US$500M petroleum refinery for Crab Island
By Neil Marks
THE Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Crab Island Refinery Incorporated (CIRI), a company with Guyanese Romeo Cipriani as President, to set up an oil refinery at Crab Island in the Berbice River, which would see an eventual investment of US$500M.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, in a press release yesterday, said the refinery is projected to be built in stages with an initial capacity of about 20,000 barrels a day of crude rising to 100,000 barrels a day by five years.

It is envisaged that construction could start within nine months with eventual employment of 1,000 persons. First production could start within a further 15 months, the Prime Minister said.

“There is a need for such a refinery in Guyana. Energy is a lifeline of any country and this could be better if you have cheap energy, reasonably priced energy,” Mr. Cipriani told the Guyana Chronicle of his decision to get involved in the project.

A Berbician, Cipriani is the sponsor and developer of the project and his financial partners are Israelis based in the USA and Americans as well. An engineer, he comes from long years of involvement in oil refineries and construction.

“Guyana has still not hit the jackpot, in terms of finding oil. The misconception is sometimes that you can’t have a refinery if you don’t have crude. There are a lot of places in the world there are refineries where crude doesn’t exist,” he said.

Cipriani’s refinery would purchase crude petroleum on the world market and sell its products on the world market.

“The refinery will be a commercial operation: purchase of any crude petroleum that might be produced by anyone in Guyana is neither required nor excluded; similarly, sales of products into Guyana are neither required nor excluded. However, any sale into Guyana must satisfy all taxes in Guyana,” the Prime Minister noted.

Cipriani told the Guyana Chronicle sales to Guyana would be competitive and marketing CIRI’s products would not be an issue, with a potential buyer already barrelled.

The Government, having some 12 years ago assisted the bauxite industry in the Berbice River in establishing the first stage of a deep water harbour in the mouth of the Berbice River (the Berbice deep water shipping facility), and noting the availability of a large area of undeveloped land on the right bank north of the Canje Creek, has been conscious of and has been pursuing possibilities of developing a deep water harbour and export processing zone there.

“One could imagine the development of storage areas for the large quantities of goods, solids and liquids and containers, to be passed across the docks. In addition, there are areas for constructing plants to process imported and local materials like crude petroleum or bauxite, for export.

“More particularly, the Government noting the often expressed need for the establishment of new petroleum refineries in the Western hemisphere, has been promoting this area as an area to be considered for locating new petroleum refineries,” the Prime Minister said.

CIRI expressed such interest since 2003 and recently brought a likely principal investor and refinery operator to meet the Guyana Office for Investment and the Prime Minister.

The MOU memorialises the representations of CIRI, the concessions available in law which CIRI will enjoy, and a commitment from the Government to make land available.

Mr. Hinds noted that other interests have been expressed in establishing petroleum refineries in that location “and the Government continues to welcome all interests.”

Berbice River Bridge to start end May
-- Company reports
CONSTRUCTION of the Berbice River Bridge is slated to begin at the end of next month, Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated, BBCI, announced yesterday.

“This announcement follows receipt from investors of final commitments and tangible expressions of interest amounting to 90% of the total cost of the project,” BBCI said in a statement.

The cost of constructing the bridge itself is US$34M while total cost of the project is US$38M.

BBCI expects to have signature of the design/build contract with the selected contractor by early May.

The company has selected as the contractor a European Consortium comprising the Dutch firm Bosch-Rexroth and the internationally renowned British bridge-building company, Mabey Johnson.

Bosch-Rexroth is a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH and currently operates in 41 countries globally. Mabey Johnson of the UK currently owns the licence to the technology that was utilised in the construction of Guyana’s first floating bridge. Mabey-Johnson currently builds 1,500 bridges around the world each year.

The Berbice River Bridge will be built to a design which is similar to that of the Demerara Harbour Bridge but which utilises technology that is superior to that which was available 30 years ago when the first floating bridge was built, BBCI said.

The new bridge is designed to require only one-third of the pontoons that were needed by its predecessor and these will each be built 33 per cent thicker than those of the old bridge, BCCI noted.

The bridge structure itself will be built of material designed to resist corrosion and will incorporate a patented anti-skid surface that will provide enhanced safety and durability, the company added.

BBCI said it has been assured that due to these and other technologically advanced features, the resulting structure will require much smaller sums to be spent on maintenance and upkeep.

The design of the structure also allows for less frequent opening times than that of the Demerara Harbour Bridge since it will be built with a significantly taller high span and most vessels will be able to pass beneath the bridge.

The reduction of the possibility of collisions was also factored into the design of the new bridge and a wider traverse span included, BCCI pointed out.

The company currently has four shareholders: the insurance companies CLICO and Hand-in-Hand, the National Insurance Scheme and Secure International, a subsidiary of the Beharry Group of companies.

The final shareholder is expected to be announced shortly. Companies which have committed to invest in the project include most major insurance companies and commercial banks, as well as trust companies and other financial intermediaries, BCCI stated.

BBCI noted that all of the technical preparatory work which utilised most of the time in the lead-up to construction start was completed on schedule. Preparations for the project included a 2004 Feasibility Study by the international project construction specialists, the Louis Berger Group, who analysed the economic, financial, technical and environmental feasibility of the Project and also its developmental impact.

The Canadian firm ND LEA completed the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in October 2005 which resulted in the issuance of an Environmental Permit in April 2006. The EIA included a Hydrology and Sedimentation study undertaken by Northwest Hydraulics of Canada.

Additionally, soil tests of the riverbed and the abutment sites were completed by an engineering firm, BBCI related.

Panday gets bail
-- as UNC falls into deeper turmoil
By Linda Hutchinson-Jafar
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, jailed earlier this week for failing to declare a London bank account to an Integrity Commission, was granted bail yesterday.

Justice Anthony Carmona, sitting at the Port of Spain sixth criminal court, granted the 72-year-old veteran politician close to US$50,000 bail because of his delicate health conditions and the inability of the prison infirmary to properly treat him.

Panday, who has had triple by-pass heart surgery and suffers from diabetes and hypertension, was released last night from the Golden Grove maximum security prison where he was taken following Monday's judgement against him.

As he walked out of jail, Panday said he only wanted to get home at this point.

He was ordered by Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicholls to serve two years in jail with hard labour and pay a fine of close to US$10,000 on three charges of knowingly making a false declaration of income and assets in 1997, 1998 and 1999 while he was Prime Minister.

He was also ordered to pay the state £159,600 representing the money which he failed to declare to the Integrity Commission.

A day after his imprisonment, President Max Richards stripped Panday of his parliamentary seat and status as Opposition Leader.

The United National Congress (UNC) of which Panday is Chairman, moved swiftly to name elected parliamentarian Kamla Persad-Bissessar the parliamentary Opposition Leader, making her the first female Opposition Leader in the country.

UNC Deputy Political Leader Wade Mark said he was happy that the court took Panday's health into consideration to reach a decision on bail.

"We shall continue, nevertheless, in terms of an appeal and we would want to try at the end of the day to have the sentence removed, the conviction lifted and Mr. Panday turns out at the end of the day to be completely free," Mark told reporters outside the court.

While the judge was adjudicating the request for Panday's bail, several developments were taking place in the nearby Parliament.

UNC Political Leader Winston Dookeran, who was twice denied the position of parliamentary Opposition Leader, moved from the front row of the Opposition side to sit at the back reserved for Independent members.

The back bench is already occupied by Gillian Lucky and Dr. Fuad Khan who describe themselves as 'Independent UNCs' and Gerald Yetming who resigned from the UNC over the continuing internal problems in the party.

Dookeran was also joined by disgruntled UNC parliamentarian Manohar Ramsaran.

Another dramatic turn of events in the Parliament was the resignation of Ganga Singh as the Opposition Chief Whip after he refused to give way to the UNC faction, not loyal to Dookeran, to speak on a particular debate, signalling to speaker Barry Sinanan that he was wrapping up the debate.

Persad-Bissessar and others loyal to her, who staged a walk-out on Singh, said at a press conference that Singh and the Speaker colluded to deny them speaking time on the private member's motion brought by Singh.

At the start of the session, while paying tribute to Persad-Bissessar on her elevation as Opposition Leader, Dookeran, a former Central Bank Governor, said reform and democracy were needed in the parliament.

“My change in sitting in Parliament reflects my own sense of dignity...", he said to much desk-thumping from colleagues who were sitting on the independent seats.

Prior to the start of the parliamentary sitting, Dookeran said although he has been under great stress because of the disrespect shown to him by the party's executive whom he described as a "cabal", he was not about to resign from the position as Political Leader but maintained that "time is running out."

"My time and my tolerance and unending public spectacle are nearing an end," he said about the constant humiliation and the public attacks he has been under since assuming the party's top position.

Dookeran said he plans to go directly to the membership of the UNC and share with them his options to rescue Trinidad and Tobago "from politics stuck in another time" and to "rescue the country from a government breeding crime."

Asked why he did not show up at the court as a show of support for Panday, Dookeran said he was not "interested in public relations gimmicks."

PNCR must remove preconditions for talks
-- Government
THE government has indicated that the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) must withdraw preconditions which it says clearly interfere with and usurp the constitutional mandate of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“These preconditions were set by the PNCR as the basis for discussions on constitutional means and possibilities to deal with the status of government, post August 4,” the Government Information Agency (GINA) stated last night.

Following the meeting of President Bharrat Jagdeo and Leader of the PNCR Robert Corbin at the Office of the President on April 19, nominees of the government, Attorney General Doodnauth Singh and Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran and Opposition nominees, PNCR Chairman Winston Murray and Senior Counsel Rex McKay, were tasked with examining the constitutional means and possibilities following GECOM’s failure to hold elections before August 4.

GINA said the President’s Information Liaison, Robert Persaud, reported that Cabinet, at its Wednesday meeting, was presented with the PNCR’s response to address the constitutional means/possibilities to deal with the government’s post-August 4 status.

“In essence, preconditions were set by the PNCR for any agreement on constitutional means. Cabinet found those constitutional conditionalities will interfere and usurp the constitutional functions of GECOM,” Persaud was quoted by GINA as saying.

He said Cabinet was informed by Attorney General Singh that the PNCR nominees clearly outlined that the government would have to first agree to the conditionalities, if talks on constitutional possibilities post-August 4 were to be entertained.

“The Information Liaison said it should be recalled that the need for GECOM’s constitutional mandate not to be infringed by any political party, was explicitly made known to the main Opposition Leader and captured in the joint-statement issued on April 21, 2006,” GINA stated.

Persaud said Cabinet in its discussion concluded that the preconditions set by the PNCR for the talks ought to be removed so that these discussions on the constitutional issues could proceed.

The Joint Opposition Parliamentary Parties on Thursday issued a press statement at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, stating that talks were quashed by the administration, a claim which is contrary to the discussion and conclusion of Cabinet, GINA said.  

Guyana Chronicle to help family of slain guard
OUR page one photo and our editorial yesterday on the plight of the wife and seven sons of the security guard, Curtis Robertson, slain in the murderous attack on acting Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh last Saturday morning, stirred the hearts of many readers here and overseas.

In response to the e-mails and in our little way to help the family in this great hour of need, the Guyana National Newspapers Limited, publishers of the Guyana and Sunday Chronicle, will launch an appeal for funds next week.

Details of how we plan to help with your support will be in tomorrow’s issue.

US$8M Linden Hospital contract for tendering next week
CONTRACTORS short-listed after the pre-qualification process will be tendering next week for the US$8M Linden Hospital Project, following the design finalisation, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported yesterday.

GINA said the French architectural firm, Louis Berger Group Incorporated of Washington D.C., submitted two designs for the new complex and they were examined by all the stakeholders, including staff of the existing hospital and residents of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice).

After that scrutiny, architects used the recommendations to make modifications for the construction adjacent to the present Mackenzie Hospital in Watooka where the institution will serve a population of about 45,000 people, GINA said.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded the study for the 15-year facility replacement plan that encompasses hospital services, staffing and space requirement and will also fund the building.

GINA said the modern facility will boast two blocks, administrative and medical, the latter being a two-storeyed consisting of six wards with 85 beds, two surgical operating theatres, a diagnostic section, pharmacy, laboratory, physiotherapy department and an intensive care unit.

According to GINA, the whole undetaking is in fulfilment of another promise by President Bharrat Jagdeo to enhance the lives of Lindeners and their community.

GINA said the administration has been placing great emphasis on improving the health sector, with the focus on decentralising the system.

In keeping with that thrust, a modern hospital was commissioned at New Amsterdam, Berbice, in 2005 and one being constructed at Lethem, Rupununi, will cost G$100M.

GINA said others will be built at Mabaruma, North West District and Bartica, Mazaruni, while four diagnostic and treatment centres will be established, at Suddie, Essequibo Coast; Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara; Leonora, West Coast Demerara and Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Additionally, a process has been initiated for constructing Guyana’s first ophthalmology centre at the Fort Canje Hospital, also in Berbice.

President meets officials on May/June rains preparations
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday met key officials to assess drainage plans for the seasonal May/June rains at his official State House residence in Georgetown.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) said Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Mr. Ravi Naraine assured the meeting there are continuous efforts to ensure that the drainage system can take off excess water from the rains.

Others at the meeting were Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Mr. Harry Narine Nawbatt; Chairman of the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Mr. Rudolph Gajraj; General Manager of the MMA/ADA, Mr. Aubrey Charles and the Regional Chairmen of Regions Three, Four, Five and Six.

Naraine told GINA the NDIA has completed 45 per cent of its 2006 capital work programme and is actively involved in continuous maintenance of D&I structures. This, he said is very crucial to assist in the effectiveness of the entire drainage network.

Focus is also being placed on clearing outfall channels and Naraine urged residents to stop dumping garbage in the drains. Persons aware of such activities are asked to notify the NDIA to prevent any blockage in the system.

GINA said the current level of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) is 55 GD and water is being discharged through the Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara sluice since the conservancy has adopted a ‘flood control’ role.

In addition, the agency said, maintenance and inspection of the dams are being done while two of the 15 Hymac excavators purchased by the government have been deployed at the EDWC.

It said Naraine noted that the Hymacs purchased at a cost of about $500M are working in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. To date, the work done with the machines is valued at more than $100M, he said.

Inspection of pumps, sluices and other D&I infrastructure are being done routinely, he reported.

As part of its programme to boost the D&I system, the government allocated about $800M this year for major projects countrywide, including the construction and repair of structures in various areas and improvements on the EDWC.

Some $87.1M was allocated to the MMA/ADA to carry out its work programme which included the construction of a flood embankment at Abary to prevent the flow of water into agricultural areas.

GINA noted that the authority has completed clearing internal drains in several villages on the West Coast Berbice, as requested by the President during a visit to the region earlier in the year.

Under this initiative work was done in Profit/Foulis, C-Field, Number 40 and 41 villages, Belfield, Lichfield, Calcutta, Katherine, Number 28, 29 and 30 villages, Golden Grove and Lovely Lass.

Apart from the usual budgetary allocation, the government took a number of initiatives that will add further effectiveness to the D&I system, including the procurement of some 3.2M Euros worth of machinery and equipment from Italy. These machines, including excavators, bulldozers, graders, trucks, generators and mobile lights, are stationed at the MMA/ADA office, Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice and would be deployed to commence work in the identified areas shortly.

GINA also noted that major civil works under the Agriculture Support Services Programme (ASSP) are expected to start this year, as $540M was allocated in the 2006 national budget and targets the primary and secondary drainage in Vergenoegen/Bonasika, Golden Grove/Victoria and Black Bush Polder.

Lynear Johnson excited after surgery
From Lenny Armogum
LYNEAR Johnson, the Guyanese skin cancer patient being treated in New York, was discharged at 11:30 h yesterday and was very excited about going home after spending five weeks at the Brooklyn Hospital Center.

Dr. John Mitchell, Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the Brooklyn Hospital Center was her primary care physician.

Dr. Moo Young Jun performed the head and neck surgery while Dr. Nadeem Choudry did the reconstructive surgery. They were assisted by Dr. Jean Bismuth and Dr. Dino Martinez.

Lynear also had to undergo chemotherapy treatment for the skin cancer.

Ms. Hutchikson, a nurse who is the Patient Care Manager of the surgical floor, also took a special interest in Lynear's condition. There were also nurses from the Utilisation Review and Discharge Planning Department to bid Lynear goodbye.

Her mother, Ms. Vanessa Bellamy, said the nurses were very good when treating her daughter.  

Nineteen-year-old Lynear experienced months of agony as the cancer resulted in painful abscesses on her face and parts of her neck.

She is an albino and her skin has no protection from the sun and she went with her mother to the U.S. for surgery after funds were raised in Guyana following appeals in the media.

Her trip was sponsored by the Health and Education Reform for Guyana group based in New York.

IICA hails Sawh’s vision
THE Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has pledged to continue its support to the government and people of Guyana to ensure that late Minister Satyadeow Sawh’s vision for the development of the agricultural and rural sectors will continue and the objectives ultimately achieved.

Sawh’s “capable management” saw significant achievements in Guyana’s agricultural diversification thrust, resulting in increased production and export of non-traditional commodities to Europe, the United States of America and the Caribbean,” IICA stated.

Director General of IICA, Dr. Chelston W.D. Brathwaite, said the organisation “is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic and untimely death of the Honourable Satyadeow Sawh, other members of his family and his security staff.”

Minister Sawh, his siblings Rajpat Rai Sawh and Pulmattie Persaud, together with security guard Curtis Robertson were executed last Saturday morning.

“We commend his leadership for the successes achieved during the Caribbean Week of Agriculture held in Guyana in 2003. This has set the standard for all future events of this nature in the region,” IICA stated.

The organisation said his leadership capabilities in the areas of agriculture and rural development were well noted by his ministerial colleagues in the wider Caribbean and the hemisphere.

“His able chairmanship of the most recent session of the Special Agriculture COTED resulted in several critical decisions being taken, including the adoption of measures for the implementation of the ‘Jagdeo Initiative’ for the repositioning of Caribbean agriculture,” IICA stated.

"The late minister will also be remembered as a very active member of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture. His incisive and forthright interventions won the admiration of counterparts throughout the Americas,” it added.

The organisation said Sawh will be sorely missed in the IICA family.

Beautification exercise for Independence anniversary celebrations
MORE than $30M has been allocated to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for hosting Guyana’s 40th Independence anniversary celebrations next month, Minister Anthony Xavier announced yesterday.

At a press conference in the ministry’s boardroom, Mr. Xavier explained that the total budget for Independence-related programmes was, however, not limited to that amount, since other agencies would have set aside funds for the celebrations.

He pointed out that the Office of the President, for example, had allocated $10M.

The 40th Anniversary Committee, headed by the ministry, is broad-based with representation from several agencies, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Commerce; the Ministry of Labour; the Ministry of Health; Bank of Guyana; the Guyana Information Agency (GINA); and the Disciplined Services, separately.

It is, however, not restricted to the usual list of government entities; parliamentary opposition parties – the PNCR, ROAR, and GAP-WPA – are also represented as well as the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), the Guyana Council of Churches and the National School of Dance. Also prominently represented on the committee is the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown.

Mayor Hamilton Green was at yesterday’s press conference and stated that a number of cleaning up and beautification exercises will be undertaken by the council, with Xavier adding that large scale cleanup exercises are also slated for the East Coast Demerara, as well as areas on the West Coast.

According to GINA representative on the committee, Ms. Kassia DeSantos, Independence anniversary posters featuring the 40th Anniversary logo will also be placed around the country, most noticeably on some of the advertising spaces available on the East Coast Demerara seawall.

Committee member, Mr. Lennox Canterbury – well known for his coordinating role in Guyana’s annual Republic Mashramani celebrations – stated that there will also be a number of sporting events, including the rarely held triathlon.

Mr. Carl Brandon, the ministry’s Director of Youth, stated that the torch for the World Harmony Run will arrive in the country on May 23 and runners will take the torch from Charity on the Essequibo Coast, travelling along Guyana’s coastal plain, ending up eventually at Moleson Creek in Berbice where it will then be handed over to neighbouring country, Suriname.

Plans are also under way for the President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) to bring some 1,000 young people from Guyana’s 10 administrative regions to participate in Independence celebrations in Georgetown. The bulk of the participants will be housed at two locations: the National Service Complex on Carifesta Avenue, and the Sophia Exhibition Site.

One of the official activities planned for this event is a special Independence crossword promotion in the Guyana Chronicle.

“We as a people,” Xavier stated, “need to rekindle our pride to sustain and celebrate our Independence.” (RUEL JOHNSON)

PNCR challenges Luncheon’s comments on Sawh slaying
THE main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has come out against comments by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, on the slaying of Acting Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh.

In a statement yesterday, the party said the comments “which depended heavily on innuendo to suggest that senior members of the PNCR are somehow linked to the brutal slaying, last Saturday, of Minister Sash Shaw, his relatives and security guard, is a most dangerous, inflammatory and irresponsible development.”

“If Dr. Luncheon, in any of his capacities, has evidence to support his pronouncements, his duty, and that of anyone else, including the President’s office, should be to pass that information immediately to the Commissioner of Police so that the perpetrators can be arrested, charged and brought before the courts,” the PNCR stated.

“Unless he does so, the PNCR must reject his statements as baseless, without foundation and deliberately intended to incite racial disharmony and conflict in a security environment which is already tense and highly charged,” the party added.

At his weekly post-Cabinet news briefing Thursday, Luncheon charged that the execution of Minister Sawh was “a political assassination” at the hands of criminal gangs in the East Coast Demerara village of Buxton with whom officials of the PNCR were known to have visited and engaged.

“The Police have confirmed the obvious that Minister Sawh’s murder was a political assassination and that the Buxton gang was used to achieve this vicious objective”, Luncheon told reporters.

He indicated that he was not saying directly that the PNCR was involved in the “political assassination” of Minister Sawh, but he was simply stating “the fact” that members of the main opposition party were known to have “engagements” and paid “visits” to the gangs in Buxton.

The PNCR referred to its April 22 statement that “it is in the national interest that the Guyana Police Force identifies quickly the perpetrators of this dastardly act so that they could be brought to justice”.

In addition, the party said it did point out that “… the situation demands leadership, prudence, patience and responsibility to ensure that the national interest is promoted and protected”.

“Instead of seeking to deliver good governance, development and constructive programmes aimed at ensuring peace and security in our land, it has been the hallmark of the Jagdeo Administration to encourage wild statements by their members and cohorts to suggest that the PNCR is somehow associated with crime and criminals,” the PNCR charged.

“PNCR members are tired of being maligned and are angered by the constant public abuse by officials of the Jagdeo Government. While we understand and sympathise with the anger of PPP/C members and supporters over the death of their close friend and colleague, we are nevertheless convinced that this is not the time for dangerous adventurism. The leadership of this country must together, work to create a climate which would promote peace and stability,” the party stated.

The PNCR said it is perhaps time that the President take seriously the call by the Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin for “a retreat of the political leaders of this country at the very highest levels to sit together to discuss and find a way out of this emergency, so that light can shine through the present darkness that Guyana is facing.”

Rotary conference under way
-- President hosts delegates
MORE than 300 overseas registrants are in Guyana for Rotary International’s District 7030 PETS Assembly and Conference, hailing from a variety of countries including Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, French Guiana and the United States.

According to the District’s Director-General, Mr. Dunstan Barrow, speaking Thursday at the conference official opening ceremony and first plenary session, this is the second time that the annual Rotary event is being held in the country.

Barrow stated that he hoped that it would not take so long for another such event to be held here.

He said he was proud of his opportunity to serve as DG over the past year and, with eight weeks left in his tenure, he wished to thank all those who had supported him including his spouse, children and his employees.

Rotary International’s Special Representative to the event – past RI Director Gerald Meigs – urged that Rotarians, after 100 years of service, be prepared adapt to function in a new environment.

The Rotarian, a native of St. Paul’s, Minnesota, in the United States, stated that several key steps must be taken to ensure that the organisation was ready for the future. Two notable ones included the reshaping of Rotary’s public image to one which would appeal to more potential members of the organisation; and the opening up of new areas for clubs, particularly in China, Cuba, Russia and Vietnam.

Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, was on hand to give his regrets on behalf of President Bharrat Jagdeo who was officially slated to declare the conference open.

Ramsammy said that though the country is in difficult times, difficulties have never before prevented Guyanese from embracing their guests, and that this would not be the case at present.

He said that Rotarians possessed a proud history of international service, and were instrumental in providing essential comforts to the less fortunate in a variety of areas.

They should now, he urged, look to the future to continue that legacy.

Chairman of the conference and Rotary Past President, Mr. Michael Davis, asked Ramsammy to convey best wishes to the President, the Patron of Rotary in Guyana. Davis assured the conference that while much work will be done, the programme included ample recreational activities in the usual tradition of the district’s conferences.

President Jagdeo hosted delegates at a reception at State House Thursday night.

Chain snatcher shot
A MAN, who snatched a gold chain from a passenger in a mini-bus at the Plaisance bus park in Georgetown and resisted arrest when he was caught by Police, is nursing a gunshot wound to the shoulder after he was fired at by a cop and a civilian.

Police said at about 15:00h yesterday, an armed cop saw when he snatched a gold chain from a male passenger in the mini-bus at the Plaisance car park, Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown.

The snatcher ran north into Avenue of the Republic pursued by the policeman and a number of public spirited persons.

He was eventually caught in the vicinity of the Promenade Gardens and arrested by an Army Lance Corporal, Police said in a press release.

“At this stage he pulled out a cutlass from his waist and began firing chops at the soldier, whereupon the policeman and a civilian licensed firearm holder both discharged rounds at him,“ Police stated.

The man was hit above the right shoulder and the chain and cutlass recovered.

The man, who is in police custody, was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for medical treatment.

The Police are requesting that the victim of this robbery report to the Brickdam Police Station to identify the gold chain and assist with further investigations.

USAID funding project to boost greenhouse vegetable production
THE Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the United States-based Partners of the Americas, hosted a training exercise for vegetable farmers on Wednesday at the Naarstigheid cash crop farm, West Coast Berbice.

It was part of the Partners ‘Farmer to Farmer Programme for Guyana’ funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The aim is to encourage the use of greenhouse production that is unaffected by weather extremes such as floods and droughts.

The main resource person was Partners volunteer, Professor Gary Hickman of the University of Florida and he dealt with the advantages of organic cultivation.

He distributed blueprints on the construction of greenhouses and handouts on their management.

Hickman’s message was that greenhouse farming or planting in shedded conditions or plastic houses is a highly sustainable method of producing vegetables.

He said, in a greenhouse, plants like tomato, cucumber, pepper and boulanger would be protected from heavy rainfall and excessive heat and could be grown with or without soil.

Soil-less cultivation would include the use of sawdust, rice hulls, coconut husk and a number of other easily obtainable discards, Hickman explained.

He also showed slides on successful greenhouse farming worldwide as a means of producing premium quality vegetables and a number of planters in his audience said they would take up the challenge and utilise the system once inputs such as the right plastic is available.

Agriculture Ministry officers in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) are expected to aid in the promotion of the novel mode of vegetable farming which was touted as highly effective and sustainable.

Partners is an American volunteer organisation which boasts the motto ‘Promoting leadership, understanding and opportunity in the Americas.’

Its project here is aimed at boosting the overall volume of vegetable produce and improving the quality by using new and improved husbandry practices.

Members of the local chapter operate out of the St Stanislaus Farm at Sophia in Georgetown. (CLIFFORD STANLEY)

$8.3M contract for Mahaicony branch road restoration
THE Regional Administration of Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) has awarded an $8.3M contract for the resurfacing of sections of the Mahaicony branch road that were damaged by flood waters.

Engineer Denis Tahal said the job would entail restoration of some 2,000 feet of surface near Mortice Village with asphalt chip seal and filling potholes in other areas along the entire route.

Sections of the roadway were washed away in the 2005 and 2006 floods.

The award was won by A. Sookram and Sons and the work is to start within a week and be completed three weeks after the commencement.

The De Hoop branch road was also destroyed by the same flooding but that is to be restored by Ministry of Public Works and Communications, officials said.

GWI commissions website to boost public relations
THE public relations capacity of Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) was boosted yesterday, with the launch of a website at its Fort Street, Kingston, Georgetown Head Office.

It can be accessed at www.gwiguyana.com and has a wealth of information pertaining to their activities, operations and history and includes detailed daily disruption reports, advisories to customers and press releases, which would be of special importance to journalists and researchers, GWI Public Relations Officer, Mr. Timothy Austin said.

Ms. Claudette Moore, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Water which has portfolio responsibility for the utility, congratulated GWI on the initiative and said it would be a good tool for feedback from consumers and the general public.

She said, in addition, the website can also become a source of educational benefit, particularly for tertiary students who are involved in research.

Webmaster, Mr Vijay Datadin, who developed the system, said, because bids can now be advertised on it, GWI will be able to significantly reduce costs with respect to its tendering process.

However, he pointed out that, while establishing it was the easy part, the more formidable task is to get GWI staff adjusted to using and constantly updating it.

Commending GWI for the undertaking, Datadin observed that it is one of the few local entities to have moved in this direction.

GWI Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Michael Clarke, who officiated at the commissioning, said the project took some time, since September last year start, to be completed but the investment in the future will significantly help GWI fulfill one of its principal objectives, improving its service to the public.

Several contracts cleared ahead of May/June rains
CABINET, at its meeting Wednesday gave the green light to a number of contracts in the agriculture sector, in preparation for the May/ June rains, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported Thursday.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat and its Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon said Cabinet decided to re-establish a similar arrangement to that previously created to oversee the management of the Administration’s flood preparation system in the face of upcoming season.

He told GINA that system extensively evaluated the drainage and irrigation (D&I) preparedness in the coastal region and examined the actual rainfall and impact during the rainy season.

Luncheon said several groups would be identified to deal with the situation but Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Harripersaud Nokta would act as Minister of Agriculture and chair the group from that ministry.

Notka will continue to liaise with regional authorities and related government ministries and departments about active rainfall and its impact on the regions, to make weekly reports to Cabinet, Luncheon explained.

The Cabinet Secretary said Prime Minister Samuel Hinds will, again, be responsible for the initial and continuing review of the state of preparedness of the D&I system in the administrative regions and municipalities.

According to Luncheon, Mr. Hinds will also be expected to pay close attention to the integrity and functioning flood control structures in the regions and report to Cabinet every week.

The contracts approved are as follows:

Ramsammy reports significant results from vaccination campaigns
THE Ministry of Health has undertaken several regional campaigns in observance of Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA), the Government Information Agency (GINA) said Thursday.

The activities, which began on April 24 and end today, was first introduced in September 2003 and involve education on immunisation through school and house to house visits, community talks and open day exercises at health clinics and centres.

The drive is intended to promote greater access to immunisation and inter-country cooperation so that prevalent epidemics are treated satisfactorily, GINA said.

The agency said Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, during the launch of 2006 VWA on Monday, said vaccination has reduced the morbidity and mortality rate of Guyanese more than any other single health intervention over the years.

He said Guyana is one of the countries in the Americas that has achieved much in the process and is active in the expanded programme of immunisation (EPI) that is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other international partners.

Ramsammy noted that, in 2005, the government spent at least $25M to improve coverage of the procedure and his ministry increased the number of vaccines in its stock to facilitate the delivery.

He said, this year, the VWA goals are to vaccinate first-time pregnant women and children under five years of age and those who have not completed their immunisation schedule.

“It is recognised that many women who are pregnant now were not exposed to the vaccination as children and, as such, they and their babies are susceptible to getting tetanus,” Ramsammy explained.

He said, additionally, VWA aims to sustain measles elimination and support the implementation of Rubella, eradication of Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) and epidemiological surveillance programmes.

Ramsammy said, over the last decade, since the first in 1964 after being declared polio free by the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), this country has proven its further success in epidemic eradication through the support of the EPI programme.

He said Guyana was also significantly successful at measles elimination following the ‘Big Bang’ campaign in 1991 and, due to effective vaccination and disease surveillance activities since the 1960s, no cases of neo-natal tetanus, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, whooping cough or measles have been reported in the last five years.

Ramsammy said Guyana received the surveillance award from PAHO/WHO for its high EPI maintenance standards and immediately became a beneficiary of Global Alliance on Vaccination and Immunisation (GAVI.)

He said, subsequently, the programme secured adequate support through the provision of supplies and infrastructure for vaccination and, over the last two years, 90 per cent vaccination of children less than one year old has been accomplished through the EPI.

At Education Act consultations…
Stakeholders propose resumption of corporal punishment in schools
STAKEHOLDERS who participated in the nearly completed first round of consultations on a revised Education Act have suggested the reintroduction of corporal punishment in schools.

More parental involvement and heightened security at school premises are among the other proposals that emerged from months of meetings that should conclude tomorrow across eight of the country’s 10 administration regions, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

The discourses will wrap up in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) after about 40 sessions and the process of analysing the data collected has already started, Assistant Manager of the Education Bill Project, Ms Natasha Singh said.

She told GINA the special task group involved is seeking fundamental information to prepare a document that would reflect Guyana’s educational needs and the analyses based on the questionnaires and written submissions received would help draft a framework document which will be taken back to the stakeholders.

Singh said a date for the second round of consultations will be decided when they meet again next month.

According to her, private schools, teachers, parent/teacher groups, religious bodies and government ministries were targeted in the initial phase when participants were encouraged to air their views on pertinent education concerns.

GINA said the Education Ministry will serve as the policy-making and monitoring body when the new legislation is drafted and Singh revealed that meetings will continue in the ongoing effort to include the contributions of key stakeholders in the first report.

She said the task group has already met representatives of school boards, Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU).

Singh said, during the encounters, stakeholders also called for teachers to be more student-oriented.

Topics discussed included the quality of education delivery, resource allocation, responsibility of school boards, private and public schools, decentralisation of education management, government policies, motivation for teachers and the cultural realities of society.

NACOSH awards individuals, companies for their contributions
PERMANENT Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Mr. Trevor Thomas yesterday appealed to employers in both the private and public sectors not to compromise their employees’ safety and health in the quest for effective and efficient production.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) said he made the appeal while addressing the annual National Awards Ceremony and said occupational safety and health (OSH) in the workplace is a critical aspect of organisational operations.

Speaking at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Thomas said any organisation that has more than 20 employees should establish an OSH committee and the employed should demand that it is done.

“It is the job of both the employees and employers to ensure that health and safety practices are observed in the workplace and this should not only be done during OSH Month but all year long,” he asserted.

Thomas acknowledged there is a lack of education and public awareness about the importance of OSH practices in workplaces and homes, which are also classified in the same category.

He also advocated that OSH be included in the schools curriculum.

Thomas, in his speech, referred, as well, to HIV/AIDS in the workplace, saying it is affecting the country’s workforce and the ministry has concluded consultations on the final draft of related regulatory legislation.

Another speaker on the occasion, Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Resident Representative, Dr. Bernadette Theodore-Gandi lauded the government’s efforts in the field and advised that they be taken seriously because the work environment contributes significantly to the everyday life of an individual.

Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH), Mr. Winston Beresford, who also spoke, said employers and employees should always be conscious of the environment in which they work.

He, too, alluded to the lack of education and awareness and said it can lead to death or severe injuries in workplaces.

Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary, Mr. Lincoln Lewis commended NACOSH for doing a great job in ensuring the safety of the national labour force.

However, he pointed to the need for greater influence on employers so that better safety and health practices could be assured in workplaces countrywide.

Lewis suggested that bulletin boards be used at workplaces to inform employees what is required of them.

At the function, three persons were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the development of OSH in Guyana over the years.

Mr. Sherwood Kendall, Ms. Judy Patterson and Mr. Leslie Munroe joined three companies, Demerara Power Company, Banks DIH Limited and Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL), which were also awarded.

Five students of Anna Regina Multilateral School won prizes in the Schools Poster Competition. The awardees, Doupa Gobin, Rafize Fizul, Tamara Jagmohan, Bibi Safia Khan and Chetram Kissoonlall were presented with trophies, plaques and lapel pins.

The awarding every year was first done in 1996, with the aims of recognising and rewarding individuals and entities for contributing to the development of OSH nationally and, since then, about 28 persons and 14 companies received awards.

During the month-long OSH observances, organised by NACOSH and the ministry, several seminars and workshops were conducted to inform the general public, too, about its importance.

A symposium was also staged to discuss issues such as noise in the working environment and negative aspects of information technology there.

Meanwhile, motorists have been invited to participate in the promotion of OSH today by driving with their lights on between 12:00 h and 13:00 h in keeping with a ‘show a light and save a life’ motto.

The theme to observe OSH Month was ‘Let’s persist in 2006 in promoting a safe working environment.’

Bird flu found on British farm was not H5N1
LONDON, (Reuters) - The strain of bird flu found on a British farm in eastern England is H7, not the lethal H5N1, and tests show the virus is low pathogenicity, officials said yesterday.

One farm worker has contracted an eye infection, conjunctivitis, caused by the virus but Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said the chances of it spreading from human to human was low.

Britain said on Thursday a strain of the virus had been found on a poultry farm in Norfolk and said it would start culling 35,000 birds.

Norfolk is home to some of Europe's biggest poultry farms and Britain's Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said a restriction zone of one kilometre had been put in place around the infected premises.

H7N3, the strain found on the Norfolk farm, does not transmit easily from poultry to person or from person to person and the chance of it spreading was low, the HPA said.

"In almost all cases of human H7 infection to date, the virus, in both low and high pathogenic forms, has only caused a mild disease," it said in a statement. "Therefore in this outbreak the risk to the general public is extremely limited."

Britain has been on high alert for bird flu since it discovered the lethal H5N1 virus in a wild swan in Scotland earlier this month.

The swan was the only wild bird found in Britain so far to have the H5N1 virus, which has spread from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and led to the death and culling of 200 million birds since late 2003.

H5N1 has infected 204 people and killed 113 since 2003.

Scientists fear bird flu could become highly dangerous to humans if the virus mutates into a form easily passed on from one person to another.

With government majority…
Parliament passes legislation to expand definition of strike
THE Public Utility Undertakings and Public Health Services (Amendment) Bill was passed in the National Assembly of Parliament on Thursday, without support from the main opposition political party.

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) opposed the legislation in the form presented after Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Dale Bisnauth told the House it is intended to expand the definition of strike to include other industrial action such as sick-outs and sit-ins.

He said the law is in harmony with conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which has recognised that withholding of labour by workers in essential services could lead to loss of life or limb.

Bisnauth said there are 15 entities in Guyana that are classified as essential services and, rejecting that contention, he said a Trades Union Congress (TUC) official was misinformed when he charged that the intent is to stifle strikes.

The bill amended Section 2A (1) of the Principal Act by deleting the definition of strike and replacing it with another and Bisnauth explained that, in addition to expanding the meaning, provisions are also made to allow the Minister of Labour to intervene in a timely manner to resolve grievances.

The existing situation is that arbitration can be done informally.

However, PNCR Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Basil Williams viewed the proposals with scepticism, alleging that the purpose is to prevent those in essential services from resorting to industrial action, which is a fundamental right of all workers.

The Opposition parliamentarian argued that employees in essential services have had the right to withhold their labour but must first report their grievances to the minister and, if a month elapses without any response, they could then take industrial action.

He questioned whether the Parliament move was in consonance with Article 147 of the Constitution and accused the government of legislating because of past experience with a work stoppage at the Air Traffic Control Department.

Williams further contended that another objective is to prevent others from participating in industrial action taken by workers.

He asked why the telecommunications sector was not included in the current essential services listing, although it is so regarded in today’s and wondered if the intention is to leave the service unprotected.

An amendment to Section 19 of the Principal Act provides for persons contravening Section 12 to be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of not less than $30,000 and imprisonment for a term not less than two months.

Another provision, which legislates a further $1,000 fine for every day or part of it during which the offence continues, was dubbed “draconian” by Williams who indicated that his party was not supportive of the measures.

The government majority prevailed when the vote was taken. (CHAMANLALL NAIPAUL)

Rain clouds gathering
THE seasonal May/June rains have already stirred fears among the coastal population about floods which last year and this year wreaked so much havoc among thousands.

Farmers and others in vulnerable parts of the coast are still trying to recover from the destruction that visited them with heavy rains that came with the new year, and many would be fervently hoping against a repeat of the flood nightmares.

President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday met key officials to assess the drainage plans for the seasonal May/June rains at his official State House residence in Georgetown.

There was no official word on the assessment from that special session.

The Government Information Agency (GINA), however, said Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Mr. Ravi Naraine assured the meeting there are continuous efforts to ensure that the drainage system can take off excess water from the rains.

Perhaps very wary of giving assurances following the woes that crept up after upbeat projections about preparations and preparedness in the wake of the devastating 2005 floods, caution seems to be the watchword of the officials this time around.

Mr. Naraine told GINA the NDIA has completed 45 per cent of its 2006 capital work programme and is actively involved in continuous maintenance of D&I structures.

This, he said is very crucial to assist in the effectiveness of the entire drainage network.

Focus is also being placed on clearing outfall channels and Mr. Naraine urged residents to stop dumping garbage in the drains.

Persons aware of such activities are asked to notify the NDIA to prevent any blockage in the system, he said.

An expected crucial change in the scheme of things is the NDIA taking charge of the overall D&I system in the country, and in effect assuming responsibility for secondary and tertiary systems.

Much of the blame for the floods earlier this year was heaped on clogged drainage systems, which were to have been cleared by local government councils and it is to be expected that there has been some progress in that direction.

The floods last year and this year threw up invaluable lessons for those in authority and citizens still trembling at the sight of the first dark cloud creeping up are fervently hoping all those responsible would have taken heed.

It would be asking them to bear too much to gird their loins again to help fight back flood waters.

Here’s hoping for a real silver lining behind the dark clouds of 2005 and early 2006.

Yesterday’s session at State House should have provided a more than comprehensive base for a programme to deal with any contingencies.

Drug case postponed again as exhibits still unavailable
PRINCIPAL Magistrate Krishendat Persaud yesterday again adjourned the drug trafficking case in which Clarence Williams alias ‘Wild Hog’ is charged, because the exhibits were still not available.

Magistrate Persaud, taking the call-over in the absence of Magistrate Geeta Chandan, observed that the trial was postponed for the same reason after being called on six previous occasions and blamed the Police for hindering the wheels of justice.

Williams is alleged to have trafficked 480 grammes of cannabis (marijuana) which he had last January 24 in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Until the May 8 resumption, also in New Amsterdam Court, the defendant, called ‘Shoemaker’, as well, has been remanded to prison.

Army ammo theft case stalled by missing file
THE trial of Ovarie Jacobs, who is charged with stealing arms and ammunition belonging to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), stalled again yesterday because the file was unavailable at New Amsterdam Court in Berbice.

Police Corporal Satrohan Dynaram, prosecuting, told Principal Magistrate Krishendat Persaud it was presumed that the file had been at the chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

But checks revealed that it was in the possession of Police ‘D’ Division Commander, Assistant Commissioner Ronald Stuart, the Prosecutor said.

Dynaram said Stuart did not fulfil a promise to send it to Berbice Division once completed.

Jacobs, for whom an arrest warrant is out, is accused of the larceny of three M70 magazines and 20 matching rounds as well as twenty 7.62 x 39 blank rounds, valued a total of $36,550, from an Army camp at Tacama, Berbice River.

The theft is alleged to have occurred between August 5 and 30, 2004 and the information surrounding the charge was initially sworn to before Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen, on October 25, 2004, in Georgetown.

However, the case was transferred to New Amsterdam Court on November 22, 2004.

It will be called again on May 20.

Deploy the military
I AM a regular reader of the Guyana Chronicle on the net and most of the time I am shocked to read about the robberies and murders in Guyana.

I realised that you are in an undeclared war with bandits and I then thought that you do not understand what kind of situation you are in.

In situations like the one Guyana is in now, you have to use the military forces.

You have to deploy them in the streets and they have to put up roadblocks and check passing vehicles and look for persons with illegal guns.

The government has to rethink its gun policy because the guns people have that are legally licensed by the authorities can sometimes be used in crimes.

I was pleased Thursday when I saw that your troops have made an encampment in Buxton.

It is now past time for the Police to stop crime so let's all hope the military can do the job.
AHMED ABDI
HARGEISA
SOMALILAND

Powerful idea
WHAT a wonderful and powerful idea in your editorial yesterday headed `The agony continues’.

It’s the most humane way to move forward with the struggle and at the same time plunging a dagger in the inhumane murderers and their backers.

Go, go, go - let’s move; we have to put our emotions to work.

“Struggle that we may be free while others are struggling to enslave us.”
FLATTIESINGH

Buxton is an easy target
AS A citizen living in Guyana in these troubled times, I try my utmost to keep an open mind on things.

It is not always easy. Listening to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon's press conference on Thursday, it is quite clear that the government is beginning to squeeze "the political angle" to Minister Sawh's killing for more political mileage.

Dr. Luncheon, at the press conference, offered us this piece of logic. He said that now that the Police have established a Buxton connection behind the minister's murder, and seeing that PNCR MPs in the past have been seen on and off in Buxton, then, maybe...

Dr. Luncheon eventually made clear that he was in no way pointing a finger at the PNCR for Mr. Sawh's killing. But the good doctor knowingly had already set the cat among the pigeons with his hints.

Three things occur to me. Firstly, I remember when many in the society, including the Stabroek News, had clamoured for the PNCR to do work in Buxton to help fight the series of crime waves. It was argued as early as 2002 that, since Buxton is the PNCR's constituency, it was the party's national duty to go there and work to prevent the community from falling into criminal hands.

When I first heard this point, I suspected that the minute the PNCR touched down in Buxton, it would be accused of all sorts of bad things. That is exactly what happened.

So that even today, Dr. Luncheon on behalf of his party is still working that PNCR/Buxton link. Not surprising, those who pushed for the PNCR to engage in Buxton have remained silent while the PPP propaganda machine went to work accusing the PNCR of links to Buxton criminals and this and that.

Secondly, I have grown extremely skeptical and suspicious when the Police point their fingers at the drop of a hat (or at the firing of a gun) to Buxton.

I am not persuaded about this ballistics report linking the minister's killers to Agricola.

The Police are under enormous pressure to deliver results. Buxton is an easy (and credible in the minds of many) target.

If the voice on the tape is indeed Commissioner Felix, then he has shown a willingness to accuse people wrongly for tactical reasons. It is admitted on the purported tape that a business owner was knowingly and wrongly accused of being linked to the Agricola shootout. I have since lost much confidence in Police "evidence". I now view ballistics reports with suspicion.

But even so (and this is my third point), are all gun-toting criminals in Buxton politically directed? In this undefined bunch, aren't there also hired killers, straight plunderers and robbers? 

I am not swallowing the argument that all criminal action out of Buxton ipso facto has a political motive. There is too much going on in Guyana's dark criminal underworld for me to jump to easy conclusions.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the racial divide, there is a widespread belief that the minister's killing is drug connected.
G. NURSE

Why not terrorism?
IF AS Dr. Roger Luncheon says Mr Sawh's murder is political assassination, why is the term TERRORISM not used to describe this atrocity?

That term has special resonance with Messrs Bush and Blair, who have pledged to wipe out terrorism wherever it is found.

And may be important for them to understand.
D. RAMPRAKASH

Continue to advance Sash’s ideals
GUYANA has lost a true son of the soil in the savage and cold-blooded murders of Acting Agriculture Minister, Satyadeow Sawh, his brother, sister and his security guard.

The whole of Guyana is poorer for his passing, having regard to his sterling performances as a diplomat and subsequently as a Minister of Government following the assumption to office of the PPP/C Government in October 1992.

It is not coincidental that “Sash” (as he was fondly referred to by all those who know him) was asked to serve as a senior member of the newly-formed PPP/C Administration under the then leadership of Dr. Cheddi Jagan. Sash was one of those Guyanese who from an early age was prepared, as it were, to stand up and be counted, in the face of political oppression and authoritarian rule by the Burnham-led PNC regime.

His consummate passion for a free and democratic Guyana knew no bounds. Even when he departed Guyana for Canada in his early years, he continued the struggle for a democratic Guyana by inserting himself fully in the Association of Concerned Guyanese, a body which was mainly involved in sensitising the international community, especially Canadians, of the undemocratic and oppressive nature of the PNC and the need to put pressure on the Burnham regime for democratic reforms.

Such a stance required a high degree of conviction, dedication and commitment to a cause which Sash firmly believed in. It also required courage and sacrifice, something that was not as forthcoming among Guyanese Canadians, the majority of whom were taken up with their own survival. Indeed, as his friend Geoff da Silva, himself a former minister and now Chief Executive Officer of Go-Invest who spent several years in Canada at the helm of the ACG said, there were many who scoffed at the ideas that Sash embraced, believing that the PNC was so firmly entrenched by virtue of its control of the security apparatus, that it was a well nigh impossible task to remove it from power by democratic means.

Sash, however, remained focused and undaunted, inspired by the vision and belief of Dr. Jagan that “history and time was on our side”, meaning that of the PPP. Democracy for Dr. Jagan was something almost sacred, which must be fought for until it was won and Sash bought into this unreservedly.

His optimism was by no means misplaced. Democracy was finally won on October 5, 1992 after 28 years of long and painful struggle, and Sash was invited by Dr. Jagan to take up an appointment as Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, a job he pursued with extraordinary zeal and professionalism which endeared him among the Guyanese community in that country as indeed by the entire diplomatic community. He was honoured by the Venezuelan Government which conferred on him that country’s national award.

As a Minister of Government, Sash was no less effective. He pursued his task as Minister of Fisheries, Crop and Livestock (together with ministerial responsibility for Agriculture following the resignation of Mr. Navin Chandarpal) with a determination and commitment that won him accolades from the entire farming community. Thanks to his inspired leadership, the agriculture sector showed rapid growth, especially in the area of non-traditional agriculture. Guyana became self-sufficient in meat and poultry which hitherto was imported in significant quantities putting pressure on an already precarious balance of payments situation.

Sash certainly had his hands full, but he was never the kind of person to back down when called upon to take on additional responsibilities, especially those that he felt strongly connected to. He coordinated, for a number of years, the Cheddi Jagan Commemoration Committee which successfully held a number of activities throughout the country. He also coordinated the 55th anniversary celebrations of the PPP last year, not to mention his participation in other cultural activities.

Because of his personality and charisma, he was well liked by the PPP membership who always found him to be someone whom they could relate to without any fear that the glare of political office would have created a social distance between them and him. This, perhaps, is his most enduring personality trait for which he would long be remembered - his humility, simplicity, and his ability to reach out to everyone, regardless of their political or economic circumstance. In this regard, he will be missed by the entire membership of the ruling PPP of which he served at the highest decision-making level (outside of Congress) as a member of the Central Committee.

I have fond memories of Comrade Sash, having worked with him in several of the committees and having had the opportunity to interact with him at both the political and administrative levels. I can testify to his kindness, his gentleness, his concern for the poor and the ordinary, especially the farmers whom he served with dedication and distinction. It was indeed a great honour and privilege to have known him and worked with him.

The outpouring of grief and sympathy of the entire Guyanese society speaks to the high esteem and respect in which he was held. Guyana has truly lost a great man and the PPP a true and genuine comrade. He was a man of substance.

The best we can do for his memory is to continue to advance the ideals for which subscribed - a Guyana that is free, democratic, united and prosperous; one in which there is social justice and where there is respect for all.

As the Grenadian Comrade said during his tribute at Freedom House, Sash Sawh should be remembered for the way he lived and not the way he died.
HYDAR ALLY
EDUCATION SECRETARY
PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY

No reason to do so
WE MUST never let ourselves become discouraged or succumb to a feeling of hopelessness.

There is no reason to do so.

The barbarism we have been experiencing is being perpetrated by a small group of people, centrally directed by a cabal of handlers blinded by their lust for power at all costs, regardless of the cost to ordinary peace-loving people, of whatever race or political affiliation.

Over the years, most of our people have realised that we can live, work and play together, and that we in fact need each other for our mutual development, success and prosperity.

We don’t want to change this -- we want this rich cultural diversity to grow and develop because we are fundamentally comfortable with it.

So no political terrorists, directed by their handlers can ever divert us from our common course and direction.
CARLOS SAMUELS

Learn from past mistakes
IT IS with regret I am hearing accusations that the killings of Minister Satyadeow Sawh and Mr. Ronald Waddell are political assassinations.

I have strong doubts about these allegations. I do believe these killings stem from the illegal drug trade that is prevalent in our country.

The drug lords would like to turn this country upside down to have another "Colombia" in South America. They are the ones who have bribed the corrupt members of the Guyana Police and defence forces to relinquish their arms, ammunition and clothing to them.

They have everything to gain if they can pit the leading political parties against each other and the people of Guyana have everything to lose, including their lives and livelihood. They are the ones executing our politicians, businessmen and other members of our society.

Neither the PPP/C nor the PNCR can gain anything with political executions. The international organisations will look upon them with scorn if this is ever to happen, and that is why these parties will never go down this road. But the drug lords have known what this country has passed through in its earlier days and would like a repeat of this. But we must learn from our past mistakes.

We have corrupt police officers and soldiers who tip off the bandits about imminent raids, hence no weapons are found in many instances. The Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force should order all their personnel reporting for duty to leave their cell phones home. This is the instrument used to tip off the criminal elements about possible "secret" raids, hence nothing can be accomplished.

Ten years ago no one had cell phones. The bandits could not have coordinated their efforts as they are doing today. Almost all the 5,500 defence personnel in the country, perhaps, have cell phones. With the aid of the telephone companies, their call records should be checked to see if contact was made with those high profile bandits. This will give us an indication of who our corrupt officers may be.

Be careful of those personnel with two and three cell phones in their possession, or using the cell phones of their spouses/children to make their "dirty" calls.

It would be foolish for the major political parties to be heaping blame against each other for the past murders and those yet to come, i.e. if the country's defence system continues to lag behind the drug war.

Lt. Colonel Claude Fraser of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), stated, "....it was the goal of the Joint Services operation to debunk “the myth” that the (Buxton) village was a safe haven for criminals." (Guyana Chronicle, April 28th, 2006).

This is no "myth". This is as real as it gets. Supposedly corrupt personnel have tipped off the criminals that the "soldiers/police" are coming to set up camp, hence no guns could have been found on any of the alleged criminals apprehended.

For those "smart aleck" lawyers who are friends of criminals who use the law to allow them to run about this country freely, you are also to be blamed. If you did not help the cockroaches run about freely, crime would not have been this rampant.

What goes around comes around.
M. KAZAN

Try to change the past
IT REALLY amazes me how slow the PNCR is to learn from the past and to seize the opportunity of the present to finally make a permanent and good future for a change.

After all, have the 28 years of rigged elections not taught them anything?

The PPP/C has been in power for 14 years and what a disappointing era it has been for Indians who had hoped for a change, where they would have equal and fair opportunities in a safe and peaceful environment.

Now, has the PNCR been so blind that they have not seen this situation and not moved to show that the word 'REFORM' in the party means that the PNCR is for the people of Guyana and is not an African-based party?

Unless the PNCR can show that they can be a mature party and be inclusive to ALL GUYANESE, they can never win a fair and democratic election.

I hope Mr. Corbin seizes this opportunity and utilises it in a genuine and honest and sincere way to change the past (which had a lot to do with the American influence) and create a future for themselves and all Guyanese.
YANGO

Why now?
IT IS amazing and stunning to hear the leader of the main opposition PNCR, Mr. Robert Corbin calling for an emergency retreat with the President and all political leaders within 24 hours after the massacre of a government minister, two siblings and a guard.

Why now, Mr. Corbin? Do you want to have a meeting with the President and others to tell them what you want them to hear? What will you do after the meeting?

Dr. Roger Luncheon hit the nail smack on the head when he said that this LBI massacre is nothing but political.

He was right to link PNCR party officials to this massacre based on meetings the PNCR had with criminals in Buxton.

No meeting with or without the President will change anything where some people are concerned.
T. KING

More copywrong than copyright 
SUNDAY, April 23 was observed as World Book And Copyright Day and it was heartening to note that the Guyana Chronicle and the Stabroek News carried the message from the Director General of UNESCO marking the occasion.

To its credit, the Guyana Chronicle also carried an article by Pitamber Persaud in which he, among other things, gave a background of why a day to celebrate “the Book” was decided upon.

Additionally, Persaud highlighted the value of books as a source of inspiration, information, entertainment and enlightenment to mankind.

Passing reference was made to the state of copyright infringement in Guyana through the reference to singer/composer John `Slingshot’, ‘Eddie Grant’ and all other creators of ‘Intellectual Property’ (IP), be it in print or electronic format against this growing cancer of IP infringement.

Ten or so years ago when the practice of photocopying entire books began to gain currency, complaints were made to the relevant authorities, but apart from a piece of draft legislation which was done in 1999 (and this still remains a draft) nothing else was done.

As with all things that are not nipped in the bud, the level of copyright infringement reached higher levels when ‘businessmen’ use state of the art machinery to print almost every textbook of note.

The covers of the texts are now done in colours to replicate the original texts thus making it difficult for persons to distinguish the genuine book from the ‘pirated’ copies. The major difference lies in the binding. All the ‘pirated’ texts are printed on loose sheets which are stapled together before the covers are affixed.

On the other hand, most genuine school texts are stitched in sections before the covers are put on. Additionally, many genuine texts have coloured illustrations within the text.

Copyright laws state that photocopying or printing someone’s work without his or her permission is a criminal act punishable by the law.

If Guyanese are ever going to respect other people’s creativity and obey the copyright laws, then the punishment must serve as a deterrent.

In Barbados the penalty for infringing someone’s book, recording or ‘IP’ in any other format is US$250,000. In Guyana, my information is that the fine is under US$1.

Let’s do something now to stop this and all other forms of lawlessness.

World Book and Copyright Day 2007 should not find us remaining the leaders in piracy in the headquarters of CARICOM.
LLOYD AUSTIN

Shocking news
THE Regional Democratic Council of Region Four received with shock the news of the death of a son of the soil, the Honourable Minister Satyadeow Sawh.

The Regional Democratic Council would like to place on record its thanks for the work done by the late Minister Sawh for the region and the rest of the country.

We would like to extend sincere condolences to the family of the Honourable Satyadeow Sawh in this time of grief.

We hope this message of sympathy brings you comfort in your loss.
M. DEEN
REGIONAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
REGION FOUR

Under-prepared Windies face Zimbabwe in first ODI
ST JOHN'S, Antigua, (CMC) - West Indies and Zimbabwe have both expressed confidence of doing well on the eve of the first match of the their seven-match One-Day International series at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) here today.

The visiting Zimbabweans warmed up for the series with wins in two practice matches against selected Antigua and Barbuda sides on Monday and Tuesday.

This was in contrast to the home team which only came together between Wednesday and Thursday after last-minute retainer contracts negotiations between the West Indies Cricket Board and the players' union ended.

Notwithstanding that they are without most of their senior players, the visitors are eager to show the competitive side of their game.

"We want to be competitive throughout the tour," Kevin Curran, the Zimbabwe coach, said.

"If you take away your senior players you have a massive dent there. We can't do anything about that."

Curran said his team had talent and was not prepared to single out anyone.

"I don't like to single out players but there's talent there."

Zimbabwe's captain Terry Duffin said the series would be "a big challenge" for his players but they were looking forward to using it as a developmental experience.

The Windies, smarting from a recent series lost to New Zealand, will be seeking to make a fresh start under the captaincy of Brian Lara, who will lead the side for the third time in his career.

"Resurgence is needed," Lara said. "West Indies cricket needs resurgence."

Lara admitted that he was concerned about the Windies low standings in the world ratings and said his players should be keen to do something about improving it.

"We shouldn't be just above the minors," he added.

Windies coach Bennett King said he would have preferred to have more time to get the players ready.

"It would have been nice to have seven weeks like Zimbabwe had to prepare but that's what we have to work with," King said about the two days he had to work with the players following the tour of New Zealand about a month ago.

"We certainly have our goals and aims that we want to do as a side."

King also said he was not concerned that a vice-captain had not been named by the WICB.

"It's not of high importance to me," he added.

SQUADS:
WEST INDIES - Brian Lara (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Runako Morton, Denesh Ramdin, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor.

ZIMBABWE - Terry Duffin (captain), Prosper Utseya, Justice Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Charles Coventry, Keith Dabengwa, Ryan Higgins, Anthony Ireland, Blessing Mahwire, Keagan Meth, Tawanda Mupariwa, Edwards Rainsford, Piet Rinke, Vusi Sibanda, Gregory Strydom, Brendon Taylor.

Daly secures remaining place in Ladies’ Open Singles
FORMER National champion Shelly Daly secured the remaining place in the Ladies’ Open Singles final of Le Meridien Pegasus, disposing of Carol Humphrey at the hotel court, Thursday night.

Daly again beat fellow former National champion Humphrey in the Mixed Doubles semifinals, playing with Phillip Squires while Humphrey’s partner was Godfrey Lowden.

There were opposite styles in the Ladies’ Open semifinals, with Daly playing a more attacking game and Humphrey playing more defensively.

Daly wrapped up the first set at a fast clip 6-4. Early points in the second set came from serves, and Daly recovered from 1-2 down to 5-2. But Humphrey closed the gap at 5-5.

However, Daly used her wide repertoire of strokes to eventually win 7-5. She will now meet defending champion Rebecca Mitchell in the final.

In the Mixed Doubles quarterfinals, Daly and Squires put away Humphrey and Lowden in straight sets 7-6, 7-5, setting the stage for another clash between Daly and Mitchell in a final.

Mitchell and Owen Lewis disposed of Jason Andrews and Grace McCalman, also in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, Humphrey and Lowden dropped just two games to knockout Pascal Mongeau and Alicia Cheong.

Wayne and Clinton Alphonso booked the first place in the final of the 35-&-Over Men’s Doubles, beating Lowden and Brian Ramsarran 6-3, 6-0.

And reaching the semifinals, Bobby Khan and Gilbert Barkoy defeated Mongeau and Bert Plas.

Keiler leads Select Under-19 team against President’s Select 15s
FORMER National Under-19 captain Randell Keiler will lead a Select Under-19 National team against a President’s Select 15s side in a trial game, today, at the National Park from 16:15 h.

The 22-member Under-19 line-up will have Keiler, Cloyd Prowell, Lemuel Cromwell, Daniel Anderson, Eliott English, Trevon Inglis, Gavin Thompson, Rayon Seales, Robin Cordis, Peabo Hamilton, Clifton Garrett, Satesh Samaroo, Dane Parks, Yannick Nurse, Stephon Scott, Seon Edwards, Ryan Horne, Rickford Cummings, Christopher Isaacs, Rudolph Ogle, Quincy Jones and Terry Adams.

Former National Under-19 captain Christopher Singh will lead the President’s Select 15s, with Delroy Fordyce, Jason Tyrell, Dillon Thomas-Downer, Alwyn Etwah, Ryan Hinckson, Kirk Cordis, Fabian Roberts, Mario Hackett, Delroy Gordon, Cleveland Gilkes, Leon Greaves, Quacy Blair, Ronald Mayers, Travis Eastman, Delton Gillis, Julio Gonsales, Leroy Cozier and Shawzim Samad.

The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) will then name a National Under-18 squad to prepare for the North America & West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA) Under-18 qualifying round for the Under-19 World Cup 2007.

Guyana will be hosting the qualifying round, which will double as the West Indies Under-18 Championship, of which Guyana are the defending champions.

Team will come from the USA, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Cayman Islands, Barbados, St Lucia and The Bahamas.

Series poised to start without much hype
ST JOHN'S, Antigua, (CMC) - Without much fanfare or promotion, the West Indies and Zimbabwe begin their seven-match One-day Internationals series with the first of two back-to-back matches at the Antigua Recreation Ground here today.

A potentially-damaging stalemate in negotiating a collective bargaining agreement between the West Indies Cricket Board and the players' union threatened to affect the staging of the series, but a deal struck in the wee hours of Wednesday morning saved the series.

Now with no prior promotion or advertising, authorities and sponsors, Digicel, are trying to do their best to drum up spectator interest for a series already hit by the cancelling of the planned two Test matches between the two teams.

Brian Lara was only named to lead the team - for a record third time - on Wednesday after Shivnarine Chanderpaul stepped down two weeks ago and the team only assembled in Antigua between Wednesday and Thursday to begin preparing.

The young and inexperienced Zimbabweans - with an average age of 22 - are captained by Terry Duffin who like most the players will be making their first Caribbean tour.

Ben Atherton, Director of Marketing of the Digicel Group, told a media launch here that his company was relieved that the WICB and the West Indies Players' Association had been able to agree on a collective agreement for retainer contracts.

"Everyone involved in West Indies cricket, agree that it is vital for the future success of the game in the region to have a harmonious structure on and off the field," Atherton said.

"This means an administration and team sharing one common goal without distraction. Recent developments point to that structure being put in place.

The captaincy has been declared, an agreement on contract for players is, I understand, close to completion.

"With the removal of these distractions, the environment, we hope, should be right for all stakeholders to concentrate on that common goal - success on the field."

To spur this success, the mobile phone company, has put up an incentive-bonus package of US$6 million for the Windies team to win the series.

"We want the players to win every bit of that money," Atherton said.

Gregory Shillingford, president of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, said the Zimbabwe-leg of the series "offers us an opportunity to start afresh on a development programme that is underpinned by the retainer contract system as we seek to develop a team that can claim a better place in the rankings of world cricket."

With ticket sales being slow, it is not anticipated that there will be large spectator support for today and tomorrow’s games.

Carib/Pepsi Twenty20 Inter-County Cricket
Two fascinating matches expected today at Skeldon
By Vemen Walter
CRICKET-CRAZY fans on the Upper Corentyne are expected to pack the Skeldon Community Centre ground, today, to witness two fascinating matches in the inaugural Carib/Pepsi-sponsored Twenty20 Inter-County cricket tournament.

The action gets cracking from 09:00 h with Berbice coming up against Essequibo in the first match and then from 14:00 h, the men from the Ancient County tackle Demerara.

Over the years, inter-county cricket have always been dominated by Berbice and Demerara with Essequibo having very little success but this fast-track new version of the game is a totally different scenario from four-day or 50 overs cricket, which could work in favour of the Cinderella County team.

Another factor of note that Essequibo definitely will be happy about is that both of the two other teams especially Demerara will be without the services of several established players who are overseas fulfilling other cricketing commitments.

However, despite the absence of the top players, the younger ones will be keen to display their worth, knowing very well that the eyes of national senior selectors Claude Raphael, Albert Smith and Rabindranauth Seeram would be on them as the trio embark on spotting talent to represent Guyana in the upcoming Stanford Twenty20 tournament, which has at stake tremendous financial rewards.

On paper, Berbice appear to look the best of the three teams and should be favourites to win the tournament in their own backyard.

Led by left-hander Narsingh Deonarine, whose cricket has fallen away somewhat after representing the West Indies in four Tests and four One-Day Internationals last year, Berbice possess a good all-round team, with several players at their disposal suited for this form of the game.

Deonarine and West Indies hopeful Sewnarine Chattergoon will spearhead their batting with support coming from Royston Crandon, who is likely to partner Chattergoon at the top of the order, Andre Percival, Imran Khan, Gajanand Singh, Maxie De Jonge and no-nonsense wicketkeeper/batsman Shastri Persaud.

All-rounder Esaun Crandon could also play a meaningful role in the lower order with his explosive batting.

Their bowling will be in the capable hands of fast bowlers Crandon and the fiery Jeremy Gordon, off-spinners Imran Jaferally, Deonarine, Percival and Royston Crandon, together with leg-spinner Chattergoon and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul.

Demerara, missing the likes of skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Travis Dowlin, and Neil McGarrell among others, still boast a young line-up.

Manager of the Demerara team, Robert ‘Pacer’ Adonis, told Chronicle Sport yesterday that his team is very confident of winning the tournament. “Although the big names are not around, there is a lot of all-round ability in our line-up and youngsters are capable of stepping up to the plate”.

According to Adonis, it was not clear up to yesterday who will captain Demerara as there was some cloud over the availability of designated skipper Lennox Cush.

Demerara will pin their hopes on former Guyana opener Azeemul Haniff, Steven Jacobs, Johnson, Deon Ferrier and Anthony Ifill, to come good with the bat.

Antonnel Atwell, Paul Bevon, Dennis Squires, and Orin Forde, all all-rounders are all more than capable of getting big scores.

Fast bowler Garfield Morris and medium pacer Bevon will be aiming to make early inroads into their opponents’ batting before off-spinners Zaheer Mohamed, Forde, Squires, Jacobs and Ferrier, left-arm spinner Sauid Drepaul, and leg-spinners Antonnel Atwell and Johnson come into play.

Essequibo on the other hand have opted for experience in their squad, recalling several players who have represented Essequibo in the past.

Opener Dinesh Joseph, once again at the helm, fellow opener Yogeshwar Lall, Oscar Richmond, Ramesh Narine, Latchman Rohit, Besham Singh and Darshanan Lall will be the men Essequibo will expect to perform well with the bat.

Former Guyana Under-19 fast bowlers Ucil Armstrong and Andrew D’Aguiar, along with medium pacer Rohit, off- spinner Owen Bletfield and Ian Gonsalves, left-arm spinner Chris Williams and leg-spinner Lall will take care of the bowling.

Tomorrow, Demerara oppose Essequibo in the final preliminary match from 09:00 h at Blairmont before the two top teams clash in the final from 14:00 h at the same venue.

The umpires are: D. Somwaru, Clement Brusch, Rafik Latif and Roshan Moakhan.

Teams: Berbice - Narsingh Deonarine, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Royston Crandon, Imran Khan, Andre Percival, Gajanand Singh, Shastri Persaud, Eusan Crandon, Imran Jaferally, Veerasammy Permaul, Jeremy Gordon, Richard Ramdeen, Maxie De Jonge and Anthony D’Andrade. David Black is the manager with Albert Smith is the coach.

Demerara – Leon Johnson, Lennox Cush,), Azeemul Hanif, Orin Forde, Steven Jacobs, Sauid Drepaul, Deon Ferrier, Dennis Squires, Zaheer Mohamed, Tyrell Tull, Garfield Morris, Antonnel Atwell, Anthony Ifill, Paul Bevon and Ravi Sarwan. The manager is Robert ‘Pacer’ Adonis and the coach is Orin Bailey.

Essequibo - Denesh Joseph (captain), Yogeshwar Lall, Oscar Richmond, Imzaan Rasool, Ramesh Narine, Darshanan Lall, Latchman Rohit, Besham Singh, Andrew D’Aguiar, Ucil Armstrong, Owen Belfield, Koolraj Persaud, Chris Williams and Ian Gonsalves. Elroy Stephney is the manager and Vibert Johnson is the coach.

Linden Town Week basketball final ….
Kings take crown as Raiders stumble to 61-56 defeat
By Joe Chapman
ALLEYENE’S Raiders forward Louis James committed a crucial turnover as the Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Kings shooting guard Steve Neils (Jr) hit critical freebies with less than a minute remaining, as top ranked K&S Kings held their nerves to win the Linden Town Week Open basketball championship, with an epic 61-56 victory over the returning Raiders Thursday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.

Close to the end, which was interrupted by a bottle thrown in the playing area after a fan was removed for disrupting the game, play was held up with the Kings leading 57-54 with just 23.4 seconds remaining. Then James found himself muffing two shots from the line when play resumed, before the Kings eventually won 61-56.

But the game turned out to be a classic thriller, stunning all who predicted an easy win for the highly touted Kings, winners of the Next Level nationwide division one club tournament.

However, the Raiders showed the kind of form which brought them the Linden senior club championship title won two years ago and which they still hold.

While neither side dominated things the Kings showed their resilience under pressure, which has catapulted them into the number one ranking in the town and arguably the country.

But the message by Raiders was clear that they were still a force to be reckoned with after a period of ‘forced inactivity’, placed on them for a promotional incident close to one year ago by the Linden Amateur Basketball Association.

The Kings were heavy favourites to win but their task was not an easy one against the Alleyene's Raiders.

In this first half the lead changed four times and Raiders had the advantage 29-27 at the break but it was the Kings who held the biggest lead by nine, 14-5, at one stage in this first period while the Raiders had it by six - the largest advantages in the game.

The scores were tied also in the first, only once at 2-2.

Then Steve Neils (Jr) then knotted the scores again at 29 and the scores were locked at 37, 39, 42, before the Raiders opened and took the upper hand 44-42 with 10 minutes 11seconds to go.

And Raiders were ahead 48-43 but Marvin Hartman rallied his side to within one 47-48 before the Raiders again widened the lead to 54-50 on a free throw by Louis James with 3:25 left.

But Steve Neils (Jr), who had missed three freebies when his team were trailing 29-35, made amends with the game on the line with under half a minute to go.

His free shots saw the Kings take a 57-54 lead with 23.8 secs remaining when the game was abruptly interrupted.

On resumption, the Kings held their composure and won the game 61-56 as James after play resumed could not convert two line shots.

The lead had changed hands another three times and tied four more times in the second half.

Hartman had 20 points with three three-pointers, three steals and six rebounds and was 2 of 4 from the free throw line, as Neils (Jr) finished with 15 points, four rebounds and made 4 of 9 free throws.

Raiders’ Neil Marks finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, 10 defensively, and made 4 of 7 from the line while Jermaine Hamilton had 10 points, five rebounds and Louis James seven points.

But the Raiders out-rebounded the Kings 36 to 32 while the Kings made 13 of 24 from the free throw line against 6 of 18 by the Raiders although significantly Kings had 19 to the Raiders’ 13.

The Kings won for themselves $50 000 and a trophy and replicas, Raiders $30 000, a trophy and medals and the Victory Valley Royals $20 000 a trophy and medals and fourth-placed GTS Bulls $10 000.

Earlier, that evening the third place playoff game was won by Royals, who defeated Bulls 76-65 after leading 37-23 at the break, Julius Carter had 18 points, Anson Durant 12 and Mark Richards 10 for the Royals and Terrence James 21 for the Bulls.

Fleming hits 262 to lead Kiwis to huge total
By Telford Vice
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - A record-breaking double century by captain Stephen Fleming helped New Zealand to 535 runs for eight wickets and effectively shut South Africa out of the second Test yesterday.

Fleming hit 262 to become the first New Zealander to make three double centuries in Tests. His score was also the highest by a Kiwi against South Africa, surpassing the previous best of 170 by Scott Styris.

He batted for nine-and-a-half hours, faced 423 balls and hit 31 fours and two sixes.

James Franklin, who was unbeaten on 93 when bad light ended play nine overs early on the second day, praised his captain's achievement.

"It was a spectacular innings," Franklin told a news conference.

"To lead from the front like he's done over the last two days and produce what he did was outstanding."

Franklin shared a 256-run eighth-wicket stand with Fleming, a record partnership for New Zealand against South Africa. Chris Cairns and Jacob Oram had shared 225 for the seventh wicket in Auckland in 2003-04.

"We just wanted to keep going as long as we could and take each ball as it came," Franklin said.

WASTED CHANCE
South Africa wasted a chance to dismiss Fleming for 136 with the fifth ball after lunch when he edged a delivery from fast bowler Dale Steyn to first slip, where Boeta Dippenaar dropped a simple catch.

Fleming was on 233 when he cut a delivery from part-time off-spinner Graeme Smith and steered a waist-high shot just past Jacques Kallis at slip.

The South Africans finally rid themselves of the New Zealand skipper with the last ball of the day, a near yorker from occasional off-spinner Ashwell Prince which he edged on to his stumps.

New Zealand had resumed, on 265 for six, and South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini struck with the third delivery with the new ball when Vettori (11) mistimed a drive and scooped a catch to Andre Nel at mid-on.

But the rest of a truncated morning session, due to play being delayed for 90 minutes because of fog, belonged to the tourists.

The South Africans failed to stem the flow of runs on a day in which just four of the 74 overs bowled were maidens.

Ntini took four for 131 from 36 overs.

Before play resumed, groundstaff used a hovercraft to try and remove dew from the outfield. A blowtorch was used to dry repairs made to foot-holes on the pitch.

South Africa lead the three-Test series 1-0.

NEW ZEALAND1st innings (O/n 265-6)

M. Papps b Nel 22

P. Fulton c Boucher b Steyn 36

S. Fleming b Prince 262

S. Styris c Dippenaar b Ntini 11

N. Astle lbw b Ntini 50

J. Oram run-out 13

B. McCullum lbw b Ntini 5

D. Vettori c Nel b Ntini 11

J. Franklin not out 93

Extras: (b-4, lb-13, nb-14, w-1) 32

Total: (for 8 wickets, 152 overs) 535

Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-62, 3-82, 4-188, 5-237, 6-259, 7-279, 8-535.

Bowling: M. Ntini 36-3-131-4 (nb-2), D. Steyn 26-3-93-1 (nb-10, w-1), A. Nel 27-3-98-1 (nb-1), J. Kallis 15-4-45-0 (nb-1), N. Boje 29-4-89-0, G. Smith 16-2-56-0, H. Amla 1-0-4-0, A. Prince 2-0-2-1.

Cosgrove hits debut 74 as Aussies complete whitewash
FATULLAH, Bangladesh, (Reuters) - Mark Cosgrove hit a debut half-century as Australia beat Bangladesh by nine wickets in the third and final one-day international yesterday to complete a whitewash.

After bundling out the hosts for 124, the world champions cruised to 127-1 in 22.4 overs, with Cosgrove making 74 and Simon Katich an unbeaten 42.

Brad Hogg was not out on four after Cosgrove was bowled by Abdur Razzak shortly before Australia reached the target.

Man-of-the-match Cosgrove faced 69 balls, hitting two big sixes and seven boundaries. Skipper Adam Gilchrist said: "It's a good way to finish a long campaign."

The Australians won the Test series 2-0 earlier in the month after an epic one-day series last month against South Africa where they had won the Test series 3-0.

Left-arm spinner Hogg led the Australia attack with 3-17, while paceman Mitchell Johnson and spinner Daniel Cullen took a pair of wickets apiece after Bangladesh had won the toss.

Hogg was adjudged man-of-the-series after claiming nine wickets in the three games.

Australia had got off to the best possible start when opener Shahriar Nafees was out lbw off the third ball of the innings.

Wickets fell regularly and only Rajin Saleh (37) and skipper Habibul Bashar (33) offered any sort of resistance.

Bashar said: "We have failed totally despite wicket, ground, toss, crowd, everything (being) in our favour."

Australia won the first match of the series by four wickets in Chittagong on Sunday before taking the second by 67 runs in Fatullah on Wednesday.

BANGLADESH innings

S. Nafees lbw b Johnson 0

R. Saleh b Clarke 37

A. Ahmed c Gilchrist b Dorey 1

M. Ashraful c Cullen b Hopes 13

H. Bashar stp. Gilchrist b Hogg 33

A. Kapali c Katich b Hogg 5

K. Mashud stp. Gilchrist b Cullen 11

M. Rafique b Johnson 0

M. Mortaza c Symonds b Cullen 2

A. Razzak c Symonds b Hogg 1

S. Hossain not out 2

Extras: (nb-5, w-14) 19

Total: (all out, 42.3 overs) 124

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-8, 3-41, 4-80, 5-92, 6-107, 7-117, 8-118, 9-122.

Bowling: M. Johnson 8-1-24-2 (nb-4, w-3), B. Dorey 4-1-12-1 (nb-1, w-3), J. Hopes 5-3-8-1 (w-1), M. Hussey 5-1-13-0, D. Cullen 7.3-1-25-2 (w-1), M. Cosgrove 4-0-12-0, M. Clarke 3-0-13-1 (w-3), B. Hogg 6-0-17-3 (w-1).

AUSTRALIA innings

M. Cosgrove b Razzak 74

S. Katich not out 42

B. Hogg not out 4

Extras: (nb-3, w-4) 7

Total: (for 1 wicket, 22.4 overs) 127

Fall of wickets: 1-123

Bowling: M. Mortaza 4-1-17-0 (w-1), S. Hossain 5-0-32-0 (w-2), A. Razzak 6.4-1-35-1 (nb-1, w-1), M. Rafique 6-1-28-0 (nb-1), R. Saleh 1-0-15-0 (nb-1).

Horses gallop at Brighton Reform Turf Club track tomorrow
DESPITE a few months behind, the Brighton Reform Turf Club will tomorrow be holding a seven-event horse racing meet at their racing track.

The event is a hallmark for the club, since this will be their first competition since 1994. This competition should have been held on New Year’s Day, but technical problems caused the postponement.

The seven events - the F Class, the H Class, the I Class, the J&K Class, L Class and two unclassified races - will be contested for over G$1M in cash and trophies.

Secretary of the committee, Latchman Bhola told Chronicle Sport that the turf club had been a vibrant one from 1962 to 1994 and that the new committee is looking to revive those moments.

Sponsors for the event include Banks DIH, local contractors and overseas-based sponsors.

Calm O'Neal leads Pacers to Game Three victory over Nets
NEW YORK, NY (Reuters) - Jermaine O'Neal stayed out of foul trouble and the Indiana Pacers stayed ahead of the New Jersey Nets in their Eastern Conference quarter-final with a well-deserved 107-95 win in Indianapolis on Thursday.

Following the victory, the sixth seeded Pacers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with a chance to take complete control with a Game Four triumph at home today.

In other games, the Chicago Bulls upset second seeded Miami 109-90 to trim the Heat's series lead to 2-1, while the Denver Nuggets stopped the Los Angeles Clippers 94-87 to also get to 2-1.

Avoiding the foul trouble that stifled him through much of the opening two games of the series, O'Neal broke loose to equal a playoff, career-high 37 points, while pulling down 15 rebounds and blocking four shots.

In Games One and Two, O'Neal scored 15 and 12 points respectively and played a total of 32 minutes combined.

Anthony Johnson contributed a playoff, career-high 25 points for the Pacers, while Stephen Jackson added 17.

Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson both bagged 25 to lead the Nets, while Jason Kidd was the only other New Jersey player to hit double figures, chipping in with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Frustrated by the close attention he was receiving, O'Neal voiced his unhappiness in the officiating earlier on Thursday and was immediately fined $15 000 by the league for his comments.

A few hours later, an inspired O'Neal shrugged off the unwanted dent to his bank balance by making his first six shots.

Despite 19 points from O'Neal, the Pacers entered the intermission trailing 55-51 but continued to assert themselves in the second half and slowly took control, taking a 78-70 lead into the final quarter.

RAMPAGING BULLS
In Chicago, the Bulls used a smothering defence to hold Shaquille O'Neal to just eight points while Ben Gordon hit for 24 to prevent the home team from falling into a 3-0 hole in their Eastern quarter-final.

The Bulls will have a chance to even the series when they host Game Four tomorrow.

"We did what we had to do," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said.

"We had to win this game. We played better, but they didn't play like they played in Miami.

"We know the odds, 95 percent of the time the team that is up 2-0 wins the series.

"I imagine we're going to see the best Miami have on Sunday, and we'd better be ready for it."

After averaging over 24 points in the opening two games of the series, O'Neal endured one of the most dismal playoff performances of his career, hitting just one basket through the first three quarters.

With O'Neal in a scoring slump, Dwyane Wade attempted to pick up the slack by scoring a game-high 26 points, but it was not enough to hold off the inspired and relentless Bulls.

The Bulls led by 10 points in the second quarter, but Miami closed to within six at halftime.

Gordon and Kirk Hinrich put the Bulls safely ahead in the third, combining for 28 of the team's 39 points.

Hinrich finished with 22.

In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 24 points as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-87 and will have a chance to level their best-of-seven series when they host Game Four today.

The Nuggets played the game without Kenyon Martin, who was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, but the return home provided Denver with enough lift to get the win.

Andre Miller contributed 14 points for Denver, while Greg Buckner and Earl Boykins chipped in with 13 points apiece and Marcus Camby added 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Corey Maggette had 23 points for the Clippers in the loss, with Sam Cassell hitting for 20 and Elton Brand 17.

Lara not the right man for captaincy -Shepherd
HAMILTON, Bermuda, (CMC) - Former West Indies Test all-rounder John Shepherd says appointing Brian Lara for a third time as West Indies captain was a mistake.

"I think it is a step backwards," Shepherd told reporters here. "I thought that they (West Indies) would be looking to youth and looking to probably go forward.

"I don't see any reason why Lara should not be playing but I think he should be there to guide a young captain and help him along the way."

Shepherd feels a better choice would have been Jamaican opening batsman Chris Gayle.

"There was a time when I thought Chris should have probably been given the job and responsibility," said Shepherd, the former Kent and Gloucestershire player who is in Bermuda as manager of the West Indies team, taking part in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cricket Classic.

"I would have thought that he (Gayle) has played enough and someone who could probably be given the chance to help the team.

"I think they should be looking at someone like this who has a long-term future with the team. As far as I am concerned Brian Lara is just going to be another stop-gap situation.

"Do you think Australia would have done that? Australia always select their team first and then the captain … not select the captain and then the team.

"I think if the Australians were in that situation they would be looking to select a team and then the best person they think would be capable of leading the team."

The West Indies Cricket Board announced on Wednesday that Lara, who turns 37 next month, had been chosen as the successor to Shivnarine Chanderpaul following the Guyanese left-hander's resignation earlier this month.

Lara previously captained the West Indies from 1997 to 1999 before being reappointed to the post in 2003.

Scolari pulls out of England job race
By Ian Simpson
LISBON, Portugal (Reuters) - Portugal's Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari stunned the soccer world yesterday by withdrawing from the race to become England manager because of unbearable media intrusion.

In a news conference televised from Portugal's World Cup training site in Germany, Scolari said his plans would be open after July 31 when his contract with the Portuguese Football Federation runs out.

He said his decision was linked to his feelings for Portugal and the relentless media pressure since his name surfaced two days ago as the likely candidate to succeed Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson as England's manager.

"There are 20 reporters outside my house now," he said. "If that is part of another culture, it is not part of my culture. I am not the coach, and will not be (England's) coach.

"I don't want this situation involving England because in two days during which I was not coach, I never agreed to anything, life was invaded," Scolari said. "My privacy was totally under siege."

Scolari said the press had made "absurd comparisons" of him and his wife with Eriksson and the Swede's partner, and how they dressed.

"That's not part of my life and it’s never going to be."

Turning to Portugal, he said: "I want to appeal to you at this moment, mainly those from Portugal, to tell you that we will continue together, let's go to the World Cup."

NO PRESSURE
England are looking to replace Eriksson, the country's first foreign manager, who will leave after the World Cup. Scolari's contract with Portugal expires after the finals in Germany.

"There was no kind of pressure, it was just his head that worked when he made the decision," said Portuguese Football Federation chairman Gilberto Madail in a statement.

"We are very happy; the permanence of Mr Scolari at the World Cup was never in question. What is in question is the future."

FA chief executive Brian Barwick travelled to Lisbon on Wednesday for a meeting with Scolari which the Brazilian later described as "a simple talk, informal and with the consent of the Portuguese Football Federation".

England's Football Association released only a brief comment, saying they knew Scolari would release a statement.

"We will now reflect on his announcement before making any further comment as we move forward with the process" of finding a new England manager," the FA said.

The 57-year-old Scolari, who led Brazil to a 2002 World Cup triumph and took Portugal to the Euro 2004 final, knocking out England on both occasions, had become a surprise front-runner.

"If the English federation was expecting him to reply now, just ahead of the World Cup, I think he did very well in turning it down," said Antonio Lopes, Scolari's assistant coach with Brazil at the last World Cup.

"He will be competing in the Cup for Portugal and there was no way he could be announced as England coach before then.

"It would have been very complicated for him in case there was a game where Portugal play England, which may well happen."

"It is not Felipe's manner to sign a contract with a new team while he is still thinking about another project," said Lopes, who was Corinthians coach until recently.

Scolari has built a reputation for a no-nonsense approach to the game and has had a prickly relationship with the press in his native Brazil and Portugal.

He even once punched a reporter in Brazil during the mid-1990s.

Attention now turns to who will get the England job after the World Cup finals with a number of English candidates returning to the fray after thinking their chance had gone.

Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers Association and a former caretaker England manager, led fresh calls for an Englishman to get the job.

"I think the three leading English candidates all have the ability and the potential to move into that job and do a good job," Wilkinson told Sky Sports News.

English favourite Steve McClaren of Middlesbrough, Charlton's Alan Curbishley and Bolton Wanderers's Sam Allardyce, along with Northern Irishman Martin O'Neill, were early favourites -- and will now return to centre stage.

Gordon Taylor, head of players' union the Professional Footballers Association, pressed the case for McClaren.

"Of all the candidates who are good, who are left, you have got Steve McClaren who is doing a good job with Middlesbrough and who is part of the England set up.

"If things go well in Germany, then it could be a seamless transition," Taylor said.

Media intrusion has frequently been a cause of complaint by Eriksson during his tenure and successive England managers, including 1966 World Cup-winner Alf Ramsey, have been given a torrid time by the British media.

Australia beefs up Ashes bid with centre of excellence
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - Cricket Australia (CA) opened its new centre of excellence in Brisbane yesterday with the short-term goal of helping win back the Ashes.

The state-of-the-art centre includes a fully equipped gymnasium, video analysis room and sports science facilities.

"The role of the centre of excellence is simply to help Australia remain at the top of world cricket," CA chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement.

"We are confident that this new facility, coupled with the existing practice facilities, will help us achieve this goal," he added.

"In our short-term planning, the centre will also play a significant role in helping Australia win back the Ashes next summer with the Australian team basing itself here in the build-up to the series."

The number of students usually working at the centre will be in a range of 12 to 16 on an 18-week programme including fitness improvement, skills development, analyses of techniques, match scenario training and nutrition education.

There have been 260 players through the Australian Cricket Academy since 1998, with 186 going on to play at first-class level, 35 making the Test side and 40 representing their country in one-day internationals.

The last student to play for Australia was off-spinner Dan Cullen who is with the squad on the current tour of Bangladesh.

ICC to consider rival World Cup bids
LONDON, England (Reuters) - Two strong bids from Asia and Australasia to host the 2011 cricket World Cup will give the sport's governing body much to discuss at a meeting tomorrow, its chief executive Malcolm Speed said yesterday.

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have submitted a late joint bid to challenge the application made jointly by Australia and New Zealand.

The bids, and the hosting of the 2015 World Cup, will be discussed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) board in Dubai, though a decision might not be made immediately, Speed said.

"We put in place some very strict compliance guidelines so a lot of work has gone into both of these submissions," Speed said in a statement.

"This leaves us in a very positive position where we have two strong options for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and there will doubtless be extensive discussion as to which submission will be successful.

"It may be that neither submission has sufficient support at the end of the meeting in which case the board will have to reconvene at a later date."

The bidders need the support of at least seven of the 10 full members, or Test-playing nations, to win.

Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the 1992 World Cup and were in line to stage the 2011 event after Asia (1996), England (1999), South Africa (2003) and the West Indies (2007) were each awarded the tournament.

However, the ICC announced late last year that they were scrapping their rotational policy in favour of event-by-event bidding after the sub-continent countries said they should be awarded every third World Cup because of the money they generated for the game.

SEVEN VOTES
A senior Indian cricket official said yesterday he was confident of Asian success in the vote.

"We need seven votes to win the bid and we have four already," Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah told Reuters in Mumbai. "We've a 100 percent chance."

The Australia-New Zealand bid is rated highly but Shah said: "If we don't get seven votes, I don't think the other party will manage that as we are four votes plus."

Any decision made tomorrow will need approval from the ICC annual conference at Lord's in July.

The ICC said the four Asian countries had been granted permission to make a late bid, after the February deadline, subject to several conditions including the acceptance of the Twenty20 world championship as an official part of the ICC events programme.

Participation in the first Twenty20 world championship next year would be voluntary but from 2009 it would be mandatory for full members.

Pakistan and India said earlier this year they did not support a Twenty20 world championship but Pakistan had since softened their stance, a senior Pakistani official said yesterday.

"Pakistan's policy is that if a Twenty20 tournament is organised by the ICC we will participate in it," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director of cricket operations, Saleem Altaf told Reuters in Karachi.

If the ICC board did decide on the World Cup hosts tomorrow, it would then consider the venues for other events including the 2007 and 2009 Twenty20 championships, the ICC said.

England, Malaysia, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and West Indies have submitted bids.