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The modernization of Guyanese society must begin by transforming education

Dear Editor,

It should of great interest to track the future careers over the next 15, or 20 years of the 175 CSEC high-flyers (8 CSEC or more creditable passes), to see how many are resident in Guyana contributing to the development of Guyana, the country of their birth and which in some measure contributed to their academic successes. In fact, it may also be interesting to do the same for all those students who secured five or more creditable CSEC passes.

Over the past fifty years, the experience has been that the vast majority (90%) of our successful students have emigrated to other lands, and are making most valuable contributions to the development of their newly adopted homelands.

The accumulated consequence of this mass exodus of talent and brain/mind power has been that Guyanese social, economic and national development is, with few exceptions, left in the hands of workers who were not considered academic high-flyers, and who were not presented with sufficient appropriate, or adequate opportunities during their school careers to develop their God-given talents or potential. This is largely due to the academic emphasis of present school curricula to the exclusion of other aptitudes. Recent curricular studies have an academic emphasis which discriminates against male students, who relate more to curricula that offer hands-on or practical experiences. As a result of this extreme academic emphasis, many male students become disinterested, undisciplined, and either drop out or are pushed out. This phenomenon might also be a consequence of the feminization of the teaching profession.

The sad part of this situation is that the ‘not so successful,’ represent the vast majority of any age group, or age cohort. Even when some who are late developers have access to further education or higher education they seldom fail to seize the opportunity to emigrate. Apart from a depressing economic, political and social climate – the push factor – the opportunity to access a better quality of life, represents the pull factor.

Persons who go overseas to further their education at their own expense, should not be faulted for not returning. They can only recoup their investments in reasonable time by accepting employment overseas, since Guyana cannot offer them similar employment at a comparable rate.

Nevertheless, the big question is, can social and economic conditions be improved in Guyana, so that more students who elect to study overseas may view returning home to serve with favour? The short answer is, with the necessary political will, yes they can. But, even if we start now to do the right things, it may take at least twenty years before we begin to see the impact of our efforts.

It is customary to believe that educational change follows social change. However, there is a far more subtle feedback system at work, and this is particularly true of the relationship between school curricula and society. Japan, the USSR and Singapore are examples of countries that have used their education systems to leapfrog to modernization. While it may be reasonable to assume that the content of the curriculum tends to be moulded by external pressures, there is little doubt that it feeds back into society, influences that affect the rate of social and economic change. Doubtless, the most important agents of these influences are the individuals that the schools produce.

The modernization of the Guyanese society must begin by transforming education practice in Guyana so that it would provide for the needs of the next generation – not for the problems of yesteryear, but those of today and the remainder of the twenty-first century. The reforms will have to be comprehensive in scope covering all areas – organizational, structural, curricular, co-curricular, extra-curricular, certification, teacher education, physical plant, estate, and other areas of education practice. However, it will only be possible to discuss the modernization of core curricula here.

The most essential first step would be to arrive at a working consensus on the purposes of education in Guyana. For example, one purpose could be that educational outcomes should lead to the modernization of Guyana within a specified time – say by the year 2040. Next, we have to design curricula that have the potential to achieve this and the other purposes that have been articulated.

It is suggested that the critical step in curricular design is the modernization of the content by substituting science/applied science/ technology cores for the current traditional/ classical cores that had their origins as far back as the nineteenth century. Since the heart of science consists of asking questions about natural phenomena, and designing experiments or processes to find answers to these questions, every teacher can be coached to use the sciences to educate students.

In addition to the development of scientific literacy and its relevance to modernization – social, economic and national development – there are immense pedagogical and other benefits to be derived from science/applied science/technology based curricula. Curricular links can be established with other subjects/ disciplines or fields of study. For example, languages and mathematics can be taught across curricula. If the curricula at various levels are organized to form an ascending and expanding spiral or cone, permeating concepts or principles can be kept simple at the base (early childhood education level), and expanded and deepened as students ascend to the higher levels.

The need for content of wide applicability to enable students to continue learning outside of, and beyond the formal situation cannot be over emphasized. We can accomplish more with less. Ecological studies (under which nature trails may be classified) could form the organizing centre for wider environmental studies. The study of the environment not only develops practical sense and fosters scientific thought, but it is also an education in civics, and sociology. Learning activities in these areas should arouse the students’ interest in the community in which they live. We ought to bear in mind that there can be no national development without community development.

Editorial constraints do not permit further expansion of the above, but there is a very significant benefit that needs to be mentioned. In an era of mass education, and for a variety of reasons a significant percentage of the school intake comes unprepared for what is essentially a middle class experience, and they all have to jump the same academic hurdles at the same time.

Research has demonstrated that the age of eleven is no longer a watershed age as far as cognitive development is concerned. Because each individual is unique, levels of cognitive development differ considerably and as such, many students (late developers), are in need of a transitional period at this age when they are between the stages of concrete and formal/abstract operations. Further, a child may achieve the level of formal operations in one or more categories and remain at the level of concrete operations in other categories. There are a number of ways in which the concreteness of scientific and technological phenomena can assist pupils in this period of transition. For, example when mathematics is integrated with scientific and technological processes, it is reported that much of the antagonism towards the subject is lost. This particular finding should be of great significance to our Ministry of Education.

Yours faithfully

Clarence O Perry

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Poppycock politics in Guyana

Analysis by Rickey Singh

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A strange political development took place two days ago in Guyana, where strange political occurrences have become the norm.

The Georgetown-based Caricom Secretariat released to the media on Monday morning a statement that, following "the unfortunate incidents surrounding the protests at Linden on July 18, 2012, which led to the deaths of three citizens of Guyana, the secretariat has been engaged with the Government of Guyana on a continuous basis..."

Further, that at the request of the Guyana Government (of President Donald Ramotar), Caricom "has recommended three distinguished Community nationals to serve on a Commission of Inquiry which is expected to probe and report on matters related to the events of that day..."

The three chosen Caricom nationals, said the secretariat, are Justice Lensley Wolfe, a former chief justice of Jamaica and current chairman of its Police Public Complaints Authority; KD Knight, a senior counsel who held the portfolios of national security and justice, and foreign affairs and foreign trade in the previous PNP Administration; and Dana Seetahal, senior counsel and former independent senator of Trinidad and Tobago, and a columnist of the Trinidad Express.

So far, so good. Hours later, on that same day, a scheduled meeting of representatives of the Government, parliamentary opposition and the Region 10 Council (that includes the bauxite mining town of Linden) was aborted.

The declared intention was to have, on Monday, a formal signing of the terms of reference for ending the month-long "Linden crisis" and pave the way for the work of the Commission of Inquiry to begin. So what happened?

Competing for support

The real reason perhaps resides in the ongoing competitive politics between the two parliamentary Opposition parties — A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), that includes the dominant People's National Congress, and the Alliance for Change (AFC) — for political support in Linden, which has been viewed as a traditional stronghold of the PNC up to last November's general election.

There have been variations in public political posturing between APNU's leadership and the Region 10 Council chairman on the terms of resolving the crisis in Linden.

The three killings of protesters on July 18 have been linked to police shootings and subsequent waves of arson and other criminal activities that have resulted in millions of dollars in losses and with the town's future now seriously jeopardised.

Significantly absent from last Friday's final meeting before the signing event scheduled for Monday afternoon was any representative of APNU's minority opposition partner, AFC. That, however, was not a surprise, especially to those monitoring the behaviour of the AFC's leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, a lawyer and defector from the governing PPP.

He had earlier admitted to involvement in "mobilisation" of protests by Lindeners against the Government's proposed phased hike in electricity tariff for eventual equalisation with the rest of Guyanese consumers.

That was the core issue and was still being used to literally fan flames, even after the Government had put the proposed tariff hike on hold and agreed to a general review of expressed social and economic discontent in Linden, for which the terms of reference and personnel for a special technical committee had been agreed.

However, as recently as August 10, the AFC's Ramjattan had told the local media of his party's rejection of any inclusion in the terms of reference for the independent probe into the killings of the three demonstrators who "may have organised, mobilised or promoted the protest on July 18..."

The harsh reality is that it is difficult to separate the tragedy of three deaths and the injuries suffered by at least a dozen protesters from the related incidents of July 18.

According to the sophistry of the AFC's leader, "even if Ramjattan went up there (in Linden) and organised the thing (the 'thing' being the protest), what's wrong with that? It is the exercise of a constitutional right".

What is most disturbing for Guyana's future political stability and social/economic advancement is not that the lawyer/politician Ramjattan could be so insensitive to the problems affecting Lindeners. Rather, that his self-serving platitudes could have succeeded in influencing the APNU, and, by extension, the PNC, into backing away from Monday's expected signing of the terms of reference for the independent commission of inquiry.

Consequently, there was the amusing scenario on Monday of the Opposition welcoming the announcement of the three distinguished Caricom citizens chosen for the independent probe, while still failing to reach consensus with the Government on the Commission's terms of reference.

As one well-known lawyer reacted when we spoke yesterday about this surprising development, "You simply cannot discuss text without context". Fair enough.

But the trio of identified commissioners for the coming probe, which has been in the making for more than a fortnight, may perhaps need to reflect on the implications of the poppycock politics in Guyana for more than Lindeners.

Currently it is manifesting in ongoing bartering between two opposition parties that together control a majority of one seat in the 65-member Parliament. The bartering involves more than painful political somersaults and is quite costly in its social and economic consequences for more than the bauxite mining town of Linden, which has a population of some 40,000.

Guyana, Suriname moving to regularise backtrack route

Guyana and Suriname have agreed to work to tighten security and regularise the “backtrack” route used by many persons to travel between the two countries.

“We know that there are some security issues that has to be taken care of, that’s why we have decided that technical people from the security institutions from both our countries should meet as soon as possible to discuss the issue in order to see how the regulations can (be put in place),” said Winston Lackin, the Surinamese Minister of Foreign Affairs as he and his local counterpart, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett met at the Grand Coastal Inn yesterday, to review the progress made following the February meeting of the Presidents of Guyana and Suriname. Related issues on the bilateral agenda were also expected to be discussed during the meet.

Rodrigues-Birkett added that backtracking has been discussed and representatives of the two countries will be meeting very soon to discuss what both sides would be putting in place. She said that it must be recognised that “it’s the reality,” while pointing out that not everyone who goes through the…..

Jagdeo- Guyana's Putin

Written by Guest Columnist Wednesday, 08 August 2012 18:42

by Political Oracle

History is dominated with a plethora of acknowledgment and myriad examples of the concept "true power lies behind the throne". Most astute politicians will endeavour to try to achieve the skills to be a “king maker rather than a king". The term "secret president" is not so mundane in our daily political discourse, but the concept was in existence for very long time. However, it still manifest itself regularly in many political systems and nations Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt were the two ladies in recent times, that were famous for executing the duties of a "Secret President" and performed "power behind the throne".

These women were performing the duty for their husbands, who were both USApresidents during World War 1 and II. It is chronicled that they played the role very effectively. The Russian president, Vladmir Putin created a similar scenario and became famous for popularising his version of political puppetry, which universally became known as "Putinism". Vladmir Putin had the absolute power and the final political decisions in Russia during Dimtry Medvedev presidency. It was known in diplomatic circles in every international fora, that Putin is the "power behind the throne" many international experts started to ponder if Dilma. Rousseff of Brazil will be a obsequious president to Lula, as was Medvedev to Putin.

In Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, has emerged as a powerful "secret president" and an undisputed "power behind the throne" In August1999, Janet Jagan stepped down for health reasons and transferred the presidency to Jagdeo. As a Marxist leader of the PPP and the matriarch of the Guyanese nation, Mrs Jagan conceptualized a plan that would enable her to control the young Russian economist. But logics and reality have shown, Mrs Jagan failed in her endeavours. At a cursory look at Jagdeo in 1999,he appeared to display obvious docility. But characteristically, Jagdeo was always judicious in his political ventures and perspicacious in economics. He was also a sincere erudite and a sagacious person. It is noted that from the inception of his presidency, Jagdeo unearthed the dictatorial desires he harboured and revealed the power obsession which he suppressed. One of his initial acts was to read and analyse all the documents and literature on Forbes Burnham and he studied Burnham’s for nation building and political solution in party life. Jagdeo on numerous occasions imitated Burnham, both tactically and strategically. He is a "miniature kabaka"

Jagdeo ingeniously began to consolidate power with the party, the government and the wider society. He surrounded himself with loyalists and ‘yes men’ and the ‘new private sector’ which become the recipient of most of his financial favours. The so called old guard of the party almost became extinct At first his strategies and motives were inconspicuous, but when he won the 2001 election and received national endorsement at the polls, his attitude and antics evolved into a polemic and pugnacious nature. Jagdeo was " lord of the manor" at cabinet meetings. Mrs Jagan was too physical unwell and languorous to take control of the party and government. She once rose to the issue of the withdrawal of the government advertisements from Stabroek News, a matter that Jagdeo did not like and he was contentious in calling her a public citizen. It was an indication that Jagdeo was fearless of any one in the PPP or in the society at large. On one occasion he presumptuously insulted industrial icon Yesu Persaud at the launching of Guyana Times, a newspaper owned by his friend Bobby Ramroop. His behaviour was blatantly supercilious to any who he perceives as political threat. On the death of Mrs. Jagan, Jagdeo became very rancorous and openly disagreeable with his opponents.

On the other hand, he was affable and amiable to those who loved and supported him. On various occasions Jagdeo would be gregarious and he displayed a jocular personality. As time progresses, Jagdeo became indispensable to the PPP because he has a rare managerial skills, he can conceptualise and express himself efficiently and eloquently on fiscal and monetary issues. This enabled him to administer government contracts and state programs to his advantage and with impunity. Over 97 percent of the Guyanese population cannot comprehend Government accounting and national economics principles and procedures. This gave Jagdeo the opportunity to manipulate the economy to his advantage.

The PPP depends on him as their financial Czar and until now he meets with several implementers of major government projects and policies. In essence, two presidents occupy Office of the President on a weekly if not a daily basis.

Promoting Guyana through film-making

June 8, 2012

By Venessa Deosaran

Mason Richards

US-based Guyanese writer and director, Mason Richards’ deftness, combined with his talent as a storyteller, has contributed to his push to someday becoming a world renowned filmmaker, and at the same time promote his beautiful country of birth.

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Richards said he was born and grew up in Georgetown. His fondest memories are playing cricket as a child at Redeemer Primary School, going to the seawall on Sundays with his family, going to the Starlight Drive-In cinema on the East Coast, and visiting the zoo. These memories would soon bring Richards back to his homeland to produce a short film that became his ticket to fame.

Richards was seven when he migrated with his family to the United States. He said they went to Brooklyn, New York, like many other Guyanese immigrants, to pursue the “American dream” and to be close to other relatives who were already there.

“Even though I was very young, I always missed the life I had in Guyana. There’s something about the Guyanese people in Guyana that’s very easy going, which is a bit of a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle you have to do to make it and survive in America,” he disclosed.

The film director went to public schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan. For college, he earned his undergraduate degrees in English and Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University. He went to Vanderbilt on a full academic-leadership scholarship through The Posse Foundation.

Recently, he earned his Master’s Degree in Film Directing from California Institute of the Arts (CAL ARTS) in Los Angeles, California.

Although busy with the arts and life in general, Richards would often visit his relatives back home. A few years back after his visit to Guyana, he came up with the idea to write the script for his film, ‘The Seawall’. The film is the story of an older Guyanese woman and her 10-year-old grandson who share a very special bond.

After receiving a visa to live in America with his mother, whom he has not seen since he was a baby, the boy wrestles with leaving his grandma behind while contemplating a new life in the United States. Meanwhile, the grandmother struggles to convince her grandson that life in America would be better as she confronts her own feelings of loneliness and abandonment in a country that she loves.

“The story is not my story. I constructed the narrative and created the characters, but I can relate to their issues being that I am Guyanese man who immigrated to the United States at a very young age. I think the story is universal and relatable to people from all nationalities,” he said.

His film, Richards revealed, is the first narrative short film of its kind to be shot entirely on location in Georgetown.

Richards working with his crew in Guyana

The cast consisted of local Guyanese non-actors and non-professionals working alongside Richards and his crew from America.

Richards said he chose to work in the film industry because he always had an interest in telling stories. As a child, he was always looking for new ways to be creative. “I feel like my career as a film director is now taking shape. I worked in the film industry in New York City and Los Angeles for a few years, and when I took the big step to attend film school and started writing my own scripts, things started to shift. I’m happy that I’m able to write and direct films about subjects that interest me and hopefully will be interesting, or at least appealing, to others on some level,” he said.

Soon Richards would be receiving an award from the City of New York and The Guyanese Consulate in celebration of Guyana Independence this year. Also, he is very thrilled to be working on a video project with the Witness Project and The Margaret Clemons Foundation. These are doing cutting-edge work with young people in Guyana.

“I’ll be back in Guyana this summer, working with youths, creating public service announcement videos about issues they care about and affect their lives. It feels great to return to Guyana for such an important cause and a globally important project. So, look out for the projects,” he said elatedly.

Richards maintains that success comes when you’re doing the thing that you truly love to do and you dedicate your time becoming proficient and the best at whatever that thing is. He said he is successful because he is happy.

He advises Guyanese youths to “dare to dream” because anything and everything is possible.

He hopes that the youths are thinking of innovative ways to make Guyana an ever better place to live.

“There is a lot of beauty in Guyana, and it is our responsibility as Guyanese to maintain, preserve and protect that beauty. The grass is not always greener on the other side.” (Taken from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Jamaican firm to examine University of Guyana's governance structure

Written by Demerara Waves Friday, 23 March 2012 07:24

Several months after the politically-driven University of Guyana (UG) Council came under the spotlight for its involvement in the contracts of a number of lecturers, the institution announced that Jamaican firm would be coming to examiine how the governance structure of the institution.

Clinching the US$250,000 consultancy is the Jamaica-based Trevor Hamilton & Associates that signed a contract with UG on March 16.

Titled "Review and Enhancement of the Regulatory Framework for the Improvement of Operations at the University of Guyana", the consultancy is financed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The project has been in the pipeline for almost one year now.

The CDB project document states that “The objective of the consultancy is to enhance UG’s capacity to carry out its day-to-day operations and to enhance its capacity to effectively undertake its role as a national tertiary education institution in the 21st Century.” The duration of the assignment is expected to be for a period of eight months.

The consultancy will essentially involve the review and development of the regulatory framework, and development of appropriate regulations and policy recommendations to address issues critical to the University’s operations; review of the process improvement background, organisational efficiency and effectiveness of the University’s operations; review of the financial processes and regulations; and recommending procedures, systems and structures to undergird the operation of critical areas which impact on the organisational effectiveness of the University.

Planning Officer in the Office of Resource Mobilisation and Planning, Ms Andrea London stated that, “as part of its activity, the consultants will meet with various stakeholders.” Interested persons desirous of contributing to the process will be provided an opportunity to do so, she added.

Former

University

of

Guyana

Vice Chancellor, Professor Lawrence Carrington quite recently lamented the archaic governance system at the decades-old tertiary institution.

UG workers had for weeks engaged in industrial unrest, including a threat to go on strike, over the Council’s termination of the contracts of several lecturers including controversial political scientist, Freddie Kissoon. Kissoon’s harshly criticism of government has repeatedly incurred the wrath of the

Guyana

government.

While several other lecturers are back on the job under different terms and conditions, Kissoon has not been offered an opportunity to continue teaching at the university.,

Authorities say his contract has not been renewed over concerns about his performance- a claim he has repeatedly rejected.

-Suriname says he was no longer suspect -lawyer alleges rendition, says client drugged, kidnapped by American agents

By Nigel Williams

Friday, June 30th 2006

Roger Khan

Businessman Roger Khan was last night on US soil facing a drug charge after dramatic events in Paramaribo yesterday led to his handing over to American agents and his lawyers charging that he had been drugged and spirited out of Suriname via extraordinary rendition.

Khan had been centre stage of a riveting four-month drama that crisscrossed Guyana, Suriname and the US and ensnared the joint services here.

Justice Minister of Suriname Chrandrikapersad Santokhi confirmed to Suriname journalists last night that Khan was deported and put on a flight to Trinidad and Tobago by Suriname police. He was then handed over to immigration authorities upon arrival in Port Spain who then handed him over to US officials.

Khan was flown out of Johann Pengel International Airport, Paramaribo on a Suriname Airways flight heavily guarded by police escorts three of whom accompanied him to Trinidad. American authorities in Trinidad and Tobago declined to comment on the matter when contacted by this newspaper yesterday.

The deportation of the businessman came days after a Suriname court had granted an extension of his detention in Suriname and also on the eve of the hearing of motion which was filed by his Surinamese attorney, Irwnis Khanai seeking to block his extradition to the USA.

Paramaribo was adamant yesterday that the Guyanese businessman was not extradited, but rather deported from the country after he was no longer a suspect on allegations of drug trafficking, firearms possession and being part of a criminal gang. There was no statement from Washington up to press time last night. Meanwhile, Khan was up to last night in federal custody in New York, his attorney, Glenn Hanoman told Stabroek News. He arrived in the USA around 4 pm yesterday.

The Surinamese declaration that Khan was no longer a suspect in a recent drug bust came as a surprise as Santokhi and other officials had issued strong statements linking Khan to drugs, crime gangs and plots to assassinate Surinamese officials. The officials had also said that Khan would most likely be prosecuted in Suriname.

Observers say the turn of events probably represents a deal between the US and Paramaribo for Khan to be put in the hands of American authorities for his prosecution in New York. Guyana had already indicated it was not pursuing extradition of Khan at this point as it appeared that the charges in Suriname would be more serious. There was no statement yesterday from the Guyana Government on the latest developments. Observers noted that if Khan was to be deported it would have to be to Guyana since he crossed illegally from here and the best route to send him back would be across the Corentyne River on the ferry.

Thomas Walsh, spokesperson for the US Embassy in Paramaribo told a local journalist when contacted on the matter that he could only confirm that the US government had made a request for the provisional arrest of Khan to Suriname for extradition. He said also that there was an international arrest warrant out for Khan whose name was mentioned in a US State Department drug report this year. With regard to Khan's deportation, Walsh said that was a different matter but he hoped that the businessman could be captured by the US on the basis of the international arrest warrant.

Set free

John Jones, Suriname Police spokesman told Stabroek News when contacted that as far as he was aware Khan was set free by the Surinamese authorities after they found that he was no longer a suspect on the allegations they were holding him for. Jones said the only charge they had against Khan was that of being in the country illegally and as such he was deported. According to Jones the businessman was put on a plane around 6 am Suriname time yesterday and flown to Trinidad en route to Georgetown.

The policeman said he could not say whether Khan was picked up by US officials and he did not know whether flying Khan to the US was in the original plan when the Guyanese was deported. Jones said as far as he knew Khan was deported to his homeland Guyana, adding that from what he was told Surinamese police escorted Khan to the airport and ensured he boarded an aircraft. "All I know is that he was deported to Guyana, they released him from jail, put him on a plane and got him out of the country," Jones said.

He could not say whether US law enforcement officials facilitated Khan's deportation and was adamant that the Guyanese businessman was not extradited, but rather deported.

On the issue of the three other Guyanese, Sean Belfield, Lloyd Roberts and Paul Rodrigues, Jones said they along with the other Surinamese who were arrested on the day of the drug bust are still in custody. He said investigations are ongoing and once there is a case against them they would be charged. Khan had appeared in a Suriname court charged with violating the country's narcotics and firearms laws as well as being part of a criminal gang. Jones said all of these charges were dropped and when asked why, he directed this newspaper to the Prosecutor General or the Justice Minister.

According to Hanoman, shortly after midday yesterday Khan made contact with his relatives in Miami after being afforded a telephone call. He told his relatives that he was on his way to New York. Hanoman said Khan departed Suriname on a Suriname Airways flight to Trinidad and Tobago. He was then placed into a private jet which flew to Miami where it made another stop.

"Cowboy" behaviour

Meanwhile, in a strongly worded statement, Hanoman said that the decision of the Surinamese authorities to send Khan by airplane to Trinidad and Tobago was obviously not done to facilitate his deportation to Guyana. According to the lawyer he was advised that around 11 pm on Wednesday, American operatives were allowed into the Santo Boma Prison, where Khan was being held in Suriname. He was then injected with a substance that rendered him unconscious after which he was lifted out of his cell with a hood over his head and flown to Trinidad and Tobago where a private jet awaited him. In addition, Hanoman said his client was shackled with chains and then flown to Miami.

"It is abundantly clear that Surinamese officials aided and abetted this extraordinary rendition of a citizen of a sister Caricom state. It is to be hoped that Caricom, the Guyana government, the international community and other organizations condemn in the strongest possible terms this 'Cowboy" behaviour displayed by both the Suriname and American governments and even possibly the Trinidad and Tobago government," the lawyer remarked. He said by their actions these governments have indicated that they have no respect for the rule of law, for due process, for human rights or sovereignty. Hanoman said Khan had at least three pending matters that he has instituted in the courts in Suriname, including an action to prevent his extradition to the USA, which was scheduled to be heard today. The lawyer said by this latest move, Khan has been effectively prevented from pursuing his legal remedies. "It reflects poorly," the lawyer remarked "on the executive in Suriname and shows the extent that they are prepared to go to usurp judicial and democratic processes."

Further, Hanoman said he was made to understand that in the first place there was no evidence for which Khan could have been charged in Suriname, which just goes to show that Guyanese in Suriname who have not committed any offence may be subjected to all kinds of treatment. The lawyer said it was shocking that Jones has stated that the other three Guyanese will be kept in custody for investigations to continue into the same allegations Khan was subjected to. "If the alleged ringleader was not charged surely it is malicious to keep the other three on the same facts," Hanoman remarked.

Dismiss indictment

Meanwhile, an attorney for Khan yesterday filed a motion in the United States District court requesting the dismissal of a Grand Jury indictment which alleges that the businessman conspired to import cocaine into that country.

Khan was captured along with three of his cohorts two weeks ago in Suriname during a huge drug bust, which netted some 213 kilos of cocaine.

The seven-page motion filed by US attorney-at-law, John E Bergendahl, outlined among other things Khan's previous clashes with the US law as well as his local crime fighting claims.

According to the motion, on or about April 13, 2006 a Federal Grand Jury sitting in the Eastern District of New York, returned a one-count indictment purporting to charge Khan with conspiracy to import five or more kilos of cocaine into the United States between January 2001 and March 2006 in violation of Title 21 United States Code 963 960 and 906.

According to the motion, on or about May 3, 2006 the US government filed an application requesting that that the indictment be unsealed and an order granting the government's application was also entered the same day. The lawyer argues that the US government requested that the indictment be unsealed despite the fact that Khan was not in custody, noting that on the date the indictment was unsealed Khan was residing in his native country Guyana. According to the attorney despite the fact that the indictment has now been unsealed, no request for Khan's extradition has ever been sent to the government of Guyana. He added in his motion that on June 15 Khan was taken into custody by law enforcement officials in Suriname and was held under deplorable conditions violative of his legal and human rights. The attorney said that on June 21, the US government sent a letter through official diplomatic channels to the government of Suriname indicating its intention to seek the extradition and return of Khan to the US to face trial on the indictment.

Possession of firearm

Giving a background of Khan's past brushes with US law, the lawyer said in his motion that during the late 1980's and early 1990's the businessman was living in the USA and attended the Norwich University in Vermont. On or about November 29, 1993 Khan was arrested on a federal criminal complaint and on December 16 of the same year he was charged in a one-count indictment with possession of firearms by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18 United States Code 922. Khan was released on US$1000 cash bond following his initial appearance held on November 30, 1993.

The lawyer noted that following Khan's release on bond he departed to Guyana and never returned to the USA. On March 30, 1994, the lawyer said the US District Court for the district of Vermont issued an arrest warrant for Khan and on October 28, 1994 Khan's bond was ordered forfeited.

Fighting crime

The lawyer said that following Khan's return to Guyana in 1993 or early 1994 he became an enterprising, innovative entrepreneur. He founded and operated a number of successful businesses including, but not limited to, a housing development and Construction Company, a carpet cleaning service, a nightclub and a timber mill.

Over the next decade, the lawyer said Khan prospered and became a well known publicly recognized figure in Georgetown. "On February 23,2002 a number of violent and dangerous convicts escaped from the Camp Street prison in Georgetown. These individuals went on a crime spree of unrivalled proportions and neither government nor the Guyana Police Force was adequately equipped to deal with the crisis," the motion declared. The lawyer noted that during the same period Steve Lesniak, a member of the US diplomatic corps was kidnapped and held hostage and Khan responded to the crisis and the kidnapping by providing financial and logistical support to the government.

"The support Mr Khan provided was invaluable in assisting the authorities in suppressing the crime wave and securing the safe return of Mr Lesniak," the motion noted.

It added that earlier this year Khan consulted with representatives of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on a regular basis in an effort to assist them in investigating the disappearance of a number of AK-47 rifles from a military facility. Khan also in March, the motion said met with American officials at a meeting at Ocean View International Hotel to address ongoing crime and security concerns in Guyana. The US Embassy in Georgetown had admitted that a meeting was indeed held between Khan and officials of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as part of the ongoing investigation into Khan's alleged ties with the criminal underworld.

Khan released tapes

The motion further stated that in order to expose, identify and curb corruption and incompetence within the GPF, Khan released a number of tape recorded conversations between various PNCR and Police Commis-sioner, Winston Felix.

The motion said that in retaliation on March 19, 2006 members of the joint services raided a number of businesses owned or operated by Khan and subsequently Felix issued wanted bulletins for Khan and some of his associates even though they were not charged with any crimes. This move by the police had led to Khan's attorneys lodging an application in the High Court of Guyana seeking an order nisi quashing the bulletins.

Additionally, the motion noted that the indictment of Khan generated a substantial amount of publicity in Guyana and the businessman responded to the indictment by making a number of well publicized statements saying that he was not guilty of the charges and suggesting that the charges were not only unfounded, but were merely being used as a vehicle to attempt to destroy and discredit an individual who was strong enough to help prevent the overthrow of the Guyana government, which now has leftist leanings and would not serve the United States' best interest in South America.

The motion went on to state that following Khan's detention in Suriname he was beaten and physically abused by law enforcement officers. He said too that he was denied medical attention and visits by his attorneys.

Calling for the indictment to be dismissed Bergendahl said that the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees that 'No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on presentment or indictment of a grand jury." To this end the lawyer said the indictment should be dismissed as it is void of any of the constitutional guarantees afforded Khan by the United States Constitution and decision authority from the United States Supreme Court. He argued that the indictment did not say specifically what Khan was charged for.

Stabroek News

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Written at Friday, June 30, 2006 by jebratt.

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Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Roger Khan in jail until July 30

Controversial Guyanese businessman Roger Khan, holed up under tight security in a maximum security prison in Suriname after being nabbed there nearly two weeks ago in a sting operation, is to be held there until July 30.

Khan, 35, who the U.S. has branded as a drug trafficker, yesterday made another appearance before an examining magistrate who granted the authorities request to continue detaining him until that time, to allow for a continuation of the investigations surrounding his arrest, according to attorney-at-law Glen Hanoman.

And according to Hanoman, the fact that after 14 days the Suriname authorities have been unable to institute charges means there is no real hard evidence against his client.

Hanoman who refuted previous reports in the media here claiming that Khan had been charged, has confirmed that an earlier order which prevented two Surinamese lawyers, Irwinis Khanai and G. R. Shewcharran, contracted to represent Khan in that country, from seeing him, was lifted Friday last.

As a result, Khan was seen by Khanai that day, and Shewcharran visited him yesterday.

Meanwhile, hearing of a motion filed by the lawyers seeking to usurp any extradition request by the U.S. authorities on the grounds that the indictment proffered has no legal basis, will be heard on Friday, Hanoman added.

As for the move by the U.S. to have the Surinamese extradite Khan to that country on the basis of an indictment which accuses him of conspiring to ship cocaine into the U.S. this year, Hanoman is adamant that no treaty exists between Suriname and the U.S. to extradite him on such an indictment.

Noting that the two countries are seeking to use an 1887 treaty inherited from the Netherlands, Hanoman further pointed out that Article I of the treaty categorically states that the accused to whom the indictment relates must be physically present in the United States at the time the offence was committed.

Additionally, he said, narcotics was not listed under the 1887 treaty and although Suriname ratified the 1988 Vienna Convention on narcotics, it still cannot stand as a basis.

“A convention cannot stand as a basis for an extradition, it has to be done by a bilateral arrangement,” Hanoman posited.

He told the Chronicle too, that in order for Suriname to explore the possibility of extraditing Khan to the U.S., the embassy there must lodge a copy of the indictment, the treaty which exists between the two countries, and a summary of the evidence against Khan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Suriname, but as far as he is aware, this has not been done.

Khan was nabbed along with 11 other suspects, including three other Guyanese, Sean Belfield, Paul Rodrigues and Lloyd Roberts, in what police there said was the biggest cocaine haul in that country this year.

The operation netted 213 kilograms of cocaine, police said.

Asked about the status of the other three Guyanese, Hanoman said matters relating to them will be raised in court on Friday as well.

Public Diplomacy Officer in the U.S. embassy in Suriname, Thomas Walsh, in a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, had said subsequent to the arrest of Khan who was charged with cocaine trafficking by a New York court earlier this year, and an arrest warrant issued for him, the U.S. filed two requests - a provisional arrest for the purpose of extradition and for his physical extradition.

He said so far the request for provisional arrest has been satisfied, in that the U.S. is aware that Khan is being kept in custody, and the U.S. now awaits the extradition process to continue.

Asked how soon the U.S. expects a response to the second request, Walsh said while he could not say, the U.S. is aware that Suriname will have to conduct its own internal judicial process.

“They (Suriname) know of the U.S. interest, and we have to await an answer,” Walsh added.

During Khan’s first arraignment, the office of the examining magistrate was guarded by members of the Suriname Police SWAT team, armed with high-powered weapons.

The Guyana Government last week told Suriname that it would not “at this time” seek to have Khan and the three other Guyanese held in Suriname extradited to this country to face prosecution here.

The decision was communicated by Home Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira to her Suriname counterpart, Justice Minister Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

Before his weekly Cabinet meeting Wednesday last, Santokhi told Suriname journalists of the discussion he had with Ms. Teixeira and the decision taken by the Guyana Government which gives Suriname more leeway to consider the formal U.S. request for Khan to be extradited to face drugs charges there.

Teixeira told Santokhi that although Guyanese police are investigating alleged crimes Khan might have committed, it is up to Suriname to prosecute him and his cohorts for offences they might have committed in the Dutch-speaking country.

Khan was believed to have been hiding out in Suriname after the Police here put him on a wanted list in connection with the theft of 30 AK-47 rifles and five pistols from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) headquarters in Georgetown.

The U.S. Government earlier this year named Khan among drug traffickers it claimed were gaining a significant foothold in Guyana’s timber industry.

“In 2005, the Guyana Forestry Commission granted a State Forest Exploratory Permit for a large tract of land in Guyana’s interior to Aurelius Inc., a company controlled by known drug trafficker Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan,” the U.S. 2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy report stated.

“Such concessions in the remote interior may allow drug traffickers to establish autonomous outposts beyond the reach of Guyanese law enforcement,” the report added.

Local Police on March 29 put out a wanted bulletin for Khan, shortly after his business places in and around Georgetown were raided in joint operations by the Police Force and the GDF.

Police in a press release said Khan, of 133 Rotunda Place, D’Aguiar’s Park, Houston, was wanted in connection with investigations into the discovery of firearms, ammunition, drugs and other illegal items found during the Joint Services operation.

During their operations, GDF troops and police ranks targeted all of Khan’s known businesses in Georgetown – Dreamworks Housing Development in Garnette Street; the Reef Club at 60, Station Street, Kitty, and the Master’s Touch Carpet Cleaners at 2nd Street, Bel Air Village.

They also searched his D’Aguiar’s Park home and deployed a team to Kaow Island in the Essequibo River, where he also owns a sawmilling operation.

Khan in statements issued in the press claimed that the U.S. indictment and anything flowing from it had been motivated by political considerations.

He said he is perceived by persons in the U.S., the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force and the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform as someone “who has the will and a capacity to fight crime and to protect the people of Guyana.”

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/topstory.html#Anchor--------48051

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Written at Wednesday, June 28, 2006 by jebratt.

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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Vermont Fugitive Arrested in South America

Burlington, Vermont - June 19, 2006

One of Vermont's most-wanted federal fugitives has been arrested as an alleged drug kingpin in South America.

In 1993, Shaheed "Roger" Khan was 22 when he was charged with dealing guns and drugs while a student at Norwich University. He faced federal charges because he had two prior felony drug convictions in his home state of Maryland. He was released on pre-trial bail. But he fled to his birth country of Guyana in South America and became Vermont's most wanted federal fugitive.

Federal authorities say he became the kingpin of a lucrative ring smuggling guns and drugs in Guyana. Khan disappeared a month ago after he and eight others were arrested and released after they allegedly stole 33 AK-47 assault rifles from a police armory in Guyana. Khan remained missing until late last week, when he and four ex-police officers from Guyana were arrested in neighboring Surinam, allegedly in possession of 200 lbs. of cocaine.

U.S. authorities say they had known for some time that Khan was in Guyana, but he was not arrested and returned because Guyana does not honor U.S. extradition requests. It's unclear what will happen now that he has been arrested in Surinam.

Brian Joyce - Channel 3 News

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5051245

http://www.mittelholzer.org/

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Written at Tuesday, June 20, 2006 by jebratt.

Interview with Pauline Sukhai, Minister of Amerindian Affairs of the Republic of Guyana

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-01-25 14:13

Summary:

“…but with more women being educated, I’m sure that the number of high-caliber and quality women to assume leadership in the near future is not going to be reduced. I think the quality of women who enter into politics will increase very soon.”

Body:

iKNOW Politics: Let’s start by talking about your career in politics. When did it start, what inspired you and what obstacles have you encountered as a woman?

Pauline Sukhai: My political career began when I was 11 years old. I was inspired by the grave injustice faced at that time in my country by the opposition party, which is the party I belong to. Once while I was traveling, I saw a member of the People’s Progressive Party [PPP] being harassed and brutalized by the State Apparatus – the police – and I vowed to myself at a very early age that I would work to do something to correct that. When I was about twelve years old, I joined the Progressive Youth Organization and later the Women’s Progressive Organization [WPO], which is a widespread women’s organization in my country. At that point, there was no turning back. Later on, I started participating in the People’s Progressive Party.

Since then, I have held many different positions. Having started out as an ordinary member at the group at community level, I’ve progressed to become a member of the Central Committee. Today I’m also a member of my party’s Executive Committee. I have held various positions in government – I was Parliamentary Secretary for three years in Indigenous Affairs, I was also Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and today I am the Minister of Amerindian Affairs [since 2008]. I’ve been a Parliamentarian for 18 years now – December 2010 marks 18 years since I first became a Member of Parliament. So it has been a very interesting and challenging career. Personally, the difficulties that come with the territory didn’t affect me that much, but I understand the wider implication of women’s involvement in politics since they carry more responsibilities. I think that women in politics here in Guyana have been able to overcome some of that due to their determination and commitment.

I wouldn’t say I’ve had obstacles. I think it has been challenging as a woman who comes from a very small village in the rural community and who has no secondary education, much less a university education. I’ve had to work even harder, both in the political and academic realm. I’ve also had to balance that and family. I married at a very young age – 21 years – and had two children. But at the political level, I didn’t think there were many obstacles in my party since we’ve always pursued a more equitable representation of women in the party’s policies and decision-making – before as the opposition and even now as we are in the driver’s seat. Our leaders and the rest of us at the top have always pushed to ensure that women were included in the party’s upper echelons and even in the government. And the results are tangible because we have achieved more than 33 percent women in Parliament. At the cabinet level I think we are at about 34 percent. Even the party list has to be one-third women, which was the quota that the former president, Dr. Cheddi Jagan [1992-1997] – who passed away – ensured be kept.

iKNOW Politics: You’re a party woman – a woman who has developed a career within the party. How open are the party systems in Guyana for women and women candidates?

Pauline Sukhai: I can speak for the People’s Progressive Party, which has always been open and welcoming to women. In fact, we have one of the largest women’s political organizations in the country, which is allied with my party. That alone speaks volumes on women’s admission to the party because as long as you are in the women’s organization or the political organization (the WPO), you automatically move straight into the party ranks. And since we hold elections for the positions in the Party Central Committee, the process is followed from the group level. However, cultural sentiment in Guyana still strongly opposes women being engaged at the highest level. Family ties can even impede that, which is rooted in culture and tradition.

iKNOW Politics: What are three goals that you plan to implement in your ministry in order to advance indigenous women’s involvement in politics? What strategies will you use to achieve these goals?

Pauline Sukhai: At the political level, my role is more related to broad-based development and with development comes politics. But the mechanisms and strategies we use to implement programs in my ministry include women because we are more open. We cannot drive the political aspect from the ministry – that’s the party’s job. But in the national programs that we carry out, such as the community development plans and the livelihood program, women are encouraged to participate at the village level. This involvement is sowed not so much by our design, but also due to the villages’ economic situation. Women are sometimes more permanent figures in the villages while their male counterparts go seek employment in other sectors. In a very rural or remote community, women are sometimes the ones who stay behind. So if you are talking about the livelihood program or community development plans, they’re the main drivers, formulators and designers.

iKNOW Politics: Alliances and networking are very important in politics. iKNOW Politics is also a network of networks. What role has alliances and networks played in your political career?

Pauline Sukhai: They have played a very important role. We have a very unique situation in my party. For example, in 1992 even though we had determined we’d win the majority vote in elections by running alone, we created an alliance with the Civic. Therefore our party is now the People’s Progressive Party-Civic since we have a civic partnership in our political framework that works along with us, the politicians. And they have competed with us, alongside us, in partnership with us in elections. Next year there will be elections here [August 2011] and the debate on whether to broaden the partnership to include civil society and religious organizations is already an ongoing topic.

iKNOW Politics: What is the role of young women in politics in Guyana? Are there any movements currently under way that call for the renewal of leadership in the country?

Pauline Sukhai: It’s not as desirable. I have been examining this factor for a while now and I’ve seen that many of the women today who have better opportunities and greater access to secondary and university education are spending much more time in the academic arena. During my generation, women spent a lot of time in the political arena because some of us did not have the opportunity to spend that much time in academics nor could we have afforded to spend it on educating ourselves. So our main activity revolved around politics, even at the ground or the grass roots level working in the communities. So I think it’s taking awhile but with more women being educated, I’m sure that the number of high-caliber and quality women to assume leadership in the near future is not going to be reduced. I think the quality of women who enter into politics will increase very soon.

iKNOW Politics: What kind of suggestions would you like to give young women in politics or young women who are interested in politics but who believe it is a very hard scenario to be in?

Pauline Sukhai: Well, one of the first things I would say to young women, is that life is short. Whatever career path you want to pursue will be hard and if it’s politics, it will be a very interesting and challenging field. As a woman, politics only requires you to be determined and for you to want to challenge existing norms and practices for the development of your people. When that seeps into your system, I think it becomes the driving force for any woman who is involved in politics, particularly young people. They understand that their contribution toward building their country and ensuring democracy for their people requires their input and that it should not be viewed as a profession that is “hard.” Any profession is hard. It is what you make it.

Friday, 09 March 2012 15:10

Guyana Struggles to Face Crime Challenge

Written by Geoffrey Ramsey

Often overlooked in regional security assessments, South America’s only English-speaking country is rapidly becoming a hotspot for organized crime.

Guyana’s security situation is often eclipsed by the level of organized crime in two of its neighbors, Venezuela and Suriname. The first has become the main transit country for Colombian cocaine , and the president of the latter is a convicted narcotics trafficker accused of leading an international drug cartel.

However, a new study (.pdf) by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey argues that Guyana has been plagued by street gangs, political corruption and drug traffickers, and has been for most of its recent history. Alarmingly, there are indicators that citizen security in the country is worsening. While the per capita homicide rate is much lower than South America’s average (26 homicides per 100,000), United Nations statistics indicate that it has risen from 10.1 in 2000 to 18.4 homicides per 100,000 in 2010. The incidence of other crimes is also on the rise, and Guyanese police officials say that street gangs are fueling the trend.

Perhaps the most infamous gang to emerge from Guyana was led by Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins, a gang leader who directed a string of armed robberies and murders in the mid- to late-2000s, culminating in 2008 when Rawlins “declared war” on the government after accusing police of kidnapping his girlfriend. As part of this campaign, he attacked two villages and three police stations , murdering at least 23 people before officials killed him in a shootout.

Despite the high-profile attacks conducted by Rawlins, most street gangs in Guyana are small, and do not have the organizational capacity of other groups in the hemisphere. They also lack the strong group identity of Central American gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha or Barrio 18. According to the Small Arms Survey, Guyanese gangs “do not have identifiable gang signs, tattoos, clothing, initiation rituals, or ‘codes’.” They generally form only with an explicit criminal venture in mind, and frequently do not maintain strong geographical control of neighborhoods or regions of territory.

But not all Guyanese gangs are so disorganized. Like the “posses” of Jamaica, some have ties to the country’s two main political parties, the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and People's National Congress (PNC). These “political gangs” reflect the strong ethnic divisions in the country between the Indo-Guayanese majority (which generally favors the PPP) and the Afro-Guyanese minority (which generally backs the PNC). Officials in both parties use their associated gangs to intimidate political opponents, and commonly cite opposition-affiliated gangs as reasons to support harsh police crackdowns against members of the other ethnicity.

Guyana is also home to relatively large-scale drug trafficking organizations, which make it a significant transit nation for cocaine bound for Europe and the United States. Guyanese customs officials claim that as much as 60 percent of the cocaine which enters Guyana is smuggled across the western Venezuelan border . From there, it is usually exported on commercial freight vessels, most of which leave from the shipping hub and capital city of Georgetown. According to the US State Department’s recently-published 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) drug traffickers are increasingly moving their product east on to Suriname.

Although the Guyanese government has downplayed the influence of drug trafficking organizations in the country, they have developed important strategic connections within the police force and judicial system, which allow them to operate with relative impunity. Guyanese drug kingpin Shaheed "Roger" Khan, for instance, reportedly had several active duty police officers on his payroll before he was arrested and deported to the US in 2006 . According to Amnesty International, they acted as enforcers for Khan’s organization, torturing, “disappearing” and killing more than 200 people between 2002 and 2006.

Guyana doesn't yet suffer from the urban gang violence seen in Venezuela; nor is the government known for its openness to criminal interests, as is the case with Suriname. But the country is clearly not immune from many of the same trends afflicting the region. Several US drug officials have predicted that security crackdowns in Mexico and Central America will make the Caribbean route more attractive to international drug traffickers in the coming years . If their predictions prove accurate, then there is a definite risk that the situation in Guyana could deteriorate.

U.S. cites Guyana for not seizing property obtained through corruption

 March 10, 2012 | By KNews | Filed Under News

- Report says political, judicial structures have narco-influence

 The United States says it wants the Guyanese government to enforce laws against money laundering and financial crimes.

This suggestion came as U.S. agencies issued another damning report on Guyana regarding narco-trafficking, saying the country’s political and judicial structures have been impacted by the narco-trade and that the economy too is affected by narco dollars.

In the 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), the US State Department has noted that while Guyana is a party to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, it is yet to fully implement its provisions, “such as seizure of property obtained through corruption.”

Guyana is also a party to the UN Convention against Corruption.

The report notes that as a matter of policy, the Government of Guyana does not encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.

“News media, however, report on allegations of corruption; some reports have implicated police personally in stealing drugs from seizures, while others point to high government officials who are not investigated and thus go unpunished.”

The report noted that U.S. agencies look forward to tangible progress on extraditions, security sector and judicial capacity enhancement, the engagement of at-risk communities, “and enforcement of laws against money laundering and financial crimes.”

The report stated that Guyana continues to be a transit country for cocaine destined for the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and West Africa with cocaine from Colombia smuggled to Venezuela and onward to Guyana by sea (fishing vessels, bulk cargo vessels and tug vessels) or air.

Because of Guyana’s porous borders, smuggling is also conducted by land from Brazil and Suriname into Guyana, the report noted, adding that once cocaine arrives in Guyana, it is often concealed in legitimate commodities and smuggled via commercial maritime vessels, air shipments, human couriers, or the postal services.

The report said that drug trafficking organisations based in Guyana are beginning to use neighboring Suriname as a major distribution hub where Suriname is used as a stash location and distribution country for drugs entering Guyana.

The report noted that The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AMLCFTA), the Interception of Communications Bill and the Criminal Procedure Bill were designed to enhance both the investigative capability of law enforcement authorities and prosecutors’ ability to obtain convictions in drug related cases. However, in 2011, there were no convictions under these laws, “and there is an apparent lack of political will to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking organizations.”

The government of Guyana signed a maritime counter-drug bilateral agreement with the United States in 2001, but has yet to take the necessary domestic action to bring the agreement into effect, the report noted.

Approximately 352 kilogrammes of cocaine and 393 kilogrammes of marijuana were seized in 2011.

As a result of these seizures, the report noted that Guyanese authorities have cases pending prosecution against 16 mid-level and senior drug traffickers.

Guyana to enter forestry p'ship with the EU

Written by Kwesi Isles Friday, 09 March 2012 13:48

The Guyana government has agreed to sign on to the EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade programme (EU FLEGT) which will see only legally harvested timber exported to the bloc as one of the key pillars.

Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Robert Persaud told reporters on Friday that the government formally expressed its intention to do so to the EU Delegation in Georgetown on Thursday.

“It’s a voluntary programme but also it is one in which demonstrates Guyana’s commitment in ensuring that we practice in terms of the forestry sector and the utilization our resources we maintain international benchmarks,” the minister said.

“Being committed to this arrangement will not see a disruption to any particular activity, be it forestry, be it mining or any of the natural resources activities that we have.”

The voluntary partnership agreement also promotes better enforcement of forest law and promotes an inclusive approach involving civil society and the private sector.

Persaud noted that joining the programme had also been part of the agreement between Guyana and Norway which is providing this country with US$250M over five years for eco-services.

Consultation with forestry stakeholders was conducted with local forestry stakeholders on several occasions last year, Persaud said and it is hoped that discussions will start immediately on the next step.

He added that joining the programme is also necessary if Guyana is to maintain its forestry market in Europe.

“Last year we exported close to US$7M in forestry products to Europe and Europe has been a growing market and certainly Europe is demanding that countries that export too are compliant and also be part of the EU FLEGT programme so if we want to maintain and even enlarge our forest market share in Europe this is also a necessary requirement.”

According to Persaud, because there has been sound sustainable forest management practice at the national level compliance with the programme would not see Guyana having to invest a large sum or make any radical policy changes.

“It’s more or less honing and tuning what we have to ensure that we’re also compliant to the European partnership … but there will be some outlay, both from the stakeholders and from the government standpoint but our intention is to work very closely with the stakeholders to build capacity,” he said.

A lot of the changes operators would have to make would be in the area of record-keeping and strengthening management systems, Persaud added. He noted there is already some level of compliance in these areas.

Persaud said the government will be talking to the EU and other partners about the provision of assistance to help build local capacity for compliance with EU FLEGT.

Grounded In Facts- Syracuse University help rural Guyanese assess true land worth

Written by Demerara Waves Tuesday, 06 March 2012 14:38

(MAXWELL PERSPECTIVE/MAXWELL SCHOOL OF SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY)

Jane Read (left), an investigator in a large study of land use in Guyana, with Anthony Cummings, a doctoral candidate whom she recruited to the project; they’re reviewing one of the atlases created for the project (by undergraduate geography majors).

For nine months, Anthony Cummings walked sections of forest in Southwest Guyana making notes about the trees there, including fruit-bearing trees that support wildlife which is, in turn, a key food source for native populations. These trees are significant to indigenous populations for other, traditional uses, such providing material for a bows and arrows. And, raising significant concerns among the natives, these trees are of increasing interest to loggers who have begun operations in the region.

Cummings, a Maxwell doctoral student in geography, was collecting data for Project Fauna, a study funded by the National Science Foundation (one of the largest NSF-funded studies of its kind). Project Fauna is a six-year interdisciplinary project that includes data collection in 23 communities across 20,000 square miles of Guyana’s North Rupununi region. Researchers involved in the study represent at least 10 academic institutions on two continents.

“We were trying to learn how the indigenous people were impacting their environment and, in turn, how the environment was impacting their culture,” says Jane Read, associate professor of geography and one of the investigators on the project. She recruited Cummings, originally from Guyana, to assist

Cummings was a natural fit, having worked in the region since earning a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Guyana in 1999, most recently helping communities of the North Rupununi develop guidelines for natural resource management.

In addition to staff researchers, such as Cummings, the project relied heavily on Guyanese in each community to assist with weekly data gathering. “Each household was surveyed to find out if they hunted, where they hunted, and what they hunted,” he says. “There were also people walking specific areas to look for wildlife or signs of wildlife.”Although local contributors were paid for their efforts, the investigators wanted to give something back to the communities for their assistance. In April, leaders of 23 Rupununi communities were presented with atlases that provide detailed information about the topography, vegetation, and wildlife of their land.

 “These are communities in transition,” says Cummings. “Long very isolated, they now have a major road going through. There are logging and mining operations coming in.” The atlases, he adds, help natives better assess their use of their own environment, and provide concrete underpinnings to any land-use negotiations they face.

 “Most of these communities have legal title to their lands,” Cummings explains. “The state has given them a portion of land that they are supposed to manage forever, and that includes wildlife. The atlases provide the people with real data, with which to make decisions about their populations and about managing their wildlife.”

 The atlases were created by geography undergraduate students Phil Curtis ’10 and Paul Koster ’11. Both had been Read’s students in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, learning technologies that were instrumental in the project’s data collection phase. Curtis had also taken a cartography course, which he put to use designing the template for the atlases. Each atlas contains maps and charts showing spiritual sites, vegetation, animal species, population information, primary food sources, and hunting patterns.

 “For instance, the people would record what animals they hunted and where by creating little Xs on these photocopied maps,” says Curtis, now a graduate student in environmental science at the University of California-Santa Barbara. “Paul and I would use satellite imagery to put all these points exactly where they belonged on the real map. Once this data was created, we could make the individual maps to create the atlases.”

 Adds Koster, who will begin studying environmental law next fall, “Working on a large-scale project like this really helped me gain an understanding of what a powerful tool GIS is for displaying environmental data and being able to communicate scientific data to the general public.”

 — Renée Gearhart Levy

Renée Gearhart Levy is a freelance writer, specializing in higher education, based in

Fayetteville

,

N.Y.

. To request a copy, e-mail dlcooke@maxwell.syr.edu.

Gov't to challenge Opposition committee vote in court

 Written by Kwesi Isles Wednesday, 07 March 2012 15:31

 The government is heading to court to challenge the constitutionality of an opposition move in parliament which has left it with less committee representation than it believes it deserves.

At his weekly post-Cabinet news briefing on Wednesday Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon said they will be addressing the matter at the parliamentary and judicial levels.

 “Motions have been drafted and I suspect have already been presented at the level of parliament questioning those decisions and requesting the House to declare them null and void. The governing party is approaching the constitutional court to have those same remedies provided,” he said.

 Contacted afterward AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan said that it was well within the ambit of the parliament to decide on the composition of the committees.

 “Judges ought not to be deciding on matters in the legislative since the constitution leaves the matter up to the members of parliament,” he stated.

 According to Ramjattan, if it is a case that they are in breach of the constitution then he is glad that the government is heading to court and not “terrorising” the opposition like they are doing with the Guyana Cricket Board.

 AFC Executive member, Moses Nagamootoo expected the government to have its "merry way" in court unless it could prove that parliament's vote has violated the constitution or other law. "We will welcome any challenge that he (Luncheon) may wish to raise in and outside of the courts on this issue."

 Nagamootoo accused the PPPC of using the court to play delaying tactics in holding up the work of the committees. "The fact is that do so is, I believe, a filibuster is to prevent the committes from being formed, to prevent the committees from working, and to sabotage what could have been a new and exciting journey working parliamentary democracy in Guyana," he said.

 The issue at hand is the AFC and APNU on February 10 voting to change the membership of the committees from 10 representatives to nine with the PPP/C and APNU having four each and the AFC one. The ruling party which has the most seats in the House but one less than the combined opposition was in favour of 10 representatives per committee with it having five, the APNU four and the AFC one.

 But the opposition MPs said the government’s proposal would lead to gridlock and they used their one seat majority to defeat the PPP/C motion and ruled that the Committee of Selection would have nine members.

 On Wednesday Dr. Luncheon said the opposition’s imposition violates the “principle of proportionality of parties” and their seating in parliament and in committees of parliament.

 According to Luncheon, the collaboration between the parliamentary opposition parties was leading o grossly unprincipled actions. He added that it was a betrayal of parliamentary norms and an abuse of constitutional provisions.”

 At the last sitting the PPP/C government had argued that it should have the largest representation on the committees since it won the most votes at the November 28 polls.

 “Whether there is a combined opposition or not is of no relevance now, the issue is the strength of each party and there is not a minority on the government side. It is incongruous to think of a party that gets 49.230 percent of the votes having the same number of seats in a committee, four, as the party that got 40 percent of the votes (APNU) and therefore one has to deal with balance and fairness,” government MP Gail Teixeira had argued.

 The combined opposition parties had also maintained their position on the nine-member composition of the other committees when the Committee of Selection met recently and Dr. Luncheon said the Cabinet is “unwilling to accept the dispensation and was inclined to confront the wrongdoings.”

Gold Port Resources: First Twin Hole Results Confirm Historic Gold Zone at Groete Creek

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Gold Port Resources Ltd. CA:GPO +11.11%

Highlights:

Twin Hole TW96-13 Returned 50.3 Meters Of 0.56 Grams Per Tonne Gold, With The Historical Hole Value At 0.615 Grams Per Tonne Gold Over 50.3 Meters

Hole GC-2-2012 Expands Mineralization South

Hole GC1-2012 Confirms Fault Boundary To The West

Seven Historical Drill Sites Located

Second Acker Core Drill Rig On Site

Gold Port Resources Ltd. CA:GPO +11.11% ("The Company") is pleased to report the preliminary results of the first twin hole, and two additional holes, completed at the Groete Creek Gold Copper Project, Guyana. This historic gold copper project is located in Cuyuni Mining District 4, approximately 60 kilometers southwest of Georgetown, the Capital of Guyana, and close to the city of Bartica, a town of 15,000 people. Access is by dirt road from Manaka, directly to the project area.

Hole TW96-13 was a twin hole of historical GC96-13, as drilled by Caribbean Basic Industries Ltd. (subsidiary of Coeur d' Alene Mines) in 1996, and has provided an approximation of the historical results for this hole. Hole GC-1-2012 was drilled west across a fault and has confirmed the termination of mineralization across this fault. Hole GC-2-2012 was drilled approximately 125 meters south of the southern most historic drill collar and has confirmed the presence of gold mineralization, potentially expanding the gold zone south. A second Acker drill rig has been moved onto the project site for additional drilling.

Between 1994 and 1996, an area of the project was drilled by CADMICO and Caribbean Basic Industries (a subsidiary of Coeur d'Alene Mines). A total of seven historical holes from this program have been located by either original drill collar or drill pad site. Hole TW96-13 was the first original drill collar located, and provided solid physical evidence of the historical hole location. Hole TW96-13 was sited to within 3 meters of the original collar location of GC96-13, drilled at 169 degrees south, and drilled at a 45 degree angle, replicating the historical hole direction as closely as possible. The historic drill grid, which measure approximately 1,200 meters east to west and 250 meters north south, locates hole TW96-13 at the western most portion of the historical gold zone, on the outer fringe of the known mineralized zone.

Drill core was split and bagged on site, and then transported to ACME Laboratories of Guyana (a Certified Laboratory) for processing. Company security personnel were in possession of the drill core until delivery to the laboratory. Every twentieth core sample, the half core sample split was further divided into two samples and duplicate samples were submitted as a check on the assaying accuracy. ACME inserted its own blanks as standards during assaying. The sample interval was 1.5 meters in the recently completed drill hole and also in the historical drill hole. Work was conducted under the supervision of Mr. Paul Pelke, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Sample preparation was completed at ACME Laboratories (Certified) of Guyana, with final assay work completed by ACME Laboratories (Certified) of Santiago, Chile. Assay was by 30 gram fire assay.

Both the historical results and twin results identify multiple gold zones beginning at surface. In reviewing the historical drill hole 96-13 for a 2009 43-101 report on the Groete Creek project for Gold Port Resources, three significant gold intervals in 96-13 were identified: a near surface zone in the saprolite, an interval from 50.3 meters through 100.6 meters and an interval from 109.8 meters through 117.4 meters. For purposes of comparison, intervals corresponding as close as possible to those historical intervals were selected in the recently completed twin drill hole.

The top three meters of the historic drill hole averaged 0.25 grams per tonne gold, while the top 4.5 meters of the 2012 twin drill hole averaged 0.495 grams per tonne gold. These values clearly show the nugget effect present in the near surface saprolite. For the 50.3 meter intervals ranging from 50.3 meters through 100.6 meters, there were two differences between the recent and the historical drill holes. In the historical drill hole, there were seven sample intervals which were above 1 gram per tonne gold, while four samples above 1 gram per tonne gold were found in the recent drill hole. In addition, one of the seven intervals in the historic drill hole showed 7.7 grams per tonne gold while the most closely corresponding interval in the recent drill hole showed 0.654 grams per tonne gold. For purposes of comparing the recent to the historical drill hole, the 7.7 gram per tonne value was cut to 1.0 grams per tonne gold in the historical drill hole.

After making the above adjustment, the whole hole average for the recent drill hole was 0.276 grams per tonne gold over 238 meters total depth, while the historical drill hole had an overall average grade of 0.297 grams per tonne gold over 206.9 meters total depth. For the 50.3 meter interval from 50.3 meters through 100.6 meters, the recent drill hole had an average grade of 0.560 grams per tonne gold while the historical drill hole had an average grade of 0.615 grams per tonne gold.

The 7.2 meter interval from 109.8 meters through 117.4 meters had an average grade of 0.423 grams per tonne gold in the recent drill hole while the historical drill hole had an average grade of 0.510 grams per tonne gold.

Gold mineralization is encountered to the bottom of both the current and historic drill holes, from 117.4 meters to Total 'Depth (TD). TW96-13 averaged 0.226 grams per tonne gold over 120.6 meters, to its bottom at 238 meters. GC96-13, the historic hole, averaged 0.228 grams per tonne gold over this interval to its bottom at 206.9 meters. The recent Gold Port drill hole confirms that mineralization extends at least another 30 meters deeper than the historical mineralization. Copper results are expected shortly.

Two additional drill holes are being reported. Drill Hole GC1-2012 was located 300 meters southwest of hole TW96-13 and across a fault. As expected, it did not encounter gold mineralization.

Drill Hole GC2-2012 was drilled approximately 125 meters south of the southern most historical drill collar, and to 255 meters depth. The Hole was drilled at minus 45 degrees and at an azimuth of 169 degrees. The drill hole showed gold mineralization in the top 75 meters, returning 0.363 grams per tonne gold from surface to 24 meters, and averaging 0.231 grams per tonne gold for the entire top 75 meters. This drill hole has gold in both the saprolite and the bedrock, and shows that the mineralization extends at least another 125 meters further south from the area of historical drilling. Further drilling to expand the mineralized zone is underway.

Hole TW96-13 is the first of an anticipated seven twin historical drill holes located at the Groete Creek Gold Copper Project. The objective is to provide P and E Mining Consultants Inc. (Brampton, Ontario Canada) the necessary confirmation data to re-calculate the historical gold zone to NI 43-101 standards. Drill holes have been located to potentially expand the historical deposit to the south, north, and east. Further assays are pending.

A second Acker drill rig has now been located on the project. It will replace the current Acker rig during a refitting and upgrade program. The Company will be running two rigs consecutively upon completion of the refitting work.

Historical work completed at the Groete Creek Gold Project prior to the Gold Port program has totaled approximately 3,000 meters of core drilling. These results identified a gold copper zone approximately 1,200 meters in length and 300 meters in width. At the end of this program, in a report titled the Groete Creek Gold Project date December 1996 by Glen Attwood for Caribbean Basic Industries Ltd., a drill indicated geological resource of 93.65 million tonnes averaging 0.594 grams per tonne gold and 0.11% copper at a 0.10 gram per tonne cut-off was completed. The estimate was calculated using a simple polygonal in cross section (geologic resource in cross-section), and a hypothetical pit-outline assuming a maximum slope angle of 50 degrees.

CAUTION: The historical estimate presented above is relevant to the further exploration of the project which, the Company is currently undertaking with a drill program. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral-resources or mineral reserves; and the Issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves; therefore they should not be relied upon. The term " drill indicated geologic resource" is a historical term used by CBI and is not comparable to the CIM defined resource, and should be compared to a potential mineral deposit requiring further exploration drilling to define an initial resource. There is no recent drill information on the Groete Creek Gold Project, and further drilling will be required to upgrade and verify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource, and there is no certainty that this can be accomplished. The content of this press release was reviewed by Mr. Paul Pelke, a Qualified Person under NI-43-101 and a geological consultant to the Company.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Gold Port Resources Ltd.

Adrian F.C. Hobkirk,President and Chief Executive Officer - adrianh@resourceexploration.com

For further information, contact Adrian Hobkirk at 714-316-3272 or email: adrianh@resourceexploration.com or Allan Feldman at AJF Consultants Ltd. at 604-948-9663 or email: AJFConsultants@aol.com. www.goldportresources.com

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed the content of this News Release and therefore does not accept responsibility or liability for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this News Release. This news release contains certain " forward- looking statements " within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward- looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Gold Port Resources Ltd.

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

Suparna Gold Commences Diamond Drilling at Sara Creek Concession

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Mar 01, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Suparna Gold Corp. ("Suparna" or the "Company") CA:SUG -6.67% is pleased to announce that a 5,000 metre diamond drilling program, to be completed by Surecore Portable Diamond Drilling Ltd., has commenced on Suparna's Sara Creek Property located in east central Suriname, South America. Drilling activities are expected to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure a continuous operation.

The first eleven holes, planned for the Gran Creek target area within the central part of the Sara Creek Property, have been delineated to investigate a lithological contact zone (mafic and felsic units) associated with an implied shear zone. The shear zone is associated with two sets of vein systems (shear and tension veins) within the mafic unit, both of which may be auriferous. Initial investigations on drillcore show that the first hole, GRA-001 (end of hole at 214 m) has intersected surface clay and saprolite as well as underlying felsic and metavolcanic units, both of which contain sulphide rich (pyrite and chalcopyrite) sections associated with quartz veins.

Assay procedure

The Company uses both Filab Suriname and the Assay Office in Suriname for sample preparation and fire assays and periodically inserts blanks with sample submissions in conjunction with the Company's QA/QC procedures. In addition, the Company will be sending a percentage of prepared samples to SGS Peru (ISO certified) for additional QA/QC measurements.

About Suparna Gold Corp.

Suparna is an exploration company with its flagship Sara Creek Property located in the highly prospective Guiana Shield in Suriname, South America. The Sara Creek project has a large property position in the Guiana Shield covering 56,920 hectares, and is located approximately 150 air kilometres to the south of Paramaribo, the capital city of Suriname.

Mr. Nico Scholtz, Pr. Sci. Nat., is the "qualified person", as defined in National Instrument 43-101, who has reviewed and approved the technical content in this press release.

Reader Advisory

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's proposed drilling program and exploration activities. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada, the United States and globally; industry conditions, including fluctuations in commodity prices; governmental regulation of the mining industry, including environmental regulation; geological, technical and drilling problems; unanticipated operating events; competition for and/or inability to retain drilling rigs and other services; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; volatility in market prices for commodities; liabilities inherent in mining operations; changes in tax laws and incentive programs relating to the mining industry; and the other factors described in our public filings available at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Suparna Gold Corp.

Michelle Gahagan

President

(604) 639-4459

mgahagan@IntrepidFinancial.co.uk

SOURCE: Suparna Gold Corp.

mailto:mgahagan@IntrepidFinancial.co.uk

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

NVMN Executes Option Agreement for 2,567 Hectare Diamond & Gold Property with Exciting Resource Surveys

MARCELLUS, N.Y., Feb 29, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nova Mining Corp. NVMN +4.00% announced today that the Company has executed an Option Agreement with Natural Resources Recovery Guyana (NRRG) regarding five diamond, gold and timber harvesting concessions totaling 2,567 hectares (6,000 acres) in Northeastern Guyana, South America. Under the Agreement, both parties are to negotiate, in good faith, an Investment and Profit Sharing Agreement related to the concessions. The terms of the Option is 60 days, during which Nova Mining management will conduct due diligence on NRRG's concessions and resource survey results.

The concessions are located in the Upper Cuyuni Basin - Greenstone Belt, Guyana, between the country's border with Brazil and Venezuela. All permitting and mining licenses have been secured from the Guyana Mining Commission and verified by a Guyana-based law firm specializing in mineral rights.

Subject to affirming the assertions by NRRG, Nova Mining management believes that acquiring an interest in NRGG's Guyana concessions could prove to be a very lucrative move for the Company.

Nova Mining Corp. (NVMN) strongly believes that current market conditions are extremely favorable for diamond prices and sales due to the new significant demand being placed on the existing worldwide diamond supply. New manufacturing methods requiring superior cutting materials, the need for more diamond tipped oil drilling bits and rapidly rising demand in Asia resulted in a staggering price increase of 49% in the first half of 2011, accelerating after two years of 30% annual growth. Due to these steadily increasing market trends, the Company is initially focusing on diamonds, but is also looking to build a mining asset portfolio that contains copper and gold resources.

Nova Mining Corp. (NVMN) aggressively searches out and acquires the most promising strategic mining resources worldwide. NVMN competes in an industry sector that includes the Harry Winston Diamond Corporation HWD +0.38% , the Hecla Mining Company HL +0.79% AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. AU -0.45% , and Harmony Gold Mining Ltd. HMY -0.54% .

About Nova Mining Corp. (otcqb:NVMN)

Nova Mining Corporation is a Nevada corporation listed on the OTCQB under the trading symbol NVMN. The Company's is a growth-focused company that seeks to acquire an international portfolio of viable mining projects ready for further development. The Company operations philosophy includes securing local partners with strong management abilities and proven records for low production cost and high return on investment. Nova Mining is listed on the NASDAQ OTC exchange under the symbol NVMN.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements that include the words "believes," "expects," "anticipate" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, description of anyone's past success, either financial or strategic, is no guarantee of future success. This news release speaks as of the date first set forth above and the company assumes no responsibility to update the information included herein for events occurring after the date hereof.

SOURCE: Nova Mining Corp.

For Nova Mining Corp.

Carmen Joseph Carbona, 315-558-3702

Copyright Business Wire 2012

Guyana continues to work with Brazil on hydropower

Dear Editor,

Please allow me to point out some inaccuracies and to shed some light on some of the questions raised in the article, ‘Greenidge questions suitability of Amaila Falls for Hydropower‘ published in the Kaieteur News of Monday, February 27, 2012.

In summary, Guyana has not ignored the offers from Brazil but, rather, continues to aggressively work with Brazil as quickly as the procedures and processes of the two governments allow. Amaila has always been short-listed as a good site for development. Current electricity generation in Guyana is based on the most up-to-date medium-speed, HFO-fuelled diesel engines which best match our demand, in terms of the daily load curve and the off-service times of units for regular maintenance and rare emergencies. Whilst annual payments to Amaila hydro are more than the purchase price of imported fuels, today, Amaila offers 40% more electricity at constant annual payments, whilst knowledgeable authorities project continued rises in petroleum prices.

To expand on the above, let me firstly assure Mr Greenidge and the people of Guyana, that following the meeting and joint communiqué issued by Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo and Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, a Brazilian government mission came to Guyana, and subsequently an MOU was entered into for the Brazilian side to develop a study of potential hydropower sites within the Mazaruni and Potaro river basins, including diversions within and between the two basins. Previous studies which are in the control of Guyana would be made available as a starting point. Consistent with this MOU, arrangements are presently being made with the Brazilian government for a consortium of two large Brazilian hydropower design and construction companies to pursue the relevant feasibility studies, which are a requirement for such major projects.

Both the Guyanese and Brazilian governments are keeping before them the attractive possibilities for the development of hydropower sites in Guyana, for sale of electric energy to Brazil, specifically into northern Brazil which itself is still at a relatively early stage of development, and in which various supporting infrastructure is to be, and is being, developed. Whilst remaining open to the outcome of the studies, but taking account of the distances involved, rules of thumb would suggest that production and export/import of at least 1000 MW would be desirable, with probably 500 MW being the economic minimum.

For sure, Guyana’s domestic needs of less than 150 MW could readily be met from any such large hydropower development, and unit costs are likely to be lower than costs at a site developed solely for satisfaction of Guyana’s own domestic demand. The question is, when will a large hydropower be actually in place, and should we not proceed with plans to satisfy our own domestic needs.

Governments, even with the best of intentions, are constrained by many factors: first of all elections cycles and election results; different personalities with different focuses and different prioritizations, even within the same party when returned to government; and, of course, the timing which makes good economic sense, and the availability of financing. We are, nevertheless, encouraged by recent discussions with our Brazilian counterparts.

I recall at the time of our nationalization of the DEMBA operations, 1971-72, losing one of our best general foremen on holiday, having been involved in a traffic accident on the then unsurfaced road from Bon Fim to Boa Vista, and hearing all the talk then that that road was to be surfaced within a year or two – it wasn’t completed until about 2000! Similarly, the Takutu Bridge had been under discussion since about 1970! Governments are no less earnest than others, but government procedures and processes are subject to far more uncertainties.

This government, quite likely as the preceding one, has judged that whilst prices are likely to be lower for electricity from some large hydropower development, such as for a large smelter which might be built in Guyana or for export sale to Brazil or elsewhere, it is prudent to pursue a hydropower development to meet our local domestic needs in good time.

It is very true that development of hydropower sites in Guyana has long been a dream of our people. Thus, the government of the day, in 1976, had a MONENCO report that identified sixty- plus sites and which recommended fifteen, including Amaila, for further study. A review by SWECO, in 1982, identified six sites for focus – Tiger Hill, Tumatumari, Tiboku, Amaila, Kaieteur and Upper Mazaruni, listed roughly in order of increasing size. The first four would be aimed at meeting existing local needs – the last three could meet the additional needs of a local smelter, or for export.

Tiger Hill, Tumatumari and Tiboku are each less than the 125 MW we need today. Amaila falls in both groups – the geography of its location is good, with one of the lowest development costs per MW in Guyana. Utilizing only the Kuribrong and Amaila rivers, Amaila is good for about 150-200 MW, but with diversions of water from the Upper Mazaruni and Upper Potaro, it could be increased to about 1100 MW. The topography at the Kaieteur Falls on the Potaro is similar to the Amaila Falls on the Kuribrong, and similar developments can be done around the Kaieteur, as at Amaila. For such, and additional, reasons, in the estimation of many, including the late Mr Joseph O’Lall, Amaila was judged to be the most suitable site for development to satisfy local domestic needs.

The adjacent Potaro and Mazaruni river basins, the subject of the current MOU between the Governments of Brazil and Guyana, hold the potential for some 4000 MW, or more, out of the total potential of some 7000 MW for Guyana. The SWECO Upper Mazaruni design, which the government was pursuing in the mid-1970s, projected a single power station of up to 3000 MW, with a huge flooded area instead of the cascade of four or more stations envisaged earlier by MONENCO, with much less flooding, much less storage, much less smoothing of power developed through the year, and likely higher costs. In these days, flooding and displacements are treated with much less disdain than in the 1970s, and the now prevailing formalized environmental and social impact study procedures set very high standards for approval.

Whilst, on the one hand, Mr Greenidge seems to be taking the government to task for not proceeding expeditiously and earnestly with large hydropower development for export to Brazil, be assured, on the other hand, of very public procedures and processes for consideration and mitigation, if at all possible, of negative environmental and social impacts on any, and all, stakeholders of any such developments.

Thirdly, allow me to address, and to expel from Mr Greenidge, any view that “electricity generation in Guyana has been based on outdated technology.” The medium-speed Wartsila, HFO-fuelled diesel engines on which we have been standardizing, have been meeting the best specifications in the world for gensets of that size. The question of utilizing high-cost imported fuels is a matter of choosing the realistically lowest-cost alternative available to us, here and now. Yes, petroleum is costly – and yet, a good portion of the electricity generated in the world is based on petroleum fuels and incurs much the same costs as we do. As reported a few months ago in a Caricom Energy Review, Hawaii, utilizing petroleum fuels, has an electricity tariff of US34 cents per kwh, much the same as obtains in Guyana. Electricity prices, like everything else, reflect to a great degree the “natural advantage” of the location. In our current circumstances, we have not so far been able to be persuaded of a lower-cost alternative to meet our demands. For decades, hydroelectricity has been a tantalizing possibility on the horizon – in Amaila, we think we now have it!

Finally, let me assure Mr Greenidge, along with our fellow Guyanese, that a number of issues to which he has alluded, are before us, and we do have answers:-

: bringing the large, greater-than-1MW customers, like Banks DIH and DDL, and other large, industrial customers on the grid, with the related issues of tariff rebalancing – there are studies on these specific issues, and no one would be worse off for having Amaila;

: regarding the requirement of at least three weeks off-line of any hydro-station (or independent part thereof) for checks and maintenance within one year of start-up, and every five years thereafter – yes, GPL will keep its sets maintained and will do the best at the time, as for example, take power from any other hydropower station connected, or pursue short-term rental of emergency sets;

: regarding payments of about US$100 million annually to the hydropower station, as stated in the article, against fuel purchases, now, of about US$90 million, Amaila will supply up to 40% more electricity than we generate today. The annual payment to the hydro will be fixed for the 20-yr BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer)-life, then be dropped to no more than 15% of the earlier price, whilst fuel prices are expected to be volatile but steadily increasing, particularly so when the cost of fossil fuels must carry the cost of removal of the CO2 from the atmosphere.

Let me express my appreciation for this opportunity to address questions which were in the mind of Mr Greenidge and, no doubt, many others. This response would, undoubtedly, present only a few steps in educating ourselves about electricity generation and costs, our hydro potential, and what would be involved in hydropower development.

Yes, Amaila would be one of the biggest single developments undertaken so far within our country. Certainly, we must do all we can to avoid errors, and to this end, at least four groups are subjecting the plans to independent review.

We always work and hope for success, but the future is never known and it often comes with a few surprising turns; nonetheless, we must go on ever hoping that fortune will smile on us and that our people will consider us kindly.

Yours faithfully,

Samuel A Hinds

Prime Minister

Minister Priya Manickchand for Education Ministers conference in Suriname

Details

Published on Monday, 27 February 2012 21:24

Written by Super User

Education Ministers of the Americas will meet in Paramaribo Suriname to discuss a number of issues to transform education in the region, including the role of teachers.

Guyana will be represented at the March 1-2 meeting by Education Minister Priya Manickchand.

This news cast spoke with education minister Priya Manickchand via telephone on the upcoming education ministers of the Americas meeting in Paramaribo.

She pointed out that even though Guyana’s education system has advanced over the years there is room for improvement.

She plans to share some of Guyana’s achievements in the education sector with the region.

The event coordinated by the organization of American states o-a-s seeks to analyze the current status of the teaching profession in the region, and propose policies and strategies that strengthen the role of professional educators.

During the two-day meetings, the ministers will hold nine plenary sessions, seeking to determine what kind of teaching today’s student requires and what role governments play in ensuring quality education for all.

They will discuss educational institutions, proposing mechanisms to strengthen partnerships among educational institutions and other sectors.

The ministers will analyze priorities for cooperation among countries, suggest concrete actions in the framework of the OAS to strengthen the role of teachers and review progress made in the previous ministerial mandates.

The seventh meeting of the ministers of Education will be inaugurated on Thursday march 1 by the president of the host country, Desi Bouterse, the OAS secretary general, José Miguel Insulza and the minister of education and community development of Suriname, Raymond Sapoen. The meeting will be held on March 1 and 2.

And the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 is...

Published Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Miss India Worldwide contestants Alana Seebarran of Guyana (L) and Eram Karim of India compete in the evening gown segment of the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo, late. Seebarran was crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012, after contestants of Indian origin but from 35 different countries competed in the pageant. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is applauded by Bollywood actor Aftab Shivdasani (R), after being crowned the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is applauded by other contestants after she was crowned the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin but from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana (R) reacts next to contestant Varsha Ramrattan of Suriname as Seebarran is crowned the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 by her predecessor Ankita Ghazan from Australia in the 23rd edition of the pageant, next to contestant Varsha Ramrattan of Suriname (L), in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide 2012 Alana Seebarran of Guyana (C) poses with runner-up Anvita Sudarshan of Kuwait (R) and second runner-up Olivia Rose of Australia, after the judging of the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide 2012 Alana Seebarran of Guyana (C), poses with runner-up Anvita Sudarshan of Kuwait (R) and second runner-up Olivia Rose of Australia, after the judging of the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin but from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)