When these criminals attack you, there is no guarantee that the miscreants will let you live when they collect your money and jewellery.

Fight back! It is time to make a stand - spit, bite, kick, scratch, pelt them with your cellular phone. Collect some acid and throw it on them.

It is better to be judged by 12 than to be carried by six in a casket!

If you have a firearm, it is not to gather dust in the money vault. Keep it on your person - it is for defence and to disable anyone who attacks you.

Forget the AK-47 and the 44 magnum the criminals have; put your front sights on their belly button and keep squeezing.

Incoming fire always has the right of way!

If you survive you might be $500,000 richer for each criminal you terminate.

The criminals do not like their skin to burn them. Give them hell before the criminals try to send you there.

The Police cannot be here and everywhere to protect you.

Citizens of Guyana, fight back!

Coming second in an attack is not an option!
ANGRY CITIZEN

Only coincidence?
LET ME congratulate the `five freedom fighters' in their quest to free their African brothers.

It is after all an honourable fight against the Indian brothers who work hard to build Guyana. The five must be congratulated for depriving children of their parents and for laying waste to any notion of a united and peaceful Guyana.

We must also congratulate the television stations that help the fighters to get their message out and we must show our support by continuing to buy the products that are advertised on the stations and allow them to keep broadcasting the messages of the five `freedom fighters' so that many more may join in more pre-Mother's Day celebrations.

We must also not fall for the propaganda; after all it is only coincidence that every time the Opposition calls for increased pressure the spate of violent crimes against Indo-Guyanese escalates. It is only coincidence that only the television stations that support the Opposition's point of view were hand-delivered taped statements from the five `freedom fighters' (maybe saints).

It is only coincidence that the activities of the five can be traced to Buxton; it is only coincidence that residents of Buxton all know where the five are. After all, these are all coincidences and fabrications.

The five that the Police seek are in fact all honourable men, just like the members of the political parties that support them - they are all honourable men. Are they not?

Only honourable men would take the time to hold public discussions on why they should not be called terrorists, regardless of the military fatigues and the imitation of Bin Laden. We therefore should make a special effort to support these honourable men, the financial backers and the companies and products that support them.

We must buy more of the products, goods and services that help funnel money to the cause of the `five for freedom'; after all we will just be helping honourable men.

We are after all just mere Guyanese and me, I am just an idiot who cannot understand the complexities of politics in a post-dialogue state or what are the undertones of a call for increased pressure from the Opposition.

I also cannot understand why the Opposition would attend the funeral of dead thieves (sorry `freedom fighters') if in fact they do not also recognise them as honourable men.

So let's all join our voices and hands and show our support for these honourable men; let's tell them how much we love their actions and may the orphaned children all bestow unto them the blessings they so richly deserve.
THE GREATEST FOOL

No state of oppression in Guyana
I URGE the gang of criminals now preying on innocent households across the country to heed Wesley Kirton's advice (GC May 13) and surrender to the United Nations.

Even so, I would wager that the UN would ignore the gang's efforts for two reasons.

1. The UN does not harbour common criminals.

2. The UN and all other international organisations are fully aware that there is total freedom in Guyana and that a properly elected government guides the country.

The bandits' attempt to surrender and the consequent rejection by the international community will shred the mask of deception these bandits try to pull on by peddling such atrocious nonsense as being "freedom fighters."

What exactly are the bounds of oppression and subjugation that these groups are supposedly struggling against? (And I am not asking about self-imposed mental boundaries.)

There is no state oppression in Guyana and the international community knows this.

Only idiots fight for freedom in a country that is already free. But these bandits are not just idiots, they are social misfits and their story is a farce to justify their immoral, evil, sadistic and murderous campaign against their fellow citizens.

It is clear that their wickedness is being guided from a specific source. We have to find out who is issuing the instructions and who is harvesting the blood bounty.

As I read the news on Monday of the senseless murder of another hardworking couple I consoled myself thinking that there is a special prepared place in hell for these murderers and those that support them.
JUSTIN DEFREITAS

Give the military direct orders
IT IS very sad and heartbreaking to read about the brutal killing of people in Guyana.

Guyanese have always been a peaceful people, but what is happening will clearly make everyone start thinking about an alternative, i.e. violence.

It is very clear that these attacks are carried out against one set of people.

Has the Guyana Government thought about what the recent escalation in crime would have on overseas-based Guyanese who want to take their families to the homeland for summer vacations?

Clearly if these bandits/terrorists are not apprehended, Guyana would be losing tons of US$ because people would go to Florida and other vacation places.

What about those foreign investors?

The whole military force should be sent out with direct orders to get these people either dead or alive.

If our military force cannot do the job, then we should request military help, like special forces from either the United States or Great Britain.

From all the reports it seems that these criminals/terrorists are being harboured by elements in our society and the military should adopt the principle - `if you harbour a criminal/terrorist then you are a criminal/terrorist' and those who are guilty of that should face the same faith as the criminals/terrorists.
OVERSEAS-BASED GUYANESE

Baffling conclusion
AFTER reading the Sunday Stabroek's editorial of May 12, 2002, entitled `Acute Crisis', I was overcome with a feeling of disgust and utter disbelief at some of the disingenuous conclusions arrived at by the goodly writer.

The editorial states that "the PPP/C cannot go on pretending that it is governing a nation, it cannot go on feeling that there is no profound feeling of alienation in the African Community".

What exactly does the Editor mean by this statement? Is she saying that a freely elected government should not be given the chance to govern a nation? If that is the case then no democratically elected government should be allowed to govern.

If as the Editor concludes there is a profound feeling of alienation among Africans, then she should ask the question, whether this feeling is justified.

We have a situation in Guyana where the majority of the positions in the civil and teaching services are occupied by Afro Guyanese. All sections of the security forces from top to bottom are overwhelmingly staffed by Afro Guyanese. All State corporations except the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) have a staff complement that is made up of Afro Guyanese in the majority.

The majority of students at the University of Guyana are Afro Guyanese. Even at Cabinet level the membership of Indians is only slightly more than the national percentage of Indians in this country.

And I can go on and on.

So how on earth the Editor arrived at her conclusion is baffling indeed and can only lead one to believe that she is either naive or something insidious is afoot.

The Editor goes on to state that "after three democratic elections, the current constitutional framework has nothing particular to offer Africans." What an absurd statement to make!

Was the Editor asleep when the Constitutional Reform Commission was meeting throughout the length and breadth of this country taking submissions from all and sundry?

Was she not aware that the PNC and other African organisations were well represented on this Commission? Perhaps she has now awakened from her deep slumber, for if she was awake all the while, she would have realised that the PNC, which claims to represent Afro Guyanese, got more than what it bargained for in the new Constitution.

Not to be outdone by her early illogical conclusions, the Editor traversed a more controversial road stating that "the Police go into Princess Street and shoot someone else under highly questionable circumstances".

As far as can be discerned, the Editor was not there when the shooting took place. As far as can be discerned also, the victim's character was not beyond reproach. In fact the Police had a file on him.

The Editor would make a poor Police investigator if she would take as gospel truth statements emanating from associates of such a character as against the Police version of events.

The Sunday Editor should be well aware of the modus operandi of these bandits. They do not give you a chance.

If you do not get them they will get you as clearly demonstrated in the case when the late Police Officer Leon Fraser met his demise. She is highly critical of Mr. Merai and his men and she went as far as calling for Mr. Merai to be sent on leave.

Sitting in your office and writing what comes to mind, whether it is sensible or not is easy, but in the final analysis someone has to go out and apprehend the bandits.

Perhaps the Sunday Editor can put out a call for all suspected criminals to turn themselves in and let us sit back and see what the results would be. And if by chance there is not a positive response, then she can lead a group of unarmed civilians to go and apprehend them.

Finally, let her talk to the families of all those that have suffered, as recent as last Saturday night, and get their opinion.

One last point: we must be careful of the statements we make otherwise we unwittingly lend credence to unjustified causes.
F. SINGH

Increase the reward offered
THE Police should ask the U.S. Government for help through the Office of the President.

What Guyana is going through is affecting all of us who live here in the U.S.

I am so upset about last week's killing of that couple. In the U.S., which is so big, those men would have been caught by now.

The authorities should try these simple methods:
1/ Roadblocks every day; check every car, bus, mini-van.

2/ Curfew every night so fewer people are out and the Police can patrol all over.

3/ Raise the reward the money for the capture of the bandits. The reward should be $50M per bandit. Try that and see if telephones don't start ringing.

4/ Bring in the military in full force. Guyana has never fought a war with anyone so you train the military and then what?

Put their training to work - put 3,000 military out there to find five men.

This situation is putting Guyana down because nobody wants to come home on vacation any more.

It's too dangerous.
NYERERE
BROOKLYN