The Dweive Kant Ramdass murder
GDF inquiry finds three former ranks culpable
By Wendella Davidson
Three former ranks of the Guyana Defence Force ( GDF) who were dishonourably discharged from the Army after being charged with the capital offence for the murder of Bartica gold dealer Mr Dweive Kant Ramdass, have been found culpable in an internal Army investigation.

A three-man Board of Inquiry (BOI) established by the Guyana Defence Force on August 22 last, comprising Lieutenant Colonel C. F. Kyte as President, with Lt. Col. V. Burnett and Captain L.E. Lynch as members, blamed the three ranks for the death of the businessman.

The BOI, which sat for 10 days, conducted interviews with 19 persons, including five officers and one Senior Petty Officer at Coast Guard headquarters; one officer and three civilians at Fort Island ; two Ratings at Base Camp Ayangannna; a Police Detective Sergeant stationed at Leonora Police Station; four civilians and the three accused who are on remand at the Camp Street jail.

The probe unearthed eight breaches in the Standing Operating Procedures (SOP) and the Board has opined that the Fort Island location was operating under a discretionary form of command; that such an autonomous location which is required to interact on a daily basis with the general public should have as its commander someone holding a rank no less than a Sub Lieutenant; that Leading Rating Hart’s action is in no way a spin-off from the lack of any order, but rather, his intent to disobey instructions given to him; and that there was a lack of foresight by the CG headquarters to properly administer the location which may have contributed to the conducting of illegal activities by the ratings.

In addition to the three ranks, the BOI found lapses in the administration by some officers and ranks, including Petty Officer D. Kendall, a former location commander of the Fort Island location, leaving the post for a protracted period without seeking permission from his officer Commanding Officer, thus creating an opportunity for the incident to be facilitated; that Kendall also granted time off to a Rating while not having the authority to so do; that one of the accused and another coastguard rank were posted to the Fort Island location without the approval of Lt. Com. Harmon S., the Officer Commanding MLED.

The same Officer Commanding was blamed in the report for while visiting the location in May this year, noted that there were discrepancies but failed to correct them in a timely manner, and to ensure that daily situation reports and patrol programmes were dispatched to the Coast Guard headquarters at Ruimveldt.

Harmon was also cited for failing to maintain regular contact with the commander at the Fort Island location, a situation that allowed Kendall to make arbitrary decisions.

Blenman , according to the BOI’s report, failed to supervise the drafting of operational orders in relation to the operations at Fort Island by Harmon, while Commander George who took over the helm of the Coast Guard in February , was blamed for not visiting the location in a timely manner.

Included in the recommendations by the BOI is that the commander of the Fort Island location should hold not less a rank than Sub Lieutenant; that there should be written orders catering for the kind of operational duties at Fort Island; a secured communication system should be set up; a tracking device should be installed on vessels deployed in the different regions; investigations by the G2 Intelligence Branch must be pursued on complaints of harassment and until the complainants are found; civil military relations between the residentsof Fort Island and Essequibo riverain areas should be intensified.

The BOI had under its terms of reference (TOR) were mandated during its probe set out to find out when and where the allegation of abduction and robbery occurred and what led to the allegations; identify the alleged abductors and robbers and who was the Coast Guard rank in charge; whether the presence of the ranks in the Essequibo River at the time was sanctioned by the Coast Guard headquarters; what were the orders given to the patrol and by whom; whether any standard operating procedures (SOPs) were breached; the then status of the investigations by the Police, and the amount of cash stolen and how it was distributed.

They were also to establish blame of worthiness in any regards necessary, comment on any pertinent aspect not covered in the TOR , take evidence, conduct interviews with persons they felt could have assisted in the investigations; visit all necessary locations and ensure appropriate photographs were taken; identify and comment on any other factor that may have contributed to the incident; and identify what measures, if any, could have been taken to avoid the allegations which were made.

Ramdass was on his way to Bartica with a box containing $17M to conduct business for his employer when he was taken off a boat he was in at Parika by three ranks in a Coast Guard vessel, RC12.

The vessel left with the man heading in the direction of Bartica and that was the last time he was seen alive.

Regarding a probe into a boat accident on August 10, last, which led to the deaths of Mr Henry Gibson and Mr Jainarayan, and the disappearance of Ricky Jainnarayan , the report stated that the incident occurred at a time when the Coast Guard vessel was said to be moored at the Fort Island wharf, that a re-supply trip was done on the same day to Parika from 16:35h to 17:55h and that the vessel commanded by Hart, returned around the time Jainarayan ‘s boat was on its way from Parika to Hogg Island.

Unity Public Road fatal accident…
Indar’s mother recovering nicely
By Shirley Thomas

THIRTY-seven-year-old Indira Raghubir, injured in the accident which claimed the life of her only child, nine-year-old Indar, and a 47-year-old woman on the Unity Public Road, East Coast Demerara, on Wednesday, is recovering favourably, and has been transferred to the Female Surgical Ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Driver of the car, Metanga Cameron of Limlair Village, West Coast Berbice, is also on the mend, and is warded in the Male Surgical Unit of the same institution.

The four were traveling en-route to Berbice on Wednesday morning when, at around 10:30h, the driver lost control of the motor car and crashed into a utility pole which split in two on impact.

Indar and the other passenger who died, whose name has been given as Donette Richmond-Hinds, were killed on the spot, while Cameron and Indira survived, but badly injured.

Indira, who is suffering from a broken arm and leg, along with injuries to the head and face, had a CT scan done hours after being admitted to hospital. Though unconscious for the greater part of Wednesday, she was fully conscious when visited by this newspaper yesterday and communicating with relatives and friends at her bedside.

Her face is still swollen, her eyes blackened, and her vision somewhat weakened, she said.

The accident occurred as Indira and her son Indar were returning from the United States Embassy in Georgetown, where they were to pick up his visa for migration to the United States. Arrangements were being finalised for both mother and son to migrate to the U.S, where they would join his father. Indira had earlier picked up her visa, but on this occasion, had gone to the Embassy in connection with the child’s.

Relatives say nine-year-old Indar had made it clear very early that he did not want to migrate to the United States. His mother said that when she arranged with relatives living closer to the city to put them up for the night so they could travel to the Embassy on Wednesday, he cried and said he did not want to go.

She said she explained to him that he could not opt out of the migration process, since they were going to be reunited with his dad. Finally, he said that if he had to forcibly leave his relatives and friends to go abroad, then she should let him do one thing – not travel to Hague Village, West Coast Demerara, as planned, but leave D’Edward around 4:00 hours and travel down to the city.

“I just wanted to let him have at least one wish granted,” the sorrowing mother told her brother, Davendra yesterday.

“And now he would not be going to meet his father as planned, but his father would be coming home to meet him,” Davendra whispered sadly.

Mr. Mohabeer Raghubir is expected home to bury little Indar, whom he has not seen since May last year.

Leading scientists urge leaders…
GO FURTHER
- to tackle climate change
FORTY of the world’s leading climate scientists have signed an open letter demanding global leaders take bolder action against climate change. (see full list below)

The joint statement – initiated by WWF and endorsed by recognised climate luminaries such as Sir John Houghton, former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – calls for industrialised countries to make a commitment, at the UN Climate summit in Copenhagen, to cut carbon emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020.

Saleemul Huq, one of the signatories, IPCC author and Senior Fellow in the Climate Change Group at the International Institute for Environment and Development, said: “The scientific evidence now indicates that even a rise in temperature of 2°C will entail considerable hardships for poor and vulnerable people around the world, especially those living on low-lying islands and coasts.

“So a 40% reduction in emissions is the very least required to provide a better chance of avoiding devastation for these countries and communities.”

WWF’s Head of Climate Change, Keith Allott, says: “As the UK government rallies the EU to step up to the mark ahead of Copenhagen, it’s time for Gordon Brown and other world leaders to turn words into action.”

Dr Dave Reay, another of the signatories, IPCC contributor and Senior Lecturer in Carbon Management, Edinburgh University, said: "The scientific evidence of climate change from around the world is providing a clear and urgent call for action.

“If we are to be successful in preventing the worst impacts of climate change then world leaders from the industrialised nations must commit to reducing emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020. The meeting in Copenhagen later this year is hugely important in putting the world on a path that leads us away from dangerous climate change."

The WWF say key meetings that will shape the global climate deal take place in coming weeks, including the UN General Assembly in New York and the G20 Heads of State meeting in Pittsburgh.

Campaigners say it is vital that the politicians attending take note of such timely advice from the world’s scientific community.

The scientists’ statement on 40% emissions reduction target for developed countries follows:

Copenhagen climate targets must be more ambitious
At the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen this December, world leaders have the opportunity to agree a historic global climate deal.

To avoid dangerous climate change, the deal must be based on the most up-to-date scientific understanding of the emissions reductions required, with obligations divided equitably between developed and developing countries.

This means that developed countries must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020.

Copenhagen represents our best chance to avert the worst impacts of climate change on people, species and ecosystems.

More than 120 countries, including the members of the G8, the EU, and key emerging economies such as China, South Africa and Mexico, agree that the rise in global temperature must stay well below 2°C.

Beyond this point climate impacts will be more severe, with the risk of crossing ‘tipping points’ with dangerous and irreversible effects.

To stand a good chance of achieving this goal, the last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (2007) recommended that developed countries should reduce emissions by 25-40% on 1990 levels by 2020. Yet more recent evidence shows that only reductions at the top end of this range will be sufficient to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Developed countries have so far committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only 10-16% by 2020, a level dangerously inconsistent with their commitment to the 2°C target. The latest scientific evidence clearly shows that these countries must increase their ambition and reduce emissions by 40% by 2020 to maintain a credible ambition of avoiding dangerous climate change.

Signed in our personal capacity:
** Dr Paulo Artaxo, Brazil

Lead author of IPCC 4th Assessment Report, Institute of Physics, University of Sao Paulo

** Samar Attaher, Egypt

IPCC contributor and Climate Change Researcher, Ministry of Agriculture, Cairo

** Prof Peter Barrett, New Zealand

Professor of Geology, Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University

** Dr Nancy Bertler, New Zealand

Leader of the New Zealand Ice Core Programme, Victoria University

** Sophie des Clers, United Kingdom

IPCC corresponding author and Fisheries Geographer, University College London

** Dr Valérie Masson-Delmotte, France

IPCC contributor, Paleoclimatologist and Head of Research at the "Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de l'environnement"

** Prof John Harte, USA

Professor of Environmental Science, University of California

** Prof Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Australia

Director, Centre for Marine Studies, University of Queensland

** Dr Lars R. Hole, Norway

Senior Scientist, Norwegian Meteorological Institute

** Sir John Houghton, United Kingdom

Former Chair of Scientific Assessment, IPCC and Former Chief Executive, Met Office

** Prof Lesley Hughes, Australia

IPCC Lead Author, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University

** Dr Saleemul Huq, United Kingdom

Lead Author, IPCC 3rd Assessment Report and Senior Fellow, Climate Change Group, International Institute for Environment and Development

** Henry P. Huntington, USA

Lead Author, Arctic Climate Impacts Assessment

** Prof Philippe Huybrechts, Belgium

IPCC contributor and Professor of Climatology and Glaciology, Vrije Universiteit Brussels

** Jiang Kejun, China

Lead Author, IPCC Working Group III and Director of Energy System Analysis and Market Analysis Division at the Energy Research Institute of National Development and Reform Commission

** Bernardus H.J. de Jong, Mexico

IPCC contributor, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur

** Prof Rik Leemans, The Netherlands

Environmental Systems Analysis group, Wageningen University

** Dr José Marengo, Brazil

IPCC Lead Author and Researcher at National Institute for Space Research

** Prof Anthony J McMichael, Australia

Professor of Population Health, The Australian National University, and Honorary Professor of Climate Change and Human Health, University of Copenhagen

** Dr. Charles K. Minns, Canada

Adjunct Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, and Scientist Emeritus, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

** Prof Abhijit Mitra, India

Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta

** Dr Carlos Afonso Nobre, Brazil

IPCC Lead Author, Head of the Scientific Committee of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, Co-ordinator of the Centre for Earth System Science at the National Institute for Space Research and Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Network for Climate Change Research

** Pan Jiahua, China

IPCC advisor to Working Group III and Executive Director of Research Centre for Sustainable

Development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

** Dr Barrie Pittock, Australia

IPCC Lead Author and Honorary Fellow, CSIRO Australia

** Dr Dave Reay, Scotland

IPCC contributor and Senior Lecturer in Carbon Management, Edinburgh University

** Andy Reisinger, New Zealand

Coordinator of IPCC Synthesis Report and Senior Research Fellow, Climate Change Research Institute, Victoria University, Wellington

** Dr Suzana Kahn Ribeiro, Brazil

Vice-Chair of IPCC Working Group III and Coordinating Lead Author of IPCC 4th Assessment Report

** Dr Luis Pinguelli Rosa, Brazil

Head of Brazilian Forum on Climate Change and Director at Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Post-Graduation and Research in Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

** Antonio Ruiz de Elvira, Spain

Professor, Applied Physics, Universidad de Alcala, European Climate Forum

** Dr Jim Salinger, New Zealand

Lead Author for IPCC 3rd and 4th Assessment Reports, Honorary Associate Professor, School of Environment, University of Auckland and President of the World Meteorological Society’s Commission for Agricultural Meteorology

** Dr Roberto Schaeffer, Brazil

IPCC Lead Author and Researcher at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

** Dr Michael Schirmer, Germany

Climate Change Impact Research, University of Bremen

** Bernard Seguin, France

IPCC contributor, Institut National de Recherche agronomique

** Dr Vijai Pratap Singh, India

Program Manager (Climate Change), Leadership for Environment and Development India (LEAD India), New Delhi

** Prof Peter Smith, Scotland

IPCC Lead Author and Convening Lead Author, and Royal Society-Wolfson Professor of Soils & Global Change, University of Aberdeen

** Dr Armi Susandi, Indonesia

Vice Chair, IPCC Working Group on Adaptation, National Council on Climate Change, Indonesia, and Head of Department of Meteorology, Bandung Institute of Technology

** Wang Yi, China

Deputy Director of the Institute of Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences

** Dr Wong Poh Poh, Singapore

Lead Author, IPCC 3rd Assessment Report, Coordinating Lead Author, IPCC 4th Assessment Report, National University of Singapore

** Dr Richard W. N. Yeboah, Ghana

Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University for Development Studies

** Zhou Dadi, China

Senior Advisor and Researcher, Energy Research Institute of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Stigma, discrimination high on PANCAP meeting agenda
By Shirley Thomas

‘HEALTHY CHAT’: Guyana’s Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy in discussion with Ms. Ann Peters, Grenada’s Minister of Health (left) and Mr. John Fabien, Minister of Health of Dominica, and Chair RCM of PANCAP (centre) during yesterday’s opening of the 13th meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism, Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS at the large Conference Room, CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana. (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo)

Stigma and Discrimination’ as it relates to HIV and AIDS was high on the agenda of the 13th Meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism, Pan Caribbean Partnership, against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) as the two-day caucus got under way yesterday at the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana.

Delivering the feature address, John Fabien, Minister of Health Commonwealth of Dominica and Chair of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM) of PANCAP, gave a solemn charge to all technical experts and country programmes involved in its implication to ensure that ‘measurable progress is accomplished within the three-year life span of the project.

“We will look forward to the lessons learnt and initiatives that can be built upon,” Chair of the RCM affirmed.

Addressing progress made by the RCM under his chairmanship over the last year, Mr. Fabien, who noted how excited he was about this engagement, referred to the inauguration of the PANCAP Regional Stigma and Discrimination Unit as a signal development scored by that body.

He recalled that the last time he addressed that body, he shared his passion about addressing stigma and discrimination in the Caribbean frontally. This approach, he said, was necessary, so as to reduce or eliminate the legal institutional shackles which impinge on the human rights of Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV), preventing them from accessing Prevention, Treatment and Care and support services.

Noting that in so doing the RCM is attempting to “crack a tough nut”, he added that the regional body has no choice if it’s going to win the fight against HIV and AIDS. To this end. Mr. Fabien proposed the continuation of honest dialogue at the community and regional levels, respecting beliefs and values, while building consensus on strategies that can be readily agreed upon as crucial approaches to charting a successful course for the movement.

Meanwhile, alluding to objectives vis a vis strengths of the PANCAP experience, he declared that the overarching objective of this PANCAP innovation is to enhance the capacity of national AIDS programmes, civil society organizations and private sector groups to develop and implement high quality programmes to tackle stigma and discrimination. That of course, means working in close partnership with persons living with HIV, and other vulnerable groups, he stressed.

To this end, the RCM Chair disclosed that, in its earliest dispensation, the efforts of the Stigma and Discrimination Unit will be focused on Guyana , Belize, Jamaica and the OECS countries, but will be expanded later to embrace other countries of the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, sharing his perspectives on the implementation of the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF), the RCM Chair considered it “a product of the most comprehensive strategic planning exercise around HIV and AIDS ever attempted in any region of the world.”

He pointed out that, over the past year, significant progress has been made in advancing the CRSF process from concept to practice and from planning to action. In this regard, he observed, the most notable achievement has been the completion and submission of an application to the Global Fund in the amount of US$34.5 M for support to the CRSF.

In summing up, Mr. Fabian noted, one of the most gratifying aspects of the evolving PANCAP experience has been the continuing commitment demonstrated by developing partners, many of whom have reposed faith in the concept of PANCAP from its inception to date.

Mr. Fabian pointed to the early support provided by the EU, CIDA, and the IDB, and the continuing financial co-operation agreements with DFID,USAID, CDC, World Bank, Global Fund and UNAIDS.

Noting that PANCAP would have achieved very little of its successes without such support, Mr. Fabien alluded to the United States Government’s decision to include the Caribbean Region as one of the beneficiaries under Phase 2 of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The Re-authorization Act for PEPFAR commits US$125M over the next five years to 12 Caribbean countries as a bloc, including Antigua and Barbuda. Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.

He pointed out that Guyana, Haiti and the Dominican Republic will be beneficiaries of direct bilateral assistance under PEPFAR 2, adding: “We are also very gratified that this agreement has been reached, in principle, for the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework for HIV and AIDS to be used as the foundation documents in crafting the Partnership Framework that will provide the conceptual guide to the rollout of the assistance.” .

Among other critical policy and programmatic matters scheduled for discussion during the agenda-packed two-day caucus are:

* The on-going restructuring of PANCAP and the reorganisation of its Secretariat

* Defining the PANCAP agenda for the next biennium (2010-2011) and finding agreement on the regional goods and services to be delivered

* Reviewing the progress being made in the development of the PANCAP constitution, and

* Finalising plans for the 9th Annual General Meeting of PANCAP that will be held in Grenada from 28-30 October, 2009.

$47M in assistance for drought-hit hinterland communities
DURING a meeting with residents and toshaos of the Rupununi area at the Benab, St. Ignatius on September 14, Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo revealed that he has approved a relief package totalling $47M to aid hinterland communities being affected by drought-like conditions as a result of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

El Niño refers to a periodic warming in the atmosphere and ocean of the tropical Pacific region. It is defined in the atmosphere by the sign of the pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin, Australia, and in the ocean by warming of surface waters of the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

El Niño is associated with floods on the western coast of South America, and extensive dry weather and the associated drought-like conditions on the eastern coast along with other weather disturbances in many regions of the world.

Developing countries, such as Guyana, which is dependent upon agriculture and fishing, are especially hard hit.

Government, recognizing the impact that the weather phenomenon may have on Guyana’s economy, has already established a special inter-agency committee to monitor and make recommendations about the situation.

At the post-Cabinet press briefing on September 10, Dr. Roger Luncheon, Cabinet Secretary, had explained that the assistance to hinterland communities would focus on irrigation.

Dr. Luncheon said the construction of deeper wells and the deployment of water to areas that are lacking will be of utmost importance.
He also highlighted the fact that the prolonged dry season has dire consequences on sowing for the next season’s crops.

Friday Musings
Tantalising Bridge
By Sharief Khan
I WAS not among those privileged to be at the historic opening of the border Takutu Bridge between Guyana and Brazil on Monday but I remain tantalised by the vast new vistas it offers.

And I am not talking only about the increase in the number of lovely Brazilian women we can expect to see on this side of the border from now on.

The more there are the merrier, but I’ll continue standing by our Guyanese beauties, thank you. They can hold their own with the best in the world!

Takutu Bridge

I have been associated with the Takutu Bridge for a long time and was among those backing it despite criticisms from some quarters about the dangers it and the road from Lethem to Linden can pose to preserving the pristine forests and eco-systems through which the highway would pass.

I was also among those eagerly awaiting its formal commissioning and what it holds for people in both countries once a close watch is kept on developments along the highway.

Former Works and Transport Minister Anthony Xavier knew my advocacy on the bridge and the road and jokingly once said a section of the highway should be named after me because of my close association with it. That, however, is of little import to me; what matters is what it means for Guyana and Brazil.

I know how much the Brazilians have been looking forward to it because I got an up close and personal look in 2000.

I was among 12 journalists from around the world, including Germany, Portugal and Argentina, invited by the Brazilian Government for the first Summit of the Presidents of South America in Brasilia that year and which President Bharrat Jagdeo also attended.

My journey to Brasilia was through Boa Vista in Roraima State and I was the guest of the then Governor of Roraima while passing through.

I didn’t get to Rio de Janeiro to delight in the glories I have heard about that city and its beaches, but I saw enough of Brazil and its people going through Boa Vista, Sao Paulo, Manaus and other places to Brasilia to endear me to the country and its people.

What amazed me was that Guyana was sitting on the doorstep of a friendly giant in the world economy and could benefit so much from such nearness and yet it was like we were in different galaxies in some senses.

Crossing the Takutu River in a small boat to get to Bon Fim and then to Boa Vista showed me how little borders matter to people as some Amerindians were my fellow travellers and they had no passports or visas to get into Brazil.

They told me they travelled freely whenever necessary, while I had had to get a Yellow Fever vaccine and visa in Georgetown before commencing my journey.

I did an extensive interview with the Governor in Boa Vista and filed several stories back to the Guyana Chronicle on how eagerly people in Roraima were looking forward to the bridge linked to a modern highway and a deep water harbour as a shorter, faster and cheaper avenue to the Atlantic Ocean for exports to the Caribbean, North America and other parts of the world.

There was no doubting the enthusiasm in Roraima and other parts of northern Brazil about the exciting possibilities from the Takutu Bridge, which has now been completed with support from the federal government.

At the formal bridge opening, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to help Guyana build an 800MW hydro-power plant in the Middle Mazaruni, identified as a priority by President Jagdeo.

He has also promised to see how Brazil can help pave the Lethem-Linden road.

Guyana sees the bridge as the gateway for the Caribbean Community to South America and Lula announced that Brazil will host the first Brazil-CARICOM summit next year, noting that a strong Caribbean presence is needed in South American integration.

President Jagdeo, at the opening, said Guyana sees its future and prosperity tied to that of Roraima State and vowed to do whatever it takes to improve relations between the two countries.

It’s been a long time coming but the wait for that bridge across the Takutu River was worth the while and I can smile and give myself a tap on the shoulder.
Let the traffic flow!

Police still hunting two suspects in Health Ministry fire
By Michel Outridge
Police are still hunting for two men who escaped from lawful custody at the Providence Police Station on July 17, 2009, in connection with the Ministry of Health fire.

Investigations so far have revealed that the men may have skipped the country and local police are working collaboratively with their overseas counterparts.

Police yesterday said that the men will be brought to justice and it is only time before they are caught.

The escapees are Kurt Thierens, called ‘Bage’, or ‘Glasses’, and Colin Jones, called ‘Bonny’.

They are among nine persons who were arrested so far in connection with the July 17 fire, but were separated from the others and taken to the Providence facility, which was “very secure”.

Police said in an earlier press release that Jones and Thierens were wanted for escaping from lawful custody and that anyone with information that may lead to their arrest should contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411,

225-2700, 226-2917, 225-8196, 227-2128,

225-6941 - 3, 911 or at the nearest police station. All information will be treated with strict confidence, the release said.

Police said Thierens, who is 31, is of African descent with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5 ‘ 6” tall and of slim build. His addresses were given as 102 Middle Walk, Buxton, East Coast Demerara, 7 National Avenue, Triumph, East Coast Demerara, and 219 Residential Area, Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

Jones is 20, and of African descent. He is described as thin built and 5’ 6” tall with black hair. His address was given as 3 West La Penitence, Georgetown.

At around 9.15h on July 28, the prisoners were separated and the two taken to Providence. The lock-ups there are very secure as they have bolts and an external door which carries bolts and padlocks for added security.