— Freddie Kissoon

KAIETEUR News columnist Frederick Kissoon said based on his investigation as a journalist, it was geographically impossible for the notorious ‘Fine Man Gang’ to cross over from Christmas Falls to Lindo Creek to execute the miners when it was being pursued by an “elite” Joint Services Squad in the Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice district.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP) government had said that it was Rondell ‘Fine Man’ Rawlins and his gang who had shot the miners dead before burning their remains on or about June 21, 2008. But Leonard Arokium, whose son and brother were among those murdered, had accused the Joint Services of killing the men.

Distraught over the situation, Arokium had reached out to Kissoon, commonly known as Freddie Kissoon, with the intention of having the “truth” revealed.
On Friday, Kissoon, who started his journalistic career at Stabroek News in 1988, appeared before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) led by Justice (Ret’d) Donald Trotman to testify in the ongoing inquiry into the June 2008 massacre. Kissoon had worked with Stabroek News up until 1994. In 1995, he began working for the Kaieteur News.

In responding to a series of questions put to him by the Commission’s Attorney Patrice Henry, Kissoon disclosed that in June, 2008, he along with Colin Smith, Editor of the Catholic Standard met with Leonard Arokium and two other persons at the Head Office of the Catholic Standard after the miner had reached out to him.

According to him, during that meeting which took place for over two hours, Arokium with supporting maps and other documents had passionately argued that it was impossible for the ‘Fine Man Gang’ to have crossed over from Christmas Falls to Lindo Creek where the miners were.

Kissoon said Arokium wanted to expose the truth about the Lindo Creek massacre. “He came armed with a series of maps, documents and a number of photographs. Photographs of burnt bodies, ashes, remnants of burnt food stuff, you see the tin. I could remember seeing milk powder tin…He said to me ‘I have proof that the security forces killed my employees and not the ‘Fine Man Gang’ and I need this to be publicised’” Kissoon recalled.
The columnist, who was at the time an investigative journalist, said Arokium laid out the maps on a table as he explained the geographical terrain of the areas under question, and the journey from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B.’

“He continued that meticulously against juxtaposing his [knowledge] of the terrain with the police explanation as to how his employees … met their death. I would say it was an extensive, meticulous exploration of cartography,” Kissoon told the Commission.
Arokium, he said, had placed major emphasis on the locations of UNAMCO trail, Christmas Falls and Lindo Creek. Kissoon said his role from there on was to ascertain the facts surrounding the story told by the miner.

“One of the things that bothered me, that led to the pursuit of the investigation was a graphic fact that I had in my possession and that is, how the government of the day came to know of the location of ‘Fine Man’ and his gang at Christmas Falls,” Kissoon posited.

He added that his sources revealed that “someone connected intricately and logistically had [allegedly] directly given that information to President [Bharrat] Jagdeo.” According to him, that person allegedly gave the then President the information in return for a valuable favour, which he subsequently got.

Kissoon said he worked along with the late Dale Andrews on producing investigative reports on the Lindo Creek massacre. According to him, they had spoken to members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force who were not part of the “Elite Squad” on the information provided by Arokium, with focus on the maps and the geographical landscape of the areas. According to the columnist, the squad was led by an army officer, however, securing information on him had proven to be difficult.

Pointing out that he has done journalistic investigation for 30 years, Kissoon said he is convinced that the criminal gang could not have moved from Christmas Falls to Lindo Creek and being pursued by the Joint Services.
“You had to be part of the investigation at that time to see that it was a geographical impossibility,” he told the Commission.

Later he would add that, “We took the angle, myself and Dale Andrews, that the ‘Fine Man’ gang was not involved. There were too many unanswered questions. There were too many incongruous directions in confrontation with the police explanation of what transpired.”

The CoI has been established to enquire into the circumstances surrounding the killings of Cecil Arokium, Dax Arokium, Horace Drakes, Bonny Harry, Lancelot Lee, Compton Speirs, Nigel Torres and Clifton Berry Wong, on or about June 21, 2008 and to report its findings and recommendations to President David Granger.