Remembering Lusignan massacre victims one year later

Jan 27, 2009 News

The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) last evening held an inter-faith vigil on the occasion of the first anniversary of the victims of the Lusignan Massacre.

Executive Member of the Indian Arrival Committee, Evan Persaud, said that the entity would make the vigil an annual event so that Guyanese will never forget what happened.

He added that they are working on a monument to commemorate the 11 persons who were killed.

Several persons delivered brief remarks at the event including Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Bishop Juan Edghill and religious leaders of all faiths.

On January 26, last year, a gang of gunmen went into Lusignan and slaughtered 11 persons, including five children, some of whom were asleep at the time.

The victims were Shazam Mohamed; Clarence Thomas, his son, Ron 11, and daughter, Vanessa 12; Mohandai Gourdat, 32, and her two children, Seegobin, four years old, and Seegopaul Harilall, 10; Shalem Baksh, 52; Rooplall Seecharan, 56, his daughter Raywattie Ramsingh, 11, and his wife, Dhanrajie, called ‘Sister’, 52.

Many of the killers have since captured or killed. The killing occurred a few hours after gunmen had opened fire on the headquarters of the Guyana Police Force at Eve Leary.

During that shooting two police ranks were injured, not seriously.