Commissioner wants separate investigation into attack on Customs House
by Wendella Davidson
JUSTICE Carl Singh Tuesday called for a separate investigation when female Customs Patrol Officer Jennifer Fowler, the final witness at that day's sitting of the Commission of Inquiry, testified that the Police took no action when she reported that the Customs House was under attack by demonstrators on June 3 last. She had made the report by telephone to the Police at Impact Base, Brickdam. The female Customs Patrol Guard was one of three witnesses who appeared Tuesday before the Commission to testify about incidents involving the department, during the recent pay strike called by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU). The others were Controller of Customs Mr Clarence Chue and Customs Officer Mr Khalil Mohamed. Fowler had told the Commission that at the time of the Boat House invasion, she and a colleague, Customs Officer Jeffrey Thomas, were the only persons there. She said that hours after she and Thomas were harassed and threatened with being tied and thrown overboard, she went to the Brickdam Police Station and was given `the cold shoulder' by an officer on duty. According to the witness, the officer was backing her and never turned around to see who was speaking to him. Justice Singh also ordered one of two officers present at the hearing to investigate whether a record was made of the telephone call, who accepted the call, and what action, if any, was taken, and if so, by whom. He requested, too, that Customs Officer Thomas appear before the Commission yesterday morning. But at the resumption, he announced that taking further evidence in relation to incidents at Customs would be put down, at the request of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mr Denis Hanomansingh. The DPP, who represents the interest of the Police, was absent when Fowler testified. He was reportedly ill. But according to Justice Singh, the DPP had indicated an interest in cross-examining Fowler. And with Counsel for the Commission, Attorney-at-law Mr Mortimer Cumberbatch said to be out of the jurisdiction, the Inquiry was adjourned until August 30. On that day, Thomas will give evidence and Fowler will be recalled to be cross-examined by the DPP. Before the adjournment, evidence was taken from four Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) officers: Mr Robert Ashford, Marine Superintendent (MS); Mr Paul Sinclair, Shore Chief Engineeer (SCE); Mr Millington James, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME), and Mr Edward Baker, Chief Engineeer, Maintenance (CEM). Fowler, in her evidence Tuesday, said that on the night in question, at about 19:30 hours, she and Thomas were at the Boathouse where duties entail the collection of revenue and boarding of vessels, when another patrol officer, Simone Herod, stormed into the office with other members of the public. Fowler said Herod, in an angry tone, said she had come to "shut down the boathouse", claiming that those who were working were "impeding their cause". Herod was then confronted by Thomas who asked who the other persons were. Then Thomas told Herod that while she could remain, the others would have to go outside. Herod became "loud" and shouted, "You all, you all working and we deh struggling out heh, it is not right, we want you all to stop working". She accused them of being strike-breakers. The witness said Thomas then ordered her out the building and he closed the door. Though she was unable to see how many persons were outside, Fowler said she reckoned they were many from the noise they made. The demonstrators began hurling threats of "we should tie them up and throw them overboard", a threat which, in response to a query by Justice Singh, Fowler said would have been easy to effect as the office is alongside the Demerara River. Fowler said as the crowd grew more aggressive, she telephoned Impact and a woman who answered promised to "send over someone". In the meantime, the witness said someone re-opened the door and a crowd of about 30, among whom she recognised Customs Officers Park, Swan, Hassel and De Florimonte, surged into the building. The witness said that Thomas put on an available revolver, with the demonstrators becoming further agitated and Parks challenging him, saying, "You pulling gun pun we". As the crowd again shouted "Tie them up and throw them overboard", Parks grabbed Thomas by his shirt and pushed him. Fowler said at the same time Herod grabbed at her keys, pulled her from the chair on which she was sitting and pushed her towards the crowd who thumped her in the head and pulled her hair. Fowler saw a woman "yank" the telephone from the wall and throw it on the floor. Meanwhile, another officer took away the keys from Herod and returned them to Fowler. It was then that she was pushed outside the building. As she made her way to the car park, she was followed by Parks and Swan. She took a taxi from there to the Brickdam Police Station. Preceding Fowler, was Customs Officer Khalil who is stationed at the John Fernandes Transit Shed. He recalled being on duty at May 18 with another officer named Narootandeo when, at about 13:45 hours, a crowd of about 100 persons was observed making its way towards the Transit Shed, chanting, "We gon close them down", "Khalil must go" and "Who inside come outside". Khalil said the demonstrators, among whom he recognised some of his colleagues, were hostile and as he approached the entrance of the bond, they became more agitated and shouted new threats of, "We gon kill you", "We gon bun you house down" and "We gon kill you family". Not knowing the whereabouts of his colleague, the witness said he became fearful, closed the Transit Shed and prepared to leave. He said he asked an officer for assistance in guaranteeing his safety, but according to Khalil, the officer, who he described as "of East Indian descent", told him he could not. By then three African women had lit a fire outside the building and were prancing around it shouting " We gon wuk pun Khalil". The Customs Officer said when the demonstrators saw him taking photographs of the scene, they became more angry, and they started pelting him with potatoes, none of which hit him. He then telephoned the Commissioner of Police who promised to get Police to the scene to take him to safety. The Police arrived at about 16:30 hours, but it was not until one hour later that Khalil was taken to safety by Police Officer Gilhuys. Earlier, the Controller of Customs told the Commission that the demonstrations affected the operations of the top revenue collecting department in various ways. According to him, a large number of officers withheld their services, causing a number of the department's functions to be disrupted. At the Transit Sheds, there were no officers to examine cargo. At the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, some 70 per cent of the staff were off the job. He said on two occasions former President Janet Jagan gave orders for a waiver of the requirements for the clearance of Customs for aircraft and passengers. At New Amsterdam and the Enforcement and Smuggling Units, work was at a virtual standstill. Chue said, too, that after the second or third week of the strike, owners of transit sheds were reluctant to open for business, though there were Customs Officers who were willing to work. The Controller of Customs, on at least one occasion, when he turned out for duty at his Main Street office about 08:15 hours, was prevented from entering the compound by a group of unidentified persons who blocked the entrance. Asked about the impact on revenue collection, Chue said for the month of May only $47M was collected, compared to an average collection of $1.4B. The Controller explained, however, that because cashiers were not on duty, some consideration was given to releasing goods without documents being processed. In other cases cheques were collected, but could not be properly processed.
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