– party says rule of law palpably absent in GuyanaThe Alliance for Change (AFC) has described the death of prisoner Edwin Niles as “a clear case of murder”, and has said that the violation of human rights is now a norm rather than the exception “in this out of control administration.”In a statement issued yesterday, the AFC said that another death of a Guyanese in the custody of the Joint Services, this time the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service, has done further damage to the credibility, professionalism and? integrity of law enforcement agencies in Guyana.“Coming in the wake of torture allegations involving the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force, and the refusal of the government to release the report, coupled with the suspicious circumstances surrounding recent police shootings of wanted persons, the revelations coming out of the Roger Khan trial and the Lindo Creek deaths, suggests that the violation of citizens’ human rights is now a norm rather than the exception.”“The modus operandi and techniques being employed by the security forces to manage crime and security,Cheap Jerseys Supply, reflect a failure to apply and uphold the rule of law as would be expected in a democracy, and exposes the? absence of any coherent government policy as to how to effectively manage the sector.“These actions are like self inflicted wounds that will continue to undermine the efficacy of the security forces and the respect and confidence of the people, so vitally necessary for success and confidence building.“Unfolding indicators that the government may want to flout the authority of the Court and not release Oliver Hinckson are indicative of the attitude that the political end justifies the means even if the rule of law is thrown aside.”?“Guyana is seriously impaled on the horns of a state/security dilemma where by its very actions to regain control of runaway crime,Cheap NHL Jerseys, the government is undermining its legitimacy.”According to the statement, AFC Leader Raphael Trotman had previously cautioned about the implications of this dilemma before,China Jerseys Wholesale, where the state is further weakened and eventually collapses and implodes into chaos.“In this regard, the AFC contends that there is now no need for any kind of investigation as is being called for by others. A charge for the capital offence of murder should therefore automatically follow, as convicted prisoner Edwin Niles, 34, of Guyhoc Park died while in the custody and control of known ranks of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service.”“How many more must die? How the government deals with this issue will determine whether Guyanese are living in a democratic state where the rule of law prevails or in a dictatorship,” the statement added.On Saturday,Cheap NFL Jerseys, PNCR Leader Robert Corbin called for an independent investigation into Niles’s death.Corbin said information he has received “clearly indicates” Niles was beaten and tortured by officers from the Georgetown Prison and from Brickdam (Police Station).?According to Corbin, he was informed that Niles was beaten with a stick and rubber hose.“It is clear that…they were carrying out an investigation into the bullets (found on Niles) and they tortured him,Cheap NFL Jerseys, and all of this adds to the list of independent inquiries that they should have into the operations of the security forces,” he told Kaieteur News.In his opinion, the nation has lost confidence in the administration to mount impartial investigations.

News Update court reporter, Lisa Lowe, yesterday received word from the investigating ranks at Brickdam Police Station that the charges against her were not recommended by the Director of Public Prosecutions.The reporter was charged last Wednesday when a group of unruly persons attacked media operatives at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. One of the assailants, June-Ann St Jules had alleged that the reporter used abusive language at her,Wholesale Jerseys, prompting the charge.The assault stemmed from the media operatives trying to acquire a photograph of the accused as she was leaving the court room. The woman’s relative had being charged with carnal knowledge along with a man. They were both remanded to prison.As the reporters were standing on the platform waiting for the defendants to come out of the courtroom,Nike Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, her relatives started verbally abusing the journalists.It was at this point the accused, June-Ann St. Jules, began swearing at the reporters. The woman said,Wholesale Soccer Jerseys, “Y’all like take out people f***ing picture, they gon find y’all body behind the market”. The woman continued to hit the cameras as the reporters were coming down the court steps. The woman and a male relative,Cheap Jerseys From China, who was later identified as Percival Prince, began threatening the reporters. At this point one of the reporters went to the police lockups and lodged a complaint.After much confusion at the court the two were later taken to the Brickdam Police Station where they were placed on $3,Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Online,000 station bail along with News Update reporter Lisa Lowe.

Plans are in train for Guyana to usher in Guyana’s 43rd Independence Anniversary with much pomp and ceremony on May 25 at the National Park.Guyana gained its independence on May 26,Authentic China NFL Jerseys, 1966.The Culture Ministry’s Special Projects Officer, Lennox Canterbury,Cheap NFL Jerseys Stitched, the event’s coordinator,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Authentic, said that as is the case annually, this year there will be a cultural programme that may be followed by a military showcase and an address by President Bharrat Jagdeo.Some stage presentations will feature the members of the National School of Dance. Other local acts spanning Guyana’s cultural diversity will also be showcased.He also noted that there will be the usual raising of the Golden Arrowhead at midnight.Canterbury confirmed that the annual fireworks display is definitely happening.However,NFL Jerseys Outlet, he could not say if CLICO, the annual sponsor of the showcase, will play any part this year.Several years ago when the Works Ministry began construction of the East Bank Demerara Public Road an independence arch situated close to the Ruimveldt police station was removed.When Kaieteur News contacted Works Minister Robeson Benn recently about the whereabouts and future of the arch he could not say,Wholesale Jerseys Online, but noted that he would endeavour to find out by next week.

Bandits who broke into a house in Canal Number Two early yesterday morning bound their victims then made off with their loot.Some time during the robbery, a 68-year-old woman, identified as Budhia, also known as ‘Ronui,’ was killed. Initial reports are that she died of strangulation.The dead woman’s daughter, Sandy Rampersaud, said that at about 01:00 hour yesterday, a trio of bandits entered the family’s Lot ‘F’ Conservancy Dam home at Canal Number Two, where she lived with her mother and 13-year-old daughter, Shivani Rampersaud.She said that the criminals removed some louvre panes from the window,Cheap Air Max Shoes, and then reached into the house to unbolt the door.Once entry was gained, the criminals went into the room where Budhia was sleeping, bound her hands and feet, and gagged her with duct tape. They also wrapped her neck with the duct tape and further restrained her with a hammock rope.Sandy Rampersaud said that on hearing the commotion, she rose from her bed and went to investigate. As she entered her mother’s room, she saw three men holding her mother by the neck and hands.The men then pounced on her (Sandy) and restrained her in a similar way to her mother.After they had done this,Jerseys China Wholesale, Sandy explained, the bandits went into the room which she shared with her daughter and tied up the teen.Shivani explained to this newspaper that she was jostled and pushed to the ground, causing her to sustain a cut to her chin.The girl recounted that she was warned by the criminals not to look at their faces.At this point, the bandits demanded that the women hand over all their cash and jewellery.Sandy produced approximately $150,000 in local currency and some foreign currency. She was also forced to hand over a quantity of jewellery, which she estimated to be worth over $1 million.After taking the valuables, the three bandits escaped. As the family members were tied up, Sandy said,Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys, she was not sure whether the intruders had escaped on foot or by car. She also noted that escape by boat was possible, due to the proximity of the conservancy.Once she had managed to free her hands, Sandy said,Wholesale China Jerseys, she unbound her feet and went to help her daughter, who had also begun to remove her restraints.When they checked on her mother, Sandy said, she had stopped breathing.The woman told Kaieteur News that she believes her mother had succumbed to strangulation,China Jerseys, due to the tightness of the duct tape which had been placed around her neck.She said that, contrary to the opinion that her mother had had a heart attack due to the shock of the robbery, a view voiced by members of the Guyana Police Force who were in the area, her mother was a strong woman and had no health problems.Friends and neighbours who gathered at the house explained that another household had been robbed some time before.Others voiced concern over the robbery, saying that the thieves must be from the area, as they knew which house to target.“Is like dem (bandits) did know that is only woman live in de house, cause them to go there,” said one resident.The robbery and subsequent death of Budhia have prompted residents of the area — Sandy among them — to call for the reformation of a policing or vigilante group in the area.Apparently a policing group existed before, but it has long since stopped functioning.

– will bring in $100B at current priceMiners say that they have set themselves a hefty target of 500,000 ounces of gold, a 60 per cent increase from last year, which at the current rate would bring Guyana revenues of $100B at the current high world prices.According to the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) yesterday, the projection is motivated by the outstanding performance of the industry last year and the expectation that in 2010 better recovery systems and greater productivity will ensure an even better year.GGDMA’s statement comes at a time when the gold and diamond mining industry is set to face new measures from government.A six-month notification to be given by miners being studied by a President-appointed committee, the Land Use Committee, headed by Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, is set to hand over its recommendations to President Bharrat Jagdeo when he returns from his trip to Russia.Yesterday,Cheap Air Max Shoes, Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, said that this committee would meet with President Bharrat Jagdeo next week.Already, miners have rejected the six-month proposal and are unhappy over another which stipulates possible notification to the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). On Monday, miners and residents of Bartica, a gateway to mining communities in the interior, closed that town down in protests of the proposals.On Thursday,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, GGDMA visited Port Kaituma, Region One, where miners decided to hold back protest actions over the proposals until a meeting next Thursday with President Jagdeo to discuss mining issues, among other things.Yesterday, GGDMA said that it remains committed to productive work with the Land Use Committee.The GGDMA said that it is currently representing all miners in negotiating the removal of the six-month requirement since if it is allowed to go ahead,Cheap NFL Jerseys co, it will promote “stagnation of the industry while the invested (financial) resources accrue interest resulting in the bankruptcy of miners.”GGDMA also says that it is asking for the removal of the GFC “as the final veto over the commencement of mining in any particular area. The peculiarities of mining and logging are as different as day and night. The mineral wealth of Guyana resides in the subsurface and not in the canopy.”The association also disclosed that it is demanding that the government “set aside” approximately ten percent of state lands specifically for mining in a mechanism that will allow for greater productivity and sustainable management.The association is convinced that gold prices being what they are, and estimated to continue to rise, will ensure that the industry continues to outperform all other sectors in Guyana.“This is particularly significant since the gold and diamond sector is completely managed by private capital and does not receive government subsidy or financing unlike other sectors. The association is confident that the current negotiations with the Government of Guyana for the withdrawal of the six months notice and the setting aside of the seven to ten percent of state lands for mining will help to inspire confidence in the sector and spur new investments while improving the livelihood of all Guyanese.”Under the theme “Mining and Economic Development with the Environment in Mind”, GGDMA said that it will continue to work with the government and other agencies to improve mining practices and environmental sustainability.“The association however wishes to emphasise that mining, contrary to the various public assertions and advertisements, is not a major contributor to the degradation of the environment. Gold and diamond mining is regulated by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and subject to the environmental laws of Guyana.”The association in its statement explained that mining is an extractive industry, the gold in Guyana lies beneath the surface and can only be removed by disturbing the land.“Once the area has been mined, the land is restored and re-vegetation of the area is visible in as little as six months after restoration. Addition mining disturbs only about 6,000 acres of land annually and not the 60,000 acres as has been maliciously articulated.”GGDMA disclosed that it is currently engaged in negotiations with government on behalf of all miners to ensure that the industry does not become stagnated by the current proposals for six months notice at the consent of the GFC.“The mining sector in Guyana is Guyana’s largest export earner with last year being the highest recorded gold declaration by small and medium scale miners. Mining in Guyana demands to be recognised for its contributions having developed several interior townships which, today, continue to depend on the revenues of the industry to sustain their development,” GGDMA urged. Towns