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Gas stations close in protest at armed robberies
The armed robbery of Marius' Gas Station in Laborie at around 2:30 pm on Tuesday afternoon was a slap in the face to gas station operators islandwide who just one day earlier, on Monday, had begun to close at 6:00 pm in an effort to minimize the risk of being robbed. Following a series of brazen and violent attacks on petrol stations, the Petroleum Dealers Association decided, in the words of president Clinton Charlery, "to make a statement to the public and the government to say that the lives of petroleum dealers are at stake. There has been an upsurge in criminal acts against petrol stations where owners, security guards and employees have been shot and sometimes killed". The Star writes this. On the 3rd of June, the owner of the Odsan Texaco Gas Station was shot in cold blood by robbers. "When the thieves came in they did not ask for money. They shot him and then asked for money", says Charlery. The owner of this station may never walk again. Earlier this year, the owner of a gas station in Guesneau was shot and killed by robbers.
On Wednesday, the Petroleum Dealers Association (PDA) met with commissioner of police, Francis Nelson and minister of Commerce, Phillip J. Pierre. According to secretary of the PDA Everiste Jn.Marie as quoted in The Crusader, the outcome of this meeting was good. "They admitted there was a serious problem and we proceeded to deal with it. The commissioner agreed that the police need to be more visible around gas stations. Also the minister agreed to look at our proposals on duty free concessions on security equipment, including surveillance cameras and security safes. It was also agreed that there was need for increased street lighting around the gas stations. That matter the minister promised to take up with LUCELEC". Gas station operators met again on Thursday to review their opening hours. An announcement will be made soon but it is expected that closing times will remain restricted to somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 pm.
Meanwhile, four men remain in police custody following the robbery at the Laborie station on Tuesday afternoon. The four - three from Bexon and, according to The Mirror, one of French nationality - held a gun to the manageress' head and demanded the day's takings. They had their car filled up with petrol and then took off. Thanks to a prompt response by police officers from Laborie and Micoud, including an officer on a motor cycle, the robbers were apprehended at La Pointe near Micoud.
PDA secretary Jn.Marie attributes the arrest of the robbers to the fact that they had been forced to operate in daylight. The Crusader, Wednesday Star, Weekend Star, Mirror and Thursday Voice all report on this.
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Cause of shackled prisoner taken up internationally
Regional and international human rights organisations have started a widespread letter-writing campaign to put an end to the alleged ill-treatment of a man who is being held captive in Her Majesty's Gaol in Castries. The Mirror reports this. According to a report in The Crusader newspaper of the 15th of April 2000, Alfred Harding (47) has been kept permanently handcuffed and shackled in solitary confinement since 31st August of 1999 [search archives]. This week, The Mirror adds to this that Harding is allegedly also "regularly beaten".
Harding is a Barbadian felon who gained himself the nickname of 'Spiderman' when, armed with a firearm, he jumped rooftops in downtown Castries on 28th of August 1999 in an attempt to escape police. Harding had already escaped four times from prison in Barbados where he was wanted in connection with attempted murder and armed robbery.
According to local lawyer Martinus Francois, international human rights organisations are now aware of Harding's plight but "St. Lucian authorities [are] turning a blind eye to what would clearly be interpreted as torture - a gross violation of Harding's rights, even though he is a prisoner".
The protest letters are being written by concerned people in England, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Canada and Curacao and are addressed to prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony, the attorney general, minister of Legal Affairs Velon John, St. Lucian representatives in England and Belgium, the OECS High Commission in Ottawa and the St. Lucian media.
In these letters, it is maintained that if Harding is indeed being chained, beaten and denied visitors, then St. Lucia is breaking international law. "Although he has not been convicted of capital offenses, it is reported that Mr. Harding is being held in a section of the prison reserved for those condemned to death", challenges the human rights group Caribbean Justice in its letter to the PM and the attorney general.
The Mirror contacted the PM's office and the attorney general's office for comments but nobody present was authorised to speak on the subject. Prison officials similarly refused to confirm or deny the allegations.
The Crusader of 15th April quotes from a letter written by Harding which was smuggled out of the prison. "Walking in the chains are [sic] very difficult and sore up my feet", Harding writes. "The width between the chains are about six inches and each foot has a large brass lock. The back of each foot has an indentation from the chains and sometimes my feet swell. On my arrival at the prison I was immediately restrained and secured by two Chubb padlocks on my wrists, and I was told by Chief Officer ... that I would have to prove myself. I was given a piece of blanket and a drinking cup and escorted to an empty wet cell in the condemned section".
Following his arrest, Harding was represented by local lawyer Richard Frederick. On Frederick's advice Harding pleaded guilty to possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition. According to Harding's letter: "I was sentenced to three form years in prison plus two or three $10,000 fines or another three form years. During the sentencing I didn't understand what the magistrate said and at prison I was never informed if the sentence is consecutive or concurrent. The lawyer did not appeal the sentence".
According to The Crusader, Harding has been kept in solitary confinement, shackled and handcuffed and has not been allowed to see visitors (including his mother from Barbados), neither is he allowed to mix with other prisoners or to have reading material or a calendar.
The Crusader alleges that Harding's subjection to mechanical restraints is unlawful but the Superintendent of Prisons, Mr. Pierre, at the time did not agree with that. Pierre was quoted as saying: "He is in a condemned place. I don't take chances. He is classed as high security. There is nothing inhumane about his treatment. He baths and gets exercise. Should he escape I have to answer to the state. I understand that he (Alfred Harding) fired shots. Although I am not clear on this point. No, I am not allowing visits at all. No, not even family. After all, we do not know who is family and who is not, do we? He does have visits, but only his lawyers". Asked how much longer Harding would remain in chains, Pierre allegedly answered: "For as long as it takes. Until we get a maximum security wing, Alfred Harding will remain chained".
None of the other papers report on the topic.
Interesting in light of the current international human rights action being taken against St. Lucia's treatment of a prisoner is the fact that the Tuesday Voice reports that only last month, St. Lucia established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Poland. St. Lucia's ambassador to the United Nations, Julian Hunte, signed a Joint Communique "inspired by the desire of the two countries to develop friendly relations and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference and equal rights, based on international law, the charter of the UN and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations".
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Cablevision islandwide by end of 2001
Eighteen months from now all of St. Lucia will be able to receive cable television. So promises Cable & Wireless (C&W), the company which is investing $27 million in the expansion of the Cablevision network. C&W is currently in the process of providing Cablevision to the communities of Anse la Raye and Canaries. Following that, infrastructure will be put in place all along the east and west coasts and lastly, the existing network in Castries and the North of the island will be rebuilt. Since C&W started building its cablevision network fourteen years ago, the technology has advanced significantly, making it necessary to improve the existing network. By the end of 2001, all of St. Lucia is expected to have a choice of 110 channels which will be streamed through a fibre-based network that can also support internet, telephone and other communication services. C&W will be offering three packages of channels at different rates, depending on the number of channels viewers wish to receive. The Star and Mirror both report this.
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Agnes Francis new chairman at NDC
Agnes Francis, former director of Tourism and one of the directors of RAM Public Relations, is the new chairman of the National Development Corporation (NDC). Ms. Francis already served as a director on the board of the corporation and now replaces Desmond Skeete, who was recently appointed as chairman of the St. Lucia Tourist Board.
In order to avoid a conflict of interest, Agnes Francis informed the prime minister by letter of 26th June that RAM Public Relations has "terminated its provision of public relations services to the Corporation [NDC], thereby severing all commercial ties".
As a director of the NDC, Francis was not required to discontinue RAM's public relations work for the NDC, so long as she declared that interest and abstained from voting in any proceedings involving RAM. As chairperson, however, her activities at RAM would have formed a potential conflict of interest. The HTS evening news on Wednesday reported that such a conflict of interest did indeed exist but Francis' letter discounts that rumour. The Star reports this.
Such scrutiny by HTS came on the heels of the recent resignation of Craig Barnard who was appointed chairman of the Tourist Board despite having personal business interests in the hotel and tourism industry. Barnard resigned after public debate broke out concerning the perceived potential for a conflict of interest.
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PM promises: no foreigner will head police force
Canadian Deputy Police Commissioner Neil Parker will not be taking over the position of the current Police Commissioner Francis Nelson, who is due to retire in three weeks time. This declaration was made by prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony to reporters, last Thursday. Who will succeed Nelson, however, is not yet clear but it most certainly will not be a foreigner. The PM told reporters: "I did indicate to the gazetted officers that the police force will be headed by a St. Lucian. So you can expect a St. Lucian to head the police force. The deputy will remain the deputy". The Voice writes this.
According to the constitution, it is the PM's responsibility to make a recommendation for the post of Police Commissioner to the Public Service Commission. Dr Anthony admitted that he had not yet done this. According to The Voice, one option is to appoint one of the Assistant Commissioners to act as Police Commissioner while the position is being advertised. The other option is to ask Nelson to hold on. The lack of local successors is, according to Dr Anthony, a legacy of the past. "Over the past few years we never consciously developed on officer corps. Over the last few months we had to engage in some rapid promotions through the ranks to begin building an officer corps". The PM added that it is necessary that the Police Force is "overhauled".
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Police officers to receive additional training
Senior police officers are being sent back to the Police Training School in an effort to upgrade the level of professionalism of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. The Police Training School in La Toc, which only a fortnight ago saw the graduation of 149 new recruits following six months of training, will for the foreseeable future be used to teach experienced police officers skills to better deal with the humanitarian aspects of their jobs. As the man who will be in charge of the training scheme, ASP Vernon Francois explains in The Star: "More time should be spent teaching subjects like psychology, sociology and human relations. Policing is about power and authority but our police officers need to understand how to use this power and authority".
In addition to this, officers will also receive training in computer literacy and modern investigation techniques. "This is a modern world and we are not using modern techniques. Whereas in other countries matching a fingerprint is done by computers, here it is a manual and tedious process. Even now when we collect blood samples we have to depend on persons who are not members of the force", says Francois. Hence, the development of a 'scenes of crime' unit is high on his list.
Also of concern to the officer in charge of training is the fact that the training period for new recruits is relatively short (six months), and that a large part of that time is taken up with drilling exercises. Finally, the selection of new recruits could be made more stringent. "It's not a matter of 'we can take anybody and then we will train them'. This is next to impossible".
With respect to the police force's relationship with the public and the media, Francois expresses concern. The Star quotes him as saying: "The public has every right to demand accountability and transparency and a high degree of professionalism from the police force. We have to be careful though because the police are so much put on the defensive by the public and by people who can influence things like the media, that it can impact negatively on how they do their jobs. We accept that criticism comes with the territory and there is now a system being put in place in the force to deal with complaints and public dissatisfaction. What we need to do is make the system transparent and work on issues of internal affairs and discipline as we try our utmost to make it a better force. The public has a right to continue to demand a better force".
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Prisoners on the run
Four prisoners are currently at large after a break-out from Her Majesty's Prison last Friday evening. The escapees are a 20-year-old man from Vieux Fort who was on remand for murder, a 24-year-old from Marisule or La Clery who was on remand for armed robbery and another young man who has been charged with two robberies. A fourth escapee in Friday evening's incident has since been recaptured in the Faux-a-Chaux/Conway area. Still at large, however, is a 45-year-old man who escaped on the 7th June. He was serving three years for illegal possession of a firearm and had a twelve months sentence pending against him for robbery. The Crusader reports this. The paper carries the full names and pictures of the men and appeals to the public for help in recapturing the four.
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Babonneau Secondary School officially opened
A handsome building, 420 students to start this September, six primary schools in the area to draw from and a team of teachers and other staff who have vowed to make their school 'a school of choice by the year 2005': with these assets, the Babonneau Secondary School was officially opened on Sunday during a ceremony that was attended by all important government representatives, including the PM and the governor-general. The Babonneau Secondary School is one of the four new secondary schools that have been built since 1997. Its more than $6 million buildings were completed in February of this year (half a year later than expected and at a cost of $2 million more than planned) and staff and students moved in on 6th March 2000. The school houses not only classrooms, washrooms, a staff room and a principal's office but also two science laboratories, a preparatory room, home economics room, library and computer room, an industrial arts workshop, agricultural shed, store room, sick bay, bursar's office and a fenced multi-purpose court. The Babonneau playing field next door will soon be upgraded. Principal of the new Babonneau Secondary School is Terrence Fernelon. The Wednesday Star, Voice and Mirror all report on this.
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Apwe Plezi to air 400th episode
Apwe Plezi, the Eastern Caribbean's longest running soap opera will air its 400th episode next week. This is reported in the Tuesday Voice. Apwe Plezi chronicles the lives of the inhabitants of a fictional St. Lucia. Through allegiance and infidelity, aspiration and hopelessness, charity and greed, the radio show's characters reflect the people and problems of the island. According to a survey done following the 365th episode, Apwe Plezi has had a significant impact on listeners, particularly women, when it comes to issues such as teenage pregnancy, contraception, spousal abuse, drug abuse, (in)fidelity and sexually transmitted diseases.
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Sir John reports on CARICOM delegation to Haiti
Once again this week, former prime minister Sir John Compton headed a CARICOM delegation to Haiti, this time to express CARICOM's concerns about the continued uncertainties surrounding the parliamentary elections which were held in Haiti on 21st May. The international community that monitored the election procedures, including a CARICOM delegation, has questioned the manner in which votes were compiled. During this visit, Sir John hoped to meet with representatives of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, president Preval, ex-president Aristide and members of the electoral commission. Sir John was expected back in St. Lucia on Friday, in order to report to the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community at its meeting in Canouan (St. Vincent), on Sunday 2nd July. Both the Wednesday Star and the Thursday Voice report this.
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St. Lucia to fight for compensation after banana fraud
Minister of Agriculture Cass Elias is determined to fight for financial compensation for Windward Island banana farmers following reports confirming fraudulent importation of bananas into the European market for which no licenses had been granted. "According to press reports, since March 1998 some 160,000 tonnes of Ecuador bananas had been fraudulently imported through Italy, resulting in US$120.6 million of lost duties", reports the Wednesday Star. In the same paper, minister Elias is quoted as saying that the St. Lucian government is "relieved that some form of action will be taken against the perpetrators and anxious to see that some steps are put in place to prevent a reoccurrence. This kind of situation calls for compensation to our farmers". Elias intends to take up the matter with his Windward island colleagues at a meeting later this week. The matter has reportedly already been taken up with representatives of the European Union based in Barbados.
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Manufacturing sector requires urgent change
Yet another consultant has concluded that St. Lucia's manufacturing sector is in dire need of change if it is to survive and thrive. As recently as 29th April, a 47-page report evaluating the international competitiveness of St. Lucia's manufacturing sector called on the government to urgently scrap several constraints to manufacturers in order to boost economic activity. That report was prepared by Francesco Abbate, an economic consultant of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), who spent four weeks in St. Lucia in January 2000. This week, The Star reports that Dr. Asif Chida of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation, following an eight week study into the state of the manufacturing sector, has similarly concluded that "St. Lucia cannot facilitate the manufacturing sector unless certain changes are made". In particular, Chida recommends that the government should make more funds available to the manufacturing industry. Some of the problems Chida listed include the lack of qualified and trained staff, high labour costs and low productivity, and high dependence on imported raw materials and packaging. Chida recommends a five point programme, namely human resource development, implementing alternative financial programmes, needs-based technical assistance, creating an enabling environment and export-readiness or import substitution.
The constraints mentioned in Francesco Abbate's report on St. Lucia's manufacturing sector, last April, included such domestic factors as poor work ethic within the labour force (resulting in low levels of productivity) and a shortage of skilled workers, quality auditors, mechanics and marketing experts. In addition, Abbate mentioned that there is a lack of working capital, high cost of utilities, delays in processes such as clearing materials from customs, issuing work permits, and inconsistent technical assistance. The Star reported this at the time. The newspaper also mentioned that according to Abbate, government ought to "scrap the negative list of investment areas and trade licenses it has in place, waive the landholding license for approved projects and automatically grant a certain number of work permits if it wants St. Lucia to become one of the most investor-friendly countries in the region". According to The Star, Abbate found that "the country's fiscal incentive system lacks priority-setting and trade and industrial policies have not resulted in adequate selectivity and support for the most promising industries" [search archives].
Responding to this week's report on the manufacturing sector, minister of Commerce Phillip J. Pierre said: "The manufacturing sector is not dead and will not die while I am Minister of Commerce". The Star writes this. The minister acknowledged that St. Lucia at present lacks an industrial policy. A draft for such a policy is expected to be ready by the end of August, when Chida is expected to return to St. Lucia. Chida, in his report, made use of not only Abbate's report but six other previous reports on the manufacturing sector dating back to 1997, "all of which had similar objectives", writes The Star.
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SLEF: most outstanding NIS dues owed by gov't
Malcolm Charles, president of the Employers' Federation, revealed this week that the majority of outstanding dues to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) is not owed, contrary to popular perception, by private sector employers but instead by quasi-governmental and governmental organisations. Charles made this statement during the 38th annual general meeting of the Employers' Federation, last Tuesday. The Voice reports this. According to investigations by the federation, said Charles, 53 percent of the alleged $36 million that is owed to the NIS emanates from (quasi)-governmental organisations.
Other issues that were discussed at the AGM were the Unfair Dismissals Bill and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which are both almost at the stage of final drafts, and the Employment Termination Bill. Since the enactment of the new Trade Union Recognition Bill, there has been an upsurge in trade union activity around the island, and increasing numbers of employers calling upon the Employers' Federation to help hone their skills and knowledge of trade union negotiations and collective bargaining, reports The Voice.
On a general note, Charles urged politicians on both sides of the partisan divide "to come together to find answers to the economic dilemma employers face as they stare down the barrel of the globalization gun".
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Rochamel resumes work at Rosewood, appeases creditors
Work on the Rosewood hotel is about to recommence after several delays caused by budget changes to the project. Rochamel, the building company involved in the construction of the luxury hotel, reveals this in this week's Voice newspaper. It was decided to expand the Rosewood hotel from a planned 100 units to 132 units and also to enlarge the facilities, build an extra swimming pool and a world-class health spa. Additional equity and funding needed to be sourced for these changes and this caused an unexpected delay. Rochamel came under heavy criticism in The Crusader last week for allegedly owing large sums of money to local business houses [see last week's news] and the paper even asked whether Rochamel was about to go bankrupt. In The Voice this week, Rochamel says it is "very grateful for the support and patience shown by local suppliers and subcontractors during the frustrating delay and looks forward to carrying on working with all parties on this exciting project".
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St. Lucia Parrot belies sombre predictions
On the brink of extinction in the 1970s, with their numbers having dwindled to a mere 150, the St. Lucia Parrot, known locally as the Jacquot and formally as the Amazona Versicolor, is currently experiencing a healthy increase in numbers again. "Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Forestry Department and the care and concern of St. Lucians across the land our National Bird can still be seen flying free across the forests of our island", writes The Voice. The Jacquot, with its distinctive blue head, red breast, and green plumage is absolutely protected by law. Penalties for hunting, capturing or selling this species of bird can lead to one year imprisonment. It was considered certain in the 1970s that the St. Lucia Parrot would not, as a species, see the year 2000. This prediction has now been proven wrong and as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) writes in its Red Data Book: "The recent history of conservation on St. Lucia has become a model for other Caribbean countries and reveals an achievement unparallelled elsewhere in the world". The Voice reports this.
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