I appreciated last week's discussions about this and understand the reality
> of crime in Trinidad and the sense of hopelessness and frustration it
> fosters.  However perhaps the poster could re-name this post.  The selected
> news items cited don't comprise "the week in Trinidad" and circulating it
> under that name does suggest some kind of agenda.  There were excellent
> points made about the reasons why this sort of complete negativity-- in the
> absence of a clear context --  doesn't serve it's purpose -- so I won't be
> repetitive, but how about changing the title of the post to say that this
> isn't really The Week In Trinidad, it's the negative side of what happened
> in Trinidad, with an emphasis on the Crime Factor.  That would take care of
> the context-setting.
> thanks, Marie-Elena
> www.marie-elenajohn.com
>
>
>  On 3/3/07, Jca <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > THE WEEK IN TRINIDAD 4 - 10 FEB 2007
> >
> > Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, PM of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said that
> > well-to-do  Trinidadians and Jamaicans are heading to St. Vincent to
> > escape
> > high crime rates in their own countries. He added that over the last
> > three
> > years the numbers of persons coming from Trinidad and Jamaica have
> > probably
> > increased by fifty percent.
> >
> > Commissioner of Police, Trevor Paul, orders probe into the shooting
> > deaths
> > of four men who were killed in an exchange of gunfire with police
> > officers
> > last Friday night.
> >
> > The St. Augustine Anti Smelter Front has  condemned the PM for making
> > statement at the eight summit of the African Union that the construction
> > of
> > an aluminium smelter is to begin this year while the Environmental
> > Management Ageny has not granted a Certificate of Environmental
> > Clearance
> > for the construction of any smelter plants. The anti-smelter group added
> > that his announcement undermines the fundamental democratic principles
> > which
> > this country was founded upon and it shows his blatant disregard for due
> > process and law.
> >
> > Both the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate indicated
> > that
> > PM Manning still wants to move his office to the Red House (the present
> > seat
> > of Parliament)
> >
> > An audit of Trinidad and Tobago's petroleum reserves is being done by
> > Houston based petroleum consultants Ryder Scott. Results will be
> > released in
> > third quarter of fiscal 2007. One of the many objections to Government
> > plans
> > to build aluminium smelters here is that at the present rate of
> > consumption,
> > the country has only about 12 years of proven gas reserves while the
> > smelter
> > contracts call for the supply of gas to generate electricity for 30
> > years.
> >
> > "Peacemaker killed in Santa Cruz" He was shot 12 times in the head. This
> > brought the murder toll for the year to 30.
> >
> > Autopsies revealed that the four men shot to death by police in
> > Charlieville
> > last Friday night were shot a total of 20 times.
> >
> > The State is appealing the decision that PM Manning, AG Jeremie, DPP
> > Henderson and ag CJ Hamel-Smith be brought to court  to be
> > cross-examined.
> >
> > Three days before he was due to testify in his own kidnapping, a
> > businessman
> > of  Freeport was killed at his furniture store. Three men walked into
> > his
> > store and shot him once in his mouth and twice in his upper chest in the
> > presence of his 14 year old daughter. Three police officers are suspects
> > in
> > the murder. Murder toll for the year is now 33 in 36 days.
> >
> > Questions have been raised over the appointment of Senior magistrate
> > Lucina
> > Cardenas-Ragoonanan to serve as a temporary High Court judge due to her
> > close ties with the ruling People's National Movement and the PM. There
> > were
> > three civil judgements against her and acting CJ Roger Hamel-Smith, the
> > chairman of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission presided over one
> > of
> > her lawsuits two days before her interview with the JLSC.
> >
> > "Morvant family accuses police of firebombing home"
> >
> > Referring to his decision and announcement last Christmas eve that an
> > aluminium smelter would not be built in the Chatham area, PM Manning
> > said
> > that drug elements operating in that part of the country have gotten
> > involved in the anti-smelter movement as locating a smelter there would
> > interfere in the business activity of the drug cartels.
> > He also said that declaring a State of Emergency would not help to
> > reduce
> > existing high crime levels.
> >
> > According to a weekly newspaper, Vindra Naipaul-Coolman who was
> > kidnapped on
> > 19 December, 2006 was wounded by two bullets during the kidnapping and
> > died
> > from the wounds and her body was dumped at sea.
> >
> > Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is calling on the PM to give
> > concrete evidence of the involvement of drug elements in the
> > anti-smelter
> > protests or apologise and resign. The Opposition Leader went on to say
> > that
> > the PM is already on record as describing the anti-smelter people as
> > dotish
> > and now he is calling them drug lords and that his rambling accusations
> > are
> > demeaning, humiliating, insulting and discriminatory
> >
> > Seventy  University of the West Indies students claimed they were beaten
> > by
> > police officers at the traditional Chutney fete at the St. Augustine
> > campus.
> >
> > A UWI/ANSA McAl Psychological Research Centre Poll showed that 75 % of
> > respondents are unsatisfied with the Public Health Care service and that
> > 80
> > % supported a Commission of Enquiry into the health sector.
> >
> > J. Chin Aleong
> > www.westindiana.com
> >
> > (This note is not copyright in any way and may be freely, reproduced,
> > copied
> > sent on, forwarded, transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, by any
> > means)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>