The government is to respond to the concerns of Amnesty International (AI) through the Guyana High Commissioner to London.

Those concerns, according to Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, were embraced by President Bharrat Jagdeo when he supported the decision by Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj for a thorough investigation into the deaths of Azad Bacchus, 41, his 15-year old son Shazaah, and 18-year-old nephew, Fadil Ally who were killed by members of the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) on August 14. The investigation will also include the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two persons, also killed by BASS operatives during a protest outside their headquarters on August 17.

He noted that the investigation was being carried out by seasoned investigators from the Police Criminal Investigation Department and declined to say when he expected that it would be completed.

Dr Luncheon said too that the government was appreciative of the approach of AI of separating allegations from facts and avoiding being judgmental in its letter. He said that was the difference between that letter and one issued by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA). AI criticised Dr Luncheon for his attack on the GHRA, because he claimed that its statement on the deaths seemed to present community retaliation as an option if there was not a thorough investigation into deaths.

Dr Luncheon said that the GHRA statement had caused confusion as it tried to walk that fine line between fact and fiction. The GHRA has since rebuffed Dr Luncheon's contentions.

Last week, AI sent an open letter to President Jagdeo expressing concerns over the conflicting reports of the deaths of Bacchus, his son and nephew and the deaths outside the BASS headquarters.

It also expressed concern that the two incidents seemed to confirm a trend toward extra-judicial killings and excessive use of force, citing reports of the shooting by the police of Sean Hope at Agricola, East Bank Demerara at point-blank range in the presence of his five-year-old foster son.

The letter called on the President to take steps to:

* mount an immediate thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the killings of the Bacchuses and Ally in accordance with international standards, including the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions;

* bring to justice any officer found guilty of committing crimes;

* remove from front-line duty for the duration of criminal and administrative investigations the officers allegedly implicated in the killings;

* grant permission to the relatives to appoint an independent pathologist to undertake or observe post-mortem examinations, keeping relatives fully informed of the status of investigations;

* take all necessary measures to protect relatives, and others involved in inquiries into the killings, from any possible instances of retaliation.