Guyana Times Daily

friday, february 21, 2014| guyanatimesgy.com

AFC offers compromise for establishment of PPC

The Alliance For Change (AFC) has announced its willingness to strike a deal that would see the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission (PPC) and simultaneously see the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLCFT) (Amendment) Bill 2013.

However, Attorney General and Legal Affairs

Anil Nandlall said the Donald Ramotar administration has not been formally notified.

While the AFC has not reneged on its decision to remove Cabinet’s no-objection powers, the small party has prepared drafted amendments to Section 54 of the Public Procurement Act that would give Cabinet the opportunity to file complaints to the commission concerning contracts awarded.

However, before this deal is sealed, AFC maintains that the long awaited PPC must be established and operationalised.

Nandlall, during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times on Thursday, said “It is unfortunate the AFC has seen it fit to publish its posi-

tion in the press rather than make its proposals known to the government in writing.”

He said if it was submitted in writing to President Donald Ramotar, it would have been examined and discussed at the level of Cabinet.

“The government has not received any proposal from the AFC and so it is very difficult for me to comment on the matter,” the legal affairs minister further added.

Pronouncements

He explained that what is often disclosed in the press varies at times from what is said by officials or documents presented behind closed doors. Nandlall alluded to Opposition Leader David Granger’s frequent pronouncements of the A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) willingness to support the AMLCFT (Amendment) Bill. “To date, that support has not been

forthcoming.”

On Wednesday, at Side Walk Café, AFC Executive General Secretary David Patterson said “inflexible positions” would not benefit the people of Guyana; hence, the party is willing to work alongside the PPP/C administration to set in motion systems that will open the door for Guyana to give a satisfactory report to CFATF on February 28.

“The report will be able to present a road map to the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill of 2013, before Guyana’s next review in May.”

However, Patterson made it clear that the AFC stands by its position that it is willing to support the AMLCFT Bill, providing that the PPC is established. “We understand that the government has reservations about set-

ting up the commission and we have indicated our willingness to compromise to reach a mutually agreeable position that best satisfies the needs of the nation.”

It was explained that while the AFC will not rescind its decision to remove Cabinet’s no-objection powers; it will table amendments that would create avenues for Cabinet to file complaints to the PPC on contracts approved by the Guyana National Tender Administration Board, or against contractors who would have won contracts.

“These amendments further enshrine the rights of all complainants, including Cabinet, to object to the award of any contract in the interest of ensuring that Guyana benefits from both a working Public Procurement Commission and an amended Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act.”

Cabinet, like any other entity, would have 21 days to file its complaints. According to its proposed draft to Section 54 of the principal act, all complainants would have the right to object to the PPC on any procurement award, which the complainant finds disagreeable; however, the commission would have the final say.

“The Public Procurement Commission shall determine the merits of the complainant’s objection with the said

procurement award as expeditiously as possible.”

According to Patterson, the government wasted no time in submitting its nominees for the PPC to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), noting that AFC and APNU have already submitted theirs. This will allow for the PAC to select the five best suitable persons.

Simultaneously, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh can table in the National Assembly a financial supplementary paper for money to operationalise the commission.

Amendments

Questioned whether AFC will leave APNU out in the cold, if the government buys into the proposal, AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan said the party endorses the coalition’s proposed amendments. The proposed amendments if passed will remove the powers of the finance minister to appoint the director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and give it to a committee of the National Assembly. The Anti-Money Laundering Authority will comprise 10 members of the House. APNU has also proposed the seizure of cash in excess of $2 million or jewellery worth above that amount, by the police or customs, once there is reasonable suspicion.

According to Ramjattan, the proposed amendments strengthen the existing law.

“The act is worse right now,” he said, noting that the existing law allows for the police and customs to seize money and jewellery without having reasonable suspicion, noting the proposed amendment will correct this major flaw.

Today, a CFATF official is expected to meet with the AML parliamentary special select committee to address concerns of both the APNU and PPP. The meeting is slated to commence at 17:00h at the Parliament Buildings.

Father of two charged for unlawful assault of wife

Afather of two, Kumar Singh from Suddie, Essequibo Coast, was charged for the unlawful assault of his wife Haimwantie and appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court. It is alleged on February 15, Singh unlawfully assaulted his common-law wife Haimwantie. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The magistrate noted that this was not the first time the virtual complainant begged for her husband not to go to jail or face punishment. In response, she said she just wanted her husband to be warned for the final time and if he committed the offence again, she would not be sorry for him.

The magistrate then made Kumar Singh a free man and ordered Haimwantie Singh to pay the court $3000 for wasting the police’s time. He explained to her that if she was being abused constantly, she needed to speak out.

When Magistrate Scarce asked the virtual complainant if she was proceeding with the matter, she replied in the negative. When asked why, she said Singh was the father of her children and she wanted the magistrate to give him a serious warning.

Countrywide:

Wind: East north-easterly between zero and 3.05 metres per second.

High Tide: 08:29h and 21:02h reaching maximum heights of 2.52 metres and 2.40 metres respectively. Low Tide: 02:01h and 14:31h reaching minimum heights of 0.74 metre and 0.71 metre respectively.

Cambio dealer executed

Moments after leaving his Eccles Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara home, well known cambio dealer Bridgelall Persaud, 41, was gunned down in the vicinity of Builder’s Lumber Yard, Lombard Street, Georgetown by two gunmen.

The robbers then made good their escape with a bag containing at least $1 million.

According to information received, the man was in his blue Toyota Raum, and as he approached the truck park at Lombard Street, two men armed with handguns exited a white car that was parked some distance away, walked up to Persaud’s vehicle and opened fire.

At the time of the shooting, traffic was moving at a snail’s pace due to the frequent traffic congestions in the area. One bullet reportedly stuck the man in his head while the others caught him in the regions of his legs and abdomen.

After shooting the businessman, one of the men reportedly reached into the man’s car and removed the bag containing the money. They then made good their escape in a waiting car, which went into Princes Street.

Leads

The businessman was rushed to the Georgetown Pubic Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The police are presently working with a few leads as they continue their investigations, but up to press time, no one was arrested.

Police are working on the theory that the man might have been trailed from the time he left home and would have been under surveillance by the gunmen for some time.

Guyana Times was told that Persaud would use the route to get to work on a daily basis.

When this publication visited the scene, the shattered windscreen of the man’s vehi-

cle was on the roadway, which was also littered with spots of blood.

Persons in the area at the time said they were not around when the incident occurred.

As the news spread about the man’s demise, family members and friends flocked the Georgetown Public Hospital to lend moral support to the man’s wife and four children.

Naresh Persaud, one of the bothers of the now deceased man, who is also a cambio dealer, told media operatives that his brother was heading to work as normal when he was attacked and shot at least three times.

No enemies

He said his brother did not have any enemies and was not sure what transpired.

He said from all indications, the men shot the back windscreen then went around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened fire. One of the bullets, he said, passed through his brother’s head.

The man’s eldest son, Darren (only name given) told Guyana Times that he was still in bed when his father left the house on Thursday morning, but shortly after his mother received the devastating news.

He explained that his mother is still in a state

of shock and is being comforted by family members. The 17-year-old added that his father would normally leave home at 07:30h, but on Thursday, he left a little late.

After receiving news of the shooting, he said family members rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where they identified his body before it was taken to the mortuary.

He too was not sure what happened on the morning of the shooting, but said his father was loved by everyone.

Country getting unsafe

The dead man’s grandmother-in-law was in tears when she visited the mortuary and saw his lifeless body. As she cried, she stated that Guyana is becoming an unsafe place to live, claiming that anyone can be gunned down at any time and no justice is served.

She said that too often someone is killed and the perpetrators continue to walk on Guyana’s roads as if they are innocent. She recalled being at home when her daughter received a call querying, “Is B Boy dead? B Boy dead?”

Upon receiving the news of the man’s death, the elderly woman said she could not believe that Persaud is no more. She said Persaud built life from scratch and has been very good to his wife and children.

“Anything I want and I ask for he gave me willingly…. He never got a problem with anyone… they kill he just like that, but there is a God and anything you sow you will reap,” the woman cried.

Delon Pierre, a cousin of the slain man said he was at home when he got the news and hurried to the scene, but when he got there, he was told that Persaud was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Police ranks on the scene could not confirm the severity of his injuries.

He said that it was when he reached the hospital he re-

ceived the horrific news.

From reports gathered, he explained that thenow dead the man was travelling along Lombard Street when he was attacked by two men.

Bag stolen He disclosed that the man was carry two bags with a substantive among of cash, but the gunmen grabbed the one that was in the front seat and left the other in the back seat.

The possibility exists that they were not aware that there was another bag and thought that all the money was in one, he added.

When contact was made with the dead man’s sister at Craig, East Bank Demerara, the woman said she was still in a state of shock after receiving the dreaded news. She said that Persaud lived with them in Craig for a while before he moved to Eccles. She last saw her brother alive on Wednesday evening when he visited them. The distraught woman recalled that her brother was very kind to all he came into contact with, and was unaware of the motive for his killing.

Persaud has been involved in the cambio business for the past 20 years.

He would normally conduct his business in the vicinity of America and Water streets. He leaves to mourn his parents, wife, four children, two brothers and a sister.

Police in a release stated that about 08:10h, Persaud was driving his motor vehicle along Lombard Street, Georgetown, when he was attacked by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

“The armed man discharged rounds at Persaud, hitting him to the head and other parts of his body. The men escaped with a bag containing some $1 million,” the release said.

Police are continuing their investigations.

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

Internet plagiarism

“Not all thieves lurk in dark alleys and parks. Some sit with their faces, lit by the glow of their computer monitors, copying, pasting, and printing – even the news.”

Using modern technology and easy access through the cyber web, many are totally programmed to hit the web, google, and copy-paste to Microsoft Word. Copying and pasting other works, be it be professional or amateur, is really happening.

In higher learning – the true scale of cheating at university level was exposed when it was revealed that as many as nine in 10 students copy chunks of work from the Internet. This was authenticated by a new plagiarism detection device.

Scans of essays against billions of web pages have shown that the vast majority of students are submitting a lot of “nonoriginal” work. Further, the breakdown in one study showed that more than 12 out of every 100 students are handing in assignments with more than 75 per cent of the material found on the Internet.

In England, a significant number of students admit to cheating in their university essays. In one poll, by The Times Higher Education Supplement of 1022 undergraduates at 119 institutions, it was revealed that one in six had copied from friends, who in turn took materials from the Internet. One in 10 also said they had tried to find model essays on the Internet.

In another study of 650 first-year students at South Bank University, it was established that more than 90 per cent registered on the “non-originality” scale, after essays were scanned against a checking system. Twenty per cent had submitted work which was more than 50 per cent the same as other material.

Meanwhile, 13 per cent of 30,000 papers checked were found to be 75 per cent the same as archive materials. Cheating is often done in a skilful manner, as students are seemingly always on a mission to outsmart lecturers and teachers. Wholesale copying of essays is rare, and in fact, only three per cent of students admitted to copying verbatim.

The grey area of cheating is that slick students copy ideas (really steal them) rather than the exact words. They are also prone to rearrange the copied material and resort to synonym substitution. What is frightening is that a report by the higher education technology organisation, Jisc, warned that student plagiarism was likely to become more common.

Since the trend of plagiarism is so well entrenched, educators will soon have to revise their ways of testing. More and more students, at every level too, want to have take home assignments and to have course work totalling more than the minimum pass percentage.

This allows them to take a free and unfair ride and then obtain accreditation, even though academic authenticity is lacking. We have a situation where, for many students, it is about getting the title and not acquiring the substance.

At a conference in Gateshead, where university heads met, the talk was about the latest techniques for cracking down on the growing problem of student plagiarism. The trend has prompted universities and colleges to introduce electronic sleuthing services in order to trap determined plagiarists and act as a deterrent.

Most use the “Turnitin” software, which checks work against more than 4.5 billion web pages before producing an “originality report”, revealing what percentage of a paper matches Internet material.

Part of the problem is that many students do not really know the exact definition of plagiarism, nor do they ever suffer the consequences, when caught. The other issue is that many educators who actually are in teaching do not mind plagiarism, since it makes life easy for them. It also makes them look good when their students pass, thus giving them a formidable reputation.

If bonafide scholars are going to be produced in Guyana, it stands to reason that plagiarism must be controlled. Testing must be on the spot and on location. It may also mean that take home assignments must be reduced and course work percentage alone must not allow for a passing grade.

The bottom line is that academia must be characterised by candour, integrity and originality.

The need for a specialty hospital

Dear Editor,

It bothers me every time I read about patients who have to be sent to other countries to undergo specialised surgeries. Nevertheless, as a mother who lost a child due to heart complications, I am very relieved for the families and friends of the 11 chil-

dren who are expected to depart for Dominica to undergo heart surgery.

Irrespective of the lack of facilities here in Guyana, it is comforting to know that we have options available to us where specialised care for patients is concerned. However, this will never jus-

tify the fact that as a nation, we need our own specialty hospital.

Health care in any country is a critical aspect of every government’s concern and, in Guyana, there is no doubt a significant need for a specialty hospital.

Furthermore, it continues to baffle me as to why our leaders persist on procrastinating over a matter that urgently needs to be addressed.

Sincerely, Name withheld by request

Changing the way people think

Dear Editor,

After years of being suicidal, the family members of an elderly man recently discovered him hanging from a shed in his yard. People who are suicidal often find themselves in a state of depression and generally find difficulty in dealing with or facing their problems.

Counselling sessions

have over the years allowed victims the opportunity to discuss their problems and further provide them with the guidance and assistance that they need.

Personally, I think that all schools should include a foundation course in psychology to their curriculum. Psychology is the study of human behaviour and men-

tal processes. Exposure to this course will allow people to better understand themselves and the way they think. Moreover, it will allow people to think rationally before they act.

Records from 2013 show that approximately 82 persons attempted suicide in Essequibo and it appears as though this issue is continu-

ing to plague the county, as several suicides have since been reported for January 2014.

I urge the relevant authorities to consider offering this much needed course in our schools today.

Respectfully, Hansraj Tiwari

Mayhem solves no problem

Dear Editor,

I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about the protest that was scheduled to take place in Linden a few Saturdays ago. Fortunately, many Lindeners ended up expressing their disinterest in participating in any illegal or disruptive behaviour and as a result, the planned Linden shutdown did not materialise due to the poor turnout.

My apprehension came about as result of a previous protest that lasted approximately one month during last year. The people of Linden were expressing their displeasure as it related to the increase in the electricity tariff. The protest resulted in multiple damages to several buildings and infrastructure.

During the protest, many people, including the

opposition party, tried to label the home affairs minister as the man responsible for the chaos and loss of lives during the protest. However, he was vindicated by the Linden Commission of Inquiry.

Personally, I find the approach of those people extremely uncalled for. A peaceful approach is always the better one and is often more likely to generate the

desired outcome, particularly, since no problem is ever solved by causing mayhem. I commend the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for always embarking on a peaceful route. Violence of any means in a nation should never be encouraged.

Yours truly,

Edeline Watson

Consequences for those who steal

Dear Editor,

Over the years there have been several incidents where stalls at the Stabroek Market have been broken into and robbed. Personally, I believe that much more relentless consequences are needed for those who set

out to rob hard working people of their earnings. When thieves are issued with petty forms of punishment, it only encourages them to pick up where they left off after they have served their time.

A large percentage of people work hard to earn an

honest living and it is unfair when others maliciously take what does not belong to them.

Persons who have been victims of theft and crime experience an emotion not comparable to that of if one had carelessly misplaced something. They feel violated and hurt and it is important that the court takes this in mind when determining the consequences for the culprits.

The Rabi Sukul fiasco

Dear Editor,

I tend to agree with all the commentaries so far about Attorney Rabi Sukul, who is based mostly in Great Britain.

Some love to boast of their pedigree and bearing. Not paying people when they provide a service, and finding all kinds of excuses not to pay is truly not something that the divine one would approve of.

I wonder why the appointment of such persons is not advertised, and there should be public hearings.

An appointment of this

calibre is nothing ordinary. It has great honour, and is one of the most powerful seats of power.

I truly believe there should be public consultations on such appointments.

I also do not believe any government in power, in Guyana, will not wish to have public consultations, because of the way politics are played in Guyana.

The framers of the original Constitution had a reason why they did it, that is, Forbes Burnham.

Then when the Constitution was being

amended, no one thought of amending this ruling as it concerns the appointment of judges and Appeal Court judges in particular.

I think it is time that this is seriously looked at by the political powerhouses and civil society.

Such appointments should not be in the hands of a select few. The people of this country need to be involved. If the system has to change, so be it.

Sincerely,

Roshan Khan

Parker seems to have a problem with the management of LMPCI

Dear Editor,

I read a letter in another section of the press on February 5 by Carl A Parker under the headline, “Lethem needs an increased subvention”. Parker has once again emerged to create antigovernment sentiments in Lethem as he is known for. He will again swiftly speed away. Parker seems to have a problem with the management of the Lethem Power Company Inc (LMPCI), which has absolutely nothing to do with the rise in electricity tariffs.

The problem with Parker, which he is hiding, is that he is disgruntled over the removal of staff members who once controlled, mismanaged and crippled the electricity situation in

Lethem prior to the intervention of the LMPCI.

This is why Parker and his clique are now grinding their anti-government axe against the management of LMPCI, which is currently doing an excellent job in terms of effectively managing the power supply system in Lethem and its environs.

In relation to the recent increase in electricity tariffs in Lethem, Parker and residents all agreed and signed the agreement, which was posted up at public places in Lethem for all to see.

Parker has now signed a petition, calling for a reduction in electricity tariffs in Lethem. Some Amerindians signed the petition, but were not clear on what they were signing on to.

My information from

Lethem is that an opposition member of Parliament also signed the petition. So Parker and that opposition member are now calling for the reduction of electricity tariffs at Lethem and an increase in subvention for the company.

The opposition has said that the 2014 National Budget will be chopped. What the opposition member of Parliament can do in this regard, if he claims to be concerned about Lethem’s electricity tariffs, is to move a motion in Parliament calling on the opposition not to cut the budget, since it will cause suffering to the residents of the Rupununi region.

Yours sincerely, Peter

Persaud

Better use of the law against noise pollution

Dear Editor, I am constantly being disturbed by loud music being played by the owner of a popular hangout spot opposite the Better Hope Community Centre.

The intensity of the music is so much that it often causes everything in my house to vibrate. I have made numerous calls to the Plaisance Police Station, but the situation has never been addressed.

Ironically, I have seen police officers visiting the bar, and it is sometimes clear that it is not for the purpose I wish it would be for. Additionally, it appears as though many of these business owners have a good relationship with the police and so warnings of misconduct are often bypassed.

Noise pollution is becoming a plague to society and in most cases, it is often under circumstances that can

be avoided. People who deliberately disturb the peace of the environment and pay no mind to the inconveniences that they cause others should be addressed accordingly.

I am fully aware that Guyana has a law against noise pollution and it is time for it to be properly and indiscriminatingly applied.

With kind regards,

Fazil Bacchus

Violence in schools on the rise

Dear Editor, It disturbs me tremendously to know that our youths are becoming more and more criminally inclined. A few weeks ago, there was a stabbing incident involving two young school boys, resulting in the victim having to receive stitches; and now again, there has been another incident, this time between two 14-year-old girls.

In both cases, it appears as though the situations escalated as a result of bullyism. Though there is no one solution to dealing with this problem, it is important that

the children involved, particularly the bully, are disciplined and informed that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

In today’s world, it is quite evident that our children are much more intimidating and daring than before, and it is for this reason that parents and teachers need to chastise their children accordingly when they break the rules. Failure to do so will only lend encouragement to the situation.

I recall in my days, school problems were made up of petty arguments and a few

fist fights. However, with violence in schools on the rise, it is imperative for this issue to be addressed immediately, since this unconstructive behaviour can lead children down a dangerous path.

I urge those responsible for the guidance and well-being of our children to take all approaches possible to curb violence in schools. Furthermore, every school should implement a zero tolerance policy for violence in schools.

Respectfully,

Romain Dyal

Page Foundation

Tips to help children handle disappointment

BY CHERYL BUTLER

When your child faces disappointment, it’s normal to share in their pain. Here are five tips to assist your child in coping with life’s letdowns now and in the future.

No matter how old your child, he or she is going to face multiple disappointments throughout their life.

These can range from minor letdowns (not getting invited to a classmate’s birthday party), to major life events (not being accepted to their top-choice college).

These are part of growing up, and although it’s painful to watch our children suffer when things don’t go their way, disappointment can actually be good for children, especially when you teach them how to bounce back, so they can cope better for future letdowns.

If children can learn the tools to get over a disappointing situation, they’ll be able to rely on them throughout childhood and into adulthood. So today I’m going to share my tips for helping your children handle life’s setbacks:

Tip number one: Know your role

As much as we parents would like to do everything

in our power to make our children happy as often as we can, it’s just not possible. We do, however, have the important role of helping them choose to be happy.

For example, let’s say you take your child to a special place like a children’s museum that she’s been pleading to go to.

At the end of a fun, eventful day you ask how she enjoyed the outing, only to hear “It was OK, but a lot of it was boring.”

You will probably be crushed by this flippant comment, but remember: you can’t force your excitement about spending quality time together on your child.

The key is to not overreact with a hurtful response, but instead ask a specific question such as “What was your favourite part of the museum?” to encourage your child to see the good parts of the experience.

Modelling appropriate behaviour ourselves when things don’t go our way teaches our children the skills to handle disappointments.

It’s important to step back and let them use these new skills when things don’t go badly, which ultimately allows them to be responsible for their own feelings.

Tip number two: Empathise with your child’s disappointment

When your child is hurting from a letdown, begin by acknowledging your child’s perception of what happened. Let’s say your daughter doesn’t get asked to the prom. You certainly don’t need to agree with her dramatic conclusion that she’s the most unpopular girl who ever lived. But you can empathise and reflect her feelings.

Say, “I know you are feeling so hurt about this” then get her to talk. To do that, ask rather than tell. “It stinks that you didn’t get asked to the prom! I didn’t get asked to the either when I was a junior. I hated how that felt. But several of my friends didn’t get asked either, so we had a sleepover at my house, gave each other manicures, and the next day we realised it wasn’t the end of the world. What can I do to help you through this?”

This at least opens the lines of communication and shows your child that you’ve been in a similar situation. Now she knows she’s not alone. Remember that your child watches how you respond to failures in your own life. It’s okay to share your disappointment (as long as you don’t overreact) and it’s

important to show how you learned from the experience.

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Tip number three: Teach your child a self-calming techniques I read a wonderful book several years ago called Dealing with Disappointment: Helping Children Cope When Things Don’t Go Their Way by Elizabeth Crary. She recommends that children have one self-calming technique to help deal with disappointment for every year of their age, up to age 12. Crary describes six general categories of self-calming tools. They include: physical, auditory/verbal, visual, creative, self-calming and humour. Here are a few examples of each category:

Physical:

* Large movements: Examples are running, dancing, jumping, hiking, anything to get their energy out.

* Breathe in calmness: Teach your children to take a big breath and then blow out the birthday candles, or blow a feather across a table.

Auditory/verbal:

* Talk to someone: Children need to be heard before they can problem solve. Just listen, uninterrupted and without trying to fix things.

* Positive self-talk: Model

dren, showing them how even when you’re angry, you can productively problem solve. For example, if you didn’t get the job you applied for, you could say “I’m sorry that job didn’t work out for me, but I’m sure there is an even better opportunity waiting.”

* Listen to music: Learn what kind of music your child responds to when happy or when angry. In our house, we always have fun, upbeat music playing in the morning before everyone heads out to school or work. It helps lighten the mood tremendously.

Visual:

* Read a book: This helps give a child focus, calming them. Offering to read a story is a great calming technique.

* Look outside: Looking outside is helpful in detaching from the feelings of disappointment. I like to play “I Spy” with my children.

Creative:

* Draw a picture: Have your child draw his feelings. This is particularly good for younger children.

* Make something: Make brownies, sculpt something out of clay, make a building out of blocks, etc. This helps release restless energy. (Quick and Dirty Tips)

Critical acclaim: Help your child learn from constructive criticism

BY MICHELLE CROUCH

When your child is corrected for doing something wrong, help her learn from her mistakes.

Scenarios to help your child learn from constructive criticism

My friend’s six-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, was at her BFF’s house, and she began to whine about the board game they were playing. The other girl’s mom jumped in and told her, “That’s not how we talk to each other in this family.” Caitlyn immediately shutdown and said that she wanted to go home.

No one likes to be criticised, but negative feedback can be particularly difficult for five- and six-year-olds. Even if the criticism seems constructive, your child may lash out, blame someone else, or withdraw, depending on the situation. However, you can help her understand its true purpose: to learn about her strengths and weaknesses and work to change her shortcomings because this will help her become a successful adult, says Parents advisor Jenn Berman, PsyD, author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids These scenarios will give you pointers to steer her in the right direction.

Scenario: Your child is criticised by a teacher

A teacher wrote your daughter’s name on the board for talking when she wasn’t called on. Your daughter tells you that she hates her teacher.

Handle it right. Your first instinct may be to punish or lecture her, but her heated response is your cue she’s already upset.

A better approach: Empathise with her feelings of embarrassment, suggests Rebecca Cortes, PhD, a developmental psychologist at the University of Washington, in Seattle. Resist the temptation to have a lengthy discussion. Keep it simple with something like, “I can see you’re upset; that’s how people feel when they’re embarrassed. Sometimes when people feel that way, they also feel frustrated and angry. It’s okay to have those emotions, and while you can always talk to me about them, it’s not okay to express those negative feelings in the classroom.”

(Parents.com)

Prisoner attempts suicide after being remanded for rape

The courtroom at Suddie’s Magistrate Court was in chaos on Thursday after one of the prisoners attempted to commit suicide by jumping through the courtroom’s window.

Francis Gonsalves, a labourer of Charity on the Essequibo Coast, attempted the act after he was remanded by Magistrate Sunil Scarce.

Gonsalves, 32, was charged with the rape of a woman in his area on February 17.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge, and was remanded until March 24 when the trial will commence.

Prosecutor Krishna Datt Ramana objected to bail, stating that the victim was rescued by the accused’s mother and vio-

lence was used in the act. Ramana stated that the state’s evidence in the matter is very strong.

When Gonsalves heard that he was remanded, he tried jumping through the window, stating the he did not want to be jailed again.

Prosecutor Ramana rushed over and held on to the feet of the defendant, whose body was already outside the window,

saving him from a brutal impact with the concrete ground two stories below.

Gonsalves then unsuccessfully tried to escape the prosecutor’s hold.

Magistrate Scarce subsequently ordered Gonzales to be undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The incident highlighted the lack of security in the courtroom, where a single orderly was present.

Eyew tness

Crying wolf...

...on security

Opposition Leader David Granger says he’s afraid Guyana’s in danger of becoming a “narco state”. Now we know the opposition see their role as only “opposing” the government of the day. That they could also have a responsibility to move Guyana forward never crosses their minds.

So let’s look at this “narco state” charge. Now from the very beginning of our country’s independence – the same time when Burnham launched the army – everyone and their uncle knew from a security standpoint, our major challenge was at our borders. In addition to the said borders being porous, there was the ever present danger of being overrun by Venezuelans from the west and Surinamese from the east.

Yet guess where the PNC government under Burnham stationed all five battalions of the army – of which our David Granger was one of the specially picked individuals to be made an officer? If you answered “At the borders!!”, hang your head in shame and go to the back of the class. Shows that you’re woefully deficient in Guyanese realpolitik. Burnham had his army stationed at Georgetown – Camp Ayanganna and at the airport – Camps Groomes and Stephenson.

Why? Funny you asked, but stay at the back of the class. Burnham, being a disciple of Machiavelli, obviously wanted the army to protect him and his illegal regime and not the country. Even when a mere three years after independence the Venezuelans and Surinamese did in fact invade (remember Ankoko and New River Triangle)? No? Kneel down at the back of the class), the PNC kept the troops around and in Georgetown and the airport. Had to protect Odo!

So by the time power was pried from the fingers of the PNC, the army was totally an urban force – forget that some of them like Blackie London were trained in jungle warfare and their role was in the kick-down-the-door robberies in the urban and village jungles. Even if that’s changed, how do you change the mindset of the GDF? Once they’ve seen the bright lights – how do you get them back on the farm? So even now there’s a clear and present threat from drugs pouring through our borders, not even Granger dare recommend the redeployment of the army to those borders.

So he, like everyone else, dances around the solution that’s obvious to all, because they don’t want to step on the army’s toes. So expect more opposition criticisms, and zero positive actions.

...on ICT liberalisation

We’re not surprised, just disappointed, at the opposition sitting on the legislation (in committee) on opening up the telecommunications sector in our country. The PNC gave away the (telephone) store when they privatised the telephone company back in 1990. And we’re not even talking about the sweetheart deal on price. After all, we understand a whole lot of PNC people – some of them still talking fat – had to be paid off.

We’re not even talking about the monopoly that was guaranteed for 20 years!! This generated over a trillion dollars into the coffers of ATN. What tees us off is that the PNC gave ATN the right of first refusal on renewing the monopoly!!! And this is what the present legislation is all about: “liberalisation” simply means allowing competition in a sector that is crucial for our development.

And we don’t blame GT&T for trying to keep the monopoly – hey, in a capitalist economy it’s every dog for himself. But what about the opposition that say they’re qualified to run the country?

How long they have to “think” about doing something that the U.S. did in 1984. Yep that’s when Ma Bell was broken up.

...on justice

Aren’t some groups getting ahead of themselves on the case of the baby being battered by the babysitter? Even if THEY don’t want to, the courts always have the duty to act in the best interest of the child.

Ramsaran blames new curriculum for student nurses’ failure

Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran said the recent failure of students at the New Amsterdam and Georgetown nursing schools at their final professional nursing examinations can be traced to the change in the school’s curriculum.

According to the Minister, the failure has nothing to do with students’ inability to cope with the work as is purported by some sections of the public.

In fact, the minister posited that the students may not have been taught effectively, pointing out that the tutors themselves are not too familiar with the new course of study, and may have been delivering the curriculum using old methods.

Dr Ramsaran said the ministry is dissatisfied with the results, and is making every effort to prevent a recurrence. The new curriculum, he revealed, was recently crafted by a Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) nurse consultant from the Caribbean.

He said the regional nursing body is currently in Guyana and the ministry has taken the opportunity to meet with its officials to work

around the curriculum and see how best the issue could be addressed.

“We spoke with them and asked them for assistance to analyse what happened with this curriculum, its introduction and this seeming connection with these results.”

Dr Ramsaran believes that the fault is with the curriculum since the candidates who sat the examination “are not persons who entered the programme without CXC qualifications. These are kids who would do well in any training programme which require CXC qualifications”.

No panicking

The Minister said the ministry and nursing council are not “panicking”. According to him, just 13 per cent of the student failed the entire programme, while a significant amount of students failed the individual courses that make up the programme.

He said that students will be required to rewrite the examination next month, pointing out that they are given three chances at the examination. He is also confident that they will do well this time around.

At the New Amsterdam School of Nursing, tutors

have been complaining about the high intake of students despite limited spaces available.

The nursing school in Berbice operates out of two locations: the main building at Mount Sinai and a privately-owned building at Main and Chapel streets, New Amsterdam.

None of the 54 students writing the examination there passed. The tutors have also been crying out over inadequate staffing. There are two regular tutors while two retired ones would come in occasionally to assist with lectures.

They posited that the

lack of sufficient teaching staff, coupled with the limited space may have been responsible for the recent failures. The tutors have also complained about the indiscipline behaviour of some students, especially the female learners.

The minister said that the ministry is awaiting the passage of the budget to expand the New Amsterdam facility.

Sections of the public and health sectors were taken aback when news of the failure spread last week. Tutors of both of the schools have been complaining about the massive intake of students.

Dr Ramsaran could not address this issue even though concerns on the matter continue to mount. At the Georgetown School of Nursing, lecturers complain of the large classes and their inability to meet the students at their level.

Sources at the institution said the students should be exposed to at least four sessions of practical work on every subject, before they begin practise.

But given the large size of classes, there is no guarantee that students would have grasped all of what they have been taught.

Albouystown man found dead outside home

Fifty-two-year-old

Vibert Samuels of Coconut Walk and Calendar Street, Albouystown was discovered early Thursday morning dead on the street in front of his house by his younger sister with a gunshot wound to the back of his head.

When Guyana Times visited the man’s home on Thursday, relatives had gathered together, contemplating their next move.

Maureen Samuels, sister of the dead man, said she was awakened by an unusual sound around 05:00h in the morning.

“I heard the noise and then somebody said, ‘don’t so so move, don’t fight back’. All that I heard after that was a gunshot. Then I run out to my window and looked out and I saw the person on the ground, on the road and the boy was standing with a bi-

cycle next to him,” she said.

She described the boy as tall and thin. The grieving woman said she had no idea that the man lying on the road was her brother until she took a closer look.

“A little after that, I realised that it was my brother and I came to my door and ran out and saw my brother

lying on the ground. But the boy had already left.”

Her loud screams drew a crowd of neighbours and other family members. She said her brother, who has three children, would normally leave his home very early in the morning to buy oranges. Thursday morning was no different, she lamented.

“Every morning, he would go out to buy the orange and it’s like he was coming back home with it,” she said.

Her brother’s pants pocket was open and the tablets he used for pain in his knees were scattered near his body, pointing to the likelihood that he was robbed as well.

The visibly shaken woman said her brother, a paint-

er who did a little gardening, would usually take a few drinks at a shop obliquely opposite his home.

She said he was never a bother to anyone in the community, and was unable to say why someone would want to hurt him.

Samuels, originally from the North West District, Region One, had been living in Georgetown for the past 22 years.

Family members are awaiting the results of the post-mortem examination, which is expected to be conducted today, before they begin preparations for his funeral. He leaves to mourn his three children and nine siblings.

NCC accepts draft aviation policy

The National Competitiveness Committee (NCC) recently accepted the draft aviation policy presented by the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG).

The policy outlined several major proposals, including the upkeep and rehabilitation of hinterland airstrips.

AOAG President Michael Correia said the policy is intended to chart the way forward as Guyana tackles aviation issues and challenges affecting the industry.

“The proposal identifies aviation safety and security as its number one priority,” he said.

The policy proposed the establishment of an independent aircraft accident investigation unit to facilitate prompt reporting of findings of investigations.

This is expected to inform the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of measures that need to be put in place to prevent a recurrence of accidents similar in nature.

Recommendations

AOAG president said recommendations have been made for the police to acquire and implement a national search and rescue system, following protocols as set out by Civil Defence Commission.

The policy also spoke of the need for upgrade and rehabilitation of hinterland airstrips to accommodate larger aircrafts.

It noted too the need for sufficient funding to maintain an efficient maintenance and rehabilitation programme. The cost of this aspect of the proposal is estimated at $1.5 billion over a three-year period.

In addition, the policy seeks to have improvements made at the level of the GCCA, with regards to technical capacity and the ability to support the aviation system.

Correia noted that with the implementation of the recommendations, the aviation industry will continue it progressive course.

“There is absolutely no doubt that there is considerable room for regulatory improvement and enforcement for which the industry’s aircraft operators have been calling for, for some time. The industry will resolutely stay on that course,” he said. The recommendations presented in the policy derived from a series of meetings held last year.

The meetings included representation from several notable players in the industry, including GCCA Chairman Hugh Denbow, Air Transport Officer Saheed Sulaman, Navigation Services Director Artie Latchman, Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramesh Ghir, Ogle International Airport CEO Tony Mekdeci, Daniel Fraser of the Alliance For Change, Morty Livan of the Guyana Public Service Union, Captain Gerald Gouveia and Annette Martins from Air Services Limited.

The AOAG president also refuted claims regarding the safety and operational standards at the airports.

Third annual Mashramani lecture a success

The Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry on Thursday held its third annual Mashramani lecture at the Umana Yana, Kingston, with the feature lecture by eminent Caribbean writer/historian, Professor Clem Seecharan.

The 2014 Republic of Guyana Distinguished Lecture saw a large turnout, which included members of the diplomatic corps; Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran; University of Guyana Pro Chancellor, Dr Prem Misir; Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony; renowned Guyanese writer, Dr Ian McDonald and poet Petamber Persaud.

In brief opening remarks, Dr Anthony expressed thanks to the professor, stating that it was indeed a pleasure to have him here in Guyana, his birth country, sharing his knowledge. The minister noted that Seecharan’s work has been internationally acclaimed, and he himself has read the author’s work and

highly recommends it.

The distinguished writer/historian of the IndoCaribbean experience from East Berbice holds a PhD in history from the University of Warwick, and is the head of Caribbean Studies at London Metropolitan University.

His publications include (with Frank Birbalsingh), Indo-West Indian Cricket, India and the Shaping of the Indo-Guyanese Imagination:

1890-1920, and Indians in British Guiana 19191929. In 2005, his biography of Jock Campbell, Sweetening Bitter Sugar: Jock Campbell, the Booker Reformer in British Guiana, 1934–1966 was published, for which he won the coveted Elsa Gouveia Prize of the Association of Caribbean Historians. His most recent book, Muscular Learning: Cricket and Education in the Making of the British West Indies at the End of the 19th Century, was published in 2006.

In his lecture titled “El Dorado Complex in the Shaping of the Indo Guyanese: A Revisionist Perspective”, the professor of Caribbean history touched on what he termed as present-day issues. These included race differences particularly between Africans and East Indians, and multiethnic and multireligious issues in society.

The lecture was described as educational and indeed one of a kind.

Different strokes fuh different folks

Old people seh self praise is no recommendation. Some people does call it blowin yuh own trumpet. That simply mean that a man or woman should not talk good bout dem self, especially if no body givin dem credit fuh any ting.

Old people believe that people should wait fuh other people to talk good bout dem. But not every body does listen to old people.

Plus a lotta people does praise dem self because dem know dem never do any ting good, so dem ain’t got no credit to get from any body else any way. So de only ting leff is fuh dem blow dem own trumpet.

Guyana got nuff people who like to blow dem own trumpet. A lotta dem boys, who does dress like boys down de road by a market, does blow dem own trumpet. Plus dem does help blow one another trumpet a lotta times.

One a dem boys boss man like to have he headitor blow he trumpet all de time. This man seh in he own mud paper that he is a

champion of de poor. But whah he really mean is that he is a champion fuh tek way poor people money, especially when he promise dem visa.

This man also seh in he own mud paper that he exposin every ting whah gone wrong and goin wrong in Guyana.

But when yuh look at it, is different strokes fuh different folks. Certain people never get expose in de mud paper.

One man thief money from de chicken feed place and he name never get call. And whah that man thief was no chicken feed. That kinda money could feed all dem chicken in Guyana fuh one whole year, plus all dem yard fowl. De Peg Ass Hot Hell ceilin fallin down and that man name never get call. Another man try to tek way a school buildin and he name ain’t get call either.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend… mattie tell mattie! But that is how dem Kocheur people does operate. Dem does see one ting and seh another ting!

Battered Berbice doctor’s condition improving

– husband admits to drinking gramoxone

Doctors at the New Amsterdam Hospital have been able to stabilise battered colleague Dr Iliana Urutia Pairol-Yearwood who was

beaten with a hammer by her pharmacist husband on Wednesday morning.

After being admitted in a state of unconsciousness on Wednesday morn-

ing, Dr Pairol-Yearwood was on Thursday afternoon resting comfortably in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Her condition is said to have improved tre-

mendously.

However, concern is rising over statements that her husband reportedly made from his hospital bed. Victor Yearwood re-

portedly told investigators on Thursday that his wife gave him a cup of tea laced with gramoxone. He said she also took some of the beverage.

However, on Wednesday, when officers found Yearwood, he claimed that he and his wife were having problems and he drank the poison. Neighbours were forced to intervene on Wednesday morning after Yearwood took the hammer to his wife at their Savannah Park Housing Scheme home.

According to one eyewitness, after the hammer was taken away from Yearwood, they encouraged him to take his wife to the hospital, which he did.

The New Amsterdam Hospital pharmacist told medical personnel at the said institution that she fell in the bathroom and hit her head on the wall. Her injuries were not consistent with that claim and Yearwood was so informed.

It is not known when Yearwood left the hospital.

This publication understands that when the matter was reported, Yearwood was already on the run.

Residents on the East Bank of Berbice say

on Wednesday morning a strange car was seen parked at Lansdale Village. It was still there in the afternoon.

Following that lead, police ranks who were on a manhunt for Yearwood visited the area and found him on a dam several miles from the public road. He was rushed to the hospital after claiming that he had ingested poison.

The couple last year appeared in court for abusing each other and were ordered to seek counselling. Yearwood had reported that Pairol-Yearwood had not wanted to attend counselling sessions, and they were still having marital problems.

Yearwood was also remanded to prison for abusing his wife. PairolYearwood, a Cuban national, arrived in Guyana on a programme which allows Cuban doctors to work for the Health Ministry at the Cuban government’s expense.

After that contract expired, she married Yearwood and her stay was extended. The couple do not have any children together. However, she is a mother of one and he is a father of four.

Demerara Charitable Foundation makes donation to St Rose’s High

The Demerara Charitable Foundation on Thursday made a donation of 27 boxes of items to the St Rose’s High School.

The donations are expected to be used in a fundraising effort for the school during its Garden Party scheduled for Saturday, February 22, from 14:00h to midnight in the school’s compound.

The simple ceremony took place in the school’s library. Receiving the donation on behalf of the school was its longstanding volunteer mentor, Haselyn Boswick; teachers; and students.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Kishan Puran, a Demerara Charitable Foundation volunteer, said it was indeed a pleasure to be giving back to society in one way or another, especially in the development of schools. He noted that one of the organisation’s main goals is to aid in the restoration and revamping of schools and youth facilities across the country.

The Demerara Charitable Foundation is a non-profit and non-political entity, which aims to help improve the lives of less fortunate

Guyanese, irrespective of their race, religion, or political affiliation.

Among the donations made were pieces of jewellery, footwear, books and ornaments which will be sold at the Garden Party to raise funds for the refurbishment of the school.

In addition, the school will be repainted, courtesy of the charitable foundation and Global Paints for Charity which is based in Atlanta.

Demerara Charitable Foundation President Mike Singh expressed heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the support given by

Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur and the GRA staff, Sea Freight Agencies, and the Global Paints for Charity which were all instrumental in the success of this venture. Also present at the handing over was Demerara Charitable Foundation Vice President Bernard Crawford and Secretary/Treasurer Keith Park.

The students expressed thanks for the donation and pleaded for the public to come out on Saturday to make their fundraiser a success.

Health Ministry to launch youthfriendly health programme

The Health Ministry on Saturday will launch a programme aimed at providing youth-friendly health services to adolescents across the country.

The Adolescent Health Services will be launched at the Sophia Health Centre, programme coordinator, Dr Ertenisa Hamilton said.

She told Guyana Times recently that the adolescent population has been identified as a group which rarely visits health facilities to access services and information for many different reasons. According to her, the

most common reason is the perceived lack of confidentiality and the judgmental attitude of healthcare providers at some healthcare facilities.

In an effort to change this, the Adolescent Health Programme has been taking health services directly to the youths across the regions.

So far, six health centres have been chosen to pilot the programme, starting with the introduction of antenatal clinics for pregnant adolescents. These clinics aim to provide the necessary preparation and sup-

port for these vulnerable adolescents’ introduction to motherhood.

Health package

Additionally, plans are on stream to include an adolescent health package which can be accessed at these centres and to extend the programme to other regions across Guyana.

Youths can look forward to being able to access educational materials, information, and youth-friendly services in the areas of gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, peer pressure, drugs and alcohol, sexual-

ly transmitted diseases, including HIV, among others. It is expected that counselling will also be available at the centres.

“Fostering healthy habits among our adolescents, thereby improving their quality of life and making their dreams more attainable, is our priority and we are committed to making that a reality.

"The launch is an event to look forward to and I hope not just our youth population but everyone as a whole will lend their support to this venture,” Dr Hamilton said.

Medical outreaches intensify in Region Two riverine communities

– more than 300 persons treated

Approximately 300 patients from two Amerindian communities in Region Two benefited from medical outreaches hosted by the Suddie Public Hospital.

Betany and Mashabo residents benefited from a range of services, including dental services, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

According to coordinator Kumar Dass, the outreaches focus on providing medical service to persons living particularly in Amerindian communities and riverine areas. Dass said the medical outreaches are conducted throughout the year.

The medical team included Doctors Andy Da Silva and Suresh Seurattan, Senior Health Visitor/Medex Andrea Budurgh, and Nurse Madavi Persaud.

Next week, the medical team heads to Friendship, Hackney, Karawab, St Monica, Kabacaburi, and Wakapao. For the Pomeroon outreaches, Dass explained, the Janet Jagan Dental Boat will be deployed.

Persons were treated for various conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Children were treated for skin rashes, the common cold, and coughs. Patients with special cases were re-

ferred to the Suddie Public Hospital for lab investigations and further management.

One resident from Mashabo expressed gratitude towards the Suddie Public Hospital for the services provided to his community. Slyvn Raphael, a former toshao, said the outreaches helped many persons save transportation money, since they did not have to endure the burden of travelling to the coast to receive treatment. He said many persons usually have to pay lots of money to access services at the Suddie public Hospital.

friday, february 21, 2014 | guyanatimeSgy.com

Caricom lauds Canada as exemplary global development leader

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque on Wednesday commended Canada for its role as an exemplary global leader in development assistance.

Ambassador LaRocque was speaking during an accreditation ceremony where the newly-appointed Canadian Ambassador to Caricom, Dr Nicole Giles presented her credentials to him at the Caricom Secretariat, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Ambassador LaRocque said Canada’s excellent example was evidenced in its ranking of eighth out of 67 donor countries and donor organisations on the 2013 Aid Transparency Index.

“This is an indication of the support provided not only bilaterally but also through multilateral organisations that offer development assistance to developing countries such as Caricom member states,” LaRocque said.

The secretary general further iterated that it was important for Caricom to continue to foster and maintain meaningful relationships with like-minded states such as Canada, and every opportunity should be taken to nurture those relationships.

He said one important aspect of that relationship was the negotiations of the Caricom/Canada Trade and Development Agreement.

“We seek a mutually-beneficial arrangement, which takes full account of the differences in size and development between Caricom and Canada and which would support Caricom’s efforts to adjust to further liberali-

sation,” Secretary General LaRocque said.

He also used the opportunity to highlight Canada’s involvement in providing support to the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

CIDA-funded activities

He said Caricom was also appreciative of other CIDAfunded activities which support the community through private sector development, strengthening regional economic infrastructure as well as reinforcing good governance, security, and justice sector reform.

In her remarks, the Canadian ambassador said it was her wish to further so-

lidify the Caricom/Canada relationship by building upon the strength of mutually shared traditions and values, multilateral cooperation, robust trade and investment links, development cooperation, and close people-to-people ties.

She said Canada’s economic partnerships with Caricom member states were robust and led by significant Canadian investment in the extractive, financial and energy sectors.

“I look forward to augmenting the investment climate by facilitating increased flows of Canadian investment into the region, and similarly, from the Caribbean to Canada,” she said.

Regarding the CanadaCaricom Trade Agreement

negotiations, Ambassador Giles said Canada was pursuing a high quality, ambitious free-trade model. She said it was essential for Canada that, as part of the agreement, labour and environment provisions would be negotiated.

Speaking to a number of the challenges being faced by Caricom countries such as organised crime, drug trafficking, and the proliferation of arms, the ambassador said Canada remained committed to assisting and cooperating with the Caribbean on addressing these problems.

She said this would be done by providing support on capacity building in the areas of countering illicit trafficking, crime prevention, and security and justice sector reforms.

Probes continue into murder of Berbice security guard, construction worker

Apost-mortem conducted on the body of 56-year-old Kenneth Kanhai who was found murdered in a Canje nursery school revealed that he died as a result of shock and haemorrhage due to gunshot wounds.

The autopsy was performed by government pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan on Wednesday.

Kanhai, a security guard employed by Home Safe Security Service, of Gangaram Village, East Canje, Berbice, was found lying in a pool of blood on a desk at Canefield Nursery School last Thursday.

Kanhai was the only person on duty at the nursery school when he was found dead with two gunshot wounds, one on his forehead and another on his lower back.

Police are still investigating the circumstances

surrounding his death, and the motive behind his murder remains unclear.

However, according to unconfirmed reports, the late Kanhai was expected to give evidence in a preliminary inquiry (PI) into a murder later this month and was allegedly the second witness to have been killed.

Police sources close to the investigation said the five persons, including a woman, arrested and questioned about the murder of the security guard have been released on bail.

Police said they have intensified their investigations and are following all the leads.

Murder sacrifice?

Meanwhile, Dr Bridgemohan on Wednesday also conducted a post-mortem on the body of another murder victim, Dinesh “Kevin” Harrylall, 20, of Number 11 Village, West

Coast Berbice. According to the autopsy, the deceased died as a result of cerebral haemorrhage and multiple fractures to the skull.

Harrylall, who worked with his father, Jagdesh Harrylall, as a construction worker, was found dead between 12:30h and 01:00h Monday morning at a residence in D’ Edward Village, West Bank Berbice.

Reports are that Harrylall left home around 10:45h Sunday night after his friend, Satrohan “Bluie” Madray, called and requested that he come to his D’Edward Village home for some jewellery he had pawned.

The deceased’s father reportedly was informed some time after 12:30h that there was a problem concerning his son. Upon arrival at the friend’s house, he saw his son’s badly mutilated body lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Ombudsman’s office is for all Guyanese – Justice Moore

The new Ombudsman, Justice Winston Moore said staff members of the recently reestablished office will soon be travelling around the country to sensitise citizens on the functions of the office and urged all Guyanese to utilise the services of the constitutional body.

The Ombudsman said the office has been empowered to investigate allegations made by citizens against all agencies, including those related to the government. He continued that the office has no jurisdiction over matters that belong in the court system.

“However, whenever such cases come up to me, I would refer those matters to the judicial system,” he told Guyana Timesin an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

The police responded promptly when summoned and upon investigation, discovered Madray hiding at the back of the building. According to the police, the deceased sustained about seven stab wounds and was also beaten with a rolling pin.

Harrylall’s family is alleging that he was used as a form of sacrifice, since the bloody knife was found hidden in a Hindu temple owned by the suspect, while others speculate that he was killed out of envy.

A police source close to the ongoing investigations revealed that Madray, who is currently in police custody, reportedly confessed to the killing after he was interrogated by police ranks.

He was expected to be charged with the capital offence of murder and to appear at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

The former judge said since its re-establishment a few weeks ago, the office has received some 19 reports. Seven of those reports were outside the jurisdiction of the office. Justice Moore said he has been focusing on complaints of wrongful dismissal and racial discrimination, land disputes, and issues relating to the Labour Ministry.

He noted too that the office was able to resolve issues involving persons who had previously complained to the Labour Ministry and had claimed that their complaints were not being addressed. He added that the matters were quickly resolved after they were taken up by his office.

Moore explained that as stipulated in the Ombudsman’s act, all complaints being made should be in writing and must be recorded.

He noted that the findings of any investigation must also be recorded, since the office, at the end of the year, must provide a thorough report to the National Assembly.

If a recommendation is made after an investigation

and it is ignored, the next step will be to refer it to the National Assembly.

The Ombudsman highlighted that the office has been receiving much support and respect since its reestablishment. He recently met with European Union Ambassador Robert Kopecký, and they had fruitful discussions.

“We met with the ambassador at his request and I explained the functions of the office. They have extended the hand of help more in the area of getting our people equipped in areas of training and perhaps in our outreach programmes,” he said.

Moore has also met with officials from the United States and Argentine embassies and has accepted their offers of assistance.

Requirements

The new Ombudsman has been working closely with the Public Service Ministry and has since submitted a list of requirements for the office to function effectively.

After eight years of dormancy, the Ombudsman’s office was resuscitated with a simple swearing in ceremony on January 13 at the Office of the President.

The former judge took the oath of office in the presence of President Donald Ramotar, Opposition Leader David Granger, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, representatives from the legal fraternity, and his family members.

The president, in congratulating the new Ombudsman, had said that the post had been vacant for a long time and as such, some of its functions were being executed by the constitutional court. He urged the public to make full use of the Ombudsman.

He had also informed that the government was working aggressively to fill the other constitutional posts that are still vacant.

Regional

Violent protests escalate in Venezuela

Venezuelan security forces and demonstrators have faced off in streets blocked by burning barricades in several cities in an escalation of protests against President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government.

The protesters, mostly students, blame the government for violent crime, high inflation, product shortages and alleged repression of opponents. They want Maduro to resign.

Gauber Venot, 29, a student at an opposition rally said: “There is no security here, you can’t buy basic food at the shops. Inflation is 56 per cent. This all started with the arrest of Leopoldo Lopez. It’s important we have foreign media here. Our media is censored; we learn about our own country from outside sources.”

According to Venezuelan state TV, at least six people have died since the unrest turned violent

last week, with scores of injuries and arrests.

There were similar scenes of protests in the western Andean states of Tachira and Merida that have been especially volatile since hardline opposition leaders called

supporters onto the streets in early February demanding Maduro’s departure.

Though the majority of demonstrators have been peaceful, more than a dozen protesters in Caracas have been seen attacking police,

Jamaica: Missing teen buried alive,

Alarge contingent of police assigned to the Trelawny division are now combing bushes surrounding Hague Settlement in the parish in search of the body of a missing female ward of the Granville Place of Safety. The girl is suspected to have been buried alive in a shallow grave. She was one

of two juveniles who broke out of the place of safety over the weekend.

The police were called in after one of the two girls returned to the facility and re-

blocking roads and vandalising buildings.

In San Cristobal city, which some residents are describing as a “war zone”, many businesses remained shut as students and police faced off in the streets again on Thursday.

Opposition leader held

A judge ruled early on Thursday that there is enough evidence to hold opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who dramatically surrendered to authorities before thousands of cheering supporters this week, on charges that include arson and criminal incitement stemming from a massive February 12 rally.

Lopez, a 42-year-old Harvardeducated economist, who is currently being held in Caracas’ Ramo Verde jail, could face up to 10 years in prison.

In a message on Twitter, the

friend says

ported that her friend, who is said to be a diabetic, was buried in a shallow grave by male members of the community after she lost consciousness. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

opposition leader’s wife, Lilian Tintori, urged his followers on as she confirmed that he would remain in jail.

Both sides rolled out competing evidence of the latest violence on Thursday, with ruling Socialist Party governors showing photos and video of charred streets and torched vehicles, while the opposition posted footage of brutal behaviour which they said was committed by National Guard troops.

Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College specialising in Venezuela told Al Jazeera: “I think the polarisation remains just as strong, with several caveats: The government is less electorally strong than ever and far more internally divided than when Hugo Chávez was alive. The opposition, in contrast, is experiencing the proverbial softversus hard-line divide itself.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Barbados wants speedy conclusion of air services agreement with China

The Barbados government says it wants a speedy conclusion for an air service agreement with China, as it hopes to lure visitors and investors from that Asian country.

A government statement providing details of a meeting between the island’s Ambassador -Designate to the People’s Republic of China, Dr Chelston Brathwaite, quoted Prime Minister Stuart as saying that Barbados was in the development phase of its relationship with China and it was now necessary to familiarise the Chinese with the country in an effort to attract Chinese tourists and business people to these shores.

Stuart acknowledged that the local economy had

become structurally integrated into the economies of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. He insisted that there was a need to look in new directions and identified China and Latin America as two of the new paths to be followed.

For his part, Brathwaite, who left on Sunday to take up his appointment in Beijing, noted that tourism, trade and business were key areas of interest, noting that 83 million Chinese tourists travelled annually, spending an estimated US$102 billion.

The statement gave no indication when or if negotiations for an air service agreement between the two countries had started. (CMC)

Haitians will not be stripped of Dominican Republic citizenship

The Dominican Republic delegation to the Organisation of American States (OAS) has assured that nationals who were born in the Dominican Republic of Haitian parentage will not be stripped of citizenship.

The delegation, through Alternate Representative, Mayerlyn Cordero Diaz, gave the assurance on Wednesday during a debate on the issue by the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS).

“The government of The Dominican Republic reaffirms that no person holding Dominican nationality will be stripped of it,” said Cordero at the meeting, at which the Inter-American Commission on Human

Rights (IACHR), a principal and autonomous organ of the OAS, presented a report on its preliminary observations, from its visit to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country in early December, “in response to an invitation from the state”.

Cordero also said Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina will submit to the country’s Congress a law to address the situation of 24,392 people “who were not declared with proper documentation”.

Rosa María Ortiz, IACHR second vice chair and Country Rapporteur for the Dominican Republic, said her delegation will shortly present to the OAS its final report on its visit to the Dominican Republic. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Ukraine sanctions imposed amid Kiev clashes

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to impose sanctions on Ukrainian officials “responsible for violence and excessive force”.

In a statement, they said targeted sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, would be introduced “as a matter of urgency”.

At least 21 anti-government protesters died in clashes in Kiev on Thursday. Officials said that one policeman had also died and that 67 police had been captured by protesters.

“No circumstances can justify the repression we are currently witnessing,” the statement from EU foreign ministers said. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the “prime responsibility” to get talks between the two sides under way lay with President Viktor Yanukovich.

Speaking after an emer-

gency meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, she said ministers had expressed their “dismay” at the latest violence and had agreed to “suspend export licences for equipment for internal repression”.

Implementation of the measures “will be taken forward in light of developments in Ukraine”, she add-

ed. The EU has until now refrained from imposing sanctions on Ukraine, preferring to emphasise dialogue and compromise.

The United States State Department had already announced visa bans on 20 members of the Ukrainian government, but has not provided any names. (Excerpt from BB C News)

Death toll from Islamist attack in north-east Nigeria doubles to 98

Gunmen from Nigeria’s Islamist Boko Haram sect killed 98 people in the north-eastern town of Bama on Wednesday, residents there said after burying their dead, more than double the figure given by police a day earlier.

Gunmen stormed the town in the early hours of Wednesday, firing on a school, shooting or burning to death dozens of people, and trashing the palace of a traditional ruler of

one of West Africa’s oldest Islamic kingdoms. The area of the attack was a wasteland of burnt buildings that still smelt faintly of charred flesh, according to a Reuters journalist who toured the scene with local officials.

Women and children could be seen gathering what few possessions they had from the ashen wrecks of their houses, many of them carrying them off on their heads as they trekked out to find somewhere else to shelter.

“We recovered 98 bodies that have already been buried since the attack,” Akura Satomi, a pro-government civilian militia leader responsible for security in the town, told Reuters.

That made 200 killed this week in just two attacks. The insurgents, fighting for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria and posing the main threat to Africa’s top oil producer, seem to have adopted a tactic of maximum civilian casualties. (Excerpt from Reuters)

China tycoon Liu Han charged for "mafia-style" crimes

AChinese court has charged a tycoon with crimes including murder, intentional injury, and organising a “mafia-style gang”, state media report.

Liu Han, ex-head of mining conglomerate Sichuan Hanlong Group, was charged with his brother Liu Wei and 33 others.

His gang, active since 1993, were being charged in connection with nine mur-

ders, Xinhua news agency reported. It described the gang as one of the largest criminal organisations in China to be prosecuted in recent years. Liu Han has been detained since March last year.

The Xianning People’s Procuratorate in Hubei province in central China filed the charges on Thursday, state media said. In addition to murder and intentional assault, the

defendants were also accused of illegal detention, extortion and casino crimes, Xinhua reported. Police seized 20 guns and three hand grenades, it added.

According to prosecutors, “the defendants also did everything possible to entice and corrupt state officials, to seek their protection, and to consolidate and widen their influence on society”, Xinhua added. (Excerpt from BBC News)

India: Parliament approves creation of new state

India’s Parliament has approved a plan to create a 29th state following days of political mayhem, including a melee in which a politician unleashed pepper spray on his colleagues.

Members of groups opposed to the division of southern Andhra Pradesh state into it and the new state called Telangana from Andhra drowned out a speech by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh just before the vote on Thursday by shouting “No, No”.

However, the upper

house passed the bill in a voice vote as the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party joined the ruling Congress party in supporting the legislation, which was approved by the lower house on Tuesday.

The president’s assent to the bill will be the final step towards the creation of the new state, which the Congress party wanted achieved before national elections in the summer.

Politicians who opposed the splitting of Andhra Pradesh shouted slogans,

held placards in protest, and even tore copies of the bill as Singh attempted to address the house.

Supporters have campaigned for 53 years for economically deprived Telangana, which they say has been neglected by successive state governments.

But wealthier regions of Andhra Pradesh, home to IT giants including Google and Microsoft, have strongly opposed the split which they say would create economic upheaval. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

friday, february 21, 2014|

Govt holds town hall meetings on AML bill

Desperate to get the antimoney laundering bill passed by the National Assembly, the government on Thursday launched a series of town hall styled meetings reminding citizens of the need for the legislation and for them to press the opposition to have it approved.

Meetings were held in Linden on Wednesday and Berbice on Thursday. “I am concerned with the bill, and I want the bill to be passed… I don’t expect anything different from them (opposition),” the Government Information Agency (GINA) quoted a resident as saying during a meeting at the Watooka Guest House on Wednesday evening.

Another resident lauded the government for seeing the need to hold such a meeting, as it served its purpose of sensitising them on the intricacies of the bill.

According to GINA, residents were not in support of the opposition’s recent proposed amendments to the bill that is seeking to give police and customs officers the power to stop and search persons, and if they are found with $2 million in currency or more, that currency can be seized and the person arrested, if there is reasonable suspicion that it is the proceeds of crime or the subject of money laundering.

To this, residents say consideration should not be given, since it will be contrary to their right to move around freely with currency.

Presidential Adviser Gail Teixeira and Minister within the Finance Ministry Juan Edghill were the speakers at the meeting.

During her detailed presentation to the eager audience, Teixeira first sought to highlight the urgent need for the passage of the bill in keeping with the requirement of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF). She told the gathering that it

was in their best interest that the bill is passed without any hindrance and delays, since Guyana is currently at risk of being blacklisted.

Teixeira went on to inform the gathering of what the bill entails for the ordinary man, as well as for business owners who have built their businesses honestly. On this note, she elaborated that the bill will provide for tracking of money being ‘washed’ to build legitimate businesses.

Money trail

“Money from the narcotics trade was being used, washed, and sanitised and put into the legal system. What this means is that someone who sells cocaine which is illegal and makes $10 million has to get it into the legal system… it means you have to get it into the economy by one way or the other,” she explained.

With the passage of this bill, Teixeira explained that the law would now allow the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to follow the money trail of money launderers. Globally, it is by the methods outlined in the bill that several drug lords were captured and prosecuted, Teixeira highlighted.

“Globally, the United States and Colombia, they were able to seize, arrest, charge and convict some big drug lords, not by nabbing them with the cocaine, but through their paper trail of following where the money went, be it through banking, insurance, cambio, and so on.”

Teixeira explained some of the implications the non-passage of this bill will bring for many of Guyana’s thriving export businesses, and urged residents to speak out and remonstrate with their leaders the importance of the speedy passage of this bill.

In addition, Minister within the Finance Ministry Juan Edghill re-emphasised the need for urgency in getting this bill passed, and more so,

the importance of getting citizens involved in the process.

The Minister noted that the visit to the mining town was not about scoring political points, but to get the ordinary citizens involved in nation building and decision-making.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has not recommended that Guyana be brought to the attention of the International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) for review, but Guyana has to file a report by February 28, 2014 to the CFATF for its review and report to plenary members in May 2014.

This report will include Guyana’s plan of action to correct its deficiencies as part of the ongoing process. Guyana is expected to attach to that report the conclusions on the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Amendment Bill No 22, 2013 which is before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee and a copy of the said enacted bill to be analysed.

Between February and May, it is expected that there will be dialogue and discussions with CFATF with regard to the preparation of the report for CFATF plenary.

The passage of the bill has been in limbo for more than 10 months with no support given by the opposition.

It was only recently that they brought proposals for amendments, but these were not in respect to the bill, but the principal act that was passed several years ago.

Having already missed several extended deadlines, members of the Cabinet are currently holding town hall meetings in the different regions with the aim of sensitising citizens on the bill and its importance.

A third meeting is scheduled for Bartica today at the St John the Baptist Primary RC School.

Teen shot in home at Corentyne

Ateenager is nursing a gunshot wound to his abdomen after he was shot on Thursday evening while in his home at Corentyne, Berbice.

The incident occurred around 20:00h.

Students escape as bus explodes

Abusload of touring Berbice students escaped unscathed when the vehicle they were travelling exploded in the Mahaica area Thursday evening, sending the children scampering for safety.

Reports reaching Guyana Times indicate that the driver of the minibus who had

since been identified as Roy Hercules heard a “funny sound” coming from the engine.

A few minutes after, he had stopped the bus and instructed those on board to evacuate the vehicle, it exploded into flames.

The children who were from the Cotton Tree Primary

School were returning home after a tour in the city. Approximately 55 students and teachers were on the bus subsequent to the explosion.

No one was injured during the incident; however, one teacher had reported that she was not feeling well. She was subsequently taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital.

GHTK to receive funding from silent auction

Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles opened her home on Wednesday evening for a silent auction and fundraiser in support of the Guyana Help The Kids (GHTK) organisation, a registered Canadian charity established to reduce the neonatal mortality rate in Guyana.

Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran and Human Services and Social Security Minister Jenifer Webster, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, were among the brightly dressed guests who perused the over 48 items exhibited for bidding at very reasonable prices.

In a brief address to the gathering, Dr Giles said since her coming to Guyana, she had developed an appreciation for the number of Canadian-Guyanese medical partnerships that are currently in place to develop the health sector in Guyana.

Medical Partnerships Coalition, in consultation with the Health Ministry.

The coalition was established to facilitate the exploration of synergies, and fostering of coherence among the medical partnerships working in Guyana.

Child mortality

GHTK President, Dr Narendra Singh, in his remarks, said Guyana has made significant strides towards reducing the under five mortality rate through the implementation of the comprehensive immunisation, nutrition, and management of common childhood illnesses programmes.

In view of those programmes, Dr Singh pointed out that children over the age of five are surviving; however, the neonatal population now accounts for a large part of the under five mortality rate.

the forefront of all endeavours.

He revealed that the organisation has embarked on a comprehensive programme consisting of the Paediatric Post Graduate Residency Programme with the Health Ministry; the GPHC; the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO); and the University of Guyana. He said the partnership has achieved much in a short period of time.

According to reports reaching Guyana Times, there was a blackout in the area and the businessman went downstairs while his family was upstairs.

A gunshot was heard and then the family began scream-

The 16-year-old is the son of a well-known money changer of Number 69 Village, Corentyne. The teenager has been admitted to the New Amsterdam Hospital for treatment.

ing after realising that the young man was shot.

Details of the incident are sketchy, but the teenager was upstairs with other family members.

Police investigators up to late Thursday night were trying to determine the source of the gunshot since no one was seen in or around the yard.

She said doctors and nurses in both countries have been working diligently toward the common goal of improving the local health sector. “The medical professionals in these partnerships selflessly and tirelessly work at these initiatives. They often travel to Guyana out of their own pockets, to support and provide training for Guyanese health care professionals,” she told the gathering.

Dr Giles said the Canadian High Commission, in an effort to recognise and maximise on the contributions of health professionals who wanted to give back, spearheaded the launch of the Canadian- Guyana

He said: “This necessitates the development of new strategies to combat neonatal deaths.

The two major causes of death in newborn are infections and premature lung disease.” He continued: “Of note, 85 per cent of babies born in Guyana are born at the GPHC [Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation] and four at regional hospitals; therefore, strategies have to involve all these institutions.”

Dr Singh said the GHTK was started a few years ago to address neonatal mortality, by implementing sustainable changes to the health care system and to ensure that sustainability, education, and technology became

Dr Singh, in explaining the work of the neonatal programme, revealed that a 24-bed, state-of-theart Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was opened at the GPHC in March of 2012. He said smaller units were opened at the Linden and New Amsterdam Hospitals a few months later. The programme has seen the graduation of two consultant paediatricians and 11 neonatal nurses and the training of many nurses in Linden and New Amsterdam. Dr Singh noted that much has been achieved in a very short time.

“At GPHC, as never before, we are now able to support and save the lives for babies… by CPAP machines and ventilator, all managed by our locally-trained physicians and nurses,” he said proudly.

However, much more still needs to be done, he said. “Guyana will need to take full ownership of these programmes in time. This can be done successfully and sooner, if the partnership includes individuals, businesses and corporations that share the common value of social responsibility.”

Grove man shot during robbery

An East Bank Demerara

man is nursing two gunshot wounds to his body following a robbery in the vicinity of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Church Street office, Georgetown on Thursday morning.

Sunil Ramesh, 37, of Grove, East Bank Demerara, was shot once to his shoulder and once to his abdomen. He is receiving medical treatment at a private medical facility where he is listed as stable. According to information received, moments prior to the robbery, the businessman and his wife left a city bank where they withdrew $200,000 and were headed to the telephone company to query a $50,000 bill that they had received.

Ramesh reportedly collected $50,000 of the withdrawn monies and was disembarking his motor car when they were attacked by a lone gunman, who placed the gun to his wife’s neck and demanded that she hand over the bag.

In a bid to save his wife, the man raised an alarm and pulled the gun from her neck, resulting in an altercation which led to him being shot twice.

At the hospital, the man’s wife, Tina, said she suspected that they might have been trailed from the bank.

She said after withdrawing the money, she put it into her handbag that also contained important documents which she normally carries.

The traumatised woman stated that within a minute after her husband stopped the car, the man approached them and put the gun to her neck.

After her husband realised what was happening, he put up a fight but was injured in the process. After the gunshots rang out, persons in the area were unwilling to come to their aid and stood by, looking on throughout the entire ordeal.

No help

It was after the man grabbed the bag and escaped on a waiting motorcycle, that bystanders ran to their aid. She explained that after realising that her husband was injured, she began screaming for help.

“Two lady come to help, but none of them could drive so my husband decided to drive himself to the nearest hospital,” the woman added.

The distressed woman said she was happy for her husband’s life, as it could have been worse.

Police spokesman Ivelaw Whittaker, in a release, stated that about 12:30h, Ramesh and his wife were attacked by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, at Church Street, Georgetown.

“Ramesh was shot and injured to his chest and right shoulder and his wife was robbed of a bag containing $150,000 and documents,” the release added. The perpetrators subsequently escaped on a motorcycle. The police have launched an investigation.

Auto dealer execution attempt We are innocent – wife, brother-in-law

The wife of auto spares dealer, Deokaran Sanasie, has spoken out against the allegations of her involvement in the failed execution attempt on the life of her husband.

The businessman was shot three times outside of his business place at Light and Fourth streets, Alberttown, last Friday. He survived the injuries.

Deokaran had claimed that his wife and her brother may have been behind the attempt on his life. He said that the woman reportedly paid someone $6 million to do the job.

However, the businessman’s wife, Patricia Sanasie, who spoke with media operatives at her Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara home on Thursday, proclaimed her innocence in the presence of her daughters from her union with Deokaran.

“He holding innocent people, I’m his wife I live with him for 29 years, since I was the age of 16, what am I suppose to do, why would you, the media or anybody would want to feel that I am involved in this. When I come live with this man, he had nothing and I worked with him wholly and solely,” the woman said.

Patricia said that she had nothing to do with the shooting and refuted all the allegations her husband levelled against her and her brother.

She said she has proof to show her innocence, while rejecting claims that she robbed and stole from her husband. She clarified that money and property transactions were done with the two of them since they are in business together.

The businessman is accus-

ing his wife of trying to kill him for US$100,000, which he got from selling a property.

He further alleged that his jewellery and other properties have been disappearing from his home. But, the woman said her husband went out of the country a few months ago and did not leave any money, so she sold a generator.

Never wanted to leave

Asked whether she had ever threatened to leave her husband prior to the shooting, the woman replied in the negative.

However, her husband had said that she had told him two days prior to the shooting that she wants to separate since they are not happy.

The woman also alleged that her husband constantly abuses her, their children, the maid and even neighbours. “I think he need to go to the doctor and check himself out,” she stated.

Patricia also claims that her brother in the U.S. is also supporting her husband’s al-

legations. “How can that boy, who happens to be my brother, say something like that and that is a blatant lie,” she said.

Meanwhile, the woman’s younger brother, Vishnu Persaud, who was also at the media briefing, and was also indentified in conspiracy with his sister to kill the businessman, also proclaimed his innocence.

Deokaran had alleged that his wife and her brother planned his death about a month ago. He alleged that the man returned to the U.S. and sold all of his properties in order to pay off for the hit.

‘Good’ relationship

However, Patricia claimed that her husband and her brother have a good relationship and when he came to Guyana in December, they both decided to get into a business venture, and as such, he went back home and sold his house to get money to invest.

The man said he bought a ticket two weeks before the shooting and arrived in Guyana late Friday evening when he and his sister were arrested.

“Until now, I have no idea what’s going on; I think I’m still dreaming. I don’t know what is going on. I have no idea what they are talking about and what’s going on,” he stated.

According to Persaud, he saw Deokaran at the Sparendaam Police Station on Wednesday night, and despite the man refusing to talk to him, he told the man “you guys need to fix this, is it possible that you and your wife can fix this and he ignored me. I have nothing against him.”

On the matter of his brother’s accusation against him and their sister, he said that it may have stemmed from property issues. “He (brother in U.S.) wanted to buy my house for his big son and give me next to nothing and I told him no… my other brother said that he is going to buy it from me and I sell it to my other brother. I get what I deserve, I’m not going to say more money because we are family,” he pointed out.

Persaud further noted that on a recording, part of which was played for the media, his brother had said that he “is on top and want to sink me”. The man added that his mother, who apparently was also named in the crime, is currently preparing an affidavit of support, stating that she does not know anything about the claims her son have levelled against her, her younger son and daughter.

“Two weeks before I came back to Guyana, I talk to him (Deokaran) about the business, that I am serious, and he encouraged me to come back,” Vishnu said.

SUDOKU

Don’t go over your budget. Spend time acquainting yourself with community events and local activities. You may be hesitant at first, but your social life will benefit if you participate.

By Bernice Bede Osol

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

Someone is withholding information. You will be able to learn all the details if you maintain your focus and ask pertinent questions. Increased career commitments will keep you busy.

Dedicate time to your family. Sharing hobbies, playing games or enjoying other entertainments will bring you closer together. Happy memories are what build strong bonds and encourage togetherness.

Remain calm and patient in your dealings with moody individuals. Take steps to ensure that slight differences of opinion don’t get blown out of proportion. A positive attitude will bring stellar results.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

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

You need a challenge. Explore new and complex subjects in order to quench your thirst for knowledge. Take advantage of any free time to read and expand your outlook.

(March 21-April 19)

Be careful what you wish for. Trying to emulate a phony lifestyle will not bring good results and can be costly. Be proud that you are a responsible individual who works hard.

(April 20-May 20)

Someone close to you may be feeling neglected. Spend time nurturing important relationships. Plan a trip or attend an event that helps bring you closer to the people you love most.

(May 21June 20)

Maintain your position in the workplace by emphasising your talents and ideas to your superiors. Doing so will help to dispel criticism from an opposing quarter.

You’ll be upset if things don’t go your way. Seeking advice from trusted relatives may help you to gain a new perspective. Don’t be afraid to admit you have a problem.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Financial matters take precedence. Ignore the pleas of those who want to borrow from you. Keeping accurate records of investments and expenditures is essential to good money management.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Unreasonable accusations or unfounded jealousy will cause tension between you and someone you love. You can avoid unpleasant situations by keeping your thoughts and emotions in check.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Stay clear of those who try to involve you in their private affairs. You have much to lose and little to gain if you take sides.

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FITUG in solidarity with Venezuelan govt

The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has expressed solidarity with the government of Venezuela, which has been battling rising street protests.

FITUG in a release said, “We support the management of the first pro-working class government of Venezuela at the helm, of which is President Nicolas Maduro Moros. We in FITUG recognise the great efforts made by the gov-

ernment to ensure the welfare and the several major benefits enjoyed by the Venezuelan people.”

The trade union umbrella body said it condemns the series of violent events that have rocked the neighbouring country from February 12, positing that the instigators, who form part of the right-wing opposition, are seeking to discredit the policies of the elected revolutionary government.

“The forces that consti-

tute today’s opposition, one should recall, held the power in Venezuela for many years. In these years, little of Venezuela’s oil wealth went to alleviate the hardships and to enhance the quality of life of the Venezuelan people,” FITUG further stated.

It was under the leadership of the late president Hugo Chavez, that Venezuelans were given better lives. This trend of development, the union opined, continues today under the

leadership of his successor, as it pointed to the wide range of social programmes in the fields of health, housing, labour, education, land distribution, credits, social security and food security.

“The violence that has erupted in several locales and in the streets of parts of Caracas is clearly an attempt by the reactionary opposition to regain lost ground and control of the country’s oil wealth,” the release concluded.

Alleged carjackers denied bail

Two men accused of carjacking a $1.2 million car appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.

Marvin Samaroo, a taxi driver, 45, of Lot 10 Number Two Village, East Canje Berbice and Christian

Ganga, 24, of West Coast Demerara were not required to plead to the charges.

It was alleged that on Sunday, February 16 at Adelphi Village, West Coast Berbice, they stole motor vehicle PPP 3149 valued $1.2 million, property of Jonathan Ricknauth. The two defendants also

pleaded to the other charge, which stated that between February 16 and February 18, the duo fraudulently claimed to be the owner of the vehicle and changed the number plates to HC 2799.

Police Prosecutor De Niro Jones objected to bail due to the nature and gravity of the matter and noted that the two were charged and convicted for another matter. He further said that a confession statement from the two was obtained, and more charges are likely to be laid against them. Bail was refused. The two accused are expected to make another court appearance on February 25.

Interior worker charged for assaulting wife

Aman appeared before Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday charged with unlawful assault.

Michael Paul, of Lot 197 Oronoque Street, Queenstown, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the

charge that he, on Saturday, February 15, unlawfully and maliciously assaulted his wife, Rachael. The defendant, who was unrepresented by an attorney, explained that on the night of the day in question, he came home from the interior and saw that his household items were damaged.

The defendant said he acted out of rage, but did not harm his wife. He pleaded with the magistrate for leniency and said he was willing to move from the home he shared with his wife.

Prosecutor Seon Blackman said the couple had gone out on the night in question and consumed alcohol; when they came home, the defendant started to rage and assaulted the virtual complainant to the point she had to escape his presence.

Bail was granted in the sum of $10,000. The defendant is expected to make another court appearance on February 26.

Agriculture body urges speedy passage of AML bill

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ven as the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) meets with the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLCFT) (Amendment) Bill 2013 parliamentary special select committee, the Guyana Agriculture Producers’ Association (GAPA) is advocating for the passage of the bill in the National Assembly.

GAPA said it is pleased that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) did not select Guyana for the International Cooperation

Review Group’s (ICRG) Review, but said the new May 28 deadline should not be taken for granted.

To avert further consequences of being blacklisted, the association said members of Parliament should act in the best interest of Guyanese and pass the amended bill. If the bill is not passed within the established timeframe, the association said its 10,000 stakeholders will be severely affected.

“One area in particular is the international funding that is available to small

and medium-sized enterprises for climate change adaptation activities,” GAPA said.

“The average hardworking Guyanese man and woman are the ones at the frontline, who will face the repercussions of non-compliance to international standards.”

CFATF said Guyana must pass the relevant legislation and implement all outstanding programmes included in its action plan.

These include, fully criminalising money laundering and terrorist financing offences. Additionally, the country has to address all the requirements on beneficial ownership and simultaneously strengthen the requirements for suspicious transaction reporting, international co-operation, and the freezing and confiscation of terrorist assets.

“Members are therefore called upon to consider implementing countermeasures to protect their financial systems from the ongoing money laundering and terrorist financing risks emanating from Guyana,” the CFATF said.

Businessman hits alleged footwear thief with car, court hears

An enraged businessman who tried to run down a man he accused of stealing his footwear was arraigned on Thursday, along with the alleged thief, in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Burnell Hudson, 39, of Lot 3462 Postal Housing Scheme, South Ruimveldt and Marlon Dolphin, 26, pleaded not guilty to the respective charge of unlawful assault and simple larceny.

It is alleged that Hudson on Friday, February 14 at

11:30h, caused bodily harm to Dolphin while driving motor vehicle GPP 9260. It is also alleged that during the period of December 10, 2013 to January 3, 2014 Dolphin stole two pairs of Air Max sneakers valued $70,000 and one pair of Prada sandals valued $45,000, property of Hudson.

Prosecutor Joel Ricknauth said on February 14, Dolphin was riding in a southern direction along Jackson Street, Tucville when Hudson struck him with motor vehicle GPP 9260 from behind, caus-

ing Dolphin to fall to the ground and sustain injuries. Hudson then came out of the vehicle and lashed Dolphin several times about the body, accusing him of stealing the said items. A report was made and Hudson was subsequently arrested.

With regard to the charge of simple larceny, the prosecutor said on December 10, Hudson secured his sneakers and sandals on his steps and retired to bed. He later woke up and noticed the items were missing. During the day, he was in the company of friends when he no-

ticed a man whom he identified as Marlon Dolphin with one of the said articles on his feet. When Hudson approached Dolphin, he ran away. A report was made and Dolphin was subsequently arrested and was told of the allegation.

Prosecutor Ricknauth had no objections to bail. Bail was granted to both men, Dolphin the sum of $115,000 and Hudson, the sum of $500,000. Both men are expected to make another court appearance on March 10.

Elgar leads South Africa’s recovery against Australia

Dean Elgar made a patient 83 to help South Africa recover from a precarious position on day one of the second Test against Australia in Port Elizabeth.

The Proteas lost captain Graeme Smith (9) and Hashim Amla (0) early on but fought back from 11-2 to reach 214-5 before bad light curtailed play.

Elgar’s knock lasted 193 balls as he, Faf du Plessis (55) and AB de Villiers (51 not out) all made half-centuries.

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon picked up 2-47 on an attritional day.

South Africa’s total, after losing the toss and being asked to bat by Australia captain Michael Clarke, is already more than they managed in either innings

during their crushing 281run defeat by Australia in the first Test at Centurion.

The hosts made an inauspicious start though after Smith was trapped lbw by Ryan Harris in the fifth over, and four balls later Amla departed for a duck when he was struck on the pads by Mitchell Johnson.

Elgar, who opened in the absence of the ill Alviro Petersen, dug in and he and Du Plessis shared in a thirdwicket stand worth 112.

Du Plessis’s stay came to an end in the afternoon session when he was caught at short leg by Steve Smith off Lyon

But South Africa did not let that shake them as Elgar and De Villiers then added a further 58 runs for the fourth wicket.

Elgar looked on course

for his second Test ton but he fell 17 runs short when he became the second victim for Lyon; Harris taking a skier at mid-wicket as the opener sought to add to his tally of nine fours and two sixes.

Debutant Quinton de Kock (7) was also dismissed looking to attack, the 21-year-old coming down the wicket to Smith but only lobbing the ball up to substitute Moises Henriques.

De Villiers and JP Duminy ensured there was no further loss before the light worsened and the pair will resume on 51 and two respectively. (BBC Sport)

SCOREBOARD

South Africa 1st Innings

Smith lbw b Harris 9

Elgar c Harris b Lyon 83

Amla lbw b Johnson 0 du Plessis c Doolan b Lyon 55

AB de Villiers not out 51 de Kock c Sub b Smith 7 Duminy not out 2

Extras: (1-w, 4-b, 2-lb) 7

Total: (for 5 wickets; 83 overs) 214

Bowling: Harris 18-536-1, Johnson 15-2-441, Siddle 22-7-61-0, Lyon

23-6-47-2, Warner 1-02-0, Smith 4-0-18-1 Fall of wickets: 10 (Smith), 11 (Amla), 123 (du Plessis), 181 (Elgar), 200 (de Kock)

West Indies v Ireland, 2nd T20, Kingston…

West Indies search for missing spark

Ireland certainly enjoy their trips to Sabina Park. The “Boys in Green” strolled to victory in the first T20 against a lacklustre West Indies, adding to their list of Full Member scalps. This was different to the breakthrough win over Pakistan on the same ground at the 2007 World Cup, however - Ireland have established their credentials, they merely want the chance to demonstrate them on a more regular basis.

For West Indies, it was their fifth T20 defeat in a row; hardly the sort of form you want to be taking into a tournament as defending champions. Their World Twenty20 campaign begins in just over a month and Ottis Gibson will need to crank up the intensity for the second Ireland match, ahead of three more T20s against England next month.

Since struggling in their opening two Regional Super50 fixtures, Ireland have grown more accustomed to Caribbean climes. George Dockrell and Alex Cusack were impressive with the ball, while Andrew Poynter showed form with the bat.

Ed Joyce was fresh to the touring party but immediately found his groove.

By contrast, several of West Indies’ big names looked decidedly rusty - Darren Sammy, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels all missed the domestic 50-over competition with injuries, and it showed.

Watch out for…

Dwayne Smith is one of the few West Indies players demonstrably in form, having passed 50 three times in four matches - including 83 in the final - as Barbados won the Regional Super50. Smith is one of the slightly less deluxe T20 guns-forhire going around but tends to give sides plenty of bang for their buck; West Indies could do with more from him than two fifties in 18 innings.

As Ireland adapt to life after Trent Johnston, Alex Cusack may be able to shoulder some of the extra burden. His four overs of niggardly medium pace cost just 17 runs and accounted for Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons - enough to earn praise from Ireland’s coach, Phil Simmons.

It may be unglamorous but, on slow pitches such as those that will be found in Bangladesh, Cusack’s role will be important.

Five West Indies batsmen made double figures

only to fall before reaching 20 in the first match but most will get another shot, as there is only Andre Fletcher to call on. Leftarmer Krishmar Santokie could come in to provide variety in the bowling attack - though having not played since the Caribbean Premier League in August, he would increase the lacking-matchpractice quotient.

West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Darren Sammy (capt) 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Samuel Badree, 11 Ravi Rampaul/ Krishmar Santokie Poynter was preferred to the more experienced Niall O’Brien on Wednesday and should keep his place after contributing the secondhighest score. Tim Murtagh was expensive, despite claiming two wickets, with Craig Young providing another seam-bowling option within the squad.

Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Gary Wilson (wk), 5 Andrew Poynter, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Alex Cusack, 9 Stuart Thompson, 9 Max Sorensen, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Tim Murtagh (Cricinfo)

Guyana Amazon Warriors Manager excited about Limacol CPL 2014

Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Omar Khan, has expressed optimism that the 2014 Limacol Caribbean Premier League will be a resounding success, as it was in the inuagural year 2013.

During an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with Guyana Times reporter Avenash Ramzan on Thursday, the Trinidadian reviewed the 2013 tournament, shared his expectations of the 2014 competition and what the tournament means to West Indies cricket and the people of the Caribbean.

Avenash Ramzan (AR): First of all, thank you for taking time out from your busy schedule to accomodate us as we look ahead to Limacol CPL 2014. Before we look ahead though, what are your general thoughts on what transpired in the inaugural tournament last year?

Omar Khan (OK): Well, first of all thank you for having me on this interview; it’s a pleasure to be here. It created a lot of excitement; it created a lot of hype with lots of cricketers from different backgrounds coming together. It was the first time we had such an interaction in the Caribbean where we had international players teaming up with some of our local and regional players. It was a fantastic tournament the first year and I expect it to be bigger and better this year.

AR: Apart from the onfield action, beyond the boundary was excitement galore as well with the fans filling practically all the venues.

OK: Oh yes! Of course the crowd participation, the sponsors got involved, Limacol as the title sponsor and it played a tremendous role in bringing people together. You know it was good to see people of all creeds, walks and races coming out back to the cricket and it’s good to see that sort of excitement and seeing our fans back out supporting the cricket.

AR: The tournament this year is from July 10 to August 16. Your part of the process once again, what are your expectations of the second edition?

OK: Of course one of the things that is already encouraging is more matches and each territory will have an opportunity to host at least four games, which gives you an opportunity to really showcase players we have on each franchise, and more importantly to get fans involved in the cricket. And then we also have opportunities for sponsors and television coverage…so there are tremendous opportunities there. Highlighting

the Caribbean countries; it’s an opportunity for the tourism market, for people to look at the Caribbean, have a chance to see what we can showcase- our talent, our culture, all the indigenous practices that we have. I’m sure people look forward to that.

I spoke to many of the international players last year and they just love coming to the Caribbean to play cricket and it’s an opportunity again to have these international players come again to interact and play together with our players.

I’m sure they’re going to learn from each other and I’m sure it’s going to improve our cricket overall.

AR: I know you have been travelling a lot, what has been the feedback from the ‘man in the street’ about the Limacol CPL?

OK: They’re all looking forward to the 2014 edition; everyone is asking where are the matches going to be hosted; when the matches

one dressing room. How difficult or easy was that for you having so many different cultures forming one team?

OK: Well actually we were very fortunate here in Guyana. The Guyana Amazon Warriors team had some very professional players who were part of the international group of players that came and played for us in 2013.

Mohammad Hafeez, as you know he is Pakistan T20 captain, he was really a motivator, he lent a lot of expertise and experience he’s had over the years to our local guys and he brought that stability in terms of how we approached things.

Martin Guptill- quiet, unassuming, but very professional and hardworking and the work ethic is something I thought the international players brought to the fore and it showed our local players the kind of commitment and dedication you need to have on a consistent basis that will make them more professional and better cricketers.

AR: Being a Trinidad and Tobago national, how was it working with a completely different set of players and having to play against your fellow countrymen? How was that experience for you?

OK: At the end of the day I’ve always said that once I’m assigned to a team I’m committed to that team and I’m working for that team to be the victorious one and win the tournament.

It doesn’t matter if I’m Trinidadian or not, at the

in pre-planning. How has that been going so far?

OK: Very good; we’re trying to put things in place. As you know, this year we’re trying as much as possible to fast forward and have things planned long in advance rather than wait until the last minute to put things in place.

So we’re identifying some of the areas we need to look at in terms of the draft for the players, which should be done some time in April.

We’re looking at identifying some of the players who we can retain, looking at offering some players retainer contracts, try to identify some of the other players we have based in Guyaan who we feel could add value to the team and be part of a successful team.

I could tell you a player like Leon Johnson who was not part of the Guyana Amazon Warriors team last year, but this year he’s one of the players we’re looking at. We’re still scouting around to see all the international players who are available.

Availability is key, as you know with the ICC having changed the whole structure now it’s important for us to look at the Future Tours Programme and see where that window of opportunity is for players from different countries whether they would be available or not.

We’re hearing that the Pakistanis would be available, the New Zealanders would be available, the Australians would be avail-

can win the tournament.

AR: One of the things happening this year is the retention of players; have you been able to come up with a core group that you’re looking at in terms of keeping going forward?

OK: Six players can be retained. That’s six players who would have played three matches or more for us in 2013, not the players who came in just for the semi-final and final.

We had a situation last year where we had Tillekeratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga just came in for the semi-final and final, so they are not eligible to be retained. So we have to look at the players who played three matches or more for us in the group stage and identify those players.

We’ve made offers to certain players, because at this time it’s only offers we can make and the players, some of their through their agents, some of them through their various man-

will be played; where can we get tickets and it’s a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excitement…people are looking forward to it.

AR: You previously served as manager of the West Indies team, but the Limacol CPL presented a new dimension where you were dealing with players from different continents in

end of the day I’m taking responsibility for the Guyana Amazon Warriors team and I’m totally committed and dedicated to Guyana Amazon Warriors team… so when we play Trinidad I want to beat Trinidad.

AR: You’ve been here in Guyana over the last few days working along with the Guyana Amazon Warriors

able…same thing happened last year and then last minute Australia planned an A team tour and they pulled out all their players from the different franchises. So all that are challenges we’re looking at and at the end of the day we want to put together a team that can represent Guyana Amazon Warriors proudly and we

agers, would get back to us.

But we’re looking at the mix as I said and putting together a team we hope will make Guyana proud and will represent Guyana Amazon Warriors well.

AR: Finally, the first year was a tremendous success. How important is such a tournament to West Indies

cricket, the Limacol CPL?

OK: First of all, let me say Dr Bobby Ramroop, our franchise owner and the owner of Limacol, has done a tremendous job in putting Limacol on the market.

I could recall when I went to India last year with Trinidad and Tobago team for the Champions League people were asking about Limacol ‘what does it do?’, ‘what effects does it have on you?’. Obviously this year it’s going to be more exciting and it will provide something for us to build on and I think that’s the intention, to build on the initial tournament.

All tournaments will have challenges because at the end of the day there will always be situations that will not go the way you planned them, but we have to be able to resolve those situations and move forward.

The good thing about it is that we have the entire Caribbean involved in it- players, administrators, people who are involved in cricket, past cricketers all involved. As you saw last year, majority of the coaches were past cricketers; Roger Harper for Guyana, Curtly Ambrose, Gordon Greenidge, Andy Roberts, Sir Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd is our Limacol ambassador here in Guyana so that brings a certain amount of value and history back to the young cricketers and to us who are involved in cricket.

You know it’s always good to have these people who would have represented us in the past and have made such significant contributions to our cricket to have them involved in the Limacol CPL. This is something in the positive direction and as I always say there is room for improvement.

I’m sure the Organising Committee would be looking at those. One of the things we looked at is crowd control, as well as security and ticketing are areas we need to look at and see how best we can manage it.

I remember last year people in Guyana wanted tickets and couldn’t get them so those are things we need to see how best we can manage.

But at the end of the day, it promises to be a fantastic tournament again, lots of excitement, lots of good cricket and more importantly the Caribbean people get a chance to showcase our culture and the talent we have here to the rest of the world.

Editor’s note: The second edition of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League will take place from July 10 to August 16, 2014.

Slingerz FC Stag/West Side Mashramani Champions Cup…

Action kicks off tonight at Den Amstel

The second annual Slingerz Football Club, Stag Beer ‘West Side’ Mashramani Champions Cup will kick off tonight at the Den Amstel Community Centre Ground with what is expected to be an exciting double-header.

Following the opening ceremony at 18:00 hours,

thousands of football fans on the West Demerara flocking the Den Amstel Ground to mark the initiation of Slingerz Football Club. One year and two titles later, the club has grown to become a household name in the sport.

“This tournament means a lot to Slingerz FC and the

Though they have never won a title, Eagles FC is one the WDFA’s most competitive clubs and is also known for being the spoilers in any tournament they feature in.

It’s back to basic for Pouderoyen FC. The club that once reigned supreme had undergone several make over; even changing their name to Seawall FC,

National Resource Centre to be commissioned today

Uitvlugt Community Centre when defending champions and tournament host Slingerz FC face Bagotsville and Uitvlugt will play Stewartville.

A top prize of $500,000 is at stake with the second to fourth placed teams set to pocket $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.

Last year, the event saw

Before the assembly of Slingerz FC, Den Amstel FC was the ‘team to beat’ in the West Demerara Football Association (WDFA).

Ranked second in the league which was won by Slingerz FC who made an impressive unbeaten run, Den Amstel would be gearing up to avenge their 3-0 losS in the 2013 final.

form and the return of some of its old stalwarts, has forced the name change to its original one once

Fans are eager to see turn of gressive Young Achievers team.

With Slingerz FC celebrating its one year anniversary, there would be nightly giveaways to lucky fans.

Apart from the opening game tonight, all other matches (February 24 and March 1 and 8) will be played at the Uitvlugt Community Centre.

Another vision of Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony has come to fruition.

The National Sports Resource Centre located in the compound of the National Racquet Centre, Woolford Avenue, will be commissioned by the president Donald Ramotar today at 16:00 hours.

The National Sports Resource Centre, which in the fore-runner of the Guyana National Sports Institute, will accommodate a library, which has various reading materials for athletes, coaches, teachers, officials, officers of clubs and associations/federations and technical persons, which will guide effective preparation and proper planning and organising. Online researchers will also be accommodated.

The National Sports Resource Centre also houses a conference room for approximately 75 persons, which will be used for theoretical training and presentations.

According to a release from the National Sports Commission, “the commissioning of this facility is definitely a positive development for sports in Guyana. It is therefore imperative that all concerned make adequate use of it.”

After the commissioning ceremony at 17:00 hours, Professor Clem Seecharan will deliver the very first lecture at the National Sports Resource Centre, entitled “The History and Development of Guyana and West Indies Cricket- 1890 to 1960.”

Prof. Seecharan, BA, MA, PhD, Professor of Caribbean History; Head of Caribbean Studies, London Metropolitan University, is a Guyanese and is a writer and historian of the IndoCaribbean experience, as well as a historian of West Indies cricket.

A distinguished historian, two of his main publications include Indo-West Indian Cricket (Hansib, 1988),

Muscular Learning: Cricket and Education in the Making of the British West Indies at the End of the 19th Century and from Ranji to Rohan: Cricket and Indian Identity in Colonial Guyana 1890s1930s.

He was educated at Berbice Educational Institute and Queen’s College (Guyana), McMaster University (Canada) and University of Warwick (London).

Prof. Seecharan was awarded a Professorship in History at the London Metropolitan University in 2002 where he is now Emeritus Professor of History.

He has delivered several prestigious lectures, including the Walter Rodney Memorial Lecture, University of Warwick; the Sir Frank Worrell Lecture, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados; and the Leonard Tim Hector Memorial Lecture, Antigua and Barbuda.

Great Britain target best Winter Olympics medal haul

Great Britain will make the Sochi Games the most successful Winter Olympics in their history if they can win two more medals on Friday.

Team GB already have three medals and the male curlers are guaranteed at least silver in their final against Canada from 13:30 GMT.

Short track skaters Elise Christie and Jon Eley also have medal chances.

Britain’s previous best medal haul at a Winter Olympics was the four they won at the inaugural Games in 1924.

Britain have hit their three-medal target thanks to Lizzy Yarnold (skeleton gold), Jenny Jones (snowboard slopestyle bronze) and GB’s female curlers, who won bronze on Thursday.

UK Sport has invested £14m to help Britain’s teams at the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and it believes Sochi could mark a breakthrough for British sport.

“In my 20-plus years of involvement in British winter sport, I have never seen

an Olympic team better prepared, confident and with such high expectation of themselves than this one,” said director of performance Simon Timson.

“British athletes, whether they be summer, winter, Olympic or Paralympic, have belief in their ability, and this Games could prove to be a real turning point for us as a winter sports nation.”

If the curlers were to win the Olympic title, Britain would leave a Winter Games with multiple gold medals for the first time in their history. It would also be Britain’s 11th gold since 1924.

The men’s curling team lost to world silver medallists Canada in the roundrobin stages but are determined to make amends in the final, which will be shown live on BBC Two from 13:30 and then BBC One from 13:45.

“You only get one opportunity in a lifetime to win a gold medal like this,” said skip David Murdoch.

“We’re going to seize the day, fight to the absolute

last and hopefully have that shot to win.”

Team-mate Scott Andrews added: “We’re confident. Against Canada in the round-robin we only missed out by a millimetre so, if we have the chance again, hopefully the millimetre goes in our favour.”

Christie has struggled so far at Sochi 2014, having been disqualified twice in her other events and suffering online abuse in the aftermath.

However, she is a world bronze medallist in the 1,000m, having dominated the world rankings for much of the past two years, and looked in impressive form as she came through Tuesday’s heats. She competes at 16:45 GMT, just after Eley, who carried Team GB’s flag at the opening ceremony, goes in the men’s 500m.

Britain’s four-man bobsleigh team, piloted by John Jackson, were the fastest sled in their latest training run on Thursday and may yet contend for medals on Sunday, the final day of the Games. (BBC Sport)

D’Andrade, Johnson focused for Wartsila 20k

Top distance runners Lionel D’Andrade and Kelvin Johnson will be a part of Wartsila’s 20th Anniversary 20km road race on March 2, which is set to begin at Paradise on the East Coast of Demerara.

The duo, both based in Trinidad and Tobago, will add some substance to the event, along with the international athletes set to participate in the event.

The showdown will test the athletes, both of whom are accustomed to the longer distance of road running, as they are set to collide with Guyana’s distance

a fast-paced race. Johnson who dethroned D’Andrade as the Trinidad Half Marathon Champion with a time of 1h 15m, while D’Andrade took second place, will see the latter looking to return to winning ways, as D’Andrade noted that he prefers the longer distances.

However, while the two will have their own rivalry, they will still have to look out for Forde who has won most of the 10km events over the last five years.

It will be interesting to see how Forde adapts to the longer version of the race,

king Cleveland Forde, who is familiar with the 10km distance.

“I am doing some rough training right now and I am working on my speed. I am pretty confident as you know, this is my format. I love half marathons and marathons,” D’Andrade said.

D’Andrade who confirmed that the duo will be in Guyana around February 28, indicated that he is focused on running a fast time, around the 1h 07m mark, as he believes the course will be flat, which should encourage

Khalil continues dominant tear in squash handicap tourney

Defending champion Jason Ray Khalil is on a tear in the 2014 Bounty Farm Mashramani Handicap tournament being held at the Georgetown Club Squash facility.

On Wednesday evening, Khalil continued his dominant form to win his second match-up in straight sets despite his handicap of -22.

Khalil was simply a scoring machine, as he notched 25 unanswered points to take his first against Matthew Phang 15-12, while scoring 18 unanswered points to win the game, with a final set point at 15-11, as his skill and ball placement were too hot to handle.

pensate for the skill difference, held off Mundini to win the first set 15-11, before Mundini levelled the encounter with a 15-12 win to set up a final round between the two.

However, Islam was able to withstand Mundini’s rallies to win the event 15-13 and move on to the next round.

Two-time Caribbean champion Benjamin Mekdeci, despite being a bit inconsistent in his play, overcame his -10 disadvantage to top Stephen Fernandes in three games.

to win the encounter, as Fernandes could not sustain his great play, appearing winded in the latter parts of the match.

Last year’s runner-up Nicholas Narain overcame his -8 handicap to defeat former junior girls champion Ashley Khali, who seemed out of it, in three games

which is more suited for both D’Andrade and Johnson.

It will also be interesting to see how both the Trinidadbased Guyanese approach the race against Forde, who will look to run away with the lucrative top prize.

The overall winner in the Open Male category will pocket $300,000, while second through sixth will take home $240,000, $200,000, $140,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.

The same prizes will be awarded in the Open Female categor.

Meanwhile, 12-yearold Anthony Islam put on a show to survive another night of tense moments, as he managed to upset another older player in Pablio Mundini in a threegame encounter.

Fernandes came out blazing in the opening set, as he played quality squash to win the first 1614 and put Mekdeci on the back foot.

Islam who had a 12-point advantage to com-

Mekdeci would then take the next two sets

Regan Pollard was able to knock off the other Islam twin, Daniel, despite being a -16 handicap. Islam ran away with the first set at 15-9, but was unable to withstand the pressure from Pollard, who took the final two sets easily.

Action will continue throughout the week before concluding on Saturday evening with the finals and a closing ceremony.

Guyana Amazon Warriors Manager excited about Limacol CPL 2014

The University of Guyana (UG) Wolves trampled their way to 26-14 victory over the Yamaha Caribs to be crowned champions o the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) 49th Anniversary seven’s rugby trophy at the Camp Ayanganna ground, Georgetown.

The tournament was the first competition the UG Wolves have won since forming their club three years ago, and Coach Laurie Adonis noted that the victory was a long time coming.

Godfrey Broomes was the first of the Wolves to score, as he dodged the full backs of the Caribs to score the try before Lawrence Adonis buried the conversion to give the Wolves a 7-0 lead.

Caribs forward O’Neil Charles would then score a try three minutes later, before Theodore Henry would score the conversion to level the scores on seven, as the game would head to halftime, with both teams struggling to get into the end zone.

The second half was much of the same story, as

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UG Wolves wins GDF rugby tourney

Broomes wasted no time in scoring with a try two minutes after resumption, while Adonis buried another conversion to push their lead to 14-7.

Two minutes later, The UG Wolves celebrating their win under floodlights. Saved as rugby Fabian Joseph would down his first try of the game before Adonis gave UG the extra point with the conversion to extend their lead to 21-7.

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would then add insult to injury by scoring another try to carry the lead to 26-7 as the UG students began their celebrations, with little less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Caribs would gain a consolation try, when Claudius Butts would break through for a try and a conversion to carry the score to 26-14 before the final whistle was blown.

Meanwhile, the Wolves will be in action again on March 1, when the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) holds a 15’s tournament in the National Park.