<B>Anand Kusruthsingh accused of concealing drugs</B>

Former advisor to Ramgoolam’s policy unit Anand Kusruthsingh was again arrested yesterday and later freed on bail. The police are now accusing Kusruthsingh of concealing drugs in Pravin Bhuckory’s car way back in 1997. Allegations made by Vythilingum and corroborated by Antoine Chetty that Kusruthsingh also gave instructions to murder Bhuckory have not been acted upon by investigating ADSU team. Pravin Bhuckory’s lawyer, Koomara Panyendee, says he does not understand why the police are not acting.

As far as accountant Varma is concerned, no statement has been given to the police yet. The police are still objecting to bail. Varma has been in custody in Moka for ten days now.

<B>Paul Bérenger’s site visit cancelled due to heavy rain</B>

Heavy rain in the south of the country yesterday prevented the Prime minister from carrying out a site visit of the Road Development Authority (RDA)’s alternative route for the South-Eastern Highway Project. The RDA’s 2.5 km long realignment, which will bypass the endemic Ferney forest, comes in the wake of the Environmental Monitoring Committee (EMC)’s report which suggested that the only way to spare the forest and its wealth of endemic flora and fauna, would be to avoid it altogether. The EMC report, which was submitted by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Sateeaved Seebaluck, also evoked safety issues linked to the 600m tunnel that is meant to pass through Grand Port mountain and recommended that Ferney forest be converted into a conservation management area.

Despite government’s decision to spare the forest, environmentalists from NGO’s such as the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation and Nature Watch remain dissatisfied as the RDA’s realignment, which the latter says will cost an additional Rs100 million, is not “realistic”.

<B>Detainees at La Bastille threaten to kill themselves</B>

Two HIV positive detainees were transferred from the New Wing prison in Beau Bassin to the high security detention centre of La Bastille yesterday. Detainees are said to have climbed on the roof of the prison in Beau Bassin because they were not satisfied with their conditions of detention. Other sources however claim that the two detainees were threatened with a transfer to La Bastille after their unruly behaviour of late and that they chose to express discontent by climbing on the roof.

La Bastille in Phoenix is now up to full capacity. 24 detainees are currently being held there, most of whom have been sent there as a punishment measure for a period of three months. Disorderly behaviour that lasted for two weeks at the high security prison is said to have subsided after the Prison Security Squad took over the running of the prison.