Riot police were called to the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Aripo yesterday after a “normal” demonstration by frustrated Nigerian detainees turned into a hostage-like situation.

Immigration and police officers on duty around 3.30 pm had to send out an “SOS” call to their colleagues after the group of detainees crowded the south and north corridors of the centre in protest over what they called their “unlawful detention” and inhumane conditions.

Armed with rubber bullets and tear gas, the riot police who arrived could not stop some ten Nigerians and others from Ghana and Senegal from forming a human barricade along the corridors. The Africans vowed to “stand as one” as they blocked officers from entering the main area where they were protesting.

The T&T Guardian was told two Immigration officers were confronted by the protesting group. This situation was similar to one that occurred about three days ago, where a group of Venezuelan detainees confronted Immigration officers about the same issues.

An African detainee at the IDC told the T&T Guardian via cellphone that he saw about 15 police vans arrive at the facility to restore peace.

“Some of the fellas went through the gate and we lost sight of them…it had real police…they come inside with gun and ting and rubber bullet and tear gas to use on we, but we stand as one and we block the gates so they couldn’t enter,” he said.

“The Nigerians, about ten of them, were just outside the gate and the police gone with them. We are afraid now as to what may happen to them.”

A Venezuelan detainee said many of them were also beaten during the incident.

“It has too much problem in here…they want to lock all we in one room with no breathing space and no water. We will die.”

An Immigration officer, who did want to be identified, confirmed that senior Immigration officials were later called out to the facility along with the police, who subsequently took ten Nigerians into custody.

The detainees were taken to the Arima Police Station, but up to press time no charges had been laid against them.

In the previous incident earlier this week, seven Venezuelan nationals allegedly confronted guards at the facility over their delayed detention and poor treatment. That incident had already forced a heightened police presence at the facility.

One of the Venezuelan detainees, through an attorney, sent a message to the T&T Guardian saying they were only trying to highlight their mistreatment at the facility and the fact that their matters were dragging along through the courts.

The detainee alleged they were beaten, denied medication, given spoilt food and only one bottle of water a day at the facility.

Last month, the Venezuelans at the centre staged a hunger strike to protest for their freedom.

A video circulated on social media on May 30 meanwhile showed the Venezuelans at the centre standing united singing their national anthem in a form of protest. They are seeking either asylum or the opportunity to be returned to their homeland.

On August 18, 2017, Cuban refugee Yoandri Avila Cruz threatened to sue the Immigration Division for his unlawful detention at the IDC since March 2017. In a pre-action protocol letter sent to acting Chief Immigration Officer Charmaine Gandhi-Andrews, attorneys representing Cruz called on the division to justify his lengthy detention.

Cruz’s lawyer Elena de Silva contended his continued detention was unlawful. She has blamed the division’s delay in processing his application for refugee status for her client’s continued detention.

Efforts to reach Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon last evening were unsuccessful as calls to his cell phone went unanswered.

Calls to the Chief Immigration Officer Gandhi-Andrews went straight to voicemail, but she is said to be currently out of the country on training.

A feeling of outrage over the theft of supplies at the soup kitchen at the Holy Cross RC Church days ago has now turned to joy following an outpouring of love and support from the public.

Almost moved to tears yesterday, manager of the soup kitchen Joan Lee Chong said Good Samaritans had replaced everything that was stolen and given much more.

Appliances, utensils and food were stolen from the kitchen, which has been run by Friends of Holy Cross for the past 19 years on the church’s compound. The soup kitchen, which is held every Wednesday, provides meals to about 70 people and anyone seeking a meal.

Lee Chong said the Chaguanas-based Price Club had reached out to them on Thursday asking for a list of everything that was stolen, including what was needed for next Wednesday’s meals. She said after they sent the list the company called back several times offering to provide anything else they wanted.

“In the evening around 4 o’ clock, a truck loaded with all sorts of things (pulled up), with everything we lost plus things that we did not lose.”

She said some of the items included a freezer, chiller, stove, microwave, jug blender, hand blender and food supplies.

Said Lee Chong, “I feel really good to know that there are people out there who are willing to do things like this. We get the bad and then the good certainly outweighs the bad.”

She said Guides Funeral Home also pledged a radio and food processor, Advance Commercial Equipment Ltd offered food supplies on an ongoing basis, other people gave cash while others called to offer words of support.

“I was really overwhelmed and distraught by the loss and I am even more overwhelmed by the gain, by the people who have come forward. This is when I have to keep tears away because I have so many people calling. I feel overjoyed. Everything I got back.”

She said even the raffle prizes were also replaced.

Lee Chong said they still do not know how the thieves got in, but they have changed the locks and gotten additional padlocks for the doors.

“The only thing is if a security company come forward now to offer us cameras,” she said.

Lee Chong thanked everyone, including the media, for highlighting the incident and for their support. Investigators are working on some information but have no solid leads as yet. Sgt Ramlogan of the Princes Town Police Station is heading the investigation.

The Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre (BLCTC) and its owner Medcorp Limited have been found negligent in the death of businessman Ricardo “Smokey” McKenzie.

Delivering a 35-page judgement in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday afternoon, Justice Mira Dean-Armorer ruled that McKenzie’s death was caused by a radiation overdose during his treatment at the centre in 2009.

She noted that while McKenzie’s doctors suggested that he had five years to live when he was first diagnosed, he only survived for 18 months because of the centre’s negligent treatment.

McKenzie’s wife Lisa and two daughters Ornella and Daniella, are seeking almost $20 million in compensation, including US$500,00 that was expended on his medical treatment and just over $16m in loss of his earnings.

However, Dean-Armorer did not address the issue in her judgement, as she called on attorneys for both parties to present further submissions on the pain and suffering experienced by McKenzie and his family. The submissions are expected to be filed next month, with Dean-Armorer giving her decision on the issue on July 31.

McKenzie’s family was in court for the hearing and were heard crying and seen consoling each other as Dean-Armorer read her judgement. In a telephone interview yesterday evening, Lisa McKenzie said her family was happy they had finally received justice over his death.

“I am happy we got justice because we always knew deep down that it was over radiation that caused Ricardo’s death,” she said.

However, she said they were disappointed that Dean-Armorer deferred her assessment of compensation.

“It was bittersweet. It has been so long and we waited six years,” she said.

In her judgement, Dean-Armorer noted that BLCTC admitted that its linear accelerator was miscalibrated during the period of McKenzie’s treatment. She also pointed out that while testifying at the trial, its former clinical director, Dr Peter Bovell, admitted the centre did not have a senior physicist to operate the machine and it relied on a junior employee who was not certified to do so.

She said: “In the context of this claim, a medical facility, which offers treatment by powerful and potentially dangerous machines, has a duty to their patients to provide adequately qualified staff to ensure the proper functioning of the machine.”

Approximately 200 patients were affected by the miscalibration, with the centre settling claims with most except McKenzie’s and a handful of others, who were awaiting Dean-Armorer’s decision to continue their lawsuits.

In analysing the evidence, Dean-Armorer compared the expert evidence presented by the centre and McKenzie’s family, who each called three foreign medical experts to testify. She noted that the centre’s witness, Dr Khalil Sultanem, from Canada, questioned why McKenzie only showed symptoms of radiation necrosis 10 months after he was exposed to 13.9 per cent more than his recommended dose of radiation. Sultanem also claimed it was abnormal to contract radiation necrosis from a radiation overdose.

“There was, however, no expert explanation for the possible occurrence of radiation necrosis apart from the radiation treatment to which the deceased had submitted in September 2009,” Dean-Armorer said.

In deciding whether radiation necrosis was the main cause of McKenzie’s death, Dean-Armorer analysed the evidence of United States (US) neurosurgeon Dr Roberto Heros, of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, who treated McKenzie before his death in December 2010.

In his testimony, Heros maintained that McKenzie’s case was the “worst case” he had encountered in his then 40 years in his profession.

McKenzie’s family was represented by Terrence Bharath and Andre Le Blanc, while Lydia Mendonca, Ravi Nanga and Neil Bisnath represented the centre and Medcorp.

Officers from the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) have launched an investigation into the shooting death of Keon Moore, 24, of Crown Trace, Enterprise, along the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway on Wednesday.

The investigation was prompted by a fiery protest from Crown trace residents yesterday, which was sparked by the release of a video posted on social media yesterday which showed the police shooting incident.

The 14-second video, which did not capture the entire incident, showed the point where Moore was seen running away and an officer dressed in a tactical uniform crossing the median’s cable while shooting at him.

The sound gunshots from the police’s high-powered guns were also heard coming in the clip.The video also reached the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and has also prompted head David West to launch an independent investigation.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, West made a call for the person who took the video to go to the PCA’s office at Level 24, Tower D International Waterfront Centre 1A Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. (See editorial on Page A15)

“We are going to begin investigating the matter forthwith. We would like for the person to come to handover the original from his phone or whatever device he/she used. We are also calling on other motorists and/or eyewitnesses to come forward so that we can get help in our investigations,” West said.

The video prompted Moore’s relatives and friends to take to the streets at Crown Trace and Tobago Road, Chaguanas, in protest yesterday.

The protest action at both locations, which began at about 4 pm and 5 pm respectively, caused gridlock traffic along the Southern Main Road. Motorists were advised via Whats App messages to take alternative routes because of the protest.

The angry residents, including close friends, associates and family members, placed debris across the roadways and set fires.

However, in quick time, truckloads of army personnel and police officers from the nearby Lion’s Gate joint police/army post arrived and were able to restore order.

Fire Appliances from the Chaguanas Fire Station also responded and extinguished the fires and removed the debris. One of Moore’s relatives told the T&T Guardian that they want the police officers to own up.

“Is kill they kill the boy…we didn’t have to see the video to know that. Since yesterday (Thursday) I tell you (T&T Guardian) that it was impossible for him to shoot at the police. Watch how the boy running for he life and they take him down like an animal hunted in the bush.“We want justice now…all them police must go…they must pay. If they wanted him come and arrest him and go with him, not to murder him,” the relative added.

A senior officer from the Central Division, who wished not to be named, told the T&T Guardian that seniors had also launched an investigation after seeing the video.

The officers, the senior added, “will hopefully be identified and called in for questioning to say what exactly took place. The video is in the possession of seniors and it is engaging the attention it deserves.”

Chaguanas East MP Fazal Karim also expressed concern over the matter and promised to meet with residents “to continue dialogue with the police and residents to address their concerns.”

Karim also called on the Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon to honour his promise to the people of Enterprise and construct a police station in the area and “to increase the joint police/army patrols immediately and bring a sense of peace and calm in the community.”

According to a police report, at about 4 pm on Wednesday police officers, who were conducting enquiries in the Preysal area, spotted Moore driving a car.

The report said the officers attempted to stop Moore but he drove off and entered the highway heading south.

The police chased after him and were allegedly shot at near the Couva Children’s Hospital.

The officers returned fire, causing Moore to lose control of the vehicle and crash into the median cables. Moore then ran out of the vehicle allegedly still shooting at police. They returned fire and he was hit several times.

He was taken to the Couva District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.Police described Moore as a well-known senior gang member of the Unruly Isis gang who was wanted in connection with several shootings and other gang-related activities.

However, residents yesterday disputed the police’s claims.

Bandits ran rampant in St Helena last week, striking three business places over a four-day period and making off with thousands of dollars in cash and other valuables.

However, business owners and residents admitted yesterday that these attacks by bandits are not a new trend. Rather, they say recent development within the community has attracted the criminal element, who have been targeting business places and random individuals alike.

St Helena has moved from being a sleepy village to a bustling business area in recent years. With this development have come the criminals. Residents and business owners are now calling on the police to also increase their strength in the area to match the influx.

During the recent spate of robberies last week, the first to take place on the mile-long stretch was on Monday at 11.15 am. Two gunmen entered Pro Digital Wholesalers and tied up the male staff member on duty before they stole telephones and other electronic items. The haul was valued at $40,000.

Yesterday, Pro Digital owner Richard Le Maitre said the situation in St Helena has become “scary”. This is the second time his business place has been robbed since it recently relocated. It was previously located at the St Helena junction but was relocated because they were robbed several times there.

Le Maitre said he had put several security measures in place to try and thwart would-be criminals, including installing security cameras. There is also a sign on the door advising that persons wearing caps would not be allowed entry in.

Following the attack on Pro Digital, on Wednesday night three bandits robbed the nearby Royal Castle outlet, which is obliquely opposite Pro Digital. According to reports, around 7 pm the gunmen announced a hold-up at the fast food outlet, took the cash register drawer and escaped with an undisclosed sum of money. The following night (Thursday), the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet located at the St Helena junction was targeted. Around 9.05 pm, two gunmen entered the restaurant, jumped over the counter, pointed a firearm at the cashier and announced a robbery. They escaped with a quantity of cash from the vault and the cash register. All three business places are on the major road servicing the community.

Business owner Lorna Nurse, 76, who operates a Bmobile outlet in the area, is no stranger to the rising crime there. Nurse said she has been operating there for the past 14 years but crime really started to rise in the last five years.

Around 2 am one day in February was the last time Nurse experienced a break-in. Bandits are so emboldened they are not even using stealth any more, she said.

“They used a pickaxe to break in the front door. When we came in the morning all that was left were the tiles on the floor,” Nurse said.

Nurse has alarm systems and sensors installed. Yesterday, she spoke to the Sunday Guardian from behind a heavily burglar-proofed, cage-like structure. The entire establishment is now fortified because of the robberies.

Nurse said she runs has been robbed four times and like Le Maitre, she changed location within the area because she was being robbed regularly. The worst attack was when one of her female workers was alone and gunmen entered and tied her up while they ransacked the place.

“That really rocked me because she is just a young woman trying to make ends meet, coming to work and being placed in this kind of situation. It is not right,” Nurse said.

Nurse believes the only reason she was spared last week was because she was out of stock of new phones.

“It’s really bad. I’m sure every business in this area has been affected by crime in one way or another,” she said.

All of the businesses the Sunday Guardian spoke to had their own tales about the criminal element.

Nurse was in praise of the Las Lomas police who she said has always responded in a timely fashion to her plights. She, however, called for more police patrols in the community.

One of the things that makes St Helena such an easy target for the criminals is that they have several escape routes to several parts of the country.

Vinny Mohammed, of M&M Poultry, said while his business has only been targeted by shoplifters he knows other businesses have been affected by gun-toting bandits.

“We have cameras in place and still they just steal without any care,” he said.

But the crime is not limited to the businesses.

Visham Khodai said he walked out of his home to get something from a nearby store one evening about three years ago and was greeted by a gunman on the major road.

“It was an early evening after work and I walked out and this man pointed a gun in my face asking for money,” Khodai said.

Khodai said when he saw the gun he fell backwards and somehow the gunman ran off. Khodai thanked God for that.

“I see life-changing here, it was a quiet community and now it has become a target for thieves. This place is becoming hell,” he said adding he is now sceptical about leaving his house after dark.

Robert, 22, was preparing for his final law examination last July when he started to get an anxiety attack.

“I couldn’t sleep, my stomach was in a mess, I was feeling really anxious about the exams and I just could not focus and do the work that I needed to do,” Robert said.

So Robert decided to do something which helped him to overcome his anxiety before.

It was around 9.30 pm one Friday when Robert took his mother’s car and drove to a nearby “drug block”.

“I wasn’t a regular user but I called a friend that night and asked him if he had any. But he wasn’t home and he told me I could go there,” Robert told the Sunday Guardian.

Robert said purchasing the plastic packet of marijuana was fairly easy. He spent $20 for it.

When Robert was driving out the street heading to the Eastern Main Road to head back home, however, his life flashed before his eyes.

“As I drove out the street I heard a police siren,” Robert said.

He panicked.

“I still had the weed in my hand and I was studying all kind of things. I contemplated speeding off, throwing the weed out the window, all kind of things went through my mind,” Robert said.

What he eventually did was pull the car aside and wait for the police.

Robert said when the officers approached the car they told him they knew he had just bought some weed. By that time he had pushed the packet into his pocket. Robert was eventually arrested and charged with being in possession of three grammes of marijuana.

His mother was called to the police station. She cried when she arrived.

Robert ended up spending the weekend inside a station cell before being taken before a magistrate the Monday.

“That was the worse time in my life, I didn’t know what was going to happen. As you could imagine, I was even more anxious than I was before,” he recalled.

Robert appeared before the magistrate with an attorney and pleaded guilty to being in possession of the marijuana. He explained why he had opted to buy the drug. Because he had a clean record, Robert was reprimanded and discharged by the magistrate. He does not have the record against his name.

“I thank God for the way it turned out. I got a very serious bouff from the magistrate and she told me I was playing with my future but she was eventually lenient with me. I know I was lucky and that other people have not been as lucky as I was,” he said.

Robert’s mother was relieved.

He was able to complete his final exam the Thursday. None of his friends knew how close he was to missing it.

Robert also promised his mother never to smoke marijuana again after his close call though.

Robert was one of 1,976 males arrested between January and August last year for marijuana possession. The three grammes of marijuana he had in his possession were among the 830.55 kilogrammes seized by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) for that period.

In 2016, local law enforcement seized approximately 1.2 metric tons (MT) of marijuana.

Processing these and other such cases have been a burden in our courts.

Courts overburdened by cases

In 2013, Chief Justice Ivor Archie questioned whether drug trafficking and drug consumption should be treated differently.

“The next suggestion is more controversial and lies properly in the realm of the policy makers but I offer these observations for consideration. After over a quarter of a century in the law, nine years of which were spent as a prosecutor actively involved in drug prosecutions and asset confiscation, I have come to the view that drug trafficking and drug consumption should be treated differently,” Archie said.

“Addiction is a disease and is as much a public health issue as it is a criminal problem. This is not a moral judgement although one might observe that marijuana consumption probably wreaks no more havoc than alcohol addiction, but we provide support for one and punishment for the other. The economic and social consequences of incarcerating large numbers of our youths for possession and/or consumption of small amounts of drugs are immense.”

He added: “Moreover, it is now appearing that the consensus about many of the assumptions about the effects of marijuana, in particular, is unravelling. So much so that CNN’s Dr Sanjay Gupta recently publicly changed his stance on the issue. In an economy where the state is the major employer and a criminal conviction is a bar to employment, we may be pushing minor non-violent offenders into criminality when they can be saved.”

Archie said the burden placed on the TTPS, Prisons Service and the court would be lessened if decriminalisation was considered.

n Continues on Page A7

“The burden on the police and prisons and the courts in terms of cost and human resource will be lessened if we focus on the scourge of trafficking, but as long as we have laws on the books we have to enforce them. We must take a long hard look at policy in this area,” Archie said.

Currently in T&T, marijuana is classed as a narcotic drug and psychotropic substance under the Dangerous Drugs Act Chap 11:25. This is the legislation that governs possession and trafficking of marijuana and other dangerous drugs.

A person found in possession of marijuana is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction in the Magistrates’ Court to a fine of $25,000 and to imprisonment for five years.

Upon conviction on indictment in the High Court, an individual is liable to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for a term over five years, but not exceeding 10 years. Those penalties are the maximum range and are discretionary based on the amount of the drug found in one’s possession, along with previous convictions and other considerations the judge or magistrate may consider on sentencing.

Decriminalisation of marijuana is defined as removing or reducing the criminal classification or status of marijuana use.

Head of the T&T-based advocacy group the Caribbean Collective for Justice (CCJ), Nazma Muller, has started an online petition calling for marijuana to be decriminalised here. So far the petition has received more than 9,700 signatures in support.

“Jail is no place for non-violent offenders who break a law whose very basis was highly immoral and contravenes the constitutional right to freedom and to the enjoyment of one’s property, among others,” Muller told the Sunday Guardian.

“The prisons in Trinidad are already extremely overcrowded and conditions are inhumane. People in Remand Yard have been waiting for years for a trial date.”

She said currently it was possible to decriminalise marijuana use in T&T very easily.

“The Dangerous Drugs Act permits possession, use, sale and cultivation of marijuana—all that is required is for the Minister of Health to write the regulations by which licences can be issued. With numerous studies showing that marijuana has therapeutic and medical benefits and many countries moving towards legalisation or decriminalisation, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago must address the fact that as long as ganja remains illegal, it will always be under the control of criminal gangs because demand continues to grow for marijuana locally, regionally and internationally,” Muller said.

Robert said from his short stint in a cell at a police station he would not want others to face jail time for being in possession of drugs. He said he hopes to one day use his legal education to help others in this regard.

n To be continued

Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon is today admitting that there are major issues affecting the smooth running of the Immigration Detention Centre in Aripo, chief among them being the repatriation of detainees who have been there for several years.

In a release yesterday in response to two separate incidents involving detainees at the facility last week, Dillon said the IDC has encountered challenges in repatriating detainees.

“Many continue to refuse to provide accurate identification information such as their name, country of birth and their travel documents. Some, as well, have raised legal challenges against their repatriation,” Dillon said.

“In addition, some countries are not always willing to land deportees in transition, which creates difficulties in sourcing cost-effective landing routes that would allow for their eventual return home. This contributes to delays in repatriating many detainees, particularly those from far off destinations.”

He, however, assured that the situation at the IDC “is under control, following protest action taken by a small group of detainees”.

He also assured the ministry is working assiduously to make arrangements to repatriate detainees to their homeland, as well as improve living conditions at the facility.

Over the past few months, the ministry spent more than $1 million on the refurbishment, upgrade and outfitting of the facility, he said. He said he was also working “closely with foreign missions and embassies in order to secure the true identity of the detainees so that the Government of T&T can repatriate them to their country of birth in the shortest possible time”.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan detainees at the IDC are desperately calling for compassion by the authorities, as some of them claim to be very ill and in desperate need of the necessary medical care.

Statistics reaching the Sunday Guardian reveal that currently there are at least 57 Venezuelan nationals awaiting repatriation, including 27 women.

One of the female detainees told the Sunday Guardian she had a disability and in need of special treatment.

“I came to T&T as a medical refugee seeking medical treatment for my condition and I was held from a house by the police and put in here. The only thing is I applied for asylum and still I am here facing deportation. I cannot sleep because of the strong pains and I am not being treated…I’m going to die in here.”

Another, a male detainee, said his wife has cancer and his 19-year-old son suffers from epilepsy.

“I came here and applied for asylum but I confess I bring my wife and son illegally in here for medical treatment and now all of us are detained,” he said.

“It is 15 days now and my wife has not gotten any cancer treatment and they only give she Panadol and no doctor. My son having seizures and only Panadol…no doctor.”

Another male detainee said he suffers from a kidney condition that has him urinating blood.

“They only giving me Panadol. I applied for asylum and still detained in here waiting for an official from the UNHCR to visit me.”

Last week in two separate incidents, detainees staged protests to highlight their frustration at the slow repatriation process. Immigration officers were allegedly confronted during one of them and last Thursday, riot police were called in to quell a riot started by African detainees. About ten African were taken into police custody and subsequently charged following that incident.

Massy Stores CEO Derek Winford says security at their Super Centre at Gulf View, La Romaine, has been beefed up in the wake of last week’s daring robbery by bandits.

Staff involved in the incident, who were tied up and robbed before the thieves also stole $250,000, have also been provided with counselling.

Ultimately, Windford says the company’s primary concern was the safety and security of their workers.

“We want to make sure that they come to work safely and more importantly that they get home safely to their families, and operating in an environment like we do in T&T, with the crime that affects all of us, just makes that a little more difficult for all of us,” he said.

He added that they are also fully co-operating with the police and have given them a lot of material to assist them in apprehending the perpetrators.

According to reports, around 5.55 am, bakery staff had just entered the store to prepare pastries and bread for the day when the bandits struck.

A security guard who had just picked up a stack of newspapers from outside the door was accosted by three gunmen, who took him inside the store and proceeded to tie up the guard and employees in the bakery area. The staff was robbed of cell phones, cash and other items. The bandits then went into the office where they gained access to a small vault where they grabbed Money Gram and Sure Pay documents and the cash for Tuesday night sales.

The bandits then escaped in a white Nissan AD Wagon.

San Fernando police are continuing investigations.

Windford gave the information at the company’s reusable bag distribution at the Super Centre on Friday, where he again urged customers to utilise the bags.

The company began its distribution drive on World Environment Day at its Maraval branch, but there was a brief hiatus as the bags only arrived last week and they were finally able to resume the distribution process.

Winford said, “We are here to continue our initiative on reducing the amount of plastic usage in T&T and to do that, we are telling our customers, listen we give away 34 million plastic bags, that is what is used by Massy Stores in one year and it really has to stop.”

In previous years, Winford said the company had given away 10,000 reusable bags and their aim this time around is to distribute up 80,000 bags.

“We think that is a good base at which to start and we are saying to you stop using the plastic bags, here is a reusable bag that we are giving to you for free. Use this bag when you shop and help us reduce the plastic usage and the plastic consumption in T&T,” said Winford.

He said this was one the first steps in their quest to reduce the amount of plastics they use that is damaging the environment.

Said Winford: “Here we are today to take the message public by giving away these bags and making sure our actions follow our words.”

The company intends to continue its distribution drive at their other branches throughout the country.

Starting from July 3, however, the company will begin selling plastic bags for 50 cents, but Winford’s advice to the customers is, “Don’t pay 50 cents for the bags, use the reusable bags over and over.”

After the distribution process, he said a reusable bag will be sold for $10 but they intend to have promotions like “buy one and get one free” in the month of July.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has told the Muslim community to reject any talk pertaining to the Government attempting to impose anti-Muslim policies or laws against Muslims in T&T.

Rowley made the comment while addressing the annual Eid-ul-Fitr dinner hosted by the Anjuman Sunnat ul Jamaat Association (ASJA), T&T’s largest Islamic organisation, at the Centre Pointe Mall, Chaguanas, on Saturday.

“If any person is seeking to tell you or to advance their understanding of any difficulties that we may have, or any misunderstanding, or any challenge that this country has, I ask you today to reject all conversations, all misinformation, about anti-Muslim policies in T&T,” Rowley told the gathering.

“If you do nothing else in defence of T&T reject that, because that is not a fact, it might suit one or two persons to carry that conversation.”

In an obvious reference to conversations from some quarters that the Government was discriminating against the Muslim community via the action of the T&T Police Service during raids connected to the Carnival terror plot in February and intended anti-terrorism legislation, Rowley assured those gathered that this was far from reality.

“Whatever might be interpreted as being anti-Muslim, there is nothing that could create the reality of a hostility or of a misdirection than a conversation based on misinformation, a conversation that is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” the PM said.

“Brothers and sisters, this country is a beautiful place, it is only in this country that we can be free as we are now. We know of no other country in the world where we the people gathered here in this room who live on these islands could be freer than we are than in this island.

“Don’t take that for granted. Other people have taken their circumstances for granted and countries that have lost their way and ended up in great difficulty have done so one step at a time, sometimes one person at a time and it starts sometimes with two conversations, one that is right and one that could have been better.”

Rowley said his relationship with the Muslim community goes back decades.

Sharing some of those moments, he said when he challenged for the leadership of the People’s National Movement he had chosen Kamalludin Mohammed to be on his slate. He said when he became leader of the PNM in 2010 he also appointed a Muslim woman to head the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation after the PNM only got control of four regional bodies.

He said, “I tell you this today, that you will understand if as we confront our difficulties today, whatever those difficulties, whatever difference of opinion we may have... The Irish faced their difficulties and I am happy to say today Christians stopped killing Christians in Ireland. Lebanon is at peace, but there are many areas around the world where people are still killing their brothers and sisters. T&T, comparatively, is a land of peace and brotherly love.”

In bringing Eid greetings, the Prime Minister said, “ Your country is your best offering from Allah, accept it with both hands and be a spokesperson in its defence.”

A boardwalk has been included in a critical coastal line erosion project currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Works and Transport along the Manzanilla/Mayaro Road, near the popular river mouth site where the Nariva River meets the sea.

Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan told T&T Guardian that the project began at this point of the coastline because it had reached a critical stage where the sea was just three metres from the roadway. He added that the project will continue along the coastline to Mayaro to address the rapid erosion that is taking place along this stretch of coastline.

Sinanan said apart from retaining stone walls for the prevention of the sea erosion, a boardwalk will also be constructed. This, he said, will enhance the aesthetic environment for local and foreign visitors as help bring some sustainable income for vendors of the community, who will gain clientèle from those who visit the site.

The contract is being undertaken by Namalco Construction Services Ltd.

Candice Gray-Bernard, the manager of the Ministry of Works and Transport’s Critical Coastal Protection Project, told T&T Guardian the stretch from Manzanilla Beach right on to Point Radix has been going through some dynamic changes as a result of the rapid erosion that has become noticeable. She said Sinanan assigned his technical team to immediately take the necessary action to stop the erosion along the roadway, since it was the main route from Sangre Grande to Manzanilla/Mayaro and is used by thousands of commuters.

Gray-Bernard said they were seeing erosion at the Manzanilla Beach, Le Branch River, Nariva River near what is called the “River Mouth”, a popular area for local and foreign visitors, and at Point Radix.

She said the area called the Coconut Grave Yard is also being undermined, resulting in the loss of many coconut trees, so the ministry saw the urgency of preventing a major problem and decided to embark on the project. She said 10-11 years ago the sand at the river mouth in Manzanilla was level to the sea wall but today is now below the seawall. This, she said, shows how much sand is lost as a result of coastal erosion, but noted it was now becoming a danger to the major roadway as the sea level is as close as three metres from the road.

Gray-Bernard said a feasibility study was done on the coastline by Jamaican firm Smith Warner International and all environmental laws will be followed according to Environmental Management Authority guidelines.

Noting that the community can be prone to flooding, she said the ministry will make every effort to complete the project before the height of the rainy and hurricane season.

Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd’s Lara Joseph says this country has become so westernised and commercialised that home gardening is now seen as something for only old people.

“Our focus is no longer on fresh grown food, but imported and fast foods,” Joseph said at the launch of an Agricultural Training Programme For Rural Communities at the Forestry Training Centre in Kernahan on Friday.

She said her father was a farmer and planted ground provision, bananas, pumpkin, tomatoes and sweet and hot peppers among other things. She said this enabled him to take care of their family.

“We had no cause to purchase anything from the grocery or go to the market because most of our food came from what our father planted,” Joseph told the gathering.

She added that in the community of Grande Riviere, where she grew up, most people planted and when someone did not have certain foods neighbours used to share with one another.

“We ate freshly grown food, we were healthy and people died when they were old,” she said, adding that things had changed drastically today.

However, she emphasised the importance of agriculture, saying it provides healthy foods and finances for survival and most importantly motivates the 20 trainees who were selected to pursue the course of study in agriculture at Kernahan.

She advised the trainees to make all efforts to complete their course as it will help them with income and food. She publicly commended the World Food Day National Committee of Trinidad and Tobago, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries and the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services for putting the project together and her company for providing the funding.

Acting chairman of the World Food Day National Committee of Trinidad and Tobago Petal Ram, in her address, said this is one of their many projects and the objective is to improve the livelihood and nutrition security for individuals.

She said this is the first of the five projects to be launched, with others to come in other agricultural districts including one in Tobago.

The programme, which targets individuals between the ages of 18-30 for training in home gardening, was developed by the committee in partnership with the two ministries and funded by Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd.

Anne-Marie Quammie-Alleyne, of the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, said the training projects are important to those vulnerable to skills development and will assist in their socio-economic activities. She added that it is no secret that the Government is hard-pressed to support such initiatives but said she hopes it would indeed help decrease the country’s food import bills and trainees will improve their lives.

Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries Ramdai Sookdeo said it is their hope that the programme would also help empower the trainees to become entrepreneurs. She said more production in agriculture means food security.

bobie-lee.dixon@guardian.co.tt

Conversations of Japanese wine, food and even steelpan were among the topics guests indulged in at the residence of Japanese Ambassador to T&T Mitsuhiko Okada on Saturday, as they sat around the beautifully Japanese-styled set table to enjoy Kaiseki —a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner, in this case lunch and Cha Kaiseki—a tea ceremony following the Japanese cuisine.

The occasion was to mark and observe a special day on the Japanese calendar called Tanabata—Evening of the Seventh. The designated day, also known as the Star Festival, is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the coupling of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, represented by the stars Vega and Altair, respectively. The Japanese legend dates all the way back to the eighth century.

It proposes that the Milky Way separates these two lovers who only get to meet once a year on July 7. The day is also commemorated with the writing of wishes on a tanzaku or small piece of paper, which is then hung on a bamboo tree.

All guests present, including Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez, had the opportunity to participate in this act.

The contents of the Japanese cuisine are not just ordinarily prepared, but much thought goes into it, as presentation, layout and even colour are all sacred in Japanese culture.

A set menu of select food was served on an individual Japanese traditional bento (compartmented box) to each member of the gathering. The Kaiseki menu consisted of an assorted appetizer, steamed custard, clear soup, deep-fried prawn and sweet potato, roll-zushi and inari-zushi, assorted skewers and grilled salmon with vegetables.

Guests were also able to enjoy three of Japan’s award-winning rice wines—Kakuhou, Aizu-homare and Tose-shiragiku—before viewing a demonstration of the Japanese tea ceremony done by Mrs Okada.

In Japan, the tea ceremony is referred to as Sado and is based on the Japanese spirit of hospitality. Again it is more than just a hot drink, as it is a very important ritual that has a lot of meaning within the culture. The tea ceremony represents purity, tranquillity, respect and harmony and a lot of preparation goes into this important event that is based on Zen philosophy. The person making the tea and guiding the ceremony is known as a ‘tea master’ and earns great respect in Japanese culture.

Guests were told that when the tea is received from the tea master, one is to bow to show them respect. The bowl bearing ‘matcha’, or powdered green tea, a tea that also has medicinal value, must be picked up with one’s right hand then placed into the left hand and turned twice clockwise before taking a sip.

This tea is served with traditional Japanese sweets, which include cherry blossom sticky rice cake, sweet-bean jelly, rice jelly and floating island.

bobie-lee.dixon@guardian.co.tt

It’s about engaging the man on the ground and taking a grassroots approach to better appropriate the needs and development of people. That is what the Inter-American Development Bank says is the basis for its upcoming community outreach event carded for Saturday at Arima Veledrome.

New IDB country representative for T&T, Rocio Medina Bolivar told the T&T Guardian that the event, titled ‘Cheer Fair’, is part of its Unfollow campaign which was launched in 2017 under then country representative Tomas Bermudez with the slogan ‘Same never made a difference’.

Bermudez hopes the IDB would reach out to individuals to find out what they think about the future of their country through the campaign.

As such, Bolivar said the event is open to the public and would offer information on several areas relative to human development, including education, health, water sanitation, gender and housing to name a few. A mobile clinic will also be on site to do various testings and entertainment will be provided.

Bolivar said the IDB wanted to take an unconventional approach to engage people, a move which ties in with its third foundational pillar—human development.

“Whatever we do has to be reachable because sometimes institutions like IDB and other organisations seem very distant from the public; people aren’t really certain what we do and how they can benefit from us. That has to change hence the implementation of the campaign,” Bolivar said.

Bridging the gap between the private and public sector is also part of the campaign’s mantle. Bolivar said although each plays its individual role, there is need for them to come together, especially when in the interest of human development.

“Normally we are engaged with the public sector, the authorities or even civil society and with private sector, but with this event we are trying to get closer to the man on the ground through the cooperation of these very same sectors,” Bolivar noted.

“At the end of the day the work that we bring to T&T is to improve lives; that’s our motto. That is the end goal.”

For more information visit Unfollow Facebook group (Group name – UnfollowBdifferent).

Lay minister and secretary of the Friends of Holy Cross, Joan Lee Chong, yesterday prayed that the burglars who raided their Princes Town soup kitchen last week would change their lifestyles and turn to God.

During the morning service at Holy Cross RC Church in Princes Town, which is on the same compound as the soup kitchen, Lee Chong said, “We pray for the burglars. We ask God to touch their hearts. We ask God to set something in motion in their lives that they will set about changing their lifestyles, turn to Him and live a life pleasing to Him.”

Lee Chong started off her prayers by condemning the burglary at the soup kitchen. She said at Friday night’s mass, parish priest Fr Santhosh Puliyammakkal condemned all aspects of crime in the country.

“And we members and Friends of Holy Cross, together with all of you in the congregation, add our voices to the condemnation of crime in our country generally and specifically to what has happened to us and what has happened to other members in the congregation at different times.”

Asking God to put an end to the terrible scourge of crime in the country, Lee Chong said, “We thank Him that the incident that occurred at the soup kitchen occurred at a time when no one was there so one was hurt.”

She also thanked God for all the help they have received since the incident.

“We pray God’s blessings on all of you who have reached out to us and continue to reach out to us; Price Club of Chaguanas, Parts World of Princes Town, Guides Funeral Home, Advance Commercial, individuals who gave cash donations and persons who called just to share their concern and to give us encouragement.”

She also prayed God’s blessing on the media personnel for publicising the incident which resulted in them receiving a lot of help.

Members of Friends of the Holy Cross, a non-government organisation affiliated with the church, made the shocking discovery on Tuesday night when they went to start preparations for meals for the following day.

The thieves made off with everything in the soup kitchen, including foodstuff, the stove, appliances and utensils.

The soup kitchen is open on Wednesdays to anyone who needs a meal, but they usually have about 70 regulars.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Retired school teacher Cynthia Lee Mack escaped injury when a sprawling tree fell near her home, knocking down her water tank, fence and damaging part of her roof early yesterday.

For months Lee Mack had been calling on the San Fernando City Corporation to chop down the tree located at the top of Alexander Road, Vistabella.

The lot next to her home had become so overgrown with vines that she was worried for her safety. However, Lee Mack said despite numerous complaints nothing was done.

She said during the early hours of the morning, she was asleep when she heard something that sounded like an explosion.

“I thought it was probably thunder. It was raining a lot, so I went back to sleep,” Lee Mack said.

At daybreak, she said a neighbour began calling out to her.

“She told me that all the water from the tank was flowing out. The tree fell on the house, damaging my roof and guttering. It damaged the mango and soursop trees in the yard,” Lee Mack said.

When the Guardian Media visited, fire officers were on the scene cutting up the tree. Lee Mack said she was thankful that she was not hurt when the tree fell.

Contacted yesterday, San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said it was the first time that he was hearing of Lee Mack’s complaints.

“I understand her situation and I apologise if there was tardiness on our part. I will look into it to see what happened,” he said.

Regrello noted that the first complaints should be made to the councillor who will then bring the matter to the attention of the Council.

Meanwhile, heavy rains subsided yesterday allowing flood waters to go down from several parts of south and central Trinidad.

Chairman of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation Henry Awong said disaster management teams were on the ground assessing whether there was any damage from the floods. He said floods were reported at the Couva/Balmain area while the Guaracara River was engorged.

“In the Mc Bean area floods entered one house and we also had floods at Las Lomas, Ragoonanan West Road, and Chase Village but waters have subsided,” Awong said.

Chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation Dr Allen Sammy said at Pancham Gardens in Borde Narve, some residents experienced flooding.

“We have an issue with Pancham River which has not been cleaned since UNC times. Back then, we did some cleaning. We had to go to the bank of someone’s property to clean the river. There is supposed to be on a 10-metre reserve minimum from the river but people plant on the river bank, erect fences and then prevent the Government from executing its responsibilities,” Sammy said.

He noted that the Oropouche, Gucharon and Papourie rivers were not filled to capacity but disaster teams, led by coordinator Videsh Lall, were on standby. The Oropouche River, which acts as a major confluence for the four other major rivers, affects communities in Barrackpore, Debe, and Penal areas and usually during high tide, floods can back up for days when there are unusually heavy rains. The river passes through Godineau swamp—3,171 hectares of tidal marsh and mangrove—before draining into the Gulf of Paria.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh also said there were rising flood waters and heavy rainfall in some areas but no reports of any damage.

Centenarian Juliana Valentine was the life of the party as residents of Aripo Village gathered to celebrate her birthday yesterday.

Valentine was full of energy, danced and sang to her invited guests.

The mother of 12, grandmother of 59, great-grandmother of 122 and great-great-grandmother of 49, celebrated her 100th birthday at Aripo (St Jude) Roman Catholic Church yesterday.

When she took the microphone and sang the 1956 classic Que Sera Sera to the packed chapel, the audience was thrilled.

As her great grandchildren serenaded her with parang songs, Valentine got up from the chair she was sitting in and began dancing.

Known fondly as Granny Julie by residents of Aripo, a tiny community east of Arima nestled on the foothills of the Northern Range, Valentine told Guardian Media she worked for many years in an agricultural estate, where she picked cocoa and oranges for 24 cents per day. She said those days you had to work for your money.

“Being alive for my 100th birthday is something to thank God for. I am not only alive but healthy and active, doing all my chores, I don’t depend on anybody thus far,” she said.

“God is great and I believe in him, he gave me the strength to attend church every Sunday. Only yesterday, I was in church singing and praising God”.

Asked her secret to longevity, she responded: “Always have a good heart, mind and give to those in need, never have people in your mind, always forgive and God will bless you.”

Valentine said her favourite food was breadfruit oil down, fig and ground provisions.

“I ate a lot of ground provisions, which were prepared in different styles.” Bake and buljol with home-made cocoa tea was her usual breakfast, all of which she attributed to her health.

The centenarian said even though she never attended school, she had common-sense. She was able to raise her 12 children to be well-disciplined and with good morals.

“I never had any problems with my children, both at home and school.”

She said not having an education and good job is no excuse for children being disobedient but being a good role model to them is what counted.

Valentine said she loved to sing and dance and learned those skills by listening and observing.

“I used to sing with a parang band and could not wait for Christmas to come to get back in the mood of singing and dancing at different venues.”

When she was pregnant, she said, she never went for any medical check-up at the hospital but her mother used to boil roots of plants which she drank for nine days and both her children and herself remained healthy.

Valentine said nowadays when she listened to the news it pained her. She said Trinidad could never be as it was in her time, there were no murders or any other crime, people walked about freely.

“We were safe, not today.”

Asked what advice she can give the young generation, Valentine said, she cannot give any advice to young people because they all have an attitude and never respect or listen to the older heads.

Her son, Simeon Valentine, said his mother was very healthy and seldom took medicine.

“Now she is taking panadol but all her medicine are herbs. We have no problem with her except for her wanting to cook. She does all the chores by herself and is a very nice and loving mother,” he added.

Gail Austin Pinder, who spoke on behalf of the villagers, described Valentine as a generous person, who was always willing to give her visitors a bag with some goodies—either common fowl eggs, yam, cassava or pimento—you never left empty-handed.

“Granny Julie is witty and fun-loving, we would often hear her say, ‘I am drinking porridge to give me courage,’” Pinder recalled.

She had a passion for cooking and for the feast of the Holy Family, villagers looked forward to her pastelles. She taught the Red Cross Campers to make cassava bread on her double-burner fireside and ground cocoa beans to make home-made chocolate.

“Granny always warned young ladies to find out about people’s family background before they got into a relationship. She was quick to correct those going down the wrong path and always stood for truth,” Pinder said.

Valentine also loved craft making, made many a patchwork bed spreads, scatter cushions, rugs and holders for her flowers to decorate her home. She had a green thumb and all around her house, there is an array of colourful plants and shrubs, fruit trees and vegetable garden. Fr Steve Duncan presided at the church service.

As clean up operations to remove tonnes of debris and slush got underway yesterday, in the aftermath of Sunday’s flash floods in downtown Port-of-Spain, Minister of Works Rohan Sinanan is promising relief as the testing of a pump to clear city drains commenced yesterday.

The pump, which will be located just outside the Port of Port-of-Spain, will pull the water from the city’s underground drains into the Gulf of Paria.

If this testing is successful, according to the Minister, at least four pumps will be used at strategic locations to prevent widespread flooding in the capital city.

“The tender will close this week or by next week for the latest and once this is successful, we will have at least three to four more pumps,” Sinanan said.

He blamed Sunday’s disaster on the volume of rain dumped by the passing tropical wave.

“That rain fell more than three hours and it was significant and once you get that amount of rainfall in that space of time it is going to cause a challenge with the underground drains,” the minister said.

He, however, noted that recently a robotic camera was sent underground and received images which showed that some of the underground drains were blocked from the foundations of newly-constructed buildings in the city.

“So we are hoping that this exercise with the pumps works even at high tides, and once it works we will ramp it up and have at least three to four pumps installed,” Sinanan said.

As a result of the flooding, three schools in North: Morvant Anglican Primary, St Francois Girls’ College and St Crispin’s Anglican Primary were closed yesterday, the Education Ministry confirmed. Ministry officials said there were no major damage and schools will be reopened today.

There were also reports of fallen trees in Tunapuna, Port-of-Spain and Diego Martin.

Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julien confirmed that the corporation had received several reports of fallen trees but admitted that they did not have the necessary equipment or machinery to remove them. She assured affected residents that once they cut and clear the trees, the corporation would remove the branches free of charge.

An official from the Diego Martin Regional Corporation said that the Diego Martin River did not burst its bank yesterday but noted there was flooding in some areas. “We had no serious reports of homes flooded out but we had workers out there to help wash down and remove debris,” the official added.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Health stated that “all public health facilities are up and running after Sunday’s flash floods in parts of north and central Trinidad.”

T&T’s High Commissioner to India Dave Persad has tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, expressing disappointment that concerns he raised with the PM have not been acknowledged or addressed.

Although the resignation is effective from July 31, Persad said he is prepared to return home sooner.

Persad’s resignation letter, dated July 2, was sent to Rowley and copied to Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dennis Moses.

In his resignation letter, Persad noted that he had raised “serious concerns” with the Prime Minister in a letter dated May 30 and an email dated June 11. But he said neither of those had been “acknowledged, much less addressed.” As such, he said, it is “my respectful view that no useful purpose will be served with me continuing as the Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner for India and other accredited countries”.

Persad told Rowley that it was with “deep regret and disappointment” that he had tendered his resignation effective July 31, “or sooner,” as determined by the Prime Minister. He said he would be “grateful” for an early confirmation of his departure date“for obvious reasons.”

In WhatsApp responses to questions sent by Guardian Media, Persad said he had a “good relationship” with both Rowley and Moses. But he said he could not continue serving as High Commissioner and thanked the Prime Minister and the Government for affording him “the honour and privilege” to serve the country.

Up to late yesterday, he had still received no response from either the Prime Minister or Moses on his resignation letter and efforts to contact both men were unsuccessful.

Persad said he had taken the decision to resign “after much thought” but felt it was “in the best interest of the mission.”

He admitted that he was disappointed that it had reached this stage but felt he was left with no choice given that concerns he raised at both the ministerial and Prime Ministerial level were not addressed.

He declined to go into further details on his decision to resign, saying he preferred not to comment further.

Asked if the Prime Minister asked him to reconsider his decision whether he would do so, Persad would only say some problems would have to be “solved” in order for him to do so.

In his June 11 email to Rowley, Persad raised concerns about another staff member at the High Commission.

Under the subject title “insubordination,” Persad advised the Prime Minister the individual had gone on a foreign assignment without informing him.

Saying he learnt of the assignment by accident through an internal document at the mission, Singh said “this is truly unacceptable.”

Sources close to Persad said he felt his hands were tied in dealing with several issues affecting the High Commission and had sought the assistance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on at least three occasions dating back to July 2017, but the issues were never addressed. It was out of a sense of “frustration,” Guardian Media was told, that Persad eventually wrote to Rowley on May 30 hoping to have better luck.

Among the issues raised by Persad in the 21-page letter to Rowley was the salaries paid to workers at the Embassy in India.

In August last year, 11 employees who are all Indian nationals refused to report for duty because they had not received an increase in their wages for the past six years.

The Prime Minister was told the Indian nationals were paid below the minimum wage of India and although it was brought to the attention of the minister was not addressed.

The workers are paid in rupees, the currency of India. Concerns were also raised that an action plan which sought to promote diplomatic, business, cultural and social relations between India and Trinidad and Tobago could not be taken forward.

Persad, an attorney by profession, received his instrument of appointment from Moses in September 2016.

At that function, Moses said the diplomatic network of overseas missions must be the front-line in projecting the interests of Trinidad and Tobago internationally.

But the letter raised concerns that the High Commission has to seek permission from the ministry to advertise and to engage in interviews to promote its mandate.

Persad is a former chairman of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation. He resigned from the United National Congress in August 2014 and joined the People’s National Movement during the campaign for the 2015 general election.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Seven months after he was injured when his parents’ home collapsed during heavy rainfall, baby Christopher Sahadeo Poonilal has suffered a seizure at home.

His parents Curtis Poonilal and Christine Sahadeo are now frantically trying to raise $5,000 to do an electroencephalography scan on his brain at a private medical hospital. Electroencephalography is an electro-physiological monitoring method used to record the electrical activity of the brain.

Christopher has been treated at the San Fernando General Hospital and has since been discharged, but Poonilal said he was told by hospital staff that the electroencephalography machine has not been working for the past two years so the scan could not be done at the hospital.

Saying his son desperately needed the scan, Poonilal said he was now in the process of going door to door to get assistance.

“Things are hard at home because I am not getting work. I stay home to care for him and we are barely managing, so finding $5,000 now to do the scan is difficult,” Poonilal said.

Ceiling tiles fell on top of Christopher’s head when their wooden home at Enid Village, Rio Claro collapsed. After the T&T Guardian highlighted their story in January, members of the public came forward and donated building materials for Poonilal to rebuild their home. Since then, Poonilal said Christopher has been growing well.

“He is saying words, he is growing so nice and when he got the seizure on Saturday I thought he would die in my arms,” Poonilal cried, adding Christopher’s eyes began rolling up in his head and he started to stretch out.

“His body started to stiffen. It was worse than we ever saw. We took him to the health centre and the ambulance carried him to the hospital.”

Poonilal said although his son had an emergency card it took almost a day before he was finally admitted to the ward. During this time, Poonilal said his son started to lose his sight.

“I was snapping my finger in front of his eyes and calling him and he was turning around and looking for me even though I was right in front of him,” Poonilal said. He said a team of doctors led by Dr Rajindra Parag eventually took charge of Christopher and saved his life.

“I am so thankful to Dr Parag. He explained everything to us and he was very kind and compassionate,” Poonilal said.

He added that once the electroencephalography scan is done doctors will be able to monitor the electrical activity of Christopher’s brain. Anyone wanting to assist Poonilal can contact him at 380-3606.

Contacted yesterday, Southwest Regional Health Authority CEO Dr Albert Persaud confirmed the hospital did not have an electroencephalography machine.

“We need to procure a new machine as the old one has run its life. We are looking into it and a machine has already been ordered,” Persaud said.

He could not say when the machine will be brought in or what was the cost.

While Government says its anti-terrorism bill must be passed at today’s Parliament sitting or T&T will be blacklisted by 190 countries, one Muslim group has taken issue with certain recent remarks by the Prime Minister and hopes the Opposition “stands strong” on the bill.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament yesterday, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi pointed out the need for amendments in the bill to be passed when it returns to the Lower House’s final (committee discussion) stage this afternoon.

“This bill is ‘Fatca on Steroids’ - to stress how significant it is and the urgency to pass it,” Al-Rawi said.

“T&T faced sanctions by the US only with the controversial Fatca legislation. But if we don’t pass the Anti-terrorism Bill T&T faces sanctions by 190 countries and those sanctions—like Fatca—have to do with correspondent banking and brokering, affecting the economy.”

Al-Rawi said he had noted that although the bill was examined by a Joint Select Committee, the Opposition now wants changes in the law all the way from where it was first passed in 2005 despite the fact the Opposition had voted for changes in it since then.

“The Opposition is simply trying to frustrate in this exercise,” he said.

Today’s discussion on the bill comes as Parliament concludes outstanding matters to take its mid-year recess after July 6.

Yesterday, Government Senate leader Franklin Khan said if the bill is passed in the Lower House today the Senate is prepared to meet on Thursday and Friday to approve the Lower House’s changes.

Yesterday, however, Muslims of T&T PRO Imtiaz Mohammed said his organisation hopes the Opposition “stands strong” on points which some quarters—though happy with some aspects—are still concerned about. Mohammed said their points are especially underscored now following remarks by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley last weekend at ASJA’s Eid dinner.

Mohammed noted the reported statements by the PM for Muslims to “reject” any conversations that the Government was trying to impose any “anti-Muslim” law or policy.

Mohammed said, “The Prime Minister’s remark seems aimed at our criticism of Government’s Anti-Terrorism bill. But if people have concerns on this the Prime Minister isn’t the voice of the Muslim community to call for anyone to ‘reject’ conversations.

“We understand Government needs the Muslim support desperately to win the Barataria by-election, but if so they shouldn’t say that points we make about the bill aren’t important or valid. If they want to convince anyone they should reveal the results of the probe of the Carnival plot.”