The naked truth
Editorial
Kaieteur News
May 8, 2007
Nothing can go on in this country without people being aware. Even in the most remote part of the country, happenings eventually come to light. But what is amazing is the level of cooperation between the criminal elements and the various section of the society. Ever so often, though, the lure of the dollar is good enough to make decent law-abiding citizens turn the blind eye or take a chance although they know that they are breaking the law.
And so for the second time in three years, the Guyana Defence Force was called on to destroy an illegal airstrip in the hinterland of Guyana. The airstrip was found near Orealla, an Amerindian community along the Corentyne River.
Three years ago, acting on information from the people of Orealla, the army traveled to the area and staked out the airstrip. Days passed and nothing happened so they simply destroyed the strip but not before they had arrested some people who had appeared to be resident guards.
One would have thought that having either learnt of, or seen the destruction of the airstrip, the architects would have moved their operation. Unless someone would have reported the destruction of the airstrip, then a plane might have come in to land only to find a hazardous surface.
However, we know that the network in the underworld is such that no aircraft would have attempted to land there without prior information. We are sure that within hours of the army blowing up the airstrip the main players in the drug world knew; be they living in or out of Guyana.
This time around, the army has taken steps to ensure that any repairs would be costly and very difficult to execute.
It is known that this airstrip has been there for at least five years because when the army found it the word was that people had been hearing aircraft in the area since then.
This is not the first illegal airstrip and it will certainly not be the last. We have had illegal strips uncovered in the Mazaruni, Potaro, and parts of the North West District. Not so long ago, the authorities learnt that a group of people were using government equipment to build an illegal airstrip in the Linden community. To this day the investigators never found out who hired the heavy duty equipment, but they knew who authorized the release, although that issue was shrouded in some mystery.
What makes the situation even more intriguing is the fact that neither the government nor the people at Linden were keen to have the matter pursued in the media. And for their part, the news media never pursued the issue. The public is therefore none the wiser.
However, the army cannot go around searching for illegal airstrips. Guyana is large and the airstrips would be constructed in some of the most unlikely areas. What makes the situation even more pathetic is the absence of radar to track aircraft in this country's airspace. The world knows that Guyana can only detect the presence of an aircraft in its airspace by the volume of voice traffic.
Some would argue that it would however be futile, since this country does not have the capability to protect its airspace. The military does not have aircraft. Some years ago the Chinese Government was making one available to Guyana at a cost. This aircraft could have been converted to conduct defence operations. Guyana never bought that aircraft.
But if there was radar, then at least every landing and take off would have been detected thus reducing the length of time any illegal strip would have been in operation.
Guyana with its wide open borders and non-existent air patrol is the ideal haven for the drug traffickers, particularly those from outside these borders. Over time we have found abandoned aircraft at locations where people scarcely trod. Abandoned aircraft have even been found on abandoned airstrips and whenever the traffickers found it necessary they burnt the aircraft.
It appears to be an impossible task to curtail the intrusions by drug laden aircraft but surely it is not too much to ask the police stations to be close to the people and so receive information of suspicious flights.
We would not be surprised if, because of the location of this most recently discovered airstrip, the interested parties would not move to have it repaired once more. For now, we are certain that the destruction of the airstrip dealt a blow to some drug operation. It is a pity that more of this cannot happen.