Guyana chronicle 30 08 14

guyana No. 103935 friday august 30, 2014

The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com

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Following revelations that the PNC were given 155 guns by the GDF…

President Ramotar is calling on Granger to: ‘Bring back the guns’

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President Donald Ramotar

GRA attempts to seize vehicle implicated in alleged duty free scam Page

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IDB still on board Page 16 for Amaila hydropower project

– President

Teen plunges 9 to death Page

Inclusion of deceased persons on the PLE …

Police and GRA officers in front of Lot 8 Continental Park, East Bank Demerara, the address listed on the registration forms for both of the vehicles

$697.3M in contracts signed for drainage pump stations, sluices construction Page 11 The politics of Stabroek news on Local Government elections, Is the politics of the political opposition !

President says GECOM has Page 13 explaining to do Craig man fatally beaten after committing Page 14 robbery

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Following revelations that the PNC were given 155 guns by the GDF…

President Ramotar is calling on Granger to: ‘Bring back the guns’

By Vanessa Narine PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar, yesterday, called on Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, leader of People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) to return the guns that were given to the PNC by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

“When those weapons were given to the PNC, the present leader of the PNC was the commander of the army at the time and now that he is the leader of the PNC, I would expect that he would make some genuine effort to return those weapons,” he said, during a news conference, held at Office of the President, yesterday.

The President’s call follows revelations from testimonies given at the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the death of Dr. Walter Rodney.

Lieutenant Colonel Sydney President James, who spent three days at Donald Ramotar the CoI on the witness stand

this week, testified and submitted documentation that the GDF loaned high-powered military weapons to the Ministry of National Development of the PNC Government during the 1970s and 1980s.

The records that Lieutenant Colonel James tendered as evidence to the Commission show that the GDF loaned 200-odd weapons to the Ministry, as well as paramilitary organisations and other agencies.

Mr. Ramotar noted that the Ministry of National Development was “inseparable” from the PNC, as it was the office of the General-Secretary of the PNC at that time and so the party cannot escape liability for the return of the weapons.

“I hope the leader of the PNC will take some steps to return the weapons to the army,” he said.

CRIMINAL CONNECTIONS According to the Head of State, the missing weapons have found themselves in the hand of criminals, as indicated by Lieutenant Colonel Sydney James during his testimony.

In 2008, the police found two of those guns, including a grenade launcher, in the possession of notorious criminals at Mahaicony.

“We have been talking about the links of the Opposition to crime,” the President charged.

He pointed out that the issue at hand relates not only to the 155 still missing weapons, but also to other weapons that have gone missing and used in criminal activities, which include the devastating crime wave that gripped the nation.

Guyana’s unprecedented crime wave was responsible for numerous murders, kidnaps, and robberies and dates back to the now infamous February 2002 jailbreak, when five dangerous and armed prisoners escaped and sought refuge in Buxton village, which was widely regarded as a safe haven for criminals.

Mr. Ramotar said: “We have said that the situation in Buxton would have never lasted this long, had there not been some political support for them in that area. Clearly we see that these are some of the things we have to fight against. What

happened then impact us today, as far as crime is concerned.”

He highlighted that Mr. Granger, on several occasions, called for the establishment of CoIs, but seems to ignore the need for a CoI to address something that is important for the country.

“It is clear, coming out of the Commission, with evidence, that these weapons were given to the PNC and they have found themselves in the criminal community. They have the responsibility of getting back those weapons,” the Head of State stressed.

CONTINUED EFFORTS Until the weapons are returned, the President made it clear that the relevant law enforcement agencies will continue their efforts to recover them.

“We have been making a lot of efforts to get the weapons back, but maybe part of the reason we have not succeeded was what I just said, because of who was heading the army and the police at that time and where are they now,” he said.

Mr. Ramotar stated too that his administration is committed to ensuring that illegal weapons are taken off the streets and out of the hands of criminals.

He said: “Law enforcement agencies continuously will try to recoup those weapons…all the illegal weapons on the road, all the illegal weapons in the society, all the weapons in the hands of criminals, it is the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies to continue their work to try to get them back.”

The Commander-in-Chief accepted his responsibility in this regard and stressed that the recovery of illegal weapons by law enforcement agencies is a standing order.

“This is one of the important functions of the security forces, to get the weapons back. This is a standing order to David Granger get the weapons back,” he said.

Mr. Ramotar noted too that the Defence Board has not addressed the revelations of the Walter Rodney CoI as it has not met since.

Additionally, of those 200-odd weapons, 155 are still missing today, with the GDF not engaged in searching for them.

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

GRA attempts to seize vehicle implicated in alleged duty free scam

OFFICERS from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), armed with a ‘Writ of Assistance’ attempted yesterday to seize one of the two vehicles, PRR 8398, implicated in an alleged duty-free concession scam, involving the publisher of the Kaieteur News, Mr. Glen Lall.

However, up to 23:00 hrs last night the officials, accompanied by several police ranks, remained in waiting outside Lot 8 Continental Park, East Bank Demerara, the address listed on the registration forms for both of the vehicles, the other vehicle being PRR 8399.

Lot 8, Continental Park is also the address of a senior functionary at the GRA, Navin Sankar.

When the Guyana Chronicle arrived on the scene, Sankar was in conversation with two GRA officials, but subsequently left and entered his home.

The police ranks and GRA officials remained outside his home.

Some hours later, Sankar told this newspaper that he produced the relevant documentation for the vehicle parked at his home and unless a court order is produced he will not accede to the GRA’s request.

Sankar maintained that no laws were broken and contended that he is being targeted because of his friendship with Mr. Lall.

“The vehicles are registered in my parents name and even if Mr. Lall uses the vehicle, no law is broken,” he said.

THREATENED Asked to comment on the incident, Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, told the Guyana Chronicle that he finds it strange that Sankar, an officer with over two decades of experience with the GRA, would defend Mr. Lall, who is at the centre of an alleged tax evasion case.

He confirmed that he instructed his officers to take action and explained that a final pronouncement on the issue can only be made by the GRA, which is the reason action was recommended.

Less than an hour after the Guyana Chronicle received this confirmation from Mr. Sattaur, he disclosed that he received a telephone call from a person “whose voice I recognised as Mr. Glen Lall” and was threatened.

“He said you want fire. I will expose you…he said, you are not Mr. Sattaur, you are Sattaur the thief,” the Commissioner-General complained.

According to him, such actions, the making of threats, are unconscionable.

“I am not acting vindictively. I am doing my work. Mr. Lall is not excluded from paying taxes, he said.

Earlier this week, Mr. Sattaur confirmed that the Authority would be taking action to investigate the matter.

He explained that the reason he did not act sooner on the matter of the alleged duty-free concession scam involving the publisher of the Kaieteur News, was because he was waiting on a report from the Auditor- General.

Sattaur said: “This matter was referred to the Auditor-General when he requested documents from us to conduct his audit. I thought his findings would have come out sooner, and I did not want to preempt his report on the findings.”

The Commissioner-General also admitted that in any other case, the vehicles that are the subject of contention would have already been seized and impounded.

However, given the “presumed involvement” of a prominent figure in society, he chose to “tread cautiously” rather than act in haste and be accused of being “politically-directed” to act.

“It has happened before; there is always the suggestion out there, and people will use all kinds of stories about me being subject to political directives. This is always the case when you act in these matters,” Sattaur said.

He said that given that the details of the alleged duty-free concession scam have been made public by the Guyana Chronicle, it is only natural that the public will expect his office to act, lest it be accused of having double standards.

MADE PUBLIC The Guyana Chronicle was able to obtain copies of all the relevant documents — from the application to the approval by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, GRA, and shipping information.

Information found on the GRA License Revenue Processing System (GRA -LRPS) form indicates that the licence plate numbers for the two vehicles are PRR 8398 and PRR 8399, which are driven

by Lall and his wife, Bhena (owner of Bhena’s Footwear).

PRR 8398 is usually prominently parked in front of the Kaieteur News head office on Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, and PRR 8399 is often seen on Regent Street, Georgetown near Bhena’s Footwear.

The details of the alleged duty-free concession scam were made public following a look by the Guyana Chronicle at the Government of Guyana’s review of the Remigrant Scheme.

Information received indicates that this issue started with husband and wife Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan, who were on July 3, 2013 granted permission by the Foreign Affairs Ministry to return to Guyana as “remigrants”, along with the concomitant incentives of the scheme.

Under the remigrant programme, Guyanese who would have resided overseas for more than five years and are returning home to reside are entitled to a number of benefits. These benefits include an import duty-free waiver for vehicles, and tax exemption for household items, once the items at reference were owned for six months or more in the country where the remigrant was living.

As husband and wife, Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan were entitled to concessions as two separate individuals, although a joint application was submitted.

The duty-free concession is awarded on condition that “the motor vehicle cannot be leased or transferred within three years of registration, and

providing that the registration licence, fitness and registration and insurance are submitted for inspection at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) every six months,” according to a letter issued to the applicant.

The Brijananans, on their application form, indicated that besides household items, they were returning with two 2013 Lexus Suburban L57 vehicles, the chassis numbers of which were listed along with other required information.

On the application form, the chassis numbers for the vehicles were listed as JTJHY7AX7D4100270 and JTJHY7AX6D4094851 with the registration dates in the State of New York being September 25, 2012 and March 3, 2013 correspondingly.

However, on the Bill of Lading for the vehicles, the chassis numbers were listed as JTJHY7AX6D4096745 and JTJHY7AX6D4094851, respectively. This clearly indicates that one of the numbers did not correspond with the chassis number on the application.

Further, for the vehicle bearing chassis number JTJHY7AX6D4094851, it was noticed that the date on the New York-issued Certificate of Title was March 3, 2013. This could only mean that the vehicle was not owned for more than six months before the application was made by the Brijnanans.

If true, this would be a clear violation of the regulation surrounding the application for remigrant status and duty-free concession. In essence, what would have occurred, according to documents perused by the Guyana Chronicle, is that the Brijnanans successfully obtained import duty concession in the sum of $4.222, 223.55 for each vehicle, totalling in excess of $8M. UNAWARE When contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, Brijnanan said he was unaware of the discrepancies on his application and the Bill of Lading for the vehicles, thereby denying that he was involved in any scam.

He stated that he’d applied for Remigrant Status some five years ago, and has been in the country since then. However, the letter from GRA to the Brijnanans is dated July 8, 2013. Further, the receipt attached to the Bill of Lading is dated September 20, 2013.

When questioned about the conflicting chassis numbers listed on his application and his Bill of Lading, Brijnanan said he could not explain the discrepancy. “I can’t understand; it is supposed to be the same thing that came,” he said.

Meanwhile, this newspaper’s research into the source price for a Lexus L570 is about US$80,000.

Import duty for such a vehicle would be a total of US$94,500, bringing the total value of the vehicle to US$174,500, or more than G$36M for each of the vehicles imported by the Brijnanans.

It appears, therefore, that the Government was cheated out of a total of US$189,000 (US$94,500 times 2), or almost $40M in import duty for the two vehicles which Lall and his wife are driving.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Ukraine seeks to join NATO; defiant Putin compares Kiev to Nazis

Syrian refugees top 3 million, half of all Syrians displaced: U.N.

(BBC photo) Thousands of Syria refugees have ended up at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan since fleeing the civil war

(BBC photo) Many buildings have been destroyed in heavy fighting in Donetsk region

By Alexei Anishchuk and Richard Balmforth (Reuters) - UKRAINE called on Friday for full membership in NATO, its strongest plea yet for Western military help, after accusing Russia of sending in armored columns that have driven back its forces on behalf of pro-Mos-

cow rebels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, defiant as ever, compared Kiev’s drive to regain control of its rebellious eastern cities to the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in World War Two. He announced that rebels had succeeded in halting it, and proposed that they now permit surrounded Ukrainian

DATE: 27/08/2014 M

By Stephanie Nebehay

troops to retreat.

Speaking to young people at a summer camp, Putin told his countrymen they must be “ready to repel any aggression towards Russia.” He described Ukrainians and Russians as “practically one people,” language that Ukrainians say dismisses the very existence of their thousand-year-old nation.

The past 72 hours have seen pro-Russian rebels suddenly open a new front and push Ukrainian troops out of a key town in strategic coastal territory along the Sea of Azov. Kiev and Western countries say the reversal was the result of the arrival of armored columns of Russian troops, sent by Putin to prop up a rebellion that would otherwise have been near collapse.

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(Reuters) - THREE million Syrian refugees will have registered in neighboring countries as of Friday, but many remain trapped by the advance of Islamist mili-

tants or are having difficulty in reaching open border crossings, the United Nations said.

Syrians desperate to leave their war-engulfed homeland are forced to pay hefty bribes at armed checkpoints prolif-

erating along Syria’s borders, or to smugglers, the U.N. refugee agency said.

The record figure is one million refugees more than a year ago, while a further 6.5 million are displaced within Syria, meaning that “almost half of all Syrians have now been forced to abandon their homes and flee for their lives,” it said.

“The Syrian crisis has become the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era, yet the world is failing to meet the needs of refugees and the countries hosting them,” Antonio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a statement.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who serves as UNHCR special envoy, said in a separate statement: “Three million refugees is not just another statistic. It is a searing indictment of our collective failure to end the war in Syria.”

Pakistan PM tries to distance himself from army as crisis drags on

By Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Maria Golovnina (Reuters) - PAKISTAN’S prime minister, weakened by weeks of opposition protests calling for him to resign, distanced himself from an army move to intervene in the crisis on

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Friday, saying he was not turning to the military for help to defuse the standoff.

But in an embarrassing twist for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the army quickly denied this, saying it had been specifically instructed by the government to step in to help mediate with the opposition.

Despite the army’s intervention, the crisis appeared far from being resolved, with thousands of protesters still massing outside key government installations in central Islamabad late on Friday demanding Sharif’s resignation.

Sharif’s efforts to end the conflict have failed in recent days, undermining his clout

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in a country prone to army coups.

The protests have been led by opposition leaders Imran Khan,a hero cricket player turned politician, and Tahir ul-Qadri, a firebrand cleric, who have both announced they would now directly negotiate with army chief General Raheel Sharif.

Sharif has emerged much weakened from the crisis, his already uneasy relationship with the military hitting new lows. He was toppled in a military coup in 1999 during a previous stint in office.

Addressing parliament on Friday, Sharif said he had nothing to do with the army’s decision to step into the conflict.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Suriname leader’s Brazil’s economy son pleads guilty falls into recession, to trying to help latest figures show Hezbollah

By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - SURINAME President Desi Bouterse’s son pleaded guilty on Friday to charges of attempting to aid Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, and conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.

Dino Bouterse, who once held a senior counter-terrorism post in the South American country, admitted in a New York federal court that he had tried to provide material support to the Lebanese paramilitary group.

“In 2013, I knowingly provided a false Surinamese

passport to a person I believed to be associated with Hezbollah, an organisation I knew to be designated a terrorist organisation by the United States,” Bouterse, 41, said in court.

He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to import narcotics and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.

Bouterse, who faces a sentence of between 15 years and life in prison, was accused of inviting people he believed to be from Hezbollah to establish a base in the former Dutch colony to attack Americans, in exchange for an initial $2 million pay-

Dino Bouterse

ment.

His plea came a year after his arrest by Panamanian authorities to face U.S. charges that he conspired to import cocaine into the United States.

The charge relating to Hezbollah was added in November.

Argentina workers claim general strike ‘successful’ LABOUR groups opposed to Argentine President Cristina Fernandez say the second general strike of the year has been a success.

The stoppage began at midday (15:00 GMT) on Wednesday and disrupted life in the capital, Buenos Aires.

Many stayed at home as the country’s cafes, restaurants, rail, air traffic and ports were affected.

Strikers demanded increased wages and lower taxes in response to higher living costs.

The latest stoppage was called by Hugo Moyano

Workers march and shout slogans during a 24-hour strike backed by opposition labour groups

and Luis Barrionuevo, who belong to an anti-government faction of the coun-

try’s largest and most powerful union, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT).

Colombia allows lesbian couple to adopt child BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — COLOMBIA has taken a major step recognising the rights of same-sex couples after the country’s constitutional court allowed a lesbian couple to adopt a child born to one of its members.

Ana Leiderman gave birth to two children via artificial in-

semination. Her longtime partner Veronica Botero however doesn’t have any custodial or legal rights over the children, now ages 4 and 6. The couple petitioned for full legal rights after the first child was born.

The decision comes on the heels of a number of favourable gay-friendly rulings in

Colombia and other parts of Latin America.

While Thursday’s ruling applies to couples where one member is a biological parent, legal experts say it could indicate a willingness by the high court to extend adoption rights to all samesex couples.

Brazil has fallen into recession, just a month before the general election, latest figures show

ECONOMIC output, GDP, fell by 0.6% in t h e t h re e m o n t h s t o June, worse than analysts had predicted, and revised figures for the first quarter of the year also showed a fall of 0.2%.

A recession is usually defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction.

The news will be damaging for the government of President

Dilma Rousseff.

According to the most recent poll, Ms Rousseff would lose to a rival candidate, environmentalist Marina Silva, i f O c t o b e r ’s e l e c t i o n went to a second round.

The World Cup, held in June and July, was not regarded as generally good for business, says the BBC’s Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro.

“There were more

days off for employees and many traditional tourists stayed away,” he says.

“The problem is that, with elections due i n e a r l y O c t o b e r, t h e economy is increasingly seen as President Dilma Rousseff ’s weak point.”

The data showed that civil construction, manufacturing and investment especially suffered during the second quarter.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

EDITORIAL

GUYANA

More punitive measures needed to deal with this scourge FOR those who commit incest, child molestation, rape, having sex with young girls too immature to make judgement calls on their own readiness for such a huge step in their lives, there is perhaps only one remedy – castrate them, but not as punishment. They are sick, and the same way a surgeon would excise a spleen, or a rotting limb that is injurious to the total well-being of the individual, so too should the offending member be excised. If this is done then, even as eunuchs these one-time sexual predators would be able to contribute to society. Locking them away for a duration only costs taxpayer dollars that

could be diverted to other developmental imperatives, and they would not change, but more than likely they would seek out other victims upon their release, so there is need to solve their problems, and that of their potential victims and society as a whole by showing mercy to everyone – castrate them.

What gives anyone the right to violate the body of another person? Moreso, many of these predators have multiple partners or disreputable lifestyles, so the risk of sexually transmitted diseases being contracted by the victim is a very real possibility.

It is also incumbent upon the guardians to give

justice to the innocent victims so that they could have some degree of closure to their ordeal and trauma.

Stamp it out! Too long have the innocent suffered - young girls whose reproductive systems have been destroyed, babies whose intestinal tracts have been damaged, women and children who have ineradicable psychological and emotional scars that make them dysfunctional for the rest of their lives.

These people are murderers. They murder the infants that will never be born to the girls who can never have babies. They murder the children who they have vested with chronic ailments of one kind or another until they die; and,

worse of all, they murder the trust and the dreams of their victims, so castrate them. They take away infinitely precious commodities of society when they violate one member of the human family in such heinous ways, so it is only fair and just that they are deprived the use of that offending member, infinitely precious to them, which they cannot control and which makes them predators of society. Rather than ostracising them, the offending member should be excised, after which they should be ordered to serve their victims all their lives in recompense for the harm they have caused.

Three females living

alone – a mother and two young daughters, had their home invaded, their possessions stolen; but as if that was not enough, the perpetrator took the young girl away from her mother and raped her.

Who can imagine the horror of such an ordeal?

Who can understand the feelings of the mother and sister, who were rendered helpless as the youngest member and most likely the most loved, of their family was violated in such a horrific manner?

Young girls lured, raped and killed by persons they trust. How many stories

of such incidents proliferate? Daughters raped by fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers. Can one imagine the absolute helplessness of these victims, betrayed so callously by persons who are supposed to protect them instead?

Home invasions by robbers who steal more than money and material possessions, take lives and destroy lives in the process and when they are caught, some bleeding heart judge or magistrate rap their fingers and send them back into society to prey on the innocent once more.

Independent auditors verify Guyana’s deforestation at 1%By Clifford Stanley

PERFORMANCE assessments of deforestation rates for Guyana over the last three years reflect a rate of less than 0.1%.

This percentage clearly validates the point that, within the forest sector, there remains a high level of forest legality and minimal impact on deforestation and forest degradation, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNR&E), Robert Persaud said yesterday.

He said: “We have seen recently in the press broad, baseless and uninformed statements made about negative impacts of forest activities on the forest. Given the performance assessments by a third party international auditor, following international guidance for such audits, these statements can be seen as unsubstantiated.”

“The allegations about mismanagement of the forests fall flat in the face of available evidence of an internationally credible third party audited system. The results

Minister Persaud interacts with Mr. Jon Parsons of the Global Canopy Program (GCP) during the closing session of the South-South international exchange workshop on Community Measurement Reporting and Verification (CMRV)for REDD+ yesterday

are there for all to review,” the minister said.

He made the refutations to the allegations currently in circulation during the

closing session of a SouthSouth international exchange workshop on Community Measurement Reporting and Verification (CMRV), which

was hosted by Guyana from August 22nd to 28th.

The CMRV system, it was explained, aims at developing and implementing

a community-based process for buttressing the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) REDD+ is a financial mechanism through which developing countries can sell the carbon stored in their forests to developed countries that need to offset their emissions.

By attaching financial value to carbon stored in forests, REDD+ intends to create an incentive for developing countries to better protect and manage their forests, while at the same time contributing to the global fight against climate change.

The South-South workshop had been organised through a collaboration of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas with the WWFs Forest Carbon Programme (FCP), the Global Canopy Programme (GCP), and the Global Forest Observation Initiative’s Silva Carbon programme.

Held at the Roraima Arrowpoint Resort, the sevenday event had been attended

by CMRV practitioners from several countries around the world, including Brazil, Costa

Rica, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Nepal, the United States of America, Great Britain, Austria and the Netherlands.

The aim was to share lessons amongst MRV practitioners from around the world.

Guyana’s participants came from the Guyana Forestry Commission, WWF Guianas, the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) and Iwokrama.

WWF Guianas said that Guyana had been chosen as the host country for the workshop due to its leadership role as the first country in the world with a functioning national-scale MRV System, as well as pair of innovative CMRV projects in two indigenous communities.

One of these innovative CMRV projects in indigenous communities developed systems in the sixteen communities of North Rupununi through a collaboration with the UK-based GCP and the Iwokrama International Centre.

In the second project, the Wai Wai community of Masakenari, formerly known as Konashen, was recently trained by the NRDDB to Turn to page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

IPAG files Constitutional Motion against Attorney General

By George Barclay THE International Pharmaceutical Agency of Guyana Ltd (IPAG) yesterday filed a constitutional motion against the Attorney General, claiming four declarations and three orders in its Originating Notice of Motion.

One of the Orders, a Conservatory Order, seeks to suspend or stay the recommendation of the NPATAB that the New GPC is prequalified to supply and deliver pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies to the Government of Guyana for

the period 2014 – 2016.

The grounds in support of the Motion are that (1): The applicant company has been incorporated since l990, and has been importing and selling pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in wholesale quantities to retailers in Guyana and to the Ministry of Health.

(2): That on the 26th November, 2013, the Ministry of Health advertised in the Guyana Chronicle newspaper an invitation for companies to submit tenders to be prequalified for the supply and delivery of pharmaceuticals and other medical

supplies and consumables for the period 2014-2016.

(3): That on the 18th February, the Applicant responded to the said advertisement and submitted an application for prequalification to the “Chairman, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board”(NPTAB).

(4): That the said application duly complied with all the requirements and conditions of the said advertisement, which was delivered to the Chairman of NPTAB, Ministry of Finance, Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown.

(5): That the applicant’s submission and documentation had satisfied the prequalification requirements to supply and deliver pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies to the Government and the Ministry of Health for the period 2014-2016.

(6): That on July 22, 2014, the Head of the President Secretariat (HPS) announced that “only one company met the requirements for the supply of drugs and medical supplies to the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Hospital, and Cabinet offered no

objection to the recommendation of the NPTAB. (7): That the applicant was never notified of the said decision by NPTAB, or by any other source before the announcement of July22, 2014 by the HPS; and on July 25, 2014, the applicant wrote to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, the status of their said application, pursuant to Section Six (6) of the Procurement Act. (8): That on July 28, 2014, the Ministry of Health acknowledged receipt of the applicant’s letter of July 25, 2014 and stated that: “this matter is currently with the

NPTAB.” (9): That by letter of July 30, 2014, the applicant wrote to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, pursuant to Section 52 (1) of the Procurement Act, protesting the NPTAB’s recommendation that the applicant did not satisfy the prequalification requirement.

The Notice of Motion has been forwarded to the Chief Justice, who will fix a date for hearing.

Counsels in the case are Messrs. Rex H. Mc Kay, S.C., Neil Boston, Brenden Glasford, and Mrs. Bettina Glasford.

Independent auditors verify Guyana’s... develop their own CMRV capacity under a project initiated by WWF Guianas.

Both projects were funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, NORAD. The closing session of the South-South international exchange workshop on CMRV was held at the Roraima Duke Lodge in Kingston, Georgetown. The closing programme included presentations by Dr Patrick Williams; Head of the WWF Guianas, based in Guyana; Mr Naikoa Amuchastegui, MRV Coordinator, WWF International Forests and Climate Program; Mr. Y. Kurniawan, WWF Forest Management Coordinator, Indonesia; and Mr Jon Parsons, Technical Lead GCP. In his remarks, Minister Persaud said that the MRVS at national and community level are essential aspects of Guyana’s Low Carbon

Development Strategy.

He said the system introduced in 2009/2010 is the first national scale system that is developed using high resolution satellite imagery at 5-metre resolution.

The national MRVS, he stressed, has allowed Guyana to monitor both deforestation and forest degradation aspects of forest carbon emissions impacts annually.

It has been independently verified every year for the past three years by a third party international auditor, following international guidance for such audits.

All the results are made public.

He stressed: “Guyana now offers to the world a global model on how routine MRVS can be implemented in a robust, transparent and replicable manner. We are now able to report on national level deforestation and forest degradation in

keeping with international best practice.

“The results of the MRVS therefore validate the point that within the forest sector there remains a high level of forest legality and minimal impact on deforestation and forest degradation.

Minister Persaud said: “Guyana stands on firm ground in asserting that our forests are well managed, have consistently reflected a low rate of deforestation of less than 0.1%, and have reported a verified low rate of illegality.”

With respect to CMRVs, he said that these have been identified as a key action under the LCDS. Since 2012, the GFC has been working with Iwokrama, and the NRDDB in successfully installing a CMRV in Annai, North Rupununi.

With the support of WWF, work has also been done to develop a CMRV

in the community-owned conservation area (COCA)

in Konashen, Deep South Rupununi, an area that is

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considering protected areas status.

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Whittaker and team visit Albouystown and Bourda Municipal Markets as ‘Clean-up My Country’ activities continue

Whittaker speaks with stallholders

Minister Norman Whittaker and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Collin C ro a l re c e n t l y m e t with vendors of the Albouystown and Bourda Municipal Markets to discuss improvements to the market infrastructure and other necessary facilities with a view of improving the environment in which vendors and shoppers conduct their business on a daily basis.

This visit is one of several aimed at providing the Minister and his Team with a firsthand view of the existing environment, and to have an appreciation of what is required to be done to enhance this environment under the “Clean-Up My Country” Programme which is being implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

The vendors who

met with the Hon. Norman Whittaker and his team were very thorough and candid as they expressed their concerns with respect to the issues that were causing them discomfort and inconvenience. These include poor drainage facilities which contribute to constant flooding within the market; inadequate electrical installation and lack of proper security which has led to the upsurge in criminal activities within the market environs; inadequate sanitary facilities and poor roofing conditions. Leakages in the roof were cited as another major contributor to flooding in the market.

The vendors also pointed out uneven flooring within the market structures which often resulted in water taking longer to recede in lower sections.

The stallholders asserted that the poor/inadequate infrastructure has caused them millions of dollars in damaged goods, and they are faced with the reality of the condition of the markets on a daily basis.

Minister Whittaker and his team were also

given as detailed outline of how the poor plumbing systems contribute to inadequate water supply to the market. The vendors pointed out that on many occasions they were forced to close their stalls due to insufficient supply water.

The Bourda, Stabroek and Albouystown Markets fall directly under the management of the Major and City Council which over the years have been heavily criticised for the poor and ineffective management of the facilities.

Whittaker assured the vendors that Government of Guyana has provided resources to improve the environment and aesthetics of the City of Georgetown.

He assured them that the markets he was visiting and those who use the facilities were going to be beneficiaries of these improvements under the “Clean-Up My Country” Programme.

Vendors were elated and gave early indication that they were excited about the prospects of the improvements from which they would soon benefit.

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Teen plunges to death

By Leroy Smith

The body of 18-year-old Shawn Denzel Atkinson of Timehri was pulled from a canal late yesterday afternoon hours after he took a splash without even knowing how to swim. The canal is located opposite the Barama Complex where the young man only began working recently and was taking part in a fun day.

The teen was at the time playing a game of cricket with his friends when he decided to plunge after a ball and attempted to swim and never resurfaced.

It would be his struggles in the water that caused his friends to realise that the young man was not a swimmer.

A friend, who was with the teen who recently began working at Barama, related to this publication that he was standing next to a friend when he overheard Atkinson enquiring from another person

if the canal was deep. The young man said that seconds after he heard a splash after Atkinson had taken the plunge.

He looked and observed that the teenager was having difficulty staying afloat and jumped behind him trying to save him. However, the young man related that he had to abort his rescue plan since the teenager was fighting up so badly that had the rescuer held on to him, both of them could have drowned.

Persons used implements from the Barama compound as they tried desperately to locate the body of the man and even an excavator was used to assist in clearing the canal as they sought to get a clearer path to search.

Also, personnel from the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard Unit turned up at the location and began guiding the persons who were searching for the individual.

The teen’s mother (in middle) being comforted by persons in the area

Onlookers and helpers who turned up yesterday as news of the tragedy spread

Persons in a boat search the waters while an excavator clears vegetation from the canal to assist in the search operation

10

guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Police ‘A’ Division forms stakeholder committee

By Leroy Smith

STAKEHOLDERS and supporters of the Guyana Police Force in the Police “A” Division last week formed themselves into a steering committee which would be meeting monthly to address issues in the various sectors.

The meeting, attended by ‘A’ Division Commander Clifton Hicken, Deputy Commander Dion Moore, and other senior ranks of the division, saw an attendance of close to two hundred persons, representing the various communities.

There were persons from the business and religious communities, station management committee representatives, sub divisional officers of the various police divisions in “A” Division, community policing representatives, and persons who do work with young people.

The gathering was reminded of a proposal to have a central monitor into which all homes and business CCTV cameras feed placed at a specific location where the live footage can be monitored round the clock.

A decision was taken to place the monitor in the Operations Room of the Police “A” Division. That area already houses a monitor that receives live feed from the Demerara Harbour Bridge, and is monitored by both the harbour bridge personnel and the police in the operations room.

Each group present was encouraged to nominate a representative to sit on the steering committee, who would be tasked with reporting to their various colleagues the deci-

sions or deliberations of the committee. That person would likewise act as the liaison between the various groups and the Guyana Police Force.

Over the past three months, the police in “A” Division have been engaged in several meetings with the various stakeholder groups, where the broader objective was deliberated upon extensively before reaching to the point it did last week in the Brickdam Police Compound.

Speaking to the initiative, some of the persons gathered commended the move, and were supportive of the fact that they would be having representatives attending the meetings and then reporting on the outcomes of the meetings.

Prior to last week, the various stakeholder bodies were meeting as, approximately, three different groups monthly.

When the committee is fully functional and its work begins, persons from their various stakeholder groups would be invited to a general meeting every two months.

With formation of the committee, the members will address the issues of crime and security, police cooperation and gelling with communities, community projects and activities to involve young people, and ways and methods which should be employed to further enhance the general safety of those living within the Police “A” Division.

Also of importance to the group would be the traffic situation, which is often an issue of contention whenever the police hold consultations with members of the public.

A section of the gathering at last week’s meeting

Senior Pastor of First Assembly of God Church, Reverend Raphael Massiah, addressing the gathering last week

Commander Hicken stands to his feet to make a point

A group of Chinese nationals making their way into the Brickdam Station to be part of the meeting

guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

11

$697.3M in contracts signed for drainage pump stations, sluices construction

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy along with representatives of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the recipients of contracts for the building of pump stations, sluices and consultancy services THE Ministry of Agriculture and its National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) on Thursday signed nine contracts totalling $697.3M for the construction of drainage pump stations and sluices to acquire enough pumping capacity.

Yearly, the Government of Guyana has proven that better drainage and irrigation countrywide is high on its agenda and as such has been making allocations in the annual budget to enhance these aspects in light of climate change and Guyana being a food producing nation.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said for the construction of a sluice at Bagotville, West Bank Demerara, Jainul Hossain Civil Engineering Contracting Services was awarded a $48M contract to build a sluice, while Nabi Construction Incorporated was awarded over $57M to build a similar structure at La Grange.

Both contracts will last for six months.

After the sluices are constructed 1,100 acres and 2,500 acres of residential and farmlands at Bagotville and La Grange, respectively, will benefit from increased effective and efficient drainage and irrigation system while at La Grange acres will benefit In addition, a $1.9M contract was awarded to Roopan Ramotar Investment for the construction of a Pump Station at Joppa No.43, Berbice, and Samaroo’s Investment received a $191.5M contract to build a pump station at Lima, Essequibo Coast, while Suresh Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services received the contract to supply steel sheets to the NDIA valued over $177M. Both contracts will last for seven months.

A total of 7,000 acres of residential and farmlands will benefit from the Joppa No.43, Berbice pump station when it becomes operational and

4,000 acres of residential and farmlands will benefit from the Lima, pump station.

Further, contracts were signed with Suresh Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services for the supply of steel sheet piles to NDIA at a total cost of $ 177.82M. SRKN’gineering received contracts for the provision of supervision services at La Grange and Bagotville for a total cost of $20.2 million, while Engineering and Agricultural Consultants Inc will supervise works at Lima at a cost of $10.584 million. Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO) received an $8.8 million contract for supervision works to be done at Joppa No.43, Berbice.

All of the supervisory contracts are for a period of eight months, while the steel sheet piles will be supplied for a period of 10 months for the construction of pump stations at Joppa No.43, Eversham, Gangaram and Lima.

“These are very important contracts and I want to appeal to both the consultants and the contractors for us to complete these works on a timely basis and within the contract sum. In the last two years, I believe we have a good track record of staying within our contract price and of completing our work,” Ramsammy exhorted.

He added that he will be visiting the work sites regularly along with Chief Executive Officer, NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth and his team and hopes to see works being done all the time. “Too many of the sites I go to have no works going on sometimes.”

This infrastructural programme started in 2011 and involves installation of new pumps at new sites and the replacement of some old pumps.

A total of 39 pumps is expected to be installed by 2015 a part of the fiveyear programme.(GINA)

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Guyana-Brazil joint commission meeting on infrastructure projects was fruitful

By Ravin Singh

PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar, yesterday, disclosed that the Guyana-Brazil Joint Commission on Infrastructure Projects, which has been holding meetings for the last two days, can be a platform from which transformations in Guyana is advanced in a “big” way.

Speaking at a news conference held at the

Office of the President, he said: “The infrastructural projects we discussed are very, very important projects with the potential of making a major difference in transforming our country in a big way...we had very good discussion.”

According to the President, the discussions which were centered on the progress relating to the hydropower project in the Mazaruni and

the paving of the Linden-Lethem road saw very fruitful results.

He further explained that other projects which were part of the agenda ranged from “prospects related to investments in agriculture, in food production and many other areas.” “ We s p o k e a l s o about improving air links with our country and these are preliminary discussions to increase contact

and cooperation, as well as look at greater integration, which would also be good for CARICOM,” the Head of State noted.

The Guyana-Brazil Joint Commission on Infrastructure Projects met earlier this week at the Guyana International Conference Centre to lead discussions centered on the progress relating to the hydropower project in the Mazaruni and the Linden-Lethem road.

Governor of the State of Roraima, His Excellency Francisco Rodrigues and Senator Romero Juca,

Vice President of the Brazilian Senate who paid President Ramotar a courtesy call at Office of the President, were also participants at the meeting.

In expressing their views on the current projects under discussion in the Joint Commission, both the Governor and Senator reiterated the political commitment of Brazil to the infrastructure projects and highlighted the importance of the Linden-Lethem highway as one which was extremely strategic for the integration of Guyana and Brazil,

and more particularly, was a vital link for the communities of the State of Roraima and Western Amazonas and Guyana. They saw the hydropower project, the road and deep water harbour as initiatives that could contribute to the further development of both countries.

As a result of the nature and driving force of the meeting which hosted senior representatives from Brazil, President Ramotar reassured that, “I have no doubt that the Brazilians are serious.”

13

guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Inclusion of deceased persons on the PLE…

President says GECOM has explaining to do

By Vanessa Narine THE revelation that the names of persons now deceased are still included in the National Register of Registrants (NRR) database, from which the current Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) has been taken, is “another” area of concern.

This was according to President Donald Ramotar at a press conference held at the Office of the President yesterday. “There are issues with the list,” he said.

The Head of State is contending that if the 2008 House-to-House registration was the basis for the establishment of the NRR, the names of persons who are deceased ought not to be on the PLE. “How is it that these people who died before 2008 are on the list? This is an issue of concern,” Mr. Ramotar said.

He disclosed that activists of the ruling party, who are on the ground, have reported the discovery of several names of people who died before 2008.

“I haven’t seen a proper explanation of this,” the President said.

NOT THE CASE The Guyana Chronicle earlier this week reported that Guyana’s first President, Mr. Arthur Chung, topped a list of scores of people who, though dead, are still included on the PLE. However, responding to this, a source at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) pointed out that Mr. Chung died on June 23, 2008 and given that the 2008 House-to-House registration started on January 7, 2008, the former president’s name would have been included on the list.

On the issue of Mr. Ramotar’s concerns, the source added that there ought not to be any person who died prior to 2008 included in the National Register of Registrants.

The GECOM source stressed that as per the Commission’s procedures names are removed from the NRR only after the General Registrar’s Office (GRO) has forwarded authentic documen-

tation indicating those persons have died.

“If the Commission receives a report from the GRO saying that a death was registered, then it removes that name from the list. The Commission has to see authentic documentation in the same way it demands authentic documentation for firsttime registrants,” the source said.

The source added that, in the event that a death has not been registered and the name of a deceased person remains on the NRR — even a high profile name like that of former President Chung — the Commission depends on the various measures it has in place to ensure that no person votes twice or casts a vote for someone else.

“The GRO sends a list monthly to the Commission.

The Commission does not go out for information… anyone who is reported as dead, the claims and objections period provides the opportunity for that name to be objected to, and there is a procedure to treat with any such objection with a view to determining whether the objection be upheld or denied,” the source said.

The ongoing process of objections ends on September 3.

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Craig man fatally beaten after committing robbery

By Leroy Smith

persons, something that is not a normal occurrence. They also reported ELDON Sampson, 25, of Craig seeing a man ahead of the crowd East Bank Demerara yesterday and persons racing towards him. morning met his demise after vigAsked what the persons had in ilantes from Samatta Point appre- their hands, no one seemed to clearhended him when he rode up his ly remember and could not say what bicycle to a teacher and snatched was used to inflict the blows on the her bag containing man. $50,000, a cell phone, A visit to the man’s and laptop computer.

Lot 3 Craig Old Road The woman raised residence found his faan alarm and persons in ther doing some conthe area responded and struction work with the chased after the man. assistance of a friend.

The bandit, who was The man, Elvis Sampobviously unfamiliar son, said that he did rewith the area, in which ceive a call that his son he chose to commit his was beaten and possibly crime, attempted to flee chopped about the body from the persons pursuby persons. ing him and ended up Up to the time of the through a street which visit of this newspaper leads to nowhere. the man was not aware The man, before he that his son had died. was caught by the more It was after the police than two dozen residents visited his home that Dead: A photograph who responded, fell off he was informed by the of a younger his bicycle and got up ranks that the 25-year Eldon Sampson as he attempted to flee old was dead and that from the persons until he needed to accompany he was cornered deep inside the them to the hospital to identify the street with nowhere to run. body.

It was there that residents inflictThe senior Sampson said that his ed several blows on the man before son who recently served jail time for he was rescued by a taxi driver who a larceny conviction was only out took him to the Diamond Hospital about a month and a half ago and where he was pronounced dead. was trying to put things together. He Speaking with persons in the said that he would usually speak to area, they all claimed to have been his son about leaving the yard, and inside their homes but were alerted whenever his son shows up with to the tramping through the street by money his mother would question

Ex- soldier charged for attempted murder, attempted felony, setting fire on house

By Leroy Smith FORMER Guyana Defence Force Soldier Sergeant Rawle Glasgow, 49, of 8 Enterprise Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, who up to two weeks ago was employed as a security guard, appeared in the Vigilance Magistrate Court last week Friday charged with attempted murder, attempt to commit a felony and setting fire to a dwelling house.

The man pleaded not guilty to the charges but was remanded to prison and will return on September 12.

Glasgow was accused two weeks ago of setting fire to the home in which his family resides.

The man then went into hiding and consumed a poisonous sub-

stance and was later caught and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he was immediately placed under guard.

Prior to setting the home ablaze the man had threatened his family that he would kill them all but no one took him seriously and no one knew what caused him to attempt the act which would have confirmed his threat to them.

There were reports that the man became enraged when he returned home and saw his wife with a doll with needles sticking out of it, something that is widely considered by many as a witchcraft and voodoo practice. He lived at the home with his wife, three children and mother.

Residents in the area said that persons would usually conceal themselves in this abandoned property to pounce on unsuspecting passers-by him of how he acquired it to which he would reply, that he worked for it.

Sampson said that on Thursday his son was fitting up a bicycle and informed him that he was going to look for employment on Friday. The man’s mother was not immediately informed of the development since

according to Sampson she has a long standing policy that she should not be called at work to discuss home issues since it puts stress on her.

Persons in the area like the dead man’s father said that he is known to be involved in robberies in and around the communities along the East Bank Demerara.

Plaintiff Adams takes tenant to court to get possession of property

By George Barclay THE plaintiff Terrence Adams who is the owner of transported property since 2013, when the defendant, Claude Dyer, was a relative and licensee of the previous owner.

Following the purchase of the property, situated at Lot 188 Lance Gibbs Drive, Queenstown, Georgetown, the plaintiff, the new owner, began facing a problem in seeking to get vacant possession from the defendant, who occupied the top flat of the building.

After utilising persuasive efforts to get vacancy, and failing to get it, the plaintiff had to resort to the Court for redress.

It was expressly agreed between the vendors and the purchasers that the defendant would remove from the premises when transport was passed.

The defendant, on several occasions, allegedly indicated to the plaintiff that he

would be removing from the premises, but has failed and/or refused to do so.

The plaintiff has also offered to provide alternative accommodation for the defendant, but this offer has allegedly been refused.

By way of letter dated August 5, 2014, the defendant was called on to deliver immediate possession of the premises to the plaintiff, but has failed and/or refused to surrender possession of the premises.

The defendant remained on the property at Lot 188 Lance Gibbs Drive as a trespasser on the premises.

Consequently, the plaintiff is seeking to have the defendant directed to deliver immediate possession of the premises to the plaintiff.

The claim against the defendant was issued by Attorney-at-Law Mr. Raphael Trotman. The matter is fixed for hearing on September 8, 2014.

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Home Affairs Minister registers utmost dismay and distress at stockpile of GDF arms & ammunition in questionable hands

By Michel Outridge

HOME Affairs Minister Clement Rohee expressed yesterday, in a press statement, his utmost dismay and distress at the revelation emerging from the Rodney CoI that a huge amount of firearms had been distributed to the Ministry of National Development on August 10, 1979, and to date these cannot be accounted for.

His press statement described the situation as indeed a troubling and politically harmful development for our country.

According to evidence provided by the Officer-in-Charge of the “G2” Branch of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the firearms were issued to “Comrades” Skeete and R. Corbin of the Ministry of National Development. Over one hundred and fifty (150) of those guns were not returned to the GDF. Among the firearms issued to those two “comrades” were: One hundred (100) M10 Browning pistols; fifteen (15) M70 rifles; five (5) M72 light machine guns; sixteen (16) Smith and Wesson pistols; four (4) HK11 light machine guns; fourteen (14) G3 rifles; four (4) general purpose machine guns (GPMG); forty (40) Beretta sub-machine guns; thirty-three (33) SLR rifles; six (6) .22 pistols; six (6).30 carbon pistols; and six (6) .33 rifles. One hundred and seventy-nine (179) 9MM rounds were issued, the statement detailed.

Rohee’s statement said that, as the minister responsible for public safety and security, “this astounding revelation has brought about an interesting but diabolical turn of events surrounding the assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney. Further, the revelation places in jeopardy the internal security of our country, since no one knows for certain in whose hands these missing firearms are, save for the capture of firearms at the crime scene at Mahaicony.

The statement added that ballistics testing of the said firearms showed that they were part of the missing firearms that were handed over to the Ministry of National Development and “Comrades” Skeete and Corbin, but which ended up in the hands of criminals.

That particular crime perpetrated by a criminal gang with the use of some of the missing weapons clearly demonstrated the link with past to the present and provided incontrovertible evidence of the use of the missing firearms belonging to the GDF passing from the PNC to criminal elements, the GDF noted.

“It is now clear that the missing firearms were handed to criminals who used them to unleash a wave of terror in our country, which David Granger so cynically described as the “troubled period”, the statement concluded.

MoHA pointed out that “it is important to recall that the noise and hullabaloo Mr. Granger stirred up pretending to be a security expert, a champion of the National Security Interest of our country, as well as a defender of public safety and security was a smokescreen to direct attention from this diabolical period administered by the PNC”.

The statement said the mask has now fallen from the faces of those who sought to hide behind these sordid events, coloured by the placing of GDF firearms in the hands of criminals to wreak havoc in our country.

MoHA noted that what is even more troubling and dangerous is the fact that this huge amount of firearms is out there in the hands of unknown persons who most likely are not licensed to bear them.

The statement added that “to think about what they can be used for is not only scary but life threatening, and is a serious threat to public safety and security.

“The claim by Granger that guns are ‘pouring across our borders’ must now be weighed against the knowledge that we now have about these missing GDF firearms in the possession of unknown persons

––after being loaned to PNC ministry

and freely circulating in our society. These two ominous factors pose a danger too frightening to imagine, MoHA said.

The statement pointed out that in light of this dangerous situation, it is necessary for Mr. Granger to come clean and reveal the truth to the nation about this huge amount of missing firearms at large in our

society.

MoHA said, “Now we know it is Granger and his PNC Party, not Clement Rohee, who pose a security threat to our country and people.In the interest of public safety and security, I demand that the missing weapons be returned to the GDF, lest they be used for political objectives.”

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guyana CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

IDB still on board for Amaila hydropower project – President

By Vanessa Narine

PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar, yesterday disclosed that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is “still on board” for the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP).

“We are working very hard to bring this back on stream,” he said at a news conference held at the Office of the President.

Mr. Ramotar stressed that the project is not dead, despite the challenges in the National Assembly relative to securing support for funding for the project.

“We are very close to taking a decision on what direction

to go to put Amaila back on stream,” the President said.

The allocation of $1.3B for the provision of the Amaila access road and related structures was effectively given the green light from the Parliamentary Committee of Supply, in its review of the Ministry of Public Works’ 2014 budgetary allocation, in April this year.

When the vote was put the Members of Parliament (MPs), from the Government voted in support of the Ministry’s capital expenditures, which included the Amaila project, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) voted no and the Alliance for Change (AFC) abstained. It was this abstention that allowed the project to go through.

On July 18, 2013, the combined Opposition in Parliament defeated the Hydroelectric Power (Amendment) Bill in the National Assembly, and in August the Government took the

legislation back to the House and received the backing of the Alliance For Change (AFC) but A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) voted down the bill and motion.

President Donald Ramotar’s consistent position on the matter is that economies must serve the people, not vice-versa, and with an expected saving of $9B in electricity subsidies, as well as savings on the $40B fuel bill, enormous contributions can be made to the infrastructural development, which is particularly needed in Guyana’s hinterland to aid and accelerate economic progress.

As recent as last month, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, at the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) 35th meeting of the Region’s Heads, underscored the renewable energy potential of Guyana.

Also, the President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Warren Smith, at the Bank’s 44th annual meeting in the latter part of May this year, noted that the possibility of Guyana being able to export surplus hydropower to the Caribbean, as well as the potential benefits for the local economy.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud, has also been vocal on the issue and recently called for the development of Guyana’s hydropower capacity, particularly given that cheap energy supply can increase Guyana’s competitiveness in the several emerging sectors, since it is more economical to establish “energy farms” as compared to paying “significant costs” for fossil fuels.

Slated to be this nation’s most ambitious undertaking, the Amaila Falls Hydro Project (AFHP) is touted to be able to provide Guyanese with a cheaper, reliable and sustainable electricity supply. It involves the construction of a hydropower plant in the area of West-Central Guyana, where the Amaila and Kuribrong Rivers meet. Electricity produced there would be delivered to Georgetown and Guyana’s second largest town, Linden.

The AFHP is anticipated to result in substantial savings to the nation’s coffers, particularly in terms of foreign exchange and the purchase of heavy fuel oil.

Additionally, the potential benefits of a more stable and reliable source of energy through the advancement of hydroelectricity was also targeted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), last December, as an area for continued focus. The ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Administration maintains its commitment to ensuring that hydropower is a realisation for Guyana.

Police seeking Colin Cornelius THE Guyana Police Force (GPF), yesterday, issued a wanted bulletin for Colin Cornelius for questioning in relation to a matter of rape that is under investigation.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Colin Cornelius is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 771-4222, 771-5004, 771-4010, 911, or the nearest poWanted man lice station.

Colin Cornelius All information would be treated with strict confidence.

Name:

Colin Cornelius

Date of Birth:

1981-03-07

Ethnic Origin:

East Indian

Last known address: Jacklow, Upper Pomeroon, Essequibo River. (Michel Outridge)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

GGDMA welcomes foreign large-scale gold and diamond operators in mining industry –hopes to learn from them

By Clifford Stanley MEMBERS of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) welcome large-scale gold mining in Guyana, GGDMA president, Patrick Harding, has said at launching of Mining Week 2014, cur-

rently ongoing.

Harding said the GGDMA was specifically welcoming Troy Resources Inc and the Guyana Goldfield Inc, both large-scale mining companies which are finalising preparations for the production of gold by mid-next year.

The GGDMA would seek

Saturday, August 30, 2014 - 05:30 hrs Sunday, August 31, 2014 - 08:30 hrs Monday, September 1, 2014 - 08:30 hrs

to develop mutually beneficial relationships with these bigger operators, Harding said, with the hope that those bigger operators would share knowledge with locals on such issues as effective exploration techniques and better methods for recovery of artisanally-mined gold.

Speaking of the two companies, Harding said: “We welcome you, and urge you to work along with smalland medium-scale miners.

If you can show us ways to improve recovery; show us ways to do exploration; we will be thankful for your participation.”

He said that those large scale gold mining operations starting production in 2015 would solidify the fact that mining is the backbone of Guyana’s economy.

He had earlier disclosed that, this year, the artisanal gold mining industry is battling for survival. He charged that the primary reasons were: The steep drop in gold prices, whilst costs of production remains high; marginal ore-bearing lands; inefficient ore recovery technology; poor maintenances /repairs to hinterland roads and airstrips; non-financing for the mining industry from commercial banks; closure of the branches of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB); poor or minimal security/police outreach for mining district; and understaffing and perceived inefficiencies of the Mines Turn to page 21

Aries - March 21 - April 19 This is a wonderful day for you. You'll find that you're holding all the cards you need to be successful. Today luck and prosperity meet with discipline to create a perfect situation for wealth. Your preparation is finally paying off. You'll find that the more in tune you can be with yourself, the better integrated you'll be with the people around you.

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Virgo - August 23 - September 22 It may be necessary to hire a translator in order to get through to people today. You may find that the more adamant you become, the more people shut you out. Keep things light and energetic. Too serious a tone could lead to disaster. Try not to make things more complicated than they need to be. You're holding the right cards, and now it's time to play them strategically.

Libra - September 23 - October 22 A great deal of wind fills your sails today, so set your course for a long-distance trip to an exotic place. Things are coming to a dramatic climax right now. You could find that some serious pieces of your life are taking a dramatic turn. Change is necessary for growth. If tension exists in certain areas of your life, don't fight it. Think about taking a different path.

Scorpio - October 23 - November 21 There's a lighthearted, whimsical quality about the day that you might not appreciate at first. You'll find that the more open and accepting you are of this energy, the more you can make it work positively for you. Use this feeling to balance the seriousness in your day. Don't get caught up in unnecessary drama that has nothing to do with your situation.

Sagittarius - November 22 - December 20 You can probably sweet-talk your way in or out of any situation today. You have a great deal of power within, and you can accomplish anything as long as you aren't afraid to use it. Don't fear failure. If you never try, you'll never succeed. If you see missing pieces in the plan, don't worry. Trust that things will fall into place as needed. Keep your eyes on the prize.

Capricorn - December 21 - January 19 Find comfort in the people around you today. Try not to take things too seriously. Don't feel like you need to internalise everyone else's problems. Take a step back from any situation that doesn't seem right to you. You may find conversation with new people to be extremely stimulating and rewarding. Keep your guard up, but don't let it block you from new experiences.

Aquarius - January 20 - February 18 Someone has just turned the fan up high. There's no lack of air to fuel your fire.

Information is flying left and right and there's a lot of opportunity associated with it.

To take advantage of this powerful day, keep the air circulating around you. Stretch and take deep, powerful breaths to enhance your nervous system and make the best use of this energy.

Pisces - February 19 - March 20 The time has come for you to be more flexible in your approach. Things are changing quickly, and if you aren't prepared to change with them, you'll be left behind. Be aware of the fluctuating atmosphere around you, and be prepared to make the necessary internal adjustments that help you fit in better with the external environment. Don't fear change.

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Over 8,000 pensioners benefiting from Government’s electricity subsidy Georgetown, GINA, August 28, 2014: DURING the 2014 National Budget presentation, the Government announced provision of a 50% increase in electricity subsidy to pensioners; and, to date, some 8,128 pensioners are benefiting from this intervention.

Figures released by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security detail that those benefiting include pensioners from Regions, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

In Region 2, a total of 1022 persons are benefiting; Region 3 has 1104 beneficiaries; Region 4 has 3421; Region 5 has 780; Region 6 has 1681; and Region 7 has 120 beneficiaries making a total of 8128 pensioners benefiting from this intervention.

In total, $300M have been allocated in the National Bud-

get for this programme, which was implemented in 2013 and saw pensioners receiving an annual contribution of $20,000, once they are customers of the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL).

This year, the value of this electricity assistance programme has been increased to $30,000 per annum for each eligible beneficiary.

Over the years, a large portion of the budget has been going towards the social sector with the aim of improving the quality of life for Guyanese of all ages.

In addition, this year’s old age pension has been increased by 5 percent with effect from May 1, 2014, bringing the amount payable to $13,125 monthly. This increase has resulted in a total of $212.5M in additional disposable income being placed

Local mining company teams up with Canadian counterpart

–to fast track medium-scale gold production at Eagle Mountain in Mahdia

By Clifford Stanley CANADIAN Mining Company Goldsource Mines and local company Kilroy Mining Inc. have teamed up to fast track medium-scale gold mining at Eagle Mountain in Mahdia, Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni).

Kilroy Mining Inc. recently received a medium scale mining permit from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for operations on a 250-hectare portion of Goldsource’s Eagle Mountain gold deposit location.

The Eagle Mountain PL is held by the Company’s 100%-owned subsidiary in Guyana, Stronghold Guyana Inc. A release from Goldsource Mines said the company had entered into agreement with Kilroy, since, under Guyana’s laws, a medium-scale mining permit can only be held by a Guyanese national. The permit grants permission to mine gold, diamonds, precious metals and precious minerals within the permitted area located in the Potaro Mining District #2.

Kilroy, as holder of the permit, has granted to Goldsource’s Stronghold Guyana

Inc. the exclusive right to conduct mining operations on the property, including any additional areas acquired

by Kilroy. Stronghold will fund all expenditures on the property, and receive 100% of all revenues, subject to applicable Government royalties and a 2% net smelter return royalty to Kilroy as compensation for its participation.

As part of the agreement, Goldsource agreed to issue to Kilroy 250,000 common shares of the company, subject to a 12-month hold period and the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos, Goldsource’s president, stated: “Following the recent announcement of the positive results of our preliminary economic assessment for the Eagle Mountain gold deposit, we are extremely pleased with the grant of the permit.

“The project is now fully permitted for mining activities, and ready for construction financing. The company and its management are working aggressively with a staged production growth strategy to deliver real value to shareholders and to all other project stakeholders.”

in the hands of 42,500 senior citizens.

However, for this year, there has been an increase in the number of persons reaching the age of 65 and becoming eligible for old age pension. According to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, 3000

additional persons have now become eligible for pension thus far for 2014.

Meanwhile, pensioners continue to benefit from the other services provided by the Social Security Ministry, including continuous training for patient care assistants in both private and Govern-

ment-owned homes, and improving the standard of care being offered at the Palms Institution with the view to establishing best practices to be used by all private homes.

In addition, having recognised that Government’s initiatives must go beyond financial assistance for the

elderly, another priority area for 2014 is addressing the psycho-social needs of the elderly.

Centres for the elderly will be established in various communities in order to ensure senior citizens are engaged in activities that promote their physical and mental health.

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MoH Rehabilitation Asst. and Audiological Practitioner training programmes graduate 22

By Navendra Seoraj THE Rehabilitation Assistant Training Programme and Audiological Practitioner Training Programme of the Ministry of Health (MoH), on Thursday, held their graduation exercises to recognise 22 students who had successfully completed these courses.

Eighteen persons graduated from the Rehabilitation Assistant Training Programme, while four graduated from the Audiological Practitioner Training Programme.

These programmes commenced during December 2012, and lasted for 18 months, during which the students, supervised by numerous lec-

turers, carried out their studies in various clinics across Guyana.

D r. R u t h Q u a i c o e and Ms. Geraldine Maison-Halls, respective coordinators of the Audiological Practitioner Training Programme and the Rehabilitation Assistant training Programme, have each said that these programmes were implemented in the year 1998, and have since recorded huge increases in the number of persons that are interested in the two practices.

This year, the Rehabilitation Assistant Training Programme recorded 98% improvement in the number of graduantes; and Ms.Maison-Halls said this improvement was due to the commitment of the

The graduates posing for a picture at the Regency Hotel on Thursday

students, tutors and staff members in doing their

parts.

The graduantes were drawn from all the regions of Guyana.

Mrs. Sheran Harper, a member of the World Wide Mother’s Union, congratulated the graduates on their success.

though that was so, she never gave up, because she knew that this was her one chance to do what she loved and at the same time help in the development of the healthcare department in Guyana.

Her closing remarks

with distinction. Other persons awarded from that programme were Beryl Bascom (Most Improved Student), Rose Edwards (Best Speech Student), and Sharon Thompson La Rose (Most Helpful Student).

Felicia Da Silva-Hutson receiving her certificate from Mr Wilton Benn, Director of the Division of Health Sciences Education

Mrs. Harper, a former Rehabilitation Assistant, shared her experience with the graduates. She told them that, in her days, the resources were limited, and that made the work harder. But other than that, she affirmed, when she was recruited the job was a no paying job; but al-

urged the students to recognise that they have an awesome task ahead of them, and what good blessings they would be to persons in need.

The best graduating student from the Rehabilitation Assistant Training Programme was Shameka Devonish, who graduated

The Audiological Practitioners Training Programme saw Estherline Adolph being awarded the best graduating student, whereas Tisa John was awarded for being the Most Helpful Student, and Vernaden Williams the most improved student.

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GRPA moving to address unmet needs of family planning in Guyana

GRPA Executive Director, Mrs Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth

By Telesha Ramnarine MORE ought to be done to address the “unmet” needs of family planning in Guyana.

This is the conviction of Mrs Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, Executive Director of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), who told the Chronicle in an invited comment that the community-based family planning initiative that was launched this week at the Regency Suites hotel would definitely aid in this regard.

That initiative was launched by the GRPA, in collaboration with Women Across Differences (WAD), Help and Shelter, the Anglican Diocese (on behalf of faith-based communities), and Artistes In Direct Support (AIDS), with support

from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

“Family planning is an important issue for this c o u n t r y, ” M r s S h e e r a t tan-Bisnauth told this publication. “There is still a big gap in family planning education and in having access to contraceptives, so we are rolling out this project with the intention of addressing this unmet need,” she disclosed.

“So far, the CMO gave the contraceptive rate in Guyana as 43, while we should be 75. So there is quite a large gap,” she informed. “So it means we still need that kind of community-based programme, because some people, because of poverty and lack of access, don’t go to health centres,” Mrs Sheerattan-Bisnauth posited.

The project would train community family planning facilitators, who would also be offering family planning counselling.

“We have the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy for Latin America and the Caribbean. The project will address women who are not on a plan and who need information. It’s about having that ability to make a choice whether or not you want to be pregnant, and also to be prepared for motherhood and fatherhood,” she explained.

The GRPA Head said: “Some people have problems with contraceptives;

GGDMA welcomes foreign large-scale gold...

From page 17

Division of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

He, however, noted that opening up of more mineral lands to small- and medium-scale miners through the recent holding of auctions and lotteries would give the miners the opportunity of owning lands.

He also noted that the GGMC is aware of the poor conditions of the hinterland roads, and is in the process of awarding contracts for the repairs and maintenance of some of the major roadways. This will alleviate high transportation costs for fuel, ration and supplies to mining locations.

On the positive side, the GGDMA and the GGMC

are currently reviewing the sluice box recovery system to demonstrate improving the operation and recovery of the sluice box. Research is being done on other ore recovery technologies.

Harding said the GGDMA will continue to work with all the relevant agencies to ensure continued development of the gold and diamond mining industry.

He said: “GGDMA urges all miners to mine in a responsible manner; to protect your environment; to provide for the safety and sanitation of your workers; to respect the mining and environmental regulations, and to sell your production of gold and diamonds to the GGB and/or licensed dealers.”

and instead of sorting it out, they come up with their own ideas. We want to provide the correct kind of information, so they can then make a decision. Hopefully, the project leads to people having less unwanted children and a lower rate of abortion.”

Mrs Sheerattan-Bisnauth said the initiative also

seeks to address cultural barriers, and dispel myths regarding family planning.

It will increase access to services and resources to rural and urban communities in Regions 2, 3 4, 5 and 6.

This includes training of community family planning facilitators; health workers and profession-

als attached to community health centres; faith-based organisations; youth, men, women and other community stakeholders, including local government representatives.

The initiative seeks to address the situation of a high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as the prevalence of teenage

pregnancy in Guyana.

Through this initiative, women, men and youth would be enabled to develop a comprehensive approach to family planning, and be empowered to make wise choices regarding their future and present situations, thereby having a chance to live more meaningful and productive lives.

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Dream run over for Bellis as big guns advance

By Steve Keating NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) - Top seeds Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic were forced to take a backseat to America’s latest tennis sweetheart on Thursday, as 15-year-old Catherine Bellis

hogged the Flushing Meadows limelight once again.

However, Bellis, who shot from obscurity to fame with a shock first round win over Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova, could not deliver the fairytale American tennis fans had hoped for, falling 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 to Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas.

While former U.S. Open champion Andy Murray played in front of thousands of empty seats on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, hundreds lined up at the entrances to a jam-packed Court 17, trying to catch a glimpse of “CiCi” - the teenager’s nickname. horde With hordes more gathered around giant screens outside the main stadiums, groans of disappointment could be heard across the sprawling U.S. National Tennis Center as the crowd watched the match slowly slip away.

“I think what surprised me is that I could really, like, stay with these pros,” Bellis told reporters.

“I think today if I had played a little bit better, it would have been a different result. But, I mean, just that I can play with them is really good.”

It was not all bad news for the home fans as five-time U.S. Open champion Serena Williams sailed through brisk winds to land comfortably in the third round of the year’s final grand slam.

Gusty breezes led Williams to misfire for three double faults in her first service game before the two-time defending champion found her bearings to swat aside fellow American Vania King 6-1, 6-0 in 56 minutes.

“It’s so hard to play in the wind,” said the world number one, seeking her 18th career grand slam singles crown. “I’m very happy to get through a solid match with the conditions today.”

Wimbledon champion Djokovic followed Williams onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court and was equally efficient, gliding past French veteran Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.

Djokovic echoed Williams’ sentiments after advancing.

“It was very windy but I was able to adjust. I used my serve efficiently, getting them in,” said the Serb, who pounded in 75 percent of his first serves, including 13 aces, without a double fault.

ON COURSE Most of the other leading seeds remained on course for an expected journey into the second week of the tournament.

Eighth seed Murray, who overcame cramping in his first-round victory, roared past unseeded German Matthias Bachinger in three sets to reach the third round.

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Shock waves hit U.S. Open as Halep, Kerber and Venus fall

By Larry Fine NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) - Shock waves hit the U.S. Open tennis yesterday as veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni spearheaded a series of stunning third-round surprises that claimed two of the top women’s seeds and seventime grand slam winner Venus Williams.

Lucic-Baroni ousted second seed Simona Halep, Italy’s Sara Errani posted her first career win over Williams and Swiss teen Belinda Bencic ousted sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber on a sunny day that opened up the women’s draw.

Croatian Lucic-Baroni, a 32-year-old qualifier ranked 121st in the world, dismissed Romania’s Halep 7-6 (6), 6-2 to reach the fourth round for her best grand slam result since a 1999 run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.

With nothing to lose,

Lucic-Baroni cut loose and rifled in 31 winners against Halep, who was on the defensive throughout the 94-minute grandstand match.

Bencic, 17, last year’s French Open and Wimbledon junior champion, defeated Kerber 6-1, 7-5 to reach the round of 16 in her U.S. Open debut.

Lucic-Baroni’s next opponent will be 13th seed Errani, whose passage into the round of 16 was not as startling as the Croat’s dismantling of a world number two 10 years her junior, but a surprise nonetheless.

Errani, loser of all three previous singles matches against Williams in straight sets, outduelled the seventime grand slam winner in a thrilling third-set tiebreaker to win their roller-coaster clash 6-0, 0-6, 7-6 (5).

Two other veterans also advanced.

Ninth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, 29, crushed Sweden’s Johanna

Larsson 6-1, 6-0, and 28-yearold Peng Shuai of China registered another upset.

The 39th-ranked Peng, who upset fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round, eliminated 28th seed Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-3.

CLIMATIC TIEBREAKER Williams served for the match at 5-3, but the 27-year-old Errani broke the big-serving 34-year-old American for the third time in a topsy-turvy third set to bring the match back on serve and set up a climactic tiebreaker.

After the hot-and-cold opening to the match, the longtime doubles adversaries went toe-to-toe with long rallies and exciting exchanges that often culminated at the net.

In the third-set decider, the Italian took a 5-2 advantage before Williams rattled off three points in a row to

tie it.

Then in the point of the match, Errani reached match point after a sensational trade of volleys and drop shots on a backhand volley winner into the open court that brought both an ovation from the Arthur Ashe crowd.

Errani finished the twohour clash on her first opportunity with a crackling forehand cross court winner that allowed her to celebrate with fists pumping and a roar of triumph.

“That was a really tough match,” said Errani, who won 11 of 14 points she contested at the net. “Even though I won the first set 6-0, I tried to give everything I have, focus on every point.”

On the men’s side, fourth seed David Ferrer of Spain reached the third round without lifting his racquet when Australian Bernard Tomic withdrew with a hip injury.

Bulgarian seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov breezed into

Sara Errani (ITA) celebrates after defeating Venus Williams (USA) on day five of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. the third round with the loss of just five games against Israel’s Dudi Sela, and Belgian David Goffin lost just one game more in advancing past Joao Sousa of Portugal.

Dimitrov will next meet Sousa.

France’s Gael Monfils, the 20th seed, moved on with a straight-sets win over

Alejandro Gonzalez.

Working harder was 18th-seeded South African Kevin Anderson, a fourset winner against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, while Spain’s 19th seed Feliciano Lopez won a fourth-set tiebreaker to advance past Japanese qualifier Tatsuma Ito.

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Utseya hat-trick in vain as South Africa beat Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - South Africa survived a batting collapse precipitated by a hat-trick from spinner Prosper Utseya to beat Zimbabwe by 61 runs in the third match of the triangular series yesterday.

Utseya, who finished with career-best figures of five for 36, became only the second Zimbabwean to take a hat-trick in a one-day international as South Africa delivered an off-key batting performance to be bowled out for 231.

But Zimbabwe, with their best chance of a rare win over a major cricketing power, fell well short of the target as they were bowled out for 170 off 38.3 overs.

South Africa, who convincingly beat Australia thanks to a fine batting display on Wednesday, raced to 142 after 24 overs before stand-in captain Hashim Amla was stumped off Utseya for 66.

Five runs later fellow opener Quinton de Kock also departed, caught for a run-aball 76 as he tried to reversesweep to become the first of Utseya’s hat-trick victims.

Rilee Rossouw was caught at first slip from the next ball and the big-hitting David Miller was trapped

Prosper Utseya’s hat-trick is in vain as Zimbabwe succumb to South Africa by 61 runs. lbw as Utseya bowled an attacking line to the lefthander.

Utseya took his fifth wicket when he trapped JP Duminy lbw.

VALUABLE WICKET South African wickets continued to tumble at regu-

lar intervals as they teetered at 195 for nine with seven overs left before a last-wicket partnership of 36 lifted them to a more respectable total.

Imran Tahir made 23 not out to ensure the visitors used up all but one ball of their allocated 50 overs.

Impressive hitting from Sikandar Raza and Hamilton Masakadza gave Zimbabwe a confident start but spinner Aaron Phangiso bowled the beefy Masakadza with his fourth ball and uprooted the wicket of the dangerous Brendan Taylor for a duck.

Sean Williams and Malcolm Waller put together a 46-run fifth-wicket partnership but Waller was caught off a short delivery from Dale Steyn and Williams, who top-scored for Zimbabwe with 46 runs off 79 balls, holed out to Amla at midwicket off Ryan McLaren.

The last four wickets went for 17 runs to give South Africa, whose regular one-day captain AB de Villiers missed the game with a viral infection, a comfortable win with more than 10 overs to spare.

“We have to learn to win games. We work hard in the nets but come the games, we fall short,” Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura told reporters.

“It’s in the head. It’s about how much you want it. Today we didn’t show it.”

The only previous Zimbabwean to take an ODI hat-trick was Eddo Brandes

against England in Harare in 1997.

The next game in the

SOUTH AFRICA innings H. Amla stp. Taylor b Utseya

66 Q. de Kock c Chatara b Utseya

76 F. du Plessis c Raza b Nyumbu

15 R. Rossouw c Nyumbu b Utseya

0 D. Miller lbw b Utseya

0 J. Duminy lbw b Utseya 2 R. McLaren b Nyumbu 6 D. Steyn b Nyumbu 10 K. Abbott c Chigumbura b Chatara 6 A. Phangiso c Taylor b Chatara 13 I. Tahir not out 23 Extras: (lb-2, w-12) 14 Total: (all out, 49.5 overs) 231 Fall of wickets: 1-142, 2-147, 3-147, 4-147, 5-155, 6-163, 7-179, 8-190, 9-195.

Bowling: J. Nyumbu 10-242-3 (w-2), T. Chatara 8-5-128-2 (w-1), B. Vitori 6-0-500, E. Chigumbura 2-0-19-0, S. Williams 10-0-37-0 (w-2), P. Utseya 10-0-36-5, S. Raza

seven-match triangular series is tomorrow when Zimbabwe face Australia.

1-0-9-0 (w-3), M. Waller 2-0-8-0.

ZIMBABWE innings T. Mawoyo run-out (Miller, de Kock) 0 S. Raza c Miller b Tahir 35 H. Masakadza b Phangiso 25 B. Taylor b Phangiso 0 S. Williams c Amla b McLaren 46 M. Waller c Rossouw b Steyn 20 E. Chigumbura c Rossouw b Steyn 22 P. Utseya c de Kock b McLaren

5 J. Nyumbu c de Kock b McLaren

0 T. Chatara not out 6 B. Vitori c de Kock b Steyn

3 Extras: (lb-2, w-6) 8 Total: (all out, 38.3 overs) 170 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-43, 3-46, 4-70, 5-116, 6-138, 7-153, 8-153, 9-161.

Bowling: D. Steyn 8.3-2-36-3, K. Abbott 6-0-36-0 (w-3), A. Phangiso 8-0-33-2, R. McLaren 7-0-24-3 (w-3), I. Tahir 8-0-321, J. Duminy 1-0-7-0.

Rosberg apologises, Putin hopeful Russia disciplined for crash won’t lose right to host 2018 World Cup

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has apologised for colliding with team mate Lewis Hamilton during the Belgian Grand Prix and has been disciplined, his Mercedes team said yesterday.

Rosberg hit Hamilton on the second lap at Spa on Sunday and the Briton later retired from the race with a damaged floor after picking up a puncture.

Hamilton told reporters that Rosberg had admitted in a team meeting to hitting him on purpose to “prove a point” although the German later dismissed it as a racing incident. “(Team bosses) Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton met today in the boardroom of Mercedes Amg Petronas headquarters in Brackley to discuss the events of the Belgian Grand Prix,” the team

Nico Rosberg said in a statement.

“During this meeting Nico acknowledged his responsibility for the contact that occurred on lap two of the Belgian Grand Prix and apologised for this error of judgement.

“Suitable disciplinary measures have been taken for the incident,” the statement read.

“Mercedes-Benz remains committed to hard, fair racing because this is the right way to win world championships. It is good for the team, for the fans and for Formula One. “Lewis and Nico understand and accept the team’s

number one rule: there must be no contact between the team’s cars on track.”

Rosberg was blamed by the team following the race for causing what was an avoidable collision.

No action was taken by the stewards or the world governing body FIA. Mercedes said they would not change their policy of allowing the pair to race each other freely.

“It has been made clear that another such incident will not be tolerated,” the team added.

“But Nico and Lewis are our drivers and we believe in them. They remain free to race for the 2014 FIA Formula One world championship.”

Rosberg holds a 29-point lead over Hamilton with seven races remaining. Red Bull’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo claimed his third victory of the season at Spa.

LAKE SELIGER, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said yesterday he hoped Russia would not lose the right to host the 2018 football World Cup following Western calls to stop the country staging the tournament.

Asked whether there was any risk that Russia could lose its right to hold the tournament due to the complicated political situation, Putin said: “I hope not. (World football’s governing body) FIFA has already said football and sport are outside politics and I think that is the right approach.”

Senior FIFA members attending meetings in Monaco were unaware of Putin’s remarks when approached by Reuters, and could not comment. FIFA’s media department was not immediately contactable.

Moscow has faced calls for the finals to be moved elsewhere because of its role in the Ukraine crisis and its occupation of Crimea.

Republican U.S. senators Dan Coates and Mark Kirk cited Yugoslavia’s exclusion from the 1992 European Championship and 1994 World Cup over the wars in the Balkans when they pressed such demands in a letter to FIFA. FIFA stated in July that it remained committed to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, saying a boycott would not be an effective way of reducing tensions in the region.

“History has shown so far that boycotting sport events or a policy of isolation or confrontation are not the most effective ways to solve problems,” FIFA said.

A total of 2 593 people, including civilians as well as Ukrainian and separatist combatants, have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine since it erupted in mid-April, a senior U.N. human rights official said yesterday.

Following Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in March, European football’s governing body UEFA said it would not recognise any matches played by Crimean clubs under the auspices of the Russian Football Union (RFS).

Russia will host the 2018 World Cup at 12 stadiums in 11 cities, including two venues in Moscow.

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Chanderpaul to warm up for Test series in St Kitts tour match BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – Veteran West Indies left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul will line up for St Kitts in their threeday match against Bangladesh, as he grabs vital match practice ahead of the two-Test series starting next month.

The 40-year-old was named by the St Kitts & Nevis Cricket Association in a 13-man squad yesterday, for the tour match which bowls off at Warner Park today.

Chanderpaul, who has played 156 Tests, did not feature in the preceding oneday series which the Windies swept 3-0.

The tour match, therefore, represents his only chance for time in the middle before the first Test starts at Arnos Vale in St Vincent on September 5.

Chanderpaul has been in decent form this year, averaging 48 in three Tests

against New Zealand back in June and averaging nearly 50 in seven matches for Derbyshire in the English County Championship.

Currently, Chanderpaul trails only Brian Lara for the most career Test runs

SQUAD – Jacques Taylor

(captain), Elvin Berridge, Shino Berridge, Quinton Boatswain, Shiv Chanderpaul, Jaeel Clarke (wicketkeeper), Tristan Handley, Javal Hodge, Shane Jeffers, Jeremiah Lewis, Shaquille Martina, Terrence Ward, Tonito Willett.

BCB Senior trials conclude with victory for Deonarine’s XI

Shiv Chanderpaul

Ashwin honoured with Arjuna award INDIA off-spinner R Ash-

win has been conferred with the Arjuna award, an Indian government honour to recognise outstanding achievement in national sport. Ashwin has been India’s lead spinner in limited-overs in recent years and was also the quickest bowler to 100 Test wickets since 1931.

The awards were presented by the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan in New Delhi yesterday, but Ashwin was not present for the ceremony as he is currently with the Indian team on the England tour.

The Arjuna awards were instituted in 1961, and 47 Indian cricketers have been honoured with it since. The award consists of a statuette, a certificate, a ceremonial dress, and a cash award of Rs 5 lakhs (around $8250). At least one cricketer has been conferred with the award in each of the last six years, with Virat Kohli winning it in 2013.

One of the main criteria for being eligible for the awards is that the sportsperson should “not only have good performance over the previous four years at the international level but also

for West Indies with 11 414 runs, at an average of 51.88 per innings, including 29 centuries.

The St Kitts squad for the tour game will be led by all-rounder Jacques Taylor.

Virat Kohli won the award in 2013. R Ashwin has done it this year. should have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship

and a sense of discipline.”

(ESPN Cricinfo)

THE THIRD and final trial match, organised by the Berbice Cricket Board to select their senior one-day team which will contest this year’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County tournament, concluded last Thursday with Deonarine’s XI beating Permaul XI by six wickets.

Permaul XI won the toss and decided to take first strike at the Albion Community Centre ground and scored a disappointing 130 all-out in 36 overs. Seon Hetmyer continued his good run with the bat, by topscoring with 31 and was supported by Veerasammy Permaul with 29, while Narsingh Deonarine led his side’s bowling with 2 for 4 and received support from Krisendat Ramoo and national fast bowler Raun Johnson who took 2 for 17 and 33 respectively.

In reply, Deonarine’s XI raced to 131 for 4 with Devon Clements remaining unbeaten with 46 and national middle order batsman, Rajiv Ivan contributing 38, while Kandasammy Surujnarine and Rafael Estriado supported with 22 each, as Permaul took 2 for 4 and Keiron Fraser 2 for 30.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Foo continued his good form in the second trial match at the same venue the previous day, to follow up his 67 in the first match with a robust 99, which together with 36 from Hetmyer, steered an Anthony Bramble’s XI to a comfortable 71-run victory over Deonarine’s XI. In a match reduced to 30 overs-a-side due to heavy overnight rain, Deonarine won the toss and inserted Bramble’s X1 to take first strike, but they lost two early wickets - Veerapen Permaul (8) and Joemal LaFleur (9).

Foo was joined by Hetmyer and together they flayed the bowling to all parts of the ground, before Foo was dismissed one shy of a welldeserved century, after hitting six sixes and nine fours in his 99, while Bramble supported the duo with 20, as his side ended their quota of overs on 200 for 5.

Clements took two wickets for Deonarine’s XI, who

… Team named to face Albion today

Jonathan Foo

in reply were dismissed for 129, with Surujnarine topscoring with 33 while Romario Shepherd DeJonge supported with 22 against the bowling of Steven Latcha who took 3 for 20 and Shawn Pereira, 2 for 23.

At the completion of the final trial match, the BCB selectors short-listed a Berbice Rest Team to challenge the winner of the Anirudh Ramcharitar

English Sandown 09:05 hrs Ajjaadd 09:40 hrs Future Empire 10:15 hrs Fintry 10:50 hrs Clon Brulee 11:25 hrs Sister Of Mercy 12:00 hrs Green Zone 12:30 hrs Tight Lipped Chester 09:20 hrs B Fifty Two 09:55 hrs Foxtrot Romeo 10:30 hrs Whiplash Willie 11:05 hrs Blue Aegean 11:40 hrs Azmaam 12:10 hrs Scarborough 12:40 hrs English Summer Beverley 08:55 hrs Adele 09:25 hrs Rocky Ground 10:05 hrs Margarets Gift 10:40 hrs Noble Asset 11:15 hrs Scallop 11:50 hrs Our Boy Jack 12:20 hrs Master Of Suspence 12:50 hrs Real Jazz Irish Racing Tips Wexford 09:35 hrs Comtesse 10:10 hrs Mr Rock

first division tournament in Albion Community Centre Cricket Club, in a feature 50-Over game which will be played at the Albion ground from 09:00hrs today.

The players are: Rafael Estriado, Shimron Hetmyer, Seon Hetmyer, Joemal La Fleur, Rajiv Ivan, Devon Clements (capt.), Romario Shepherd, Jason Sinclair (wkp.), Shawn Perreira, Krisendat Ramoo, Raun Johnson, Keon Joseph, Suresh Dhanai, Keiron Fraser, Kevin Ramdeen and Stephen Latcha.

Albion will be spearheaded by national players Veerasammy Permaul, Seenarine Chattergoon, Devendra Bishoo and Narsingh Deonarine along with Gudakesh Motie, Jonathan Foo and others.

10:45 hrs An Fear Ciuin 11:20 hrs The Home Ruler 11:55 hrs Little Stampy 12:55 hrs Morning Run South Africa Racing Tips Kenilworth 08:25 hrs Mordaunt Magic 09:00 hrs Hope Downs 09:35 hrs Golden Dane 10:10 hrs Mysterio 10:55 hrs Sister Lynn 11:35 hrs Cat And The Moon Vaal 08:45 hrs Shiver’ N Shake 09:20 hrs Isobar 09:55 hrs Negev 10:30 hrs Semra 11:10 hrs Dirty Champagne American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 Firespike Race 2 Two Weeks Off Race 3 Mshawish Race 4 Royal Sun Race 5 Wise Dan Race 6Joan’s Choice Race 7 Hope Cross Race 8 Sweet Whiskey Race 9 Ballerina Belle

38

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Hilbert ‘Bumpy’ Ali birth anniversary dominoes KING’S Six emerged winners of the Hilbert ‘Bumpy’ Ali 80th birth anniversary feature dominoes competition, played at the Everest Cricket Club last Wednesday night.

The competition, organised by International Six, of which Ali is a long-standing member, and sponsored by Shew’s General Store of Leopold Street, Georgetown, saw King’s Six enter the final sitting one game behind front-runners Ali’s Six but registered 15 games to their opponents’ 14.

King’s Six late-ditch effort saw them end on the same 77 games as Ali’s Six but they came out on top

by scoring seven sixes as against five by the Birthday man’s side. Jeet’s Six, who were never in contention, ending in the cellar with 66 games.

Basil ‘Super Cool’ Jeet, who is visiting from overseas, led the way for the winners with 15 games and received support from Sham Seeram (14), Claude Stuart (13) Lennox Collison (13) and skipper Looknauth ‘King’ Persaud (12).

The top markers for Hilbert ‘Bumpy’ Ali’s team were Mahadeo ‘Bomb’ Persaud with 17 games, Manniram ‘Packer’ Shew 16 and Nazir ‘Doc’ Ali 15.

‘Bumpy’ only managed 10 games.

… King’s Six win Shew General Store trophy

MANNIRAM Shew (left) of Shew’s General Store hands over the winning trophy to Looknauth ‘King’ Persaud in the presence of other teammates.

Captain Soomdat ‘Rico’ Jeet led his team with 14 gam es while Paramanad ‘Rough’ Jagdeo had 12.

The winning and second-placed team were recipients of trophies as well as the top three players in the respective teams – Basil Jeet of King’s Six, Mahadeo Persaud of ‘Bumpy’ Ali’s Six and Soomdat Jeet of Jeet’s Six. Hilbert ‘Bumpy’, who turned 80 on Wednesday, is credited with being the oldest player competing on the local scene.

DCB shortlists squad for Inter-county tournaments … Nannan, Moriah, Daniels and Sookdeo are new faces

By Calvin Roberts GEORGETOWN Cricket Club’s (GCC) left-arm orthodox spinner Raj Nannan, Seon Daniels, Gavin Moriah and Jeetendra Sookdeo are the new faces selected by the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) senior selection panel in their 22-man squad to contest the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County tournaments.

This was done following the hosting of two limited overs trials at the Everest Cricket Club ground last Tuesday and Wednesday, in which a Christopher Barnwell’s XI emerged victorious over a Leon Johnson’s XI and Trevon Griffith’s XI, with the second by a mere two runs.

For the past two years,

Gavin Moriah

Nannan has been churning out impressive performances for his adopted Esmeralda Cricket Club in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, claiming 40 victims during his sojourn there last season and always had his eyes set on a senior team callup for Demerara.

With favourable returns in the two trial games (2 for 31, 3 for 29), Nannan found favour with the selectors who had included him in a 14-man squad

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Saturday August 30, 2014) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALLBourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 4 times (2) Dublin, Scotland, 1999 (World Cup) Today’s Quiz: (1)Which two never made an ODI century against Bangladesh?

RamnareshSarwan, Devon Smith, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Darren Sammy (2) What is the highest score made by a Bangladeshi in an ODI against the WI at home?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

to contest the limited overs aspect of this year’s Intercounty championship, which bowls off next Thursday with Demerara facing Essequibo at Wales.

As an Under-19 player, Sookdeo, Nannan’s teammate at GCC, was known as a temperamental opener who on his day can flay a bowling attack, while he can contribute to the team with his steady off-spin and while his scores of 24 and 45 may seem inadequate given his talent as a batsman,, it was the latter innings that earned him his selection.

He guided Griffith’s XI close to victory in the second trial match that they lost by two runs. He was dismissed with victory just in sight - a target they never thought they would get so close to at one stage, after being 130-odd for 6 wickets in the 38th over.

Guyana has very few leftarm swing bowlers and when

such a topic arises with the present-day players, readily, names such as Andre Stoll and Randolph Knights come to mind, but not Gavin Moriah who turned heads and set tongues wagging with his bowling in the second match.

He took 3 for 29 and was the best fast bowler on show for the rookies, even though Knights, Paul Wintz, Seon Daniels and Robin Bacchus all bowled with pace and steady control on an Everest track that was offering tremendous support to the spinners.

That aside, the other members of the squad, to be led by West Indies T20 and Guyana NAGICO Super50 all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, are all regulars in a Demerara team, with discarded national opener Shemroy Barrington being handed the duties of glove work behind the stumps for the limited overs.

Joseph Perry will replace Barrington behind the stumps

for the three-day fixtures, while England-based semiprofessional Kellon Carmichael who is doing duties for Hadleigh and Thundersley Cricket Club and Sabina Cricket Club, Shawn DeSouza and Antonell Atwell, are included in the 22-man squad.

The GCB Inter-county tournament, which is being used as a yardstick to select the national team for West Indies Cricket Board regional tournaments, will have for the first time the participation of the victorious national Under-19 team competing as the fourth team, instead of a President’s XI. West Indies Under-19 and first class openers Shimron Hetmyer and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, skipper Brian Sattaur, Ashkay Homraj, Kemol Savory, Shiraz Ramcharran, Balchand Baldeo, Steven Sankar and multitalented all-rounder Kemo Paul are some of the players

Raj Nannan,

who will feature in the Under-19 unit.

The squad reads: Christopher Barnwell, Trevon Griffith, Andrew Lyght Jr., Shemroy Barrington, Rajendra Chandrika, Raj Nannan, Zaheer Mohammed, Amir Khan, Yatesh Dhanpaul, Steven Jacobs, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Paul Wintz, Seon Daniels, Randolph Knights, Gavin Moriah, Joseph Perry, Jeetendra Sookdeo, Shawn DeSouza, and Vishaul Singh.

DCB head coach Garvin Nedd will execute similar duties for the team, while his assistant will be none other than Clive Grimmond, who will also double as manager.

Campbell-Brown wins photo finish, Walcott sets new national record ZURICH, Switzerland (CMC) – Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown snatched victory in a photo finish to post her first Diamond League 100 metres win in over three years at the popular Weltklasse Zurich meet here Thursday night.

The former Olympic 200 metres champion out-leaned Cote d’Ivoire’s Murielle Ahoure to win the event in a time of 11.04 seconds, and record her first 100m Diamond

League triumph since Shanghai, 2011.

Ahoure was second also in 11.04 seconds while Nigerian star Blessing Okagbare clocked 11.06 to be third.

More significantly, the victory was CampbellBrown’s first since being cleared of a doping charge by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, earlier this year.

“My season has had its ups and downs. After my last race I will pause and then I

will look at next season,” said Campbell-Brown afterward.

She started slowly in lane four as Ahoure, running out of lane six, rushed to the lead at the 30-metres mark. Okagbare, in lane five, chased and CampbellBrown also found acceleration at the half-way point to set up a tense last few metres.

Ahoure appeared to have the race sewn up with ten metres to cover but Campbell-

Brown surged at the end to take the narrow win.

Jamaican Kerron Stewart finished a disappointing fifth in 11.19 seconds.

In the men’s 200 metres, Panamanian Alonso Edward took victory in 19.95 seconds to beat the Jamaican pair of Nickel Ashmeade and Rasheed Dwyer into second and third respectively.

Ashmeade was timed at 20.01 seconds with Dwyer finishing in 20.21.

39

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014

Sir Richie anticipating Windies domination in Test series

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – West Indies team manager Sir Richie Richardson has backed the regional side to use the momentum from the successful one-day series and also dominate Bangladesh in the upcoming Test series.

The hosts swept the three-match one-day series convincingly and will now turn their attention to the longer format, with matches scheduled for Arnos Vale in St Vincent and the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia.

Sir Richie said the team now needed to make the transition from the limited overs format but he was confident they could take the momentum gained into the Test series. “ A d i ff e r e n t f o r m a t means a different form of application. The wicket in St Vincent is usually one that assists spin bowlers and Bangladesh depends heavily on spin,” the former West Indies captain said.

“We have very good spin bowlers too and are used to the conditions, so I would like to think that we are

favourites. What we’ve got to do is play positive cricket; we’ve got to back ourselves.

They will be a little bit demoralised so we’ve got to capitalise on that.

“As long as we play to our strengths, apply ourselves and look to bat long, put the ball in the right areas and take all our catches, I think we will beat them.”

Coming off a poor series against New Zealand earlier this year, West Indies carved out a three-wicket win in the first ODI at the Grenada National Stadium before following up with an emphatic 177-run victory at the same venue.

In the final game at Warner Park here, West Indies trounced the Bangladeshis by 91 runs to complete a clean sweep.

The Windies missed out on the chance to extend their winning streak when the oneoff Twenty20 International was rained out after just 28 balls on Wednesday night here but Sir Richie said that result would have no impact on the side going forward.

“Certainly, to have beaten

West Indies celebrate the capture of the one-day series against Bangladesh. (Photo courtesy WICB Media) any international team is a commendable achievement and I have to say to Dwayne Bravo and the boys: ‘very well played.’ I thought we executed well in all areas, we started slowly in the first

match but came really good in the last two and completely clean-swept Bangladesh,” he pointed out.

“The important thing is for us to continue to play the way we’ve been playing

and look to improve in every single game. It’s unfortunate what happened here in St Kitts during the only T20 match.

“It was a freak storm … but from the way we were

looking I believed we would have won that match so I’m feeling very pleased.”

The first Test bowls off September 5 with the second match scheduled to start September 13.

No mad rush to find Windies head coach, says Muirhead BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – No decision has been made on who will fill the vacant post of West Indies head coach and there will be no mad rush to find a candidate, West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Michael Muirhead has said.

Media reports in recent weeks have indicated that Mickey Arthur was a virtual shoo-in but Muirhead said while “informal” discussions had been held with the South African, the WICB were yet to even start the interview process.

“There is absolutely no truth to that talk around the region that Mickey Arthur will be hired as the next coach,” Muirhead told the Nation Newspaper here.

“We did speak to him and many other coaches recently because it was convenient to do so, but to say he will be the next coach is not true.

We don’t know yet who will be the next coach.”

He added: “The talks with Arthur were very, very informal. No official interviews for the position have even started.”

The post of West Indies coach was made vacant when Barbadian Ottis Gibson was axed two weeks ago, just prior to the start of the One-Day

Muirhead stressed.

“We are getting a feel for the market out there before we make a decision. If we do find who we feel is the right

person and we find him before the start of the World Cup, then so be it. But we certainly don’t plan to shortchange ourselves in finding a

new coach.

“We feel we can also find the right person after the World Cup if that is necessary.”

Kings and Raiders in action tonight WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead.

International series against Bangladesh in Grenada.

Gibson spent just over four years in charge of the regional team, in which time he oversaw their capture of the 2012 Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

His appointment followed those of Australians Bennett King and John Dyson but Muirhead said the WICB would not be limiting itself to regional applicants only.

“The search continues.

We have spoken to several coaches. Some of them are from the region and some of them are from outside. The interest in the position has been very high,” the Jamaican indicated.

“We don’t plan to rush this

process. We will go through each interview at our own pace and no one will be given preferential treatment. The response has been good so far.”

Significantly, West Indies are without a coach ahead of their Test and one-day tour of India starting in October, and the Cricket World Cup which bowls off in Australia and New Zealand next February.

However, Muirhead said the WICB would not allow itself to be pressured into a deadline, because of the pending tournaments.

“That (World Cup) would be considered a nice cut-off time to have a coach by, but we don’t plan to rush and get a new coach just to say we have a coach for the World Cup,”

TOP seed Kings are up against the Blueberry Hill outfit this evening in game one of the Victory Valley Royals 20th Anniversary Open Knockout basketball tournament, which is being played at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court.

Kings who regained the top billing from Amelia’s Ward Jets after starting the year in second position will seek to assert themselves in this tournament after not reaching the final four in the National Club championship.

The Kings will look to their experienced lineup, led by former national player Abdulla Hamid and Steve Neils (Jr.), Omally Sampson and Marvin Hartman against an unknown opponent who

Dwayne Roberts should field players from the Blueberry Hill Christianburg communities.

In the second game Retrieve Raiders, rated number two after losing in the National Club championship final and currently in the number four position

in Linden, will play without national player Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts but are likely to be favoured against Half Mile Bulls in the game set for 21.00hrs.

Raiders will look to players like Dwight McKinnon, Geoffrey La Rose, and Omar Sam to push them past this Bulls team.

The Bulls will be without Michael Turner who is now with Pacesetters but others like young junior nationals Terron Welch and Travin Dryden and the experienced Shane Lewis should be enough to set the stage for a good game.

The winners from tonight and last night’s opening matches are set for semifinals clash next Friday at the same venue.

Sport CHRONICLE

Sunil Narine

The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com

Windies name thirteen for Arnos Vale Test...

Narine, Russell opt out of Bangladesh Tests ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Mystery offspinner Sunil Narine has once again chosen the Twenty20 format over Test cricket, after opting out of consideration for the two-Test series against Bangladesh.

He was a notable omission from the 13-man squad announced by the West Indies Cricket Board yesterday for the first Test against Bangladesh at Arnos Vale, which bowls off September 5.

CMC Sports understands that the 26-year-old is focusing on representing Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight

Riders in the Champions League Twenty20, which runs from September 13 to October 14 in India.

He will be joined by Jamaica all-rounder Andre Russell, who also opted out of consideration for the upcoming series, to represent Knight Riders in the Champions League.

Wi t h o u t i d e n t i f y i n g Narine or Russell, the WICB said in a statement that two players had chosen to play in the Champions League T20 instead of being considered for selection. However, the Board pointed out that the players’ decision would have no adverse effect on their

future selection.

“Two players who were considered for selection to the Test squad have opted to play in the Champions League which has an ICCapproved window on the international schedule,” the statement said.

“The players’ decisions will not have any deleterious effect on consideration for future West Indies selection.”

Narine played in last week’s three-match OneDay International series against the Bangladeshis, taking four wickets.

Last June, Narine was overlooked for the three-

Test series against New Zealand, after opting to remain in India with Knight Riders for the IPL final, instead of returning for a preparation camp in Barbados.

He had been mandated to join the camp by June 1, ahead of the first Test in Jamaica which bowled off June 8.

At the time, the WICB Director of Cricket Richard Pybus said that the Windies First Policy required all players to make themselves available for team preparations.

Narine, who made his Test debut two years ago in England, has played just six Tests and taken 21 wickets at

an average of 40.

The squad for the first Test will be led by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and includes batsman Jermaine Blackwood and fast bowler Jason Holder, both of whom have played one Test after being handed debuts against New Zealand.

Blackwood hit a halfcentury in the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval before

being dropped for the final game of the series where Holder also struck a fifty on debut before his home crowd at Kensington Oval.

SQUAD – Denesh Ramdin (captain), Sulieman Benn, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Shannon Gabriel, Christopher Gayle, Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, Shane Shillingford, Jerome Taylor.

Cardiff intercepts bookmaking scam IN a move that will reawaken fears about the relationship between gambling and cricket, it has emerged that a spectator was ejected from the second ODI between England and India in Cardiff for allegedly relaying information to bookmakers in the subcontinent - a practice known as “court-siding”.

Because of the delay on broadcast feeds for televised games, betting markets can be manipulated by those with access to information from inside the ground. Chris Watts, head of the ECB’s anti-corruption unit, confirmed to the Cricket Paper, the UK’s weekly cricket newspaper, that a man had been thrown out by stewards at the Swalec Stadium on Wednesday for “breaching the ticket terms and conditions”.

Although not a direct attempt to influence events on the field, “court-siding” gives bookmakers a live window on the action and enables them to set their odds accordingly. The man in Cardiff is understood to have been using two laptops and a mobile phone during India’s innings, before being removed from the ground. An additional ECB anti-corruption presence is likely for the final three ODIs of the series.

In recent seasons, the ECB has clamped down on such activity, amid recognition that games televised on the subcontinent are potentially a prime target for illegal bookmakers.

In 2013, nine people were thrown out of games around the country, in addition to 12 the year before.

“There have been several incidents of people being asked to leave for so-called court-siding,” Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, said. “The evidence we have points to high-profile matches that are televised in Asia when there’s an opportunity for people to beat the TV delay if the match is being broadcast on the Indian subcontinent.

India won the second ODI by 133 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2014