Armed bandits rob money dealers

GEORGETOWN — With armed robberies becoming a way of life in Guyana and the greater Georgetown area in particular, the latest victims over the weekend were cambio operators on America Street, with one of them being deprived of some G$600,000 in cash (G$185=US$1).

It was a “movie-style” operation, the victims told the police, as they were ordered to lie face down by six heavily armed men in the middle of the street who disappeared in a matter of minutes.

The armed robbers were disguised in black clothes similar to what is worn by members of the special anti-crime squad. The police have been receiving reports of increasing incidents of armed bandits being dressed in stolen uniforms of members of the force and also army fatigues.

One of five escapees from the Georgetown Prison, Andrew Douglas, appeared in a videotape sent to a privately-owned anti-government television station, dressed in army fatigue and cradling an AK-47. He is wanted for murder and other crimes.

Six Guyanese policemen have been murdered in Guyana in the line of the duty since the start of the year. It is the highest incidence of cop killings in such a short period in the long history of the local police force.

Barbados’ ruling party gears for new poll

BRIDGETOWN — The governing Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has further stirred expectations of a possible early election before year-end with a call for all nominations of candidates to be completed “before October”.

A new general election is due by January 2003 and could constitutionally be delayed until March. But all indications point to the possibility that Prime Minister Owen Arthur may not wait until then.

Particularly, according to local political pundits, as Arthur feels he could gain from existing internal squabbles within the main opposition Democratic Labour Party over choices of candidates for the 280-member House of Assembly.

At the last general election, the BLP scored a resounding second five-year term by humiliating the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) with a 26-28 victory.

The DLP’s worst post-election pain came following last year’s by-election for the St Thomas constituency that became vacant with the resignation of its MP, David Simmons, former attorney-general and minister of home affairs, who subsequently became the country’s new chief justice.

The personality clashes and other issues of disagreement within the DLP led to the dramatic resignation of its leader and lawyer David Thompson, and the economist, Senator Clyde Mascoll was later elected in a tension-filled contest as president of the DLP.

Thompson has retained the post as parliamentary Opposition leader but seems to have lost the confidence of the only other DLP candidate in the House, St Lucy small businessman David Kellman.

Both the BLP and DLP have been screening candidates at constituency meetings but the BLP appears to be in a much better postion, or faced with far less problems in selecting potential candidates.