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Freddie Kissoon and Mark Benschop confined to lockups

Dec 22, 2010 News

Political activist Mark Bencshop and Columnist Freddie Kissoon were yesterday arrested by ranks of the Brickdam Police Station, reportedly for obstructing traffic along Cemetery Road and preventing ingress and egress at the cemetery.
However, before police arrived at the location, Kissoon, who spoke with members of the media, said earlier in the day he and Benschop as well as Christopher Ram visited the location.
According to Kissoon, after looking at and assessing the situation they decided that they would file an injunction in the court to prevent the further dumping of garbage at the location.
Over recent weeks, the dumpsite has taken over most of the cemetery, yet contracted garbage collectors continue to dump at the location daily.
Kissoon told media operatives that the situation has now reached the state of one of the country’s biggest disasters ever, barring the crime wave.
“I believe that in all my years as a political activist this is the biggest indication that Guyana is a failed state, this cannot happen in any other part of the world. In Central America and Africa where there are coups and civil wars this does not happen.
“The people of Guyana should demand the resignation of the Administration…It’s the people who are suffering and nothing is being done; the situation is just getting from bad to worse.”
Shortly after, Benschop with the help of other persons who had converged at the location, proceeded to lock the main gate leading to the dump site preventing garbage trucks from entering.
In addition to locking the gate, Benschop then sat on an old computer that he had placed in front of the gate. This forced the garbage trucks which kept turning up frequently at the location to just park outside of the cemetery causing a traffic build up.
Not long after, police arrived and arrested Benschop. Kissoon, who is also in custody, said that he had left the location but returned after he received a telephone call saying that his colleague, Benschop, was being arrested.
Kissoon, who spoke with this newspaper while at the Brickdam Police Station, said that he merely went back to see what was transpiring between Benschop and the police.
“When I reached back at the cemetery I saw police towing away Benschop’s vehicle and arresting Mark, so I was walking back to my vehicle and a police told me that they wanted me too.”
While at the station, both Kissoon and Benschop were informed that they were being booked for obstructing traffic. Both men were made to hand over their personal belongings and then placed in the lockups.
When persons close to the two men enquired from the police on the issue of bail, they were told that the issue was not being considered at the time.
And not long after, Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall, Works Minister Robeson Benn and a team from the Local Government Ministry, visited the dump site to assess the situation.
Minister Lall in an invited comment said that his Ministry will be looking into enhanced security at the location to prevent persons from setting fires.
He said that the Ministry will also pursue better management of the site.

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