generation. On Friday, the club, under the leadership of national coach Shelly DalyRamdyhan, concluded a two-week camp for youngsters aged 3 to 15 at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue.

A total of 32 youths participated in the programme, which focussed on the basics of the sport for the beginners and refresher drills for those already with a foundation in the game.

This is the first year the Park Players Tennis Club has embarked on such a programme since its inception in 2005, and according to Daly-Ramdyhan, the event was a success as it was able to bring forth players with the ability to succeed.

The newcomers were exposed to the fundamentals of the game, such as hand/eye coordination, reception skills, targeted drills and rallies among

other areas, while the older participants were tutored on refresher and intermediate drills.

To assess the progress made by the players at the conclusion of the camp, Daly-Ramdyhan held several mini competitions, assigning the young players to respective categories depending on their skills level.

In the Red Ball ‘A’ category, Shriya Persaud emerged champion followed by Sasha Skeete, while in the Red Ball ‘B’ division, Malaika Henry won from Dhiren Persaud.

Aaron Persaud and Makala Henry were 1-2 in the Orange Ball ‘A’ competition, while Alex Andries defeated Akel Browne in the Orange Ball ‘B’ category. Keenan Persaud was the top player of the Yellow Ball competition, with Vijay Sharma the runnerup. Daly-Ramdyhan was assisted by national player Shawna Gentle during the programme, while trophies for the competition were donated by USA based Guyanese, ten-

nis fanatic and Certified Public Accountant, George Abrams, who has had the privilege of viewing live the last 31 editions of the US Open.

According to Daly-

Ramdyhan, a close friend, who wished to remain anonymous, also donated a tennis racquet to the programme. The racquet was presented to Keenan Persaud for winning the

with some of the young graduates of the two-week programme

Yellow Ball competition.

Meanwhile, four promising players from the Park Players Tennis Club have been selected to attend the International Tennis Federation (ITF) 12 and Under Development Programme in St Lucia from August 25-30. Those players are Antionne Andries, Vijay Sharma, Kalyca Fraser and Sarah Klautky.

Letter to the Sport Editor Sponsorship is a serious matter

Dear Editor

It is noted that W&H Rambaran is sponsoring the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB). It also stated that this company was founded in the early 1990s and, according to a press release from the DCB executives, that the company’s aim is to propel Guyana into the 21st century to make its customers’ boating experience better in the long run.

W&H Rambaran

Mariner Outboard Engines is the number one on the water, and supplies Mariner and Mercury outboard engines, spare parts and accessories.

Now that this generous company is sponsoring the DCB, they may be obliged to let the constituent members of the DCB and general public know who are the executives of the DCB.

The photograph published indicated that Raj Singh and Anand Kalladeen are President and Treasurer, respectively. If not, this is serious indictment for a company such as W&H Rambaran. Has this company seen a financial statement from the DCB? And if so, why it is not presented to the constituent members of the DCB?

Sponsorship is a serious matter and had it been in the USA, an immediate investigation would have been launched. The anti-moneylaundering /antiterrorism laws would have been enforced.

Yours truly Lalman Seecharran

Copied: Transparency International

Depleted attacks face off in series opener

Pakistan’s rustiness was a major talking point ahead of the Test series, and it could be an issue before the first ODI as well. Pakistan’s last 50-over match was the Asia Cup final in March. They lost that game, the second time they had lost to Sri Lanka in a tournament where they had beaten everyone else. They were both matches Pakistan could have won, but Sri Lanka showed a clear edge when it came to handling the pressure moments.

It is an issue Pakistan will want to address before the World Cup, and the return of Younis Khan seems a step in that direction. What this will do, though, is disturb a middle-order combination that doesn’t seem to require too much tinkering. Pakistan have a decent set of batsmen in the ODI format, with a group of younger players - Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Fawad Alam, who scored a terrific century in the Asia Cup final - settling in nicely among the more experienced names.

Younis’ inclusion, in fact, could push either Sharjeel Khan or Sohaib Maqsood, or both, out of the eleven, and this is a sign of a team trying to arrive at its best possible batting combination. It isn’t the worst problem for Pakistan to face. A bigger worry is batting depth. Shahid Afridi batted at No. 7 during the Asia Cup, and while he pulled out a couple of blinders, it still seems a

risky ploy. Pakistan themselves seem to think so, judging by the fact that they played an extra batsman - Maqsood - at seven during their warm-up match in Moratuwa.

Pakistan’s bowling is also a concern, without Saeed Ajmal, and potentially without Junaid Khan, the extent of whose recovery from concussion suffered during the second Test is as yet unknown. During the warm-up game against the Board President’s XI, the pace trio of Anwar Ali, Mohammad Talha and Wahab Riaz went for 186 runs in 26 overs.

The batsmen who took Pakistan apart included Ashan Priyanjan and Thisara Perera, who both made half-centuries at over a run a ball. They might be vying for one place in Sri Lanka’s eleven at Hambantota, while Lahiru Thirimanne, who captained the Board President’s XI and scored a duck, is likely to play, considering he is Sri Lanka’s vice-captain.

Sri Lanka see a lot of long-term potential in Thirimanne, and he illustrated this with centuries in both matches against Pakistan during the Asia Cup. But his form since then, in all formats, has

been worrying, and it is also an issue for them that he tends to bat much better in the top three than he does at No. 5 - which is where he has slotted in for most of his recent matches. Perhaps he could open in this series, in the absence of the injured Kusal Perera, but he will need to score runs, one way or another, to justify the faith Sri Lanka have shown in him.

Thirimanne is only part of Sri Lanka’s larger concern over their batting in the long-term, with Dinesh Chandimal also in the process of trying to re-establish his international career. Till the World Cup, though, they still have the services of the old firm of Dilshan, Sangakkara and Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka will need to sort out their bowling combination, however, particularly in the spin department. Sachithra Senanayake, whom they have depended on for economy over recent months, has been banned for an illegal bowling action, and the selectors still haven’t made up their minds on Ajantha Mendis, who is out of the squad now but could well be back before their next series. Rangana Herath tormented Pakistan in the Tests and is part of the ODI squad, but Sri Lanka will probably use him sparingly, to manage his workload. Whether Seekuge Prasanna and Suraj Randiv will allow that remains to be seen.

Hamilton dominant in second practice at Spa

Lewis Hamilton set a stunning pace in second practice at the Belgian Grand Prix to lead team-mate Nico Rosberg to a Mercedes onetwo. Hamilton was 0.604 seconds quicker than the German, who is 11 points ahead in the championship heading into this race, the first after the summer break.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was a shock third ahead of Williams’ Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Jenson Button. But the Spaniard was 0.741 seconds adrift of Hamilton’s lap.

Rosberg made a small mistake exiting the Malmedy right-hander at the top of the hill on his lap, running slightly wide on to the kerb, but BBC F1 analyst Allan McNish reckoned that had cost him only 0.1secs.

Hamilton entered the weekend saying he felt “amazing” and “really energetic” after the break, and determined to start the second and decisive part of the season strongly after a series of problems blighted his early

campaign. And his stunning lap was a powerful statement of intent, especially as he had appeared to struggle slightly in the first session.

He was second to Rosberg, by only 0.097secs, but had a series of incidents, missing a couple of braking points and running wide twice at the 150mph Pouhon double-left. Hamilton also had to rescue a slide at the 180mph+ Eau Rouge sweeps.

He put that behind him in the afternoon, though, and was fastest on the harder ‘medium’ tyre early in the session by about 0.4secs, before stretching that margin even further on the ‘soft’ tyre that will be used for qualifying. Hamilton also appeared to have a slight edge on race pace, judging by the longrun times on heavy fuel, set later in the session.

Mercedes’ closest rivals were expected to be Williams, and may remain so, but Ferrari appeared more competitive on Friday than they had thought they would be. Alonso entered the race

weekend saying he expected this event and the subsequent one in Italy to be “damage limitation”.

The team have an update on their engine, adding insulating material to the exhaust pipes in the hope of retaining more heat and thereby increasing the effectiveness of their engine recovery system.

But Ferrari have often flattered to deceive on Fridays this season, only to drop back in qualifying.

“I think Ferrari will be strong this weekend,” said McNish. “The circuit suits the characteristics of their car. I think [Alonso] could be a surprise tomorrow afternoon, perhaps even grab a place on the second row.”

“Mercedes will be strong as always, but it will be Ferrari right behind and then a good battle between Williams and Red Bull.”

Behind Button, Williams’s Valtteri Bottas was sixth, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, Ricciardo, McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen and Force India’s Nico

Hulkenberg. Ricciardo’s team-mate, world champion Sebastian Vettel, was forced to miss the session because a failure in the car’s hybrid system meant Red Bull had to change his engine. Vettel admitted it was now inevitable he would sooner or later have to suffer at least one mandatory 10-place grid penalty for using more than his allowed five engines this season. “The only question is how many,” Vettel said. An eventful session was stopped twice, first for a crash by Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado on the hill down towards the fast left-hander at Pouhon and then for a spin at Blanchimont by Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez. Maldonado lost control after getting the car halfway on to the grass after leaving the Liege left-hander and failing to bring it back on to the track. The Venezuelan was taken to a hospital for a check-up but was none the worse for his misadventure. Gutierrez blamed a gearbox problem for his spin at the 180mph Blanchimont bend, saying: “It’s the gearbox. I turned in and something completely braked the car.”

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Malta Supreme cycling at National Park on today

Young cyclists participating in the 38th annual Teach Them Young cycling programme will have another opportunity to test their competitive skills today when the third annual Malta Supreme NonAlcoholic Malt 11-race programme takes place at the inner circuit of the National Park.

The event will pedal off at 09:00h todayand will take the regular format of an 11race programme, concluding with the feature 35-lap School Boys and Invitational race.

That race won by Alanzo Greaves in 2013, as he clocked one hour, 16 minutes, 55.44 seconds (01:16m: 55.44s). Hamzah Eastman won the Juveniles event, while Junior Niles and Stephano Husbands were champions of the Veterans Under-50 and Mountain Bikes respectively. Banks DIH Brand Manager for Non-Alcoholic Malt, Clayton McKenzie, and Banks DIH Outdoor Events Manager, Mortimer Stewart, are expected to witness the race and assist in the presentation of prizes

after.

Today’s race is the third in successive weekends Mohamed has hosted at the National Park, all with the aim of providing an avenue for the youths to showcase what they have learnt at the camp.

The camp, which was first held in 1977, will conclude next week with the hosting of another 11-race activity, this time sponsored by the National Sports Commission, the brainchild of the Teach Them Young programme.

WICB now accepting hand drawn entries

−for kit design competition

The West Indies Cricket Board today announced that it is now accepting hand drawn designs for its recently announced kit design competition.

On August 1st last, the WICB announced that professional and amateur designers across the Caribbean are being given the historic opportunity to design the West Indies team One Day International and Twenty20 playing kit.

The WICB has agreed to accept hand drawn designs owing to overwhelming requests from interested amateur and professional designers.

“While we still prefer to receive electronic designs, we have received feedback and requests from numerous designers who have indicated that they are not able to produce electronic designs themselves due to a number of constraints and they are being asked to pay prohibitive sums to have these done for the purposes of submitting entries to the competition,” WICB Marketing and Communications Manager Imran Khan explained.

“We want to ensure the broadest possible participation so we are sympathetic to these requests and are happy to adjust the submission requirements to accommodate as many designers as

The WICB has agreed to accept hand drawn designs owing to overwhelming requests from interested amateur and professional designers

possible,” Khan said.

Designers who are able to provide their designs in electronic format are encouraged to do so. Designers who are not able to produce electronic designs can have their hand drawn designs scanned and submitted via email as a PDF document.

The competition is open to all designers of all ages who are citizens of or resident in any WICB jurisdiction. The deadline for submission is August 29 and full details on how to enter and the terms and conditions for the competition are available at www.windiescricket.com/ kitdesign

The deadline for submission is August 29th.

The winner in each of the three categories will receive HP tablets and desktop com-

puters along with all expenses paid trips to a West Indies international match in the Caribbean among other prizes.

The WICB is seeking three designs:

1. West Indies Men’s Twenty20 Team.

2. West Indies Men’s One Day International Team.

3. West Indies Women’s Team.

Designers can submit in any one of the categories or all if they are so desirous.

The WICB will appoint a diverse judging panel to select the winning designs. The panel will include players and prominent personalities in the Caribbean fashion and entertainment industries. The judging panel will be revealed at a later date. (WICB)

Swimming camp concludes with focus on academics

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

The annual swimming camp organised by the National Sports Commission (NSC) came to a successful end on Friday, and Director of Sport Neil Kumar had strong words of advice for the potential swimmers as they embark on their next journey in life.

Delivering remarks at the closing ceremony at the Colgrain Pool, Kumar, a Parliamentarian of the ruling administration, urged the youngsters, who numbered a record 120 for the six-week programme, to also focus strongly on their academic upliftment, while pursuing their swimming endeavours.

Kumar identified national swimmer Onika George as a perfect role model for the youngsters. George, who attended the Bishops High, was outstanding at CSEC this year, copping 11 Grade Ones.

The phenomenal student/athlete was present at the closing ceremony and also displayed her skills

during a demonstration of the various strokes by some members of the national team and young participants of the camp.

Kumar urged the parents/guardians present to invest in their child/children’s education so as to secure a sound future. He also used the opportunity to commend the parents/guardians for showing avid interest in their youngsters’ development by regularly attending the sessions.

The top performers of the camp have now graduated to the Olympic size swimming pool at the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, but Kumar said the others should not hang their head in despair as the NSC is willing to make provisions for them to improve on their skills.

He said the NSC is prepared to make the Colgrain Pool available for training sessions for those who have an interest in pursuing the sport, but it will be up to the parents/guardians to accept the offer.

Kumar also used the op-

portunity to highlight the contribution the camp has made to swimming over the years. He reflected that when the camp started about two decades ago when the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) was dormant, Guyana won bronze for many years at the Inter Guiana Games, but in 2014

the national swimmers are winning gold at the prestigious Goodwill Games.

President of GASA, Ivan Persaud, in commending the NSC for hosting the camp on an annual basis, said there is need for more such activities in order for talents to come to the fore.

He pointed out that

training for such age groups should not be restricted to the annual camp by the NSC, but rather it should be extended with the hosting of similar activities where youngsters can be trained, thereby filtering new players to the national grid.

Permanent Secretary of the Sport Ministry, Alfred

King, congratulated the youngsters on completing the programme and spoke of government’s investment in sport countrywide.

He reminded the gathering of the administration’s commitment to the various disciplines through the construction of state-of-the-art facilities such as the National Stadium at Providence, the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, the National Racquet Centre and public squash courts at Woolford Avenue and the synthetic track at Leonora.

According to one of the instructors, Paul Mahaica, this year has been the largest ever in the history of the camp in terms of participation with 120 youths attending the sessions. Of that number, 95 of them came to the camp without any prior knowledge of the intricacies of the sport. They were tutored on the fundamentals of the sport by a team of nine instructors led by the experienced Cuban coach, Isabel Maria Cousa Fals.

TBanks DIH continues support of Guyana Cup Horse Race Tough run at PASO Games for Guyana

he eighth annual Guyana Cup horse race meet continues to receive tremendous corporate support with Banks DIH Limited being the latest entity to confirm its support for Sunday’s highly anticipated event at the Port Mourant Turf Club.

More than $25 million dollars in cash and prizes will be at stake during the country’s biggest and most lucrative horse race meet, set to start at 12:30h.

Nine races are carded for the day with the feature being the C1 and Lower carrying a total prize money of $7.5 million. The winning prize is a whopping $4 million and the Guyana Cup trophy. The race will be contested over a distance of 1,800 metres.

At a simple ceremony at Banks DIH, Thirst Park, on Friday morning, Outdoor Events Manager, Mortimer Stewart, presented a cheque for an undisclosed amount to Irshad Mohamed of the Guyana Cup Organising Committee. Communications Manager of Banks DIH Limited, Troy Peters, said his company was elated to once again be on board and urged patrons to come out and witness quality horse racing on Sunday.

Mohamed, in accepting the sponsorship, was grateful for the support of one of the long-time partners of the Guyana

Cup. He pointed out that all systems are falling in place for Sunday’s mega event, which is expected to attract top horses and jockeys from Guyana and further afield.

Other races on the day’s card include the E and Lower, G, H and I Class horses, along with the J and Lower race. In the C1 and Lower race, the second prize is $2 million. The third place finisher will get $1 million, while half that amount will go to fourth place.

The Three-year old horses bred in Guyana and the West Indies will race over a distance of 1,600 metres with the first to end the race receiving

$2 million, while the Twoyear old West Indies bred horses will race over a distance of 1,000 metres for a first prize of $1.5 million.

The E Class and Lower 1,400 metres event has a first prize of $800,000 and the G1 and Lower $600,000. That race will be over a distance of 1,200 metres. There will be a Two-year old event for Guyana bred horses over a distance of 1,000 metres. The top prize in that race is $600,000.

The H and Lower 1,000 metre race guarantees the winning horse a purse of $450,000, while the I and Lower race also goes the same distance with the winner receiv-

ing $350,000. The J and Lower race will be 1,200 metres with the winner getting $250,000.

The top jockey, along with the runner-up, the top stable and champion trainer, will be presented with trophies and other incentives compliments of the organisers.

Organised by business conglomerate Jumbo Jet Auto Sales and Racing Stables, which has establishments at Bush Lot and Chester Villages, West Coast Berbice, East Bank Demerara and Georgetown, the Guyana Cup 2014 horse race meet is being held in collaboration with the Port Mourant Turf Club.

Guyana left Mexico without a medal at the recently concluded Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) festival last weekend.

South American under-23 bronze medallist Stephan James was the most successful athlete on the tour, making the final of the men’s 400 metres.

James clocked a new personal best of 46.18s in his semi-final, but ran slower in the final with a time of 46.5s for seventh place.

Sprinter Elton Bollers, who competed in both the 100 and 200 metres, failed

to make it past the preliminary rounds of both events after clocking 10.84s in the 100 metres and 21.63s in the 200 metres.

The lone female on the team, Natrena Hooper, jumped 12.3 metres in the triple jump but was unable to finish near the topbracket jumpers. It was related to Guyana Times Sport by Bollers that the games took place at a high altitude, which made breathing a “task”.

Bollers also said “several athletes bled from their nostrils while others had to get oxygen at the finish line.”

CULT/EBFA U-17 semis…

Grove tackle KK Warriors; Agricola face Herstelling today

The battle lines will be drawn this afternoon at the Grove Playfield when the semi-finals of the inaugural CULT / East Bank Football Association Under-17 league are contested between the top four teams that have emerged following preliminary play.

Grove Hi Tech, ending as the only unbeaten team during the preliminary stages, will come up against Kuru Kururu Warriors who took the fourth and final semi-final spot. Grove will be aiming to advance to the championship game as they hunt their second junior title this year, having also won the Trophy Stall Under-15 League. However, they will first have to get past a determined Warriors outfit that can surprise their opponents on the day.

Back to lead Grove would be national Under-17 for-

ward Joel Dick who had to sit out his team’s last game due to a red card. Dick is the leading scorer in the tournament to date with 10 and he could be the difference between the two sides today.

Captain Trevor Jones will also be critical for Grove, the defender who is also a handful coming forward had four goals to his credit and along with Mervin Squires, Threvon Pluck and company can be a lot for the Warriors to handle.

The Soesdyke-Linden Highway- based lads will, however, not be intimidated and will be coming out blazing as they take the attack to the home team. Joshua Grant and Brian Daniels will lead their charge.

The first semi-final match will bring together the returning Agricola Red Triangle and the fast rising Herstelling, in what is ex-

Police, Albion square off in Ramcharitar final on Sunday

After a long delay due to inclement weather, the final of the 2013 Ramcharitar Construction Service’s First Division 50over cricket competition in Berbice is now scheduled for Sunday at the Albion Community Centre ground.

Defending champion Albion will do battle with Police in a match which promises to be very interesting. Albion will be at full strength with middleorder batsman Narsingh Deonarine, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, leftarm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and opener Sewnarine Chattergoon all available

Add Jonathan Foo, Kandasammy Surujnarine and Gudakesh Motie and the hosts will start as sure favourites. Also in the squad are Guyana Under-19 cricketers, off-spinners Sharaz

Ramcharran and Balchand Baldeo.

The strength of Albion will come up against a Police team that boasts no big name players, but a set of cricketers who are very dangerous collectively, having defeated giants such as Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets and Young Warriors Universal DVD.

To watch will be allrounder Albert Sinclair, Michael Newland and Kwesi Mickle and spinners Rocky Hutson, Kurt Griffith and Andel Doris. Youngsters Clifton Lindee and Leon Andrews can also give the Albion bowlers some headaches.

The umpires for the final are Imran Moakan and Zaheer Moakan with Omadat Samaroo the standby. Play is scheduled to start at 09:30h on Sunday.

pected to be a keen battle.

Agricola, by virtue of finishing second to Grove following preliminary play, will start as favourites to win, but the party- stoppers Herstelling will be equally confident of claiming the win and a place in the final.

The tournament’s second leading goalscorer, Seon Alfred, will be a handful for the Agricola defence and along with National Under-17 goalkeeper Quazim Yusuf, Curt Rohee and Denzil Devon, Herstelling will fancy their chances of advancing to their first- ever final.

Agricola’s Captain Dakhown Matthews will hope he could continue his inspirational role as leader and scorer, but will have to get maximum support from team-mates if they are to get past Herstelling.

Fundraiser at Enmore on Sunday

The Enmore Community Centre will be hosting several cricket teams, who will participate in a fundraising event on Sunday at the Enmore Community Centre ground, commencing at 10:00h.

The Enmore Community Centre Cricket Club (ECCCC) will take on

teams such as Floodlights XI, Mike’s Wellman and Sundeen Masters at softball, while the ECCCC will oppose Bush Lot Sports Club in a T20 hardball grudge match.

There will be entertainment beyond the boundaries, while food and drink bars will be in operation.

According to a release

from the ECCCC, all proceeds from the event will go towards the improvement of facilities at the Enmore Community Centre.

Trophies for the event are being sponsored by Rajin’s Auto Paint of Enmore and the ECCCC. Admission to the venue is free.

Swimming camp concludes with focus on academics Berbice to honour past Test cricketers

West Indies skittle out Bangladesh for 70

There was promise of a contest when West Indies were restricted to 247, but all hope evaporated by the 17th over when Sunil Narine prompted a collapse that virtually guaranteed a Bangladesh defeat. Tamim Iqbal, playing his most composed knock in ten months, became the third wicket in the space of seven balls, and with that Bangladesh’s chances were almost extinguished.

West Indies eventually won by 177 runs - their largest victory over Bangladesh, who were shot out for 70completing their first ODI series win since February 2013. They did enough with the bat, and then toyed with Bangladesh’s patience with the ball.

Narine, so threatening but wicketless in the first ODI, waded into the Bangladesh batting lineup with three wickets. He set the alarm bells ringing when he removed captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah off consecutive balls in the 16th over.

Narine produced a delivery that bounced more than Mushfiqur anticipated and took the edge, and later bowled one that kept slightly low but went straight past Mahmudullah’s bat to hit the off stump.

Tamim fell in the next over, unable to keep Roach’s bounce down and gave Chris Gayle a simple catch at midwicket. From 57 for 3 it became 57 for 6. Narine then picked up his third wicket

when Sohag Gazi gave deep square leg a straightforward catch.

Kieron Pollard took a onehanded catch at short midwicket when Nasir Hossain couldn’t keep a half-hearted pull-shot down, making it 66 for 8.

The last wicket fell when Al-Amin Hossain was comically run-out, providing an apt finish to the shambles that is Bangladesh’s batting this year.

The top order, barring Tamim, didn’t put up much resistance either. Anamul

Haque and Imrul Kayes gave it away early, and Shamsur Rahman is yet to show he can shine in his new No. 4 position.

Kemar Roach was among the wickets, finishing with 3 for 19, while Jason Holder had one wicket and Ravi Rampaul two. Holder bowled in a different role today, taking the new ball and attacking the Bangladesh openers, of whom he had four to bowl at. Rampaul was slightly unlucky at the start, but made it up with the wickets

later on. Roach was steady, without pushing the speed gun too much, and he didn’t need to.

When they were put in to bat, West Indies’ innings was neither disintegrating nor taking off for a big score. It started off with Kirk Edwards continuing his struggle with deliveries slanting in to the stumps, as he was bowled by AlAmin Hossain for a duck.

Chris Gayle and Darren Bravo then added 88 for the second wicket with the former dominating the partnership. Gayle got to his first ODI fifty in more than a year with plenty of fours and sixes as is his norm. He started off with a straight six off Mashrafe Mortaza and whenever the opportunity presented itself, in the form of a short ball or a full toss, he latched on confidently.

There was a dearth of singles, but he made it up with the big hits, with the emphasis on picking up sixes and not fours.

The likes of Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin struggled to get a move on as the Bangladesh spinners bowled with a lot of control. Abdur Razzak was wicketless in his ten overs but he provided stability, with Mahmudullah and Sohag Gazi providing enough reason to believe it was a decent move to base their attack on spinners.

Bravo got to a fifty while Ramdin and Simmons failed

to push on. The fourthwicket stand between Ramdin and Simmons progressed at less than four an over at an important stage in the innings, but it hardly mattered in the end as Bangladesh’s winless streak extended to 12.

Bangladesh’s lack of fight with the bat has continued, and the phone number-like scorecard after Tamim’s 37 will haunt the team for a long time, or at least till their next meltdown.

SCOREBOARD

West Indies innings (50 overs maximum)

CH Gayle c Sohag Gazi b Mahmudullah 58

KA Edwards b Al-Amin Hossain 0

DM Bravo lbw b Sohag Gazi 53

D Ramdin† c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Al-Amin Hossain 34

LMP Simmons c Mahmudullah b Mashrafe Mortaza 40

KA Pollard b Mashrafe Mortaza 26

DJ Bravo* c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Mashrafe Mortaza 6

JO Holder not out 8

SP Narine not out 7

Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 12) 15

Total (7 wickets; 50 overs) 247 (4.94 runs per over)

Did not batR Rampaul, KAJ Roach

Fall of wickets 1-5 (Edwards, 1.6 ov), 2-93 (Gayle, 21.2 ov), 3-144 (DM Bravo, 31.6 ov), 4-171 (Ramdin, 39.3 ov), 5-222 (Pollard, 46.4 ov), 6-231 (Simmons, 48.3 ov), 7-231 (DJ Bravo, 48.4 ov)

Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza

10-1-39-3, Al-Amin Hossain

10-1-60-2, Mahmudullah

10-0-47-1, Sohag Gazi 9-147-1, Nasir Hossain 1-0-80, Abdur Razzak 10-0-43-0

Bangladesh innings (target: 248 runs from 50 overs)

Tamim Iqbal c Gayle b Roach 37

Anamul Haque c †Ramdin b Holder 7

Imrul Kayes c Simmons b Rampaul 1 Shamsur Rahman b Roach 4 Mushfiqur Rahim*† c †Ramdin b Narine 6 Mahmudullah b Narine 0 Nasir Hossain c Pollard b Roach 6 Sohag Gazi c Edwards b Narine 2 Mashrafe Mortaza lbw b Rampaul 2 Abdur Razzak not out 0 Al-Amin Hossain run out (Sim mons/†Ramdin) 0 Extras (w 5) 5 Total (all out; 24.4 overs)