Seated at head table are Minister Rohee, Associate Expert, UNODC, Paul Rabbat, Expert on Terrorism Prevention, UNODC, Michael De Feo and Senior Legal Officer, CARICOM Secretariat, David Fraser.

At the session at the Regency Hotel, the minister said the workshop was an appropriate forum for an effective exchange of views among experts from the UNODC and Guyanese stakeholders.

“It also provides an opportunity for them to share practical experiences and to explore ways and means to enhance the legislative mechanism as an effective tool in the fight against terrorism”, he said.

Mr. Rohee noted that recent and rising terrorist activities have resulted in new and enormous emphasis by many governments to combat terrorism and said Guyana is no exception.

He recalled the October 1976 terrorist bombing of a Cubana Airline aircraft off the coast of Barbados in which 73 persons, including 11 Guyanese, were killed and said that since then Guyana “has always been firm, uncompromising and unambiguous in its denunciation of terrorism.”

In addressing the national and global security threat posed by terrorism, the Government of Guyana is committed to designing appropriate anti-terrorism legislation; discouraging the operation of sub-national terrorist groups on home soil; scaling-up intelligence gathering; enhancing security through Joint Services operations; and the removal of social exclusion and vulnerabilities that lend to the recruitment of individuals for transnational terrorist cells, he said.

The minister said the unearthing of a plot last year to destroy the JFK airport in New York — allegedly involving four men, three of whom were Guyanese — has resulted in unnecessary publicity for Guyana and has raised unnecessarily the country’s profile on the terrorist radar screen.

“While the Government of Guyana is certain that there are no international terrorist groups or cells operating in Guyana, the national authorities have nevertheless taken a number of precautionary measures including strengthening the capability of the local security forces, especially their intelligence gathering capability”, he reported.

He pointed out that it is believed that the majority of illicit drugs shipped to North America and Europe from South America pass through the Caribbean Sea.

“But the Caribbean is now not only a transit point for drugs — the region is increasingly becoming a market for illegal drugs, targeted particularly at youth”, he said.

The minister stated that weapons trafficking, especially small firearms and ammunition, contributes significantly to the escalation and perpetuation of violence, and undermines stability.

He said other related challenges are transnational organized crime supported by increased access to sophisticated weaponry, greater mobility of persons and communication; the emergence of a widening range of non-state actors, including criminal gangs; and the impact of deportation of criminals with no social and emotional relationship with the country where they were born.

Rohee said the government’s response to terrorism and the threat of terrorism has included enhanced surveillance and investigations and intelligence gathering are key mechanisms utilized by local security agencies to effectively detect, disrupt and detain terrorists.

Guyana is developing a joint information and intelligence-sharing system which will facilitate enhanced sharing of information between government agencies and law enforcement branches, he said, adding that the security agencies have consistently sought to gather information and intelligence on groups associated with international terrorism.

He said the Guyana Police Force continues to co-operate with the law enforcement agencies of bilateral partners on matters related to terrorism and the Special Branch of the Police Force is part of a network of similar agencies in other Caribbean states including Suriname, which all have members of staff assigned to interface on matters related to international terrorism.

Guyana, he said, continues to ensure that reasonable security precautions are in place, ranging from physical measures at airports to improving border security and the government is issuing machine-readable passports, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) standards, to make identity theft harder.

Guyana has also focused on training and sensitization programmes related to:

** International terrorist organisations, trends and targets

** Databases and watch lists on terrorists and persons deemed to be of international security interest.

** The passage of Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism legislation in the National Assembly are additional measures to ensure that terrorist cells do not find fertile soil in Guyana.

He noted that the issue of terrorism was presented in Parliament in September 2002 as an amendment of the Criminal Law Offences Act. Passed on Sept. 26, this Act states that anyone who threatens the security or sovereignty of Guyana or strikes terror into any section of the population is guilty of terrorism.

Rohee said the Money Laundering Prevention (Amendment) Act provides for seizure of assets derived as proceeds of crime. These include money, investments, and real and personal property.

This legislation is expected to incorporate the 40 recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Money Laundering, along with an additional nine recommendations relating to terrorist financing, he said.

According to the minister, the passage and eventual enactment of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill will allow for greater regulation and scrutiny of the financial system in Guyana, and will enhance the capability of local agencies to detect money laundering.

“Additionally, the legislation, when enacted, is expected to provide for oversight of export industries, real estate, alternative remittance systems, and other financial institutions. The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill was first laid in the National Assembly in June 2007, and was sent to a Special Select Committee for review before being passed in the National Assembly”, he said.

He reported that notwithstanding the legislative, military and law enforcement options, domestic policy responses to terrorism also include measures addressing underlying factors that can influence terrorism and terrorist networks.

To this end, he noted, the government has invested sizable resources in the social sector aimed at reducing poverty, vulnerabilities and social exclusion, strengthening social cohesion and enhancing good governance.

Rohee said terrorism is a perilous threat to humanity and the effective fight against terror cannot be accomplished in a unilateral manner.
It requires strong bilateral and multilateral cooperation, he said.