Six killed in Guyana road accident

GEORGETOWN — The Covent Garden community on the East Bank Demerara, south of the Guyana capital, was in mourning yesterday following one of the worst road accidents in recent times that left six people dead on Tuesday, including most members of one family.

The father, mother and two children of the Hamid family — husband Manzoor (45), wife Shakeela (45) and their 13 year-old son, Nabi and 14 year-old daughter, Celina, as well as their friends Balram Lochan (in his forties) and Roshanie Khan (22) perished in the accident on the Soesdyke highway.

Body parts and a completely wrecked Toyota motorcar greeted those who rushed to the scene of the tragedy that occurred in the collision involving two container trucks and the ill-fated car. All of the occupants of the car, driven by Lochan, died on the spot, with eyewitnesses reporting that one of them had been decapitated.

The police are investigating reports from villagers and claimed witnesses that the two Trade Wind Line container trucks were seen speeding along the highway in the direction of the mining town of Linden and the car was travelling in the opposite direction when the tragedy occurred.

OECS free movement meeting

CASTRIES — The initiative by governments of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to facilitate free movement of their nationals within the subregion moves a step further next Monday, March 11 with a meeting of Chief Immigration Officers and Comptrollers of Customs in St Lucia.

The heads of government of the OECS had agreed that participating member states will enact legislation by March 12 providing for new arrangements aimed at facilitating nationals of their countries to move freely within the subregion, stay as long as six months if they wish without having to obtain immigration extensions, and even seek employment, but for which work permit applications must be approved.

The proposed new legislation, expected to be uniform in the member states that have agreed to advance the process towards free movement, with the right to live and work, will make it possible to travel without a passport but with either a valid driver’s licence, social security card or voter identification card being produced at points of entry in the OECS countries.

Monday’s meeting by immigration and customs officials, at which representatives of the Regional Security System (RSS) will also be present, will be informed of a proposed public awareness programme being developed by the participating governments in support of the free movement initiative.

Going after video piracy

BRIDGETOWN — The Barbados police, in co-operation with the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Department, have decided to go after operators of video stores who are engaged in video piracy.

Dozens of video stores and other distribution/rental outlets have already been targeted, according to a report in Monday’s Barbados Advocate, which said that the confiscated copies will be held at the Queen’s Warehouse pending further investigation, including production of licences.

Involved in the piracy racket are popular movies not yet officially released in Barbados. Owners/operators of video stores would be required to produce dates of release and relevant documents to confirm legitimacy by making available their licences.

The authorities have received complaints of increasing piracy of videos that are being prematurely placed on shelves before films have been released for public viewing.

Some video store owners are themselves co-operating with the authorities with information against persons they claim possess elaborate technological facilities to copy videos and films for commercial use ahead of their release.