A New and United Guyana (ANUG) yesterday called on the government to come clean on the implications of the seizing by US authorities of the phone of the Home Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary and the subsequent revocation of her visa.
In a press release yesterday, ANUG noted that on 21st April, 2023 Stabroek News reported that the mobile phone of Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas had been seized by the US immigration authorities when she was at Miami Airport in transit to China. Although Toussaint Jr Thomas was permitted to continue to China, her US. visa was revoked by those authorities two days later.
“The response by our government has been unclear and inconsistent. Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn spoke of the retention of Ms. Toussaint Jr Thomas as Permanent Secretary in her current role without revealing why a senior government official (had) her visa revoked. His Excellency, President Ali is reported as seeing `no controversy’ surrounding the seizure of the PS’ phone, which is a government issued phone, believing this to be a procedural matter, and is reported to have said that Ms. Toussaint Jr Thomas had gone to China on a PPP excursion rather than for government business.
“Every Guyanese should be concerned that its government is not being forthcoming and honest about a matter involving a senior government official and the US authorities. Detention and interrogation, followed by seizure of a cell phone, followed in turn (presumably after examining the contents of that phone) by revocation of a visa is a matter of national concern. None of the questions have been adequately answered by the government’s response to date”, ANUG said.
It noted that this arose at a time when the government is seeking to enact legislation that will see the establishment of the National Intelligence and Security Agency – an intelligence gathering body with police-like authority, but run by a Director appointed by the President without consultation with political opposition and wider society.
