GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT: DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2008

UNCLAS GRENADA 000152 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN SOCI KWMN PHUM GJ SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT: DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2008 ¶1. Embassy Grenada's weekly report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not merit longer reporting at this time. ¶2. Begin GWAR text: a. National Reconstruction Levy (NRL) Repealed Delivering on a campaign promise, the five-month old National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has passed the NRL repeal Act. The repeal of the NRL, a symbolic political act, will take effect from January 1, 2009. The former government introduced the levy, which provided for contributions to the Grenada Reconstruction and Development Fund to assist with rebuilding after two hurricanes devastated the country in 2004 and 2005 and was designed to expire on December 31, 2008. The NRL was set at 3% of earnings above EC$1,000 (US$370). b. Prime Minister Attends Prison Graduation Ceremony Prime Minister Tillman Thomas attended a graduation ceremony at the prison, the first visit by a Prime Minister since Grenada achieved independence in 1974. One member of the so-called Grenada 17, jailed for the killing of former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop in 1983, offered the group's apology to Prime Minister Thomas for his incarceration for two years during the 1979-83 Grenada revolution. The Prime Minister was a lawyer at the time of the revolution and was imprisoned without trial for voicing his opinion that the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) was violating Grenadian's basic human rights. c. Grenada's PM Supports Women's Rights Grenada's Prime Minister Tillman Thomas said that his government respects and holds fast to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration the Prime Minister highlighted the circumstances facing women in Grenada. He noted that while Grenada has come a long way in addressing some of the challenges facing women, he could not deny that there are still some challenges that must be dealt with to further improve their economic and social conditions. This year's theme was dignity and justice for all. Prime Minister Thomas worked as a lawyer dealing with human rights issues in the early part of his political career. End text. MCISAAC