Residents of Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice this morning blocked the public road with burning tyres. The police have since cleared the area.
No. 5 Village is the area where protests had begun last month over the killing of the Henry cousins, Joel and Isaiah.
The Number 3 Village road was this afternoon also blocked. This village is where the two Henry cousins lived.
Chairman of Region Five, Vickchand Ramphal told Stabroek News today that he believes the protest was in connection with the killing of the Henry cousins.
The police this afternoon issued the following statement:
At about 10:30hrs on 2020-10-04 persons claiming to be the relatives of the late Isaiah and Joel Henry and some residents of # 5 Village, West Coast Berbice began to block the # 5 Village bridge with old tires and debris and lit same.
A Police patrol vehicle arrived shortly thereafter but had to request assistance. Subsequently, additional ranks were deployed to the scene at # 5 Village and commenced clearing the bridge.
About 13:15hrs hours they were successful in clearing the #5 bridge but had to immediately respond to reports of #3 Village Public Road Being blocked.
The ranks as at 16:15hrs were still working to completely clear the roadway in #3 Village.
Protesters voiced concerns over the seeming delay in ongoing investigations but were repeatedly told that their protest was illegal and unlawful and that arrests will be made.
The relatives were reminded that ranks from the Major Crimes Unit are continuing the investigation with the assistance of a Regional investigative team drawn from RSS and Caricom IMPACS.
Ranks will remain on the ground until all the roads are clear.
Protests originating at No. 5 Village had convulsed the West Coast Berbice for days last month and led to attacks on commuters and the murder of Haresh Singh in what was seen as reprisal for the killing of the Henry cousins.
The police have been investigating the murders and a team from the CARICOM Regional Security System was recently here to assist with the investigation. DNA samples from the crime scene have also been sent to St Lucia for testing.
A team from an Argentinean forensic institute may also soon arrive to assist in the investigation.
