CORDONING off areas prone to kidnappings and crimes and a regional police servicing were among the plans of action the UNC has promised to institute. This announcement was made yesterday at the party’s launch of its local government campaign and presentation of candidates by Policy and Strategy Officer of the UNC, Dr Roodal Moonilal, delivered proposals from the party’s manifesto to the large festive crowd at Club Screamers Car Park in La Romaine. Moonilal said that unlike the PNM’s vision to “have a brush-cutter in every home”, the UNC was seeking to save the nation from the clutches of crime, discrimination, and poverty. The plan entitled “Ready to Rescue T&T”, Moonilal said, would tackle crime from  the neighbourhood to the national level. According to Moonilal, this plan would be effected on several levels – from educating citizens on law and security to the affiliation and development of international security agencies. He also, on behalf of the party, proposed a stronger police presence to be employed in municipal communities, and that UNC councillors will ensure that municipal police detect and deal with crime. Moonilal accused the PNM of practising “employment apar-theid” with jobs being given to their friends and relatives. “The qualified are being denied job opportunities because of discrimination”, he charged. Moon-ilal said the UNC proposed to establish job centres which will target youths for mobilisation and apprenticeship programmes. In these centres, he said, there would be unemployment specialists who will work with local councillors in securing jobs for the unemployed.

Within the area of health care, Moonilal announced that the UNC would be seeking to link with NGOs for local solutions problems at the community level. St Augustine Member of Parliament Winston Dookeran also fired up the crowd with his tougue-lashings aimed at the PNM. “The reason why we are in this state of depression is because the government is lacking knowledge of what to do. The government has the power, but they don’t have the knowledge. We are witnessing in TT an exercise of raw political power without knowledge to unearth lasting solutions,” said Dookeran as the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Dookeran added:” Our manifesto has many knowledgeable ideas in the true sense. But the real manifesto is written in our hearts and minds as we try to unite with persons of different class, race, and place of residency”. He remarked that the country was moving into a new political era. “We must reject monolithic parties which equate the party’s interests with the national interests. This is a fundamental mistake and we must stop this now”, he said.

AS if to counter-attack the PNM’s physically challenged candidate in the July 14 Local Government elections presented on Saturday, the United National Congress yesterday presented a visually impaired candidate – Deonarine Ragoo. Ragoo is partially blind and is the acting manager of the San Fernando Blind Welfare Association. The annoucement was made yesterday at the UNC’s presentation of candidates at Screamers’ Pub in La Romaine. Ragoo was hailed by political leader Basdeo Panday as a man of great courage. Ragoo will contest the Ste Madeleine/Reform districts in the Princes Town Regional Cor-poration. Ragoo, 41, was escorted on stage by party chairman Wade Mark. Mark held on to Ragoo as the other seven candidates approached the edge of the stage and waved to supporters. Ragoo has only 50 per cent visibility and according to Panday, represents the balance in the UNC’s slate of candidates by gender, race, religion as well as other forms of discrimination. The PNM presented Pundit Guya Persad-Maharaj, 44, an amputee who walks on crutches, at the party’s rally on Saturday at Woodford Square. Persad-Maharaj will contest the Otaheite/Rousillac districts in the Siparia Regional Corporation.

Chandroutee Ramper-sad, mother of Philadelphia murder victim, Pramatee Celestine, yesterday missed her flight to the US. She arrived at the airport at 3.30 pm. The scheduled flight departure was 3.45 pm. Airline officials told her she had arrived too late because airline regulations required her to check-in two hours before departure. Lamenting the fact that she could not get another flight out of the country, Rampersad said she was told she that she could get a BWIA flight, but at an additional cost of TT $2000. “I am helpless right now,” she cried, adding that she “did not have that kind of money.” Her daughter Seeta was also unsuccessful in obtaining a US Visa, so that she could accompany her mother to Philadelphia to make proper funeral arrangements for her slain sibling.

Pramatee, a 29 year old Trinidadian  mother of two was shot to death by her former common-law husband Cyprin Diaz, 54, in Philadelphia, USA, on Tuesday. Diaz also killed Pramatee’s husband of 10 months, US resident Eugene Celestine. Cyprin’s twin brother, Felix, admitted that the relationship between his brother and Pramatee had not always been smooth, and that they had two children, Michael, 14 and Randy, 10. Speaking with Newsday, Chandroutee still expressed fears that the killer would target the rest of her family, but admitted when questioned that there had been no contact by either the killer, or his family. Stating that she was “stranded right now,” Chandroutee once again stressed that she was not getting encouragement from any quarter, and that she was not seeing hope anywhere.

THE FORMATION of a single Caribbean airline came one step closer to reality yesterday when Prime Minister Patrick Manning and St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) PM Dr Ralph Gonsalves announced the formation of a company to serve as the forerunner to an eventual merger between BWIA and LIAT. Addressing a news conference at the Central Bank Towers, both leaders said yesterday’s agreement between the Governments of Trinidad and Tobago, SVG, Barbados and Antigua/ Barbuda and airline representatives could pave the way for major decisions on regional air transport to be made at the June 28 Caricom Heads of Government Summit in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The agreement will see the incorporation in TT within 14 days of the Caribbean Airlines Holding Limited (CAHL) which will eventually hold shares in the restructured BWIA and LIAT while a technical co-ordinator will be appointed by July 15 to prepare and coordinate the implementation of a detailed plan for CAHL’s creation, as well as restructure and rationalise BWIA and LIAT. PM Gonsalves said this company would develop “a clear nexus between BWIA and LIAT” and this was vital to the creation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy and regional integration. “The governments here present see the continuation of BWIA and LIAT as matters of strategic importance. It is inconsistent with the notion of building a community and not have communication, in this case air transportation over which we have some influence,” he declared.

Reflecting on the financial woes of both airlines, Manning said the formation of a single regional carrier had “come out of adversity” and is a longstanding aspiration of all regional governments. The PM hinted that based on yesterday’s meeting, “something very positive” could emerge at the upcoming Caricom summit. He was optimistic that other regional airlines would eventually come on board. Manning said TT will initially pay for the technical coordinator’s services and those funds would be converted to equity within CAHL. He added that all regional governments will eventually own shares in the new airline. The agreement also calls upon BWIA and LIAT to accelerate their restructuring efforts as a pre-condition for any further public sector participation. Gonsalves said the four governments were cognisant of the progress made by the airlines to date and “reaffirmed their commitment to satisfy the financial arrangements made at their meeting of April 13, 2003 to take LIAT  to the end of 2003”. BWIA Corporate Manager Nelson Tom Yew hailed yesterday’s decision as the way forward for  BWIA and regional air transport. Asked if he expected opposition to the plan from BWIA’s unions regarding labour concessions, Tom Yew said management has been meeting with the unions and has obtained certain concessions from them. The agreement also allows International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), which seized two BWIA aircraft last month, or any other corporate entity to become involved in the establishment of the new company. An eleventh hour intervention by Government secured the release of the planes and 120 days of breathing space for BWIA to put its house in order. Speaking with Newsday afterwards, Manning said he was very concerned about the health of former PNM government Minister Gerard Montano and would be seeking to get an update on his medical condition.

A KFC manageress was shot in the right leg, two policemen survived a hail of bullets, three officers suffered injuries in a crash, and police were up to late evening still hunting for four bandits who caused all of this. The daytime drama started around 10.55am yesterday when four armed and masked men entered the KFC outlet compound at Montrose. Two of the men jumped a counter inside the restaurant, a third one stood guard at the door, while the fourth man remained in the silver grey Almyra vehicle, in which they came. Police said someone inside the restaurant called the Emergency-999 Command Centre, to which officers, PCs Guelmo and Stephens responded. On reaching, however, police said Guelmo and Stephens were greeted with gunfire and nine shots were registered on the marked police vehicle they were in.  It is now at the Freeport Police Station. Police said the officers returned fire, and the bandits escaped empty handed.  On reaching Carlsen Field, police said the bandits held up Dean Harpman at gunpoint and robbed him of his white Suzuki van, abandoning their vehicle, which was later found and is to be tested for prints, to locate its bonafide owner. During the shootout, KFC manageress Margaret Ballantyne was shot on the right leg.  She was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH), and was said to be stable up to late evening. Another police Cherokee jeep, had joined in the search for the four men.  Cpl Sallick along with PCs Kissoondath and Mohammed were in that vehicle. They continued the chase behind the stolen white van, but lawmen said the Cherokee jeep crashed into an oncoming truck at Palmiste Street, Todds Road, Longdenville.

Officer Mohammed received injuries to his head, neck and arm, Sallick to his face, and Kissoondath had injuries to his foot and chest. They were all treated at the Chaguanas Health Facility and discharged. Following their discharge, police said the three officers, along with Guelmo and Stephens, immediately joined in the search for the four bandits.  For this, they were highly commended by senior officers for their commitment to the job. Sr Supt Philip Carmona, head of the Central Division, along with Insp Gopiecharan and several others from the E-999 and CID also joined in the fruitless search.  Two Amalgamated security officers also responded. At the scene yesterday, KFC employees refused to comment, and there were signs on two entrance doors, stating: “We are closed because of circumstances beyond our control”. There were three bullet holes on the glass to the exit side of the building and the top half of the left glass door to the same entrance had been shattered. A young man from the area said he heard about 20 shots but stayed in his house for fear of being brought down. No arrests had been made up to late evening and Insp Gopiecharan of the Chaguanas Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is continuing investigations.

THE country’s latest murder victim found in Arima late Friday evening was yesterday identified as Sheldon Richardson, 27, of Upper Abbe Poujade Street, Carenage. Northern Division police said Richardson’s body was identified by his sister, Nikesha Marcelle-Richards and his common-law-wife, Rusell Edwards. Police said the relatives told them that they last saw Richardson on Friday when he left in company with someone to go to Sangre Grande to visit their family. It is not clear what transpired after he left home but police were trying up to late evening to locate the individual he left with, since they believe he could be of assistance to their enquiries. Richardson’s body was found around 5.40pm Friday in a dirt track at Peytonville, Arima, at the back of the Santa Rosa Race Course. Police believe he was killed elsewhere and his body dumped in Arima. Lawmen base their theory on the fact that the person who found the body told them that when he had passed in the same vicinity around 5.25pm, Richardson’s body was not there.  He had a tattoo on his right arm, bearing the word “Carba”. At the time of his death, Richardson was wearing dark grey T-shirt, light blue three quarter pants and white socks.  He also wore a rasta hairstyle. A party of officers headed by ASPs Errol Dillon and Wesley Moore along with Insp Pierre, Cpl Jones and others visited the scene. A post mortem is to be performed today at the Forensic Science Centre.  Insp Bullen of the Arima Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is investigating.

Moments after threatening to kill a woman, four men including two Canadians were arrested yesterday by Southern Division Highway Patrol Police who intercepted a car in which the four men were travelling and seized a loaded .38 revolver. The four have since been charged with possession of arms and ammunition, and will appear before a San Fernando Magistrate today. According to police sources, around 1.30 pm, E999 police issued a wireless report that four men in a grey Nissan Bluebird car had just left the Embacadere area after the occupants had threatened to kill a woman. Highway patrol officers including Constables Narace, Taylor, Ramoutar, Ramjit, Ragoonanan, and Burtin who were on patrol in the area responded to the report. On reaching the Embacadere Public Cemetery, the officers intercepted the suspects car and during a search, found and seized a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition hidden under one of the mats.

The four men, two of whom are from Toronto, Canada, and the others who are from Ramsaran Street Broadway, San Fernando, were arrested and taken to San Fernando Police Station where they were charged by PC Burtin. The Canadians who have been in the country for the past two weeks were reportedly staying by relatives of the two men with whom they were jointly charged. The firearm will be sent to the Forensic Sciences Centre for testing to see if it was used in any criminal activities.

THE mobile police unit which once occupied a barricaded area at Independence Square has vanished and police sources said this was done because it was misused, with a number of unnecesary telephone calls being made. Senior officers of the Port-of-Spain Special Unit informed Newsday yesterday that the removal of the mobile police unit was ordered by Police Commissioner Hilton Guy.  Sources said the post disappeared sometime on Saturday evening when officers assigned to it experienced an undisclosed problem. Officers at the Special Unit could offer no details about the “undisclosed problem”, but senior officers said the unit was misused and that a number of unnecessary telephone calls were made.  Attempts to contact  Guy proved futile. The removal of the mobile police unit has caused some concern among vendors in the area, who yesterday called for an immediate replacement of the E-999 police post which they said made the area a safer place to conduct their trade.

The vendors in the area also gave conflicting reports on what they believe might have caused  the removal of the mobile police post, but highlighted the benefits of the post to them. The vendors pointed out the post provided them with a greater sense of security and allowed them to sell their goods during hours that were previously considered unsafe. Efforts by National Security Minister Howard Chin-Lee to curb crime led to the establishment of numerous movable Police posts around the country, all equipped with E-999 vehicles. Many consider the posts to have played a significant role in the relatively crime free Carnival 2003 celebrations.

HE’S A PUNDIT, a private investigator, a karate black belt, a herbalist, and is aspiring to capture the predominantly UNC area of Othaheite/ Rousillac on a PNM ticket in the July 14 Local Government elections. But Pundit Gaya Persad Maharaj, aged 44, is determined to jump that hurdle despite having only one leg. Pundit Maharaj told Newsday that only two months ago he lost his leg to diabetes, after he had already been screened and selected by the PNM to run for councillor of the area. He revealed: “I lost my leg very suddenly. One day in April I hit one of my toes badly as I was leaving to conduct a service around 4pm. Afterwards I drove myself to a nursing home and by 7pm my leg was gone”. And he added with a smile: “I couldn’t drive back home.” So now how does he intend to serve the constituency now that he is disabled? By going around in a wheelchair ? By hobbling along on crutches? The answer is both.

According to Pundit Maharaj he has been serving the Othaheite/ Rousillac community for almost 29 years and wants to continue his service in an official capacity. “This community is predominantly a UNC area. But the UNC has disappointed us for years. They have never done anything that they have promised.” Maharaj said he has been a follower of the PNM for several years and became an official member two years ago. He understands that he has a battle on his hands to break the UNC stranglehold. Despite the loss of a leg Pundit Persad stated, “I have decided on this action because people in this area feel a lot of bitterness towards the UNC for all the unfulfilled and broken promises. What makes the difference with me and my followers are that they are voting for me. I explained to them that you have to vote for someone who will make things happen and the PNM is the safest and the wisest ticket. It is the party in power.” He admits though that when his leg was amputated his campaign was set back for a month and it took sometime to get his life on course. But even as he came to grips with his handicap, his relatives and friends insisted that he continue on the campaign trail. “I never thought about  throwing in the towel. My supporters came and said ‘Is now you have to campaign, even with one-leg’”

Maharaj’s wife of 13 years, Sharda, said she has thrown her full support behind her husband for the road ahead. “ He is keeping us strong and has enough strength to serve the public. People come by the dozens everyday at our door seeking help, be it spiritual, medical, physical or domestic. And this way he can continue his service in a bigger way.” Their three kids, Suman, 12, Divya, nine, and Narendra, eight, are also excited about their father getting involved in politics. Maharaj said  he is not seeking sympathy from anyone, but wants to be a role model for the handicapped community. He recalled the standing ovation accorded him when he was introduced at the PNM launch of the local government candidates on Saturday. “I walked across the stage with my crutches and everyone was cheering me on. I looked down and saw some handicapped persons sitting in the front and they were smiling at me. I could see they had hope on their faces, and if I win I intend to make national representation for the handicapped.Their plight is my plight,” he said.

Stating that individuals will never be able to realise their full potential if they continue to allow external pressures to influence their lives, Anglican Bishop Calvin Bess yesterday urged persons to rise to the challenge and begin appreciating the differences of others so that sustainable communities would be fostered and preserved. Defining “external pressures” as depression, alcohol, drug abuse and violence, he called on persons to discard their biases and understand that each individual had been created in God’s likeness, and that no two persons were the same, but that they were unique in their own right. Only when this is done Bess claimed, would communities be able to grow and contribute to the well being of the persons living there, thus enabling the continuous growth of the country. Bishop Bess sought to convey this message yesterday as he delivered the sermon at the Thanksgiving celebration of the 89th Anniversary of the restoration of Municipal Authority to the City of Port-of-Spain (PoS), at the Catherdral of the Holy Trinity. Describing this year’s theme of “Building Sustainable Communities” as an apt one, he said “sustainable communities ensure the health, safety, self-reliance and creative participation of all its members.”

Adding that human beings were social creatures who needed others to add meaning to their lives, he emphasised that persons needed to recognise that they were not entirely self-sufficient. He advised that one way to rise above the challenge of building strong communities was to recognise the differences of all persons. Those differences he said, should not be ignored, hidden or denied. However, they are to be celebrated as it is a gift from God, he claimed. Once persons can listen to and understand each other, they will learn to value and respect one another, which is necessary if we are to create sustainable communities, stressed Bess. Concluding that once conflict could be solved within a community without bloodshed but with the application of wisdom, Bess said persons would have finally learnt to respect the dignity instilled in each individual by God.

PoS Mayor Murchison Brown in his message on City Day 2003 pledged not to hide his head in the sand “like the proverbial ostrich,” but admitted that it was a major problem in TT. He commended various organisations in the city and environs who have rallied towards minimizing this problem, such as the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA), and the St Clair Committee of Concerned Citizens. Adding that the City Police had been infused with a renewed energy to deal with the problem, Brown concluded that both the private and public sectors were coming together as a common driving force for change and prosperity. Yesterday’s celebratory mass was followed by a parade through the downtown area. It began from South Quay between St Vincent Street and Broadway, where Mayor Brown took the salute from members of the Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Cadets, Police  and Regiment and other uniformed groups.