September 11 attacks
Guyanese dead remembered
Stabroek News
September 11, 2002
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Of the just under 3,000 people who perished in the World Trade Center attacks last year, at least 25 were Guyanese, probably one of the highest per capita figures for countries whose nationals died in the catastrophic event.

As the world observes the September 11 attacks today, many Guyanese both home and abroad are also mourning loved ones and trying to come to grips with their losses.

Among Guyanese who perished on that tragic date were:

* former national middle-order batsman, Nizam Hafiz, who worked on the 94th floor of tower one;

* accountant Anett Dataram, 24, called `Priya' formerly of 265 Patentia Housing Scheme and of 1230911 Avenue South, Ozone Park, New York;

* Ronald and Kamini Singh, who worked at Windows on the World, on the 107th floor of one of the twin towers;

* Shiv Shankar of Richmond Hill;

* Patrick Adams, a former Guyana Defence Force senior non-commissioned officer who worked at Fuji Bank as a security officer on the 89th floor;

* John Charles, who also worked as a security officer at the WTC;

* Babita Guman and Sita Shewnarine who worked on the 97th floor for Fiduciary Trust in the southern tower;

* Joyce and Patricia Stanton;

* Navy Information Systems Tech-nician, Kris Romeo Bishundat, 23, who is of Guyanese parentage and was stationed at the Pentagon when one of planes crashed into the building;

* Vanavah Thompson who worked for ABM and was assigned to Marsh USA and was last seen on the 73rd floor;

* Hardai Parbhu, 42 also called Chandra, who was employed by Avon Financial Services Group, INC, which operated from the 92nd, 100th and 105th floors of the southern tower;

* Ameena Rasool, who worked with the Marsh and Maskan Insurance Company on the 98th floor of one of the twin towers;

* Ricknauth Jaggernauth, who had been employed at NXT Interiors on the 104th floor of one of the towers (formerly of Free Yard, Port Mourant and a resident of 164 Pennsylvania Ave, Brooklyn, New York;

* Shivonne Mentis who resided at Hollis, Queens and who worked with Marsh Enterprise on the 93rd floor in the north tower;

* Astrid Sohan, who worked with Marsh and McLennan in one of the towers;

* Sarah Khan, a 32-year-old mother of two who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of the north tower and she lived in South Ozone Park, New York;

* Rudy Bacchus, a 48-year-old stockbroker who was attending an early morning Risk Water Conference at the Windows on World restaurant on the 107 floor;

* Amarnauth Latchman, who lived in Long Island and worked at the WTC complex;

* Pamela Boyce, 43 an assistant vice president for accounting of Carr Futures, which was located on the 29th floor;

Guyana's Consul General in New York, Brentnol Evans, yesterday told Stabroek News that it was expected that church services would be held this weekend in memory of all those who lost their lives. He said a year after the Guyanese community is now trying to find the strength to go on.

"We are all striving for a new beginning, even though it is difficult," Evans told Stabroek News.

In a statement yesterday, Guyana's Ambassador to the United States Odeen Ishmael said the country honours the memory of all the people who died and in particular the 25 Guyanese who perished in the towers and at the Pentagon. "For the families of those who died we know that this anniversary will rekindle painful memories of those tragic acts. Our hearts are with these families, and we take this opportunity to again offer our solace to them at this time of sad remembrance", the statement said.

Stabroek News also spoke to some of the relatives of those who died in the tragedy and to Guyanese who witnessed the catastrophe.

'It's like seeing my sister go down'

One of the five remaining siblings of Hardai Parbhu, Kenneth Persaud, who is the deputy head of the Cummings Lodge Secondary School, said that he still found it difficult to think about that tragic day.

But because the incident is of worldwide interest the bereaved family is constantly reminded of that day as it is often shown on television.

"Seeing these buildings going down is like seeing my sister go down. She was all part of it," the man told Stabroek News recently. The 42-year-old woman left her homeland some ten years before her death, for neighbouring Trinidad but later left for the United States.

"She was the love of the family, very caring. She was better off than the rest of us and she helped," was how Persaud described his sister. "It is very painful for us that she died so tragically," the still grieving man said.

Questioned about her family receiving benefits following the woman's death, Persaud said because they were not immediate family they did not receive any benefits. However, he was assisted by the Red Cross to purchase a ticket to visit the US for his sister's memorial.

He returned to the US in August of this year to be involved in a Hindu ceremony for his sister. He recalled that while over there the family visited the site and it was a very sad occasion. They saw many other people who lost relatives on that date and even persons who were just there to sympathise and they all cried together.

"We carried flowers for her and we cried and there were visitors who cried with us and for us," the man recalled.

While the family did not receive any part of the woman's body some of her documents were returned to them.

'I didn't get to say goodbye'
- Mahadai Dataram
Twenty-four-year-old Anett Dataram had taken a job at the World Trade Center so she could supplement her finances in order to complete her studies.

Her mother, Mahadai, while accepting that her daughter is no more, is torn up over the fact that she did not get to say goodbye to her before she left for work on that tragic day.

Her father, Madan Rajkumar, who was in Guyana at the time but now resides in New York, told Stabroek News that they were still sometimes in a state of disbelief. "It is very tough and devastating."

While the family has not seen the young woman's body they were told that one of her hands was found but they asked the authorities to keep it until they are certain there are no other parts of her body remaining.

About compensation for their daughter's death, Rajkumar said that they were told that the issue was still pending. A multi-billion US dollar fund has been set aside but many families have balked at accepting a final settlement as it would prevent them from suing for compensation at a later date. Some families have been receiving funds and other support from the charities and non governmental bodies which collected funds to help victims following September 11. The Dataram family was provided with free legal services to deal with the issues in the court. The family has also received some assistance from the Red Cross. A memorial was to have been held yesterday, on the eve of Anett's death.

Rajkumar said that they had recorded the woman's last birthday celebration and it was heartbreaking for them to view the tape but he acknowledged that it allowed them to remember her in her "sweet" state.

Other than her mother and father, Anett has also left her siblings, Anand, Robert, Movika and Romel to mourn her death.

Woman in a red dress

Bernadette Springer said that she still has a clear vision of a woman in a red dress falling from one of the towers with her dress swirling around her.

Springer had a close-up view of the events on that date since she worked close by. She recalled that the image of the woman in the red dress falling gave her nightmares for a long time after.

She said that as New Yorkers they are constantly forced to think about that tragic day and actually relive it.

The woman said while she has managed to somehow distance herself from that day since it has been almost a year, she is now fearful that it will all come rushing back because of her job.

She explained that she works with a counselling agency and they have been prepared to deal with persons who might have suffered on that date and who might be seeking counselling service.

"For the first three months the events were very fresh in my mind. But after a while I managed to move on," the woman said.

She said that New Yorkers had been functioning and working as normal people, but it was expected that this would change as the world observed the anniversary. While the events will always be a part of the history, she said, with strength and support they would have to move on.

Thick white dust

Another person reliving that day for Stabroek News was Guyanese Emile Mervin, who had gone for a job interview not very far from the twin towers.

Mervin said that it was minutes before noon on that devastating day when he stepped out of the building and hit Broadway, only to be faced with a drove of people running away from what seemed like thick white dust or smoke that appeared stagnant as it stood several feet high between the high-rise buildings along lower Broadway. Many of those fleeing, some shoeless, were covered in white.

He said since all subway trains in and out of Brooklyn were suspended he was forced to walk home from midtown Manhattan which would have covered five or six miles and could take him about three hours. He started his journey, encountering chilling tales, profound fears and looks of shock and disbelief on the way.

According to him almost everyone kept looking back at the black smoke that now covered lower Manhattan and was slowly wafting southeasterly across the East River into Brooklyn.

Mervin said he soon joined this crowd and also kept looking back at the spot where the twin towers once stood. "I cried," he recalled.

The man said he recalled "one person said that the attacks coincided with the date, September 11, or 9 (month) 11 (day), and when these numbers are merged, they become 911 or the telephone number for emergency calls. This means that the attacks were intended to send America into a state of emergency and that is actually what they did." (Back to top)

Sept 11th remembered

PPP urges dialogue to defeat terrorism

The PPP says that the world should not allow itself to descend to the degradation of the terrorists and called for a commitment to dialogue rather than resort to force.

"Terrorism is a ubiquitous and faceless enemy. It comes in various guises and forms; it can be transnational as it can be domestic. The world cannot and should not submit to its will but neither should the world allow itself to descend to its degradation", the statement said.

In the statement, the People's Progressive Party also offered its condolences to the relatives of those Guyanese victims who died in the World Trade Centre attack one year ago saying: "We stand by your side touched and grieved by your irreplaceable losses."

The party said the dastardly acts (of terrorism) have led to retaliation and loss of life in Afghanistan. It was also used by other forces e.g. Israel to take advantage of, and further oppress the people of Palestine.

It has also resulted in the consolidation of a military dictatorship in Palestine. Indeed it was a setback to the progressive and democratic process throughout the world."