A 31-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday denied bail by a Princes Town magistrate before whom he appeared charged with stealing $175,000 in cash and cheques from a supermarket proprietor.
The incident occurred outside Republic Bank in Princes Town on Monday. Elmoth Jack, 31, of Waterloo Road, Carapichaima, limped into the court-room before Magistrate Jai Narine. Jack, who was shot in the leg, was charged with robbing grocery proprietor Truman Lochandass of $60,000 cash and $115,000 in cheques on Monday outside the entrance to Republic Bank at Railway Road, Princes Town. Police prosecutor Cpl Kallipersad Mahabir objected to bail, informing the court that Jack had six criminal matters pending. The charge was laid by Sgt Maynard. Jack, who did not have a legal representative, told Magistrate Narine that he had one previous conviction. The magistrate remanded Jack into custody and ordered him to reappear in court next Monday.
President George Maxwell Richards called on the Defence Force to defend the country in a war for its soul, when he addressed yesterday’s Ceremonial Parade for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on its 41st Anniversary, at Teteron Barracks.
Noting foreign wars, President Richards said: “You are being called upon to defend the sovereign good of our country in a different way. Within recent times the enemies of the State, from within, have visited upon this nation a series of assaults such as have not been experienced in the past.” Saying that these assaults had galvanised persons who stand on the side of freedom from fear, Richards said: “Our right to peace and security is under threat and this must not be allowed to continue. You the men and women of the Defence Force together with other branches of the armed forces are in the vanguard of ferreting out and bringing to justice these usurpers of the peace and these challengers of our reputation as a country and people whose stability provides the climate for harmonious living and international trade and development. But you need the support of all of us citizens of this nation to defend our democracy against those who would mislead our youth unto the path of the quick fix, dissolute living and downright anarchy.”
He said the cost to us now and to future generations was too high for us to wash our hands of collective responsibility. He declared: “Whether we care to accept it or not we are in a war. It is a war for the soul of the country. It is a war in which the citizens must collaborate with you in order to win. We must brook no traitors and cowards nor the indolent. What is at stake is our very future and we must not capitulate.” Noting that service in the Defence Force was not just a job but a sacred trust, Richards concluded with a Latin quote “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” meaning “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”
OPPOSITION Leader Basdeo Panday and the UNC must be thanked for the country’s most wanted man being “legitimately” back on the streets, free to conduct his “nefarious activities.”
That was the view expressed yesterday by Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall. He said if the Opposition had supported the Bail Bill, which proposed that kidnap accused be denied bail, then Sheldon “Skelly” Lovell would not have been able to be back on the streets a day after giving himself up to police. Up to late yesterday evening, though, Lovell remained in jail. Manning said, “It would have been very nice to have the Bail Bill where kidnappers do not get bail.” He said, “We must thank the Honourable Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday” for having Lovell legitimately put back on the streets by the court. “If they had agreed to that (Bill), we would not be in the position we are today. We regret we don’t have an Opposition which sees it that way.”
He said the Opposition had been accused of being irresponsible in the conduct of its affairs on many occasions, and this was one of them. Manning said the magistrate granted Lovell $200,000 bail based on the facts before the court. That is, Lovell’s records showed that he does not have a record “as far as the court is concerned” despite the fact that the “police considered him public enemy number one.” Manning said the police were entitled to believe that, and he agreed with them, “knowing what they know.” Manning, in response to reports that Trinidad and Tobago was deemed “a medium risk” for terrorist attacks, underscored his government’s priority in dealing with national security. He said he was very confident about the “levels of security to which nationals and tourists are exposed,” lamenting that in addition to the “number of announcements made on security, there are many more that have not been said.”
Questioned about the call by the Ken Gordon Committee on Crime for tougher legislation to deal with crime, Manning said he was in full agreement and Government was contemplating the recommendations. He said Government believed that persons held with unlicensed firearms be given “mandatory jail or stiff sentences.” Manning, commenting on the robbery of his Junior Minister Eddie Hart, said that it demonstrated that “none is exempt, the bandits in this country discriminate against none, so it is important for all to come together to fight crime.” He also warned Lovell and others like him who may be contemplating illegal activities that the police were ready to deal with them. On the issue of the increased price of chicken, Manning said it was discussed briefly and Government was looking at the possibility of importing chicken.
On Government not opting to nominate anyone for the three vacant positions on the BWIA board at the recent annual general meeting, Manning said Government simply was not interested in doing so because it did not wish to regain control of the airline. Questioned on the status of the NBN overhaul, Manning said the matter was still before Cabinet and soon a special meeting would be called to deal with it. Asked about the current internal conflict in Venezuela and how it would impact on the recent agreements signed between that country and Trinidad, Manning said he was confident that the agreement entered into would be adhered to.
Yasin Abu Bakr was detained by police last night for questioning in connection with a recent shooting incident. Homicide sources said Bakr was likely to be charged today with an offence, which up to late last night, had not been specified.
YESTERDAY’S swearing-in of members of the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission in Port-of-Spain for the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has been described as unlawful, according to the Council of the Law Association.
The Law Association said that the swearing-in should not have been performed in Trinidad because there is no legislation in TT which authorises this country’s Chief Justice Sat Sharma to swear-in members of the regional commission. Attorney General Glenda Morean was informed of the Law Association’s comments yesterday, but in a statement last night said the occasion was “purely ceremonial.” She explained that it was done based on the agreement establishing the CCJ. Trinidad and Tobago has signed and ratified the agreement which is binding on the contracting parties, including Trinidad and Tobago. The AG further explained that the agreement provides that members of the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission, with the exception of the President, shall be appointed by letter under the hand of the Head of the Judiciary of the contracting parties. The occasion therefore, she said, was purely ceremonial.
In a statement issued yesterday by Russell Martineau SC, Vice-President, the Law Association stated: “The Council of the Law Association is very concerned about the swearing-in of members of the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission for the Caribbean Court of Justice at this time. “The Council’s concern arises from the fact that, so far as it is aware, there is no legislation in Trinidad and Tobago that authorises the Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago to swear-in members of the Commission, or indeed, any legislation in Trinidad and Tobago which recognises the proposed existence of the Commission. “Accordingly, the Council is of the view that serious questions are raised as to the legitimacy of the exercise of swearing-in members today at least as so far as Trinidad and Tobago is concerned. It is only hoped that those who are responsible for the swearing-in have satisfied themselves that the swearing-in was authorised and legitimate. “It would be unfortunate if this is not so because great care should be taken in every step along the road to establish the Caribbean Court of Justice,” the statement added. Government is still to bring legislation to Parliament to deal with the CCJ which is to be inaugurated in Port-of-Spain in November.
When contacted last night, CJ Sharma said he was delegated by the other Chief Justices in the Caribbean to swear-in the members of the Commission. Sharma said it was up to the authorities to ensure that everything was in order and that they were satisfied that what he did yesterday was the right thing. “I was merely the conduit to effect the swearing-in,” CJ Sharma added. Former UNC Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj said yesterday that in order to establish the CCJ in its original and appellate jurisdiction, Parliament needed a specified majority.Maharaj said although the UNC found that the CCJ was a good idea, “we took the position that it should not be done without proper consultation and without the widest possible consensus from the population. Therefore, Trinidad and Tobago is not ready for this court.” The Opposition UNC also believes that TT is not ready for the CCJ. In a statement issued yesterday, the UNC said any attempt to remove the Privy Council as the final appellate court must be subject to extensive and wide ranging debate that involves all the peoples of TT. “The removal of the Privy Council constitutes a profound and fundamental rearrangement of the structure of our justice system and may have serious consequences which have to be considered and studied. There are serious consequences, for example, as regards fundamental human rights and the quality of our democracy.”
POLICE uniforms and boots were stolen during three thefts from a company owned by one of the main contractors who supplies uniforms for the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, Defence Force and Petrotrin Fire Services.
The theft occurred during the period April 25 and July 23 at the owner’s office, which police sources said is situated on a small industrial estate in South Trinidad. Police sources told Newsday yesterday that officers of the Marabella Police Station later informed the man that he should burglar proof his premises and also have security officers. Police gave Newsday the contractor’s name. However, when this newspaper contacted him at his office yesterday via telephone, the contractor said he knew nothing about the robberies and further said that he was not the owner. Sgt Castillo of the Marabella Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is investigating.
A BELMONT man was up to late evening warded in unsatisfactory condition after he was shot and chopped by a group who is believed to have been involved in a robbery and two separate incidents of shooting at the police in Curepe and the Beetham early yesterday morning.
Two of the alleged assailants then walked into the West End Police Station around 5.40 am yesterday, claiming they were held up and robbed of a silver grey Hyundai Sonata vehicle in the Diego Martin area. A similar vehicle was used during the shootout, police said. Police sources have since been able to refute the men’s claims since the female owner of the vehicle told police officers that her car was never stolen, but was lent to one of the men to “pull bull.” The two men, ages 31 and 22, of Covigne Road, Diego Martin, were promptly arrested after communication between officers of the West End and Besson Street Police Stations. They were among five people held, the other three being two women, ages 19 and 20, and a 22-year-old man, all from the Beetham district. A .38 Smith and Wesson revolver along with two live rounds and four spent shells were reportedly found when the three were arrested.
In the first incident, Belmont police said around 3.30 am, three men parked a Hyundai Sonata vehicle on Gordon Street. Police said the three men then walked to Dundonald Street, where they robbed 60-year-old Mervyn Clunis of jewelry amounting to $1,600, and later shot and chopped Michael O’Brien, who is said to be in critical condition at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. After the robbery and shooting, police said the men escaped in a Hyundai Sonata vehicle. PC Marshall of the Belmont CID is investigating that report. In the Curepe incident, Northern Division police said around 4.30 am, Cpl Welch and others of the Arouca Emergency-999 responded to a call from Command Centre that a motor vehicle was stolen from Diego Martin on Wednesday night.
Police said the vehicle was spotted in the vicinity of the Kay Donna Drive-in. Police said a chase ensued and the officers attempted to intercept the vehicle. The officers were fired at and returned fire. However, the occupants of the vehicle did not stop and police chased it onto the Beetham Highway. Other officers from the Besson Street Police Station converged in the area, subsequently causing the alleged stolen vehicle to stop. Two women and a man were arrested in the vehicle, but police said two other occupants escaped. More than one hour after, two men went to the West End Police Station and claimed they were held up and robbed of their vehicle. It is not clear how the women ended up in the vehicle, but police are speculating that they got into the vehicle somewhere between the Belmont and Curepe incidents. All five are to be placed on identification parades today.
THE EDITOR: In a civil society children are trained and educated by the parents, teachers and religious leaders. The environment at home and in the school have direct impact on the mind of the child and make him useful to the society. In human nature, we have tendencies to both Good and Evil. It depends on the nourishment as to which way one will develop.
The society is guided by its rulers who have both the authority and power. The quality of these people is responsible for the development of the society. If the parents are not honest, the teachers are not responsible, religious leaders are not conscious and the rulers are not noble, one can never expect to create a noble character for the society. Looking at the behaviour of the current generation, we can deduce that everyone has failed in their duty when the elders surrender to their weakness; they have lost the power to guide the younger ones. Children learn rapidly from the behaviour of the elders than from their teachings. As a nation we have all helped to create an immoral society. In every creation good and evil souls are born. The only solace is that the number of evil is lower than the pious. Nobody is born corrupt or becomes unsocial by birth. It is the inherent weakness of the human that leads to corruption or unsocial behaviour in human nature. Thus social harmony is lost. The evil takes over and the noble are oppressed. When this transformation takes place we, the common people are suffocated and find ourselves in a blind alley.
There are two solutions to reverse the trend, the human effort and the natural process. As human beings we have to regain our moral courage and consciously try to inculcate good behaviour in our new generation. The parents and teachers have to sacrifice their comfort and selfishness for the cause of the society. Today’s children become tomorrow’s citizens. Religious leaders have to practise religion rather than depend on preaching only. For obvious reasons we do not expect the rulers to change on their own. It is the responsibility of the society to enforce change upon them. Evil characters are found in all species, that is the law of creation. The weeds are there in the field, ferocious animals in the jungle, cruel birds in the air and dangerous aquatic creatures in water even some of the plants are poisonous. The only redeeming feature is that their numbers are less and thus their capacity to harm is limited.
If the cruel elements multiply, they will destroy first the good elements and later on they will fight among themselves. The process of self-destruction will reduce their numbers once again and the nature will establish the balance on earth. This is a long process and nature does not care for time. It is the human intelligence that has to learn from this natural process. If the weeds are not cleared one cannot cultivate grain. If the number of evil characters is not reduced, the society cannot provide space for the good. To right evil one needs strength and, we know that moral and intellectual strength is more powerful than physical strength. Today it has become a paramount need of the society that noble and intelligent people unitedly fight evil with a sense of sacrifice and courage. Then and then only can we expect a cleaner environment for tomorrow.
C RAMPERSAD
Charlieville
THE EDITOR: To assist our Government, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General with their dilemma concerning the decision to revise or not to revise our laws on abortion, concerned citizens need to speak out and express their views on this important matter.
I was glued to TV6 a few days ago when Morning Edition featured Ms Leela Ramdeen representing the Catholic Commission for Social Justice and the Emmanuel Community, and Ms Lynette Seebaran-Suite on behalf of ASPIRE. Theirs was a very lively debate. It was with great interest that I read the letter which Ms Ramdeen sent to the PM and which was published in Newsday of August 16 under the heading — “We must promote a culture of life”. I support the views she expressed in her article. I also read the paid advertisement by ASPIRE which was also published in Newsday of August 17 under the heading “Pro-Life Supports Action for Women’s Health”. This is one citizen who is truly Pro-Life. I cannot support the death penalty, for human life is not ours to take, neither can I in this particular matter support the changing of our Abortion Laws under the guise of lessening the burden on our women.
You do not deal with the problem of drugs and substance abuse by legalising marijuana and cocaine. Neither do you deal with the problem of unsafe abortions by legalising it. To my mind, the Government should be more concerned with strengthening the social safety not with greater support for our pregnant women; promoting the dignity of women and the sanctity of life, rather than facilitating Pro-choice to be more closely associated with the killing of the foetus. Because, make no mistake, to a desperate pregnant woman that is what Pro-choice means — abortion. Many people in this country know me as a Corporate Manager with First Citizens Bank, a lover of pan music, fishing and nature. Only a few family members and close friends know that of my mother’s eleven pregnancies, me — number ten — gave her the most horrors. Yes, I am Pro-life because I am the product of a Pro-life decision. Fifty-two yeas ago my parents already had nine children and were living in the planning on Duncan Street. My mother — Mrs Louise Young nee Fortune — was in severe pain and so ill that she was warded at Port-of-Spain General Hospital. While being operated upon for what was diagnosed as a cyst the doctor discovered the four month old foetus. As my mother relates, she inquired of the doctor: “Why don’t you take the foetus?”
One would say today that all the concerns and reasons put forward by ASPIRE were evident in this case. The doctor responded: “I have taken an oath as a doctor to save life, not to take it; this is a strong foetus.” So as my mother often described: “The womb and foetus were temporarily removed and placed on top my stomach while the operation continued. At the end of the operation you were put back inside of me, sewn back up, and I delivered you normally at nine months. Your grandfather used to call you affectionately — Twice-Born”. It is therefore incumbent upon me to join my colleague in the Catholic Commission for Social Justice to call on our Government and other concerned citizens to take a true Pro-life approach to this issue. Do provide that social support for our poor and pregnant mothers; do provide the programmes that would increase the quality of their lives and well being; and for heaven’s sake do not lose sight of the fact that life is precious and it is not ours to take.
MARIO A YOUNG
Glencoe
THE EDITOR: I stated during the tenth anniversary function of Citizens For A Better TT that too many people were afraid to speak out against the evil elements in the country. That’s why criminal activities have increased so rapidly.
The special telephone number set up by Crime Stoppers was long overdue. CBTT encourages citizens to assist Crime Stoppers by reporting those involved in criminal activities so that citizens can feel safer than they do at the moment. I must admit though that some citizens are still not sure that they will be protected if they cooperate fully with Crime Stoppers. They feel that someone will expose them when they go to collect their reward. However, CBTT pleads with the relevant authorities as well as corporate citizens to support Crime Stoppers so that more criminals will be brought to justice in the quickest possible time. We also support the additional 1,000 police officers to help curb crimes in the country. However, the selection process should be very rigid to ensure that only the good and decent retired cops are brought back.
If crooked police officers are allowed to return, the exercise will be a failure. The many qualified young men and women who want to be part of the Police Service should also be given a chance to help their country. We have always praised police officers who are dedicated and patriotic to their country. However, we plead, once again, with Acting Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs to assist in removing cops who brutalise innocent citizens and commit sexual offences against those who go to them to report crimes such as domestic violence and sexual abuse. CBTT also recommends the introduction of hidden cameras on our streets and buildings to help catch criminals as well as motorists who flout the traffic regulations. At the same time, citizens must take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the many criminals who roam our streets. Those who lime late at night at bars and nightclubs must be warned that they are treading on dangerous ground.
HARRACK BALRAMSINGH
President, CBTT
La Romaine
