Written by Kwesi Isles    

Friday, 20 July 2012 20:34

President Donald Ramotar says the terms of reference (TOR) for the Commission of Inquiry into the killing of three Linden protesters on Wednesday should be completed by August 2.

He made the announcement at a news conference Friday evening where he updated the media on a meeting with opposition leaders and developments since the fateful event in Region 10 during which more than a dozen persons were injured.

“The government and the APNU agreed to draft the terms of reference for this commission and two leaders from the two sides were designated to work on the draft terms of reference. The meeting also agreed to conclude the terms of reference not later than August 2, 2012 with the objective of establishing the Commission of Inquiry very soon after,” the president said.

The duration of the probe will be covered in the TOR, he explained, as well as whether there will be an international component to the Commission.

The AFC has demanded that there be an international presence on the body saying that it has little confidence in any investigation ran by locals only. The party had laid that down as a precondition in Thursday’s meeting but left disappointed after the APNU and government agreed to bilateral talks on the TOR.

Meanwhile, with residents in Linden blocking the roads and disrupting transportation through the region Ramotar said the entire town has been “destabilized” and the effects are reaching beyond the region.

“The entire region has been affected with the communities of Kwakwani and Ituni being unable to access emergency medical care, fuel and food as has the interior regions of Seven, Eight and Nine been also affected by what’s taking place,” Ramotar said.

He added that he has instructed the Minister of Health to pay close attention to the health care delivery system in Region 10 with regards to those persons injured during the protest and others with unrelated medical needs in the community and outlying areas.

According to the president, an ambulance was prevented from making to the hospital in Linden because of the blocked roads.

“I have instructed the Minister of Public Works Mr. Robeson Benn to bring heavy duty equipment to clear the roads of debris and logs so as to ensure that there is ingress sand egress to and from and through the township of Linden.

I have instructed that serious efforts also be made to restore and maintain water and electricity,” Ramotar stated.

The protest in Linden has stemmed from the government’s move to increase the electricity tariff in the town from July 1 to bring it on par with the rest of the country. Lindeners contend that they cannot afford to pay more at this time in light of the economic circumstances of the town.

The opposition parties and Lindeners have called for a suspension of the increase until the town’s economic position improves. On Friday the president said they were prepared to have talks on the implementation of the rates.

“My administration is repeating its willingness to engage with all stakeholders in order to find the best approach to bring Linden over a specified time to the same rates as the rest of the country. However, fruitful discussions cannot be had in the atmosphere that currently prevails but we are ready to discuss all of these matters with all the stakeholders once normalcy is restored.”

When asked pointedly if a moratorium on the increases was being considered he added that they believed that there were “many measures that could be taken to ease the situation” which they were prepared to discuss.

Ramotar said he has no plans to go to the restive community at this time but he has not ruled it out.

Residents have been blocking various roads since the protest began on Wednesday and it was the blockage of the Wismar-Mackenzie Bridge that led to the police action that resulted in the deaths of Ron Somerset, Shemroy Bouyea and Allan Lewis.

Up to Friday afternoon hundreds of residents were said to be on the roads using logs, tires and old vehicles to block them while the police equipped with bulldozers were dismantling the obstacles. A piece of equipment belonging to the Ministry of Public Works that was being taken to Linden to assist in removing debris was damaged and the wheels of the flat-bed trailer punctured.