Dear Editor,

It is interesting to note that the US Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere – Thomas A Shannon Jr, and the Commander of the US Southern Command – Admiral James G Stavridis will be visiting the shores of Guyana on March 28 2008. Obviously, one will hope that this will be more than a photo opportunity or capitulating further into the arms of a despotic, morally bankrupt and intransigent regime.

As a US taxpayer I expect that those elected to serve us – be it Bush, Clinton or even McCain will be good stewards of our scarce tax dollars.

The last thing the US taxpayer needs is more rhetoric, empty promises and hoodwinking.

The mission will not be accomplished unless the USA demands full insistence on the following:

(A) The Guyana Government immediately surrenders those required by the DEA, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies in the US.

(B) The appropriate land and necessary support for the DEA office to be set up locally not next month or next year but now.

(C) Guyana ratifies and implements the Ship Rider Agreement forthwith as this will allow the US to send her F16 fighter jets into our airspace thus forcing and capturing all of the daily, illegal drugs and arms shipments that fly from deep within the Colombian Amazon unimpeded across Venezuela into Guyana. It is then trans-shipped to US, Canada and Western Europe.

Failing all of the above, then the US needs to proceed with the following:

(A) Immediately cut off all US economic and development assistance to Guyana.

(B) Cancellation of the US visas for all Government of Guyana officials including those of their family members locally and those studying abroad

(C) Freezing of the Government of Guyana assets abroad.

Yours faithfully,

Mike Singh