A pink Barbie outfit and two mermaid dolls that four-year-old Ashley Singh got for Christmas was all she had after fire destroyed her family’s Moruga home and businesses on Boxing Day.

The day started well for Ashley’s family with their businesses, Ashford Singh’s Tyre Centre and Raymond’s Auto Supplies receiving good sales that morning.

Ashley, her father, Ashford Singh, 46, mother, Laura, 42, and three other siblings, ages 21,13 and 12, left for a meal at Singh’s mother’s home located a short distance away.

On return to their St Mary’s Village home, around 11.30 am, neighbours alerted them to the smoke coming from inside their the house.

Neighbours and passers-by rushed to help and tried to put out the fire using extinguishers, but with oil, tyres and other flammable materials in the business, the building and a warehouse next door were destroyed.

“By the time we tried to see what was going on, the whole place caught on fire.

“We had about 15 extinguishers but the fire spread so rapidly that it didn’t work.

The Fire Service came within 25 minutes and tried to stop the fire. Neighbours, friends and drivers kept stopping on the road to give us assistance because the next warehouse would have caught too.

“We tried to stop the fire there and actually we did,” Singh said.

Wearing the same clothes, blackened from the smoke and soot, Singh said neighbours saw the electricity line outside the house sparked several times before the fire.

He said that he rewired his house three years ago, so he doubted that his electrical panels were overloaded due to Christmas tree lights. He does not believe it was an arson attack.

However, fire prevention officers are yet to determine the cause of the blaze.

He said the building was insured, but the machines, items, furniture and appliances were not.

He estimated his losses in the millions of dollars. Singh and his family spent last night at his mother’s house.

It is where they will stay until they are able to repair the house, which he said needed to be totally demolished.

“This is a sad time, it is like the Grinch stole Christmas from us.”

Despite the losses, Laura said she was happy that her family was safe.

Help for Marabella fire victims

Music blasted loudly yesterday as the community of Bayshore Avenue, Marabella came together to help the Boxing Day fire victims.

On Monday, a five-year-old boy accidentally set fire to his family’s home when he dropped a candle on a bed.

The fire spread to two other houses, leaving 28 people homeless.

Nandy Williams said the San Fernando City Corporation has been helpful in delivering mattresses, hampers and making sure they were fed during the day.

She said they were supposed to sleep at the pavilion on the basketball court on Monday night but it was not safe for children. Relatives and neighbours nearby took in the victims.

Building materials are expected to be supplied to the families today so they can begin to reconstruct their homes.

The big band Divine Echoes is looking forward to 2017 as the year to make a difference to young people and the country.

One of the lead vocalists of the band, Moricia Cagan, told the T&T Guardian that since the appeal was made at the funeral service for former prime minister Patrick Manning in July for the Government to restart the band nothing has happened, “no one from the government has contacted us,” she said.

However, the band is not resting on its laurels and waiting for handouts.

Cagan said they have been meeting frequently “if not always face to face, there is social media and we talk to each other. We want to ensure we keep the band going. If the Government steps in to help we will be grateful, but we not waiting, we doing what we have to do and continue to try to secure jobs for the band,” she said.

Divine Echoes was the brainchild of Manning and operated under the management of the Office of the Prime Minister, with a budgetary allocation.

The band was often seen and heard at official State functions rendering a wide repertoire of music.

Manning had hoped that State funding for the band would have been weaned off and corporate sponsors would have stepped in but this never happened.

In 2012 the band hit a sour note when the People’s Partnership government ceased State funding for the entity saying the state had no business funding a and musical group.

Cagan explained that initially the band was launched “to target youth, to do a particular kind of music-what Mr Manning called pure music. To show young people there was more to music that the dub and other types of music which inspired negativity. He wanted them to know what real music was.”

She said said the aim was to keep young people busy “so that they don’t fall into bad company and get involved in crime, and for them to realise that music presented a range of avenues and opportunities from playing in a band, to teaching and even fixing instruments. They have the opportunity to learn about the instruments, how to play and even to sing.”

Divine Echoes currently has an interim executive.

Cagan said the management team would be formalised early in 2017.

Currently, she said, there are about 20 people on the team and BRUCEshe was optimistic the numbers would grow “because there are many people who are willing to come on board.”

One of the things the band would be looking at is the possibility of renaming in honour of its founder.

“It came up but we will say more about that when we re-launch in 2017, we are also re-tweaking our mission statement and making changes which we hope will attract more corporate people to us, we are not just about making music,” she said, “we also want to make a difference in the lives of young people.”

The band’s last public appearance was at Woodford Square on July 9, when they played music to an appreciative audience at the funeral service of their founder.

Four men accused of an armed robbery at KFC’s El Dorado outlet two weeks ago, are scheduled to appear in court today.

The suspects, who were arrested at a hotel in St Helena, days after the robbery at the fast-food outlet on December 12, were placed on several identification parades last week.

The T&T Guardian understands the four men are facing over 10 charges each.

Police said two of the suspects, were also identified as being involved in robberies in central Trinidad and were slapped with an additional five additional.

The robbery at KFC took place around 12.05 am, after a group of men went into the outlet along the Eastern Main Road. While one of the men ordered a meal and was being served, one of his accomplices drew a firearm and demanded that staff hand over the proceeds for the day — an estimated $12,000. The men also robbed customers of their cash and valuables.

The bandits escaped in a vehicle which was parked on a nearby street. The unmasked men were captured by several CCTV cameras at the outlet and images of the suspects were broadcast on social media websites.

Three days later, Northern Division police arrested the men at the hotel in St Helena after receiving a tip-off they were hiding there. Three women were arrested alongside the suspects, but have since been released.

Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie is calling on members of the public to refrain from celebrating the end of the year with scratch bombs and other illegal fireworks.

In a press release issued by his office yesterday, Cuffie said that while Government and the police continue to crack down on the illegal fireworks industry, citizens can help by not purchasing illegal supplies during festive periods.

Cuffie advised that it was incumbent on the population and “we as citizens to not participate in illegal activities, and to report to the police incidents of scratch bombs.”

Cuffie appealed “to the hearts and minds of citizens to desist from the use of scratch bombs because of the damaged caused by them.”

According to the release, since Cuffie launched a campaign against scratch bombs last month after his constituent Sally-Ann Cuffie (no relation) was seriously injured in an incident on Divali, his ministry has received proposals from numerous stakeholders including animal welfare activists.

Among those presenting proposals was Lisa Ramlogan, of the Human and Environmental Care and Management Foundation, and Derek Mohammed, of Animals 360 Foundation, who both reported increased cases by local vets involving animals being brought in with injuries arising out of scratch bombs being lit and inserted in their mouths.

He reminded citizens that currently the Summary Offences Act made it illegal to release fireworks in towns, including the City of Port-of-Spain, without the expressed permission from the Commissioner of Police. The offence carries a $1,000 fine.

Meanwhile, Sally-Ann Cuffie is pleading for assistance as she yet to fully recover from the injuries she sustained on Divali night.

The 48-year-old licenced firearm security officer was driving with relatives in Las Lomas #1 when someone threw an ignited scratch bomb in the car.

Cuffie instinctively grabbed the explosive device to shield her six-month-old granddaughter Christa from the blast. She received severe injuries to her hands and parts of her fingers were blown off.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian last week, Cuffie said she was unable to return to work as he hands are yet to heal and she has received minimal assistance from the Ministry of Social Development.

Five people held in connection with the $5 million robbery of supplies earmarked for the renovation of the five-star Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of-Spain are expected to appear in court today.

The suspects were charged last Thursday but did not appear in court the following day as it closed early to allow staff to go home for the Christmas holiday long weekend.

The multi-million dollar robbery reportedly took place two Fridays ago at Central Warehouse Complex in Charlieville, Chaguanas, where the items for the hotel’s renovation and remodelling were being stored.

Police said the bandits, bound and gagged the three security guards, disabled the CCTV cameras and cut the locks to the warehouse.

Their accomplices arrived in two trucks and several cars and left with 177 flat screen televisions, lighting fixtures and 335 artwork frames together valued at US$552,609.03 and other items. The heist was captured on CCTV cameras at nearby businesses.

The following day police received reports of people selling expensive televisions in east Port-of-Spain at discounted prices.

Some of the suspects were arrested in Romain Lands, Morvant, while the others at a house in Beetham Gardens.

WASHINGTON—The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says Caribbean nationals were among a large number of immigrants nabbed in 2016, as the agency “protects America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten national security and public safety.

During a five-week operation in March, dubbed “Project Shadow fire,” ICE said 1,133 immigrants, including Caribbean nationals, were arrested.

ICE said the sweep included more than 900 transnational criminal gang members and others associated with transnational criminal activity, such as drug trafficking, human smuggling and sex trafficking, murder and racketeering.

ICE said nationals from 13 countries in Central America, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean were arrested in “Project Shadow Fire.” It said 1,001 were charged with criminal offences, and 132 were arrested administratively for immigration violations.

In June, an unidentified Belizean were among 331 individuals arrested during a month long operation targeting criminal immigrants and other immigration violators in six Midwestern states, ICE said.

It said the operation was aimed at arresting and removing convicted criminal immigrants from the US. The arrests were made in the following six states: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri.

Two Belizean nationals were also among 100 immigrants arrested in the Los Angeles-area in July. While the largest number of those taken into custody during the enforcement action were originally from Mexico.

In August, officers from ICE and ERO arrested 58 individuals during an operation spanning the New York metropolitan area, targeting criminal immigrants and “other enforcement priorities.”

During the five-day enforcement action, ERO officers apprehended immigrants with criminal convictions, in addition to others who fall under the agency’s enforcement priorities.

Those arrested had criminal histories with past convictions for rape, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and other serious criminal offences, ICE said.

The foreign nationals arrested during the operation included citizens of 17 countries, including Trinidad and Tobago; Dominican Republic; Belize; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Guyana; Philippines; Jamaica; Indonesia; Guatemala; Ecuador; Mexico; El Salvador; Lebanon; Colombia; Israel; Romania; and the United Kingdom. —CMC

President of the T&T Automotive Dealers’ Association (TTADA) Visham Babwah said yesterday that some 200 foreign used car dealers could go out of business in 2017 if Government sticks to the vehicle importation policy implemented at the beginning of this year.

He said the new policy has resulted in significant declines in business of 50 to 60 per cent for small and medium used car dealers. However, he could not give a monetary value of losses incurred as each dealer has different quotas.

“The only dealers that would have raked in a profit this year, according to the financial statements, are the big dealers. They are getting foreign exchange to import,” Babwah told the T&T Guardian.

“We are an import driven economy, not a manufacturing or export driven economy, because of various factors . If they stifle the small and medium businesses they will fail.”

Babwah said some dealers were only able to import 20 per cent of their quotas this year.

“There are 565 dealers and with this four year range policy I am sure a lot of them, between 30 to 40 per cent ,will go out of business this coming year,” he said.

The TTADA president also said that usually at the end of December letters to collect licenses are sent to the used car dealers out by the Ministry of Trade. That has not yet happened and Babwah is hoping there are no delays in collecting those documents and no surprises like the ones they had last year when there was a change in the age of vehicles that can be imported into the country.

He said several letters were sent to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley,Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon and Minister of Finance Minister Colm Imbert requesting a meeting but there has no response.

“After this last fiscal budget, Minister Gopee-Scoon was in Chaguanas for a budget discussion with the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce and I was told they were conducting an audit into the industry and soon letters will be sent out for consultation but nothing up to now,” Babwah said.

“Maybe they are thinking that by not engaging the people the problems will go away but it will not.”

Contacted for comment yesterday, Gopee-Scoon, who is currently out of the country, said that the policy has already been reviewed. She said consultations will be held with the dealers in early January.

The revised used car policy

The revised policy, announced on January 15, Trade a Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, is as follows:

• Age limit of gasoline-powered foreign used cars allowed for importation revised to four years from the existing six years with immediate effect.

• Current age limit of three years for diesel-powered cars and four years for CNG-powered cars will be maintained;

• Individuals will be allowed to import foreign used right-hand drive cars for personal use once every four years instead of once every three years. The age limit on such cars imported for personal use will also be four years.

• The Ministry of Trade will temporarily suspend the application process for any new person or business seeking to register as a foreign used car dealer at the Trade Licence Unit (TLU).

A Roman Catholic priest broke from tradition and blessed no toys during the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Innocents at the Lady of Perpetual Help Church in San Fernando yesterday.

Father Martin Sirju had asked parents not to bring their children’s toys to church.

Instead, he anointed the children’s forehead with blessed oil, placed his hands on their heads and said a silent prayer for each of them. Sirju said there was nothing wrong with blessing the toys.

“I don’t think it is wrong to bless the toys. I just don’t think today is the day to do it.” 

Sirju said he researched it and did not see the significance in blessing the toys, except that it is a tradition in T&T.  

Sirju said the blessing of the toys cheapens the true meaning of the Feast. A few parishioners who did not know about the priest earlier request brought their children’s toys to church. The toys remained on the pew while the children went forward to be blessed.  It has become a tradition for parents and guardians to take their children to church with their Christmas toys to be blessed.

The Feast on December 28 is in commemoration of the massacre of male children, between the ages of two years old and under, ordered by King Herod in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill baby Jesus.

The priest used the occasion to comment on violence meted out against children in various forms, including  through physical abuse and the lack of love and education.

“The lack of love is form of violence against children,” he said.

He said one of the greatest responsibilities of parents was to love the children they bring into the world, but noted that many children, including teenagers, sometimes cry out to him and his colleagues for love and attention.

“How do we start to take away violence from a violent Trinidad, we start by loving our children.”

Another form of violence against children, he said, was the lack of education, especially of people in the lower income bracket.

Noting that the majority of the prison population was illiterate and many suffer from mental illness, he said: ‘This is the net effect of neglect by many stakeholders not just in the education system but a network of people that neglect when it comes to education, contributing to the violence that we see in our society and the lack of proper education of the poor is itself a next violence inflicted on them.”

Another form of massacre of the innocence, he said was the level of physical and sexual abuse in the country.

He said his friend, a licenced therapist, who came here to work after working with low income families in the United States told him the level of physical violence inflicted upon children in T&T was much more widespread than in New York.

Saying that people needed to relate in more a peaceful manner, he said the first example has to be set by the parents. 

“If they do not communicate in a peaceful way to their children, their children will not communicate in a  peaceful way.”

Sirju said the fourth way, a more subtle way, in which violence was meted out to children was by not baptising them.

Teaching children carols and the scriptures, he said, should not only be the responsibility of the church.

He said some children could recite by heart songs from the US and Jamaica, but they do not know Christmas songs by heart.

A 59-year-old man from Barataria is expected to appear in court today charged with the murder of his 15-year-old stepson almost two weeks ago.

Joel Pompey was brought to the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court yesterday for his court appearance but had to be taken to hospital after he complained of feeling unwell.

Pompey, a retired employee of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), was expected to be brought back to court afterwards but due to delays at hospital, his court appearance had to be deferred to today.

Pompey is accused of murdering Josiah Martinez during an argument at their home at Upper Seventh Avenue, Malick, Barataria on December 16.

Several of Pompey’s relatives were in court for yesterday’s hearing.

A father of two young children lost his only means of earning an income yesterday when he was disqualified from driving for three years on his second conviction for drunk driving.

Rabindranath Deonarine, 36, a tractor truck driver, was also slapped with a $12,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to the offence before San Fernando Traffic Court Magistrate Natalie Diop.

Deonarine was arrested by PC Shiva Roopchan last Friday after he was stopped around 10.32 pm during a routine road check at Papourie Road, Picton Village.

Prosecutor Sgt Kassiram Lutchman said Deonarine was 50 microgrammes above the legal limit which is 35 microgrammes.

Deonarine asked for a “lil time to pay (the fine), saying he has a wife and two children, ages nine and one year old. He admitted that in August 2002 he was convicted for a similar offence at the Siparia Magistrates Court and fined $3,500. 

In handing down the sentence, the magistrate told him that she has often told people that by their very conduct they tied the hands of the court.

She said on a second conviction for a drunk driving offence the court was mandated to disqualify a person from driving for a period of time.

When he realised that the court was taking away his licence, Deonarine pleaded, “That’s my form of work. How will I be able to work and pay this (fine) off then?”

The magistrate told him she may appear to be harsh but he should have considered that before he got behind the wheel while intoxicated.

“The law is the law. You have a duty to obey the law. Do not drink and drive,” she said.

The magistrate advised him that after six months he could make an application to the court to get back his licence. If he fails to pay the fine in two months he will serve 18 months hard labour.

She also commended PC Roopchan for his diligence in detecting such offences. 

Local Government Minister, Kazim Hosein made an appeal to private contractors, businessmen and ordinary citizens to join with his Ministry in its national clean-up drive next month.

Hosein called a meeting at City Hall, San Fernando yesterday with mayors, chairmen and chief executives officers of all the country’s 14 regional corporations to discuss the plans for the campaign. He hoped he can achieve his goal through volunteerism. 

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Hosein explained his plans for 2017 to clean up the country. 

“I asked all the mayors, chairmen and CEO’s of all 14 corporations to come forward to have this meeting in San Fernando about a national clean-up, which is scheduled to start in the second week in January,” he said.

“The clean up campaign involves removal of derelict vehicles, taking down all dilapidated buildings, getting rid of old tyres, batteries, cleaning of underground drains, cleaning up of open lots, basically it’s cleaning of the country.”

Hosein said that although the first meeting was hosted by the council he once lead, he was not showing favouritism but rather hoping to visit each corporation at least once a month. 

While the idea of the campaign was widely embraced, several chairmen, including head of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation Henry Awong and Sangre Grande Regional Corporation chairman Martin Terry Rondon, expressed concern about getting contractors and citizens to volunteer their time and equipment to cause.

Both chairmen said they feared they may not be able to get contractors to commit to the entirety of the operation without being paid. 

|In response, he said, “Some of the chairmen were thinking about funding, now while we are in a period where funding is little we are calling the volunteers, especially the contractors and people who live within each community to come forward and assist in each area by cleaning up their villages, their cities, wherever they might live.”

He recalled the success of the clean-up campaign in the San Fernando City Corporation, which he spearheaded during his tenure as mayor.

“When I did it in San Fernando, it was very successful and people have heard about it (national campaign) and for the last three or four days, even Christmas Day, people were calling me—contractors and even ordinary citizens—want to be a part of this clean-up drive, I assure you all it will be a success.”

Asked about the cost to the Ministry, Hosein said a budget had not been finalised but when it is, it will be a small budget. 

Attorney General and San Fernando West Member of Parliament, Faris Al-Rawi, also attended the meeting and addressed the those gathered briefly. 

He described the campaign as a “grace period” and warned when it was over the corporations would act to ensure those who do not comply with the law are charged. 

He said the campaign was also a precursor for Government to bring legislation on waste recycling and waste energy production.

Deputy Fire Officer Kenny Gopaul says members of the public should not leave flames and small fires unattended as there were $570 million in losses during the past year for both house and commercial fires and 8,000 bush fires.

Gopaul was speaking in wake of several house fires that occurred during the past week that left over 30 homeless in Morvant, Marabella and Moruga.

In a brief interview yesterday, Gopaul said that many of the fires in the past year were not accidental.

“Arson is a crime which is investigated by the police and they are not accidental. They are definitely not. There are signs of forced entry and incendiary devices and for example and channa. Once it catches it spreads all over like a scratch bomb,” he said.

He said the country could not afford losses especially at this time with the economic downturn.

“There were 8000 bush fires but we could only respond to half of that or it burned out before we reached,” he said.

Gopaul said altogether there were six houses that were destroyed in bush fires this past year.

“Clean around their property, keep the grass low and clear so there is not a trail to your house. Even gardeners who flash and burn, this is illegal. You need a fire permit, you are not exempted.”

He said there were a lot of fires due to careless use of open flames.

“Somebody comes home drunk and cook food and went and sleep. Some playing with things near open flames, near curtains and combustibles. Some use candles and lamps where animals can spill these things. It must be supervised and nowhere near any combustible material,” he said.

Gopaul said that another problem was the prevalence of scratch bombs and fire works.

“They are not only illegal but dangerous. Every year we have fire calls with these things causing fires, bush fires and people becoming injured or severe burns,” he said.

He said members of the public should exercise caution.

Gopaul said between December 1, 2016, to June 30 next year is fire season and under the Agriculture Fires Act a fire permit is needed to light any outdoor fire.

“It is for $10 and available at any fire station and we will send a fire guardian to show you how to do it. There is a way to do it and there must be water and help,” he said.

Gopaul said fire-fighters also responded to a high amount of calls that reported road fatalities this year.

“There were a lot of road deaths recently due to people speeding and not following the speed limit. A lot of motorists are losing their lives due to stupidity. Drinking and driving don’t mix, drive for the other guy to and drive safely,” he said.

The recession does not seem to be having any negative effect on how people are planning to ring in 2017. Officials at popular hotels said scores of people are lining up to book rooms for New Year’s Eve fetes and calling to reserve tables at their restaurants.

Radisson Hotel Trinidad’s revolving restaurant, which can hold 150 people, is almost sold out for its annual New Year’s Eve fete, Sales and Marketing Manager, Sunil May, told the T&T Guardian yesterday.

Further, there are lines of people at Radisson’s counter waiting to pay US$130 for a room for the night.

Hilton Trinidad’s Jamboree hotline has been ringing off the hook as dozens are calling to book tickets for its annual party.

“Based on the calls to the Jamboree hotline, I would say we are doing pretty well,” director Shawn Wong said.

Tickets for parties at both hotels are more or less the same as last year. A ticket for a New Year’s Eve party at Hilton Trinidad is $700 and at Radisson, $600.

Hyatt Regency will not be having a party this year due to renovation works at the building.

Wong said the recession has impacted the Hilton because of the introduction of seven per cent online tax and other increased prices.

He said the hotel normally imported party hats, noisemakers and other paraphernalia for its New Year’s Eve party. In addition, they had to pay more for transport and drinks since fuel and alcohol prices increased in the last budget.

Wong said in order to secure its market, the hotel decided to absorb some of the extra costs and accept a smaller profit margin. Hilton has been staging New Year’s Eve parties for more than five years.

Wong said their party was one of the most popular New Year’s Eve events in Port-of-Spain, adding they usually had people from “premium demographics” attending, an elite crowd from 18 to 60 which includes grandparents and their relatives.

The Hilton believes this family atmosphere is one of the main attractions of its party.

May said, “We adjusted our price this year for those still willing to go out and have a good time. We looked around the market at what others were offering and decided to offer something pretty close.”

Radisson, too, has had to pay more to put out its end of year fete but service providers have been supportive, he said.

For $600, partygoers will get a dinner party, complimentary bottle of wine and a champagne toast at midnight.

May said Radisson also has rooms going at US$130 a night with breakfast for two.

People are responding well to their deals, he said.

“Our 360-degree revolving restaurant which can hold 150 people is almost sold out and there are lines of people at our counters waiting to pay for rooms. This year is a little better than last year.”

May believes marketing their party for couples has worked in their favour.

Chairman of the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) Nadra Nathai-Gyan says it is up to the T&T Police Service to enforce the laws and fine members of the public for using fireworks illegally.

“People call only the EMA and forget the Police Service who can also enforce the laws. It is under their remit under the Summary Offences Act. We in the EMA have been trying to educate the public that there are means of recourse that will be quicker,” she said.

Speaking in support of efforts by Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie to ban scratch bombs and other illegal fireworks, Nathai-Gyan said silent fireworks should be considered as an alternative to the noisy explosive devices.

She said the public can contact the EMA which has an Environment Police Unit to enforce noise pollution laws.

“Once we get called, it is a matter of enforcement. Once the EMA comes they can apply the fine. They have to measure the noise,” she explained.

Nathai-Gyan, who is also a conservation advisor to the Zoological Society of T&T, said for New Year’s Eve staff at the Emperor Valley Zoo in Port-of-Spain stay around to comfort animals who are affected by the noise of the fireworks from the nearby Queen’s Park Savannah.

“There are skittish animals that are liable to run around and get very frightened. The zoo keepers stay in order to ensure the animals are okay and to calm them and make sure all is well,” she said.

CEO and managing director of FireOne Fireworks Andre Abraham said his company was not affiliated with anyone who sells scratch bombs or illegal fireworks and supports efforts to eradicate them.

“We are encouraging our consumers to buy from licensed retailers, not unknown persons. There are some illegal products that come into the country such as scratch bombs,” he said.

“There is no labelling on those products and the materials are not tested, which is a vast contrast to what we import which undergoes a vigorous testing process. We are encouraging all our customers to show some level of respect and consideration for their neighbours.”

Abraham, commenting on the popularity of fireworks, said: “Where every day you are bombarded with negativity, people are fed up of being bombarded with problems and for one moment, on one night, they want to be in a celebratory, optimistic frame of mind.

“When the fireworks go in the sky it represents their aspirations for light over darkness, positive over negative, which is something we cherish.”

He said fireworks sales have been good since the start of the Christmas season.

$1,000 fine applicable

Under the Fireworks Permits Regulations, police permission is needed to use fireworks. Also, the Summary Offences Act: Section 99 (1) states: “Except as prescribed by regulations under this act any person who throws, casts, sets fire to or lets off any fireworks within any town is liable to a fine of $1,000.”

Animal welfare tips

Renae John, founder of the Mustapha Project, a dog rescue organisation, said it was simple for pet owners to take precautions to prevent their animals from escaping during the News Year’s celebrations.

“People don’t understand how simple it is to secure their pets. I stay home and keep them inside and have proper identification with my name attached because accidents do happen,” she said.

John said a simple $30 tag could help with quick identification of pets that run away.

“Keep them inside, or you can lock them in a kennel with toys to keep them occupied when fireworks at their full boom,” she advised, adding that dogs tug at chains and could strangle themselves.

“I don’t think we can get a ban any time soon but there are certain precautions that can be taken,” she said.

Police yesterday swooped down on street vendors in downtown Port-of-Spain in search of unlicensed fireworks retailers and illegal scratch bombs.

The exercise came after weeks of advocacy from animal welfare groups, NGOs and a Government minister for a ban on the sale of scratch bombs.

What began as a simple walkabout to educate street vendors of licensing requirements for the sale of fireworks, quickly turned into a confrontation as police arrested a female vendor and confiscated her stock for selling without a licence.

Other vendors and customers questioned the officers claiming that the “small man” was being targeted as opposed to other people in the business of importing fireworks.

“Them big companies selling us the stuff and making millions. What happen we can’t make some money too? Poor people can’t have nothing in this country, you think we would ever get a licence?” one man said after the vendor’s arrest.

The T&T Guardian could not confirm if the woman who had been detained had been charged up to press time.

While some shoppers supported the vendors, others were less sympathetic saying the sale of fireworks should be banned altogether.

“Last week a man throw one of them in the middle of the road and everybody went scampering. Another time somebody throw one in a car that was passing. I don’t care that they want to make money, they have to stop,” one woman said.

Responding to vendors pleas over difficulties in obtaining a licence, Supt Daniel Moore said that process was out of the police’s control.

“If the law caters for it (licence), we must apply it. If you want to buy for personal use it is not a problem,” Moore said.

As he questioned the female vendor before her arrest, Moore suggested that the wholesaler should have questioned her on her intention for the purchase before conducting the sale.

“If you were not asked if you have a licence then that is where the problem lies. We are in real problems,” Moore said.

Asked by members of the public of the police’s stance on individuals who purchase large quantities of fireworks and ignite them throughout the festive period, Moore said the police were powerless.

“We are powerless because the public is intimidated by these explosives. We can not stop Mr Fred or Big from purchasing a big quantum legally,” he said.

Head of the Port-of-Spain Division Snr Supt Floris Hodge-Griffith, who coordinated the exercise, said it was part of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) zero tolerance approach to illegal fireworks. She said that while her officers would continue to crack down of illegal fireworks such as scratch bombs, she called on citizens to refrain from purchasing and supporting the illegal industry.

“We are calling on citizens to have more care and consideration for your fellow man, the elderly and the animals,” Hodge-Griffith said.

Contacted yesterday, Public Administration and Communication Minister Maxie Cuffie, who launched a public campaign against illegal fireworks after one of his constituents was injured in an incident in November, said he was pleased by the police’s efforts.

“I suspect that today’s action is in keeping with the drive to ensure that there is reduction of the incidents involving fireworks over the Christmas and New Year weekends,” Cuffie said.

He also noted that the public’s assistance in the campaign was vital.

“What we really want is for the public to be on the alert and to report incidents that revolves around the illegal sale and use scratch bombs and illegal fireworks and for the police to get the cooperation of the public in terms of getting reports that they can act on to protect animals and members of the public,” he added.

In the incident last month, Sally-Ann Cuffie (no relation) had parts of her fingers blown off during an incident on Divali night.

Obtaining a retail licence

Under the Explosives Act, anyone wishing to sell gunpowder-based fireworks are required to obtain a licence from police. To obtain a licence, police must inspect a retailer’s premises and ensure that they are in possession of a marked metal case in which to store the explosive material. The licence has a annual fee of $250. The legislation states that a retailer is not allowed to sell more than 30 lbs of gunpowder-based fireworks at any given time. A person who contravenes the legislation is liable to a $1,000 fine.

 Residents of Massahood Junction, Fyzabad, are appealing for Government to intervene to stop the demolition of 25 homes after notices were served on the occupants by State-owned energy company Petrotrin. 

The residents, led by councillor for the area Doodnath Mayrhoo, staged a protest yesterday and accused Petrotrin officials of trying to bully them out of their homes. 

The T&T Guardian obtained one of the notices dated December 8 which states: “It has been brought to the attention of Petrotrin that you and/or your agents have without consent entered upon Petrotrin’s Pipeline Wayleave and constructed a portion of a dwelling house upon the Wayleave situated at San Francique Road.

“This act constitutes a continuing trespass and is in violation of Petrotrin’s rights. Further, your actions pose a severe Health and Safety risk not only to you and your family, but also to our employees, agents and the community at large.”

The residents were given seven days to demolish the structures.

Turpatee Rampersad, one of the first to be served with a notice, said according to the specifications given to her by Petrotrin officials, her entire home must be demolished. 

She is a 70-year-old amputee who uses a motorised wheelchair.

“My son used to live with me but he had heart problems and died a few years ago,” she said.

“I live alone and according to this letter, my whole house have to break down . . . I living in that house seven years now but I born and grow in this village.”

She said the wooden two-bedroom house was built for her by the National Self Help Commission and if Petrotrin carries out its threat to demolish her home, she will be left homeless and penniless at the start of the new year. 

“I don’t have anywhere to go and they telling us they not going to pay us for anything. I asking the Government to come in and do something about this, don’t let them treat poor people like this,” Rampersad said.

Another resident, Richard Ramlal, also raised the issue of compensation.

“They telling us to break down entire houses but nobody don’t want to compensate us for what we going to lose,” he said

Ramlal was adamant that the pipelines in question are no longer used and claimed the company is trying to move his home to install new pipeline for exploration projects. 

“If you look at those lines they have huge holes and you can’t see anything leaking—how that could be in use? That has been like that for years but like they want to put down new line so they come to advantage we now,” he said.

Mayrhoo said the residents are asking for a meeting with Petrotrin officials, or failing that they will take legal action.

Petrotrin’s Head of External Communications and Branding Joy Antoine said the energy company embarked on a project to replace it’s lines more than a year ago and the residents had been served with sufficient notice. She said they are endangering themselves and others by building their homes on the pipelines. 

Antoine said the residents of San Francique Road are not the only ones affected as Petrotrin has already began changing lines from Point Fortin to Moruga. She said it was one of the consequences of building along the pipeline. 

President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) Gregory Aboud is calling for a ban on the sale and storage of fireworks in Port of Spain.

He also suggested that gasoline tankers avoid using Henry and Frederick Streets to deliver fuel to gas stations on the outskirts on Port-of-Spain and the tankers that supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to neighbouring restaurants not drive through the city when it is populated with shoppers.

Aboud made the call yesterday, one day after police swooped down on street vendors in downtown in search of unlicensed fireworks retailers and illegal scratch bombs.

​The exercise, which came after weeks of lobbying by animal welfare groups, NGOs and a government minister for a ban on sale of scratch bombs, led to the arrest of a female vendor and confiscation of the items she was selling.

Weighing in on the issue, Aboud said Doma had failed in its past safety and security efforts, not only with the sale of fireworks but also gasoline tankers driving through the city.

“We do not think it is a good idea for businesses in densely populated areas of the city to be storing large quantities of fireworks on their premises,” he said.

He felt this was an oversight by the authorities which remains uncontrolled.

The Doma president added: “We stand firmly behind the view that fireworks should not be sold or stored in the city centre. It poses a hazard, not only to the public, but to the fire officers and those who might be responding to any episodes involving emergencies in the city.

The question of selling fireworks on the streets is obviously a great concern to anyone who is interested in safety and understands the dangerous exposure that these inflammable and explosive items can create for citizens.”

While there have been calls for street vendors to be left alone, Aboud said society cannot function on such principles. He argued that the rules should be clear for everyone.

He said he was baffled as to how illegal scratch bombs enter the country.

“I don’t know why scratch bombs and fireworks that make those loud noises and explosions are being allowed. What we have here is another uncontrolled episode of national life,” he said.

Aboud said there have been occasions where people lit fireworks on the Brian Lara Promenade, posing a threat to businesses, motorists and pedestrians.

“That is where the trouble is. I would like to suggest that someone in Government . . .some authority . . . take the bull by its horns for those persons who do not understand self control. We can’t allow for this to persist.” 
 
 

Former senator and attorney Surendranath Capildeo is dead.

Although relatives have kept the death within the family the T&T Guardian was told that Capildeo died at the age of 76.

There was no confirmation on whether he was ill and the exact date of his death was unclear.

He died earlier this month, the T&T Guardian learned.

Capildeo came from a long and illustrious line of politicians and attorneys. His uncle, Dr Rudranath Capildeo, was leader of the Democratic Labour Party which was the opposition party when the country gained independence in 1962.

His father was Simbhoonath Capildeo, a prominent politician and lawyer.

In 2012, as he received a posthumous award on behalf of his uncle, Capildeo said his uncle’s major contribution was the hold the country together, “because if he had decided to run with the pack, we would not have had a country.”

“This country,” he said, “would have been racially divided forever but he (Rudranath) crossed that barrier with Eric Williams at Marlborough House.”

Capildeo attained silk and was made a Senior Counsel under the People’s Partnership government.

He held strong views on the issue of race and racism and openly showed his disenchantment with the way the politics in the country was going when in 2007 at an NCIC function he blasted political Hindus for what he called “their gross incompetence and total selfishness, weak leadership and political stupidity.”

Capildeo is the cousin of Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul. His ancestral home is the Lion House on the Chaguanas Main Road.

He will be cremated today at Caroni Cremation Site at 10 am.

Housing Minister Randall Mitchell said yesterday measures are being put in place to help a family transition to their new home after the homeowner complained about the location and school access for her children.

Mitchell said Neisha Wattley’s statements were unfortunate and does not think that she was being ungrateful.

During an interview with CNC3 News yesterday, Mitchell said that other measures were being put in place to assist the family.

“It’s not that we were going to put her in a house and leave her high and dry. We decided even before that through the HDC’s Social Services and Community Division to attach social workers to the family,” Mitchell said.

“She will have to learn to maintain a house, live in a community and maintain her family and officials from the division will help her along the way until she decides that she no longer needs that assistance,” he said.

“What I see there is a woman who is overcome by the challenges that she now faces and we need to still go out there and assist in overcoming her challenges,” Mitchell said.

Asked how consideration was given to the location, Mitchell said that there was no HDC developments close by in Chaguanas and added that Eden Gardens was the closest and also where availability existed.

Asked if Wattley had any objections to living at Eden Gardens, Mitchell replied: “No, she didn’t. She was truly ecstatic but we did envisage that there would be some challenges.”

Mitchell said that he intends to get other ministries involved, including the Ministry of Education and Social Development, to see how they can assist. That help may include having the children transferred to a nearby school.

Asked what happens if Wattley continues to insist that she return to her shack, Mitchell said that there now exists a contractual agreement for early termination.

He also said that transfers are always available to all HDC tenants but would be subject to a number of conditions including availability.

In response to criticisms his wife faced on social media after she said that she no longer wanted the house and that she wanted to return to the shack, Chris Rambahal said yesterday he totally disagreed with her.

“I don’t know why she said that but I am not going back to the shack,” he said.

“I am grateful and happy for the house and I am staying here with the children and I will continue to work hard to see about them,” he said.

Rambahal said that he would not try to make the location of the school an issue as he will make attempts to get them transferred.

Three days before Christmas, Rambahal said that his Christmas wish was for a better home and living conditions for his wife and four children—Ezekiel, eight; Eleisha, five; Eteisha, four and one-year-old Equisha.

Rambahal and his family were living in a small wooden shack just a few metres off the river bank that runs parallel to the southern side of Woodford Lodge in Chaguanas. They lived there for the past six years.

On Father’s Day, June 15, 2014, Rambahal’s six-month-old son, Christopher, died while being breast-fed by his mother. An autopsy revealed that the child died from positional asphyxia.

Rambahal during a previous interview with the T&T Guardian said that since then the People’s Partnership government had promised him a new home.

Exactly three weeks after the decomposing body of 20-year-old bank worker Shannon Banfield was found at IAM Company Ltd’s Charlotte Street store, the business place reopened yesterday.

However, it was not business as usual at the store as staff were repeatedly confronted by jeers and taunts by shoppers and pedestrians.

Many shoppers were seen peeping inside the store and walking away. Some mothers were seen shielding and pulling their children away as they stopped to enquire why members of the media were at the store.

“Don’t buy, just walk on by,” one woman shouted as she walked past the store.

“I just went inside and buy something small to maco the layout of the place. I not going inside there again,” another woman said.

A worker at a store next door shouted on a loudspeaker system for shoppers to boycott the company.

“A woman went inside there and came out in a body bag. Don’t let that happen to you,” the worker said.

Even signs indicating 10 per cent sale on all items in the store was not enough to entice some customers.

“Ten per cent? They should give away everything and close down,” a woman shouted from the pavement.

While staff allowed media personnel to walk around the store and take photographs, they were tight-lipped over the response to the re-opening. There had been growing calls for a boycott of the store on social media after Banfield’s death.

The store’s owner Ishmael Ali told CNC3 News that his business was badly affected since the discovery of Banfield’s body in the store on December 8. He estimated losing approximately $2 million due to its closure during the peak Christmas season.

Asked about why it wasn’t reopened after police had cleared the building last week, Ali said he kept it closed out of respect for Banfield’s family, who were still grieving.

Ali also claimed that his other locations at Macoya Industrial Estate and Frederick Street in Port-of-Spain, had also seen a drastic drop in revenue with additional losses estimated at $2 million.

Banfield, of Mc Carthy Street, Cantaro Village, Santa Cruz, was last seen leaving her workplace—Republic Bank’s Independence Square branch—around 4 pm on December 5.

In a telephone conversation with her mother, Sherry-Ann Lopez, around that time, Banfield said she was going to purchase items at IAM.

Banfield’s body was discovered hidden under some boxes in the company’s third floor storeroom around 1.30 pm on December 8, by employees who were searching for the source of a strong decomposing scent which they believe was a dead rat.

An autopsy stated she had been smothered and police recovered what they believed to be a murder weapon, a bloodied towel, near where she was found.

Dale Seecharan, an employee at the store was charged with the murder. Seecharan is scheduled to reappear in court on January 17.