Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Active and youthful at heart, ‘Aunty Viola’ is Guyana’s newest centenarian

By Jenelle Willabus There is the saying that one is as young as he or she feels and this is definitely the case for Ms. Viola Shaw who is celebrating her 100th birth anniversary today.

Guyana’s newest centenarian has a memory to marvel about and still does almost everything for herself as she says she has been ‘working like a horse’ all her life. When asked what her secret to longevity was, ‘Aunty Viola’ replied in her most stern tone ‘hard work’.

Recapping a little on her life’s story Aunty Viola said she was born in New Amsterdam, Berbice, on April 17, 1913, but her mother died when she was just two yearold leaving her and her sister with their father, Joe Bennett.

“My father sent me to live with a couple in Georgetown and I was forced to work hard.

I never had play days… not even in school; all I did was work and work. When school was over I had to run home to do work.”

She recalls being “awakened by the gun at 5 in the morning and going to bed with the gun at 8 every night”.

Aunty Viola recalled many days after being dressed for school having been made to turn back after greeting the milkman to scald milk and as a result being late for school.

“My teacher never believe when I tell her why I was late for school until our neighbour told her. I can also remember having to go

Guyana’s newest centenarian Viola Shaw giving some advice to Kaieteur News’ Editor in Chief Adam Harris. around in people’s yard to collect vegetable peel and then having to chip it up to feed to the sheep.”

Aunty Viola said although the couple she lived with had a daughter of their own, they acted as if she was the only child in the house as she was made to do all the chores.

She said while many knew of her plight very few spoke up for her.

“One day ‘mother’ sent me to the market with money and a big basket and after I finish shopping, I went to ‘father’ work place and a man saw me and I asked him to help take the basket off and he called ‘father’ and asked if I was his daughter and he said yes and

the man told him she can’t be your daughter or else you wouldn’t have her doing this,”.

Aunty Viola said the man made her ‘father’ fetch the groceries home and soon after someone else reported back to her biological father of the treatment which was meted out to her. Soon her father decided that it was time for him to collect back his daughter which he did.

But by then Aunty Viola said she had grown accustomed to working hard and it worked in her favour as an adult. She went on to the working world and eventually got married to Malcolm Shaw, however, no children were born of that union. Aunty

Viola did take care of many of her nieces and nephews as her own.

Today she spends her days at the Holy Family Homestead Senior Citizens home where she pretty much takes care of herself. Given the way she was brought up, not allowed to have friends, Aunty Viola said she would rather read a book or do some knitting, cooking and fellowshipping at St. Sidwell’s Anglican Church. Persons close to Aunty Viola boast of her cooking as she enjoys preparing her favorite coocoo, cook-up and cow heel soup. At her age, Aunty Viola still washes for herself, something she said she learnt to do well from her father.

Mahdia Secondary School HM decries poor living conditions Students of the Mahdia Secondary School may soon be without a Head Mistress (HM) as the appointed person is contemplating to abandon her post due to the poor conditions in which she has been asked to reside.

Vanessa Wilson-Johnson told Kaieteur News last weekend that because of the accommodations given to her she is essentially living on the streets and getting a nightly rest from residents in the area.

She said that on September 1, last, she was appointed as the school’s head mistress. She added that prior to her starting work, she attended a workshop during the August holidays and refused the accommodation that was given to her.

“The furniture was badly rotting and was therefore unfit to be used.

The bed, chairs and table…and even the rat-eaten mattress. It therefore meant I had nothing to use. I would

have had to sleep on the floor.”

The head teacher said she was unwilling to accept the accommodations in the event that the rectification process would be prolonged. She therefore expressed dissatisfaction with the, “unsuitable conditions” and was subsequently sent to a Guest House in Paramakatoi.

That is where she says she had been staying since, but recently, “I went home for the holiday and when I returned on Sunday (last) to report to duty on Monday, I met my things thrown out by the Regional Education Officer unknowingly.”

The head mistress said she had not gone to school for the entire (last) week because she has no access to her belongings.

She accused the education officer of victimising her, “because since I came here, to date I

cannot have proper accommodations as the head teacher,” she said.

Ms. Johnson said she is asking the authorities to look into her matter because, “I want to go back to work but I have nowhere to stay.” She continued, “I slept two nights at the Roger Hinds International Hotel but because of the cost I cannot stay there anymore.

The community is giving me a night’s rest but I don’t have anywhere to dwell.”

She told the newspaper that, “On the day, I dwell on the road and in the night the community gives me a night’s rest.”

Johnson charged that her situation is very serious. “I am the head teacher here.

Legitimate head teacher, trained graduate HM. I have served this country for 23 years as a teacher.”

The HM said she wrote to the Chief Education Officer and sent out letters before receiving a call from a Minister assuring that her

Mahdia Secondary School HM, Vanessa Wilson-Johnson matter would be looked into, “To date it has been six days but I am still lurking around this place waiting for a response.” The head teacher said she is preparing to g o h o m e b u t , “ t h e community is holding me back, they have asked me to wait.”

Ms. Johnson reiterated her plea to have the relevant officials look into her matter as she requested a “speedy resolution into this unfortunate matter.”

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Spectrum Distribution In the past few weeks the controversy over the government’s allocation of our broadcasting spectrum has intensified. In addition to the ten radio licences, some of which included up to five frequencies, there were also two cable licences given to individuals with close connections to the government and to the previous president: Vishok Persaud, son of recently departed PPP big-wig Reepu Daman Persaud and Brian Yong.

Even though most of the attention has been focused on the radio licences, this is simply a sign of our technological backwardness. But it is obvious that the powers that be kept a close eye on developments abroad. In the last few decades, there has been a revolution in communications brought about by new technologies, but sadly most of us have not kept up with the workings of that technology.

And it is because of that ignorance that the powers that be are not too concerned about the radio licences or the accompanying redundant frequencies. This is just smoke to cover the real action, which is in the two cable licences under the 2.5 GHz band. The new head of the Broadcasting Authority has already declared that she will be issuing ten additional radio licences. It is obviously hoped that this will reduce the furore. But as we pointed out in our comment on the subject: “With a cable licence one can provide many radio and television channels, and also provide wireless internet and telephone services throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.”

It is not that radio or TV are old hat or passé but rather that the old modes of transmission are. The company that establishes a toehold in Guyana at this early stage of broadband broadcasting, when even radio-licencing is a novelty, is being given an opportunity that is priceless. The cable operators will leave the older technologies in the dust, like the car did with the horse and buggy.

This newspaper has been accused of pursuing its ‘selfinterest” because its publisher was denied a radio licence.

We will therefore quote from a ‘disinterested’ source on the benefits of ‘early entry’: the US Congressional Service: Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband. Firstly, the way to go about allocating the spectrum, which is a finite resource, is through auctions. “With the introduction of auctions for spectrum licenses in 1994, the United States began to shift away from assigning spectrum licenses based on regulatory decisions and toward competitive market mechanisms.”

While obviously there is a need for a certain amount of the spectrum for the public weal - as in the much touted ‘egovernance’ project - the government can always reserve a certain amount of bandwidth for this. India has also chosen to go the route of auctions to allocate bandwidth and their experience shows that even this process must have transparency. In widely circulated reports it was shown that several officials accepted bribes during their 2G auctions.

But returning to the importance of the headstart given to the two insiders, the US Congressional policy document notes: “In evaluating competition within an industry, economists and policy makers examine barriers to entry, among other factors. Barriers might come from high costs for market entry such as investment in infrastructure or there might be legal and regulatory barriers to entry. As part of its evaluation of competition for mobile services, the FCC has identified three factors that could constitute barriers to entry to the commercial mobile communications industry. These barriers affect not only competitiveness but also access to networks and investment in new technology.

The factors are “first-mover advantages, large sunk costs, and access to spectrum.” First-mover advantages have accrued primarily to the early entrants in the wireless industry. These early entrants, and the successor companies that acquired them and their licenses, have maintained their core customer base and benefit from early investments in infrastructure. Many first movers into the wireless market, therefore, acquired their market-leader status through regulatory decisions that provided them with spectrum licenses, not through market competition.” (to be continued )

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news

Jagdeo has no moral authority to talk about prejudice against East Indians DEAR EDITOR, For the longest while, Jagdeo has been hiding in the bush and the nation was wondering what had happened to him especially since his bid for a third term crash failed. But it resulted in all kinds of irrational, improper and last minute unethical decisions such as the secret signing of the Airport Expansion Project and the signing over of the radio spectrum to family, friends and his party.

It was Jagdeo who with the help of state resources built a palace worth over $300 million on a beach front property in Pradoville 2 with land bought from the State at a preferential price that no other Guyanese would have access to?

It is Jagdeo who gladly took private gifts of over 20 containers of building materials from the now convicted US criminal in exchange for preferential treatment on disposal of State Assets.

It is Jagdeo who has become the author and guardian of the new PPP playbook of “how to get rich quick off the poor and cuss down anyone who dares question their activities” Thus we have concluded that Jagdeo should be the last person on earth to speak of racism against East Indians by the opposition since the principal attackers against East Indians reside in the new

PPP cabal who continue to practise racial discrimination and hatred among the youths and women of Guyana who want nothing to do with such depraved mentality.

But all of that aside, it was deeply regrettable, disgusted, and infantile to hear Jagdeo on an occasion where the final rights of a popular Pandit is being conducted (his funeral); found the time to preach racism and hatred to the relatives, friends and mourners of the deceased.

When one speaks about political prejudice against East Indians, he/she should first talk about how that young man, Pablo Singh, was fired from the NDIA for exposing PPP-sponsored corrupt practices.

This is a classic example of PPP discrimination and prejudice against East Indians and not by the opposition as Jagdeo falsely claimed at the Pundit’s funeral.

But the “maha” and worst prejudicial attack against all East Indians came from the PPP and from Jagdeo himself with that illegal marriage which ended only after the lady made her ordeal public after King Kong kicked her out of their bedroom just one week after their illegal marriage and was forced to sleep on the ground floor of State House and exposed to the male guards.

We believe that anyone,

especially Jagdeo who misled the daughter of a prominent East Indian family that she was legally married to him has no credibility whatsoever. If there is anything East Indians in the Western world cherish and value most, it is their daughters. That attack by Jagdeo on the lady was a direct assault against all East Indians, especially women in Guyana.

Jagdeo has no moral authority to preach about prejudice or about discrimination and racism when he was the chief architect of such practices. It was during the Jagdeo regime that the most loyal AfroGuyanese and PPP servant, Dr. Luncheon was put on the chopping board with a plan to fire him.

This was revealed to the US Ambassador and the plan was to replace him with an East Indian.

This mere act is a validation of the racial prejudices practiced by the King Kong regime against even their own political colleague and loyal servant of the PPP. During Jagdeo’s 12year-rule; no race was spared, whether you were PPP or not PPP, East Indian or not East Indian; all were discriminated against save and except for the small cabal called the BEEs, who are protected and provided for continuously at the expense of the taxpayers.

Until that discrimination and bigoted behavior against the Guyanese people ceases; no one in the ruling cabal including Jagdeo has the moral authority to speak of racism. Each is the lead practitioner of racism and hatred in Guyana.

Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

DEAR EDITOR, I listened and did not hear any mention of the below fact as hidden in the budget estimates as presented by Ashni Singh: Appendix S page 573 Line item no 6013 - Pensions and Gratuities to President, Parliamentarians and Holders: The total provision in 2011 was G$37.7 million. The actual in 2012 was G$233.4 million.

This is an increase G$195.7 million.

This is the true import of the cost of that Presidential Pension package that Janet Jagan had asked Bharrat Jagdeo not to advance as it was un-PPP like to do so. Did Bharrat listen? Obviously, NO! So the Guyanese taxpayers are paying through their noses. Can Guyanese sustain this extravagance?

Lionel Peters

Paying through the nose

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

THE PEOPLE AND Cruelty and neglect for an animal THE BUDGET DEAR EDITOR, With many issues regarding the 2012 budget still unresolved, the 2013 budget is on the people. The Minister of Finance in his opening budget presentation crooned how “sweet and nice” is the 2013 budget.

Basically, it is the same kind of rhetoric Guyanese are saturated with each budget presentation.

It is time we, the people, look ourselves in the mirror and ask the question; “Have the provisions in the last budget helped me to do more for myself and family?” “Are we better off than we were two years ago?”

As responsible people we should be holding our government accountable as we measure its actual performance to ascertain how impactful the allocations in the 2012 budget estimates were.

Has health improved for people in Regions One through Ten? What about water; are we getting potable water through our taps or are

the lines to purchase water still long at the various sales outlets?

What about all the billions of taxpayer dollars allocated to GPL in 2012? Sid it reduce the length and times of power outages?

What about the security sector? Did our money allocated to this sector help to make us safer or is it more of the same?

Demonstration of good citizenship requires that we pay close attention to what is happening around us; ask these kinds of questions, and take action to initiate real change.

I believe that the 2012 budget did attract a lot of interest on the part of many ordinary Guyanese who paid keen attention to debates and arrived at their own position.

I was very encouraged by the interest shown by many young people who used the social media to discuss budget debates and argue their positions.

This kind of renewed interest in the body politic of

the nation augurs well for the future and must be encouraged and sustained.

It is our attentiveness, and interest in these matters which help us to make the kind of informed decisions which aid meaningful change in our nation. It is our responsibility to tune in, assess the work and action of those we elect to represent us and take action to hold them accountable.

The true test of any democracy lies in the ability of the people to make leaders accountable; to agitate for and initiate change through active participation in the national body politics of the nation.

Those we elect to lead us are our servants and not our masters. We have the power to replace them at the appropriate time and through the appropriate means.

Our vote must not be taken for granted nor must it be considered automatic by those who feel they are entitled to inherit it.

Lurlene Nestor

DEAR EDITOR, What finds itself on newspaper front pages these days or even inside a newspaper, is determined by what many conceive to be important. Animal rights do not fall in that category, or so it seems. The voice for human rights can be heard all across our nation but who are the voices of innocent, voiceless animals who suffer the daily torments and abuse by people who call themselves human beings?

Monday of this week marked the fourth day in which a horse had been writhing in pain over a broken hind leg which it suffered since Thursday as a result of a speeding car along the Cumberland Public Road in East Canje. While no damage was done to the car, this horse suffered a broken leg.

According to reports, the driver sped from the scene.

The owner of the animal, one Chuck Skeete, of Cumberland Village reportedly refused to render any assistance to the animal since he was determined that

the driver of the car pay for the injuries.

I responded to a call by an upset resident in the area concerning the suffering, maimed animal on Sunday morning.

It was observed that the animal lay in the rain and it [the animal] seemed to be in excruciating pain as the broken limb appeared very evident. It was lying in a vacant lot, adjacent to the public road, not too far from where it was struck.

In a land where human beings have rights and there seems to be a number of laws that protect all sorts of interests in society, it appears that one can easily escape treating an animal cruelly or allowing animals to endure intense suffering and pain, as is evident in this case.

Sure, the animal was perhaps in the wrong place at the wrong time, and thus an accident was caused. But surely, human being—the more of the intelligent in this situation—was expected to act in a more intelligent and sensible manner and at the same time show some compassion to the animal.

This incident whereby the horse has been left to suffer for more than four days, and without any food and water, should have engaged the eyes of the few animal rights activists in our midst, had it been publicized properly.

The horse died— presumably of starvation— some time early Tuesday.

Its death is an indictment on all of us, and more so that cruel owner.

Leon Suseran

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

Night club torments nearby residents DEAR EDITOR, A wave of hopelessness engulfed me as I waited, tired and dejected, for the midnight hour Saturday hoping that the continuous loud heavy bass battering my head all week, but more cruelly and longer from Friday night to early Saturday morning, then from Saturday afternoon to early Sunday morning then Sunday nught April 14, 2013. It never stopped until approx. 1:00 am or later Monday.

Myself and relatives don’t have or own a nightclub or a

Pool Hall yet it seems as though we do or have automatically become a branch of this entity, as the heavy, extremely loud bass and loud music emanating from Buddy’s continually invades our house from Sunday to Sunday.

It triggers a beating in my ears from the unbearable stress and racks my nerves night after night denying me the eight hours rest recommended by the doctor, and myself and relatives the right to enjoy the peace and

comfort we are entitled to in our home. I still have to use the escape route for myself and granddaughter by placing my mattress on the floor.

It is not that I am not affected there too but somehow I manage to get a little sleep eventually. The health of our very young children is endangered and under siege. Nothing is being done to RIGHT THIS WRONG. On Monday April 8, 2013.

I tiredly paced the floor up

and down in disgust and anger again waiting for the cut off point at midnight with a sick child in my hands, I myself just getting over a nasty bout of the flu. It was 1:00 am next day.

I had called the police Quick Response just after midnight and had spoken to a female rank explaining to her that I had a sick child in my hands and that I am quite sure she heard the child crying.

She took the report but one hour later at 1:00 am the music was still blasting,

I called again to let her know that the music was still playing loudly and she responded by letting me know that she had sent a patrol and that I was speaking too loudly in her ear.

That was when I lost it and indeed began speaking loudly and in anger and frustration. She can never relate to this punishment and injustice; she doesn’t know how it feels to be tormented by loud music and heavy bass causing one to lose vital rest for over two years.

I then called Kitty Police Station and made a report to a much more polite female rank. The music never stopped until just after two am Tuesday.

It is frightening and sickening to know that no help will be coming when the problem involves this particular entity. One has to be satisfied to just make a report and be promised that a patrol would be sent. No patrol goes there for whatever reason. The music stops whenever they choose to stop it.

I am once again calling on the authority to have measures put in place so that this cruelty, harassment and wanton disrespect for people’s right being trampled

upon over and over again and people’s health being jeopardized. This cruelty has to be curbed and swiftly.

The ritual of the music being lowered for a few days if a complaint is made and then it is business as usual, must be stopped. I am demanding protection for our young children.

Why can’t everyone enjoy his or her space, the right to read a book, watch television or just sit and enjoy their peace and comfort without heavy booming bass beating their brains to a pulp or just annoying them so late at nights? Why isn’t the cut off point not being applied to this particular entity?

Those powerful equipment and appliances even when turned down still invades the house.

The location of the large sound boxes is what causes the sound to enter my place of residence from the pool hall.

The night club is not properly sound proofed.

They should seek advice from Voice of Guyana on how to sound proof. NO sound should be coming out of that Night Club or the Pool Hall for that matter causing so much discomfort.

Pearl Lewis

DEAR EDITOR, I met the Reverend in September,1973 in Jamaica. I had gone to study Theology.

He was my warden and one of my tutors. He said to me to study Theology, History and Sociology. I asked him why?

He said to me that I might need a secular job to survive. I took his advice. I indeed needed a secular job when I returned to Guyana.

I so admired him that I wanted to be like him but I did not have his intellectual capacity so I settled for myself. However, l consoled myself by naming one of my sons after him.

After the completion of my third year at the College, I was an avowed Marxist.I believed that the working class should own the means of production and it was the means to change society from capitalism to socialism. I believed in no God and that God was the figment of our imagination.

The church in Guyana was not happy with my ideology

and had wanted to recall me back to Guyana. Reverend intervened and I completed my studies but I modified my ideology through philosophical and religious enquiries.

Reverend was on the side of justice. He fought for the restoration of democracy in Guyana. He wrote for Catholic Standard and denounced rigged elections, oppression and the denial of human rights.

For Reverend , God is found in human beings. This is what Gandhi said. “If I could persuade myself that I should find God in the Himalayan cave I would proceed there immediately. But I know I cannot find him apart from humanity. I recognize no God except that God s to found in the hearts of the dumb million.”

On behalf of the people of Leguan, our sincere sympathy to his extended family. Farewell Reverend. I shall always remember you.

Albert James

Some Reflections on Reverend Dale Bisnauth’s Life

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present. - Jim Rohn

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Tied-up neighbour fined for damage to property - On bail for threatening behaviour Anand Roberts was tied to a post in his neighbour’s yard.

The man who was tied up by his neighbour over the weekend has been fined by the court for damage to property and was placed on bail for threatening behaviour.

Eighteen-year-old Anand Roberts made an appearance before Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty at the Providence Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Roberts was charged with damage to property, in that on Sunday April 14 at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, he damaged three louvre window panes valued at $625.

To that charge the accused pleaded guilty. The court was told that on the day in question Roberts threw bricks at Raquel Cameron’s house and as a result the

window panes were broken.

When asked why he stoned the woman’s house the accused told the court that he just did it “to see if she was at home”.

The Magistrate then asked the accused why he did not do the proper thing and go into her yard and call for her. The accused stared blankly before stating that

after he threw bricks at her house she did the same to his premises.

He was fined $10,000 with an alternative of 3 weeks imprisonment.

The other charge stated that on the same day Roberts used threatening behaviour against his neighbour Racquel Cameron. He pleaded not guilty. Roberts said after he threw the brick on Cameron’s house he did not remember anything else as he was drunk.

He was placed on $10,000 bail and will return to court on July 15.

On Sunday last Cameron was forced to restrain Roberts to a post after he entered her yard and began to verbally abuse her. The woman had claimed that last Sunday’s incident was one of many and the one that broke the camel’s back. It was reported that Roberts was in the habit of tormenting his neighbour whenever he was under the influence of alcohol.

Frustrated with the man’s behaviour the woman took matters into her own hand and tied the drunken Roberts to a post as she awaited the police.

Businessman wounded by gunmen during robbery

By Zena Henry Several persons were sent scampering for safety after bandits opened fire on a businessman during a daring daylight robbery just outside of the Supreme Court compound yesterday. The victim was struck twice in the right leg. A woman who was at the time exiting the court premises at Charlotte Street was hit in the left leg by a stray bullet. John Karpen, 58, called ‘Lex’ of Little Abary, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, said his assailants managed to escape with at least $217,000. While awaiting medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Karpen recalled two men on a motorcycle riding up alongside his minibus, PJJ 7888, and demanding that he hand over what he had.

The man said it was just after noon that he left Scotiabank on Carmichael Street and had returned to Charlotte Street, between King Street and Avenue of the Republic (more specifically between City Hall and the Supreme Court),where hire cars and minibuses are usually situated.

The businessman said he was seated in his vehicle for a short time when he started to chat with a friend. Soon after, two men pulled up on the passenger side of the minibus and the pillion rider whipped out a handgun and pointed it in his direction.

“When he (bandit) pull the gun and point it at me I buss de door and I run, but

- passerby hit by stray bullet

Shot and robbed: John Karpen when I run out there was a motorbike there so I tried to get cover to come back.” The businessman, who is a licensed firearm holder and owner of a 9mm pistol, said he attempted to reach for his gun to return fire, “…but it was during the course of running, these guys shot at me. They fired two shots. I realized I got hit, but when I turned around to shoot back there were people in the way, so the men were able to jump on their motorbike and escape”. Meanwhile, 31-yearold Cherelee Cosbert, also an East Coast of Demerara resident, said she had just finished conducting business in the High Court and was exiting through the Charlotte Street gateway, when she recalled hearing gunshots and falling to the ground.

“I start feeling my feet feeling heavy, and then I realize I get shot in my left leg,” the woman told Kaieteur

News. Cosbert said she was subsequently assisted by public-spirited citizens who took her to the hospital.

Back at the scene, several persons lingered, chatting about the shooting, while Criminal Investigation Department (CID) ranks combed the area for clues and took statements from those who were present. Several persons had reportedly witnessed the incident but said they were not aware that something was afoot until they saw the man run out of his vehicle and shortly after hearing gunshots. One man said the assailants escaped

via Avenue of the Republic, racing away on the motorcycle. Karpen opined that there is a possibility that his attackers had traced him from the bank. The man said he made a stop at a gas station before returning to the hire car park, and soon after, the attackers came. He further recounted that the black pouch carrying the cash was located next to the gear stick in his minibus. After he ran out of the vehicle, the men grabbed the pouch. Karpen also related that he has various businesses in his community and conducts a minibus business. He did not rule out the possibility of the robbery being orchestrated against him.

Trio remanded on narcotics charge Three men pleaded not guilty when they were brought before Chief Magistrate Priya Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Monday last on a charge of trafficking in narcotics, at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara. According to court documents, police acting on “sensitive information received”, conducted a sting operation. It was noted that between March 28 and April 11, 2013, Corporal Roopnarine engaged the defendants, Leyland Nichols, Dennis Yarris and George Wharton, in discussions. During the discussions, the defendants sought the assistance of Corporal Roopnarine, who would operate as a boat captain, so that they could transport a quantity of “weed” from Guyana to Barbados. On April 11, the defendants along with Corporal Roopnarine were in motorcar, PPP 8866, when they were intercepted at Coldingen Public Road. A search was conducted and the illicit substance was discovered. The suspects were arrested and taken to the police station where the cannabis was weighed and amounted to 4kg 772 grams. The defendants were then charged for the said offence.

The accused were remanded and their trial is scheduled to commence on April 25 at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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ENJOY YOUR HOT CHOCOLATE The happiest persons I know are never the wealthiest.

My happiest friends are simply the ones that are more contented with what they have.

I tried explaining this to a friend who saw me recently and began complaining how I have a lovely home, a nice car, and a fat bankbook, while he is still struggling to make ends meet.

I tried to explain to him that there were many things about his life that he ought to be proud of; that even the poorest man has enough to be happy if he would instead of looking at what other people have, try to value what he owns.

I came over as a lecturer and could not connect with my friend who I have known for many years. As I left him, I kept wondering how better I could have made my point to him that he has everything that should make him happy, except that he is looking in the wrong places.

When I went home, I went straight to my email, and as usual there was a fair amount of mail, including quite a lot of the regular make-you-feelgood stuff which I often quickly trash.

However, since I was troubled by my inability to get through to my friend, I

decided to read some of these emails which are circulated widely over the internet.

We hardly know the original author of these mails.

A friend sends it to a friend who sends it to another friend and the chain continues until it reaches you.

The mail in question was entitled, Hot Chocolate. It says exactly what I wanted to say to my friend but could not say in the way I wanted.

I will repeat the message here in its entirety and ask the original author to forgive me not knowing his or her identity. I dedicate it to my friend who felt unhappy about his not having the material pleasures of life.

Here goes: A group of graduates, well established in their careers, decided to go and visit their old university professor, now retired. During the visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

The professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large mug of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups – porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some exquisite – telling his guests to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:

Dem boys seh...

De spite costing de people Every time Jagdeo announce a project he announcing a way fuh he friends mek money. When he friends tell he that if dem get a hotel dem gun get money he announce a programme a plan fuh buy de Pegasus. But he get shaft.

Badal buy de hotel.

Right away Jagdeo come up wid a plan to build de Marriott. He expect fuh cripple all dem hotel because he gun undersell Pegasus, Princess and all dem big hotel.

Is de same thing happen wid de telephone business. He try fuh bruck up de monopoly, but GT&T stand up to he. De next thing dem boys know was that Jagdeo announce a plan fuh bring in cable from Brazil and from Suriname. GT&T only had one; Jagdeo decide that he must get two to cripple GT&T. A local doctor come from overseas and set up de Caribbean Heart institute inside de Georgetown Public Hospital. Jagdeo get vex because that doctor mekking money that he and he friends coulda mek. De next thing dem boys hear is that he building a specialty hospital.

While de Caribbean Heart Institute hiring Guyanese, Jagdeo come up wid de specialty hospital that gun only employ Chinese. Dem boys want to know if he got anything against Guyanese.

When he start de Marriott was de same thing. No Guyanese coulda get wuk. And de same thing nearly happen wid dem other project. Is a good thing de people protest.

Well dem boys in de opposition got plans fuh de specialty hospital. Jagdeo did announce that de money was coming from India, but he still want money from de treasury. Well de people in parliament decide that dem money ain’t going to no hospital.

In any case, all dem Bees who plan to mek money from de hospital got enough. Let dem put dem money fuh de preliminary work fuh de specialty hospital. Is dem gun benefit. Is dem who got every other of Jagdeo friend trying fuh get more rich than de other one.

Talk half and watch fuh dem new project

“Notice that all the nicelooking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

That cup that you are drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what

we drink.

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and your position in society are the cups. The cups are just tools to hold and contain life.

The cup you have does

not define nor change the quality of life you have.

Sometimes by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

God makes the hot chocolate; man chooses the cup.

The happiest people do not have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have.

Live simply, Love generously. Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

And enjoy your hot chocolate.”

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Freddie Kissoon Column

You mean in Guyana only!

A bullet in the head in any other country would be a serious problem and the governing administrators and the population will treat it as such.This columnist is saying boldly and I will argue this is in any forum that even in countries in the throes of civil war, if a victim is brought to the main hospital with a bullet in his head, he will not be given aspirin and sent away.

This happened in Guyana last week. And what is frightening is that this

primitive monstrosity occurred at the central hospital of the country. You can abate your anger if it happened at an interior location where facilities and resources are short.

A man is shot by a person who allegedly refused to pay him his bus fare and with the bullet lodged in his cranium, he was seen by a doctor, (not a barber or a botanist or a butcher) but a trained medical doctor who gave him over the counter painkilling drugs (the basic ibuprofen) and sent him away.

He deteriorated hours later. His sister, who is a medical doctor, was contacted in the US; she phoned Roger Luncheon, who advised the hospital authorities to do the right thing.

Under Roger Luncheon’s government, (he is a medical doctor himself), that has been in charge of Guyana the past twenty-one years, the Georgetown Public Hospital sent away a shot victim with a bullet in his head after he was given Ibuprofen.

This happened in April 2013 after the same Luncheon

and his PPP colleagues were first elected in 1992.

After reading these few lines above you must ask yourself what would have happened to your relative if you did not have a sister who is a medical doctor living in the US. And after reading this, you must ask yourself what must have been going through the mind of that sister when she heard that her brother went to the Georgetown Public Hospital with a bullet in his head and they looked at him, gave him Ibuprofen, and sent him away.

You bet your last dollar when she heard that, you know she ain’t coming back to live in her homeland. You bet your last dollar when young people with an education read how people are treated in this country by a government that boasts that Guyana is one of the few territories not affected by the world’s financial crisis then you know when they leave, they ain’t coming back.

I honestly believe that if there is any evidence that the PPP as an organization cannot administer Guyana, it is the breakdown of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The Georgetown Public Hospital is a horror house and it gets worse as the world gets more modern.

Most Guyanese would welcome some ingenious blueprint to make the police force a workable entity. The Georgetown Public Hospital is in the same boat. The police force and the Georgetown Public Hospital to date are the most graphic proof that this country needs new leadership.

I want to apologize up front if the next few lines make me out to be a show-off or a chauvinist. I am not, but this I want to say – I consider myself one of the most liberal human beings on Planet Earth that care about people’s rights, but I also say most boldly that if I had my way, I would dismiss with immediate effect some medical doctors at the Georgetown Hospital with a recommendation that they never practice medicine

Frederick Kissoon in this country. I have seen countless incidents since the PPP came to power in 1992 where some doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital have behaved like monsters without even a modicum of concern for patients.

Our Private Sector Commission elites will not ask for an overhaul of the Georgetown Public Hospital because they don’t go to it.

The political elites that have been in power since 1992 do not seek the service of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The upper middle class in Guyana does not use the Georgetown Public Hospital.

So who uses it? The man who was sent away with the bullet in his head.

And guess what job he does? He is a minibus conductor. Does anyone out there know how many persons over the past ten years have died needlessly at that medical institution?

People have died at that hospital weeks after they were admitted with gunshot wounds that you do not die from in the 21st century.

The last time I checked my sister was a housewife in Barbados. I wonder if she became a medical doctor since.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Rare medical procedure being offered in Guyana With specialist Dr. Mahendra Prasad Samal at its helm, the newly introduced Cardiac Unit of the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital is currently offering procedures that are relatively new to Guyana and perhaps the Region. Among the procedures now being offered are various cardiac interventions and more recently moves were made to address aortic dissection, which according to Administrator of the Hospital, Dr Madhu Singh, is a relatively rare condition in patients.

Aortic dissection is said to be a medical emergency and can quickly lead to sudden death, even with optimal treatment.

So rare is the condition that Dr Samal, during an interview with this publication, said that many persons will die before reaching the hospital and a lot will also die even after reaching the institution.

However, Dr. Samal, who functions as the private hospital’s Interventional Cardiologist, disclosed that so rare is the condition that a mere 50 individuals worldwide might be diagnosed per year.

He explained that Aortic Dissections resulting in rupture have an 80 per cent mortality rate and 50 per cent of patients die before they even reach the hospital.

Just a few weeks ago, Dr Samal, who was formerly attached to the reputable Apollo Hospitals in India, was tasked with undertaking the intricate operation at the local private hospital. The operation was in fact a success.

The aorta is the only exit and largest blood vessel from the heart which distributes blood to other parts of the body like the brain, the chest and the spinal cord, the kidney, the intestines and the legs. This big artery has three layers like any other artery, the external, middle and internal layer.

According to Dr Singh, when there is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta that causes blood to flow between the inner and middle layers of the wall of the aorta, it forces the layers apart, thereby causing Aortic Dissection.

The Administrator further expounded that due to high pressures in the aorta, blood enters the media at the point of the tear and the force of the blood entering the media may cause the tear to extend proximally (closer to the heart) or distally (away from the heart) or both. The blood from the heart travels through the area created by the tear (false lumen) while some continues the way it was intended (true lumen) thereby making the aorta double-barrelled, added Dr Singh.

She went on to disclose

- as proactive moves are made to help improve health care

Dr Mahendra Prasad Samal that the blood-filled false lumen may rupture to the outside of the aortic wall causing sudden death and blood inside the belly, chest and outer covering of the heart called the pericardium.

Since blood goes into the false lumen instead of the true lumen, blood flow to all vital organs is jeopardised leading to brain ischemia and brain stroke, shutdown of the kidneys and paralysis of the lower part of the body due to spinal cord involvement and gut ischemia and necrosis.

According to Dr Samal, it is imperative that patients with such conditions are diagnosed at the right time and every necessary mechanism must be in place to facilitate the requisite treatment. It was disclosed that the risk of death is high in untreated aortic dissection, with as much as 25 per cent of cases being vulnerable in the first 24 hours, 50 per cent in the first 48 hours, 75 per cent in the first week and 90 per cent in the first month.

The Interventional Cardiologist also revealed that the symptoms of the condition may also mimic those of other diseases which often result in delayed diagnosis. About 96 per cent of patients with aortic dissection experience severe excruciating pain that had a sudden onset with shortness of breath and sweating. It may be described as tearing, stabbing, or sharp in character, and some individuals will feel the pain migrate as the dissection extends down the aorta, the officials explained. However

The Dr Balwant Singh Cardiac Cath Lab

patients who do not present with pain are usually victims of chronic aortic dissection, they added.

The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which was recently introduced by the private hospital, is currently the gold standard test for the detection and assessment of aortic dissection, said Dr Samal who insisted that “everybody should go for regular check-ups...we are declaring to the public to come and get the benefit check up here.”

Moreover, the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital has been offering a cardiac check-up package which can be utilised by patients of both genders, as according to Dr Singh, many females are of the opinion that males are more prone to heart conditions.

“A lot of women are under the impression that they won’t get heart disease and won’t get heart attacks, but that is a serious fallacy.”

Women, she asserted, do get heart attacks, especially those that are getting close to menopause, even as she added that “the risk is just as much as that of the men, in fact more women die of

heart diseases than of cancer of the breast. Cancer of the breast is a big disease that everybody investigates, that everybody treats and

manages, but nobody cares to educate women on lifestyles modifications, diets, exercise, and also regular check up...” It is for this

reason, Dr Singh noted, that proactive measures are being taken by the private hospital to help with the fight against heart conditions.

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 13

Robbery accused refused bail Motorcyclist slams into parked car A man was yesterday remanded to prison after it was alleged that he stole a Toyota Raum from a hire car driver after posing as a customer.

Nickram Sookraj made his appearance yesterday at the Providence Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty where he was charged with robbery under arms.

It is alleged that on Sunday April 14 at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, being armed with dangerous weapons - a knife and a bottle - he robbed 65-year-old Deonarine, of his Toyota Raum, valued $2.5 M. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Meanwhile Police Prosecutor Shellon Daniels in presenting her facts to the court stated that on the day in question, Sookraj and his brother Vijay hired Deonarine’s car and requested to be taken to Eccles. Once in Eccles, the accused held Deonarine at knifepoint and took away his car. The virtual complainant was then dumped out of the car on Lombard Street and the accused fled with the stolen car. The matter was immediately reported and the following day police caught the accused while he was driving the car, he was told of the allegation and subsequently charged.

Bail was refused and the

accused will make his next court appearance on April 25.

Also at the Providence Mag i s t r a t e ’s Court y e s t e r d a y, a m a n w a s granted bail to the tune of $40,000 having being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and dangerous driving.

Asif Azeez is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol on Sunday April 14 on the Diamond access road. It is also alleged that on the same day he drove his motor car PPP 7707 in a dangerous manner to the public. He also pleaded not guilty to that charge and was granted bail to the sum of $20,000 on each charge. He will return to court on July 16.

The motorcycle slammed into this parked car having clipped another

Break and enter accused remanded Sherwin Scipio was yesterday remanded to prison yesterday by Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty after he appeared at the Providence Magistrate’s Court where he was charged with break and enter and larceny.

It is alleged that between Saturday April 13 and Sunday April 14 at Third Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara, Scipio broke and entered the dwelling place of Sunil Ramesh and stole, eight MP3 players valued at $70,800, 20 cellular phones valued at $180,000 and $20,000 in cash.

Scipio pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution’s facts stated that on the day in question (Saturday, April 13) Ramesh secured his shop

which is located in the lower flat of his building and retired to bed. However at around 03:00 hours on Sunday he was awakened by a nose and when he peeked through a window he noticed a man in his yard. Ramesh raised an alarm and Scipio was seen jumping a fence and made good his escape. Checks later revealed that Ramesh’s shop had been broken into and the items missing. A report was made to the police and the suspect was later arrested and charge.

Scipio was remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on April 30.

Also at the court yesterday, another man was remanded to prison and is expected back in court later

today having been charged with unlawful wounding.

Tyson Garnett is accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Dennis Mansook on Sunday February 24.

It is alleged that on the day in question the two men were involved in an altercation which resulted in Garnett going to arm himself with a cutlass and chopping Mansook. However the accused was only arrested on April 13, last, and subsequently charged.

The accused, when asked to provide the court with his address, gave something contrary to what he had given to i n v e s t i g a t o r s. He was subsequently remanded to prison.

A motorcyclist without a helmet was severely injured after he collided with two cars at New Road Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara yesterday.

The unidentified man was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was admitted.

Reports reveal that the motorcycle CG 6356 was heading west on the Vreed en Hoop Public Road when he

decided to undertake a Toyota Premio PNN 3225 which was turning into a street. The motorcyclist then clipped the car’s front light which was damaged. He subsequently slammed into a parked, silver Toyota Corolla which caused him to be flung over the parked vehicle.

The owner of the parked car, Lenny Singh, said he just came out of the car when the bike slammed into it. The rear

windscreen of that car was shattered as a result of the impact.

The owner of PNN 3225, Gookaraan Dially, of Canal number one, said he was now turning into the street going to a doctor’s office when the accident occurred.

Persons at the scene said it appeared as if the motorcyclist had suffered broken limbs and severe head injuries.

Page 14

Kaieteur News

Across the board increases in pension distribution - NIS Annual Report

By Latoya Giles A total of 2,616 old age pensions were awarded during the period of 2011. This was according to the 2011 Annual Report for the National Insurance Scheme, which recorded a 14 percent increase when compared to the previous year. The report stated that of the total amount some 1,753 or 67 percent were awarded to males, whereas 863 or 33 percent were awarded to females.

An analysis of the new pensioners by employment category revealed that 2,196 or 84 percent were persons who were once employed.

According to the report, some 420 persons or approximately 16 percent were self employed persons.

A further breakdown indicates that of the 2,196 employed persons some 1,460 were males and 736 were females. The report further stated that there were 293 selfemployed males and 127 females who all received old age pensions.

It was further noted that

the average age of the new pensioners was 61 and their average monthly rate of pension was $25,944. An examination of the contribution status showed that the new pensioners qualified with an average of 1,135 contributions of which approximately 99.9 percent were paid by or on behalf of the pensioner.

The credited contributions, according to the report, were awarded in accordance with the regulations which stipulate the award of age credits to persons 35 years or older at the commencement of the scheme. Further, there was the award of retirement credits to persons whose contribution life had shortened due to the reduction of the retirement age from 65 years to 60 years.

The males were awarded pensions on an average of 1,854 contributions and the females on an average of 1,099 contributions. It was further stated in the report that approximately 0.3 percent of the average contributions of both males and females were credited contributions.

During 2010, a total of 2,286 old age pensions were awarded.

In terms of old age grants,

1,397 were paid out during 2011. The recipients were 820 males and 577 females. The average amount which was paid out to males was $66,907 whereas females got $103,707.

The overall average amount which was paid out was $82,106.

There was a 68 percent increase of old age grants in 2011. According to the report, in 2010, a total of 833 old age grants were given, whereas in 2011, a total of 1397 were granted.

In the area of Invalidity Pension, a total of 97 were awarded during 2011.

The recipients were 68 males and 29 females, with 10 of the males and three of the females originating from the self employed category. An age analysis shows that 52 or approximately 54 percent of the recipients were in the age group of 55 to 59.

Thirty-two of the persons or 33 percent were in the age group of 50-54 years and 10 were from the age group of 45-49 years.

An examination of the contributions status shows that the recipients qualified with an average of 804 contributions of which approximately 99.96 percent were paid and 0.4 percent credited.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Canal Polder access roads, bridges for upgrades The Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU) within the Ministry of Agriculture received bids for the Canal Polder, West Bank Demerara control structures and access roads for phase two.

The bids were opened yesterday by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance, Main Street.

The bids were divided into two lots; Lot (1) Control structures, Lot (2) Bridges.

Bids were also opened for the rehabilitation of facilities at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) compound, Timehri, Region Four.

And the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) received bids for the construction of a timber bridge at the NAREI compound at Charity, Region Two.

Sparendaam plane crash…

Canadian’s wife, daughters hold prayer service at site A small prayer service was held to comfort and strengthen the widow and two children of the Canadian Scientist who perished in the plane crash in Sparendaam on Saturday, as they visited the crash site yesterday.

“To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord” and the hope of reuniting with the late Nick Dmitriev beyond their earthly tenure seem to have comforted the visibly grieving widow, Tatiana Dmitriev and her two daughters Elena and Ellie.

The prayer service was led by Apostle Jason Yorrick of Plaisance’s Glory Light Tabernacle Full Gospel Fellowship. Florence Tyndall, who escaped unharmed when

the plane crashed into her house, joined the family and church members in prayers.

As praises to the Lord filled the atmosphere and tears poured from sorrowful eyes, Tyndall, who escaped death, collapsed.

The 69-year-old was heard muttering praises to God for having mercy on her life.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Dmitriev is expected to cremate her late husband’s remains on Thursday and return to Canada on Friday. The family expressed thanks to the residents for their hospitality.

Dmitriev will be returning home with memories and a small, damaged orange toy plane which she found lying

among the rubble.

Prior to the prayer service, Mrs. Dmitriev and her two daughters laid flowers at the site. When this publication arrived at the scene, the widow was seen lying on the parapet with her eyes shut and her younger daughter by her side. They used the visit to interact with residents who were witness to what would have occurred on the tragic day.

Nick Dmitriev was the passenger of the ill-fated twin-engine Piper Aztec piloted by Pierre Angiel. Both men died in the crash. The aircraft with crew was contracted to carry out aerial surveys of the proposed Amaila Falls road.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Reconstruction of One Mile Primary…

Budgeted funds should be released to Linden – Project Manager Funds allocated for the reconstruction of the One Mile Primary School in this year ’s Budget should be released to the ‘Rebuilding Our Future Group’ that is managing Linden’s efforts to rebuild the institution, says Claude William, Project Manager.

Through community efforts, the reconstruction project has been progressing smoothly but could move faster, if much needed financial resources are made available. Government’s plan is to allocate a portion of the over $3B budgeted for investment in physical infrastructure of schools and other educational facilities countrywide.

William said that if the funds are channeled to the group to finance the rebuilding efforts, persons from within the community

would gain employment. In addition, the funds will facilitate the continuation of the works started by the community.

The One Mile Primary School was gutted last August during ongoing protest action by the community of Linden against intended increases in electricity tariffs for the district. Residents maintained that they did not destroy the learning institution and vowed to rebuild the school through self-help and donation.

Organizations and individuals, locally and internationally, have been contributing to the effort and substantial amounts of monies have been raised.

According to William, the team is executing works on the front wing of the building. The bottom flat is

near completion with the concrete floor already finished and blocks being laid. By next week the labourers will commence work on the top floor.

When completed, the school will have two wings, and include new features such as an Information Technology laboratory and staff room.

It is expected that construction of the first wing will conclude this September, for the new school year.

Meanwhile, the second wing is scheduled for April 2014.

William said that the students are being accommodated at different facilities at the moment. It is hoped that the new batch of Grade Six students will be fortunate to write their National Grade Six Assessment at the reconstructed school.

19 speedboat deaths in four months…

Maritime official wants passengers to report drunk, reckless operators Passengers travelling by boat should take a cue from minibus commuters and caution and even report speedboat operators who overload their vessels, pilot them recklessly, or while under the influence of alcohol.

This is the view of a senior Maritime official who made the comments in the wake of three major river mishaps which have claimed 19 lives in the past four months.

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) official believes that the mandate of Care, Caution, Courtesy, Consideration and Commonsense, is equally applicable to speedboat operators as it is to motorists.

While they are not subjected to breathalyzer tests, the official pointed out that some boat operators behave in a similarly reckless manner as some motorists.

“Often eyewitnesses (to river mishaps) would tell you that ‘the man (boat captain) was drinking’, but they would not tell the authorities so he can be intercepted before he moves off,” the official told Kaieteur News yesterday.

“It’s a culture that we have to change. If you believe that he is going too fast, if he does not hear you, when you reach your destination, contact the Maritime department.”

While MARAD has intensified its efforts to ensure vessels are fully certified and licenced, the

source emphasised that commuters must also play their part.

“We are doing everything that we can (but) we can’t have a presence everywhere.

We are trying to educate the public that they too have a responsibility. Safety is not a Maritime issue alone, so that if maritime (personnel) are not present nothing happens.”

Asked about the possibility of speedboat operators being subjected to breathalyzer tests, the official stressed that the requisite laws are not in place.

However, the source suggested that similar laws could be enacted.

Maritime officials have had to deal with three major river tragedies in the past four months.

On December 18, 2012, six passengers, including three children, perished when a vessel owned by the Region Two administration and a smaller vessel collided at Siriki/Adam’s Creek in the Pomeroon River.

Investigations revealed that the captain of the Region Two vessel, who was subsequently charged, had

breached a number of regulations.

These included failing to maintain a proper look out at all times; failing to proceed at a safe speed so as to take proper and effective action to avoid collision; failing to alter the vessel’s course to starboard and failing to render assistance to the operator and passengers.

In late January, eleven passengers perished when two vessels collided at near a ‘blind turn’ in the vicinity of Crab Falls, Mazaruni.

One of the vessels was reportedly equipped with two 200-horsepower (HP) engines while the other had two 75horsepower engines. The approach speed of the two vessels was said to have been over 100 miles per hour.

And on March 23, last, 50-year-old boat captain Philip Adams and nine-yearold passenger Nikeisha James died in a two-vessel collision along the Port Kaituma black water channel, North West District.

A MARAD source said that investigations into the Mazaruni and Port Kaituma crashes are still incomplete.

Page 15

Telecommunication tower…

Govt. eyes Industry as alternative location – Alexei Ramotar - Plaisance still preferred location Government is considering erecting the c o n t e n t i o u s telecommunication tower meant for the community of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, in the neighbouring community of Industry, says Alexei Ramotar, Project Manager of Government’s E-governance Unit.

He said that Government has not ruled out constructing the tower on Plaisance Community Centre’s playground, which is the preferred location. He noted that on Friday (April 19) a Government team will engage residents once again - this time at the community’s behest.

According to Ramotar, during a meeting recently held in the community, residents had expressed interest in the wireless internet service the telecommunication tower will offer, but were not pleased with location identified.

Government is erecting 55 towers in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and 10 to roll out its

Project Manager, Alexei Ramotar Information, Communication and Technology programme.

The erection of the towers began in Region Four and has attracted objections from residents in Plaisance and Triumph/ Beterverwagting.

Plaisance residents were the first to reject the project because Government wants to erect the tower on their Community Centre ground.

Many concerns and assumptions of residents about the telecommunication tower were as a result of no

consultations and sensitisation. Government has now begun to consult with various communities along the East Coast Demerara.

According to the Project Manager, placing the tower in Industry will increase the cost of the project - a development that was not anticipated. He said that the E-governance Unit will now have to run the fibre optic cable from Industry to the Sparendaam Police Station and that cost could have been avoided, because the Police Station is in close proximity to the Plaisance Community Centre.

In addition, rental will have to be paid to the Guyana Power and Light Inc. for running the cable along its poles.

Ramotar stressed that having the tower in Industry would not fully satisfy its purpose because the signal will not be strong in Plaisance.

He pointed out that the community of Industry will be serviced by the telecommunication tower erected in the University of Guyana’s compound.

Page 16

Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Starr Computers unveils technology to enhance security systems Starr Computers has added an exciting new line of technology to its evergrowing security solutions department.

At the company’s head office at 59 Brickdam, Stabroek yesterday, President of Starr Computers Inc., Michael Mohan, unveiled the Biometric technology which is set to revolutionise the way security systems are addressed.

Representatives from a leading international firm, BioTrack, were present to underscore the benefits of the technology.

Product Manager of BioTrack Security Solutions, Julio Ferreira, highlighted the use of the professional line of security cameras, time attendant systems, access control systems, facial recognition cameras and a state-of-the-art computer mouse.

Also present was General Manager (Starr Computer Inc), Rehman Majeed, staff of the company, in addition to Chief Manager of BioTrack Technical Support, Palo Hernendez.

“With over two decades of providing surveillance equipment, safes, counterfeit

detectors, guard control systems etc. Starr Computers has partnered with BioTrack, to bring to Guyana a more sophisticated form of security technology. Using unique identifying parts of the human body, fingerprints and facial recognition, businesses can enhance both security and productivity,” Mohan said.

According to him, a special biometric mouse allows a person to easily log into their computer, bank accounts, Skype, Facebook, Yahoo etc.

“No need to be typing passwords anymore. Just scan your finger on the mouse and you have access.

What is unique is that the mouse also encrypts your files making it safe from prying eyes.”

Mohan further explained that the time attendant systems allow accurate scanning of employees’ faces or fingerprints when they report to work or move within departments.

Additionally, this allows special software to log the time of employee activities and can be integrated to payrolls, Mohan said it is ideal for businesses such as

Starr Computers officials and BioTrack representatives exhibit the full line of Biometric products.

retail stores, construction sites, hospitals, Government organizations amongst other business facilities, to maximize security and

productivity.

He noted that the access control system uses biometrics to allow persons access to different areas by

opening doors upon authentication.

Unlike traditional cameras, the Bio cameras can turn on lights; activate an alarm and open

doors by just scanning a person’s face.

Starr Computers currently has the full line of Biometric products on display.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 17

Page 18

Kaieteur News

President welcomes foreigners, but issues warning to potential lawbreakers

By Latoya Giles President Donald Ramotar on Monday said that he welcomes all foreign nationals who intend to come to Guyana and invest legally, but warned that there will “zero tolerance for lawbreakers. The Head of State was at the time meeting with the immigrant and non-immigrant communities at the International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

Among the dignitaries in attendance were Chinese Ambassador, His Excellency Zhang Limin, and Brazilian Ambassador, His Excellency Luiz Gilberto Seixas de Andrade.

The President said that he was well aware of the need for the government to meet with all the relevant parties to “iron out” whatever issues they may have.

According to Ramotar, this new feature of foreign nationals coming into Guyana is a reflection that the country’s economy is “growing”.

“This is a reflection that our economy is growing….because Guyana is attracting persons from other countries to come here.” Ramotar said that persons from other countries who are in Guyana presently are making

positive contributions. He said that he was happy to see that the foreigners are bringing their skills and culture to the Guyanese society. Ramotar said that this would enrich and strengthen the diversity of the country. The president also noted that there has been a slight influx of foreign students - something which would be beneficial for them.

Ramotar said that he had heard several complaints about the difficulty in getting work permits. According to the president, there needs to be a system which would minimize these delays. He further noted that with regards to citizenship, there are avenues for persons who have contributed and stayed in Guyana for a period of time to apply for this feature.

President Ramotar said that he also hopes that the businessoriented foreigners who are entering Guyana fully integrate locals into their workforce.

He also urged those who aren’t fluent in English to learn it since it would be much easier to interact with locals, and emphasised that foreigners who are coming to Guyana must be law abiding.

“Do not break any of our country’s laws….or get involved in any illegal activities such as

the narcotics trade, which the government has been fighting, because we would have a zero tolerance towards it,” Ramotar posited.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that Guyana over the year has had an open policy on immigrants. Rohee said that government also made several adjustments to the laws a few years ago. He said that these new policies have been working well. According to Rohee, one of the new features is the issuing of visas upon arrival. He said that feature has a cost attached to it since it is a service which is being offered. Rohee said that different costs will apply depending on your reason for travel to the country.

The Minister said that the regulation of foreign nationals is something of importance, and if not, they could encounter problems. He also encouraged foreign nationals who have businesses to invest in installing surveillance cameras so as to safeguard themselves.

He also made reference to the nationalisation process which is available to persons who satisfy the requisite requirements and are desirous of becoming citizens of Guyana.

He urged persons who have not fully registered to do so quickly so that they could have the ability to move freely, and stressed that the government has no intention of discriminating against anyone. He reminded the gathering that if someone is legal in the country they would be able to enjoy all the benefits which the country offers.

Chinese Ambassador Zhang said that the meeting signals government’s interest in foreign nationals. According to the envoy, numerous persons are interested in Guyana because of its policies. He said that a number of Chinese businessmen have expressed interest in investing in Guyana, because of this aspect.

The Ambassador noted that over the years the embassy has worked closely with the government. He urged Chinese nationals who are in Guyana to abide by the laws and always give back to the society.

Brazilian Ambassador Seixas de Andrade mentioned the issue of “illegal” mining.

According to him, this is something that he is working assiduously to rectify.

The ambassador said that this is certainly not something his government approves.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Mom and daughter get three years each for ganja A mother and her teenage daughter were yesterday each sentenced to three years in jail for trafficking in narcotics.

The matter was presided over by Magistrate Sueanna Lovell at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Court documents revealed that the daughter, Nadia, 18, and mother Bibi Abdul, 40, of 41 Dowding Street, Kitty, were arrested on February 22, 2012, after they tried to sell an undercover cop, Lance

Corporal Eddoo, 4 grams of cannabis.

Further, on the aforementioned date, ranking officers conducted a search at Bibi Abdul’s home and found 210 grams of cannabis buried in the front of her yard.

The mother who was subsequently charged for possession of narcotics was given another sentence of 3 years imprisonment which will run concurrently.

Moreover, the women were each fined $10,000.

Robbery suspected motive in guest house murder Police were yesterday still questioning the manager of the Gaumont Guest House and four other people in connection with the murder of 72-year-old Frederick Thomas.

They were detained on Monday after the elderly Friendship, East Coast Demerara resident was found lying on the stairs with a stab wound to the chest.Kaieteur News understands that the people in custody are not considered to be suspects and are likely to be released shortly.

Information suggests that Thomas, said be a frequent visitor to the High Street location, was attacked and robbed at around 16:00 hrs as he was going up the stairs. A source told Kaieteur News that a handyman who works at the popular hangout spot saw the victim lying on the steps and alerted management. The police were then notified.

Thomas was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation when he succumbed. The hotel manager, another man and three women were subsequently detained at the Brickdam Police Station. The building remained shut yesterday.

Bai Shan Lin refuses to sign GGMC “cease order” A Chinese National and official attached to Bai Shan Lin International yesterday blatantly refused to sign a” cease order” by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), and prepared by Geologist and Mines Officer Rickford Vieira, while workers attached to the entity flagrantly continued excavation works in the Moblissa area.

They were working even though no permit was granted for such activities to be carried out in the first place, and the entity was given at least three cease orders, according to reports. Vieira later contacted the Commissioner of the GGMC with regards to Bai Shan Lin’s refusal to comply with the latest cease order, and was told that a team of officials would be dispatched to the area, to seize all equipment from the worksite, as early as today.

In relation to the cease order, Vieira said that it was the third one that Bai Shan Lin was given, with the first being a verbal notice on January 27th, and another written one sometime later, by another official attached to the GGMC. He pointed out that no permission was granted by the GGMC for any excavation works to be carried out by Bai Shan Lin, in or around Moblissa.

Despite these notices, Bai Shan Lin however continued working up to yesterday, when a team, including Region 10 Vice Chairman

Byron Lewis, CEO of Linmine and NICIL Linden representative Horace James, environmental representative Samuel Wright and GGMC representative Rickford Vieira, among others, paid a visit to two areas presently being excavated

by Bai Shan Lin. The site visit was sanctioned by Chairman of Region 10, Sharma Solomon, who did not make the trip, but expressed concern over the manner in which Bai Shan Lin had chosen to conduct its business. Solomon said that the Bai Shan Lin programme commenced late last year, subsequent to a request from the chairman of the Forestry Commission, who asked the Region to ‘allow and entertain them”.

He pointed out that the region accepted and granted the permission with the understanding that Bai Shan Lin would fulfill the necessary requirements of the relevant agencies like the GGMC, Forestry Commission, the EPA and Lands and Surveys.

None of that was done Solomon pointed out, even though work was ongoing.

What was more serious, he added, was that Bai Shan Lin commenced construction of a two-mile road, without any permission. For the construction of the new road, the company removed 37,800 tonnes of laterite from the Moblisa area, Solomon said.

- Continues excavation works in Moblissa

Excavation works are ongoing at the illegal sand pit He added that Bai Shan Lin had requested that the Region grant the company ten days beginning Friday, to put themselves in order, as regards concerns expressed, by the region and other concerned agencies.

“However before we give any consent, as regards any request or requirement, we would want to have our environmental interpretation and also an assessment to be done as regards what is happening.”

Solomon said that Bai Shan Lin had removed 400 loads of laterite from the Moblissa area, and in the process had

significantly damaged the Moblissa Farm Road.

“What you have in Moblisa is a $40 million Farm Road that has been significantly damaged and is now affecting farm supply… and there is absolutely no consideration for that.”

Solomon said that Bai Shan Lin was only given permission to use the riverfront, but none was given for constructing a road or excavation works.

He noted that outside of the environmental concerns, there are a lot of other concerns from the standpoint of the region. Some of those

concerns include the displaced farmers who were promised compensation by Bai Shan Lin, but to date none has been forthcoming.

Meanwhile Regional Vice Chairman Byron Lewis and H o r a ce James expressed dismay at the excavation works which were done up to about ten feet from the Moblissa Farm Road, thereby undermining the integrity of the structure. Lewis was also concerned about the destruction of the Moblissa Farm Road, by the traversing of heavy equipment used by Bai Shan Lin, and which is placing severe

hardship on farmers in the area.

James said that excavation works of such magnitude, should have had a plan and permission, and that he knew for a fact that Bai Shan Lin was only given permission, to use the riverfront.

“It is very important how you leave a site, and before commencing any excavation of such magnitude, the regulatory body always has to be given a plan, and permission must be granted,” James pointed out. Environmental Officer Samuel Wright is expected to do an environmental assessment today.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Venezuela accuses opposition of plotting coup, seven dead

Supporters of opposition leader Henrique Capriles demonstrate for a recount of the votes in Sunday’s election, in Caracas. REUTERS/Tomas Bravo CARACAS (Reuters) Venezuelan President-elect Nicolas Maduro accused the opposition yesterday of planning a coup against him after seven people were killed in violent clashes over his disputed election victory.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles has demanded a full recount of votes from Sunday’s election after official results showed a narrow victory for Maduro, who is late President Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor.

The deaths occurred on Monday when hundreds of protesters took to the streets in various parts of the capital Caracas and other cities, blocking streets, burning tires and fighting with security

forces in some cases. Officials also said 61 people had been injured and 135 people arrested in the violence.

Protesters tried to burn alive one of the injured people, the government said.

“This is the responsibility of those who have called for violence, who have ignored the constitution and the institutions,” a furious Maduro said in a speech to the nation yesterday. “Their plan is a coup d’etat.”

Maduro also said he will not allow a big opposition march planned for today in Caracas to demand a vote recount. “It’s time for a tough hand,” he said.

The electoral authority has ruled out a recount, so Capriles called for street

protests to press his demands in the quickly worsening standoff in the South American OPEC nation, which has the world’s largest oil reserves.Venezuela saw waves of street protests during various parts of Chavez’s tumultuous 14-year rule, including a short-lived coup against him in 2002. He was briefly toppled from power but bounced back quickly, purged critics inside the armed forces and stepped up the pace of his socialist policies.

State media and officials said the fatalities on Monday included two people shot by opposition sympathizers while celebrating Maduro’s victory in a middle-class area of Caracas.

Turks & Caicos Islands former premier re-arrested in Brazil PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos - CMC – A Brazilian court has ordered the re-arrest of former Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) premier Michael Misick.

The spokesman for the Governor’s Office, Neil Smith said that the Brazilian Justice Minister issued his decision to refuse Misick’s appeal against a decision not to grant him political asylum.

The decision was published in the Brazilian Official Gazette yesterday.

Misick was first arrested on December 7 last year by Brazilian Federal Police acting on a provisional arrest warrant after his arrest was sought by the TCI Special Investigation and Prosecution Team that was set up to investigate issues arising from Sir Robin Auld’s

Michael Misick 2008-09 Commission of Inquiry relating to alleged corruption and maladministration in his administration.

TCI prosecutors submitted formal extradition papers on January 2 this year within the required 60-day

time limit from the time of Misick’s arrest.

Government officials in TCI say it is hoped that the extradition process can now proceed unhindered.

In a statement, Smith said Misick faces a number of serious charges relating to corruption and maladministration in TCI during his time in office.

“It is in the best interests of the TCI that allegations of wrong doing are thoroughly investigated and that Michael Misick returns there as soon as possible to answer these charges. As Michael Misick was born in a British Overseas Territory, he is, therefore, receiving British Consular Assistance; he was last visited by British consular officials on Monday Sao Paulo,” Smith added.

Page 19

CL Financial to sell whisky maker Trinidad Express - Cashstrapped CL Financial has agreed to sell Burn Stewart Distillers to South African drinks group Distell for US$244 million (TT$1.6 billion), a report in Britain’s Financial Times said Monday.

The purchase of Burn Stewart, which owns brands including blended whisky Scottish Leader and the Islay single malt Bunnahabhain, would give Distell access to the “highly attractive and growing” market for Scotch whisky exports, the South African group said in a filing to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

With a valuation of more than 20 times Burn Stewart’s calendar 2011 operating profit of £6.9m, the deal marks a vote of confidence in Scotch’s future prospects. It comes just over a decade after the then loss-making Burn Stewart was bought by CL Financial in a £49m takeover, the Financial Times reported.

Burn Stewart is based in

Gerald Yetming East Kilbride, near Glasgow, Scotland. It employs around 270 staff in operations including three single malt whisky distilleries, a blending and maturation plant, and a bottling operation.

Distell said the deal, which it estimated would reduce earnings per share by about three per cent, filled a “category gap” in its

portfolio.

Distell already owns South African brands including Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, marketed as South Africa’s first single grain whisky, but has much wider ambitions.

Buying Burns Stewart was an important step in the South African group becoming a “global industry player”, it said.

The government has been selling or negotiating the sales of key CL Financial assets in a bid to recoup some of the $20 billion it has spent since 2009 in bailing out the former financial empire.

In January 2013 the sale of Jamaican based spirits manufacturer Lascelles de Mercado to Italian firm Campari was scheduled to be completed.

Contacted by telephone Monday, CL Financial chairman Gerald Yetming said he was not in a position to comment, but the company would be issuing a statement on the sale soon.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Government hopes to stimulate sluggish economy through budgetary measures ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada - CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell presented his first national budget in six years outlining a series of measures he hopes would stimulate a sluggish economy even as he announced cuts in government expenditure for the next 12 months.

In presenting the EC$711 million (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) fiscal package to Parliament yesterday, Mitchell, who is also the finance minister, said that current revenues are projected at EC$448.2 million, while capital expenditure is projected at EC$262.4 million.

It is the first budget for Mitchell, who led his New National Party (NNP) back into office after a five year stint in opposition.

He told legislators the government anticipates a recurrent surplus of EC$32.9 million that will be used as counterpart financing for some key projects and with regards to the capital expenditure EC$112.9 million will be from local sources, EC$66.5 million from grant sources and EC$82.9 million

Dr. Keith Mitchell from loan sources.

Mitchell said that his administration would introduce legislation within two months to establish a Citizenship By Investment Programme tailored to meet the island’s needs. He said the programme, which have been in existence for many years in both developed and developing countries should begin in June.

According to the prime

minister, the programme should provide revenue estimated at EC$27 million.

Mitchell also announced increased fees for selected licence including gun licences and the introduction of signature license plates.

He also announced plans to strengthen the administration and collections of taxes and tighter management of ad hoc concessions that the government hopes will raise approximately nine million dollars in revenue.

He said in keeping with the promise made to the electorate there will be a review of the Value Added Tax (VAT) promising amendments to the legislation to exempt construction services associated with repairs and expansions to residential accommodation.

The government said in order to stimulate the local construction sector there will be a five per cent reduction on a number of items and that government will forego VAT on construction services for projects valued at less than EC$400,000.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Reshuffle on the cards - Foreign affairs, national security among those ministries targeted The Gleaner - There were heightened discussions in government circles Monday that a Cabinet reshuffle could coincide with the upcoming Budget Debate.

Dr Peter Phillips, the finance minister who succeeded in eking out a long-awaited deal to be signed later this month with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), appears to be the big winner in the impending Cabinet shake-up.

Well-placed government sources told The Gleaner that A.J. Nicholson, the foreign affairs minister, appears to be left out of the Cabinet.

Nicholson is to be replaced by Anthony Hylton, who has drawn the ire of senior government officials over his failure to energise the economy in the industry and commerce ministry.

Hylton, who at different times, held the foreign affairs and energy portfolios in former People’s National Party (PNP) governments, has earned a reputation as an effective minister of this portfolio.

However, the portfolio was assigned to Nicholson, a

Simpson Miller former justice minister and attorney general and a strong loyalist of Prime Minister Simpson Miller in the aftermath of the December 29, 2011 general election.

Peter Bunting, the national security minister, attracted widespread concerns from sections of the political landscape and civil society, after he seemingly broke down about the unrelenting criminal assaults on the country, despite his efforts to curtail the scourge.

Bunting was also an alleged victim of an attempted

burglary attempt just over a week ago, that sparked vociferous reactions in the public domain.

Sources say Bunting is likely to be replaced by the current minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service Horace Dalley, who spearheaded wage (freeze) talks that culminated in the impending IMF agreement.

Gleaner sources also revealed that the highly respected state minister in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Julian Robinson, is tipped to become a senior Cabinet minister as his accessibility and communication ability have placed him in good stead.

Dr Omar Davies, the former long-serving finance and planning minister, who was assigned the transport and works portfolio in the aftermath of the 2011 general election, is poised to be assigned an additional portfolio.

The experienced minister is expected to be integral to the Government’s ‘Growth Agenda’.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Trinidad explains reasons behind reducing flights to Jamaica PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government says it has not sought to downplay the importance of the Jamaica market amid threats from Kingston that it would withdraw the Air Jamaica brand from the Trinidadbased Caribbean Airlines (CAL) following widespread reports there that the carrier would be reducing the number of daily flight to Jamaica.

Trade and Industry Minister Vasant Bharath told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that a number of issues, including load factors, had caused the CAL to re-examine some of its policies. Last week, CAL Communications Manager Clint Williams confirmed media reports that the airline would be cutting back on the number of flights to Jamaica, effective yesterday.

Jamaica’s Transport Minister Dr Omar Davis said the decision by the cash-strapped airline would contradict the agreement signed when CAL acquired Air Jamaica two years ago.

Davies said the only tangible weapon the government has relates to the use of the Air Jamaica brand.

But Bharath said “we believe the Air Jamaica brand has value that was the reason we went into the arrangement in the first instance.

“There have been some teething problems with

regards to the some of the routes and the fact that there is the possibility that Jamaicans did not fully embrace the Caribbean Airlines logo, but we are working with the people on the ground at Air Jamaica to try to see if we could have had some kind of dual branding and we are now looking at rationalising some of those routes. “In fact I think later this week we will be pulling about 50 per cent of the routes we were travelling on the Jamaican run off the schedule because we have not been able to get the load factors that has been required to keep the airline flying”.

Bharath said it is really “an issue of rationalisation” noting also the airline has now had to face up with increased competition on the routes.

“That has caused us to re-look at the number of routes

we are flying but we have every intention of attempting to maintain the Air Jamaica brand together with the Caribbean Airlines logo.”

Davies had also complained that have been challenges in discussing changes at CAL with the Kamla Persad Bissessargovernment and crucial information has not been forthcoming from that end.

In 2010, Port of Spain and Kingston agreed to a deal that allowed the Jamaica government to own 16 per cent of CAL as part of the conditions for CAL taking over the lucrative routes of Air Jamaica. The deal also allows for Trinidad and Tobago agreeing to a US$300 million transition plan for CAL to acquire and operate six Air Jamaica aircraft and eight of its routes.

When it came to office following the May 24, 2010 general election, the five-party coalition government of Prime Minister Persad Bissessar said it would review the accord, but then finance minister Dookeran later announced that the government was okay with the agreement.

When he signed the agreement with his then counterpart Audley Shaw in 2011, Dookeran said Caribbean Airline would now “have legal access to all the routes that were being flown

by Air Jamaica, giving it an opportunity to expand in the global arena”.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua CMC – Antigua and Barbuda government says it has approved a national anti-drug strategy and plan aimed at reducing the supply and demand of drugs in the country.

A government statement said that the strategy is centered on four areas and

has set out strategic goals that may assist in the development of projects and programmes to improve implementation of a coordinated national approach.

These areas include institutional strengthening, demand reduction, supply reduction and control

measures. It said the strategy is in keeping with the Hemispheric Anti-Drug initiative proposed by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organisation of American States (OAS) for the period 2011-2015 and adapted by the 34 OAS member states.

Vasant Bharath

Antigua Government announces new anti-drug strategy

Page 21

PM tells IMF at UN Assembly: Level the playing field for smaller nations Trinidad Guardian - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar says the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and G20 states must consult small states before taking decisions which could adversely affect smaller nations of the world.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York Monday morning, Persad-Bissessar said such arrangements could lead to a potential contravention of natural justice. She said several imperatives for global economic governance must be implemented.

Persad-Bissessar said there must be “changes in the international architecture in which the IMF and G20 (meet) lend themselves to a potential contravention of natural justice where clubs of large countries sit and develop rules for smaller states to follow without adequate c o n s u l t a t i o n s , considerations and engagement with those small states.”

Persad-Bissessar, in her 13- minute speech, said the

Kamla Persad- Bissessar development of international financial regulations, supervision risk management and assessment of financial sectors “do not support a level playing field between large and small states.” The PM also noted that “the preferential treatment given to areas important in some large states for mortgages and regional bands to hybrid capital also penalises institutions and small states beyond economic

justification.”She said the criteria for lending used by the multi-lateral lending agencies was better suited for larger states. “The criteria used for longterm and shortterm support pays too much attention to the level of GDP per capita and not sufficiently enough to the much higher levels of fragility and vulnerability to natural and economic shocks.” PersadBissessar added. She called on the managing director of the IMF and the president of the World Bank “to intensify its attention on the issues of small and vulnerable economies.”

She insisted the reform of global economic governance must the growing role of emerging market developing countries while enhancing the voice and representation of all small, low and middleincome countries. She said the safeguards to reduce the impact of global economic shocks in the Caricom region were inadequate to resolve the problems in my region and others with small economies.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Boston Marathon bombs packed with gunpowder, shrapnel BOSTON (Reuters) - A pressure cooker stuffed with gunpowder and shrapnel caused at least one of the blasts at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured 176 others in the worst attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001, law enforcement sources said yesterday.

President Barack Obama called the two bombings on the marathon finish line an “act of terror” and police said parts of the center of Boston could be closed for days as they investigated the blasts that caused several people to lose limbs.

“When these kids came in ... they were just so badly hurt, just covered with singed hair and in so much pain, it was just gutwrenching,” said David Mooney, the director of the trauma program at Boston Children’s Hospital. “Pulling nails out of a little girl’s flesh is just awful.”

At least 10 people had limbs amputated as a result of their injuries, officials at hospitals said.

The youngest to die in the attacks was an 8-year-old boy. His family identified him in a statement as Martin Richard, who lived in the city’s Dorchester neighborhood. Outside the family’s home, sympathizers created a makeshift memorial of flowers and “Peace” was written in chalk on the sidewalk.

Officials identified a

second person killed as Krystle Campbell, 29, of Medford, Massachusetts.

The third person killed in the attack has not yet been identified.

An early lead in the investigation and an apartment search ended with law enforcement sources saying that a Saudi Arabian student injured in the blast was likely to be cleared of suspicion. No one has been arrested, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told reporters yesterday morning.

Later yesterday in Washington, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said there was no indication that the bomb blasts were part of a broader plot.

At least one bomb, and possibly both, were built using pressure cookers as the superstructure, black powder or gunpowder as the explosive and ball bearings as additional shrapnel, according to current and former counter-terrorism officials briefed on the matter.

The sources, who asked not to be identified, said instructions on how to design such bombs are available on the Internet.

“Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror,” Obama said in the White House briefing room. “What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack or why, whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist

organization - foreign or domestic - or was the act of a malevolent individual.”

Dispelling earlier reports of as many as seven devices being found around Boston, Gene Marquez, assistant special agent in charge for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said authorities had determined that the only bombs deployed in the attack were the two that detonated shortly before 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) on Monday.

Any unexploded device might have provided a clearer picture of what materials were used and how the bomb was assembled, furnishing leads in the case.

Officials in cities across the United States were watchful and several had security scares yesterday, although no injuries were reported.

At Boston Logan International Airport, two passengers and their bags were removed from a United Airlines flight before departure yesterday morning, a source with direct knowledge of the action said.

In New York, the central terminal of La Guardia International Airport was briefly evacuated after authorities discovered a suspicious package at around 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) in the terminal, authorities said.

A nearly mile-long stretch of Boylston Street, near the marathon finish and Boston’s two tallest buildings remained

Officials survey the damage on Boylston Street a day after two explosions at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi cordoned off yesterday and portions of that street could remain closed for several days, police said.

Davis, the police commissioner, called it “the most complex crime scene that we have dealt with in the history of our department.”

Trauma surgeons at several Boston hospitals said at press briefings that a number of victims had a range of metallic shrapnel material removed during surgery, including pellets and what appeared to be carpenter nails.

“The vast majority of the injuries were to lower extremities,” said Dr. Tracey Dechert, a trauma surgeon at Boston Medical Center, which treated 23 people and performed amputations on five of them.

The inclusion of material

such as nails in the device would be reminiscent of the 1996 bombing at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, which killed two people and injured about 150 others. Antiabortion activist Eric Rudolph, who eluded capture for years, pleaded guilty to the attack and is currently serving consecutive life sentences.

Officials in Britain and Spain said the London and Madrid marathons would go ahead on Sunday, but security plans for both races were under review.

Runners who had traveled to Boston for the annual marathon, which has been

held since 1897 and attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants, remained in shock yesterday morning.

Pat Monroe-DuPrey, of Winter Haven, Florida, ran with his wife, Laura, in a trip to mark their 10th anniversary after being married during the race.

He said he did not know what to make of the blast, which came as he was finishing the race in a state of exhaustion.

“You don’t have a brain at 26 miles,” Monroe-DuPrey said. “They got us off the course, and then I was panicking.”

GENEVA (Reuters) - An international team of flu experts will go to China this week to help with investigations into the deadly H7N9 virus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.

Chinese authorities said eight more people were infected with the new strain of avian flu that has killed 14 people among 71 confirmed cases, state news agency Xinhua said. The new cases were in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it said.

No human-to-human spread of the virus has been confirmed.

“We’re still trying to find out more information about the reservoir (of the virus). From what we know at the moment, the poultry markets have been a focus of attention, but the factfinding mission will be looking into this as a key target of its research,” WHO spokesman Glenn Thomas told a regular U.N. news briefing in Geneva.

The team going to China includes four specialists in

areas such as emerging viruses, human-to-animal flu viruses and epidemiology, as well as an unspecified number of WHO staff, Thomas said.

Another WHO spokesman, Gregory Hartl, said it would be made up of eight people in all.

One of the points the mission wants to investigate is how some people seem to fight off the infection.

“There are some examples of mild cases, and also some cases of people improving, who have gone from critical to a stable condition, and that is something that will be explored by the fact-finding mission,” Thomas said.

China confirmed on Saturday that a seven-yearold child had been infected by the virus in the capital Beijing, the first case outside the Yangtze River delta region in eastern China where the new strain emerged last month.

No exact date has been set yet for the arrival of the team which is expected to hold talks in Beijing and visit affected provinces, he said.

World experts to help China with bird flu investigation

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Pakistan’s Musharraf Quake hits Iran, Pakistan, dozens killed disqualified from election

People evacuate buildings and gather on road after a tremor of an earthquake was felt in Karachi, Pakistan, yesterday. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil) TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An earthquake toppled homes and shops on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border Tuesday, killing dozens of people and causing skyscrapers to sway in Dubai. It also forced Iranian officials — for the second time in less than a week — to issue assurances that its main nuclear reactor wasn’t damaged.

At least 34 people were killed in a single village in Pakistan, a military official said. But the overall death toll became clouded after conflicting reports from Iran.

At first, Iran’s state-in Press TV said at least 40 people died — which would push the two-nation tally to 74. But it later retreated from its account, and other Iranian outlets stepped in with a far

less dire picture. Despite the conflicting reports on the Iranian side, a Pakistani military official said at least 34 were killed on their side of the border and 80 were injured. Up to 1,000 mud homes were damaged, Pakistan Television added. The military spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Pakistan military policy.

A Pakistani policeman, Azmatullah Regi, said nearly three dozen homes and shops collapsed in one village in the Mashkel area, which was the hardest hit by the quake.

Rescue workers pulled the bodies of a couple and their three children, ages 5 to 15, from the rubble of one house, he said.

The Pakistani army ordered paramilitary troops to assist with rescue operations and provide medical

treatment. Additional troops are being moved to the area, and army helicopters were mobilized to carry medical staff, tents, medicine and other relief items.

The discrepancies and apparent backtracking in the Iranian reports could not be immediately reconciled, but it was the second quake to hit Iran in less than week and authorities could be seeking to downplay casualties.

Commentary on Iranian TV criticized international media for “exaggerating” the death toll, raising further questions about the full extent of the damage in the rugged region that’s a front line in Iran’s battle against drug traffickers and the Sunnibased militant group, Jundallah, which carries out sporadic attacks.

Syrian guns fall silent to allow Aleppo’s dead to be collected (Reuters) - Guns fell silent in one of the main battle zones of Syria’s biggest city, Aleppo, yesterday to let aid workers collect 31 bodies that had been rotting amid the rubble of the front line - the first truce in months of warfare in the city.

Red Crescent workers and members of an opposition local council drove into the edge of the working class alSakhour district in north Aleppo to pick up the mostly civilian dead, many of them hit by army sniper fire, as fighters from the two sides looked on, activists and rebel military sources said.

The opposition Aleppo Media Centre said the majority of the bodies, which included children, had already decomposed.

Some had been lying in the streets and between buildings for months. Three bodies were found with their hands tied and four were burnt

beyond recognition, the monitoring group said.

Video footage taken by the centre showed blue, grey and white body bags containing the corpses being unloaded into a schoolyard by men wearing masks and gloves.

“They were lying in no man’s land and rotting. With the weather changing, I think the other side was worried about disease spreading and allowed the truce,” one rebel commander said.

“They were mostly inhabitants of the area. Some had fled and came back to check their houses on the front line, and were hit by the government’s snipers.”

Large parts of Aleppo, once a cosmopolitan commercial hub, have fallen to Sunni Islamist opposition forces in the two-year-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect,

an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

But government forces still control key districts, and are dug in fortress-like intelligence compounds.

Al-Sakhour’s population had swollen from migration in the years before the revolt as living conditions worsened in the countryside and a water crisis devastated the economy of provinces to the east. The district, whose residents made a hard living in nearby stone quarries and cotton mills, was among the first working class areas in Aleppo to see demonstrations against Assad, months after the revolt erupted in the rural south.

An official in the local opposition council who accompanied the Red Crescent convoy into alSakhour said a previous attempt to collect the bodies had been thwarted by sniper fire.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — High court judges disqualified former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf yesterday from running in the parliamentary election, likely ending any hope of a political comeback.

The ruling was the latest blow for Musharraf, who has faced paltry public support, a raft of legal challenges and Taliban death threats since he returned to Pakistan last month after years in selfimposed exile.

Many experts predicted this would be Musharraf’s fate if he came back and have been scratching their heads at what drove his decision.

Some have speculated he misjudged how much public backing he would get, while others guessed he was simply homesick.

Musharraf received a rare piece of good news over a week ago when a judge in the remote northern district of Chitral approved his bid to run in the May 11 election, even though he was disqualified in three other districts for suspending the constitution and sacking senior judges while ruling Pakistan.

Pakistan’s former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf arrives to present party manifesto leaflets to candidates at his residence in Islamabad, Pakistan, (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) Pakistan’s political system allows a candidate to run for multiple seats simultaneously.

Lawyers challenged the Chitral decision, and yesterday the high court in the main northwestern city of Peshawar disqualified Musharraf from running in the district, said two of the lawyers who raised objections, Taufiq Asif and Rao Abdur Rahim.

Asif challenged Musharraf ’s candidacy

because of his actions while in power, while Rahim said there were procedural flaws with the former military ruler’s nomination.

Aasia Ishaq, a spokeswoman for Musharraf ’s All Pakistan Muslim League party, condemned the court’s ruling and said the entire process was “biased.”

“They are just targeting Pervez Musharraf,” Ishaq said.

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North Korea issues new threats over protests in South SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea issued new threats against South Korea yesterday, vowing “sledgehammer blows” of retaliation if South Korea did not apologize for anti-North Korean protests the previous day when the North was celebrating the birth of its founding leader.

The North also rejected what it called “cunning” U.S. overtures for talks, saying it will not be humiliated into being dragged to sit at the negotiating table by Washington.

But a senior U.S. military official in South Korea said the North Korean leadership was looking for a way to cool down its rhetoric after weeks of warnings of war.

On Monday, the North dropped its shrill threats against the United States and South Korea as it celebrated the 101st anniversary of the birth of its first leader, Kim IlSung, raising hopes for an easing of tension in a region that has for weeks seemed on the verge of conflict.

But the North’s KCNA news agency said yesterday the North Korean army had issued an ultimatum to the South after rallies in the South on Monday at which portraits of North Korea’s leaders were burned.

“Our retaliatory action will start without any notice from now,” KCNA reported, citing military leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as North Korea is officially known.

The North’s Foreign Ministry also rejected what it said was cunning U.S. scheming aimed at defusing tensions on the Korean peninsula with an offer of talks while deploying military assets capable of launching nuclear strikes against it.

Kim Jong-un “We do not oppose dialogue but we will not sit down at talks table in humiliation against opponents who are swinging the nuclear club against us,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman said in comments carried by the KCNA news agency.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Seoul last week that Washington was open to dialogue with Pyongyang on the condition that the talks would lead to eliminating nuclear arsenal from the North.

South Korean media reported several small demonstrations in the capital, Seoul, on Monday. One television station showed pictures of a handful of protesters burning a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Small counter-protests,

by South Koreans calling for dialogue with the North, were also held, media reported.

The North has threatened nuclear attacks on the United States, South Korea and Japan after new U.N. sanctions were imposed in response to its latest nuclear

arms test in February.

The North has also been angry about annual military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces, describing them as a “hostile” act. The United States dispatched B52 and B2 stealth bombers from their bases to take part.

But along with the new threat yesterday, the North’s KCNA raised the possibility of dialogue.

“If the puppet authorities truly want dialogue and negotiations, they should apologize for all anti-DPRK hostile acts, big and small, and show the compatriots their will to stop all these acts,” KCNA cited the North’s military as saying.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman later told a briefing the North Korean ultimatum was not worth a response and South Korea was waiting for the North to make a “wise decision”.

Last week, the South’s President Park Geun-hye offered talks but the North rejected the overture as a “cunning” ploy.

Park will meet U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on May 7 to discuss economic and security issues, including “countering the North Korean threat”, the White House said on Monday.

The U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a North Korean missile test or nuclear test were possible but he believed it was trying to tone down its the war of words.

“The DPRK leadership is trying to figure out a way to off-ramp from the heightened state of rhetoric that we’ve been seeing for the past several weeks,” the official told reporters.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Thatcher’s body lies in chapel as funeral debate rages LONDON (Reuters) - A coffin bearing the body of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was placed in a chapel in Britain’s parliament before her funeral today as a debate about the ceremony’s scale and guest list deepened.

Draped in the red, white and blue British flag, Thatcher’s casket was driven through London’s Whitehall government district in a black hearse as tourists and parliament workers looked on in bright sunshine.

Four undertakers then carried it on their shoulders before placing it inside the crypt of the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, a cavernous vaulted place of worship first completed by King Edward 1 of England in 1297.

Aged 87, Thatcher, who ruled Britain from 1979 to 1990, died after suffering a stroke on April 8.

Security was tight, with armed police on hand as lawmakers attended a private memorial service commemorating her career as Britain’s longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century.

Her children, Mark and Carol, also attended.

The proceedings were low-key, unlike her planned ceremonial funeral today which some left-wing lawmakers have called an

expensive political ad for her ruling Conservative party, which is trialing the opposition Labour party by 10 percent in the polls.

The guest list has prompted talk of diplomatic snubbing.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron denied the United States had snubbed Britain by not sending anyone senior from the administration of President Barack Obama.

“Absolutely not,” the spokesman said.

Obama is sending George Shultz, a secretary of state for Republican President Ronald Reagan, and James Baker, who had a number of senior roles in both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush presidencies. No senior serving politicians are

attending.

The spokesman also said the Argentine ambassador had refused an invitation to attend, a decision colored by worsening diplomatic tensions over the contested Falkland Islands.

Relations between the two countries remain strained after a 1982 war over the islands during which Thatcher ordered a task force to retake the contested South Atlantic archipelago after Argentine troops seized it by force.

But in Britain it is the estimated 10-million pound ($15 million) bill for the funeral and its grandiose nature which has drawn criticism from some lawmakers.

Thatcher was admired by many but despised by other Britons and her death has - at least temporarily - resurrected the tribal left-right politics of the 1980s with her most extreme opponents “celebrating” her death and her most ardent supporters hailing her as the country’s greatest peacetime prime minister.

Some are angry that she is being given such a lavish funeral at public expense, with Queen Elizabeth attending along with more than 700 armed forces personnel, some of whose units played a pivotal role in the Falklands conflict.

(Reuters) - A group of Democratic and Republican senators yesterday unveiled long-awaited landmark legislation to remove the threat of deportation for millions of illegal immigrants and give them an opportunity to eventually become U.S. citizens.

Under the proposal, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before December 31, 2011, and had stayed in the country continuously could apply for “provisional” legal status as soon as six months after the bill is signed by the president.

But beyond that, they would have to wait a decade or more for full citizenship which would entitle them to federal benefits, while the government works on further securing U.S. borders and enforcing the new immigration law.

The bill’s sponsors - four Democrats and four Republicans - felt such conditions were necessary to help their plan succeed where similar measures have failed, mostly because of opposition to what opponents see as

“amnesty” for law-breakers.

Even with the many caveats, the proposal faces months of debate, scores of amendments and potentially significant opposition, particularly in the Republicancontrolled House of Representatives.

“It’s nothing but a starting point,” Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa told reporters yesterday. He is the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, the panel that will manage the immigration bill.

Two of the bill’s sponsors, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York and Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, were expected to meet with President Barack Obama yesterday to review their work and its prospects.

Indeed, much of the legislation was designed to make the bill palatable to Republicans.

Billions of dollars in new money would be funneled into additional border security to discourage people from avoiding detection as they crossed Mexico’s border with the United States.

The measure would focus on tightening porous zones in “high-risk” areas like parts of Arizona where law enforcement has had less success in sealing the border, in part because of a more difficult terrain.

The bill sets a goal of stopping 90 percent of illegal crossings at the riskiest sections of the southern border with Mexico, either by catching people or forcing them to go back to their country.

The proposal would expand access to both lowand high-skilled labor for American businesses, attempting to keep organized labor happy with provisions designed to keep companies from hiring cheap foreign labor or filling jobs with immigrants when U.S. workers are available.

For the technology sector, it increases the number of visas available for educated workers filling specialized jobs, though it imposes new pay requirements designed to keep the hiring from depressing wages for U.S. technology workers.

Margaret Thatcher

Senators unveil immigration reform bill

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday April 17, 2013

Radio/Cable licences protests reach State House…

It’s deception at its best – AFC Leader

By Abena Rockcliffe The continued picket demonstration carried out by private media operatives and concerned supporters, against the glaring disparity in and discriminatory manner of distribution of radio licences, was yesterday taken to State House, Main Street. The protest action attracted the support of the Alliance For Change (AFC).

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan stated that his presence there was in solidarity with those who were denied radio licences for no decent or lawful reason.

Ramjattan labeled former president Bharrat Jagdeo’s granting of the radio licences as deceptive, since it is a violation of the agreement made between him and the then opposition leader, Hugh Desmond Hoyte.

The attorney at law outlined that Jagdeo and Hoyte had agreed that radio frequencies would have been allocated, only under a new dispensation.

The former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) executive member informed that during the tripartite budget talks, the joint parliamentary opposition sought, as a priority, to address the issues of the unfair distribution of radio licences, but got no favourable response from President Donald Ramotar.

According to Ramjattan, even though the radio licence issue was second on a list of 11 demands, the president unequivocally dismissed any possibilities for the distributed licences to be revoked.

An obviously peeved Ramjattan disclosed that the president’s position was backed by his two advisors: Gail Teixeira and “strongman”

Dr Roger Luncheon.

Ramjattan noted that all that was said by the government at the tripartite meeting summed up to a concrete position that “They (the government) are not going to rescind anything.”

The AFC leader opined that Ramotar’s position to leave everything as it is, is simply a perpetuation of the deception that Jagdeo portrayed.

Ramjattan stated that at the meeting the President said that the licences granted were granted on meritorious grounds. However, he noted that “We (the opposition) do not accept that explanation, that’s why I am glad this demonstration is in front his (Ramotar’s) house. But I don’t want it to get nasty.”

The political leader hinted at court action. He noted as well that the opposition plans to address the issue in the National Assembly. “We cannot condone this…We are going to constantly harangue them to revoke and redistribute those licences.”

At that point, Ramjattan restated his opinion about deception and expressed that he was proud to be part of a protest that makes a statement about the issues of deception and discrimination in Guyana.

“This thing about giving friends and favourites our national resources stinks… and it stinks to the high heavens,” Ramjattan stressed.

“We as politicians have limited powers. We can only pass motions but we still need the government for the implementation of such. We have to stand up for what is right, but the AFC believes in non-violent and legitimate political stances.”

“Stop grabbing Guyana for your friends and family”;

“Our constitutional rights are being violated”; “We demand equal rights and justice”; “This lawlessness must stop and “Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Jagdeo has overstepped his boundaries”, were some of the sentiments reflected on the placards that protesters held high.

Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall, who was again part of the protest action, reiterated that the fight will continue against the injustice perpetrated by Jagdeo. He too emphasised that the airwaves are a national resource and radio frequencies should have been dealt equally.

“Guyana shouldn’t have a one-sided media, and we (private media operatives and concerned supporters) can’t stomach what the government is doing. This country needs independent voices and that must be clearly understood. I don’t think the people of this country really understand what is going on with respect to these licences,” Lall said.

“This radio licence issue is not a discriminatory act against me alone, but a discriminatory act against the entire country. The private media houses that have been discriminated against will continue until (President) Donald Ramotar rectifies this issue. We will not back down.

It is a very serious matter, but I am really surprised that the opposition has been taking this issue so lightly.”

Social activist and newspaper columnist Frederick Kissoon said that he noted the government’s firm position not to budge, but stated that the people will take to the streets constantly, prepared to fight the government on the issue until the end, “our job is to stay in the street and confront them.”

Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall talks to media operatives

The protest continued outside State House yesterday

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan (centre) with members of the private media

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Agri Ministry staves off Opposition cuts The Opposition last evening held off on its threats to cut the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget by $585M after saying it was satisfied with the responses from the Government side.

This was after intense grilling of Agri Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, on several programmes including drainage and the state of affairs at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

Hours earlier, the House passed a $3B budget for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a $1.34B allocation to the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Under the Ministry, estimates were also passed for the Deeds Registry, the Supreme Court, Director of Public Prosecutions and the Magistrates’ Court. There was intense questioning over the number of contract workers.

- APNU announces $35B trim to spending The Alliance For Change (AFC), has signaled Friday that it was planning to trim $38B from the $208.8B National Budget. The cuts had been the subject of debate in the National Assembly on Monday with the House Speaker, Raphael Trotman, ruling yesterday that members had the power to cut the budget.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) also last evening gave formal notice that it intends to cut the National Budget by some $35B, but says once information is forthcoming it will not go ahead. It became clear that the many answers that Minister Ramsammy gave calmed the Opposition.

The Ministry wanted $1B to help prop the struggling

Guyana Sugar Corporation.

This too was allowed to pass after the Minister promised to present the National Assembly with a new plan later this year that the government is working on to turn the industry around.

According to Ramsammy, GuySuCo is spending $1B weekly on wages while local creditors are owed $1B for fertilizers, among other things.

There were also questions over $4B in a subsidy that went to GuySuCo last year from the Government. The Minister said that $1.5B went

to meet expenses to retroactive pay, $796M towards payment of NIS, $1B for crop financing while $142M went to South African’s Bosch Engineering for repairs to the Skeldon Factory.

The sugar industry and Skeldon have both been a vexing one for the Opposition.

Ramsammy said that $1B was to help GuySuCo’s cash flow and while the corporation is not likely to turn a profit this year, it is unlikely government will be

asking for additional monies in 2013.

Ramsammy admitted that GuySuCo’s revival has not turned out as expected but a new plan will see wider consultations from stakeholders.

Questions were also raised about GuySuCo’s board which has been facing accusations of being filled with square pegs. T h e Minister admitted that it is an area being looked at.

Regarding the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Ramsammy was also grilled on the Hope Canal and the several pumps being ordered

from India under a line of credit.

The canal is on target for August month-end, with a team to travel to India later this month to inspect the $800M pumps - some 14 of them.

Ramsammy also assured the Members of Parliament that systems have been put into place to reduce accusations of fuel fraud at NDIA with stringent record keeping and checks in place.

The $22B budget was then passed.

As of late last evening the estimates for the Ministry of Education were being considered.

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MTV CHANNEL 14/ CABLE 65 Sign on 05:30hrs - Dharma Kai Awaz: The Voice of Dharma 06:00hrs - Islamic Perspective 06:30hrs - News Update 07:00hrs - DAYBREAK 08:00hrs - Dabi’s musical 08:30hrs - Avon DVD Musical 09:00hrs - GINA programme 09:15hrs - Top Notch Music Break 09:30hrs - Caribbean Temptation Music Mix 10:00hrs - Amanda’s Costume jewellery musical 10:30hrs - Future Vision Music break 11:00hrs - Comfort Sleep Musical 11:30hrs - The View 12:00hrs - Village Talk 12:30hrs - The Young and the Restless 13:00hrs - Days of Our Lives 14:00hrs - General Hospital 15:00hrs - The Katie Couric Show 16:00hrs - The Bold and the Beautiful 16:30hrs - Cartoons

Wednesday April 17, 2013

17:00hrs - Birthday and other greetings 17:15hrs - Death Announcements/ In Memoriam 17:30hrs - Sitcom 18:00hrs - Aracari Resort Hour 19:00hrs - Pulse Ent. Update 19:30hrs - News update 20:30hrs - DJ Stress Update 21:30hrs - English Movie: Gangster squad 23:00hrs - News Update

23:30hrs - English Movie: Gangster squad continues Sign Off DTV CHANNEL 8 08:25 hrs. Sign On 08:30 hrs. This Morning 09:00 hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 10:00 hrs. Roseanne 11:00 hrs. The View 12:00 hrs. Prime News 12:30 hrs. The Young and the Restless 13:30 hrs. The Bold and the

Beautiful 14:00 hrs. The Talk 15:00 hrs. Chain Reaction 16:00 hrs. Family Feud 17:00 hrs. Charmed 18:00 hrs. World News 18:30 hrs. Nightly News 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00 hrs. Channel 8 News 21:00 hrs. Criminal Minds (Repeat) 22:00 hrs. Movie: Children of the Living Dead 23:00 hrs. Sign Off

Guides are subjected to change without notice

Wednesday April 17, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19): Crash! Bam! Kapow! You are feeling empowered now that your planet, Mars the Warrior, is lined up with the brilliant Sun. However, you may try to impose your will on everyone around you due to your exuberance.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20): Unexpressed emotions are currently being stirred and confronting them may bring up old unresolved feelings of a n g e r. Yo u a r e u s u a l l y down to earth and have a common-sense attitude toward life.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20): You are likely to share your thoughts on a regular basis — either verbally or in writing. Usually, you can say what you want and be done with it. But it may be more difficult now to separate your ideas and opinions from your identity.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): There’s some powerful energy coming your way today. However, the question is whether or not you can acknowledge it and put it to good use. If you are unable to ride the creative waves, you may take your frustration out on a friend by overstating your anger.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): Your professional ambitions are riding high today. You are driven to accomplish more than normal now, yet this excessive behavior poses some danger.

You may inadvertently create conflict with others in your quest to achieve your objectives.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): Today’s planetary patterns bring a mixture of messages.

The good news is that your high energy level is off the charts now. You’re feeling invincible and think that you can do whatever needs to be done.

CANCER (June 21–July 22): You might feel somewhat detached from your immediate surroundings today. It’s as if you are hidden in a murky swamp looking up at the world. But everything seems warped out of shape by the ripples on the surface of the water.

CAPRICORN(Dec.22–Jan.19): One of your ongoing concerns is how to drive yourself along toward your goals without pushing others too hard. If you act too forceful, you’ll feel the negative consequences as someone backs away from you.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22): The hyperactive SunMars conjunction highlights your 9th House of Big Ideas.

A little spark can start a fire in your belly that grows hotter throughout the day, driving you to pursue your adventurous dreams.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18): The unique situation that is unfolding now may take various paths, depending on your current relationship status. If you have functional partners, you can work together to make something special happen.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): You might feel irritable today and yet you can’t put your finger on the source of your malaise. There may be hidden issues cooking in the minds of your friends now, and it’s to your advantage to get them to talk about their secrets.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20): If you are experiencing any health problems these days, this is a smart time to think about what you can do to improve your physicality. Take responsibility for your own body, but don’t just rush off to another doctor looking for the latest amazing cure.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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9th Linden Secondary Schools U-19 Basketball championship begins today - Schools receive uniforms ahead of colourful march past A colourful spectacle is anticipated at this afternoon’s opening ceremony of the 9th annual Linden Secondary Schools Under-19 basketball championships, where the Linmine Drum Corps will lead off the parade of the six contesting schools including defending champions Linden Technical Institute, Christianburg Wismar Secondary ‘Multi’, Mackenzie High, Linden Foundation Secondary, New Silvercity Secondary and Wisburg Secondary this afternoon at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.

Organising the event this year will be the Linden Amateur Basketball Association which up to Saturday last staged a ‘crash course’ for table officials and statisticians drawn from the schools, to ensure there is enough competent officials throughout the championship, bearing in mind that some of its personnel will be unavailable due to work commitment when the matches are played during the early afternoon hours.

The Secretary of the Association Joseph

Chapman made the point that due to circumstances beyond their control the uniforms for the schools had to be sought locally as against what was obtained overseas over the years and that delay pushed back the start on the tournament.

Nevertheless, he said, after Two Brothers Gas Station and Slingerz Family accepted a request to sponsor the uniforms, which they were able to distribute over the weekend the tournament will now bounce off as anticipated, with pomp and ceremony.

The uniforms donated by Two Brothers Gas Station and Slingerz FC Club

Students being given a practical demonstration by Carlton Gravesande of LABA on how to use the game clock.

GraceKennedy ‘Penns’...

From page 34 ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field Championships were presented with their trophies, as follows: Delano Williams (Munro College), Fedrick Dacres (Calabar High), and Clive Pullen (Kingston College) were the joint Class One champions; Calabar’s Michael O’Hara was the Class Two champion, with KC’s Jhevaughn Matherson the Class Three champion.

In the girls’ section, Vere Technical’s

Shericka Jackson was the Class One champion, with Joneil Smith of Wolmer’s Girls and Rochelle Frazer of Edwin Allen sharing the Class Two honours. Rushelle Burton of St Andrew High was the Class Three champion, with Kimone Shaw of St Jago High, the Class Four champion.

Overall, O’Hara was the boys’ champion, and Gleneve Grange of Holmwood Technical was the girls’ champion.

Chapman admitted that the first week will be extremely important to the conclusion of the championship as the schools will be hard pressed playing from today through to Friday beginning at 2:30pm with the first game and the second at 4:00pm.

This afternoon’s lone opening game will start at 4:00pm after the march past at 3:00pm where the Linmine Drum Corps will lead off the parade of the players of the participating schools and officials to be taken by Regional Chairman of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Berbice) Sharma Solomon, Linden Interim Management Committee Chairman Orin Gordon and Linden Town Week Committee Chairman Eon Halls and senior Physical Education Officer Lindie Langhorne and LABA President Haslyn Graham.

Chapman said that the

Kayla Brusche (left) of New Silvercity Secondary School receives uniforms for her school from Ashton Angel (Jr.) Organising Secretary of the LABA while other team reps look on. tournament will be completed during the annual Linden Town Week celebrations with the final set for May 1.

He said the association was pleased that that Two Brothers Gas Station came on board with a huge contribution to fund the costs for the uniforms for the various schools and was hopeful that other sponsors in Linden would step up to the plate even as the tournament bounces off this afternoon with the lone

game.

Several trophies, replicas and medals are at stake for this year’s tournament and among those assisting are United States based Euron Equipment Repairs, Maxi Stephens, Marlon Josiah, Orin Louison, and Linden ‘Sancho’ Alphonso all based in the United States of America along with Two Brothers Gas Station and Slingerz Family of West Demerara and local beverage giants Banks DIH Limited.

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Kaieteur News

Moen Gafoor prevails in closely contested Amelia Falls Hydro Open scrabble tournament

Moen Gafoor

Abigail McDonald

In what was regarded as the most keenly contested tournament where three of the top seeds ended on 5 points apiece, Moen Gafoor distinguished himself from among the lot with the largest spread of 500 to take the top prize when the Amelia Falls Hydro Open scrabble tournament concluded at the Malteenoes Sports Club, Thomas lands, Sunday afternoon last. Gafoor lost to Abigail McDonald (122) who in turn surrendered a game to Belony by a spread of 76.

In a tournament of fluctuating fortunes it was the nail biting encounter between Belony and Gafoor which had the most significant impact on the result. That game fluctuated with first Gafoor and then Belony effecting superb plays and assuming slim leads. The

Leon Belony

pattern continued right down to the final move when Gafoor eked past Belony by 4 points.

He then went on to defeat veteran, Grace Hercules, by 164 in the final round which saw him surging ahead of Belony and McDonald.

Wayne Cave continued to show vast improvement and consistency when he played his way to the 4th place which also earned him the special prize for the best player outside of the top 10.

The 3 top players were each rewarded with beautiful trophies donated by the sponsors.

Activities continue this Thursday evening when the players convene at the Malteenoes Sports Club for the usual practice sessions while the date for the next tournament will be announced soon.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Blake may miss two meetings through hamstring injury

Jamaican runners Usain Bolt (L) and Yohan Blake prepare to run in the men’s 400m race of the Camperdown Classic, an annual track event in its ninth year, in Kingston February 9, 2013. REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy KINGSTON (Reuters) Jamaica’s world 100 metres champion Yohan Blake could miss the Jamaica International Invitational on May 4 and the Shanghai Diamond League meeting a fortnight later because of a hamstring injury, his coach Glen Mills said on Tuesday.

Mills told Reuters that the right hamstring injury sustained by Blake during a 100 metres race on Saturday at the UTECH Track and Field Classic in Kingston was more

serious than originally thought.

“An MRI done Monday afternoon revealed the hamstring injury sustained was more serious than first thought,” he said. “Blake could be out for several weeks as he recuperates.”

Blake, who finished second to training partner Usain Bolt in last year’s London Olympics 100 and 200 metres final, trailed former world champion Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis after 40

metres following a less than impressive start in his first 100 of the season on Saturday.

The joint second fastest man ever then pulled up, favoring his right hamstring as he tried to power past Collins.

Blake who walked around without assistance minute after the race, tweeted “am good my twitter family just a cramp”. He was scheduled to run over 200 metres in Shanghai.

SIXTH DF&GI U-19 INTER ZONE TOURNEY LAUNCHED BCB received sponsorship cheque from Diamond Fire & General Insurance

The sixth edition of the Diamond Fire & General Insurance Under-19 Inter Zone cricket tournament organised by the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) was launched Monday.

BCB Special Events Committee Chairman and Public Relations Officer Hilbert Foster disclosed that that the 2-day tournament is set to commence tomorrow with the first innings restricted to 65 overs. The four teams competing are West Berbice, New Amsterdam/ Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne.

West Berbice and New Amsterdam/Canje would clash at the Bush Lot Ground, West Coast, Berbice while lower and Upper Corentyne would play at the No. 69 Ground.

The Winners of both matches would clash at the Albion Community Centre Ground on a date to be decided while the two losing teams would play at the Port Mourant Cricket Ground.

Foster stated that the Board expects the tournament to be of a high standard since players the likes of Shawn Pereira, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd and Shimron Hetmyer will be participating.

BCB First Vice President Anil Beharry

expressed gratitude to the sponsor for their continued support and confidence in the BCB, while disclosing that the performances of the players during the competition would form the basis for selection to the Berbice Under-19 Inter County team.

Beharry also informed that the Board’s mission is to maintain and improve the development of the game to the highest level ever in the Ancient County despite several setbacks including not receiving any subvention from the Guyana Cricket Board.

Regional Manager of Diamond Fire & General Insurance, Philip Kowlessar, in handing over the cheque stated that his Company enjoys the relationship with the BCB. He praised the Board for its organising skills, while expressing the hope that the 2013 edition would be played in an atmosphere of unity and goodwill among the players.

He also pledged his company’s continued assistance in the future. The tournament is sponsored to the tune of $335,000. The four teams would also be provided with colour Tshirts compliments of the sponsor.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Several teams register wins as Scotiabank Pepsi School Football Academy action continues Several teams registered victories when the Scotiabank Pepsi School Football Academy tournament continued over the past weekend at 3 venues. Over at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue, Charlestown Secondary trounced Tucville Secondary 6-2 on the back of a Samuel Mitchell hat trick in the 22nd, 50th and 55th minutes. He received support from Anthony Bartholomew (12th), Shawn Spencer (25th) and Ixos Da Silva (29th).

Keifer Brandt (14th) and Sherwin Reid (39th) scored for Tucville Secondary.

Campbellville Secondary School females then defeated Tutorial 1-nil after All Star player Cindy McPherson, scored the lone goal. Two other games were scheduled to be played yesterday between Chase Academy Foundation and St George’s and School of the Nations against North Georgetown Secondary.

Meanwhile, over in Linden at the Wisburg Secondary School Ground, Mackenzie High maintained a perfect record in the lone match of the day at their ground. Those players churned out a hard fought 31 victory over Wisburg

Secondary School. After a keenly contested first half when neither team managed to score, Jesse Marshall opened the eventual winners’ account in the 42nd minute and was emulated by Randy Hohenkirk in the 64th. Kelvin Neblett pulled one back for Wisburg in the 66th minute but Shaquille Campbell responded four minutes later to seal the victory and send Mackenzie High to the top of table with 6 points.

Over in Berbice at the All Saints Ground, Berbice High defeated Vryman’s Ervin by 31 in a male game after Dmitry Thom scored in the 22nd minute. Mustafa Nicholson (46th) and Shomar Arrindale (48th) were the goal scorers for the winners while Christopher Alli scored the lone goal for Vryman’s Ervin. Tutorial Academy then won by 1-nil against Canje Secondary with Joshua Butts scoring the lone goal in the 29th min.

The final game was contested among the females and saw Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) defeating New Amsterdam Multilateral (NAM) 2-1. Ayana Kellman (35th) and Latisha Leitch (37th) scored for BEI, while Alicia Trim (19th) scored NAM in a losing effort.

Adams XI beat Paul XI in ECB U-19 trials

Ricardo Adams Ricardo Adams XI defeated Kemo Paul XI in successive matches when the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) commenced their trial matches to select their Inter County U-19 team recently at Anna Regina.

In the first game, Adams XI batted first and posted 258 all out in 40 overs. Adams led with 89 while Avinash

Persaud made 68 and Ricardo Peters 45. Kemo Paul grabbed 3-35.

Paul XI in reply made 1508 in 40 overs with Paul scoring 52 and Andy Dass 45; Adams took 3-25 and Mark Gonsalves 2-35.

In the second game, Adams XI triumphed by 71 runs. Adams XI scored 285 all out in 50 overs taking first strike. Adams was again their leading run scorer with 58, while Parmesh Parashutam chipped in 45; Paul Williams made 40, Ricardo Peters 36 and Mark Gonsalves 33. Left arm spinner Herry Green claimed 3-27.

Paul XI responded with 214 before they were bowled out in 37 overs. Raj Parbattie top scored with 58, while Ryan Adams contributed 42 and Keanu Harry 37; Mark Gonsalves had 3-31.

Page 31

Rafik Construction 2nd Div. 20-overs cricket - Lower/Central Corentyne...

Hamid’s 5-31, Hussain 74 & Kamaludeen’s 54 set up Fyrish Road win The Rafik Construction 2nd division 20-over cricket competition, organised by the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) for teams in the Lower and Central Corentyne areas saw some notable performances as Fyrish Road, Tain Block Four, Fyrish Courtland All Star and Rose Hall Town Bakewell all advanced to the second round.

Sixty-nine year-old off spinner Zamin Hamid, with over 50-years experience, captured 5 for 31 for Fyrish Road against Letterkenny Young Star who nevertheless registered a decent 161 for 8 in their 20 overs; opening batsman Mahendra Ramoutar made 76 (5x4 6x6).

Fyrish Road in reply benefitted from an opening stand of 140 between Imran Hussain, who cracked 74 (7x4 4x6) and Joseph Kamaludeen 54 (4x4) piloting their team to a comfortable six wicket victory.

Thanks mainly to Mahendra Baldeo’s 64 (7x4 3x6), Tain Block Four rattled up 200 for 9 in their 20 overs against Mibicuri Strikers whose medium pacer Anil Deonarine grabbed 5 for 27 from 2.4 overs. Tain’s off spinner Dhanraj Janack then took 4 for 7 from 3 overs to orchestrate Mibicuri’s demise for just 69 in response.

Former Berbice Under-19 off spinner Munilall Shivdyal took 4 for 10 from 4 overs and former CCC Regional player off spinner Ramnarine Chattergoon collected 3 for 15 from 4 overs to help Fyrish restrict Belvedere United to 133 in 19.4 overs.

When Fyrish replied, their

openers Wazir Mohamed (57) and Yuvindra Chinapen (48 no) featured in an opening stand of 74 in just 8 overs.

When Mohamed fell, Chattergoon (14 no) joined Chinapen and together added the required 60 runs in just 5 overs to see Fyrish home.

Spearheading Courtland All Star to victory over Kennard’s Memorial were Jason Sinclair, who lashed 52 and pacer Keon Sinclair who returned figures of 4 for 15 from 4 overs.

Summarised scores from the matches played: At Albion Front - Fyrish Road took care of Letterkenny Young Star by 6 wickets.

Letterkenny Young Star 161 for 8 in 20 overs; Mahendra Ramoutar 76; Zamin Hamid 5 for 31.

Fyrish Road 166 for 4 in 18.3 overs; Imran Hussain 74, Joseph Kamaludeen 54.

At Tain - Tain Block Four hammered Mibicuri Strikers by 131 runs. Tain Block Four 200 for 9 in 20 overs; Mahendra Baldeo 64, Balram Persaud 29, Anil Deonarine 5 for 45, Rohit Sanichar 2 for 23.

Mibicuri Strikers 69 in 14.4 overs; Rohit Sanichar 16; Dhanraj Janack 4 for 7 and Gerald Mangal 2 for 32.

At Fyrish - Fyrish beat Belvedere United by 9 wickets. Belvedere United 133 in 19.4 overs; Munilall 4 for 10, Ramnarine Chattergoon 3 for 15 and Aishnarine Shrikissoon 2 for 20.

Fyrish 134 for 1 in 13 overs; Wazir Mohamed 57, Yuvindra Chinapen 48 N.O and Ramnarine Chattergoon 14.

At Bush Lot Farm -

Joseph Kamaludeen

Zamin Hamid

Courtland All Star beat Kennard’s Memorial by 54 runs. Courtland All Star 161 for 8 in 20 overs; Jason Sinclair 52, Dwayne Crandon 44; Somesh Mangru 3 for 21.

Kennard’s Memorial 107 in 18.2 overs; Devendra Sydney 3 for 21.

At Rose Hall Town - Rose

Hall Town Bakewell brushed aside Johanna Bush Rangers by 8 wickets. Johanna Bush Rangers 70 in 18.3 overs; Eon Hooper 3 for 8, Ravi Narine 3 for 15, Arif Chan 2 for 11, Devin Baldeo 2 for 17. Rose Hall Town Bakewell 72 for 2 in 8 overs; Mankarran Singh 26.

Important issues tabled as Horse Racing Authority stages Ordinary General Meeting Several important issues are slated to be discussed when affiliates of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) convene for an important Ordinary General Meeting at the Grand Stand of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) this Sunday, April 21. According to Secretary, Denzie Goring, the meeting gets underway at 11:00hrs and the first item will be the correction of the minutes for the meeting held on February 23 last. There will then be the adoption of the minutes before issues relating to matters arising out of those minutes are discussed. There will also be a review of race meets held on several dates

in February and March.

Several other issues will form a part of the agenda including payment of affiliation fees, the review of classification lists, allegations of improper riding leveled at one of the jockeys and legislation relating to the sport. The affiliates will also discuss a correspondence dispatched to President Donald Ramotar on the issue of appropriate legislation pertaining to the effective running of the sport. The meeting will end when the attendees address any other business. The executive committee of the KMTC is asking all members to make a special effort to attend.

Page 32

GCB/Limacol Cup...

By Zaheer Mohamed Defending champions, Berbice defeated Essequibo by 180 runs, while Demerara finished with first innings points against President XI, when the first round of the Guyana Cricket Board\Limacol Cup U-15 Inter-County Two-Day competition concluded

Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Berbice trounce Essequibo, Demerara take first innings against President XI Monday.

At Enmore, Essequibo were bowled out for 17 in just 13.3 overs after being set 198 to win in 51 overs. Eight of the Essequibo batters made ducks; Joshua Jones top scored with nine.

Sylus Tyndall blew the Essequibians away with 5-4 and left arm spinner Joel

Seetaram grabbed 3/0.

Starting their second innings with a lead of 25, Berbice declared on 172/4 from 49 overs with opener Adrian Suloway top scoring with 59 (4x6). He received support from Matthew Hardial 36 and Joshua Harrichand 31 not out.

Bowling for Essequibo,

Captain of the Demerara team Bhaskar Yadram introduce the Finance Manager of the New GPC Dwayne Lovell to one of his players yesterday.

Christopher Latchman finished with 3-57 and Beesham Moses 1-38.

In the first innings, Berbice managed only 97 in 37 overs, batting first with Adrian Sukwah scoring 29, while Matthew Hardial made 23. For Essequibo talented leg spinner Beesham Moses, who hails from Wakenaam, bowled with good control and variation to take 4-13, while Christopher Latchman claimed 3/34.

Essequibo were bowled out for 72 from 37 overs in their first innings. Christopher Latchman and Mark Williams scored 21 and 11 respectively.

Joel Sataram with 4/15 and Joshua Harrichand with 3/23 were the pick of the bowlers for Berbice.

At Everest ground, Demerara resumed the second and final day on 43/1 with a lead of 181 and Yadram on 28. The classy right hander went on to register another half century (53) which included ten boundaries.

Ricardo Mohamed continued his fine form with 21* to help Demerara to 123/4 declared in 23 overs. Andrew Clifford bowled well to capture 3-21 off nine overs.

Needing 262 to win the game, President XI managed to hold on for a draw reaching 141/9 in 89 overs. Rishi Looknauth top scored with 34 (3x4s) and got support from Vickram Talmakun and Andrew Clifford with 21 and 28 respectively.

Keshram Shewpersaud grabbed 3/19 from 11 overs while Yadram and Ashmead

Man-of-the-match, Bhaskar Yadram receiving his trophy from GCB vice-president, Alfred Mentore.

Nedd accounted for two wickets each.

Demerara won the toss on the first day and elected to bat, they managed 198-3 in their allotted 38 overs.

Bhaskar Yadram was left stranded on 99 when the time for the first innings expired (2hrs, 30 mins). The composed and fluent right hander faced 104 balls in his innings which included 12 boundaries. He shared a 78 run third wicket partnership with Ronaldo Mohamed who made 43. President’s XI were rusty in the field; they missed numerous catches and misfielded throughout the innings.

When President’s XI began their reply, they appeared as if they will give Demerara a tough fight as Raymond Perez was timing the ball sweetly all around the field. However, after he was stumped for 25 in the 11th over, President’s XI fell apart; they were bowled out for 60 in 29.3 overs.

Hathairamani led the

destruction with five wickets for seven runs from 7.3 overs.

He was well supported by Colin Barlow and Ashmeed Nedd who grabbed two wickets each.

Demerara captain Bhaskar Yadram was adjudged Manof-the Match for his first innings unbeaten 99 and his second innings 53. The competition continues today April 17 to tomorrow April 18 when Essequibo will face Demerara at Wales, and President XI will take on Berbice at Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground.

Meanwhile, officials from the New GPC and the Guyana Cricket Board opened the competition on Sunday by meeting the Demerara and the President XI teams at Everest.

New GPC marketing manager, Trevor Bassoo, challenged the players to give their best and be disciplined at the same time. And GCB secretary, Anand Sanasie, thanked the sponsors for their commitment and wished the players well.

Letter to the Sport Editor...

The Future of National Football DEAR SIR, First and foremost, I must offer my congratulations to Mr. Christopher Matthias upon his election to the presidency of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) following a resounding victory by an 11-6 margin over Mr. Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, in the third round of voting, which was preceded by two ties in the previous rounds when the Ordinary Congress of the GFF, concluded at the Le Meridian Pegasus on Friday, April 12, with the elections of Office Bearers.

Editor, “while a nation deserves the government it gets, since that is what the people voted for”, in a similar manner the fraternity of football voted for an executive and their views must be respected.

Despite the fact that, the ill effects of democracy, allows any misfit to be elected by the will of the majority! An executive with three coaches, one of whom contested every position other than the presidency, which is a clear indication, cause it what it may, that the individual had to at all costs be part and parcel of the executive.

Finally, with Matthias’ term of office

lasting a period of two years, which indeed would be a major challenge, due to the fact that a few of the electors have no previous administrative experience, at club or association level. So, in actuality the transformation process at the national level may be more slothful. In addition to the designated constitutional responsibilities.

As a consequence I do hope the process of adaptation and learning is expeditious, while the commitment of “developing and promoting the sport of football nationally” is achieved during the president’s tenure, or at least the foundation is laid.

And by the way, apart from Constitutional reform that was highlighted during the campaign period, would there be any reform with the office staff along with the General Secretary, and his deputy? Given the fact that the inherent debt amounting to millions in double digits should entail cost cutting measures inclusive of the closure of offices in non-productive associations! Nevertheless, best of luck to all and sundry, in their endeavors.

Lester Sealey.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 33

Gony leads Kings XI’s twilight robbery

Manpreet Gony pirate of the Punjab. (BCCI)

ESPNcricinfo - Kolkata Knight Riders dominated possession for about 80% of the match, but conceded goals in the last few minutes of either half. Playing his first match of this IPL, Manpreet Gony won Kings XI Punjab this game out of nowhere.

The hosts were dead and buried reeling under a Sunil Narine hat-trick when Gony walked out to bat, but his 18ball 42 gave Kings XI a target to bowl to. Still, Gautam Gambhir and Eoin Morgan were cruising home when Gony came back for his second spell, but those three overs for six runs - two of them wides - and the wicket of Gambhir caused enough panic for Knight Riders to

The Universal DVD Young Warriors Cricket Club acquires large covers The covers is laid over the pitch area at the ground with club officials and players present. In the foreground is the selfdriven land mower.

The Universal DVD Young Warriors Cricket Club of Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice recently acquired a large cricket covers measuring 120ft x 40ft. The covers, which is of very good quality, was acquired with funds raised from the recently held Mash Cup 2013 and cost close to $600,000. The venue is now one of the best in Berbice and a few in Guyana to have those kinds of facilities as UDYWCC. Only recently, the club bought a self-driven land mower from Miami, Florida for $340,000.

Anil Beharry, Secretary/ Treasurer of the club, stated, “The club continues to provide a modern facility for residents in the area, young cricketers in particular. I expect that all users care it for it helps to improve the lives of our people.

Residents must desist from trying to use the ground when it is damp. I called on parents and elders in the communities in the area to send their children to join the club to play cricket. The club

is never closed to membership and it is free.”

He also took the opportunity to once again thank the following sponsors of the successful Mash Cup 2013: Banks DIH, Republic Bank Limited, J’s Supermarket, Ansa McAl, Metro Office Supplies, S Satar (Roshan) and Son General Store, Mortimer George, Terminate, Charrandas Persaud Law Firm, Ashiek and Son Motor Supplies, Chandra Sohan, Inshan Satar, Martin Singh of ABS, N Hamid and Sons, Uprising Bar, B Debydeen

Food Supplier, Deonarine Hollow Block, Jason Sripal, Roger of Extreme Trucking Service, A Mahabir and Sons Supermarket, Sharple Furniture Establishment, Republic Bank Ltd Corriverton, Danzie Auto Sale and Clothing, Mangru Supermarket, Homeline Furniture Establishment, Vish Guttering Establishment, Ramadhar Liquor Restaurant, Home Design, Zaheer Liquor Restaurant, Bishram Chicken Establishment, Price is Right, Clarence David, Natasha Travel Service.

Dass is new BCC chairman Ishwar Dass was elected Chairman of the Bartica Cricket Committee (BCC) when the body held its Bi-Annual General Meeting on Sunday last at the St. Anthony Primary School.

Roland Persaud will serve as the Vice President, while the Secretary is Adrian Persaud. The Treasurer is Elvis Seeram and Troy Harper the Assistant Secretary Treasurer. The committee members are Paul Tracy, Yusuf Khan and Arjune Jagroo.

Speaking after the elections, Dass thanked the members for electing him and pledged to continue the upward mobility started by the past executive. He stated much emphasis will be placed at the grass-root level. He also thanked the Essequibo Cricket Board for supporting the BCC at all levels.

crumble.

Forget the unfathomable - in Twenty20 - spin of Sunil Narine and Sachithra Senanayake, which got Knight Riders the four big wickets of Kings XI’s overseas batsmen for just 13 runs off 15 balls, it was the Indian domestic batsmen’s ineptitude against the bouncer that proved to be the decider. Kings XI lost four of their batsmen to balls pitched short, but crucially, Knight Riders’ Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan were deers in headlights when confronted with accurate bouncers.

When Tiwary came out to bat at the fall of Gambhir for a third straight half-century, Knight Riders needed only 52 off 41 with seven wickets in hand. Gony bounced him again and again, and it got uglier and uglier for Tiwary as he faced seven balls for one run, slogged at more than half of them, and left Knight Riders stuck. Yusuf wasn’t much better, except that he lasted longer, and managed a top edge over the keeper in his 13 off 16. The crucial difference between the two innings was

that Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra of Kings XI had scored some runs - Mandeep managed a crucial 41 - before they were bounced. And when bounced, they didn’t waste balls, and got out.

Tiwary and Yusuf couldn’t get out, and suddenly Knight Riders needed 30 off the last two overs. The problem for Kings XI was that they had run out of the overs from Azhar Mahmood, who took three wickets including that of Jacques Kallis, and Gony.

Kings XI had to bowl Parvinder Awana, and they did so in the 19th over. His Delhi team-mate, Rajat Bhatia, got stuck into him, and his two sixes brought it down to 11 off seven. Awana, though, had his own back as he beat Bhatia on the pull and bowled

him top of middle and leg before signing off. The canny Praveen Kumar had to bowl the crucial last over, and he nearly lost it with a huge wide down the leg side. Adam Gilchrist might be having a horror tournament with the bat, but dived full length to his left to save four runs. The game kept alive, Praveen bowled a superb final over, making sure that he was about a foot behind the front line for every ball. Whoever says he is not mentally fit for cricket is way off the mark.

Scores: Kings XI Punjab 157 for 9 (Gony 42, Mandeep 41, Kallis 3-24, Narine 3-33, Senanayake 228) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 153 for 9 (Gambhir 60, Morgan 47, Mahmood 3-21, Praveen 2-26) by 4 runs

Rain robs Guyana...

From page 35 then decided that Trinidad will play the final base on a superior net run rate in round robin stage of the competition.

Manager of the Guyana team stated that they were

disappointed with the decision made by the LOC but were happy to be part of the tournament. Festus Benn came in for special mention for being the joint leading wicket taker with Wayne Morgan of Jamaica.

Page 34

Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

GraceKennedy ‘Penns’ Relay deal with ISSA Jamaica Observer GraceKennedy continued its commitment to ISSA’s track and field programme with the launch of the “From Champs to Penn” programme, which will cost a cool US$12,000 (J$1.2m) in cash and kind to help send schools to the relays set for April 25-27 at the University of Pennsylvania.

The press briefing which saw GraceKennedy throwing its support behind Team Jamaica Bickle, also served as Champs Awards ceremony, where the top athletes from

each class were presented with their trophies.

Anthony Lawrence, Global Brand manager, GKMS, revealed that his organisation — one of the official sponsors of Penn Relays — said that Grace follows the Jamaican diaspora.

Lawrence took time out to talk about Grace’s ongoing sponsorship of the Penn Relays through its GraceFoods International.

“Our signage is inside the field, you see our branding

outside at the different gates, and when you drive through the city of Pennsylvania in the area of the university, you see our bottles,” said Lawrence.

He continued: “It’s very expensive, but it is money well spent because we are doing it as an extension of what Jamaica and GraceKennedy are.

“If it is good for Jamaica, it is good for GraceKennedy.

We are in it for the long haul, we are supporting team Jamaica. We are expanding beyond the shores of Jamaica

GraceKennedy 'Penns' Relay deal with ISSA

and to develop new products to sell into new markets,” he noted.

Meanwhile, senior vicepresident GKMS Noel Greenland spoke of Western Union’s involvement in that every time someone sends money through that agency, the children in Jamaica will benefit in the long run.

“Over 80 per cent of the audience at Penn Relays,

believe it or not, are Jamaicans. Jamaicans travel from right across the length and breadth of the United States to go to Penn Relays every year. At the end of the day, the flag of Jamaica will and must fly high. Jamaica is the ultimate winner,” Greenland noted.

Meanwhile, the various class champions from the (Continued on page 29)

Digicel is major sponsor for CPL

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has signed global telecommunications company and long-term West Indies Cricket sponsor Digicel as a major sponsor of the newly formed competition, which will host its inaugural tournament in July and August.

“We are thrilled to have Digicel as our partner in this venture,” said CPL founder, Ajmal Khan of Verus International. “Its wealth of experience in the region and in West Indies cricket will be an invaluable asset to the CPL, ensuring its initial and long-term success.”

Digicel has been the main sponsor of West Indies Cricket since 2004. Since that time the company has proven its worth as a marketing leader in the region — something that CPL appreciates will bring great value to the tournament.

“The Digicel brand is a strong one — one that has captivated the Caribbean, and we are sure it will help us to do the same with the CPL brand,” concluded Khan.

“Digicel has built a rock-solid reputation globally, and its positioning in the region and commitment to cricket can only serve to enhance the CPL product further.”

The sponsorship will be a

multi-year deal and represents a significant investment from Digicel “The CPL is a perfect fit for Digicel. We’re huge fans of West Indies cricket and this is a great opportunity for us to invest not only in what will be an amazing event, but also in the young cricketers, who will benefit from around the region,” stated Digicel Group Marketing Director Kieran Foley.

“Having seen all the plans for the inaugural tournament, we know the CPL will be a spectacle like nothing else seen in the region, and we are looking forward to being front and centre of the action.”

Foley says that in addition to marketing expertise, Digicel also brings a wealth of other benefits to the CPL, including its integral and long-term involvement in the regional sport, which has created invaluable relationships with the West Indies and regional players; the company’s presence in all of the possible CPL franchise countries which will provide welcomed addition for the CPL throughout the region and the familiarity with and respect that West Indies fans have for Digicel because of its close connection with the game and the fans.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 35

RCB CHOKE, THEN WIN IN SUPER OVER

Ravi Rampaul took the wickets of David Warner and Ben Rohrer in the Super Over, Royal Challengers. (BCCI) ESPNcricinfo - It was a match neither team seemed to want to win. Low on quality, it headed towards what looked like a natural result, a Royal Challengers Bangalore victory, for about 33 overs.

Out of the other seven, two produced 30 runs for Delhi Daredevils at the end, two were a contest between Morne Morkel and Chris Gayle that the bowler won, and the other three featured an almighty choke from Royal Challengers that resulted in a tie despite a Ravi Rampaul six in the last over when they needed 12.

Umesh Yadav nearly won it for Delhi in the Super Over with four yorkers or nearyorkers at the top, which went for three runs, but he missed

the length on the last two, and AB de Villiers deposited both of them over deep midwicket for sixes. Royal Challengers, nursing their demons of ties and close matches, called upon Rampaul, who has demons of his own in Super Overs, but he had also bowled a maiden and hit that six over extra cover when it seemed Royal Challengers had seen a ghost and forgotten how to bat.

Daredevils had a surprise in store too. Neither Virender Sehwag nor Mahela Jayawardene batted. David Warner found point first ball, and out came Irfan Pathan with two right gloves in hand.

The glove changed, he picked up a length ball over square leg for four. Rampaul

came back with a yorker, but Irfan pulled out an absolute rabbit by walking down to the fourth ball and ramping it over fine leg for a huge six.

With six required off the last two, Rampaul dished out a full toss, and got lucky. Irfan flicked it nicely, but found square leg. Six feet either side, and it would have been over.

That bullet bitten, Rampaul bowled full and straight, and bowled out IPL debutant Ben Rohrer.

All this sporadic excitement, though, was like an old man out on a pacemaker at times. Except for a blinder of a return catch from R Vinay Kumar, that contest between Morkel and Gayle, and Rampaul’s six, it was all curiously unspectacular. On a flat skiddy pitch with a quick small outfield around it, no Daredevils batsman reached 30, no Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler extracted disconcerting movement or extraordinary fortune, but somehow Daredevils remained subdued throughout their innings to end up with a paltry total by Bangalore standards. Most strikingly, Jayawardene scratched around for 28 off 31.

There was some spark to the Daredevils’ start, but it was short-lived. Sehwag and Warner seemed to have set up a good base with 42 off the first five overs, but then Vinay plucked an unbelievable catch when Warner smashed one back at him. In the next over, Sehwag chipped a gentle loosener

Les Harris T\20 tournament...

Rain robs Guyana of final spot The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) team recently returned from St. Lucia where they took part in the Les Harris Twenty\20 tournament. The team lost their opening game against eventual winners Jamaica but rebounded to beat St. Lucia in their second encounter before rain prevented them from a possible victory against Trinidad and Tobago in the semi final.

In their opening game, Jamaica won by 50 runs.

Jamaica won the toss and elected to bat, made 121 in allotted 20 overs with Combined Campuses and Colleges batsman Wayne Morgan top scoring with 57.

Bowling for Guyana Festus Benn and Balram Samaroo grabbed three wickets each.

Guyana in reply were bowled out for 71 with Andrew Williams scoring 20.

The Guyanese defeated

Wayne Osborne St. Lucia by 8 wickets in their second match. The host batted first and were bowled out for 81 with Festus Benn taking three wickets while Balram Samaroo and Marlon Munroe picked up two each.

Guyana in reply made 82 for 2 in 15 overs with Wayne Osborne leading the way with an unbeaten 52; he was named man of the match.

Guyana then had to play Trinidad and Tobago in the Semi-finals. Trinidad won the

toss and elected to bat and were bowled out for 91.

Festus Benn and Marlon Munroe took 3 wickets each.

Guyana in reply were 34 with out loss in 2.4 overs with Osborne on 22.

However the rain came and lasted for thirty minutes after which the game was reduced to 13 overs and Guyana was set a revised target of 61 runs. Upon resumption the Trinidad and Tobago team failed to take the field because the claimed that it was still raining; under the laws this would constitute a refusal to continue the match and the umpires can award the game to the opposing team.

Shortly after, the rain came and lasted for another 20 minutes and the umpires decided to call the game off at 12:50 hrs. The Local Organising Committee (LOC) (Continued on page 33)

from Andrew McDonald straight to midwicket. Just like that, Daredevils found themselves in the jail, and couldn’t find a way out.

Over after over of steady bowling went by, but Jayawardene could neither find his touch nor get out.

Jaydev Unadkat then worked Manprit Juneja over with bouncers, and the latter was eventually caught back for a length ball and holed out to long-on. Rohrer then found deep midwicket with a long hop. Just like that, Daredevils found themselves in solitary confinement.

There were periods of mercy for Daredevils. Royal Challengers omitted to appeal on a run-out, gave one more last over to RP Singh, but Daredevils could still muster only 152.

Daredevils’ bowling might not be the most rounded for Twenty20 environment, but it sure is exciting. The Powerplay of the chase was all drama. In the first over, Ashish Nehra was denied a plumb lbw of KL Rahul, but he came back to get him a second time and gave him a

justified send-off.

At the other end, Morkel went hard at Gayle, bowling 145kmph and upwards and short of a length. Gayle was equal to it, putting behind the plays-and-misses, and hitting two sixes off Morkel.

Eventually the bowler prevailed with a thick edge flying all the way to third man.

That, though, was only a third of the work done for Daredevils.

Coming together at 26 for 2 in the fourth over, the other two-thirds turned it on, matching each other shot for shot before Kohli ran away with it when he targeted the left-arm spin of Shahbaz Nadeem in the middle overs.

When Kolhi pulled a long hop from Irfan for four in the 14th over, he brought up yet another fifty, and also brought the asking rate down to a run a ball. And the two could have strolled the rest of the way through.

When de Villiers was run out at the end of the 16th over, Royal Challengers needed 24 off 24 with seven wickets in hand. Daredevils didn’t do anything spectacular after

that, just held their catches and saw Royal Challengers implode.

McDonald chipped one back to Nadeem. Arun Karthik ran himself out when he didn’t want to take the third off the last ball of the 18th over because that would mean Kohli would be off strike at the start of the next over.

Kohli disagreed.

At any rate, Kohli didn’t have the strike, and J Syed Mohammad lobbed one straight to long-on. Kohli drove the next ball inside-out, and found Jayawardene. It was 15 off eight now. Irfan, though, began the next over with a wide half-volley, which Rampaul picked the bones out of. Irfan came back well in the rest of the over, and then almost got his own back at Rampaul in the Super Over, but after a twist or two the match did reach its natural conclusion.

Scores: Delhi Daredevils 152 for 5 (Unadkat 2-24) tied with Royal Challengers Bangalore 152 for 7 (Kohli 65, de Villiers 39). Royal Challengers Bangalore won the Super Over

Page 36

Kaieteur News

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Inter-Market Futsal tourney set to start June 6

Co-Organisers Roy Ridley (left) and O’Neil Durant seen during the media briefing yesterday.

Works on repairing the floor at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall seems to be progressing smoothly.

Organisers of the annual Inter-Market Futsal Competition Stabroek Warriors Sports Club during a briefing with the media yesterday, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, disclosed that the new date for the staging of the event is June 6-25.

The briefing was attended by Co-Directors O’Neil Durant and Roy Ridley, who both commented on particular aspects for the delay of the tournament as they sought to apprise sponsors of the reason for the delay in staging the tournament.

According to Durant, the principal reason for the delay is the fact that the venue is currently undergoing much needed repairs which is scheduled to finish in time to accommodate the new date.

The tournament had suffered at minimum two postponements, but Kaieteur

Sport was shown a copy of a letter from the National Sports Commission that stated as long as there are no other unforeseen delays, the Organisers have the green light to stage the tournament.

Durant added that from information received, around 80% of the floor replacement

has been completed and the remainder anticipated finishing shortly.

Ridley in his remarks thanked all the sponsors who had already pledged their support and called on them to feel assured that the tournament will be held as soon as the venue is made available.

Over $1million in prizes will be up for grabs with the winner set to receive $500,000,

runner-$300,000, 3rd place $150,000 and 4th place $50,000.

Prizes will also be given to outstanding individual performances.

The tournament has grown in stature and according to Durant, when it started in 2010 14 markets participated, but that has now risen to 20.

The defending champion is Stabroek Market.

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 37