Georgetown, October 6, 2018. Presided by the Prime Minister and First Vice President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Hon. Mr. Moses Veerasammy Nagamootoo and the Ambassador of Cuba, Narciso Reinaldo Amador Socorro, took place a ceremony of remembrance and homage to pay tribute to the 73 victims of the terrorist attack perpetrated on October 6, 1976, against Flight 455 of Cuban airliner. The event was held at the Memorial of the Victims of Terrorism, which is located on the campus of the University of Guyana.
Attending the homage, among other personalities were: Dr. Barton U.A. Scotland, CCHMP, Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana, Mr. George Norton, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. Nicolette Henry, Minister of Education, Mr. Winston Felix, Minister of Citizenship and Dr. Karen Cummings, Deputy Minister of Public Health. There were also present, Mr. Halim Khan, president of the Movement of Solidarity with Cuba, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Georgetown, members of the Association of Cuban Residents, members of the medical and educational brigades of the Cuban cooperation, students and workers of the University of Guyana and officials of the Embassy of Cuba.
The Prime Minister, the Cuban Ambassador, the Honorary Consul of Barbados in Guyana and one of the relatives of the victims, placed a floral tribute before the plaque with the names of the fallen victims of that abhorrent attack.
In his speech the Prime Minister recalled that the criminal sabotage caused the death of 73 people, of them, 57 Cuban citizens, 5 North Koreans and 11 Guyanese and quoted in his own words, the words of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, during the funeral of the victims of the abominable crime, quoting, “When our grief is multiplied, injustice trembles!
He explained that the terrorist attack was not only directed against Cuba, but also against Barbados, Trinidad-Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana, who challenged the policy of isolation imposed by the government of the United States to Cuba, establishing diplomatic relations with the Island in 1972.
"Guyana has paid a very high price in the loss of precious lives for dictating its own policies and goals together with all the other small Caribbean states towards a sister Caribbean nation." The Cubana terrorist bombing brought us a shared grief and it also strengthened our determination not to break the close ties with our Cuban brothers and sisters, "said the Prime Minister.
The Ambassador of Cuba said in his speech that the sabotage perpetrated on October 6, 1976, better known as "The crime of Barbados", has left an unforgettable sorrow in the hearts of Guyanese and Cubans, uniting both peoples, in the rejection of terrorism , the highest expression of irrational hatred.
"We pay special tribute to the members of the fencing team, young women and men, full of life, glories of the Cuban sport, who were flying to Cuba, dreaming about new challenges, eager to embrace their families and share with their people all the medals won; to the heroic crew of the plane that battled until death to avoid the tragedy; to the technicians and all our compatriots who died that day. To Korean citizens, who were part of a delegation making a tour to some Latin American countries, and our Guyanese sisters and brothers traveling to Cuba, six of them, to study medicine and to be trained to save lives. None of them, will ever be forgotten,” the Cuban diplomat, said.
The Ambassador also highlighted that October 6 has been instituted in Cuba as the day of the "Victims of State Terrorism" in perpetual remembrance of the victims, as a result of terrorist acts against Cuba and said that his country condemns all acts, methods and terrorist practices in all their forms and manifestations, by whoever, against whoever, wherever committed and whatever their motivations, including those in which there are governments directly or indirectly involved, as it happened in this dreadful crime, in which the perpetrators were supported and protected by some States.
Finally, the head of the Cuban diplomatic mission said that nothing will stop Guyana and Cuba from continuing working together for peace, happiness and sustainable prosperity of both nations.
