YEAR IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER – Tombs broken into, skeletal remains scattered in cemetery

Four tombs in the La Belle Alliance Cemetery on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two have been broken into, and their contents were dumped in the cemetery. This gruesome discovery was made by a cattle farmer who was at the time grazing his animals. Guyana Times visited the scene and observed that the tombs had been breached in several places. The skeletal remains of at least one woman had been taken out from her casket and was placed on the ground a short distance away. The skull and certain other…

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YEAR IN REVIEW: JULY – 119 deaths recorded for past year

The Parliamentary Opposition has raised concerns over what they described as the high number of deaths of newborn infants at the Georgetown Public Hospital over the past year. Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Vindhya Persaud who was allowed oral questions in Parliament on Thursday, requested Health Minister Volda Lawrence to provide statistics in relation to these deaths. Lawrence confirmed the MP’s suspicion when she revealed that there have been 119 deaths of newborn infants at the Georgetown Public Hospital during the period June 2017 and June 2018. According to…

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YEAR IN REVIEW: MAY – Enterprise house goes up in flames, police hunt arsonist

Three men were on the run after they reportedly barged into an Enterprise, East Coast Demerara house and set it alight. The two storey wooden and concrete house owned by 30-year-old, Vickram Sookraj was set alight at about 12:30h. It was reported that two of the men exited a silver car which they arrived in, entered the yard and asked for the whereabouts of a “pumpkin”. Rajputtie Sookraj, the sister of the owner who was at home alone at the time with a minor child said that the men approached…

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YEAR IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER – Scotiabank pulls out of Guyana -Govt expresses concern

A major shake-up is looming on the financial landscape, as Canadian-based Scotia Bank will be pulling out its operations in Guyana and a number of other countries. The bank branches will in turn be bought over by Republic Bank. Guyana Times understands that the deal is worth US$123 million. According to Chairman of Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) Ronald Harford, who made the announcement, the move will benefit everyone in the long-run. This includes Scotiabank clients and employees and the group’s own stakeholders. But Scotia bank’s presence in Guyana is…

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YEAR IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER – Jagdeo to file complaint with ERC over Govt’s threats to divide Guyanese

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has taken Government to task over comments made by one of its senior Cabinet and party officials at a recent political rally. Jagdeo has said he plans to file an official report with the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) and the international community, as the comments seek to divide Guyanese. He was making reference to an online news report wherein Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, remarked that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) will target Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) supporters and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) that…

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BBCI offers Govt lifeline on Berbice Bridge toll hike

-says 40-year contract period means no increases With just a week to go before toll increases are slated to go into effect, the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) has made a major offer to the Government. The Company has offered Government a chance to extend the life of the contract to spare commuters toll increases. In correspondence to Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, BBCI Finance Controller Stephen Rambajan requested a meeting with the Minister on the Board’s behalf and in the public interest to discuss the terms of this offer.…

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YEAR IN REVIEW: OCTOBER – 3 escape from Lusignan prison

…security ranks were clearly not alert –Director of Prisons A manhunt is underway for three prisoners, who escaped from the Lusignan Prison in the wee hours of Monday. The men reportedly scaled the perimeter fence at about 04:30h. The escapees are 23-year-old Travis Evans of ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown; Sudesh Dyal, 23, of Wales Backdam and Dexroy Pollard, 29, of Wales Village. Evans is a murder accused. Acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels has since confirmed that of the three who escaped, one was incarcerated for murder while the…

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YEAR IN REVIEW: OCTOBER – Closure of Skeldon sugar estate takes toll on Corriverton businesses

The closure of the Skeldon Sugar Estate has taken a toll on the business community in the bordering town of Corriverton, Berbice, Region six. Nine months after the estate was closed, businesses are recording very low sales and many of them are operating at a lost. Following the closure of four sugar factories last year, and the displacing of almost 5000 workers several communities recognised a slowdown in commercial activity. Last year 1851 workers were sacked from the Skeldon Sugar Estate, 1181 from the Rose Hall Estate, 1480 from the…

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YEAR IN REVIEW: AUGUST – Abusive relationship ends in murder, suicide

…husband slits wife’s throat, commits suicide …Police left victim alone with husband A Corentyne, Berbice man turned a knife on himself after killing his wife of 15 years on August 6. Dead are Subrina Lakhan, 29, a housewife, and her husband, Ramesh Ramdeen, 42, a labourer, at Rose Hall Estate. The couple lived at Lot 101 Chesney New Housing Scheme, Corentyne, and had three children ages six, eight and 13 during the 15-year relationship, which was marred by physical and verbal abuse. This newspaper was told that the couple on…

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Minister admits to blocking Corriverton flag-raising ceremony

– Say its Govt way or no way while denying personally instructing police One day after the Coalition Government was accused of blocking and sabotaging the annual flag-raising ceremony of the Corriverton Town Council, Minister Amna Ally has admitted that she was responsible for causing this event to be cancelled even while preparations were already made. The senior Government minister told Guyana Times on Sunday that flag raising ceremonies are national events organised by the Government. She noted that there are also committees set up in the various regions which…

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