Guyana Observer News

There have been 86 murders so far this year and 69 of these victims were men. This is according to statistics compiled by Stabroek News from January 1 to August 31. These figures were derived from murders which would’ve been reported by this newspaper. Thirty-one persons were killed during shootings; with 29 being men. There were 33 knife-related killings (these include victims who would’ve been chopped, stabbed or similarly wounded with a sharp implement) and 22 of these victims were male. Figure One: The Line Chart above shows the number of murders by month up to the end of August 2010.

President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday took another swipe at the media, saying writers in some sections want to snatch away the future of Guyana. e said some sections of the media have an obsession with morbidity, they are just “negative.” He referred to a small group of people – “5/6 of them” – who are constantly trying to create division. “It’s a small group of people. Many of them have lived their lives already; old people. They want to destroy, you know, because they didn’t have. They have lived their lives, many of them so engrossed in bitterness, that they want to snatch away the future from all of you and from this country. We shouldn’t allow that to happen,” he told students who recently completed scholarships. He was speaking at the “graduation” exercise of the students. Jagdeo said he has found that ordinary people are not listening, however.

Almost 48 hours after promoter Godwin Maxwell jumped into the Mahaicony River following a daring escape from the Mahaicony Police Station, his body was recovered by a search party comprising police ranks and relatives. he discovery was made around 06:30 hours yesterday at the mouth of the Mahaicony River, some three miles from where Maxwell took his fatal plunge.  post mortem examination was performed on the body by Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh who gave the cause of death as asphyxiation due to drowning and blunt trauma to the head. his has put paid to speculations that Maxwell was shot after plunging into the river. odwin Maxwell had jumped into the Mahaicony River on Monday in efforts to escape from the custody of the police at the Mahaicony Station after making an appearance at the Mahaicony Magistrate’s Court.

The police recently arrested wanted man "Cobra" then released him after taking his passport (in his name Tyrone Rowe) and then asked him to report to the station the following day to uplift it. Can the Top Cop, Henry Greene explain to the public what exactly transpired? And can the police explain why was Cobra arrested and then released from another station a few month ago? Are they setting this young man up?

 By Freddie Kissoon

In her last Sunday column, Stella Ramsaroop made a trenchant point that I agree with. Stella wrote; “It gives me a headache whenever I ponder the condition of the opposition parties in Guyana. It is difficult to put a finger on exactly what it is that causes the opposition parties to seem so dysfunctional. Sometimes it is like watching a circus…” I have no quarrel with this judgement of Stella Ramsaroop. I doubt a majority of Guyanese will. The word circus is most appropriate. These people are like clowns on display. The Parliament is the circus. You would think that in the evolution of post-1992 fascism in Guyana, there had to come a point where the combined opposition would have made the demarcation and once the lines were crossed, business as usual would have come to an end. It simply boggles the mind to ponder what goes on inside the heads of those who want to beat the PPP at the next election.

A United States resident was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton charged with trafficking in narcotics. Dwayne Kevin Harry was charged with having in his possession 6.9 kg of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri on Sunday. e pleaded guilty to the charge but a plea of not guilty was later entered by Magistrate Octive-Hamilton after he gave an explanation. Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Special Prosecutor Oswald Massiah told the court that Harry was born in St. Vincent and later migrated to the United States where he is a resident. He added that on August 15, the accused came to Guyana and stayed at a Campbellville hotel and on August 29, he was booked to return to the US via the CJIA.