A Tunapuna maxi-taxi driver was shot twice and robbed while plying his vehicle for hire from Arima to Port-of-Spain around 5 am yesterday. Reports revealed that Dedier Mora, 50, was plying vehicle HBO 9462 when on reaching Convent Street, Arouca, he picked up three men who pretended to be passengers. The men pointed a gun at Mora and robbed him of an undisclosed amount of cash.They then shot him in the neck and right hand. Mora was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was treated and warded. Around 1.50 am yesterday, Brent Mohammed, the owner of Oasis Bar was at his businessplace at Caroni Savannah Road, Chaguanas, when a man pointed a gun at him and robbed him of $400. Also in Central, Rajesh Maharaj, 22 , and Mardage Ramsoondar,19, were at Strokers Bar at Ramsaran Street, Chaguanas, around 12.30 am when they had a confrontation with a “bouncer”. Maharaj and Ramsoondar were both stabbed. They were rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where Maharaj was warded and Ramsoondar was treated and discharged.
The badly decomposed body of an unidentified man clad in a white boxer-type shorts was discovered among rocks along the desolate northern coastline at Buccoo yesterday morning. The discovery was made by a villager who was picking ‘pacro’ among the rocks located at the bottom of a 40-ft precipice at the end of Battery Street. Sheldon “Stalin” Trim, 28, recounted what was for him a terrifying experience while speaking to Sunday Newsday on location where a large crowd of curious villagers had gathered. He said: “I was digging out pacro when I started to get this scent. When I went ‘round a rock I see a hand. I say, ‘wait! that is not a human being hand?’ and I take off like a bullet. I fall down in some water between two rocks and I turn stupid and beat up and thing and managed to get up and fly up the rocks and jump over the wall and straight home; I was scared like hell!”. When Sunday Newsday arrived on the scene, earlier, several villagers along the street indicated the location of the bloated body 40 feet down along the uninhabited shoreline. Access for the purpose of removal was difficult, and the body had to be later ‘airlifted’ out of the rocks with the use of a hydraulic hoist operated by Excellent Choices Ltd, who were summoned by the police. The body is believed to be that of a man of African descent in his late 20s or early30s, who was powerfully built. It is estimated that he died about a week ago. A preliminary inspection indicated no visible marks of violence. The police are proceeding with an ‘open mind’. There have been no recent reports of missing persons in Tobago except for the three fishermen who are missing (and have not been seen to date) after going on a fishing expedition out of Swallows Bay, Pigeon Point on June 26.
Minister of Legal Affairs Camille Robinson-Regis on Friday refuted the reasons given by Nutrimix Ltd for increasing the price of chicken, which now stands at about $6 per pound. July 11, 2003. In a letter to the editor, she said Consumer Affairs Division has been monitoring the situation following reports from supermarkets and pluck shop owners that producers have been increasing prices on a weekly basis. Responding to an advertisement in which Nutrimix gave PLIPDECO land rental as a reason for the increase in prices, Robinson-Regis said the impression given by the company was that there was a monthly increase in rent. “PLIPDECO has indicated that Nutrimix has two five-year leases, one from 1995 and the other in 1997.” She said there is a clause in the terms and conditions of the lease which stated that the lease would be reviewed “upwards every five years.” She disclaimed that gas prices could have an impact on the weekly increase in chicken prices because gas prices represent less than one percent of the total operating cost of a poultry processing plant. She said gas prices have gone up once for the year in January.
While the minimum wage has increased by 14.3 percent she said the majority of chicken produced by Nutrimix are contracted out to farmers who are paid $1.50 per bird. Robinson-Regis said the wage bill may have an effect on the processing of chicken but this factor cannot be considered in April as an increase in cost. Nutrimix was accused of misleading the public by saying electricity costs have gone up by 9.95 percent. She said the downward movement of the exchange rate regime resulted in the net effect of the increase being one percent per unit of energy and a 4.1 percent in the bill paid by Nutrimix from May 2002-2003. Robinson-Regis challenged the grain prices presented by the company. She said ex-mill price corn increased by 12.6 percent and not 25.77 percent as Nutrimix said in their advertisement, and ex-mill price soya meal increased by 4.9 percent and not 41.13 percent. While the cost of plastic and packaging materials, and lubricants has risen since April, and Nutrimix adjusted its price accordingly, Robinson-Regis said there have been no further increases and “Government has nothing to do with these costs.” Commenting on freight costs, she said National Flour Mills indicated a minimal increase in freight cost over the past year.
Health Minister Colm Imbert refuted statements made by President of the Medical Association of TT Dr Steve Medford in yesterday’s Newsday that the Medical Council was investigating doctors for negligence “in private.” Responding to this claim by Medford in a release yesterday, Imbert said the Council “has adopted the position that it has no legal responsibility or power to investigate doctors for medical negligence or malpractice, and when faced with a complaint to take the matter to Court.” He added that this was confirmed by the Council at a meeting at the Health Ministry, on July 8. Stating that Medford had never attended any meetings between the Ministry and the Council regarding the registration of foreign doctors, Imbert said “He is not a member of the Council and he is in no position to interpret or report on what has transpired in these meetings.” Medford had earlier stated that persons who had grievances with doctors were free to take their complaints to the Medical Board, but that the findings of these investigations were not published as “it is private affair.” Pointing out that the Medical Association “is a merely a professional body whose focus is the continuing education of doctors,” Imbert stressed that “there is no relationship between the Medical Association and the Medical Council.”
Further stating that Medford had not been present in the Senate when the Bill to amend the Medical Board Act was passed on Wednesday night, and that the Hansard records were not yet confirmed, Imbert said “He (Medford) has no proper knowledge of what was said during the debate therefore, other than heresay.” “His public utterances are, therefore, improper, and as a senior public servant who works for the Ministry of Health, he should know better than to use third-hand information to launch an unjustified and unwarranted attack on the Minister of Health,” Imbert chastised. “It is also improper of him to give the impression that he has detailed knowledge of the deliberations between the Ministry and the Medial Council,” he added. In concluding, Imbert noted and sought to point out that “a common political thread runs through all of the misleading statements and misinformation that has appeared about the health sector over the last year.”
A MAN was shot during a robbery at a bar in Princes Town on Friday night. Two men walked into Esther’s Pub at Lothians Road, Princes Town around 8 pm brandishing hand-guns and announced a hold-up. According to reports from the Princes Town Police Station, the men pointed guns at five patrons who were sitting at the bar and proceeded to rob them of cash and jewelry amounting to $1,100. The report stated that as the men ran out the pub, one of them fired a shot. The bullet struck Michael Latroy, 54, in the left upper leg. He was rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was treated and warded. Sgt Persad is investigating.
Medical care is another incentive that the Ministry of Education has added to the nation’s school childrens’ education. This announcement was made Friday night by Hazel Manning, Minister of Education, at Sangre Grande on the PNM platform for the Local Government election. Mrs Manning said by September 2003 at the beginning of the new school term all students will be getting free medical examinations. Already she said, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health are working hand in hand to have this health scheme come on stream. The Minister of Education said every child can learn his or her lesson. She added that every child who wants to become a lawyer, doctor, teacher or police officer should not be prevented from such educational privileges and this is why the government is trying to meet these needs. Manning said the new curriculum includes, learning to play the steelpan, story telling, grooming positive leaders etc, to encourage students to stay in school and not get involved in drug-taking. She called on parents to assist in discipling their children. She advised them to assist their children with their home work and encourage them to get at their books.
She also reminded parents that bus tickets have been sent to schools for students to travel to their respective schools and they should request these tickets from principals. No excuses should be accepted for children staying at home, Mrs Manning said. The Minister of Education made a special appeal to parents and guardians to care for the text books which would be distributed to their children at the beginning of the new school term. These books are on loan and must be returned in good condition at the end of the school year. “There is no excuse for failure,” she added. They now have books, free meals, transport and medical care.
Chief Secretary of the THA, Orville London, said that enough financial resources would be made available to private secondary schools on the island to ensure that they do not suffer any major inconvenience during the next academic year. London sought to assure the management of the schools that they were unlikely to be any worse off where resources were concerned during the upcoming academic year than they were in the just completed academic year. He assured there will be adequate funding for expenses such as the payment of teachers and the purchasing of equipment. He noted that because the number of students on the island who sat this year’s SEA exam was less than the number of available places in the government secondary and secondary-assisted schools on the island, the arithmetic did not support them placing any of the students in private secondary schools. “It would be irresponsible, even reckless, for this administration to even contemplate paying for additional school places in a scenario where the places available in the government and government assisted schools are more than adequate.” London said.
While it was obvious that the private schools would no longer play a major role in conventional education on the island, London said that they were looking at including them in post-secondary education “whether it is repeaters, whether it is a matter of preparing people for the world of work or sixth form. The point I am making is that we are not abandoning the private secondary schools. In fact what we have done is to go the extra mile to ensure that there is the transition period during which the necessary adjustments would be made.” He said, however, that the private secondary schools have a responsibility to recognise that there is now a change in situation and they too will have to make adjustments to determine how best they could develop under the circumstances.
OPPOSITION Chief Whip Ganga Singh on Friday denied that the UNC ever asked for Canadian forensic investigator Bob Lindquist to probe alleged corruption at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and has called upon Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson to turn the matter over to the police for a proper forensic investigation. Lindquist’s report was laid in the Senate on Tuesday and stated “we have found no basis for the allegations of impropriety made in the Hansard report on pages 11 to 19 under the date of May 21, 2003, time 2.30 to 3.30 pm by speaker Mr Ganga Singh.” However, in a letter to the DPP, Singh called for the matter to be referred to the police for a proper forensic investigation. “We cannot have the Executive scuttle investigations by narrowly defining their scope,” the Chief Whip stated. Addressing a news conference during the tea break in Parliament, Singh denied that the UNC requested Lindquist investigate alleged corruption at WASA. “ If you recall on May 21 when I referred to this matter and a matter on the adjournment, I called for a forensic investigation. The Prime Minister got up and said that he agrees with the Caroni East MP that there should be an investigation and he (Manning) will retain forensic scientist Bob Lindquist. If you go to the Hansard, you will see it is the Prime Minister that gave that undertaking,” he declared.
Singh said Lindquist only did “a review of documentation.” Remind-ed that police officers of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) assisted Lindquist, Singh replied that the police acted differently to occasions where they searched the homes of Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday and former UNC MP Carlos John for evidence of fraud. “In this case, you have a clear indication that you have money trails and you have no such continuation of the investigative process,” he said. Asked if he could provide any further evidence to DPP, Singh replied that he had a copy of WASA’s registry report on Water Farms Trinidad Limited which contained information which conflicted with the Lindquist Report. “Those are issues that I have to look at to see how can I reconcile,” he said. The Chief Whip added that former PNM MP Dr Joe Laquis was premature in saying he was cleared of all wrongdoing and denied that the UNC had prejudiced public opinion about the Lindquist Report by publicly saying the final document would be a PNM cover-up. Singh stressed that he never spoke about the matter on any UNC political platform.
Police Commissioner Hilton Guy, whose last day on the job is next Tuesday, said yesterday that he is convinced his anti-crime measures, introduced during his term as Commissioner, proved to be effective. He added that his only regret was not being given a budget for the effective running of the service, and he called on Government to consider providing a budget to the next Commissioner. Guy, who hosted a press conference at Police Headquarters, surrounded by members of his executive, confirmed reports that he had not been given an extension by the Government. He pointed out that on Tuesday, he will hand over to Deputy Commissioner Everald Snaggs who will act as Commissioner. Snaggs will assume the position on his birthday on Tuesday when he turns 59. According to Guy, he will spend the next few months resting but he is open to options such as writing about his time spent from Constable to Commissioner. He is not ruling out a life in politics. In revealing crime figures, the Commissioner noted that although serious crimes have decreased, violent crime increased significantly. According to the Commissioner, 37 of the 121 murders were solved by the police.
The highest number of murders took place in the Port-of-Spain Division. Thirty-nine murders occurred there with eight in Southern, 11 in Western, 26 in Northern, seven in Central, four in South Western, eight in Eastern, 16 in North Eastern and two in Tobago. Ninety-one of the 121 murders took place along the East/West Corridor. The Commissioner noted that 80 percent of the murders were committed with the use of illegal firearms. Up until yesterday 114 illegal weapons were seized by the police — 63 of those guns were seized along the East/WestCorridor. In reference to kidnappings, Guy revealed that there were 106 reported kidnappings for the year so far — 27 of those kidnappings were for ransom and the ransom demanded amounted to $26 million. Central Trinidad recorded the most kidnappings with nine for the year so far, one in Eastern (Division), five in North Eastern, three in Port-of-Spain, two in South Western, five in Northern and four in Western Division. Twenty of the kidnappings for ransom took place in the night and five in the day. Guy noted that he is sure that the person who is appointed Commissioner will continue to uplift the image of the service and ensure that crime is kept down. The Commissioner will be given a grand send off next week by senior officers.
THE CURTAIN came down yesterday on a Local Government Elections campaign which has been unprecedented in the political history of Trinidad and Tobago. By the time the final results are known tomorrow night, it could very well see the death of one of the country’s two major political parties and herald the start of a political dynasty for the other. In the wake of the PNM’s 20-16 General Election victory over the UNC last October, speculation was rife about when Local Government Elections, which was constitutionally due in 2002, would be held. While political pundits predicted July 7 as the election date, Prime Minister Patrick Manning calmly entered the Senate on June 3 to announce July 14 as the election date. Party leader Basdeo Panday alleged the October 2002 elections were stolen from the UNC by a combination of PNM voter-padding and thuggery in the marginal constituencies. Over the last month of campaigning, Panday and other UNC MPs have renewed those cries.
The UNC leader has also declared the Opposition will not support any major pieces of legislation in Parliament (such as the Police Reform Bills) until constitutional reform takes place in TT. Panday has also used the need for constitutional reform to justify the Opposition’s non-support for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The Opposition has also attempted to use crime and issues from doctors to sugar workers to show PNM’s “incompetence” in government. However the UNC still seemed uncertain of its ability to successfully contest all 126 electoral districts and renewed ties with its former political partner, the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). The UNC is contesting 107 districts while leaving the NAR the remaining 19 areas. The PNM is contesting all 126 electoral districts.
