Kaieteur News

Page 04

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

THE DEFICIENCY OF THE POLICE There was a high profile killing recently. Gunmen shot and killed a policeman as he approached a car that bore fake number plates. This shooting occurred at dusk at a busy thoroughfare. The gunfire sent people running for cover and bullets scarred the walls of buildings in the area.

Three things were exposed. The close circuit television cameras placed to monitor activities in the area were useless. The Home Affairs Ministry later explained that the camera-it would seem that there was only one—was placed to look down Regent Street, instead of looking southward toward the busiest area in the Stabroek Market area.

In the wake of the shooting there were numerous comments, some attributing blame to the police for the death of the rank. A comment out of the Ministry of Home Affairs was that he did not follow standard operational procedures. However, in every corner of the world whenever a policeman is killed the entire force hunts the killer or killers with a vengeance.

One method used by the metropolitan country is to round up every known criminal element. Indeed, this is a breach of human rights but it often works. Somebody in the underworld would eventually cough up the killers because they, themselves would prefer to live in obscurity.

This is often not the case in Guyana because there are not enough holding facilities to keep those rounded up. But this should not preclude the police from doing serious leg work. This should not preclude the police from using those of their informers. Perhaps they did in the case of the killing of Romein Cleto. The sad thing was that the informers provided any sort of information because they only wanted to be left alone.

A man is picked up days after the police claimed that they found gunpowder residue on his hands. That would suggest that they had him in their custody, tested him and released him. They then compounded their plight by torturing the man and making it known that they tortured him.

So shoddy was their work that after the man soiled himself, they tossed away the pants. That garment was left in the yard where it was thrown to be found by a lawyer, days later.

The issue here is that the police have grown increasingly shabby in their investigations. The result is that criminals often walk free. We are in no position to know how many innocent people have been convicted but we do know that many guilty ones have walked free.

The past two years saw intense training of ranks in the Criminal Investigations Department in a programme called the justice Improvement Programme. That programme did not include beating confessions out of people. Instead it spoke of winning the confidence of people who could later become informants. Over time the police must have realized that it is hopeless to rely on confession statements. Once such statements are procured by methods that are considered to be in contravention of the norms, such statements are thrown out.

And so we come to the botched investigations into Cleto’s killing. The policeman is shot and the car drives away.

At no point is that car caught on the close circuit cameras on which the government spent tens of millions of local currency.

Surely this cannot be possible; surely someone would have provided a description of the car and the police, having perused the cameras, would have seen something of the car.

The parliamentary opposition must now ask the government to explain the operations of these cameras. We cannot recall the political opposition voting against the budgetary allocations for the cameras. And even if they did, with its parliamentary majority the government would have prevailed with the purchase. If an explanation is not forthcoming the contractor must be made to pay back the money he collected or to reinstall better cameras at his expense. There is another side to this. The Director of Public Prosecutions has ordered that the murder charge against the suspected cop killer be dropped. One can expect more of this unless the police change their modus operandi.

Saturday May 25, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news

POSTERITY IS ALWAYS PAINFULLY CRUEL TO DICTATORS

DEAR EDITOR, The consternation over Burnham’s entitlement to the OR Tambo Award has really opened up some deep psychological and intellectual hypocrisies and savageries in this country.

It has given us an opportunity to see the real grave underbelly of this country, and it is a terrible sight.

Minette Bacchus’ letter titled “The evidence to date does not suggest Burnham was responsible for Rodney’s death” (May 7, 2013) is the kind of logically suspect and morally strained analysis we suffer from with enduring constancy in Guyana and particularly, with respect to the Rodney assassination.

We will never get a smoking gun on the Rodney’s assassination because there would never be an independent inquiry conducted by impartial foreigners into Rodney’s assassination, largely because the PPP and PNC are not going to like the truth that emerges.

As such, we are left with the kind of compelling facts and unanswered questions such as those brilliantly posed by Tacuma Ogunseye to David Granger (see “Questions for David Granger” SN, May 7, 2013) that will never be answered by the Burnham backers.

Ultimately and unequivocally, a powerful national figure like Walter Rodney could not be killed in a closely controlled police state like the Burnhamdominated Guyana in 1980 without Burnham’s prior knowledge, or more to the point, involvement and endorsement. That is a fact.

No amount of flouncing around it will eviscerate it.

One must ask the probing and difficult moral questions about Minette Bacchus’ reasoning for an entire generation growing up today with no direct knowledge of

Burnham. They must understand the moral importance of exposing the revisionism today so they can arm themselves morally for the future in this perilous political climate.

This is not about realpolitik, it is about justice, morality, decency, fairness, patriotism and balance.

Minette Bacchus should start by answering some of the questions Tacuma Ogunseye posed to David Granger before extending these fallacies.

I am going to use Bacchus’s inexplicable reasoning and smutty moralizing against her. For the purpose of this experiment, let us assume Bacchus’s reasoning is correct.

Accordingly, she must tell us under what moral philosophy does Rodney’s revolutionary praxis, rooted in his beliefs that confrontational armed resistance is necessary to overthrow dictatorship absolve his political enemies who killed him?

Wasn’t this the same revolutionary praxis that Burnham defended in Nelson Mandela’s ANC by sending US $50,000 every year for forces to revolutionize against an apartheid South Africa?

Does Rodney’s pursuit of violence against a violent dictatorship in the name of freedom demoralize the legitimacy of his struggle and justify the oppressors’ murder of Rodney?

Is one entirely to blame for one’s demise if they sacrifice on behalf of an entire nation for the sake of freedom to battle a dangerous despot and is killed? Is one to be defiled for confronting a dictator and losing? Is this act of confrontation enough to justify the killing of that confronter?

Dictators that deny their political opponents and their entire populace due process and the avail of self-defence,

Times have certainly changed!

DEAR EDITOR, After reading Freddie’s letter regarding the absence of Italian sausage on his Italian Supreme pizza, I am of the conclusion that our country is moving forward despite the criticisms.

I have maintained, like Peeping Tom, that there is a tremendous growth in the middle class and that is reflected by the upsurge in

demand for foreign foods. I recall some years ago Freddie complaining about a reputable restaurant not having local juices on its menu. He was very critical of the establishment for selling imported beverages. Today, Freddie is now complaining of missing Italian sausage. Times have certainly changed!

Marcus Craig

do not have the advantage or relief of self-defence, nor are they, by any sensible measure of morality or justice, entitled to that cloak.

No moral calculus allows for a dictator to be elevated above a freedom fighter, no matter how twisted the moral compass of the nation becomes by ethnic agitations.

That is the immovable moral watermark in any fundamental moral philosophy of life and civilization. It cannot be overturned, extinguished, revised or altered.

Burnham did what he did. But there can be no justification or excuse for it.

It is a rankly immoral act that offends decent-minded people everywhere. It is wrong. It is savage. It is heinous.

From a nation or patriotic perspective, how could a dictator practicing atrocity be ethically condoned and defended when accused of the murder of a man who promised freedom, democracy, economic revival and the elusive promised land of ethnic inclusivity and reconciliation, ideas that would have transformed Guyana?

The nation benefits from one idealism and is capsized by the other. It is no contest from a nation-building perspective or a futuristic scope. So, to eliminate a leader who professes these values while seeking to entrench heinousness and abominations strips away any semblance of morality for the aggressor.

It is a morbidly unpatriotic act to do so. It destroys the potential of the nation while preserves the nation of self for that ruler.

Even worse, Burnham’s worst period of repression, economic misery and anguish came after Rodney was killed. It was a horrific

karma for those who d e f e n d e d B u r n h a m ’s beastliness.

The period from 1980 to 1985 when Burnham died was the most crippling and disgraceful period of economic and moral destitution in Guyana’s history. Desmond Hoyte was a dramatic light for many when he came to power after all that darkness.

As fate would have it, Burnham perished in his miasma a mere five years after Rodney’s assassination and his brutal empire collapsed seven years after his death.

Indeed, dictators and despots will defend their illgotten gains and will kill or maim with impunity to do so, but it does not make it moral or right, no matter how naïve, innocent, inexperienced and gullible their resistors are.

Regardless of Rodney’s mistakes, his naiveté, his underestimations of Burnham’s capacity for callousness and his sometimes misplaced courage, the act of eliminating him was dastardly.

There is no refuge for Forbes Burnham.

No amount of intellectual contortion and epistemological masquerading will free Burnham from this savagery.

It is why, fittingly, time has reversed the outcome and legacy for Burnham and the force of moral outrage is now exposing him for his cruelties even when he is entitled to the OR Tambo Award for the good he has done for South Africa.

Posterity is always painfully cruel to dictators.

Those who still lionize Forbes Burnham, PNC leader David Granger included, are caught in the moral trap and are too deep (Continued on page 5)

FREDDIE’S BET DEAR EDITOR, In a letter which appeared in your newspaper on March 24, 2013, Mr. Kissoon promised to end his column if I could prove that he “wrote a single line about the presence of government politicians at the opening of Mario’s”.

OnMarch16,2010,inacolumn (http://www.kaieteurnewson line.com/2010/03/16/juxtap osition-of-modernisationand-primitiveness/) titled “Juxtaposition of modernisation and primitiveness”, Mr. Kissoon stated that “A new pizzeria was opened up (Mario’s pizza) right at the

junction of Camp and Middle Streets. The Cabinet “stars” were present as they were at the Roti Hut”.

There was never an official opening of Mario’s and no one on my staff saw Cabinet “stars” come to patronize.

I am a daily reader of your newspaper and Mr. Kissoon’s column. I would hate to see a Kaieteur News without his column. So, as an alternative, I am inviting Freddie to share a pizza with me on my return to Guyana. I hope he doesn’t consider my offer patronizing.

Terrence Campbell

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

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

We must face the fact that…

DEAR EDITOR, Hmm! That’s all I could say when I read a recent letter about Guyanese taking “pride in the fact that we are today a free, independent and democratic society characterized by political and ideological pluralism, political democracy, cultural diversity, racial equality and a growing economy”.

I thought of the grouse that so many people have that licences for different services have been granted to certain sections of the community and not to others, that people now live in grilled houses, many are afraid to stroll outdoors in the evening, women are afraid to wear expensive jewellery in public and a great many are struggling to survive.

Our economy has been “growing” for such a long time, it should be a grandparent by now!

By coincidence I had just read of the sewage and rats in the classroom of a once prestigious school, which I longed to attend as a child, because the girls were so pretty, well-behaved and always looked neat in their dark, serge school uniforms and Panama hats and had bicycles.

My generation may remember St Rose’s school as a Catholic-run convent school for girls, where discipline was strict. I recall it as the school where, every Shrove Tuesday, as small girls, we would hurry to reach at lunchtime, to see the chauffeur-driven private cars stop outside the Camp Street gate and the open basins of little, round golden pancakes and syrup lifted out of the trunks and carried through the gates, presumably as gifts for the orphans housed on the nearby premises of the girlsonly primary school. The

Is the inexcusable now becoming ridiculous?

DEAR EDITOR, A few days ago, it was reported in the local media that the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the Barbados Forensic lab to send Sheema Mangar’s results quickly.

It has been more than two years (September 2010) since the gruesome slaying of this young lady and to date the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, continues to simply pass the buck to the police, with respect to the solving of this horrific crime.

He blames the police for the slothfulness in dealing with this case and tries to project himself as a neutral bystander in a matter which falls directly under his purview, as Minister of Home Affairs.

In matters like these Rohee must know that the buck stops at him - enough of this shirking of responsibility and demonstration of gross incompetence.

Mr. Rohee finds a lot of time to write his political hogwash in the press but not

enough time to do his job.

Since the shocking killing of Miss Mangar, I have written several letters to the press, in which I expressed shock as to how this matter is being handled, particularly by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police.

Sheema Mangar was brutally mowed down, by criminals, at a busy intersection in Georgetown, in broad daylight, in afternoon rush hours where scores of people were at the said intersection, and to date Rohee and the police tell the family and Guyanese that they remain clueless as to who might have perpetrated this horrific crime, probably because of the absence of test results.

What rubbish! Is Mr. Rohee saying to us that the investigation into this matter is stalled until Mangar’s results are retrieved from Barbados? Is he saying that the police are unable to get the cooperation from any public-spirited citizen who might have witnessed the slaying of this innocent young lady? Is it that the

chauffeur would carry the basin of syrup, the maid the one of pancakes - a fascinating display of perfectly formed, vanillascented, mouth watering objects to us. A sort of ritual.

Gone are those days.

However, the letter on the whole reminded me of the late President Kennedy’s remarks in 1961: “We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent or omniscient - that we are only six per cent of the world’s population - that we cannot impose our will upon the other ninety-four per cent of mankind - that we cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity - and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem”.

One hopes the present crop of world leaders would heed those wise words.

Geralda Dennison relationship between the police and Guyanese public so rife that there is no opportunity of the two working together to solve crimes such as these?

If these questions are answered in the affirmative, it is clear that the no confidence motion against Rohee had much merit.

I cannot imagine what Sheema Mangar’s family is going through when there appears to be so much unnecessary drama in this case. A policeman is tasked to take the samples to Barbados but the officer got to Bridgetown minus the sample, which was the primary purpose of his travel.

These kinds of happenings are inexcusable and the Minister of Home Affairs must take direct responsibility for this utter slackness.

I hope that Sheema’s family will continue to pursue this matter in order that justice prevails. It is time this family gets the closure it needs.

Then again it is time that so many other Guyanese families get closure in matters like these. I wonder if the family of Ronald Waddell will ever get closure!

Lurlene Nestor

POSTERITY IS ALWAYS...

From page 4 down that disturbing cave to know they are perpetually lost. There were two profound African giants of the Guyana post-Independence period; Burnham and Rodney.

They stood for very different things. One stood for freedom, justice, fairness, equality, morality and ethnic tolerance. The other stood for self-idolization, indignities, immoralities, ethnic aggrandizement and abominations. One played a savage hand in send-

ing the other to the grave.

That some Africans can cry now for salvation from the PPP and wail for democracy, freedom, economic integration and opportunity while defending Burnham who played a role in wiping out the very man who held the greatest promise to give those things to Africans is the one of the great moral hypocrisies in Guyana’s history.

Just as some Indians still celebrate Cheddi Jagan, whose colossal blunders and

hard-headed irrationality helped the PNC claim power and left Indians in the political cold for 28 years.

Let us begin this conversation on hypocrisy in Guyana now. Let us talk the talk that needs to be talked, without fear or favour.

We desperately need to do this as a country before we become eternally lost in darkness in a world that is roaring to the highest sun of civilization’s greatest period.

M. Maxwell

47 years of Independence…

What have we really achieved?

DEAR EDITOR, A few days ago, I visited the GT&T office at Church Street to pay my phone and internet bills. At 9a.m.

I saw a very long line outside the office that was near the road. I joined the line and entered the building after half an hour. Upon entering I observed only three staff working but I counted eight booths.

One cashier was dealing only with old age pensioners in a separate line while only two were dealing with the other customers. Five booths were empty while many staffers could be seen walking about the office gaffing and eating chips.

So early in the morning and no apparent regard for the citizens of this country while they are just idling on their job and receiving a salary by false pretence.

I have many questions but will just list a few: Why only three cashiers were working from eight booths?

Why can’t the supervisor administrate a simple office?

Why have they no respect for citizens waiting for a lengthy period in an irritatingly slow-

moving line?

After spending about one hour in the line, two cashiers left and only one was working.

I note with interest that these tellers or cashiers will work for twenty minutes then put a notice ‘’next wicket please’’, they will walk about the place or pretend to be doing something like playing with some bills or counting money just to idle and waste the day, while citizens can drop dead in a heated line.

I spent two hours just to pay a phone and internet bill.

GT&T slogan reads ‘’GT&T getting better all the time’’ but they are getting worse all the time. Whenever I call to report a fault or internet problem, I am greeted by a voice mail ‘’All our customers are busy now, please hold the line or try your call later’’ it’s either they are short of staff or just lazy. In this day and age why are they using voice mail for customers?

Then if you receive an answer after days of trying, the person on the line behaves in an indifferent manner. We haven’t progressed very far as a nation.

After I finished from

GT&T, I visited GBTI at Water Street. I joined a line with only ten persons, but noticed only two tellers were working from over eight booths - tons of staff just being paid to march around another office.

I spent another one hour and fifteen minutes in a line of just ten people; while many were fussing or even cursing.

My opinion is that the supervisors in particular have no regard for customers.

I eventually went to GPOC to apply for some birth certificates. I saw a line of old age pensioners, again touching the road.

My concerns there are many, as I saw very few staff working and old people have to be standing for hours to get their pension.

A better system could be put in place where at least 12 staffers can go directly in the line with a cashier and security paying these pensioners at a rapid pace.

But who in God’s name is responsible for all these long lines everywhere in most of our offices? All of this incompetence is caused by a (Continued on page 30)

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Kaieteur News

Saturday May 25, 2013

‘Dabydeen’s letter a camouflage’ -candid comments by Rupert Roopnaraine, Al Creighton and others

By Kiana Wilburg Since the announcement of the Caribbean Press in 2009

by Ministry of Culture, calls have been made to the press to disclose information on its accessibility since early April.

But instead of a response to these burning questions that still remain unanswered, the Public was greeted by a letter written by Dr. David Dabydeen, (Most of the Poetry sent to the Caribbean Press is doggerel)the contents of which have attracted mixed reviews from prominent writers and critics within our Diaspora.

One of Dabydeen’s

comments that certainly drew much attention was “the fact remains that the writing coming out of Guyana, with notable exceptions is poignantly poor.”

Barrington Braithwaite, a writer and artist who was also mentioned in Dabydeen’s letter, said that he is of the strong belief that Dabydeen’s remark is one that is designed to camouflage the real issue at hand and leave many trying to prove themselves.

Literary critic, University Lecturer, and Secretary of the Guyana Prize for Literature, Al Creighton, referred to Dabydeen’s statement as “not the whole story.”

Creighton stated, “I can easily identify many local

writers of merit and as an ambassador of Guyana, Dabydeen is only limiting his attention to one thing. Over the past years, at the Guyana Prize for Literature, I have noted that some of the submissions needed improving but at the same time, many of the judges have pointed out the works of many writers who reflect impressive potential.”

Supporting his comment was also APNU’s Vice Chairman, and accomplished writer, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, who said, “Though we are living in a situation which in my opinion, is virtually collapsed literacy, we need to look at the environment.

Claims of ‘short fuel’ against service stations proved false A number of motorists have lodged complaints against several service stations claiming that they have received ‘short fuel’ from these stations as against the fuel provided by other stations for the equivalent sum of money.

The Guyana National

Bureau of Standards, upon receiving the complaints, launched an investigation into the matter and has concluded that the fuel dispensed by these fuel stations is accurate. The investigation revealed that all the fuel pumps are within the accepted tolerance.

In addition, the security seals that are placed on the meters by the GNBS to prevent tampering were checked and found to be intact.

As for the ‘short fuel’ that the drivers claimed to have received, the price per litre of the fuel at those stations is the likely cause of the varying amounts supplied, and which GNBS has no control over. It was noted by

the entity that the higher the price per litre, a lesser quantity of fuel would be supplied for a specific sum of money.

For example, if fuel is sold at $200 per litre, a driver who is purchasing $1000 worth of fuel will be supplied with five litres of fuel. However, if fuel is sold at $250 per litre, the driver will be supplied with only four litres of fuel for the equivalent sum of money.

Hence, GNBS is urging motorists to pay attention to the price per litre at which the fuel is being supplied.

In addition, it is recommending that fuel be purchased by volume instead of money value so as to avoid any misconceptions.

“We are in a far graver issue than what Dabydeen is highlighting and I feel pity for him. If it is that he is saying the work he reads which would have been submitted to the Caribbean Press is of no quality, well then I’m sorry but I was at Moray House in May, when Publisher, Jeremy Poynting of Peepal Tree held a workshop and based on the questions asked by the aspiring writers, it was clear that they were keen on improving their craft.

“As an ambassador of Guyana and with the experience that he would have gathered over the years I expected that he would emphasize on our positives.”

Dr. Roopnarine declared that “the letter Dabydeen wrote was regrettable and despairing in its tone .The Caribbean press has done invaluable work as it relates to reprinting of books.

However, the work Dabydeen claims to have seen which he refers to as

“doggerel or puppyrel”, cannot be used as an overall indicator of the depth reflected in our writers.

Further, if you know these are the issues, as the ambassador, what can we do to help move this forward? Dr. Roopnaraine stated that the real issue that needs addressing is “What measures are in place that will assist us in achieving improvement?”

Creighton said, “While it is true that we really have a few highly distinguished writers in Guyana, this is only so because of the lack of facilities that should be available daily to young writers so that they may be able to improve their craft.

However, I wish to make it known that the Guyana Prize for literature has requested funds to address this issue and is currently working on this. “At the moment, the Drama School has put in place training programs that focus on creative writing as well as the University of

Guyana, which will soon be implementing programs to help writers.” Despite an inordinate number of attempts that were made to contact Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Culture and Director, Dr. James Rose, all have proved to be utterly futile as this publication sought to address with the Minister, the unanswered questions with regard to the Caribbean Press. Dr. Roopnaraine said, “I have no idea where the Caribbean press is. How can one access the press? Where can the work be submitted and how does one engage the press for advice on other issues of relative concern?”

Those very sentiments are shared by his colleagues, Creighton and Braithwaite who advocate that the information on the company needs to be readily available.

But as Dr. Roopnarine “poignantly” puts it, “it is obvious that the Caribbean Press has an issue with governance.”

PSC criticizes Govt, Opposition for absence of anti-corruption units A major business advocacy group on Thursday criticised Government and the Opposition over their slothfulness in the establishment of essential regulatory bodies to counter corruption. The Public Procurement Commission, the Integrity Commission and the Financial Intelligence Unit have been pointed to as institutions that were committed by Government to serve as the barricade against the widespread corruption in our country. However, the necessary actions to have these institutions fully operationalised are not being given priority, the business group said. The Private Sector Commission (PSC) sees these matters as

too important to be ignored.

They impact negatively on business and investment.

The PSC reported that it has been calling on the government to appoint the Public Procurement Commission and the Integrity Commission as well an Ombudsman. However, the establishment and operationalisation of these institutions are yet to be effected.

The body believes that similar p r o c r a s t i n a t ion on the implementation of the crucial Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill (AMT & CFT) has placed Guyana and the well being of

its people at grave risk and at the brink of facing international sanctions for failing to implement the legislation on time.

The PSC is contending that with the Government and the Opposition’s tugof-war for the assent to bills tabled by the bodies, the interest of the nation, particularly the tackling of corruption in the country, is being overlooked.

It is therefore suggesting that an extraParliamentary meeting be set up to address the functioning of the relevant institutions thus equipping them to competently fulfill their mandate.

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday May 25, 2013

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

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THE STATE OF THE MEDIA

Sections of the media in Guyana like to hold themselves out as some paragon of virtue and professionalism. But this is far from so. Finding a truly professional outfit that is scrupulously objective and balanced is very hard within the local media fraternity.

The media in Guyana can play little role in reversing the divisions in our society or in softening the level of political p o l a r i z a t i o n w ithin our society.

The media, unfortunately, reinforces these tendencies.

There are sections of the media in Guyana which are in the Opposition’s corner and there are sections that are within the Government’s camp. In between there are some media houses, such as

the Kaieteur News, which is attempting to maintain some independence but they are fighting a losing battle in trying to change the overall media culture in Guyana.

In such an environment, it is hard to promote standards of professionalism.

And this is not helped by at times the lackadaisical reporting by many media operatives.

Take for example a recent story about the DPP ordering that charges be withdrawn

against a man accused of killing a policeman.

The media houses were quick to report that the case had been thrown out in the Magistrates’ Court. But they have not done the necessary follow through as is done in other countries where there is a stronger tradition of investigative journalism. One would have expected that at the minimum, the journalists within the media fraternity would have probed deeper into this incident as their counterparts are doing in the United States and London in relation to recent horrific incidents of violence in those countries.

No one so far has sought a comment from the DPP as to the reasons why the charges were ordered to be dismissed.

It must not be assumed that the police case was weak.

This has to be confirmed by the DPP’s office.

The local journalists should have been asking probing questions.

If the police have, as they claim, a confession statement, then what was the basis for the charges to be withdrawn? Was it that evidence emerged that the s t a t e m e nt was obtained under duress? Or were the charges withdrawn because the police did not consider

statements that confirmed the alibi of the accused.

If this was the reason why the charges were withdrawn, it means that there is a possibility that the charges can be re-imposed if after considering these statements, the police reject them. If they do reject them another interesting dimension arises. Would the police be willing to charge anyone who it feels is guilty of trying to pervert the course of justice?

These are just some of the questions that are still outstanding and which one would have expected our many media houses would have been actively pursuing. Instead many of them seem to be satisfied with the fact that the charges were thrown out and this effectively is the end of the matter.

It should not be the end of the matter. There are equally other aspects of this story to be considered. What about the torture allegations?

Are these going to be investigated?

The fact that the accused has been freed does not delegitimize the need for an investigation into the accusation of torture.

The media should therefore stay on top of this issue and stay on top of all the various aspects of it

Dem boys seh ...

Is nuff hustling tekking place Everybody when dem meet a certain age does seh that age is a number. That is why a big lady use to ride from Bagotville to town every day. She never get in any accident.

But sometimes wha don’t happen in a year does happen in a day. A minibus knock down de woman and kill she.

This was de woman who ride till she ride out one bike and de police had to give she another one. Well is de one de police give she to go home, send she home.

Some people seh that she ride in front of de bus, some seh that she turn in front of de bus. Whatever de truth, she was a hustler.

Dem boys seh that de police does hustle too. Dem hustle to charge some people fuh killing de policeman on Avenue of de Republic. Just like how dem hustle to charge de DPP hustle and loose de people. Is a hustling world.

Donald hustling to avoid blacklisting fuh not having a money laundering Bill suh he hustle to get a ticket fuh Ah Kneel to go

to Nicaragua fuh beg. He government was hustling to pass de Bill before May 27 because it did take some time fuh all dem who had money to hustle to clean it up.

De same government got to hustle and done de Amaila Falls road even as de Chinee hustling to done de Marriott. Dem boys wish dem did done de Skeldon sugar factory wid de same speed.

But is no t o n l y d e G o v e r n m e n t hustling. David hustling to see if he can get Donald to agree to sign dem Bill that de opposition pass. He did tie bundle wid Prakash and Prakash let he down when dem had to vote pun a government motion de last time.

Do suh nah like suh. Prakash hustling fuh kill de anti-money laundering Bill and David hustling fuh tell Donald that de Bill gun pass.

Dem boys seh that is a real hustling world.

Talk half and get wid de hustle.

and not be selective in pursuing only those that may show the police in bad light.

There is an obligation to fairness and from the pursuit of this professional obligation is likely to emerge clearer facts.

We have a number of new radio stations in Guyana. With this proliferation, it was anticipated that certain issues would have been more extensively covered by these radio stations.

Unfortunately, the content of many of these new radio stations has been extremely disappointing and one has to ask whether some of them were licensed to play only music and to entertain greetings.

You do not hear many public affairs programmes.

There are not many investigative features.

Listeners are not benefiting from the coverage of many controversial social and political issues. In fact, one would have anticipated that with so many new radio stations around that there would have been live coverage of the debates in parliament.

The Guyanese public has to be thankful for Demerara Waves which has been trying to bring live internet coverage of the proceedings in the National Assembly.

Not only were radio licences distributed controversially but it seems as if they were distributed without any regulations governing compulsory broadcasting of educational and public affairs content.

So what was the real purpose of the liberalization?

Was it to liberalize radio so that the Guyanese public can be bombarded with music and greetings all day long?

This is inexcusable.

A national resource has been shared out and instead of more educational and informative programmes, you can, in the middle of the day, turn on to one particular radio channel and hear the announcer ask a caller, “You have a boyfriend?”

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Kaieteur News

Ex-Guatemala President extradited to US (AP) Ex-Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo was extradited yesterday to the United States to face charges of laundering $70 million in Guatemalan funds through U.S. bank accounts.

The former president was taken from a military hospital where he was recovering from liver surgery and a heart condition and put on a plane, according to his lawyer Mauricio Berreondo. He said the plane was bound for New York after a stop in Miami.

“I blame the government for what could happen to him,” Berreondo said.

“Portillo is sick and there are several pending appeals.”

He said one appeal had to do with establishing the state of Portillo’s health.

Portillo, who was Guatemala’s president from 2000-2004, was taken out of the hospital on orders of Interior Secretary Mauricio Lopez Bonilla, Berreondo said.

An Associated Press reporter saw a small white jet carrying Portillo dressed in a black sweatshirt take off late morning local time.

“This decision is an important affirmation of the

…to face charges of laundering $70M

Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo speaks with journalists in Guatemala City before boarding a plane for the U.S. yesterday. rule of law and due process in Guatemala,” the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala said in a statement. “We commend the Guatemalan authorities in the strengthening of rule of law and the fight against organized crime and corruption.”

Portillo was turned over to U.S. authorities in the same week that the high court threw

out a genocide conviction in another high-profile case against an ex-president, former dictator Efrain Rios Montt. That decision that has been widely questioned and criticized, including in the United States.

Guatemala has been struggling to build a credible justice system, including with the help of a U.N.-sanctioned

team of international prosecutors.

For Oscar Vasquez, director of the nongovernmental organization Citizen Action, Portillo’s extradition shows the difficulties the country’s justice system is facing.

“As in the case of genocide in Guatemala, the justice system shows signs of chaos, confusion and disorder, given that we no longer know who is right, the state for extraditing him or his defense lawyers,” Vasquez said.

“It seems that we are left to rely on the justice of others,” he added referring to the United States.

In the U.S. case, Portillo allegedly deposited the money in Miami and transferred it to a Paris account in the name of his exwife and daughter.

Guatemala’s highest court upheld the extradition last August after it was granted by former President Alvaro Colom as he left office in 2011.

Portillo has called the proceedings a political reprisal by powerful Guatemalan businessmen and the U.S. government for not bending to their interests.

Saturday May 25, 2013

British security services in spotlight after soldier’s murder (Reuters) - Britain’s security services faced questions yesterday over whether they could have done more to prevent the murder of a soldier hacked to death in a busy London street after it emerged that his suspected killers were known to intelligence officers.

Suspects Michael Adebolajo, 28 and Michael Adebowale, 22, are under guard in hospital after being shot and arrested by police after the murder of 25-yearold Afghan war veteran Lee Rigby on Wednesday. They have not yet been charged.

Adebolajo, filmed justifying the killing as he stood near the body holding a knife and meat cleaver in bloodied hands, was born in Britain to a Nigerian immigrant family. Adebowale is a naturalized British citizen born in Nigeria.

Another man and a woman have also been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, an early indication that police are investigating whether the

attack was part of a wider plot.

Prime Minister David Cameron said a parliamentary committee would carry out an investigation into the role of the security services.

Britain’s MI5 domestic spy agency had been aware of the men, but neither was considered a threat, a government source told Reuters.

Dramatic video footage showing the moment when police shot the two men was published on a British newspaper’s website yesterday.

The shaky, 10-second clip shows one of the men sprinting towards a police car with a knife in his hand before he is shot and tumbles to the ground.

“It is important for the public to know that the security services and the police are operating properly,” former London police chief Ian Blair told BBC radio.

In an emotional news conference, Rigby’s family said their “hearts have been ripped apart”.

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

UK fighters escort Pakistan plane to airport, two arrests

Police officers leave a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft on the tarmac at Stansted Airport, southern England, yesterday. REUTERS/ Paul Hackett (Reuters) - British fighter jets escorted a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane to Stansted Airport near London yesterday, where police went on board and arrested two men on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.

Passengers were leaving the plane and no one was hurt in the incident, a spokesman for the airport said.

Flight PK709 from Lahore in Pakistan had been due to land at Manchester in northern England with 297 passengers on board, but was diverted shortly before arrival.

Britain is on high alert after a soldier was hacked to death on a London street on Wednesday in what the government is treating as a terrorist incident.

A security source said early indications were that the plane was not the target of a terrorist attack.

A passenger who had just got off the plane told the BBC the pilot had informed passengers after landing that he had diverted to Stansted because of threats. The passenger, named by the BBC as Mr Munsif, said two men had been handcuffed on board and removed.

“We landed safely and

then he announced that they had some kind of threat from someone and that’s why he landed the plane,” the passenger said, speaking by telephone.

“Essex Police have boarded a passenger plane diverted to Stansted Airport and two men have been arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft.

They have been removed from the plane,” the police said in a statement. The force is responsible for the area where Stansted is located.

“The two men arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft are aged 30 and 41.

IMF’s Lagarde escapes formal investigation in court (Reuters) - French magistrates decided yesterday not to place IMF chief Christine Lagarde under formal investigation over her role in a 285-million-euro ($368.5 million) arbitration payment made to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lagarde instead was given the status of a “supervised witness” after two full days of questioning on her 2008 decision as Sarkozy’s finance minister to use arbitration to settle a legal battle between the state and businessman Bernard Tapie.

The decision removes a headache for Lagarde, the only French national heading a major international institution today, and for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), for which a formal investigation of her would have been highly embarrassing.

Emerging from a Paris court late yesterday evening, a composed-looking Lagarde read from a statement asserting that she had not acted against the public interest.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde leaves after magistrates gave her a ‘’supervised witness’’ status in an arbitration case in Paris. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe “My explanations answered questions raised about the decisions that I had made at the time,” she told reporters. “My status as a supervised witness is not a surprise for me because I always acted in the interest of the state and according to the law.”

She added: “Now, it’s time for me to go back to work in Washington, and I will of course be briefing my board.”

The status of supervised witness means that in any future hearings, Lagarde would answer questions as a witness accompanied by a lawyer.

It is much less serious than being placed under formal investigation, which would have indicated “serious or consistent evidence” pointing to her probable implication in a crime.

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Page 21

Berbice doctor taking Mahadeo to court over unpaid salary A young doctor intends to take the Chief Executive Officer of the Berbice Regional HealthAuthority (BRHA) as well as the former Doctor-in-Charge of the Skeldon Hospital to court for unpaid salaries between September and December, 2011.

Dr. Ramesh Jaikarran, who was dismissed from practising in the public health system in Guyana two years ago, has stepped forward to challenge what he claims to be the withholding of payment of salary and withholding records that he is now trying to access to prove that he was employed at the Skeldon Hospital during the fourmonth period.

Additionally, having worked at Skeldon Hospital for quite a while after he returned to Guyana from studies in Cuba, he has decided to spill the beans on several issues he experienced at that facility. These ranged from negligence, shortage of drugs and poor healthcare delivery practices. During a revealing interview with Kaieteur News, Dr. Jaikarran stated that he intends to take Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo and Medical Superintendent of the New Amsterdam Hospital

Dr. Ramesh Jaikarran (Doctor-in-Charge at the time of his tenure of Skeldon Hospital), Dr. Vishalya Sharma, to court so that he can be paid his salaries.

He stated that shortly after his transfer from New Amsterdam Hospital to Skeldon, he was ordered to visit Dr. Narine Singh, Director of Regional Health Services in Georgetown in 2011 about a possible transfer to the Georgetown Public Hospital. He was then told to resume work at Skeldon. Dr. Jaikarran resumed work there and claimed that shortly after

that two senior medical personnel (names given) told him that “doctor, you are not supposed to work here anymore—we have made a decision from the region that you can’t practice in the region anymore and that you are supposed to be in Georgetown.’”

He stated that he obeyed instructions, “and nobody called me from Georgetown…

I waited home for two months.” In September 2011, he was then called by Dr. Narine Singh and told that “there was a need for a doctor at Skeldon so I went.

Everything was well and I worked with my friends and colleagues, Dr. Anderson, Dr. Rampersaud, Dr. Sheromanie, Dr. Alli…and we did on- calls every three nights for four months until December 26.”

However, while working there, Dr. Jaikarran claimed that he was not receiving his salary. He wrote to Dr. Sharma “that I need my money and she said that I had to go to Georgetown. I told her firmly that ‘you’re in charge of me and you should be responsible for my salary’.”

He stated that he wrote letters to his superiors, including the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry

Granger calls for commission of inquiry into trafficking in persons On Wednesday, Leader of the Majority Opposition, Brigadier David Granger, emphasized his call for President Donald Ramotar to set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate Trafficking in Persons. The call was cemented in the National Assembly when Mr. Granger moved the Motion titled, “Appointment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the incidence of Trafficking in Persons in Guyana”. According to Leader of the parliamentary majority, the Motion is one about humanity, our children and the future of our country.

Brigadier Granger told the National Assembly that

Trafficking in Persons is a form of modern day slavery.

He added that it is also a crime against women and children.

Brigadier Granger said that denial of the existence of Trafficking in Persons in Guyana makes matters worse.

The Opposition Leader told the National Assembly that “unfortunately it’s a crime which has been beset by a denial syndrome.”

He added that there are individuals who like to say there is no problem, as he recalled that Government officials have in the past denied reports from the US State Department which place Guyana’s Trafficking in Persons situation on Tier 2.

“There is a syndrome of dodging the problem and pretending that the persons who are being trafficked have voluntarily entered into a state of prostitution”, he said.

Brigadier Granger pointed out that the state is responsible for protecting those persons.

The leader hopes that the mounting of a Commission of Inquiry will contribute towards bringing an end to this brutal trafficking.

Other presentations on the Motion came from: the Shadow Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Mrs. Volda Lawrence, MP; Mr. James Bond, MP; Ms. Africo Selman MP; and Ms. Annette Ferguson.

of Health (MoH), that he was not receiving his salary.

But the shocker came when Dr. Jaikarran received a dismissal letter from the PS of MoH dated March 11, 2011 that he could no longer practise in the public service and that his services as a doctor were being terminated. The reason given was “unauthorized absence from duty”. Dr. Jaikarran said that he had taken medical leave for a few weeks during the period of his mother’s death.

“Unauthorized leave first of all says I was working and took leave without being unauthorized…it means that I had to have been employed by them before they could have dismissed be.”He said that he

was puzzled since he was working, performing operations, and being on- call at Skeldon Hospital from September to December 2011. He is claiming that this meant that he was working at Skeldon without being registered. It is against the MoH regulations to have an unregistered doctor working at any public or private hospital. Dr. Mahadeo has denied last week that there were any unregistered doctors in the Berbice health system. Dr. Jaikarran added that he remained at home during the months that followed and penned a letter to the Permanent Secretary of MoH pleading to be re-

instated. His appeal was rejected in a letter dated April 4, 2012. He noted that he has asked for a statement from current Director of Skeldon Hospital, Dr. Chand to show that he was working at Skeldon Hospital from September to December 2011, “even though I have never received an official letter for the MoH; neither did I have an institutional licence to practice at Skeldon Hospital at that specific time.

“I was working there as a General Physician…I was told that Dr. Mahadeo said that I cannot have access to that [records to prove he was working at Skeldon at (Continued on page 24)

Page 22

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Kaieteur News

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Experienced salesgirls: Visit 140 Regent Street with written application

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FOR SALE

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LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY M E R C U R Y (QUICK SILVER) 9 9 . 9 9 9 9 5 % PURITY - $20,000 PER POUND CALL:604-6108

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50 pairs of steel scaffolding for sale- call: 226-8100/ 6214839

Now in stock at Alabama Trading: Aloe Vera drink, Sagiko fruit drink, Cereal milkTele:225-5800/225-3809

1,000 LBS Scale $200,000/ obo- call:611-5929

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125 HP Yahama Outboard engine –Call:611-5292 Earth for sale in Georgetown: Own transportation must be provided- Call: 227-3681 or 227-8682

Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Mixed breed puppies- Call: 663-3397 Dell laptops & desktops complete computers from $55,000 Futuretech call: 2312206

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Contract Cars wanted: City Taxi Service- call: 660-1100

Saturday May 25, 2013

2 Storey Concrete House Alexander St Kitty 60x80 Land $47M -6727390, 2250854, 2250843 Huge House/Huge Land Facing seawall: Subryanville, Super location Concrete downstairs, wood upstairs $US 750, 000 6727390, 2250854, 2250843 Diamond Flat House Newly Built $17.5M- 6727390, 2250854, 225-08433 Diamond/Grove 2 Storey Concrete Newly Built: Automatic Gate/Garage: Spacious Kitchen & 4 Bedrooms $36M- 6727390, 2250854, 225-0843 Diamond main road property 5 bedrooms flat house $37M: 225-0853, 225-0854, 672-7390 3 Bedrooms upstairs, 1 Selfcontained: Newly renovated: Yard space: Located in Diamond H/Scheme- Call: 613-0028

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Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Guyanese police officers on CBSI GPL staff will receive retroactive payment training course - CEO

US Ambassador D. Brent Hardt is flanked by four Guyanese Officers Two dozen officers from the Guyana Police Force have started to attend a series of training courses spanning from May 13 to June 28 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The courses will be held at the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Police Academy.

Through the courses, the officers will be exposed to training in the area of developing skills relating to criminal gangs and organized crime investigations, intelligence gathering for law enforcement and crime scene investigations. This newspaper understands that this is the time Guyana has sent students to the Trinidadbased Academy. Instructors from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will be

conducting the training course. U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, D. Brent Hardt has toured the TTPS Police Academy, in Trinidad and met with the group of Guyanese law enforcement officials participating in the course.

The Ambassador expressed appreciation to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Academy leadership for facilitating Guyana’s participation in the training. Hardt pointed out that the expansion of regional training programmes and regional centers of excellence is a primary goal of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), the ongoing security partnership between the Caribbean and the United States. It was noted that such an exercise would allow for more capacity building training to be delivered at a

lower cost.

More importantly, he said that it helps to build personal connections among Caribbean law enforcement agencies. Such connections are essential to combating transnational criminal activity.

The Ambassador told participants that “criminals operate across borders and law enforcement agencies must be equally nimble if they are to remain effective in combating criminal activity.” The CBSI partners agreed on importance of expanding regional training and developing regional centers of excellence. This FBI provided training reflects the U.S. commitment to implement the CBSI and develop the region’s capacity to enhance training in broad

range of areas for law enforcement officials throughout the region. This partnership exemplifies the regional cooperation that is at the heart of the CBSI’s success and sustainability. The CBSI partnership with the Caribbean was launched by U.S. President Barack Obama at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009 and is a cornerstone of an integrated, multilateral hemispheric security strategy that seeks to enhance citizen security, promote social justice and combat illicit trafficking.

The Management of Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) has promised to honour its obligations to make retroactive payments to employees thus reflecting the rulings of the recently concluded arbitration tribunal.

S ome employees represented by National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), who did not notice the retroactive payments along with their salaries this month, were fearful that the company would not comply with the ruling. But, Bharat Dindyal, Chief Executive Officer of GPL, assured that t h e employees will receive their retroactive payment. In addition, adjustments will be made to the payroll software so that June month’s salaries would reflect the increases.

Chairman of the arbitration tribunal, Justice Prem Persaud, Dr. Gobind Ganga, Deputy Governor of Bank of Guyana and Grantley Culbard, former General

Bharrat Dindyal Secretary of Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union, earlier this month presented a report to Labour Minister D r.

Nanda Gopaul, indicating that increases of six percent and 5.5 percent retroactive to January 2012, would be paid to employees in the categories from grade one to eight.

The arbitration resulted from disgruntled GPL staffers expressing dissatisfaction with the decision by the power company to offer a f i v e percent increase across the board. NAACIE, through strike action, wanted GPL to honour its 2001 collective bargaining (Continued on page 27)

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Kaieteur News

Berbice doctor taking...

From page 21 the time].”

“I have doctors who could sign to that…that every three days I was on call.”

Dr. Jaikarran noted that allegations were made against him that he was intoxicated on the job, when in reality he had been drinking energy drinks, as “many doctors do while working.”

Also, it was alleged that he had taken monies from patients for access to his

medical services. He denied all these allegations. Another occasion, he claimed, that “(name of senior doctor) sent a patient to my home—the patient said (name of senior doctor) sent me to see you.”

But the young doctor believes that the dismissal as well as the push- around he is experiencing is part of a bigger picture to get back at him for being outspoken and one doctor who always stood up against the

shortcomings, what was right and one who challenged his superiors.

He noted that he had a nononsense approach and would speak out on wrongdoings and made vocal his criticism of healthcare delivery in Berbice at the two hospitals at which he worked.

Several calls yesterday to Dr. Vishalya Sharma were unanswered.

When contacted, Dr. Mahadeo said that he was in a meeting.

Saturday May 25, 2013

Dagalulu freed in Corriverton murder charge Robert Rawlings called “Bully or Dagalulu”, 35, a labourer of No. 79 Village, Corriverton, who was on trial for murdering Kumar Singh, called ‘Brother’, 50, a Joiner of Yacoob Street. Kingston, Corriverton, Berbice was on Friday freed by Magistrate Krisendat Persaud.

Magistrate Persaud upheld no case submissions

by Defence Attorney Mursaline Bacchus.

Singh was discovered dead at his home with blood oozing from his nose and scratches on his back around 05:00 hrs on Wednesday August 22, 2012. The man, who was childless, had ceased operating his joinery shop, which is housed beneath his home.

His nephew, Radha Krishna Singh, a fisherman, made the discovery when he returned home from a fishing trip. The nephew had stated that at the time of the discovery the fence leading to his uncle’s home and the

door to his apartment were both broken.

Upon investigation he found his uncle lying on the floor in his apartment. He then made a report at the Springlands Police Station. Singh was subsequently rushed to the Skeldon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The man who lived alone was reported to be a heavy drinker who had many friends and relatives had stated that he had recently received a sum of money from overseas.

His wallet was missing.

A Post Mortem examination done on the body gave the cause of death as strangulation. The nephew was arrested released and then rearrested.

The defendant was released from prison a week prior to the alleged commission of the offence.

In his submission, Defence Attorney Bacchus noted that the prosecution’s case was weak. He said that the identification of the

accused was poor.

Mr. Bacchus said that the prosecution’s star witness said that he saw the accused twice, once from the back and once from the side some 150 meters away and the place was dark as there were no references to any light being around.

The evidence, he said, was purely circumstantial.

The witness stated that he saw the accused going towards the victim’s home a few hours before the body was discovered although he could not see the person’s face. Nobody could say what happened between then.

The Magistrate agreed that a Prima Facie case was not made out and discharged the accused.

Rawlings who was described as a known character during the early part of the trial had to be kept under tight security because of his erratic behaviour while he continuously pronounced his innocence.

Liverpool woman appeals to police: “Leave my son alone!”

A Liverpool mother is very concerned about what she describes as constant harassment by police officers towards her son, who for the past week is in the lock- ups.

Alice Simon said that her 27-year-old son, Mark Simon, is constantly being pursued and harassed by the police in her area and that the constant harassment is negatively impacting the boy. She believes that instead of changing individuals’ lives, the police are turning young men like her son, Mark, into hardened criminals.

Simon added that a jeep load of armed police arrived in front of her home on April 26 around 14:30 hrs. “I see they take out my son from the car and I ran to my daughter’s house where they took him.”

The ranks searched the daughter ’s home and questioned the boy.

Simon added that she was prevented from entering the house. “They searched all over and they didn’t find anything.” Afterwards, they

boxed he up good in the house and took him away to the station and they brought him to Reliance Station—We ain’t know where they carried him…and they got him there for 72 hours and brought him back to Whim and put him on $20,000 station bail.”

Simon was convicted of chopping a villager and was sent to jail. After his release, the mother stated that the boy went to live with his sister, Ewette Simon, who happens to be a traffic rank, for safety reasons. She added that last Monday, her son was picked up again by a group of policemen. “They started to search him.”

“I told them that because of them, one of my other sons left the village to go and live with some Indian people because he ain’t able with them police.”

She said that her son was taken to the Whim Police Station and accused of theft.

The mother stated that the police told her that her son was spotted the other day,

“out of zone.”

“So I want to know that if you living in Guyana, you only got to live only in the village you living—you ain’t supposed to walk and go anywhere else, because anytime the police see he anywhere, it is because he going to do a robbery or something—I want to know if this is how this country become!”

The boy is still in the lockups, she added. Yesterday, she claimed that another jeepload of police officers arrived at her home and conducted a search.

“I went with them and they searched all over and they ain’t find anything. They said they looking for guns, ammunition and cocaine— drugs.”

She stated that she wants justice. “These police have to leave my son alone— Cummings and Garraway— because if he can’t live in his own village where he born and grow, where he will go and live? You ain’t see these police pushing my son to become a criminal?

“The other day, they picked up a couple of little boys and got them a lot of days in jail—why they doing these things?”

“The police are there to help these people to become better people in this society, but instead, they want to make them turn criminals!”

Efforts to contact the Commander of ‘B’ Division, proved futile.

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 25

Page 26

Kaieteur News

ImmigrationINFO Immigration News For Our Community Attorney Gail S. Seeram Through this “Question & Answer” column, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, please email: Gail@GailLaw.com.

Question #1: I am a U.S. permanent resident for three years. If my fiancée comes to the U.S. on a 10-year multiple visitor’s visa can she stay if I marry her? If yes, what do I have to prove to the Immigration Authorities for her to get legal status in the U.S.?

Answer #1: I would advise against your fiancée coming to the U.S. and over staying. Since you are only a permanent resident, a visa for your spouse would not be immediately available.

According to the June 2013 visa bulletin, visas for the spouse of a permanent resident are available for petitions filed on or before June 2011 – so there is a twoyear backlog.

She would not be permitted to remain in the U.S. for two years without status.

Only the spouse of a U.S. citizen can overstay and obtain a green card in the U.S. without any penalties.

Question #2: My sister who is a U.S. Citizen made a petition for me and my brother since 2005. At that time we were both single. However, a lot of time has elapsed and we both got married and my brother has a baby; I don’t have as yet. I would like to know how much longer we

will have to wait. Would our family be able to go with us when our papers finally come through?

Answer #2: According to the June 2013 visa bulletin, visas for the brother/sister of a U.S. citizen are available for petitions filed on or before May 2001 – so you have about a four-year wait.

Your family such as your spouse and children (once under age 21) are included in the petition and can get visas under the petition. Make sure their names are added to the petition when the petition is processed at the National Visa Center and the U.S. Embassy.

Question #3: My mother who is a U.S. citizen filed for me and my son six years now, my priority date is April 1, 2006 and I am a F1 category.

I submitted all the documents they required since February 2011 and to date I haven’t heard back from the Visa Center.

I would like to know if all the documents I submitted is expired, what happened to our Police Clearance etc? Also my son acquired the age of 21 this year on January 16, 2012, so my question is what will happen to him on my appointment? Will he be able to go with me?

Answer #3: According to the June 2013 visa bulletin, visas for an unmarried child of a U.S. citizen (F1) are available for petitions filed on or before April 2006 – so your visa is available.

You will probably have to resubmit updated medicals, police clearance and

Saturday May 25, 2013

Mother loses home three months after baby dies in bucket

Gail Seeram affidavits of support to the U.S. Embassy. As for your son, when the visa is available, you will have to recompute his age under the Child Status Protection Act to see if he is qualified for the visa.

Question #4: M y parents have their green card since 2005.

They are both in their 70’s and live in Guyana. In order to upkeep the green card, they have to enter the U.S. every six months. At their age traveling becomes difficult. Could they attempt to give up the green card and apply for a t e n - y e a r m u l t i p l e visa through the embassy?

Answer #4: Yes, this would probably be the best option for them.

If they are not living in the U.S. (as required by law for permanent residents) then it’s just a matter of time before immigration takes away their green card.

They can surrender the green card at the U.S. Embassy and ask for a visitor visa.

Less than three months after her baby son drowned in a bucket, a North Sophia mother, Candacie Peters, has now lost her home in a mystery fire.

The fire broke out in the unfinished structure around 20:30 hrs yesterday while Peters’ remaining four small children were sleeping alone inside. Fortunately, an uncle who lives next door and other neighbours managed to drag

them to safety.

“A next door neighbor grab onto one of them and we pulled them out. They were sleeping …we barely pull the children from the house,” one resident said.

The children were identified as Nickel Witter, 10; Antonio Witter, eight; Rohania, five, and three-yearold Daniel Duncan. Practically all of the family’s belongings were destroyed.

Kaieteur News was told that the blaze may have started when a mattress was set alight but some neighbours said that the blaze started outside the house.

At the time, their mother, a single parent, was at the Stabroek Market area where she sells phone cards.

The woman’s brother, Devon Duncan, lives behind his sister’s home. He (Continued on page 27)

OP employee traffic matter…

Matter put down for trial in June Office of the President, employee Lisa Lowe yesterday made another appearance at the Providence Magistrate’s Court as her matter continued. During yesterday’s appearance the court was informed that Lowe will be represented by Attorney-at-Law Leslie Sobers.

However the accused and her lawyer were merely advised that the matter will be called again on June 18 when the trial is expected to

commence.

Lowe of 693 Section ‘A’ Diamond, East Bank Demerara has been charged with failing to comply with police direction, breach of provisional licence and disorderly behavior.

It is alleged that on Tuesday May 4, last, on the Providence Public Road, East Bank Demerara, she was the driver of motorcar PPP 5617 when it was stopped by Police Constable, Tracy who was on Traffic duty.

The court was told that during the routine stop Lowe was asked to produce her

driver’s licence and she handed over a provisional driver’s licence to the rank. At the time, Lowe had a provisional driver’s licence, her lawyer said.

The police charged her for not displaying the learner’s warning ‘L’. They also alleged that when asked to drive into the police station compound, Lowe declined.

The Prosecution alleged that when Lowe was informed of the breach of provisional licence charge she became verbally abusive to the rank.

The woman is on $50,000 bail.

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 27

Outbreak at Sophia Care Centre leaves students hospitalised Sixteen children from the Sophia Care Centre were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC) yesterday following complaints of vomiting and diarrhea.

Four of the children, between the ages of eight and 10 years old, were eventually admitted to the Pediatric Unit of the State Health facility after they were seen by doctors.

Kaieteur News understands that the children had been suffering from an outbreak of nausea and diarrhea, for the past two days.

Officials of the Care Centre facility were tight lipped about the subject.

However, a source close to the institution revealed that the illness may have been caused by the consumption of the tap

water. “But we hear that a flu going around,” the source said.This newspaper was told that this first occurrence of “any such outbreak” at Sophia Care Centre.

GPHC in a press statement reported that the students from the Sophia Care Centre were taken to hospital around midmorning yesterday. They were treated at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the institution.

At the hospital the teachers who accompanied the children could provide no information on the children.

The nurses were forced to ask the children for bio data. And even this was not forthcoming. Some of the children gave what is known as “call names” and only gave their proper names when pressed. One child did not even know his surname.

Head of Child Care and Protection Services, Ann Greene, said that she was unaware of the occurrence.

“I will not comment on that I don’t know of anything like that, I will have to investigate first before I make a suitable comment,” Greene said.

The Sophia Care Centre was commissioned in 2011 under the leadership of then Human Services and Social Security Minister, Priya Manickchand.

It was constructed with the rehabilitation of abused children in mind. The building has the capacity to accommodate 100 children. It has the necessary equipment and amenities for educational, vocational and life- skills training pursuits, which cultivates positive rehabilitation of the children.

Mother loses home three...

From page 10 said that he keeps an eye on his nephews while their mother is away.

The uncle told reporters that he had returned to his home after his nephews had eaten dinner and had gone to bed.

The man said that s h o r t l y a f t e r, h e h e a r d neighbours shouting that his sister’s house was on fire.

Kaieteur News was told that the children were still sleeping when the uncle and neighbours rushed to the scene. However, the eldest child said that he was awakened by the heat. The residents then dragged the

children outside before trying in vain to douse the flames with water from the nearby ‘Forty Feet’ canal.

The house was completely destroyed by the time firefighters arrived.

A distraught Candice Peters told Kaieteur News that she was at the Stabroek Market selling phone cards when her brother contacted her by phone to say that her home was on fire.

“By the time I reach my house was ashes,” she lamented.

Ms. Peters said that she lost a bed, gas stove, television set, wall divider and other household appliances.

All the children’s school items, including shoes that she had recently bought, were also destroyed.

Ms. Peters said that she had started building her home last month and had only moved in last week.

Prior to that, Peters had been living at her mother’s house, also located in North Sophia, and it was there that tragedy struck the young mother less than three months ago.

On February 24, last, oneyear-old Akeem Peters drowned in a five-gallon bucket of water while a 14year-old aunt who was left to watch him fell asleep.

Woman robbed at Stabroek Market, thief remanded Whilst a woman was on her way to Stabroek Market, Seon Davis, of 3512 Howes Street, Charlestown, reportedly pounced on the unsuspecting victim, sprayed a substance in her eyes, robbed her and made good his escape.

Yesterday when the defendant appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ court, he pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on May 20, at Stabroek Market Tarmac, he robbed Sabrina Persaud of one black and white hand bag, one Alcatel cell phone, $40,000 in currency, four passports, and two national identification cards among other articles.

Court documents stated that on the day in question, a b o u t 2 0 :15 hours, the complainant was heading to the Stabroek market. At the

time she had a shoulder bag on her arm. The defendant then reportedly approached her and sprayed a substance in her face which burned profusely.

He reportedly proceeded to relieve her of the articles.

The matter was reported and investigations which followed, lead to the arrest of the defendant. The articles were not recovered.

The prosecution objected to bail considering the punishment the felony attracts and that if granted bail there is a high likelihood that Davis may not return for his trial. The prosecution’s objection was upheld by the court and Davis was remanded.

The case was transferred to another court for report and fixture on May 30.

GPL staff will receive...

From page 11 agreement which called for negotiations for increase in salaries, outside of an automatic three percent increment on the salaries of workers annually and a performance-based incentive of between zero and 10 percent. Staffers were assured that the retroactive payment would have been paid this month. However, when queries were made they were told that no instructions were issued to prepare the retroactive payments.

Dindyal said that he was out of the office for several days and promised to inquire, on Monday, about the position of the retroactive payment. Staff will be paid subsequently, he said.

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(From page 22)

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Page 28

Kaieteur News

Another casualty of the human smuggling bust in Barbados Guyanese sent home for illegal entry...

As the fallout in the Guyana-Barbados human trafficking bust continues, a Guyanese female relative of an Immigration Officer charged in relation to the smuggling ring, is now on her way back to home, after pleading guilty to illegal entry.

Fifty-year-old Tessa Lovell of Essequibo Coast, the mother-in-law of Barbados Immigration Officer Ryan Rudolph Jordan, who faces the court on a human smuggling-related charge, was arrested Tuesday on charges of entering the island on April 19 without the permission of the Minister of Immigration.

She was on Wednesday fined Bds$1,000 (Bds$1 = 50 cents US) or three months in prison after pleading guilty.

The fine was paid and she was handed over to

immigration authorities for deportation.

According to local Barbados media reports, Lovell was found residing in the house in which Immigration Officer Jordan was living when police executed an arrest warrant on that residence in Bagatelle Park, in the parish of St Thomas, Tuesday.

Subsequent checks revealed that Lovell had been deported from Barbados in January 2008 under the name of Tessa King, and was never granted permission to re-enter the country.

Her son-in-law, Ryan Rudolph Jordan, on Tuesday appeared in court charged with being a public officer and on February 20, providing information to a Guyanese woman which he knew to be false and which he knew

would be used to obtain an extension to her stay. He was not required to plead to the charge and was granted $5,000 bail and ordered to reappear in court on September 5. The allegation against 38year-old Jordan is in relation to the Barbados police April 18 raid on a bar in downtown Nelson Street, Barbados, where they found five Guyanese girls clad only in bathing suits, purportedly working as prostitutes.

These girls are being kept by the Barbados authority in protective custody, and may be used as witnesses in the cases. Lovell’s arrest and deportation takes the count up to five for the number of persons held for prosecution since the raid.

The Nelson Street barman and proprietrix were arrested and slapped with 30 charges relating to human trafficking and false imprisonment. At the time, police seized a quantity of passports, some said to be forged.

Following the arrest of the barman and business proprietrix, information has been flowing, and that has led to the arrest of a 76-year-old woman, who sources say posed as a grandmother of

young prostitution recruits from Guyana. She faces some six charges, including that of human trafficking.

The pregnant proprietrix, initially bailed at $30,000, is now behind bars with the barman who was never offered bail.

Guyanese sources resident in Barbados and Barbadians, all of whom do not want to be named, indicated that the woman was taken in by police last week after she allegedly began tampering with witnesses and uttering threats.

She in turn has reportedly leveled allegations to police about a Guyanese-Barbadian counterpart who functions as a recruiter of girls for prostitution, and is now in Guyana. That information led to the Guyanese-Barbadian woman being arrested by Guyana police, but subsequently released.

Reports are that the Guyana police are collaborating with its Barbadian counterparts in this case, but while inroads are being made in Barbados, there have been no arrests in Guyana, though some of the human smugglers have been identified here.

Saturday May 25, 2013

Former coast guards murder trial adjourned The trial of three former Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard ranks, charged with the murder of a young Bartica gold dealer, will continue on Tuesday at the Suddie High Court in Essequibo before Justice Franklyn Holder.

The trial, which began almost two weeks ago, is now hearing a second voir dire (trial within a trial) to determine the admissibility of caution statements allegedly made by the number two accused, Delon Gordon.

The three accused Sherwin Harte, the number one accused; Delon Gordon, number two and Deon Greenidge; are charged with the August 2009 murder of Dweive Kant Ramdass which took place at Caiman Hole, East Bank, Essequibo. The three accused are being represented by Attorney at Law Peter Hugh.

Kaieteur News was told that several other witnesses will continue to give evidence when the matter resumes on Tuesday. The two former army ranks were manning the Coast Guard RC 12 motor boat in the Essequibo River, when they allegedly confronted Ramdass in a boat at the Parika Stelling. The soldiers allegedly forced him into their boat and took him to another location in the river where they relieved him of $17M in cash which he was carrying in a box to Bartica for his

employer, who operated a gold and diamond business in the city.

The prosecution is trying to prove that the three soldiers strangled Ramdass, took the money he was carrying and threw his body overboard in the vicinity of Bonasika Creek. They will argue that after murdering Ramdass, the three accused returned to the Parika Stelling, where one of their female accomplices was waiting for them. She is the sister of one of the officers and was reportedly given $5.7M in cash to hold. Prosecutor Judith Gildharie-Mursalin is representing the state.

According to reports, another portion of the money was recovered by the police during a roadblock exercise.

The men were committed to stand trial in the High Court in 2011, by Magistrate Nyasha Williams-Hatmin following an 18-month Preliminary Inquiry at the Vreed en Hoop Magistrate’s Court. Attorney at Law Khemraj Ramjattan, who was assigned to the matter as Special Prosecutor, had led a total of 14 witnesses to give evidence. The witnesses included persons who saw when the Coast Guard ranks took Ramdass out of the boat, and when they returned to the boat without him, but with a canister that he was carrying.

Battery thief to spend the next 12 months in jail Anthony Bair, of Angoy’s Avenue, was yesterday jailed for 12 months by Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo when he appeared before her at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court and pleaded guilty to a charge of simple Larceny.

Prosecution, Sergeant Phillip Sheriff, told the court that on Tuesday May 21, at No 2 Village, East Canje Berbice the virtual complainant Ramnauth Megnauth parked his vehicle and went into his home. He subsequently retired to his bed. During the night he was aroused by a neighbour who told him something. Upon looking outside he saw the accused making off with two batteries in his possession. An alarm was raised and with the help of neighbours and public spirited citizens the accused was apprehended. He was subsequently handed over to the police and charged.

In court he pleaded guilty and begged the Magistrate to be lenient with him.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday May 25, 2013

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

The Minister will no doubt clarify how those mining 47 years of... operations can be made legal DEAR EDITOR, We see from a press release of the Ministry of Natural Resources, that Amerindians of the South Rupununi are calling for control of the mining areas up for licencing at and near the Marudi Mountain.

The Minister of course assured that everything would be done according to the relevant laws, which are already clear.

From the cases of Arau, Isseneru and Kako it is well defined what Amerindians are entitled to under the law,

regarding mining in or near their legally occupied lands.

Maybe because the distance (30-odd miles by forest trail) is considered close to the nearest titled land, Amerindian artisanal mining is already tolerated on the Mountain. The Minister will

no doubt clarify on what grounds including environmental impact and miner safety - those operations can be made legal.

Qualified advice will be given by legal minds already engaged by the needy Amerindians as well as by commercial interests.

There are a few trade

suppliers and facilitators of the Marudi small miners.

Shopkeepers have long gained from an enforcement of the law less strict than that now promised by the relevant Governmental authorities.

Their livelihood is at stake, and of course they are defending it.

Gustav Henderson

From page 5 lack of vision and proper administration.

I joined the line to apply for the birth certificates; a line of about 40 people. That line has only one booth with one lady working. She has to sell forms, marriage packages, take in applications for birth, death and marriage certificates and handwrite all the receipts for customers.

Why one person to do a job that essentially needs at least four?

It’s about time the relevant authorities get up from their soft chairs and get these long lines moving in every office in Guyana, because it is a blatant disregard for the citizens of this nation.

From the commercial banks to the GRA, Deeds Registry, Immigration and Passport Office, GPOC, GT&T, GPL, GWI, etc., long lines have once again become a real heartache and our law makers are turning a blind eye to it.

If parliamentarians, police officers, doctors, lawyers, etc., should come to do any business in the above mentioned offices they won’t join the line, they walk past everyone and get their business sorted out. So they use their offices to exploit a situation to get things faster, but are oblivious to the ordinary citizens. This has been a very serious problem over the years. Our leaders are only concerned about themselves; real leadership is when we can put others before ourselves.

We are about to commemorate 47 years of Independence tomorrow. We should ask ourselves a very serious question as a nation.

What have we achieved after 47 years of Independence when we compare ourselves with the wider Caribbean and the rest of the world? Many will go on television and say we achieved a lot but they are wrong if they are really honest with themselves.

After 20 years in office, with a ruling party which promised us so much, we still have blackouts every day, garbage all over Georgetown, potholes on actually every road, poor health facilities, poor people waiting an entire day for essential services, poor drainage and irrigation, massive migration, poor sea defence, unreliable internet service and the long dismal list goes on.

It’s about time our leaders stop fighting in parliament and get a better vision for a contemporary and prosperous Guyana. May God help us to open our blind seeing eyes.

Rev. Gideon Cecil

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 31

SPOT FIXING: PEPSI MULLS PULLING OUT OF IPL New Delhi: The domestic T20 league, Indian sport’s billion-dollar dream, is fast losing its fizz in the wake of a massive spotfixing scandal that has engulfed team owners, players, umpires and bookies alike.

And now it has emerged that the sponsors, who have committed hundreds of crores of rupees to the league, are the most anxious and may want out.

Cola major PepsiCo had won the title sponsorship rights for an eye-popping Rs. 396 crore for five years starting 2013, nearly double

of what previous rights holder DLF had paid in 2008.

The deal, which many experts had then dubbed as over-valued, comes bundled with a force majeure clause that allows termination of contract because of unanticipated circumstances.

Sources pointed out that several conditions appear to have been violated, which can allow all major sponsors, not just the title sponsor, to call for termination of contracts.

PepsiCo didn’t confirm or deny if it was considering invoking the clause to look at a possible exit from its title

sponsorship, given the turn of events that has sullied the tournament’s reputation.

“The questions are speculative in nature and as company policy, we don’t comment on speculation,” a PepsiCo spokesperson told HT in an emailed response. A top official with the Indian cricket board, in turn, said: “We have not heard of any such thing.”

“The league has again been reduced to eight teams after Sahara’s withdrawal from Pune Warriors. There is uncertainty over whether bids will be held for the two additional teams,” said an

Saturday May 25, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19): It’s great to be so enthusiastic about your current activities or about what you hope to do in the future, but you must be careful today so you don’t exhaust yourself.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20): You often find it challenging to respond to a lot of change all at once; you typically prefer a slower and more methodical approach to life. However, there is no time to waste now, so you might as well set aside your fears and find a way to flow with the current energy.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20): Skip that extra cup of coffee this morning; your world is already jumping and you have a much better chance to enjoy the high-frequency buzz if you don’t overdo it.

CANCER (June 21–July 22): You may choose to set aside your normal concerns so you can take a risk today, but eventually your common sense will most likely prevail.

Whatever you decide, you might wish you took the other path.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22): You know what you must do now and you’re okay about doing it. Still, you might be left with an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach because something isn’t quite right, yet you cannot express your feelings in words.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): Assimilating so much new information all at once can be quite the dilemma. You would prefer if incoming data arrived at a regulated pace so you have time to process the news and open up to what’s next.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): You may want to run and hide from someone today because you would like to minimize the unpredictability and chaos they bring into your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): You don’t usually feel threatened by an emotionally intense interaction because you recognize that it often paves the way to intimacy.

But other p e o p l e ’s avoidance of an issue now is enough to make you want to scream.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): It’s nearly impossible for you to relax today because you don’t want to miss a thing while you rest. You may be afraid that others will gain a competitive edge over you if you’re not up on the latest trends.

CAPRICORN(Dec.22–Jan.19): You want to tell an important story today, but it could be challenging to find the right person to listen.

You really don’t want to open up your heart to just anyone ... it needs to be someone that truly understands you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18): You have grandiose plans that involve others, but it still could get tricky trying to convince them to join you.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20): You may feel like a mother hen today as you try to take everyone under your wings.

Be careful; you could push your compassion in action too far by letting your own responsibilities slide while you help one more person who needs your assistance.

executive of a company that has a T20 sponsorship deal with the BCCI. Media buyers, who advise and invest on behalf of clients, said the sole saving grace was that the allegations have come in the later part of

the tournament.

“Clients are not reacting much at this point as it all happened very late,” said Navin Khemka, media buyer at ZenithOptimedia, which buys media for Karbonn, Nestle, Olx and Honda.

CPL Announces Player...

From page 34 Mascot” competition on CPL’s social media channels; and win a meet and greet with the stars of CPL. Powell also took the opportunity to update the media on his recent visits with the six cricket boards, the venue owners and operators and the Ministers of Sports and Tourism in each country.

“I have had an opportunity to tour each venue to assess what each facility has to offer and what will be needed from a CPL standpoint to meet our goals and objectives for the tournament,” explained Powell. “I feel confident now that all of the cricket boards are better informed and more aware of all our preparations.

The foundation for a solid

working relationship has been established and I know I can call on each of them to assist us with the operations and logistics in their respective countries.”

Powell said that CPL is also working with the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association to secure regional umpires who will work alongside a group of international umpires. The majority of umpires will be from the region, which Powell says is a testament to the calibre of cricket knowledge and talent that is present in the West Indies.

Kelly says that the team names, the assignments of franchise players to franchise countries and the results of the player draft will all be announced soon.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday May 25, 2013

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to clash in Champions League showpiece

Dortmund's Lewandowski (R) and Reus Wembley welcomed Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as both teams arrived on the eve of the first all-German Champions League final.

After landing in London earlier in the day (yesterday), both teams got a chance to have a look at England’s national stadium, which will host European football’s showpiece match for the second time in three years.

Dortmund return to the Champions League final for the first time since 1997 when they beat Juventus 3-1 with the help of Aston Villa Manager Paul Lambert, while Bayern hope to make amends and win their fifth title after the disappointment they suffered last year.

The legendary German

accuracy from the penalty spot suffered a malfunction 12 months ago when Bayern were beaten by Chelsea. But Thomas Muller is not panicking about the prospect of more Champions League final shoot-out misery at Wembley.

Indeed, if the performance in the pre-match media briefing yesterday is anything to go by, he is rather looking forward to it.

‘What happened last year has nothing to do with selfconfidence,’ he said.

‘You never know who will be on pitch at that point and some players better at penalties than others, but noone will be wetting their pants over it.’

The German invasion of Wembley does appear to mark

a shift in the European balance of power.

Lauded as possibly the greatest club side ever for their performances over the previous four seasons, Barcelona were slaughtered

by Bayern in the semi-final.

The four-times winners scored seven times without reply in a quite staggering two-legged display, even if Lionel Messi played through injury in the first encounter and sat out the second completely as Bayern romped to a 7-0 aggregate triumph.

‘Barcelona were extraordinary in what they have done over the last few years,’ said Bayern skipper Philipp Lahm.

‘They have won the Champions League on a couple of occasions and we felt they were the team we knew we had to beat if we were going to be successful this season. ‘But we have developed by working together as a team. We have lots of attacking qualities and we didn’t let them through our defence at all.’

‘It is difficult to know whether we can take the torch away from them, we shall have to see how it develops. ‘But

things are looking very positive for the future of the team. We have a great team, at the right age and we work well together.’

Coach Jupp Heynckes reported a fully fit 21-man squad, which will allow Bayern to start favourites to lift their first European crown since 2001. With the Bundesliga title already confirmed and a German Cup final against Stuttgart to follow next week, Heynckes’ final season as a Manager is threatening to leave new boss Pep Guardiola with a difficult act to follow.

The 68-year-old accepts his team are something special. ‘We have achieved some extraordinary things,’ he said ‘Overall, our season has been the best in the Bundesliga from any team in 50 years.

‘But we have the aspiration to carry on. We want to maintain our form tomorrow and in the German Cup Final. ‘I am fortunate. I have won the Champions League before when I was at Real Madrid. For the players in our squad who are 28 and over, today could be the crowning moment of their

Spurs draw a blank against Jamaica in Bahamas Following the disappointment of missing out on reaching the Champions League last weekend, Tottenham concluded their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Jamaica, as not even Gareth Bale could rescue a win.

But bigger concerns remain for Andre Villas-Boas, who saw Kyle Walker limp off 39 minutes into the contest through injury following a strong challenge from Evan Taylor, and will now wait on the full extent of the damage suffered by the England full back.

Spurs selected a strong side at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium to take on Jamaica’s national side, but had failed to break down the visitors and were on the back foot before the introduction of Bale.

The forward, whose future is still uncertain at White Hart Lane, came off the bench with 29 minutes left in this entertaining encounter and still produced arguably the north London’s side’s best chance.

Action in the Jamaica, Tottenham game in the Bahamas In the closing stages of the match, the Welshman’s turn and shot from the edge of the box was parried by keeper Andre Blake, before Steven Caulker turned in the rebound only to be correctly flagged offside.

Jamaica were on top before Bale replaced Mousa Dembele, and the 23-year-old quickly made an impact down the right through a couple of trademark sprints that led to Theodore Whitmore’s side having to opt to a more

defensive shape to stop the Welshman. Before Bale’s introduction, which produced the biggest cheer of the night from the sparse but noisy crowd, the game had already produced a number of opportunities for both teams with a mixture of poor finishing and smart saves from the goalkeepers keeping the score deadlocked.

Jermain Defoe fired off target in the early stages of the game following a long ball from Michael Dawson, while

his replacement, Emmanuel Adebayor latched on to a Tom Huddlestone through pass only to be denied by Blake in a one-on-one during the second half.

The Reggae Boyz came even closer during the first period to scoring with Keammar Daley cutting in from the left before firing against the outside of Brad Friedel’s post, while earlier in the half the American reacted well to save from Jermaine Hue. (Mail Online)

entire careers.’

Though Bayern have not beaten Dortmund in six meetings since February 2010, they start overwhelming favourites given the manner in which they have transferred their imperious domestic form onto the European stage. Muller acknowledges the side Bayern wrested the Bundesliga title from have plenty of quality despite the absence of Bayern-bound Mario Gotze.

However, he is adamant his side are the stronger.

‘Borussia are a complete team,’ he said. ‘That is harder to deal with than a group of individual players, even though their individuals are also very good.

‘But I don’t have believe we have any weaknesses.

‘We have played a lot of games, scored a great deal of goals and not conceded many. ‘I have a really good feeling about tomorrow (today).’

Former Giro winner Di Luca tests positive for EPO

Danilo Di Luca

(Reuters) - Former Giro d’Italia winner Danilo Di Luca has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO), the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Friday.

Italian Di Luca, who had a previous positive for the same banned substance in 2009, failed an out-ofcompetition test taken on April 29 at his home, five days before the start of this year’s Giro.

The 2007 Giro champion has been sacked by his ViniFantini team who said in a statement they would be seeking compensation from the rider.

“I’m devastated, I never wanted Di Luca in the team,” sports director Luca Scinto said.

“We have built our group on the sacred values of cycling and we made the mistake of complying with a request, expressed many times, by our main sponsor...who asked us to have faith in an athlete who was a dear friend of his.

“Unfortunately this trust has been rewarded with a terrible mistake, which I still cannot comprehend,” Scinto added.

Vini-Fantini’s main sponsor, Valentino Sciotti

said: “What can I say? I believed in the man and in the athlete and it is right that it should be me who takes the blame because I made a mistake.

“I must ask forgiveness from the fans, the team, the other sponsors, my partners and all the other cyclists who are racing in the Giro d’ Italia fairly and honestly, and all those young athletes who will be shaken by this news.”

Di Luca, 37, had joined the team last month. He also served a three-month ban in 2007 for his part in the ‘oil for drugs’ scandal’ involving Italian sports doctor Carlo Santuccione.

Di Luca was 26th overall in the Giro standings, 33:33 behind Italian leader Vincenzo Nibali after Thursday’s stage 18. The race finishes in Brescia on Sunday. Nibali said Di Luca’s positive test reflected badly on all the riders.

“It’s very bad news because it’s always all the riders who pay the price of something like this,” he told reporters after Friday’s stage was cancelled because of heavy overnight snow in northern Italy.

“This kind of thing is never good news for the world of cycling and something we never like to hear.”

Saturday May 25, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 33

NADAL COULD GET DJOKOVIC IN FRENCH OPEN SEMIFINALS PARIS (AP) - Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal could face top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals a year after they met to decide the title. Friday’s draw for the clay-court Grand Slam tournament placed Nadal and Djokovic on the same half of the field, while Roger Federer could face David Ferrer in the other semifinal.

Federer, the owner of a record 17 major titles including the 2009 French Open, will face a qualifier in the first round - and if he wins that, he’ll play a qualifier in the second round, too.

Djokovic faces a far more intriguing start: The reigning Australian Open champion’s first-round opponent is David Goffin, a 22-year-old Belgian who took a set off Federer in the fourth round in Paris last year after making it that far as a lucky loser.

No man has won the title at Roland Garros as many times as Nadal, who broke a tie with six-time champion Bjorn Borg by defeating Djokovic in last year’s final and is 52-1 for his French Open career. Nadal also has reached the finals of all eight tournaments he’s played in 2013.

But because the Spaniard missed about seven months with a left knee injury, his ranking slipped to No. 4, and the French Open decided not to bump him to a higher seeding.

If the tournament had placed Nadal at No. 2, he and No. 1 Djokovic only could have met in the final; instead, a Nadal-Djokovic rematch for the championship can’t happen in 2013. ‘’I am very happy that I

Spain’s Rafael Nadal, left, and Russia’s Maria Sharapova pose during the draw for the 2013 French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris. am back and I am healthy to play here another time,’’ said Nadal, who has lost eight of his last 11 matches against Djokovic, including on clay at Monte Carlo last month.

Nadal is seeded No. 3 because second-ranked Andy Murray, the reigning U.S. Open champion, withdrew from the French Open with a back injury.

The possible men’s quarterfinals are: Djokovic against No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic, his Davis Cup teammate for Serbia; Nadal against No. 7 Richard Gasquet of France; No. 2 Federer against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France; and No. 4 Ferrer against No. 5 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.

Berdych was drawn to face Gael Monfils of France in the first round, drawing groans from some members of the audience. The last man from France to win the French Open was Yannick Noah in

1983, a 30-year gap mentioned more than once at Friday’s ceremony.

Serena Williams wants to end her own, shorter drought in Paris - her lone French Open title came in 2002 - and her bid for a second championship will begin against 83rd-ranked Anna Tatishvili in the first round.

A year ago in Paris, Williams lost her opening match to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano, the American’s only first-round loss in 50 career Grand Slam tournaments.

Williams is seeded No. 1 this year and is on a 24-match winning streak, the longest of her career.

Tatishvili, from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, is only 2-10 this season. She’s also 0-2 at Roland Garros and 6-8 overall at Grand Slam tournaments. Williams, in contrast, has won 15 major titles.

The possible women’s

quarterfinals are: Williams against No. 8 Angelique Kerber, defending champion Maria Sharapova against No. 7 Petra Kvitova, No. 3 Victoria Azarenka against 2011 champion Li Na, and No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska against 2012 runner-up Sara Errani. ‘’It’s very meaningful to come back as a defending champion. It means you have done something pretty good, and you’re coming back into that position and you’re trying to defend it,’’ said Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning last year’s French Open. ‘’I think it’s one of the best honors you can have as a tennis player.’’

One noteworthy firstround matchup is No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki, who used to be No. 1, against 35thranked Laura Robson, a British teenager who reached the fourth round at last year’s U.S. Open. The French Open begins tomorrow.

GASA Independence Meet continues at Aquatic Centre

Mixed successes on Day Two Dorado Speed Swim Club member Sarah King clocked 3:48.46secs and swam away with the honours in the Girls 11-12 years, 100 meters Breaststroke event when the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) Independence Meet continued at the Aquatic Centre, Lilliendaal ECD, yesterday afternoon.

Her club mate, Alyssa Nurse, finished second after clocking 4:26.63. In the absence of other competitors, Naomi King, also of Dorado Speed Swim Club, swam all alone in the 9-10 years

category of the 50 meters breast stroke event and registered a time of 2:17.09 while Nathan Hackette, representing Silver Shark Aquatic Swim Club, finished the Boys 11-12 years, 50 meters breast stroke just in front of Daniel Scott in a seed time of 1:45.56 and a timings of 1:37.79 in the finals.

Both males and females contested together in the 1517 years 100 meters breast stroke but Athena Gaskin swam solo in the female category to register a seed and overall timings of 1:35.41 and 1:35.44 respectively.

The Boys 15-17 100 LC Meter Breaststroke was dominated by Omari Dunn in a seed time of 1:24.25 and overall timings of 1:25.95.

Derrick Ramsaroop, Andy Yansen and Isaac DaSilva finished in that order.

Activities continue from 15:00hrs this afternoon with several other events carded for the day including the 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle and the 200m backstroke. Warm-up starts at 14:00hrs while the first race commences at 15:00hrs.

Isaac DaSilva

CONFIDENT GROUP CT13 TEAM SPONSOR

St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board yesterday announced Confident Group as the West Indies Team Sponsor for the ICC Champions Trophy in England next month and ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh.

Confident Group, is an Indian conglomerate, headquartered in Bangalore with interests in infrastructure, hospitality, aviation, entertainment, education and health care.

Confident Group is the largest owner and operator of hotels in Bangalore.

“We welcome Confident Group as our team sponsor for these two mega world cricketing events. The West Indies Team, having won the World Twenty20 in 2012 is one of the most attractive teams for a sponsor to be associated with in international cricket at the moment and we are delighted to have the Confident Group on board for the Champions Trophy and the World Twenty20 in 2014 when the West Indies will defend our title,” WICB Chief Executive Officer Michael Muirhead said.

“This association of the West Indies Team with another major Asian company is significant from the point of view that we are able to attract some of the most high profile companies from a dynamic and wide-ranging cricket market to our portfolio and it is a demonstration of the confidence of the corporate sector in West Indies cricket which remains a strong brand on the global cricket stage,” Muirhead added.

Dr. Roy CJ, Chairman & Managing Director, Confident Group said “As a Group, we see and believe that there exists tremendous value in being associated with a talented, high profile and lively team like the West Indies. We will be partnering with them as the lead sponsor

of the team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy and the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. The West Indian team boasts of cricketing legends from time immemorial and the confidence the current team exudes is surely something that energises us as a brand as well. Cricket has undergone a sea change over the years and the sheer reach of the game forms a perfect fit in our business expansion plans as well.”

Tuhin Mishra, Vice President, Sales & Marketing of Total Sports Asia (which facilitated the sponsorship) said: “It has been an honour and privilege to work with the West Indies Cricket Board and Confident Group.

This is yet another landmark deal from TSA’s stable and the very first for any Indian brand like Confident Group who is reaching out to a global audience through West Indies cricket sponsorship.”

West Indies Champions Trophy Schedule Friday June 7 – West Indies v Pakistan, The Oval Tuesday June 11 – West Indies v India, The Oval Friday June 14 – West Indies v South Africa, Cardiff West Indies Squad Dwayne Bravo (Captain), Denesh Ramdin (Vice Captain/Wicketkeeper), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron, Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith.

Team Management - Ottis Gibson (Head Coach), Richie Richardson (Team Manager), Toby Radford (Assistant Coach), Andre Coley (Assistant Coach), C.J. Clark (Physiotherapist), Hector Martinez Charles (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Richard Berridge (Video & Statistical Analyst), Philip Spooner (Media Manager), Virgil Browne (Massage Therapist).

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Kaieteur News

Saturday May 25, 2013

Favourites Butler House edges CPL Announces Etheridge in Saints Hockey final Player Draft Details

The two finalists Butler and Etheridge Houses pose for a photo op following the completion of a riveting final.

Butler House lived up to their billing as pretournament favorites by edging a determined Etheridge side in the final of the St. Stanislaus College Inter-House Hockey Competition on Monday.

The final started with both teams playing tentatively before Etheridge’s striking partnership of Shemuel King and Marcia Persaud started to pressure the Butler defence,

resulting in several close calls.

At half time, the game was still scoreless and despite the absence of their star defender Shani Naughton due to injury, Etheridge’s defensive duo of Nichola Nervas and Ayeisha Boodie were holding their own.

With time winding down in the second half and both teams pushing for the win it was Butler’s Ato Greene, who

broke the deadlock to give his team the slim lead. Greene then pushed his side further ahead, with a clinical finish after a solo counter attack down the right side.

Etheridge never gave up hope and were rewarded for their resilience when Nervas blocked a shot in front of his goal, then raced the length of the court to bring his team within one.

Despite some desperate

attacking plays by Etheridge in the dying seconds Butler’s defence held firm to spark off wild celebrations, at the end of full time.

Earlier, Weld defeated Galton 2-0 in the third place playoff thanks to goals from Captain Hilton Chester and Shenay Stewart.

The top three teams were presented with medals, while the champions also received a trophy.

Mumbai in final after tense finish Half-volleys hit straight to hand. A fielder found perfectly with a long hop.

Crazy wide balls. A dropped catch to finally lose the match. Another night in the life of IPL. After which Mumbai Indians made it to the finals.

Chennai Super Kings have already made it to the final. Chasing 166, which was thanks to Lasith Malinga’s

profligate last over, Mumbai were on their way with Dwayne Smith and Aditya Tare strolling through, but a spate of poor shots made for some late drama.

Mumbai were 70 for 0 after nine overs when Tare played a chip straight down longon’s throat. It was not an attempt at hitting a six. It was not an attempt to keep the ball

Persistent showers force opening-day abandonment Persistent showers prevented any play on the first day of the second Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley. Although there were brief gaps in the clouds, the weather did not relent enough even for the toss to be taken or teams named. The forecast is better for the weekend, though, and an extra half-hour can be added to each remaining day of the game. It was the first time since 1980 that the opening day at Headingley had been washed out. England are expected to name an unchanged team from the side that won the first Test at Lord’s by 170 runs. That means there will be no recall for Tim Bresnan on his home ground and another chance for Steven Finn.

New Zealand are expected to make two changes. With left-arm spinner Bruce Martin and wicketkeeper BJ Watling both injured, New Zealand will field a four-man seam attack with Doug Bracewell coming back into the side, while Brendon McCullum will keep wicket and Martin Guptill will strengthen a batting line-up with was blown away for just 68 in the second innings at Lord’s. That would leave Kane Williamson, a parttime off spinner, as their only spin option.

along the ground. Nor was it a mis-hit.

He was caught comfortably at long-on.

While Smith continued to bat solidly, Dinesh Karthik cut a short and wide delivery straight to point. Mumbai were now 125 for 2 at the start of the 15th over, and Rohit Shamra was soon to make it 128 for 3 with a slog down the wrong line. In the 17th over, Smith timed a half-volley a bit too well and found deep midwicket to fall for 62 off 44. In the next over, the 18th, Pollard did the same, and this walk had now become treacherous.

Ambati Rayudu was the last of the recognised batsmen, and he responded with a six to cow corner to make it 16 off 10 balls. Two balls later, keeping with the spirit of the match, Rayudu mis-hit a full toss, Brad Hodge ran in from deep square leg, got under it, but dropped it.

In the last over, Shane Watson, who had had an ordinary time with the ball thus far, produced a moment of inspiration, an accurate leg cutter to knock back Rayudu’s off stump. With six required off four balls, and two

new batsmen at the wicket, it was game on again.

Rishi Dhawan, the young Himachal Pradesh allrounder, produced the other moment of inspiration, ramping a length ball over short fine leg. Game over.

Dhawan was one of the inspirational men for Mumbai with the ball. Brought in to replace Munaf Patel, who was ordinary when replacing the injured Dhawal Kulkarni, bowled ahead of Malinga, and kept it quiet.

Harbhajan Singh came on and broke the sizeable but slowish opening stand when he bowled Ajinkya Rahane behind his legs. Harbhajan found a way to stay in the match. Of the six wickets that fell, he either took or caught five. The biggest of those wickets was Watson, who top-edged him to square leg.

Royals kept losing wickets until Dishant Yagnik gave them a total to defend with an innovative 31 off 17. Unsettled by that, Malinga bowled two sets of big wides and conceded 18 runs in the last over. That wasn’t to be the last bit of ordinary cricket on the night.

Bridgetown, Barbados Details of the upcoming Caribbean Premier League player draft, the names of the remaining international players and the West Indies elite players and the CPL television ads was just some of the information revealed in a press conference held in Barbados by CPL officials that was streamed live around the world on the tournament website, and attended by the West Indies Cricket team who are in a camp ahead of the Champions Trophy League.

With presentations made

by CPL Operations Manager, Carlisle Powell, Kieran Foley, Digicel Group Marketing Operations Director, CPL Commercial Director Jamie Stewart and CPL Event Director Rhonda Kelly, members of the media were told that the player draft will take place on June 5 in Jamaica, and the draft process was clarified.

Powell explained that each team will have a selection committee consisting of the Head Coach, Assistant Coach, the West Indies Franchise Player and the International Franchise Player, and that together these four members of the team selection committee will plan and formalise their strategy and picks for each round going into the official draft.

Attendees also learned that there are three pools of players – A, B and C – who will be a part of the draft. Pool A players are those who have played international cricket, and are considered top players based on their current form while Pool B players are cricketers who play mostly regional cricket although they may have also played at the international level. Pool C consists of developing, talented under-23 players from across the region.

Powell announced the West Indies Pool A players as Andre Russell, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards, Johnson Charles, Kemar Roach, Kieran Powell, Lendl Simmons, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ravi Rampaul, Samuel Badree, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tino Best.

The International Pool A players are confirmed to be Aaron Finch (Aus), Albie Morkel (South Africa), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Dirk Nannes (Aus), Luke Pomersbach (Aus), Shakib al Hasan (Ban), Shaun Marsh (Aus), Shoaib Malik (Pak), Steven Smith (Aus), Tamim Iqbal (Ban),

Umar Akmal (Pak) and Vernon Philander (South Africa).

International Pool B players will be Elton Chigumbura of Zimbabwe, Davy Jacobs (South Africa), Justin Kemp (South Africa), James Franklin (NZ), Mark Guptil (NZ) and Kevin O’Brien (IRL) while the West Indies Pools B and C are some 200 players strong, and listed on the CPL T20 website (www.cplt20.com).

“We have secured a broad selection of cricket talent that we feel will appeal to cricket fans everywhere,” said Jamie Stewart, CPL Commercial Director. ”The variety of players, from the experienced and wellestablished to the rising star on the cricket scene should make the inaugural CPL an exciting tournament that showcases the best of the best.”

CPL Event Director Rhonda Kelly announced that the marketing and advertising campaign would begin in earnest across the region, inviting everyone to come and play in July and August. A number of teaser ads were shown to the audience which were met with applause.

Digicel’s Kieran Foley says that as CPL’s major sponsor, the company is pulling out all the stops to create major buzz and excitement around the CPL T20 tournament, and have made a significant investment in a marketing campaign that will include advertising, public relations and promotional activities.

“We have lots of competitions and promotions to bring the fans as close as possible to the CPL T20 experience,” said Foley. ”We will be complementing CPL’s marketing efforts by bringing Carnival T20 to the host markets and adding to the instadium spectacular with the best of music, dancing and entertainment that the Caribbean has to offer.”

Digicel will also be providing prizes by way of promotions on its Digicel Cricket website www.digicelcricket.com and tying in with the CPL website, Foley shared. Fans can win the chance to present the CPL Man of the Match award or participate in the Coin Toss.

They will also be able to text to win the CPL Party Pass with smart phones and limo transfers to the stadium; win a trip to the CPL finals; participate in the “Name the (Continued on page 31)

t r o Sp

GASA Independence Meet continues at Aquatic Centre

Mixed successes on Day Two

CPL Announces

Player Draft Details

Sarah King (right) and Alvssa Nurse in action yesterday.

Daniel Scott in action in the Boys 200 LC meter 13-14 age group event.

CPL Franchise players Marlon Samuels and Herschelle Gibbs at the CPL Press Conference in Barbados.

Mumbai in final Favourites Butler House edges after tense finish Etheridge in Saints Hockey final

Dwayne Smith scored 62 off 44 © BCCI. Champions Butler House poses with House Mistress Vaunda Wayne and their hardware.

G/town and Linden MACKESON ‘Keep rivalry in sports Your Five Alive’ resumes this evening Grand Finale tonight Leopold Street vs. Silver Bullets promises fireworks

- Sparta Boss’ five still alive, Albouystown ‘B’ stunned

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