The 22-year-old suspect who was shot in the right leg while allegedly running from police in the mangrove located opposite Servol, remained warded in serious condition at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital yesterday.
The injured man who was wanted for a series of robberies is expected to be charged with firearm offences and shooting at police officers. The man was arrested on Wednesday, following a shootout with police officers. Reports revealed that around 9.30 am on Wednesday, officers of the Port-of-Spain Task Force were on patrol at Beetham Estate when they observed a car with five occupants acting in a suspicious manner. The police followed the car. On reaching close to Servol, the passenger seated in the front seat jumped out of the car and began running towards the mangrove.
Reports revealed that the man allegedly fired at the officers who returned fire. More than 100 police officers responded to the call for assistance and the injured man was apprehended after a 30-minute search. The other four occupants of the car were detained for questioning and later released. The driver of the car claimed that he was working PH and picked up the suspect in an area known as “Hell Yard”. He denied ever knowing the suspect. Inspector Ramnarine of the Besson Street Police Station is investigating.
LOCAL muslim scholar and president of the World Muslim League, Dr Waffie Mohammed, has said that the US-led war against Iraq is a war against Islam and has called on muslims to be “firm in their faith”.
It was at the weekly congregational prayer on Friday at ASJA Mosque, San Fernando, which evoked anti-US sentiments from a large turnout of worshippers. Mohammed said that the dropping of bombs in Iraq was merely an illusion which seemed like a beautiful endeavour for the US. “But the eyes which see the real beauty,” Mohammed, quoting from the Koran, said, “will prevail.” Saying that the war was against ‘believers’, Mohammed referred to the onslaught of bombs on the Arab nation as an act which could be likened to Satan’s attempt to fool Adam with an apple. “The apple seemed beautiful, but it wasn’t the apple,” Mohammed said.
In a special prayer (dua) after the service in which worshippers joined in, Mohammed pleaded: “Our prayers are with the people of Iraq. “The severe onslaught on the unbelievers is a great challenge and we ask you, Oh Allah, for strength and fortitude…patience and wisdom.” Mohammed said that the way of Islam will prevail over all other systems. He said that the systems of the world when one examines international politics and moral life, “have blinded people through which they are being deceived.”
SAN Fernando West MP and Junior Trade Minister Diane Seukeran last Thursday said an AIDS Clinic to service the southland may well be on the way sometime in the future. Seukeran made the disclosure moments after she handed over keys to new homes for two impoverished families in Embacadere.
Seukeran said the site for the AIDS clinic would be on the compound of San Fernando General Hospital. The MP said she held discussions with the wife of Dr Austin Trinidade, Medical Chief of Staff, regarding the Clinic. Seukeran declined to state when construction would start. Seukeran said she would seek the assistance of Kenneth Ferguson, Managing Director of Kenson Group of Companies, in the actual building of the clinic. She noted that the South should have such a facility of its own. After speaking to Sunday Newsday on the AIDS clinic, she mingled with the two families who were recipients of two newly built houses, courtesy MP Seukeran and Ferguson, whose Company undertook the responsibility for the construction of the homes.
MP Seukeran put smiles on the faces of the members of two impoverished families at Circular Road, Embacadere when she handed over to them the keys to their new homes. One of the recipients of the new homes was the family of baby Shelly Ann Sahadeo, who in March last year drowned in a pigtail bucket. Both Rajdeo Sahadeo, 36, and Gita Ramjit, 32, parents of baby Shelly were elated to receive the three-bedroom home, which they would be sharing with their six children. Since their daughter’s tragic death, they have had one new addition to the family, Sindelle, who is two months old. Construction of the home started almost immediately after baby Shelly died. Both parents said they still thought of her.
Describing his struggles to come to terms with his daughter’s death, Sahadeo said, “It is hard and frustrating.” The couple, both of whom are currently unemployed said that they were “very happy” for the new home and expressed “special thanks” to Minister Seukeran. A few houses away, the other beneficiary Lutchmie Jaitoon, 60, also wore a smile on her face as she looked at her new home. Construction at her now-completed concrete two-bedroom home started early this year. She would be sharing the house with her son Arnold Anthony, 22. Speaking to Sunday Newsday, the woman said though the new home made her happy, she still gets sad whenever she reminisces about her past struggles to make ends meet. Jaitoon said that prior to having the house built, she lived under the home of her brother. “I didn’t think I was getting a home.”
Also at the presentation was Seukaran’s Campaign Manager, Ian Atherly, and Managing Director of Kenson Production Services Limited — Kenneth Ferguson — whose company also aided in the construction of the two houses at a cost of $100,000. Minister Seukeran, who is also the Junior Trade Minister, said she hoped that in the near future other residents of the area would be able to have a decent level of housing.
MAYARO police arrested a man on Friday who reportedly lured a ten-year-old girl into his house by offering her a snack and then sexually assaulted her.
The 45-year-old man, an employee of the Ministry of Works, has been charged with committing grievious sexual assault on the child and will appear before a Mayaro Magistrate tomorrow. According to police reports, around midday the child left school to purchase snacks at a nearby parlour when she met the man who is well known to her family. He reportedly showed her a snack and invited her to pass by his home, located about a 100 feet from the school, for more snacks. The girl agreed and left with him.
Police sources said the man took the child into his drawing room and sexually assaulted her. The school’s Principal later heard, from someone, that the child was seen entering the man’s house. The Principal later went to the house where she saw the crying child walking out of the house. The child later told the Principal what had happened and also that the man shoved $10 into her shoes asking her not to tell anyone what had happened. The Principal later telephoned Mayaro police, who arrived and arrested the man. The child was taken to the Mayaro District Hospital where the DMO medically examined her and confirmed to investigators that she had been sexually molested.
THE EDITOR: The present PNM Government is making a whole lot of noise about the high cost of manufacturing sugar by Caroni (1975) Ltd in Trinidad and Tobago, but do they have the moral authority to do so? Prior to 1975, when the PNM Government bought over the company from Tate and Lyle, sugar was and still is (in every sugar producing country) a seasonal crop. It was in 1975 under the PNM Government, that the workers were granted “Guaranteed Work,” after the workers engaged in a prolonged strike.
This was during the first oil boom, and as money was plentiful, the Government gave-in to the workers’ demands quite willingly. It was also under the PNM Government in 1976, that the same sugar workers were granted a 100 percent increase in salaries and wages. Though the latter concession was thought necessary at the time, to narrow the widening gap between the energy sector workers and sugar workers, who had to face the same cost of goods and services, and the rise in the cost of living, it is really these two measures which are mainly responsible for the predicament the sugar industry has found itself in today.
Indeed, there are other factors, which also influence this situation. But to put it simply, the effects of those two measures are the real reasons why the cost of production in TT is so high and is causing our sugar to be uneconomical to produce. We, the sugar workers would like to remind the whole country that we are not against restructuring of the company. We have been looking forward to it for a long time, but it must be done with proper planning and a human touch. In the present form in which it is being undertaken, there will be a great deal of suffering in store for workers and their families, and the resulting social consequences for the whole country. Together with the above, the rapid change of direction which resulted from the five years Governments since 1986, and the changes of Boards and Directors of the Company, which went along with the Government changes, also resulted in wastage of the highest order, but that is another issue to be discussed later.
R RAMSINGH
Employee
Caroni (1975) Ltd
THE EDITOR: President George Maxwell Richards the nation’s fourth President was sworn into office on march 17 at President’s House, St Ann’s Port-of-Spain.
President Richards replaces former President Arthur N R Robinson whose term of office ended at midnight on Sunday March 16. Congratulations and best wishes to our new President, His Excellency and Her Excellency Dr Richards. What will President Richards’ term of office be like, only time will tell. Will he follow in the footsteps of his predecessor? The country’s fourth President does not come from a legal background but brings to the office, an educational background, and no doubt high on his priority will be the nation’s educators, education and the University of Trinidad and Tobago which he will be closely monitoring. Former Presidents were also mentioned in President Richard’s inaugural speech on his swearing in ceremony, he paid glowing tribute to Sir Ellis Clarke, Noor Hassanali and Arthur Robinson. Wishing his Excellency and her Excellency a successful term of office as head of state of our beloved Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
KEN SMITH
Woodbrook
THE EDITOR: Wade Mark, now that he is out of office is beginning to wax about the constitution and parliament and says things like, and I quote, “It is a glorified version of the Crown Colony system with a Prime Minister who has total and absolute power … A political dictatorship”, he goes on to say, “Our Parliament is a mockery of democracy and a rubber stamp. The lack of accountability by this administration is clear we have a wild animal gone mad in this country”.
It is politicians like Mark that bring more disrepute to the other politicians when they only see and voice these so called problems when they are not in control of the “parliament that is a mockery and a rubber stamp!” When the other ‘wild animal’ whose administration was overlooking the Piarco project, how much accountability was there? When that sneering ‘wild animal’ was urging his followers to “do them before they do us”, was also sued for libel and lost and who broke his oath of office by favouring his cronies in Telecom licences, what did Mark say then? Did he say anything about “accountability”, “dictatorship” or “wild animal”? Wade Mark and his ilk should really do this country a big favour by keeping quiet.
GORDON HENRY
Port-of-Spain
THE EDITOR: I told Jack Warner through this paper that TT would appreciate his contribution to sport and football in our country long after he has retired from the administration of football.
Mr Warner continue to work hard and enjoy your work. The more our people try to pull you down verbally it’s the more the international community embraces you. What you have done for us no one in the history of TT has come close to doing. You have put your money to match your mouth and the devotion you have shown to Marvin Lee and his family will never ever be matched by anyone in our country. But it will be nice if some of us try to outdo you in the future. Keep up and keep strong.
THOMAS METCAFFE
Pt Cumana
THE EDITOR: Teachers were interviewed for the posts of Heads of Departments and Deans in September 2002 which is seven months ago and would like the Ministser of Education to explain what is going on. When would we know the results of those interviews.
ANTHONY GITTENS
La Romaine
THE EDITOR: The Holy Bible states, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose…a time of war, and a time of peace.” Eccles Ch 3. When Iraq invaded Kuwait and poisoned its own people was a time for war, and war was waged.
Iraq was defeated, its army was decimated, sanctions were imposed, and no-fly zones were established. The allies and the UN were in control, and these victors allowed Saddam to remain in power. If they had objections to his subsequent ousting of the weapons inspectors, they did not take decisive action. In effect, they sanctioned Saddam’s actions. Suddenly, after the tragedy of 9/11, and the failure to capture bin Laden, the US decided that Peter must pay for Paul, and we now have Bush the younger intent on waging war on a nation that is unable to fully defend itself. Only bullies can find virtue and honour in such a one-sided war. Remember Iraq’s missiles have been conveniently destroyed, and its oil sales have been severely restricted. Surely there are ways other than war for ensuring that Iraq ceases to be a threat to the world. The entire world believes that now is the time for peace. But little do Bush and the US care about what the rest of the world believes. The US as the world’s most powerful nation considers might to be right, and anyone who dares to oppose the views of the US must be wrong.
Has anyone failed to see US chauvinism in their broadcasts of the Olympic games, where the focus only on their own athletes, and to hell with the rest? At first I wondered about the UK leader, Tony Blair, whose sycophantic alliance with Bush seemed at variance to the much-touted British reputation for fair play. Then I recalled that two to three hundred years ago this very nation invaded several countries in Africa and Asia because these countries were weak, and the British wanted their wealth. Britain now takes pride in displaying the Elgin marbles stolen from Greece and the Koh-I-Noor diamond stolen from India. Now today both the US and the UK seem bent on appropriating the vast oil reserves of Iraq. Furthermore, these two bastions of democracy have declared their intention to wage war regardless of the decision of the Security Council of the UN. In another arena, the US has regularly vetoed any resolution aimed at securing the rights of the Palestinian people. What kind of a cock-eyed democracy is this? Thank heavens that there are nations such as France, Germany, Russia and China who dare stand firmly against this blatant
DAVID SUBRAN
Chaguanas
