Georgetown, GINA, March 26, 2008Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee has lashed out at the Stabroek News for its recent article which infers that so-called “phantom gangs” may have re-emerged.  Minister Rohee said the article’s intent is clearly to mislead readers and must be seen as an unfortunate development in the media fraternity since the role of the media is to provide information and not misinformation.
The Home Affairs Minister called on the newspaper to provide the Police with such information to which they have reported since according to him, the government/security forces have no such information.
“If the Stabroek News has information that this is indeed so, then they must hand this information to the Police to alleviate speculations to a headline story in a newspaper that claims to have credibility… We don’t have any information of any credible nature that there is any re-emerging of phantom gangs in Guyana… It (article) doesn’t seem to be based on factual evidence,” Rohee emphasised.
In its March 25 edition, the Stabroek News carried an article which inferred the possibility of the return of the “phantom gang”, citing the recent killings of Marcyn King sister of Guyana’s most wanted Rondell “Fine Man” Rawlins and Charlestown resident George Barton.
The article stated, “This country must now brace itself for more killings as it would appear that the phantom squad is back; two death-squad-type murders in the city in recent weeks have pointed to this”.
Meanwhile, the Minister also touched on the recent cancellation of the last day’s activity of the Rodeo in Lethem due to rumours that gunmen were going to attack persons at the event.
He said such rumours have several objectives which include a psychological warfare, creating tension, affecting economic and social activities and distracting the Joint Services in their mission to capture criminal gangs.
Government along with the security forces will not allow this to happen, he said.
“We are not going to allow this psychological warfare to succeed. We will not allow this rumour mill fed by the criminal elements to discourage economic and social activities, and we will also work as hard as we can to ensure that this tension is alleviated in the country,” the Minister asserted.
Minister Rohee assured that anyone who is found to be engaging in public mischief of this type will face the full force of the law.