Twenty finalists will vie for the 2017 Young Kings title tonight at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Show time is 7.30 pm.

The competition will open with popular gospel artiste Jerry Dane Sellier (Jadee) singing in position No 1. In position number six will be soca artiste Orlando Octave, singing his popular song “Single.”

Full order of appearance:

1. Jadee (Jerry DaneSellier)
2. Dale Ryan
3. Marlon Edwards
4. Dr Will B (WilliamBannister)
5. Banjela (AddelonBraveboy)
6. Orlando Octave
7. Devon Matthews
8. Mr King (MarvinLewis)
9. St Nick (NicklasGosine)
10. Fireball (RohanRichards)
11. Nicholas Ashby
12. Calypso Prince(Henson Wright)
13. D’ Ladies Man(Mark Eastman)
14. KC (Kyle Cowie)
15. Sekon Alves
16. Mba (GaryThomasos)
17. Ezekiel Yorke
18. Sheldon Nugget(Sheldon Bullen)
19. Aaron Duncan
20. Dilly Suede (DillonThomas

At the close of day one last Saturday at the Barrackpore West Secondary School Ground, Queen’s Park closed on a strong 286 for six batting first. Former West Indies Under-19 batsman Jeremy Solozano top scored with 70, while West Indies batsman Darren Bravo scored 55. Tion Webster and Marlon Barclay, who are unbeaten on 45 and 35 respectively, will hope to stay at the crease as long as possible.

At the Brian Lara Recreation Ground in Santa Cruz, Merry Boys will be seeking first innings points against Powergen. After dismissing Powergen for 208, Merry Boys closed on 135/3 with national batsman Isaiah Rajah on 26 not out. Earlier Mario Belcon struck 57 for Merry Boys. In other matches continuing today, Clarke Road will face Central Sports at the Wilson Road Recreation Ground in Penal, while Alescon Comets will play Tableland at the Pierre Road Ground in Charlieville.

FIRST DAY SCORES: CLARKE RO AD 127 (Kerry Holness 42) and 6/0 vs CENTRAL SPORTS 159.

QUEEN’S PARK 286/6 (Jeremy Solozano 70, Darren Bravo 55, Tion Webster 45 not out, Marlon Barclay 35 not out) vs VICTOR IA.

POWERGEN 208 (Aneil Kanhai 5/64, Ricky Jaipaul 2/45, Amir Khan 2/43, Jeron Maniram 37, Cephas Cooper 35, Bidesh Sookhai 33) vs MERRY BOYS 135/3 (Mario Belcon 57, Isaiah Rajah 26 not out).

ALESCON COMETS 287 (Kieron Joseph 106, Kirk Edwards 53, Kenroy Williams 48, Al Small 3/45, Brian Pegus 3/59) vs TABLELAND.

This is the appeal from The Muslims of Trinidad and Tobago, a group which wants Government’s help to provide a safe haven to Syrians currently living in camps in Lebanon and Jordan. The organisation has turned to this position as it is concerned it may not be able to distribute $1.7 million in relief supplies to refugees in the Middle East, because of a ban on travel for seven Muslim countries.

It also believes Government’s proposals to amend the Anti-Terrorism Act, as announced by Attorney General (AG) Faris Al-Rawi last Thursday, will also restrict the movement of local Muslims, the organisation’s public relations officer Imtiaz Mohammed said in a release yesterday. Mohammed is also president of the Islamic Missionary Guild. “This team may have to travel through a country that the AG may consider a terrorist country.

Who is going to determine the purpose and on what grounds, why I travelled to a restricted country.

Are they going to have Muslims followed?” Mohammed asked.

“They should also consider taking in some of the Syrian refugees (1,000) and we the Muslim community would take care of their needs.” The proposed amendment to the current Anti-Terrorism Act seeks to strengthen the existing laws and bring a new law to deal with foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs).

The Attorney General has stated the legislation will extend the scope of the Act to cover terrorist acts committed outside of TT; extend specific offences for the provision of services for the commission of terrorist acts or the financing of terrorism and the collection of property, redefine terrorist acts and expand the definition of a terrorist “to include persons who contribute to the commission of a terrorist act.” National Security Minister Edmund Dillon revealed last week that 130 nationals are believed to have left TT to join terrorist organisations, especially the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). (See page 5) An American news network also deemed TT as having more terrorists than any of the seven countries on which the US imposed a travel ban. At the post-Cabinet news briefing on Thursday, Al-Rawi listed a slew of measures to address terrorism, following the news that there were about 130 citizens who have gone abroad to join terrorist organisations. The measures include harsh penalties targeting those supporting terrorist groups as well as provisions to address FTF’s.

However, Mohammed described the proposed amendments as “a violation of our human rights as regards to our freedom of movement, travel” saying “we see this as an act of discrimination and victimization against all Muslims in Trinidad and Tobago.” “We are not going to accept this piece of draconian law in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

Mohammed said any Muslim who joins ISIS rarely return to their countries. The intention which Muslims “have in their hearts when they decide to join ISIS” is to “travel to Syria to fight in the part of Allah and if they die, they believe they would die as martyrs.” “They believe this would be their gateway to heaven. So, they have no intention of returning to Trinidad and Tobago,” Mohammed stated, adding, “so why inconvenience the 120,000 Muslims because 130 Muslims are fighting in Syria.” He noted the amendments would complicate the lives of Trinidad Muslims locally and abroad as this would make it “difficult and expensive for Muslims to fulfil their religious duties.” “Trinidad Muslims living and working in the Middle East, their lives would be negatively affected by this amendment. They may not even be able to return to Trinidad.

Our humanitarian work in that part of the world will be a major problem,” he stated.

Mohammed said Government should instead focus its attention on the “unacceptable level of crime in our country and find solutions.” Head of the Islamic Front Umar Abdullah also called for the entire Anti-Terrorism Act to be repealed.

“I am actually calling for the entire Anti-Terrorism Act to be repealed and some other measure, some other mechanism be put in place to manage the idea of terrorism because as far as I am concerned, the Attorney General (Faris Al-Rawi) and the Minister of National Security (Edmund Dillon) do not understand the meaning of the term,” he said.

Speaking in the wake of the Government’s proposals to bolster the existing anti-terrorism laws and address, specifically, FTFs, Abdullah said the Government should have consulted with the Muslim groups before formulating its proposals.

“My concern may be somewhat different from the rest of the Muslim community because what we are asking is that the Government sit with us and have those discussions and consult with us before they go into Parliament and create laws that are going to infringe on the rights and privileges of not just Muslims but the entire population as well,” he said.

“When you go through the proposals clearly, you will see that not only Muslims are going to be affected by it, non-Muslims as well.” Abdullah suggested.

He said a meeting of Muslim groups was being planned for 2 pm today at the Islamic Missionary Guild, Kelly Village, to discuss the proposals. Mohammed is expected to host the meeting.

“We are hopeful that from that meeting, we are going to get a consensus from the Muslim community on the way forward,” Abdullah said.

“It is something that we have to treat with in this manner. It is not just my voice or Imtiaz’ voice but the entire Muslim community has to come together an actually take a stance on this position.

The AG could not be reached for comment.

In the first incident, at about 10.30 pm, a group of people were liming at a panyard on the corner of Ravine and Morne Coco Roads Petit Valley, when a masked gunman walked up and opened fire. Three people were hit: 31-year-old Shelly Ann-Craig, Kadeem Lavia and Jahim Alfonso, both 15. They were rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital but Lavia died while undergoing treatment.

One hour later, Aziz Ahmed, 67, was asleep at his home at Cadet Hill, Diego Martin, when he a strange sound woke him up and he saw two men in his bedroom, who then stabbed him several times before escaping. Ahmed was taken to hospital where he died.

And early yesterday morning, businessman and father of two, Naim Caliph, 35, was pronounced dead in his vehicle outside the Mon Repos Police Station following a drive-by shooting along the Tarouba Link Road in San Fernando.

Caliph’s friend Fiaz ‘Dougs’ Mohammed sustained gunshot injuries but survived. Mohammed underwent emergency surgery at the San Fernando General Hospital and, up to yesterday, remained warded in a serious but stable condition.

Police report that shortly after 1 am yesterday, gunmen in a white AD wagon opened fire on Caliph’s white Range Rover (PCX 6786), driven by Mohammed, along Tarouba Link Road near the Solomon Hochoy Highway. Caliph, of Naparima/ Mayaro Road in Palmyra Village near San Fernando, was the front-seat passenger.

In trying to escape the assailants, Mohammed sped off to the Mon Repos Police Station on Royal Road. Police investigators said Mohammed was too weak to get out of the vehicle while Caliph, owner of a clothing store, was motionless.

There were 11 bullet holes in the vehicle including a shattered window on the front passenger side.

“The driver was so weak from the injuries that he was unable to come out the vehicle. He sounded the horn and officers went outside to see what was going on. Naim Caliph was pronounced dead while Mohammed was rushed to hospital,” said a police officer.

Police issued an all-points bulletin and officers of the Rapid Response Unit and the Southern Division Task Force went in search of the assailants without success.

Police blocked road in front of the police building as they searched for evidence. A district medical officer pronounced Caliph dead.

A friend of Caliph told Sunday Newsday that hours before the shooting, he and Mohammed friends were seen at the official opening of Steel Restaurant and Lounge at South Park (Mall) in Tarouba.

He believes Caliph may have been on his way home when the gunmen opened fire.

“Naim always had a smile on his face. He was always happy. Although police came out looking for the killers, the highway is right there. Therefore, they could have gone in any direction. In 10 minutes, they could have been in Couva and in five minutes at Debe,” said the friend. Relatives were not at home when Sunday Newsday visited.

An autopsy is due to be performed at the Forensic Science Centre, St James tomorrow. The case is being investigated by Homicide Region III officers.

“The history of TT and the sources of the historical record have over the past 40 years been very sadly neglected. So I was extremely gratified to see this young guy so keen and taking source material and turning it intro popular presentations,” Besson told Sunday Newsday. He said Bissessarsingh would venture into Lapeyrouse Cemetery to take notes from the headstones, while are now being destroyed by vagrants. “He was putting together a virtual museum of great variety and content which is very, very good, when you see the state of the National Museum.” Besson said Bissessarsingh was not a university historian but an amateur who was more spontaneous and free to follow his own hunches and inclinations, staying close to the ground .

“Us amateur historians are getting old – Fr Anthony De Verteuil, Michael Anthony, Adrian Camp Campins and myself. I am 75 years, so to suddenly see this young fellow (Bissessarsingh) arrive on the scene gave us all the sense that we have someone to pass on our archives or a box of old photos. He wasn’t writing with any political overtones but wending his way to the real facts and putting it across in such a way that people really liked.” He said Bissessarsingh’s books became popular as gifts to recall a past time, spur conversation and trigger memories. However he noted that such publication was a labour of love, saying such a local book would typically sell about 700 to 800 copies, quipping, “If you sell 1,000, you’ve got a best-seller.” Besson wondered why in contrast Jamaican publisher, Ian Randle, can sell thousands of books on the Jamaican market and thousands more overseas .

“How does Jamaica have such a strong sense of national identity that people want to read about, but not TT?” mulled Besson. “I ask question how come a lad from deep south would have the impulse to do this (historical research)? They are not rich people, and this work won’t make him a living. This thing comes from the heart.” Yet history is vitally important, he said .

“People are growing up in this country but don’t know why a place is called a certain name, why certain animosities exist in society and why we have certain customs,” related Besson .

“So people like Angelo who pursue the historical record are exceedingly commendable.” He hoped the media could whet public thirst for local history by way of pondering why is George Street called George Street, why do the streets of St James bear the names of cities of India, and why are many streets in Woodbrook are named after Boer War commanders such as Kitchener and Gatacre? Saying the answers to such questions build a country’s identity, Besson said, “Angelo was contributing to a sense of identity of the place, what Jamaica and Barbados have.” He lamented that just a few old people know the full history of the Red House and President’s House, both whose current dilapidation pose a future threat of demolition one day, a loss of edifice that he likened to the death of somebody .

“Things just fall apart, and next thing a rich man bulldozes it and it is gone overnight.” Besson recalled learning of the mindless past demolition of an old Spanish colonial building at lower Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, likely used historically by the Cabildo or Treasury which he ended up scavenging for relics .

“Angelo too was a scavenger of the past,” he said .

While post-Independence politics may have led many persons to disdain TT’s history as being too linked to TT’s colonial past, Besson said heritage buildings can also be cherished by the fact of who were the persons who crafted them, the masons and craftsmen, the grandfathers of ordinary persons in TT today .

“These things give continuity and give us a sense of identity and make you stronger as a person in the context of the place where you live, so you take better care of it and have a better sense of belonging .

“So Angelo was one on those really remarkable people who somewhere in his subconscious he understood all of this and was prepared to dedicate the rest of his life to this. God rest, good old Angelo.

Yesterday Tristan’s father, Christopher Khan, 34, said the children in the community were “so happy” to see him return from hospital on Friday afternoon they literally ran to his side.

“At daybreak they were here again. When Tristan reached home around 4 pm yesterday (Friday), the children ran across. They are accustomed to playing together, they often set crab traps together and catch crabs. Tristan is doing fine so far although he is still having pains in the hand,” Khan said. The family live on the corner of Lewis and Sucre Streets in Mayaro.

Tristan is a Standard One pupil of Mayaro Government Primary School.

Reports are that on Wednesday last Tristan, and a group of friends were playing at the Mayaro Recreation Ground during his school’s second recess break at 2 pm. Further reports are a male student stopped and attacked Tristan by stamping his back. As Tristan fell to the ground, the classmate cuffed, kicked and began to jump up and down on his right arm. While jumping up and down on his right arm, the attacker kept saying, “I am a ninja turtle.” Tristan was rushed to the nearby Mayaro District Hospital where he was treated and transferred to the Sangre Grande Hospital. At the hospital, he underwent reconstructive surgery on his right elbow and was subsequently warded. On Friday, doctors discharged him from hospital.

“He has to go back to hospital on Friday for an X-ray. Once everything is healing properly and is in order, they would change the cast on his hand. We are not sure when he will be okay to go back to school,” Khan added.

Khan noted that before Tristan was discharged from hospital, persons from the Child Protection Unit obtained information from hospital officials about his son’s condition.

The Education Ministry has since launched an investigation to hear from all relevant parties. Sunday Newsday learnt that an official from the ministry met with relatives yesterday to compile information about the incident.

Khan explained that neither he nor his common-law wife Shareefa Ali, 38, have received any communication whatsoever from the parents of the attacker.

“We haven’t heard a word from the parents as yet— not a word. We will be taking legal action on this matter,” Khan vowed.

“He did valuable work as a historian, documenting the history of Trinidad and Tobago. I have a copy of his last book on my desk.” Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar said he “fought a valiant, but losing battle, with pancreatic cancer.” Born in San Fernando in September 1982, Bissessarsingh was the eldest of three children.

He did not study history.

He studied Agribusiness at the University of the West Indies and went on to work in public relations at the Ministry of Local Government and later in the Siparia Disaster Management Unit. However, he had also been reading local history for years.

According to a profile of him last year, two books that had a big impact were a photo album of nineteenth-century Trinidad by G?rard Besson, and The Years of Revolt by Fr Anthony de Verteuil. He has also identified Michael Anthony, Bridget Brereton and Peter Harris as key figures.

While his work in collecting, documenting, archiving and writing about history has brought him many admirers, it is Bissessarsingh’s grace upon a cancer diagnosis that truly shines.

His family has recalled a tortuous ordeal and raised troubling questions about the quality of local medical care. Pancreatic cancer is not necessarily a death sentence, but it requires early detection which, unfortunately, was not the case in this instance. Instead, despite years of baffling weight gain, doctors were unable to identify what was the problem.

Yet, once a diagnosis was made, Angelo resolved to live to the fullest to the very end. He continued to work, to write and to advocate for historical causes.

In fact, he also bravely went public with problems relating to the supply of medicine needed to treat cancer.

Instead of his concerns being treated with gravity, they were largely ignored by a society that does not appear to place primacy on the value of human life.

Bissessarsingh’s death is a blow for those concerned with preserving our history. As a country we have not done well enough in terms of generating discussion on our past and cultivating expertise in this regard.

While we have many fine historians, they very often face battles against ignorance and revisionism by persons with agendas and with mercenary intentions.

What is the role of a historian in a society that does not value its heritage and its environment, both natural and social? How can we foster a greater appreciation of who we are and where we have come from? History teaches us many lessons and is a useful resource.

But more importantly, history is truth. In the so-called age of post-truth, societies all over the world are facing challenges that are threatening to turn back time and undue progress.

Without historians, who will challenge public officials who are intent on recasting the past in order to suit their purposes? Without historians, how will our children know of the great country they live in, and its long and complex ties to many of the Earth’s continents? We send condolences to Bissessarsingh’s family. May his work live on. In death, he now joins the very history that he worked so hard to preserve.

May he rest in peace.

It shows refined courage, fighting for a good cause. In these days of darkening scepticism, “cultured warriors,” few as they may appear, are welcome as change agents — civic engineers.

Let me briefly explain.

“Cultural” means “related to the cultivation of the mind or manners.” And of course, when we here say a person is “cultured,” or “has class” we usually mean that person shows good manners, respect, uprightness and even a discerning demeanour.

Not necessarily money or “big job.” I am tempted to make such references mainly because as a bastardised child of colonialism, this country’s life is infused with tensions over cultural identity and struggles for social class status. And from much of what you read and hear these days, there is a feeling that we could do with some more “cultured” people.

Messrs Sinanan, Parsanlal and Chin, in different ways, revealed themselves as being “cultured” and “classy” in the way that our folklore describes it.

High class does not necessarily mean good character. When here we say that person has “class,” we don’t necessarily mean plenty money or high position. We mean good manners, etc. This was a major theme of Mr Parsanlal’s address last week in appreciation of my book donation to Nalis and our university libraries. He appealed for change.

I always remember the late Archbishop Anthony Pantin telling me “a lot of high class people in this society have low class ways, and a lot of low class people have high class ways.” He recalled an incident when a receptionist blocked someone from seeing him, by saying the person looked like a “low class person.” The Archbishop allowed the person in.

Last week, I found some “culture” in Minister Sinanan and, more precisely, as a “civic engineer” courageously striving “to “get things right” at the troubled Wrightson Road Licensing Office. He emerged as the kind of brave “warrior” the public service and its thousands of suffering consumers need. A cultured warrior striving to change the “public service culture.” Can he, really? After unexpectedly arriving there at 7.45 am, he found 75 persons lined up and up to 8.30 am, no cashier around.

Obviously upset, he quarrelled: “You can’t tell me you have two cashiers, none of them there. Nobody in the office is telling the people anything and is only when I come, you see people running to their phones to say the cashier not coming today, they late or something about a road block.” Road block? Minister, this is a usual thing down there. The “road block” is inside the Licensing Office.

Relieved to express their pent-up disgust over these long-time problems, people explained how many up-anddown times they spend at this office, etc. “Totally unacceptable,” Sinanan said. He added: “But some like it so, benefiting from the inefficiency.

Amazing how long the population accepting this.” Accountability? Last week Neil Parsanlal gave a civilizing address. He said: “There is need for more authors to unmask the inequity and inequality in this masquerade country. I am hopeful in laying bare our masks we will then have the opportunity to grow new skin and develop the mechanisms to deal with the inequity which bedevil us.” He too called for change. There is wonderfully more from him, but space here is limited.

Businessman Derek Chin — a bold, cultured, and passionate risk-taking warrior – impressed me with his conviction that “regardless of which political party in office,” he will continue to help build the prosperity of his country. And with this, he recently opened a million-dollar MovieTowne in south, hoping, as well, to change our “recreational culture” by building a billion-dollar “International City” at Westmoorings.

All three – in different ways – are cultured warriors.

The country needs more.

More than 25 years later, the issue of terrorism remains on the front burner – one which reached a head last Tuesday when National Security Minister Edmund Dillon told the Upper House that an estimated 130 TT nationals, including adults and their families, have left local shores to get involved in terrorist organisations in other countries.

“Information at hand reflects about 70 adults and about 58 family members,” he said in response to a question on the issue from independent senator Paul Richards. Dillon said, however, there was no way of tracking those persons overseas.

The Minister also made no reference to any specific group operating in Trinidad and Tobago.

“In terms of intelligence and information- gathering, people leave TT sometimes for destinations not mentioned.

For example, for England and end up in Syria, and the intended destination isn’t known to us,” he said.

“Therefore, we rely on international partners to give us the kind of information that will confirm they’re in a terrorist country.” Dillon’s revelations came one day after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley condemned allegations by former United States Navy Petty Officer Malcolm Nance, who, in a recent MSNBC interview, said TT was among a group of countries which had more terrorists than seven predominantly Muslim countries.

President Donald Trump has banned the citizens from these countries from entering the United States.

But this executive order has been suspended following a federal judge’s ruling on the constitutionality of its provisions on Friday night. The Trump administration is expected to file an appeal.

(See page 29A) Recently, Minister in the Office of the Attorney General Stuart Young gave a somewhat different perspective of the situation, revealing in the Parliament that some 182 TT citizens were suspected of being involved in terrorist activities and there had been a significant increase in what appeared to be the financing of insurgents.

The findings were contained in the 2015/16 report of the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Ministry of Finance, which was laid in the Parliament, early last month.

Sunday Newsday learnt, though, that a comprehensive system to gauge the flow of suspected terrorists to and from TT-remains a work in progress.

In fact, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi on Thursday announced a suite of measures aimed at bolstering the country’s existing anti-terrorism laws and bringing new ones to tackle specifically foreign terrorist fighters.

These include stiff penalties for people directly or indirectly involved in the support of terrorist groups.

However, some Muslim groups have described the measures as draconian, saying they had far-reaching implications for not only members of the faith but other citizens as well.

The groups, under the umbrella of the Islamic Front, are expected to meet today at 2 pm to discuss the proposed amendments to the Anti- Terrorism Bill. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Islamic Missionary Guild, Kelly Village.

President of the Anjumann Sunnat-Ul-Jamaat (ASJA) Yacoob Ali told Sunday Newsday he had not internalised the measures now being proposed in the legislation, saying he would address the matter at a later stage.

He said, though, that a few Muslims left TT shores several months ago, presumably to join terrorist organisations, but are yet to return.

“We haven’t seen them coming back and their families said they may be dead,” he said. “We understand that some members were killed but we don’t know how many.” Ali said he had not received any reports of Muslims going overseas under mysterious circumstances within the past six months.

Ali said they also had no way of tracking those who have left.

“I don’t think we can really do much here and we really don’t know where they are located.

We have checked within our organisation and nobody could tell us where any member from any one of the mosques or the Jamaat that we have would have gone.

Maybe people don’t know where they have gone?” ‘We don’t support ISIS’ Ali said the faith does not support the ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) network and its operatives.

“We, in Trinidad, being the type of organisation we are, do not advocate any extremist views. We don’t think Trinidadians should get involved in that at all because it does not concern us,” he said.

“There is nothing in the religious practice that says you have got to go and defend there. If somebody is defending their State, you could probably join that. But what are you going there for?” Ali said the promise of large sums of money appeared to be the allure.

He said: “We understand they are well-paid when they go and that is why many of them join ISIS. We have heard that they can get as much as US$20,000 depending…” The Muslim cleric said ISIS would not attract large numbers of locals “because, to my mind, we like too much of a sweet life to go and destroy it by going over there.” “Is only those people who do not have anything to live for in this country maybe because of their position they are just attracted by the payment of some US dollars,” Ali said.

“But I have been saying that they should not neglect their families because it is not part of the faith and they are not practising the faith by doing that for the sake of tens of thousands of dollars. It can spoil the rest of their lives.” Griffith: Dillon’s Senate statement confusing As the Government grapples with the movement of TT citizens in foreign-based terrorist organisations, former national security minister Gary Griffith yesterday described Dillon’s statement in the Senate as confusing.

“It has done more damage than assisted Trinidad and Tobago’s reputation and was in total contrast to the previous comment made from the Prime Minister where the prime minister was able to state that Nance’s comment was total nonsense,” he said.

“Minister Dillon making another comment along that line gave the perception there was a contradiction between the Office of the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security.” Claiming that Dillon’s figure of 130 was “totally off the mark,” Griffith said the minister included the wives and other family members of the terrorists with the actual people who were deemed to be terrorists from T&T.

“So he was actually adding numbers,” Griffith said.

“I don’t know if he thought that this would have been of value to us.

So the numbers of the possible terrorists are 70-odd and then they had their family accompanying them. Their family accompanying them does not make them terrorists.

“So he added the numbers to more than what it really was. Family members accompanying suspected terrorists does not make you a terrorist.” Griffith recalled that when he was national security minister, there were about 35 TT nationals who left the country to terrorist organisations overseas.

“But by now it may have gone up,” he said.

Griffith claimed that while there was an estimated 15,000 foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), worldwide, not one originated from TT.

“There are FTFs from all over the world, inclusive of the United States. Thousands of FTFs have left the United States to become Foreign terrorist fighters and there are many actual terrorists that are in the United States but the difference with Trinidad and Tobago and, Minister Dillon has failed to give the assurance internationally to reduce the fear in our own community – out of all the 15,000 foreign terrorist fighters, there is not one that is living in Trinidad and Tobago,” he claimed.

Griffith said Dillon gave the impression that TT was littered with terrorists.

“There is not one person who is deemed as someone who will commit a terrorist act in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

Griffith, who served as national security minister in the former People’s Partnership Government from September 2013 to February 2015, said a United Nations Resolution 2178, signed by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, ensured that all international countries relay information in real time regarding people who may be deemed as possible terrorists or linked to terrorist activities.

“No country has any information, data or documentation to show that any person is a terrorist in Trinidad and Tobago,” he claimed.

“The fact is that no TT citizen has left here, gone to the US and has been deemed as a possible terrorist and that is what is important. That is what differentiates us from the other seven countries that President Trump spoke about.

“Those seven countries are littered with persons who are terrorists that live and reside and operate as terrorists in those countries.

There are none in Trinidad and Tobago and that is what Minister Dillon has failed to be able to explain to the country.” Griffith added: “Those persons, they have gone to Syria and they will never get back home because having been deemed an FTF, they cannot board an aircraft to get back into Trinidad and Tobago because there is no one-way ticket from Syria or wherever to Trinidad and Tobago.” Griffith said no one can prevent someone from becoming a terrorist “because that person could easily take a flight to go to London and then you never know what happens after.” Rather, he said Government should focus on ensuring that they never return to TT.

“You can de-nationalise them, which is what I have been speaking about for the last two years and nobody understood.” Griffith said some countries were already practising the measure.

“They must know that they have given up their right to be a citizen by being a terrorist and that will prevent them from even thinking of getting back into our country.” Griffith said under the UN Resolution, the names of people suspected of being an FTF would be relayed to ally nations to ensure they are not able to board an aircraft to any of the transit routes to TT.

“That’s what Minister Dillon should be saying.” Griffith said the practice will ensure that citizens are not fearful of terrorists “lurking around at every turn.” “It will also stop the stupidity by these correspondents in MSNBC and others who believe that any TT citizen who leaves this country and goes to the US may very well be a person of interest in terrorist activities,” he said.

A police report state that at about 3 pm on Friday, a party of officers among them Insp Ramkhelawan, Sgts Francis and Santlal and Cpls Maharaj and Wolfe went to the Mon Repos district. On arrival, police searched an area of overgrown bush where they found a man hiding.

The officers also found a .45 Kimber pistol with a magazine of seven rounds of ammunition. The suspect is from Church Street in Mon Repos.

Also in the exercise were officers from the Rapid Response Unit and Community Police. Up to last evening, the suspect remained in police custody. Once charged, he will appear in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court.