A dry bed is a simple comfort that most people can take for granted. But nine-year-old Lorenzo Gilbert and his seven siblings never knew this comfort until Friday night when they received a new house from the non-governmental organisation Habitat for Humanity.

Lorenzo’s parents Carolyn and Omesh Seepersad, of First Street, Harmony Hall, Gasparillo, smiled proudly when they received the keys to their new $150,000 house during a function on Friday. It was attended by Republic Bank director and chairman of Capital Campaign Cabinet of Habitat for Humanity Ronald Harford, president of the National Gas Company Indar Maharaj and national director of Habitat for Humanity Jennifer Massiah.

Holding her six-week-old baby Leanna, a beaming Gilbert said it was a dream come true. “You know how long we trying to fix up our house?” she said, pointing to a ramshackle plywood house where they once lived. However, despite their efforts the roof of the wooden house caved in earlier this year and a wall at the back collapsed. The floors were rotten and the roof had gaping holes.

The old house had no furniture except for a broken sofa, a chair, a wooden table and a wardrobe with one door missing. The three boys—Luke, 18, Videsh, 14, and Lorenzo—sleep on a mattress on the floor while the girls—Laura-Lee, 19, Vasha, 16 and Vishalla, ten— share one bed. Omesh and Carolyn share a cramped room with three-year-old Varun and the new born baby. Gilbert said despite the conditions, she always tried to keep her family happy. 

In January, after they attended a community meeting, Gilbert’s plight caught the attention of Laura Ramlochan, a community development officer with the Land Settlement Agency. Ramlochan liaised with Habitat for Humanity, which received some funding from NGC and within six months, a new house was built. Harford told the Gilberts they now had the task of making the house into a home and challenged the family to work together to do well to improve their lives.

Little Lorenzo, who attends the Harmony Hall Presbyterian School promised Harford he would do well at school now they had a proper house. Maharaj, who also spoke at the function, said 25 members of NGC volunteered their time and labour to build the house and NGC offered two working days to them to assist the family. The house cost $150,000.

Massiah saluted NGC for its contribution to Habitat for Humanity. She said in oil-rich T&T, many families still lived in poverty and urged more companies to help Habitat for Humanity as part of their corporate social responsibility.

The NGO Citizens for Conservation, which has been advocating for the preservations fo the former Greyfriars Church of Scotland on Frederick Street, is proposing the creation of a Woodford Square Heritage District in the centre of Port-of-Spain. Here they explain their vision for it: 

Situated in the heart of Port-of Spain, Woodford Square is one of the capital’s busiest public squares. It is renowned as a place of political and religious gatherings, entertainment, discussions and craft markets. Formerly known as Brunswick Square, it was renamed after Governor Sir Ralph Woodford, who was responsible for rebuilding the square and much of the city after the 1808 fire. 

During T&T’s independence movement, led by Dr Eric Williams, the square was dubbed “the University of Woodford Square” and became a place of many political gatherings, and there is an area near the eastern gate known as “the Port of-Spain Speakers Corner.” Also included in the Woodford Square Heritage District would be the Old Police Station on St Vincent Street, the Cabildo building on Sackville Street and St John’s Baptist Church on Pembroke Street.

Woodford Square, as a Heritage District, will be an important attraction for visitors and provide the stimulus for the private and public sector to restore the historic buildings and sites. 

The identification of new ways to utilise these buildings can encourage funding for the repair, restoration and maintenance of these sites. Creative and adaptive reuse can help develop a heritage economy. Adaptive reuse must be stimulated by the State in creating districts and providing fiscal incentives and investment to encourage the private sector to restore buildings and sites for use in new and productive ways that will ensure their maintenance and their survival. 

Heritage tourism helps make historic preservation economically viable by using historic structures and landscapes to attract and serve travellers. It can be an attractive economic revitalisation strategy, especially as studies have consistently shown that heritage travellers stay longer and spend more money than other kinds of travellers. As an added bonus, a good heritage tourism programme improves the quality of life for citizens as well as serving visitors.

Heritage tourism is defined as “travelling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past,” and heritage tourism includes cultural, historic and natural resources. 

Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training Fazal Karim has estimated the cost of the Esmond Ramesar Open Campus Centre in Chaguanas at $561 million. Construction is under way on ten acres of land close to the Divali Nagar site and the first phase is carded to be completed in May. 

Karim was speaking at the UWI Open Campus Country Sites TT (UWI OCCSTT) annual awards and recognition ceremony on Friday at the UWI Teaching & Learning Complex, St Augustine. A total of 859 students—658 female and 211 male—graduated. 

Karim said the open campus, which began as UWI’s Extra-Mural department in 1947/48, had always sought to reinvent the way distance, professional and continuing education were offered to underserved communities across T&T. Over the years, it has evolved and now has 19 satellite centres nationwide, St Augustine being the headquarters until the Ramesar Centre in Chaguanas is established. 

Karim told the gathering t the new centre would be the largest of any facility owned and run by  UWI. Some of the features of its first phase are the Academic Programming and Delivery Division (APAD) Centre, Computer and Technology Services (CATS) Centre, Registry, Finance Department, country site administration offices, HR Department and classrooms. The state-of-the- art building will occupy 150,000 square feet. 

Karim told the management to ensure all the satellite centres were equipped and certified as workforce assessment centres. He also said the institution, when publishing photographs of the graduates, should state their areas of accomplishments, along with the number of graduates in each. “In this way, employers will be made aware of the type of graduates coming out of our tertiary learning institutions,” he explained. 

He also recommended that graduations should be the commencement of employment opportunities tagged to the graduation. “Bring the employers here,” he urged.

My name is Princess Simone Donelan and the film I co-produced, Dubois, won the last Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival Best Local Short Film Jury Prize.

I was born in Trinidad but, my parents being Grenadian, I lived in the Spice Isle from three years old. I returned when I was 17, to follow dreams of being in film.

My father really did name me, “Princess”. He named one brother Prince and another, Leroy, “king” in French. Before he could name my youngest brother Duke, my mother finally woke up and sent someone to register a normal name for him.

 My friends always give me picong about coming off the boat from Grenada like it’s a bad thing. But anytime I go back to visit family, I travel on the Caricom (cargo) boats. Fifteen hours on the sea beats the two thou absurd fee to travel 40 mins away!

I live on the Lady Young Road. People abandon dogs there often. I have had to get two strays euthanized since living here, both from people-cruelty, half of one’s head chopped off. My neighbor when he drinks, walks down our hill, stones my adopted strays. He drinks a lot. I wait ‘til he walks past and pelt eggs at his head. In his drunken stupor, he looks up in the trees and curses his chickens resting there.

 I wear red suspenders almost every day, and a bowler hat on occasion. It’s not a fashion statement. Say someone in Foreign is recommending you for a job, but they forget your name: they may say, “the lady in the red suspenders and bowler hat”.

I’m in pre-production for a documentary that follows five persons with various mental illnesses, over a six-month period. This is very important to me, as I once spent a holiday in the pink walls as a teenager, and saw firsthand how people treat those they consider ‘mad’ with disdain.  

I was lucky, I never gave a f--- what people thought, and my family had the means to get me through; but, when I walk through town and talk to those we consider lost causes, I connect to them more than I do ‘normal’ people; ‘cause I know how thin that line is 

In my job it’s a requirement to be around many people and, in work mode, I relish in this. Out of work situations, I prefer the company of my dog Soldier. He’s my emotional seeing-eye dog,

I’ve worked in a bank as proof-teller, checked containers for a shipping company at night whilst half-heartedly doing marketing at day and managed a bar. All decent-paying gigs that made me groan to wake up for; I wake up thankful every morn now. 
I don’t want kids although my bio clock ticks periodically. I pick up another stray dog when it does.

I believe that God, whoever it, she or he is, is in all of us. I don’t believe in religion at all. I’d like to think there’s an afterlife, though. But, since we’ve kinda f---ed up this Earth enough, maybe we don’t deserve second chances at it. 

Pedro Almodovar is my favourite filmmaker. Ayn Rand was a favourite author until I learnt she thinks God doesn’t exist

I played the part of Maya on the local TV soap opera, Westwood Park. It made me realize I wasn’t cut out to be an actor. Too slow-paced, waiting for makeup, lights, etc. But I’m very grateful for that experience which led me into production.

Executive producer Annabelle Alcazar hired me as co-producer of Dubois. I had to hire local crew, source equipment, production companies to rent and barter with, source catering, some locations (one was my house), transport, and troubleshoot on the ground when we started to shoot.

The best thing about co-producing Dubois was working in a production that the work is uppermost, not the egos. The story resonated and [director] Kaz [Ové] treated it with such brilliance and care. The worst thing was the last day of filming. 
This family you’ve spent time with, no longer exists.

God might be a Trini but a Trini is not God. Any God sanctions basic kindness and humanity to our fellow man but we aren’t too kind to the fragile. Somewhere on our path to being First World, we stopped seeing the ones struggling to keep afloat.

Trinidad and Tobago means to me unity. Or at least a hope for it.

Read a longer version of this feature at www.BCRaw.com

Randalyn Rowe
Student, Hugh Wooding Law School

A tenancy is a contractual relationship between two parties, namely a landlord and a tenant. The essence of a tenancy is a grant by the landlord to the tenant of ‘exclusive possession’ of a property together with an intention to create the relationship of landlord and tenant. Since the basis of the relationship is contractual, the rights of parties depend on the terms of the agreement.

There are however certain rights and obligations which are part of all tenancy agreements or are implied by law. In this article, some of the usual rights and obligations of the landlord will be noted.

• Rights
Rent: A landlord has the right to set and receive on a specified date, the rent for the property occupied by the tenant.

Entry: The landlord has the right to enter the property for the purposes of inspection and repairs. He must give the tenant at least 24 hours prior notice of his intention. In cases of emergency however, the landlord can enter the property without the tenant’s consent. Restrict assignment/Subletting: The landlord can reasonably withhold his consent or absolutely prohibit the tenant from assigning/ transferring his interest in the property or sub-letting/renting the premises to someone else.

Terminate tenancy: The landlord can end a tenancy by giving the tenant a valid and written “Notice to Quit.” If the tenancy is fixed, that is, for a specified number of years, the tenancy will end at its expiration. If the tenancy is periodic, for example monthly or yearly, the notice period is one month and six months’ respectively.

A landlord can also go to court for a possession order against the tenant for reasons such as non-payment of rent or on grounds that the property is required for personal use.

• Obligations
Receipts: The landlord must provide the tenant with receipts for payment of rent.

Repairs: The landlord must ensure that the property is in repair and in all respects fit to live in at the start and duration of the tenancy. He must maintain both the interior and exterior of the property. To carry out this duty, the landlord must be informed of the necessity for repairs and given reasonable access to the property to do such repairs.

If the tenant after reasonably informing the landlord of the need, undertakes such repairs, then the landlord must reimburse him. 

Quiet enjoyment: The landlord or anyone acting under him must not interfere with the tenant’s right to peacefully occupy the property. 

Fitness: When the property is furnished, there’s an implication that it is reasonably fit for human habitation, that is, it has met the minimum health and safety standards such as water, sanitation and proper ventilation. 

Return deposit: Where the landlord receives a security deposit, he must return it to the tenant at the end of the tenancy. It may however be kept if the tenant has, for example, failed to pay rent or has damaged the property.

• This column is not legal advice. If you have a legal problem, you should consult a legal adviser. Co-ordinator: Roshan Ramcharitar

Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams yesterday signalled his intention to give the investigation into the murders of German couple Hubertus and Birgid Keil top priority by naming an experienced team to handle the case. A reward of $100,000 is also being offered to the public for assistance in catching the  perpetrator/s and a hotline has been set up to accommodate the provision of such information. The hotline numbers are 708-9302, 708-9142 or 800-TIPS.

Speaking at a joint news conference at the Tobago House of Assembly’s (THA) Division of Tourism in Scarborough, Williams said although the incident was clearly a one-off type event it was not a norm on the island and police would give the case their highest attention due to the implication for the island’s tourism thrust. “We have put together a team of investigators, comprising numerous units of the Police Service, including the Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit and the CID, and we are in fact treating this matter as our highest priority. It is being treated this way because we know the implications of an incident like this in Tobago,” Williams said.

The team would be given the necessary resources to ensure the crime was solved effectively and efficiently, he added. “I have given that assurance to the Assistant Commissioner that all the available resources that he requires we will be providing it to ensure that this matter is extensively investigated, speedily investigated and not compromised in the investigation, by the way of speed but treating with the matter so that we can bring a successful closure to this investigation with the arrest of whoever is responsible for this heinous crime,” he added.

London still stunned
THA Chief Secretary Orville London, having extended his condolences, described the incident as a horrendous crime. 

He said the THA had decided to involve all the various stakeholders, inclusive of the Central Government, THA, Police Service and the private sector, to ensure the issue was resolved. He said there would be a co-ordinated approach, co-ordinated strategy and they would speak with a co-ordinated voice throughout the process

He added: “This horrendous crime is not indicative of the Tobago environment nor indicative of the Tobago people and it is something that we take very seriously and something that we intend to pursue with all professionalism and all the rigour that we can over the next couple of weeks until this crime is solved and the perpetrators brought to justice. “We want to send a powerful signal to all the local, regional and international communities that this particular situation is going to be treated at the highest level and given the highest priority.” 

He urged: “I want to take the opportunity to make an appeal to the people of Tobago that they have a responsibility to collaborate in this process and any information which they have, even if it is mild suspicion, ensure that information is handed over to the relevant authorities.”

Condolences have been expressed to Chargé d’ Affaires of the German Embassy in Port-of-Spain Dr Michel Freudenberg. The German Embassy told the THA it had been in contact with the couple’s daughter, Annegrete Keil, to inform her of the situation.

Impact on Tourism
Tourism Minister Gerard Hadeed says the Government had pledged full support to the THA in the case but notes that Tobago was still a safe place for foreigners.

He said: “We in the Government condemn this incident. The uncharacteristic nature of this type of incident does not fall in line with the peace-loving, happy people of Tobago. “The Government of Trinidad and Tobago will work hand-in-hand with the Tobago House of Assembly, with the police and with everyone to ensure that the safety and security of all our citizens, the citizens of other nations and the visitors would be held in the highest regard. “This is uncharacteristic, Tobagonians and Trinidadians are not this way.”

Hadeed said afterwards it was unfortunate that every time the tourism sector was set for a bumper season something like that happened to destabilise the sector. In a statement issued through his ministry earlier, Hadeed said he had sent a message of support and condolences to the family members of the couple.

The release said the Community Comfort Patrols (CCP) would be expanded in Tobago from December 1. The release added: “The increased visibility of the CCP represents another layer in the law enforcement strategy for Tobago, with the emphasis on prevention through deterrence.”

Gruesome find
The Keils — Hubertus, 74, and Birgid, 71 — were discovered shortly after 11 am on Sunday by a passerby who called the police. 

They had been hacked to death and their bodies dumped approximately one mile east of the beach at Bacolet Bay near the mouth of the river. There were chop wounds about their necks, hands and bodies. 

The couple was last seen on Thursday but investigators believe that the incident may have occurred shortly before the bodies were found. Police later found their villa locked and in a pristine condition with nothing missing.

The T&T Guardian was told the Keils lived alone and have been visiting Tobago annually for the past 20 years during the winter months. 

JENSEN LA VENDE and KALIFA CLYNE 

German authorities are discussing whether they will send police to Tobago to help investigate the murders of German citizens Hubertus and Birgid Keil. The Keils were found hacked to death near their  home at Minister’s Bay, Bacolet, shortly after 11 am on Saturday. They died from chop wounds to the back of the heads, which almost decapitated them. The couple was last seen the Thursday before their murders. 

Police said they found the couple’s villa locked and in a pristine condition. The Keils lived alone and had been visiting Tobago annually for the past 20 years during the winter months. Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Chargé d’Affaires Dr Michael Freudenberg said the decision to send members of the German Federal Police had not yet been taken but had been discussed. 

Freudenberg said the standing advisory for Germans planning to visit this country also had been updated and now warned people to be careful in Port-of-Spain and not to go to certain areas in T&T alone and after hours. He added that the updated advisory now included the murder of the couple. Asked about funeral arrangements, Freudenberg said that was up to the family, who were too distraught to speak with the local media. 

“The German media do not take photographs and interview the relatives of victims of crime like here,” Freudenberg said, adding it would be a culture shock for their daughter. The story of the Tobago murders has featured prominently in German media, such as Das Bild, a tabloid paper, and Die Welt, a more conservative daily. 

“We were shocked and horrified when we learned of this, which was not the first tragic incident that took place in that area. We only hope that this time the perpetrator would be caught,” Freudenberg said.

Hate crime by serial killers?
The Keils’ neighbour, Malcolm Johnson, a British citizen, said yesterday he thought the attack, and those on other foreigners in the past, were committed by a xenophobic serial killer at the request of high officials. He said in Tobago there was a disdain for foreigners which he himself had experienced and said that xenophobia was rooted in the island’s drive for independence 

“This is undoubtedly a hate crime. There is a lot of resentment in Tobago towards foreigners. Expats are voiceless there because they are afraid of reprisals and there is a lack of assistance from the police there,” Johnson said in a telephone interview. Foreigners and local residents plan to meet on Saturday at the Buccoo Integrated Centre to discuss the couple’s murder, he said, adding that something has to be done.

Johnson also plans to hold a march against violence within the next two weeks in honour of his neighbours and as a signal to the attackers that the foreign residents will not be intimidated. He said the Keils viewed Tobago as their Utopia and were kind and thoughtful. He added: “We will not allow their lives and those of victims of the past to be lost in vain and we will do all we can to create awareness to the increasingly worrying issues of violence on this island. 

“For too long now on Tobago, longer than the 20 years I've been coming here, serious crimes have been committed with little or no resolve and sadly quickly swept into oblivion.” On his Facebook page he said he and other overseas residents were hoping to organise a peaceful protest march, 

"‘The Freedom of Violence Walk’, soon will boost the awareness to these issues in memory of all those victims who have fallen as a result of this senseless violence over the years. Enough is enough and we have to make it clear that this trend cannot go on,” he stated.

Official reactions:
In a media release yesterday,  National Security Minister Gary Griffith said he was paying special interest to the case. Saying it had the potential to damage the country’s reputation with the international community and erode the benefits of much of the gains made in the war against crime, he said: 
“The Ministry of National Security remains committed to its efforts to the reduction of crime in Tobago through the provision of additional maritime assets, police vehicles and manpower, with specific air assets dedicated to Tobago operations. 

“An expanded CCTV system to provide islandwide coverage is in train and is evident that all the tools necessary to complement all anti-crime initiatives on the island are being sourced to enhance this effort.” Contacted yesterday on Johnson’s suggestion, acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams said he was in a meeting and would not be able to respond at the time. A text message was sent to him but up to press time he had not responded. 

During a press conference in Tobago on Monday, Williams said the investigation would be given priority and a $100,000 reward is being offered for assistance in catching the perpetrators. A hotline has also been set up to accommodate the provision of such information. 

Hotline numbers: 708-9302, 708-9142 or 800-TIPS.

Other foreigners attacked

• August 2009: British couple, Murium Greene, 59, and her husband Peter, 65, beaten and chopped at their Bacolet home.
Peter was chopped about his head and face. Police suspected robbery as a motive for the attack.
• October 2008: Swedish couple chopped to death at their villa in Bon Accord in what police described as an attempted robbery.
The couple, Anna Sundsval, 62, and Oke Olsoon, 73, had come to Tobago for two weeks before a planned trip to Australia. Olsoon was also chopped in the head and face.
• Also in October 2008: Two British women were sexually assaulted by a knife-wielding man while staying at a guest house on the island. They were also robbed.

The Appeal Court yesterday extended its order blocking the reinstatement of 68 workers of the National Petroleum who were fired by the state-owned company last year. Justice Allan Mendonca, after hearing arguments for lawyers representing the company and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union, agreed to extend his initial ruling to block last week’s decision by the Industrial Court.

The Industrial Court also ordered the company to pay $40,000 each in damages and payment of salaries and benefits from the date of dismissal, October 21, 2013 to November 19, 2014. The matter has been fixed for hearing on March 10, 2015. 

Two days after he said there was no conflict of interest between his appointments as Integrity Commission chairman and head of the Retired Judges’ Association, Zainool Hosein has resigned as head of the association. In a three-line press release, dated November 24, Justice Clebert Brooks, secretary of the association, confirmed the resignation.

Hosein was sworn in as chairman of the Integrity Commission by President Anthony Carmona at President’s House, St Ann’s, last Friday. At the time, when questioned about the possible conflict of interest, Hosein reportedly said: “The association will continue and I still remain a retired judge and I still remain the head of that association. There is no conflict of interest or duty, as there is no conflict of any salary involved.”

Pressed about the association’s intention to lobby the Government to increase the pensions of retired judges, Hosein responded: “That does not come within the scope of this interview. If you want to deal with the Retired Judges’ Association, you will have to speak to me when I am wearing a different hat.” Hosein, who retired from the Court of Appeal in 1998, was also instrumental in calling for the passage of the Judges Salaries and Pensions Bill.

Elaborating on how he felt taking the oath for a second time, Hosein last week said he did not want to move into the future “backwards.” He was sworn in as a commissioner in May 2009 but resigned within hours, saying President George Maxwell Richards had promised him the deputy chairmanship. 

The People’s National Movement had also expressed concerns about a possible conflict of interest as the former Appeal Court judge was one of three legal experts who gave former minister Jack Warner a legal opinion on the Concacaf ethics report by Sir David Simmons in April 2013. In an interview last week, former public service head Reginald Dumas said Hosein, as head of the Association of Retired Judges, did not preclude his being appointed to the Integrity Commission. 

Dumas said: “After all, Mr Hosein was not doing anything illegal in his former lobby. “However, that will clearly have to stop as he cannot be Integrity Commission chairman and chairman of a group lobbying Parliament for increased pensions. I have no doubt he knows that and will act appropriately.” Hosein could not be reached for comment yesterday.

What the release said
“The Retired Judges’ Association wishes to advise that Justice Zainool Hosein, recently appointed as chairman of the Integrity Commission, has relinquished his post as chairman of the Retired Judges’ Association. The association will be administered by a three-person committee, retired Justices Brooks, (Roger) Hamel-Smith and (Lionel) Jones, until further notice.”

Reports that PNM San Fernando East MP Patrick Manning is contemplating contesting the seat again, depending on his health, are “premature” and have been blown out of proportion, says San Fernando East public relations officer Anthony Clarke. He said yesterday that former minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid —Manning’s spokesman at a meeting on Monday—may have been expressing a personal view.

Different interpretations of the reported remarks emerged yesterday, with Manning shedding no light on the reports he was eyeing the seat to contest again, health allowing. The T&T Guardian contacted PNM San Fernando East constituency executive members, Hamid and Manning. The constituency is the PNM’s strongest unit with about 36 party groups. Manning said: “I didn’t say one thing. I haven’t read any headlines. I have nothing to say.”

Manning referred queries to Abdul-Hamid. Abdul-Hamid reiterated that if his health permitted and the constituency wished to nominate Manning, he would be prepared to consider. He added: “He has opened the doors to that possibility, depending on his health and if he is fit. Judging from the audience’s overwhelming enthusiasm, it was a positive response.”

Abdul-Hamid said Manning met PNM leader Keith Rowley two weeks ago and the leadership invited San Fernando East to submit nominations for candidacy. He said Manning was asked his position and had asked for two weeks to give a response, and those two weeks were supposed to be up on Monday. 

“But Dr Rowley is overseas and so we have to await his return and Mr Manning has now indicated if his health allows and the constituency wishes, he will be prepared to consider it,” he added. 

However, San Fernando East PRO Clarke, to whom the unit’s secretariat referred all queries on the issue, said: “But at the end of the day he (Manning) didn’t make the statement reported in the papers. Mr Hamid might have been expressing a personal opinion as the only thing relayed to us at the meeting on Mr Manning’s behalf, was that Mr Manning was supposed to speak to the leader but was told Rowley wasn’t here. 

“So Mr Manning had nothing to report to our meeting. Nobody from the executive or Mr Manning spoke to the media after the meeting.” Asked about Manning’s statements in recent years that he would step down at the end of this parliamentary term and was in the “departure lounge”, Clarke said Manning might have reconsidered. However, he felt Monday’s statements were “blown out of proportion as everybody is taking the view that Mr Hamid spoke on Mr Manning’s behalf.”

‘Served with distinction’
On the PNM’s executive’s view of Manning possibly contesting again, PNM PRO Faris Al-Rawi said : “Mr Manning has led the PNM with distinction for over 43 years. The indications in the media was he would, if his health permitted consider running. 

“I think it only proper the PNM wishes Mr Manning the very best in the recovery he’s undergoing and if he chooses to present himself for nomination, PNM’s mechanisms will move into gear as they have done for everyone else, Dr Rowley included. The screening team will sit and no doubt consider its position.

More info
Manning, 68, the country longest serving parliamentarian, suffered a stroke on January 23, 2012, which paralysed his right side and affected his speech. He was on leave from Parliament in 2012 and 2013, having sought medical care in Cuba and the US, before returning earlier this year. Manning has represented the San Fernando East constituency since 1971.

Director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) David West says the organisation is carefully looking at the police killing of 20-year-old Ray Phillip. West, who was appointed earlier this month, said over the weekend he sent an investigator to the crime scene in Diego Martin.

“There are certain things the PCA can do, like visit the scene and talk to people and take statements. We are looking at this matter with a view of seeking the truth and ensure that justice will be served in the interest of everyone,” West said. Asked to comment on the findings of the investigator West said he preferred not to disclose such information. He said he had not yet received a file on Phillip’s killing from the police but intended to write to them to obtain it.

“The file from the police is important. It would determine whether there are any inconsistencies when compared to what our investigator from the PCA had gathered,” West added. He said another main focus of the PCA was to ensure the body had the necessary teeth to be more effective. West said he had meetings recently with acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams and Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar, both of which he described as fruitful.

He said he was expected to meet with members of the Law Reform Commission (LRC) next Monday on the way forward, regarding legislation. The PCA’s former director Gillian Lucky had called for the PCA Act to be amended to give more authority and legislative power to those investigating serious police misconduct and corruption. Lucky had also urged timely co-operation from the police so the PCA could complete its investigations on time.

During Lucky’s tenure there were 19 cases of police killings which remained outstanding. West said the PCA was also pursuing those incidents. 

Flashback
Police said Phillip was known to them and had been arrested for possession of an illegal gun and ammunition. The day he was killed, November 20, police said Phillip and a group of men fired several rounds at patrolling police and soldiers. They said around 11.30 pm, they were on patrol in the hills overlooking Richplain Road when they came under fire. They returned fire and during the shooting they heard screaming. 

Phillip was found lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. Police said they found a nine-millimetre pistol and a walkie-talkie in his possession. He was taken to the St James Hospital where he was pronounced dead. On Saturday, relatives and friends of the dead man blocked the Diego Martin Main Road and demanded a probe into the killing.

After three days in police custody, the prisoner dubbed the most wanted man in T&T, Azmon Alexander, has not been interrogated, according to his attorney Fareed Ali. In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday Ali said his client, who is at the La Horquetta Police Station, has not been questioned and has been complaining he is not being given his medication, which he said is for an infection he picked up while on the run from police. 

Ali said his client had a swollen left hand, cuts on his right ankle and left shin, was looking ill, had puffy eyes and was also complaining his bones were aching. Alexander had asked for a novel to read, as well as a Bible “to read from Genesis” but instead was given a New Testament, he said.  

He was identified as a “person of interest” in the disappearance of Brasso Seco residents Irma Rampersad, 49, her daughters—Felicia, 17, and Jennelle Gonzales, 19—and Jennelle’s daughter, 14-month-old Shania Amoroso. Alexander was also suspected of being involved in the disappearance of Rampersad’s neighbour, Felix Martinez, 52. 

The family members were last seen on October 26 and reported missing two days later. Martinez also was reported missing but residents thought he had gone on a hunting trip. On November 8, his body was found in a sleeping bag along with that of baby Shania. On November 11, Rampersad’s body was found near a tree. All three bodies were found badly decomposed in the Brasso Seco forest. 

Both Rampersad and Martinez were strangled, according to autopsies. The cause of death for baby Shania remains unknown as her autopsy was inconclusive owing to the advanced stage of decomposition. Three days after Rampersad’s body was found, sisters Jennelle and Felicia were rescued from a makeshift camp in the Lalaja forest. On November 15, a 17-year-old suspect surrendered to police, saying he had information about the girls’ capture.

Fed up of gaping potholes and muddy roads caused by heavy-duty equipment, La Brea residents mounted a barricade of tyres and bamboo across Pier Road, Point D’Or, causing work to stop on a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) project. For the second day, over a dozen residents withstood the sun to guard the entrance of the HDC project until the contractors agreed to repair the roads and driveways, and fill mosquito larva-infested trenches.

“There was no work yesterday, there is no work today and there will be no work tomorrow until this matter is addressed,” resident Clem Trim said yesterday. Standing behind the barricade in overalls, he said he, like many other tradesmen in the area, could not even get employment on the job site.

Brighton/Vessigny councillor Gerald Debisette said contractors had moved in containers and equipment last June to build an additional 60 units. With the constant passing of cement trucks, dump trucks and excavators, he said, the road had become so poor that taxis had refused to enter the area. Several drivers had their vehicle suspensions damaged and had raised the fare from $7 to $15 a person. 

He said the contractors left a lot of dust on the road and recent rains have left it muddy and dangerous for cars. Debisette added: “The contractors are using the roadway to transport the material with heavy duty equipment and they have damaged the road which was good before they started construction. “All the residents are asking is that the contractors repair the road. They have even destroyed some people’s driveways, causing water to run into their homes. 

“Now the garbage truck is not coming in the village so residents have to walk to the main road to drop their garbage. Schoolchildren aren’t being picked up either so they have to walk to the main road.” Trim said because of last week’s heavy rains, trenches dug to lay foundations were full of water but the contractors had refused to pump it out and dismissed complaints. Georgia Preddie added that an area earmarked for a children’s play park was now being turned into a sewage plant.

Acting treasurer of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) and president of the local government section, Heston Lambert, says the Government owes workers at the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation millions in backpay. Daily-rated workers at the corporation yesterday protested, demanding arrears they said were still outstanding since negotiations were settled last year.

The workers chanted “we want the money right now” and marched in front of the corporation’s office, Centenary Street, Tunapuna. They bore placards that said: “Who give those corrupted contracts, after six months they can’t complete none”; “Doh feel ah how, we want we money now”; “If allyuh cyah run de corporation go and work Cepep or take VSEP”.

Workers shouted at the side of the road: “They eating ham, lamb and jam and in they big office and not studying nobody.” Another worker said: “Christmas coming and people have children to mind and things to buy.” The workers said the amount they were due to receive was noted on their last pay slip two weeks ago but the money was not included. In an interview outside the corporation’s office, Lambert said negotiations were settled in November 2013.

He added: “The purpose is in regard to how the arrears is being allocated in various corporations but there are others that did not receive any arrears and we are telling ourselves, as a union, that it is time to get their arrears.” Lambert said the money was allocated in the national budget and the money was already approved by the Ministry of Finance. He said Tunapuna was the largest corporation under local government with 1,000 workers. 

Chairman of the corporation, Edwin Gooding, and CEO Loris Jones-Romany could not be reached for comment.

The Forestry Division is investigating the deaths of a number of birds of different species at the Housing Development Corporation development, Couva. While residents suspect the birds are being poisoned, Forestry Division officials say they cannot conclusively say if that is the cause of the deaths. Yesterday, game warden Andy Singh, who is leading the investigation, visited Anand Yankaran Avenue, where most of the dead birds were found. 

When the T&T Guardian visited yesterday the carcasses of birds, which included keskidees, bluejays, pigeons and blackbirds, littered the yards of homes and surrounding drains. While the T&T Guardian was there, a blackbird was seen struggling to move but within minutes it was dead. Singh collected the carcass which he said would be taken to the UWI Veterinarian School of Medicine for a necropsy (animal autopsy) and toxicology tests to show the cause of death. 

Residents in the area are concerned, especially since they do not know if poison is being used to kill the birds and if it is being used safely. Yesterday avid animal lover and resident, calypsonian Sonia Francis, broke down in tears as she described finding the carcasses of birds in her yard. She said the sight of dead birds had been traumatic, especially since she has been feeding and caring for the birds since she moved into the housing settlement. 

“I moved in a year ago and different types of birds were coming into the area and I started to feed them. “I would buy a set of bananas every day to feed them to make sure the birds are  happy. Now all of them dying,” she sobbed as she wiped away tears.  She is calling on the authorities to step in and investigate. “Yesterday when I came out, about 100 birds were dead and I saw my neighbour picking them up and putting them into garbage bags,” she said.

Another resident, who said she did not want to get involved, admitted it was worrying to find the dead birds, especially since she has a baby in the house and young children. Singh said it was an offence to kill the birds even if someone felt they were a nuisance and decided to poison them. He said the birds were protected under law and hence may not be harmed, hunted or killed. 

Singh also explained that only the Forestry Division could exterminate the birds if they were deemed a nuisance and in such a case residents must report it to the nearest Forestry Division office and apply for a permit to exterminate them. Often, he said, the extermination was carried out by trained personnel from the division.

GEISHA KOWLESSAR and RADHICA SOOKRAJ

Three government ministers are in favour of mediation to discuss issues raised by the Highway Re-Route Movement. At day two of the fifth annual mediation symposium yesterday at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar said while the process of mediation had always been an option in settling the ongoing impasse with the HRM the process could not be held with preset conditions.

Speaking to reporters during a tour of landslips in south Trinidad yesterday Works Minister Suruj Rambachan said he was ready and willing to engage in mediation to discuss any issues raised by the HRM. Oropouche MP Roodal Moonilal also said yesterday the Government had always remained open for dialogue on the controversial Debe to Mon Desir segment of the $7.4 billion extension of the Solomon Hochoy Highway to Point Fortin.

Leader of the HRM Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, who has called for mediation on numerous occasions, in a previous interview said he would agree to suspend his hunger strike if the Government agreed to halt work for one week. He entered the 71st day of his second hunger strike yesterday At yesterday’s seminar, Ramadhar said Rambachan had put on the Hansard an “open invitation” to the HRM to meet to discuss issues.

Ramadhar said: “Mediation has to be voluntary and no one has to be bullied into it and at the same time, understand that there are issues that need to be reconciled and the first discussions are necessary. “We have had many of those before and the minister has opened himself up again to dialogue, which is critically important. “Mediation requires voluntary openness to all issues and that there be no set preconditions.” 

Interviewed during his tour to areas of landslips in San Fernando yesterday Rambachan said it was not true  the Government was not willing to discuss the alternative proposal submitted by the HRM. Saying the mediation issue needed to be clarified, Rambachan said the matter had gone before the court on three occasions and the ruling went in favour of Government.

“I am wondering whether the people are asking us to ignore the courts and to ignore the fact that a process took place through the courts. If we continue to ignore the rulings of the court, where will that lead us to?” Rambachan asked. He said he met with several civil society groups and discussed three proposals forwarded by the HRM. One proposal had to do with the alternative route and the Armstrong report. 

According to Rambachan, since then Nidco president Dr Carson Charles had given a 75-page report responding to all the issues that had been raised. “I am willing to engage in dialogue but we have already responded to the alternative route,” he added. Moonilal said several people have rejected meetings and rejected tours, “so it is not true that we have not been open to dialogue.” 

On Monday, President Anthony Carmona said mediation offered participants a way out to resolve disputes. The head of the Mediation Board, Justice Vasheist Kokaram, called on all parties involved to engage in talks before it was too late.

‘Mediation cheaper’
President of the Law Association Seenath Jairam, SC, who delivered the welcome remarks, at yesterday’s mediation symposium described mediation as a valuable and effective tool for conflict prevention and the peaceful settlement of disputes. He added the process could also support peaceful transitions and nurture reconciliation. 

“We need to promote and support mediation and encourage people to use alternatives to court to resolve their disputes. People should see this as the starting point,” Jairam urged.

Kublalsingh’s proposal
Kublalsingh has called for the mediation to include one delegate from the Government, one from the HRM and one mutually acceptable to both sides. He added that if the mediation process led to the Government's acceptance of the HRM’s optimum connectivity proposal with practical modifications if necessary or the acceptance of the Armstrong report, the hunger strike would end.

Residents of the Paria, Brasso Seco and surrounding areas yesterday were promised an increased police presence, help to set up a youth club and professional counselling by acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams. Speaking with the residents at the Brasso Seco Paria Visitor Facility Information Centre yesterday, residents said they needed police patrols in the area following the abduction of five villagers and the murders of three.

Williams said members of the Police Service’s Victim and Witness Support Unit would counsel affected residents. He also promised to join with the youths in the area to establish a youth group following a suggestion by one of the youths, Chrystal Garcia. Before Williams made his promises several villagers spoke of the abduction of Irma Rampersad, her daughter Felicia and Jennelle Gonzales and her 14-month-old daughter Shania Amoroso.

While villagers thanked police for their assistance during their ordeal, they criticised their neighbours for allowing such a thing to happen in their once peaceful and family-like village. One resident, Petra Joseph, called on her community to examine themselves. She said there were too many delinquent parents in the community, some of who were blaming outsiders for their recent troubles.

“Incest taking place here, uncles having sex with their nieces, men having sex with their children and it is hidden but it will be revealed,” she said, adding that men in the community need to play a more active role in their families. Baby Shania’s grandfather, Steve Amoroso, spoke of the hurt he was experiencing following the discovery of her decomposed body in a sleeping bag on November 8. 

“I came up this evening paralysed. The apple of my eyes was brutally murdered. The doctors told me I am one visit away from a stroke and I should take it easy. “I in this community here about two years and I come to ask the community to come together so people from the outside would not come in and hold us as fugitive in our own homes,” he said to applause. 

One resident told the gathering  the entire villager should not be held responsible for the actions of Azmon Alexander, who police identified as a person of interest in their investigations into the kidnappings and murders. He further called on Insp Roger Alexander to apologise for his comments that the villagers were to blame for harbouring the wanted man. The suspect was arrested on Saturday in Malabar and has not yet been charged for any offence.

Resident Bernadette Salina-Roach angered some of the youths in attendance when she said the increased police presence stopped them from smoking marijuana and walking around with guns. “It is us who condone the wrong things. We need to stop doing this. Parents you all need to step up since this tragedy happen, no young men have been seen smoking weed. These young men have firearms but we not seeing them anymore,” she said.

Immediately after she spoke, 24-year-old Akeem Garcia said the youths were jobless. He said that was the reason they stay on the roadway smoking and liming during the day. “We don’t need people to point fingers, we need jobs, employment, not people judging us, we don’t want that.” Williams told Garcia he should make himself employable and not depend on handouts.

MP for the area Rodger Samuel was also present at the meeting. Samuel said he would meet with Chrystal Garcia about developing a youth group in the area and other youth-oriented events. He also assured that the roads would be fixed. 

Good treatment
Regarding complaints made by Azmon Alexander’s attorney Fareed Ali that his client was not receiving the best treatment in custody, Williams said he was not being kept at the Hyatt Regency Hotel or the Radisson. 

Alexander, who was arrested last Saturday, has not yet been charged for any offence. Asked about the period of time the suspect has been in custody without charge, Williams said the police have the discretion to detain a suspect until a “reasonable” period and if Ali was concerned he could file a writ of habeas corpus in the High Court. 

Yesterday Ali said his client was allowed to bathe using a hose in his holding cell. He added that his client was given his medication on Tuesday night after he complained.

The killing of retired German couple Birgid and Hubertus Keil will have a backlash on visitors coming to Tobago, said Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Orville London yesterday. They were found chopped to death, metres apart, along Minister’s Bay, Bacolet Beach, Tobago, last Saturday. London was speaking to members of the media after delivering an address at the final day of the fifth annual mediation symposium at the Hyatt Hotel, Port-of-Spain.

The killing of the Keils have made international headlines with many condemning the attack. He added: “I would not say that in no way this would not have any impact. Obviously I would be naive. We are hoping the history of Tobago and the way in which the police deal with it and the level of sensitivity which all of us treat with the situation, will convince the visitors that Tobago is a safe place.

“But I am realistic enough to understand that there will be some fallout. We are hoping that the fallout will be manageable and that the tourism sector will not suffer permanent damage.” On the sentiments from visitors following the murders, London said he did not get the sense of any undue panic among them. “The statistics are still there. It is a very unfortunate incident but I think we have got to balance the incident and the horror of the incident and the realities. 

“The reality is there has been a significant improvement in the security situation in Tobago and that is what makes all of this so ironic and tragic,” London added. He also called on Tobagonians to play their part to make the island safer. He added: “I have confidence that the police will be doing all that is possible. “I believe in the circumstances that there is an extremely good chance that the culprit will be apprehended. 

“It will be a little premature of me to make a determination as to when but I know, based on what I have seen and what I have heard and what I know is happening, the Commissioner (of Police) is putting all the resources necessary into the process and I have confidence in that.” 

On whether the number of Tobago’s police officers should be increased, London said that, along with suggestions of more patrols and the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, were recommended to acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams. But, he added, much more needed to be done. 

“A lot of it has to do with the people themselves. We have to be more observant and be willing... sometimes even when we have information we don’t oftentimes pass on the information to the relevant sources. “This is a time for introspection and I am not one of those who believe when something like this happens you only blame one source,” London said. He added that security was not just about the police doing their work but required an effort by the community.

“It is also an opportunity for all of us involved in the process... the people, the organisations, it is up to us see what we can do to make the place safer,” London said.

Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams yesterday said he was unable say if an official request was made to the German authorities for assistance in the chopping deaths of two of their nationals. Speaking with the media at a town meeting in Brasso Seco, Williams said he could not speak on that or whether the Germans decided on their own to assist.

On Tuesday, Dr Michael Freudenberg, Charge d’Affaires of the German Embassy, said German officials were deliberating whether to send officers. When contacted yesterday Freudenberg said no decision had been made. Asked about the claims that the Kiels killing was a hate crime, Williams said at this stage in the investigation he could not say that.

On Saturday, the bodies of German nationals, Hubertus and Birgid Keil, were found on Minister’s Bay, Bacolet. They were chopped to death. The couple lived alone at Bacolet Crescent and had been holidaying on the island for the past 20 years during the winter months. Williams has appointed a special team of investigators to probe the murders.

Workers at State-owned Petroleum Company of T&T Ltd (Petrotrin) will not be getting a pay hike or backpay any time soon as the company has suffered a $346 million net loss for fiscal 2013/2014. The bad news was delivered to the workers by Petrotrin president Khalid Hassanali in a circular on Tuesday. 

He said: “During the last fiscal year, 2013/2014, Petrotrin has battled a perfect storm of challenges, including global and local developments and events, which has severely hindered our profitability and reputation. “We now battle the turbulent waters of low refinery margins and the harsh winds of falling global oil prices, all of which have significantly compounded the company's difficult financial situation over the last few months.”  

International benchmark oil prices have fallen by almost 30 per cent since June 2014 and most analysts project prices under US$75 a barrel, he said in the circular. “We are faced with depressed refinery margins as they continue to be under pressure due to global oversupply of refinery capacity,” he said.

In a bullet in the circular, Hassanali added: “Recent financial rating downgrade led to an increased cost of borrowing. In order to mitigate this situation, we have reduced our operating expenses as well as capital projects and costs.” He explained: “Refinery cost structure and debt service burden require a gross refinery margin of US$9 per barrel (bbl); however, our actual market driven gross refining margins were US$6.67/bbl in 2013 and US$6.38/bbl in 2014; currently around US$4.04/bbl.”

Also part of Petrotrin’s current reality is “high debt service burden, inclusive of high annual interest payments.” Hassanali said Petrotrin pays annual interest of $850 million and a balloon payment of US$850 million will become due in 2019. Petrotrin pays bondholders a 9.75 per cent coupon on the bonds maturing in 2019. 

Though Hassanali did not mention it in his circular, Petrotrin also has a 6.0 per cent coupon bond, maturing in 2022, when it will have to pay US$500 million. Of six T&T bonds Oppenheimer analysts reviewed on November 3, they said Petrotrin's 2019 bond had the highest current yield at 7.7 per cent.

OWTU, workers meet today
Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget will hold a meeting with Petrotrin workers today to decide on the union’s next course of action in the ongoing salary dispute with the company. Contacted for comment last night on Petrotrin president Khalid Hassanali’s claim that the company would not be able to increase salaries or pay backpay after incurring a 346 million loss in the last fiscal year, Roget said that and the negotiation process would be the main topic at the meeting.

Pressed further, Roget said he would not divulge the union’s next course of action until after they got the workers’ views today.