Two Chinese nationals who allegedly breached the conditions of their two-week work permit granted in 2004 were yesterday refused bail by Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.
Sue Jian Li, age 24, and Feng Zhaw, age 28, who reside at 28-29 Lyng and Evans Street, Charlestown pleaded not guilty to the charge at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
It is alleged that on January 6 at Georgetown they failed to comply with the conditions of a work permit granted on May 21, 2004 for a period of two weeks.
Representing the two men was attorney-at-law Anil Nandlall who told the court that the men work at Golden Bridge Inc. of 228 Middle Street, Georgetown at a bicycle establishment project under an agreement with the Chinese and Guyanese governments. He stated that Sue works there as an electrician and Feng as the assembly supervisor. He added that the men have been in Guyana since 2004 and that prior to this incident they were never in any trouble in the country. He stated further that they have an application pending since January at the Ministry of Home Affairs. He asked for reasonable bail and stated too that his clients were beaten by the police and were only discharged from the hospital the day before. The men, he said, need further medical attention because they have concussions. He said that he would provide the evidence later.
Police prosecutor Sherwin Matthews asked that bail be refused, saying that the men were not from Guyana and they may have a difficulty in getting them to court. He said the application that counsel was referring to was only sent in to the ministry the day before. He added too that the men were not assaulted by the police but rather by other prisoners and the police were the ones who took them to the hospital. He added that if counsel had evidence that this was not so then the necessary action would be taken.
The magistrate refused bail and Nandlall asked that the men be released into the custody of the police. However, Matthews objected to this saying that counsel had alleged that the police had assaulted his clients.
The men will return to court on January 15.
