NEWS
Gary Griffith seeks answers on firearms dealer's extraction from Barbados
Former commissioner of police, NTA leader Gary Griffith, on Friday asked whether certain police officers who extracted firearms dealer Brent Thomas from Barbados to TT were being controlled by external elements. Commenting on Justice Devindra Rampersad's ruling that Thomas was pursued by officers with flimsy search warrants and with dubious extraction procedures, Griffith said the officers seemingly overstepped their legal authority, to create a potential international crime of abduction. Read more here
Cops: No evidence to support claim East Indians targeted by criminals
Senior police officers say there’s no evidence to support the statement by Pundit Satyanand Maharaj that people of East Indian descent are specific targets for criminals. During a media conference in San Juan on Wednesday, Maharaj claimed that urban youth along the East-West corridor are targeting people of East Indian descent in Aranguez and across the country. While his comments proved to be fiercely polarising amongst the population, Sr Supt Michael Pierre and Assistant Police Commissioner Collis Hazel both yesterday told Guardian Media it is not rooted in fact. ACP Hazel, who is based in Tobago now, said when he worked in Port-of-Spain, that was not a trend he saw. “I don’t think that bandits outside here try to pounce on any perpetrator they can’t get wealth from, and I don’t think they in any way target one specific group of people, so once they can get benefit out of anybody, there’s no colour, creed, race or religion for these merciless people, so I would not agree with the pundit at all with that assessment.” Read more here
POLITICS
Opposition on firearms dealer ruling: Police pursued wrong targets
The Opposition said the police had not been pursuing the right targets, in response to a judge chiding officers for aggressively pursuing an established legitimate dealer in firearms. High Court judge Justice Devindra Rampersad questioned the search warrants used by the police and their extraction of dealer Brent Thomas from Barbados, alleging "oppressive harassment." He said officers seemed "determined to find something", soon after the Stanley John report into the grant of firearm licences under former commissioner of police (CoP) Gary Griffith. Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein told Newsday, "What this judgement should signal is that instead of pursuing persons in possession of legal firearms, the same aggression should be used by the police service (TTPS) and the Minister of National Security against those who have illegal firearms. Read more here
Kamla asks PM to reconsider crime talks with Gary
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is calling on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to reconsider his refusal to cooperate with former police commissioner Gary Griffith to help eradicate crime in T&T. Griffith, who is now leader of the National Transformation Alliance, has called on Rowley and Persad-Bissessar to put aside political differences to work together to formulate a crime plan. Griffith said he had the experience during his time as National Security Minister and Police Commissioner to put together a team of experts who could come up with viable solutions. However, while Persad-Bissessar accepted Griffith’s offer, Rowley, in the Parliament Wednesday, rejected the offer outright saying, “I have very good reason not to meet with Gary Griffith under any circumstances.” He said he always meets with the Opposition in Parliament but they don’t support the Government in their crime fighting efforts. Read more here
BUSINESS
Proman Stena Bulk names third methanol-fuelled tanker, Stena Promise
Proman Stena Bulk has officially named its third methanol-fuelled tanker, Stena Promise in a ceremony in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on Wednesday. Stena Promise was described as a state-of-the-art methanol-fuelled 49,900 dead weight tonnage tankers and was said to be delivered last November in a release by Proman. Proman Stena Bulk is a joint venture between the Stena Bulk, one of the leading tanker shipping companies and methanol producer, Proman. Stena Bulk was founded in 1982 and the company controls a combined fleet of around 110 vessels. Stena Bulk is part of the Stena Sphere, which has more than 20,000 employees and sales of Swedish krona $60 billion. Read more here
Young: Negotiations ongoing with Venezuela
The T&T Government continues to be in active negotiations with the government of Venezuela on the development of the Dragon Gas Field, Energy Minister Stuart Young said on Wednesday. In response to a question from Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee in Parliament at the Red House, Port of Spain, Young said the members of the Venezuelan government who were present at the negotiations which took place in March in Caracas, Venezuela, included Pedro Rafael Tellechea, president of PDVSA, Juan Santana, PDVSA gas president and Annabelle Rivas, legal advisor, PDVSA. Read more here
REGIONAL
Strategic policing pertinent to Guyana’s development
Owing to the role the Guyana Police Force (GPF) plays both on the regional and global level, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Thursday, revealed that in the coming days, a Defence Diplomacy Unit will be launched. Dr. Ali made this announcement during his address at the opening of the Annual Police Officers’ Conference at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces expressed satisfaction with the “outstanding work” that the Police Force has done within the past year, especially, in conquering social issues such as painting roadways, delivering hampers and building houses. “…Talking to every section of the Guyanese people is most admirable,” Dr. Ali said, while commending the officers for their efforts. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine war: Thirteen dead as Russian missiles hit cities
Russia has launched a wave of air strikes against cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, leaving at least 13 people dead. Eleven people including a child were killed in an attack that hit a block of flats in the central city of Uman, officials said. And a woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed in the city of Dnipro, according to the local mayor. Explosions were also reported in the city of Kremenchuk in central Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the apartment block was among 10 residential buildings that were damaged in Uman. The state rescue service said the child killed in the city was born in 2013 and another 11 people needed hospital treatment. Read more here
28th April 2023