THE usually quiet community of Hosororo Hill in the Mabaruma sub-region, North West District, was thrown into great chaos and shock recently when news was received that a young man from there, committed suicide after he was reprimanded by his parents over his alcohol addiction.And the horror went even further after it was reported that his girlfriend, upon hearing of his demise, consumed a potent substance and is under the watchful eyes of doctors at the Mabaruma Regional Hospital.
Reports said that, around 20:00 hrs on Monday, the parents of 23 year-old Tommy Bennet stumbled upon his body hanging from the roof of the house in which he lived, not far from theirs.
As neighbours and others gathered at the home of the deceased, a new wave of terror hit them with news about his girlfriend’s action after she heard of her lover’s death.
She was put in a car and rushed to the Mabaruma Hospital for treatment.
Bennet lived alone and persons in the area said he had been a heavy drinker from an early age, a problem which has been given little attention because alcohol consumption by youths, who are even of school age, is often accepted as normal.
The issue has engaged the authorities for a number of years and Permanent Secretary within the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, Mr. Nigel Dharamlall, mentioned in sections of the media, that in addition to Mabaruma, the issue of misusing alcohol has long been affecting a number of other Amerindian communities for a number of reasons.
Alcohol abuse was also discussed at several past meetings of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) but it remains unclear if the systems put in place have produced the desired results.

(By Alex Wayne )