 February
19, 2008: While fellow country men battled at Stanford
2020 in Antigua for pride of Country, 12 Guyanese in Bartica
Guyana were slaughtered on Sunday night as criminals overran
the Police Station and took to the streets letting off a
barrage of gunfire indiscriminately. Residents
scattered and moved quickly to lock down their homes as they
scrambled to the floor. The armed gang reportedly shot to
death three policemen, freed prisoners who were locked up in
the station's lock-ups and escaped with the police's
firearms. At least another nine persons is believed to have
been shot to death in the community before the gunmen
retreated.
Bartica is located on the left bank of the Essequibo
river at the confluence ,Mazaruni and Cuyuni River it's
viewed as the gateway to the interior region of Guyana.
The attack forced the Guyanese government to postpone the
reading of the national budget on Monday and Chairman of
Region Seven, Holbert Knights said that his constituency is
shocked at the scale of the massacre.
Stabroek News reported being told that "the gunmen
arrived in the area around 9:40 pm by boats and they
departed in similar fashion." According to reports once the
gunmen touched down in Bartica they stormed the police
station, shooting to death three policemen. They also
escaped with the police's firearms and reportedly freed
prisoners who were locked up in the station's lock-ups.
Eyewitnesses reportedly counted around 20 gunmen -
similar to the band that stormed Lusignan East Coast
Demerara in January killing 11.
According to Guyana's Government Information Agency,
several Cabinet members on hearing of yet another tragic and
brutal attack by criminal elements in Bartica, Region Seven,
visited the area to console and provide moral support to
residents and victims of the horrific tragedy. During an
address to the residents and families of the victims the
Ministers expressed their condolences and called on members
of the public to support the Joint Services in their fight
and continue to be vigilant. Minister of Culture, Youth and
Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony said despite what has happened it
will not deter the Joint Services from going after the
criminals and that will be the case until they are captured. |
