MINISTER of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton joined Barticians on Saturday as they remembered their sons and fathers who were murdered at the hands of a criminal gang back in February 2008.

In commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Bartica Massacre, the Mayor and Town Council spearheaded a Peace Walk, which saw hundreds of Barticians participating under the theme: “More than memory: Preserving the past, preparing the future,” from as early as 6:00 am.

The walk followed a wreath-laying ceremony where participants heard from Regional officials and guest speakers, including Bartica’s renowned designer, Sonia Noel and officials from the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

The wreaths were laid by Minister Norton, the Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford, the Mayor and officials of the Guyana Police Force, private sector representatives and family members of the deceased.

In delivering the feature address, Minister Norton applauded the efforts of the people of Bartica for annually honouring the 12 massacre victims. But while tributes were paid to the dead, Minister Norton used the opportunity to salute Raymond White, the only person who managed to escape with his life after being shot on that terrible night. Minister Norton said he was glad to see that the ceremony was not marred by political mischief but instead it sought to encourage unity, peace and shared hoped among the people.

Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall made several presentations to the families of those who died. Particularly, he distributed CDs of a track composed and produced in Bartica in memory of those who died. A special presentation was made on behalf of the people of Bartica to Raymond White, who unfortunately remains in vegetative state.
In his brief remarks, Mayor Marshall took note of the fact that justice was served over a year ago.

“We, however, must acknowledge that today we face a new evil – the Border Controversy. This controversy has the potential to destabilise our country and more so our beautiful town since we are the most developed section of the coveted region,” he said.
Marshall said Government ought to be commended for the “political will” to resolve the controversy. “We live in a world where peaceful solutions are a rare option,” he posited.
In February 2017, two more gang members – Mark Royden Williams and Dennis Williams were sentenced to death by hanging.

Those who lost their lives were Bartica residents Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian and Irving Ferreira; policemen stationed at the Bartica Police Station, Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir, Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne; Deonarine Singh who hailed from Wakenaam; Ronald Gomes of Kuru Kururu; Ashraf Khan of Middlesex, Essequibo; Abdool Yassin, Jnr; Errol Thomas of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and Baldeo Singh of Montrose, East Coast Demerara.