ERC urges families to remain hopeful of ongoing probe

WCB unrest

…Haresh Singh to be buried today

Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) Reverend John Oswald Smith, Commissioners and staff visited the grieving families of the Henry cousins – Isaiah and Joel and Haresh Singh – offering prayers and words of comfort to parents and guardians of the slain youths.

During the visit, the ERC Chairman said they were informed by the relatives that the police were still in the backlands of the community conducting investigations. As such, the ERC Chairman told the grieving families to remain hopeful of the outcome of the investigations. According to the ERC, when the team visited, the homes were was still overwhelmed by complete sadness as parents and relatives repeated their ongoing plea for justice to be served. The murdered young men all lived a short distance away from each other in the closely-knit community.
“The ERC team witnessed first-hand the Henry families are of mixed ancestry and relatives are from both major ethnic groups. The adult relatives were vocal and expressed shock that the murders were being promoted as crimes of race hate. They suggested that residents in the community are not pre-occupied with racial intolerance,” a press release issued on Tuesday read.
Isaiah and Joel Henry were found brutally chopped at a coconut farm in Cotton Tree village two days after they went missing. Their bodies were found on September 6.
Following the gruesome discovery, the police had arrested seven persons, including the owner of an estate upon which bloodstains were found, his son, two coconut vendors, and several employees. Three more persons are also being sought by Police.

The murders have sparked widespread protest action, particularly along the West Coast Berbice corridor, with persons blocking the roads and burning debris while calling for justice.
The situation escalated as protesters blocked traffic along the WCB roadway while robbing, beating and extorting from innocent commuters. Millions of dollars were also lost as vehicles went up in flames.
As the unrest continued, 17-year-old Haresh Singh of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), was found dead hours after he had left home on his motorcycle to attend his farm in the backdam.
It was reported that the sound of Haresh’s motorcycle stopped along the dam and shortly after, his family members saw a fire blazing on the dam. Suspicious that it was the motorcycle, relatives went to investigate, and discovered the motionless body of the teenager and the torched motorbike.
The teen was bleeding through his nose and had wounds to his head, ears, neck and hands. According to the family, there was also an “X” on his neck. They then rushed the 17-year-old to the New Amsterdam Hospital, but he succumbed on the way.

Initially, it was suspected that Singh’s murder was in retaliation for the deaths of Isaiah and Joel since one of his close relatives was among those arrested after the cousins’ murder.
Six people have since been arrested and released on station bail for their murder.
Meanwhile, a 75-member team has combed the backdam at No 2 and No 3 Villages, WCB, for evidence in relation to the murders.
The GPF had explained that the Henry boys were not murdered at the location where their bodies were found, according to evidence it has received.
Haresh will be laid to rest today.