Police sanitize Stabroek Square after explosion Wednesday…
In the wake of Wednesday morning’s explosion at the busy downtown Stabroek Market Square, where one man was killed instantly and 19 others injured when a fragmentation grenade went off, the police made good on their promise to sanitize the area.
After 17:00hrs on Wednesday, a heavy police presence was in the area as, along with the city constabulary, they demolished the many makeshift stalls erected there by vendors.
By yesterday morning, all the stalls were dismantled
and lodged in the City Hall compound.
Yesterday the vendors mounted a protest outside City Hall and the office of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee on Brickdam.

On Wednesday evening, Rohee told a press conference that for some time he has been talking about the numerous illegal activities taking place in and around the Stabroek Market.
He said, “There have been several reports of glaring daylight and night-time robberies. We understand from fairly reliable sources that at least 15 robberies take place there on a daily basis.”
According to the Minister, the lawless activities  include the establishment of a number of illegal rum shops, harbouring of persons of unsavoury characters, playing of loud music, trafficking in narcotics, vending of stolen articles, the establishment of unauthorised cook shops, barber shops, and hair-dressing salons, most of which have illegal connections from the Guyana Power and Light .
“We have also received reports about the selling of raw gold openly, which is an illegal activity, renting of illegal firearms, the sale of small amounts of ammunition around the area, and the snatching of cell phones, just to mention a few.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Henry Greene, who was present at the press briefing on Wednesday night, said that the police have been working at the Stabroek Market area in recent months and they have managed to stymie some of the illegal activities.
He added that in October 2009, he spoke of sanitizing the Staborek Market area to make it safe for the public and they have been doing so with ranks to police the area.
Senior officers on Wednesday night confirmed that a fragmentation grenade exploded in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market that morning, killing the man in whose possession it was, and injuring 19 others.
They also confirmed that the device was not lobbed into the crowd, even though the possibility that the deceased man was not working alone was not ruled out.
Rohee said that from the reports received thus far, “we know that the explosive device was what is termed a fragmentation grenade.”

Commander of “A” Division, George Vyphuis, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that they intend to keep the Staborek Market area as it currently is, and there will be heightened police presence there continually.
Noting that the Police Mounted Branch ranks were present at the scene of the explosion on Wednesday morning, Vyphuis explained that they were used for crowd control and those ranks on horses will continue to police the area.

Those injured in the explosion were Edward Dalton, 38, years, of High Park, Timehri; Shane Wiggins, 28, of Herstelling; Randolph Brown, 34, of Mocha; Dennis DeFreitas, 50, of Robb Street, Georgetown;
Trefa Hinds,31, of Cummings Lodge; Sandra Harrylall, 33, of Diamond; Alan Daniels, 50, of No. 41 Village; Avis Davidson, 49, of La Retraite;
Malvena David, 67, of South Ruimveldt; Mervin Adams, 30 , of Mocha; Sean Barrow, 29, of Bagotville; Ganpattie Mohanlall, 66, of Timehri;
Irfaan Alli, 42, of Stewartville; Clayton Alleyne, 30, of Kuru Kuru; Egbert Austin, 30, of Soesdyke; Esther Sutherland, 44, of Palm Street, Georgetown;
Surajpattie Rajkumar, 63, of Grove Squatting Area; and Victorine Campbell, 76, of New Hope.
Trefa Hinds, Clayton Alleyne, Esther Sutherland and Egbert Austin were admitted at the hospital, while the others were treated and sent away.