Black Immigrant Daily News

Eleven people, including three American visitors, perished in motor vehicle crashes across Jamaica during the week of October 22-28.

This has pushed to 373, the number of people killed in motor vehicle collisions since the start of the year.

The Americans, all women, died from injuries they sustained in a two-vehicle crash along the Ironshore main road outside Montego Bay in St James early Sunday morning October 23.

They were identified as 59-year-old airline hostess Sandra Lee; her daughter, 25-year-old real estate agent, Savanna Lee; and a relative of the two, 55-year-old nurse Donna Brown, all of Florida addresses in the United States.

According to reports, at about 1:00 am a Toyota Axio and a Subara motor car collided along the Ironshore main road at the Junction with Morgan’s Road.

Both vehicles were reportedly travelling in opposite directions along the Ironshore main road with the Subaru travelling east from Montego Bay towards Coral Gardens and the Toyota Axio travelling west from Coral Gardens towards Montego Bay.

On reaching the junction with Morgan’s Road, the Toyota Axio motorcar made an attempt to turn onto Morgan’s Road and collided with the Subaru in the process.

As a result, the Toyota Axio spun out of control and the passengers who were seated in the rear of the vehicle were ejected through the window before the Toyota Axio collided with a wooden utility pole. The three women died as a result of the collisions.

Also killed during the week were: An 18-year-old male passenger of a private motor car; five pedestrians and two motorcyclists who were all men.

Meanwhile, the RSU is reporting that as of October 28 a total of 373 people have been killed in 324 fatal collisions. A breakdown reveals that the top three categories with the highest number of fatalities were: motorcyclists with 111, pedestrians accounting for 76 and passengers of private motor cars with 54 deaths among them.

To date, 85 per cent of all road fatalities are male with the remaining 15 per cent being female.

The main cause of fatalities was proceeding at excessive speed with no regard to road conditions the RSU said.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Five persons, including a two-year-old infant, are now homeless after a massive fire destroyed their Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, home this morning.

Bhaskhanand Baldeo, his wife Bibi Nareema Khan, and three children ages 18, 15, and 2, lost all their belongings including a Motor Car valued at $3.3M in the blaze.

Baldeo told the Evening News that the fire started sometime around 08:00h, and at the time, his 15-year-old daughter was at home alone.

The Baldeo family

He said the teenager told him that she was in the bottom flat of the house when she heard things falling upstairs.

Upon investigating, the teen saw the upper flat of the house fully engulfed in flames and made her way out of the house for her safety.

The Fire Service was summoned to the scene but despite their efforts to save the building, the house was completely destroyed.

An investigation was launched to determine the origin of the fire.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Guyana Government is actively working to resolve the ongoing fishermen licence issue, in order for Guyanese to operate and fish in Surinamese waters.

This was communicated by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday, expressing that Government is not happy with the way fisherfolk are currently treated. However, action is being taken and he further assured that this matter will not affect pending areas of interest between the two countries.

“When you’re in Government, you have to run Government in a very responsible way. It’s a mature thing to be in Government. The President is not an immature position to be in. We have one issue with fishing. That has not affected the other issues… Are we happy with the way the fishermen are treated? No, we’re not happy. Are we taking steps? Yes, we’re taking steps,” Ali commented.

Addressing the effects of this situation, the Head of State shared that his Administration is concerned about the private sector’s view and the effects created from this situation. However, he reiterated that it is being handled from a diplomatic standpoint.

“It affects the way in which the private sector view things, of course, because the private sector is complaining and we’re very concerned.  We are approaching this fishing issue from a diplomatic level, applying all the measures that the Government can apply and finding a solution. That is what we’re working towards.”

The matter of Suriname’s harassment of Guyanese fishermen and the Dutch-speaking republic’s continued refusal to grant licences to them, has been a topical issue in recent times that even escalated to the point where Guyana’s Ambassador in Suriname, Keith George, was summoned last month to a meeting with the Surinamese Foreign Minister, Krishna Mathoera, on this very issue.

Following the high-level meeting in Guyana during August 2021 between President Dr Irfaan Ali and Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the two leaders had issued a joint press statement indicating that the age-old issue of licences for Guyanese fisherfolk to operate in Suriname’s territorial waters would be addressed.

These fishermen operate from the Corentyne coast and have to use the Corentyne to get access to the Atlantic where they get most of their catch. The Corentyne River is considered Surinamese territory. Currently, the licences are issued to Surinamese businessmen at US$100 per year and rented to the Guyanese fisherfolk at US$3000 annually.

About 150 boats operate from the Number 66 Fisherman’s Co-op Society, thus providing direct employment for about 800 fishermen. Additionally, some 200 persons are employed in providing services which include transportation, fish vending and repairs to machinery and equipment. Guyana has already said that it will be bringing this matter before the Caribbean Community (Caricom), since Suriname is also a member state.

Email correspondence sent from high officials in the Surinamese Government, to their Guyanese counterparts, revealed that Suriname had promised Guyana, that the fishing licence for Guyanese to fish in Surinamese waters would have been issued on January 1, 2021.

In the email dated December 13, 2020, which was seen by this publication, Surinamese Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Prahlad Sewdien had written to Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, informing him that the fishing licences would be issued from January 1 of the next year and that they would try to have preparations completed within two weeks. The email also acknowledged the list of fishermen that Mustapha had sent to Sewdien, while also suggesting various actions that should be taken to complete the process of issuing the licence, under Surinamese law.

Despite previous promises, Suriname has failed to issue to Guyanese fishermen licences to operate in Surinamese waters.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

A Surinamese national was killed on Friday after he was crushed by a motor lorry in Berbice, Region Six.

So far, the dead man has been identified as Corojoe called “Pica-Choo” (only name given) of Paramaribo, Suriname. The incident occurred sometime around 14:00h at Even Creek in the Corentyne River, Berbice.

According to reports, the deceased and a businessman from Crabwood Creek left for Even Creek on an errand.

Upon returning to the landing with a motor lorry (registration #unknown), the businessman and “Pica-Choo” were standing behind the cabin of the truck in the tray when the now-dead man attempted to drink some water from a bottle.

But while doing so, the truck bounced on the trail causing him to lose balance and fall between the wheels and the cabin.

This resulted in the right-side back wheel running over “Pica-Choo”.

The injured man was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to Skeldon Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body is at Anthony’s Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem examination and identification.

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