The Guyana Update - March 1997A publication of the Embassy of Guyana, Washington DC |
After a courageous battle for 21 days at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC, Guyana's President, Dr Cheddi Jagan finally succumbed to the heart attack he suffered in the city of Georgetown. Early Thursday morning on March 6 at 12:23, with immediate family members surrounding his bedside, the Guyanese Head of State departed peacefully from life. Dr Jagan was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Hospital after he suffered a heart attack at his official State House residence on February 14. A team of doctors there who attended the Head of State decided that further tests would be necessary to determine how serious damage was done and if surgery was necessary.
On the afternoon of Sunday February 15 he was admitted to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC after overnighting in Panama. Immediately upon arrival at the Walter Reed Hospital a series of tests were conducted on the President About five hours later on Sunday February 15 it was decided by the team of doctors in Washington that an angioplasty procedure, which lasted about four hours at the center's Cardiac Catherization Laboratory, was necessary to clear a clogged artery.
Soon after this procedure the President's condition became very serious. However, he was in a relatively stable condition and fully conscious on the morning of Monday February 17. He woke up to greet his daughter Nadira, after which he requested to see First Lady Janet Jagan. Mrs Jagan, their son Cheddi Jagan Jr, and daughter Nadira were staying in a suite at the hospital. They along with daughter-in-law Nadia took turns to stay by the President's bedside. Since his arrival at the hospital, the President remained fully conscious and alert, and communicated with his family by nodding and shaking his head and by scribbling short sentences before he took a turn for the worse.
After the angioplasty procedure, the 78 year old President was put on a cardiac life support system and respirator. Intermittently his blood pressure fluctuated but was normalized by the doctors and nurses attending him. At times he was lightly sedated to make him rest more comfortably. During the course of his medical treatment he also contracted an infection which was treated and put under control
Meanwhile, First Lady Janet Jagan assured the President "is receiving the best care and attention." She thanked the Guyanese people for their concern for the President and repeated that the family was deeply appreciative of this.
The Guyanese Leader was flown out of Guyana by a US Army medivac aircraft early Saturday afternoon to Panama and from there boarded another plane which landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. He was airlifted by helicopter to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC.
While leaving the Georgetown Hospital, the President waved and smiled to reporters who had gathered there for an update.
Dr Jagan returned to his residence at State House on Friday, February 14 at about 8:00 p.m, after a full days work. He and the First Lady had their usual chat after dinner, played with their dog, then the President watched TV for a while.
First Lady Janet Jagan said, "He ate heartily and we talked over the dinner table as we always did. At no time did he mention to me that he did not feel well."
Just around 11:45 p.m. he woke her up, and in the adjoining room and saw two doctors and nephew Dr Clive Jagan and was told that the President was unwell.
Meanwhile, at the Walter Reed Hospital, the President by March 1 was being fed some nutritious foods through a tube directly into his stomach. There was improvement in the President's heart function after the intra-aortic balloon counter pulsation device was removed from him on February 24. All along the President had been making "satisfactory progress" towards recovery, but by March 3 he took a turn for the worse.
His heart and lung functions at that point continued to deteriorate and doctors encountered problems with water gathering in his lungs. At the same time his blood-pressure kept fluctuating and so heavy sedation became necessary at that time. His end finally came early on March 6.
His final journey home to the land and people he so dearly loved was made on Friday March 7. The hero of the Guyanese nation departed Andrews Air Force Base around 11:00 am, with full military honors by the US Government, on Guyana Airways Boeing 757, the national flag carrier of his land. The entire nation mourns his death.
On Friday March 7, the United States Government bade final farewell to our dear President Cheddi Jagan as his body left Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC with full military honors.
At around 8:30 am on March 7, a Guyana Airways Boeing 757, the national flag carrier of the Republic of Guyana, touched down at Andrews Air Force Base. On board was a delegation of about 80, including 40 honor guards of the Guyana Defence Force, Parliamentarians, Ministers of the Government and other dignitaries.
Inside a VIP room, a goodbye ceremony was held for Dr Jagan by the US Government. Most of the Guyanese delegation wore black arm bands while others wore buttons with Dr Jagan's picture.
At the ceremony the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean and Latin American Affairs, John Hamilton, delivered remarks on behalf of the US Government noting Dr Jagan's important role in Guyana and the Caribbean and his close ties with the United States. Minister Reepu Daman Persaud replied on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana. Dr Jagan's son, "Joey", with his head shaved in the Hindu tradition after the loss of a father, read some very moving notes he made as his father lay dying.
Meanwhile outside, the Guyanese jet waited as United States Military personnel, dressed in blue uniforms and blue coats, marched by in formation and stood at attention beside a black hearse which had earlier entered the tarmac with the body of the President.
The well over one hundred people inside exited the VIP room. and on to the tarmac where the Guyana Airways plane waited. Out of the plane marched 40 Guyanese soldiers dressed in green camouflage and red berets. They were the Honor Guard of the Guyana Defence Force to take the President home. They marched beside the airplane and then to the hearse from where they formed a line to the plane.
The US Air Force Band then began a slow and beautiful, yet very sad, rendition of "Dear Land of Guyana" as five cannons behind the aircraft began their booming salute. The cannons gave the President a fitting 21-gun salute as US Marine and Navy soldiers delivered the casket with his body to the airplane.
The event was highly emotional as the casket draped in the Golden Arrow head, was carried and laid into the plane The aircraft bearing the President's body left Andrews Air Force Base at approximately 11:00 am.
On arrival of the President's body at Timehri International Airport the Guyana Defence Force gave their fallen Commander-in-Chief a 21-gun salute.
Guyanese turned out in tens of thousands on Friday March 7, to pay tribute to their fallen warrior as he returned home from his final battle at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC.
Holding aloft black flags of mourning and clutching posters of Dr Jagan, a mournful chant filled the air from the huge crowd around State House as the convoy accompanying his flag-draped casket ended its last lap of the journey from the Timehri International Airport.
As the National Flag Carrier touched down at the Timehri International Airport women hugged and patted each other, as the tears flowed.
Prime Minister Sam Hinds, who was sworn in as President at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday March 6, and his wife Yvonne, led the official airport party to receive the late President's body.
Government Ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and thousands of others were there for the arrival of the fallen leader.
A 96-member guard of honor by the Joint Services marched on to the tarmac to the beat of black-draped drums at about 4:05 p.m.
As Mrs Jagan descended the plane and hugged her way down the line of dignitaries she was calm, composed and an epitome of dignity. A 21-gun salute went up in tribute to the late President as his casket was lowered from the aircraft and on to the Army truck that led the cortege to the city.
Thousands of citizens transcending all ethnic groups, religions, and political affiliations lined the streets of the city for his arrival.
The crowd that waited dutifully for hours for the arrival of the cortege in the city from Timehri Airport on Friday March 7, looked for as long as they could through the open gates at State House. Then a large gathering remained under a huge tree opposite the entrance and unitedly sang hymns such as 'When the roll is called up yonder' and 'Blessed Assurance'.
Thousands of mourners viewed his body on the lawns of State House on March 8 and 9 as he lay in his casket under a striped green and white canopy.
On Monday, March 10, the official state ceremony was held on the forecourt of the Parliament Buildings with many Heads of State and other foreign delegations attending.
Brief tributes were given by President Sam Hinds; Mrs Jagan; Mr Reepu Daman Persaud; Mr Ashton Chase, and Dr Cheddi Jagan Jr. Brief remarks were also invited from the Parliamentary Minority parties while Home Affairs Minister Mr Feroze Mohamed delivered the eulogy.
After the official state ceremony the procession moved passed Freedom House, and then on to Berbice where the body of the late President was viewed from Monday evening until Wednesday morning (March 12) at the Albion Sports Complex. The cremation ceremony originally planned for Tuesday afternoon had to be postponed until Wednesday because of public demand to continue the viewing. Finally, he was taken for a private moment with family members at the home in Port Mourant where he was born and then on to the Port Mourant foreshore for cremation at 1:10 p.m.
Guyanese came from near and far deeply wounded by their President's death. They braved the sweltering sun and a few down pours to pay their last tribute to their fallen hero.
As the soldiers carried the casket of the President to the site for cremation, there was a heavy shower of rain.
Tens of thousands of people trekked to the site in a steady flow and sat around on the ground outside the barricaded cremation area. At around 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday March 12, his daughter and son lit the pyre for his cremation in the village where he was born on March 22, 1918. It was a very short, simple but momentous ceremony.
The over 100,000 persons who sat and waited all morning for the cremation were dressed in very somber colors.
Mr J.B. Raghurai, Administrative Manager for the Albion sugar estate said the site was made ready in three days. The Guyana Sugar Corporation provided a band of young women dressed in white as ushers for dignitaries and there were four fully-equipped ambulances with doctors standing by at the Port Mourant Hospital and Dispensary to treat any emergencies. Eight huge water containers were also set up by the corporation for the massive crowd. Several persons fainted and one was taken away with the ambulance.
As the rains came down, black umbrellas and a green tarpaulin were put up over the pyre.
For the cremation, 300 pieces of "Long John" wood, each four feet long, were stacked between layers of coconut shells and about 100 pounds of wood chips. About 20 pounds of ghee were used and mixed with pieces of camphor.
The body of the President was lifted in a white sheet and placed on the pyre. His son "Joey" and daughter Nadira set the pyre alight, using a torch made of wood with cloth wrapped around it at the end.
There was also an aircraft fly-pass in tribute to the fallen leader.
With the ceremony over, groups of people began to lingeringly move off, but thousands remained for hours after in silent tribute for the leader they so dearly loved.
On Saturday, February 22, the traditional Republic anniversary flag-raising ceremony at the National Park kicked off without the usual fireworks. The crowd was also thrilled by displays from members of the Joint Services.
The feature address was delivered by the then Acting President Sam Hinds in the absence of President Cheddi Jagan who was at the time hospitalized in Washington after suffering a heart-attack in Georgetown.
There was a 21 gun-salute as the Golden Arrowhead was hoisted at midnight, in front of a huge crowd. Government Ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and leader of the Minority, Desmond Hoyte, were among those present.
The Guard of Honor marched on to the tarmac at 10:20 p.m. to await the arrival of the Acting President. He was greeted on arrival by Minister of Education and Culture, Dr Dale Bisnauth; Army Chief of Staff, Brigadier Joe Singh; Commissioner of Police Laurie Lewis and Guyana National Service Director General, Colonel Clifford Klass.
Hinds, in his address, restated the Government's bid to establish partnerships with other groups in the interest of national unity. He stated: "We must guard our Guyana by unity and brotherly bonds."
President Samuel Hinds on March 15, after consultation with the PPP/Civic Alliance and on the advice of Cabinet, appointed Mrs Janet Jagan, MP, as Prime Minister and First Vice-President of Guyana.
President Hinds also named Minister of Agriculture, Mr Reepu Daman Persaud, as Guyana's Second Vice-President.
Mrs Jagan and Mr Reepu Daman Persaud were sworn in on Monday, 17 at 1:30 pm in the Credentials room at the Office of the President.
Minister of Health, Gail Teixeira has instructed Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green to begin immediate steps to start cleaning up the garbage in the city of Georgetown.
In a letter to the Mayor, the Minister said she had received "very grave concerns" from the Central Board of Health about the "deplorable sanitary condition" in Georgetown.
The Minister stated in her letter that: "The unsightly piles of fly-infested garbage, silted-up drains and canals overgrown with weeds all around the city, coupled with heaps of household garbage left uncollected for weeks and spilling into the streets in nearly every city block, are not only ugly sights to behold and a constant irritant to the citizens, but also pose serious public health hazards to the lives of our people . . ."
Minister Teixeira instructed Green to "immediately take steps to rectify the collection of garbage and to implement the general sanitation responsibilities with which as Mayor of Georgetown you have been entrusted."
President of the Guyana Bar Association, 64-year-old, Pearlene Roach was on Sunday March 9, found dead at her home on the East Bank of Demerara.
She was found with her hands tied behind her back, her eyes taped with masking tape as well as her mouth into which some cloth material was stuffed.
Police are looking for at least one person who can assist in the investigation.
Roach was a member of the Race Relations Commission and she also played a significant role on the committee dealing with the Abortion Laws.
The Ministry of Labor, which has responsibility for women's affairs expressed its shock and horror at the brutal nature of her death.
Some 121 Japanese and Korean women, who traveled to Guyana two months ago, entered the country a few at a time telling officials that they were medical practitioners who would be staying at hotels in Georgetown until plans had been finalized for them to work as "missionary volunteers" among the country's indigenous Amerindians.
However, none of their claims were true and they turned out to be lay members of Sun Myung Moon's Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity and of the Women's Federation for World Peace, led by Mrs Moon. A request made for an additional one-year stay was turned down by officials and the young women , dubbed "Moonies" by the local media have begun leaving Guyana just the way they came.
IDS holding, a local company in Guyana that produces polythene bags has begun implementing a plan to manufacture 7,500,000 colored polythene bags in 1997 from a US$5.2 million polythene factory it acquired in 1996 under an Indian/Guyana Government line of credit.
The factory which went into operation in June, 1996 churned out 4 million bags between June and December last year. Management said that the plant's output capacity will be increased to 8 million bags in 1998 and then to 12 million bags annually by 2000 saving Guyanese about 50% of the cost of imported polythene each year.
A $2.3 million check was recently handed over to the Genesis Complex Incorporated by the Ministry of Labor Human Services and Social Security in association with the Women's Affairs Bureau.
This money will be used to provide electricity and potable water supply in the compound at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara. The institution comprises a hostel, a farm and an academy.
The dwelling which was recently built through funding by Futures Fund, caters for battered and abused women, victims of incest and rape, pregnant teenagers who would want to keep their babies and anyone in need of counseling.
Although the buildings are complete, proper roads, drainage and irrigation , water and electricity are not yet in place and so the services are not yet open to the public.
The New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC) which started business a few weeks ago, trading in fresh produce, reported that it has been doing very well so far.
An official said that certain stocks were going very quickly like mixed fish which was being sold for $100 for three pounds. Other items going fast include rice, sugar, flour, jams, jellies, chowmein and margarine. Fresh vegetables and fruits are bought daily from suppliers in Linden, Parika, Mahaica and Canal Number One.
Not only individual customers buy at NGMC but it has also received large orders from hospitals, snackettes, clubs and restaurants. NGMC also exports pumpkins, watermelon, pineapple and pepper to the United States and Barbados.
The Guyana Electricity Corporation said that work to extend power supply to 17 villages in Berbice is scheduled to begin in April. The first phase will begin in Canje, adjacent to the Cane Field power station.
Officials at GEC said that 30 containers of material, valued at more than G$200 million was expected in the country shortly. Also work should start in the Corriverton to Crabwood Creek area if contractors are available. Some 5,000 customers are expected to benefit from the program.
Representatives from 19 hemispheric countries and 3 regional organizations gathered in Georgetown on February 13-14 for the sixth meeting of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Working Group on Smaller Economies.
The meeting was held at the Pegasus Hotel and was opened by the late President Cheddi Jagan. It was his last public engagement.
The delegates were drawn from several regional and hemispheric Government and organizations, including the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the CARICOM Secretariat, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Latin American Economic System (SELA).
It was unanimously agreed that the Guyana-initiated Regional Integration Fund (RIF) is an essential tool for small economies to enter the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
The RIF was the main agenda item and six hours were devoted to discussion on the topic said Guyana's Ambassador to the United States, Dr Odeen Ishmael who substituted at the news conference for Jamaican Ambassador to the US, Dr Richard Bernal who flew out of Guyana sometime before.
Haiti and Bolivia have also indicated their support and the latter is making more recommendations to the original document.
"The meeting agreed unanimously that the Regional Integration Fund proposal would be important in assisting the smaller economies to cushion the effects of free trade when the FTAA is finally established," said the Guyana envoy. He added that agreement was also reached on a technical study on achieving the objectives of the Regional Integration Fund.
The study which should be completed in May is to be done by one of three regional institutions.
The United States has had reservation about the establishment of the RIF, and the late President Cheddi Jagan in his opening address to the meeting called for its support. US Charge d'Affaires in Guyana, Mr Hugh Simon, said that much work needs to be done on mechanisms to solve poverty.
Ishmael said that before endorsing the technical study of the RIF, the US raised several concerns, including financing of the initiative, and there was intense discussion on the issue.
Among suggestions for financing the RIF are:
countries of the hemisphere should pool money;
more developed countries should put more of the money;
debt repayment should be put into an escrow account which will be ploughed back into the hemisphere.
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is helping Guyana improve its human resource skills, crop husbandry practices and plant technology in a five-year program aimed at rehabilitating the country's small coffee industry.
Guyanese plant Liberica, is an "Old World" strain of coffee, on just over 2,000 acres of land and most of the little it exports is not recorded by the state-run New Guyana Marketing Corporation.
But as part of its policy of boosting output and "non-traditional" (meaning non-sugar, non-rice) exports in every spectrum of the country's agricultural sector, the Ministry of Agriculture has successfully wooed IICA assistance to place Liberica coffee on a competitive footing with imported substitutes.
With a grant from the British government to boost its work in Guyana, IICA is co-funding the construction of two coffee processing plants in the Pomeroon and is collaborating with the Agriculture Ministry, the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and two private companies to increase crop yields, upgrade the standard of processing and enhance farmers' market accessibility.
A team of Guyanese rice millers returning from Europe has called for the establishment of a 'Rice Desk' at Guyana's Mission in Brussels to represent the interests of the country's growing rice sector on the continent.
Guyana's rice industry has been growing at an average rate of 10% per annum since 1993, with exports in 1996 (262,265 tonnes) increasing by 30% over the previous year's figure (200,543 tonnes). Most of it has been going to Europe under an Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) arrangement that allowed exporters to ship their cargo via St Marteen, for example, at little cost -- until the European Union bowed to demands by European farmers for a levy increase to make their rice more competitive.
The Guyanese team, headed by Mr Beni Sankar, president of the Guyana Rice Millers & Exporters' Development Association (GRMEDA), said in a report it pleaded with EU officials during its week-long stay in Belgium to reduce the levy from 50% to 35% and urged the Guyana Government to set up a desk in Brussels to lobby the interests of the country's rice sector.
Guyana exported more than 200,000 tonnes of rice to Europe in 1996 and has been asked by the EU to ship a little over 42,000 tonnes of the commodity during the first four months of this year.
The Government is considering a suggestion by the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners' Association (GGDMA) that it take urgent steps to settle people along the country's borders.
The late President Cheddi Jagan confirmed, before he took ill, that his administration subscribed to the GGMDA's perception that national security considerations warranted the development of settlements on Guyana's distant, uninhabited borders.
Guyanese miners produced 110,000 of the 372,000 ounces of gold declared last year, up from 87,000 ounces of the 250,000 ounces of gold declared in 1993, one year after the PPP/Civic administration took office. 1996 also saw the Government granting prospecting licenses to 31 small and medium-sized companies, against 2 in 1993.
Gold production is targeted to increase by 18.6% in 1997, compared to 3.3% in 1996. But the GGDMA said the anticipated growth might not materialize if members have to give ground to foreign gold seekers who illegally cross into Guyana along the unmanned sections of its hinterland borders.
Recently 32 women who have been trained and prepared for employment were presented with certificates from the Training and Employment Agency for Unskilled Women. This Agency launched in March last year is a new entity established after Minister within the Ministry of Labor, Human Services and Social Security, Mrs Indra Chandarpal returned from the Beijing Conference on Women and agreed with others concerned that there is need to educate unskilled females.
The Essequibo Coast private sector is responding to the expansion of the economy. Among the new investments are a multi-million dollar rice complex, three new gas stations and a huge bulk fuel storage area. Recently, a new bank was opened along with branches of companies such as AINLIM, T. Geddes Grant and Amazon Chemicals. There are also two new saw mills and several machine retooling shops. In addition, a number of potential investors, including two for the establishment of food canning plants to utilize the area's vast production of fruits, have also shown keen interest in the county.
A new 325 KVA power plant has arrived in Guyana. This will be installed shortly on the Island of Wakenaam. The current plant is in a dilapidated state, resulting in irregular supply of electricity. Meanwhile, the unit for the Island for Leguan should be arriving in the country by mid-March. The site of this station has already been identified and work is proceeding on the planting of electricity poles.
A new $3.6 million water works project for Orealla Settlement was opened on Sunday, February 16. A 35 horse-power Perkins engine and a four-inch well pump with a 100-foot head were purchased at a cost of $2.1 million. This sum was provided by the Rotary Club of Corriverton, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of St Paul, Minnesota, USA.
The National Bank of Industry and Commerce (NBIC) has opened another branch in the Essequibo region. According to a Bank official: "The branch will be offering a complete banking service to the residents of this vast economic region." NBIC late last year opened its Springlands branch in the wake of increased economic activities and the increase demand for banking service.
Work on the new Latchmansingh Primary School building at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice is running behind schedule but assurance was given that it will be completed by April. The project costing about $97 million is being undertaken by the Primary Education Improvement Project. It started in November 1995 and was targeted for completion last year but is running two and a half months behind schedule.
Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Neville Bissember, has been appointed as Legal Expert within the Secretariat of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. The Committee of Ambassadors of the ACP countries had appointed Bissember and this move was endorsed by the Government of Guyana.
Residents of Victoria, East Coast Demerara, who were affected by the flood waters recently were given assistance. The flood-hit farmers were given some 200 bags of wheat middling which were distributed by the Office of the President. The livestock feed was handed out through the Inter-Ministerial Co-ordinating Committee set up last year to synchronize relief efforts to restore agricultural production in flooded areas. Additional supplies of broiler, fertilizers, vegetable seeds and poultry feed will be given out shortly, an official reported.
The contract has been signed for the repairs of the billion-dollar Soesdyke/Linden highway project. This project is expected to begin in April. The contract, valued at $920,512,084 the equivalent of US$6,575,086.31, was awarded to the Trinidad and Tobago road firm Seereeram Brothers and is financed by the Caribbean Development Bank.
The newly-commissioned drainage pump in the Town of Rose Hall, Corentyne has helped tremendously to ease residents of floods problems in the entire Municipality and adjacent communities. The drainage pump was fabricated by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) to the cost of $4 million from the Ministry of Finance.
Road building works are being done on the Strasphey road on the East Coast of Demerara. The mud dam will now be converted into one that vehicles can use and will end the inconvenience experienced by hundreds of residents in the area.
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards, in collaboration with the Licence Revenue Department, said it was working with local manufacturers of scales and weights to manufacture devices that will operate with a greater degree of accuracy. According to the Bureau, "All scales whether locally manufactured or imported must be brought to the Bureau for initial verification before being used for commerce."
Guyanese-born Dr Leyland Hazelwood, has been appointed Guyana's Honorary Consul to the Republic of South Africa. According to the Foreign Ministry, Dr Hazelwood "has a long and distinguished career in international business, investment and finance."
Minister of Finance Bharrat Jagdeo has invited the minority PNC to a public debate on corruption. So far, the PNC has not responded. The Minister said that he has made several attempts over the past months to engage the PNC in a public debate on this issue.
Public Service Minister George Fung-On has said that Government is aware of corruptions in the Public Service and is taking steps to get rid of this. He called on members of the public to be more vigilant, not to condone this illegal practice and to report such incidents to him or his senior officers whenever anything of this nature occurs. Mr Fung-On was at the time responding to callers on GTV 10 live call-in program, Talk Back, where Government Ministers receive and respond to calls from the public.
The Ministry of Trade declared that it "will not concur with any hike in fares which is not properly justified," This firm stance was taken after officials of the General Mini-Bus Association were suggesting a possible fare hike.
Food for the Poor (Guyana) Fund said it has disbursed $264 million worth of gifts to a number of Government institutions, including hospitals, schools, and prisons, so far this year. Some of the health care centers that benefitted in the month of February were West Demerara Regional, Linden, Wismar, Georgetown among many others. Some of the assistance included basic drugs, beds, mattresses, linen, chairs, tables, sewing machines and clothing.
The Guyenterprise advertising agency on February 7 launched Guyananet, providing subscribers to access the Internet although they may not have a computer. Persons can visit Guyenterprise's NET CAFE which allows the use of the Internet for $1,000 per hour. Guyenterprise said it will ensure that users have proper access to the Internet and they will provide software and relevant materials and do installations.
Guyana Stores has been undergoing a thorough renovation and improvement of its interior services and exterior appearance as it prepares for privatization. Recently the Universal Building was opened after a $38 million expansion and modernization of the enterprise.
The interior commercial hub of Lethem in Region Nine will be getting a new Caterpillar power plant. When the Moca Moca Hydro project is completed, a number of communities adjacent to Lethem will also benefit from the additional output of energy which will result. Meanwhile, it has been announced that the Lethem Marketing Center will be opened shortly. An industrial site is also expected to be established in the area.
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Information on Guyana, INTERNET users may check the WEB SITE on GUYANA NEWS AND INFORMATION at: http://www.guyana.org. This site is also linked to other useful Guyana sites. Our E-mail address is: MAOIshmael@aol.com
Reminder to Guyanese Nationals -
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The Hindu Cultural Organization / Shri Saraswattie Kirtan Mandali of the Washington Metropolitan Area presents its Sixth Phagwah Mela (Holi) on Saturday March 22, from 6.00 - 9.30 p.m. at the Piney Branch Elementary School, 7510 Maple Ave., MD. Tickets : Adults $5, Children $2. Call: 301-460-7276; 301-864-1047; 301-593-7639; 301-593-7638
Hindu Dharmic Sabha of Washington Metropolitan Area 3909 53rd St., Bladensburg, MD
Services Sunday 10.00 a.m.
Call James Beeharilal (301) 699-9573
Maryland Hindu Milan Mandir
808 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring, MD
Services - Sundays 9.30 a.m.- Pandit Sase N. Sharma
Call (301) 593-7638
Islamic Society of the Washington Area
Principles of Islam - 3rd Saturday every month
Call Imam Faizul Khan 301-588-3650.
Please note that until March 31, 1997 the Embassy hours will be between 9am and 4pmFOR YOUR INFORMATION
GUYANA CONSULATES AND HONORARY TRADE REPRESENTATIVES
NEW YORK : Mr. Brentnol Evans, Consul-General
Tel: (212) 527-3215, Fax: (212) 527-3229
CALIFORNIA : Mr. Joseph D'Oliveira, Honorary Consul,
Tel: (213) 222-0899 Fax: (213) 222-0899
FLORIDA : Mr. Hilton Ramcharitar, Honorary Consul, Tel: (954) 797-6844, Fax: (954) 797-7603
TEXAS: Mr. Jai Sharma, (Trade Rep)
Tel: (713) 847-5800 Fax: (713) 847-3210
GEORGIA: Mr. Neilson Wray (Trade Rep)
Tel: 770-469-3337 Fax: 770-469-1915
MINNESOTA: Mr. Earl Singh, (Trade Rep)
Tel: (612) 332-0351, Fax: (612) 342-2399
MISSOURI: Mr. Antoine Solomon, (Trade Rep)
Tel and Fax: (314) 830 - 2376
All payments for services officially rendered by the Embassy must be made in cash or by money order, bank draft or certified check. Personal and company checks are not acceptable.
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