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Still more questions than answers on Lindo Creek killings

– Rohee urges end to speculation

`The Ministry of Home Affairs is further concerned about another area of speculation that has recently opened up in the media. This has to do with the availability of a forensic pathology team from the United States of America and why are they not here in Guyana as yet. Here is a good example of the media intruding in a highly sensitive matter and seeking to drive the process by speculative means’

Though he called for an end to speculative media reports on the Lindo Creek killings, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee left many questions unanswered yesterday at a press conference, which dealt mostly with the incident that has spurred enormous interest here and abroad.

Instead the minister launched a verbal attack on the Stabroek News over three successive editorials in the past week and its ‘What the people say’ feature, published on Monday last. They all dealt with the Lindo Creek incident.

Reading from a prepared statement, Rohee said, “In an effort to appear balanced, the Stabroek News continues to (conjure) up much speculation pitching the Joint Services against public opinion and vice versa over the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the eight miners at Lindo Creek.” He said that in three recent editorials “it [Stabroek News] has kept up this highly speculative humdrum”.

The minister added that the newspaper continues to cast uncalled for aspersions at the Joint Services and pointed out that the newspaper went further with its weekly feature published on Monday. “In this regard, Stabroek News posed a most dangerous and reckless question for persons to answer, resulting in the passing of judgement on the Joint Services and deeming them guilty of an act for which there is not a single shred of evidence… An act which falls squarely within the purview of the scientific community and evidence based on credible and thorough criminal investigation.”

According to him, a question that may be asked is, “What if another newspaper was to carry out a survey by asking readers what they think about the publisher of one of Guyana’s dailies being a drug lord?” and questioned if this was the extent to which one would want to stretch such “contrived surveys”.

In a comment Stabroek News Editor Anand Persaud said that Rohee’s criticism of the `What the people say feature’ was unjustified. Persaud noted that the 10 persons interviewed had been simply asked for their views on the Lindo Creek murders and that question could in no way be construed as a “dangerous and reckless” as asserted by Rohee. Persaud said that similar questions had been asked about the earlier massacres and Guyanese should certainly be able to air their views on these matters. As to the three consecutive editorials, Persaud said the Lindo Creek killings warranted the fullest possible scrutiny. Persaud said the heightened interest has been spurred by the disjointed and unconvincing answers that have so far been provided on the massacre.

Rohee said another area of concern was speculation by the media on the availability of a US forensic pathology team. “The Ministry of Home Affairs is further concerned about another area of speculation that has recently opened up in the media. This has to do with the availability of a forensic pathology team from the United States of America and why are they not here in Guyana as yet. Here is a good example of the media intruding in a highly sensitive matter and seeking to drive the process by speculative means,” he said.

According to Rohee, the administration is keeping its options open and if the US team is unable to come then there are other options to choose from in the Caribbean.

After reading the entire statement, which addressed several other issues, the minister told reporters that questions could be asked. Rohee responded to some of the questions but when pressed for answers on the more critical issues, including the possible whereabouts of wanted man Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins, most of the minister’s answers were that he could not disclose any information.

The limited information resulted in frustration for reporters and things escalated when President of the Guyana Press Association, Denis Chabrol asked the minister what was the reason for calling the press conference if questions were being asked and not answered.

Evidently incensed, Rohee responded that Chabrol should be a bit more respectful adding that while Chabrol can speculate so can he. He later said he did not work with any media house and did not answer to the people but rather the government.

The questions on the Lindo Creek operation/investigation were met with hostility by the minister who bluntly refused to bring the media up to date on the hunt for `Fineman’.

Instead, he accused the media of being very speculative on the entire issue saying that the Joint Services should be allowed to investigate the matter before any conclusions were drawn.

The press conference ended about half an hour later with a battle between the minister and the media as the general consensus was that Rohee left room for speculation when he opted not to answer the questions fully.

Difficult terrain
Asked about the capture of Rawlins, who has been accused of carrying out the Lindo Creek attack, Rohee responded that people did not understand that the terrain he was in was not the Rupununi Savannahs or like Georgetown.

‘It is rigid and difficult terrain… City folks have a difficulty understanding that difficulty,” he said adding that it was a very complex situation that the Joint Services was dealing with. “Let us [the media] tread carefully on this matter. This cannot be a media driven event… Give them time to do their job so there wouldn’t be any speculation in the future.”

Asked if Joint Services ranks were being questioned, Rohee responded that it first had to be established that they were involved.

“The trail is probably a little cold. I can’t answer [whether] any area is on high alert,” he later said.
According to the minister, efforts were being made by the security forces to find the two guards who were at the UNAMCO checkpoint. How-ever, he would not disclose if they had already being found and questioned.

Prepared to wait
According to the minister, he does not know when the US team will arrive but is prepared to wait. “I can’t put a time frame on this. The main thing is to investigate this thing,” he said, adding that if he gives up the wait, there will be speculation.

Asked to give a timeframe, he responded, “I can only wait as long as I have to wait… When I have exhausted all of my patience.”

The minister said the family members of those presumed dead had gone to him during one of his public days and requested the remains. He said they were told that was not possible, as one could not determine which skull or bone belonged to whom and he did not want a situation where a family had the wrong set of remains.

He said he impressed upon the relatives to be patient and allow the pathologists to do their investigations. Rohee said they were also told that nothing could be handed over until the pathology investigation was completed and he advised the relatives to hold memorial services in the meantime.

Senior joint services officials have admitted that there was a number of outstanding questions to be answered. Stabroek News had been told that lawmen who visited the Lindo Creek campsite found evidence of some of the miners being tortured. This newspaper has been informed that one of the skulls found at the location had an impression suggesting that the person was beaten in the head. According to information reaching Stabroek News, on arrival at the camp all the lawmen found were burnt bones. The campsite has been sealed off to facilitate the work of the US forensic expert.

The eight men who were murdered were Nigel Torres, Bonny Harry, Cecil Arokium, Lancelot Lee, Horace Drakes, Dax Arokium, Clifton Wong and Compton Speirs.

Gilhuys
Meanwhile, responding to questions on Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys’ refusal to hand over his weapon on the night of the shooting in which a policemen was injured, Rohee said there were many cases like this but eventually the person recognized the wisdom to lodge the weapon and would do so.

“Many people have disobeyed an order to report to the station or to give statements… That is not an offence,” he said.

He added that the matter was now in the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Magistrate Gilhuys shot and seriously injured Police Corporal Mark George on Woolford Avenue last Thursday night. Police have since said that the magistrate’s vehicle was parked and the police had pulled up to do a routine checks when Gilhuys shot at them injuring George. The magistrate however denied this saying that it was the police who first fired, causing him to return fire, since he believed his life was at stake.

He handed over his gun to the police on Friday morning when he turned up to the station in the company of his lawyer Nigel Hughes. He was later released on station bail.

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21 Responses to “Still more questions than answers on Lindo Creek killings”

Arcadia Terry
on July 2nd, 2008 5:54 am

It Is time For this admistration to just pack up and go The people of Guyana had enough of the same Old song ,THE blame game time and time again The people need an admistration they can trust This admistration have failed the people of Guyana in many ways since taking the country we have the highest rate of crime and coruption in it’s history , how much more must the people of guyana endure from this admistration? I know Mr Rohee is very proud of this admistration track record for the history books of Guyana .

[Reply to this]
sandy
on July 2nd, 2008 7:51 am

So, the Minister feels that he does ”not answer to the people but rather the government.” So much for ministers of govt. being servants of the people. Very revealing indeed.

[Reply to this]
kmatt
In reply to the above comment on July 2nd, 2008 9:08 am:
Is it me, or is there a double standard when it comes to certain ethnic groups when atrocities happen. I am strating to believe this administration is dragging it’s feet.. Just as the adminstartion was outraged when the massacre occured at Lusigna and Bartica. Equal outrage should be showed in the falls massacre.

I WILL TELL YOU WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IN REGARDS TO THE INVESTIGATION AT THE FALLS. NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MR. NO IT ALL ROHEE, DO US A FAVOR AND SPARE US THE BED TIME STORIES!

[Reply to this]
La vie est bonne!
In reply to the above comment on July 2nd, 2008 7:38 pm:
This minister is a disgrace. He has failed in his duties numerous times. Yet he holds high office. This dictatorship has not once, fired, demoted or rebuked any of them for their shortcomings and total failure.
Only in a dictatorship this happens.
kmatt
on July 2nd, 2008 8:54 am

If this article does not answer how imcompetent this administration is, nothing will..TO ALL THOSE BLOGGERS OUT THERE THAT LIKE TO SING THE FINEMAN TUNE.. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF..THE GOVERNMENT AND IT’S ADMINISTRATION HAS NO CLUE WHERE FINEMAN IS..AND IF HE WAS EVER AT THE FALLS…PURE SPECULATION!

ALSO,IT’S ABOUT TIME THE MEDIA ASKED MR. NO IT ALL ROHEE SOME HARD QUESTIONS. keep it up guys it’s better late than never!

[Reply to this]
La vie est bonne!
In reply to the above comment on July 2nd, 2008 7:39 pm:
SN will never ask the tough questions of Rohee.
They are afraid their ads will be withdrawn again.
So much for free press!

[Reply to this]
raulcedras
on July 2nd, 2008 8:56 am

We need to start pressing the government to be more respectful to the people of guyana. We have to demand it

[Reply to this]
pelican_p
on July 2nd, 2008 9:34 am

The people has a right to know what is going on and in so doing there will be speculations. However , we have seen what has happened in some places around the world where the press reports on sensitive matters were blatantly inaccurate and lead to many killings.
So there has to be some balance. There were reports carried by the local press to the effect that the spent shells form the Lindo massacre were not linked the Fine man, and this clearly pointed to the accuracy of the rumors which linked the JS to the massacres . Amazing as it was the local press reported rumors as accurate news . These rumors were given front page treatment.
They never tried to get a comment from the Police or the Home Affairs Minister on these rumors. But the next day the Chronicle carried the JS rebuttal of those news paper reports and qualified them as baseless speculations.
A responsible Press would have at least tried to get comments from the GPF.
The Press cannot hope to get sensitive information on such an on going assignment and it would compromise the operation.
The reporting leaves one to believe that there is no reporting / journalistic standards and some observers have called it gutter journalism.

I sit on the fence and obeserve such unprofessionalism and wonder what is next in this comedy of errors and where it will lead us

[Reply to this]
Nick40H
on July 2nd, 2008 9:50 am

News flash to the Minister: The last time I checked, having been elected you are, in fact, answerable to the people. You may not respect them very much but that’s too bad. Now, if only the Constitution allowed for a recall vote to get rid of non-performing politicians…

[Reply to this]
rdman
on July 2nd, 2008 11:36 am

Rohee is lost at sea,and has run out of tricks,their propaganda machine has broken down,keep pressing him for answers,nice work media.

[Reply to this]
gtmassive
on July 2nd, 2008 11:43 am

Below is part of Kaieteur News report on the press conference. It gives a clearer picture of Rohee’s incompetence as a Minister. He has always been and remains nothing but a joke

I don’t know!’ ‘I can’t answer that question!’ ‘Who told you that?’ ‘I don’t work for the media!’ and, ‘Surprise was a race horse, but he died,’ were some of the answers that the media got yesterday from Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, when his office called a press conference.
This prompted many reporters, and even the President of the Guyana Press Association, Dennis Chabrol, to question Minister Rohee about the reason why he called a press conference in the first place.

[Reply to this]
La vie est bonne!
In reply to the above comment on July 2nd, 2008 8:19 pm:
Rohee is clueless, inept and a square peg in a round hole.
Cronyism is the motto of this regime. As long as you are a party loyalist it does not matter what your skills are. Your job is guaranteed.

[Reply to this]
BADLALL
In reply to the above comment on July 2nd, 2008 9:25 pm:
I read the race horse comment by Rohee. Thanks Mr Minister I did not know there was a race horse named Surprise who died. I would have asked him if Surprise had any relatives. . That is all this press conference achieved in informing the public that there was once a race horse that died . Nothing new from this incompetent person . To crown it all the media walked out on the free lunch, so who did he feed it to, can’t give it to a dead horse.

[Reply to this]
BADLALL
on July 2nd, 2008 12:10 pm

I guess if the CSI”S from the US does not ever arrive then Rohee will do nothing. The site is compromised and there is hardly anything there to investigate. The camp should be returned to it’s owner so as he can salvage whatever he can and hold some kind of memorial on site. Rohee is answerable to the govt only ….which one may i ask????/ Jagdeo govt or the PPP govt??????or the Region 11 govt.

[Reply to this]
miltonbruce
on July 2nd, 2008 12:30 pm

Did i read correctly? Rohee says he answers to the government and not the people? no wonder guyana is in a mess,,This cabal thinks that they are a separate entity from the people of the country what a laugh. By the way how qualified is Rohee.

[Reply to this]
deflect
on July 2nd, 2008 12:52 pm

In response to Pelican_P - When Government officials in Guyana feel that they should “not answer to the people but rather the government” and as such cannot level with the people or are trusted to do so, then speculations will always rule the roost. The display of arrogance / contempt by the PPPC government and its officials for the Guyanese public as a whole, and a certain ethnic sections of the population in particular are evident by their utterance and actions or lack of same.

By the same standards we ask the media to be more responsible, a position I agree with, the government and its representatives ought to be more so held as the current custodian of our constitution.

More vociferous investigative journalism is indeed needed in Guyana. Journalists should not only rely on regurgitate reporting.

[Reply to this]
opgy
on July 2nd, 2008 12:56 pm

Rohee was always lost! SN keep up deh good wuk - yuh gat he runnin!

Me nah answer to u, me does answer to deh Govament, dem is me bass!!

Every time Rotee open he mouth, he’s get he self in so much fire - time fuh yuh to resign - das waa deh people wyan - but oh I fuhget use wuk fuh deh govt - nah we people - an deh wyan yuh stay!

Weh deh gun move yuh nexx - the health ministry - gawd help we deh!

HaHa

SSDD

[Reply to this]
ciarahiggins
on July 2nd, 2008 3:40 pm

i still want to know what happen to the lindo creek munders .just as i suspected they said that fineman did the killings.u (jointservices) need to find the killers .i am concerned citizen.

[Reply to this]
cat
on July 2nd, 2008 10:53 pm

I think that horse that died got relatives still alive that can tell the story.Can some 1 tell me what is the home affairs mininster qualification?what and where did he study?ehhhhh ……………….u yourself can answer ……….1

[Reply to this]
BigMamauk
on July 3rd, 2008 12:05 am

poor people dying like dogs.. I am sick of that country.. a hugh wave from the atlantic need to just come and wash the whole place up and cleanse it of its sin and misery

[Reply to this]
BOEING777
In reply to the above comment on July 4th, 2008 11:19 am:
That’s rather crass… Guyana is below sea level… with the mis-management of the drainage today, that wave will cause too much devistation on the poor masses. I think the current regime needs to be purged, and a new and inclusive gov’t needs to be given a chance to take the reins.

[Reply to this]