A 55-year-old man, believing he had been infected with the HIV virus, yesterday shot and killed his 39-year-old lover then twice shot himself in the head.

Norman Durgadeen Paris, of Roy Joseph Scheme, San Fernando, shot his lover of two-and-a-half-years, Christine Knights, three times in the head and abdomen before taking his own life inside an agricultural shop in Rio Claro. According to witnesses, Knights was returning from the market when she was confronted by Paris. They had an argument and she returned to Roxanne’s Plaza where she owned a hair dressing salon. Yesterday was the only day Christine had gone to work this week because, her relatives said, “things were slow”. With Paris following, Knights reportedly went into the agri shop — Rio Claro Feed and Agro Supplies — located on the ground floor, and asked for a glass of water.

An employee of the plaza reported that Paris took out a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Knights, claiming it was an affidavit in which he swore that he had contracted the HIV virus, and that she was the only person he had been sexually active with for the past two-and-a-half-years. According to police the affidavit was prepared in January this year by a Commissioner of Affidavits. Just moments later, witnesses said, Paris pulled out a 9mm gun from his trouser pocket and fired three shots at Knights. She was hit in the head and abdomen. Immediately he turned the gun on himself and fired two shots into his head. A friend of Knights told Newsday that earlier yesterday Paris told her “your friend is a walking time bomb” but she didn’t know what to make of the comment then.

Knights, of Brothers Road, Tabaquite, was the mother of a seven-year-old boy with another man. At the family’s home last evening, her sister, Simonette Knights, recalled that Christine wanted to go out for carnival but was afraid because she (Christine) had been threatened. According to Simonette, her sister never said who had made the threat. Sitting inside their home, the family appeared to be in shock only just having heard of Christine’s murder. According to members of the family, none of them had any idea that Christine was seeing someone other than her son’s father. They recalled that Christine travelled to the United States on Ash Wednesday and when she returned she distributed presents to everyone saying: “Take everything now because you have nothing to get later in the year”. According to police investigators, Christine’s killer was a former foreman in the Community Preservation and Enhancement Programme, CEPEP.

NINE PEOPLE were left homeless when fire gutted their NHA apartments on upper Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, early yesterday morning.

The fire started in the building which housed four apartments at  around 7.30 am. It started in the south eastern bedroom of an upstairs apartment and quickly spread to adjoining units. Several of the occupants were able to grab some of their belongings and flee the burning building only to stand and watch the flames. Terry Jones, Ronald Jones and two children, Terrence and Venice, lived in apartment A where the fire started. Apartment B belonged to 65-year-old Wilma Blanc who lived with Sylvia Greenidge. Cynthia Major lived in apartment C, while Lawrence and Michelle Isaac lived in apartment D. They all stood outside the building with tears in their eyes and being comforted by neighbours as officers from Belmont Fire Station and Headquarters on Wrightson Road tried their best to contain the blaze. The operations were under the direction of Acting Divisional Supervisor Serville. Quick work by a crew from TTEC ensured that live electrical wires from the building were made safe so the fire officers could work under less strain. Port-of-Spain South MP Eric Williams was quickly on the scene speaking with the displaced residents and assuring that he would secure housing for them.

PRESIDENT of the Industrial Court Addison Khan yesterday granted an injunction against Caroni 1975 Ltd, after employees of the company filed a writ seeking an interim relief, after the company requested that its 8000 employees accept Voluntary Separation of Employment (VSEP).

The injunction was granted on the terms that Caroni Ltd be restrained from implementing or further implementing the VSEP Plan offered to its employees, that without prejudice Caroni will restrain itself — as of March 30 — from attempting to persuade its employees to participate in the VSEP plan whether by advertising in the newspaper or otherwise.
In addition Caroni will be expected to refrain from issuing any notices of acceptance to the employees or in any other manner conclude any agreement with any of the employees in relation to their voluntary separation from the company and from treating the employees as having terminated or agreeing to terminate their employment with the company. The injunction was granted until further order from the Industrial Court. Caroni was represented in the matter by Allan Alexander SC, Reginald Armour and Kerwin Garcia, while the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union was represented by Douglas Mendes, David Cowie and Ashvani Mahabir.

Mendes cited several legal arguments to support his case that the injunction be granted until after the hearing and determination of the Industrial Relations Offence on May 7. ATS&GWTU filed a complaint pursuant to section 84 of the Industrial Relations Act on March 13, which alleged that Caroni 1975 Ltd committed an industrial relations offence after they failed to recognise the majority union of the daily paid employees of the company. The union also claimed that the company failed to treat or enter into negotiations with the union for the purpose of a collective bargain, which was contrary to Section 40 of the Industrial Relations Act. However Alexander argued that the company did not contravene any Industrial Relations Act, since in their opinion, the company did not have to liaise with the union on a VSEP package. He said the granting of the injunction states that Caroni erred in some way by not discussing the package with the union, and “they are saying they did not”.

Khan in presenting his decision pointed out that he was unable to arrive at any determination on the merits of the respective cases. However he was of the opinion that there were serious issues to be tried, which included the status of a recognised majority union under the Act, whether as the recognised majority union, they are entitled to have the proposed VSEP plan negotiated between itself and the company and whether the company failed to meet and enter into negotiations in good faith or violated section 40 of the Act. He also pointed out that he believed that by not granting the injunction the workers would suffer irreparable damage. Following the decision President General of the ATS&GWTU Rudranath Indarsingh told reporters that the decision is an indication that justice is still alive in the country. He stated that the union and workers will continue to have faith and confidence in the due process of law and order and assured the workers that the union will continue to try to fulfil the mandate for all of its members.

TWO men, one a Venezuelan national, appeared before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate yesterday charged with trafficking US$11 million (TT$70 million) in heroin, which according to officials of the Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit (OCNU) is the largest heroin haul in TT’s history.

Dikent Ramon Cueto Soto, 32, of Valencia, Venezuela, and Wilson Mac Millan, 45, a taxi-driver of San Juan, appeared before Senior Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim charged with possession of 11.12 kilos of heroin for the purpose of trafficking at Western Main Road, Carenage. Mac Millan was represented by Patrick Godson-Phillip who asked that his client be granted his own bail. Police prosecutor Sgt Ian Raeburn had no objection to bail. Magistrate Lee Kim expressed surprise that the police were not objecting to bail as Mac Millan’s criminal record was not known. However, she granted him bail with a surety of $50,000. Soto, who was unrepresented, was remanded in custody pending tracing of his criminal records from Interpol. Both men were ordered to reappear in court on April 8.

According to reports, at around 8 pm on Wednesday, OCNU officers co-ordinated by Snr Supt Kathleen Weekes were on enquiries along the Western Main Road, Carenage, when they intercepted a car near the ALCOA plant. During a search of the vehicle, the officers reportedly found a quantity of heroin hidden inside hollow laminated plyboard at the bottom of three black suitcases which were filled with clothing. Wednesday’s seizure is the second for the year and followed the arrest of a St Ann’s taxi-driver in late January who was allegedly found with TT$25 million in heroin at his home.

A DISAPPOINTING crowd of about 30 persons, the majority of whom were from the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU), held a noisy anti-war protest on the Queen’s Park Savannah opposite the United States Embassy.

Leading the protest was Education Officer of the OWTU David Abdullah and former President of the Public Service Association (PSA) now attorney, Clyde Weatherhead. Although the protestors’ numbers were small, their collective chants of “Bush is not God”, “Stop the war”, “Go home US terrorists” and “Save the children” were clearly heard above the din of heavy mid-afternoon traffic. In fact, some motorists who sped by the protestors tooted their vehicles’ horns in support. No police officers were present at the protest which started at 4.30 pm.

Clyde Weatherhead, who was accompanied by his six-year-old daughter Ameera, said that the TT government needed to take a more active role in the worldwide condemnation of the US/UK-led war against the Iraqi government led by Saddam Hussein. “Although they have publicly said the war is unjust, the government of this country, which is a member of the United Nations, must join in the worldwide struggle via the UN to force the United States to make reparations to the Iraqi people,” Weatherhead said. He said that the war was in direct contravention and violation of the United Nations Charter to which Trinidad and Tobago adheres.

Abdullah opined that the United States was not interested in the preservation of democracy but wanted to overthrow the present political regime in Iraq and install a government that would do its (the US) bidding. “This is no longer about weapons of mass destruction…this is no longer about disarming Iraq. This is about control of the Iraqi oil supply,” Abdullah told Newsday. He said that nations across the world must take a stand against the United States, since if the war continued without protests, there is nothing to stop the US from waging wars against other countries under the guise of preserving democracy.

Renowned forensic investigator Bob Lindquist, who inquired into the Piarco Airport scandal, will be hired by the Government to investigate Opposition claims that $51.5 million was being paid out corruptly as compensation to contractors who were owed no more than $11 million. Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced this yesterday evening in the House of Representatives.

He was replying to a motion on the adjournment by Opposition Chief Whip and Caroni East MP, Ganga Singh. Singh said WASA former acting CEO, Emanuel Romaine, had in 1995 negotiated $240 million in contracts, but was dismissed, and the contracts terminated by successive Boards of WASA. Singh said Romaine’s judicial review of these decisions had failed, and that even upon appeal then Chief Justice Michael de la Bastide had hinted the appeal case was too weak. Saying WASA had paid $2 million to Romaine in the past few months, Singh said: “According to the rules of the Supreme Court this matter was abated, no longer subsisting, yet WASA agreed to $2 million for Emmanuel Romaine…Once (Errol) Grimes became the CEO of WASA you have $2 million going to Romaine”.

Singh continued: “Ernest and Young suggested a figure of settlement of $11 million. Certain monies were paid prior to December, 1995 to Waterfarms and Waterwells. The technical and audited evaluation said pay $11 million, but yet in the last few months they settled some $51.5 million. I call upon the Prime Minister and Attorney General to engage forensic experts to deal with this matter. We want Lindquist…We want forensic experts to look into this matter and report to the national community. This is a matter that requires the intervention of the honourable Prime Minister,” declared Singh.

Minister of Public Utilities Rennie Dumas rose to reply: “As stated in the House on Friday March 21, 2003 in response to a question from the member for Caroni East, settlements by WASA of five legal matters during the period December 2001 to January 2003, are now the subject of an investigation by the central audit committee of the Ministry of Finance. Also the Government has already indicated that it is committed to informing Parliament of the findings of the investigation into these matters as soon as a report is available, and as such  it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further…”.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning, however, got the House to suspend its Standing Orders so he could make a statement. Manning stated: “I’d like to point out to the honourable member for Caroni East that much of what he has said I am hearing for the first time. I think he is quite justified in requesting forensic investigation into this matter. I now give this honourable house and the national community the assurance that the services of the forensic scientist Lindquist will be retained in this issue. The report will be laid in Parliament and debated. “And of course, Mr Speaker, if anybody is found culpable in this matter then appropriate action will be taken,” added the Prime Minister.

PERSONS IN the public gallery who attended yesterday’s sitting of the House of Representatives expecting to hear fiery debate on the restructuring of Caroni Limited may have been the only ones disappointed as the government’s attempt to draw the Opposition United National Congress into debate was resisted.

At 2 pm Leader of Govern-ment Business Ken Valley rose and requested the adjournment under Standing Order 90 to allow the UNC to bring the motion “if they so desire”. This prompted Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday, who was in attendance after being away for several weeks, to declare: “We born yesterday?” UNC Chief Whip Ganga Singh reminded Speaker Barry Sinanan that he has repeatedly told the government to bring to the House a detailed plan on Caroni which they would be willing to debate. Opposition MPs endorsed his statement by pounding their desks and telling the government, “Don’t hide.” Valley said the government is willing to waive the Standing Orders, but this remark caused Panday to respond: “Wave it nah, I waving too”, as he brandished a book.

Two other requests for adjournment were raised by Opposition MPs but they were turned down by Sinanan. Princes Town MP, Subhas Panday wanted to highlight the shortage of pipe borne water in several areas in his constituency and Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma sought to raise the demolition of the homes of persons who had received “letters of comfort”. The Speaker advised them to make their requests under Standing Order 11 (2 and 3). The Caroni issue was not to be forgotten, however, as Valley asked that a matter involving Couva South MP, Kelvin Ramnath be sent before the Privileges Committee. He cited a story in the Express dated March 24 in which Ramnath reportedly called Sinanan and Deputy Speaker Hedwidge Bereaux “fools” for not granting his request to raise Caroni Limited. Valley spoke about parliamentary rights and privileges and said the Couva South MP “committed a most flagrant contempt” on the House. The Speaker said he would rule on a future date. The House later returned to debate on establishment of a Committee to make recommendations for Constitution reform.

Trinidad and Tobago has been asked to put together an energy summit “in the shortest possible time”, bringing together three constituencies in the energy industry — Caricom, gas producers and the Western Hemisphere. The summit is expected to take place in Trinidad and Tobago by July “or at latest September”, Energy Minister Eric Williams said yesterday. The summit would discuss among other things, energy requirements for the Western Hemisphere, he said.

Williams, who has just returned from Washington, said he met with two assistant secretaries from the Department of Energy. He said the conversation revolved around long term security of supply, “not the physical guarding of facilities, but making sure there are long term supply sources”. He said they agreed that the US would continue to be the largest market in the Western Hemisphere, and that Trinidad and Tobago was the dominant supplier to the US market. Williams said not everybody in the Western Hemisphere talks with everybody else. But Trinidad and Tobago was on good terms with everyone, he noted. He said this country was being seen as a hub for bringing together the three constituencies — Caricom, gas producers and countries of the Western Hemisphere — and was being therefore asked to take a “leadership role to pull it all together”.

Williams said he also met with the US Trade and Development Agency which funds feasibility studies. He said they were “potentially” a source for funding a study on the intra-Caribbean gas pipeline and the potential for LNG into Jamaica. He noted that they funded the feasibility on Train 1 LNG and another project in TCL. He said he was told that Train 1 LNG was the most successful project they had funded. “So Trinidad and Tobago stands out for them,” he said.