I think the majority of law- abiding citizens feel that the phantom gang have done an excellent job.  With the nation held at ransom by a band of vagabonds and criminals, the phantom force emerged and brought peace to the land. Neither the police nor the army offered protection and the people resorted to self-help.  Disturbing stance I WAS surprised and dismayed to read the Guyana Chronicle editorial of April 29, `This is Ronald Gajraj the patriot’, which strongly praises a vigilante approach to combating crime. Police inability to control the crime wave contributed to the creation of the death squad, as the inquiry into the death squad recognised. This does not mean the actions of the squad or its sponsors should be condoned, which your editorial appears to do. As the editor of a magazine on human rights and fellow journalist, and as someone intensely interested in the future of Guyana, I find the stance you have taken to be disturbing, especially as it is taken by a government-owned newspaper. I ask that the Guyana Chronicle remember its responsibility to promote respect for just and fairly administered laws in Guyana. DEREK MACCUISH EDITOR, THE UPSTREAM JOURNAL MONTREAL, CANADA Contact: Derek MacCuish, Coordinator (sjc@web.ca). Tuesday, May 03, 2005