Indentureship Indian Heritage Month May 05

Relatives of kidnapped taxi driver receive death threats
- Call for police protection

Relatives of kidnapped taxi driver Vivakanand Nandalall have expressed fear for their lives following several death threats by an unknown caller.According to a family member, the family has received no less than four telephone calls during which the caller threatened to kill them if they testify at the trial of a Buxton man who is charged with negotiating for ransom.
The family had reportedly paid a ransom of close to $1M shortly after the kidnapping. Nandalall was kidnapped more than 18 months ago and his skeletal remains were recovered from a cane-field aback of Bachelor's Adventure. Kaieteur News understands that the Nandalalls have been receiving telephone calls at their home, during which a female warned them not to testify at the trial, which is scheduled to commence shortly at the Vigilance Magistrate's Court.
"Dem call and dem cussing up, telling we dat if we don't shut up dey gon shut we up fuh real," a relative said.
The first charge was read to him in court and the suspect had declared in open court that he was not the only one involved in Nandalall's kidnapping. However, police said the man has not provided investigators with further information. The man could face additional charges
Family members told Kaieteur News that they have reported the threats to the police, who assured them that they would try to trace the telephone call.
However three weeks later and after more telephone threats, the police are still to do so. The family, however, remains resolute in their quest to see justice done.
"We will testify although we are scared…is like we always gat fuh deh pon de look out," the relative added.
"We does gat fuh close up we shop early everyday and now we ain't seeing no police patrol passing through we area no more. So we left to de mercy of God," the relative said.
Guyana has no witness protection plan and many witnesses in high-profile cases have been reluctant to testify, out of fear for their lives.
A police source on the East Coast of Demerara told this newspaper that they have received a report of the threats and the Force will do everything within its power to allay the fears of the family.

Sunday, August 8, 2004

High Court bars marriage of 13-year-old

- prospective bridegroom to marry 18-year-old instead

Corentyne, Berbice: Last Friday, The Berbice High Court granted Jasmattie Singh an interim injunction against Suresh Persaud (Fat Boy) and Chandra Persaud, restraining them or whomsoever from marrying her 13-year-old daughter legally, or by religious rites, to 23-year-old Poorandeo Kamaldeo or anyone else.
A marriage between the girl and Poorandeo was advertised to take place today, Sunday, at No.43 Village, Corentyne. The girl's father, Suresh, and paternal grandmother, Chandra, had reportedly consented to the marriage. But Jasmattie, a US-based resident, swore that the wedding was planned and confirmed without her knowledge or consent, and that all her efforts to take the child to the USA have been frustrated by the child's father and grandmother.
The 30-year-old mother stated that the US authorities approved her application for the child in 1996 but when she arrived to take the child for a scheduled Visa Interview on the February 14, 2002, the respondents refused to allow her and demanded "a large sum of money".
So she has also applied to the Court for sole legal custody of the child, claiming among other things that the child is being physically abused, ill treated, resides in a crowded and physically unhealthy environment, and has been denied attendance at school since September 2003 by the respondents.
Jasmattie, a babysitter in the USA, and the current wife of Jagarnauth Persaud, a US citizen and a Federal Agent in the USA, was the former wife of fisherman Suresh Persaud. Jasmattie and Suresh were legally married in March 1994 and separated in October that very year, but the 13-year-old was born in 1990, while they shared a common law union. One source reported that Suresh wanted to ensure that his daughter got married before his imminent departure from Guyana.
The High Court has given the respondents up to August 20, to file a defence. But this may not be necessary since the prospective bridegroom would be marrying an18-year-old instead. That wedding is scheduled for today. The new bride's parents had been looking for a bridegroom for their daughter. According to a source close to the issues, the 13-year-old seemed pressured into the marriage since she was reluctant to even fit on any wedding gown. However, Kamaldeo's new prospective bride has fitted comfortably into her trial gowns. The source also reported that while there were contemplations of facilitating some kind of eloping between Kamaldeo and the 13-year-old, the applicant's attorney Adrian Anamayah suggests that the girl's father has apparently suffered a change of heart since he has allowed the girl to be with her mother over the weekend.
According to the lawyer the girl and her mother went to his office together yesterday morning