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French yacht slashes ARC record by eight hours

The Open 50 'Multicap Caraibes' skippered by Frenchman Luc Coquelin slashed some eight hours off the existing record for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), coming in 43 minutes ahead of the Dutch Swan 68 'Splendid'. Both yachts entered Rodney Bay in the wee hours of last Saturday morning, with 'Multicap Caraibes' taking a mere 12 days, 18 hours, seven minutes and 20 seconds to sail from Las Palmas in Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay in St. Lucia, crossing 2,700 miles of Atlantic Ocean. The previous record belonged to Australian Adam Gosling in his Sydney 60 'Yes!', and was achieved in the 1998 ARC.
The Voice, Star and Mirror all report on the French crew's success in establishing a new record. According to The Mirror, Dutch captain Keesjan Baartmans of the 'Splendid' had initially hoped to win the race for a third time (having chalked up victories in 1995 and 1996) but said he realised that the 'Multicap Caraibes' would win after the French yacht managed to cover 275 miles in one day.
The French skipper reportedly told The Mirror: "We had an excellent crossing, with only two days of light air, but an Open 50 sails well in light air. There were no problems on the boat, my tactic being to push steadily all the time. Our maximum speed was in the region of 15 knots, our best 24-hour run 275 nautical miles. We thoroughly enjoyed the race and are delighted to have won".
ARC 2000 has recorded the second-highest number of entries ever, with 215 yachts taking part. Several others have come in since the Multicap Caraibes crossed the finishing line and the remainder are expected to arrive in St. Lucia during the next two weeks. The St. Lucia Tourist Board has organized a wide range of activities to entertain the 1,500 yachties that are expected to land on our shores. Various performances of live music, a treasure hunt, football and volleybal competitions and seminars about retiring and investing in St. Lucia are on the cards and restaurants, shops and tour operators are also set to have their hands full.

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Harding's killing opens can of worms

The recent shooting death of Alfred Harding by a policeman, allegedly in cold blood, continued to dominate talkshows and newspapers this week, bringing to the fore a number of related concerns. Following prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony's call last week Thursday for an inquest into the Harding shooting, other instances of alleged police shootings that have gone without such (constitutionally required) investigations are being brought to the public's attention once more. Furthermore, questions are being raised with regard  to the manner in which the police authorities deal with the issuing of firearms to off-duty policemen, the behaviour of plainclothes officers, and the protection of witnesses.
Meanwhile, it seems that PM Dr Anthony's demand that the investigation into the shooting death of Alfred Harding be concluded within a week has not been met. The Star quotes Assistant Police Commissioner Ausbert Regis as saying: "A week starting when? We are still in the process of trying to collect statements from witnesses to the shooting. If we need more time and we can justify it, I am sure that it will be considered". Reportedly, although a post mortem has been carried out, not all witnesses have yet been interviewed by the police. Nevertheless, Rick Wayne on Thursday night, managed to bring three alleged eyewitnesses onto his TV talkshow 'Talk!'. The three men spoke in great detail about the manner in which they made a citizens' arrest of Harding, only to then see a hastily alerted policeman proceed to shoot the allegedly defenseless Alfred Harding in cold blood. The Star carries a detailed version of their testimony in the centerspread of its Saturday issue. According to Wayne, at the time of writing, only one of the three had made a statement to the police about his experiences. The other two stated "the 'SSU' has been trying to reach them but they've made a point of steering clear of 'their big guns'. In the current circumstances, can anyone blame them?"
This raises the issue of a witness protection programme, something which does not as yet exist in St. Lucia. This issue is tackled in the Wednesday Star, where readers are reminded that a number of murder suspects have walked free in the (recent) past because witnesses had been too scared to testify in court. Assistant Commissioner of Police Ausbert Regis admits in the Wednesday Star that a witness protection program is sorely needed in St. Lucia. He says that the political will to initiate such a scheme is present but that funding is as yet an obstacle. "How can you hide a witness in St. Lucia? It would be impossible unless that person remained in police custody, and that is not feasible. It will have to be a regional programme, involving several islands".
Finally, Harding's death and the promised inquest have caused concerns about similar incidents to be voiced once again. Mandy Joseph, for instance, asks in a letter to The Star that the PM also calls an inquest into the shooting death of her brother Marvin Joseph, exactly one year ago, "as well as for the rest of those innocent people who got killed". The Crusader adopts a similar tone in two separate articles. The first article deals with the matter of "police officers carrying out their duties in plain clothes without presenting proper identification. Numerous St. Lucians have been the victims of arrests, brutal beatings, searches and shootings by armed individuals in plain clothes, bearing no form of identification (and refusing to do so even when asked) yet claiming to be police officers. In addition, it is not unusual for the armed men to be travelling in unmarked cars. To make matters worse, a number of the victims who resorted to defending themselves ended up being charged by the lawmen afterwards for resisting arrest. Even more outrageous, some persons have been killed - shot to death - for resisting their would-be apprehenders who[m] they genuinely believed to be thugs but who turned out to be police officers in plain clothes. An investigation by the authorities will show that such incidents are routine".
In a second article, The Crusader adds fuel to the fire by quoting at length two (anonymous) policemen who claim that the police killings of 'Nicky Dan' Joseph and Titus Reynolds were deliberate. "We could have brought both Nicky Dan and Titus in alive. ... They may have been crippled but alive and made to face the court's justice for the crimes they were accused of", one of the police officers is quoted as saying. Furthermore, the policemen allege that the killings of infamous drug barons Bonnie Clarke and Gaboo were also somehow linked to commands from high-ranking police officers. "If the killings of Bonnie Clarke and Gaboo are re-opened, then the people of St. Lucia would be shocked at the depth of the conspiracy which reaches up to the top ranks of the police force".
According to The Crusader, neither Commisioner of Police Francis Nelson nor Deputy Commissioner Neil Parker were available for comment.
Meanwhile, The Voice reports that human rights lawyer Martinus Francois will sue the state of St. Lucia, on behalf of Harding's family, for the wrongful death of their son and brother. The family is reportedly seeking damages of half a million dollars. Furthermore, Francois has also announced that despite Harding's death, he will continue his appeal on behalf of Alfred Harding for revision of the compensation of $25,000 granted by a judge last July, for the unlawful shackling of Harding whilst in prison.

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House of Assembly debates firearm Bill

The House of Assembly will perform the second reading of a Bill on firearms on Tuesday, 12th December. Also on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting are the Land and House Tax (Amendment) Bill, the National Housing Corporation Bill (both down for first reading) the Industrial Designs Bill and the Protection against Unfair Competition Bill (second reading). The House will meet from 10:00 am onwards. The Voice reports this.

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George Girard new temporary chairman of SLBC

George Girard has been elected to act as chairman of the St. Lucia Banana Corporation, with Eustace Monrose as deputy chairman. The new executive was elected at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting last Monday, following the turbulent removal of the old board about two months ago amidst allegations of theft and mis-management on the part of former SLBC chief Patrick Joseph.
The other members of the new SLBC executive are: Benjamin Emmanuel, Rupert Gajadhar, Elizabeth Charles and Patrick Emmanuel. A government representative has yet to be appointed. The newly elected executive will serve for two months, following which new elections will be held. The Star reports this. The Mirror adds that plans by the Banana Salvation Marketing Ltd (BSML) to have its general manager Fred Flood and director Gilbert Pierre elected onto the SLBC board, failed. Both men received fewer than one hundred votes.

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Youth Council gets serious about fighting AIDS

"We have realised that we have not tackled the issue of AIDS among St. Lucia's youth as we ought to have. Especially in terms of disseminating information and education and awareness - but we are looking towards changing that through our partnership with the AAF". So says Bennet Charles, assistant secretary of the National Youth Council (NYC). Having realised that the organization was not making any significant impact on the the real problems affecting the lives of young people in St. Lucia, the NYC this week announced that it will roll up its sleeves and get truly involved.
"We are trying to change our image because we believe that the NYC should no longer just be a group that speaks out on government policies but that we should deal with issues which affect the youth directly and impact on their lives", Bennett Charles is quoted in The Star. "We want to encourage young people here who are infected with the HIV virus to join with the non-governmental groups which are now working to improve conditions for infected persons". As part of its move to help fight HIV/AIDS on the island, the NYC, together with the newly launched AIDS Action Foundation (AAF) will start a training programme for counsellors who will be working with AIDS patients in St. Lucia. "Over the past few years we have not seen or heard much about AIDS in terms of public advertisements and so many people are not even thinking about the problem. But it is still here, and it is getting worse", says Charles. According to The Star, "It has been estimated that St. Lucia's GDP will drop by 2.5 percent in the next five years if the current rate of HIV/AIDS infection is not curtailed".
In recognition of World AIDS Day, local newspapers last week reported that already, AIDS is the leading cause of death for persons in the Caribbean between the ages of 15 and 44. The Caribbean also has the second-highest ratio of HIV/AIDS in the world, after sub-Saharan Africa [see last week's news].

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Residents won't eat away giant snail problem

With residents of Monchy and La Feuillet refusing to eat the giant African snails that have been plaguing the area for several months now, officials from the ministry of Agriculture finally stepped in this week with a proposal to bait and collect the snails. The Star reports this. Guy Matrin from the quarantine unit told residents that he "was sure that in all that time (six months) some individuals would have already started eating them". Matrin went on (reportedly "amidst cries of derision") to provide figures on the nutritional content of the snails "(70 % protein, very little fat), and suggested that it was simply a matter of culture, not of palatability, that created the aversion to its consumption". But the Monchy and La Feuillet residents would have none of it. Instead of eating the pest out of existence, the ministry will go ahead with the pesticide Metadex which it claims is "the most effective and safest product on the market. It is a soil surface treatment. The chemical also tends to break down to some degree in soil, so eventually seepage into the water system will hopefully be small". Residents have been pushing for an organised eradication attempt for several months. So far, manual collection and drowning of snails has been the main technique employed. Ministry officials warned residents to keep their properties free of decaying matter, where snails would feed and breed, and to request permission from the ministry when transporting topsoil and other material from the area. They also asked that snail sightings in areas other than Monchy/La Feuillet be reported to the ministry at tel. 450-2375 (Union Agricultural Station) or 454-6254 (Crop Protection and Quarantine Unit, Vieux Fort).

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PM announces windfarm and solar energy projects

A 13.5 megawatt windfarm for St. Lucia, to be developed in collaboration with Toronto-based Probyn and Company, has been promised by prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony. The PM further announced that a solar lighting demonstration project will be initiated together with the government of Italy and that geothermal explorations will be carried out with help from a French company, CFG. Furthermore, said Dr Anthony, "we are seeking partners for implementing a wind-based irrigation demonstration project". The prime minister reportedly announced St. Lucia's "sustainable energy plan" during the World Conference on Climate Change 2000 which was held in the Netherlands, two weeks ago. The Crusader reports this. The newspaper quotes Dr Anthony as saying that "having suffered from new trade rules that have severely hindered our banana industry, we have learned the importance of taking matters into our own hands. In the same way that we are restructuring the banana industry and diversifying the agricultural sector in response to the reality of trade liberalization, we have made big strides in reducing our reliance on the consumption of fossil fuel by taking the lead in the renewable energy sector". The article does not make clear which "big strides" in reducing reliance on fossil fuel the PM was referring to, however.
Speaking of the future, Dr Anthony explained to the other delegates that "There are strong reasons for pursuing this path. We see opportunities and investments, technological advancement, the creation of quality employment opportunities as well as some measure of isolation from the steadily increasing price of fossil fuels".

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Colombians with 7 kilos of cocaine walk free

Two Colombians who were accused of drug-trafficking and assault with a dangerous weapon walked out of the Castries Magistrates Court as free men this week, after the prosecution failed to produce what the Wednesday Star describes as "crucial evidence". The two had been on remand since September 26th, after having been arrested at a house in Cap Estate with seven kilos of cocaine in their possession. But lawyer Marcus Foster convinced the judge that the prosecutor's case was full of holes. As far as the analyst's report on the cocaine was concerned, this was not translated into Spanish and therefore, says Foster, "In effect, there was no service of the analyst's report". As for the charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, Foster argued as follows: "The prosecution must show that the person was in immediate fear of some harm being done to them. The police officer forgot to say that he was in fear when the knife was raised. The police officer just described the man running towards him. But never states that he was in fear. So therefore no assault".
The Colombians have reportedly already left St. Lucia.

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Former PRF-man Greer threatens to sue The Star

Curtis Greer, the former executive director of the Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF) in a letter to The Mirror announces that he intends to sue The Star newspaper over an anonymous letter published in that paper last week, entitled 'This Story Won't Spin' - which essentially lamented the various euphemisms allegedly used by the current powers-that-be. One passage of the letter in last week's Star facetiously read as follows: "The disappearance of money from the Poverty Reduction Fund is not corruption, it is a bureaucratic deflection of resources".
Greer has taken offence at that sentence. "I have been advised that this article is defamatory to me and I have a legitimate claim against both the newspaper and the author of the article referred to above. Consequently, I demand a front-page apology and a retraction by The Star in its Saturday December 9, 2000 publication. I also demand that the proper name of the author be released to me no later than December 8, 2000, so that I can take such action as I deem necessary".
It is not clear whether The Star has revealed the author's name to Greer, but the paper certainly carries no apology to Greer in its Dec. 9th issue, nor is there any other reference to Greer and his tenure at the PRF.
After persistent rumours of misappropriation of funds at the PRF, an audit was performed in April/May of this year. The audit concluded, amongst other things, "that staff loans and advances [at the PRF] were issued without the approval of the Board; that overpayment of staff was still outstanding; that not all assets purchased by the PRF were available during the physical count by the auditors, though they were subsequently made available; that fuel was being purchased with vouchers but no bills were being submitted to account for the quantity received; that an officer was being paid fixed mileage allowance; and that two members of the Board were paid stipends for the month of April although no Board meeting were held for that month". The Mirror reported this at the time.
The Star at the time added the following: "There were no budgets in place for sub-projects implemented by the PRF. An amount of $648,415, representing 48% of total expenditure for the period, was spent on sub-projects, the main thrust of the PRF's activities. An assessment of most of the projects undertaken during the period were categorised as small capital projects. Road and drainage works, and building retaining walls. No evidence of the Board's explicit approval for any of the projects undertaken during the period were seen. In most cases auditors saw no evidence of cost estimates and details of the projects undertaken. In many instances auditors noted that payment vouchers were written without supporting invoicing or bills. Therefore Audit could not ascertain the validity of some of the expenditure".
In presenting the auditor's report to the press, however, prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony at the time insisted that "there has been no misappropriation of funds" at the PRF. However, the PM said, there have been "several administrative lapses and infelicities" at the PRF, since it was established in April of 1998. Dr Anthony came under heavy fire for this careful selection of words, however, with Lorraine Williams saying, for instance, that the Blom-Cooper report came to mind, "as Dr Anthony went about perfuming the disturbing smell emanating from the Poverty Reduction issue". Her response to the PM's pronouncement that there had been no "misappropriation of funds" was: "What a lot of nonsense. My dictionary defines 'misappropriation' this way: 'To appropriate dishonestly for one's own use'. ... As for 'lapse', the definition is: 'To deviate from a prescribed or accepted way'. Infelicity? Well that's just a lawyer's way of saying someone has acted not in accordance with the rule".
But Greer in this week's Mirror claims that allegations of misappropriation of funds were found to be "wholly erroneous" by the auditors.

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