9 firms bid for drilling rights

Roxanne Stapleton


Friday, December 1st 2006 (T&T ExpressBusiness)


NINE COMPANIES yesterday vied for onshore and nearshore blocks in Trinidad and Tobago, at the close of the 2005/6 competitive bid round.

While there were a couple energy players who've become staple to this country's drilling and exploration landscape, the majority of bidders yesterday are fresh to the local scene.

A consortium of Canada-based, Husky Energy and Canadian Voyager Energy submitted bids for the Central Range (in the Southern Basin) shallow and deep horizon blocks and the Guayaguayare shallow and deep horizon blocks.

Also bidding for Guayaguayare shallow and deep was Hardman Oil and Gas PTY.

For the South West Peninsula shallow and deep horizon blocks Trinidad Exploration Development Unlimited was the single bidder.

Block NCMA 2 which is located off the North Coast-there were bids from Centrica Energy, ONGC Mittal and a consortium consisting of BG Trinidad and Tobago, Petrocanada and ENI.

Block 2 (ab) which is situated off the East Coast-bids were submitted by Canadian Superior, Repsol and a consortium of Hardman Oil and Gas PTY and Centrica Energy.

No bids were received for Herrera shallow and deep horizon blocks and Block NCMA 3.

Ministry of Energy officials said they were pleasantly surprised at the number of bids submitted, adding that from the volume of bids received in that round, it is anticipated that local exploration activity will continue to thrive.

Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Margaret Parillon explaining the new production sharing contracts said: "The new regime differs from the previous in that the contractor will be required to pay its own taxes and a consolidation of profits and losses offered.

"Also significant, is the fact that the mechanism for determining the Government's profit share has been revised."

She assured that the technical evaluation and overview committees will review all bids "expeditiously" before submitting its recommendation to Cabinet.

The announcement of successful bids for the award of PSCs will take place in the first quarter in 2007.

UTC eyes PowerGen

Roxanne Stapleton


Thursday, November 30th 2006(T&T Express)


THE UNIT Trust Corporation is interested in acquiring a stake in Mirant's 39 per cent share in PowerGen.

Mirant, earlier in the year, announced that it was selling its Caribbean and Philippines assets to enhance shareholder value.

UTC chairman Amoy Chang Fong made the revelation yesterday at the launch of UTC's Energy Fund, at its Port of Spain headquarters.

"We would be interested in that," she said, adding that a strategic investment team is looking into it.

"We have limitations on the level of the investment that we can make, in terms of the exposure to any one company and exposure of the fund size to any one company.

"I'm not sure what the status of the prospective sale is, but 39 will probably fall outside," Chang Fong said.

Numerous local enterprises and businessmen have also expressed interest in investing in the lucrative power generation company.

UTC executive director Michael Alexander added: "Had we not been launching the energy fund, we still would have had an interest in it. The launching of the energy fund is another opportunity to look at that and in any case energy related investments are downstream, upstream, greenfield, across the board anything that speaks to energy."

Chang Fong and her UTC team of executives maintained that the energy fund is an avenue that both ordinary citizens and comprehensive investor types could access a piece of global energy wealth.

Questioned as to whether the UTC still has an interest in the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline project (ECGP), Chang Fong was also forthcoming.

"In our point of view, if all the targets are met, in terms of the approvals from proposed participating countries, we feel that the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline could be a viable project.

"I think the issue that was raised earlier this year had to do with the exposure of various funds of the UTC to the ECGP.

"As far as the project goes, the Barbados authorities have not yet given approval for several things that need to be dealt with like the importation of gas, the seabed survey."

For the first two-weeks of its issue, shares of UTC's energy fund will be sold at US$20 each.

Valley woos trade teams

Roxanne Stapleton

Wednesday, November 29th 2006(T&T ExpressBusiness)


DELEGATIONS from Ireland, Germany, Spain and Nicaragua will head for Trinidad in early 2007, on trade-specific missions.

The revelation came from both Trade Minister, Ken Valley and chairman of the Trade and Investment Convention (TIC), Anthony Aboud, as they spoke during yesterday's TIC 2007 launch at Joseph's Mediterranean Cuisine, Maraval.

Noting that his recent "investment mission" to Europe had borne some fruit, Valley said: "Spain is coming and they will be bringing a trade mission to Trinidad and Tobago.

"Germany also, they had planned to come in March and I've written asking them to come around the TIC, because in March that's the time in any case we're expected to go out to the Far East.

"In January, Ireland will be coming here to have a session on doing business. As you know, Ireland has been very successful in attracting inward investment and they want to show us how they do it," Valley said.

Aboud during his address mentioned that a Nicaraguan delegation was also coming in the new year.

Based on statistics, Valley said, the manufacturing sector has been growing since 2003.

"If you look at the data you will see that the manufacturing sector has been growing considerably since 2003.

"In 2003, the growth rate was some 8.6 per cent, followed by 11 per cent. This year it's estimated to be about 12 per cent or 11.6 per cent, so the manufacturing sector has been growing.

"My concern is whether they're getting close to capacity and they may get to the point where they will have to increase plant size.

"We know they've gotten very close to labour capacity. They have been complaining that they cannot find adequate labour and we have to get people to come in from the islands, we have to train up some of our people, we have to reduce the CEPEP and URP to allow persons to come into the productive sector, so as to allow the manufacturing sector to continue their growth," Valley said.

Asked to pinpoint deals arising from the conventions, Aboud said: "I know that when China had their pavilion (at TIC), I know that TSTT and T&TEC both who procure wire from China, had an opportunity to meet with the manufacturer, who came to Trinidad.

"Out of that, there was an additional deal struck for several hundreds of millions of dollars.

"If I had to go specifically, I can name my company. I have set up what I would call an MOU or a joint venture arrangement with three manufacturing facilities located in India. I'm in the pharmaceutical business and there's a collaboration between the two for a transfer of technology and a transfer of potential market supply.

"I can't speak of specifics (on business transacted at TIC), other than to say that we do a survey and you start talking in the range of US$30 or US$40 million of business conducted.

Tuesday 5th December, 2006

Amid rising security concerns

Government to buy more Israeli systems


By Yvonne Baboolal (Trinidad Guardian)



Prime Minister Patrick Manning said yesterday that the government is buying more and more equipment from Israel as security concerns begin to loom large in T&T and the rest of the region.

"One of the things we are going to have to look at carefully is our policy toward the Middle East and all that goes with that," he added.

But the PM declined to say any more on the matter.

"I won't go into the details. I leave the details for the experts," he said.

Manning made the disclosure as he spoke at a conference of T&T's foreign heads of missions and ambassadors at the Hilton Trinidad. The conference was organised to develop a new foreign affairs policy for the country.

The PM further disclosed that the Government is also about to embark on an initiative to provide free technical assistance to seven West African countries.

He said the initiative to help Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroons, Chad, Angola, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo will be well underway by early next year.

He said this came about because the Government has taken note of the continuing exhortation of the United Nations to countries that are in a position to do so to make a contribution to poverty eradication in certain parts of the world, particularly in Africa.

"And that has given rise to a review of our ability to assist and a conclusion that in the energy sector we have something to offer the rest of the world.

Manning also announced that in 2009 T&T will host two major world conferences. One is expected to be the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Summit attended by 34 Western Hemisphere leaders and the other will be the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in which some 54 countries are expected to participate.

"A big undertaking for a small country. One would have been big enough. Two? Well, we'll stretch our capacity to the limit," the PM said.

He said in respect of the FTAA summit and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, a secretariat will set up in the Prime Minister's Office. It will be headed by Dr Luis Alberto Rodriguez, wDr Luis Alberto Rodriguezho has already disengaged himself from the OAS to take up the appointment. He will hold the rank of ambassador.

Manning said the government is seeking to cement its industrial base by the production of steel, aluminium and raw material for a plastics industry, all of which are expected to be well in place by 2012.

He said as a result there will be a need to expand market access for the new manufactured products.

He said his government is conducting discussions with the World Trade Organisation, the Western Hemisphere Arrangements and the European Union on a major trade agenda in which T&T must play a part to ensure it is not left behind.

Manning told the foreign heads of missions and ambassadors it was quite clear from all of that had to be done that T&T's representation abroad had to be reviewed.

He said nowhere has he seen a full and complete articulation of the country's foreign policy and said the conference will have to identify a properly articulated foreign policy for T&T, and a strategic plan to carry it out.

Further, the government's new initiatives also meant it would have to expand the number of its foreign missions and make additional diplomatic appointments.

"T&T, whether we like it or not, is going to have to expand the number of missions we have set up in countries around the world," Manning said.

He said government is already moving to set up a mission in San Jose, Costa Rica and one will be set up in Havana, Cuba next year.





©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

I move to rename this thread " Eric's Lament ". Who seconds the motion?

Tuesday 5th December, 2006

Riley says bpTT's Ibis Deep well was commercial failure, technical success



BpTT's chairman and chief executive Robert Riley chats with a guest during a break in proceedings on the first day of a two-day Caribbean energy conference at the Hilton Trinidad. Photo: Shirley Bahadur


By Ian Gooding (Trinidad Guardian)


BpTT chairman and CEO Robert Riley has classified the company's US$80 million, 19,068 feet deep dry well in the Columbus Basin, off the east coast of Trinidad, as a classic case of the "commercial failure but a technical success" petroleum industry cliché.

The well was reportedly the deepest vertical hole ever sunk in the Trinidad and Tobago province.

"So was Ibis Deep entirely a waste of money and effort?" he asked. "Definitely not."

Riley was one of the speakers at the sixth annual two-day Energy Caribbean Conference at the Trinidad Hilton yesterday.

A year ago, Riley had regaled the conference delegates with the endless possibilities of the Ibis Deep well, which the company was 70 per cent certain of being productive.

"The petroleum industry worldwide tolerates seven failures for every ten exploratory wells," he said, "...We at BP have grown accustomed to a much higher success ratio of seven successes out of every 10 holes"”a 70 per cent success rate."

He said that although bpTT was drilling the hole on behalf of its partners EOG Resources, Petrotrin and NGC, it had agreed to pick up the entire cost. About 70 per cent of it would not be written off.

"Nature outsmarted us this time around," said Riley, whose company possesses possibly the most comprehensive knowledge of the oil and gas bearing geological structure of the country, "and what Ibis Deep found was mud stones rather than sands. Deep imaging does not always yield the precise information an explorationist would like... as good as today's tools are, they can't tell you everything."

Riley said that one of the most beneficial elements in the venture was the transfer of technology to nationals and the development of national capability in the petroleum industry, particularly in drilling.

"BpTT staff had access to information and knowledge from a wide range of experts from other parts of the BP Group who had experience in drilling high pressure wells similar to Ibis Deep," Riley said. "They came from Azerbaijan, Angola, Egypt, Scotland, the US and other BP locations.

"We sent people to Houston to discuss data around coring and the cutting of cores, if required, in a first-time T&T high pressure environment... Four of our best engineers were assigned to this project."

Riley said the project did not invalidate the shallow water or the Columbus shelf deep horizon.

"The confidence factor is crucial since we will be returning to the deep in due course (2008) and this time in our own acreage," said Riley.

"Ibis Deep was sunk in a specially carved out area of the South East Consortium SECC block, but we also have similar prospects in areas under our own control... There are also possibilities in parts of the rest of our acreage."

Riley said that bpTT believed strongly that the "new frontier" of the Columbus shelf (shallow water) deep horizons may yet prove successful "though that day has had to be postponed temporarily on the basis of the Ibis result."

"I want to be emphatic about this: our enthusiasms has not been dampened," he stated.

"In fact, we are ready to return to the deep shelf in the next few years with renewed vigour. And we will do so with greater knowledge about the conditions we will encounter and the most effective way of dealing with them."



©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

TT/Venezuela gas treaty in 2007


Tuesday, December 5 2006 (T&T Newsday)


TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO could sign a treaty with Venezuela next year to unitise natural gas reserves found on either side of the maritime border between the two countries.

This was disclosed by Acting Energy Ministry permanent secretary Margaret Parillon at yesterday's opening of the IBC Sixth Annual Energy Caribbean Conference at the Hilton Trinidad. Deputising for Energy Minister Dr Lenny Saith, Parillon said TT-Venezuela negotiations on the cross-border gas reserves are ongoing "and proving quite fruitful."

She said technical work on the Loran/Manatee Fields has been completed and considerable progress has been made with respect to the Kapok/Dorado Fields. Parillon said a legal advisory team has commenced work on a draft framework unitisation treaty that will form the basis for unitisation treaties for the individual fields (Loran/Manatee, Kapok/Dorado) straddling the delimitation line. "We expect to have this completed early next year," she added.

Replacement found for Trinity Cross


NEWSDAY REPORTER Tuesday, December 5 2006 (T&T Newsday)



THE long standing, controversial Trinity Cross this country's highest award will be replaced by an Order with a very long name The Order of Republic of the Society of Distinguished Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and other Distinguished persons.

The first time the public heard of the new award and saw its design was on Sunday when Government placed an advertisement in the Sunday edition of the country's three dailies outlining certain striking characteristics of the new National Award.

According to this ad, the award will be a circular medallion with a crest, represented by the feathered headdress of an Amerindian chief. The main body of the medallion is the steelband with a disc at the centre in which the Scarlet Ibis and the Mot Mot are perched on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

On the reverse, the medallion bears the words "Order of the Republic". Earlier this year, Government took a decision to abolish the Trinity Cross as this country's highest award after it was deemed as an offensive symbol to non-Christians.

A Committee was established to examine the issue and the Committee submitted its report to Cabinet. All comments on the new name and design are to be submitted to Sandra Marchack, Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister and Secretary of the National Symbols and Observances Committee.

Some years ago, a very high-ranking member of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) this country's largest recognised Hindu organisation refused to accept the Trinity Cross which was awarded to him, on the ground that the cross (a Christian symbol) was not appropriate for him to accept. This stirred much controversy and debate with Catholics and non-Catholics divided over the appropriateness of the Trinity Cross being used as this country's highest National Award.

In the end, Government realised the sensitive nature of the Cross and announced that it would be changing the award.

TT out 2006 Global Corruption Survey


Friday, December 8 2006 (T&T Newsday)



TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO is not included in Transparency International's (TI) 2006 Global Corruption Barometer which is being released today to commemorate Inter-national Anti-Corruption Day on December 9. TT fell in TI's 2006 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) which was released in October.

In a release yesterday, Trans-parency International said the findings of this year's global corruption barometer shows that governments worldwide are not doing enough to fight corruption and the fate of the United Nations Convention against Corruption will be determined by its signatory countries at the Conference of States Parties in Jordan from December 10 to 14.

TT is a signatory to the UN Convention which creates obligations on everything from protecting whistleblowers and denying criminals haven, to codes of conduct for civil servants.

This year's barometer says political parties are seen as the organisations "most affected" by corruption. "Political life was seen as being the area most compromised by corruption," Transparency International said.

Some 69 percent of the barometer's respondents said their governments' anti-corruption efforts are either not effective or their governments are "not effective in fighting corruption" or actually encourage corruption.

Forty percent of European respondents and 50 percent of North American respondents think their governments' anti-corruption actions are ineffective. Nineteen percent of North American, 15 percent of Asian and 23 percent of Latin American respondents claim their governments encourage corruption.

African views about anti-corruption actions were mixed.

The barometer said political parties are followed by parliaments and legislatures and the business sector in terms of the influence of corruption. "Police top the chart in respondents' own experience of bribing, though the police are perceived as the fourth most corrupt institution," TI stated. The barometer also noted that Latin America appears to be the region in the world where police corruption is greatest.

Though the barometer shows that religious bodies and non-governmental organisations score positively in terms of their ability to resist the influence of corruption on their members and activities, Transparency International points out that "none of these scores are strong endorsements."

The new countries included in the 2006 Global Corruption Barometer are Albania, Congo-Brazzaville, Fiji, Gabon, Morocco and Sweden.

Costa Rica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, Republic of Ireland, Togo, Georgia, and Lithuania have dropped out of the barometer since its 2005 edition.

The results of the 2006 barometer were based on a poll of 60,000 people in 62 countries carried out by Gallup International on behalf of TI.

PM tells public servants - Do not fear change



By CLINT CHAN TACK Monday, December 11 2006(T&T Newsday)



PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning assured public service workers they had nothing to fear over a new Government policy that monitors and evaluates the public service.

Addressing the PM's Innovating for Service Excellence Awards at the Hilton Trinidad on Thursday night, Manning reiterated that aluminium features prominently among a "whole new wave" of manufacturing industries that will soon be stimulated in the non-energy sector.

Stating the public service continues to play a vital role in all spheres of the country's development, Manning said the new policy represents a revolutionary approach to improving the ability of the public service to efficiently deliver goods and services.

"No organisation can advance without clinical performance audits. At the national level, it promotes transparency and accountability in governance," he said.

"In this new reform effort, no public employee should feel threatened by change. All must be inspired to embrace the process and use every opportunity for self-improvement while contributing to the modernisation of the organisation," Manning declared.

He added that the country's public service "is a wealth of creative talent that needs to be discovered, developed and unleashed, for the benefit of all." Noting that the economy is projected to grow by 12 percent by the end of fiscal 2006 and national unemployment now stood at 5.9 percent, the Prime Minister boasted that economic diversification was proceeding apace in all areas "and will also happen in agriculture."

Manning said there were energy sector projects in the pipeline, representing US$8 billion in direct foreign investment, that will "revolutionise the economy of this country by generating a whole new wave of manufacturing."

The Prime Minister identified aluminium, pharmaceuticals, plastics, iron and steel, food and beverage, household and industrial products as some of those new manufacturing industries.

Manning said 26,000 housing units will be constructed under the Accelerated Housing Programme by year's end. The Prime Minister also spoke about Government's ongoing efforts to improve the country's health and education sectors.

Manning: The law is for everyone


SASCHA WILSON Sunday, December 10 2006(T&T Newsday)



Prime Minister Patrick Manning last night said that once a criminal case is made out against you you have to answer it in court.

Manning advised that in order to avoid legal scrutiny "you must walk on the right side of the road."

Manning made these comments in the wake of ongoing investigations into certain individuals.

Speaking at a walkabout in the Caroni central constituency, Manning said the law was for everyone, saying that there is no discrimination.

Manning said, "Two of my ministers are before the court, if those in the country who are authorised to investigate say there is a case to answer then you have to answer your case in court. Only a court of law can determine your innocence or guilt."

He said that he has even told his wife Hazel not to put him in such a position. "I will cry but she will have to answer the charge," Manning said. Manning continued, "When you steal from the public purse you steal from the people.

I have no vendetta with anyone. As the Prime Minister I have to ensure that all adhere to the law." Saying that he does not have a case to answer, Manning added, "I will defy anyone who intends to make me slide, because I don't intend to slip."



AARTI FOR PM: Vidya Maharaj (second from left) performs aarti for Prime Minister Patrick Manning during his walkabout in Chickland Village, yesterday.

Thursday 7th December 2006



˜It's all in the strategy'



BY ASHA JAVEED (Trinidad Guardian)


CEO Richard Young on the Scotiabank's profit turnaround



Increasing profits is every company's goal but a 39 per cent increase in profits is sure to raise eyebrows especially when it far exceeds recent performance.

And a 14th successive year of increased earnings is something to boast about.

"We are certainly looking good, 39 per cent growth on core earnings," said Scotiabank's managing director, Richard Young, "Four, five years ago we might not have looked as good but we were certainly growing by eight to nine per cent."

But the company's record profit has placed it in a formidable position in the local banking sector, said Young.

"The one bank closest to us is First Citizens. If you do an analysis you will see that they have some really sweetheart deals from the Government," he noted. First Citizens is 100 per cent state-owned.

Whether Scotia can repeat its performance next year is yet to be seen.

Scotiabank's net income was up by 38.7 per cent to $315.1 million and it earnings per share grew by $49.8 cents to $178.7 cents. All of the group's performance ratios showed notable improvement as return on equity (ROE) for the period was 25.05 per cent, return on assets measured 3.52 per cent and the productivity ratio of 41.93 per cent remains the best in the sector.

Young, in an interview with the Business Guardian on Monday, attributed the record growth to the bank's excellent execution of its strategic initiatives undertaken throughout the group.

"Banking is not a sexy thing"”it's all about implementing and executing. In any business, get your topline up, manage your expenses and make a profit."

He explained that while other banks were engaged in acquisitions, Scotiabank had reoriented itself as a sales and service company.

"The challenge we obviously have is because we are already in the region as a multinational we had to change our culture to sales and service. It's a culmination of several different things."

In 2000, the bank's reinvention began: to move from a product-driven company to a customer-focused and customer-oriented company.

The bank had to change its culture.

"There are two ways of growing your business"”organically or acquisition. Our philosophy on acquisition is that once it makes sense. But we choose to change our culture which is never an easy thing to do."

The company stuck to a four-column formula to help propel its way forward:

sales and service

complementary business

efficiency platform

acquisitions

"These four columns are all about driving sustainable consumer growth. It may be the same words of other banks but its all in the execution."

As a sales and service organisation, the bank's first took to changing the title of branch managers to sales managers. It also got involved in database marketing and automated its system to facilitate easier and faster service.

In 2004, it introduced Bancassurrance Scotia Life as part of its product offering.

"The insurance industry is competing against us because they offer products that are savings type and its also about helping customers save."

As for improving efficiency, Young's mantra is: "Increase your topline through sales, manage your expenses so not too much leaves the backdoor and you have profit."

The bank also took processing from all the branches and centralised it as well as its debt collection.

Young said the side benefit to centralising operations is that they are out of the customer's view and all the processing is done in one location.

Scotia is now looking at a platform consolidation intended to create "bandwidth" but should ideally act as a backup in the event of a catastrophe.

As for acquisitions? Young laughed.

"We do not have any plans ahead but if something comes up which we would be interested in then we would consider it."

It's the successful combination of these four factors, anchored by Scotia's employees, that has seen the upward climb in profitability, Young said.

"If I had to attribute the good results to one factor it would be our people. It is because of our people being very aligned, our people understanding what we have to do and they execute it. If your staff understands what you want to achieve, 80 per cent of the battle won.

"This is where I spend a lot of time and this is what has brought the success"”getting our people singing from the same song sheet.

"But, at the end of the day, it is really in the execution. And the economy being good also helps. But I feel that even if the economy was flat our people are so focused and sale and service oriented"”there are still room for improvement, don't get me wrong, I am not saying it is perfect"”but the results would be good."

Scotiabank has not been immune to the recent staff shake-ups within the industry.

Young admitted that Scotiabank had lost some staff but the turnover has not been high.

"We've lost some but we talk to our people. There are other aspects of compensation. It's not just about pay and it's not just about benefits, those are just two quadrants. It's also about the learning environment and the whole working environment.

"I don't like to lose people but it's a buoyant economy. It's not something I'm necessarily proud of but that is how we operate. It is not our vision to be the top payer in the country. We want to pay our staff competitively, at market level, but we feel we bring more than just the pay and the benefits."

As for Young's thoughts on the future?

"I don't know whether we will be able to maintain this kind of trend. That's one of the challenges. But I feel with our people aligned, our people understanding what we have to achieve, the economy is doing well, there is no reason why we shouldn't really."

But in the short term, he'll settle for being named the Employer of Choice by the Association of Female Executives of T&T (AFETT).

Scotia placed third out of five with the Unit Trust Corporation grabbing the title.

Young jokingly admitted that UTC won the title because they had a nursery in their offices. And with 30-plus branches, it'd be a difficult task to emulate.

"We want to aspire to become an employer of choice. We want when people think of Scotiabank as an organisation where I want my child to work.

"I am going to win that prize next year. I am driven," he laughed.

UTT buildings almost complete


Tuesday, December 12 2006 (T&T Newsday)


WORKERS were yesterday putting the final touches to the building for support staff of the multi-million dollar University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) at O'Meara Industrial Estate in Arima. The building is expected to be fully completed by the end of the week.

The project being undertaken by Rio Claro Construction Company Ltd began 12 weeks ago.

Apart from the building for support staff, a pavilion was also erected to facilitate graduation ceremonies and official functions.

The main UTT building was completed ten months ago and scores of students have been attending classes. Despite criticism levelled against the UTT from various sectors, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said on Saturday at Chickland, Freeport during a walkabout, the Government was on the right track.

Supermarkets back prison hams(T&T Newsday)


By RHONDOR DOWLAT Tuesday, December 12 2006


PRESIDENT of the Supermarkets Association of Trinidad and Tobago Heeranand Maharaj yesterday said that pork hams cured within prison walls can make a successful entry into the market once they win over the consumer.

"If these hams meet the required quality and standards, of course, we will accept it into our supermarkets for the purchasing public," said Maharaj.

On Sunday, Prisons Commissioner John Rougier said inmates of the Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, who reared pigs have been taught how to produce ham, and these are to be distributed to other prisons on Christmas Day for the Christmas meal.

Prisons officers believe the prison could also supply ham to the local market, possibly in time for Christmas, he added.

When told of this, Maharaj said the suggestion was a feasible one but the prison would have to market the hams to gain the consumer's confidence in its product.

He added the hams would face tough competition from popular brands such as Blue Ribbon, Erin Farm and Mac Foods.

"These hams would really have to come good, even with its branding, because consumers don't really buy outside their knowledge and experience," said Maharaj, who advised that it was too late for the prison to begin supplying the market for this Christmas.

Gail Merhair, president of the San Juan Business Association, also welcomed the idea.

"I think it's a great idea and it should be implemented soon. People who are incarcerated deserve the right to enter into business which can be a part of the rehabilitation process," said Merhair.

She recommended that the income earned from the ham production should be saved in bank accounts of the prisoners involved in the exercise.

"It is good if the inmates produce ham for sale in the nation's supermarkets. But I believe that the income from these hams should be placed for their (the prisoners) own benefit. They have their families to see about. These monies can also help them get back on track," she said

Wednesday 13th December, 2006(Trinidad Guardian)

YTEPP signs new agreement with Alutrint


YTEPP chairman Jennifer Johnson signs the memorandum of Understanding while Minister in the Ministry in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Satish Ramroop, right, and Alutrint's managing director Renada Butler look on.
Photo: Shirley Bahadur


BY GEISHA KOWLESSAR


THE Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme Limited (YTEPP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alutrint Limited yesterday, paving the way for a new agreement between the two companies.

Minister in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Satish Ramroop said at the signing ceremony yesterday that Alutrint would be sourcing trained personnel from YTEPP's office in La Brea.

He said the would-be-employees will be exposed to different levels and types of training programmes and upon completion some will be employed by Alutrint.

The others, Ramroop said, were expected to open their own businesses within the community.

Delivering the feature address at the signing ceremony held at YTEPP's head office at St Clair, Port-of-Spain, Ramroop said the first batch of trainees is expected to graduate in January 2007.

"Now the people of La Brea will be able to access community-based training in the form of courses which are of importance to them such as plumbing and masonry, dressmaking and design and landscaping," Ramroop said.

Citing the need for "practical training in the society," Ramroop added that if the Government were to achieve its "2020 vision," it will need human resource to work in the industries.

"The benefits to the residents of the La Brea will be almost immediately evident. The benefits to Alutrint will also be considerable," said Ramroop.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Alutrint managing director Renda Butler, who praised YTEPP for what he said was "a move forward."

"You must have continuous training if you are to move forward," Butler told the gathering.

He said the trainees who were expected to pick up various posts at Alutrint upon completion of their courses will be placed both in the "direct and indirect lines of employment.

"The direct employment would be quality control people and supervisors while the indirect would be guards, motorshop workers and groundsmen," Butler said.



©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Wednesday 13th December, 2006



PM: Govt to maximise T&T gas reserves



PM Patrick Manning, third from left, cuts the ribbon to open National Energy Corporation's (NEC) new Tug Mooring Facility at Point Lisas. To the left of the PM are NEC president Prakash Saith, and Michelle Scipio-Hosang, superintendent of towage and harbour operations at the NEC. At Manning's right is Acharya Karmananda, head of the Inter-Religious Organisation, and Senator Christine Sahadeo, Minister in the Ministry of Finance.

Photo: Adrian Boodan

BY ADRIAN BOODAN (Trinidad Guardian)


Government policy to maximise T&T gas reserves for industrial development is sustainable, says Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

He was delivering the feature address at the opening of the National Energy Corporation's (NEC) Tug Mooring Facility and the commissioning of the new tug, the NEC Vision, at the Port of Pt Lisas yesterday.

Manning said the naysayers have continually used the statistics of the reserves to production ratio of natural gas to argue that natural gas is a finite resource which, can only last 15 years at most.

Manning said the government is confident that future exploration efforts would yield additional reserves.

He said, "We are quite confident that the pursuit of a policy of industrialisation based on natural gas is not only sustainable, but is the best approach that T&T can take at this time if Almighty God in His wisdom endowed us with resources of natural gas, then our responsibility is to maximise the use of those resources for as long as those resources last."

Manning said government's policy of industrialisation based on natural gas is receiving praise from countries as Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea .

He said the West African country recently indicated it was impressed with T&T's model of growth using gas. He said the challenge now is to seek balance between T&T's oil and gas production through more exploration for oil, adding that T&T's natural gas production stands at 750 barrels of oil per day in oil equivalent.

Manning said by 2012, T&T would become one of the top three electricity users in the world based on per capita statistics and dangerously close to rivalling Norway for the top spot.

Manning said the government plans to rehabilitate the Port of Port-of-Spain at a cost of US$400 million, while five additional ports would be constructed in the next two years at a cost of US$365 million at Point Lisas, Galeota, Chatham, Union and Moruga.

He said the need for these facilities arise because of T&T's industrial growth.

Manning said the time has come to revisit the question of the best use of T&T's natural resources in order to fine tune it to maximise value. He said the last time the government considered this question was in 1974.

"The time has come to revisits this question, and so we propose to convene early in the new year the stakeholders."




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Wednesday 13th December, 2006


Smelter agreement signed by Saith, Saith and Alcoa


Alcoa will receive a minimum 30-year lease"”with option to renew for an additional 30 years"”for use of 510 acres of land at Cape de Ville in south Trinidad for its aluminium smelter project, once the Government gives final approval for this.

That is part of a four-page agreement in principle on the smelter issue, signed by the National Energy Corporation (NEC), the Government and Alcoa on February 14, 2006.

Signatories to the Valentine's Day agreement were Minister of Energy Dr Lenny Saith, NEC chairman Prakash Saith"”Lenny Saith's brother"”and Jerome Maxwell, on behalf of Alcoa.

Minister Saith presented the agreement in the Senate yesterday"”minus what he described as "sensitive" confidential aspects.

However, UNC Senator Wade Mark declared the situation a "cover-up."

Under the agreement, the NEC will have to acquire"”through purchase, other agreements and "actions" the 1,500-acre site on which the Alcoa aluminium smelter will be located at the Cape de Ville estate.

According to the document, NEC will enter the lease with Alcoa for 450 acres for the construction and operation of smelting facilities and approximately 60 acres for a power plant.

Alcoa will receive "economic relief at the "maximum level " and will receive "no less beneficial or advantageous fiscal and tax treatments than any industrial aluminium facilities now in T&T."

Alcoa has committed to comply with all "internationally accepted standards for the protection of the environment" in its use of the site.

According to the agreement (3.7) in the event of any "Force Majeure""”strikes, lock-outs, insurrection, civil war, rebellion, invasion, hostilities or other industrial disputes"”which affect the performance of a party's obligations, the party will have a period of time to remedy the cause.

Saith explained that in 2004 the Government authorised the NEC, in conjunction with Sural"”an independent aluminium fabrication company headquartered in Venezuela to invite Alcoa to participate locally in aluminium industry development.

The NEC, Sural and Alcoa in May 2004 executed a one-year Memorandum of Understanding, to explore the feasibility of an aluminium smelter facility with a target capacity of 250,000 metric tonnes annually. Estimated cost was US$1 billion.

Saith said: "However, in January 2005, SURAL and Alcoa sought variations to the project. Alcoa requested that the project scope be increased to 341,000 metric tonnes annually. Alcoa indicated it was prepared to undertake the project on its own and also source financing of the capital estimated at US$1.6 billion."

He said Sural proposed to the Government, "And without prejudice to the Alcoa project," a smaller smelter with a capacity of 125,00 metric tonnes annually.

(GA)



©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Powergen CEO: More power for aluminium


By Clint Chan Tack Wednesday, December 13 2006

In Miami, Florida


POWER Generation Company of TT (Powergen) CEO Garth Chatoor yesterday said a proposed increase in the size of the power requirements for one of the two aluminium plants to be constructed in Trinidad and Tobago, does not mean that the plant will be larger in size than originally anticipated.

Speaking at RBTT's 2006 Investors' Forum at the JW Marriott Hotel, Chatoor also disclosed that Government may soon issue a policy statement with regards to the type of power generation which should take place in TT.

Outlining the projected power demands required by heavy industries in the country, Chatoor said the two aluminium plants will individually and collectively require the most electricity for their operations.

One plant will require 583 megawatts (MW) while the other will require 240 MW. Alcoa is planning to build a smelter in Chatham while Alutrint is building a smelter in La Brea. There has been considerable public opposition towards the Alcoa smelter but mixed views on the Alutrint smelter with some La Brea residents expressing support for it.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has disclosed that there were also expressions of interest to build a third aluminium smelter but not divulged the party or parties which expressed that interest. Chatoor said the aluminium plant which required 240 MW could have its requirements ramped up to 600 MW.

He declined to reveal whether the plant in question belonged to either Alcoa or Alutrint because of commercial talks. Speaking afterwards with journalists, Chatoor said the higher power requirements may involve increasing the size of the grid and not increasing the size of the plant in question.

Chatoor said a survey recently conducted by the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE) showed that with TT's electrical consumption standing at 45,000 kilowatts per capita, the country's industrialisation (in terms of electricity generation) was proceeding well at this time. Indicating that the domestic electricity industry is growing between five to 6.1 percent annually, Chatoor said that rate would be increased once heavy industries come online.

Noting that most of the power generation which takes place in TT occurs through single rather than combined cycle, Chatoor said he would not be surprised if Government does not issue a policy statement on this matter in the near future. The Prime Minister has previously hinted a preference towards combined over single cycle electricity generation.

Chatoor said Powergen recently signed a $100M agreement to construct two new power generation plants and always keeps 25 to 30 percent of its electricity in reserve for emergencies. Noting the effects of natural disasters in the Caribbean within recent times, Chatoor said TT faces constraints as "an island utility" because power could be easily knocked out if a hurricane hits. Following the devastation of Grenada by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, that Caribbean nation has moved to put some of its power and water lines underground.

Chatoor said while there were demand and supply issues for electricity in other jurisdictions, this was not the case in TT because efforts are always made to have a "surplus of supply" available.

He explained that this would allow any investor coming into TT "to plug his plant into the wall and get power." Chatoor said improvements in finance, service standards and environmental regulations have reduced the risk of persons wishing to invest in the domestic electricity industry.

Work starts next year on Oropouche land project


Louis B Homer South Bureau


Thursday, December 14th 2006 (T&T Express)


The controversial Oropouche Bank Industrial Estate, the largest reclamation project to be started in the western hemisphere, is expected to come on stream next year, Prakash Saith, president of the State-owned National Energy Corporation, has said.

Speaking at the opening of a tug mooring station at Point Lisas Industrial Estate, Saith said: "Preliminary technical studies have already been completed which indicate that the site is suitable for heavy industries."

He said preliminary designs will start in early 2007 and detailed studies will be undertaken to obtain a certificate of Environmental Clearance before construction work starts.

Last year a number of environmentalists protested the idea of building an industrial estate on the waters off Godineau, on the outskirts of San Fernando.

Residents in neighbouring Oropouche had expressed concerns about the damage that will be done to the fishing industry on which a large percentage residents depended on for a living.

In September last year geological studies began by a firm called Geotech Associates Ltd.

Using a barge the company drilled several bore holes on the 1,400 hectare site to determine if the area which is four metres deep was suitable for the proposed estate.

Saith said the marine industrial estate, which will be constructed to meet the demands of the energy industry, and the marine environment will in no way be affected by the operations of the estate.

Saith said the newly constructed mooring station, which was declared open by Prime Minister Patrick Manning, was built at a cost "US$3.6 million to service the local towage market".

He said: "This year towage and harbour operations were successful in penetrating new markets, anchor handling, and loading operations for several platforms and rigs at La Brea and Chaguaramas".

Saith said over the past eight years revenue from tugs and harbours run by the NEC had increased from $30 million in 1998 to $87 million this year.

$1.2b water system for South

Thursday, December 14th 2006


South Bureau (T&T Express)


More than 35 kilometres of pipelines, running from the Navet reservoir to San Fernando, will be replaced in a $1.2 billion water modernisation programme within the next two years.

Errol Grimes, chief executive officer of the Water and Sewerage Authority, says the move will provide a far more reliable supply of pipeborne water than the current three days a week supply to most houses.

Speaking at the commissioning of eight water projects in Barrackpore for some 768 residents on Tuesday, he said the Navet reservoir, built in 1962, had an initial production capacity of six million gallons of water a day.

He said the population of San Fernando and outlying districts, including Rio Claro, Princes Town, Moruga and Gasparillo, had grown tremendously since then.

"Although the reservoir has been expanded to a current 19 million gallons a day, the infrastructure remained unchanged for the past 44 years," Grimes said.

Thursday 14 th December, 2006


Manning visits International Waterfront project Amid protest PM gives praise



Prime Minister Patrick Manning meets with
disgruntled contract workers protesting for higher wages at the International Waterfront site yesterday.

Martin Bouygues, chief executive of the Bouygues Group, points out part of the building's design to Prime Minister Patrick Manning during a tour of the International Waterfront project, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Photos: Shirley Bahadur



By Sherwin Long (Trinidad Guardian)


In the midst of protest action yesterday by workers at the International Waterfront project, Prime Minister Patrick Manning applauded the pace of the project and again defended Gov'ts precurement policies , During a tour of the Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, site Manning was greeted by a group of workers protesting claims of late and inadequate salary payments.

During a tour of the Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, site Manning was greeted by a group of workers protesting claims of late and inadequate salary payments.

Before his exit, however, Manning showered praise on the project, describing it as "on schedule and within costs."

He also brushed aside concerns that Government's current procurement policy was in contrast to its white paper to reform the public procurement process which was laid in Parliament.

"What you are seeing now is a resistance by aspects of the JCC to change from an old established order to new systems that give the country much better returns for money that we spend on the facilities that we construct," Manning said.

On Wednesday, the Joint Consultative Council for the construction industry questioned the procurement policy for the $15 billion rapid rail project.

Manning suggested that some local contractors wanted to maintain the status quo and "hold on to an old paradigm that carves out for themselves an usual amount of the Government financial pie in ways that are inconsistent with proper industrial ways and proper developmental practice."

He added that the Government was prepared to fight this.

Manning even answered critics of Government's construction drive and its role in pushing up inflation.

If you don't do it, they say unemployment is high and you're not doing anything about it; if you do it, they say it drives inflation. Damned if you, do damned if you don't," he added.

French firm Bouygues Batiment is the contractor for the Waterfront project.

And Manning downplayed the effect the protest action would have on the project.

As these projects come to an end, you will get heightened industrial action. That is standard in T&T. We have seen that before, so not let your heart be troubled," Manning said.

Manning met with the workers for a brief discussion, before leaving the site.

One worker said that over the past month salaries have been paid late and insufficient by Bouygues Batiment.

Another worker said anyone who protested against late and short payments of their salaries were fired.

The site has an estimated 1,100 workers and Manning said this figure could increase to 1,200 by January.

The Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott) serves as project manager for the Waterfront undertaking.

Udecott chairman Calder Hart said foreign contractors in T&T had to abide by local labour laws. But, at the same time, contracted workers "under specific contracts of employment" are expected to honour those contracts.

Hart said the project is expected to cost an estimated $1.7 billion and the Hyatt hotel would be ready by January, 2008.

In 2009, T&T will host both the Summit of the Americas and Commonwealth heads of Government conference.

Manning said the hotel would provide rooms for these events.

Government was looking around Port-of-Spain for space to build another major hotel, he added.

While Manning said "the FTAA headquarters appears to be dead in the water," he noted that T&T would be established as an international financial centre.

Fifteen storeys of the 22-storey 422-room hotel are already complete.

The Waterfront will have a seven-storey car park, plus a 26-storey office tower and a conference centre.

Martin Bouygues, CEO of the Bouygues Group, was present during the tour. But he refused to speak with the media.

His company has also put in a bid for the rapid rail project.

©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited


GOVT BOOTS: Prime Minister Patrick Manning carefully puts on his construction boots as he suited up for Wednesday's tour of Udecott's $1.7 billion Waterfront Project at the Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain site.
Author: AZLAN MOHAMMED

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Aussie: T&T Cricket World Cup package a gold mine


Anna Ramdass


Friday, December 15th 2006 (T&T Express)


The Government came under a lot of criticism for receiving the Brown Package for Cricket World Cup 2007 but Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downey has said this move will give Trinidad and Tobago maximum exposure.

He was speaking at the official opening of the Australian High Commission at Herbert Street, St Clair, Port of Spain, yesterday.

"Your country will get the maximum exposure because more people watch cricket in India than anywhere else in the world and by a very big margin more than in Britain and Australia," Downey said, adding that World Cup cricket was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the West Indies.

Former presidents Sir Ellis Clarke and Arthur NR Robinson as well as House Speaker Barry Sinnanan and politicians Dr Tim Gopeesingh and Robin Montano were present at the ceremony.

"Secretly, we all feel that you can't take a country seriously if it can't play cricket," he joked, admitting that he hated saying this in the presence of United States Ambassador Roy Austin.

He said he admired the aspirations of the Government to take the country forward to 2020 developed status.

He said the Australian High Commission will be looking after the 6,000 Australians who will be coming to the Caribbean for World Cup Cricket.

Downey said there was nothing more exciting than watching the West Indies team in action because "whether they win or lose they do either of those things in spectacular style and long may that last".

He added that the Australians were impressed that star batsman Brian Lara named his daughter after Australia's biggest city-Sydney.

Imbert: 20 minutes on roads

...Rapid rail to cut driving time to PoS

Juhel Browne


Sunday, December 17th 2006 (T&T Express)


Once up and running, the Government's $15 billion rapid rail project will cut an hour-long journey along the highways that connect east and south Trinidad to Port of Spain to a 20-minute trip in the next nine years says Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert.

He also said that the same trip will be reduced by an additional ten minutes by the next 19 years after the implementation of the rapid rail.

Imbert said this is the conclusion of the Comprehensive National Transportation Study that was conducted this year.

He said that study supported the conclusions of four previous transportation studies conducted in 1967, 1996, 2000 and 2003 which all said the nation needs a railway system.

"The rail change, that is the improvement that comes from the rapid rail project, which the model, a scientific computer model, shows will result in a 44.1 per cent reduction in vehicle hours travelled in Trinidad by 2012 and an 82.2 per cent reduction in vehicle hours travelled in Trinidad by 2025," Imbert said.

"It means that persons who are now spending an hour on the road will spend only 20 minutes on the road, in 2015 and ten minutes on the road in 2025."

Imbert spoke on the issue in an hour-long presentation during Friday's sitting of the House of Representatives at the Red House, Port of Spain.

He said those who travel along the Eastern Main Road and Priority Bus Route that comprise the East/West Corridor and the Churchill Roosevelt Highway that is the main artery along the North/South Corridor will spend almost 300 million hours on the road without the rapid rail project.

Imbert said the 1996 transportation study which was conducted during the 1996 United National Congress administration, showed that 21,000 persons per hour were travelling along the East/West Corridor in the peak direction into Port of Spain, with most of them going to the capital city to work.

Imbert said the 2006 study showed the peak hour person trips along the corridor has increased to over 30,000 people, an increase of five per cent per year since 1996.

He said that those who are suggesting that the Government scrap the rail project and build busways instead, are looking in the wrong direction.

"They ignore the fact that the land space required for these busways is simply not available, without massive land acquisition and that the cost of constructing these busways and operating this tremendously expanded bus system would be astronomical and could far exceed the cost of the proposed rapid railway," Imbert said.

DOUBLE TAKE: It was a meeting of queens from different decades but Janelle Penny Commissiong-Chow Miss Universe 1977 and Giselle LaRonde-West Miss World 1986 were radiant as they chatted at the International Cricket Council cocktail function.

Author: ERICA RAMJASS

Memorable Christmas show by Lydians and Exodus


By GARY CARDINEZ Sunday, December 17 2006
(T&T Newday)


THE LYDIANS teamed up with Sagicor Exodus for what was indeed a "Christmas to Remember" at Queen's Hall, St Ann's, on Friday night.

The Lydians excelled with "Christmas In The City," while Exodus thrilled with their renditions of local Christmas songs "Vamonos" and Pelham Goddard's "Pelham's Sugar Plum."

There were memorable performances from pannist Kerns Sumerville with a powerful rendition of "Someday at Christmas." Lisa McClashie known for her prowess as a frontline pan player, won applause when she delivered "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" with her own style and flare.

However, in the solo category, the night belonged to Earl Brooks Jr who made his tenor pan sing as he performed "Sleigh Ride".

Performances by soloists Dirk Govia (Largo al Factotum from the Barber of Seville), "Eternal Life" by Glenis Yearwood, "Red and Green Christmas" by Jenny Archer and "Nessum Dorma" solicited sustained applause from the audience.

When the choir and steel orchestra came together to do "It's the Most Wonderful time of the Year" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," the audience could not ask for more.

Guest performers on the night were Los Tocadores who performed with both Exodus and The Lydians as well as the Mucurapo Girls Choir under the direction of Laura Roper.

The latter group did a segment of the show that was also very memorable, their voices blending sweetly as they performed songs "Reach," "Christmas Is A Birthday," "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "Sparkling Christmas Tree."

The night closed with The Lydians famous rendition of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus." They were joined in this performance by Exodus, Lydian Steel, Malick Tassa Group and several dancers.

"This concert is a true celebration of the gift of music and the grace to make it in a community. When a choir which is located in Port-of-Spain can come together with a steelband from Tunapuna then we know that community values can be very elastic and all-inclusive," Lydians musical director Pat Bishop told Sunday Newsday after the concert.



THE LYDIANS teamed up with Sagicor Exodus for what was indeed a "Christmas to Remember" at Queen's Hall, St Ann's, on Friday night.

T&T EXPRESS RESUMES SERVICE


Friday, December 15th 2006 (Tobago News)


The Incat built fast ferry, The Lynx, which has been renamed the T&T Express will resume servicing the seabridge next week. The new name has come about as a result of a competition organised by the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) in September.

The ferry was purchased for US$20 million from its Australian owner Mark Worrell.

It returned from dry dock in Australia on November 30 and remained docked at the Port of Spain Port while its owner and government representatives finalised the purchase agreement and payment of the outstanding sum of US$16 million.

The Government had made an initial down payment of US$4 million to Worrell recently and the Tobago News was informed that settlement of the outstanding amount would be done by this weekend.

The Tobago News was also reliably informed that the nine-year-old T&T Express was in "ship shape" and it was likely that plans for it to return to Australia for complete refurbishment in January was unlikely in the near future. It is now painted in white and carries the colours of the national flag on its sides. The ferry went to Australia for it mandatory dry-docking for certification in mid October.

The T&T Express will operate along with The Cat and as a result would double the passenger and vehicle capacity on the seabridge. It leaves Port of Spain daily at 6.30 a.m., while The Cat would leave Scarborough at the same time. Both ferries will make their return voyage in the late afternoon giving travellers a full day in either island. There will be additional sailing as necessary.

The government also plans to purchase a second fast ferry, The Spearhead from Incat Tasmania PTY Limited for US$46 million. This four-year-old fast ferry is currently being refitted at the company's Australian dockyard and is expected to arrive in Tobago next month. With the arrival of The Spearhead the seabridge would then be serviced with three fast ferries since the six-month charter of The Cat from Bay Ferries of Canada would not end until April.

Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert said in August that the Cabinet had decided to purchase the two fast ferries instead of leasing them, resulting in a savings of $200 million on T&T Express and $100 million on The Spearhead which is also to be renamed as a result of the competition.

Meanwhile, passengers on the ferry service have had to endure very choppy seas in recent days caused by strong winds in the lower level of the atmosphere. Winds of over 52 kilometres per hour have been recorded at the lower level of the atmosphere. Also contributing to this system were several mid-latitude cyclones making their way across the Atlantic Ocean and there were a lot of strong winds within these systems, which were responsible for changing sea conditions thereby generating rough seas and swells. Some of these rough seas and swells have propagated towards the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago, producing the rough seas.

$billion upgrade for Petrotrin

Louis B Homer South Bureau


Tuesday, December 19th 2006 (T&T Express)


State owned oil company Petrotrin has moved a step further in its multi-billion-dollar project to transform its Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

It signed a US$180 million contract on the weekend with South Korean based Samsung Engineering of Seoul to build one of four refinery plants for the project.

Construction of the new plant which will churn out 28,000 barrels of finished oil products a day is expected to begin early next year and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008.

The new plant will be constructed close to the isomerisation plant, which upgrades gasoline, and on which work started in August is due for completion next year, it was learned.

Last Friday, officials of Petrotrin headed by its executive chairman Malcolm Jones and a team of senior employees of Samsung signed the new construction contract at Petrotrin's Beaumont Hill office at Pointe-a-Pierre.

Design of the new plant is being done in South Korea.

Petrotrin already has received permission from the Environmental Management Authority to construct the plant, said a senior company official.

Wayne Bertrand, President Operations, at Petrotrin said yesterday: "The new contract signed between Petrotrin and Samsung is part of our upgrade programme at Pointe-a-Pierre. Four new plants are to be built, including the isomerisation, and this new one is a small part of the company's proposed upgrade."

Petrotrin was forced to embark on an upgrade of its plants at Pointe a Pierre to meet the demand of the changing standards in the oil industry, the company said earlier this year.

Joseph guards against terrorism


Tuesday, December 19 2006 (T&T Newsday)


MINISTER of National Security, Martin Joseph, said two British security experts hired for next year's Cricket World Cup (CWC) have warned that high profile public sports events attract a risk of terrorist attacks.

"All the security planning has taken place against the backdrop of national and regional threat and risk assessments, taking into account the global security situation and the potential for importing into the region, by reason of the creation of a world stage, and the arrival of persons which are facing major security challenges..." he said at Friday in the House of Representatives. He was moving the Immigration (Advanced Passenger Information) Bill 2006 to facilitate free movement of visitors through CWC host countries.

These experts were hired, he alluded, because no country as small as TT or region as small as the Caribbean could stage a global event without the help of international partners.

He said the 9/11 attacks had forever changed the planning of major international events. "The threat environment has subsequently become even darker with Al Qaeda plots and attacks mounted throughout the globe.

"The risk of a mass casualty attack on world-stage sporting events has increased." Therefore, he said, the responsibilities of host nations for security has also increased, citing the two British experts.

Joseph said the CWC was the world's third largest sporting event after the Olympics and the FIFA football world cup. He estimated the number of visitors to the region would be 50,000 to 100,000 people.

Joseph said TT would, in January 2007, start issuing machine readable passports, which merely need to be swiped in a machine at an airport's immigration desk.

He said the Government will use the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) to monitor passenger arrivals next year. "APIS is not a profiling tool and would not so be used by this Government."

Centuries after Chacon...Spain returns to T&T

...Permanent ambassador appointed


Sunday, December 24th 2006 (T&T Express)



More than 200 years after the Spanish relinquished control of Trinidad and Tobago, government has welcomed Spain's decision to assign and station an ambassador to the island.

Newly appointed Spanish Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Fernando de la Serna, told the Sunday Express that he would do all that he could to improve relations between the two countries.

He believes that the decision to post a Spanish Ambassador in Trinidad and Tobago "has been long over due".

He said: "Trinidad and Tobago has one of the most important economies in the Caribbean.

"We already have the Spanish-Argentinean company Repsol YPF, one of the biggest companies in Spain, working here. We hope that we will be able to help other, perhaps smaller firms, come here."

De la Serna, 57, explained that Repsol YPF was a partner company in the operation and ownership of the LNG plants.

The company has a 20 per cent stake in Atlantic LNG, with complete ownership of trains one and four.

He also pointed out that Repsol YPF continued to do exploration in Trinidadian waters and that its headquarters for the Caribbean was also located here.

But De la Serna hopes that bilateral relations between Trinidad and Tobago and Spain could continue to improve beyond the exploration and production industry.

He indicated that the Spanish could help Trinidad and Tobago promote more incentives to people running visitor accommodation in the island.

De la Serna said that tourism departments from Spain could join hands to improve the tourism service in Trinidad and Tobago.

He noted that Spain had a diverse tourism industry-the country's capital, Madrid, has over fifty museums and a palace with more than 2,500 rooms.

Spain is also known for its festivals and fiestas, from the "running of the bulls" to its "modernista" architects in Barcelona to its ski resorts and night clubs.

De la Serna revealed that the Spanish Embassy had been officially opened for more than a month following the presentation and acceptance of his letters of accreditation by President George Maxwell Richards.

The father of two is expected to serve between three to five years as the Spanish Ambassador in Trinidad and has been posted to countries such as Brussels and London. He has been a diplomat for 30 years.

De la Serna explained that over the past 40 years, persons in Trinidad and Tobago who sought to engage in diplomatic relations with Spain would have to do so through the Spanish Ambassador in Venezuela.

He also stated that official representatives from Spain have only been stationed in two English-speaking Caribbean countries.

"We only have two embassies in the English-speaking Caribbean, Jamaica and now Trinidad.

"But there are about 14 countries in the non-Latin American Caribbean. As the Ambassador, I will be responsible for six countries Guyana, Suriname, Barbados, St Vincent and Grenada as well as Trinidad and Tobago. But I have not been accredited in the other five countries as yet," he said.

He explained that he will be a non-resident Ambassador to the other five countries and will serve as the diplomatic official accredited to Spain.

De la Serna, the former Spanish Ambassador in Jamaica between 1996 to 2001, is optimistic that the King of Spain would visit Trinidad and Tobago. He lamented that no Spanish sovereign has ever journeyed to the island.

"The Spanish government has not been permanently present in Trinidad since Don Jose Maria Chacon.

"We hope that the Spanish heritage is respected and honoured in Trinidad.

"I hope that now we will have visits from the Spanish Secretary of State for Latin America and Caribbean Affairs and the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos," he said.

"During the 300 years of the Spanish rule across the Caribbean and Latin America, no (Spanish) King came here nor came to South America but now the King has gone to all the Latin American countries.

"Let Trinidad be among the first in the English-speaking Caribbean that he visits." De la erna said.

De la Serna stressed that "we need to pursue a more determined effort" to achieve the lifting of ay separations between Trinidad and Tobago and Spain.

Sunday 24th December, 2006

Health Minister: Mt Hope is no white elephant


By Michelle Loubon (Trinidad Guardian)


Health Minister John Rahael declared yesterday that the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex was no longer a "white elephant" but rather now a potential mecca for tertiary healthcare in T&T and the wider Caribbean.

During a Christmas tour of the facility yesterday, Rahael,said:

"EWMSC was destined for tertiary healthcare. We are looking at things like tissue transplant, cardiac arrest services, kidney transplants, nuclear research and a host of other activities within the Mt Hope Complex.

"Mt Hope is no longer a white elephant to be closed, but 90 per cent of it is in use now."

Rahael also spoke of plans for "health tourism" to complement the ministry's long term goal to open up the complex to the rest of the Caribbean.

"Right now, we have patients from St Lucia and Guyana. We are looking at pitching the facility as the tertiary healthcare facility"”not only in T&T, but the rest of Caricom.

"That is where the health tourism would come in. The focus is not only on T&T, but the rest of the Caribbean," he said.

Speaking about the Government's decision to recruit medical personnel from the UK, Rahael said:

"We met with some doctors. We have received a number of resumes. As a matter of fact, some of them are here for the Christmas, and they have already contacted us. It will take some time but we are confident we will be able to woo them back."



©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

PM gets ˜symbols' report


By SEAN DOUGLAS Saturday, December 30 2006(T&T Newsday)


PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning yesterday received a report on whether national symbols and observances are discriminatory as he met at Whitehall with members of a committee he set up to review the Trinity Cross and other national representations.

The committee was set up to investigate whether TT's national icons are discriminatory, following Justice Peter Jamadar's ruling for the Maha Sabha that the Trinity Cross discriminated against non-Christians.

Committee chairman Prof Bridget Brereton told Newsday the committee had in July, given Manning part one of their report on the Trinity Cross, and yesterday presented him with part two of the report which deals with the national symbols and observances.

Part one of the report on the Trinity Cross resulted in press advertisements in December inviting public comment on the proposed new national award Order of the Republic medallion representing a steelpan topped with a Carib headdress with two national birds perched atop the two islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

Brereton said that in part two of its report, on national observances, the committee completed its task and considered a very wide range of ideas.

"We interpreted our remit widely, considering the National Anthem, the Coat of Arms, the Independence Pledge, national instrument, national flower and flag."

Under the topic of national observances such as public holidays, she said the committee also considered "any ceremonies regarded as public". Brereton said these instances included the ceremonies at the opening of Parliament and the official start of the Law Term. "The Prime Minister told us he expected the report to go to Cabinet next week." She said her committee recommended to Manning that he publish the report and seek public comment.

She said Manning had hinted that he would heed this advice.

Brereton said that part two of the report was based on the 20 or 25 submissions from the public in response to a paid press advertisement in August inviting public comment, plus all relevant newspaper articles, letters and editorials.

In addition to handing in part two of her report yesterday, Brereton also collected an envelope of the public responses to the press advertisements inviting comment on the Order of the Republic.

"It is not a very fat envelope, so it's probably got a similar number of responses as before (ie 20 to 25 items)." The committee is due to next meet in January.




HAND OVER: Prime Minister Patrick Manning receives part two of a report from the committee overseeing the validity of the nation's symbols and observances, from committee chairwoman Prof Bridget Brereton, at Whitehall yesterday.

Way to Go, Trini on US most wanted list

A 39-year-old Trinidadian, who is one of the most wanted men in the United States, has vanished without a trace.

Andre Neverson has made it to the Top 15 most wanted men on the list of the United States Marshals. US Marshals believe he may be using other names - Andre Humphrey, Troy Michael Anderson, Troy Michael Henderson, and Trey Michael Henderson.

US officials believe Neverson could be disguising himself, and though he shaved his head, he has been known to wear wigs.

United States law enforcement officers came to Trinidad looking for Andre Neverson in September 2005, but they were chased out of the Never Dirty, Morvant area, where he once lived.

It has been four years since Neverson went on a rage-fuelled killing spree, allegedly gunning down his sister and kidnapping and murdering his ex-girlfriend "” before disappearing.

"He's getting away with it," said Daisy Davis, the mother of Donna Davis, Neverson's former girlfriend.

"I'm angry. By now this guy should be caught. He's an executioner; it was deliberate, and he did it to someone who trusted him," Davis added.

Neverson has been a wanted man since July 8, 2002, when, cops charge, he shot his older sister, Patricia, as they argued over money in her Crown Heights home.

The next day, Neverson picked up Davis, 34, at Audrey Cohen College in Queens, where she was studying hospital administration. Her body was discovered in an East New York lot two days later.

Neverson is one of America's most wanted fugitives, and US $37,000 in reward money has been posted for his capture.

Even so, he's evaded an NYPD and US Marshals' dragnet.

"He just vanished," said Brooklyn Detective Sammy Ortiz. As tips continue to pour in "” the case has been on America's Most Wanted nine times "” NYPD detectives have travelled across the country, following hundreds of promising leads.

With a tip that Neverson was in his native Trinidad, NYPD Detective Peter Margraf and US Marshals flew here for a second time in 2005. They returned empty-handed after being barred from entering the lawless Never Dirty area where Neverson was born. Clyde Davis has been to Trinidad seven times since his daughter's murder, pleading on television for information. He has spoken with the country's top homicide detective and put up US $25,000 in reward money.

NYPD detectives believe that a close relative of Neverson and at least one of the three women Neverson has children with may be helping him. They suspect that he is in Trinidad and is being protected by one of the notorious gangs of the depressed Morvant area.

NY cops believe Neverson is capable of killing again. People who know his whereabouts may not be coming forward because they're terrified of the hulking 240-pound, six-foot-two tall Neverson, who was deported in 2000 after serving five years for attempted murder but snuck back into the United States in 2002.



link

Bidder by end of Feb

Govt cuts cost of rapid rail project to $6.8b

Juhel Browne


Wednesday, January 3rd 2007(T&T Express)



Colm Imbert
picture



A preferred bidder for Government's 72-mile-long rapid rail project, which is now estimated to cost $6.8 billion, will be selected before the end of February.

And the two remaining bidders for the job will be competing for a project that has been divided into different parts.

"The project is being done in series of contracts," said Transport Minister Colm Imbert yesterday in a telephone interview.

Imbert said he was "pushing" the National Infrastructure Company, the State enterprise that is responsible for implementing the project, to fast track the selection of the final two bidders: the consortium led by Vinci Construction Grand Projects and Bouygues Travaux Publics.

The Vinci consortium includes a division of the Bombardier group.

The Bouygues consortium is led by a company that is part of the Bouygues group which has a division involved in the construction of the Waterfront Development Project at Port of Spain.

"The negotiations with the two ranked bidders have been approved and the framework for the negotiations should be settled within the next week. I have asked Nidco to try and complete the negotiations by the end of this month. Hopefully, by February, we would have identified the winning bidder," Imbert said.

He said that it was possible the negotiations could continue past January 31 but expected them to be concluded before February 28.

Imbert said once the final bidder was selected the contractual details would have to be approved in February and clarified that the project will not be governed by one contract.

"The first contract is the planning and detail design plus the preliminary site work which would include land evaluation, site clearance and so on. The main contract for the construction work would not be awarded until the preliminary results from the first contract are available," Imbert said.

"That's an added safeguard that some people are not aware of or those who are aware do not want to admit."

He said the detail design would finalise exactly where the rail tracks would be laid, how many trains would run on them and the amount of passengers expected.

Imbert also explained how the estimated cost of the project was reduced from $15 billion to $6.8 billion.

"We know the tracks will be a total of 72 miles long, 36 miles in the East/West corridor, 36 miles in north/south corridor. We are now using a budget figure of US$15 million per mile. When you work that backward you come to TT$6.8 billion," he said.

Imbert said the original cost per mile was a US/Europe based standard of US$25 million and added the Government recognised similar projects have been constructed in India, China and South America for US$4 million per mile of rail.

"We have chosen a middle of the road price," he said.

Friday 5th January, 2007

Govt approves $321m contract for interchange




Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert consults his documents as he responds to questions from reporters at yesterday's post-Cabinet media briefing at Whitehall. Photo: Andre Alexander


By Curtis Williams (Trinidad Guardian)


Five years after construction of the interchange at the intersection of the Churchill-Roosevelt and Uriah Butler highways was originally due to begin, the Government has finally agreed to the award of a $321 million contract for the building of the elevated ramp and frontage roads.

The contract for the elevated structure was to be awarded to the French firm Vinci Construction with work expected to begin by the end of next month.

This was revealed by Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert at yesterday's post-Cabinet news briefing.

Imbert said the Cabinet yesterday approved the project as the first part of an overall $1 billion project to make the Churchill Roosevelt Highway a complete freeway from the intersection in the vicinity of Grand Bazaar to Barataria.

"After consideration of all the factors, Cabinet has decided to proceed with the upgrade of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway to full freeway standard between Barataria and the Uriah Butler Highway with the first project being the construction of the interchange at the Uriah Butler and Churchill-Roosevelt highways (and) with the flyovers at El Socorro and Aranguez to follow," Imbert said.

Imbert said the decision to go with the $1 billion project which includes the construction of two overpasses and an additional lane on both sides of the highway was the cheaper, faster and most environment friendly option.
Imbert reminded reporters that the Government had considered the construction of a road from Barataria passing through the Caroni Swamp and joining the Uriah Butler Highway at the Caroni Bridge. But, he said, this was not the best option because it would cost $3 billion, take nine years to build and require environmental clearance.



©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Wednesday 5th January, 2007 (T&T Guardian)



Water taxi service to start in July



July 10 is the date the Government has set for the commencement of a water taxi service between San Fernando and Port-of-Spain.

Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert yesterday said at the weekly post-Cabinet news conference that the route would be serviced by four "high speed catamarans" each built to accommodate between 300 and 400 passengers.

Imbert said the cost of the service would be $15 one-way, two dollars more than the present taxi fare between the two cities.

Imbert said the ferries will carry a maximum of 9,000 people per day and significantly reduce the traffic gridlock.

He said, "It is estimated that if we are able to transport 9,000 people by sea on a daily basis, this will lead to the removal of some 4,000 cars from our main north/south routes, thereby significantly reducing congestion on our main north/south arterial route. It will also provide a safe, comfortable alternative form of transport."

The Transport Minister said July 10 was the date proposed because the Government would have to build jetties at Flat Rock, San Fernando, which is near to the Public Transport Service Corporation's building; at Clifton Hill, Point Fortin; and in the west to accommodate Diego Martin passengers.

Imbert said finding a location in the west was proving difficult because space would be required to provide "adequate, secured parking" for those who want to park and ride.

He said the annual subsidy for the service would be $29 million per month.

Imbert said it was estimated the journey would take 40 minutes. "”CW




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Friday 5th January, 2007


BG, NGC in new gas contract


Following months of negotiations the National Gas Company and BG Group have reached an agreement for the supply of 220 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day into the country's domestic supply.

The BG group of companies along with its partner Chevron yesterday announced it had entered into Heads of Agreement with the NGC to supply the gas.

The release stated that the proposed gas deal is for a term of up to 15 years with the first deliveries beginning on January 1, 2009.

Martin Houston, BG Executive Vice President and Managing Director, North America, Caribbean and Global LNG, said, in the release, "The proposed agreement underpins the commercialisation of 1.2 trillion cubic feet of currently undeveloped gas in the East Coast Marine Area."

The BG executive added it "is an excellent project and BG Group is delighted to have reached this agreement with NGC.

"We are a long term partner in the country and a key contributor to the domestic gas supply market."

Houston renewed the company's commitment to its "extensive exploration and production activity in the East and North Coast Marine Areas as well as the onshore Central Block and will continue to work closely with the Government to promote further expansion and recovery of Trinidad & Tobago's natural gas resources."

The release said a fully termed gas sales agreement is expected to be finalised this year.




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

ATLANTIC LNG: WEDDED TO TT


By Linda Hutchinson-Jafar Spec Thursday,

January 4 2007(T&T Newsday)


Atlantic LNG's contribution to the Trinidad and Tobago economy in 2006 make big players look small. According to newly-appointed CEO, Oscar Prieto, the company is the largest contributor to exports which totalled US$3.7 billion in 2006.

He said it will pay out about US$50M a year in taxes to the government.

Based on the current price for natural gas, LNG exports in 2007 could total over US$4 billion.

In terms of production, Atlantic LNG processes about 60 percent of the overall natural gas production of the country.

After ten years of construction and four processing trains, Trinidad-based Atlantic LNG wants to position itself to become the global energy industry benchmark, he said.

"Looking into the future, our mission is clear. We want to become the global energy industry benchmark in three to five years. We see the future as the global benchmark of LNG industry and we are going to work with that," said Prieto.

Prieto, who previously headed BG Energy in Egypt, noted that LNG is becoming the alternative source of energy in the world and that capacity is being added by new LNG players coming into operation and old producers going into expansion mode.

"In order to remain competitive, we need to utilise our competitive advantages and truly be efficient and effective in our production," said Prieto, adding that the company intends to focus on its operations, principally on values such as people, safety and performance and environmental, health and security. The company is also aiming to become cost-effective, efficient and will focus on improving performance.

One of the biggest challenges facing the company is improving the capability of its work-force and building a strong leadership. Prieto said with the global LNG industry stretched thin for resources, some countries such as Qatar have been advertising in the media in Trinidad for experts and have even visited the Caribbean island to head hunt.

Atlantic LNG currently supplies about 80 percent of LNG exports to the US, Spain, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. A few cargoes have been exported to the Far East.

"LNG is becoming more of a commodity that is started to be traded more or less like oil so when prices last year spiked heavily in the Far East, we were able to divert a couple of cargoes there but it will never be economically feasible because the round trip to Japan or Korea is more than 60 days compared to three, four or five days, one way to the US, "he said.

Running at full capacity, the four trains combined will have a total production capacity of close to 15 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa).

Their newest train four, built at a cost of US$1.2 billion is the largest in the world with a production capacity of 5.2 mmtpa.

Atlantic LNG also achieved a milestone on October 13 when it loaded its 1000th cargo for export. "If we could transform that amount of natural gas into the equivalent of electricity, we could have supplied with those 1000 cargoes, the UK demand for electricity for one full year or the Brazilian demand for electricity for one full year or my country Argentina, two and a half years worth of electricity consumption."

"By all means, it is a massive amount of energy we're supplying to the world market, "said Prieto. Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago was formed in July 1995 to develop an LNG plant in the Caribbean.

The venture was created between local company, state-owned National Gas Company, with four international companies, BP, BG, Repsol and Cabot whose shareholding in Atlantic LNG has now been acquired by Suez, formerly known as Tractebel.

Each of the five partner companies in Atlantic LNG has expertise in activities associated with the production, transportation, marketing and distribution of LNG.

The trains are owned separately but a joint use and operating agreement among owners allows them to be run in combination, sharing common assets and costs. The first train was built in 1995 and with a reliable export market in the United States, Atlantic LNG expanded its operations to include Trains two and three. Total investment by shareholders from Trains 1 through 4, stands at US$ 3.6 Billion.

Saturday 6th January, 2007(Trinidad Guardian)


T&T's new financial regulator gives opinion on foreign ownership


ONE of Canada's top financial regulators, appointed as T&T's new Inspector of Financial Institutions, yesterday said he would not be surprised if the Government introduced legislation preventing existing local banks from being taken over by foreign banks.

Trinidad-born Carl Hiralal, the 55-year-old who started in his new job on Tuesday, was speaking with three newspaper journalists at the Central Bank yesterday.

Hiralal spent 30 years living and working as a regulator in Canada, rising to the position of senior director at the Office of the Supervisor of Financial Institutions. He retired from the job on December 29.

In Canada, Hiralal was responsible for the supervision of 90 per cent of the country's financial institutions and was in charge of 75 mostly professional staffers in three offices.

The new Inspector said there were "significant advantages" to foreign banks owning local banks including the promotion of competition and the introduction of new systems and standards.

He pointed out that there is a policy in Canada that the five top banks there should remain Canadian-owned, but he declined to say whether such a policy should be implemented here.

Asked if he favoured the introduction of policy in T&T that would ensure that the existing T&T-owned banks remained in local hands, Hiralal said he did not have enough information on the local financial environment to be able to answer the question.

Asked how soon he expected to have enough information to be able to venture an opinion, the financial regulator said he felt that the issue of ownership controls was a policy matter for the Government.

Hiralal was reluctant to give an opinion on the Canadian policy, saying that it was his job as a top regulator in Canada to support and implement the financial regulation policies"”including those that prevented the takeover of the existing Canadian-owned banks.

Questioned further on whether he would be surprised if the T&T Government were to introduce legislation providing similar protection from takeovers for T&T banks, Hiralal said, "It would not surprise me."




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

NO CHOCOLATE FOR ALLEN: Choc'late Allen, the 13-year-old CEO of Caribbean Vizion, is seen at the start of her three-day fast for peace at the National Library on Abercromby Street, POS. Choc'late Allen has dedicated her first day of a three-day fast to Vindra Naipual who is believed to still be in the hands of her captors. Allen's fast is part of the group's 100% crime-free TT initiative that will run throughout the year in an attempt to make positive changes in TT with regards to the degree of crime that is crippling the nation.



PM visits girl in anti-crime fast


Rohandra John



Tuesday, January 9th 2007(T&T Express)


Thirteen-year-old Choc'late Allen will not eat for three days.

Disturbed by the crime situation in the country, Allen has embarked on a three-day fasting exercise, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., outside the National Library in Port of Spain.

And she has called on other citizens to join her.

"I am fasting for a 100 per cent crime-free Trinidad and Tobago," Allen told members of the media yesterday.

"I am encouraging nationals to fast with me if they can. If you can't come here to do it for the entire day, come for at least a few hours just to show your support and just to show that you will like to see a 100 per cent crime-free Trinidad and Tobago just as my self."

Yesterday, the first day of her fasting, Prime Minister Patrick Manning paid her a visit. He shook her hand and spoke with her briefly.

Allen presented Manning with a brown envelope containing a list of other crime-fighting initiatives which she planned to undertake in the near future. She wanted to know if the Government would lend any support. After their brief conversation, Manning, who declined to speak to the media, then left.

Allen, who is the CEO of a youth organisation called Caribbean Vizion and is home-schooled, caused quite a stir at the facility and attracted the attention of curios passer-bys. Many walked over and extended their arms to congratulate her on her initiative.

Asked to say in what way she would like the Prime Minister to support her efforts, Allen said, "I will definitely like financial support in order to get all the activities that are planned in order to fight crime, out to the public. There are many other activities that are planned, besides this fast, but because of a lack of funding we cannot execute all the projects."

She said the Prime Minister has agreed to have a follow-up meeting with her after her fast.

Thursday 11th Janurary, 2007

Going offshore at Otaheite

NEC leads ambitious plans to build new industrial estate on land reclaimed at sea



BY ASHA JAVEED


Prime Minister Patrick Manning's Christmas Eve announcement that the site for Alcoa's aluminium smelter plant would move from Chatham to a new industrial estate offshore at Otaheite Bank, came after a year of public debate, and overwhelmingly negative comments on the plan to build the smelter at Chatham.

The new site, yet to be constructed, will take three years to become a reality and available for use.

Guardian's Business reporter Asha Javeed sat down with Prakash Saith president of the National Energy Corporation (NEC), John Jones superintendent of engineering, design and construction, and Vijai Lal senior project engineer last week to discuss the new industrial site and address some of the concerns that have been raised about its feasibility.

It's been two years in the making and when objection to Alcoa's proposed smelter plant in Chatham reached a crescendo, Government's rabbit-in-the-hat was the Oropouche Bank site off Otaheite.

The site appears perfect for industrialisation"”it is offshore, no vegetation, and there is the potential for a world class port.

It's yet to be built, though.

And it'll take three years before it's ready for Alcoa, if it chooses, to begin construction of its US$1.5 billion, 341,000 metric-tonne smelter plant.

Alcoa has already expressed its disappointment at the Government's decision to move the plant, which means that it will delay construction even further.

It was in the process of finalising an environment impact assessment and was conducting soil sample research for the past five months.

Prakash Saith, president of the National Energy Corporation (NEC), said it was given the mandate by Government to develop new industrial sites.

The three selected were:

Point Lisas, south and east"”1,400 hectares

Cap-de-Ville"”530 hectares

Oropouche Bank"”1,400 hectares

Essar Steel is already located in Point Lisas and Alcoa moved to Oropouche Bank. Plans to develop Cap-de-Ville are now abandoned.

Saith admitted that the NEC did not anticipate the smelter plant having to move under public pressure.

People were concerned with emissions and now they start to spread a whole set of rumours about Oropouche. At the end of the day, the Government took a decision because of the feedback it received. But there is a lot of misinformation in the public domain. Smelter management has changed in the last 100 years. Technology has changed," he argued.

But NEC is ahead of the game.

It has already put the Oropouche Bank development project out for tender, which is expected to close at the end of January.

We know what we are doing. We are engineers with over 85 years' experience (referring to the combined experience of himself, Jones and Lal). And we are looking to hire foreign experts who are specialised in this type of development. They will design things to deal with all the issues which will come up," said Saith.

Now people don't want the industry on land and when we put it out in the sea, they complain. How my people so?" he asked.

Saith is quick to observe the importance of industrialisation to the country's economic fortunes.

Nobody wants industrialisation, but they want all the wealth that goes with it. People need to understand that the good standard of living that they have is mainly because of the Point Lisas industrial estate. It is because of Point Lisas, the country has been able to have a reasonable exchange rate of six to one (average TT$6=US$1).

If we will continue to earn foreign exchange, we need to have more industrialisation. People don't understand that the standard of living that they have is because of the industry. They don't connect the dots," he noted.

Lal said: "All the naysayers who say that the planning is not being done correctly, they are acting on emotion. They have an idea, but they have no knowledge of what is actually being done. They don't know exactly the process that is taking place."

The Oropouche Bank

Lal said the Oropouche Bank was identified in November 2004 and work was being done concomitantly with the other sites of Cap-de-Ville and Point Lisas South.

It is leeward of Dow Village, within 10 km of San Fernando, the Labidco site and the new Union industrial estate. And its location on the Gulf of Paria, which is a very calm, sheltered area, makes it ideal for berthing vessels.

A cost is yet to be tabulated for this project, but Jones said it could be significant.

These factors were identified in NEC's southwest peninsula master plan study.

Some of the criteria included:

A large continuous parcels of land with a minimum of 400 hectares

Affordable, guaranteed, reliable bulk utilities available

Proximity to existing or potential area for deep water

Minimum environmental/social impacts for mitigation

Minimum occupancy and encumbrances to clear

Favourable geotechnical properties to minimise construction costs"”fill, foundations settlement, consolidation

Ease of acquisition or preferably owned by the State

We are now doing detailed engineering analysis for land development, zoning and planning"”we have shifted from just a normal beam and column calculation to modelling and analysis and computer-generated simulation to tell us how these things will do to optimise the whole location," said Jones.

Saith observed that the Oropouche Bank was a natural accresion with only about three metres of filling to be done.

He explained that one kilometre from the southwest shoreline was an embankment, built over the years from silt deposits from the Orinoco and Godineau Rivers. It will take about three years to fill.

This could develop an industrial estate of 1,400 hectares in the initial stage for Alcoa's smelter plant and could extend up to 2,600 for other industries. A bridge will be constructed to link the offshore estate to the mainland.

"We know all the complaints. We know what we are talking about and we are designing for it. People does do like is something we never hear about. We know that there is drainage there, we know that the sea has certain currents going there"”that is why we are putting a bridge there so that the currents can continuously pass below. And these are things that people making a big issue about," said Saith.

Jones observed that one of the attractions of an offshore location was that it would prevent the whole issue of soil contamination while creating a significant amount of land base offshore.

These are some of the advantages. Of course, there may be some disadvantages. But the question remains: how do we deal with the disadvantages? We will do modelling of what exists"”the waves, tides and we can vary it and can come up with what we call an optimum solution," said Jones.

That will minimise, reduce or mitigate some of the effects that are being talked about. When we talk about affecting the fishing bed or affecting the circulation factors. All of these things can be modelled and we can come up with an approach to mitigate any of the potential problems that could exist," said Jones.

Most of the challenges the NEC will face will be design issues-site access, provision of access for fishing, drainage, coastal protection, dredging methodology, engineering design and modeling and analysis, sedimentation, wave penetration, oceanography.

He said the advantage that Trinidad had in the construction of its island was that some of the negative effects that could be experienced with off-shore islands could be improved as new things will be taken into consideration.

Lal said: "We are doing very early planning studies, preliminary designs-taking the designs and doing socio-economic analysis, technical analysis, feasibility analysis. Then we looking at the planning and integrating to the overall national physical planning and making it a coherent project.

We are not just doing it arbitrarily. We are looking at roads, power, gas, habitat impact"”housing, institutional facilities, hospitals, community facilities, employment creation, education level. For example, if you look at the education level in Couva, it is much higher than the national average because of the single influence of the Point Lisas industrial estate."

Jones said: "At the end of the day, we are looking for sustainable transferable capacity to diversify the economic base and what we are looking for in this project in Oropouche is going to be a world scale addition to our physical infrastructure."

The fishing industry?

There has already been protest about the establishment of an offshore island because of the damage it could do to the fishing industry.

But Lal refutes this allegation.

He noted that the bank is located one kilometre from the shoreline, Otaheite being the nearest fish-landing site and the Oropouche Lagoon being two kilometres away.

He said a popular concern was the site joining the coast, which will remove the water and affect the current circulation.

This is far from the truth. The Godineau will fall east of the bank and it will not cause any flooding problem. As for current circulation, this is all going to be computerised to determine how this island should be configured and how it should be shaped so that it will not have any coastal erosion," said Lal.

Lal explained that the area is located in proximity to two mangroves"”the Rousillac and the Oropouche swamps.

"The Rousillac swamp generally has no hydraulic connectivity with the Oropouche Bank. From the studies we have done, it will have very little impact.

Many people believe that the Godineau River coming through the bank is what delivers sediment. That is far from the truth. The sediment from the Oropuche Bank comes all the way from the Amazon, the Orinoco River in a clockwise direction. Material from the Diego Martin River, the Caroni River and the Cunupia River bring silt and put it down on the Oropouche Bank," he said.

He explained the one kilometre distance would still allow for near-shore fishing because the nutrients leaving the river will be concentrated in that area"”the fishing community might even be enhanced.

Our reports show that from the records the commercial viability of the fish could barely match the cost of doing the fishing and it is really low level commercial, subsistence fishing and to really fish, you have to go offshore to trawl because you can't trawl near-shore.

Fifty per cent of boats go to Icacos, the maritime boundary with Venezuela and northwards towards the Bocas to do the trawling. So where the bank is going to be located has minimum impact on trawling.

The fishing over the years has been progressively declining and the reason for that is not the presence of the Oropouche Bank. The reason for that is the outfall from the

Godineau River itself is so highly contaminated with chemical contaminants like magnesium and phosphorous that it causes the fishing community to be gradually depleted over the years. The bank itself, because it is a mud bank, the suspension restricts the commercial species," explained Lal.

Lal is optimistic that the NEC should be able to provide a fishing facility on the island.

We believe that we should be able to provide a fishing facility on the island that will enhance the fishing community as a whole as a livelihood. We have already discussed the potential for locating a fishing facility with modern facilities like icing, boat repairs, boat landing, net repairs, commercial facilities and to go further offshore to enhance the commercial viability of the fishing. We are planning a special area which will be sustainable," he said.

Building the bank

As the NEC moves forward with its plans to build the Oropouche Bank, Lal was cognisant of fact that while the hurdles are different, there are fewer angry residents to contend with.

"We have no vegetation, no housing, no relocation, no displacement to deal with, no need for large buffers," said Lal.

The risk associated to the public is low, whereas in terrestrial sites, you have to have evacuation measures, etc. The whole employment scenario throughout the life cycle of this project would be enhanced"”employment during construction, in the operation of plant, the different levels of employment... and all the socio-economic indicators which go with it will be increased," said Lal.

Jones noted that during the reclamation, there is a sudden drop in the seaward end to 20 metres of water.

For the first time, we are going to have the opportunity to bring these ocean-going vessels to a port with a depth of up to 12.8 metres,"he said.

Becoming political

It's the second time around for NEC and handling public relations with Alcoa's smelter plant.

This time it intends to have more information out for public consumption.

Saith acknowledged that NEC did not disseminate enough information in the first instance with public outcry over the smelter construction winning media favour.

We have taken a decision that we want to move from public information to put in factual and intellectual information outside. What is happening is that public relations may not be targeting issues which may be relevant to the project," said Lal.

Lal explained that the corporation intended to be visible in all public consultations to distribute information.

Asked whether they thought the Oropouche Bank would become a political issue in upcoming elections, Jones responded: "We are dealing with it as a potential political issue. As NEC, we are not political; we are an engineering institution. We have to deal with factual and scientific information.

We have to carry out certain studies. We have to get a terms of reference from the Environment Management Authority, which will outline some of the studies which we have to undertake. Elections will probably start and finish before we go through that process. We are doing it in a way which is unemotional, practical and scientific."

Chatham abandoned

Chatham has now become an abandoned site. Government will have to decide what it wants to do," said Jones.

The Government has abandoned all plans to pursue an industrial estate in Chatham.

Dr Lenny Saith, Minister in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, said the Prime Minister had stated very clearly that no industrialisation would be pursued in Chatham.

We will no longer be looking at Chatham for industrialisation, " he told the Business Guardian in a brief telephone interview.



Prakash Saith


Vijai Lal, left, and John Jones.
Guardian file photo

A barge pumps sand in order to reclaim land in Dubai.

Map of Trinidad shows NEC's proposed industrial estates.

Saturday 13th January, 2007



Lord Browne waves BP goodbye




Chief executive officer of the BP Group Lord Browne, left, met with Prime Minister Patrick Manning for 45 minutes last Monday afternoon at Whitehall during a courtesy call. Photo courtesy Prime Minister's office



Four days after holding talks with Prime Minister Patrick Manning at Whitehall and after serving 11 years at the helm of energy giant BP, the company's chief executive Lord Browne will step down in July"”more than a year ahead of schedule"”to be replaced by Tony Hayward, BP's head of exploration and production.

Browne, 58, had announced in July that he would step down at the end of 2008 when he reached BP's standard retirement age of 60. Hayward, 49, was being groomed as his successor for some time.

"Last summer, John and I had agreed that he would stay as CEO until the end of 2008," said BP chairman Peter Sutherland. "John decided that it would be in the company's interest to name a successor now in order to provide an orderly transition. Having made that decision, which the board fully supports, we came to the conclusion that a six-month hand-over would be more appropriate than 18 months."

Hayward will take over on August 1, the company said.

Browne first joined the company in 1966 as an apprentice and worked his way up, taking the top job in 1995.

In a BBC interview, Lord Browne said "It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to turn BP into an international company at the forefront of the energy industry."




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

New passport in two weeks


By RHONDOR DOWLAT Sunday, January 14 2007(T&T Newsday)



WITHIN two weeks, citizens of Trinidad and Tobago will have in their hands the new machine readable passport, but they will have to pay an increase cost of $100.

This notice was yesterday revealed by the Immigration Division of the Ministry of National Security.

To be implemented also would be an Integrated Border Management System. Both items are expected to come on stream on January 24.

National Security Minister Martin Joseph on Friday at the Post Cabinet press conference which was held on Friday at the Whitehall in Port-of-Spain said that the machine readable passport system was part of Government's strategy to enhance the capability of the Immigration Division to manage the borders of the country.

Given the additional security features of the new passports, and the related increase in the cost of production, Cabinet agreed to implement an adjusted fee structure for the new passports.

In previous years, persons would have had to pay $150 to renew his or her passport, with the new passport it will now cost $250. For a child under 16, the present fee is $75, however, that fee will be increased to $250 when the new passports get on stream.

A special 48-page passport would cost $350, while a valid lost or misplaced passport would cost $1,000.

The introduction of the machine readable passport upgrades the Trinidad and Tobago passport to the internationally accepted standard established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). In accordance with these standards all existing passports will be replaced with machine readable passports by December 31 2009, according to Minister Joseph.

"Passports will be issued on a phased basis beginning with persons whose passports would have expired in 2004," Joseph said.

He also gave assurance to persons who are desirous of travelling and are not in possession of a valid travel document that they will also be facilitated on a case-by-case basis. He also emphasised that persons in possession of extensions on expired passports (such extensions not having yet expired) are in possession of a valid travel document.

In keeping with international best practice and current ICAO standards, the life of the passport has been reduced from ten to five years. This measure provides flexibility for the upgrading of passport technology and will assist in addressing the incidents of counterfeiting, forgery and other forms of fraud on travel documents.

Minister Joseph indicated that the new machine readable passport system will commissioned on Wednesday and be made available to the public one week thereafter (January 24).


FIRST SPANISH AMBASSADOR: Prime Minister Patrick Manning on Friday met with His Excellency Fernando de la Serna Ambassador to Spain the first Spanish Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago.

Full employment coming this year


By CLINT CHAN TACK Wednesday, January 17 2007
(T&T Newsday)


PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning yesterday made a bold prediction that this year, the country will achieve full employment. He also said that TT will record one of the strongest periods of economic growth in its history and defeat inflation.

Meanwhile, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Valley yesterday said social partnerships were needed in TT to deal with crime.

Addressing a TT-Ireland business forum at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port-of-Spain, the Prime Minister said this country shares many similarities with Ireland which is dubbed ˜˜The Celtic Tiger" for being one of the most vibrant economies in Europe today. Saying that TT has been described as ˜˜The Caribbean Tiger'' since the early 1990s, Manning said "this tiger will roar in 2007."

He said the economy is now the strongest that it has ever been, growing at an average of 8.4 percent over the last five years and reaching 12 percent by the end of fiscal year 2006. Manning said the economy is projected to grow by eight percent this year and this will be "one of the highest globally."

The Prime Minister said he was especially pleased that the level of unemployment "is now approaching a record low of five percent, taking us closer to that seminal achievement of full employment for the first time in the history of TT." Manning added that like Ireland, TT also faces challenges associated with rapid economic expansion such as inflation but "we are confident in prevailing in this battle."

Noting that TT attracted over US$5 billion in foreign direct investment over the last five years and has more than US$8 billion in foreign direct investment in the pipeline in terms of projects in various stages of implementation, Manning said TT's current economic growth is sustainable because Government's initiatives are directed towards "the development of our human capital and the unprecedented economic diversification now in train to strengthen our country's economic base."

To this end, the Prime Minister said efforts were being accelerated to attract higher value investments, especially in the downstream energy and non-energy sectors of the economy in order to "broaden base of industrial activity to ensure the long-term sustainability of our economy." Irish Trade Minister Michael Ahern agreed with Manning that there were many similarities between economic developments in TT and Ireland.

Manning also said Government is placing significant emphasis on leveraging the nation's educational institutions "as platforms for economic development" and transforming the economy to one that is knowledge-based.

The Prime Minister said apart from Government's stated goals in education, emphasis is being placed on "quality and accountability" in developing the sector.

Valley observed that social partnerships between the Irish government and various groups helped Ireland to overcome its past economic difficulties. Saying that crime was the main scourge affecting TT today, Valley said this was one area where social partnering was needed urgently.

"All of us need to get together to fight the scourge of crime that is now plaguing our country," he stated.

Wednesday 17th January, 2007


Imbert: Trains to run from Grande to Westmoorings


By Sherwin Long (Trinidad Guardian)


The Government's proposed rapid rail service will run from Sangre Grande in the East to West Mall, Westmoorings, with a line running from San Fernando to the Grand Bazaar where it will connect with the main East-West line.

Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert revealed several of the stops along the line yesterday, during a breakfast meeting with members of the business community at the headquarters of the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce at Columbus Circle, Westmoorings.

With traffic congestion continuosly reducing the country's productivity, Imbert said the rapid rail will run alongside the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and would be elevated in areas prone to flooding such as Caroni.

In an effort to reduce traffic flow into Port-of-Spain, Imbert also announced that the City Gate transit hub would be redesigned to accommodate the rail traffic.

Apart from the railway, the "new" City Gate will feature bus, maxi taxi and taxi terminals.

Imbert suggested that the transportation system would be integrated and a "downtown circulator" would also be housed in City Gate, limiting the number of cars entering the city.

"The downtown circulator system would consist of small, easily accessible buses, peripheral parking areas and terminals to allow commuters to avoid downtown parking and congestion," he said.

In justifying the rail system, Imbert said the cost of acquiring property for a special purpose busyway would be exorbitant.

Imbert also revealed that the Government would not be able to recover its $7 billion capital investment in the rapid rail project from the fares to be charged for the service.

There is no way the capital cost could be recovered from (charging) fares...That is basically impossible," he said.

We see the capital costs of projects like this as redistribution of the income from oil and gas.

We do not intend and we have never intended to recover the capital cost of this project through fares."

The projected annual operating cost of the rapid rail system will be $300 million.

During a question and answer session, T&T Transparency International vice-chairman Victor Hart questioned the changing cost of the project over the past three years"”from $20 billion to $7 billion.

He called for a financial feasibility study to be done before the contract for the rapid rail system was awarded.

Imbert discarded the suggestion.

He said the reduced cost of the rail was due to the reduction in its distance.

Imbert also said the country was at three times the international benchmark for mass rapid transit.

He cited several transportation studies ranging from one done by Canadian consultancy firm Cansult's in 1996 to another by Indian consultancy firm Rites Limited.

Imbert maintained that both studies called for a rapid rail system.

He stated that the operating cost for the rail was based on a detailed study of the length of track, energy costs, the number of trains, repairs, operating hours and wage rates.




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Kidnapping is a highly organised and vicious business in Trinidad
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 (SN)

Dear Editor,

Kidnapping is big business in Trinidad. That is right, it is organized as a business with various criminal gangs involved in different aspects of the operation - planning, actual kidnapping, transporting, holding and protecting the victim, contacting the family's victim, negotiating the ransom, collecting the fee, and releasing the victim. Kidnapping of prominent Indians occurs with regularity in Trinidad. And the kidnappers have turned the crime into a complex business operation to avoid easy detection. They have collected tens of millions of dollars a year over the last four years.

Kidnapped victims are stripped of their dignity and humanity. A kidnapped victim in Trinidad recently told of her plight to a Guardian newspaper columnist, Anand Ramlogan, a distinguished attorney, who published her story last Sunday.

As Ramlogan noted from listening to the woman's story, there is an abduction team (A) which monitors the victim's movement and snatches the victim. This team hands over the victim to the transportation team (B) at an undisclosed location that was only made known to it after a few calls from someone who gave careful, specific directions.

Team A does not know where Team B takes the victim just in case the police managed to arrest anyone from Team A. Team B is responsible for transporting the victim to the hiding spot and handing her over to Team C (the guard team) which is responsible for taking her to the place where she would be imprisoned until the negotiations for payment of a ransom were successfully concluded. Team B did not know where Team C was actually taking her to detain her.

Team D separately contacted the family to negotiate the ransom. Team E visited the family in full religious wear to say that its organization could find her for a fee and that the police were a waste of time because they were probably in cahoots with team D. Everyone in Trinidad knows the religious group.

The victim revealed: 'I was stripped of all my dignity'. While in captivity, she is raped by the guards who take turn violating her. When the guards change, there are more rapes to fulfill the fantasies and desires of the criminals.

Ramlogan writes: "At some point, her body became numb and lifeless, paralyzed by the humiliation" of being repeatedly raped.

Finally, the negotiation for ransom is completed. The family pays the ransom. She is released blindfolded. The family is happy to get her back alive. She went to a neighbouring island to run a test for pregnancy and HIV. Her worst fear is confirmed. She is pregnant and had an abortion. She did not say what the HIV test revealed. But she is not intimate with her husband.

As she told Ramlogan: 'I was still kidnapped even after my release. They kidnapped part of me for life'.

She said she was living against her own will because she did not want to disappoint those who had sacrificed so much to have her back. No one has been arrested in connection with her kidnapping and they are free to continue kidnapping.

A very prominent businessman, Vindra Naipaul, was kidnapped a month ago. Police have in custody some of the conspirators of the kidnapping but the police can't place their hands on where she is kept if she is alive.

Yours faithfully,

Vishnu Bisram

quote:

Everyone in Trinidad knows the religious group.

Ask Bisram why it is the PPP gov't he loves and worships would hire and protect them in GT ?

Remember David Millard was hiding out in GT under the protection of the PPP gov't provided with a VALID passport and other ID and roamed around in plain sight as a member of the "Phantoms".

He was'nt the ONLY wanted criminal in T&T who worked in GT and was hiding out.

quote:

Ask Bisram why it is the PPP gov't he loves and worships would hire and protect them in GT ?

Remember David Millard was hiding out in GT under the protection of the PPP gov't provided with a VALID passport and other ID and roamed around in plain sight as a member of the "Phantoms".

He was'nt the ONLY wanted criminal in T&T who worked in GT and was hiding out.

Bai, you na gat want clue! Passport is an easy thing to get once you can bribe the staff at passport office in GT. Even though I'm not a fan of the current gov't I would not say they gave Buffy a passport. Especially since I know how they work at passport office.

quote:

Originally posted by TK:

quote:

Ask Bisram why it is the PPP gov't he loves and worships would hire and protect them in GT ?

Remember David Millard was hiding out in GT under the protection of the PPP gov't provided with a VALID passport and other ID and roamed around in plain sight as a member of the "Phantoms".

He was'nt the ONLY wanted criminal in T&T who worked in GT and was hiding out.

Bai, you na gat want clue! Passport is an easy thing to get once you can bribe the staff at passport office in GT. Even though I'm not a fan of the current gov't I would not say they gave Buffy a passport. Especially since I know how they work at passport office.

When confronted with the TRUTH Indos like to run around it with more "theories".

If you and Bisram think something should be done they should ask Sri Panday why did he place the Jammat in charge of social programs in T&T when he was PM.

quote:

When confronted with the TRUTH Indos like to run around it with more "theories".

If you and Bisram think something should be done they should ask Sri Panday why did he place the Jammat in charge of social programs in T&T when he was PM.

Arite jackass! Whatever you say!

Machine-readable passports launched

Govt moves to curb fraud

Juhel Browne


Thursday, January 18th 2007 (T&T Express)


GOVERNMENT yesterday launched a new machine-readable national passport which, it hopes, will put a stop to the "significant" number of people who have been detained abroad after being found using false Trinidad and Tobago passports.

National Security Minister Martin Joseph said that more than 700 false Trinidad and Tobago passports were confiscated by local immigration officers during an eight-year period, beginning in 1994.

Joseph and Chief Immigration Officer Herman Browne spoke of the increased scrutiny now being applied to the existing Trinidad and Tobago passports, which will no longer be valid after December 31, 2009, in keeping with an International Civil Aviation Organisation mandate.

They did so after the commissioning ceremony for the new passport at the National Security Ministry's Immigration Division head office in Port of Spain.

"There are significant incidents of persons being stopped with false Trinidad and Tobago passports," Joseph said.

During yesterday's ceremony, Joseph gave some details on how bad the problem had become.

"For the period 1994 to 2002, 745 fraudulent passports were identified and confiscated by our immigration authorities. The result of this kind of fraudulent activity is already being felt by Trinidad and Tobago nationals, as the existing passport is under increasing scrutiny by immigration officials at some of the major international airports," Joseph said.

He gave no figures for the amount of fraudulent Trinidad and Tobago passports confiscated since 2002.

Joseph said as more developed countries in the hemisphere strengthen their border controls, perpetrators are "diverting their attention to the Caribbean region, whose size and strategic geographic location increase its vulnerability".

In his address during yesterday's ceremony, Browne said passport fraud is a major contributor to the multi-million dollar identity theft industry that plays a major role in drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorism.

Joseph said a complete overhaul of the nation's 30-year-old Immigration Act and Regulations is now ongoing to "facilitate improved management of immigration in our country".



The GT coolies just ran out of luck.....

Bai, Revenge, only your bigotry exceeds your stupidity!!

Thursday 18th Janurary, 2007

Chamber backs rapid rail project

Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert emphasises a point to businessmen and women attending Tuesday's breakfast meeting on the Government's proposed Rapid Rail service at the headquarters of the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce at Columbus Circle, Westmoorings
Chamber President Ian Welch is seated at right.

Photo: Shirley Bahadur

By Sherwin Long


T&T Chamber of Industry & Commerce president Ian Welch lent his support to Government's proposed $7 billion rapid rail service on Tuesday by observing how traffic congestion negatively affected the country's productivity.

He was speaking during a Chamber breakfast meeting at the organisation's Columbus Circle, Westmoorings headquarters.

Welch also acknowledged that T&T had the highest level of traffic in the region.

Traffic congestion is a clear symbol of the systemic decline of a country's infrastructural readiness to meet new and even existing demand," Welch said.

The Government therefore has no choice but to provide mass transportation choices for citizens."

According to Chamber research, Welch said the rapid rail system would be able to compete with automobiles in terms of travel time.

Plus, the service would improve access to schools, jobs and hospitals for the elderly, young and disabled.

During the meeting Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert gave details on the rapid rail's benefits.

Imbert said the rapid rail would hasten Government's plan to decentralise the city of Port-of-Spain as a lack of transport options had hindered decentralisation.

He said the rail could be linked to Government's plan to set up a city in Wallerfield.

Welch also said the service would provide "opportunity for improved economic development along the rail lines."

Several questions were raised about the ability of the National Infrastructure Development Company to evaluate the quality of the two bids.

But Imbert said foreign consultants were hired to assess the bids.

Two consortia remain in the bidding war for the rapid rail undertaking: the Trinitrain consortium led by Bouygues Travaux Publics and the T-3 Group led by Vinci Construction and Bombardier.

Imbert said by February 28 a contract would be awarded for the design and planning phase of the project.

After this, the Government will settle on a fixed price for the rapid rail and then a contract would be awarded for construction of the project.

A railway authority will be set up to manage the service.

Imbert said by 2010 the project is expected to be complete from Curepe to Port-of-Spain and Curepe to Chaguanas.



©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

PNM: Manning a man of ˜utmost integrity'


Friday, January 19 2007 (T&T Newsday)


The People's National Movement said it welcomes the decision to strike out "scandalous allegations" made against its political leader, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, in an affidavit by leader of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen, Yasin Abu Bakr.

In a release the PNM noted that this was not the first time the Jamaat leader had attempted to sully the name and reputation of the PNM and its leader, with baseless allegations.

"Fortunately the learned judges of the Court of Appeal were able to see this for what it was, just another attempt to bring the name of the Honourable Prime Minister into disrepute and bearing no relevance to Mr Bakr's failure to honour his debt to the State as ordered by a court of law," the PNM stated.

The party said it was "well-known" that Manning was a man of "the utmost integrity" and would never be party to any criminal behaviour.

Chinese workers at home in TT


Saturday, January 20 2007 (T&T Newsday)



A CHINESE worker employed on a State construction project in Trinidad and Tobago said this country has become a second home to him and his countrymen and many things said about them since their arrival in this country are not true.

TT Contractors Association (TTCA) Mikey Joseph yesterday said while local contractors have no difficulty with the presence of foreign construction workers in TT, there needs to be a greater level of transparency about some aspects of their activities here.

The Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) is one of several Chinese companies now involved in State construction projects in TT. Some of those projects include the new Social Development Tower on St Vincent Street in Port-of-Spain, the National Carnival and Entertainment Centre being built at the Queen's Park Savannah and two academies for the performing arts, earmarked for the Princes Building grounds in Port-of-Spain and San Fernando. Since 1998, SCG has been ranked in the top 50 of the world's top 225 international contractors by the US' Engineering News Record magazine.

The Sunway Construction Group, another major Chinese firm, is involved in the construction of the new headquarters of the Legal Affairs Ministry at Government Campus Plaza on Richmond Street. Michael Zhang, a civil engineer at the SCG, said he has been working in TT for the last seven years. Zhang, a resident of Shanghai, said he has grown to love this country so much that he acquired residency status.

Since Chinese workers first arrived in TT around 2000, there have been many rumours claiming that they have been residing in sub-standard housing conditions and even living on the various work sites where they are employed. "You can't live on the sites. We live in houses," said Wang Lei, another SCG official.

Zhang said the SCG makes arrangements for its employees to be properly accommodated in whatever country they are working. He explained that for one site in TT, the SCG purchased a plot of land nearby and constructed some houses for its workers.

Zhang and Lei declined to give any further information about SCG's workers or the company's operations. Joseph said there has been little interaction between local contractors and the Chinese construction workers since the latter started working in TT.

He said there were many aspects of the Chinese construction companies' activities which the TTCA had no idea about, such as the wages which they paid their workers. Joseph said while a local labourer on a construction site is paid a rate of $15 to $18 per hour, he had reason to believe that Chinese labourers were being paid between $9 to $10 per hour. Noting that the minimum wage in this country is $9 per hour, Joseph said TTCA has never been able to verify the exact rates at which the Chinese or other foreign construction workers are paid. However, he said experience within the construction industry, suggests that European and North American construction workers in TT could be receiving wages above $18 per hour.

He also said that through the government-to-government arrangements between TT and the People's Republic of China, the Chinese construction companies in TT import all their labour and equipment from China. Joseph said he had no idea where the Chinese workers were housed when they were not on the job. "They seem to live in shifts and they work in shifts," he added.

Officials at the TT Housing Development Corporation said no special arrangements were made with them to house the Chinese workers. They said any such arrangements could have been made between private entities and the workers' employers.

Officials at the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) said while the construction projects being undertaken by SCG and some of the other Chinese companies working in TT fall within its portfolio, Udecott is not involved in areas such as accommodating their workers. It said the foreign firms working in TT make the necessary arrangements to house their employees.


POINT OF VIEW: While work continues on the billion dollar waterfront project creating the new "face" of Port-of-Spain, work has also restarted on the widening of Wrightson Road. Soon a third lane will be created that will hopefully ease the stress of traffic congestion.
Author: SUREASH CHOLAI


SAFETY FIRST. The Sunway Construction Group has hung this banner on the new Legal Affairs Ministry tower on Richmond Street in Port-of-Spain to show their commitment to workers' safety. Twenty workers were injured at the nearby Customs and Excise Building site in July. Author: CLINT CHAN TACK

CAMOUFLAGE WORKER: A construction worker, dressed in army camouflage, at work on the site of the new high-rise Board of Inland Revenue Building on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. He is one of several expatriate Chinese workers employed on the project.
Author: AZLAN MOHAMMED

UDeCOTT artist impression of the proposed Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre.

PNM support for smelters

Louis B Homer South Bureau


Sunday, January 21st 2007 (T&T Express)



The smelter issue in Trinidad took a new dimension yesterday as thousands of People's National Movement supporters descended on the seaside village of Vessigny to pledge their support for the building of smelter plants in Trinidad and to hear government's plan for the industrialisation of Trinidad and Tobago.

In his hour-long address at a specially convened convention of the party, held at the Vessigny Secondary School, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said government had received requests from several interest groups in the area indicating their support for the plant at Chatham.

"The farmers in the area are saying for the first time that their crops will be protected from praedial larceny when the proposed fence is constructed by Alcoa."

Manning said he received similar requests from the beekeepers and the Point Fortin chamber of Industry had indicated their disappointment that government had intended to abandon the project at Chatham.

Manning also dispelled fears that the aquifer would be affected. "We have been advised by WASA that all this talk about poisoning the aquifer is false," said Manning.

Manning said "all over Trinidad and Tobago we are getting support for the government's industrialisation policy... Let the mice play, but when the people speak we speak for the people of Trinidad and Tobago."

Manning accused the anti-smelter groups as people who oppose the idea for opposing sake. He then asked the crowd, "Did the people hear the voice of the PNM, do you support it?" this brought loud and sustained cheers from the crowd.

"I want to leave no doubt as to where the PNM stands" said Manning.

The Prime Minister said what started as opposition to the smelter plants was really opposition to the policy of industrialisation in Trinidad and Tobago.

"If not industrialisation then what? asked Manning.

Manning said in the industrialisation programme, Tobago has not been left out.

"We are looking at the development of the Cove Estate in Tobago which will be brought back to its pristine condition."

Manning dismissed the notion that the government behaves in an arrogant manner and does not listen to the voices of the people.

"It is not that we are arrogant it is that we think things through before we act," said Manning.

Manning said at the rate in which the country is being developed it will be necessary to import more labour from abroad."

He said already there are Guyanese labourers now working in the sugar industry in Trinidad.

As for criticism made against the Chinese labourers Manning said, "the Chinese workers work all day and give a high productivity and they don't drink on the job."

Speaking on the proposals to develop the Oropouche Bank Offshore Industrial estate, Energy Minister Dr Lenny Saith said tenders for designs services which had been put out in November last year will close this month.

He said the island would allow for a large-scale cluster of gas-based industries and the site would be separated three kilometres from the coastline .

Saith said studies are already on the way to enhance fishing in the area and avoid disruption of marine activities.

He said one of the benefits of the offshore island is the fact that there would be no flooding.

But even as Manning defended government's plan to build the smelters there were scores of people in the Otaheite area showing their rejection for building any smelter plants in Trinidad.

There were hundreds of posters attached to the light poles for a distance of some two miles on the road to La Brea. the signs read, "No smelter Island. Yes fishing industry and healthy environment".

Tuesday 23rd January, 2007


Shutdown comes after 300 years


By Yvonne Baboolal (Trinidad Guardian)


SUGAR CANE cultivation in this country will finally grind to a halt next year, after nearly three centuries of production.

This was decided yesterday when Prime Minister Patrick Manning met with sugar cane farmers at his Whitehall office in Port-of-Spain.

The agreement was reached after a 40-minute meeting.

Agriculture Minister Jarette Narine and Minister in the Ministry of Finance Christine Sahadeo were also at the meeting.

Narine told the Guardian later: "The Prime Minister agreed to shut down the sugar industry when the 2007 crop ends, after the farmers asked him to.

"Raffique Shah, from the Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers Association (Ticfa), was one of the first people to ask for farmers to exit the industry.

"Mr Manning agreed to help give them a soft landing. He also promised, pending Cabinet approval, a $25 increase for this year's crop."

Balram Ramdial, one of the farmers' representatives at the meeting, had a slightly different interpretation.

"Manning told us that there will be no more sugar cane industry after the 2007 crop. He said the sugar industry had become a financial burden the Government could no longer bear.

"He said the Government can't sustain the industry and drew reference to a $47 million subvention given to the sugar industry team last year, and another $61 million given to the research extension support services."

The farmers had met with the PM to demand, among other things, a contract to supply cane for a minimum of five years and in increase in the price of sugar.

Still, according to Ramdial, the decision to shut down the industry, which will impact on some 7,500 farmers and their families, did not come as a surprise to them.

"It was not economical. It took 17 tonnes of cane to make one tonne of sugar."

"Manning told us that an inter-ministerial team, headed by Dr Lenny Saith, would be set up to compensate farmers and help us exit comfortably, even before the present crop ends."

Ramdial said it was critical for the team to meet early with farmers to work out the exit strategy.




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Tuesday 23rd January, 2007


Lee Chin hints at RBTT interest

meets with NIB, UTC, ANSA McAL officials

Jamaican billionaire investor and AIC chairman Michael Lee Chin (centre) reaches out to Ansa McAl Group chairman emeritus Anthony Sabga (left) yesterday at Tatil's head office, Maraval Road, Port-of-Spain, where the two met for talks. Ansa McAl chief operating officer Gerry Brooks looks on.
Photo: Karla Ramoo


BY SHERWIN LONG (Trinidad Guardian)



Jamaican billionaire investor and AIC chairman Michael Lee Chin hinted that his group may be willing to acquire RBTT Financial Holdings if the right opportunity presented itself.

Asked yesterday whether his group would be interested in acquiring RBTT, Lee Chin said, "We are open for business. We are a capital allocator. We're opportunistic. We love the Caribbean and we have money."

Questioned on whether his response should be taken as an affirmative response, Lee Chin responded, "I would take it as not a no."

Lee Chin said the Barbados-based FCIB, which is owned by Canada's CIBC, will be a competitor to every financial services institution in the region.

"They are well financed CIBC is awash with capital," said Lee Chin, adding, "They are bringing their wad of inexpensive capital to the Caribbean, which is good for the Caribbean. Yes, we see them as healthy and strong competition to us."

Lee Chin was speaking at a media luncheon as part of a round of meetings he held yesterday to raise his investment group's profile in the local market.

The meetings included talks with the Unit Trust Corporation, the National Insurance Board and the ANSA McAL group, where he held discussions yesterday afternoon with chairman emeritus Anthony Sabga at Tatil's head office, Maraval Road, Port-of-Spain.

ANSA McAL chief operating officer Gerry Brooks, who sat in on the meeting, declined to give specific details on what was discussed.

However, he noted that the Caribbean region was expanding in terms of both politicial and commercial significance worldwide.

"As very significant Caribbean institutions, ANSA McAL and AIC have possibilities across the region," Brooks said.

I think it is appropriate both parties take a look at the Caribbean and see how we ensure our businesses grow. How do we ensure we add value to the lives of Caribbean people in an expanding economy where there are far more possibilities."

Lee Chin owns Columbus Communications Inc which acquired the Cable Company of T&T in July 2005 for $700 million.

Lee Chin, through his Canadian mutual fund company AIC, has been seeking to raise at least US$1 billion.

He has been trying to build the Caribbean private equity investment fund as a driver to take equity stake in companies across the region.

In May 2006, US government agency, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) loaned Lee Chin US$80 million (J$5.2 billion).

The sum has been one of the largest single block of funds secured for the AIC Caribbean Fund.




©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Eric's_Revenge,

Twin girls for Camille


By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Tuesday, January 23 2007
(T&T Newsday)


Forty-eight-year-old Camille Robinson-Regis, Minister of Planning and Development yesterday gave birth to twin girls at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

She was warded on Friday night and the babies were delivered by Caesarian section shortly after 10 am yesterday.

The first girl was delivered at 10.05 am and weighed 2.12 kg while the second was delivered at 10.07 am and weighed 2.04 kg.

The babies were born about five weeks premature. Their due date was to be in early March.

Attending doctors were Dr Hemant Persad and doctors Onasanya and Lanra. After birth, the babies were immediately put in the care of neonatologist Dr Petronella Manning-Alleyne. Robinson-Regis was wheeled on a trolley out of the operating theatre at 11.50 am.

"Everything is all right," her husband Fitz Regis said. "They are all fine. She is fine." He was at the hospital during the delivery but was not in the operating theatre.

Asked how he felt about the birth, he said, "It was emotional." Regis declined to say what names they would give the babies.

"When Camille settles down she will discuss that with you," Regis said. He and his wife share a history of triplets in their families.

Asked how he felt about managing two babies at this stage, his initial response was "Ha!."

He told Newsday he would have to comment about the experience "later on."

The Minister is expected to spend a few days in hospital before returning home, but it was not known when the babies would leave hospital where they are receiving expert care.

Robinson-Regis' 26-year-old daughter, Omonike Robinson-Pickering said the babies were being kept in an incubator. She said "I feel good. Everybody is happy, and thankful to God. Mummy is fine. Most importantly we give God thanks." She was also "very excited." Robinson-Pickering said the family was big and everyone would "chip in" to assist. She thanked the doctors and nurses who took care of her mother and said the post-natal care was also excellent.

"Dr Petronella Manning-Alleyne is looking after the babies. She is doing a great job." Family members gathered at the hospital to visit Robinson-Regis following the births.

Her advisor, Walda Dottin-Matthew, said Robinson-Regis has confidence in the public health system. "Here has the best facilities. She wanted the best for herself so she opted for the best facility in the country."

This view was echoed by Health Minister John Rahael who visited Robinson-Regis at 12.30 pm. He said the public hospital was the "best place" and was highly recommended by doctors at private facilities. Rahael said when neonatal care was needed everyone ended up at PoSGH or the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. He said the public Hospitals were "the best place to deliver your child."

Rahael said he was overjoyed that his colleague was able to deliver her twins at PoSGH and was "doing very well." Although she was still "slightly sedated" during his brief visit Robinson-Regis he said was "very happy with the outcome." He said she was looking good and in good spirits. Rahael said Robinson-Regis went to the hospital on Friday night for monitoring. The decision to proceed with the birth yesterday was made even though the babies were not due for at least five weeks. Robinson-Regis now has four daughters, Omonike, a step daughter, and now the twins.

It is the first time in our history that a Cabinet Minister has given birth while in office.


CAMILLE ROBINSON-REGIS

Riding the Celtic tiger


By Clint Chan Tack Thursday, January 25 2007
(T&T Newsday)


Irish Trade and Commerce Minister Michael Ahern says it takes more than a four leaf clover to ensure the economic success of a nation in the era of globalisation.

Ahern made this point crystal clear when he addressed a seminar at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Port-of-Spain last week entitled "The Irish Model of Economic Development Lessons for Trinidad and Tobago."

The seminar, which was co-hosted by the governments of TT and Ireland, formed part of activities held last week as part of an Irish trade mission which Ahern headed to this country. The visit of Ahern's mission was the direct result of a similar mission which Trade and Industry Minister Ken Valley led to five European countries in September 2006. Those countries were Ireland, Spain, Germany, France and England.

No stranger to TT, having taught at St Mary's College in Port-of-Spain from 1970 to 1972, Ahern said he was impressed with the level of development which had taken place in this country since that time. The Irish trade minister also indicated that the type of economic development which TT is undergoing is not dissimilar to that which is taking place in his country and there was much which both nations could learn from one another.

Dubbed the "Celtic Tiger" for its radical economic transformation since the 1950's, Ireland has moved from a predominantly agricultural economy to one with well developed manufacturing services and international services sectors and can convincingly claim to be a knowledge economy. From 2004 to 2006, Ireland's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew from 4.5 to 5.6 percent. During the same period, TT's GDP grew from 8.8 to 12 percent. TT and Ireland's GDP growth figures exceed those of the USA, France, Germany, Spain and Japan from 2004 to 2006.

In terms of the corporate tax rate for selected nations compiled by Deloitte and Touche in September 2006, Ireland's was the lowest at 12.5 percent followed by TT at 25 percent.

Ahern said Ireland has moved from a position of being one of the poorest countries in the European Union (EU) to a point where it is often cited as an economic role model in the EU and further afield. Ahern said Ireland has today managed to reduce its unemployment levels from ten to four percent and increase the living standards of its population to amongst the highest in the world. "Forecasts for 2007, suggest continued growth of five percent and this is set to continue for the medium to short term," he stated.

How did this all come about? Ahern said "strenuous attempts were made to build up and support what limited native industry we had by means of high tariffs on imported goods and measures to ensure that Irish-made products got preference in home markets."

Ahern said these policies had negative socio-economic consequences for Ireland,hampered exports, as other countries reciprocated with tariffs on Irish produce.

Less efficient producers at home were able to survive in an artificial environment with little incentive to innovate and with consumers forced to purchase more expensive goods than would otherwise be the case," the Irish trade minister said. Ahern added that the inevitable result of those policies was a stagnant industrial base, high levels of unemployment and emigration, low exports and inadequate tax revenue for governments to undertake necessary expenditure.

Now, with incentives for investment, Ahern said the Irish government's new pro business policies have paid off handsomely, with over 1,050 foreign companies choosing Ireland as their European base of operations.

The Irish trade minister said of these companies, over 600 are US companies that directly employ more than 90,000 Irish citizens some five percent of Ireland's workforce. He also said 13 of the world's top pharmaceutical companies and 25 of the top 50 have established a presencet here.

"Exports in the pharmaceutical sectors now account for around 40 percent of total manufacturing exports from Ireland,". Ahern said. The Irish trade minister also spoke about the establishment of a Competition Authority to deal with monopolies and mergers.

Ahern said while there was no simple formula for economic success and trade liberalisation alone is no panacea. "It is clear that over recent years those countries with the highest level of integration into the world economy have achieved the fastest growth in economic development."

He further stated that "trade liberalisation does not automatically mean higher growth" because trade liberalisation has little benefit "if the domestic policy is wrong."

"Economies need to build local institutional and infrastructure framework in order to reap the benefits of trade opportunities," Ahern added.

Ahern said while many European citizens are sceptical about the benefits of globlisation, the key benefit of globalisation is its increasing trade openness, results in cheaper imports which creates greater consumer power and boosts the demand for goods and services.The Irish minister explained that this means Europe's prosperity is intrinsically linked to that of the emerging economies in other parts of the world including the Caribbean.

Noting that TT is focusing on developing its education sector as it seeks to shift from an energy to a knowledge-based economy, Ahern said this was the reason why the Irish government moved to implement free secondary education in the 1960's and free tertiary education in the 1970's.

In his address to the gathering, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said efforts are being accelerated to attract higher value investments in the downstream energy and non energy sectors of the economy.

Referring to the TT government's recent establishment of a research development fund to help stimulate business in the non-energy sector of the economy, Ahern said this was a step in the right direction towards a knowledge-based economy.

Ahern also said the social partnership process launched by the Irish government in 1987 has been one of the key pillars in Ireland's economic transformation since the 1950's.

This brings together all of the key actors in society the government, employers, trade unions, the farming sector and the representatives of the civil and voluntary sector. "The agreements have helped build a national consensus around economic and social policies, paying rich dividends in terms of employment, growth and social cohesion," Ahern said.

Repsol rising



Thursday, January 25 2007 (Trinidad Newsday Business Section)



Over the last six years, Repsol YPF, the Spanish-based energy company with shareholding interest in ALNG , has invested over US$3 billion in its assets in the Caribbean, increasing both its value and position in the countries in which it operates.

Currently controlling over 12 assets in Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Cuba, Suriname and Guyana, the Spain-based international energy company said it sees the Caribbean contributing even more to its global growth in the years to come.

"The Caribbean region is a very significant part of Repsol YPF's Exploration and Production operations," said Ferdinando Rigardo, Repsol YPF's Caribbean Region Director at an energy conference here last month. He pointed out that this region represents 19 percent of the global production of the company "and it is one of the growth vectors of the company."

" Over the next five-year period, production is projected to grow by over 20 percent with Trinidad and Tobago playing the major role on this growth, " he added.

Repsol YPF, which began operating its Caribbean asset from Port-of- Spain a year ago, has been involved in the energy sector in this southern English-speaking country since 1995 through its involvement in Atlantic LNG from which the United States imports over 75 percent of its natural gas supplies.

Atlantic LNG also exports supplies to Spain, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Repsol became one of the main producers of oil and gas in the Caribbean, in exercising a buy option for the purchase from BP of three oil fields and one gas field (Teakm Samaan and Poui- TSP) in Trinidad and Tobago, off the south-east coast of the island. The purchase price payable at completion is US $229M.

Repsol became one of the main producers of oil and gas in the Caribbean, in exercising a buy option for the purchase from BP of three oil fields and one gas field (Teakm Samaan and Poui- TSP) in Trinidad and Tobago, off the south-east coast of the island. The purchase price payable at completion is US $229M.

Currently, these oil fields produce 20,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Production facilities include three platforms, ten drilling satellites and one compression satellite. The Onyx gas field is to be developed.

The risked reserves for the fields are estimated at 174 million barrels of oil equivalent. Investment in the oil fields and the development of the gas field will be around $500 million through 2025.

Repsol YPF currently produces in Trinidad and Tobago through its 30% participation in BPTT, 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It also has a 20 percent stake in train one, and 25 percent in trains two and three at the Atlantic LNG gas liquefying plant. In the fourth quarter of 2005 the fourth train, with the largest capacity in the world, Repsol YPF holds a 22.22 percent stake.

As outlined in Repsol YPF's 2005-2009 Strategic Plan, one of the principal vectors of growth for the company will be ppstream, and to consolidate its leading position in the Atlantic Basin, and strengthen its solid position in Trinidad and Tobago.

In the Caribbean, Repsol YPF plans on investing $2.2 billion during the 2005-2009, of which $1.25 billion correspond to Trinidad and Tobago.

In a bid to increase its value and position in the energy sector in Trinidad and Tobago, Repsol has a 30 percent equity in the bpTT's operations.

Over the past six years, Repsol's gas sales in Trinidad and Tobago have grown over 400 percent to above 700 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) in 2006, reflecting the growth in the LNG export market and domestic gas sales. At the end of 2005, Repsol YPF's net production from Trinidad and Tobago was 115,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOED) of which some 89 percent was gas.

The estimated closing production figure for 2006 was 144,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, representing a 25 percent increase. In nearby Venezuela, Repsol YPF has doubled production over the last five years to an estimated total production of 60,000 BOED in 2006, according to Rigardo.

Venezuela's state-owned national oil company, PDVSA also acquired 60 percent of the production in 2006, through the conversion of existing service contracts to Empresas Mixtas.

Repsol YPF has four service type contracts and two gas licences covering an area of over 9600 km2, holding between 15-100 percent. Rigardo said the company is currently engaged in negotiations with the Venezuelan authorities to transform all the service contracts into "Empresas Mixtras" in order to comply with the new Organic Law for Hydrocarbons.

Under this structure, state-owned national oil company, PDVSA will hold the majority share of the new company. In Cuba, Repsol YPF is considering the possibility of drilling two more exploratory wells next year.

In December 2000, the company acquired six offshore exploratory blocks with an area of 10,702 km squared, with water depth ranging between 800-2200 metres while an additional block was awarded in 2004. In Suriname, Repsol YPF signed a Production Sharing Contract in 2004 with state-owned Staatolie for the exploration of an area described as Block 30, covering 18,600 km with water depth ranging between 100-3000 metres, for a total exploratory period of six years with possible extensions.

A border dispute between the neighbouring governments of Suriname and Guyana has resulted in the delay of the initial phase of an exploration programme in Guyana, covering 13,100 km.

" Once the dispute is resolved, Repsol YPF plans to take 1500 km of 3D seismic during the first 36 months, then the first well will be drilled after 18 months of seismic interpretation and reprocessing," said Rigardo.

Looking at potential new businesses, Rigadro said it includes exploratory acreage acquisition in Trinidad and Tobago.The company also plans to look at potential opportunities in Nicaragua, Curacao and Honduras.

The POS waterfront development looks impressive.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunil:
The POS waterfront development looks impressive.

They don't call us a "Tiger" Nation for nothing.

Chinese construction workers in protest


Friday, February 9 2007 (T&T Newsday)


OVER 20 disgruntled Chinese workers who have been in the country working on the construction of the Ministry of Education building at St Vincent Street in Port-of-Spain, yesterday held a placard protest in Santa Cruz demanding a chance to remain in the country. The workers are expected to be sent back to China this weekend.

They were recruited by Shanghai Construction of China for local company Shanghai Construction Group of Trinidad and Tobago.

However, persons who walked past or drove by the protesting workers could not understand their chants since they were speaking in Chinese nor could they read what was written on the placards since it was written in Chinese.

One worker who spoke English, told Newsday they wanted to stay in the country to complete the work on the Education Ministry building and were demanding more money for their work done since they arrived in the country.

Managing Director of Shanghai Construction TT Michael Zhang told Newsday the workers were "a bit disgruntled" after being told they would be sent back home (China).

"The workers wanted to stay in Trinidad but we informed them that another batch of workers will arrive shortly and they cannot stay in Trinidad any longer," Zhang added that Shanghai recruits thousands of workers for construction work in several countries.

The workers are currently employed in the construction of the Ministry of Education building, the National Carnival Centre at the Queen's Park Savannah; the Cultural Centre in San Fernando and the Prime Minister's residence and Diplomatic Centre at St Ann's.




A worker walks with his placard on which Chinese words were written.
Author: AZLAN MOHAMMED

VEX WORKERS: The group of Chinese workers who protested yesterday in Santa Cruz over being sent back to China after working for several weeks on numerous Government buildings.

T&T buys second ferry
US$46m for Incat Catamaran

Friday, February 9th 2007(Tobago News)

MEN at work on refitting the T&T Spirit at Incat's Hobart Shipyard.


The Government of Trinidad & Tobago has purchased its second Incat Wave Piercing Catamaran in as many months. It paid approximately US$46 million for the ferry two weeks ago.

An Incat statement emailed to the Tobago News on Monday stated that the former US Army Theatre Support Vessel Spearhead (Hull 060) has been purchased from its Delaware, United States based Owners, Bollinger/Incat LLC. It did not gave the selling price, but Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert had disclosed in August last year that the ferry was being purchased for US$46 million.

The four-year-old fast ferry, to be renamed T&T Spirit, is currently being refitted for passenger service after a well-documented career with the US Army. When she emerges from her refit at Incat's Hobart shipyard T&T Spirit will be sporting a new white hull along with the Trinidad and Tobago national colours of red, white and black on its sides.

Recently, the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) purchased the Incat 91 metre Wave Piercing Catamaran The Lynx in a US$21 million deal with Australian owner Allco Finance Group. Renamed T&T Express, the ferry (Hull 046), which was once well known for its eye catching black Devil Cat livery, has also been painted with the national colours of Trinidad & Tobago.

Imbert said that the Cabinet had decided to purchase the two fast ferries instead of leasing them, resulting in projected savings over a ten-year period of TT$200 million on T&T Express and TT$100 million on T&T Spirit.

Incat Chairman Robert Clifford comments, "Almost five years ago the Port Authority and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago started to develop a vision for the national seabridge based on identifying and then implementing world's best practice in the ferry industry. From the outset demanding benchmarks for proven year round in service reliability, high levels of passenger comfort, low operating costs and the ability to carry heavy freight were established.

"With the permanent acquisition of T&T Express and T&T Spirit, these benchmarks have been exceeded and let there be no doubt, the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago has emerged as a significant player in the global ferry market, offering a world class fast ferry service," Clifford said.

Incat's Wave Piercing Catamaran technology revolutionised the Trinidad and Tobago seabridge in January 2005, when after three years of investigating tonnage options, the PATT chartered Bay Ferries' Incat 98 metre The Cat (Hull 059). This vessel entered commercial service on the 85 nautical mile route between Port of Spain and Scarborough and since then, by operating in the Caribbean during the off peak season of its core Canadian operation, The Cat has been instrumental in demonstrating the suitability of Incat Wave Piercing Catamarans on this demanding service.

Immediately upon entering service The Cat, operating at speeds of approximately 40 knots, slashed crossing times in half to two hours and fifteen minutes and for the first time the nation's seabridge became a reliable and predictable transportation alternative to air travel.

The craft quickly became the transport of choice and with capacity for 900 persons and up to 267 cars she successfully responded to the major challenge of catering for 10,000 passengers over the Carnival period.

The T&T Express is currently operating along with The Cat, which remains on seasonal charter on the crossing until April, and as a result doubles the passenger and vehicle capacity on the seabridge. Both ferries make their return voyage in the late afternoon giving travellers a full day in either island.

Chief Secretary Orville London told the launch of the new $15 million agricultural programme two weeks ago at the Louis D'Or Nursery that the purchase was finally completed and the ferry would be here by June.

When The Cat leaves at the expiration of its lease on May 1, it would result in only the T&T Express servicing the seabridge until the T&T Spirit arrives in June.

Children masqueraders shine


By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Monday, February 12 2007
(T&T Newsday)


AMERICAN INDIANS, princesses, sea creatures, glitzy Las Vegas, 18th century France and a few strange looking creatures were all represented at the National Carnival Bands Association's (NCBA) Junior King and Queens preliminary competition at the Jean Pierre Complex yesterday.

The competition was scheduled to start at 9 am, however, at that time groundsmen were hurriedly dismantling a tent which was left from Saturday's Red Cross Kiddies Carnival. The tent was located at the entrance to the stage. Cleaners were also seen sweeping the stage area.

An hour later, the show commenced with the singing of the national anthem and the first masquerader to parade before the judges was 11-year-old Cindy Timothy with her portrayal of "Belly Dancing Princess" in the fantasy category. The first male was five-year-old Eddison Charles as "Mr Jazz Man."

There were two separate judging points for the males and females and masqueraders moved across the stage in quick succession with male and female portrayals alternating.

Tiny masqueraders had the audience and judges smiling. Two-year-old Jade Edwards portrayed "Orange Pine Ice Cream" complete with two cones topped with orange ice cream and an ice cream pail, while three-year-old Chantal Holder (with a little coaxing from her mother) twirled round and round in her "Ritual Dancer" costume.

The antics and dances of some masqueraders provided added entertainment. Jeremy Peters was jumping and rolling on the ground as he played "The Black Bull Charges the Matador" while Danielle Brewster performed a Native American dance for "White Deer."

Eighteen-month-old Zidane Sylvester steered his "Bee Mobile" across the stage but the heat almost reduced him to tears. A few of the older masqueraders seemed worn out by the time they were off the stage.

Most of the children enjoyed their moment on stage and by noon several costumes had crossed including: Sarah Barkaar as "The Dragon with Character," Jesus Carlo as "Juang Lee Light and Shadow," Joshua Prescott as "Trini Revellers," Kevin Lewis as "The Dragon Can Dance," Te'Shauna Alexander as "The Evergreen Princess," Ahlyia Downes as "Snow Queen," Enrique Shampoo as "Rock Me Orange Sky," Brandon Nunes as "Elvis has Left the Building," Alva Brathwaite Jr "Lord of Fire."

There were 233 females and 232 males registered although the actual number present looked much less.


Lystia Mulzac, six, portrays "Ice Cream." She is an individual in the band Celebrating St James.


Christiana Edinborough is the "Headliner at the Tropicana" from the band Viva Las Vegas.

Six-year-old Syllon Skeete-Mc Dowell gives a glimpse of ancient Rome as he plays "Maximus the Roman Gladiator."

Danielle Brewster, 11, performs a dance as she crosses the stage at the Jean Pierre Complex, PoS in the Junior King and Queen competition hosted by the National Carnival Bands Association.

Fifteen-year-old Ashley Arismandez captures the pomp of French aristocracy as she plays "Marie Antoinette let them eat cake."

Gyasi Philbert, ten, shows off "Faces of Pride" from Rosalind Gabriel's band Many Faces One Nation.

Young masqueraders enjoy themselves in the small band Dolls of the Nation at the annual Red Cross Children's Carnival Parade at the Jean Pierre Complex, Port-of-Spain yesterday.
Author: ERICA RAMJASS

'SOMEWHERE over the Rainbow' portrayed by Javel Lee Foon.

ETHAN HUTCHINSON portrays 'Alexander The Great, King of Macadonia'.

TJSHANA ST CYR portrays 'Flight of the Flamingo.'

Dr Anil Kokaram poses with his mother Lynette Kokaram after receiving his Oscar at the Scientific and Engineering Academy awards ceremony held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday.

By Dominic Kalipersad

A TRINIDADIAN expert on the restoration of films has won an Oscar award for his involvement in the development of visual effects software for films.

He is Dr Anil Kokaram, 39, a Sangre Grande-born engineering lecturer at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Kokaram received the Scientific and Engineering Academy award at a ceremony held in Beverly Hills, California, USA, on Saturday, a fortnight ahead of the headline acting awards event.

Speaking in a telephone interview from LAX airport in Los Angeles yesterday, Kokaram said: "I feel very privileged to get this award because not many people get the chance...I knew of the nomination since November, but I really didn't expect this."

His mother, Lynette, who attended the event with her other son Vasheist, a Port-of-Spain attorney, said she was proud not only of Kokaram but also for her country.

Speaking from Florida about the event, she said, "It was fantastic. Something I never expected to be a part of. I felt extremely proud of my son and for Trinidad and Tobago because I think it was the first for T&T. Little T&T did it!"

Kokaram received the award with three members of UK software developer The Foundry's development team"”Dr Bill Collis, Simon Robinson and Ben Kent "”for their work on the design and development of Furnace, an integrated suite of software visual effects.

The Academy (of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) employed a stringent examination process in selecting the winners, almost like a police investigation," Kokaram said.

It involved six months of deliberation and assessment by two panels made up of both academics and industrial people in the film industry."

As for the future, the imaging scientist said he hoped "to run a course in media processing" at the University of the West Indies or the University of Trinidad and Tobago because he believed "people would be interested in another activity besides the petroleum industry."

He said he was already "building a connection with UWI by having a couple of guys doing research in Dublin in motion analysis of sports events, particularly cricket."

"”The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2006 will be presented February 25 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Profile

Dr Anil Kokaram is a graduate of Hillview College in Tunapuna. He left T&T in 1986 to study at Cambridge University, England, where he also did his PhD.

He has been a lecturer at Trinity College, Dublin, since 1998. Previously, he was a research fellow at the Signal Processing Lab at Cambridge University's Department of Engineering.

Kokaram is married to Stafanie, a German technical consultant. His parents are Richard Kokaram, 66, former principal of Hillview College, and Lynette Kokaram, 62, vice principal at Specialist Learning Centre, St Augustine.

Kokaram has particular expertise in motion estimation, which is required for many movie special effects.

He has published a large number of articles on the subject and has also written a book entitled Motion Picture Restoration: Digital Algorithms for Artefact Suppression in Degraded Motion Picture Film and Video.

©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

Thanks for the post!

Bankers: Govt still needs to check spending


Thursday, February 15 2007 (T&T Newsday)



GOVERNMENT and the Central Bank have been doing well to date to curb inflationary pressures on the economy but the Government still needs to prioritise its spending patterns.

This was the view expressed on Tuesday by the Bankers Association of TT President, David Dulal Whiteway, who urged Government to provide additional resources to deal with crime, education, health and basic infrastructure in the country.

Speaking at a news conference at Republic Bank's Park Street offices in Port-of-Spain, Dulal Whiteway said he was pleased to see that there has been some reduction in surplus liquidity in the financial system since the beginning of the year. He said the issuance of $700M in government bonds last year and another tranche of $300M earlier this month have played a major role in reducing liquidity.

Dulal Whiteway also said increased sales of foreign exchange by the Central Bank have also helped to mop up excess financial liquidity in the system. He said while inflation has fallen from its high of ten percent in November 2006 to 9.1 percent last month, steps must be taken to ensure inflation continues its downward trend.

Against this background, Dulal Whiteway said, "One still needs to look at government spending." Observing that the size of the national Budget has increased from approximately $12 billion to $40 billion over the last five years, Dulal Whiteway said it was debatable whether these monies were being spent in a manner which would properly address the burning social issues facing the country today.

While stating that he had no problem with Government's developmental policies for TT, the Bankers Association president wondered whether the country was getting value for money where "basic necessities" are concerned.

Dulal Whiteway said more resources should be committed to areas such as security, education, health and basic infrastructure. "It seems as if we are not tackling the issues," he stated.

However, Dulal Whiteway did give Government credit for curbing its expenditure in the 2006/2007 Budget in areas such as CEPEP and signalling its intention to reduce inflation.

He said while many people were expecting a budget over $48 billion because of General Elections later this year, Government surprised them by bringing a $38 billion budget to Parliament instead.

Tourists stream into TT


Saturday, February 17 2007



A steady stream of tourists and Trinidad and Tobago nationals are returning home for the long Carnival weekend. Checks at Piarco International Airport yesterday revealed that at least 11 flights arrived yesterday while another ten departed during the course of the day. Airports Authority (AATT) communications manager Ellen Lewis Adamson said there continues to be a heavy flow of traffic in and out of Piarco and Crown Point International Airports in keeping with the Carnival season.

When Newsday visited Piarco yesterday, there were large numbers of passengers entering and leaving the Tobago terminal. The largest number of departing passengers were found at the American Airlines counter waiting to catch a flight for Miami scheduled for 3.35 pm. Another AA flight from Miami, scheduled to arrive at 2.35 pm, was listed as being on time.

Caribbean Airlines, Travel Span, Liat, American Airlines, and Avior Airlines all had between one to five flights scheduled to arrive at Piarco from destinations such as New York, Guyana, Miami, Antigua and Caracas yesterday. The only flight cancelled yesterday was a Delta Airlines flight from New York. Visitors arriving at Piarco yesterday were looking forward to Carnival.

Edward Gall, a TT national residing in London, said he was particularly looking forward to Panorama finals because they were being held in his former hometown of San Fernando. Carl St Rose of New York said he comes to TT every year for Carnival and was not worried about reports of crime in the country. Erik Bjorn, a Swedish businessman, said he first learnt about TT Carnival when he interacted with Soca Warriors fans during last year's World Cup finals in Germany.

Bjorn added that the mini Carnival festivities held in Germany intrigued him and he wanted to see what the real thing was like.




AIRPORT MAS: People walk past a huge Carnival costume in the centre of the atrium at the Piarco International Airport yesterday.
Author: CLINT CHAN TACK

Costumes from various sections of Trini Revellers' 2007 Carnival presentation The French Revolution.

Costumes from various sections of Trini Revellers' 2007 Carnival presentation The French Revolution.

Costumes from Trini Revellers' The French Revolution.

Costumes from Trini Revellers' The French Revolution.

MUSIC AS HISTORY


By MARINA SALANDY-BROWN Sunday, February 18 2007
(T&T Newsday)


When Decca, the US record company, began recording in Trinidad in the 1930s, they almost certainly didn't think they would be the guardians of this nation's musical history. They gave their producer carte blanche to record everything "” new calypsos, old calypsos, topical songs, dance bands, shango and shouter Baptist hymns, Carnival chants, stick fighter songs and more.


Over 267 performances, mainly by the vintage calypso Greats "” Atilla, Lion, Beginner, Caresser, Tiger, etc "” were recorded for pure commercial gain between 1938-40. But thanks to modern technology, the impressive knowledge and hard work of a group of scholarly music fanatics we have West Indian Rhythm.

It is a complete box set of ten perfect-sounding CDs with a 316-page LP-size book that documents the period through lyrics, 700 images, biographies, a discography, stories and a lively and perceptive analysis of the music's social and political context.

The recordings, thirty-five of them never before issued, tell of scandal, race and class, censorship laws, the labour riots and the political fall out.

They capture the gathering storm that led to WWII and chronicle the mores of society then with its peeping toms, gossipers, thieves, prostitutes, wily local politicians, adulterers and a host of street brawlers with names such as Joe Laughter, Greasy Pole and Gumbo Lai Lai.



LORD INVADER


Caresser, Atilla, Lion, Executor, 1937. Copyright: Kevin Burke

Trinidad Guardian, 26 January 1940, Pg.14 (Suggest cutting the 4 boxed areas Gaiety/Royal/Roxy/Monarch which are in very small font from the end of the ad.

T&T and Venezuela to share gas field

Richard Charan South Bureau


Monday, February 19th 2007 (T&T Express)



After four years of negotiations, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago have agreed to share the natural gas reserves in the Platforma Deltana gas field which underlies the maritime border between the countries.

About three-quarters of the natural gas in the Loran field, off Trinidad's southeast coast, will go to Venezuela, a Reuters news report said yesterday.

The Loran Field is part of the Platforma Deltana, which is believed to bottle an estimated ten trillion cubic feet of natural gas, about 7.3 trillion of which will go to Venezuela.

Talks between the countries began in 2003 when they agreed to work to explore and exploit the gas fields, after a decision was made on how the riches would be divided, regardless of which side of the border the drilling began.

It was also reported that the binational committee determined that the Dragon gas field, located in waters north of Venezuela, was not linked to nearby gas Hibiscus and Chaconia fields in Trinidad waters and therefore not part of the unitisation process.



I wonder how come Panday could'nt do this?

quote:

I wonder how come Panday could'nt do this?

You cannot understand because you're a bigot who does not have a clue about international relations. If you have a little bit of understanding of what Chavez is trying to do you will see why Panday could not have done it. For a bigot like you Panday could not do it because he is Indian.

quote:

Originally posted by TK:

quote:

I wonder how come Panday could'nt do this?

You cannot understand because you're a bigot who does not have a clue about international relations. If you have a little bit of understanding of what Chavez is trying to do you will see why Panday could not have done it. For a bigot like you Panday could not do it because he is Indian.

If you were following my posts you would've realised by now that many of them was mostly of a "sarcastic" tone.

I recall many Indo guyanese claiming when Panday was PM that he was "building or rebuilding" Trinidad since the PNM was "destroying it" etc or Ravi Dev claims that Panday was getting billions $$ in investment. (since Manning could'nt get any or did'nt want it) was basically implied (ppl like DND who claimed that the UNC "built" a National libary in POS, a building that was under construction BEFORE Panday became PM and when the UNC took office actually threatened to close it down but backed off because of the public outcry)


Many Indo Guyanese like you are still deeply upset Panday is no longer PM and the UNC looks like its gonna LOSE another FREE and FAIR election. (can't go around boasting to North Americans that the anglo W.I's best and richest Island is "run" by Indians)


Let me tell you the TRUTH Panday and the UNC was the WORST thing to happen to Indians in T&T.

quote:

Many Indo Guyanese like you are still deeply upset Panday is no longer PM and the UNC looks like its gonna LOSE another FREE and FAIR election. (can't go around boasting to North Americans that the anglo W.I's best and richest Island is "run" by Indians)

Banna, let me tell you de truth. Read my lips (well you can't ) - I think Panday should be in Jail. He and Cheddi Jagan were the worst things to hit Indo Caribbeans. Hope dat is clear.

Homicides fell in 2006


Monday, February 19 2007(T&T Newsday letters section)



THE EDITOR: I think if the intent of your editorial is to share information with the public then as far as possible the information should accurately provide a balanced view of the issue which in this case, is crime.

The three major concerns of law enforcement's focus in 2006 were bombings, homicides and kidnappings. Understandably, for the victims and their families who have been traumatised, and indeed, for many in society, statistics are of little solace. However, statistics are the main objective barometer, which we have to measure the effectiveness of law enforcement.

In 2006, there were no bombings. Homicides decreased from 386 to 369, a 4.4 percent decrease. There was a downward trend in homicides with 170 murders in the second half of the year as opposed to 199 in the first half "” a 14.6 percent reduction. Trinidad and Tobago was one of four Caribbean countries that experienced a reduction in the number of homicides in 2006.

Overall abductions, which include kidnappings for ransom, declined from 280 to 209 "” a 34 percent decrease. Kidnappings for ransom decreased from 52 to 17 "” a 67.33 percent decrease. Other serious crimes declined from 985 to 855, which represents a 15.2 percent decrease. These are all indicators of a modest turn around that is due in part to several initiatives taken by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

We however note that there are some categories of crime where there has been an increase. These include rape, incest, and sexual offences, burglaries and break-ins, robberies and larceny. The Police Service will institute additional measures to address these crimes.

There remains a substantial amount of work to be done throughout all of law enforcement. This includes continued training for police officers, the supply of requisite equipment and tools and an improved relationship between the Police Service and citizens. However we are making progress and the efforts of our law enforcement agencies in this regard should be acknowledged.

As Minister of National Security, I firmly believe that the overall transformation initiatives within the Ministry and its various Agencies and Divisions will lead to improved security in the country.

MARTIN R JOSEPH

Minister of National Security