Guyana to ignore US requests for TIP report

The Government of Guyana has made it clear that it will not be responding to the yearly questionnaires on trafficking in persons as requested by the embassy of the United States of America in Georgetown. This follows another unfavourable US State Department report on Guyana’s position on Trafficking in Persons. The Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons (MTFTIP) has expressed deep concern that the 2013 US State Department’s Report on TIP in Guyana has not reviewed Guyana fairly.

Guyana’s champion in TIP Simona Broomes receives an award from US Secretary of State John Kerry for her work in rescuing TIP victims.

“The Government of Guyana regrets that the US Embassy, though it requests every year responses of the Government of Guyana to a questionnaire on TIPs, does not accurately reflect these responses in its Annual Report. “Consequently, the Government of Guyana wishes to make it clear that in the future it will not be completing and returning questionnaires on trafficking in persons to the US authorities,” the MTFTIP said in a statement yesterday. The task force, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, said that the Report contains several inaccuracies and misrepresentations with regard to the scope of trafficking in persons in Guyana and therefore attracts little merit on the part of the Government of Guyana. The 2013 US State Department had painted a gloomy picture on Guyana Government’s role in combating trafficking in persons, citing a lack of will and conviction. But the MTFTIP, which was established by Cabinet on February 6, 2007, noted that the Report ignores the efforts of the Government of Guyana in combating trafficking in persons. In one instance the report referred to the media report that highlighted the case of a child who was murdered while working in the mines… “and reports linked his death to his attempt to collect wages due to him.” But according to the MTFTIP, while the Government of Guyana has established that the child was indeed sadly murdered, it is of the view that the US Report has not provided a shred of evidence to link the child’s death to the offence of trafficking in persons. The US Report further states that: “Indonesian workers were subjected to forced labor on several Guyanese-flagged fishing boats off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago during the reporting period.” Again the MTFTIP disagreed, stating that the Government of Guyana considers this claim as spurious since it falls completely outside the jurisdiction of Guyana. “The Government of Guyana has no knowledge of this matter whatsoever and considers it a brazen attempt on the part of the US State Department to resort to an extraterritorial issue in an effort to bring some degree of credence to a Report that is riddled with fabrications,” the MTFTIP stated. It argued that by including the matter without providing information on it to the Government of Guyana, the US State Department has contravened an agreement between US Embassy Officials and Ministers of the Task Force to share information on trafficking in persons. The US Report went on to state that: “The Government of Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however it is making significant efforts to do so.” According to the task force, Government strictly adheres to and upholds the minimum standards of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, as well as its own “Combating Trafficking in Persons Act No. 2 of 2005”. The MTFTIP argued though that Guyana, as a sovereign nation, is not a signatory of the United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act and as such it is not required to follow that act. This is not the first time that local authorities have reacted negatively to US State Department reports on Trafficking In Persons in Guyana. A few years ago the Guyana Government continuously denied that there was widespread Trafficking In Persons. Recently, a number of persons have been rescued from Trafficking In Persons situations in the interior, following diligent work by the Guyana Women Miners’ Association. The head of that association, Simona Broomes, has been rewarded by the US State Department for her work in combating trafficking in persons. The US Report claims that: “The government failed to demonstrate evidence of increasing efforts to hold trafficking offenders accountable with jail time over the previous reporting period” But in its rebuttal the MTFTIP explained that the Government of Guyana has repeatedly informed the United States that it has no control over the Judiciary and the Magistracy. The government’s position is that the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) Chambers is a Public Office whose independence is preserved in the constitution. “The long established practice has been that the Guyana Police Force investigates and submits the case files to the DPP and the DPP in turn would advise on whether charges are to be laid or not or if the matter should  be tried summarily. The decision to convict or not is one exclusively for the Court. …the Government of Guyana does not hold persons accountable with jail time, the court does.  The tangible role for Government is to ensure that the relevant legislation is in place and in this regard it has passed a very comprehensive Trafficking in Persons Act. Another concern expressed by the US State Department is that longer term shelter and protection was not available in Guyana, putting TIP victims at risk of traffickers’ reprisals since the government also failed to punish most trafficking offenders with incarceration.” In response the Guyana Government made it known that Guyana has never had an experience where a person who was allegedly trafficked suffered reprisal. However,the government explained that there is provision for long term shelter and protection for alleged victims of trafficking in persons,if they so request. Long term shelter is provided by Help and Shelter. In its statement the MTFTIP reaffirmed that Trafficking in Persons is discussed publicly in Guyana and no attempt is made to prohibit this. There is a Trafficking in Persons hotline number (592-227-4083) that has been publicly advertised and persons are encouraged to call. Moreover, there are debates in the National Assembly, live television and radio call in programmes as well as newspaper reports which feature aspects of trafficking in persons, the basic objective being to sensitize the populace. The MTFTIP said that as far as the Government is concerned, there is nothing to hide. The Ministerial Task Force on TIP said it is of the firm view that there is no excuse for the US State Department’s Report to ignore the gains made by Guyana in addressing Trafficking in Persons. The Task Force views the Report as lacking credibility and therefore rejects the Report. “The Government of Guyana stands committed to the fight against trafficking in Persons in Guyana and calls upon all stakeholders in particular, and Guyanese as a whole to join in the fight against Trafficking In Persons,” the statement said.

MINISTAS SAYS DEM GAL SWEET SWEET  LIKE SUMUTOO  AND THE PPP GOVT IS GIVING THEM ALL THE OPPORTUNITY AND TOOLS NECESSARY TO SERVE THEM….THE PPP IS INVITING THE US AMBASIDOR TO COME TASTE THEM GAL SUMUTOO…

Woman seeks justice after being wounded by Police

  A woman is calling on the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police to investigate a police rank who hit her with a machine gun on her knee. She said that the case seems to be going nowhere. Diane Chung, of Campbellville said that during the wee hours of June 22, last, while being a pillion rider on a motorcycle she was gunbutted on her leg when she slowed down in front of the Providence Police Station, East Bank Demerara. “When we slowed down at what appeared to be a roadblock a policeman took a gun and hit me on my right leg. The policemen at the time did not have on uniform and the motorcycle rider felt it was

bandits, so he drove home and got into his car and we returned to the police station,” she explained.

The wound that Diane Chung received on the night of the incident.

When they returned to the station to make a report a policeman took the report. She said the police later disclosed that “all awe deh under the same umbrella and I can’t give you the name of the policeman who did that.” She added that they later visited the Brickdam Police Station where they also wanted to make a report. However, the police advised that as long as a report was made at Providence Station then there was no need to duplicate. “The reason I did that was because I don’t want any report to disappear and then nothing comes out of the matter.” She was given a medical to visit the hospital. Chung said that she received several stitches to her knee which later became infected and medical attention was given through a private hospital, which was a daily added cost since the dressing had to be changed daily. However, she was subsequently advised to visit the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) where she lodged a complaint. Nevertheless, she is fearful that nothing will come out of the story since she discovered that the officer who wounded her is a cadet officer. There are reports that the officer seemed to be involved in many other abusive cases. “When I inquired about the case a senior police officer told me that the file was not finished and the commander did not sign it, and that it has to go to the DPP.”

Woman seeks justice after being wounded by Police

July 11, 2013 | By KNews | Filed Under News 

  A woman is calling on the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police to investigate a police rank who hit her with a machine gun on her knee. She said that the case seems to be going nowhere. Diane Chung, of Campbellville said that during the wee hours of June 22, last, while being a pillion rider on a motorcycle she was gunbutted on her leg when she slowed down in front of the Providence Police Station, East Bank Demerara. “When we slowed down at what appeared to be a roadblock a policeman took a gun and hit me on my right leg. The policemen at the time did not have on uniform and the motorcycle rider felt it was

bandits, so he drove home and got into his car and we returned to the police station,” she explained.

The wound that Diane Chung received on the night of the incident.

When they returned to the station to make a report a policeman took the report. She said the police later disclosed that “all awe deh under the same umbrella and I can’t give you the name of the policeman who did that.” She added that they later visited the Brickdam Police Station where they also wanted to make a report. However, the police advised that as long as a report was made at Providence Station then there was no need to duplicate. “The reason I did that was because I don’t want any report to disappear and then nothing comes out of the matter.” She was given a medical to visit the hospital. Chung said that she received several stitches to her knee which later became infected and medical attention was given through a private hospital, which was a daily added cost since the dressing had to be changed daily. However, she was subsequently advised to visit the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) where she lodged a complaint. Nevertheless, she is fearful that nothing will come out of the story since she discovered that the officer who wounded her is a cadet officer. There are reports that the officer seemed to be involved in many other abusive cases. “When I inquired about the case a senior police officer told me that the file was not finished and the commander did not sign it, and that it has to go to the DPP.”

the guyana ARMY and POLICE is a waste head by a peice of garbage what a laughing  stock

Originally Posted by sachin_05:

Woman seeks justice after being wounded by Police

July 11, 2013 | By KNews | Filed Under News 

  A woman is calling on the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police to investigate a police rank who hit her with a machine gun on her knee. She said that the case seems to be going nowhere. Diane Chung, of Campbellville said that during the wee hours of June 22, last, while being a pillion rider on a motorcycle she was gunbutted on her leg when she slowed down in front of the Providence Police Station, East Bank Demerara. “When we slowed down at what appeared to be a roadblock a policeman took a gun and hit me on my right leg. The policemen at the time did not have on uniform and the motorcycle rider felt it was

bandits, so he drove home and got into his car and we returned to the police station,” she explained.

The wound that Diane Chung received on the night of the incident.

When they returned to the station to make a report a policeman took the report. She said the police later disclosed that “all awe deh under the same umbrella and I can’t give you the name of the policeman who did that.” She added that they later visited the Brickdam Police Station where they also wanted to make a report. However, the police advised that as long as a report was made at Providence Station then there was no need to duplicate. “The reason I did that was because I don’t want any report to disappear and then nothing comes out of the matter.” She was given a medical to visit the hospital. Chung said that she received several stitches to her knee which later became infected and medical attention was given through a private hospital, which was a daily added cost since the dressing had to be changed daily. However, she was subsequently advised to visit the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) where she lodged a complaint. Nevertheless, she is fearful that nothing will come out of the story since she discovered that the officer who wounded her is a cadet officer. There are reports that the officer seemed to be involved in many other abusive cases. “When I inquired about the case a senior police officer told me that the file was not finished and the commander did not sign it, and that it has to go to the DPP.”

the guyana ARMY and POLICE is a waste head by a peice of garbage what a laughing  stock

I am with you on that.

Fisheries Chairman refutes GDF response to piracy attack

…Suriname police handling matter

Chairman of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Co-op Society, Pravinchandra Deodat, has refuted the statements by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on the response of the GDF to the piracy attack in the Corentyne River on Tuesday. Deodat has stated that the army and police have no reason to be upset that suspected pirates caught in the Corentyne River on Tuesday were handed over to the Surinamese police. In fact, Deodat has said that the police here should be thankful that the pirates were quickly apprehended and arrested.

Pravinchandra Deodat

The army has expressed concern over reports alleging that inaction by the Coast Guard led to four persons held by some fishermen being handed over to Surinamese authorities. The four were reportedly nabbed after botched hijacking and robberies at sea on Tuesday. Deodat, yesterday, related a harrowing tale that occurred on the high seas Tuesday afternoon when he and the pirates exchanged gunfire in a high and intense drama along the Corentyne River in the Eversham area. He also expressed his frustration while calling for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and Coast Guard for assistance when he reported to this newspaper that phones were ringing our while other landlines were engaged. Deodat stated that around 10:00 hrs on Tuesday he received a report from one of the boat owners, Jaichand Gopaul, that fishermen were being robbed at sea. “I got a call that the hijackers were still on the water.” “I tried to get the Police Commander and his Secretary said he was not in, neither was the Deputy Commander. I tried the number of the Officer-in-Charge of Crime for 25 minutes and the phone was busy. “It’s so shameful that we the local authorities failed to respond when they getting paid to do this kind of work. A lot of the people in the disciplinary forces are playing politics with people’s livelihood—they have to do their work because taxpayers’ monies are paying them and people deserve service.” Deodat said that his patience was running out so he telephoned the Coast Guard (name given) who told him that they needed “support from the police”, before acting on the complaint. “We were running in circles….so we arranged to go out ourselves.” He and five others traveled to the high seas armed with guns. “Outside at Whim, we recognized one of the boats owned by one of our fishermen and the pirates were in control of that boat.” Deodat and his team exchanged gunfire with the pirates whose boat was a way off. “We went behind them and exchanged some rounds and the water was so rough…and it was a very difficult task because they had four men in the boat with them and it was difficult to determine who the hijackers were and who the fishermen were.” Deodat noted that the pirates then sought cover inside the boat compartment after which he [Deodat] ordered them to come out with their hands held high. Gaining control of the situation, Deodat and his team approached the hijackers’ boat and cautiously observed them [the hijackers and fishermen] as they [the pirates] revealed themselves. So he ordered the fishermen to separate themselves from the pirates, which they subsequently did. “I told them that if they did not tell me the truth, everyone will die.” The pirates were then tied by the other fishermen while Deodat once more telephoned the Coast Guard for assistance. “The thing looked so shameful that while I was exchanging gunfire, I called again on the Coast Guard (Mr. Burnett), telling him that we needed backup, and he said he will get assistance and nobody never came. I stick in the water close to two hours circling, waiting, and thinking we will get support but nothing!” Deodat also recognized the pirate’s boat as belonging to a popular fisherman at Number 43 Village, Corentyne. Deodat stated that the ordeal lasted around three hours and he finally telephoned Surinamese authorities who promptly arrived on the scene and took the four pirates into custody. All of the fishermen, too, were taken to Nickerie, Suriname where they remain to this day, assisting the Surinamese police with investigations. Deodat stated that the pirates had one weapon and four cutlasses while he and his team had four guns. “We continued to load the gun and we ensured that we had a lot of rounds because our manpower was less.” “Luck played in our favour that day. It could have been worst…we were fewer but we still overpower them. I will try my best to support the fishermen and I am willing to work with any agency to do the people’s jobs.” Deodat also claimed that since the incident, he is receiving a lot of death threats from individuals purporting to be in support with the pirate boat owner. “He say ‘now war start’”. The police over there held an ID Parade on Wednesday and the fishermen positively identified the pirates. Deodat stated that he and his men risked their lives that day but it was well worth it. “The pirates confessed that they go and robbed these people so the Surinamese Authorities and I exchanged communication.” He stated that further investigations are continuing whereby the police over there are also focusing on the aspect of whether the pirates were ever involved in recent hijacking incidents and murder of fishermen along the Corentyne River. Deodat stated that the boat that was donated a few years ago by Minister Robert Persaud to fight piracy was used during the operation on Tuesday.

SWEET SWEET GUYANA...PEOPLE GOT TO CALL ON SURINAME POLICE FOR HELP....