Traffic flowing as Joint Services takes control of Region 5

Sep 11, 2020 News

There was a smooth flow of traffic yesterday on the West Coast Berbice as the Joint Services took control of things.

The Bath Settlement are, Region 5, after it was cleared

New Amsterdam, Region 6

Regional Commander, Edmond Cooper, confirmed that all areas that had blockades were cleared and traffic flowed smoothly.
According to reports coming out of Region Five, members of the Guyana Defence Force working together with the Guyana Police Force were on the ground removing burnt debris from the roads.
Several persons said they were breathing a sigh of relief as the traffic began to move freely. Hundreds of persons were stuck in the long lines for days as protests intensified over the past few days.
Persons who were stuck at different locations and needed transportation were made aware of an advisory indicating meeting points where they would be picked up and transported to a safe point so that they could make their way home safely. Person reported that soldiers escorted their vehicles to the bridge and ensured that they passed safely and freely.Persons from several villages including Number 3, Number 4, Number 5, Belladrum, Hopetown, Burma, Cottage Mahaicony, Seafield and Lovely Lass, Bath Villages turned out in numbers to protest the grisly slaying of teen cousins, Isaiah Henry and Joel Henry.

The Region 5 area…Joint Services escorting stranded persons.

The butchered bodies of the teens were found in the Cotton Tree backdam and their death has caused widespread anger and frustration to overflow.
What began as a protest for justice for the teens turned into absolute horror, as persons began burning the roads and erecting blockades, forcing drivers and passengers to be stuck in lines. On the second and third day of the protest actions, dozens of reports of attacks and robberies were made.
Many persons took to social media and posted pictures of injuries people sustained at the hands of criminal elements and the damage they suffered.Vehicles were burnt, persons were stripped of their clothing, beaten and robbed of their cash, valuables and belongings.
A third teen was murdered in the Number 3 backdam and a man was beaten to death by protestors at Bath Settlement.
Several leaders from the Government and the opposition visited Region 5 during the protests. Although many of the leaders asked for peace to reign and for persons to desist from the violence, protestors still continued.
However, yesterday, PNCR Chairman Volda Lawrence in a video that went viral and gained to support of many including from the government’s side, she called on the protestors to “stop the carnage”.
Lawrence said that, “as a leader, we have to call a spade a spade and, as I speak, I am calling on President Irfaan Ali to call on his people too. I am calling on my people to end this carnage, to end the way in which they are grieving and I am asking him to do likewise. As our people pull back so he must call on his people too to pull back”.
It was her loud and resounding call for peace to reign that may have played a critical role in stopping the violent protests from carrying on. In her short video, Lawrence called on “every single PNCR member irrespective of your status” to “stop the carnage”.
She went on to say that, “we all would have our likes and dislikes but we certainly can display our grief in a better manner. We certainly can empathise in a different way”.
Up to late last night, there were no reports of protestors on the roads and the roads remained clear with heavy joint service presence.
Meanwhile, over in Region 6, Commander Linden Isles reported that the roads were clear with no blockades and that police ranks were placed at the points where there were fires on the roadway to monitor the area and ensure peace is kept within the areas.