Government Oppression of the Taino People in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico - The General Council of Tainos Borincanos has planned to clean-up the Bucana river in Jacanas (Tibes - Ponce), Puerto Rico on April 12 but their attempt has been impeded by the Department of Natural Resources.

The General Council of Tainos Borincanos having proposed - as part of our activities to promote conservation and respect of the environment - the clean-up of the Bucana river to mend the damage caused to the sacred site of Jacanas, Ponce, PR and to renew its integrity; had made efforts since the beginning of February to contact the Department of Natural Resources, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and other governmental agencies through various means of communication such as faxes, telephone calls, letters and personal visits. The Taino Council’s requests were never officially answered.

See full story at:
http://uctp.blogspot.com/2008/04/government-oppression-of-taino-people.html

Guyana ratifies convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA): The government of Guyana through the National Assembly has ratified the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters which will serve as a legal basis of shared support in criminal issues between the United States and Guyana.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues who put forward the Motion said the growth in trans-border crimes generally confirmed the need for increased international law cooperation.

“Extradition treaties and Convention of this type in general are essential tools in this effort…The negotiation of mutual legal assistance treaties is an important part of the administration’s many efforts to address international crime, as reflected in the International Crime Control Strategy,” Rodrigues said.

The Minister who was speaking at the March 27 sitting of the House said one important measure to address the problem is to enhance the ability of local law enforcement officials to cooperate effectively with overseas counterparts in investigating and prosecuting international criminal cases.

“Similarly, mutual legal assistance treaties are vitally needed to provide witness testimony, records and other evidence in a form admissible in criminal prosecutions. The instrument before you today will be an important tool in Guyana achieving this goal,” Rodrigues asserted.

Guyana signed the Convention on February 28, 2006. To date 22 of the 34 member states of the Organisation of American States (OAS) have ratified the convention that was negotiated at the OAS in the mid-1980s and was adopted and opened for signature by the OAS General Assembly on May 23, 1992.

Meanwhile, the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and other related Materials was also ratified in the National Assembly.

“The purpose of this convention is to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, ammunition, explosives and other related materials, and to promote and facilitate cooperation, exchange of information and experience among states parties in this regard,” Rodrigues explained.

The Guyana government’s effort to address the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms were outlined by the Minister.

“As a government we have not been blind to the changing face of crime and criminality. We have taken specific note of the increased use of guns in the commission of crimes and have acted accordingly. The Firearm Amendment Bill among other things has increased the punishment by including more significant penalties for the purchase, acquisition or possession of firearm or ammunition without necessary licence,” Rodrigues emphasized.

Guyana signed on to the Convention on November 14, 1997 at the Twenty-fourth Special Session of the General Assembly of the OAS which was held in Washington D.C.

All set for Amerindian village replica

GUYANA - The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs on Wednesday made its third visit to Moraikobai, Region Five to check on the progress for the tenth Caribbean Festival of Arts and found that everything is set for the building of a replica of an Amerindian village.

According to a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), Moraikobai is one of many villages chosen to participate in the ten-day event from August 22 and has been tasked with preparing the materials to construct a replica Arawak village at the Sophia Exhibition Centre in Georgetown. The village was selected because of its location, residents’ expertise and accessibility to raw materials.

On Wednesday toshao Colin Andrews took representatives of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry including Clive Patterson, Community Development Officer and David Murell, Public Works Engineer attached to the project, to check on the material being prepared by the residents. After four weeks of preparation the materials were finally ready to be used to build the replica and Andrews said that he was happy about the completion and expressed thanks to the residents who have been working tirelessly to have all the materials prepared and cured. He further gave the assurance that his village is ready to begin constructing the main benab for the replica of the `Amerindian Village’.

Moraikobai residents will also showcase their talents in handicraft, popular Amerindian cuisine and entertainment. They said that this would give them an opportunity to display the beauty of their village and to highlight their skills and talents as well as open new market for their products.

Photo: Some of the materials to be used on the replica of the Amerindian village. (GINA photos)

Source: http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=1728

User friendly booklets on new Amerindian Act almost ready

Guyana - Special booklets on the new Amerindian Act which are being produced by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs in languages that will be understood by the Amerin-dians are almost complete, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

GINA quoted Minister of Amerindian Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues as saying that the legal language had been posing some difficulties and the ministry decided to make the document more user-friendly in order that its contents are easily understood.

There are booklets on the Amerindian Act already which are available to the public but Amerindian communities specifically will be targeted for the distribution of these new booklets.

Rodrigues said that the project which started last year is almost complete. `

Additionally, templates of the forestry and mining sectors are in the printing process which will serve as a guide for communities involved in the two sectors.

The minister said the project will be pursued because of several complaints relating to agreements not being properly formulated and the communities losing out.

She said a workshop was completed with the toshaos in order that they understand the contents of the Act, so they could better guide others.

The Amerindian Act of 1951 was outdated and not reflective of today's situation and many communities had asked for it to be revised.

In early August 2005, the Amerindian Bill was presented to Parliament and was subsequently debated on October 20, 2005.

The new Amerindian Act was passed on February 16, 2006 paving the way for Amerindians to empower themselves socially, economically and politically, GINA added.

Source: Stabroeknews

Belizean Musician Andy Palacio Passes Away After Heart Attack and Stroke

January 19, 2008 - Andy Palacio, an iconic musician and cultural activist in his native Belize and impassioned spokesperson for the Garifuna people of Central America, was declared dead tonight at 9pm Belize time due to a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions.

Palacio, 47, started feeling poorly last week and eventually visited a doctor with complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. On the 16th of January, he began experiencing seizures and was rushed to a hospital in Belmopan, Belize and then on to another hospital in Belize City. At this point, most people were hopeful Palacio would recover.

On January 17th, Palacio's condition worsened and he began experiencing more seizures. He was placed on an air ambulance to Chicago where he was expected to get treatment at one of the premier neurological facilities in the country. En route to Chicago, the plane stopped in Mobile, Alabama to clear immigration. At that point, Palacio was unconscious and it was determined that he was too ill to continue on the flight to Chicago. He was rushed to a hospital in Mobile, and placed on life support. There, doctors determined that the damage to his brain function was severe, and that his chances of recovery were slim. On January 18th, his family requested that he be flown back to Belize so that he might die in his homeland.

A national hero in Belize for his popular music and advocacy of Garifuna language and culture, news of Palacio's condition sent shockwaves through the community. At 5pm today, a public service was held in Belize City for Palacio as people prayed for his recovery. Ceremonies were also held by Garifuna spiritual leaders in an effort to help with the situation. Belize is in the midst of a heated election, but the local news was entirely dominated by Palacio's health crisis.

The reaction has also been strong around the world. Until the recent turn of events, the past year had been one of tremendous accomplishment for Palacio as his album Wátina, which was released at the beginning of 2007, had become one of the most critically acclaimed recordings of the year in any genre.

Perhaps the most unanimously revered world music album in recent memory, Watina appeared on dozens of Best of the Year lists in major media outlets around the globe and was roundly praised in glowing terms.

In 2007, Palacio was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace and won the prestigious WOMEX Award. Wátina was also nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards. At home in Belize, the international success of Wátina has sparked a revival of Garifuna music, as young musicians have become inspired by Palacio's example. Even in the days since Palacio's health crisis began, the accolades have continued to pour in for his work.

That Palacio has been struck down at a moment of such international acclaim only increases the sense of shock and tragedy felt at his sudden and untimely death.

Andy Palacio will be honored with an official state funeral. A massive tribute concert is planned in Belize City on Friday, January 25th.

Friends and supporters are invited to post messages in memory of Andy Palacio to his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/andypalacio) as well as to the blog of his international record label Cumbancha (http://cumbanchamusic.blogspot.com/).