…at memorial of 1976 Cubana Air victims

THE Cuban Embassy in Georgetown in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection, on Sunday hosted the 43rd commemorative ceremony in remembrance of the 73 victims who perished in the 1976 Cubana Air Disaster.

The ceremony was hosted at the Cubana Air Disaster Monument at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus.

In attendance were Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland; Charge d’ affaires of the Cuban Embassy, Ricardo Lamas Camejo; Attorney General, Basil Williams; Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings; Junior Minister of Social Protection, Keith Scott; members of the medical and educational brigade of Cuba; relatives of the victims and other members of the diplomatic corps.

On the tragic day of October 6, 1976, an act of terrorism resulted in the loss of lives of 73 people on board Cubana Flight 455 en route from Barbados to Jamaica.

The flight was bombed, killing 48 passengers and 25 crew, including 57 Cubans; five North Koreans and 11 Guyanese.

Amongst the dead Guyanese were six medical students, the wife of a Guyanese diplomat at Guyana Embassy in Cuba and four others.

Of the 57 Cubans were 24 members of the 1975 national Cuban Fencing Team who had just won all the gold medals in the Central American and Caribbean Championship, many of them teenagers.

In brief remarks, Minister Norton said that Guyana has and will continue to reject the use of force to settle controversies between states and abhors the crime of international terrorism.

“Today, Guyana reassures the world of its commitment to making the Caribbean a zone of peace,” Minister Norton said.

“It was the first time that Guyana, Cuba and the region had experienced such a tragedy. The four Caribbean States: Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago established diplomatic relations with Cuba in December 1972, four years prior to the tragedy.”

He assured the attending that the memory those who lost their lives in the tragedy will never be forgotten. Also addressing the attendees, Charge d’ affaires, Camejo said that the people on board Douglas-DC-8 plane were assassinated in one of the most brutal terrorist actions masterminded by those against the Cuban Revolution.

“The champions of the fencing team of Cuban did not know that behind their swords, sabers and foils, imperial demons were hidden to destroy all their efforts and dreams,” he said. “This horrendous crime claimed the lives of young innocent Guyanese with the dream of studying medicine in Cuba and returning to their beautiful country as true professionals…Koreans, who by chance boarded this plane, were visiting Latin America countries on a friendship trip.”

He stated that though terrorist actions like the Cubana Air Disaster have occurred, the peoples of each country remain steadfast and wish eternal glory to the martyrs. Following remarks, the officials laid floral tributes at the monument.