Despite a day of resistance by residents, security forces Sunday night said they have cleared 80 percent of the major road artery in Wismar leading to the interior.

Police and soldiers are expected to continue their operation overnight, despite calls by the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR) for them to retreat.

A senior Joint Services official, however, cautioned civilians against traversing the road until all of the obstacles are removed overnight and police and soldiers take up positions.

“There is no release for traffic as yet. We have cleared the road and we are just monitoring the situation for the next six to ten hours or so (as of 7:30 PM Sunday).

“We are not sure if there will be any retaliatory efforts tonight so we don’t want to have regular public passing through and they are caught in any retaliation,”  the senior military officer told Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com)

The official confirmed that information is circulating about plans to ditch several sections of earthen roads deeper past Wismar.

Major roads and bridges in Mackenzie east of the Demerara River have been already cleared but some residents complain that vehicles traversing some areas are being stoned if protesters believe they are working.

Earlier Sunday, the security forces fired pellets and teargas to disperse crowds of persons who had been resisting road clearing efforts. Three civilians were injured by the pellets and taken by the Joint Services to a nearby hospital for treatment.

A number of residents lobbed Molotov Cocktails and tossed back tear smoke canisters at the security forces. A vehicle being used to collect roadway obstructions was damaged by one of the firebombs and the pants of Police Inspector Alves caught afire. He was not injured.

Earlier Sunday, residents caught two persons they believed were responsible for burning down the Wismar Primary School at One Mile.

The security guard reported that some time after 3 AM Sunday, three men entered the compound, carted off computers and later set the building on fire.

Meanwhile, the PNCR called for the immediate de-escalation of tension in the Linden Area and the halt to all operations.

"The PNCR condemns the Joint Services operations today, Sunday 12^th August that has resulted in the shooting of several civilians who were peacefully demonstrating.The Party notes with alarm the militarization of the crisis which has only served to increase tensions in the area," the party said.

The PNCR pledged to continue supporting the legitimate struggle Lindeners for human rights and economic justice.

The origin of the unrest dates back to four months ago when government announced an increase in electricity rates from July 1.

Things turned for the worse on July 18 when three men were killed and several others injured during clashes between police and protesters.

Though agreement was reached to suspend the increase in electricity rates and review the sector in Linden by a bipartisan committee, tension again boiled over last Friday when police fired teargas to disperse arsonists from the Wismar Mackenzie Bridge.

Public buildings housing the offices of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Institute of Distance and Continuing Education, Linden Electricity Company Incorporated and the Linden Care Foundation were burnt down.

Early Saturday morning the Wismar-based branch of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) was destroyed by fire.