Manning: Press must remain free

Noting that it was an attempt to intimidate the press “which must always remain free in any democratic state”, Manning said he was heartened to read of the commitment by the law enforcement authorities to do everything possible to bring the persons responsible for this massacre to justice.

Manning said he felt compelled to write Jagdeo after the “shocking news” of the assault in order to deprecate in the strongest possible manner the unfortunate incident involving the unnecessary loss of lives, especially so close to the impending elections.

“Please be assured, your Excellency, of my highest consideration and esteem,” Manning stated.

Meanwhile, two of the Kaieteur News printery workers will be cremated tomorrow.

Owner of the newspaper Glenn Lall yesterday disclosed that Mark Mikoo will be cremated at Good Hope cremation site and Chetram Persad at the Ruimzeth cremation site. Final rites for Eion Wegman and Richard Steward will take place on Monday as their families are awaiting the arrival of other relatives.

Lall said security has been beefed up with two off-duty plainclothes officers now stationed at the Eccles district printery and at the office where editorial staff are based. Lall said other media houses have also decided to beef up security in response to Tuesday’s attack by a gang at the printery which left the four Kaieteur workers dead. Another worker Shazeem Mohammed is at the intensive care unit at the Georgetown hospital. Doctors said his condition did not look good and Lall said he is praying for a miracle. Attacks also took place in Bagotstown.

Lall said he is angered by the inability of the security forces to apprehend anyone for the attacks.

“It is a mind-boggling thing. We have close to 7,000 security forces and two or three gangs of not more than 15 or 20 are marauding and driving fear into the Guyanese people,” he said.

He added that there was more mayhem in Guyana yesterday with a gang of 12 gunmen robbing two banks at Rose Hall Town, Berbice. He said a customer at one bank was shot in the shoulder and large sums of money stolen from the vaults of the banks.

The Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) yesterday condemned acts of violence perpetrated against any individual regardless of their creed, race, gender, age, social status or political persuasion.

Referring to Tuesday’s attacks in Guyana, the CCC registered its “particular concern for those who work tirelessly to bring into the public domain the issues of our societies in an atmosphere of oneness such as media workers are compelled to do by their profession.”

In a release, the CCC extended sympathies to the family of victims in Guyana and prayed for the speedy recovery of those who were seriously injured in the attacks.

It is concerned with the spate of violence perpetrated against innocent people in the Caribbean and said the violent attacks were often linked to the subversive drug culture and now growing illegal arms trade that are crippling the “already fledgling Caribbean societies by depriving them of the human resource needed to enable holistic development among Caribbean countries.”