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Aug 05, 2009 News
The People’s National Congress Reform leader, Robert Corbin, along with his Members of Parliament and scores of supporters, yesterday staged another picketing exercise in protest of what the party is calling human rights violations, drug links and the Government unwillingness to investigate.
According to Corbin, he was confident that extra parliamentary measures would see the party achieving its goal of having Interpol investigate the allegations but opined that he did not expect miracles in that noting happens overnight.
The Opposition Leader also dismissed the notion that he was just using the revelations in the US Court Trial of Robert Simels to forward his own political agenda given that his leadership was going to be challenged come month end at the party’s congress.
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, in a panel discussion on Monday evening on NCN Channel 11 had made the assertion.
Meanwhile, Corbin has written to several foreign governments, as well as the ABC Diplomats in Guyana, international organisations, Caricom Secretary General, copied to Heads of Government of Caricom and several organisations in Guyana.
He has written to them based on what he calls “certain sordid developments in relation to the involvement of the Government of Guyana in the drug trade, the torture and murder of more than two hundred citizens and its collusion with self-confessed drug lord, Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan, who is now incarcerated in the USA.”
According to Corbin the developments have both national and international security implications, as well as grave consequences for the stability of the State.
“It is our sincere hope that you would inform your Government of these matters. We also hope that your Government would encourage President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Government of Guyana to heed the call by Guyanese citizens, for an international criminal or similar type of investigation, to be conducted by a reputable international Body such as Interpol, into these serious matters.”
He pointed out that in a sworn testimony, given on Tuesday July 28, 2009 and Wednesday July 29, 2009, in a New York Court by Selwyn Vaughn, a witness under protection of the US Government, clearly implicates the Guyana Government and provides essential information about the assassination, in 2006, of a prominent journalist and activist, Ronald Waddell; the murder of more than 200 Guyanese youths by a phantom squad, headed by Roger Khan with the support of the Guyana Government; and, the complicity of the Guyana Government and named officials, including the incumbent Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, and the President of Guyana in facilitating the activities.
He added also that as the case progresses, more startling information is being revealed that cannot, and ought not to, be ignored by the International Community, especially, CARICOM, the Commonwealth and the United Nations and its specialized institutions.
On June 27, 2008, the Joint Opposition parties of Guyana forwarded a Petition to CARICOM Leaders who met in Antigua, again seeking their intervention over flagrant breaches of the Constitution by the Government of Guyana. Thousands of Guyanese signed the Petition but according to Corbin regrettably, no positive action was taken.
“It is important to let you know that, since 2003, there have been several witnesses and potential witnesses who provided sworn testimony that could have facilitated local investigations by the Guyana Police Force and/ or Commissions of Inquiry…Regrettably, neither the Guyana Police Force nor the Government responded. It is significant that most of those potential witnesses ended up being killed after declaring their intentions…The revelations of George Bacchus in January 2004 and his subsequent assassination is an example that has been well documented.”
He said that the testimony by Vaughn, followed by subsequent witnesses in the US Court is, the first time that sworn testimony is available from witnesses who are still alive to offer that evidence in a Court of Law, albeit in the USA. “Based on their conduct over the past years, neither the Guyana Police Force (GPF) nor the Guyana Government could be entrusted with the responsibility of conducting a thorough investigation into these matters.”
He also pointed to the fact that his efforts to have the Parliament of Guyana discuss this matter have failed when the Speaker of the National Assembly ruled that these matters could not be considered urgent.”
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