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AML/CFT standoff Commercial sector feels squeeze of international sanctions PAC headquarters officially commissioned NA prisoner critical after being injured by fellow inmate Children hurt as aunt loses control of bike

wednesday, april 30, 2014| guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Wednesday, April 30 from 05:00h-06:30h

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Wednesday, April 30 from 04:55h-06:25h

WEATHER TODAY

Countrywide: Heavy rain showers can be expected during the day with partly cloudy conditions in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East north-easterly between 4.02 and 5.36 metres per second.

High Tide: 17:19h reaching a maximum height of 2.67 metres.

Low Tide: 10:53h and 23:05h reaching minimum heights of 0.41 and 0.58 metre respectively.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

ECLAC predicts 4.6 per cent growth for Guyana

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has predicted a 4.6 per cent growth rate for Guyana this year, one per cent less than the 5.6 per cent projected by the country, even as it announced that Latin American and Caribbean countries will grow an average of 2.7 per cent due to limited dynamism of the region’s principal economies.

The regional United Nations organisation released on Tuesday its “Updated Economic Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean 2013”, which reviews information on the key economic variables of 2013 and presents new growth estimates for the region.

During his budget speech, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh had stated that Guyana’s economy is projected to expand by 5.6 per cent in 2014, with the non-sugar economy projected to grow by 5.2 per cent. He told the National Assembly that the inflation rate is pegged at five per cent compared to 0.9 per cent last year, the lowest rate in decades. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 5.2 per cent last year while the non-sugar GDP rose by 6.3 per cent.

In 2013, the country’s economy recorded its eighth consecutive year of growth. “Mr Speaker, it is significant to note that the eight years from 2006 to 2013 represent the longest period of uninterrupted real economic growth in independent Guyana,” Dr Singh told the National Assembly.

Viability and profitability

However, while the economy as a whole continues to show sustainable growth, the sugar industry continues to struggle. According to him, a more concerted effort is needed to return the industry to a growth trajectory that would be consistent with viability and profitability.

Meanwhile, ECLAC says that the 2014 regional growth rate would be slightly higher than 2013’s (2.5 per cent), but lower than the rate forecast in December (3.2 per cent), due to an external context still marked by uncertainty and lower growth than expect-

ed for the region’s larger economies, Brazil and Mexico, which will expand by 2.3 per cent and three per cent respectively.

In addition, the economic growth projection was reduced for Argentina (one per cent), a country that took several steps in early 2014 to counter the imbalances of recent years, causing its economy to contract. Likewise, the impact of Venezuela’s complex economic situation will result in a contraction of -0.5 per cent of that nation’s activity. Nevertheless, highly varied expansion levels are predicted for the region’s countries. According to the Updated Economic Overview, Panama, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic will have growth figures equal or higher than five per cent, while a significant number of nations will register expansion of between three per cent and five per cent.

In its report, ECLAC says that activity indicators for developed countries – especially the United States, United Kingdom, Korea, Germany and several others from the eurozone – have shown a recovery. There is caution, however, on the situation in China, one of the region’s main trade partners, which set a minimum growth goal of seven per cent for this year.

Limited demand for commodities

In addition, the demand for commodities is forecast to remain limited, especially mining and food products, which, combined with currency appreciation in developed countries, would cause commodity prices to drop modestly. The decrease would affect the economies that export these products, like those of South America.

ECLAC’s document points out that the United States’ recovery will have a positive impact on the economies of its closest neighbours, especially Mexico and other Central American countries, considering its importance as a trade partner. At the same time, the upturn of developed countries will benefit the Caribbean nations, more specialised in service exports, due to better performance by the tourism sector.

St Kitts and Nevis will grow by 3.1 per cent; the Bahamas, 2.5 per cent; St Vincent and the Grenadines, 2.3 per cent; and Trinidad and Tobago, 2.1 per cent, the same figure projected for the whole group of Caribbean countries. The perspectives for the year show a global scenario with lower liquidity, which entails important challenges in matters of macroeconomic policy and external financing for the Latin American and the Caribbean region, the report expresses.

In terms of inflation, while there are no sharp changes expected, a rise in the regional average is forecast due to the indexing changes in Argentina, the moderate rise in several countries’ prices – despite which, inflation remained between three per cent and six per cent – and the high indicators shown by Venezuela. This regional increase was already observed during the first two months of 2014, when average accumulated regional inflation over 12 months rose to 7.6 per cent compared to 7.3 per cent last December. In this context of modest regional economic growth, there will not be a meaningful recovery of employment levels. ECLAC emphasises this could translate into an increase in unemployment rate –which in 2013 registered a new minimum of 6.2 per cent – only if the drop in labour force participation seen last year is reverted.

Winners in IDB childcare contest to be announced next Tuesday

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the ALAS Foundation will announce on Tuesday, May 6, the winners of the second edition of the ALAS-IDB awards. The awards recognise innovation and excellence in social welfare programmes designed to help children under the age of six in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno and ALAS Foundation

President Alejandro Santo Domingo will attend the award ceremony, which will be held at the IDB Conference Centre (1330 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC). The artiste Shakira, who founded ALAS as part of her efforts to champion education,

will send a message of congratulation to the winners.

The awards ceremony will be the closing event of the seminar “Transforming the Future Starts in Childhood: Innovation and Development in Early Education”. The conference will bring together policymakers, educators, neuroscientists, academics, philanthropists and business leaders. Both events will be

open to the public and the media, although registration is required.

ALAS-IDB awards are given in the following categories: best childhood development centre, best innovation project, best educator, and best publication. More than 700 individuals, schools, non-profits, and Government agencies were nominated for this round.

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

Legal basis for reparations

In a recent paper, “Unearthing the legitimacy of Caricom’s Reparations Bid”, British Virgin Islander, Antonius R Hippolyte, a PhD candidate at the University of Hull Law School, addressed concerns that there might not be a legal basis for reparations. Below are some of his arguments.

“Whether international law recognises the mass annihilation of the native people of the Caribbean and the mass kidnap and enslavement of Africans from their homeland and transportation to plantations in the Caribbean as crimes against humanity, the following propositions cannot be denied. First, the mass genocide of the region’s native people and the kidnap and enslavement of Africans were two of the most wicked criminal enterprises in recorded human history.

“Second, no compensation was ever paid by any of the perpetrators of these vile acts to any of the sufferers. Third, that the effects of the crime continue to be massive, both in terms of the enrichment of the descendants of the perpetrators, and in terms of the impoverishment of their descendants in the Caribbean today. (The legal implications are as follows:)

“First, native genocide of the region’s native peoples and slavery and the slave trade, both constituted crimes against humanity; second, international law recognises the right of victims of crimes against humanity to reparation; third, international law does not recognise any legal barrier to prevent those who still suffer the consequences of crimes against humanity from claiming reparations, even though the crimes were committed against their ancestors; fourth, reparations agenda should be directed against the governments of those countries, which promoted and were enriched by the slave trade and the institution of slavery.

“While crimes against humanity might not have a remedy right now, new structures have often been devised to give effect to recognised principles: ubi jus, ibi remedium: where there is a right, there must be a remedy. The Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal, which later compensated the Jews for the atrocities of Hitler’s Third Reich, defined crimes against humanity in these words: ‘Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population... whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the country here perpetrated’.

“The Charter also gave jurisdiction to the Tribunal to try perpetrators for, among other crimes, deportation to slave labour or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory. The tribunal found that acts so reprehensible as to offend the conscience of mankind, directed against civilian populations, are crimes in international law. In 1948, the UN promoted the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

“(There is some) uneasiness that all the victims of slavery or native genocide must have perished by now. So how is Caricom going to overcome the hurdle of establishing itself as the claimant in this lawsuit on behalf of citizens of its Member States? These citizens are the descendants of the victims of these atrocities. However, international law does not recognise any legal barrier to prevent those who still suffer the consequences of crimes against humanity from claiming reparations, even though the crimes were committed against their ancestors. Whether the descendants of the immediate victims of a crime have a right to reparations, will depend on the nature of the claim being made.

“Israel successfully claimed reparations from West Germany for the costs of resettling Jewish refugees – even though the state of Israel did not yet exist at the time when the Nazi regime committed its crimes against the Jews. If international law harbours this level of ingenuity and creativity, to allow a state, which was not, created at the time an atrocity was committed to successfully claim against another state whose frontiers were fundamentally different at the time the atrocities were committed; then it should not take any feat of genius to allow Caricom to bring claims against states that are more or less the same today as when these atrocities were committed.”

Open letter to the Rodney Commission of Inquiry

Dear Editor,

We take note of, and draw your attention to calls from the public carried in the Guyana press for more information on the proceedings of the Commission of Inquiry as it unfolds.

Walter Rodney lives in the memory of most Guyanese and in non-Guyanese in every part of the world who were touched by his scholarship and humanism. It is in this connection that we urge you to make arrangements for the public to access the proceedings through timely information flow.

For justice to be done in this matter, the public must be involved. This is why in our original letter sent to the commission of April 14, we made it clear that in order that the public and those intending to appear is able to plan – we urged the Commission to establish a firm, but reasonable hearing timeline that gives those intending to appear adequate time to plan.

In this regard, we proposed that hearings should be scheduled in each county of Guyana, including in the mining town of Linden, and in the interior districts of the country.

We also feel that the Commission must consider the difficulty of movement within Guyana, especially for people in the outlying districts. Furthermore, we requested that the Commission consider the cost of internal transport, especially for low-income Guyanese.

And because most of the people involved in that period now reside overseas – we requested that the Commission consider holding hearings in the Caribbean, North America, the United Kingdom, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Our proposals are intended to ensure that the process is transparent. Transparency of this Inquiry is key to the public’s participation and later acceptance of its findings, if and when they are given.

To this end, we bring the Commission’s attention to a letter we received today from a member of the public in London. In a letter sent to the Justice for Walter Rodney Committee, a member of the public in London has asked us to point the Commission “towards recent British judicial inquiries like Lord Justice Leveson on the Press in 2012 or Lord Hutton on the BBC in 2004

where the witnesses were streamed live and all documents made available on the Internet”.

It made for transparency and much informed debate. While we are cognisant of your recently-announced decision to permit live streaming of the proceedings on a television station – may we remind you that the Commission of Inquiry and its proceedings are nonpartisan; hence, we ask whether other communication networks have also been invited and given the privilege to stream the proceedings live as well.

We see no reason why streaming should only be consigned to the Government’s network. It is in this context that we call your attention to another letter we received from a Guyanese living in London, where it was suggested that we encourage the Commission to establish a website, as a means of sharing the proceedings with the public.

Further, we also seek information from you on whether or not witness protection has been arranged and is going to be applied as it was in the Gajraj Commission at that Commission’s request.

Letters such as these should give the Commission pause. We call on the Commission to take justified queries from the public into consideration in its plan to move the process forward.

As the Inquiry moves forward and picks up steam, the public must be reassured by the manner in which the Commission organises to conduct the people’s business that it should be taken seriously.

The public must be involved and kept informed at every step of the process. We live in a digital age, and we expect the Commission to use available technology to research, retrieve and share relevant documents they intend to use to inform their findings.

We also expect the Commission to organise its work in a manner that allows for timely information flows to the public in Guyana and across the world who have an interest in this inquiry. We expect nothing less.

Wazir Mohamed, Associate Professor Indiana University East For Justice for Walter Rodney Committee

Sooba getting the same treatment as Beulah

Dear Editor, Today’s letter marks the first of a two-part series on the Green versus Sooba saga which will open the eyes of the public to a disgraceful Mayor and equally disgraceful goings on in the Georgetown City Council.

There is nothing new in Hamilton Green’s behaviour as it relates to the recently-appointed Town Clerk Carol Sooba. I say recently-appointed Town Clerk for the simple reason that she was appointed by the Government to see to it that some semblance of order comes to a stinking city, both by way of physical and financial clean-up.

This has evoked the ire of Hamilton Green who has embarked on a campaign to harass, discredit and besmirch her character. He is on a campaign in which he ultimately hopes to see her complete removal from City Hall.

In the immediate present and foreseeable future, this is not going to happen, so Green is furious, he has had it, over the top, with “this woman” who seeks to expose his wrongdoings – one who refuses to vacate office. Although the Chief Justice ruled that Sooba’s appointment was illegal, it did stop short of a complete removal of the Town Clerk – this has added insult to “Green’s injury” – so the saga continues. But let us look at two critical issues here, and I will ask a question to begin the first. Is Sooba a threat to the safety and/or security of the City of Georgetown? The answer comes back a resounding no! The Town Clerk poses no threat to the city; in fact, she is there to ensure that the city gets back to its glory days and the way to go about it is to expose all those who are standing in the way of progress.

One such great obstacle is a decrepit and backwardthinking Mayor who requested that the Town Clerk forgive the millions owed by him and his pompous cabal. Because she bluntly refused to be part of that transaction, she is forever hounded by him and his deputy.

You see, Dear Readers, Hamilton Green wants a Town Clerk who he can control and manipulate while the city suffers. Sooba will have none of that, so the two are on a collision course. There is an unending saga of mudslinging and bad mouthing by a very corrupt man and I will pause at this

Robinson disappointed Guyanese on free and fair elections

(Part 1)

stage to issue a timely word of advice to the Town Clerk to be very aware of Green.

Let us backtrack for one moment and look at his relationship with former Town Clerk Beulah Williams. For her keen sense of pride and development for the City of Georgetown, she was called a “head heifer”.

Beulah is a full-bodied lady who was very clean and keen on her duties in lifting the city out of the pit it has found itself in. At first glance, this should be considered a commendable act –one worthy of note – but not so in Green’s book. In his book, she was deemed a “head heifer” or a “cow” who wanted to take over the reins of power at City Hall. Green meant that no woman should stand in his way; hence, she was castigated for doing her job with such a sick comment.

Beulah has left and now we have Sooba, another nononsense Town Clerk who is also called derogatory names one of which is “a rodent”. So there is nothing new about Green’s behaviour, once you are about doing your duties to the best of your ability, you will pose a threat to a corrupt Mayor. Whenever that perception is uppermost in his mind all decency is cast aside and politics of the gutter takes precedence. Clearly, this is what we see taking place at City Hall.

Sincerely, Neil Adams

Dear Editor,

The late ANR Robinson made controversial decisions on ethnic relations in Trinidad, particularly for removing the UNC Government when he was President (December 2001). In addition, he disappointed Guyanese for failing to deliver in his promise to those of us involved in the struggle in New York to put pressure on the PNC dictatorship to hold free and fair elections.

Indians accuse Robbie, as he was known, of marginalising them and they described him as a “neemakharam”. But some did praise Robinson for removing Panday as PM because of Panday’s alleged arrogance, hubris, and widespread corruption.

Robbie was in a unique position to build harmonious relations between Africans and Indians when he was PM, the first and perhaps only African Prime Minister (in December 1986) to receive massive support from Indians, but he opted instead to play the race card (1987) to permanently destroy the one love unity that was built between he and Basdeo Panday. Also, Indians have not been

willing to forgive Robbie for election rigging.

Robinson served as deputy to Eric Williams in the PNM, and when the two had a falling-out in 1970, Robbie formed his own party and led a no-vote campaign in 1971, accusing Williams of election rigging through voting machines.

According to author Samaroo Siewah, when Robbie was the beneficiary of rigging in 1961 and 1966, he did not oppose the use of voting machines. In the 1966 election, for example, Robinson obtained more votes than the actual number of votes cast – in the tradition of a Burnham-type election.

Trevor Sudama, who served 20 years as Member of Parliament (MP), also described examples of election rigging in his book. Robinson convinced the Opposition not to participate in the election if voting machines were used. The PNM won all the seats in 1971 in the no-vote campaign that saw a miniscule turnout.

It is well known that Robinson would not have been Prime Minister or President without the sup-

port of Basdeo Panday and Indians. Panday said he would not be attending Robinson’s funeral, because Robbie dismissed Bas as PM, when he had earlier appointed Robbie as the Head of State.

Critics point out that Robinson botched and mismanaged the almost unanimous mandate given to him by Indians in December 1986; he played the race card and proceeded to marginalise Indians.

Panday, after losing elections in 1966, 76 and 81, recognised he could not topple the PNM from office without a coalition of other groups.

He formed an electoral alliance with other groups (ONR, Tapia, etc) in 1983 and won local elections. And in 1986, he was instrumental in bringing the groups together under a grand alliance (NAR) to contest the general elections.

Bas made Robbie the leader of the alliance when he was the natural choice. Myself, Vassan Ramracha, Trevor Sudama, and Kelvin Ramnath, etc opposed the measure without “guarantees and commit-

ments” for Panday’s supporters in an NAR victory – pointing to an Israel precedent of guarantees in coalition arrangements.

Panday told me that making Robbie leader of NAR was necessary to win over African support in the badly divided society because he was convinced Africans would not vote for him. Bas overruled the dissenters saying one must “give trust” – a position he would later regret. The NAR won big.

(I felt NAR would have won even if Bas were the leader. Bas was convinced that his constituents would have controlled any new Government under a marginal victory. But a landslide victory of 33-3 spoilt matters for him and his base).

Many people in New York provided substantial funds to the alliance in its election campaign. In addition, when I was President of the Graduate Student Council at CCNY, I hosted several of the party leaders to speak at the campus and granted them honorariums.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Webster played a significant role in developing networks within our community

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Education wishes to extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of the late Ronald Webster. Ron Webster, as he was fondly known, was the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission and Head of Caribbean Container Inc until his untimely passing.

He was also the former President of the Guyana Manufacturers Association, and former Chairman of the

Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.

Guyana has lost one of its most progressive business minds. Ron’s contribution to public service and the business sector was highly regarded.

He played a significant role in developing networks within our community that sought to seek a better life for all Guyanese, through his assiduous work within the organisations he served. He

will always be remembered as a strong advocate of mutual respect in his quest to build a cohesive and equal society in Guyana.

The Webster family have suffered a great loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time of bereavement. May his soul rest in peace.

Suelle FindlayWilliams, Public Relations Officer Ministry of Education

Skill #4: Thinking in 3-D

The ability to visualise objects — and the way they fit into a space — is what experts call spatial awareness. We use the skill every day when we merge our cars onto highways, for instance, or find our way around a new store.

Spatial awareness is second only to basic math as the building block for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning because it teaches children how to manipulate shapes in their head, says Vanderbilt University psychology professor David Lubinski, PhD. Boosting it pays off for all sorts of professionals, including architects, surgeons, and fashion designers. All need to imagine their end product as they work, whether it’s a new heart, a house, or a couture gown.

Cultivating the skill is especially helpful for girls, since the toys parents give boys — train sets, Lego kits — give them an edge in terms of thinking about how things fit together. Still, neither gender gets much training at school, says Lubinski. Thankfully, there are ways to get it in at home:

Life skills children need for the future

Part Two

Teach your children these skills now and they’ll be set for life — no matter what they do.

Encourage gaming

Video games tend to get a bad rap, but the ones that spur children to make cities out of virtual blocks, like Minecraft, are great for building spatial skills. “It’s a blend of entertainment, engineering, creativity, and social media skills,” says Levine. “And it’s fun for older and younger siblings to play together.”

Cue the construction

A good way to teach the relationship between 3-D objects is by having children decide whether a Lego piece or an ice-pop stick should go under or over another piece, or adjacent or perpendicular to it, when your child builds bridges or parking garages. Charbonneau asks his sevenyear-old to build two towers and then make a zip line from

string between them for an action figure to ride. “It’s a challenge to build a structure that can carry a heavy load,” he points out. To spur more elaborate buildings in the future, take a pic of your child’s creation when he’s finished.

Turn off the GPS Maps are a one dimensional way to visualise the distance between two points,

so keep an old-school one in the car, and you’ll be ready when your child asks “Are we there yet?” Help him pinpoint where you’re headed and ask him to track your movement along the route, letting everyone know when you’re halfway there, three quarters of the way there, and about to arrive.

Skill #5: Communicating clearly

Your child needs to say what he means — succinctly and diplomatically — whenever he explains ideas in class or argues for more privileges with you. And with higher-tech ways to communicate evolving, your grown-up kiddo will have to tap into this ability constantly. After all, he’ll be connected with coworkers and clients in real time almost nonstop — all around the world — and can’t afford to have anyone secondguess his intentions. How to help:

Follow the leader. Any activity that calls upon your child to listen to or give directions — even playing pretend — can help him become a great communicator. To give these skills a super-workout, try this: Slip

on a blindfold and follow your child’s directions as you move through the room to pick up an object. Then switch, so your child gets the chance to practise both listening and describing the obstacles in the room.

**Tell spellbinders**. Story chains are a great way to spend a car ride or to keep the conversation going at mealtimes. Begin the story by creating a hero and setting. The person next to you adds more to the tale, and so on. Encourage everyone to contribute for a full 15 to 30 seconds. With practice, your children will learn to really hear the storylines that come first, to layer their contributions onto those, and to tee up the next person with clever cliff-hangers.

Skill #6: Out-of-TheBox Conceptualising

Creativity is the process of imagining what can be — the skill any boss requires, whether your adult child is teaching a class full of fidgety second-graders or isolating the genes that trigger depression. Parents can encourage original thinking by getting children to go through the same process engineers do, says Charbonneau: First, they identify a problem or question, then brainstorm solutions, and then invent a plan and put it into action. These activities are great for doing just that: Give your grade-schooler a ball of string and some tape and see if she can use her supplies to mastermind a way to turn on her bedroom light from down the hall. “It’s tricky for a child because she has to figure out how to lift the wall switch from outside the room,” says Charbonneau. Hint: Hooking the string over an unused picture nail, bunk-bed post, or door may do the trick. But don’t spill the beans! The idea is to get your child to come up with a plan without help. Create rainbows everywhere. While you do the dishes — or drain pasta — near a sunny window, amaze your child with the rainbow you can make by pouring water through a strainer. Then encourage her to find other ways to refract light — outside with a garden hose or using a spray bottle and a flashlight. She can also look for household objects (jewellery, a crystal vase) that work as prisms. (scholastic.com)

Walter “...finally killed by the (PNC) Govt” ...De Souza says was her reaction to Rodney’s killing

By Vahnu Manikchand

Social and former Working People’s Alliance (WPA) activist, Karen De Souza, testified at the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Tuesday during which she said the historian’s death was “expected” since the then Government, People’s National Congress (PNC), had begun issuing public threats against the party.

De Souza was the third witness to testify in the Inquiry when it resumed on Tuesday. The Inquiry is being chaired by Barbadian Queen’s Counsel, Sir Richard Cheltenham; Queen’s Counsel Jacqueline SamuelsBrown from Jamaica, and Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam from Trinidad and Tobago. The Inquiry began on Monday at the Supreme Court’s Law Library building.

During her testimony, De Souza said owing to the strained relationship between the WPA and the PNC, Rodney’s death was expected and so was that of other WPA members, including herself. The social activist said that when she saw Rodney’s body on June 13, 1980 after the blast, she thought to herself “he had finally been killed by the Government”.

She was asked by a lawyer for the Commission, Attorney Latchmie Rahamat, who led the evidence in chief, to explain why she believed that the historian was killed by the Government and why she used the word “finally”. The Social Activist pointed out that there were several reasons for her position, noting the “seriously adversarial posture” between the WPA and the PNC at that time. She added too that the fact that two WPA members had already been killed had informed her conviction, especially since the then President, Linden Forbes Burnham had publicly is-

sued threats against the party.

“At one or more than one of the PNC rallies,… [Burnham] had been uttering threats about making your wills and sharper steels and so forth,” she said. De Souza explained that Burnham had said “people, in the Worst Possible Alternative, should make their wills” and “the steel of the PNC was sharper than any steel the WPA might have had”. According to De Souza, Burnham had made the threats at the Square of the Revolution where a PNC anniversary rally was being held.

De Souza further spoke about WPA activists Ohene Koama and Edward Dublin, who were both shot and killed by members of the Guyana Police Force’s ‘Death Squad’, which she said was under the control of the PNCled Government. She added that the PNC Government also had a public attitude that says “this is what hap-

pens when you oppose us”, referring to the deaths of the two WPA members. De Souza went on to say that prior to his death, Dr Rodney had said at a public meeting that the PNC must go, a cry which, she noted, was popular.

Fateful day

De Souza also spoke about the day Rodney was killed, relating that she was with another activist, Andaiye, at her Lot 45 Croal Street, Georgetown home when around 20:00h, she heard a loud explosion. She said she initially dismissed it, because there was no other sound such as sirens immediately after. But, a few minutes later, Rodney’s brother, Donald, frantically banged on her door. De Souza related that he told her there was an accident with Walter and that she should go. De Souza said she and Andaiye left for the scene, but were separated along the way. She noted that she observed many people gathered on John Street, clos-

er to Hadfield Street, but they were mostly members of the Police Force’s ‘Death Squad’.

The Social Activist then described what she saw when she got a little closer. “There was a car, the roof was blown off and a shape that had seemed kind of boneless was in the car with its face forward. I… recognised that it was Walter and I tried to get closer to the car.” De Souza said that while at the scene, she was identified by “one of the death squad people” and eventually returned home.

De Souza added that when she returned home, Donald was still there and he was bleeding, so she tended to his injuries.

She also spoke about illtreatments meted out to her and other members of the WPA, including Rodney and leader of the party, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine. De Souza said that she had first met Rodney in 1978 and continued to see him at various meetings held by the WPA.

According to her, these meetings were many times disrupted by members of the police’s “Death Squad” and the House of Israel. She disclosed that she was arrested many times during that period, but specifically spoke of her arrest in relation to the burning down of the Ministry of National Mobilisation building on Camp Street. She recalled that she was the last of some nine persons arrested, including a four-yearold child; however, she noted that only three persons were charged. These three persons were Dr Roopnaraine, Dr Rodney and Dr Omawale. De Souza added that this trial had gone on for years and then it “kind of disappeared”. In addition, the Social Activist also recollected being arrested and charged for larceny of a National Service kit. That matter, she said, went on for approximately six years before it ended without any convictions. (vahnum@ guyanatimesgy.com)

PAC headquarters officially commissioned

The Protected Areas Commission (PAC) building at the National Park was declared open on Tuesday evening with much talk of sustainable bilateral relations between Guyana and Germany from Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud, and German Ambassador Stefan Schlueter.

Speaking at the opening of the building, which was dedicated to German Geographer and Surveyor, Robert Schomburgk, Persaud highlighted that Guyana continues to strengthen bilateral ties with the European nation of Germany.

“Our partnership with Germany, which represents one of the only bilateral cooperation agreements in the Caribbean, is now into a €5.15 million Phase II of GPAS, with €4 million serving as an endowment to the Protected Areas Trust Fund,” said Minister Persaud.

Persaud pointed out that, it was with the aid of the German Government and members of the German private sector that Guyana has managed to pursue extensive works. In 2004, Germany and Guyana implement -

ed phase one of the €2.56 million Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS), funded by the aforementioned entities.

“The innovation fostered under this bilateral relationship will, no doubt, be applicable to other member states in Caricom, and others in the developing world” Minister Persaud said, while addressing the gathering.

“So, this is not just about building offices, it is about transforming the way we view our environment and its role in our development as communities, as a nation, and as citizens of the earth,” Persaud said, while explaining that the project supported sustainable livelihood projects in more than 30 Amerindian communities.

He added that the initiative also led to the drafting of the National Protected Areas Act, demarcation plans for both the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach Protected Areas, and a draft Kanuku Mountains Management Plan.

He further pointed out that work on the project will be in tandem with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Duo charged with murder of Patsan's salesman

The two men accused of robbing and killing a salesman of Patsan Trading were remanded to prison when they made their first appearance before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

The man had allegedly killed Bharrat Ramcharran. The charges alleged that the duo, Randolph Marques and Kevin France, murdered Ramcharran in the course of a robbery on April 24 in Campbellville, Georgetown.

The two were not required to plea to the indictable charge. Marques’ attorney is Adrian Thompson while France is represented by Attorney-at-law James Bond. However, Marques’

attorney was not present at court and Bond represented his client on his behalf. Marques is 20 years old while France is 26 years old

Man on bail for assault, wounding charges

On Tuesday, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Adrian Reece appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry slapped with three charges.

The first charge against Reece alleged that on April 21 at North Ruimveldt, he inflicted grievous bodily harm on Shawn Mill while the second and third alleged that on the same day, Reece assaulted Natasha Mill and damaged one Samsung Galaxy cellphone valued $130,000 which belongs to her.

The defendant was unrepresented and pleaded not guilty to all three charges against him. Police Prosecutor Michael Grant made no objections to bail and bail was set at $100,000, $10,000 and $25,000 for the first, second and third charges respectively. Reece will make another court appearance on May 13.

and works at a wash bay.

Police Prosecutor Michael Grant asked the magistrate for three weeks before proceeding with the Preliminary trial as the investigations are still incomplete.

Meanwhile, for his part Bond said his clients are making allegations against police officers that they were beaten and tortured while in custody.

Magistrate SewnarineBeharry instructed the prosecutor to take note of the allegations made against the ranks that were named and launch an investigation into the matter. The two men are remanded until May 9.

Police had reported that Ramcharran was about to

enter the business place when he was attacked by two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm.

Ramjattan was shot to his back by the armed man and the perpetrators took away a bag with an undisclosed sum of cash and escaped on a motor cycle. The injured man was immediately rushed to the Woodlands Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Ramcharran worked at Patsan for 19 years. This newspaper understands that the man usually spends all day collecting payments before heading back to the office in the afternoon. He usually conducts businesses on his own.

Abusive neighbour fined for damage to property

Neville Mahase, a resident of Alexander Village, Georgetown on Tuesday appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry to answer charges of abuse.

The first and second charges read that on April 24, Mahase made use of abusive and threatening language to Bibi Abdool who is his neighbour and on the same day he damaged three louvres window pane valued $1,000.

The man, who was unrepresented, told the court that his in-

tention was not to pelt and damage Abdool’s property but that he had only intended to pelt the fence. However, Abdool said that the defendant normally smokes drugs and threatens her. She even stated that she is in fear of her life and just wants peace of mind, while asking the magistrate to grant her that, as she is an old, sickly woman. As it relates to the charge for abusive language, Mahase was placed on a bond to keep the peace for one year, while he was placed on $25,000 bail for the threatening language charge and $10,000 fine for damage to property.

Helmet thief back in jail

A25-year-old man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the charge of simple larceny when he appeared before Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge was that on April 26 at Main Street, Mahesh Sarjoo stole one motorbike helmet valued at $4000, property of Shane Sankar.

The defendant, who was unrepresented, told the court that he smokes drugs and only came out of prison about two weeks ago after spending nine months for a similar charge. He then requested the magistrate to give him a light sentence.

Sarjoo also alleged that when he returned the helmet to the Virtual Complainant (VC), the VC hit him in his head with it. Police Prosecutor Michael Grant objected to this, informing the court that the helmet was given to the VC by the police so his allegation is baseless. Sarjoo was sentenced to three months in prison.

Eyew tness

Boat gone a watah...

...on Rodney’s Inquiry

There has to be a lot of very nervous people out there. More specifically, a lot of nervous old people. After all, it’s almost 34 years since Rodney was assassinated...but Judgement Day is here.

Some of you, Dear Readers, would’ve wondered as to why some people are finding it so difficult to accept the Government’s declaration that “Judgement Day” doesn’t mean “Retribution Day”.

The answer to that question isn’t blowing in the wind...it’s right in front of you once you look at who’s so nervous. They’re the ones who committed a deed so foul, they really can’t believe they might actually get off scot free. But they’ll never be free and that’s what’s ratcheting up the tension in their little minds.

After all, you must be wondering how they can live with their consciences knowing they cut down one of the best and brightest this country’s ever produced?

And they cut Rodney down in his prime. At a time when he could’ve been enjoying tenure in any university in the world - excepting at that world-class one named UG, of course. At a time when, organising full time for the WPA, holding meetings here there and everywhere, he was still able to complete the seminal “History of the Working Peoples of Guyana”.

And not self-published like some of those soi dissant “intellectuals” parading around the place nowadays. But by a most reputable US University Press.

But, in the heat of the night, as they reflect on the even hotter place they’re heading towards, some of these old men have an even greater cause for worry. These are the bold-faced ones who did their dirty deeds and were hoping they’d be forgotten by now.

They’re now holding themselves as potential leaders of this country. We know who they are and they know who they are...and we all know that the boat, as they say, now “gone a watah”.

We’re not going to pre-empt any revelations that’re certain to emerge. But we can see from the case of the missing “spy files” that the old, trembling men, hoping to get their gnarled hands on power, still have their “assets” in strategic institutions.

But even here, it’s to be expected that the civilian authorities will trace their connections that caused the files to disappear. Right, Bannuh?

While there’s no need for retribution – just so that the truth comes out about the murder of Rodney. Sometimes the truth can hurt. In more ways than one.

...with the Muckraker’s lies

The fascist streak in the Opposition’s so wide it colours the activities of even their camp followers in the media. Only the other day, the MuckrakerKN claimed that Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill attributed price gouging on some contracts to “sole sourcing” and that (as usual) Jagdeo was involved.

The Muckraker’s Editor Adam Harris – scribe for Mohan Lall’s “Dem Boys Seh” – had confessed that Mohan is always “vex” with Jagdeo.

Rather than apologising to Edghill when the fella pointed out that he’d never, ever said such a thing, the MuckrakerKN’s publisher himself made a rare public statement (he normally has Harris clean up his mess) that while Edghill never said the words, he should’ve said them!!! And so Edghill shouldn’t be angry!!! The fascist always feels that even if he chops off your neck – it’s for your own good.

So we guess Mohan wouldn’t mind us putting the following in his mouth: “I, Mohan Lall, promise to stop treating Adam Harris like a house slave. And giving him the bones from the fried chicken after I’ve chewed them.”

...can turn back?

The Son of Sharma said he doesn’t mind rejoining APNU. Rejoin a bunch of ingrates that left him in the lurch when, if we believe him, his sainted father was crudely maligned by Priya Manickchand??? Whatever happened to self-respect?

Sade Stoby murder trial

As the trial continues into the gruesome murder of nine-year-old Sade Stoby of Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, a second voir dire was held in favour of the number two accused, Charles Cush.

Cush, 21, along with Jevon Wharton, 23, both of Mocha Arcadia, are indicted with the murder of the girl, whom the State claims they murdered after raping her on November 2, 2007 at Sixth Field, Barnwell North. Cush was 14 years old at the time while Wharton was 16.

The voir dire (trial within a trial) commenced on Monday before presiding judge, Justice Navindra Singh, in the absence of the mixed jury panel to determine the admissibility of a written caution statement allegedly given by Cush. An ordinary statement given by Cush has already been admitted as evidence.

The trial within a trial was concluded on Tuesday with submissions by defence

Voir dire being held in favour of number two accused CRIP

counsel George Thomas and Senior State Counsel Judith Gildharie-Mursalin. Justice Singh is expected to rule on the voir dire today after which the main trial will continue in the presence of the jury panel.

The trial into Stoby’s murder began last Tuesday, with her mother, Sharon Berry, being the first witness to take the stand. The woman told the court that after her daughter went missing the Friday from school, a report was made to the Police the following day; however, by this time her husband had returned from the interior after receiving the news of his daughter going missing and he, along with relatives, went in search of her.

Skype testimony

Berry said her daughter’s body was later discovered at Sixth Field, with her underwear and tights nearby. Under cross-examination, the woman revealed that she knew the two accused

by seeing them around the village. She also said she had confronted Cush during which he admitted seeing her daughter on Friday.

The woman’s husband, Eric Stoby, also testified but via Skype since he is currently residing in the U.S. Stoby told the court that after he returned home from the interior, he, along with a search party, began combing the area in search of his daughter. He continued that on November 5, they continued the search which led them to a bridge at Sixth Field. He said it was as though his daughter’s voice was calling him there.

Stoby said as he got closer, he found his daughter’s body in a drain with her uniform pulled over her head. He added that one of her slippers, her schoolbag, and other belongings were scattered close by. Under crossexamination, he was questioned about his testimony in the magistrate’s court where he had said that he saw both slippers; however,

he said he cannot recall saying that, but admitted that he did after his testimony was shown to him with his signature attached.

Assault claims

Attorney Thomas put to the witness that he saw Cush at the scene, and, along with others, stripped and beat his client, but Stoby strongly denied this saying that he saw the young man at the scene and his skin was wet, but he cannot remember exactly what happened.

On Thursday last, the first voir dire was held to determine the admissibility of a caution statement given by Wharton; this was subsequently admitted into the trial despite objections from his defence attorney, Raymond Ali.

In her opening address, State Counsel GildharieMursalin told the court that the nine-year-old’s cause of death was given as asphyxiation due to submersion, compounded by blunt trauma to the head. In addition, her body was bloated and was bleeding in various places. According to the State Counsel, thick black mud was found in her trachea and stomach while there was a blunt trauma to her head. Additionally there was blood in her vagina, her hymen was ruptured, her intestines were protruding through her anus and bruises were evident in her vagina, all of which indicates that there was sexual activity just before her death.

The Community Roads Improvement Programme (CRIP) on Tuesday hosted a workshop on Solid Waste and Market Management for members of the 10 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) associated with its training programme.

The workshop is being held at Grand Coastal Hotel, La Ressouvenir on the East Coast of Demerara.

The aim of the two-day workshop is to identify solutions that will enable NDCs to better manage Solid Waste and Markets around the country.

Discussions were led by Craig Bartlett of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, who noted that improperly managed waste can have an enormous impact on health and the local environment.

He highlighted that composting is a very important element in solid waste management, as it can be used

Prayer in the City Council

Satiricus felt the pride in being Guyanese rise in his bosom (or was it his stomach?) as he read about the latest stand on principle in that bastion of principles called “City Hall”. Too many of his fellow countrymen and women missed the point about what was going on in that Gothic structure. They were cruelly singing, “City Hall is falling down; falling down; falling down/City Hall is falling down...My Dark Mayor.”

“And that’s the point, isn’t it?” mumbled Satiricus to himself. So what if City Hall is crumbling, or as the latest report said, was “structurally unsound”? The Mayor for Life couldn’t let any Tom, Dick or Government get involved, could he?

What the heck would “City Mayor” mean if he wasn’t controlling every penny (well, “dollar” nowadays) spent on the City? It was the principle of the thing: the Mayor knows best when it came to money. Those who said that the Mayor for Life wanted to control spending because of his other principle on money – “10 for me – one for the City” – was just bad-minded. They had forgotten he’d changed.

But on this latest brouhaha in the City Council, no one would be able to point any dirty finger at the Mayor for Life. Under his leadership, the struggle at City Hall had reached new heights in his unremitting efforts to deliver the best service and City to the residents. This time, the fight the Mayor for Life had to lead was over the power of prayer in the running of the city. Imagine the Town Clerk felt that her reading the stipulated prayer was enough to make meetings of the City Council properly “constituted”.

“What nonsense!!” exclaimed Satiricus with a snort. “Didn’t the Town Clerk know that desperate times called for desperate measures?” Well, luckily for the citizens and denizens of GT, the Mayor for Life was there to save the day. This man, who’d launched the programme for “moral renewal” in all Guyana, now ordered that all around the City Council table should henceforth pray for the City.

The meeting to discuss the so-called “pressing problems” facing the City was cancelled. This principled man was standing up for the sacrosanct principle that in prayer, as in partying, “the more the merrier”. Such depth...such vision...such leadership!!!

“Then again,” wondered Satiricus, “the wily old fox might be conceding that the only thing that can save the city of GT is Divine Intervention?”

for a variety of purposes, and there needs to be more educational programmes on this aspect.

He said: “Education is the key to bring about change in Georgetown/Guyana when it comes to this area.”

He stated that the 4Rs are critical: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle/Compost, and Recover and Dispose.

Bartlett told those that were gathered that public consultations are very important and there needs to be a lot more of these held in

Guyana, so that persons can change their thinking and there can be change when it comes to solid waste management. He stated that with public consultations, persons will understand the complexity of decision- making and appreciate the impact of choices; they also encourage community buy-in.

The workshop will conclude today, after which participants will return to their respective agencies and provide a report.

Commercial sector feels squeeze of int’l sanctions

By Svetlana MarShall

APartnership for National Unity (APNU) Vice Chairman, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine was correct when he said the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment (AML/CFT) Bill has evolved into a highly political matter; however, this is at the cost of the commercial sector.

Currently, the private sector is feeling the heat with stricter systems being instituted by international financial institutions, due to Guyana’s continuous failure to pass the AML/CFT Amendment Bill of 2013.

Though many believe that the consequences are not being felt, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Trade, Intelligence and Investment Sub-committee Ramesh Dookhoo had a different story to tell. During an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, at his Banks DIH Thirst Park office on Monday, Dookhoo said since November 2013 when Guyana was blacklisted by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), the private sector has been feeling the consequences.

He explained that it is becoming difficult to access reinsurance within the insurance industry. From the onset, the Insurance Association of Guyana stated that non-passage of the AML/CFT Amendment Bill would cause intense financial pressure, noting that insurance and banking transactions will become nearly impossible. It was further pointed out that all sectors requiring life, health, motor, cargo, marine, aircraft, liability, accident, fire and catastrophic loss insurance will be severely limited. Today, this is not a matter of the future but of the presence as the system is gradually be-

coming inflexible.

“Banks are being questioned constantly regarding their correspondent partners especially in the US. Many questions are being asked regarding ordinary payment of bills overseas by commercial people and manufacturers alike,” Dookhoo said as he further alluded to the challenges being faced.

Drop in remittances

The PSC executive member also linked the non-passage of the AML/CFT Bill to the drop in remittances. In 2013, the new current transfers decreased by 15.7 per cent to US$353.2 million due to lower receipts of workers’ remittances which declined by US$141.1 million. “So this question about impact for us in the private sector is being felt, the impact of the nonpassage of the Anti-Money Laundering Bill has driven the foreign exchange up,” he contended.

But not only the Guyana Government and private sector are worried about the future of the country if the bill is not passed by the new deadline, May 29, 2014. According to the PSC Subcommittee Chairman, within the Caribbean, the concerns of the private sector are growing. These regional bodies are asking about the future of Guyana as a trade partner, Dookhoo said.

The Amendment Bill is currently before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee. Since February 9, the Committee led by Government Chief Whip Gail Teixeira had agreed upon the Bill. However, the Opposition has moved to incorporate amendments to the principal Act of 2009. Changes are still being made at the level of the Committee.

APNU and the Alliance for Change (AFC) have further made their positions clear, stating that they will not support the Bill in the National Assembly until the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) is put

PAC headquarters...

As such, the Minister related, a world-class National Protected Areas System will put Guyana on par with other nations at the forefront of new and novel approaches to preservation and sustainable development.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Hinds pointed out that Guyana is not heading into the area of industrialisation but rather into tourism. “Make Guyana into a park for the world,” said Acting President Hinds.

He posited that forest protection and development of natural areas must be placed on the front burner

PSC’s Trade, Intelligence and Investment Sub-committee Chairman Ramesh Dookhoo

into operation and equipped with the requisite human and financial resources to ensure sustainability and effectiveness. They also want President Donald Ramotar

to assent to key Opposition bills that were passed in the National Assembly, but were rejected by Ramotar.

President Ramotar has refused to assent to the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2012; Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2013; Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2013; and the Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2012, contending that based on the advice of the Attorney General Anil Nandlall, the bills are unconstitutional.

Parties must compromise

While stating that the political parties must compromise on the issue to safeguard Guyana, Dookhoo said it was not likely that the Government would ac-

cede to the request of the Opposition as it relates to the rejected bills.

“They have taken a principled position, where they do not believe constitutionally these bills are in keeping with what is required in Guyana. So they have offered up a technical answer to the local government bills, but I think what Guyana would like to see is an alternative solution,” he said.

The PSC, however, supports the operationalisation of the Procurement Commission, saying greater transparency within Guyana would enhance the country’s economy and integrity. “We believe in the whole issue of transparency and accountability without taking away executive powers; that is required un-

der the Constitution, we believe that the Procurement Commission is a good thing, we support the formation of the Commission, a Commission that adds transparency to the whole procurement procedures,” he posited.

Over the weekend, CFATF Chairperson Allison Maynard-Gibson and Executive Director Calvin Wilson met with the Government, Opposition and private sector and indicated that Guyana will face draconian measures if it fails to pass the AML Bill by May 29.

From May 25 to 29, there will be the staging of the XXXIX CFATF Plenary Meeting in Miami before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary June 15-20.

from page 7

as it related to development.

Further, Ambassador Schlueter related that it was delightful that steps were taken to open the building in honour of the late geographer that “literally put Guyana on the map”.

He said Germany is looking forward to continued initiatives in conjunction with the Government of Guyana.

In his remarks, PAC Commissioner Damien Fernandes related that the building will not only improve the work of PAC, but also that of the Three Parks Initiative, which will be used as a window for the protected areas.

wednesday, april 30, 2014 |

GPL steps up fight against electricity theft

Illegal electricity connections, in some instances used to power entire streets, were on Tuesday removed during a raid of Skull City, Patentia and Long Pond, Sister’s Village on the West Bank Demerara. Soon after the exercise, several persons turned up at the company, claiming they paid sums of money for their installation.

The exercise – a joint venture between two units within the Guyana Power and Light Inc, the Loss Reduction Operation and the Loss Reduction Field Service – is part of a monthly routine which targets different areas where customers are seeking to by-pass the system and illegally obtain electricity. In addition to targeting illegal connections, the teams also looked at un-metered supply of power to customers.

In both areas, there were instances where one pole connection was used to power several houses. In the case of Skull City, which is a squatting settlement, it was found that a pole had wires running in all directions and in many instances, these illegal connections were running on the ground to homes. In other instances, on examination, the pre-paid boxes on some of the poles were found to be empty, as they were just being used as a cover, for the illegal connections.

However, a few residents in Skull City and a smaller number in Long Pond had receipts to show that they were, in fact, paying for their power. These residents claimed that they visited the GPL office, with their house documents and paid for the connection. They said that per-

sons, from GPL, wearing the company’s badge and in the company’s vehicles visited their homes and made the necessary connection.

One resident in Skull City, claimed that her common-law husband paid as much as $75,000 to be hooked up to the pre-paid meter box, and that a GPL personnel set up the pole for that connection, but to date, the actual meter was not installed.

Collusion

Senior Manager of the Loss Reduction Unit, Loknauth Singh told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that, “there seems to be an el-

to humans and animals. He said the areas are not regularised housing areas, especially Skull City, which is swampy and unsuitable for running transmission lines. He said if the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) authorises an electricity network, then it will be installed. According to the GPL official, the company has to conduct a design of the area before poles can be planted.

Senior GPL Investigator David Kaladin, who was part of the exercise, advised that even though the power connections were being removed, those residents with legitimate

ement of collusion between residents and GPL staff”.

Singh stated that GPL has pole specifications and those used were basically four-byfour pieces of wood and the setup is dangerous

connections were invited to visit the GPL Office. Kaladin also noted that each metre box removed has a number, and these will be used to identify the particular contractor who did the installation of these services.

NA prisoner critical after being injured by fellow inmate

Aprisoner is nursing a stab wound at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital after he was stabbed by another inmate at the New Amsterdam Prison on Tuesday morning.

Injured is 25-year-old Ryan Scott of Lot 4 Fourth Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara who is currently serving a sentence for armed robbery committed at Rose Hall Town on the Corentyne. Scott was wounded by a knife during an altercation in the cell.

Reports are that the incident stemmed from a prohibited item which apparently belonged to Derrick Callender, but was loaned to Scott, who refused to return the borrowed item when asked. A scuffle ensued and Callender reportedly stabbed Scott.

Prison officials told Guyana Times that Scott retaliated, but was overpowered. He attempted to escape and seek refuge in the nearby infirmary; the injured man did not make it through the door when he collapsed, the source said. Scott was later taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital.

According to a prison official, Scott has a reputation of being involved in controversy at the prison.

His assailant, Callender, a death row inmate, had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment last February, and was transferred from Camp Street to the New Amsterdam Prison. He had been found guilty of killing of 53-year-old Leila Barrow, at her David Street, Kitty home between July 23 and July 24, 1993. Up to press time, Scott was still in critical condition at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit. Hospital sources disclosed that the wound might have caused some damage to his lungs. Meanwhile, Callender, who sustained minor injuries, was treated at the same institution and sent back to the prison. Investigations are ongoing.

House of Israel was a “hit squad”

–

Rodney’s brother tells CoI

By Alexis Rodney

Police had often turned a blind eye to the thuggish behaviour of members of the House of Israel – a cult group that was formed here in the early 1970s by US fugitive David “Rabbi Washington” Hill which was allegedly used by the People’s National Congress (PNC) Government to subdue opponents and break up their political meetings.

This was revealed by Lawrence Edward Rodney who testified on Day Two of the Dr Walter Rodney Inquiry being held at the Supreme Court Library. Edward Rodney told Commissioners that the House of Israel not only operated as a religious group but as a “hit squad”.

Asked to elaborate, Edward Rodney recalled the murder of Father Bernard Darke who was knifed to death in 1979 in Brickdam. He said the assailants were proved to be members of the House of Israel. Leader of the House of Israel, Rabbi Washington were among a few members who were charged with Darke’s death.

Commentators have said that the House of Israel had expressed its loyalty to the PNC and its members while being allegedly involved in numerous violent acts against political opponents of the regime. Their actions included the violent breaking up of Opposition public meetings, attacking anti-government demonstrations and working as strikebreakers whenever Government workers went on strike for improved wages and better working conditions.

Edward Rodney, now a member of the People’s Progressive

Party (PPP), said the House of Israel – located on Light Street, Alberttown – had emerged during a dark period of the country. He said it was a time when the PNC led by the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, was using the reins of power to trample on the poor and working class.

Gregory Smith had an agenda Edward Rodney told the Commission that the man accused of killing his brother, former Army Sergeant Gregory Smith and now PPP Member Joseph Hamilton were part of this organisation.

According to Edward Rodney, his first encounter with the now dead Smith was in 1974, a few minutes before a public meeting was held by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). “What I could see and experience with him, was that he was there for a purpose. What he said to me as I was streaming the wires was whether I wanted a meeting, a real meeting without the Police...

‘Do you want to have a meeting without the Police?’”

Edward Rodney continued: “I saw him in early 1979, walking along Russell Street in the House of Israel black, red and green uniform.” Edward Rodney noted that it was the first time he had seen Smith in the House of Israel uniform. He said his encounter with the accused revealed that he must have been connected with an organisation or group that was bent on disrupting meetings and inciting violence.

And that is exactly what was being done by the House of Israel organisation, Rodney told the Inquiry. The church, according to Edward Rodney, was filled with bullies who had little regard for authority. Rising to fame sometime after 1971, the House of Israel organisation was established after Rabbi Washington came to Guyana. Edward Rodney said upon his arrival, Washington had closely aligned himself with the hierarchy of the PNC and was involved in mobilising and organising “African Guyanese” for religious and political purposes. According to Edward Rodney, the multi-class group was given preferential treatment by the ruling Government. He cited the easy access the organisation had to the state-owned radio to air its programme “The Voice of Prophecy”. He said it was difficult for other bodies, opposed to the Government, to have access to the radio station during that “dark period”.

Never at peace

Speaking about the disruptions of the WPA meetings, Edward Rodney said the party was never at peace during its public meetings. “I recalled there used to be meetings held by the WPA where

Dr Walter Rodney would be featured as the main speaker. These were massive meetings; never before in Guyana, have so many people gathered to hear political discussions. After dark or in the early afternoon... Thousands of people. The House of Israel would be used at times to try and break up these meetings,” he said.

Edward Rodney told the Commission that the WPA had worked out a tactic at that time to surround the speakers with groups of people, preventing members of the House of Israel from penetrating the meetings. He said there were many instances when House of Israel members would begin lashing out at persons at the meetings, especially when solidar-

ity was being paid to Dr Rodney. Many persons, he recalled were beaten by members of the cult. “Usually when there was a meeting going to be disrupted, there would be, first of all, a group of House of Israel representatives being transported to the site in vehicles and they would attempt to intimidate the speakers, throw bricks. They would lash out with sticks.” He said while the members are known to wear their uniforms, on these occasions they were dressed in civilian clothing.

Failure of police

What was bothersome, Edward Rodney noted, was the failure of the Police, who were always present at the rallies, to restrain the House of Israel members from attacking persons at the meeting. It was at this point that Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam sought to find out why the fully armed Police were unable to restrain the House of Israel members. Edward Rodney responded: “The House of Israel did not respect the Police, the Police couldn’t tell them anything.

So the Police were there, but they were virtually neutralised in controlling any violent behaviour. The Senior Counsel then said: “That leaves it hanging for me, Police have more arms and they usually have the support of the State, they will have side arms. If you say the House of Israel members only had sticks, how could they overpower the Police.” He posited: “Either there was cooperation from the Police, or the Police turned a blind eye or something, but the police could have been in a superior position to control those who misbehave.” Rodney then openly declared that the organisation and the Police were working together.

Suspected bandit caught after botched robbery

– relatives say “they got the wrong man”

Tensions flared at the Georgetown Public Hospital Tuesday evening when two families exchanged words, with one accusing the other of covering up for a thief and the other insisting that they had the wrong man.

Three men – Kurt Browne, Calvin Daniels and Marcus Liston – are now patients at the hospital following an alleged robbery at Daisy Street, West Ruimveldt at approximately 21:00h.

Reports are that Browne, 34, and his friend Calvin Daniels were sitting opposite popular nightspot Cool Square when they were approached by two men who demanded that they hand over their valuables.

They refused and a scuffle ensued which resulted in Browne being shot in his right hand.

Subsequently, the gunmen attempted to make their escape while firing approximately 10 shots, in the air and at residents who had come out in pursuit of them.

Speaking to Guyana Times, Browne said: “They come straight to my friend and they holla ‘take off the band’, I stretch out my hand and I got shot.” He added that “then they start firing shots and run away”.

Browne further related that after they had gone in pursuit of the alleged gunmen, they managed to apprehend one of them.

However, it did not end there as the mother and other relatives of the alleged bandit stormed the hospital compound, saying “they got the wrong man”.

According to the alleged gunman’s mother, who only gave her name as Vanessa, she was at home when she got a call that her son was being beaten and accused of being a bandit. “I deh home and I hear how they beating my son... how he snatch somebody chain and he got gun,” the distraught woman said.

She said moments before she got the disturbing news, she had just told her son to come for some food.

She maintained that her son was a former pastor and has never had any brushes with the law.

The injured man’s cousin, who refused to give her name, also expressed similar statements, indicating that the young man had just returned from running an errand for his grandmother when he left to go to his mother’s house.

She added that a few minutes after he would have departed for his mother’s place of residence, a few corners away she heard a commotion. “All I hear this girl shouting for me and telling me deh beating Lil’ boy.”

She further stated that when she ran out of the house to the scene and started asking questions, the persons that were beating him just told her that he snatched someone’s chain. She said she then suggested that they go to the police station and sort out the matter, but her idea was rudely rejected.

According to relatives, the man who is in his early 20s was “beaten like an iguana” and thrown into the back of a pickup truck, which drove away. They subsequently learnt that he was at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Police are investigating the incident.

Trinidad: Final tribute to Arthur NR Robinson begins

Severe traffic disruptions hit Port of Spain Tuesday as former President Arthur NR Robinson began his final procession.

Robinson, 87, who was also a former Prime Minister and the first chairman of the Tobago House of Assembly, died on March 9 from kidney failure and is to be buried in Scarborough on Saturday after two state funerals – one in Port of Spain on Thursday and the other in Scarborough on Saturday. A traffic advisory issued

by the Communications Ministry said there would be temporary road closures and no parking zones in certain parts of the city with effect from 06:00h Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.

Details of the funeral arrangements were given by public relations officer of the TT Coast Guard, Lieutenant Commander Kirk JeanBaptiste, at the National Security Operations Centre, Knowsley, Port of Spain, Monday.

The body will be transported on a gun carriage in a slow-walk military procession from Clarke and Battoo Funeral Home at 06:30h east on Tragarete Road, south along St Vincent Street, east on Knox Street and south along Abercromby Street to the Red House, where the Eternal Flame will be lit and then proceed south along Abercromby Street to Independence Square and west on the Brian Lara Promenade to the Waterfront Complex for public viewing. (Excerpted from Trinidad Guardian)

Prominent St Lucia hotelier feared murdered

Aprominent local hotelier is believed to have been murdered in Saint Lucia. The victim’s charred body was found in the burnt-out wreckage of a Range Rover in an exclusive resort area in the north of the island.

An active police investigation is being conducted into the matter but, in the absence of definitive identification of the body and

an official statement from law enforcement based on a post-mortem due to be conducted on Monday, local authorities were unable to name the individual, or say precisely how he met his death. However, British media identified the victim as 38-year-old Oliver Gobat, whose family owns and operates the luxurious Cap Maison hotel in Saint Lucia. Gobat was also the executive

director of The Landings Hotel, once described as one of the Caribbean’s top 25 luxury resort hotels.

Local police said they had been trying to locate Gobat, who was reported missing by his family on Friday. Sources said the victim had been shot twice in the head before being doused with gasoline and set alight, although police had not confirmed this. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Antigua: As cases end, now to ABEC

All eyes are now on the Antigua & Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) with respect to its preparedness for general elections after the Court of Appeal dismissed the Antigua Labour Party’s (ALP) challenge to last year’s mass voter reregistration process.

This indication came from Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer following Monday’s victory in the court, as he acknowledged he is the one charged with setting the date for general elections

constitutionally due by July 25 this year.

“I would not want a situation to develop as it did leading up to the 2009 general elections when we were informed that everything was ready to go and then we subsequently found out, based on the debacle that took place on elections day, that that was not the case,” Spencer said.

“I think it is important for us to ensure we are satisfied everything is properly in place.”

During a sitting in

Tortola Monday, the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier High Court decision that declared valid, the mass reregistration exercise conducted between September 30 and November 4, 2013. The issue of which electoral list would be used at the upcoming polls had been tied up in the court since December.

With the matter now settled, ABEC said it is pleased that the work done in preparation for elections will stand. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Bahamas Prime Minister urges UWI to play greater role in development

Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie has called on the University of the West Indies (UWI) to be more engaged in the area of research and public policy.

Addressing the UWI Annual Business Meeting of Council taking place here, Christie said that too often those in the arena of politics and public policy fail to take full advantage of what should be an integral link between what is taught and being researched and what is done in the formulation of public policy.

“By the same token, there are some in the academy who fail to see the practical application of that in which they are engaged in enhancing development outside the walls of academia.

“But even when we both acknowledge that what we as policy leaders require

and what the academy provides can be beneficial to a wider world, there is no suitable bridge, no common meeting ground through which such open dialogue and frequent encounter can take place.”

Prime Minister Christie told the Council meeting being attended by UWI Chancellor Sir George Alleyne and Vice

Chancellor Professor E Nigel Harris, that in the case of the Bahamas, the need for a closer link between research and public policy became clearer as his administration grappled with formulating a policy that would bring about the creation of the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI). (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russia activists take Luhansk offices

Pro-Russia activists have stormed several official buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk. They seized the regional Government’s headquarters and prosecutor’s office before attacking the police station, reportedly with automatic rifles.

Interim President Olexander Turchynov crit-

icised local police for their “inaction” and “criminal treachery”.

The US accused Russia of seeking to “change the security landscape” of Eastern and Central Europe.

In a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry told the Kremlin to “leave Ukraine in peace”

and warned: “NATO territory is inviolable we will defend every single inch of it.” Moscow has said it has no intention of invading eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia activists have seized Government buildings in more than a dozen towns and cities. Until now, only the local office of the State Security Service (SBU) in Luhansk, a city of 465,000 people less than 30km (20 miles) from the Russian border, had been targeted.

But on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people gathered outside the headquarters of the regional government to demand a referendum on granting greater autonomy to the east. A group of men armed with sticks and metal bars broke into the building, whose entrances were not protected by Police. (BBC News)

Chemical watchdog to investigate Syria chlorine gas claims

The global chemical weapons watchdog overseeing the destruction of Syria’s toxic stockpile will send a fact-finding mission to Syria to investigate allegations by rebels and activists of chlorine gas attacks, the organisation said on Tuesday. The Haguebased Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said President Bashar alAssad’s Government had agreed to accept the mis -

sion and had promised to provide security in areas under its control.

“The mission will carry out its work in the most challenging circumstances,” the OPCW said, referring to the three-year-old conflict between Assad’s forces and rebels. It gave no exact date for the mission but said it would take place soon.

Accusations by rebels and Syrian activists of at least three separate chlorine gas attacks by Assad’s

forces in the last month have exposed the limits of a deal which Assad agreed last year for the destruction of his chemical arsenal.

The accord followed a sarin gas attack on rebelheld outskirts of Damascus last August in which hundreds of people were killed. Washington and its allies blamed Assad’s forces for the attack, but Damascus authorities said rebels carried it out to try to force Western military intervention. (Excerpt from Reuters)

John Kerry apologises for Israel ‘apartheid’ remarks

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has apologised for warning that Israel risked becoming an “apartheid state” if it did not reach a peace deal with the Palestinians, following a barrage of criticism in America.

In a statement, Kerry hit back at what he described as “partisan political” attacks against him, while stating that in retrospect he would have chosen a different word. He said that apartheid was “a word

best left out of the debate [in the US]” despite the fact that there have been similar warnings from senior Israeli politicians.

Kerry insisted his remarks were only an expression of his firm belief that a two-state solution was the only way to end the longrunning conflict.

Kerry’s reported comments, and his retraction, come at a sensitive time for the peace process, suspended by Israel last week after the agreement between

the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Hamas to reconcile and try to form a unity Government. The US state department statement was released just hours before the deadline set nine months ago for the conclusion of this phase of the IsraeliPalestinian peace talks, which have come to an end without progress, and amid predictions that Kerry would concentrate on other international issues. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Gunmen attack Libya’s parliament

Several people have been wounded when armed men stormed Libya’s parliament in the capital, Tripoli, causing lawmakers to postpone the selection of a new Prime Minister.

Omar Hmeidan, a spokesman, told the Reuters news agency that Tuesday’s attack was started by gunmen linked to one of the defeated candidates for Prime Minister. “Armed men have besieged the Congress, but we do not know the motive of the attack,” Tahar Mokni, a member of Libya’s parliament, told the AFP news agency.

Al Jazeera’s Mahboud Abdul-Wahed, reporting from Tripoli, said that the “fighting started when the armed group engaged in random shooting using AK47 rifles in front of the temporary headquarters of the General National Congress [GNC].”

The country’s parliament voted on March 11 to oust then Prime Minister, Ali Zeidan, and was holding a special session to choose a new leader.

Hmeidan said that deputies had started the final vote on a replacement for interim Prime Minister, Abdullah al-Thinni, who resigned two weeks ago, saying that gunmen had attacked his family. In the first ballot, businessman Ahmed Maiteeq came out on top among seven candidates. A second round between Maiteeq and Omar al-Hassi, the runner-up, was supposed to take place when gunmen burst into the as-

wednesday, april 30, 2014

Children hurt as aunt loses control of bike

One child is seriously injured while another sustained less serious injuries after being involved in an accident.

Reports are that on Monday evening, the two sisters, two-year-old Kumarie Sukhai, and oneyear-old Nalinie Sukhai were pillion riders on a motorcycle ridden by their aunt at Mibicuri, South Black Bush Polder, when she lost control of the bike.

According to the mother of the children, Lillawattie Ornesto, 21, after her sister lost control of the motorcycle it turned turtle and subsequently landed in a nearby drain. “The motorbike fall on dem two

girls and me sista fall on the bike…when me see that, me holler and run to get them out,” she recalled.

Ornesto said when she arrived at the scene of the accident, which happened just a stone’s throw away from where they lived, she saw her sister in an unconscious state with her two daughters pinned under the motorcycle. The woman said her screams brought the neighbours running and with their assistance, her sister was pulled out from the motorcycle.

After getting the two children out of the drain, Ornesto said, the family gave them baths and

upon seeing the state of the elder, it was decided that they would be rushed to the Black Bush Polder Hospital.

The doctor in charge was forced to transfer the injured sisters to the New Amsterdam Hospital for further treatment, since they both had respiratory difficulties and suffered burns about their bodies.

According to a medical source, the two sisters suffered first-degree burns from the hot exhaust of the motorcycle. The source also disclosed that owing to the mud and stagnant water ingested, the elder sister developed pneumonia.

Caricom, Mexico creating a new platform for their relations

The series of meetings between Caricom and Mexico, including the Third Summit, must be viewed as creating “a new platform” for the relationship in the years ahead.

This view was expressed by the Chairman of Caricom’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) Winston Dookeran, Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Affairs Minister, as he spoke at the opening of a meeting of Foreign Ministers of Caricom and Mexico in Merida, Mexico on Tuesday morning. Dookeran said the 40-year relationship had evolved into a more mature one that took into account both global and developmental issues.

Caricom Foreign Ministers and Heads of Government are in Merida for the Third Summit with Mexico, which took place later on Tuesday. All the speakers at the opening session of the Foreign

Ministers meeting expressed pleasure at the Mexico-Caribbean Business Forum, which took place on Monday.

Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade stressed the importance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to the economy, which was the focus of one of the workshops at the Forum. Minister

Dookeran referred to SMEs as a major instrument for economic change while Caricom Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque said an initiative like the Forum “opens new vistas in our relationship and potentially creates opportunity for our entrepreneurs in tourism, infrastructure, agriculture, renewable energy and Small and Medium Enterprises”.

Minister Meade took the opportunity to announce that Mexico would be making a US$14 million contribution to the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) as the country sought to strengthen its partnership with the Community on disaster management issues.

Secretary General LaRocque noted that the projects identified at the last Summit, held in Barbados in 2012, had almost all been completed and the feedback from member states had been most positive.

GDF inks new Collective Labour Agreement with GLU

Officials of the GDF and the GLU sign the CLA at the GDF’s conference room.

General Secretary Carvil Duncan and GDF Col Administration, while GDF Colonel (Administration and Quartering) Captain John Flores is second from right

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has signed a new Collective Labour Agreement with the Guyana Labour Union (GLU).

GDF Colonel, Captain John Flores and GLU General Secretary Carvil Duncan were the main signatories. The agreement –which, according to the GDF, covers all permanent civilians employed by the military – was signed on April 16.

Captain Flores noted that the completion and signing of the agreement is indicative of the GDF’s continued respect and concern for the welfare of the Force’s civilian employees. “The GDF has great respect for all of its employees and we value the contributions of our civilian

Rape

Alabour force. We will continue to treat with them in the letter and spirit of this agreement and also with regard to our national laws. Our doors are also open for consultations should any issue arise that is not covered in this agreement.”

The GLU General Secretary lauded the GDF’s commitment to protecting the rights of its civilian employees with the establishment of the new agreement. He also commended the GDF for maintaining a very healthy relationship with the GLU. “I am happy that an agreement has been reached and concluded between the two parties,” Duncan said. “People often wonder how it is that a union is operating in a military organisation when unions are generally

associated with go-slows and strikes. With the GDF we operate on principles embracing discussions and consultations to arrive at consensus. The GDF is worker-friendly and takes care of their people. They also have a high regard for the union. The GLU enjoys a unique relationship with the Guyana Defence Force. The signing of this agreement shows a continuation of that relationship,” he added.

Also present at the signing ceremony were Staff Officer One General One, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick West; Assistant Chief Labour Officer Lydia Greene; GLU Field Officer Michael Stevens; and GDF Shop Steward Doreth Christian. The previous agreement was signed in 1977.

accused shot dead by police

man who was accused of rape was shot dead by police after he allegedly attacked a rank with a cutlass at Kuru Kuru on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway on Tuesday.

Dead is Joel Ross. Police said in a statement that

about 12:30h on Tuesday, Ross, who was armed with a cutlass, attacked a policeman who was in the process of arresting him at Kuru Kuru, Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

This caused the rank to resort to the use of force and Ross was shot to his body. He succumbed to his injuries. Ross was wanted in relation to a matter of rape committed at Haslington, East Coast Demerara last Monday, Police said. Investigations are in progress.

Police nab robber with 9mm pistol

Police on Tuesday morning arrested a bandit after he robbed a resident of Festival City, South Ruimveldt, Greater Georgetown at gunpoint.

In a release, Police said that around 10:30h on Tuesday two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, confronted Marcel

Fitzalbert, 34, as he was walking along a road in Festival City, and demanded the jewellery he was wearing.

Fitzalbert resisted and a scuffle ensued between himself and the armed man, during which rounds were discharged. However, no one was injured. Ranks of a police patrol in the area responded to the sound of the gunshots and arrested the man who had the firearm. His accomplice managed to escape with a gold chain from the victim. An unlicensed 9mm pistol with five rounds was recovered. The suspect is in custody and charges will be made shortly.

Police investigating fatal accidents on West Bank

Police on the West Bank of Demerara have launched investigations into two separate accidents which took place on Monday, April 28 in the area, claiming the lives of two persons. According to a Police source, one of the victims –18-year-old Mikhail Persaud of Diamond, East Bank Demerara died on the spot after he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed into a parked car at the Vriesland Public Road, West Bank Demerara.

Persaud, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara

Hospital, was reportedly speeding at the time of the accident.

The other victim, 32-year-old Shafeek Shaw, of 26 Hydronie, Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was hours later struck down while walking on the Bushy Park Public Road, EBE.

The driver involved, Hilton Kippins, of A 5 St Lawrence, EBE reportedly told investigators that he was proceeding west along the road when he noticed the man walking along the roadway in the direction of his coming vehicle.

Kippins, who was at the time driving a Toyota

Spacio, with number plate HB 3449, stated that as the now dead man attempted to pass him, he stumbled and fell on to the roadway, in the path of his vehicle. He further told the Police that after the man had stumbled and fallen; the front of his vehicle struck the man, with the impact throwing him some feet away on the public road.

The source told this publication that Shaw was picked up and rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival at the institution. The man leaves to mourn a wife, mother, and stepfather.

FAO enlists journalists to push agriculture agenda

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) are joining forces to promote wider global sharing of agricultural information and better highlight FAO’s activities in specialised agricultural media worldwide.

An agreement signed on Tuesday by FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva and IFAJ President Markus Rediger outlines various joint activities to be undertaken by the Organisation and the 3000+ journalists represented by the 32 national associations that form the IFAJ.

The partnership aims at enhancing knowledge exchange and content publishing related to global hunger and food security, nutrition, sustainable development, and the responsible management of fishery and forestry resources, among other issues.

“Partnering with specialised agricultural media can play a critical role in informing the general public and target audiences that together, we can transform the lives of those who suffer from chronic hunger and

food insecurity – and that it can be done in our lifetime,” said Graziano da Silva at the signing ceremony.

Nutrition issues

The FAO Director General stressed that nutrition has become as important as food security. He noted how the upcoming Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN-2) to be held at FAO headquarters in November would offer an opportunity to raise awareness of nutrition issues in the media, including through the work of IFAJ members.

IFAJ is a not-for-profit independent professional association headquartered in Arnhem (Netherlands). Its affiliates include national associations of agricultural journalists and communicators in 32 countries.

IFAJ members report daily in newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts, and Internet portals across the globe, covering a wide range of topics, from agricultural markets and rural development policies, to biofuels and issues of sustainable production, to nutrition and the challenges of feeding a growing population in a sustainable way.

TravelSpan has announced that it will be adding another aircraft to service the Georgetown-New York route to help with the peak season in Guyana.

The aircraft will complement the current aircraft plying the Georgetown route to facilitate the extra flights that TravelSpan added for the July/August peak season.

The airline stated that this move was intended to build a reliable air service for all Guyanese. TravelSpan, in collaboration with Vision Airline, currently offers a wide-body 767/200 aircraft for its nonstop service between Georgetown and New York.

The new larger 767/300 aircraft has a more spacious interior that allows for extra legroom.

“It is our privilege to sign this memorandum with FAO. It will help us reach the goals of our strategy for 2020 and being more relevant to agricultural journalists in all parts of the world – especially in the global South and in countries who are not yet members of our organisation,” the IFAJ President said.

“IFAJ members should not only have their local farmers and their countries on their minds, but also should stay in touch with global issues affecting agriculture,” he added. Rediger also stressed how “as a volunteer organisation, for IFAJ it is important to engage in partnerships to support and develop agricultural journalism worldwide”.

Under the terms of the agreement, FAO information – including press releases, reports and editorial articles – will be disseminated among IFAJ members to help journalists create public awareness on the necessary actions to end hunger. This agreement also will feature jointly-organised events and the opening of a FAO news section on IFAJ’s website with extensive information on food and agriculture issues and trends. A joint FAO/IFAJ award will be created to recognise the work of journalists who significantly contribute to raising awareness on the crucial importance of fighting hunger.

“This project will inspire our colleagues to write about these themes that are basic for world agriculture,” Rediger said. The new partnership also foresees advocacy events related to the International Year of Family Farming (2014) and other UN International Years related to FAO’s mandate.

Hinds deplores vandalism of GT&T cables

Acting President Samuel Hinds, who is also the Minister responsible for energy, said citizens should be vigilant and aid in the fight against vandalism of private and public properties.

The Prime Minister noted that if people were more vigilant, then some of the perpetrators who vandalise properties to steal their copper and metal contents would be apprehended.

Speaking to Guyana Times in an interview on Tuesday, Hinds said the recent incidents of vandalism of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company cables were very worrisome to him and should be equally worrisome to all citizens.

He pointed out that while there is still a ban on the export of copper-based metals, there is speculation that the culprits have been managing to smuggle the contraband by way of Guyana’s borders to neighbouring countries.

These pronouncements by the Prime Minister come just about a week after vandals stole some 15 metres of a 2400-pair feeder cable from GT&T.

The vandalism resulted in the disruption of tele-

phone services to customers in Bel Voir Court, Bel Air, Prashad Nagar, Sophia, Blygezight and surrounding areas, GT&T said in a statement.

Negative impact

According to GT&T, these acts of vandalism have continued to negatively impact the rollout of telecommunication and relative services countrywide.

The company explained that resources have to be constantly diverted from scheduled works to rectify issues that surfaced as a result of vandalism to their property.

Guyana Metal Recyclers Association (GRMA) President Desmond Sears has also expressed concern over the vandalising of the feeder cable over the Easter weekend, saying that the act is more than likely the work of illegal scrap metal dealers.

Speaking to Guyana Times in a recent interview, Sears said only one dealer has been given permission to export non-ferrous metal.

He said the dealer is a member of the Association, and from all indications, he did not purchase the stolen copper cable.

He explained too, that

in any event, non-ferrous materials for export are usually subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the authorities, and it would be difficult for the dealer to risk trying to export stolen cables.

Sears said there has been a mushrooming of illegal dealers, both in the ferrous and non-ferrous metal trade.

Vandalism on various private and state properties and commercial building sites had been widespread, since a vibrant scrap metal business developed in Guyana a few years ago. This has resulted in damage to property belonging to the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) at the Lama Conservancy, the pumping facility of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), and the rails around churchyards and accessible burial grounds.

In 2007, the pre-existing Metal Dealers’ Act was amended, granting Government authority over the scrap metal trade, enabling it to impose fines and criminal charges if necessary. At one point, the Government had imposed a ban on the export of such metals.

Customs Department now tracking declaration queries electronically

Anew internal application that allows the Customs Department to track customs declaration queries electronically was put into operation recently by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The second aircraft, which was on a JFK-GEOJFK round trip last Saturday (April 26), is configured with a 30-seat business class, with full reclining bed seats and 191 economy seats.

The company currently has flights scheduled for Tuesdays and Saturdays, and for July and August there will be flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The company also has flights scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays to and from Port of Spain, Trinidad for July and August.

According to TravelSpan, it will also offer all-inclusive vacation packages at hotels in Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic on Tuesdays in July and August.

The GRA said in a release that the new solution referred to as the Customs Declaration Query, replaces the manual system used to manage queries and now enables such queries to be seen by members of the public via the updated Online Customs Declaration Checker and the in-house Kiosk Declaration system.

In 2012, the GRA introduced the Online Declaration Checker to enable importers and brokers to monitor the status of Customs declarations rather than

having to make unnecessary trips to the Customs Department. The current version of Checker has an added advantage of enabling quicker responses in instances where documents are queried by the Customs Entry Processing Unit (EPU).

Through the use of the Customs Declaration Checker, persons can enter the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and Declaration Number to see the results with or without queries or they can enter their TIN only and see all their declarations with or without queries for the last 14 days.

The Kiosk Declaration system works similarly, but does not have a datelimit and is only accessible from within the GRA

Headquarters facility. The Customs Online Checker and Kiosk Declaration system are regarded as transparent means by which importers can track the progress of their declarations. The intervention was spearheaded by the GRA’s Information Technology (IT) Department and adds to the numerous efforts by the Authority to improve its services over the years through technology.

Among them is the optional online payment system which allows taxpayers to pay their Corporation Tax, Income Tax, Individual and Company Property Taxes, Value Added Tax, and PAYE Tax or buy motor vehicle licences online or via the telephone.

Guyana Festival to be launched on Friday

The highly anticipated Guyana Festival will be launched on Friday at the Guyana International Conference Centre at 17:00h.

The event is open to members of the public.

A cultural extravaganza awaits all invitees, visitors and participants of the inaugural Guyana Festival to be staged from August 8 to 10, at the National Stadium, Providence

The “Sound, Soul and Taste” of Guyana will be

presented to the world through a spectacular display of art, craft, dance, drama, music and cuisine, and thousands are expected to converge at the venue to indulge in the treats available and to delight in the cultural atmosphere.

For the very first time, the fusion of the six different cultures that make up the Guyanese tapestry will be brought together reflecting a true melting pot that is the Guyanese identity.

Guyana is known the world over for its warmth and the hospitality of its people, and it is also recognised that the underlying beauty of the destination is reflected in the people and the depictions of their cultural differences.

Now for the very first time, the opportunity for that to shine is here – the Guyana Festival…reflecting what it means to be truly Guyanese, representing the “Sound, Soul and Taste” of the destination.

SUDOKU

Children and close friends should be included in your plans today. Getting together with those you love will make you feel good about your life and future.

By Bernice Bede Osol

(June 21July 22) (Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Family problems are likely if you have not been paying attention to current developments. Take a look at your financial situation before you overspend on an impulsive purchase.

A travel opportunity is coming your way. Your imagination is in overdrive, and a new hobby or endeavor will help to satisfy your creative urges. Love is in the stars.

What was touted as a foolproof investment could prove to be very costly. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. You can’t expect to get something for nothing. Be smart with your cash.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

(July 23Aug. 22) (Feb. 20-March 20)

Get involved in a benevolent or charitable organization. You have a lot to offer, and important connections will be made if you share your best ideas with others.

(March 21-April 19)

Get together with friends during the evening hours, but take care of your own responsibilities first to put your mind at ease. Romance will enhance your personal life.

(April 20-May 20)

You can’t let past disappointments hold you back. Keep your head up and move forward with pride. Don’t waste time stewing over things you cannot change.

(May 21June 20)

Don’t waste time on idle chitchat. Someone is likely to use your flippant attitude against you. Focus on being productive, not entertaining. Keep your plans a secret.

Mingling after hours with colleagues could prove to be very rewarding today. You will be able to learn a lot of useful information from people with more experience than you.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Keep a watchful eye on your personal documents and make sure everything is up to date. Doublecheck that you have done everything in your power to ward off a financial loss.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Expect to face demanding individuals. Keep your emotions in check and assert yourself if you feel you are being taken advantage of. Put your needs first for a change.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

You may find hidden value in an overlooked asset. If you are feeling overwhelmed, get out and do something physical to relieve stress. Clear up any misunderstanding or uncertainty.

Atwell heads to Gleason’s Gym ahead of title fight

- hits back at detractors

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

World title contend-

er Clive”The Punisher” Atwell will head to Gleason’s Gym in New York this week to step up preparations for his title fight against Mexico’s Jhonny Gonzalez on May 24 in Mexico.

Speaking at a press conference at Millenium Manor Hotel on Hadfield Street on Tuesday, the 25-year-old pugilist said he is in top shape at the moment, and travelling to New York is all part of fine-tuning as he attempts to become Guyana’s next world champion.

The eloquent boxer will face the toughest challenge of his fledgling career next month, when he takes on Gonzalez for the World Boxing Council’s Featherweight world title in Mexico.

The fight was sealed by Atwell’s camp, Dog Pound, earlier this month, handing the Guyanese a golden opportunity to become the country’s next world champion.

In order to make that dream a reality, Atwell’s camp has decided to fly the boxer to New York

where he will undergo training under the eyes of such experts as New Yorkbased Guyanese, Lennox Blackmore, among others.

“As it relates to the immediate plans, Team Atwell is expected to depart the shores of Guyana at the end of the week to begin the final stage of

preparations in Gleason’s Gym in New York, where we also will be working with Leon Moore, a champion of Guyana, and Delon Carew, one of the best coaches and cut man in that gym, who is expected to join our team to Mexico,” Atwell divulged.

Meanwhile, Atwell had

a few words for his detractors, some of whom have been penning articles in the local press, condemning the move by Dog Pound to sign the fighter against the more experienced Gonzalez.

However, Atwell lauded his corner for sealing the fight and offering him the opportunity to land Guyana another world title.

It was also highlighted that the defence by Gonzalez was “voluntary” and not “mandatory”, leading Atwell to praise Dog Pound, headed by Guyana Squash Association presidents Ronald Burch-Smith and Andrew Arjoon, for their ability to land such a high- profile contest.

Atwell admitted that Burch-Smith and Andrew Arjoon had “little or no ground” to lobby for such a bout given that he had been involved in just 13 professional fights as compared to Gonzalez’s 60odd, yet they were successful in securing the deal.

“They would have done the job in terms of securing the fight in an effort to crown Guyana’s next world champion and I believe it’s fair that we put

Match drawn but Jamaica crowned champs

Two promising batsmen, Jermaine Blackwood and Sunil Ambris, featured prominently with breakthrough hundreds before Jamaica claimed the Headley/Weekes Trophy with a tame draw against Windward Islands in the Final on Tuesday here.

Blackwood completed his maiden first-class hundred of 118, propping up the Jamaicans’ batting, as they were dismissed for 200 in their second innings about half-hour before lunch on the last day of the finale to the Regional 4-Day Tournament.

This left the Windwards to chase a highly improb-

able, if not impossible target of 376 on a docile Beausejour Cricket pitch, and Ambris used the relaxed atmosphere to carve out his second firstclass hundred of 102, as Windwards reached 204 for six in their second innings when play ended an hour before the scheduled close.

The result meant that the visitors clinched the Trophy by virtue of accumulating a higher number of points in the match. They ended with eight, including two batting points and three bowling points, while the Windwards finished with five.

The Headley/Weekes

Trophy was inaugurated five years ago in honour of the late Jamaica and West Indies batting legend George Headley, and living Barbados and West Indies batting legend Sir Everton Weekes.

Blackwood, a graduate of the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre, struck 15 fours and two sixes from 170 balls in 3 ¾ hours.

He reached his hundred from 159 balls, when he dragged a delivery from left-arm medium-fast bowler Kenroy Peters into square leg for a single.

Blackwood shared two vital tail-end stands – 33 with Damion Jacobs for

the eighth wicket and 30 with Sheldon Cottrell for the last wicket – before being caught at straight mid-wicket off Windward captain Liam Sebastien, bowling his off-spin, to bring the Jamaica innings to a close.

Peters was the most successful Windwards bowler with 6-66 from 17 overs, Mervin Matthew grabbed 2-35 from 11 overs and Sebastien grabbed 2-46 from 18 overs.

Ambris, a highly regarded former Young West Indies batsman, batted almost 2 ½ hours, faced 120 balls and struck 13 fours and one six.(Windiescricket)

aside differences, put aside beliefs and customs and rally around the cause, which is to obtain a world title,” Atwell reiterated.

Atwell said he is unfazed by the “negative reporting”, as his focus is on the task ahead, but lamented the effect the bad publicity has had on his management team.

Records

Based on their records and experience, one would definitely be tempted to give Gonzalez the favourite’s tag, along with the fact that he will have home crowd support.

The 32-year-old Mexican is vastly experienced with a total of 63 fights, 55 of which he has won with 47 knockouts and eight defeats.

At 25, Atwell is now building what has been a fantastic career to date, with 12 wins and a draw from 13 trips to the square jungle.

However, Atwell was given a massive boost when renowned boxer turned trainer Lennox Blackmore declared that the Guyanese is ready for the task at hand.

Blackmore argued that Atwell seemed mentally focused and prepared, and noted that it is imperative the boxer is given enough time to acclimatise to Mexican conditions.

Another overseasbased Guyanese boxing enthusiast, Seon Bristol, has thrown his weight behind Atwell, noting that he will be offering as much support as possible to ensure the belt is wrapped around the Guyanese on fight night.

Atwell and his team will depart Guyana on Friday for New York.

According to the website wikipedia, Gleason’s is a boxing gym located on the Brooklyn waterfront. Since 1937, when the gym was founded in the Bronx, boxers with their eyes on Olympic glory or a shot at the title have been training at Gleason’s.

Fighters who trained at the gym include Jake LaMotta, Roberto Durán, Benny “Kid” Paret, Gerry Cooney, and Mike Tyson. Before his first title fight against Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, also trained at Gleason’s.

NBA bans Donald Sterling for life, fines him $2.5 million for racial comments

The NBA has banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million for racial comments he made to his reported girlfriend. The NBA will immediately begin working to try to force him to sell the team.

“The hateful opinions voiced by that of the man [on the tape] are those of Donald Sterling,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “…I’m personally distraught the views expressed by Mr. Sterling came from within an institution that has historically taken such a leadership role in matters of race relations.”

As part of the ban, Sterling is not allowed “to attend any NBA games or practices, be present at any Clippers office or facility, or participate in any business

or player personnel decisions involving the team.”

Sterling also will be barred from attending any Board of Governors meetings and participating in any other league activity. The fine is the maximum the NBA can issue under the NBA constitution, Silver said. Seventy-five percent of the NBA’s owners must vote to oust Sterling to force him to sell.

“I fully expect to get the support needed,” Silver said.

Several groups hoping to purchase the Clippers are already stepping forward with a bidding war expected to exceed $1 billion for the franchise, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Among those groups, Magic Johnson and Guggenheim Partners will be front and center in pursuit of the Clippers.

The NBA’s announcement comes a little more than three days after TMZ released the first audio recording of Sterling allegedly telling his reported girlfriend – identified as V. Stiviano – he didn’t want her bringing African-Americans to Clippers games. In the recording, he also said he wanted her to remove photos of African-Americans –

including one of former Los Angeles Lakers guard and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson – from social media.

Among the more inflammatory quotes attributed to Sterling:

• “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”

• “You can sleep with them. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.”

• “Don’t put him [Magic Johnson] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games.”

Deadspin later released an extended version of the

Knight Riders v Royals, IPL 2014

audio recording in which Sterling allegedly tells the woman that blacks are treated “like dogs” in Israel. When reminded that most of the players on the Clippers are black, Sterling goes on to say, “I support them and give them food and clothes and cars and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have – who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners that created the league?”

Clippers players staged their own subtle protest during Sunday’s playoff loss to the Warriors by wearing their warm-up shirts inside-out to hide the “Clippers” name. They also wore black socks and wristbands.

Many of Sterling’s fellow NBA owners, including Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Bobcats, condemned the comments in recent days.

The controversy ranks as the NBA’s greatest since the Tim Donaghy scandal and comes less than three months after Silver replaced David Stern as NBA commissioner. Sterling had been sued multiple times in the past for racial discrimination, including a 2009 case in which he paid $2.7 million to settle allegations his companies targeted and discriminated against blacks, Hispanics and families with children in renting apartments in greater Los Angeles. Under Stern, the NBA never publicly punished Sterling after the settlements. (Yahoo Sports!)

Royals win on boundary count after tie and Super Over

Afew days ago, individu-

al brilliance from Chris Lynn had given Kolkata Knight Riders a win from nowhere, which sparked wild celebrations. Today they experienced what it was like to be on the receiving end of such an unexpected result. Knight Riders needed only 16 off 12 balls with six wickets in hand, when their middle and lower order capsized against James Faulkner in the penultimate over.

Shakib Al Hasan forced the match into a Super Over and Knight Riders would have been confident of Sunil Narine defending 12. But with three needed to win off the last ball, Steven Smith played a smart dab into the vacant space at extra cover and ran an easy two, levelling the match again and taking Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling win on the basis of a greater number of boundaries scored in the match.

For Knight Riders, it should have never come to that stage. Faulkner hadn’t had the best of times in this year’s IPL and was benched for a match after ordinary outings in his first three games, but bowled an inspirational over to turn the game on its head.

Cameos from Suryakumar Yadav and Shakib had almost brought Knight Riders on the doorstep of a smartly constructed innings and a win seemed there for the taking. They had added 49 runs in 26 balls. Then, Faulkner’s slower balls, so effective last year, made a sparkling re-entry.

Yadav, looking for a big hit, sliced the first ball of the 19th over to long-off to fall for a 19-ball 31. It was still Knight Riders’ game, but Faulkner’s fourth and fifth deliveries proved to be the icing on his birthday cake as Robin Uthappa and Vinay Kumar missed straight deliveries to be bowled. Six balls, three wickets and 12 off nine became 12 off 6. With Shakib still around, Knight Riders still had some chance - they kept up with

SCOREBOARD

Rajasthan

Kolkata

out (Smith/†Samson) 0

SP Narine not out 1

Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 6, nb 2) 11

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 152 (7.60 runs per over)

Bowling O M R W

STR Binny 1 0 7 0 KW

the task as Shakib squeezed a boundary off the first ball off the last over. Kane Richardson did not bowl the best of overs, serving leg-side balls and halfvolleys. Shakib failed to connect properly again in the over, but managed to tie the game. However, Smith’s presence of mind off the last delivery of the Super Over that won them two points showed Royals were in no mood to spoil Faulkner’s birthday party.

One of the heartening side stories for the Knight Riders to emerge despite the loss was Gautam Gambhir’s return to form. Gambhir didn’t set the stage on fire - the slower Abu Dhabi pitch was never going to allow that sort of strokeplay and that’s not Gambhir’s game anyway - but his 45 from 44 deliveries was the ideal platform for the middle-order strokemakers. Such had been the drought that Gambhir would have been satisfied with any-

thing of substance; he had hardly spent any time in the middle. He ended up playing the solid knock that was needed at the top of the order following the template Ajinkya Rahane, who top-scored with 72, had set in the first half of the match. A pull shot off the gentle medium pace of Stuart Binny didn’t run to the boundary but was the ideal tonic for a sagging spirit.

Once he had played a few balls though, Gambhir was in familiar territory, comfortably nudging the ball into the gaps and using his feet to the slower bowlers. Familiar with Rajat Bhatia’s tricks, Gambhir handled his Delhi teammate with ease, once using his feet to carve a slower delivery over extra cover in trademark fashion. But he was caught in the boundary to a sweep shot, five short of his half-century. His team’s fate followed a similar course: Solid, but not being able to finish it off. (ESPNcricinfo)

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Rio 2016: ioc vice-president says preparations are ‘worst’ ever

Preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics are the “worst” ever seen, according to International Olympic Committee vicepresident John Coates.

The Australian said the IOC has taken “unprecedented” action by placing experts in the local organising committee to ensure the Games go ahead.

“The situation is critical on the ground,” he said.

The news comes as Brazil faces a race to be ready in time for the Fifa World Cup, which starts in 44 days.

“No-one is able to give answers at the moment”

John Coates IOC vicepresident Coates, who has been involved in the Olympics for nearly 40 years, has made

six trips to Rio as part of the commission responsible for overseeing the preparations.

He added that one of the experts embedded in the local committee was a construction project manager.

“The IOC has adopted a more hands-on role,” said Coates. “It is unprecedented for the IOC but there is no Plan B. We are going to Rio.”

He said that, in his opinion, this was “a worse situation” than in 2004, when there were concerns about preparations for the Athens Games.

“It’s the worst that I’ve experienced,” he added. “We have become very concerned. They are not ready in many, many ways. We have to make it happen and that is the IOC approach. You can’t walk away from this.”

Rio not alone in struggles

Organisers of the 2004 Athens Games were warned several times by the IOC about their preparations, with then IOC president Juan Samaranch even threatening to take the Olympics away at one stage

Preparations for the 2004 Athens Games were marred by delays in construction and service delivery, but the venues and infrastructure was

ultimately delivered in time. Coates said that construction has not even started on some venues in Rio, which will host South America’s first Olympics, while infrastructure is significantly delayed and the city has “social issues that need to be addressed”.

He added that Rio organisers have the same number of staff - 600 - as London did at the same stage in their preparations for 2012, but did not have the necessary experience.

Coates, who was involved in the organisation of the Sydney 2000 Games as head of the Australian Olympic Committee. said it was proving difficult for the IOC to get the answers they needed.

“No-one is able to give answers at the moment,” he said.

“Can they use the car parks in the village for recovery centres? What will be the time to take from this venue to this venue?

“All of those things, they’re being fobbed off.”

Coates also claimed that only two people were working in Rio’s test event department with tournaments scheduled to start this year.

(BBC Sport)

Kamran Akmal, Malik omitted from training camp

Akmal and

KMalik have been omitted from a pool of 36 probables who will take part in a month-long summer camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore starting on May 6. Pakistan’s new selection committee recalled Taufeeq Umar and Yasir Hameed for the camp and the focus is on preparing for upcoming tours and the 2015 World Cup.

The camp will be supervised by the coaching staff of the National Cricket Academy, headed by Mohammad Akram, as the PCB is currently hunting for national coaches. Fast bowler Junaid Khan and offspinner Saeed Ajmal will not attend the camp due to their county commitments in England.

Pakistan are set to play seven Tests, 13 ODIs and two T20s in the next 10 months. However, with the next international series three months away, the PCB was concerned about the long layoff. The gap was originally seven months, before the PCB managed to strike a deal for a short tour of Sri Lanka in August. Pakistan will then host Australia and New Zealand from October to December in the UAE.

“We will have 36 players for the first phase of the training camp,” chief selector Moin Khan said at the National Stadium in Karachi. “The World Cup (2015) is the ultimate goal as we have to prepare for that on a day to day basis. We are planning for the whole year

so we need players who can survive with their fitness, as it has been a concern. We have to keep a zero tolerance on fitness.”

The notable omissions of wicketkeeper Kamran and allrounder Malik were not surprising, after their dismissal performances in the recent World T20 in Bangladesh. Both were selected for the tournament despite being in ordinary form. Kamran managed only 48 runs in four outings while Malik scored only 52 runs in four innings and wasn’t used as a bowler. Moin, however, said it wasn’t the end of the road for both players.

“The recent performances by Shoaib and Kamran were not satisfactory but the doors aren’t shut on them. Given the age factor (as both are 32) we have older players

who are fit and performing so there is always a chance for a comeback. They are still in contention and with the upcoming (domestic) season they have to perform well to win back the selectors’ faith.” Taufeeq, 32, had been out of contention since pulling out of the South Africa tour last year due to a leg injury. Among the current lot of Pakistan openers, he has the highest average (38.72) after Saeed Anwar (47.10) and has scored more runs than any other opener since 2001. Hameed, 36, made his debut in 2003 and was a regular member of the team for the next four years. He was dropped, then recalled for the tour of England in 2010 before being ignored again.

Openers: Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Shan Masood, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Khurram Manzoor, Taufeeq Umar, Sharjeel Khan

Middle order: Misbah-ulHaq, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Faisal Iqbal, Sohaib Maqsood, Haris Sohail, Fawad Alam

Allrounders: Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti

Spinners: Abdur Rehman, Zulfiqar Babar, Raza Hasan, Atif Maqbool, Yasir Shah

Fast bowlers: Umar Gul, Mohammad Talha, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Sami

Wicketkeepers: Adnan Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed (ESPNcricinfo)

Toco Youth win Caribbean Club championship Wins for Agricola, Soesdyke in latest action

- PMTC 1 knocked out at quarter-finals

Toco Youth Volleyball Academy defeated the Southern United Volleyball Academy(SUVA) in three straight sets (2523, 25-13, 25-22) on Easter Monday to cart away the US$5000 first prize and Technocrats defeated Defence Force also in three straight sets (25-19,2518,25-17) to win the female category of the Player’s League 4, Caribbean Club Championship.

The event was organized by the Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Federation (TTVF) and was played at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Chaguanas from April 18-21.

The championship attracted seven male teams,

namely Technocrats, Defence Force, West Side Stars, Toco Youth Volleyball Academy, SUVA, Bib Cepos (Central East Port-of-Spain) and Port Mourant Training Centre One (PMTC 1) of Guyana. The female category had four teams- University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), West Side Stars, Defence Force and Technocrats. Each of the teams had at least two members of the T&T national squad.

Last year’s winner, Big Cepos, was upstaged by two-time runner-up Toco Youth, who had national setter Saleem Alli in their team this time around and also the dynamic Simon Blake.

PMTC 1 of Guyana performed creditably, but were defeated by SUVA on the opening day by three sets to nil (21-25, 16-25, 23-25). On the second day, the boys from Berbice did better, but went down to Technocrats one set to three (20-25, 2519, 23-25, 20-15).

The team which was referred to as the visiting Guyana national team in the Trinidad Guardian defeated West Side Stars on Easter Sunday in three straight sets (25-16, 2516, 27-25), but lost to Big Cepos in the quarter-finals later in the evening in straight sets (18-25, 19-25, 20-25).

On a positive note, after their good performanc -

Mumbai Indians sign Lendl Simmons

Lproved

ing a training session.

Simmons, who has played close to 100 international matches for West Indies, had a stellar season with Guyana Amazon Warriors in last year’s Caribbean Premier League, where he emerged as the team’s highest run-getter with 263 runs from nine matches at 33.25 to power them into the final, which they eventually lost against Jamaica Tallawahs.

Since then, however, Simmons’ form has tailed off a little in the shortest format. He managed just 77 runs from five matches in the Champions League Twenty20 for Trinidad & Tobago, and was just as indifferent in West Indies’ World T20 campaign, where he scored just 88 runs in five innings.

Simmons is likely to be available for Mumbai Indians’ next match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad tomorrow. His new team have had a dismal start to the season, losing their opening four games and are rooted at the bottom of the IPL table. (ESPNcricinfo)

es, two young players from PMTC 1 were approached by T&T clubs with offers to play in the Pro League later this year. Quacy Matheson of PMTC is already a guest player for Toco in that league.

PMTC’s coach Levi Nedd, in an invited comment, said he was pleased with the performance of his team despite the loss, citing that the team was a young one and the experience gained will serve them well.

He lamented the poor standard of refereeing at crucial times, which affected the Guyanese. He also took the opportunity to express gratitude to all who contributed financially and otherwise to make the team’s participation in the championship possible.

He said special mention must be made of the contribution and support given by Director of Sport Neil Kumar, Guyana Volleyball Federation president John Flores, the Guyana Defence Force, Poonai Bhigroog of Poonai’s Pharmacy, Sain and Sons Supermarket of Williamsburg, Corentyne, Spready’s of Port Mourant, Vic Seubarran of Universal DVD, the managers of Skeldon and Albion Estate, the manager of GuySuCo Training Centre and all other volleyball supporters in Berbice.

Rivalry in the Stag Beer-sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Division

One League will continue on Thursday with one match at the Grove Playfield. Home team Grove Hi Tech is set to entertain rivals Diamond

United in what is expected to be a keen contest. Game time is 15:00h.

In last Sunday’s play, Agricola Red Triangle cantered back into the lead with a tight 2-1 win over Mocha Champs, while Soesdyke Falcons were in a no-nonsense mood when they hammered Kuru Kururu Warriors 5-0.

In recording victory, Soesdyke Falcons overtook the Warriors on the points table by virtue of a better goal difference. Netting for the Falcons were Roger Dey and Colin Holder with a pair of goals each, while John Gordon scored the other.

Converting both goals for Agricola Red Triangle was Travis Grant; Mocha’s consolation effort came of the boot of Troy Griffith.

Tiger Sport, Motor Trend on board for Arrival Day T20

Enmore business entities Tiger Sport and Motor Trend Auto have thrown their support behind Quest International for the hosting of the Arrival Day T20 in Enmore on May 5.

Tiger Sport has donated the game balls, while Motor Trend Auto presented a cheque of an undisclosed amount to the Planning and Organising Officer, Benedict Prince of Quest International on Tuesday at their location in Enmore.

Ato Singh of Tiger Sport said they are pleased to be associated with the competition since it will provide entertainment for the community,

while Kevin Singh of Motor Trend Auto stated that cricket is the number one sport there and this tournament should motivate the youths. Prince thanked both entities for their inputs, adding that it promises to be an exciting event. The tournament will feature two teams from Georgetown and two teams from the East Coast of Demerara and is an initiative by the host to make T20 cricket more competitive on the East Coast of Demerara and to showcase local talent.

PPP/C congratulates Carifta team

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Clement Rohee, on Monday during a press conference congratulated the junior Carifta Games team on their fourthplace performance at the event which was held in Martinique.

“The People’s Progressive Party salutes the Guyana team which participated in the recently concluded Carifta Games held in Martinique.

“Congratulations are extended in particular to Cassey George, who won two gold medals in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres competition and Kadecia Baird for winning a gold and silver medals at the 400 and 200 metres respectively,” Rohee stated.

Rohee, who lauded the other members of the team that helped Guyana finish fourth which is a national team’s best performance at

the event, posited that the PPP’s input with youth was part of the reason the Carifta team was a success.

“The growth and success of Cassey and Kadecia and all the other budding sportsmen and women are a testimony to the heavy investment the PPP government has made towards the development of our young people and sports in general.

“We believe that these investments are bearing fruits and the PPP/C administration will be further motivated to invest in the development of our young people who displayed unwavering commitment in keeping Guyana on the world map,” Rohee stressed.

Further, Rohee highlighted that the synthetic track being built in Leonora will advance the sport even further.

“We are confident that the investment of the world -class synthetic track at Leonora will boost even further our athletes performances and growth in sport over the years and it’s the PPP’s position [that] investing in our young people are [sic] a worthwhile allocation of resources,” Rohee stated.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s fourth- place finish at the recently concluded games, was the country’s highest finish at the meet.

Wimbledon first round losers to be financial winners

First-round singles losers at this year’s Wimbledon championships will receive 27,000 pounds ($45,400) prize money as organizers continue to help the sport’s lesser lights make ends meet.

Outlining how the grasscourt grand slam’s increased 25 million pounds prize pot will be distributed, the All England Club announced a 14.9 percent raise for first-round losers in the main draw of the men’s and women’s singles.

At the top end this year’s singles champions will bank 1.76 million pounds ($2.9 million), a 10 percent

increase on the 1.6 million pounds Andy Murray and Marion Bartoli earned last year.

That compares favorably with the 1.65 million euros ($2.3 million) for the singles champions at next month’s French Open while Stanislas Wawrinka and Li Na earned $2.65 million for their wins at the Australian Open in January.

All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis justified the increased level of prize money for early-round losers on Tuesday at the annual news conference ahead of the Championships.

“I slightly take issue with that,” Lewis told reporters when questioned whether the prize money on offer for first-round losers was appropriate.

“They have worked hard to get here for 12 months either through their world ranking or through qualifying. By being in a main draw of a grand slam means they are world class players.

“The costs and expenses involved in being a top-100 player are huge and while they are not pleading poverty they are not making huge sums of money either for world class athletes.”

Since 2011 Wimbledon’s annual prize money increases have been heavily weighted towards the losers in the earlier rounds - a move designed to placate lower-ranked players who struggle to balance the books compared to those in the top 10.

This year’s increase means first-round prize money has risen by a massive 135 percent in three years, compared to a 60 percent increase for the champions.

“We’ve placed emphasis on the large group of players who need our help the most, those players who lose in qualifying and in the early rounds of the championships,” Wimbledon chairman Philip Brook said.

“We also had an eye to being competitive internationally, and we do keep our watch on what is going on in other tennis events and in particular the other grand slams.”

First-round losers at the U.S. Open last year earned $32,000, at this year’s Australian Open 30,000 Australian dollars ($27,800), while at the French Open in 2013 they got 21,000 euros ($29,100). (Reuters)

GCB hosts successful scorers’ workshop

- spotlight on umpires today

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Practising and potential scorers from across Guyana on Tuesday completed the first in a three-part workshop at the National Sports Resource Centre on Woolford Avenue. The workshops are geared at increasing the pool of scorers currently available in the country.

Close to two dozen par-

ticipants attended the session, which was conducted by veteran scorer and athletics coach, Lyndon Wilson.

According to Territorial Development Officer of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Colin Stuart, the local governing body has aligned itself with the mandate set out by the West Indies Cricket Board to develop the human resources attached to the various ter-

ritories.

This workshop is the second in a series planned by the GCB to be held during the coming weeks. A workshop for team managers was held at the Resource Centre on Sunday last.

Stuart said the aim is to ensure that potential scorers learn the intricacies of the job through theoretical and practical sessions, while refreshing the knowl-

edge bases of those who are already practising the trade.

The next two workshops with regard to scoring will focus on the Boxhill book scoring method and the use of computer software to score matches.

Course facilitator Lyndon Wilson, during an interview with this publication, explained the focus of the workshop, noting that

the participants were edified on the basics of scoring and what is required to ensure the process is a smooth and straightforward one.

Wilson said he is impressed with the level of interest shown by persons who attended the workshop, and the fact that more scorers are coming into the system, including an influx of females.

Meanwhile, the GCB

will be conducting an umpire’s seminar from 09:30h at the same venue today. This seminar will target umpires that are not certified and potential umpires. Among the laws to be discussed are the preambles and Laws 30-39 which cover dismissals. The main facilitators are the experienced umpires, Shannon Crawford and Nandkumar Shivsankar.

Atwell heads to Gleason’s Gym ahead of title fight

no stone unturned in an effort to ensure the

is adequately prepared for

Inter-county U-19 competition bowls off Thursday

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) InterCounty, Under-19 three-day competition is scheduled to get under way with the first round starting on Thursday.

From Thursday to Saturday in round one, the President’s XI will go up against Berbice at the Enmore Community Centre ground, while Essequibo will take on Demerara at the Demerara

Cricket Club ground.

In round two, from May 5-7, Demerara and Berbice will clash at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, while Essequibo and the President’s XI will meet at the Demerara

Cricket Club ground.

From May 9-11, the third and final round will see the President’s XI against Demerara, and Berbice against Essequibo. Below are the four squads that will com-

pete in the tournament.

Demerara: Ronaldo Renee, Brian Sattaur, Deonarine Seegobin, Rudolph Singh, Ramnarine Chatura, Malcolm Hubbard, Kemol Savory, Steven Sankar, Stephon Brown, Keon Morris, Kevin Paul, Daniel Basdeo, Sherfane Rutherford and Tagenarine Chanderpaul. The coach is Gavin Nedd and the manager is Robert Adonis.

President’s XI: Ryan Shun, Sunil Singh, Travis Persaud, Vishwanauth Ramlakhan, Richee Lucknauth, Vivian Albert, Ershad Ali, Kelvin Sewpersaud, Ronaldo Mohamed, Michael Shalin, Gavin Moriah, Daniel Lewis, Shivnarine Srikissoon and Avishkar Sewkarran. The coach is Adrian Amsterdam and the manager is David Black.

Berbice: Shimron Hetmyer, Balchand Baldeo, Leon Andrews, Ashkay Homraj, Viendra Gooniah, Arif Chan, David Latchaya, Sharaz Ramcharran, Hakeem Hinds, Parmanand Ramdhan, Martin Singh, Grisean Grant, Dimitri Cameron and Niall Smith. The coach is Hubert Evans and the manager is Julian Cambridge.

Essequibo: Ricardo Peters, Kemo Paul, Akil Wallace, Akini Adams, Ryan Adams, Avenash Persaud, Mahindra Balbadar, Parmesh Parsotam, Shivindra Hemraj, Paul Williams, Paul Simboo, Keno Harry, Travis Drakes and Jamal Heartman. The coach is Vibert Johnson and the manager is Fibeon Durant.

All matches will start at 10:00h each day.