Ministry of Works and Transport workers yesterday spent close to eight hours clearing a landslide on the North Coast Road near Uncle Sam’s bar.

The ministry in a statment advised motorists to proceed with caution and be aware of heavy equipment on site and observe all directional signs and barriers, and to drive at a reduced speed on approaching the affected area.

According to one employee, and resident Kurt Garcia, the landslide took place around 5.30 am yesterday completely blocking access to the roadway leading to Las Cuevas and Tyrico beaches. The landslide occurred after torrential showers on Emancipation Day.

He said work began around 7.30 am and ended just after 3 pm.

Work crews are expected to return to the site today.

Garcia said the dirt, trees, and rocks were removed and motorists, villagers and beachgoers were able to use the road just after 3 pm.

Speaking with Guardian Media earlier in the day Garcia warned that there could be more landslips, which are common during the rainy season.

“I am working with the Ministry for about 30 years now and living in the area for 53 years and whenever the rainy season comes we get this. Up to yesterday (Tuesday) we had to clear the road because of another landslide. Right now I am watching this and I am watching that tree up there and we could have another landslide if it has more rains. Anybody passing here should be careful,” Garcia said.

Workers directed vehicles in and out of the area along the embankment overlooking Maracas beach.

While three dump trucks and two tractors took turns removing the dirt and trees that fell, workers complained that they are operating without the necessary tools such as hard hats, power saws and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Workers said they have to sometimes use their own chain saws to cut fallen trees, none of them had hard hats on and only one was seen wearing steel-tipped boots as the others wore sneakers and rubber boots.

They also complained that they are also being made to wait an inordinate length of time to collect their overtime when they have to treat with emergencies such as yesterday’s landslide.

Lawyers representing two murder accused, whose protracted case may have to be restarted because of former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar’s short-lived judicial appointment, are moving to file a lawsuit seeking a stay of their case.

The announcement was made by attorney Joseph Sookoo yesterday, as his clients and the three men they are jointly charged with reappeared before Ayers-Caesar’s successor, acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby-Earle-Caddle, in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court.

Sookoo, who held for defence attorney Wayne Sturge, explained that Sturge was yet to receive transcripts of their case, which were needed to determine his client’s position on Busby-Earle-Caddle’s decision that the cases had to be restarted.

Sookoo said Sturge intended to file the lawsuit seeking a stay of the men’s preliminary inquiry on the grounds of abuse of process and delay. He did not give an indication as to when the lawsuit will be filed.

Attorney Criston J Williams, who is representing the other three men, also said he was still awaiting the response of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC, on the issue.

Following Ayers-Caesar’s judicial appointment and subsequent resignation, Williams wrote to Gaspard suggesting that he use his powers under the Constitution to bypass the inquiry stage and file indictments against the men or discharge them.

Responding to Sookoo and Williams’ submissions, a representative from Gaspard’s office indicated that he had received the transcripts of the case but was yet to make a decision on how it and the other 51 cases left in limbo by the Ayers-Caesar’s debacle would be dealt with.

Busby-Earle-Caddle adjourned the case to August 29 to give Gaspard time to indicate his position and Sturge time to file his lawsuit.

During yesterday’s hearing, the accused men, Chicki Portello, Kareem Gomez, Levi Joseph, Anthony Charles and Israel “Arnold” Lara, all wore matching T-shirt with slogans calling for their release, which they also wore at the last hearing. Their relatives, who were present in court, wore the same T-shirts.

Ayers-Caesar was appointed a High Court Judge on April 12. She resigned within two weeks due to the public furore over the cases she left incomplete.

Ayers-Caesar originally provided a list to Chief Justice Ivor Archie stating she had 28 matters outstanding but an independent audit initiated by Archie revealed there were actually 52 part-heard matters. The Judiciary held a stakeholder meeting and had announced that the cases would have to be restarted. However, it later reversed its position saying that the decision rests with Busby-Earle-Caddle and Gaspard.

Ayers-Caesar has since sued Archie, the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) claiming that she was pressured to resign.

In her affidavit filed in the case, two weeks ago, Ayers-Caesar said she did not intend to mislead Archie about the number of matters she had outstanding but was supplied her information by the Note Taking Unit of the Port-of- Spain Magistrates’ Court. She also suggested that the cases could have been dealt with by other magistrates, as done in the past.

High Court Judge David Harris is expected to determine if Ayers-Caesar should be granted leave to proceed with her case in September.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is currently mulling over legislation to address Ayers-Caesar’s case and prevent similar scenarios in the future.

As Petrotrin completed clean-up operations after oil deposits washed ashore at two beaches in La Brea, an environmental activist is calling on Petrotrin to disclose the source of the oil and how much leaked into the ocean.

Commenting on the presence of oil at Carat Shed and Point Stable beaches on August 1, Aboud of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) admitted the volume of oil was less than what leaked out from a ruptured tank in April. Some 125,000 barrels of oil leaked into the Guaracara River on that occasion and contaminated beaches in the south western peninsula.

 “But how much was this spill, where did the oil come from. Up to now, Petotrin is silent on the source, volume of the oil spill or on the associated risk it poses to the nearby communities and fisheries. What is being used to clean up this spill,” he asked.

“Disasters such as the December 2013 oil spills and the April 23, 2017 Tank 70 rupture have a long lasting impact on the livelihoods of fisher-folk, and health of the fisheries. These effects continue to be seen and felt even after 44 months of the 11 oil spills in 2013, as over 20 species of dead fish and dying shrimp continue to wash ashore daily in Point Sable Beach, La Brea,” he claimed.

He also questioned why there is no transparency on the undocumented and unreported leakages that are rated as insignificant by Petrotrin. Accusing Petrotrin of having a continuous degrading impact on fisheries and livelihoods because of continuous oil spills, he said transparency would encourage efficiency.

“And yet the public is locked out from viewing Petrotrin’s environment audits and reports such as the still secretly hidden Tank 70, 2003 report done by Shell.”

In a statement, the State-owned energy company said clean-up operations along the shoreline was completed. However, the company stated that the source of the oil was still undetermined and investigations were ongoing. The company said it would continue to monitor the beaches and thanked all stakeholders for their assistance and cooperation in completing these clean-up activities in a safe and timely manner.

The initiative was expected to be launched yesterday with 60 police officers randomly selected from 25 police stations across T&T being given the cameras to use on a trial basis.

However, while addressing media personnel at the weekly police press briefing yesterday, TTPS public information officer ASP Michael Pierre explained that it will start next Monday as the executive of the TTPS was still deciding on protocols for the use of the cameras.

“The TTPS had to review the procedures before it is launched officially. It will be launched from next week Monday when all those issues with directives will be addressed,” Pierre said.

The issue of the guidelines for the use of body cameras was raised by the Police Social and Welfare Association following the launch two weeks ago.

While general secretary of the association, Insp Anand Ramesar said that they were in support of the cameras as it would bring clarity to allegations of police brutality, he said there was no policy to guide the use of the new equipment and how the officers are judged while using it.

Ramesar had said: “What the (acting) Commissioner of Police needs to do is have a documented policy on use of the body worn cameras so those police officers will have a better understanding of how their conduct is going to be interpreted and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the body worn cameras.”

In an interview at the launch, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams said that the project will be supported by a departmental order that will mandate that an officer does not remove or turn off the camera and if it is done the officer will be sanctioned.

He added that based on the situation, the punishment will vary.

The cameras and accompanying supportive software have been lent to the TTPS by the Telecommunication Services of T&T (TSTT).

Speaking at the launch TSTT CEO Dr Ronald Walcott said the footage collected from the cameras will be stored automatically and the footage cannot be modified, while access to the footage requires a specific security clearance.

The camera can be submerged in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes and has a 210-degree angle with five microphones for clarity and a pre-buffering system.

Once fully charged, the cameras, which will be clipped onto an officer’s clothes, can last for 10 hours recording.

The cameras were purchased from Motorolla at a cost of $500,000. A similar pilot project was tested in the Central Division almost two years ago.

T&T Police Service (TTPS) public information officer ASP Michael Pierre made the announcement as he presented statistics for divisional performance between January and June, during a press briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Pierre said that the South Western, Eastern, Tobago and Southern divisions had all improved their detection rates beyond the 30 per cent international benchmark statistic.

“Four of the nine divisions have now gone above this mark namely the South Western and Eastern Divisions both having improved their detection rate to 64 per cent and 57 per cent respectively, Tobago at 35 per cent and Southern Division at 33 per cent,” Pierre said.

He said that the statistics showed an improvement for the South Western, Eastern and Tobago Divisions, who had recorded detection rates of 59, 47, and 33 per cent respectively, during the first three months of the year.

Overall the TTPS has an overall detection rate of 30 per cent for the first six months of the year.

Pierre said that there was a 10 per cent reduction in reports of serious crime for the period, with 6,772 in 2016 and 6,093, this year.

The Port-of-Spain, Western and Tobago Divisions recorded the largest drops in reports of serious crime between last year and this year, recording 30, 26 and 19 per cent respectively.

“The crime types classified as serious crimes are: murders, wounding and shootings, rape, incest and other sexual offences, kidnapping, fraud, burglaries, and break-ins, general larceny, larceny of motor vehicles, narcotics offences, possession of firearm and ammunition and other serious crimes,” Pierre said.

He said while the TTPS was pleased by the statistics, it was still concerned about the rate of murders and the proliferation of illegal firearms, which are the most common weapon used to commit them.

For the first six months of the year, there were 251 murders compared to 229 for the same period, last year. Of the 251 murders, 19 per cent have been solved by the Homicide Bureau of Investigations.

The murder toll to date stands at 282, according to the Homicide Bureau, 13 more than the comparable period last year.

In total, police seized 509 illegal firearms and 6,343 rounds of assorted ammunition during the period, compared to 402 guns and 5,493 rounds of ammunition for the corresponding period, last year.

“In this regard, the TTPS continues to intensify its efforts to achieve a further reduction in serious crimes as well as improve its overall detection rate. We have increased the conducting of strategic exercises, road checks, increased visibility through foot and mobile patrols, intensify investigations and other measures to ensure that illegal firearms and ammunition are seized and removed from the streets of T&T,” Pierre said.

A retired police officer who suffered a spinal injury while on duty 11 years ago has taken the State to court for failing to appoint a Compensation Committee under the provisions of the Protective Services Compensation Act.

Fazal Ghany, who is being represented by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissesar SC and Gerald Ramdeen, is also seeking compensation for the delay in having his claim assessed.

Yesterday, they filed an application which came up before Justice Devindra Rampersad in the San Fernando High Court, to have the matter heard during the vacation period as a matter of urgency.

However, the judge adjourned the matter to be heard today before Justice Joan Charles, at the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain. 

Speaking afterward, Persad-Bissessar said 11 years ago Ghany made an application to the Compensation Committee after he fell and injured his back while on the job, but his application was rejected on the basis that his injury did not fall under the Act.

After his lawsuit was dismissed in the local courts, he appealed to the Privy Council which found his injury did fall within the Act and he was entitled to compensation.

The Privy Council, in 2015, remitted the application to the Committee for his compensation to be assessed. However, Persad-Bissessar said for the past two years no Committee has been in place.

Describing as gross negligence the State’s failure to appoint a Committee, she said over 14,000 members of the protective services, including prison, fire and police officers, can be affected. The State, through its attorney Anthony Bullock, has asked for three weeks to sort out the issue. Bullock told the judge that Cabinet had recommended the names of people to be appointed to the Committee, but there was a legal issue and the appointments were not done. However, Persad-Bissessar said the State has no defence.  

She said the State’s failure to abide by judgment of the highest court of the land undermines the administration of justice and the rule of law. She also stated that any further delay would be an injustice not only the Ghany but other officers who have suffered injuries on the job. She said Ghany knew of at least five officers who were injured on the job but cannot receive any compensation. 

 In the claim, Ghany is contending that his constitutional rights were breached in that he has been denied his right to property, which is the compensation, and his right to access of the Compensation Committee and the rule of law.

He is asking the court to order the Cabinet to take steps to appoint the committee and is seeking compensation for a breach of his constitutional rights and an award of damages for the delay in assessing his compensation.  

A Moruga man died while undergoing treatment shortly after he was discovered bleeding from gunshot wounds in his car at St Mary’s Village, Moruga, yesterday.

Police are yet to determine why Ian Sylvester, 42, of Rochard Douglas Road, St Mary’s Village, was murdered.

According to a report, around 3.25 am police constables Ramdath and Guerra responded to reports of loud gunshots at Taylor Street. Upon their arrival they found Sylvester lying in the back seat of a green Nissan Sentra B-14 with injuries to his neck and head. The officers took Sylvester to the Princes Town District Hospital where he died while being treated. Police said they received information that he often slept in his car at various locations.

Homicide detectives are investigating.

The murder toll for the year now stands at 283

Auditors were unable to verify figures brought forward from 2009 concerning CL Financial’s audited statements and were unable to sign off on those statements as a result, former minister of finance Vasant Bharath has said.

Bharath spoke about the issue as debate raged on why Government was unable to access information on CL Financial’s audited statements.

Former People’s National Movement finance minister Mariano Browne had asked called on current Finance Minister Colm Imbert and the current Government to say why the Government-controlled CLF board didn’t provide audited financial statements for eight years although it was required to.

Browne had raised the queries after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley last week said his Government had had “great difficulty” in getting information about CLF’s financial position and there were “no audited statements” of companies. He had noted that the government-controlled CLF board was required to provide audited financial statements, as this was required under the state’s 2009 agreement with CLF majority shareholders following the bailout of its collapsed insurance subsidiaries, Clico and British American.

However on Browne’s query, Imbert had said, “I suggest you ask the UNC why in the five years and three months under their tenure, the statements were not prepared.”

But Bharath told the T&T Guardian that once the shareholders’ agreement continued to be signed and remained in effect, there would have been no necessity to have information such as revaluation of assets, cash flow and profit/loss divulged.

Bharath added, “In any event, what happened during 2010-2015 was the auditors were unable to verify figures brought forward from 2009 and were unable to sign off on audited accounts. But that’s what they’ve been working on in the last few years. I don’t know if they were able to produce audited accounts.”

Imbert is expected to make a comprehensive statement on the CLF issue following today’s Cabinet session.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, David Walker (Clico Stakeholders Alliance), Rishi Maharaj (Disclosure Today) and Afra Raymond also said over the past eight and a half years each had made requests for financial information regarding the CLF issue.

They added, “Mr Walker requested intra group balances as far back as 2012 via the Freedom of Information Act. Had that simple report been received on a monthly basis, then Cabinet and the Finance Minister would have known about the malpractice they’ve only just discovered.

“The only reporting demanded was an unspecified quarterly report that in practice said nothing. Even then, it was only supplied to Parliament on four occasions when there should have been more than a dozen.”

They asked if Government was also denied access to information,”or, is it that they inexplicably didn’t request it. What reporting did the Cabinet and Finance Ministry demand?”

“We heard from the Prime Minister that they’ve only ‘just discovered’ a number of things that would have been obvious had they ever bothered to seek the information that we sought. After eight years and a half of expensive governmental control, the population is now being told the Government didn’t know what was being done or how taxpayers’ monies was spent while Government appointees operated.

“To protect taxpayers, Government should immediately lift the veil that they erected around their appointees’ actions and respond positively now to every one of our very basic requests. For instance, has the Government been running an insolvent company in defiance of our laws? Did we advance money to Clico/BAT based on assets in an insolvent CLF?”

They noted that Raymond had won a court action to access CLF information, but now faces drawn out appeals by successive administrations seeking to withhold information from the public. Walker and Disclosure Today also made requests that have been either ignored or denied, which “clearly demonstrates that across the political divide, there’s clear policy of denial of information to the public,” they added.

In his continued efforts to clamp down on immigrants entering the United States, President Donald Trump yesterday embraced legislation that seeks to cut legal immigration by 50 per cent in the next ten years.

This move will hamper American citizens and legal residents’ ability to take family members into the country.

The new legislation from Republican Senators David Perdue, of Georgia and Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, would place new limits on legal immigration and seek to create a system based more on merit and skills than family ties.

Perdue and Cotton introduced the legislation in February. It would change the 1965 law to reduce the number of legal immigrants, limiting the number of people able to obtain green cards to join families already in the United States. The bill would also aim to slash the number of refugees in half and eliminate a programme that provides visas to countries with low rates of immigration.

International relations expert Professor Andy Knight, who is based in Canada, said yesterday that if the bill were to be passed in the Congress, there would be some implications for Trinidadians who have family members living in the US and who wish to join them. He did not give details about the implications.

Knight said, “If it were to pass through Congress, yes it would have implications for Trinidadians who have family members living in the US and who want to join them.

“The merits based system Trump has in mind is not really like Canada’s or Australia’s. The intent behind that bill is to cut back significantly on who can get a green card in the US.”

He added that Trump’s plan doesn’t have much to show in terms of his legislative agenda, saying Trump-care went down to defeat in the Senate.

“But this half-baked attempt to reform the US immigration system is likely to go nowhere. Apparently, Trump discussed with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Canada’s skills-based immigration policy. He claims to like the Canadian approach to immigration. However, he really does not understand it, except superficially,” Knight said.

He said the bill proposed by Perdue and Cotton was really an anti-immigration bill and nothing like the Canadian points-based policy aimed at bringing into Canada skilled immigrants who can hit the ground running and make contributions to Canadian society immediately upon arrival.

“The bill that Trump is endorsing would cut immigration into the US by 50 per cent over 10 years. It is very unlikely to pass in the Congress,” he said.

“My sense is that the draft bill by Senators Perdue and Cotton will likely not get the support it needs to get through the Congress. Trump will have failed one more time in delivering on another one of his promises.”

A 25-year-old Arouca man died on Tuesday after being chased and knocked down by a man driving a car, moments after he was forced to flee his girlfriend’s home following an argument with her former boyfriend.

According to police reports, around 10 am officers from the Tunapuna Police Station were contacted and told that three men were being chased by a group of men, including one in a car and one on a motorbike, along St John’s Road, St Augustine. When they arrived they found Akeem Reid in a ditch bleeding. He was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where he later died.

Despite the circumstances surrounding Reid’s death, police are yet to classify it as a murder as they are awaiting instructions from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, one of Reid’s friends, who was with him before he was attacked, said he had earlier questioned Reid’s girlfriend, identified only as Melissa, about the stability of her ex-boyfriend, who lived in the area. The man, who did not want to be named, said after being assured by her that the ex-boyfriend was of no threat, he appeared at her home in a hostile manner.

“Somebody come and see we there and went back and tell him and he come and start to quarrel and fight. He fight with my next friend and he (Melissa’s ex-boyfriend) called his friends. They came so we had to run and leave the car we come in,” Reid’s friend said.

“When we was running one of the man friends jump in we car and bounce down Akeem and crash the car down a precipice. While we was running I was talking to the police and telling them what happening. I went by a neighbour, who tell me how to get to the river to get to the main road and me and my next friend run straight to the police station.”

Melissa, a mother of two, confirmed the friend’s claim, adding that her ex-boyfriend’s behaviour was uncalled for since they had broken up for over four years. She said before she could have quelled the situation it escalated into a fight, in which she got involved and punched her ex-lover in the face.

Melissa said Reid and his two friends arrived at her home around 6.30 am on Tuesday from a party and she allowed them to sleep over, as she knew the men had been drinking during the event and wanted to give them  time to “ketch themselves.” During the course of the morning, she sent her four-year-old daughter to her grandmother’s home because she found her own home was “crowded with men.” After doing so, she said she was called by her former boyfriend, who later showed up at her home.

Melissa said the man had seen Reid at her home before, so she found his argument this time to be baseless. She said she eventually got Reid and his friends to leave, but while doing so one of Reid’s friends got into a scuffle with her ex-lover and she stepped in and punched him in the face. This angered him and he called for his friends, she said. When the man’s friends arrived and Reid and his friends attempted to flee, one of her ex-lover’s friends jumped into a Toyota motorcar owned by Reid’s friend and later run over him.

“Right now I just want justice, because I real love Akeem and every time I see my daughter I will see his (her ex-boyfriend) face and I love my daughter too, so this is very hard for me right now. I just blaming myself. I studying I should not have let them sleep, but they was drinking and was tired” Melissa sobbed, adding she could no longer face the father of her child.

She added: “I have a lot of hate inside because Akeem did not deserve this no way no time. When I saw him in the ditch I was just telling him ‘Baby I want you to fight you know I love you and I really didn’t mean for all of this to happen’. I had no signs this was going to happen. Akeem accustomed coming by me and sleeping and it never had any kind of tension before.”

She added, with a noticeable joyous pep in her voice, that Reid was the clown in her group of friends and a “real dancer boy” who made her laugh with ease. She said they met at the Tunapuna Regional Corporation and Akeem was a very hard worker.

Reid’s killing comes weeks after teenager David Sancaro, 17, was allegedly run over by the driver of a pick-up along Southern Main Road, Otaheite, on July 16, after attempting to part a fight between two lovers. Anthony Sinanan, 37, a father of two, is currently in custody charged with murdering Sancaro and is to re-appear in court on August 21.

For the past 25 years Alta has delivered literacy instruction to adults in T&T. Alta students come from a wide range of backgrounds and come to Alta for many different reasons. For some, Alta represents an opportunity to be able to read to their children or help them with their homework. For others, Alta gives them the opportunity to further their studies or live life freely, never having to decline a job offer or a relationship due to their literacy problems.

Thousands of Alta students have graduated the programme at different levels and gone on to obtain school leaving certificates, Associate degrees, Undergraduate degrees and full-time employment. Many others are now benefitting from new found self-confidence and independence.

Today, an Alta graduate, John Bascombe shares his story. Bascombe lives in Central Trinidad and came to Alta as a Level One student in September 2009. In July 2013 he graduated from Alta and has gone on to do great things.

Check out his story:

“The way we are taught to learn to read in school, I don’t believe that is the right way for everyone. I never learned to read.

“After failing Common Entrance I went to trade school but still never learned to read and write. I first heard about Alta from a friend after I couldn’t sit CXC exams because of my literacy struggles. She told me about the programme but I decided to go to night classes instead. They were a waste of my time, there was no structure, it was highly disorganised and it wasn’t a space for someone who could not read and write. I was hesitant about joining Alta because I felt that it would be the same sort of experience, no structure and no real idea what was going on.

“I then moved to the United Kingdom to start a new life and while there met an older woman who could not hear, walk or speak but was able to communicate through writing. This touched me and I felt that it was time that I learn to do so. I didn’t plan to return home to Trinidad but due to passport issues I had no choice.

“When I returned, I enrolled in YTEPP and my course was taught by a woman who was also an Alta tutor. She encouraged me to come to Alta. I started Alta in 2009 in Level One and graduated from Level Three in 2013. After Alta I went on to do CSEC math, English, economics, POB and history and then Cape economics, MOB and entrepreneurship and psychology.

“Alta’s system is really organised, the things I learned in the Alta classroom helped me with my Cape exams, my colleagues thought I was the brightest student.

“I now work at the Kiss Baking Company in the van loading department and have decided to continue my studies by pursuing law. It is my wish to be a voice to the voiceless and I hope one day to give back to Alta by becoming a tutor. Last year I applied to the University of London through the Institute of Law and Academic Studies (ILAS) and I was accepted.

“I begin my studies in September 2017 and I look forward to becoming a lawyer.”

Alta is extremely proud of John and all students who go on to live their best life after Alta. If you know anyone who can benefit from the Alta programme, registration for free Alta classes takes place on September 5 and 6 at public libraries nationwide.

More info

Volunteer, Donate or Sponsor-a-student. Call 624-2582 or email Altapos.tt@gmail.com for more info. Keep up to date with Alta on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: Alta TT

As the municipal police moves to crack down on illegal parking and street vending in San Fernando from next week, calls are being made for a designated area for street vending and parking.

The calls were made following a walkabout by municipal police headed by Snr Supt Carlyle Huggins to sentisise business owners and street vendors along the main shopping area at High Street about the law.

Huggins, who in charge of the southern region spanning from Couva to Point Fortin said, “We are here on a walkabout on High Street just to talk to business community about the parking because we have a robust wrecking system in place. It started about two weeks ago, although we haven’t really wrecked much vehicles on High Street.”

Huggins said on Wednesday the officers did a cursory walkabout and observed that some people were parking their vehicles for the entire day, when the law provides only for the loading and offloading of goods.

He said another issue was illegal vending.

“We have a lot of parents shopping for school clothes, books, so the place is filled up. We want to speak to the people who are doing the illegal vending that they should not block the pathway. As a matter of fact they should desist from vending illegally on the pavements. If you observe some people have to step out on the road which is dangerous to their health. “

Huggins said they will be allowing the street vendors and business people a grace period to put their house in order.

“But, some time next week we will exercise zero tolerance,” he said.

He said this will be an ongoing exercise which will also be initiated at various areas in the southern region.

In response, Michael Prince, spokesperson for the street vendors, said, “We don’t mind they cracking down on street vending as long as they provide a place for the vendors to ply their trade.”

San Fernando Business Association president Daphne Bartlett said they support the police upholding the law but it must be on an even playing field. She said while the business community are being targeted for illegal parking she was yet to see a ticket issued to a street vendor for the same offence.

“I also want to say to the authorities we have no designated carpark in the southern city,” said Bartlett.

She said they were left without a carpark after the Chancery Lane multi-storey complex which was supposed to house the administrative building and carpark was converted to the Teaching Hospital. She suggested that a public area on along Penitence Street be used as a public carpark.

Bartlett also said the Association felt disrespected that San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello did not consult them before implementing the new traffic system which “is creating tremendous choas,” in the city.

The secretary of the Marabella Police Youth Club, her boyfriend and another man appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates Court yesterday charged with possession of a pistol and 16 rounds of ammunition.

Anisha Ifill, 20, of Marabella, and her boyfriend Jason Williams, 25, of Claxton Bay pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them by San Fernando Fifth Court Magistrate Kerianne Byer.

Their co-accused Lynte Prime, 25, however, asked for a maximum sentence indication (MSI) before he enters a plea.

The three were arrested on August 2 after the police stopped and searched a car they were in at Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando, and allegedly found a Beretta pistol and the 9 mm ammunition. They were charged by PC Mohammed.

They were all represented by attorney Frank Gittens.

Gittens said Prime, a labourer, is an expectant father and is in a common law relationship. Prime claimed a 2011 charge of assaulting his sister was dismissed, but it is still listed as pending on his criminal record.

Prosecutor Sgt Ian Sylvon objected to bail because Prime would have allegedly committed the firearm offences while on bail for another offence. The magistrate told Prime to produce a court extract at the next hearing when the MSI is expected to be given. Byer granted him $150,000 approval bail and ordered him to report to the St Margarets Police Station three times a week.

Ifill, Gittens said, also worked as a hairdresser, takes care of her five-year old godchild and has a pending matter for malicious wounding. The magistrate granted her $150,000 approval bail and a cash bail alternative of $45,000. She has to report to the Marabella Police Station twice a week.

Gittens said Williams, has a six-year-old son, is the sole breadwinner in his family and had no previous convictions or pending matters.

Williams was granted $100,000 bail with his mother as surety and ordered to report to the St Margarets Police Station twice a week.

The matter was adjourned to August 9.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley wants labour leaders to acknowledge the reality and outcomes of T&T's straitened circumstances and return to the Tripartite approach enabled by the Government, rather than rely on threats, bombast, finger pointing and insults.

Rowley was responding to the demand made on Friday by the Joint Trade Union Movement for a meeting with the prime minister within the next two weeks.

Read his full statement below:

STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
 
Far from the views expressed by some voices in the Labour Movement, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is not unmindful of the stresses and strains exerted on the national population, especially those who face inadequate income earnings or who encounter the prospect of reduction in employment opportunities.
 
It is, by now, common knowledge that these unfortunate circumstances are largely the effects and results of our country's loss of very significant oil and gas revenues which the market no longer afford us at this time and until such time as we can make alternative arrangements for increased revenue growth or the market situation is reversed we will be required to act responsibly and try to do more with less than we have been accustomed to.
 
It is against this background that the Government has been resolute in trying to maintain, as far as we are able to, employment levels in the public sector and to keep a large social support programme in place, funded from the severely depleted revenues.
 
This Government acknowledges and respects the Labour Movement as it steadfastly seeks to highlight the plight of workers and the unemployed under the current difficult circumstances. It is against this background and with this commitment to all workers and the wider national community that very early in the life of this administration, the Government took immediate steps to open the door to a collaborative platform of discussion and dialogue between Government, Labour and the Business Sector.
 
This Tripartite, civil approach through the genuine efforts of this body, should provide the most meaningful forum to address the myriad challenges which ALL parties must face as we seek to overcome and survive the current economic crisis to which we have been exposed since 2015 and which is very likely to remain a factor in our circumstances well into the medium term.
 
The Government, with a wider responsibility for the entire population, would hope that the workers representatives would acknowledge the reality and outcomes of our straitened  circumstances and return to the Tripartite approach enabled by the Government, rather than rely on threats, bombast, finger pointing and insults, since these invectives would do little to assist us in treating with the harsh realities of our current circumstances as a nation in the midst of an economic downturn which is driven largely by our location in external markets beyond our control.
 
The Government is confident that if we air and address the difficulties together so that the burden is equitably shared by all, we would give ourselves the best chance to overcome the pressures and build the bright future that we all want for ourselves and as well as all others in the nation of Trinidad and Tobago which we so love, in good times and in periods of hardship.
 
                                  
 

Tangled, green vines, which lifeguards say are lilies, have washed ashore on the Mayaro beach forcing bathers away.

Following the appearance of the vine-like plant, which washed ashore early Saturday morning, bathers reported seeing coral snakes and caimans.

 Lifeguards stationed on the beach have advised visitors to stay out of the water.

Police at the Mayaro Police Station yesterday confirmed that “weeds” had washed ashore and said they suspected it was Sargassum seaweed. They said they had received no reports of snakes or other animals in the seaweed.

Contractors have been seeing red recently. They have been warning of a looming crisis in the construction industry caused by shortage of red sand, higher prices of the commodity, and potential delay of construction projects.

The shortage is now threatening to affect work on the continuation of the Pt Fortin Highway which is restarting, and Government is trying to avert the shortage, the administration confirmed last Friday.

The red sand is used for all types of construction work from filling to plastering on projects and from highway construction to buildings and other structures.

Shortage of supply recently arose after the Estate Management Business Development Corporation Ltd (EMBDC) closed down its red sand pits in Claxton Bay.

Businessmen told the Guardian the pits have been closed for the last couple months. As a result, businessmen and contractors are being forced to source supplies at other sand pits at higher costs and with limited time to obtain supplies.

Concerns about the myriad effects which the situation is having on the construction sector was conveyed to EMBDC management last week by the T&T Contractors Association (TTCA), which wrote EMBDC chairman Shameer Mohammed.

TTCA stated concerns on behalf of some of its members who have been experiencing difficulty in purchasing plastering (red) sand from EMBDC’s Claxton Bay pits. The association noted the pits are closed at present.

TTCA stated: “The only alternative supply of plastering sand is located in Caparo, where the waiting time to load a truck is four to five hours and the price is higher than that which was obtained at the EMBDC sites in Claxton Bay.

“This potential shortage can result in delays to construction projects and, therefore, increased costs.”

TTCA requested an urgent meeting to discuss the matter. The letter was copied to Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat.

Following TTCA’s July 27 letter to EMBDC chairman Mohammed, the chairman replied the next day, stating: “The EMBDC has taken note of and understands the present difficulty being experienced by some members of your association. The EMBDC advised that it is working feverishly to rapidly and urgently remedy the current short supply of sand in the country.”

Apart from TTCA, other construction sector stakeholders affected by supply problems said that using sources other than EMBDC’s Claxton Bay pits has put constraints on their operations.

They noted that trucks start loading at 6 am and finish at 12.30 pm, with limited time to load. They also noted there was a $10 higher difference (per cubic yard of sand) in price at locations other than EMBDC’s pits

They added: “The red sand shortage and high prices we’re now having to pay couldn’t have come at a worse time because in the current economy we need to be able to handle work quickly and cost effectively—not putting it too mildly, the situation right now is ‘the pits’.”

The situation has also caused concerns about possible impact—if not rectified—on Government’s upcoming development plans. Several highway projects are earmarked for 2018 as well as housing and other construction initiatives.

RAMBHARAT RESPONDS

Rambharat, who responded last Friday, said the situation particularly became an issue in the last six weeks as there was also a court matter with judgment concerning one of the sand pits.

He said the problem involves three issues concerning the sand pits which need to be rectified.

Acknowledging the shortage, he said Works last Friday also confirmed that availability of red sand was an issue regarding the Pt Fortin Highway project especially.

“We’re mindful of the need to get the project going so we need to get the (issues) worked out,” Rambharat explained.

“These sand pits were operating since 2003 and were transferred to the EMBDC, but they were operating without a mining license from the Energy Ministry. We’re trying to regularise that. EMBDC has applied to Energy for the license.”

“Also, the Environmental Management Authority has raised concerns regarding the Certificates of Environmental Clearance (CECs) in relation to the matter and we’re trying to deal with that.

“Further, the land on which the pits are located isn’t owned by EMBDC, though it’s state land. EMBDC has applied to the commissioner of State Lands on this. Cabinet in 2015 had approved transfer of the land title to EMBDC and the commissioner is working on it.

“The Energy and Works Ministries are all working with us (Agriculture) and the EMBDC board to see how quickly we can get the two sand pits back on track.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley wants labour leaders to acknowledge the reality and outcomes of T&T’s “straitened circumstances” and return to the Tripartite approach enabled by the Government, rather than rely on “threats, bombast, finger pointing and insults.”

Rowley said this in a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, following a march by the labour movement on Friday ion Port-of-Spain, during which head of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) Ancel Roget issued an open-ended ultimatum to Rowley to meet with the unions within the next two weeks or else.

Failing this, JTUM has signalled its intention to intensify action following Friday’s united labour march.

JTUM head Ancel Roget also called for the immediate removal of the “four non-performing ministers”, among them National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Finance Minister Colm Imbert, Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe and Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan.

Rowley’s call for the return of labour leaders to the “tripartite approach” comes months after union heads walked away from the National Tripartite Council (NTAC) established by the Government to facilitate discussions among labour, private sector and the Government on national issues.

In his statement, Rowley said the invectives from the union would do little to assist us (the country) in treating with the harsh realities of T&T’s current circumstances as a nation in the midst of an economic downturn which was driven largely by T&T’s location in external markets beyond the State’s control.

“Far from the views expressed by some voices in the Labour Movement, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is not unmindful of the stresses and strains exerted on the national population, especially those who face inadequate income earnings or who encounter the prospect of reduction in employment opportunities,” the statement said. The statement said Government acknowledged and respected the Labour Movement as it steadfastly sought to highlight the plight of workers and the unemployed under the current difficult circumstances.

“It is against this background and with this commitment to all workers and the wider national community that very early in the life of this administration, the Government took immediate steps to open the door to a collaborative platform of discussion and dialogue between Government, labour and the business sector.”

Natuc: We are ready

to meet with PM

National Trade Union Centre (Natuc) President James Lambert, in an interview yesterday, said a return of labour leaders to NTAC would form part of discussions if the Prime Minister acceded to labours request to meet within the next two weeks.

Lambert said it was necessary for Rowley to meet and have discussions and dialogue and then a decision can be made by the leaders of the unions.

“I don’t think we should return just because the Prime Minister asked that we return,” Lambert said.“We always acknowledge what the circumstances are. We are aware of what the economic situation is, but that does not deny the fact that we should meet and discuss.

“This is not the first time T&T has been in a situation like this and as trade union leaders we always resolve to meet amicably, take all into consideration and look for a solution. Let us dialogue and consult and communicate. Why is he afraid to do that? We asked and we are waiting on him to respond.”

Lambert said there were a number of issues which the unions needed to be addressed by the Prime Minister. He said labour leaders did not choose to withdraw from the tripartite council without good reason.

There were situations we felt were not in the best interest of the workers.

“The Prime Minister has to realise he is the leader, the PM of all the ministers. Natuc has written to him and gotten few responses. When he does respond he says meet with other ministers but we are ready to meet with the Prime Minister.

WHY UNIONS WITHDREW FROM NTAC?

The three trade union federations, the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), the National Trade Union Centre, and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (Fitun) withdrew from NTAC in March because of what Secretary General, Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) Joseph Remy described as “blatant disrespect and disregard” shown “to the entire trade union movement” by the Government’s decision to dissolve the Tourism Development Company (TDC).

WHY NTAC WAS FORMED?

The Mission of NTAC is to give effect to commitments, as articulated in the Official Policy Framework of the Government, with regard to facilitating tripartite engagement, dialogue and consultation and to promote consensus building and democratic involvement among key stakeholders on national development issues.

The Chairperson of NTAC was Minister of Planning and Development Camille Robinson Regis

TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Terms of Reference of

NTAC included the following:

1. Oversight over Implementation of Government policy as enshrined in Vision 2030.

2. Identification and review of Sustainable National Development Goals.

3. Development of a culture of Innovation, Invention and use of Initiative.

4. Enhancing the level of productivity in all sectors of national endeavour.

5. Development of a national campaign on productivity and proper work ethics.

6. Creation of additional job opportunities.

7. Maximisation of the use of science and technology.

8. Focusing attention on the needs of the poor, the socially displaced and the most vulnerable in our society.

9. The maintenance of industrial peace and harmony nation-wide.

Chairman Clico Policyholder Group Peter Permell wants to know if Finance Minister Colm Imbert is targeting him after he raised concerns about the controversial deal transfer of No Man’s Land from Clico to the Government at $10 a square foot.

In a media release yesterday, Permell said “I have followed with great consternation and dismay the repeated attempts by Minister of Finance Colm Imbert to discredit the legitimate cause of the over 15,000 Clico EFPA Policyholders (including myself) who accepted the Government’s offer in 2012 in a Hobson’s choice take-it-or-leave-it scenario.

“Notwithstanding, the fact that all, we as policyholders are simply seeking to do is to get what is contractually due to us from Clico, not the treasury.

“This strategy has now manifested itself in statements made by him at the weekly post-Cabinet media conference held on August 3 and then repeated itself in an August 4 Ministry of Finance media release.

“It would appear that the sole purpose of this strategy is to target me, personally, as a citizen of this country with the goal of intimidating and muzzling me for speaking out and raising legitimate concerns about the controversial steal-of-a-deal transfer of No Man’s Land from Clico to the Government at $10 a square foot, among other things.”

He said, however, the bigger question for the national community and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was, “Did Imbert cross the line?

Permell said as an elected official of the Government, Imbert had now placed in the public domain, by way of media release, the private and confidential details of an ordinary citizen like himself by identifying not only the number of policies that he had with Clico but the payment made to him in respect of the Government’s offer, thereby not only placing him at risk but also the members of his family.

Permell said Imbert’s action had wider implications for members of the media and the country’s fledgling democracy.

He said if Imbert was allowed do this to him, citizens’ private and confidential information can also be compromised and end up on the streets.

Permell said in the public interest he had instructed his attorneys to look into this matter very carefully to determine if any of his rights as a citizen or policyholder had been infringed and what recourse, if any, he had under the laws of T&T.

For the second time this week, a man has been killed in a domestic dispute. This time the victim is 24-year-old Keston Knights.

According to reports, the young man was in the company of some friends when a woman he knew got into an argument with another man some time yesterday morning.

Knights is said to have intervened in the domestic dispute.

A short while later, a gunman approached Knights and opened fire. He was gunned down on First Avenue in Oropune.

Pensioner, wife, robbed

Meanwhile, intruders tied up and robbed a 75-year-old man and his wife of a quantity of items, including their car, at their Barrackpore home early yesterday morning.

According to a police report, around 3 am four men broke into the couple’s Ramsabad Trace, Rochard Road, home and tied up the elderly man and his 55-year-old wife.

The thieves then robbed them of a quantity of Canadian currency, cellphones and alcohol. They escaped in the couple’s green Nissan B13.

Teen held with gun, ammunition

In an unrelated incident, two teenagers accused of having a loaded gun were arrested on Friday.

The police reports stated that around 12.05 pm, officers were on patrol when they observed the two men acting suspiciously along the San Fernando to Siparia (SS) Erin Road, Duncan Village.

The officers searched the men and found a Smith and Wesson revolver, while three rounds of ammunition was tucked in the pants waist of one of the men. The men, ages 18 and 19, were arrested and takento the police station where charges were expected to be laid against them.—Sascha Wilson

Keen observation by four police officers of the Sangre Grande Task Force, who were returning to the Sangre Grande Police Station after completing duty at Toco, resulted in the foiling of a robbery at a hardware at Paharry Village on the Toco Main Road. One robber was shot and killed, while a chase ensued with police and the two other bandits, which resulted in the men being captured after about a half an hour after a chase through the Paharry forest.

The dead man, who was shot about his body, is yet to be identified. He was found lying on his face on the roadway and was clad in a black T-shirt and black denim pants, and sported a rasta hairstyle.

The two other bandits, whose addresses were given as Maturita, Arima, are detained at the Sangre Grande Police Station and were being interrogated by investigators up to late last night.

Police believe these are the men who were plaguing residents of Sangre Grande and environs with robberies over the last two months.

According to police reports, the officers who were in an unmarked vehicle observed three men placing bandanna over their face and proceeding towards Paharry Village Hardware. PCs Nahoo, Charles, Williams and Rondell proceeded to the hardware where the gunmen who were inside the hardware opened fire on them.

The officers returned fire and one of the bandits was wounded. He tried to escape but collapsed and died on Seecharan Trace nearby, where the cash they had stolen spilled on the ground. A phone which was in his pocket continued ringing.

The officers called for backup and Sgt Harper and others responded. The officers went in search of the other two bandits who had escaped.

At the time, a church Family and Sports day was in progress at the Paharry Recreation Ground and police advise them to get into the pavilion as they gave chase and gunshots rang out.

After about half an hour and an exchange of gunfire, the two men were arrested and two guns were confiscated by police.

Employees of the hardware, who did not want to be named, said business was slow and they had decided to close when the three armed men entered the hardware and started demanding cash. “One of the men placed a gun on my chest, while another aimed at me with a shot gun,” one worker said. “They proceeded to search me, dipping their hands into our pockets. They relieved us of an undisclosed sum of money and our cellphones.

The owner of the hardware, who was able to retrieve some of the money stolen, said, “I am not concerned about getting back the money, but must thank God. When you pray God answers your prayer for protection, and this is an example of God at work, no one was injured or killed, police appeared from nowhere to save us.”

District Medical Officer Dr Chandu ordered the removal of the body to the Sangre Grande mortuary, from where it will be taken to Forensic Science Centre in St James for an autopsy on Monday.

Visiting the scene were ASP Mario Robain, Sgt Douglas, Harper, Lopez, PC Sooklal and officers from CSI Eastern Division.

ASP Romain of Eastern Division commended the police officers for foiling the robbery and saving lives.

Sgt Harper of Sangre Grande CID is continuing investigations.

RALPH BANWARIE