May 12-17, 2014

Monday, 12th

New US$1.3M ‘agri’project sees progress across socio-economic spectrum
THE new US$1.35M Hydroponic and Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing project is an agricultural initiative which is seeing progress across the socio-economic spectrum, says Partners of the Americas (POA) Guyana Chapter Coordinator, Kelvin Craig. This new initiative, known as the Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Economic Growth through Hydroponic and Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing project, is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Japanese Trust Fund (JPO), in collaboration with the Partners of the Americas (POA), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), and Caribbean Self-Reliance International (CASRI).

Go-Invest head calls on M&CC to set aside their differences

CHAIRMAN and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), Mr Keith Burrowes, is calling on the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and “the appointed Town Clerk” to work in unison in the interest of progress, and to improve the current situation at the Council.
“I wish to beg all parties to put their differences aside and work for the betterment of Georgetown, [and to] acknowledge the embarrassing spectacle you are all making of yourselves, more so Guyana,” Burrowes said in a paid advertisement carried recently.

PYO announces inaugural Independence Anniversary Essay Competition

THE Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) has announced its inaugural Essay Competition as part of observations to celebrate 48 years of the Republic of Guyana’s independence.

The competition is open to persons between 13 and 18 years , and the essay, not exceeding 1500 words, must be on the topic: “Dr. Jagan’s struggles for an Independent Guyana”. Deadline for submission is May 31, 2014. Entries can be sent via e-mail to essay@pyguyana.org, or dropped off at the nearest Freedom House/PPP office in the respective regions across the country. Submissions must be clearly labelled: Progressive Youth Organization Independence Anniversary Essay Competition, and should be clearly written or typed. Participants are required to provide their names, date of birth, contact information, details for being inspired to write the essay. Prizes vary from $25,000 to 15,000. Contact can be made to 600-4230 or BBM #@25C5826A.

THE murder charge against former South American beauty queen, Carol Ann Lynch was discharged by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on the basis of insufficient evidence.
Lynch was charged for the second time, after the first case had been dismissed by then Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys for the same reason. Particulars of the capital offence said that Lynch killed her husband, Farouk Razack on May 7, 2007, at 106 Ireng Place, Bel Air Park, Georgetown, where the then Swiss House Cambio managing director was found dead.
Essequibo rice farmer shoots reputed wife
INVESTIGATORS in the Police ‘G’ Division, Essequibo were hunting for 36-year-ld Kumar Bissoon, a rice farmer who allegedly attempted to murder his reputed wife, 24-year-old Asha Singh, with whom he has two children. A police source who spoke with this publication said that one of the four shots grazed the woman’s head, and she was treated at the Regional Hospital and sent away. The police immediately went in search of the man, who residents indicated had fled into the backdam.

Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run accident
FIFTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD Shameer Mangal, of De Kindren, West Coast, Demerara, died after being hit by a motor vehicle on the public road in the village. Police said it happened about 22:15 hrs that night and investigations revealed that Mangal was walking along the roadway at the time. The vehicle which struck him drove away from the scene and Mangal was pronounced dead on arrival at the Leonora Cottage Hospital. Police are continuing the hunt for the suspect.

Wednesday, 14th

Uncovered manhole at Robb and Savage Streets poses threat
A PARTLY covered manhole on the pavement at the corner of Robb and Savage Street, Georgetown, is causing some amount of public concern. Vendor Alva Moffatt told this publication that the uncovered manhole poses a threat to life and limb, since vendors there have had to assist several persons who fell into the manhole. The manhole, he added, is only covered by three pieces of wood, leaving it partly uncovered and a hazard since many persons traversing the pavement have accidentally slipped into it and some were injured. A few months ago a woman and a child fell into an uncovered manhole on the pavement on Water Street, not far from the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet and they had to be rescued by passersby.

Man remanded on two Leguan burglary charges
RAJIV Ramroop was refused bail on two charges of break and enter and larceny. He pleaded not guilty to both, one of which said that on Thursday, May 8, at Leguan Island, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Tulsie Persaud, also called Pandit, and stole one pink mini music box and $40,000 cash, together valued $43,000.The other allegation said that on May 5, at Enterprise, Long Road, in Leguan, too, he broke and entered the dwelling of Christopher Anthony and stole one body spray, one perfume, three boxer shorts and $10,500 cash, among other items, all worth $40,000. The defendant confessed that, two years ago, he was convicted of a similar offence. The matter was transferred to Leguan Court for May 15.

First rice crop exceeds 300,000 tonnes
THE rice industry has exceeded 300,000 tonnes of rice as the first crop production for 2014, and could surpass 600,000 tonnes by December 2014. Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy stated that the target achieved is a first in Guyana’s history, as well as in the Caribbean. He noted that the claim 10 years ago that the country could produce 500,000 tonnes by 2020 was regarded as impossible; however Guyana did achieve this benchmark more than five years early. In 2013, Guyana produced 535,000 tonnes of rice.

Thursday, 15th

No charges for Finance Minister after February accident
THE Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised the police not to charge Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh with any offence following the accident in which he was involved last Mashramani Night. The decision was made after the persons who were affected both indicated that they no longer wish to pursue the matter. The minister was accused of driving a government vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, but has since denied this claim.

Chief Justice quashes Mayoral decision to make King Town Clerk

ACTING Chief Justice, Ian Chang has issued eight orders to Mayor Hamilton Green and the City Council over several actions taken, including the appointment of current Public Relations Officer, Royston King as Town Clerk. This is following a motion filed in the High Court by Carol Sooba who was appointed Town Clerk by the Minister of Local Government. The first Order directed Green to quash his decision to swear in King as Town Clerk, unless reasons are provided that the decision is lawful.

ETI student commits suicide by hanging
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD, first year student of Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI), at Anna Regina, committed suicide by hanging himself with a piece of rope from a jamoon tree aback of Henrietta Village on the Essequibo Coast. The victim of the tragedy, known as ‘Vikash’, attended classes on Tuesday and returned home, where he lived with his grandmother, having grown up with her from a baby. Several persons speculated that the teenager killed himself because of problems he was facing in a love affair.

Friday, 16th

House approves new demerit system to improve road safety
THE National Assembly has unanimously passed the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2014 which, among other provisions, pioneers the implementation of a demerit system as a means of sanctioning errant road users and improving road safety. The Bill is intended to amend the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act with seven changes that address issues such as the definition of owner and the creation of an offence where the registered owner of a motor vehicle that has been lost or stolen fails to make a report to a police station within seven days from the loss or theft.
NGSA marking completed – systems in place for release of results by June 27
Currently, the marked examination scripts are being processed nationally, and all systems are in place and functioning optimally to guarantee the release of the results as promised by the ministry, by Friday, June 27, 2014. This marks the second consecutive year that the MOE will be releasing the NGSA results promptly as indicated, through the continued enhancement of the overall quality management processes of the examination.

Lover accused in septic tank murder trial says kindness got her into trouble
MURDER accused Desiree Jeffers, who is facing trial for the murder of her ex-policeman lover, Igris Bobb Blackman, began her defence with an unsworn statement that she got into trouble because she was kind. Asking the jury to find her innocent of the death of Blackman, whose body was fished out of the septic tank at her residence at Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, she said she got to know him in 2006 when she rented him a room at her home, after he was put out of his uncle’s home. He could not have paid the rent, so she gave him the room free of charge, so that he would be able to take care of the property when she was out of the country. She said that because she was kind, they became intimate friends and she related incidents to the jury, citing one occasion when his sister phoned her enquiring about Blackman, who is also known as David. She also told about contacts with the police who entered her home in search of the missing Blackman. According to her, the police conducted a search at the home but found nothing. However, she said that in a septic tank outside, they found Blackman wrapped in a carpet and tied with a rope. She declared that when she was taken to the septic tank, she said: “Oh my God, I am not responsible for this.”

Saturday, 17th

President charges Opposition with ‘playing very cheap politics’
THE Motion passed by the Parliamentary Opposition on Thursday, demanding a reduction in the Berbice River Bridge toll, is populist politicking and irresponsible, according to President Donald Ramotar. In an interview

with the Government Information Agency (GINA), the President said that members of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which piloted the Motion, were very much present in the National Assembly when the Act governing the bridge’s operations and construction was tabled and passed. “They know that the government is constrained from doing anything in relation to the toll of crossing the bridge, largely because the Act itself says that any changes in the toll have to come from the Board of Directors of the bridge, making a request to the minister,” the President said, adding that to date, “no such suggestion has come.”

Agriculture Ministry sets up special El Nino watch
THE Ministry of Agriculture, after consultation with its Hydro-Meteorological Office and taking into consideration predictions from various Regional and International Forecasting and Weather Agencies, has issued an El Nino Watch. According to the Ministry, Guyana’s rainfall for the period from March, April and, so far, in May, has been below the average expected.
A special El Nino Working Group has since been set up to monitor and plan actions to reduce any adverse impact of a possible El Nino on agriculture production.

Schoolboy stabbed with pencil to fly to Trinidad
NARESH Ramotar, the six-year-old boy stabbed in the left eye with a pencil by another pupil of Strathspey Primary School, East Coast Demerara, may have to be sent to Trinidad for corrective surgery.
That would be necessary to save the injured eye, his grandfather, Harantak Harbahadur told the Guyana Chronicle. A surgical operation was performed on the child at the Georgetown Public Hospital) two days after he suffered the injury and doctors were, at the time, concerned about prospects for the restoration of his vision. However, a decision has now been made to have him flown to Trinidad, and the logistics are being worked out.