THE EDITOR: It seems that the Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago is itself under a state of siege from a criminal element that is mainly African. That statement by yours truly is obviously going to generate much controversy. But in reality it is a fact that can be proved. Many of the Indian victims of crime, will tell you that the criminals that robbed, kidnapped and terrorised them were African. While there is little statistical data to prove this point, statistical data is not always needed to prove the painfully obvious. The Indian community of Trinidad is powerless to defend itself from the crime onslaught. The police seem to be constantly losing the war against the criminals. Indians constitute the vast majority of kidnap victims and Indian businessmen have become the bandits favourite target.
You will never hear about Indian bandits’ from Felicity going into Laventille to terrorise African people. You will never hear that Indian bandits from Couva pounced on a helpless African couple in Morvant. I am not saying that all Indians are saints, far from that, there are criminals among the Indian community. But crime seems to be a cultural thing in Laventille, a way of life so to speak. Maybe the Indian community needs to get together and hire a private security firm to protect them. In this regard, no laws are being broken, in this regard people are acting well within their rights to self defence and self preservation. It will indeed be a great day if all Indian businessmen could unite and pool their money and resources to hire a private security firm to defend Indian businesses and Indian dominated communities. Indian communities are seen as easy targets for bandits. As a people Indians in this country need to wake up, we are under siege from the criminal element who see us as easy prey. It has to be a collective effort, Indian media, business, NGO, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Community Based Groups, the UNC and the ATSGWTU. Don’t expect the PNM to be sympathetic to our cause. Ask Satish Ramroop what happened to the police post in Lange Park.
MARTIN KR MAHARAJ
St Augustine
THE EDITOR: Was the slain UN envoy in Iraq a victim of superpower jealousy? I would hate to think that. But an interview with Tim Sebastian recorded in April this year and replayed Tuesday evening on BBC World may seem to suggest that this fearless Brazilian firebrand may have been not just the victim of anti Americanism as the world may wont to believe. Sebastian asked the diplomat, “is the head of the UN Human Rights bureau afraid to openly speak out against the American administration” to which De Mello replied “haven’t you heard me publicly and openly criticise President Bush for his inhumane treatment of Iraqi prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.”
I hope I am wrongly interpreting these two events. Because if it is that De Mello was simply speaking his mind as the top Human Rights advocate in the world and it embarrassed American policy and he paid the price with his life then I humbly suggest that all America tried to achieve in Iraq by dismantling the tyrant Saddam Hussein would have gone to naught. What also baffles me is the haste with which the UN itself has agreed not to leave Iraq despite the horrors of human sufferings and the repeated claims Tuesday by US officials that the coalition troops cannot guarantee safety for everyone in Iraq. Is it now that the target has been met (getting rid of De Mello) there is no need for fear among UN staff anymore?
You see I ask these questions because I travel to the US very often and I hear all this talk about democracy and so on. Why should Iraqi dissidents want to attack a man who went into their country to protect the interest of the innocent? Can anyone really answer that question. Dissidents are fighting Americans not those whom they believe are on their side. And opposers of Human Rights violations are obviously “no threat” to pro-Saddam supporters. All news channels have had people at the UN and elsewhere speaking of De Mello as a man whose death has left a huge vacuum in the UN body. His profile, it is said was more admirable than the man who holds the most powerful political office in the world. If what I am suggesting is in fact correct then I am afraid, “the last days” are really at hand.
JGNH SINGH
Port-of-Spain
THE EDITOR: Kindly publish this letter to the Minister of Education. Dear Minister, we the members of the PTA of the Cunupia Government School would like an urgent response from you concerning the opening of the Cunupia Government School. We have been waiting for the past two years and were given the assurance that the school would be opened for the new term. At present, we are sharing the Enterprise Goverment School on a shift system and it is very frustrating and hard both for students and teachers. Recently, we made two site tours at the new school and it does not look as though the school would be ready for the new term. We would like to get an urgent reply on or before the new school term begins.
DANIEL SINGH
Vice President
Cunupia Government PTA
A three-year-old girl drowned Tuesday night when she fell into a hole six feet deep filled with rain water at the New Street, Caroni home of her grandmother. Rebecca Ramnath, who was eagerly looking forward to starting pre-school next Tuesday, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex shortly after 7.30 pm on Tuesday. The water-filled hole into which Rebecca fell had been dug in preparation for an outdoor toilet. Her grieving relatives told Newsday that the child was left in the care of her grandmother, Lutchmin Baldeosingh, by her mother, Gita. The child was accustomed to sleeping at her grandmother’s home.
Reports revealed that around 6.45 pm, Lutchmin left Rebecca playing in the yard while she carried out chores inside the house. Five minutes later, she did not hear the child and carried out a frantic search. The almost lifeless body was discovered in a newly-dug hole located at the side of the house. The galvanize sheets used to cover the hole were removed late Tuesday by a relative prior to doing further construction on the toilet. The child was reportedly playing close to the hole when she slipped into the hole which had become filled with water during Tuesday’s heavy rain. Relatives told Newsday that they administerd CPR on the child and when they realised that the efforts were futile, officers of the Emergency Health Services were alerted.
They arrived on the scene 25 minutes after they were contacted and the child, then barely alive, was rushed to the EWMSC. Dr Datta pronounced her dead on arrival. At New Street, Caroni, yesterday relatives and neighbours gathered to lend support to Ramnath’s relatives while her mother and father were at the Forensic Sciences Centre St James for the autopsy. Relatives claimed that Rebecca was a jolly child who was fond of sweets. They said that she was the joy and “light” in the lives of her parents. Relatives said that Rebecca spoke clearly for her age and was loved by everyone who knew her. “Her death has caused mourning at New Street because Rebecca was known by several persons,” said her grandmother Lutchmin. Renee Ramnath, Rebecca’s seven-year-old brother, was in deep grief yesterday and told Newsday that his sister was a good girl and will be sadly missed. Newsday learned that the funeral will take place today and the cost of the funeral will be borne by the man who was constructing the outdoor toilet. A party of officers led by Inspector Raphael, Sgt Housend, Agt Ajith Persad and Ag St Corbett visited the scene.
THE pain of losing one son through murder and the agony of watching another son appear in court charged for the said murder proved too much for a Couva man, who was found dead in his bed yesterday morning. Relatives of Parasram Durbal Dass, 49, told Newsday they believed he died heartbroken after having to bury his 31-year-old son Sumarnath Santoo and then watch as his other son, Mesh Durbal, appeared before a Couva magistrate charged with Santoo’s murder. “He kept saying he couldn’t take it anymore…how one son died and the other one going down (was charged for the killing). He kept saying his belly and head were ringing,” stated the dead man’s nephew-in-law, Balliram Narine, who spoke to Newsday yesterday.
Narine told Newsday that Dass was a healthy person who never complained of sickness or pains, and only began feeling unwell after his son Sumarnath was killed. Since the killing last Friday, Dass, a father of eight, had moved in with Narine, who lives near to his (Dass’) home at Carli Bay, Couva. “He was very traumatised, frustrated and depressed, especially since his other son is in prison,” Narine added. He explained that Dass shared a very close relationship with his eight children. Last November, Dass’ wife of 31 years, Dolly, sucumbed to an illness. Narine recalled that Dass was very upset and had cried throughout Santoo’s funeral on Tuesday. Following the service, he said Dass drank a “half” (two-pint bottle of rum) and around 10.30 pm, he retired to bed. He said Dass got up around 1 am yesterday to use the bathroom. Narine said he got up around 5 am to go for his morning walk. “Around 6.20 am, my wife was preparing breakfast and coffee and I decided to wake Dass because he does not eat without me and I found it strange that he was still sleeping so late,” Narine explained. He added that when he got no replies to his calls, Narine and his wife went into Dass’ bedroom and found him lying on the bed. “When I touch his head, he was already cold,” Narine said.
On Monday (the day before Santoo’s funeral), Dass’ youngest son Mesh Durbal appeared before a Couva magistrate charged with Santoo’s murder. Durbal was remanded in custody until next Friday when the case will be called again. Up to late yesterday, Durbal, who is being kept at Remand Yard, Golden Grove, Arouca, was not aware that his father had died. Visiting the scene was a party of officers led by Sgt Peter Burke of the Couva CID. Police sources said the body bore no marks of violence and they are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Investigations are continuing.
THE BODY of a man surfaced yesterday at the shoreline behind the Military Museum in Chaguaramas and it immediately created speculations that it was connected to the discovery of the multi million dollar cocaine seizure and two bodies between Manzanilla and Mayaro. However, a senior official of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard said this possibility is far fetched because of the flow of the current. The Coast Guard man said if the body was connected to the Manzanilla/Mayaro fiasco, then it would have either drifted to the north or south. President of the Military Museum Gaylord Kelshall also shares the view that it was highly impossible that a body could float from Manzanilla. “It’s just a coincidence,” Kelshall said, adding that bodies always turn up in the area. While saying that it was also impossible, a senior police officer, however, said: “Stranger things have happened.”
Police reports on yesterday’s body find in Chaguaramas are that around 8.25 am fishermen spotted the body floating about 400 feet away from the shoreline. The body, which remained unidentified up to late evening, came ashore about 9 am and the fishermen later informed workers of the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA), who were at the time clearing the beachfront. CDA’s Chief of Security, retired Sr Supt Ulric Sanoir, Insp Arjoonsingh and Sgt Amos, along with officers of the Western Division headed by ASP Julius, acting Insp Anthony Lezama and PC Sanoir visited the scene. The man, believed to be about 40, of African descent was clad in moss green soft pants and yellow and blue short sleeve shirt. He was not wearing shoes and was bald. He also has a gold splice in the top centre of his mouth, and is medium built. His body appeared to be in the early stages of decomposition.
District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Low Chee Tung viewed the body and ordered it removed to the Forensic Science Centre. Carenage police appealed to members of the public who may know anyone fitting the man’s description to go to Centre to identify the body. Cpl Maraj of the carenage Police Station is continuing investigations. Meantime, the two bodies found between Monday morning and Tuesday evening remained unidentified up to late evening, officers of the Eastern Division said. The last body that surfaced at Cacandoo Trace is that of an East Indian man, between 35-40 years, and is 5ft 5ins. He was wearing a dark blue jersey and a yellow water proof pants over a black jeans. He wore a silver wrist watch on his left wrist and had a black patch of hair. Mayaro police are also appealing to members of the public with any information on the discovery of the two bodies in the Manzanilla/Mayaro area to go to the Forensic Science Centre.
A HIGH COURT judge yesterday refused to deem the case filed last week by the Opposition United National Congress, against the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), important enough to be heard during the court’s vacation period. Madame Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee declared in the San Fernando High Court, “Let my words be few, the application to deem the matter fit to be heard during the vacation, is refused.” UNC MP for Fyzabad Chandresh Sharma filed a judicial review application on Friday last, to have a judge declare that Chief Justice Sat Sharma’s swearing-in, last Wednesday, of two members of the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission (RJLSC), was unconstitutional. Through Attorney Anand Ramlogan, Sharma contended that the treaty between Caricom member countries establishing the CCJ cannot be acted upon by the Chief Justice, unless by an Act of Parliament. The treaty must be incorporated into the domestic laws of Trinidad and Tobago.
In an unprecedented move yesterday, the Attorney General’s department put in an appearance and resisted Ramlogan’s application for the court to deem the matter urgent for a vacation hearing. State Attorney Kerwyn Garcia appeared for the AG. The function of the RJLSC is to appoint the judges to the CCJ. The rest of the commission’s members are to be sworn in by the Chief Justices of respective member countries. Ramlogan argued that the commissioners’ swearing-in undermined Parliamentary democracy because a treaty could not give power for the CJ or the executive to so act. Ramlogan stated, “No where in the treaty, empowers the CJ to swear in commissioners.” But Madame Justice Rajnauth-Lee asked, “Do you know whether they have been appointed by letters?” Ramlogan answered that if they had been, by virtue of the treaty, the legality and unconstitutionality of it is triggered simply because the treaty was yet to be incorporated into local domestic law. Madame Justice Rajnauth-Lee again asked whether a swearing-in was separate and apart from an appointment. Ramlogan said that whichever came first, was merely an academic exercise.
Garcia agreed that the importance of the matter was established, but not its urgency. The State attorney submitted however, that the applicant (Sharma), had not presented evidence to establish that any appointment was made of the commissioners for which the court could review. Garcia further submitted that in the absence of such evidence, there was nothing the court could do. Saying that the court could not make a dollar out of 50 cents, Garcia told Madame Justice Rajnauth-Lee that there was no affidavit evidence to show urgency such as to move the court to bring forward the matter before the opening of the law term in September. After hearing Ramlogan’s reply, Madame Justice Rajnauth-Lee immediately ruled that she was refusing the application. The judge fixed the matter for mention on September 18, the day after the opening of the new law term. But Ramlogan requested leave to appeal and was granted. Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma was present in court yesterday for the hearing.
SIR DAVID SIMMONS, Chief Justice of Barbados, is threatening to sue UNC Senator Robin Montano for libel. In fact, Simmons has given Montano until noon tomorrow to apologise and pay damages, failing which the writ will be filed in the Port-of-Spain High Court by attorney Clive Phelps, who has been retained by Sir Simmons. Montano was highly critical of the Barbados Chief Justice, who was appointed the interim chairman of the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission (RJLSC) in a ceremony at the Hall of Justice on August 21. In a letter dated August 27, the Barbados Chief Justice is complaining of a story in a daily newspaper on Tuesday headlined “Montano hits Barbados CJ: Cockroach in fowl business.”
Simmons complained of two parts in the article. He said the statements of the UNC Senator “disparage him in his office as Chief Justice and in their natural and ordinary meaning are a vicious libel on him both as Chief Justice and Chairman of the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission. In the letter, Simmons claimed that he heard Montano on radio on August 23 alleging that members of the Commission, who were sworn in in Trinidad two days before, had been political appointees. At a news conference at the Hilton on August 23, Simmons explained to the media that none of the persons appointed to the Commission were political appointees. He also stated that he was careful not to interfere in the internal politics of Trinidad and Tobago. He also responded to allegations that the Commission was illegal. According to the letter, television stations in TT carried excerpts of Simmons’ statements on the evening of August 23 while the print media published parts the following day. In his media conference, the Barbados Chief Justice was at pains to indicate that he was not interfering in the domestic politics of TT, neither was he commenting on pending litigation, which the UNC filed.
Although Simmons is asking for an apology, having regard to the nature and extent of the publication and his status regionally and internationally, he does not feel that an apology will meet the justice of the case. Simmons is also asking for damages for “this grave injury to his reputation and feelings.” Simmons assumed office as the 12th Chief Justice of Barbados on January 1, 2002. Before that, he was Attorney General — first from 1985 to 1986 and then from September 1994 to August 2001. He acted as Prime Minister of Barbados during the absence of current Prime Minister Owen Arthur. He served for 25 years in Barbados Parliament before he retired from active politics in 2001. He became a Queen’s Counsel in February 1984. Prior to his appointment as Chief Justice, Simmons was chairman of the Preparatory Committee to establish the Caribbean Court of Justice, a position now held by the Barbados AG Mia Mottley.
NORTHERN Division police were up to late evening hunting for a man they referred to as “a beast” in connection with yesterday’s road fatality which claimed the life of a 62-year-old newspaper vendor. The police labelled the driver a beast because not only did he refuse to stop after striking Ramdeo Surujbally, but he dragged Surujbally for close to 150 yards before pushing the victim off the bonnet of what police believe is a grey B13 Nissan Sentra vehicle. That’s not all, senior police officers said. While the car was in motion, occupants of the vehicle were seen pushing their hands out trying to push Surujbally off the bonnet. “That’s as brutish as the society can get,” a police source stated categorically, appealing to members of the public to contact the Crime Stoppers, Emergency-999, or the St Joseph Police Station if they have any information that could lead to a posible arrest and conviction.
Reports are that around 5.30am Surujbally, father of four, of Seventh Avenue, Malick, Barataria, was plying his trade at the corner of the intersection at the Churchill Roosevelt Highway and the Uriah Butler Highway. A vehicle, according to police coming from South and heading in a westerly direction, reportedly was overtaking on the shoulder and struck Surujbally. Surjubally flew into the air and landed on the vehicle’s bonnet. The car drove him for about 150 yards before pushing him off at the San Juan River Bridge. The driver continued on his “merry way,” a senior officer said. Sr Supt Farouk Ghany who was at the time heading to work, saw the accident and placed Surujbally into a vehicle, which transported the victim to the Mount Hope Medical Sciences Complex. Surujbally was pronounced dead on arrival. “It’s a serious thing and we need help,” Ghany said. Assistant Commissioner of Police (East) Deochan Gosine also appealed to the public for assistance. Sgt Ignacio of the St Joseph Police Station is continuing investigations.
EASTERN Division police were yesterday interrogating three suspects in connection with a quantity of cocaine which is believed to have washed ashore on the Moruga coastline on Monday. The suspects — an 18-year-old fisherman of Los Iros, a 17-year-old youth from La Union Road, Erin and a 25-year-old man of Allen Street, Palo Seco — were held by police shortly after three armed men broke into a Moruga fisherman’s house demanding their share of the cocaine. Police sources told Newsday yesterday that the men have since denied knowledge of the cocaine and have also denied that they had broken into the man’s house. However, fisherman Jerry Silverton, 31, who was one of 14 fishermen attacked by pirates on the high seas and left at a mangrove in neighbouring Venezuela, positively identified the three suspects as being the ones who stormed his home demanding the cocaine.
According to police reports, around 2.30 am yesterday Silverton and his common-law-wife, Carla Maharaj, were asleep at their l’Anse Mitan Road, Moruga home when three armed men forced their way into the house. They demanded that Silverton tell them where the cocaine was hidden. When Silverton repeatedly denied having the illicit drug, the intruders ran off. Shortly after, a report was made to the Moruga police and a party of policemen including Sgts Rodriguez and Maynard, Cpl Alpheus and Cpl Suphal, went in search of the three men and held them at a beach in Gran Chemin, Moruga. In the absence of any substantial evidence linking the suspects to the drugs, police sources said the three would most likely be charged with house breaking with intent to rob. Investigations are continuing. Residents of Moruga had reported to police that a large quantity of cocaine washed ashore at Gran Chemin beach around 3 pm on Monday. However, investigators combed the area on Tuesday and conducted several land/sea searches, but none of the cocaine has been found.
