Army denies allegations by Enmore policing group
Stabroek News
December 14, 2002
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is denying that its soldiers harassed members of the Enmore policing group and used racial slurs during an interception on Tuesday night.
The refutation came in the wake of a letter published in Thursday’s Kaieteur News, saying that an army patrol had stopped some members of the Concerned Citizens of Enmore Policing Group, placed them to lie in the mud for about half an hour and threatened to shoot them while allegedly making racial remarks.
An army source told Stabroek News on Thursday that the interception was part of a routine exercise on the East Coast Demerara.
“Yes, the patrol did stop the men [and] asked them to lie on the ground as a precaution,” this newspaper was told. The GDF official said that was normal, since the patrol had no idea who the men were.
However, the army said that the men were allowed to go after producing identification, which was subsequently verified by the police commander in that district.
“They [the policing group members] were challenged because of what is going on in the country today. But investigations have also revealed that no racial remarks were made [by members of the patrol],” the official said.
The letter, signed “Concerned Citizens of Enmore Policing Group”, said the incident took place about 50 yards from the Enmore Police Station and accused one of the soldiers of refusing to go to the precinct to verify their identity.
