Terror attack on Kaieteur News must not go unpunished

Terror attack on Kaieteur News must not go unpunished – GPSU urges

Jun 08, 2016 News

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) last night condemned the “despicable” terror attack against Kaieteur News which occurred on Saturday while staff members attended a wake for one of their colleagues, Dale Andrews.

The GPSU said that it upholds Freedom of the Press and any attempt to suppress investigative journalism and the dissemination of information will be vigorously condemned.

The grenade near to the front wheel of Mr. Lall’s vehicle

With this in mind, the entity said that the tossing of a fragmentation grenade at the vehicle of Kaieteur News publisher, Glenn Lall and in the vicinity of others can only be seen as an act of terrorism and cannot be condoned in any society.
“This act, by cowardly person(s), to intimidate and cow the newspaper into silence should not be tolerated. Kaieteur News should continue to expose wrongdoing wherever and whenever they occur.”
The GPSU is of the view that this type of behaviour should not go unpunished and called for the Guyana Police Force to “work strenuously in finding the architect(s) of this heinous act and bring the perpetrators to justice”.
The coalition administration has also condemned the wicked and dastardly attempt by certain “intellectual authors” to cause grave harm and terror against the newspaper.
The Government in a strongly worded statement said that it is alarmed by the act of domestic terrorism which was attempted against the newspaper and it stands resolutely in defence of press freedom in Guyana. The Government noted its relief that no one was hurt or damage caused to any property.
The Government noted nonetheless that such a cowardly attack must strengthen the resolve of the citizenry that evil, in all its forms and incarnations, must not be allowed to prevail and must be relentlessly and uncompromisingly conquered.
The coalition administration said, “We do not believe that the dropping of a grenade, even if a fake device, alongside a newspaper publisher’s vehicle could be considered a joke or a hoax. It was grave and an undisputed act of terror designed to intimidate, harm and create fear.”
The APNU+AFC administration said that it commits its full support to the Guyana Police Force as it investigates “this sickening attempted act” of terrorism. It also looked forward to the perpetrators and possible intellectual authors being identified, pursued, arrested and placed before the court and being dealt with to the full extent of the law.
“Kaieteur News is one of Guyana’s leading independent media organizations that have a proud and zealously guarded reputation for fearlessness in reporting government excesses, corruption and abuse of power, particularly under the previous administration.”
“Most recently, the newspaper has been at the forefront of aggressively and relentlessly reporting on the findings of the many audits of state agencies, the revelations that have oftentimes been explosive. This attack comes against the background that Kaieteur News, its staff and its owner have been subject to relentless assaults under the previous regime.”
The Government recalled that on several occasions, this newspaper had been a victim of terrorism under the previous regime.
It reminded that it was under the previous administration that five Kaieteur News pressmen – Eion Wegman, Richard Stuart, Mark Maikoo, Shazim Mohamed and Chetram Persaud – were heartlessly slaughtered in August 2006 in what was the worst attack on the media in the history of this nation.
The Government recalled that Kaieteur News’ leading columnist, Fredrick Kissoon had faeces thrown at him in a case which recently had a major breakthrough.
The administration also recalled that the Kaieteur News publisher was targeted by the tax authorities and it was later exposed that the said authorities were under political direction to so do.
Vehicles attached to former government officials were also seen casing or scoping and videotaping the Kaieteur News premises in the past. The government reminded that the former regime had at one time banned all state ads from being printed in this newspaper.
Also, the Government said that a former government official was heard on audio recording issuing threats of a violent and deadly attack on Kaieteur News.
The statement said that the nation has emerged from those times of oppressive press intimidation and attacks and all must ensure that Guyana does not plunge back into those dark and evil days.

2 thoughts on “Terror attack on Kaieteur News must not go unpunished – GPSU urges”

Emile_Mervin June 8, 2016 at 6:57 am

COMMENTARY:
It is fittingly appropriate to say that this dastardly terrorist act should not go unpunished, but we are talking here about Guyana, where it is easier for the law to be unevenly applied to low-level criminals, while those with wealth and social and political connections skate freely.

But while we may be tempted to praise the cops for making six arrests in the Sophia community, in less than 72 hours after the incident, the question that consequently arises is, who exactly was the intellectual author of this failed dastardly attempt at destruction and death?

The answer to the question, if it is ever forthcoming, may give us our first clue as to whether anyone will ever truly be punished, as rightly suggested. Without incontrovertible information, it is difficult to establish a nexus between six persons from Sophia and any intent to cause damage or death at Kaieteur News, which is why the preliminary inclination is to lean towards a grenade-for-hire hit that fell with a thud just like the grenade.

KN has suffered more attacks and threats than any media house in Guyana, starting with the execution of its pressmen in 2006, multiple law suits by the PPP regime and its associates aimed at silencing it, threats by a former attorney general to use gunmen to storm its offices, the GRA being used as a weapon against it, its leading columnist being targeted by the GRA, discriminated against and physically attacked with fecal matter, and, lately, a threatened lawsuit by Minister of State Joseph Harmon in the wake of his ill-advised appointment of Brian Tiwari as Business Advisor and still undisclosed facts about their China trip to collect the outstanding balance in US$5m in GT&T shares.

It also has not escaped our attention that, in an era when guns are the most commonly used weapons of criminals in Guyana, we are now being introduced to a grenade as a weapon. From where would anyone get a grenade? The GDF said it does not stock this kind of grenade, but, ironically, the Guyana Police Force also did once say it no longer stocked the kind of bullets used to kill three Linden martyrs, yet the only gun fire came from the police contingency assigned to deal with Linden protestors! And three policemen who traveled to Linden, but did not sign the assignment book, turned in their weapons days after other police officers did! Selah!

Anyway, should we expect revelations of a motive and mastermind or should we expect, as usual, the police will release the arrested six without the most serious charge being laid?

I will be bold and say this, though: if the mastermind is a CONTROVERSIAL POLITICAL FIGURE then this case is dead!
Gtloyal June 8, 2016 at 8:52 pm

“The statement said that the nation has emerged from those times of oppressive press intimidation and attacks and all must ensure that Guyana does not plunge back into those dark and evil days …”
Are we sure? Has it ever emerged?
We just saw it happen again. Those responsible for the last fifty years of oppression of the press are still around. Has anyone ever been held?
The political will to take Guyana out of the hole it has dug itself into is lacking. Our chosen leaders definitely lack what it takes or are gaining somehow from the situation … and we the people are blind not to see it. We have been living with daily terrorism and nothing has ever been done about it. For example, will there ever be a proper investigation into the killings that took place after the turn of the century when the whole country lived in extreme terror? Wasn’t that terrorism? Would the intellectual author(s) ever be identified and placed before the courts? Most of the material authors have already submitted to an alternative and more exacting justice system.
And we can go on and on and on.