The Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday denounced the violent protest action which followed an intelligence-led operation involving the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) in the vicinity of Buxton, East Coast Demerara on February 1, 2023.
“This is not the first time that there has been an outbreak of violence on the East Coast of Demerara involving the robbing and beating of innocent people, aimed at the deliberate destruction of personal, public, and private property and assets, and the disruption of public transportation.
“Once again, there has been a complete breakdown of law and order which, in the view of the private sector, has been allowed to continue for much too long before being brought under control by law enforcement and with the police seen to be standing by and doing nothing”, the PSC said in a statement..
The Commission says it looks forward to and expects that the perpetrators will be immediately apprehended and brought to justice.
The PSC said it will be requesting a meeting with the Minister of Home Affairs on this matter.
The CANU chase into Buxton and the arrest of a Vigilance man with a large quantity of suspected cannabis triggered resistance from villagers and hours-long unrest on both the main road and embankment as blockades were created and a truck set ablaze.
Traffic on both sides of the village was interrupted just after 11 am up until around 5 in the afternoon.
The standoff ended after a village leader urged those on the road to remove.
