Tributes flow for Cubana Air bombing victims

41st anniversary

…as Granger urges respect for territorial integrity, international law

By Jarryl Bryan

A special commemorative ceremony, attended by an entourage of Government and diplomatic officials, was held at the University of Guyana on Friday, paying tribute to those who lost their lives 41 years ago in the Cubana airline bombing.
At the ceremony, which saw wreaths being laid at the ‘Cubana 455’ monument that was unveiled in 2012 on the campus grounds, President David Granger lauded the

memory of the 73 passengers.
“Guyana remembers today the victims of the Cubana terror attack. We assemble

annually before this monument to memorialise the human cost of international terrorism. Guyana honours the memory of the martyrs,” he said.
He also noted that the only way to ensure the Caribbean remained a zone of peace was to maintain respect for international law. Granger reinforced Guyana’s opposition to terrorism and paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the bombing.
“The Caribbean must become a zone of peace, but this objective can only be realised if international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of small

states are respected.
“Guyana rejects totally the use of force to settle international controversies. Guyana abhors the crime of international terrorism, whenever and wherever it occurs. Guyana reassures the world of its commitment to (make) the Caribbean a zone of peace.”
Also addressing the gathering was Cuban Ambassador to Guyana, Julio Cesar Marchante. Expressing regret for the overall loss of lives, the diplomat noted that aspiring medical students were part of the group. He also expressed thanks for those responsible for the erection of the monument.
The Ambassador said that the act of terrorism perpetrated against Cuba was responsible for the mourning and pain of numerous families, as well as the destruction of property. Giving statistics, he reminded that terror attacks in Cuba

resulted in the death of 3478 people and over 2099 were maimed and/or disabled.
“Cuba rejects double standards and unilateral actions contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and to the principles and norms of international law,” the diplomat said.
“May it serve this commemoration, to reiterate Cuba’s unwavering will to fight against terrorism and to state its firm rejection and condemnation of all terrorist acts, methods and practices in all its forms and manifestations regardless of their motivation,” he added.
On October 6, 1976, Cubana de Aviación flight CU 455 exploded just 11 minutes after take-off from the Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados.
Those who perished were 57 Cubans, five North Koreans, and 11 Guyanese — Ann Nelson, Jacqueline Williams, Sabrina Harripaul, Rita Thomas, Margaret Bradshaw, Violet Thomas, Rawle Thomas, Raymond Persaud, Harold Norton, Gordon Sobha and Seshnarine Kumar.
Four men were subsequently arrested for the bombing. Two men, Freddy Lugo and Herman Lozano, were later sentenced to 20 years in prison in a trial held in neighbouring Venezuela. Another accused, Orlando Bosch, was acquitted.

Territorial integrity
Granger’s comments on respecting sovereignty are opportune, as they come at a time when the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy has very much been in the news. The controversy centres on Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territory, despite international rulings reinforcing Guyana’s sovereignty.
Venezuela has staunchly been against oil exploration in Guyana’s Stabroek Block, where multiple oil discoveries have been made by ExxonMobil. In fact, Venezuela’s National Assembly had approved an agreement to reject the oil exploration activities earlier this year.
Back in 2015, the Spanish-speaking country had purported to claim more than half of Guyana’s territorial waters off the Essequibo Coast, and has steadfastly maintained that it did not recognise the 1899 Tribunal Award – which it agreed to respect – that settled its border with Guyana.
It has a territory that is several times bigger than Guyana’s, and a population that is almost 40 times that of Guyana’s. But Venezuela, in 1968, claimed the entire territorial sea of Guyana by means of the Leoni Decree, which has never been withdrawn.
For decades Venezuela has occupied the Guyana side of Ankoko Island, objected to the development of hydropower stations in Essequibo, and has been staunchly opposed to Guyana exploring for oil offshore and onshore its Essequibo territory.
The Venezuelan Navy had, in 2013, intercepted and detained a Malaysian seismic vessel that had been conducting surveys in an offshore concession granted by Guyana to the United States-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, causing that company to leave and never return.
There have also been incidents inland Guyana, with Venezuelan aircraft attacking vessels operating on the portion of the Cuyuní River that the arbitration court has awarded Guyana.
Guyana has sought relief through one of the options in Article 33 of the United Nations Charter – arbitration and juridical settlement of the issue.