Buxton youths waylay commuters following burial of wanted man
Stabroek News
February 20, 2003
Several commuters passing through Buxton were coerced into handing over money yesterday afternoon following the burial of wanted man, Rawle Williams and those who refused were chucked and roughed up in their vehicles.
Williams and another man, Ronald Joseph were shot dead at Ogle by police after their car breached a roadblock and they opened fire on the law enforcers.
The police had linked Williams to the murders of 13 persons.
Yesterday Williams was laid to rest at the Friendship cemetery after a church service, but no sooner was his coffin sealed in a tomb than criminals from the village began to rob and assault passengers on the Public Road. This has been the trend in the area following the burial of wanted persons shot dead by police.
A resident of Non Pariel told this newspaper last evening that she and her family were passing through Buxton at about 6 pm when they saw a few young men with cardboard boxes asking for money.
She said this group calmly went up to each vehicle that passed through the village and asked for contributions to a function planned for Mash Day. Stabroek News understands also that while this group was peacefully asking for contributions another group assaulted and robbed passengers who refused to make any donations. According to the Non Pariel resident she was travelling in her husband’s car and in front of her were a mini-bus and a red car.
She observed that two young men with their boxes went up to the red car and were begging for contributions, but the man quickly closed his windows. The woman said with that the men began to hit the side of the man’s car until he eventually opened the window. She could not say whether the man gave then any money, since as soon as her husband saw what was happening he quickly sped away. In the process he struck down a cow.
For yesterday’s funeral there was a stepped-up army and police presence in the area, but according to the woman this did not stop the robbers from carrying out their activities.
When contacted last evening there was no one at the Police Public Relations Department to comment. Along the East Coast yesterday from Lusignan to Vigilance there was a heavy build up of traffic, resulting in many drivers turning around.
