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BRIDGETOWN ALSO FOR ORA
CARACAS ALSO FOR LEGATT
PORT OF SPAIN ALSO FOR DEA, LEGATT, AND ORA
E.O. 12958: DNG: CO 02/08/2016
TAGS: ASEC PTER PGOV PREL SNAR GY
SUBJECT: DEATH THREAT AGAINST U.S. AMBASSADOR AND PROMINENT
GUYANESE
REF: GEORGETOWN 111
Classified By: DCM Michael D. Thomas for reason 1.4 (d)
¶1. (S) Ambassador met with Major General (ret.) Norman McLean
on February 8 at McLean's request. At the meeting, McLean
handed Ambassador a sheet of paper listing information he had
received from a policeman who has access to the Buxton area.
This paper described a discussion regarding an operation to
kill high profile people in retaliation for the murder of
Ronald Waddell (reftel). Ambassador's name was one of
thirteen names listed. This paper described a discussion
that reportedly occurred February 4 after Waddell's funeral
procession. According to press reports and McLean's
information, when the funeral procession reached Buxton, some
members of the crowd removed Waddell's body from the casket,
told police, the media, and other members of the procession
to wait while they paraded through an area known as "the
Gulf", where persons in black masks carrying AK-47s fired
shots into the air as a final salute to the man who had
praised the vigilante "Buxton resistance".
¶2. (S) It is difficult to evaluate the credibility of this
threat. However, McLean is a serious and experienced
security professional. McLean said his source offered to
obtain further information, but McLean advised him not to.
McLean said he brought the matter to Ambassador's attention
because he believes the source is credible and he believes
that retaliation for the Waddell murder is inevitable.
¶3. (S) Post is taking the following actions to improve
Ambassador's security.
-- A/RSO detailed to Ambassador's existing Police Protective
Detail when Ambassador traveling out of home or office.
-- RSO will re-brief Ambassador's Protective Detail and
Drivers on principles of protection.
-- Ambassador and Ambassador's driver will increase variation
in routes and times of Ambassador's travel.
-- One SD team (two members) will be dedicated to the
Ambassador.
-- RSO will ask Commissioner of Police to detail an armed
Police Officer of the Special Response Team to the EMR.
-- Motor pool will vary armored vehicle used to transport
Ambassador rather than using one vehicle constantly.
¶4. (S) Text of note follows. Begin quote:
INFORMATION RECEIVED
After the funeral of Waddell on Saturday, it seems that
elements associated with the group had a discussion on some
form of retaliation. The two-for-one ratio was expanded on
this occasion for more high profile targets. The following
were identified as possible targets but Odinga Lumumba is
felt to be top of the list.
Odinga Lumumba - High Profile target seen as an organizer
Sita Ramlal - too powerful and dismissing black people
Norman McLean - Association with the above and wanted
badly for crossing over to PPP
Chief Justice Carl Singh - High Profile target
Donald Ramotar - As above
Roger Luncheon - As above and a sell out of black people
Steve Surujbali - High Profile target
Juror in Mark Benschop Case - for obvious reasons
Roger Khan) - Association or control
Ricardo) of Phantom groups
Brian Tiwari - High Profile Indian
Khursid Sattaur - Government Official and High profile
Indian
Roland Bullen - US Ambassador lending support to
Government
It is understood that reconnaissance has started in several
areas e.g., Bel Air where there is a Phantom House and where
SR lives. Hits could start on the anniversary of the
jailbreak around Mash time. The scenarios could be Hits
direct and by staged vehicle accidents.
Purpose to cause chaos and confusion, disrupt the likelihood
of investment and frustrate the upcoming Elections and
improve chances of a Constitutional crisis. It is understood
further that an operative named Rawlins aka &Fine Man,8
Oliver Hinckson, Godwin McPherson and others, are
orchestrating these actions.
End Quote.
¶5. (SBU) A copy of the note as been e-mailed to WHA/CAR Laura
Luftig.
Post Bio notes on persons named as targets:
------------------------------------------
¶6. (S) Odinga Lumumba: Strong man for the former PNC
government. Followed ex-Prime Minister Hamilton Green to the
GGG when the PNC expelled Green then moved to the PPP.
Currently Coordinator of the President's Youth Choice
Initiative, Presidential Advisor on Empowerment PPP Member of
Parliament, President of the Guyana Football League, central
figure in a wildlife export scandal, frequently seen clubbing
with President Jagdeo and popularly rumored to procure women
for the President.
¶7. (SBU) Sita Ramlal: Registrar of the Supreme Court and
Norman McLean's girlfriend.
¶8. (SBU) Norman McLean: Served as both Commissioner of Police
and Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defense Force during the
Burnham years. Since the early 1990s McLean has been Human
Resources Manager of Omai Gold Mines, a subsidiary of
Canada's Cambior Inc. A fixture in the business community,
McLean has occupied a number of positions including President
of the Guyana Manufactures Association, member of the
Security Sub-Committee of the Local Organizing Committee for
the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Deputy Chairman of the Ethnic
Relations Commission. Most pertinent to the matter at hand,
McLean served as a member of the Presidential Commission of
Inquiry that incredibly cleared former Minister of Home
Affairs Gajraj of involvement in extra-judicial killings by
the Phantom Squad.
¶9. (C) Carl Singh: Chief Justice of the High Court, Acting
Chancellor of the Judiciary, active in efforts to streamline
administration of justice and reduce judicial corruption, and
widely perceived to be partial to the PPP Government.
¶10. (SBU) Juror in Mark Benschop Case: the only one of ten
jurors who voted to convict Benschop for treason after he led
a crowd storming the Office of the President in 2002.
Popular opinion believes the juror was suborned by the
PPP/government to vote guilty.
¶11. (U) Donald Ramotar: General Secretary of the People's
Progressive Party, Member of Parliament.
¶12. (S) Roger Luncheon: Head of the Presidential Secretariat
and second ranking member of Cabinet after the Prime
Minister. Commonly referred to as "Machiavelli" by the
Diplomatic Corps. Commissioner of Police Felix says Luncheon
ordered him to say that the arrest of drug-kingpin and
Phantom Squad member Roger Khan at a Guyana Defense Force
roadblock in an armored vehicle with high-tech cell phone
intercept equipment and automatic weaponry was a mistake
because it was a police operation (Felix refused).
¶13. (SBU) Steve Surujballi: Chairman of the Guyana Elections
Commission, veterinarian, former director of the National
Dairy Development Program, former member of the Working
People's Alliance.
¶14. (U) Roger Khan: Guyana's number one narco-trafficker and
a member of the Phantom Squad used by GoG in 2003-2004 to
reign in an out-of-control crime situation. Widely rumored
to be responsible for the execution-style murder of Ronald
Waddell.
¶15. (SBU) Brian Tiwari: Managing Director of engineering firm
B.K. International Contractors that wins many government
contracts. Locally referred to as one of the "untouchables"
because his firm continues to get government contracts
despite poor performance.
¶16. (SBU) Khursid Sattaur: Commissioner General of Guyana
Revenue Authority. Disliked by nearly everyone who has any
contact with the GRA.
Bio Notes on purported perpetrators:
-----------------------------------
¶17. (SBU) Rawlins aka "Fine Man": A gang member resident in
Buxton. Reportedly the target of a 2005 Roger Khan-led
execution attempt that mistakenly killed a young boy in
Buxton.
¶18. (SBU) Oliver Hinckson: According to McLean, a former GDF
lieutenant. Now associated with the COPS Security Service.
¶19. (C) Godwin McPherson: Former number two in the Guyana
Defense Force with the rank of Colonel was cashiered from the
GDF in 1996 and prosecuted for multiple charges of theft and
embezzlement totaling nearly US$2 million. Currently serves
as PNC Representative on the National Sports Commission Board
and President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation.
Now employed as Physical Education Coordinator at the
Ministry of Education. Served as Chief Elections Officer for
the April 2005 Guyana Public Service Union elections that
were marred by accusations of irregularities in counting the
ballots.
BULLEN
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