Dear Editor,

The problems Guyanese are having with BWIA are ongoing. Such problems have not been addressed before and now the situation has gotten out of hand. The people of Guyana should report every time they are mistreated by that airline to their government. This recent incident with Mr.Gaul has been an eye opener in many ways and yet the airline has refused to address the real issue. That is, the mistreatment of the Guyanese flying population. If BWIA had stiff competition such as Air Canada flying out of Georgetown I believe the treatment of Guyanese would have been much better.

Not only are Guyanese mistreated by BWIA but also certain small islands are treating my fellow Guyanese in a heavy handed manner. I am Guyanese by birth but have not lived in Guyana for over thirty years. A few years ago I was visiting family friends in Trinidad. While clearing customs at the airport the immigration officer asked the usual questions and when he discovered that I was Guyanese born his attitude changed almost 100 percent from that of a civilized human being to a hostile person. Instead of asking me questions he was demanding answers from me. His usual questioning changed to almost interrogating. More than a few times he raised his voice which caught the attention of the other passengers waiting to clear customs.

The most annoying question he asked from my point view was how come I got money to travel. Needless to say I had to bite my tongue to prevent more harassment. In the meantime non Caribbean people did not have the same problem I was encountering while clearing immigration in Trinidad.