UNC MPs Ramsaran and Rafeeq arrested and charged

WHILE Prime Minister Patrick Manning was delivering the 2003-2004 National Budget in Parliament yesterday, UNC MP for Chaguanas Manohar Ramsaran and Caroni Central MP Dr Hamza Rafeeq, were appearing along with seven other persons before a Chaguanas magistrate on charges relating to yesterday’s fiery anti-crime protests along the streets of Chaguanas.

Acting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Millicent Craig of the Couva police formally charged Ram-saran with inciting a public march for which no permit was obtained. She charged MP Rafeeq and seven other persons with taking part in a public demonstration for which no permit was issued. Those jointly charged with MP Rafeeq were Imam Muakayl Abdullah, Pundit Bisram Sieudath, Abdul Jabroj, Jeewan Lutchman, Bissoondath Ramkis-soon, Boysie Roy and political analyst and newspaper columnist Dr Kirk Meighoo. The nine accused persons appeared before Chaguanas Third Court Magistrate Margaret Alert shortly after 3 pm and were represented by a battery of lawyers including Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky, Anand Ramlogan, Carol Cuffy Dowlat, Princes Town MP Subhas Panday, Manvavi Tewari and UNC Senator Robin Montano.

MPs Ramsaran and Rafeeq were among nine persons arrested yesterday by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Oswyn Allard, outside the Chaguanas Car Park. The arrests were made during a solidarity walk which was organised by the Chaguanas Businessmen and Women Group in the fight against the escalating crime in Central Trinidad. At the beginning of the court proceedings, Persad-Bissessar complained to Magistrate Alert that she was assaulted and man-handled by a senior police officer outside the court. Speaking on behalf of her clients, Persad-Bissessar stated that bail should be granted to the arrested Members of Parliament who are public figures and need to appear at public functions. She added that they are also outstanding members of society and had no previous convictions. All nine persons pleaded not guilty and were granted $750 bail each and told to reappear in court on Monday October 13, after their attorneys requested the matter be adjourned to a later date, this despite Court Prosecutor Inspector Ashton Clarke stating his readiness to proceed with the matter.

Two MPs charged...

Bacchanal in Chaguanas

TWO Ministers of Parliament and a political analyst were among nine people charged during protest demonstrations staged by businessmen and concerned residents of Chaguanas yesterday.

Chaguanas MP, Manohar Ramsaran and MP for Caroni Central, Hamza Rafeeq, along with political analyst Kirk Meighoo, were arrested and subsequently charged by police officers for their involvement in the demonstrations. The six others charged are reported to have included school children as well. Both Rafeeq and Meighoo were charged with six other persons for taking part in a public demonstration for which a permit was not obtained, while Ramsaran was charged with inciting a public march for which no permit was obtained. All charges were laid by ACP Crime, Oswyn Allard.

The demonstration which started from Montrose Junction, Chag-uanas, began just after 9 am yesterday, and was supervised by members of the police service. The protest action came as a result of the escalating crime situation. Bearing placards which displayed bitter sentiments of the crime situation, the protesters, which included irate businessmen and concerned residents, made their way along the Chaguanas Main Road. However, it was upon reaching the Chaguanas Market that the peaceful situation took a turn for the worst. The announcement by ACP Crime, Oswyn Allard, that the demonstration had to end at the Chaguanas Market, caused an uproar among the large crowd. The police tried to calm the agitated crowd, but seemingly, all to no avail.  It was when the crowd protested openly to Allard’s decision to stop them from proceeding, the angry protesters dared to go further, causing the police to intervene. One of the first to be arrested for breaking the police barrier, was political analyst, Kirk Meighoo. His arrest was followed by several others, including the Chaguanas MP, Manohar Ramsaran and Caroni central, Hamza Rafeeq, who were all rushed to the Chaguanas Police Station where they were to be charged accordingly. But the arrests left bitter feelings among the other demonstrators, all of whom felt their colleagues were taken advantage of by the police. According to one of the organisers of the demonstration, Sursatee Bharat, the actions of the police was “clear intimidation and abuse of power. This is a non-political move,” she said. “This is residents of Chaguanas, saying enough is enough.”

Insisting those arrested were well within their rights to march along the streets of Chaguanas, was Attorney-at-law, Anand Ramlogan, who felt the actions of the police officers were a clear indication of discrimination towards the East Indian Community of the country. “Today the police service has vindicated the long-held suspicion and fears of the Indo-Trinidadian community, that they have always been but a pawn of the People’s National Movement.” ACP crime, Oswyn Allard came in for some heavy criticism from Attorney Ramlogan who felt that Allard was the one leading other police officers to make discriminatory decisions. “The police service did not react in a manner like they did this morning when only in the not too distant past, Selwyn Cudjoe marched upon president’s house breaching National Security of the worst, marching straight to (then) President Robinson, handing him some dumb petition in his hand. I want to know where was Mr Oswyn Allard and all those police officers with guns when Selwyn Cudjoe was marching. I want to know, is it going to be one baton for Indians when they march in this country for their rights?” Ramlogan was among other members of the United National Congress who later turned up at the Chaguanas Police station upon learning of the arrests of their colleagues.