Trinidad and Tobago are 10th in the world after the recently concluded Mira 2003 World Championship pigeon races in Portugal held from July 11 to 13. From a slate of 27 countries, TT went one up over Belgium (11th) over a distance of 22 km. TT, the sole Caribbean participant, clocked four minutes and four seconds behind winners Columbia. Latin American neighbours Mexico and Brazil placed second and 19th, respectively. In the World Championship Individual races, Anne Marie Ferreira clocked a time of 15:29:54 finishing in the top 20. Anthony Emmanuel came in two places behind in 21st position in 15:30:29 while Desmond Mohamed took 74th spot in 16:47:37. Mark Farrugia of Malta took top spot in 15:25:50.
Austria’s Lutz Primes won the Grand Prix Gaspar Vila Nova Individual; and Valdemar Oliveira and Liliana Andreia Silva, both of Portugal, settled for second and third place, respectively. President of the Trinidad Pigeon Association (TPA) Ernest Ferreira said he was pleased with the results since Trinidad had placed higher than many of the top pigeon racing countries. “We did well considering that this is the second biggest sport after football in countries like Portugal, Belgium and Spain,” Ferreira said. In December, TT is set to compete in the international competition in Cuba.
THE unbeaten TIAHCO Stingrays will face a stern test today when the fifth round of the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Football Association (TTWFA) 2003 season continues. With a perfect record of five wins from five matches, all in convincing fashion, Stingrays will host Real Dimen-sion, who have been victorious in their three fixtures this season, at Frederick Settlement, Caroni. Petrotrin have also been firing from all cylinders this season, following their 1-0 setback against Jane Public in the season’s opener.
With 23 goals in their last three matches — which all proved successful for the Southerners — they are virtually guaranteed a further three points at the Larry Gomes Enclosure, Arima against Arima Ball Masters, who are yet to cop a point after five matches. Third-placed Jane Public will head north to face Diego Martin Copius at the Diego Martin Government Secon-dary ground while the consistent Memphis lasses will host Port-of-Spain Net Shakers (Police) at the Arima Municipal Stadium. In other matches today, the inconsistent Pro Sports Central United will square off against Cruz International at Enterprise and St David’s United (Toco) meet Moruga at Anglail Road Recreation Ground, Cumana. All matches kick off at 3.30 pm.
CHINESE Association cueist Johnson Young Sing take on Regan Low Chew Tung in the final of the Mr Billiards-Pepsi/Stag Open Snooker Championship tonight. The duo will tangle at The Triangle, Aranguez Road, San Juan, with a $7,000 prize at the end of the line. Beaten finalist will collect $3,500. But before this, from 5.30 pm, beaten semi-finalists Anand Ramroop and Adrian Don Mora will meet in the third-place play-off with each player getting $1,500 each.
Stephen Beepat who had the highest break of 36 at the tournament, will pocket $1,000. More than 90 cueists campaigned in the tournament whieh began in July including Ciprian Castro, Herman Araujo and Mervyn Aqui. Shyam Gosine, “Mr Billiards”, who organised the championship promised to get some top pool professionals from the United States to give exhibitions at The Triangle in November this year. Gosine was very pleased with the response to the current championship, both the number of players and the spectator turnout.
W CONNECTION will be looking to seal berths in the finals of the both the Under-15 and Under-17 divisions of the TT Pro League this morning. From 9 am, the Savonnetta lads will face off against a combative Arima Fire outfit in one Under-15 semi-final at Gilbert Park, Couva. Connec-tion had a 3-0 win over North East Stars in Wednesday’s quarter-final while the Fire lads pipped Defence Force 2-1 in the “round of eight”.
In the other match of the doubleheader at Couva, the Connec-tion’s U-17 squad, who dimmed the Stars 15-0 on Wednesday last, will meet South Starworld Strikers at 11 am. CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and Joe Public will square off in a tough Under-15 semi from 9 am at the Hasely Crawford Sta-dium, Mucurapo, while, at the Palo Seco Recreation Ground, South West Institute of Football (SWIF) will face the in-form Arima Fire, also from 9 am.
CLICO handed a 3-0 drubbing to Flavorite when action started in the new season of the CL Financial Football League last weekend. The match was played at Squadron Grounds, Arouca and was the opening match of the tournament. Tru Valu also registered a big win, mauling Home Construction Ltd (HCL) 5-0. This match was also played at the Squadron Grounds. Tomorrow the competition resumes with CLICO taking on HCL at 2 pm; and Flavorite coming up against Net Fire Associates at 4 pm. Both matches will take place at the Squadron Grounds.
TOP OF THE CLASS will have his biggest test to date when he lines up in today’s Allowance feature on the Arima Race Club Day 26 card at Santa Rosa Park, Arima. The field is rich in talent with both speed and staying power which guarantees an exciting finish. Among the seven-horse field, apart from the aspiring superstar, there are two previous derby winners in Millenium Reign and Carnival Messiah, and the “Iron Horse” Chanticleer, which also holds the record for the most wins on the circuit and closing in on $1 million in earnings. Top Of The Class was a revelation in the Easter Guineas and Midsummer Classic, the first two legs of this year’s triple crown. The Glenn Mendez-trained colt is bordering on superstar status after winning both classics against his peers by widening margins, and is expected to head the market.
In both classics the three-year-old looked very smart. But it won’t be as easy today since the small but selective field has some tried and tested older horses, which promise to make things uneasy for the youngster. This outing is being used as a preparatory gallop for Top Of The Class before his attempt at history in next month’s Royal Oak Derby, the final leg of the triple crown. The game son of Freshly Squeezed has a good attitude to racing, and the likely superstar whose front-running style has not yet been found vulnerable is expected to pass the stiff test with flying colours. Mendez goes into the event with a back-up in Carnival Messiah who did the “triple” two years ago. He is expected to be in the thick of things vying for the top spoils in the $26,000 event.
The Messiah who returned home after a disappointing spell in the United States, has been enjoying a good season and should not be overlooked. Chanticleer has long been a local favourite, with 25 wins to his credit including victories against the top bracket and many rising stars of the past. The “Iron Horse” carries co-topweight of 56.5 kilos and will be re-united with regular rider, Panamanian Nobel Abrego, who has ridden him to victory on numerous occasions. Chanticleer has been seeing lean times recently, but has shown signs of returning to his best at gallops and with today’s 1750 metres event representing a drop in class should give a good account of himself and would be an ideal animal from which to gauge our classic contenders.
His trainer John O’Brien has a strong hand, which includes Millenium Reign, Bound To Dot Com, a likely runner in next month’s Blue Riband and the consistent Maid Of Honour. The former must come into reckoning for winning last year’s Royal Oak Derby and having outrun the top stayers at home over course and distance in a Stakes and Lower event last month. Bound To Dot Com and Fresh Honey look outclassed, while Maid Of Honour is expected to be used as the pacemaker in an effort to put pressure on Top Of The Class to give his stablemates with staying powers a chance at the finish.
INTERNATIONAL boxing match-maker Buxo Potts has launched a vehement defence of Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Roger Boynes. Potts said that Boynes has been subjected to “unwarranted and unfair” criticism highlighted by a newspaper article yesterday which pointedly accused him of making empty and unfulfilled promises to the nation’s sportsmen. However yesterday Potts refuted claims made in the column which suggested that talented female boxer Giselle Salandy has been one of the victims of a Boynes’ welcoming speech at Piarco’s Millennium Airport. “You can’t ask Giselle about that. I don’t know about the others but I can say with some certainty that tangible offers were made to Salandy by Government but these were not taken up by her handlers,” said an incensed Potts yesterday. “She was to be given a stipend of $10,000 a month, a scholarship to study whatever subject she wanted and was to be afforded the opportunity to fight exhibition matches until she reaches 17 years of age and get a professional boxer’s licence, “ said Potts.
He said these overtures by Government were spurned by Salandy’s handlers who opted instead to seek out other opportunities to fight which they believed would bring in lucrative purses since she had just won the Ibero-Latin American welterweight championship in Curacao. Potts said that Government officials all over the world “over-promise and under-deliver” so this is not unique to Trinidad and Tobago. However the former jockey put the blame solely in the laps of the people who surround the returning national sports heroes for not following up on the promises made by public officials who share the spotlight. “We need people to actively seek the interest of their charges. My father always said the finest mettle attracts rust. Well we have a lot of rusty people not working in the best interest of the athletes,” said Potts. He was high in praise of Anil Roberts, former consultant to the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs and a top swim coach who recently charted George Bovell III’s four-medal haul at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo. “We need people like Anil in all disciplines.
He has the drive and gets quick action by agressively following up on what has been promised to the swimmers,” said Potts. He said too often officials are content to rest on their laurels and expect Government to do everything for them after their athletes perform with distinction overseas. “We have a lot of square pegs in round roles in the local disciplines. They are bankrupt of ideas and don’t know which way is up. That is the problem, not the promises of Roger Boynes,” said Potts. He said Salandy is a perfect example of what can go wrong very quickly when a promising athlete is crowded in by inept management. Potts said the Siparia schoolgirl stands to be stripped of her regional title by the World International Boxing Association (WIBA) if she doesn’t fight by September. He said he hopes to put on a world title fight card by that date in Curacao with Fitzroy Richards, Salandy’s former trainer/manager and believes Salandy should defend her crown then. He said he has always been supportive of Salandy and stands ready to assist her. “However her handlers must come to the table and we must talk and negotiate to get her back in the ring,” said Potts. He commended the efforts of Curtis Joseph, Salandy’s adopted father who he said has kept her on track academically while ensuring she keeps fit and ready to enter the ring on a moment’s notice.
YASIN ABU BAKR, who led the 1990 aborted coup, was yesterday granted bail in the sum of $250,000 after he appeared in court charged with conspiracy to murder two expelled members of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen. Around 5.30 pm Bakr, 62, was released from the Port-of-Spain State Prison — about 20 minutes before lock-down. He had to be shuttled back from the Golden Grove Prison. As he came out of the city jail late yesterday Bakr was met by Jamaat members. Amidst their vociferous chant Bakr urged his followers to stay calm, after which they accompanied him back to their Mucurapo Road compound.
When Bakr appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court, he was denied bail. His attorneys rushed to the High Court where they were able to obtain bail in the sum of $250,000 with one of his wives Anisa, being the surety. Meantime, Bakr was hustled to the Maximum State Prison in Arouca where he remained until he was transferred around 5 pm.. Bakr was charged on Thursday night with conspiracy to murder. It is alleged that on June 4 at 26 Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, Bakr conspired with others to murder Salim Rasheed and Zaki Aubiah, two members of the Muslimeen who were expelled by the leadership in May. The house at Citrine Drive is owned by David “Buffy” Maillard, also known as Abdullah Mustafa Muhammad. Rasheed was shot and wounded outside the Movie Towne Cineplex on the night of June 4. A woman, Jilla Bowen, was killed in the hail of gunfire.
Security was tight at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday for the arrival of the Muslimeen leader. Police prevented traffic from flowing along St Vincent Street in front of the court building. Members of the Muslimeen including three of Bakr’s wives, Anisa, Fatima, and Indrani, arrived at the court for the hearing. Bakr finally arrived at 9.20 am in a marked E-999 police vehicle. Accompanied by Homicide Bureau officers, Bakr entered the courthouse dressed in a black and white outfit with a white fez. He was finally whisked into the Fourth Court at 9.45 am for the hearing. Attorneys Ian Brooks and Wayne Sturge represented the Muslimeen leader. Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim read the charge to Bakr and told him that the charge was laid indictably so he could not plead. Brooks, in his application for bail, said his client has no intention of fleeing Trinidad, neither has he any plans to avoid appearing in court. He asked that bail be set reasonably.
Brooks said apart from Bakr being 62, he was the father of 14 children. He said his client is a contractor and an officer of UNESCO. He also stated that Bakr had other duties to perform, including holding Juma at the Muslimeen’s Mucurapo Road Mosque on Friday afternoons. Brooks asked that one of Bakr’s wives Anisa be used as the surety in the grant of bail. The police prosecutor did not object to the grant of bail. However, Magistrate Lee Kim refused to grant bail, advising Bakr to apply to the Judge in Chambers. She then postponed the case to August 29. When asked by Brooks for the reason (s) for refusing the application, the magistrate simply said “the nature of the offence.” The hearing was over within five minutes. Muslimeen supporters gathered at the entrance to the courthouse to see the departure of their leader. As he appeared, Muslimeen supporters shouted “Allah U Ackbar”. Under the supervision of ACP Crime Oswyn Allard, the police quickly placed Bakr in a marked police car and took him away to Police Headquarters.
Bakr’s attorneys then rushed to the Hall of Justice where they made a special application for bail. After a short hearing, Justice Herbert Volney granted Bakr $250,000 bail with a surety. It was all over at 11.15 am. Brooks emerged from the Hall of Justice hopeful that Bakr would be released from the Port-of-Spain State Prison within the hour. But that was not to be. A battery of media personnel rushed to the prison in time to see the prison authorities, accompanied by the police ready to take Bakr to the Maximum Security Prison. The Muslimeen supporters expressed disappointment at what was taking place. Attorney Sturge appeared at the prison at 12.30 pm with the bail documents. He and Anisa went into the prison compound. When he eventually emerged from behind the prison walls an hour later, Sturge was hopeful that Bakr would be released. At 5.30 pm Bakr was back out on the street on bail.
Yasin Abu Bakr became leader of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen in the early 1980s. His first brush with the law came in 1985 when the Port-of-Spain City Corporation filed an injunction against the Jamaat to stop them from erecting a mosque on lands belonging to the Corporation at 1 Mucurapo Road, St James. Bakr defied the order and was sent to prison for 21 days for contempt of court by Madame Justice Jean Permanand. In that same year, Bakr lost one of his close lieutenants, Abdul Kareem, who was stabbed to death while in police custody in St James. Bakr was again the centre of attention in April 1990 when members of the Regiment and Police occupied a parcel of State lands at Mucurapo Road to prevent the Muslimeen from constructing a school building. He filed an injunction to keep the army and police off the lands.
His biggest moment came on July 27, 1990, when he led more than 100 Muslimeen members to stage a coup in Trinidad. He led a section which took over TTT and Radio Trinidad, while Bilaal Abdullah was in charge of others who held the then Prime Minister ANR Robinson and Government Ministers hostage at the Red House. After seven days, the insurrectionists surrendered and the hostages freed, but not after Diego Martin Central MP Leo Des Vignes was killed. About 24 persons were killed and more than $150 million looted and burned in Port-of-Spain and other areas. Bakr and 114 Muslimeen members were charged with murder, treason and other offences. But they never went to trial because they were freed by Justice Clebert Brooks on the ground that they were the beneficiaries of a Presidential Pardon. Although the Privy Council found this ruling was wrong, Bakr and his followers were never re-arrested.
Bakr filed a constitutional motion against the State for the destruction of buildings and other property at Mucurapo Road during the insurrection. He won the case and was awarded $2.1 million in damages which he received. The State also filed a constitutional motion against Bakr and Jamaat for damage to the Red House and Police Headquarters. The State was awarded $15 million in damages which still remains outstanding. In November 1995, Bakr and his group campaigned for the UNC in the general elections, taking credit for the UNC gaining control in marginal seats. In 2001 and 2002 elections, Bakr campaigned for the PNM, again taking credit for the party’s success in marginal seats. Early this year, Bakr lost one of his close lieutenants Mark Guerra, cut down in a hail of bullets in the Waller Field area. Bakr, 62, a former policeman, has four wives and 14 children.
Former Head of Homicide Ag ACP James Philbert will take over the post as the new ACP Crime in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service replacing ACP Oswyn Allard who has been moved to ACP Operations. Ag ACP Philbert returned to the country a few weeks ago after attending a training programme in the United Kingdom. His move to ACP Crime will be effective from Monday. ACP Allard was informed of the change yesterday by Ag Commissioner Everald Snaggs. Allard indicated his intention to proceed on 75 days leave. Newsday learned that Deputy Commissioner Glen Roach was moved to the new post of Deputy Commissioner in charge of crime, while Deputy Commissioner Trevor Paul maintained the role of DCP Operations.
Yesterday, ACP East Nazamool Hosein proceeded on three weeks leave. ACP Mobile Deochand Gosein will act for him in his absence. On his return, Hosein will move to the post of ACP Mobile while ACP Gosein will move to ACP in charge of Tobago. The ACP East post will no longer be in existence and East will now be under the supervision of the ACP North. Senior officers said yesterday that more changes are expected with some senior officers earmarked to be moved, as part of the new structures being introduced by the Ag Commissioner. Some civilians employed in the police service are also expected to be moved by the Ag Commissioner. Sources revealed that the changes are aimed at making the police service more efficient. The Ken Gordon Committee on Crime had recommended a comprehensive revamping of the operations of the police service, along with a broad-based assault of new legislation.
