San Fernando mayor Kazim Hosein is denying allegations by the head of the business association in the city that he is breaking the law in relation to the allowances he made for taxi drivers to occupy an extra portion of the busy High Street.

He said he made no unilateral decision and that the arrangement was sanctioned by a senior officer from the police Southern Division as well as representatives from Traffic Management.

Hosein was responding to statements made by San Fernando Business Association president Daphne Bartlett that the occupation of North/ South and Chaguanas taxi drivers on both sides of upper High Street was a deterrent to business operators.

She accused the mayor of giving the drivers permission to break the law by parking on the street opposite to their official taxi stand.

In a media release, Hosein said the arrangement was made in conjuction with the Taxi Drivers’ Associations, the Southern Division Police, the Traffic Management Branch and the San Fernando City Corporation. He said the arrangements are temporary as a permanent solution is being worked out.

“As the first servant to the citizens of the City of San Fernando, I take very seriously my responsibility to ensure that the proper procedures and laws are followed as I work to meet the many demands placed on my office by numerous stakeholder groups. 

He said it is for this reason he ensured that the president of all of the taxi drivers associations representing Curepe, Chaguanas and Port-of-Spain to San Fernando  as well as the City’s CEO,  Indarjit Singh, representatives of the Traffic Management Branch Southern Division and Senior Supt of the Southern Division Police Irwin Hackshaw were all present at the January 11 meeting when the decision was taken.

“As mayor, I represent the interests of the citizens of San Fernando, but at no time do I make unilateral decisions. 

“I am required to work together with the administrative arm of the SFCC. 

“In this instance I was also required to have the consent of Senior Supt of the Southern Division Police Irwin Hackshaw.”

Hosein said the decision to allow nine parking spaces for taxi drivers on the left side of High Street was made not only as a way of supporting the taxi drivers, who are businessmen in their own right, but as a means to ensure customers can continue to visit High Street to support businesses who operate there. 

The drivers will soon have use of Short Street as a waiting area, Hosein said.

A murder suspect under police guard at hospital managed to escape and is believed to be responsible for another murder in San Fernando.

The suspect, who police alleged shot and killed Micheal Patterson last Friday on a busy Mucurapo Street, San Fernando, was detained after he was injured on Saturday during a shooting incident which left another of Patterson’s relatives in a critical condition at hospital.

Police remained tight-lipped on the escape yesterday but said an investigation had begun into the circumstance of how the suspect was able to escape.

The feud between warring neighbours has left the community in fear and police are bracing for more reprisal killings.

Police investigators say the suspect on the run allegedly shot and killed Alfredo Patterson at King’s Wharf, San Fernando, hours after he escaped from the hospital on Sunday. 

Alfredo Patterson, 25, of Peter Street, La Romaine, died around 1 am yesterday at the hospital from multiple gunshot wounds.

A manhunt has been launched for the 27-year-old suspect of Upper Hillside Drive, San Fernando. Police said he has a gunshot injury to one of his legs and have alerted hospitals, health centres and medical practitioners to be on the lookout for the suspect who would have suffered heavy blood loss.

The Mucurapo Street murder took place around 4.30 pm and the suspect managed to escape after the killer hijacked a motorist and stole his vehicle along Coffee Street. Police said that shooting incident stemmed from a previous altercation where the suspect was reportedly assaulted by Micheal Patterson at Coffee Street last week.

Police said Micheal Patterson was arrested in the past for drug possession and had been out on bail.

Micheal Patterson, 27, of Medine Street, San Fernando, died on the spot.

Police said one of dead man’s relative went to the suspect’s home seeking revenge on Saturday and was shot in the head during a shootout.

They were both taken to the hospital, treated and warded in a critical condition under police guard. 

A revolver and a shotgun which were recovered after Saturday’s shootout have been sent for ballistic testing.

Southern Division police are continuing investigations.

In a separate incident, officers from central Trinidad went to an open field in Enterprise, Chaguanas, yesterday, where they recovered a quantity of ammunition, a bullet proof vest, a shoulder gun holster and a quantity of marijuana.

Among the items seized were four pistol magazines, two extended, 269 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, 14 rounds of .45 ammunition, two rounds of .40 ammunition, ten rounds of .38 ammunition, five 12-gauge cartridges and 3.38 kilogrammes of marijuana. No one was arrested.

Contractors who are owed billions of dollars by the State are likely not to see one red cent following a decision by the High Court yesterday to uphold the limitation defence used by the State to avoid payment to a contractor.

The High Court dismissed the claim by contractor Terrence G Wiltshire, of the Bynoe Rowe Wiltshire Partnership, to recover $14 million from the State for construction work he did eight years ago on the basis that the four-year limitation period to initiate the lawsuit had expired.

However, in dismissing the matter which Wiltshire had brought against the Attorney General, Justice Frank Seepersad acknowledged that the limitation defence to avoid payment had caused a kind of disquiet.

He said it also had the ability to erode the public trust and confidence in the executive and urged the State to do what was right. 

Wiltshire had gone to court seeking a mandate to get the State to pay the sum which represented a ten per cent retention payment on a package of contracts awarded by the Ministry of Education for refurbishment of schools.

Under government contracts the ten per cent is withheld upon completion and handing-over of the project so that any defects can be remedied. The contracts were completed during the period 2008-2009.

The Attorney General’s office moved for the court to strike the matter out on the basis that it was statute barred as Wiltshire waited past the four years legal limit to make the claim.

In an oral judgment delivered at the Hall of Justice, yesterday, Seepersad ruled in favour of the State. 

Submitting that under Section 9 of the Limitations of Certain Actions Act, claims in the contract must be proceeded with, within four years of the accrual of the cause of the action, Seepersad ruled that in this case the court found that the cause of action accrued in 2009 and the claim ought to have been filed in 2013.

In dismissing the claim, Seepersad strongly criticised the action of the State, pointing out that while a party is entitled to raise a limitation defence, the State’s action in the matter had caused disquiet with the court.

“When the State advances a technical legal argument so as to avoid the payment of a legitimate debt, such action can significantly erode the public’s trust and confidence in the executive and can lead to a heightened state of unlawfulness and anarchy.

“The position adopted in this matter also appears to be counter -productive, as such a stance may not lend itself to investor confidence,” he added.

He underscored that in the current economic climate, the inability to recover such a substantial debt could have debilitating consequences for a businessman. 

He suggested: “The symbiotic relationship between the business community and the State has to be nurtured, especially given the prevailing economic circumstances and the course adopted by the State in this case is not consistent with the call for patriotism and for the investment by businessmen in the local economy.

“While the court cannot enforce this debt, the State is urged to do that which is right.”

In the circumstances, the court indicated that it would be oppressive to make a costs order, given the fact that the State had received a substantial benefit from the partnership’s work. He ordered that each party had to bear their respective legal costs.

The Bynoe Rowe Wiltshire Partnership was represented by attorney Fulton Wilson. 

Attorney for the State, Karel Douglas, thanked the court for its comments. The attorneys acknowledged that the decision may impact on a significant number of contractors.

Mystery surrounds the death of Stevie Hansraj, ten, who was crushed to death when a steel gate in an abandoned slaughter house fell on him near his home at Sirju Sadhu Salt Mine Trace, Siparia, on Sunday. 

His grandmother, Pamela Hansraj, said yesterday she was suspicious about the incident and wondered aloud what may have led him there as it was a place he never frequented. 

“This is too mysterious,” she said.

Police reports indicate that the child was found shortly before 10 pm by his elder brother, Steffon, 14, and one of his cousins, who is a police officer, at the abandoned cattle slaughter house owned by API Pipeline. 

He was trapped under an iron and steel door measuring six feet by five feet. He was pronounced dead by DMO Dr Parasram who visited the scene.

An autopsy performed by Dr Hughvon de Vignes at the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James, yesterday, gave the cause of death as compression asphyxia.

At the family’s home yesterday, his parents, Steve and Annary Hansraj, were grief stricken as they tried to come to terms with the death of their third child, who is one of a twin.

Students at the Siparia KPA School where Steve and his twin brother Stephen were Standard Three pupils were also counselled and comforted by members of the Student Support Services from the Ministry of Education yesterday morning.

Dad Steve said the last time he spoke to Stevie was after lunch on Sunday when he and his dog, Brownie, left to visit a friend at the nearby Mulchan Trace. 

He said when he did not return some four hours later, he went to the home of his son’s friend only to learn Stevie never arrived there. The family started a search in the area and as dusk descended, mom Annary contacted two of her cousins who are police officers and they joined the search. 

With torchlights in hand the family later ventured onto the property that was once a wildlife resort. 

The howling of the family’s dog, which was tied to a post in the slaughterhouse, led Steffon to his brother’s body at the foot of the steel equipment which was used to confine animals before they were slaughtered.

Annary said she and her husband rushed to the scene but the police prevented her from viewing her son’s body. Dad Steve was allowed but dashed back out to seek solace in his wife’s arms after seeing his son’s body.

Yesterday, Steve said his son was very ambitious, bright and loved school. He said Stevie was always the one he called on to do any chore because of his willingness.

“He was a good boy. I don’t know what caused him to go there. He never went there before,” he cried.

Offering a theory about what might have happened, he said he believed his son’s curiosity got the better of him and in trying to climb to the top of the gate, which was used to squeeze the animals to death, he triggered some mechanism and caused the gate to fall on him.

The family said they had no idea how they were going to bury Stevie, as his father, who is a mason, is now unemployed.

Close to 400 pounds of dead fish has once again washed up on the shores at Point Sable and Carat Shed beaches, La Brea, sparking fear among residents that what ever caused their death could also affect them.

The find has propelled president of the La Brea Fisherfolk Association, Alvin La Borde, to once again plead with the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to come clean with the results of tests conducted in the past and say what was causing the fish kill to continue.

Speaking at Carat Shed beach yesterday, La Borde said following the discovery of carcasses of a bottle-nose dolphin and other marine life on the beach last August, numerous samples were taken but the results were never revealed.

“Basically the same thing is happening again. A lot of different species of fish is washing ashore and it is a cause for serious concern. 

“What is killing the fish could be affecting human beings in some way. We want to know if this fish kill is as a result of some sort of chemical being dumped in the sea because it does not happen throughout the year.”

He said dead fish first started surfacing following the Petrotrin oil spill two years ago but did not believe that was responsible for the present situation. He said there were a lot of companies operating around the Gulf of Paria and toxicity levels in the water must be tested and revealed so it could be corrected. 

 La Borde said since the new wave of fish kill started on Sunday, “I contacted the EMA and they assured me they would be getting in touch with the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and come down here to do some testing.”

Representatives were yet to arrive, he said. A trustee with the fishing association, Wayne Henry, questioned what sense it made to test samples when the results remained hidden.

“Fishermen from Otaheite, Claxton Bay, do night fishing on these beaches. When they throw their nets into the sea chances are some of the sick fish could get caught up in the nets and they could sell these to unsuspecting customers who could die and nobody will know what killed them because some of the half dead ones look good. Fishermen want a proper investigation into what is causing this fish kill,” Henry said.

La Borde expressed disappointment with the response of the elected representatives for La Brea, including the local government councillor and MP Nicole Olivierre. He said the association had been trying to arrange a meeting with Olivierre, who is also the Energy Minister, since last year with no success.

“We have asked for several meetings with Miss Olivierre and the last response we got from her secretary is that the earliest available date is the ending of February,” La Borde said. 

The Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) is denying that there is a fish kill at La Brea, insisting instead that it is a case of fishermen dumping an unwanted catch of low demand fish.

Further to the IMA’s preliminary findings, La Brea Member of Parliament Nicole Olivierre is now instructing the organisation to conduct toxicology testings on the carcasses to determine the cause scientifically. 

“The first step that has to be taken in trying to ascertain the source of the fish kill is to actually have the IMA do some sampling of the fish that came up and do some toxicology testing to determine exactly what it is that has caused the fishes to die.

“Once we have ascertained that, then we will be able to work backwards and see exactly what the source of that toxicology substance is, so we could then take steps to identify the source of any pollution that is out there,” she said.

Olivierre, who is also the minister of energy, responded to questions about the troubling issue in her constituency, during a site visit to Wells Services Rig 4 located in the Petrotrin Field at Sudama Trace, Fyzabad, yesterday.

La Brea fisherfolk are speculating that toxic waste being dumped from one of the companies operating along the Gulf of Paria may be responsible for the dead fish washing ashore.

However, the IMA, which visited one of the affected beaches, Carat Shed Beach, La Brea, earlier this week, released its preliminary findings which suggest the likely cause of the fish kills is the dumping of unwanted catch by an unknown party or parties.

The IMA based its findings on the fact that the most popular specie of fish which washed ashore was mullet which preliminary market data indicates there is a low local demand for at present.

The institute said it also observed, during the investigation, that fishing was taking place within the same area, with live healthy salmon and blinch being caught by fishermen and that there were no abnormalities relating to water quality at the sites in question.

Quizzed about the claims of fishermen, Olivierre said, “Fish kills are a major concern because La Brea is a fishing community. So we want to make sure that the fish that is caught in the area will be safe.”

To this end, she said, she would make every effort to ascertain the source of the toxin, if any, which was causing the death of the marine life in that particular area. 

Without empirical data, she said, they could not assign blame to any company or individual.

In response to claims that toxicology tests done last August, when a dolphin and other species of fish washed ashore, were never released, Olivierre stated that she has asked a representative from the ministry to contact the IMA to obtain those results.

“So we can look into it, to see exactly what findings came out of it, to determine the source of the substance that is leading to this fish kill because we want to make sure fish caught in this area are safe.”

The police search for child sex predator Franklyn Chea Callender ended yesterday when he was found hanging by his neck from a rope tied to a mango tree near Cemetery Street, Princes Town.

Police found, strapped to his stomach, a laptop which is believed to contain more pictures of him engaging in sexual activity with children. 

Members of the Police Service Cyber Crimes Unit were said to be going through the computer “with a fine-tooth comb,” yesterday, to see if the five-year-old child of his former lover was his only victim or if there were pictures/videos of others.

Callender’s body was discovered by passers-by hanging from a four-foot length of rope suspended from a mango tree some 30 feet off of Cemetery Street, metres from a nearby burial site. Police were contacted and a party of officers led by ASP Rohan Pardasie, Cpl Nanan and others went to the scene. Police removed the body and District Medical Officer Francis viewed it and ordered it removed to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy next Wednesday.

Sources said his body was positively identified by the mother of the infant who shared an intimate relationship with him. She confirmed to police that he was the man seen having oral sex with her child in several video files on his cellular phone.

ASP Pardasie yesterday took the opportunity to warn mothers against leaving their children with strangers, especially males.

The stomach-churning events began on February 1 when the woman, a mother of three, was shown the pictures of her innocent child by her brother, who had accidentally discovered them when he went to silence Callender’s phone after the alarm went off.

The woman confronted Callender and he ran out of her house. Since then, the 31-year-old security guard, who had addresses at both Maingot Road and Gajadhar Lands, Princes Town, had been on the run after his distraught ex-lover reported her findings to the police. Callender is the son of a retired police officer.

Reports indicate that he and the woman, who is also a security guard, met while working together and developed a relationship. They started living together shortly thereafter. The woman, who appeared on Ian Alleyne’s Crime Watch programme on Thursday, said he was a good man and started taking care of her daughter after the child’s grandmother became ill.

As the search intensified, however, police discovered that Callender was a known sex predator, having appeared before a Princes Town magistrate only last week to answer charges of rape and robbery. He was out on bail when he betrayed the trust of his lover, who left her daughter in his care whom he assaulted.

Inspector Don Gajadhar of the Southern Division police is continuing investigations.

In an unrelated incident, a 33-year-old Scarborough landscaper is being investigated for allegedly committing a sexual offence against a child. The report was made this week and the man was held yesterday by police. The Child Protection Unit is spearheading the investigation.

Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre yesterday commended state-owned Petrotrin for drilling an exploratory well in one of its fields at Sudama Trace in Fyzabad.

The well is meant to ascertain the extent of the crude formation in this area and comes as the company grapples with depressed energy prices.

Olivierre, accompanied by Petrotrin’s president Fitzroy Harewood made an inspection and site visit of well #Fyzabad 1050, yesterday.

She said the well, which spudded on January 22, and is expected to be on site for one month, is a demonstration of Petrotrin’s continued efforts in increasing its land production. The total depth is going to be 7541 feet.

She said the exploratory well is the first being drilled in this particular area for several decades based on the results of a 3D seismic survey that was done five years ago.

“So the geologists and geophysicists would have studied the seismic interpretation and identified this particular location as the best candidate for exploration.”

She expressed optimism the exercise will be successful and additional wells will be drilled to develop any hydrocarbons in the reservoir.

Harewood said: “This well is one that we think is critical for us to understand what exactly is happening in this area. 

“The minister has identified that we have not done work in this area for a number of years, well over a decade if not more. But clearly based on the data we have seen on the 3D seismic survey we did, this is one of those we have identified for appraisal drilling and that work is going on now.”

He said this will give the company enough information to plan their next steps, “in terms of what we do in this area, in terms of further drilling. But it represents our continued efforts to identify additional resources that we can gain production from and increase our oil production going forward, notwithstanding the fact that we are going through some very challenging times.” Harewood said inspite of the low energy prices, “we think it’s important to lay a foundation for the future going forward and this well represents that.”

He admitted: “We are going through a difficult time, like all other companies, we are not immune. I keep saying that we are an oil company but we are an integrated oil company and that is something people need to remember.

“We have a refinery that is operating at almost maximum throughput for the last two months and that has helped us in terms of being able to sell our gasoline products to the external markets and generate some revenue. But we are hurting as everyone else and we are making the best of what we can to manage our costs and keep our production going, keep our refinery throughput up and keep our field production from declining and going forward as much as we can.”

He said those are the fundamentals to keep the business going as they make every efforts to make operations as efficient as possible.

“We are an integrated oil company so we keep our production going through our oil refinery. We also deal with keeping our land and marine production up and as efficient as we can and that is what we going to see to riding out this difficult period, if we can get the production maintained and increased if we can.”

A hint of tension between the two ministers in the Ministry of Education reared its head yesterday at the second instalment of the National Consultation on Education, as Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis referred to himself as “the stepchild’ of the ministry.

The comment came as Francis mounted the podium at the Southern Academy of the Performing Arts (SAPA) where the consultation was taking place before an audience of educators, students, politicians and other stakeholders.

“It is me, the stepchild of the ministry once again. I was given a short speaking period on Monday. Today, I am actually down for an address. I am not sure what that means but once again I will try not to be lengthy,” he began his address which preceded the feature address by the substantive minister Anthony Garcia.

When Garcia took to the stage, the conflict seemed to be compounded when in his introduction, he referred to Lovell as “junior minister.” 

Lovell remained stoic as Garcia immediately corrected himself saying: “Sorry, in the Ministry of Education. I always make the point that Dr Lovell is not a junior minister. He is a full fledged minister in the Ministry of Education. The only difference is, I have to account to the Cabinet. 

An unsmiling Lovell looked up as Garcia turned to him seated at the head table in the company of vice-president of the National Parent Teachers Association Raffiena Ali Boodoosingh, permanent secretary Gillian Macintyre, TTUTA’s president Devanand Sinanan and uttered: “Dr Lovell, I recognise you. I welcome you and I listen very attentively and I congratulate you on your presentation.”

In his address, Lovell pointed out that he was a passionate and fervent believer in education. He suggested that in T&T “we need to stop saying education is free. It is not free. It is tremendously expensive. It is State supported. We said free for too long,” he added.

Lovell said the education system was troubled but not in shambles. Saying “we took an education system that was not meant for us and made it work for us,” he added “the one critical mistake made was that we did not make it ours.”

Water restrictions are on the agenda for the entire country as the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) heeds the warning of the Meteorological Service to brace for a harsh dry season.

Asked about the anticipated shortfall in its supply and how it intends to satisfy its thousands of customers during the drought, the authority’s senior manager of corporate communications Daniel Plenty said a statement on the authority’s plans would be issued shortly.

Two months into the dry season, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Orville London said Tobago was already feeling the weight of a serious water crisis.

However, the San Fernando Business Association (SFBA) said its members were not waiting for WASA to tell them what to do. 

The association’s president Daphne Bartlett said her members, which included people who own and operate restaurants, food outlets and hotels, were already putting mechanisms in place to counter the anticipated shortfall.

“Owners of buildings, they have already taken in front and they have ensured that their water tank storage is adequate. They are keeping on top of it because this is not the first time they would be experiencing that.”

Bartlett said even micro entrepreneurs who operated car washes knew how to cope.

“Most people who wash cars use buckets. They have their tanks ready and use buckets to wash vehicles. The general public just have to realise what we are into and work accordingly and not waste water.”

Taking a jab at the Tobago water crisis, Bartlett said this is not new and wondered why after so much money had been allocated to Tobago, the situation had not been corrected.

“Every single summer time it is the same drama,” Bartlett said. 

Kendall Clement, Facilities Department supervisor at The Vehicle Management Corporation of T&T, said VMCOTT, which operates an automatic car wash in San Fernando, would be meeting between today and tomorrow to discuss the pending dry spell.

Clement said the company has a water storage capacity of 20,000 gallons, but depending on the supply consideration would be given to their opening hours or removing some of the features which used more water.

In a recent release the Met office said, “The outlook for the 2016 dry season indicates a harsh dry season will most likely occur, with odds that are highest for below average rainfall totals for the season overall, across the entire country.”

The Met Office said it expected the first half of the season from January to March to be particularly hot and dry with below average rainfall totals and hotter than average daytime and night time temperatures forecast across all areas of the country.

In Tobago, which depends heavily on tourism for its economic viability, London said the water situation to date was both challenging and critical.

London advised that both Trinidad and Tobago have been put on a drought alert for this coming dry season and expressed hope that WASA could adopt effective measures to mitigate the effects of the water shortage.

At last Wednesday’s post-Executive Council media briefing at the Administrative Complex, Calder Hall, London said he spoke with the manager of the WASA Tobago District, who confirmed that the water situation was quite challenging.

“Year-on-year there is a decline in the water levels in all the major sources,” the Chief Secretary told reporters.

“I am hoping that sooner rather than later that efforts would materialise by putting in place the promise for the operationalising of the wells that have been tested last year because that might be the quickest way for us to alleviate the situation. 

“An investment in operationalising those wells will give us an additional four million gallons a day,” London said.

“If we are talking now in February the situation is that critical, and if we do not do something quickly, we are going to have a more challenging period than last dry season.”

He called on Tobagonians to conserve water.

“We the people have to do what can be done in order not to exacerbate the situation. We have to really control the use of water and we have to be parsimonious in the way in which we utilise water in the next many months because the situation is critical,” London said.

While he gave the assurance that the THA would do all it could to encourage WASA to bring those wells on stream, he appealed to Tobagonians to play their role in ensuring they didn’t worsen the situation. 

Students from the Mt Pleasant Primary School and their parents today blocked the Sum Sum Hill, Claxton Bay, Main Road to draw attention to the recurring problem of a broken sewer system which has caused the school to be closed once again.

Calling on villagers to join in the protest, the group engaged in a lively chant, “Fix the sewer right now. It’s too stink to think.”

For approximately ten minutes, the placard-bearing protesters spread across the street at the Soledad Road entrance to their school, appealing to Education Minister Anthony Garcia to have a conscience and stop denying the children the right to an education.

This protest caused standstill traffic in the Claxton Bay area for hours. 

President of the Mt Pleasant Parent Teachers Association, Denise Kamal, explained that following a visit from the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) unit, the school was ordered closed on February 19. 

Two weeks later, she said, there has been no visible to attempt to have the pump repaired. 

“Last term, the students and teachers also suffered from lost school time for six weeks. As a result, the children were unable to sit the end of term test,” she said.

Keep posted to T&T Guardian for further information about the school.

Traffic came to a standstill in the busy Claxton Bay area yesterday as frustrated students, accompanied by their parents, blocked the Sum Sum Hill Main Road to complain once again about the closure of their school due to a recurring sewerage problem.

For a few moments the situation became tense as the driver of a dump truck jumped out of his vehicle and squared off with the protesters, mainly women and infant students, including one in a wheelchair, demanding they clear the road.

The intervention of a more-robust villager, who dragged a blue plastic drum in the middle of the road and ordered the protesters to continue, quelled the confrontation, but the driver then turned on the T&T Guardian photographer who was recording the situation.

The placard-bearing protesters marched from their school, Mt Pleasant Government Primary School, to the main road about a quarter of a mile away, chanting: “Fix the sewer right now. It’s too stink to think.” 

President of the Mt Pleasant Parent Teachers Association (PTA) Denise Kamal thanked the drivers for their patience and for allowing them the opportunity to highlight their plight.

She also appealed to Education Minister Anthony Garcia to intervene and stop denying the children the right to an education.

Kamal said the school was closed on February 19 after officials of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) unit were called in to view overflowing sewer.

Two weeks later, she said, there had been no visible attempts to have the pump repaired. 

Kamal said that was unacceptable as in the last term a similar problem kept students out of the classroom for six weeks resulting in their being unable to sit their end of term exams. 

She said in an effort to resolve the situation, letters highlighting the problem had been sent to the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA), the Ministry of Education, the Education Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL), the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) and their Member of Parliament, David Lee.

Lee also wrote to Garcia on February 26 seeking his intervention to have the problem rectified and over 200 students back in school.

Parents have also taken to the Ministry of Education’s Facebook page which evoked the response that the EFCL was handling the matter.

However, Kamal said when they called the EFCL, “the clerks responsible for our school were unaware of the school’s closure and had no information on the reports and quotations submitted.”

She demanded the immediate servicing and repair of the sewer pump so classes could resume next Monday as well as ongoing dialogue between the PTA and the principal towards a long-term solution.

“We refuse to deal with this situation every three months. 

“Parents are unwilling to accept that a job that can take half-of-an-hour to repair has now stretched into 12 days,” Kamal added.

A contractor employed by the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) to clean three of its facilities, including the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH), has been forced to downsize his staff because the authority has no money to pay them. 

Director of Premier Air Duct Cleaning Company, Ivor Reid, yesterday served 40 termination notices to staff, telling them their services will no longer be required effective today. 

In the letters, dated yesterday, Reid wrote: “This action is as a result of the arrears in payments outstanding to our company, together with the decision to downsize the scope of services which makes your position redundant.”

Reid said he had a two-year contract with the SWRHA to clean the San Fernando General Hospitalland the Princes Town and Couva health facilities. 

He previously employed 100 workers to clean washrooms, emergency department, car park, the yard, as well as providing napkins, soap, toilet paper and garbage bags. He said the contract was for $233,000 a month but he had not been paid since October 2015.

He said he mortgaged one of his properties to keep the company afloat but that money had run out and if the SWRHA did not pay him the over $930,000 owed to him this month, he would have to downsize further the 60 remaining staff members.

Contacted for comment SWRHA CEO, Anil Gosine, acknowledged the authority was owing Reid but disagreed the figure was in the $900,000 mark. He said it was more along the lines of $500,000. Gosine also said they have been making incremental payments to Reid, pointing out he received a cheque last week.

The CEO added he was unaware termination notices were being served to the cleaning company staff and he was not prepared to say what effect that would have on the sanitation of the hospitals until he spoke with Reid. 

The police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the body of a man which washed up on the shore of a Manzanilla Beach today.

According to police reports, shortly after midday, the half-naked body of a man of East Indian descent was found on the shore by residents.

The body bore two puncture wounds to the chest, and as such, the police are treating the case as a homicide. It was only clad in a T-shirt. 

The body is of dark complexion and is an estimated 5’8” tall. The police believe he was between the ages of 40 to 50 years-old.

The body showed little signs of decomposition, as such the police believe that he died recently.

Investigations continue. 

The unidentified body of a man with puncture wounds to his chest washed ashore along the Manzanilla beach around noon yesterday.

Officers from the Homicide Bureau as well as the Eastern Division responded and up until late yesterday were awaiting the arrival of the District Medical Officer (DMO) before the body could be removed.

Police are seeking assistance of the public in identifying the body of the man who was wearing only a jersey.

Senior Superintendent John Trim of the Eastern Division confirmed that a resident of the area discovered the body of the East Indian man, who they initially believed was a drowning victim. However, because of the puncture wounds, they are treating it as a homicide pending forensic examination, Trim said.

He said the man, who is of medium built, brown complexion, approximately five feet, eight inches tall and appears to be between 40-50 years old did not appear to have been in the water for long as there was no sign of deterioration.

“At this moment we have no clue who he is or where he is from. The body could have come from any location and the tide brought it in at Manzanilla.”

He appealed to the public who may have information on the identity of the man or any one who may have a missing relative matching the description to contact the police.

Two held after daylight robbery

In an unrelated incident, a combined team of police officers from the Rapid Response Unit, Criminal Investigations Department Operations Unit, Task Force and Highway Patrols nabbed two Gasparillo men shortly after they stole $28,000 at Palmiste Park, yesterday.

The men, ages 24 and 30, reportedly held up Rosanna Doriran, of Rousillac, who operates a stall near Palmiste Park.

Around 10 am, Doriran was conducting her business, when the two men, one armed with a knife, approached her and announced a hold-up.

They stole $28,000 she had in cash and escaped. The money represented weekend sales, police said.

A report was made and the combined arms of the Police Service, led by Sgt Ramroop and including PCs Rampersad, Charles, Mohammed, Ramdass, Khan, Moses, Goddard and WPC Plenty, responded. 

They combed the bushy area and found the men who were hiding in Block Four.

They were arrested and the money recovered. The knife believed to be used in the robbery was also recovered.

They are expected to be taken before several identification parades today in relation to other robberies.

An Upper Sixth Form potential scholarship winner of Naparima College, San Fernando, who was involved in a face-off with one of his teachers on the issue of homosexuality, said yesterday that some students verbally abuse him because of his sexual orientation, and his US$500 cell phone was smashed.

The young man said he feels threatened. But he added that he is focused on his goal and will not let this obstacle stand in his way. 

San Fernando police have taken a statement from the science teacher who in an audio clip, which has gone viral on social media, allegedly threatened to shoot the family of the student she branded as gay.

Police confirmed that Cpl Thomas did take a statement from both the teacher and the student and a file is expected to be submitted to Senior Superintendent Irwin Hackshaw for further instructions.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia confirmed that the mother of the student did contact his office, but he was not yet privy to all of the information and could not yet pronounce on what course of action, if any, the ministry would take.

Last Thursday, the female teacher used the morning assembly to criticise homosexuality and homosexual practice.

The following day, the Upper Sixth student used the same forum to tell his peers it was okay to be gay. His comment offended the teacher who had made the initial comments, so much so that she used class time to tell students at the all-male college that homosexuality was a sin.

She also branded the student who stood up in defence of the gay community as being homosexual and his parents as atheist, and threatened to fix these problems with a gun. 

Her comments were recorded and posted on social media.

The young man, who plans to study law, said he is definitely gay, but so are other students at the school. Explaining his stand against the teacher, he said his parents have raised him to be outspoken and defend the defenceless and that is what he did last Friday.

Almost overnight, the simple statement that “it is okay to be gay” has turned the spotlight on a model Naparima College Upper Six student, making him a hero in the eyes of some and a pariah to others.

The young man in question, considered an academically gifted student by his peers and teachers, having achieved nine distinctions at the CSEC Level and who hopes to win an island scholarship, has since gone from being on the “A” list to blacklist.

However, the young man, who wants to pursue a career in law so he can continue to help the disenfranchised, has sworn not to let this incident shift his focus from his ultimate goals. 

He told the T&T Guardian when he made the pronouncement in opposition to anti-gay sentiments uttered by a teacher as he spoke at the school’s morning assembly the day before, it was not intended to bring the prestigious institution into disrepute.

He said he did not envisage the teacher would have been so affected by his comment that she would have vented before Form Five classes on that and other issues, she having been chastised by her colleagues for her initial remarks.

One of the sessions, in which the teacher erroneously dubbed him as being gay, his parents as “screw ups” and “atheists” and threatened to take them and their offsprings out if she had a gun, was recorded (audio) by a student and posted to social media. The post quickly went viral and has been picked up by mainstream media, putting the institution and the teacher under a microscope. 

Issues of drug use by students, some of whom are before the court and whom she identified by name and the mode of dress of female and male teachers have also been brought to the fore. Some have called for the teacher’s removal and evaluation while support has come from various stakeholders.

However, some students have also created an online petition hoping to garner at least 1,000 signatures in support of the teacher. The student said his peers smashing his phone and labelling him gay was shocking but not unexpected.

“A lot of them think I cause the situation Miss is in. They are saying she is a good teacher and she should not have to face the repercussion for what she did but all I did was say in my very unorthodox style what a lot of people (students and staff) were thinking but were afraid to voice,” he told the T&T Guardian.

Asked why he did it, the young man, the first of four boys for his parents, said he and his siblings had been brought up by their parents to be independent thinkers, to stand up for what they believed in and to be respectful. 

“She was disenfranchising and discriminating against a large group of students, many of which I know are in the school. I don’t think that is right. 

“If she had gone up there and said the same thing about people of African descent the backlash would have been way greater than it was,” he said.

On Tuesday, the teacher, instructed by the principal, apologised at the morning assembly but said she stood by her words, which were misconstrued and misunderstood. She also “apologised” to the young man later in the day, even though she was advised not to interact with him. 

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church Rev Anabell Lalla-Ramkhelawan and the Presbyterian Secondary School Board of Education are meeting at this time to determine the fate of a Naparima College science teacher who went on a rant denouncing gays and threatening to shoot the family of a student if she had a gun.

The meeting is taking place at the Church’s Paradise Pasture office, San Fernando, which is on the same compound of the College now under scrutiny.
The teacher is expected to appear before the Church’s hierarchy to explain her statements, which were taped by a student and posted on social media. School Principal Dr Michael Dowlat is also attending the meeting. 

Rev Lalla-Ramkhelawan said following the meeting a statement will be issued to the media. She said there will be no interviews on the outcome of the meeting.

The parents of the Upper Six student she threatened to shoot, are  calling for her removal.

The parents said they feel threatened, hurt and distressed with the teacher labelling their son as a homosexual and them as atheists because he made a statement in conflict with her belief on homosexuality.

“My son is not gay. He was only defending a group of people who are being discriminated against,” the mother said.

Her husband who also belongs to the Presbyterian faith, said, ‘we are not atheists. We believe in God. I pray everyday for my children and my wife for us to move forward. 

He said he fears that character assassination could severely impact the future of their child who is working hard to achieve a national scholarship. 

“She might be a good teacher but at this moment she has not demonstrated that. She is not God she cannot pass judgement like that on us.”

He said anyone who knows them will know they are good parents who have made endless sacrifices to ensure their sons are all excelling.

Ostracised by his peers, a Naparima College student who recorded the now controversial discussion one of his teachers engaged in with a Form Five class, has again made a recording, this time confessing what he did and apologising to the school and his colleagues.

The remorseful young man, in a ten-minute recording he sent to colleagues on What’s App asking for their understanding, said he took full responsibility for recording the violent and homophobic rant of the teacher who also criticised the way her colleagues dressed but he did not take responsibility for making it public. 

He said his trust was betrayed by a colleague, whom he trusted to listen and give a perspective but who instead posted it online. 

“I shouldn’t have recorded it but it happened and certain repercussions occurred but it wasn’t my fault. I understand the source was me but the negative effects of that is not my responsibility. That happened. We can’t change it now even though I wish I could.” 

He said the intention was not to use the information to bring the teacher into disrepute and subject her to all kinds of condemnatory remarks but to engage her in a later conversation as he disagreed with some of the perspectives she offered.

“I knew she would listen. That is why I did it. So I started to record... not really because I wanted to put it up publicly but because I am a person I have very bad short-term memory and I only listen through visual cues so I can’t pick up things.”

He said he had planned to review the recording over the weekend and talk to her on the Monday from a teacher to student perspective. 

He said he decided to share the conversation with a colleague, “who is on the other side of the table, who is openly homosexual as (name called).”

He said he asked him to listen to it and give him a feedback and trusted him to do just that.

The Form Five student said as soon as he heard about the online audio of his recording last week Sunday, he immediately confessed to his parents and the school’s administration but was advised not to respond or say anything “even though it really hurt me not to do so and tell you that I did it. That’s why my parents say, that’s what admin say and I could not disrespect them.”

Calling on his peers to understand where he was coming from and talk to him he said whatever their reaction, he would take it neither negatively or positively but treat them with the respect they deserved.

“Come and tell me what going on and we could talk it through.

“This is something we need to learn and take something out of. No matter how big or small, no matter good intent or bad intent, you should never ever react impulsively on emotions. Sometimes emotions take over logic,” he said.

Powerful Ladies of T&T (PLOTT) said it is very disturbed by the escalating murder rate which has crossed the 100 mark before the end of the first three months of 2016.

The group lamented the senseless killing of 14-year-old Darian Nedd who was chopped and set on fire at his family’s home at South Oropouche on Sunday because he witnessed a crime. 

The body has been so badly burnt that his identity could not be determined, preventing an autopsy from being done on Monday as scheduled. 

Instead, forensic pathologists will have to rely on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) samples from the remains and that of his mother, Christine, to find a match before they can determine the cause of death.

Three men are currently assisting the police in their investigations .

In a statement the organisation said, “Like many citizens across T&T, PLOTT is deeply disturbed by the escalating murder rate.”

In its review, the group used graphs to show that 86 per cent of those murdered were men and 12 per cent women. 

The gender of some two per cent of the victims is yet to be determined.

Of this figure, 21 per cent represented those in the 25 and under age group. 

The age group which represented the highest number of murders was the 26-35 years category. Some 13.7 per cent of the victims were in the 36-45 age group, 4.9 per cent between 46 and 55 years of age and 7.4 per cent were 56 years and over. The ages of a significant number of victims, numbering 13.7 per cent, are still unknown.

The life of the majority of victims was ended by a bullet, while 8.4 per cent were stabbed or chopped, 1.1 per cent beaten, 2.1 per cent burnt, another 2.1 per cent strangled, while the manner of death of 4.2 per cent remains undetermined.

PLOTT’s analysis said east Port- of-Spain continues to be the crime capital with 31.6 per cent of the murders for 2016 occurring in the areas of Laventille, San Juan and Belmont. In contrast the lowest number of murders were recorded in the West. 

The East/West Corridor is running a close second behind east Port-of-Spain with 24.2 per cent of the murders for the year happening in that part of the country. As of March 16, South recorded 18.9 per cent of the murders and Central 14.7 per cent.

While some criminals continue to use the cover of darkness to commit murders, some have become so brazen that they take out their victims in what is termed “broad daylight,” the organisation said.

Pointing out that statistics for 2016 are yet to be uploaded to the Police Service website, the group said it will continue its own research and analysis as it seeks answers.

Until then, it called on citizens to be safe, remain on the alert and report any crimes they may be aware of, witnesses to or victims of. 

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