Royal Castle franchise holder Wayne Pierre, who was kidnapped outside the Arouca branch of Royal Castle on Sunday night and released in Petit Valley on Monday night, said prayers kept him going.  He said at no time was he ever threatened.

Pierre said the experience had left him a bit shaken up but he insists he will be returning to work next week. However, he intends to be more cautious. Yesterday, he refused to be photographed for security reasons. Pierre, who suffered a cut in the chin while being dragged up a hill leading to the house where he was kept from 10.45 pm Sunday to around 9.30 pm on Monday, said no ransom was paid for his release. Police sources said yesterday they received information that business associates of Pierre paid $400,000 for his release.

The 42-year-old businessman said he is almost sure the house where he was kept was in Diego Martin. He said the drama started around 10 pm on Sunday, while he was walking towards his vehicle in the car park at the fast food outlet. Pierre said he was bundled into his station wagon, blindfolded, and his hands tied. He claimed one kidnapper drove his vehicle in a reckless manner and he was afraid of losing his life. Pierre said the car stopped on a hill and the four kidnappers dragged him up the hill to the house where he was instructed to lie on the floor. Three of the four kidnappers left, leaving him with one man. Pierre claimed he tried to have a conversation with the kidnapper but got little response. He said he was not threatened in any way. Pierre was not given anything to eat or drink during his 24-hour stay with the kidnappers. He claimed he did not sleep on Sunday night and on Monday morning he was not given anything to eat or drink.

On Monday, he prayed for freedom. He became frustrated on Monday evening when he received little or no information from the man who was guarding him. Late Monday night, the three other kidnappers returned and simply told him: “Get up we taking you for a ride.” He said the driver drove for five minutes and he was dropped off in Petit Valley. Pierre managed to remove the blindfold and made his way to the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet at St Lucien and Sierra Leone Road, where he identified himself and telephoned E-999. He was met by officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad who took him for medical treatment and he was later interviewed. Pierre was later allowed to return to his home at Mt Hope Villas. He said yesterday he is certain the kidnappers wanted to make some quick cash. Sources at the AKS said based on the description of the area where Pierre was kept they are hoping to make a breakthrough in that kidnapping.

A 41-year-old cricket coach from Couva was arrested early yesterday  and charged for the larceny of $6,000 worth of cricket gear belonging to the Australian cricket team. The items went missing on May 21 from the Trinidad Hilton Hotel.

The Couva man was arrested while plying his taxi for hire in Couva, following an extensive investigation into the matter. The man is expected to appear before a Port-of-Spain Magis-trate today. The charge was laid by Inspector Modeste of the Arima CID.

A 46-YEAR-OLD unemployed man was yesterday freed of committing incest on his nine-year-old daughter five years ago.

After two hours of deliberation, the nine-member jury returned a not-guilty verdict in the Third Criminal Assizes in the San Fernando High Court. The man was alleged to have committed the act when the girl’s pregnant mother was in hospital in March 1998. The victim told her mother the accused put her to sleep in his bed and forced her to have sex with him. The trial was before Justice Jai Narine and the prosecution was led by State attorney Narissa Ramsundar. The accused was represented by attorney Ian Suekeran.

Caricom skilled nationals who qualify for free movement within Caricom, but who are HIV positive or have SARS or any other “dangerous infectious” disease could be  denied entry into Trinidad and Tobago under the Immigration (Caribbean Com-munity Skilled Nationals) Amend-ment Bill 2003.

This would be one of the consequences of the bill which was passed in the Senate yesterday. Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift in introducing the bill, said it would empower the Immigration Officer to deny entry to any person who is the subject of a deportation order or who is infected with any “ infectious or dangerously infectious disease”. The bill was also amended to include Haiti in the list of countries whose nationals would be eligible for Caricom Skilled National status. Haiti is the newest member of Caricom. He said the new bill aimed at widening  beyond university graduates the categories of persons eligible for free movement in Caricom members states to include artistes, musicians, media workers and sportspersons. It also sought to widen the ambit of  persons qualifying for Caricom national status, to include persons who became citizens by descent, registration, nationalisation and adoption. The bill also would authorise an Immigration Officer to permit the spouse and dependant members of persons who satisfied the qualification requirements of the act to enter Trinidad and Tobago. Previously the act only allowed free movement to the person (not his/her spouse or dependants).  The passing of the bill comes on the eve of the Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Jamaica.

Under the original Act, which was passed in 1996, a person, who qualified as a Caricom skilled national, obtained the right to enter Trinidad and Tobago and stay for an indefinite length of time; and to enter and leave this country without restrictions as often as he/she pleases. The person also had the right to work and own property. All these privileges however had been limited to persons who were citizens by birth.

Bwia’s inaugural flight to Cuba yesterday was a milestone not only for a national carrier but also for local manufacturers.

BW 438, non-stop to Havana, touched down at Hose Marti Iinternational Airport at about 11.30 am  adding to BWIA’s regional expansion efforts. Approximately 23 companies made their way to the communist island in the hopes of forging strong business ties with their Cuban counterparts as part of the five-day trade mission organised by the TTMA in collaboration with Tidco and Republic Bank. Minister Diane Seukeran, who is representing government  on the mission, said it was long overdue.“This is an excellent idea that was long in the making,” she said, noting that the “two islands formed a ring around the Caribbean so it is logical to expand our trade all the way up the island.” TTMA officials include President Anthony Hosany, former TTMA president Stuart Dalgliesh, and other representatives including soft drink manufacturer SM Jaleel, Sasha Cosmetics, Sissons Paints and Label House. The official launch of the trade mission will take place today.

Independent Senator Ramesh Deosaran’s poor recollection of a conversation between himself and acting Senate leader, Joan Yuille-Williams — in which he requested that private members’ day be shifted to accommodate him —  caused some confusion in the Senate yesterday.

Government, through Yuille-Williams, sought to have the Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals Amendment bill debated on a day when normally Private members — Opposition and Independent MPs — have an opportunity to present their own motions for discussion. Yuille-Williams ran into protest when she even attempted to have the bill discussed yesterday “at a later stage” in the sitting. Minority Leader Wade Mark complained that it was only at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon that he received the package indicating that government  planned to go through all the stages of the Immigration (Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals) Amendment bill.  He said Thursday and Friday were public holidays and Saturday and Sunday were not working days. “We have had no opportunity to properly research this matter, until yesterday,” he said.

Senate President put it to a vote. The result of the division was 20 for, 9 against, with Independent Senators, Eastlyn McKenzie, Ramesh Deosaran and David Quamina voted with the Opposition. Then Yuille- Williams sought leave of the Senate to deal with Government business instead of private business in order to debate the Immigation Amendment bill. Mark protested again that the Opposition was not prepared to  cede its right to debate a private motion. He said the next private motion for discussion on the Order Paper was Ramesh Deosaran’s and that Deosaran indicated to him that he was ready to procede. Stressing that the Standing Orders were being abused by the government, Mark appealed to the President to protect the right of the minority. “Under Standing Order 20 (4) this day is reserved for us,” he said emphatically.

Deosaran intervened, saying that two weeks ago the Parliament was told that “today” would have been private members day. “And I prepared, and in fact I rescheduled a departure overseas in order to be here today, only to learn last week that today would not be private members day. And I agreed, in principle. Only I find this discussion today (between Opposition and Government wrangling over the issue),” he said. He said he was warning the Government that if he couldn’t introduce his motion “today”, it (the Government) must give an assurance that he would be able to present his motion on July 8 “when I return from abroad”. “If not, like a good scout I am prepared to present my motion today, private members’ day,” he said, to supportive deskthumping.

THE OPPOSITION UNC received a double bashing from Government and Independent Senators over its refusal to support an amendment to the Immigration (Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals) Act 1996, which the UNC passed while it was in government.

During his contribution in the Upper House, Senate Opposition Leader Wade Mark described the amendment as a means of taking bread out of the mouths of citizens and giving it to Caricom nationals. He asked whether Government had devised a system where such Caricom nationals hoping to work in Trinidad and Tobago would use a common passport or a register of skills would be established to see where they could acquire jobs.  Mark alleged that the PNM was not sincere about the bill and could use it as a means to either introduce “scab labour” from other countries or tighten their grip on political power. “It looks like house padding..voter padding..free birth certificates,” he declared. Mark also alleged that under the Amended Act, the National Security Minister had a free reign to decide who could or could not enter the country. “TT citizens must come first. Caricom nationals after,” he declared.

Opposition Senator Wade Mark, alleged that Minister of Energy, Eric Williams, personally ordered Petrotrin to give an entry-pass for their Pointe-a-Pierre Refinery to Jamaat al Muslimeen leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, but Williams flatly denied the claim.

The charges were made yesterday in the Senate in a motion of the adjournment of the upper house by Mark citing a recent news report that Bakr had been issued a pass to Petrotrin to salvage scrap metal. Mark slammed: “This individual was involved in a bloody coup, who has shown no remorse and offered no apology.” He said Simon Johnson General Contractors, the company contracted to salvage the metal of which Bakr was a technical director had previously been de-listed by Petrotrin. Saying the Petrotrin compound stored one million barrels of oil and daily shipped 80,000 barrels to the Caribbean, Mark said: “Petrotrin is an extremely sensitive, highly secure area.”

Mark alleged that Petrotrin head of security, Brigadier Carl Alfonso, had objected to this issue of a pass to Bakr, and Petrotrin’s executive chairman had refused to issue the pass. Mark said: “But the head of security was instructed by the Minister of Energy to issue a pass to Abu Bakr…The Government ignored all this to instruct that a pass be issued to their VIP friend.” But Eric Williams responded: “I have nothing to do the issuing of passes to go into Petrotrin.”  Williams said the scrap metal was located in the western part of the compound, away from the eastern side where oil was stored. “It’s away from the sensitive areas of the refinery that are explosive in nature. As in any such contract there is heightened security… The company is following its normal procedures and is monitoring the employees — all of them — as they move in and out.” Williams said the tender contract had been properly awarded to Simon Johnson General Contractors, saying the fact they got the job suggested they were indeed eligible. Williams had also earlier noted: “If in the past they committed sins, one may atone.”

Fire Officers of the Wrightson Road Fire Department were unable to save the dry goods store at the corner of Prince and Nelson Streets, Port-of-Spain on Monday night because of a shortage of water in the nearby fire hydrants.

Six fire appliances which responded to the distress call were forced to shuttle water from fire hydrants at nearby streets to take to the scene of the fire. They were able to save two buildings which were under threat from the spreading flames. Newsday learned that around 9.30 pm on Monday, an eyewitness saw smoke coming from the dry goods store and alerted the Wrightson Road Fire Department. By the time fire officers arrived on the scene the building constructed with wood was already engulfed in flames.

Officers tried to extinguish the flames, but were prevented from doing so because of a lack of water in the nearby fire hydrants. They were able to prevent the flames from spreading to other buildings. Fire officers returned to the scene of the fire yesterday and tried to ascertain a cause for the fire. Fire officers said that they suspected that a short circuit in the electricity line was responsible for the fire.
Twelve employees of the store were without employment yesterday as a result of the fire. Damage to the building was estimated at $400,000, and owner of the store Rudolph Sookoo who was summoned to the scene of the fire, promised to have the building repaired quickly.

OPPOSITION leader Basdeo Panday has blamed the URP and CEPEP programmes for the country’s high rate of crime. “URP and CEPEP are the cause of crime because they (the PNM) have taken URP and placed it into the hands of criminals,” he told supports at a UNC campaign meeting at the Point Fortin Civic Centre on Monday night.

Panday also claimed “criminals” employed by the  ruling People’s National Movement (PNM), received as much as $250,000 fortnightly which they used to purchase drugs to sell. As a result, he said, the selling of drugs has caused turf and gang wars to escalate. Panday declared: “The CEPEP device is not for poor people, but for PNM hacks and big boys.”  He accused ruling party of awarding million dollar contracts to their friends and said the PNM had taken people for granted in areas like Point Fortin and La Brea. “They believe you don’t count, that is why you have to send a message on July 14,” the UNC leader said. Undaunted by the small crowd at the meeting, Panday declared that “the most important function of the government is to ensure that it’s people  are safe” and in this regard “the PNM government has failed miserably.”

Citing statistics from 1991 to 2000 to back his claim, Panday said whenever the PNM was in office there was an increase in crime, while there was an overall decrease when the UNC was in office. He declared: “It seems as though crime follows Manning and the PNM.” Also addressing the meeting were Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath and Opposition Senator Arnim Smith.