Son finds battered body of murdered father
THE quiet East Coast Demerara village of Nooten Zuil was plunged into a state of deep shock and mourning after the body of 74-year-old Llewellyn Kissoon was discovered early yesterday morning.

His son found the battered corpse in the fishing boat the deceased was guarding the night before.

The widow, Radica Kissoon, 70, of Lot 25 Nooten Zuil, told the Guyana Chronicle that her husband usually sleeps on the vessel at nights but would always return home in the morning, over the past nine years.

She said their son had gone to the craft, prepared to go to sea, when he made the gruesome discovery.

The grieving woman said her husband’s neck was tied with a rope and his face bore several stab wounds as he had apparently been beaten.

“My husband was a good person and always walked away when there was trouble and I can’t imagine he would be killed in the most horrible way he was,” she lamented.

The boat engine and a container with gasolene were missing but money was still in the pockets of the murdered man, the woman stated.

The Kissoons had been married for 52 years, with 13 children and the man was last seen on the boat Monday evening.
Police are investigating the murder.

Foreign Ministry regards to Cuba’s Fidel, Raul Castro
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Georgetown has extended warmest wishes to former President Fidel Castro of Cuba for continued good health in his retirement years, and congratulations to his brother President Raul Castro for his assumption to that position.

The note to Havana reads:
THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received word of the recent decision by His Excellency Fidel Castro to retire as President of the Councils of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Cuba.

His Excellency Castro will long be remembered for the tremendous contribution he has made to the improvement of the quality of life of his people and his strong adherence to the principles of freedom and self-determination.

On behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, we wish him continued good health and strength in his retirement years.

Guyana and Cuba have enjoyed a full relationship for almost 36 years, built on the solid foundation of dynamic political dialogue, warm mutual respect, productive cooperation and vibrant people to contact.

Guyana values greatly the contribution which the Government of the Republic of Cuba has made and continues to make to the development of critical sectors of the society, especially the areas of health, education, sports and culture.

Our warm congratulations are extended to His Excellency Raul Castro who has succeeded his brother in the leadership of the Cuban people. His past experiences give every assurance that he is well suited to the task entrusted to him. The Government and people of Guyana wish him much success for the future.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guyana, on behalf of the Government of Guyana, wishes to reiterate Guyana’s commitment to working closely with the Government of the Republic of Cuba to further enhance our cooperation programmes, not only at the bilateral level, but within the context of the CARICOM/Cuba relationship.

GWI reports…
Fire disrupts city sewerage pump station operations
A FIRE in the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) sewerage pump station, at New Garden Street and Regent Road, Georgetown, last Saturday, halted operations at the facility.

A press release, making the disclosure yesterday, said it happened around 12:30 h, when the utility received reports about combustion.

The release said, thanks to the prompt response by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the flames were contained and the concrete structure was not completely destroyed.

However, damage was done mainly to the electrical starter and control panels in the kiosk and, as a result, the mechanism cannot function until repairs and replacements are effected, GWI explained.

The statement said, due to this unforeseen disruption, some residents within the pumping station service area may experience possible sewerage overflows in their yard sewers (chambers and gullies).

The boundaries which the affected pump station serves are between Orange Walk and Vlissengen Road (East to West) and North Road to South Road (North to South).

GWI said it is currently administering emergency repairs to the facility which should be back in operation by tomorrow.

Meantime, the utility asked residents to report any case of sewerage overflows through the Customers Hotline at telephone numbers 227-8701 to 4.
The GFS is still to determine the cause of the blaze.

$400, 000 for Theatre Guild
CAPTION: Mr. Ken Figaro, on behalf of Sol Guyana Incorporated, presents a cheque for $400,000 to Mr. Hans Barrows and Trustees of the Theatre Guild, Ms. Cathy Hughes and Enrico Woolford for the refurbishing of the Theatre Guild Playhouse, Kingston. The Theatre Guild has been a strong foundation for nurturing local theatre in Guyana. Recent years have seen the decline of the institution and the structure that housed the establishment.

Fogarty’s presents ‘U-Turn to Win’ prizes
EIGHTEEN persons, who won prizes in the Fogarty’s ‘U-Turn To Win’ promotion, received their prizes yesterday in the Water Street, Georgetown store.

The grand prize, of $2M, went to Karen La Fleur; second prize winner, of $1M, was Ms. Lorna Henry and the third prize, $500,000, was copped by Reshmee Ramroop.

Others who were rewarded included Lavern Simon and Beltina Lewis, 2007 Mother’s Day Competition winner Paula Tulloch, Cycileen Wilson, Verney Hopkinson, Paulette Henry, Anand Harrilall, Errol Sertima, Candace Farrel, Gocool Boodoo, Yonnette Griffith and Kudan Lall Dyal.

The ‘U-Turn to Win’ rivalry started last November 15 and concluded the second week of January, with customers who spent $3,000 and more being eligible to compete.

Also at the presentation yesterday were previous winners who shared their winning experiences with the new ones.

Executive Director of the Laparkan Group of Companies, parent company of Fogarty’s, Mr. Vibert Parvatan congratulated the recipients and encouraged them to continue shopping there.

He pointed out that, for generations, the name William Fogarty has been synonymous with quality shopping and its Water Street building a landmark for as long as most city dwellers can remember.

The business place was named after Irish merchant, Mr. William Fogarty and incorporated as a private company in 1911.

He had commenced retailing in then British Guiana in 1892, establishing a reputation for selling quality fabrics elsewhere but, as his business improved, he moved into Water Street, where he developed the leading department store, providing a variety of commodities and services under one roof.

Having achieved such success in Georgetown, Fogarty ventured into Suriname and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

CHANGING GLOBAL DYNAMICS
By Hydar Ally
The global environment is changing rapidly. The forces of globalisation are reshaping the global architecture in a way not possible hitherto. This changing global reality is more manifest at the economic level, where there are now new emerging powers which, a mere two decades ago, were considered insignificant players in the international arena. China is a good example of this changing dynamic which, for the past two decades, is growing economically at some 10% per annum and is projected to grow this year by some 12%.

In contrast, growth in the US economy seems to be slowing down as reflected in the diminishing strength of its currency. Take for example the United States dollar which only recently was considered the ‘global currency’ in terms of strength and stability. The United States dollar is now trailing the Canadian dollar which only recently was worth a mere 65 US cents. The British pound is back to over 2 US dollars, the highest level since the Carter presidency.

Concomitant with the crumbling US dollar is the soaring oil price which has now gone past the magical $US 100 per barrel. The price of gold which was worth $US260 dollar an ounce, has now reached $800 per ounce!

Interestingly, these steep movements in commodity prices and exchange rates vis-à-vis the US dollar took place under this current Bush administration. Significantly, this is by far the steepest movement under any other administration. Why is this so?

The main reason has to do with the fact that the United States is now living way beyond its means borrowing on average some 2 billion dollars a day from foreign countries to maintain its extravagant lifestyle. It has today accumulated a massive trade deficit running into hundreds of billions of dollar. In 2006, the US trade deficit stood at 764 billion dollars. Such deficits are clearly unsustainable and could lead to adverse side effects as is currently the case.

Added to this is the diversion of financial resources to war purposes, especially following the September 11 attacks against the United States.

While the US economy seems capable to resist some shock due to its sheer size, it cannot do so indefinitely, and is bound to impact on income levels and the quality of life of people as a whole. The housing crisis in the United States is a direct result of people’s inability to raise initial downpayments and sustain high mortgage payments. This is particularly true of low income workers, many of whom were forced by economic circumstances to give up on their mortgages and live in rented apartments. Some who live in apartments are finding it increasingly difficult to pay the rentals and are forced to seek refuge in relatively low rental basements which, in actual fact, are illegal for occupation for residential purposes but to which the authorities seem to turn a blind eye due to the acute housing crisis.

These are some harsh realities faced in particular by immigrant populations in the United States, but which go sometimes unnoticed. It is impossible for an average worker in the United States to pay the rental for a decent apartment on the basis of current income levels. One way of coping with this situation is to sub-let apartments and homes.

It is worth mentioning that while the United States is experiencing a housing crisis, in Guyana we are experiencing a virtual boom in the housing sector, driven in large measure by higher income levels and easy access to bank credits for home construction. The New Building Society has over the years progressively dropped the interest payments on loans, especially for low income earners. This has resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of low income homes facilitated in large measure by the creation of housing schemes in all parts of the country. Over sixty-five thousand house lots were given out by this current PPP/C administration, a remarkable achievement for a poor developing country such as Guyana. This translates to one in every twelve Guyanese being the recipient of a house lot, an indication of the huge deficit in people to house lot ratio under the previous PNC administration.

In a society where the emphasis is on making money, it is generally the poor who suffer the most. In the United States, with its basically capitalistic ethics and values, people are secondary to profits. Profit maximization can only come from minimization of production costs. Invariably it is labour that suffers the most.

The success in the housing sector is one reflection of the class character of the ruling PPP/C administration. The current administration, from its very inception, has committed itself to an approach to development which is people-oriented; or in the words of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan “development with a human face”.

Ramsaran details heightened focus on eye care
By Tajeram Mohabir
MINISTER within the Ministry, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, said Monday that this year, heightened focus will be placed on the ‘Health Promoting Schools Vision Screening’ project and other similar eye care initiatives.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, he said the programme is part of a national effort to tackle sight complications and put it on the front burner again.

Begun in 2006, it is a joint venture between the Ministries of Health and Education, with support from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Ramsaran explained.

He said, initially, it was piloted in 13 schools in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) including St. Sidwell’s Primary at Hadfield Street and Vlissengen Road, Sophia Primary in Greater Georgetown, and Enterprise Primary on the East Coast Demerara; it is to be expanded to the other regions.

Ramsaran said, to date, 29 teachers, 34 parents and four professional health workers have been trained to execute the scheme and at least 2,440 schoolchildren have derived benefit from it.

However, he lamented that an unacceptable number of students, screened in 2006, were not given follow-up treatments and the drive came to a standstill last year after its coordinator resigned.

But, for 2008, it will be supplemented by ‘National Vision 2020’ that was launched last December.

The 2020 programme is a joint undertaking of the Ministries of Health and Education and several Private Sector agencies, with technical support from PAHO.

Ramsaran said the partners will hammer out a national plan to address eye care issues and most of the strategies will drawn from the PAHO 2020 innovation for the Caribbean and tailored to meet local needs.

He said the main objective is to train health workers, teachers and parents to make the necessary interventions for arresting eye defects in children at an early age.

According to him, those afflictions make learning even more difficult for slow learners.

“Simple identification of interventions to help them to improve their situation will actually allow them to perform or out perform their peers,” Ramsaran posited.

He reiterated that, as part of the process, health workers will be trained and stationed at clinics in close proximity to schools for critical interventions where necessary.

Ramsaran observed that the school population is not only being targeted to discover when to intervene but to enhance learning ability and avoid possible blindness.

Children of the age but not in school will also be beneficiaries, he said.

Ramsaran said, late last year, the national eye care drive was given a boost with what was done through the Cuban ‘Miracle Mission’, a joint Guyana/Cuba venture started about two years ago.

Under it, 48,000 patients across Guyana were screened and those with conditions considered critical were sent to Cuba for corrective treatment.

Meanwhile, local eye care will be further bolstered this year when the Port Mourant Ophthalmology Clinic, at Corentyne, opens its doors in June, Ramsaran pointed out.

GDF health walk Saturday
MEMBERS of the public are invited to participate in a health walk being staged through the city on Saturday, March 1, by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme Project, in observance of the project’s second anniversary.

The health walk is themed ‘Join the GDF in the battle against HIV/AIDS’ .It starts outside of the Bank of Guyana, Avenue of the Republic, at six o’clock , and will wend its way into Republic Avenue, Regent Street, along Camp Street turning into Durban Street, then into Mandela Avenue, into Campbell Avenue, Sandy Babb Street, Irving Street, and culminates on GDF Play Field, Camp Ayanganna.

The GDF HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme Project, launched on March 1, 2006, with sponsorship by the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) as part of the United States PEPFAR supported initiatives, is being spear-headed by Ms. Beverly Gomes-Lovell, the HIV/AIDS Field Project Manager for the Army.

Technical support to GDF to ensure that the project is successful is provided by the US military liaison office (USMLO) headed by Lieutenant Colonel Steven Stanley.

Since the launch, Gomes-Lovell has been leaving no stone unturned as she seeks to put the GDF into the forefront of HIV/AIDS awareness.

To this end, training has been provided for a number GDF officers, non-commissioned officers and ordinary ranks who are now peer educators, and voluntary testing sites have been established at the three main bases, Camp Ayanganna, Coast Guard, Ruimveldt, and Base Camp Stephenson.

The sites at Ruimveldt and Timehri also cater for members of the community.

Last year the GDF, through the project, staged its first-ever health fair on the GDF playfield and the exercise saw some 29 organisations participating.

Gomes-Lovell, who exhibits a passion for the project, in a telephone interview with the Chronicle said her greatest desire is for there to be a more heightened awareness among all in the GDF about the dreaded HIV/AIDS.

She posits too that exercise is an excellent form of helping to keep the body fit and should be a routine for everyone, not only those affected by the disease. And there is also the need to maintain a healthy diet.

Friendship/Buxton farmers sign payment contracts
The first batch of eight farmers within the Friendship/ Buxton areas who suffered losses as a result of the Joint Services exercises to clear the backlands of those two villages, are expected to receive compensation on Friday.

The contracts that signalled the way for the payments were signed yesterday.

Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, made this disclosure during a visit to the compensation desk at the Friendship Methodist Church on the East Coast Demerara.

The centre established to process claims of farmers between the Friendship Brushe Dam and Buxton Side Line Dam access dams affected by the Joint Services operations, is manned by the Agriculture and Local Government Ministries, the Joint Services and a Record Secretary.

Persaud pointed out that since the compensation desk was set up on February 18, some 63 farmers to date have made claims.

He explained that when a farmer makes a claim, it is first reviewed for legitimacy and then further assessed by a technical committee before compensation is awarded. The compensation, he underscored, is based on the market price of the commodities and previous experiences in making such awards.

The Minister said the process will be accelerated today and Thursday, and farmers who are dissatisfied with the amount of money awarded to them could appeal. He also noted that in instances where a flat final payment cannot be made, farmers will receive an interim disbursement.

“We are not going to wait until they clear to compensate those farmers, once they identify that this area will be cleared, we will go ahead and verify with those farmers and then effect payment immediately,” Persaud underlined.

He stressed that the total sum to be paid in compensation will be determined by the amount of claims made. This, Persaud said, was not included in the national budget recently presented, but arrangements have been made for the necessary financing.

The exercise is slated to be completed on March 3rd but might be extended if the need should arise, the minister noted. The centre will also be relocated to other communities where clearing activities are to be conducted.

According to Persaud, the Joint Services have assured his ministry that once the clearing has been done, farmers will be allowed to plant certain crops within the cleared area, and a form of identification for those farmers is being considered.

To date Brushe Dam has been cleared and the joint services are currently moving on to other areas.

A Ministry of Agriculture release said an on-site inspection of the cleared area revealed that no plantain or major tree crops were destroyed in the process. It added that this is supported by photos and films on the exercises taken during the inspection.

COURTS ‘Strapped for Cash’ winners collect prizes
COURTS (Guyana) Inc. yesterday presented each of 12 persons with a 26-inch ‘Landranger’ bicycle won in its RF (Ready Finance) ‘Strapped for Cash’ promotion.

At the presentation, in the Electrical Section of the Main Street, Georgetown store, recipients of the bikes were Christina Inshanally, Julian Benos, Lilawtie Coonjah, Sewdatt Clifford, Ramdanie Sukhoo, Gordon Mansfield, Bernice Browne, Ramesh Rambharose, Jairam Persaud, Desiree Brutus, Seoku Kendall and Tessa Smith.

In addition, Joseph DeCunha got a limit free RF, valued $294,000, to make more purchases at the business place.

COURTS Country Manager, Mr. Lester Alvis, congratulated the winners and said he was delighted to be associated with such a worthy cause.

He said it would significantly enhance community development, in keeping with the COURTS mission of �ing value to people’s lives every day.”

The rivalry started last month and customers who purchased $5,000 and more were eligible to enter the contest by filling coupons.

RF is a payment plan offered by COURTS to customers who do not have cash at their disposal.

PPP/C MP declares massacres testing parliamentary democracy
PEOPLE’S Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament Parmanand Persaud, declared Saturday that the brutal slaying of innocent Guyanese, at Lusignan and Bartica, is testing parliamentary democracy here.

He was addressing hundreds at the culmination of the Mashramani Float Parade and Road Show, on the occasion of the 38th Republic Anniversary.

Speaking at the Anna Regina Car Park tarmac, on Essequibo Coast, he said democracy in Guyana will always stand.

Mr. Persaud congratulated Essequibians for turning out in numbers and also attending the flag-raising ceremony.

Baksh inspects successful Mainstay/Whyaka livestock farm
CHAIRMAN of Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Mr. Alli Baksh, yesterday visited a piggery and chicken farm, owned by Leslie DeJonge, at Mainstay/Whyaka, about five miles West of Anna Regina on Essequibo Coast.

After his inspection, Baksh told the Guyana Chronicle he was very impressed and encouraged more young people to invest in such interior location projects.

DeJonge said he started the venture last year and it proved very successful, with him supplying pork and chicken to several Chinese restaurants.

Also a member of Mainstay/Whyaka Organic Farmers Association, he spends a lot of time caring his livestock and keeps the pens clean and tidy.

DeJonge said he plans to expand his business in the future.

In Region Two…
Bomb hoax at Cotton Field Secondary
POLICE from Anna Regina station were yesterday morning dispatched to Cotton Field Secondary School, on Essequibo Coast, after a bomb was reported in the latter building.

Reports said the School Secretary received a call informing that the explosive had been planted and students and teachers were quickly evacuated.

But, after a lengthy search of the premises, with nothing suspicious found, the place was declared safe again and classes resumed in the afternoon.