Caribbean Report 15-04-2002 - Williams, Natalie (anchor); Goodwin, Bruce (interviewee); Smith, Colin (correspondent); Fleming, Osborne (speaker); Meade, Ben (correspondent); Insanally, Samuel R.(interviewee); Miles, Nick (correspondent); Gift, Knowlson (interviewee) (The British Broadcasting Corporation, 2002)
1. Headlines (00:00-00:22)
2. In Antigua, a coalition of angry citizens is threatening to sue the government for failing to pay millions of dollars to the country’s medical benefits scheme, the National Health Insurance Programme, which is now the subject of a commission of enquiry. Bruce Goodwin spokesman of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations, is talking to its lawyers about taking legal action on behalf of public sector workers (00:23-04:02)
3. The funeral for Shaka Blair turns into a massive anti-government rally as mourners call for the disbanding of the “Black Clothes Police Squad”. Mr. Blair was shot and killed by special police and minutes before his funeral Detective Sargent Harry Kooseram was killed by a gunman. Colin Smith reports Opposition Leader, Desmond Hoyte is among the mourners and reports on increasing crime and violence in Guyana (04:03-05:28)
4. In another development sure to worry authorities, persons in the funeral procession of Shaka Blair distribute leaflets, addressed to the military, referring to the five men who shot their way out of prison, February 23rd, as freedom fighters who will stay in Guyana and fight for the Afro-Guyanese nation as the majority of those killed by police are Afro-Guyanese (05:29-06:09)
Keywords: Scandals -- Antigua and Barbuda; Actions and defences -- Antigua and Barbuda; Misconduct in office -- Government -- Antigua and Barbuda; Patients -- Medical care -- Antigua and Barbuda; Public health administration -- Antigua and Barbuda; Funeral rites and ceremonies -- Guyana; Demonstrations -- Guyana; Police -- Complaints against – Guyana; Police -- Special weapons and tactics units -- Jamaica; Police shootings – Guyana; Police murders -- Guyana; Violence -- Guyana; Crime – Guyana; Hoyte, Hugh Desmond; Pamphlets -- Guyana; Escaped prisoners -- Guyana; Race discrimination – Guyana; Blacks -- Guyana; Visas -- Government policy -- Anguilla; Anguilla -- Foreign relations -- Jamaica; Anguilla -- Foreign relations -- Guyana; Guyanese; Jamaicans; Vacations -- Anguilla; Freedom of movement -- Caribbean Area; Caribbean Community; Treaties -- Revision; Presidents -- Reinstatement -- Venezuela; Chávez Frías, Hugo; Reconciliation; Carmona, Pedro (Carmona Estanga); Petroleum as fuel -- Cuba; Venezuela -- Foreign economic relations -- Cuba; Cuba -- Foreign economic relations -- Venezuela; Petroleum industry and trade -- Venezuela; Trinidad and Tobago -- Foreign relations -- Venezuela; Venezuela -- Foreign relations -- Trinidad and Tobago; Venezuela -- Foreign relations -- Caribbean Area; Caribbean Area -- Foreign relations -- Venezuela; Petroleum industry and trade -- Trinidad and Tobago; Democracy -- Caribbean Area; Medical Benefits Scheme -- Antigua Barbuda; National Health Insurance Programme (Antigua and Barbuda); Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations (Antigua and Barbuda) -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Blair, Shaka; Black Clothes Police Unit (Guyana); Kooseram, Harry; Venezuela -- History -- Attempted coup, 2002