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Jul 26, 2009 News
Despite his traumatic ordeal, a 27-year-old Jamaican is expressing his gratitude to a Guyanese family who provided him with food and shelter when he needed it most.
Harvey Anderson was taken in by a North Ruimveldt family after he was found wandering in the Stabroek Market area, following his release from the custody of local drug agents.
Anderson had been holidaying in Guyana for a month and when he was about to board a flight back to his homeland on Wednesday morning, he was taken off the flight by anti narcotics officers who claimed that they suspected that he had ingested cocaine.
“They bring me to a hospital and they did two X-ray on me, and they say I’m discharged. They bring me back to the office, they don’t have no where to put me,” Anderson told this newspaper.
Anderson, who is visiting Guyana for the first time, said that he told the drug agents that he only had one friend in Guyana and could not make contact with him at the immediate moment.
He said that all the time he was detained, the drug agents refused to allow him a telephone call to contact his local friend.
Not knowing the city very well and strapped for cash, Anderson was released into the unknown on Thursday.
He made his way to the Stabroek Market area and despite his pleas for help he was left stranded until a ‘Good Samaritan’ in the form of Philippa Pearson saw him.
“I ask the friend if they can put me up for just the night because they told me I was gonna fly back out the Friday morning and up till now, I don’t fly as yet,” the Jamaican told this newspaper.
Pearson said that she met Anderson by the Stabroek Market and when he related his story to her she was overwhelmed.
“I see he on the park and I ask he wha going on and he tell me exactly what happen with he and he ain’t got nowhere to stay. They just dump the guy by big market. I pick he up and got him here for the li’l time,” Pearson explained.
She said that since then she has been contacting the drug enforcement unit and no proper arrangement is being made for Anderson to be sent back home.
“They just keep telling me that I got to wait on this body, that body. I had to ask them how they expect this man to eat. Now the line ringing long, long and nobody is answering,” Pearson said.
“They don’t give me no money fi feed meself. They don’t even put me inna hotel or nothing. I have to charter me own taxi to go out and thing like dat. Those thing nah right,” the Jamaican said.
“This leave an impression that I will never want to fly on a plane again, much less to come back to Guyana. I heard bout Guyana and this is the impression I get. They tell me dat I’m a Jamaican and I have drugs. I tell them, ‘If you know I’m a Jamaican and I have drugs, then tell them dat you don’t want no Jamaican in your country,” Anderson stated.
“They say all Guyanese complain about the way they are treated when dem go a Jamaica and they say ‘ah just so we do it’,” he added.
Pearson added, “This is just to show how we Guyanese stay. I don’t know this man. I just pick he up and bring he here. It could’a be me brother, me son.”
He said that he is married with a child and he was not allowed to contact his family, adding that he was treated just like a common criminal.
Although the drug agency has promised to facilitate his flight Anderson is not too sure when he will be able to return home.
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