Caribbean Headline
News...
Updated Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
In Guyana, a fourteen year old ‘confessed’ member of the
notorious Rondel Rawlins gang was charged with 23 counts of
murder on Friday, June 20th. The teen appeared in the Georgetown
magistrate court and was charged with shooting to death 11
persons, including women and children, on January 26 at Lusignan
a small community outside of Guyana’s capital. The
same youth was charged with the murder of 12 persons, including
three policemen, at Bartica, a small mining community in the
Essequibo River on January 17. The youth was arrested on
Monday, June 16th in the Berbice River area and confessed to
being a member of the wanted gang. According to local
police, the teen has given the names and addresses of the other
members of the gang, for whom wanted bulletins were issued four
months ago. The teen also told police at the KwaKwani
station that he was a member of a criminal gang headed by Cecil
Ramcharran, called Uncle Willie or Limpy. Ramcharran,
along with another man, were shot dead the same day the youth
was arrested and ballistic tests revealed the two AK-47 rifles
found in their possession were used in the January 26 massacre
at Lusignan and the shooting to death of 12 persons in Bartica
less than a month later on February 17. The youth will be
the third person to be charged for the Bartica killings and the
second for the Lusignan massacre. A Bartica man was
charged in April for the killing while only two weeks ago an
Albouystown man was slapped with 12 counts of murder for the
same shooting.
Meanwhile, earlier this year a Friendship, east coast Demerara
youth was picked up and charged with the shooting to death of 11
persons at Lusignan.
In
Jamaica, a gunman who reportedly challenged a licensed firearm
holder was shot and killed on the night of Friday, June 20th on
East Kings House Road in St. Andrew. Another man was
injured during the incident. Dead is Monaire Ranking, 23,
of Bay Farm Road, Kingston 11. The police report that
about 9.30pm, a 27-year-old man was walking on East Kings House
Road when he was approached by Mr. Ranking who shot him.
The licensed firearm holder who was nearby fired at Mr. Ranking.
Following the shooting on-lookers converged on the scene and the
gunman's weapon was stolen. Mr. Ranking was pronounced
dead at hospital while the other man was admitted.
European
Union nations agreed Thursday, June 19th to definitively lift
their sanctions against Cuba, in the hope of encouraging
democracy on the island. European Union foreign ministers
took the decision in principle during dinner on the sidelines of
an EU summit in Brussels. The move is a largely symbolic gesture
as the sanctions, which restrict high-level diplomatic contacts
and offer some symbolic support for dissidents, have been in
suspension since 2005. Sources with the Spanish delegation
confirmed the move. Spain restored diplomatic relations with
Havana last year and championed the move to get the sanctions
lifted. However Washington said it was
"disappointed" by the EU decision favoring Cuba, which it said
remains an authoritarian regime despite recent reforms.
Wednesday,
June 18th -
In Jamaica, the police high command has ordered an investigation
into a car bombing in Morant Bay, St. Thomas which happened at
around 1pm on Tuesday, June 18th and left two women injured.
The two women were walking past a business establishment when a
device which was planted under the owner's car exploded.
The explosion caused panic in Morant Bay, forcing the police to
cordon off a section of the town. Sources are reporting
that the bombing could be called a terrorist type attack aimed
at a Morant Bay businessman. It is understood that about
7am Tuesday, the businessman received a call from persons who
demanded $500,000. The persons threatened to bomb
the businessman's home, business and car if he refused to pay
over the money. Later in the day, the businessman received
a text message in which someone demanded US$6,000. The
person identified himself as Abdullah Akbar. The
businessman later received a call from someone who told him to
go to his vehicle and collect something from under it. The
businessman reportedly sent someone to check out the vehicle,
but the person did not find anything strange. About 1pm, a
loud explosion was heard in front of the store. It is
believed that an explosive device was planted under the
businessman's vehicle. The device did not cause any
significant damage to the vehicle, but it injured the two women
who were walking past the vehicle.
Wednesday,
June 18 - Trinidad
and Tobago's Education Minister, Ester Le Gendre, has confirmed
that 11 suspects have now been charged in connection with the
Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Examination papers breach
during the month of May. Initially two persons were held,
then five, and later a further six for offences arising out of
the examination papers leak. The scam was first discovered
to have originated from several suspects residing in San
Fernando South Trinidad. It was said that persons
including some students and members of staff of the Education
Ministry were in receipt of exam papers prior the examination
dates. It is reported that the papers were being peddled
for hundreds of dollars via the internet. Communications
Paper Two and Mathematics were among the papers that were
leaked. Those accused are between ages 15 and 19 and are
from the South, Central and St. Augustine areas.
Wednesday,
June 18th - In
Trinidad, the woman who was set on fire by a man angry about
the kind of food she had cooked, died Tuesday, June 17th at
the San Fernando General Hospital. Doctors told the
police that the mother of two, Arlene Dolloway, 23, never
had a chance. Her face was disfigured and severe burns
covered 35 per cent of her upper body. The man who set
Dolloway on fire was also accidentally burned when he
spilled the kerosene on himself. He is still at hospital.
Police have begun gathering evidence to build a case of
murder against the 31-year-old man. Police said the
man had arrived home drunk from the village bar on the night
of June 6th and was incensed that Dolloway was preparing a
meal of patchoi and roti. He left the house, returned
with a container of kerosene and doused Dolloway. The flames
of the stove set both on fire. She ran out of the house,
threw herself under a neighbor's standpipe, and when that
did not work, ran burning for 300 feet to get help at the
home of her in-laws. Dolloway suffered further when
the police vehicle taking her and her attacker to hospital
crashed along the way. Police were still able to get them to
hospital. The case is being investigated by Southern
Division Homicide officers.
Tuesday,
June 17 - Citizens
of St Kitts/Nevis are worried that rising crime is spoiling the
country's image. There is a wave of gun crimes and youth
violence on the traditionally peaceful island. Eleven
homicides have been recorded since the start of the year
sparking a public outcry against gun violence in this country of
44,000 people. Last year's 16 homicides was a cause of
deep concern for many who cherished the country's reputation for
peace and tranquility. Leader of the opposition People's
Action Movement Lindsay Grant is calling for a national approach
to crime fighting. National Security Minister Dwyer
Astaphan said a number of prevention programs are in place but
the police have been ordered to show zero tolerance to crime.
A recent car jacking and drive by shooting has sparked even more
public discussion on crime in the country.
Tuesday,
June 17 - In
Guyana, Lynburn Jackson whose son was shot dead by a
farmer at Kara Kara in Linden on the night of
Saturday, June 14th says something is definitely
wrong. Mr. Jackson said that his son had left home
in March to go and work in the interior but changed
his plans, seeking employment with a farmer at
Linden instead. He remarked that it was quite
strange that this has happened since his son seemed
to be having a very good relationship with his
employer. The man disclosed that his wife would call
his son on phone numbers he had given them and an
elderly sounding person would answer the phone and
talk to her very nicely before putting Eon on the
phone. However they have been trying to make contact
with the man since they learnt of their son’s death
and have not been successful. Calls to a young woman
their son said he was involved with at Linden were
futile also. Mr. Jackson said that when he
learnt of his son’s death he went to the La Grange
Police Station on Monday where a friend of his
confirmed that his son’s body was at the Wismar
Hospital mortuary. Lack of funds has stopped him
from going to the mortuary to identify his son's
body. He also does not have the money to
transport his son's body home.
Tuesday,
June 17 - In
Jamaica, it is being reported that a joint police/military team
carried out a one hour operation at the Spanish Town bus
terminal in St. Catherine Tuesday afternoon. Members of
the team were seen guarding both entrances to the facility and
vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic was prohibited from
entering the bus park while persons within the terminal were
searched and later released. The operation in the old
capital comes after Monday's fatal stabbing of Joseph Powell,
42, a reported member of the ‘Clansman Gang'. Mr. Powell
was stabbed to death by a group of men while he was sitting in a
bus.
Monday,
June 16 - In
Trinidad, three sisters driving home to celebrate Father's
Day with their dad never made it. The car
crashed and tumbled off the highway near the Caroni bridge.
Front seat passenger Kamaria Thomas, 28, died while being
treated at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt
Hope. Driver Keisha Thomas, 25, survived with
relatively minor injuries. Back seat passenger Afiya
Thomas, 26, is still listed in a serious condition at
hospital. The sisters lived together in an apartment
in Aranjuez, so they could pursue their careers in north
Trinidad - Keisha as a Coast Guard officer, Kamaria an
employee at the National Security Ministry, and Afiya as a
nursing student. The sisters are not married and
have no children. Their careers came first,
relatives said, and they moved out of their parents' home in
Princes Town, seven years ago. The crash occurred at
around 8.30 a.m. Sunday along the Uriah Butler Highway.
The sisters who survived told police they were in their
month-old Mitsubishi Lancer, heading south, when a
taxi-driver began tailgating their car. He was driving
recklessly and then hit the girls which caused their car to
overturn four times and Kamaria was thrown out onto the
road. At the hospital, Kamaria was conscious and
speaking with doctors about the man who caused the accident
before she died, relatives said. Another sister, Ayana said
that Keisha was released from hospital but never came home
because she blames herself for what happened. The
family does not blame her. Their father, Lennox
Thomas, aged 59, spent the day at the Forensic Science
Centre in St James, hoping to bring his daughter's body home
for burial. He is the father of six girls and one boy.
Monday, June 16 -
The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has said that
the tourism industry in the Caribbean should brace itself for a
hard hit from rising fuel prices and reduce flights to the
region. This latest report comes after American Airlines
announced that it was cutting flights to the Caribbean.
EIU's Latin American editor Anna Szterenfeld said in order to
cope with the tough days ahead, Caribbean governments need to
start making some hard decisions, especially as it relates to
loss-making airlines. Ms. Szterenfeld said the World Bank
has been advising the governments of the Caribbean how to make
the airlines more efficient. The World Bank has suggested
that what they need to do is to consolidate and consider having
one larger regional airline and shut down the chronically losing
airlines like Air Jamaica and LIAT.
Monday,
June 16 - Marlon Hill, a Jamaican campaigner for United States (US)
Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama says he expects
significant improvement in the relationship between the
Caribbean and the US if Mr. Obama wins the presidency. Mr.
Hill who is a fund raiser and campaign executive in Florida said
Senator Obama has immigration reform as one of the pressing
issues that needs to be addressed by the US. The
campaigner is in Jamaica for the Diaspora third biennial
Conference. When Senator Barrack Obama emerged as the
Democratic candidate for the US presidential election, the news
was greeted with resounding applause from Jamaicans at home and
in the Diaspora. According to one of his campaigners, the
vexed issues of criminal deportees and their impact on crime and
violence in Jamaica and the rest of the region as well as
matters such as how immigrants are treated, have already caught
the attention of the first black man to be nominated by a major
party to run for the presidency. However, he is warning
that Jamaica and the rest of the region should not just expect
favored treatment, but should continue to press for change.
Monday,
June 16 - Jamaicans
from as far as South Africa gathered on the morning of Monday,
June 16th 2008 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston for
the third biennial Conference. In keeping with some of
the issues that will be discussed during the Conference, Opening
Speaker Prime Minister Bruce Golding spoke on crime, education
and the ticklish issue of dual citizenship. Mr.
Golding gave the gathering a synopsis of his government's
progress as it relates to transforming the education system and
tackling crime. He also said Jamaicans living abroad will
have an opportunity to contribute to the development of the
island through the creation of two seats in the Upper House for
the Diaspora. Touching on the issue of dual citizenship,
Mr. Golding said that according to the constitution, this would
rule out foreign nationals having an active role in political
life in Jamaica. However, Mr. Golding said he thought that
many Jamaicans who had lived some of their years abroad do have
role to play and with this some of these issues should be
considered for constitutional reform.
