Armed police chased away by angry crowd in Guyana
 |
 |
Singh and the police on the street
after being denied
entry to Channel Six |
President Jagdeo's
Government and
Channel Six are at
loggerheads over
reports on the relief
operations |
by Norman 'Gus' Thomas
Caribbean Net News Senior Correspondent
Monday, January 31, 2005
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: According to a report
from the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) in Guyana, heavily armed
police on Friday evening swooped down on a privately-owned television station
CNS Channel Six, after it resumed transmission on the advice of its lawyers.
The ACM report stated that authorities seized transmission equipment, closed
the station and suspended its license for a month one week ago, accusing its
owner, C.N. Sharma, of attempting to incite people to rebel against the
government's alleged bias distribution of food and water to victims of a
recent disastrous flood which forced authorities to appeal for international
and regional assistance. CNS Channel Six was
closed on the order of a Lay Justice of the Peace on Saturday, the 22nd day of
January this year. Attorneys say only the high court could issue such an
order. They intend to defy the order until one is produced, and have called
the government's behaviour a threat to press freedom, democracy and Sharma's
constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, one police officer told
Caribbean Net News that when Sharma's station was taken off the air, the
government then sent Valmikki Singh, Chief Executive Officer of the National
Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) to seize the equipment.
However, when Singh and the lawmen showed up
at the station they were prevented from entering the premises as hundreds of
angry citizens barricaded the premises, thus preventing the police from
entering the building and seizing the equipment which Sharma had borrowed in
order to resume transmission.
Clearly upset by the reaction of the massive
crowd, the government is reported to have sent a crew from the local power
company to cut the electrical power which was sourcing the building, but they
too met with stiff resistance and were chased away, as the angry crowd
attempted to overturn the utility vehicle. One electrical worker at the power
station confirmed to Caribbean Net News that power was then cut to an
entire area, including the station, forcing it to end transmission.
Speaking to Caribbean Net News, Sharma remained undaunted and vowed to
continue. He has called for solidarity and is seeking support from the local
and international media fraternity in his continued battle against the
government of President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Channel Six employees said this is the third time in two years the station has
been closed under new draconian regulations vested in the Office of the Prime
Minister Samuel Hinds.
HBTV Channel Nine, a network closely
affiliated to the main opposition Peoples National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) had
a similar experience during this period. It has been reported that stations
considered close to the government are immune from these regulations, causing
unease and bitterness in the society. .
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