…GDF says cameraman, ex-Toshao were detained for their own safety

CAPITOL NEWS videographer, Rudy Morris, and former Toshao of Chenapau, Anthony Melville, are back in Georgetown, after being detained by ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) for their own safety, after entering an unauthorised area of the Kaieteur National Park (KNP) last Sunday.

The GDF said access to the area was denied to the duo as a result of an active military operation. The men were both released on Monday morning but were allowed to remain within the area, with the exception of any point where there was an active operation in progress, while arrangements were being made for their return to Georgetown. Further, they were provided with food and accommodation, the GDF said.
According to the GDF, Morris and Melville arrived at the KNP on Saturday as part of the team of the Amerindian Peoples’ Association (APA) representative, Mr. Michael McGarrell. The Lieutenant Colonel, who was the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the operations, said that upon their arrival at the airstrip at the KNP, the men were cautioned not to venture into the area since there was an ongoing operation. This, he said, was communicated to McGarrell and he acceded to the request. ”Morris and Melville however, chose to venture into the area on their own via boat and were stopped on their way back to the river located in the Park,” the GDF said.
The Office-in-Charge said that the men were only asked to stay at the camp for the evening because of safety concerns. “If I had allowed them to go out with the boat it takes roughly three hours and that would have been by nightfall. The water is very high in there and so it was dangerous. If they had taken the trail, it is approximately five hours walking, so my instructions were for them to remain at the camp and for them to be escorted out of the camp the next morning. I would have passed those instructions at approximately 16:30hrs. They were in an area where they should not have been so I said for them to remain there for their safety,” he said.

Both men have since admitted to being in the wrong, the GDF said, with the former Toshao, during a debriefing exercise with GDF officers at the KNP Office, reportedly stated on video that he deliberately disobeyed instructions so that he can experience the publicity of being arrested.
Melville, in the debriefing session was quoted as saying, “On the whole holistic of it, is that you are doing your job. I understand that and I need to experience some of the vibes, you know the vibes (laughter), of being arrested. I wanted to be able to highlight because I’m on the ground and I represent my people. We all know ourselves and there is only one alternative for us to survive… So for me I feel that I needed to experience it so I could be able to highlight. It didn’t have anything to do with the reputation of you guys or anything because you already tarnished our reputation.”
Morris for his part, admitted to being rude to the officers of the GDF despite knowing that it was against instructions to enter the area. “I might be rude with the Officers because I don’t know if they mentioned it to you but I told him that we already complete what we here for, let we continue the journey but this past Toshao said let us stop, so we did stop. I may have speak to your sergeant in a ‘lil’ rude voice you know but I didn’t meant no harm with my tone of voice… We used the river because I still need to get my story. I come from Georgetown to highlight what I came for, and to my best ability I would try to achieve. If I was stopped I could understand that but I would still try, and even though you say no, I ‘gon’ still try and if I was apprehended I ‘ain’t’ have a choice,” Morris said.