Dear Editor,
I refer to articles in your publication of August 31, 2012 captioned ‘Ex-narcotic agent reprimanded over assault of airport immigration officer’ and wish to emphatically confirm that at no time in the history of the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) was there an employee by the name of Jitindra Persaud.
I wish to point out that this is the second time in the past fortnight that that your publication has published articles which have portrayed CANU in a negative light, the first being on August 20, 2012 captioned ‘No explanation from CANU.‘
I am of the view that professional and responsible journalism demand that articles be subject to a verification process before being published; thus I advance the following questions:
Is it the practice of Stabroek News to publish articles without the necessary verification process being engaged?
Is the publication of these articles which are erroneous, a deliberate effort to tarnish the image of CANU and an attempt to demoralize the officers of the unit?
Is the publication of these articles an attempt to send a negative message, locally, regionally and internationally about the modus operandi CANU and its officers?
I take umbrage to and view seriously attempts to directly or indirectly attack, with misguided information any law enforcement agency and I wish to categorically state and reaffirm that the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) continues to fulfil its mandate all in the interest of national security.
Yours faithfully,
James Singh
Head
Customs Anti Narcotic
Unit
Editor’s note
The story of August 31, 2012, involved a court proceeding, and we are obliged like all other media entities to report only what happened during that proceeding and not introduce information which is extraneous to it.
The “article” to which Mr Singh refers on August 20, 2012 – ‘No explanation from CANU’ – was not a newspaper report which is subject to certain conventions, but a letter to the editor. Mr Singh was facilitated with a response, which was carried in SN as a lead letter on August 22, 2012, captioned ‘CANU did not request the detention of Jeannine Gittens’ container.’
