TIMES

I ndo- Caribb ean

Nasties in Canada’s im- Achievers Janet Naidu,
migration system P 4 Steven Ramsankar P 11

Desperate Guyanese Introducing the

paying $3m for back- ICTimes Book Club
door migration P8 P. 15

Do we need a new Tabla artiste Ramona

safety code when visit- one of Toronto’s best
ing the Caribbean P 10 young players P 18

Vol 1. No 6 August 2007 Tel: 416-289-3898 ictimes@rogers.com

Vandals desecrate TT “Rampant harassment and abuse of Indian and Hindu population in Trinidad”
Hindu temple in the sea U.S. Hindu group warns of racial,
religious discrimination in TT
T he Hindu America Foundation
(HAF) says that there is wide-
spread discrimination against Hindus
and Indians in Trinidad, and it has
placed much of the blame at the door
of the current government of the coun-
try.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of ten
* “Hindus tend to be the most direct
victims of religious intolerance and dis-
crimination. Hindus are prevented from
holding Diwali and Ramleela celebra-
tions in several areas of the country...
* “The concerted media attack against
three prominent Hindus (former Prime
Minister Basdeo Panday, Professor
recipients of National Awards, Indians
are systematically excluded.
* “Photographs in tourism brochures
depict Trinidad and Tobago as a nation
whose population is of predominantly
African descent. The Indian image is
virtually non-existent.
* “Violence directed against Indians

B
roken murtis (statues) of Lord Krishna (right) and
Lord Hamuman (left) lie in the shallow sea waters off
Trinidad’s famous Temple in the Sea, while 71 year old
Hindu devotee Bissondial Seepersad offers prayers from
the shore. On August 5 unknown vandals damaged four
murtis and tried to set fire to the temple, which is desig-
nated as a heritage site and is one of the country’s top
tourist attractions. The incident has caused an enormous
uproar in Trinidad, with the Temple Committee offering a
$10,000 reward for information on the vandals and local
Hindus offering $100,000 to replace the damaged murtis.
countries where the HAF 2006 “Survey
of Human Rights” on Hindus in South
Asia and the Diaspora found serious
human rights abuses against Hindus.
Some of the hard hitting comments
from the reports include:
* “Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago ex-
perience discrimination and violation
of their human rights in religion, cul-
ture, politics, economics, education,
employment, housing, and health.
Worse yet, Hindus and Indians are tar-
geted by organized gangs of kidnappers
Vijay Naraynsingh, and Chief Justice
Satnarine Sharma), and the forced res-
ignations of several top Indian profes-
sionals are worrisome
* “ Allegations of institutional dis-
crimination were recently directed at
the Government after several Indians
and Hindus were fired or denied well-
deserved promotions.
* “In the Police Service, the Protective
Services, the Civil Service, the Statu-
tory Boards and Commissions, the
and Hindus is also not uncommon. In-
dians and Hindus are verbally and
physically assaulted by mobs of non-
Indians from neighboring villages and
from the northern urban areas of
Trinidad where the population is pre-
dominantly African,” said the HAF re-
port, the first of its kind by a reputable
foreign organization.
READ THE FULL REPORT
ON PAGES 19 & 21

Bandits target overseas visitors in Guyana

(MORE ON PAGE 5) High Commissions and Diplomatic
and murderers.” Missions abroad, the Central bank, and

Over 30 million affected

A rash of robberies targetting foreign
based Guyanese visiting home is
causing concerns among the large popula-
tion living abroad. Many of them visit
Guyana every year, but that could change if
the current pattern continues. In the last few
weeks alone, several robberies have openly
targeted visitors.
On July 11, Gangadai Befan, a visiting
Guyanese woman from Paramaribo, Suri-
name was shot on her left hand at when four
masked bandits barged into the home of her
United States-based relatives around 10
pm. Three of the masked bandits carried
guns, which they used to rob the family of
US$16,500 and gold jewellery. They fired
several shots in the air as they were escap-
ing.
Seeram "Teddy" Ramcharran had arrived
in Guyana a week before with his parents,
Chetre Ramcharran and Jean Brijlall, and
his brother, Dhaniram. Befan had come
from Suriname to meet them.
After the dogs started barking and neigh-
bours warned about a man hiding in the
yard, one of the family went to investigate.
The bandits then came out openly from two
sides and held up the family. Several mem-
bers of the family were brutally beaten by
the robbers demanding more money, and
Befan was accidentally shot by a bandit
aiming at her nephew.
US based Chetre said a bandit took his
wallet and gold jewellery, but “They kept
asking me for more money and when I told
them I don't have any more they hit me on
my head and stomach with the gun. They
left me in the room and said 'if you only
leave this room you gon die.'"
The four bandits all wore masks and car-
ried two revolvers and a rifle. They have
not been caught.
Wake house guests robbed
Foreign wake house guests were among
the victims, when a gang of five robbed
three men attending a wake at Plantain
Walk, West Bank Demerara. Police re-
ported that Mahendra Deonarine was host-
ing the event for his father who died
recently but had retired to bed with his fam-
ily and some relatives from overseas, leav-
ing the victims playing dominoes in the
yard.
However, Deonarine was aroused by
sounds outside the house and, on investi-
gating, saw the the quintet holding the trio
at gunpoint. The latter group was relieved
of a total of $28,000 cash, jewels valued
$50,000 and a cell phone and locked in a
garage. The robbers escaped by boat in the
Demerara River.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
Flood ravaged
India needs help
The Indian sub-continent has not seen
floods like this in living memory. The an-
nual monsoon has gone wild in India,
Bangladesh and Nepal. The figures are as-
tounding. Nearly 20,700 square kilome-
ters of agricultural land were inundated
since the start of the monsoon two months
ago. That’s an area more than five times as
large as the city of Toronto. More than
130,000 houses destroyed, and 1,428 peo-
ple killed, with tens of thousands of ani-
mals killed or stranded without food. Half
of Bangladesh was under water at one
time.
These countries need massive help from
the rest of the world. They need it now.
(See Page 2)

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CANADA AND THE WORLD
Bandits target 30 million hit by Extreme weather Expert warns of
overseas visitors floods in India hits the world in bridge collapses
(From Page 1)
and Bangladesh first half of year in Canada
Corentyne wedding guests
Overseas guests at a wedding at Number
69 Village, Corentyne were the intended
target for bandits on August 1.
A 38-year-old mother of three, Vedowat-
tie Khelawan, was shot during the robbery.
Khelawan was at the time a guest at a wed-
ding celebration in front of her home. She
saw relatives running out on the road after
hearing that "bandits were in the area" and
she decided to join them.
Sal Persaud who came from New York
with his family for the wedding, said one of
the guests had gone to a relative, Hemchand
Dulchand's house, obliquely opposite the
wedding house to use the washroom when
he noticed two strange men walking in
Dulchand's yard. While the two men were
being chased another bandit fired two shots,
one of which hit Vedowattie. The three ban-
dits escaped.
Dulchand said the men "pushed down"
his zinc fence, ran into an empty lot and
jumped a resident's fence and escaped. He
said he did not think the bandits intended to
rob his house.
"To me dem just hide in me yard fuh wait
until me go home to hold me hostage and
rob the people at the wedding house where
the overseas guests de staying."
Relatives said "When the president
come to New York he encourages us to
come back home and visit but we are not
coming back because we do not feel pro-
tected."
Summer is the peak time for foreign
based Guyanese to visit, and more rob-
beries targetting them are expected.
Indo-Caribbean Times
S ome of the worst flooding in memory
has affected millions of people in
India, Bangladesh and Nepal, driven many
from their homes and killed at least over a
thousand to date. It's as if two thirds of
Canadians were made homeless by floods.
The French news service Agence-France
Presse reported that over 25 million people
across the region were forced to flee and
that more than 1,400 died. In Bangladesh,
more than 100 people died and the toll may
reach 500.
In India, about 1,103 people had died,
according to the United Nations Chil-
dren'sFund, Unicef, “It is the worst flood-
ing in living memory. The sheer size and
scale of the flooding and the massive num-
bers of people affected pose an unprece-
dented challenge to the delivery of
desperately needed humanitarian assis-
tance.''
Indian Air Force helicopters have started
dropping food packages and deploying sol-
diers to help the hardest hit areas.
The annual monsoon rainsfall system that
produced the flooding has began moving
south across India, and it is expected to
cause similar problems in India’s southern
provinces.
A massive relief effort will be required to
cope with the disaster, and international
help will certainly be required. The 25 mil-
lion people affected by the floods is bigger
than the population of 176 of the 221 na-
tions in the world, including Australia,
Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, the Netherlands and
Switzerland.
South Asia usually experiences monsoon
rains from June to September, which are
vital for the region's agriculture, though
they frequently also cause flooding.
AUGUST 2007
E xtreme weather conditions have been
pounding the world for the first half of
2007 show no signs of stopping in the sec-
ond half.
There have been severe monsoon floods
across South Asia, abnormally heavy rains
in northern Europe, China, Sudan, Mozam-
bique and Uruguay, extreme heatwaves in
southeastern Europe and Russia, and un-
usualsnowfall in South Africa and South
America this year, according to the World
Meteorological Organization.
England and Wales this year had their
wettest May and June since records began
in 1766, resulting in extensive flooding and
more than $6 billion in damage, as well as
at least nine deaths. Germany swung from
itsdriest April since country-wide observa-
tions started in 1901 to its wettest May on
record.
Mozambique suffered its worst floods in
six years in February, followed by a tropical
cyclone the same month, and flooding of
the Nile River in June caused damage in
Sudan.
Uruguay had its worst flooding since
1959 in May. Huge swell waves swamped
some 68 islands in the Maldives in May, re-
sulting in severe damage, and the Arabian
Sea had its first documented cyclone in
June, touching Oman and Iran.
Temperature records were broken in
southeastern Europe in June and July, and
in western and central Russia in May. In
many European countries, April was the
warmest ever recorded.
Argentina and Chile saw unusually cold
winter temperatures in July while South
Africa had its first significant snowfall
since 1981 in June.
Page 2
C anadians concerned about the bridge
collapse last week in Minneapolis in
the United States have a right to worry
about the safety of our own bridges, says
McGill University civil engineering pro-
fessor Saeed Mirza.
Five people were killed and many injured
in the spectacular collapse of a span of the
Minneapolis bridge during the evening rush
hour. Five people were killed and six in-
jured in the collapse of a Laval, Quebec
overpass on Sept. 30, 2006.
Mirza, a nationally recognized expert on
infrastructure, calls the state of Canada's in-
frastructure "disastrous" and warned that
more bridge collapses and other failures
could be on the way. "If we do not maintain
our infrastructure, do not upgrade it, we'll
continue to have spectacular collapses."
Bridges in Canada have reached 49% of
their useful life, according to a 2006 Statis-
tics Canada study, and experts warn our
other infrastructure isn't in any better shape.
According to a recent study Mirza com-
pleted for the Federation of Canadian Mu-
nicipalities (FCM), Canada needs $100
billion to upgrade its roads, bridges, sewer
plants and other vital infrastructure. In the
2006 budget, the federal government out-
lined a $16.5 billion investment in infra-
structure over the next four years.
A Statistics Canada study examining the
age of infrastructure in Canada cited waste-
water treatment facilities as the oldest, with
63% of their useful life behind them in
2003. Roads and highways had reached
59% of their useful life, and sewer systems
52%. In the U.S. 167,566 of the 597,340
bridges were declared structurally deficient
or functionally obsolete five years ago. .
COMMUNITY NEWS
Festival of India to feature
Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 3

Indo-Caribbean diaspora
A n extensive museum display of the
Indo-Caribbean diaspora will be fea-
tured at the Festival of India coming Au-
gust 24-26 at the Museum of Hindu
Civilization in Richmond Hill.
The Festival will show the origins of In-
dian civilization going back thousands of
year, and will highlight aspects of India’s
history, culture and performing arts. It will
also highlight the impact of Indians in
Canada, from direct Indian immigration
starting in 1897, and second migrations of
Indians throughout the world.
Indians from the Caribbean first arrived in
Canada 99 years ago, mostly from Guyana
and Trinidad, but also from ten other coun-
tries in the region.The display will feature
the history and achievements of Indians in
the Caribbean and in Canada.
Headliners at the Festival include musi- Zakir Hussain
cian Zakir Hussain, Bollywood singers
Sunidhi Chauhan and Sukhwinder Singh, Indian Pottery, Bangle maker and minia-
musician Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, pup- ture paintings, Kaleidoscopic and Tradi-
peteer Puran Bhat, astrologer Dr Prem tional Folk Dances by Akaar Puppetry
Kumar Sharma, yoga master Prasad Rag- Theatre from Rajasthan, and a Taste of
nekar, potter Nilesh Valji Jethwa, and rice India and the Caribbean are also on the
grain engraver Patkar Rama Sanjay. program.
There will be music and dance by Indian Gift Stalls with accessories, Garmets,
and Canadian Artistes including Geetanjli Souvenirs, Jewellery, Incense and other
Orchestra, Prakash Gossai, Dance by paraphernalia will be offered to the pub-
Kathak Dance Duo, Ayurvedic Pulse Ex- lic. The celebration of India Diaspora in
amination and lectures by Dr. Minakshi the West Indies is a special feature at the
Sharma Festival.

Outstanding SEA pupils of the Palmyra Hindu School in Trinidad, from left, Lakisha

Canadian Trini gives awards

Seon, Ryan Bridgelal, and Samantha Abdool are all smiles after receiving cheques from
Krishna Goolcharan, right, Looking on is Principal Rajdai Mahabirsingh.

at Palmayra Hindu School

T hree pupils have received cash incentives from a man whose grandfather had a deep
interest in their school. Krishna and Tara Goolcharan returned home from Canada to
honour three of the most outstanding pupils of the Palmyra Hindu School, Palmyra, San
Fernando.
The awards went to Lakisha Seon, 11, who scored the highest marks at the school in the
recent Secondary Entrance Assessment. She passed for her first choice secondary school-
St Joseph's Convent, San Fernando. Lakisha received $2,500.
The school's SEA second place pupil, Ryan Bridgelal, 13, received $2,000 while Saman-
tha Abdool, 11, completed the list of awardees with a gift of $1,500. Bridgelal will be at-
tending San Fernando East Secondary School while Abdool passed for Princes Town
Junior Secondary. All three awardees come from similar backgrounds.
The Goolcharan award was started three years ago. Goolcharan, a father of three, said
that his grandfather, Siew Sankar Goolcharan, worked toward the building of the school
at Palmyra.It was built in 1969 and has a school population of 63 with a staff of five teach-
ers. Of the ten pupils who wrote the SEA exam, nine passed.
School principal Rajdai Mahabirsingh said that a large percentage of the pupils come
from single parent homes and the teachers work with them to overcome any problems
they might have at home. She said that the pupils were encouraged to work hard and as-
pire to a life of excellence.
"Once we recognise potential in the children, we begin to work with themin a serious
effort to assist them," Mazhabirsingh said.
Goolcharan promised to keep in touch with the three achievers and look after their
progress at secondary school level.
COMMENTARY
Indo-Caribbean Times is pub-
lished monthly in Toronto by
Indo-Caribbean Times Ltd.
Editor/Publisher: Ram Jagessar
Editorial Committee:
Reynold Ramdial, Gulcharan Mo-
habir, Lloyd Harradan, Sandy
Kissoonsingh, Roop Misir, Deoraj
Narine, Jiantee Jagessar,Krishna
Nankissoor, Rudy Lochan
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ficce: 17 Gaiety Drive,
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Tel: 416-289-3898
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E-Mail: ictimes@rogers.com
Opinions given in this newspaper
are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the views
of the Indo-Caribbean Times.
We welcome letters, e-mails and
comments on matters relevant to
Indo-Caribbeans in Canada and
abroad, and also those at home in
the Caribbean. All content must
comply with the requirements of
Canadian law.
A copy of this newspaper is
posted on the internet in as a pdf
file immediately after publication,
and the entire contents can be
read online by anyone with a
computer and an internet con-
nection
COMMENTARY by Anand Ramlogan: Blacks want more places in medical school, silent on
Racial bias against hiring Indians in Trinidad’s Central Bank
The response of the Central Bank to the
complaint from the Global Organisation for
People of Indian Origin (Gopio), about the
non-selection of Indo-Trinidadian students
for its vacation internship programme, was
predictable and shallow.
It explained that no Indo-Trinidadian stu-
dent was among the 14 students hired, be-
cause the programme catered for the
children of the employees of the bank.
(Perhaps this was the bank’s way of im-
plicitly admitting that the bank’s employ-
ees are predominantly non-Indians).
Faced with the problem posed by the fact
that there were students who did not fall
into this category, the bank said other stu-
dents were selected from “unsolicited ap-
plications.”
How these students came to know the
bank had an internship programme, and that
it was willing to entertain unsolicited ap-
plications, remains a mystery.
With Selwyn Cudjoe as a director, one
would have thought the bank would have
been a bit more racially sensitive towards
the Indo-Trini community.
Let’s face it: if Sat Maharaj was a direc-
tor, Dookeran was governor of the bank and
14 Indian students were hired in a central
bank full of only Indian employees, the
Afro-Trinidadian community would have
been understandably upset.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Many nasties lurking in our immigration system
From the editor’s desk
W
e must be grateful to
a brave Sikh woman
named Tarvinder Kaur,
who has revealed and de-
stroyed a nasty piece of
discrimination practiced
by the Canada Immigra-
Ram Jagessar
tion office in New Delhi
for 10 years now. Her action has left many
people wondering what other nasties are
still hiding in the myriad regulations of
Canada Immigration.
Last month Canadian born Tarvinder
complained publicly that her husband Jas-
pal Singh’s permanent resident visa was
being delayed because his name was
Singh. The New Delhi office of Canada
Immigration had told Jaspal that people
with the names Kaur and Singh do not qual-
ify for the purposes of immigration to
Canada . Jaspal would have to change his
last name or add a last name to Jaspal Singh
before he could get his visa and join his
pregnant wife in Calgary .
Normally this would have gone by un-
noticed. But this time Tarvinder blew the
whistle and the media got hold of the story.
Angry Sikh leaders said that all Sikh men
carried the name Singh (lion) and all Sikh
women had the name Kaur (princess), so
in essence immigration was eliminating all
Sikhs from applying through New Delhi. It
was ugly.
Canada Immigration tried to explain that
it was an adminstrative matter which aimed
to make it easier to process a lot of people
with the names Singh and Kaur. They did-
n’t even try to explain why this policy had
not been applied to the many people in
China with the name Li, or Irish with the
name Kennedy, or Moslems with the name
Mohammed.
In double quick time, the Immigration
Minister said that policy was not introduced
by this government, that it didn’t reflect the
views of the ministry, and just like that the
The Central Bank defended the racial bias
in its staffing with the trite statement that
race is not a factor in its recruitment and
promotion policy, which is based on merit.
Apparently, the bank has not been able to
find any meritorious candidates in the half
of our population that is of East Indian de-
scent.
Gopio is as right to complain about racial
imbalance in the staff at the Central Bank
as Prof Bartholomew is to complain about
the preponderance of Indo-Trinidadian stu-
dents accepted to study medicine.
My problem is the former is roundly con-
demned as racist, whilst the latter is viewed
as having a legitimate complaint.
Cudjoe has expressed the view that “the
larger communal interest of a multiracial
society cannot be served if 80 per cent of
the students at UWI and 75 per cent of the
students of Trinidad and Tobago Institute of
Technology are Indians.” (Guardian, Au-
gust 26, 2003).
I agree with this. Social development
cannot be one-sided, but balanced and eq-
uitable, or else racial resentment is bound
to occur.
My problem is, whenever I try to make
the same point regarding the relative ab-
sence of Indians in the protective services
(army, police, prison and fire service), the
hierarchy of the Public Service (permanent
AUGUST 2007
Singh-Kaur name change policy in New
Delhi was history. Jaspal won’t have to
change his last name. People with the name
Singh and Kaur will not cause any more
mixups in Canada Immigration. Everything
is all right in the world again with Canada
Immigration.
But it is not, as we all should know. There
are too many ugly, biting policies hiding in
the Canada Immigration regulation morass
that have to be brought to light and burnt
away. For example, why has Immigration
in Guyana moved its office for visitor visas
to Trinidad ? It can’t be for lack of appli-
cants in Georgetown . Why have they said
they will no longer accept any documents
to support applications for visitor visas?
These policies place an immense burden
on Guyanese applicants. It looks very much
as if Immigration is pulling administrative
tricks to avoid giving out visitor visas to
Guyanese.
Do we need somebody like Tarvinder to
step up and ask why it is now taking at least
three years to process a permanent visa ap-
plication from Trindad? Why does it take
five years in India and up to six years for
China ? How much does it take for Eng-
land ? It looks as if the governments and
business are screaming for more immi-
grants, but Canada Immigration has other
ideas.
Why is it that Caribbean applicants for
visitor visas are treated with so much sus-
picion and refused so often. I know of
mothers who have been refused visas to at-
tend their daughters’ weddings in Canada,
people who aren’t allowed to attend the fu-
nerals of relatives in Canada . My own
mother was denied a visa when she was
coming here for the birth of my sister’s
child. Young people stand a very poor
chanceof getting visitor visas no matter
what their circumstance. When I was still
in Trinidad I remember a judge being de-
nied a holiday visa because the Canada Im-
secretaries, chief technical officers and di-
rectors) and the foreign service (ambas-
sadorial appointments and staffing at
overseas missions), the very people that are
so vocal in their support for Prof
Bartholomew remain silent, or rush to paint
it with a racial brush.
I am asked to produce impossible statis-
tics to prove my point and have regard to
the “historical and cultural factors,” but no
one is singing that tune now.
Is it not true that Indian students have tra-
ditionally gravitated towards sciences,
whilst African students gravitate towards
the social sciences and arts?
What do the statistics show? Is it not true
that Indian students are less involved in tra-
ditional extra-curricular activities when
compared to non-Indian students?
What does Prof Bartholomew define as
“extra-curricular activities” that should
merit bonus points when evaluating appli-
cations from students who wish to study
medicine?
Is it confined to playing pan and football,
or does it include playing the dholak in the
village temple and being active in the
mosque?
Career PNM activists of long standing,
Ferdie Ferreira and Prof Selwyn Ryan,
came out in full support of Bartholomew’s
call for more African medical students.
Page 4
migration officer took one look at the
judge’s young black driver who was bring-
ing the forms and turned him down while
he was standing in the line.
Right here today we have the ridiculous
policy of punishing a parent who applies for
sponsorship while in Canada as a visitor.
Why does Canada Immigration take as
much as five years to approve the applica-
tion of a Canadian resident/citizen trying to
sponsor parents or grandparents from
within Canada ? They prefer the parent to
apply from abroad, it seems, and deliber-
ately hold back the application if the par-
ent is in Canada at the time. It can’t be an
administrative issue because the application
is straightforward and generally passes
without problems. I smell a Singh-Kaur
kind of policy here.
Sometimes you have to wonder if
Canada Immigration is really working to
make it easy for people to migrate to
Canada as it is supposed to do. Why is that
immigration process such a pain? Why isn’t
it as it used to be for immigrants from
Britain and Europe, who would breeze
through, often without education and some-
times with no more than $10 in their pock-
ets? That was a welcoming immigration in
those days. Why is it almost like a beating
by a 300 pound wrestler today?
I don’t have to remind my readers that
Canada Immigration has a long and horrible
history of discriminatory and racist poli-
cies going back over a century. It goes back
to the Chinese head tax, the notorious Con-
tinuous Journey legislation designed to
keep out Indians and a host of other nas-
ties.
There are still many policies that can not
stand up to examination. It’s not enough to
whisper and complain privately, as those
New Delhi Sikhs did for an entire decade.
We who are citizens of Canada must put
Canada Immigration under the microscope
and purge it of accumulated nasties still
lurking within.
The insinuation is that the criteria are too
favourable to Indian students. Who com-
prises the admissions committee at the Fac-
ulty of Medicine?
It is, therefore, mischievous to make it
out as if the Indo community deliberately
created this situation with the intention of
excluding others.
Ethnic monitoring policies are now a
standard feature in most developed cosmo-
politan countries.
Universities are careful to monitor their
intake to ensure racial diversity without
compromising the integrity and trans-
parency of their admissions policy.
This is also needed in our society, but not
just in the medical faculty for the benefit of
non-Indians. It should apply to the protec-
tive services and the public service as well,
in favour of Indo-Trinis.
There are as many Indians who qualify
for employment with the Central Bank as
there are African students whose excellent
extra-curricular and academic record justi-
fies Itheir place in medical school.
We cannot run a two-legged race on one
foot.
Web site: http://www.anandramlogan.com/
 Cubans to set
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO NEWS
Outrage at
Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 5
“PNM brought them in to deal Pat Mathura
attack on passes away up 300 acre
with race problem, treated

Africans at
them like animals for years”

Hindu temple mega farms

T
bottom of
T
society, says
he smashing of Hindu murtis on the he Trinidad government is setting up 15
night of August 3 and the attempt to mega farms of 300 acres each, and it
burn the heritage Sewdass Sadhu

Panday
is bringing in Cubans to do it.
Temple in the Sea have caused echoes of The first of the technical experts from
protest around the world. Cubans were scheduled to arrive in

W
Hindu non-governmental organisations Trinidad at the end of July to start a gov-
in the United Kingdom and the United

States are the latest to condemn the van-
dalism.
. In separate statements, the Hindu Amer-
ican Foundation (HAF) and the Hindu
Council of the United Kingdom (HCUK)
expressed concern and stated that the attack
was one on human rights and religious free-
dom and practice.
The prime minister of Trinidad, all major
political parties, religious and social organ-
izations have also condemned the assault on
the temple.
Eyewitness evidence from a fisherman
present at the time showed that a carload of
masked men entered the temple car park
around midnight and chased awayt he in-
habitants of four cars using the park as a
lover’s lane.
P
eople of African descent have been liv-
ing on the lower end of thesocial and
economic scale, but not because of the
United National Congress, says the party's
political leader Basdeo Panday.
He also said that this inequality is not
limited to those of African descent and is
calling for the establishment of a long-pro-
posed commission on race relations.
"I am sure you will agree that inequality
exists among all the races in the society
and for 40 years I have devoted my life to
the struggle against inequality, and we not
only talked about it when we came into
power, we did something about it," Panday
said.
He did so as he addressed the UNC's
ell-known broadcaster and pioneer in
the field of local East Indian radio
and television broadcasting, Surujpat
Mathura, has died in Trinidad.
Mathura, 84, popularly known as Pat
Mathura or Uncle Pat, died from complica-
tions following recent surgery.
The country's longest serving radio
broadcaster and youngest Mayor of Port of
Spain, Mathura was lauded by TV promoter
Holly Betaudier "He was the original com-
municator from the East Indian community
to the wider section. He was the first to
present Indian culture on the airwaves.
Radio announcer Rafi Mohammed com-
mented, "He was very much concerned
about local culture in Trinidad and To-
bago.” Pat was cremated in Trinidad.
ernment to government plan.
Minister of Agriculture, Jarrette Narine,
said Cabinet earlier this year had given its
approval for the advertising of requests for
proposals for private enterprises to run the
15 mega-farms being established on 4,500
acres.
“We had done the various soil tests and
other things pertaining to the various types
of farming.”
Narine said these included root crops, rice,
vegetable crops, meat farming, livestock,
and integrated farming comprising crops,
livestock and aqua-culture. The areas, he
said, included Caroni, La Gloria, Jerning-
ham, Picton, Morne Diablo, and Orange
Grove.
Investigate unreported

They broke into the temple and toppled
tfour Hindu murtis (statues), saying, “ We
have the blood of Jesus. You are idols.”
Murtis of Lord Krishna, Lord Ganesh,
Maternity horrors:
public meeting and talk back forum in
Arouca recently. kidnappings, says Pastor
Seventh-day Adventist pastor Clive Dottin
Pregnant women
Panday first spoke on the race issue in re-
sponse to a question from a party supporter,
has called for more detailed investigations

sleeping on benches
Lord Hanuman and Mother Durga were who said, "The Africans are at the bottom
into unreported kidnappings and carjack-
broken and an attempt was made to burn

down the temple. Collection boxes con-
taining money were untouched.
The damaged murtis have been offered
to the sea, according to custom, and local
Hindus have offered to replace them all at a
cost of $100,000. This is not the first time
the temple has been damaged but it was the
worst.
The temple has become a shrine for Hin-
dus in Trinidad, as well as a major tourist
attraction now designated as a heritage site.
The only temple in the sea in the West was
originallly built singlehandedly by the leg-
endary Sewdass Sadhu.
Sadhu’s had built a temple on lands be-
long to the sugar company Caroni in the
1940’s, but the company demolished it and
had Sadhu put in jail. He then declared he
would build a temple in the sea where no
one could break it down. Over 17 years he
built a causeway into the sea and single-
handedly built a small tempe in the Gulf of
Paria. After his death in 1971 the temple fell
into decay, but in the nineties it was re-
stored by the government as a national
landmark. A local Hindu group the Hindu
Seva Sangh erected a statue of Sewdass
Sadhu in front of the temple.
Trinidad and Tobago’s president Max
Richards has called on every citizen to con-
demn the desecration of the temple, and a
government minister has personally do-
nated one of the replacement murtis.
No individual or group has claimed re-
sponsibility for the temple invasion, and po-
lice are vigorously searching for the
of the social ladder. If we vote the UNC
again into Government how would they ad-
dress that?"
Panday said, "My brother who asked the
question about inequality in the society, and
particularly the depressed state of our
African brothers, some of our African
brothers, first of all, let me say that I agree
with that statement."
Panday said that there were historical rea-
sons for this, such as the settlement of
African slaves in the towns after they were
freed, as opposed to that of the East Indian
indentured labourers in the rural areas. He
said, however, that the 1995-2001 UNC ad-
ministration sought to address the issue of
inequality, at times to its own detriment.
"In fact, one of the greatest accusations
made against me by people of Indian origin
is that when I was in office, I gave the
African everything," he said.
Panday said those of African descent
made the same accusation concerning those
of Indian descent under the UNC adminis-
tration.
"So having regard to the fact that I am
being kicked on both sides, I say to myself
I must have been doing something right?"
he said.
He also said that there are too many peo-
ple of African descent in the nation's jails.
"For that, blame the PNM don't blame me.
I voting UNC," Panday said.
He added that previous generations had
been brought into the country to deal with
the racial problem.
"They brought those people in and treated
I
ings.
Dottin made the call during a massive
n yet another hospital horror story, preg-
crime and anti-drug rally in the crime-rid-
nant women ready to give birth have
dled, drug-infested La Brea community,
been forced to sleep on cold, hardbenches
saying it was time for citizens to wake up
for as much as two days while waiting for a
and fight back against crime.
bed at San Fernando General Hospital.
He said T&T was experiencing danger-
"The authorities must get their act to-
ous trends in crime because of an organised
gether... this is utterly unbelievable," said
“Mafia-structured” criminal ring.
Radhica Kissoon, nine months pregnant, on
“I want the media to do better reporting
the lack of bed space at the Maternity Ward.
and investigations because people are being
A visibly upset nine months pregnant
carjacked at gunpoint and they are scared
Radhica Kissoon, 31, pointed to her
to report it,” he said. Dottin said many kid-
swollen feet which, she said was the result
nappings were also going unreported.
of sitting for hours on a bench. Most of the
“People are being kidnapped and their
doctors and nurses, she said, were trying
families are paying ransom,” he said.
their best to relocate the pregnant women
“Right now, citizens cannot go abroad be-
to other wards but the situation was the
cause of visa restrictions.”
same - no available beds.
He also said kidnappers seemed unafraid
Some women were forced to use towels
of the police. He said it was horrendous that
and swaddling cloth which they brought for
criminals were now controlling the hour
their unborn baby as pillows as they re-
of church worship. He added that some
signed themselves to a night?s sleep in the
churches had abandoned night services be-
benches. Kissoon said she sat on a bench
cause of crime.
for nine hours on Tuesday night and when
she could not take it any longer,
she went home.
Another mom-to-be Myrtle
WOW!! 3.49% mortgage rate*
Hamilton of Gasparillo who
went to the hospital after her
water-bag broke, said that for 100% Financing & No Income Confirmation
the last two days, a bench in the
Good / Bad Credit & Previous Bankrupt
corridor of the Maternity Ward
was her bed. No hassle commercial mortgage financing
Almost close to tears, she said, Self Employed & Bank Turndowns
“It is not nice to sleep in the cor-
ridor. I am supposed to be happy Call NOW!!

culprits. A reward of $10,000 has been of-
fered for information leading to the arrest
of the six masked men.
Many Hindus in Trinidad and overseas
are said to be deeply hurt and distressed by
the incident. But they have been relieved by
the support from Christian and Muslim or-
ganizations in the country who are also dis-
mayed by the intolerance shown. Hindus
are approximately 25% of the 1.2 million
population of Trinidad and Tobago, with a
history going back to 1845.
them like animals for 40, 50 years while
they were in power with the result that their
children are in jail today. That is brutal, that
is brutality which is unspeakable brutality
which the UNC shall cure when it gets into
office," Panday said.
Lea Nankissoor
over the birth of my child but
this is just a nightmare.”
South-West Regional Health
Authority (SWRHA) Commu-
nications Specialist Nalini
Associate Mortgage Broker
Parasam admitted that there (over 15 yrs Banking experience)
were more patients than beds at
Ward 13, with 18 beds and about
43 patients assigned to that 647-294-6241
ward. It is not known when the
situation will return to normal *OAC, terms and rates are subject to change without
and beds will become available. notice and some conditions may apply
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Swami freed of rape
t
Disgraceful police bungling hurts Trinidad’s image
charge: no evidence
A
world renowned Hindu swami has
been freed of a charge of raping a
young woman in Tnidad, after the
prosecution offered no evidence and
dropped the case.
Hours after he was freed of rape and in-
decent assault charges, Jagadguru Swami
Ram Tripathi Maharaj refused to accept
apologies from his congregation for the hu-
miliation he had suffered since his arrival.
"I have forgiven and forgotten," Maharaj
said. He told his disciples that their faith
had been tested and they would become
stronger for the experience.
The 85-year-old leader of the Radha
Madhav society said "The truth has pre-
vailed. There is no need for bitterness and
pain. We must learn from this experience
not to bring grief and suffering to others,"
he said in Hindi.
Maharaj had appeared before Deputy
Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington at the
San Fernando Magistrates court charged
with raping a 22-year-old Guyanese
woman and committing an act of grievous
sexual assault at the Palmiste residence.
The woman claimed she had gone to seek
spiritual assistance and guidance from the
Swami. She said he sprayed a liquid on her
and on himself, after which he raped her for
one hour.
John Gobin, president of the organisa-
tion, said the case against Swami Tripathi
was not about rape but a plot to discredit the
saint. "Before Swami's arrival, a billboard
was placed in Couva to advertise his com-
ing. It was smashed and broken down," he
said, adding that the Swami had never been
alone with any woman during his visit.
He said there had been no evidence to
charge the religious leader. The case, he
said, had caused tremendous damage to the
organisation.
The case made headlines over the world
and especially in India, where the swami
has millions of followers. The dropping of
the charges has probably done serious dam-
age to the reputation of Trinidad’s judicial
system internationally, because of the
clumsy and insensitive manner in which the
case was handled.
Questions were raised from the start
about the May 20 laying of rape charges
against an infirm, 85 year old religious
leader on such weak evidence as the state-
ment of the 22 year old woman. Trinidad
police did not question the swami or check
his alibi before laying the charges. After the
swami was brought to court, police did not
attempt to consider the evidence of the
swami’s defense lawyer Prakash Ramadhar
that seven eye-witnesses were present at the
time of the alleged rape and were ready to
give evidence.
The swami was kept in jail for two days,
and his passport was initially seized be-
cause police deemed him a flight risk. Po-
lice also attempted to increase his bail to
prevent him leaving the country, but this
was was later denied by the magistrate.
When the swami was brought to court on
May 22, the prosecution was not ready to
proceed with the case, and his lawyer was
denied an opportunity to have the charges
thrown out because of lack of evidence.
It is not known if the swami will ever re-
turn to Trinidad or if other Hindu leaders
from abroad will shun Trinidad visits.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Trade union head
warns of civil war
P
resident General of Oilfield Workers
Trade Union Errol K McLeod is warn-
ing that civil war can break out in T&T, be-
cause of deep divisions of race, religion and
political affiliation.
In a two-hour address at Paramount
Building in San Fernando to mark OWTU’s
68th annual conference of delegates,
McLeod said OWTU’s members were
being affected by the breakdown of social
order.
“Our judiciary is incapable of dispensing
justice, and the country is split by race, re-
ligion, party affiliation, to a point where
civil war is not impossible.
“In fact, civil war couldn’t be far off, and
if anybody has to intervene, it will be the
OWTU.”
McLeod announced that his union would
begin mounting a platform in every “nook
and cranny” and offer leadership to citizens.
“The country is facing a leadership crisis.
The ruling party is abusing its power. This
is a government that is totally bankrupt of
ideas. We have an Opposition that is dis-
eased by corruption”'
Quoting a report from OWTU’s general
council, McLeod said the nation’s crisis had
worsened since last year, with the affairs of
Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma and Chief
Magistrate Sherman McNicolls, who is
now facing a disciplinary charge.
“One year ago, the Opposition was
deeply-divided. Now, we have two oppos-
ing parties.
“The ruling party is abusing its power
and is now working towards obtaining a
parliamentary majority to amend the Con-
stitution. The OWTU has to intervene to
prevent this from happening.”
71 women jam
women's prison
When Southern police launched a
mas-
sive raid on the Villa Capri hotel in Vista-
bella, they were surprised to find as much
as 71 women suspected of engaging in
prostitution.
They arrested the women (and three men)
and placed the women in the women's
prison at Golden Grove,pending instruc-
tions by Chief Immigration Officer Herman
Browne to have them deported.
There is just one problem. The women's
prison is not designed for so many inmates,
and now there is a serious overcrowding sit-
uation at the prison. Prisons officers say
they do not have the facilities to house the
women and most of them do not have beds
to sleep on or proper accommodation.Con-
ditions for the women are described as in-
humane. Officials want the women
removed from the facility in the fastest pos-
sible time. Most of the women have ex-
pressed the desire to be deported to their
respective countries. More than 75 percent
of the women are from Colombia , Santo
Domingo and the Dominican
Republic.They were lured to this country to
work and send money to their families.
AUGUST 2007
Kidnappers bargain
down ransom by 94%
Kidnappers of hospital clerk Varsha
Ramkaran-Ramdeo cut their ransom de-
mand from $200,000 to $12,000 before
they released her in less than 24 hours.
Then they called the family to make sure
she had reached home safely.
The bizarre case started when Ramkaran-
Ramdeo, 26, of Digity Trace in Penal, was
kidnapped at Gulf City Shopping Complex
shortly after 5 pm. one evening. She left
work at Pleasantville Health Centre,
dropped off a co-worker at Duncan Village,
and later went to the mall to purchase some
items.
She said just as she unlocked the doors of
her Honda Accord, the kidnappers grabbed
her and shoved her into the back seat. They
pushed her to the floor and pointed a gun at
her head. Police believe the kidnappers took
Ramkaran-Ramdeo to north Trinidad,
where she was blindfolded and kept in a
house. She was not fed anything but dinner
mints.
The kidnappers spoke with her family on
her cell phone, first demanding $200,000,
then cutting the ransom to $80,000, later to
$60,000, and finally to $12,000 which they
accepted. Police believe the woman's hum-
ble wooden home convinced the kidnappers
she was not as wealthy as they first be-
lieved.
Her husband Suraj was given an oppor-
tunity to speak with her. Around dusk, the
family took all of their savings and paid the
ransom at El Soccorro. They got a call later
to pick up Ramkaran-Ramdeo at a food out-
let in Barataria.
The clerk, who had a six-year-old daughter,
could not stop crying when she saw her
family. Some time later, the kidnappers
called the family to find out whether
Ramkaran-Ramdeo had reached home
safely. She was taken to Gulf View Medical
Complex and examined.
Woman charged with
rape of schoolboy
A
Tacarigua woman charged with rape
has been refused bail and remanded in
custody at the St Ann's Hospital for obser-
vation by an Arima Magistrate.
She was unrepresented when the in-
dictable charge was read to her by Senior
Magistrate Debra Quintyne.
It is alleged that the 24-year-old woman,
who is the neighbour of a 15-year-old
schoolboy, invited him over to her home on
August 7 to watch a DVD movie.
While the schoolboy was watching the
movie the accused allegedly stripped
naked, jumped on the schoolboy and
forcibly had sex with him.
The matter was reported to the Arouca
Poilice and an investigation was initiated
and the schoolboy was medically exam-
ined.
Page 6
Gas not running
out, says PM
P
rime Minister Patrick Manning has
slammed reports that natural gas will
run out by 2019, stating figures showing
only 12 years of reserves were"misinter-
preted". Speaking at the PNM's area office
opening in Mon Repos, San Fernando,
Manning was certain there was no shortage
of oil and gas in the country. Energy Min-
ister Lenny Saith had earlier stated that an
audit showed that on the current rate of pro-
duction, natural gas will run out by 2019.
"The oil and gas in Trinidad and Tobago
is not about to run out," said Manning, who
explained that the 12 -year period was to be
used as guide for the government to start
further exploration of oil and gas wells.
Manning said much of Trinidad was still
not explored. Manning said Trinidad was
running on 12 years of reserves for many
years.
He said Trinidad was "a geologist grave-
yard", stating it was difficult to judge just
how much oil and gas could be found in the
country.
Government closing
down all casinos
T
rinidad's casino industry is headed for
the scrap heap soon, after announce-
ments by government that the casino gam-
bling industry will be shut down. Prime
Minister Patrick Manning himself has
vowed to stop the casinos, saying that they
encourage encourage mafia and organised
crime, and that they were not operating
withing the law.
But casino workers are fighting back,
saying that the government made gambling
legal by allowing operators to pay taxes
for the past 10 years. They asked if the
casinos were not operating withing the law,
why was the law not enforced? Workers
have asked Manning to regulate the indus-
try rather than close it down. There are 47
locally owned members clubs and approx-
imately 7000 workers employed in the in-
dustry.
Manning insisted that he would not let
the situation continue, as many lives have
been ruined as a result of gambling.
“We will close the industry in such a way
that the workers will be retrained. They will
be given alternative jobs. They will not be
put on the streets.”
Manning argued that gambling has
brought no social benefits to the country.
He said several of his friends in San Fer-
nando had gone astray due to this addiction.
“Some of us get a lucrative existence out
of it, but that does not make it right. Gam-
bling is a social evil. Look at Play Whe.
Any how you cut it, it does not come out
right.”
Horse racing and lotteries are not part of
the gambling crunch, nor is Play Whe.
GUYANA NEWS
GUYANA: FREDDIE IN HELL,
ALEXANDER IN PURGATORY
By Lloyd Harradan
A man dies and goes to hell. He discovers
that there are different hells for each coun-
try. First he goes to the German hell and
asks what they do there. He is told, “First,
they put you in an electric chair for an hour.
Then they lay you on a bed of nails for an
hour. Then the German Devil comes in and
whips you for the rest of the day.” The man
doesn’t like this so he moves on.
He goes to the U.S. Hell, the Canadian
Hell, and the U.K. Hell, and discovers that
they are all the same.
Finally, he comes across a very long line
of people waiting to get in and asks,
"Which Hell is his?" Someone tells him,
"Oh, this is the GUYANESE Hell."
"What do they do in here?" he asks.
"Well, first they put you in an electric chair
for an hour, then they lay you on a bed of
nails for an hour, then the Guyanese Devil
comes in and whips you for the rest of the
day!"
"But that is just like all the other Hells.
Why is the line so long?" the man asks.
"Cause inna de Guyanese hell, the elec-
tricity always lock off, the electric chair nah
wok, sumbady tief di nail dem, and di
Guyanese Devil a public servant, so he cum
in an’ punch him time card, den go a Rum
Bar fi play domino fi di rest a di day!"
Lest we forget, this hell was created by
Forbes Burnham and his Afro-Guyanese
supporters. Afro-Guyanese are today in de-
nial about their complicity in the wrong-do-
ings of Burnham and the PNC. They want
us to forget, that it was their votes, together
with those of ghosts and horses that kept
Burnham in power. They want us to forget
that they are the ones who rioted, looted and
burned Georgetown. They want us to for-
get that they are the ones who attacked,
robbed and killed Indians. And they want
us to ignore the fact that their behaviour has
not changed.
“Many African and other Guyanese Re-
sisted the Burnham Dictatorship,” pro-
claims the Stabroek News in a letter dated
Saturday, July 14th 2007, written by one of
its ghostly letter-writers, allegedly named
Christopher Ram. I don’t think this person
really exists. I think this letter was really
written by our old acquaintance, Erasmus
B Black, who is so ashamed of his foolish-
ness, that he cannot give his real name.
Christopher/Erasmus gives a long list of
names of Afro-Guyanese who opposed the
PNC. The list includes Abbyssinian,
Adeshina, Andaiye, Awesi Afrani, Kwame
Apata, Kidackie Amsterdam, Roland
Cameron (treason accused), Kwame
Odinga, Dr. Clive Thomas, Eusi Kwayana
and Dr Walter Rodney. Apart from the last
three names, does anyone know any of
these people?
Among the Indians were Moses Bhag-
wan who was jailed for possession of the
WPA's Dayclean, ‘Parakeet’ Nathoo, Josh
Ramsammy, Rupert Roopnaraine and Fred-
die Kissoon. In the labour movement there
were GPSU President George Daniels, and
other trade union leaders like Leslie
Melville, Gordon Todd and several from
Indo-Caribbean Times
bauxite unions including Lincoln Lewis.
Where are all these people who fought
against the PNC? According to Christo-
pher/Erasmus “many of the Working Peo-
ple's Alliance (WPA) stalwarts may have
moved on, they carry with them the philos-
ophy and values for which the WPA stood.”
It is to their credit that many of the WPA ac-
tivists, having seen the fall of the PNC
regime, are wisely keeping their mouths
shut. Most have disappeared. Some like
Clive Thomas, Lincoln Lewis and Freddie
Kissoon have moved on to talking foolish-
ness.
Freddie Kissoon seems to be a supporter of
the AFC. Somehow, I always interpret AFC
to mean Africans For Change. But what
would Africans want to change? Their so-
cial behaviour? Their slide into criminality?
Their fondness for bribes? Their low pro-
ductivity? Or their political behaviour? No,
they are not interested in changing any of
these things. They simply want to get the
PPP out of power, and the Africans back in
government. They should really call them-
selves Africans Fu Change Jagdeo.
“Nothing in this entire universe and within
philosophical knowledge could justify how
East Indians voted last August, “writes
Freddie Kissoon, mouthpiece for the AFC,
in one of his recent rants in Kaiteur News,
“On the basis of sheer performance the PPP
should have received a telling rejection
from their supporters. On the basis of the
regression that Guyana experienced from
2001 to 2006, the PPP should have been
devastated in the elections.”
“I haven't done any research,” Freddie con-
fesses, “to ascertain if there are feelings of
regrets but maybe there are such sentiments
being expressed by East Indians all over
this country one year after the August 2006
results.” And this is the problem with Fred-
die. He hasn’t done any research. President
Jagdeo has challenged him to produce the
research he has done as a university lec-
turer. He hasn’t done so. He is too busy try-
ing to oust Jagdeo. I hope he does spend
some time teaching his students.
It is probably this lack of research experi-
ence that causes Freddie to think that Indi-
ans should abandon the PPP on “the basis
of sheer performance” and “the regression
that Guyana experienced from 2001 to
2006.” I have shown in previous articles
that both these allegations are false. But if
poor performance and a decline in GDP
were criteria for the voters to reject a polit-
ical party, shouldn’t blacks have rejected
the PNC? Or are we to use different criteria
for black voters and Indian voters?
Meanwhile the PNC remains true to form.
Having rigged national elections for years,
they have now started to rig their party elec-
tions. Vincent Alexander, the man who is
challenging Corbin for leadership of the
PNC said that in the past the membership
figures never got past 10,000. Three months
ago, he said, the membership stood at
around 3,000. By the end of June, that num-
ber had risen to 23,000. The party's mem-
bership accounted for 16,000 and the
Guyana Youth and Student Movement's
number was 7,000.
Alexander said his concern stemmed
mainly from evidence he has which sug-
gests that the membership register had
names that did not represent real members.
"We have evidence to this effect," he said.
Stabroek News reported that the verifica-
tion of the Dartmouth PNCR group of 260
members by the party secretariat has found
some irregularities and that Team Alexan-
der had concerns that at least 150 were not
AUGUST 2007
bona fide party members.
James McAllister from Team Alexander
said that one party applicant who had filled
a form was found to have died some two
years ago and that the first ten names of
about 150 on the list of 260 - which they
had concerns about - were fraudulent.
In the same article dated 25th July, 2007
the newspaper reported GYSM Chairman,
Chiyedza James, a member of Team
Alexander, as saying that she was con-
cerned that the very situation in which
names of persons who are not allegedly
members of the PNCR have been proposed
for the GYSM and she does not have access
to those names.
As Chairman of the GYSM, she said that
she does not know how the groups' mem-
bership grew phenomenally to 6,000 in a
matter of a few weeks. "I can't say to you
where the 6,000 members are. I have asked
for the names of the GYSM members but I
have not received it. Given what occurred
with Team Alexander's request, I am not
very optimistic that I would receive it but I
would continue to push for it."
Alexander withdrew his candidacy and
his supporters did the same at the last
minute. Corbin was thus elected unopposed
as Party Leader. Alexander and his team are
now threatened with disciplinary action for
making these vote-padding actions public.
Readers will recall that PNC members were
at one point dissatisfied with Corbin be-
cause there was not enough action or mo’
fyah.
Is it a coincidence that a few days after
Corbin “won” the rigged election 14 gun-
men invaded a home at Crabwood Creek?
The family escaped with their lives after as
many as 14 gunmen targeted their dwelling
place shortly before 2:00 a.m. Thursday
morning, 2nd August.
In the mayhem, one woman was shot
dead and four men were injured, one of
them shot in the head. The dead woman has
since been identified as Faye Campbell, of
Cumberland, East Canje, while her two
companions were identified as Donald
Sukra Premnauth, and Mukesh Bridgemo-
han, of Grove New Scheme, East Bank De-
merara. They are now patients at the New
Amsterdam Hospital. Premnauth was shot
in the upper back while Sukra was shot in
both knees.
Premnauth, Bridgemohan and Campbell
were travelling in a vehicle that was passing
on the Crabwood Creek Public Road head-
ing to Moleson Creek at the time of the
shooting. Bridgemohan, caught by surprise,
decided to speed through, and succeeded in
attracting a hail of bullets, some of which
struck the now dead Campbell in the back,
himself and Sukra.
The prime target of the brazen attack was
Sham Narine Sugrim, called 'Shayo', who
was shot in the left leg. Sugrim is the son
of popular Corentyne businessman Haresh
Narine Sugrim, called Chinee.
The elder Sugrim said that shortly before
two yesterday morning, three speedboats
transporting about a dozen or more heavily
armed men landed at Moleson Creek. He
said that they proceeded to tie up the watch-
man then moved to his son Sham Narine's
home.
The men began shooting from outside the
yard and demanded that he open up. He de-
clined.
According to the police, Sugrim, in re-
sponse, went to a window and discharged
several rounds into the air from his licensed
firearm. His watchman, Fazal Abdool
Ghanie, 50, of Crabwood Creek, also dis-
charged shots from his licensed firearm.
The gunmen intensified their armed as-
sault, forcing Sugrim and the members of
his household to take cover and secure
Page 7
themselves.
The gunmen surrounded the home and,
according to Chinee, no one could have
looked outside or done anything. He said
that the men had radio sets and they were
heard talking to each other enquiring how
much longer they had to continue.
He said that some of the gunmen came
over to his home, a short distance away, and
said, “Chinee, look we gat yuh son. Come
save he.”
The elder Sugrim said that when he
opened his door, the gunmen shot at him,
forcing him to retreat.
The gunmen had come with heavy duty
steel cutters and at least four 10-pound
sledge hammers which bore Suriname
markings.
When they failed to shoot their way into
the younger Sugrim's home, they proceeded
to cut the steel grills at one of the windows
to gain entry, and four of them did. The oth-
ers remained outside shooting almost non-
stop.
Inside the house, the four ransacked the
place, and in their search for the business-
man and his family, discharged numerous
rounds, destroying furniture, appliances and
windows. Also damaged were an SUV, a
Rav 4, one minibus, two Land Cruisers and
a Lexus car, which were all in the yard.
"The bullet pass through the wall and hit
me. Blood start to pour out but me ain't mek
a sound," Sham Narine Sugrim said.
At the time, with him were his wife,
Sharmila, 32, and their two daughters, 13-
year-old Bindya and eight-year-old Lisa.
He added that his business is vending
sand and stones. "Me ain't had a problem
with nobody…They take a big nipper and
clip the grill…Half-inch rod he a snap out
quick, quick. They bruk up the whole in-
side."
He claimed that the bandits took away
some $5 million in cash and jewellery. In-
side the house, they set fire to curtains and
other material in an attempt to burn the
building down.
During the relentless onslaught, numer-
ous calls were reportedly made to the po-
lice. The residents said that the police
arrived about an hour later. However, the
police said that they responded much faster
but remained a safe distance away because
of the nature of the gunfire. They believed
that they could not match the gunmen's fire-
power.
Haresh Sugrim admitted that the police
could do nothing. “If dem did try anything,
all of dem woulda dead.”
However, the police presence caused the
gunmen to abort their attack, which lasted
some two hours. One report is that they saw
the flashing lights.
In a press release, the police reported that
they recovered a .38 revolver along with a
total of 187 empty shells of various caliber,
one 16-gauge cartridge, three sledge ham-
mers and a claw bar at the scene.
Police believe that the bandits escaped
via the Corentyne River in a waiting speed-
boat.
Haresh Sugrim said that he is convinced
that the gunmen are Guyanese who came
from Suriname. He said that he arrived at
this conclusion from the way the men
spoke.
“This nightmare would never end for my
children. They have to go. We have already
packed up,” a concerned Haresh Sugrim
said.
Which is exactly what Corbin and his
goons want to hear.
Three months of floods Desperate Guyanese
GUYANA NEWS Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 8

leaves Mahaica in ruins paying $3 million for

backdoor migration
water in the Mahaicony Creek was very
high but it has since receded significantly.
Residents are now faced with the prospect
of cleaning up as the entire place is "muddy.

Mahaica residents wait to return home by
boat areas after receiving food hampers
All over is sheer mud and it hard to move
around."
They said they are confident that the
water will recede completely within two
weeks and that the area would be dry again,
that is provided that the threatening rain
abates. And, though they have lost their
crops and have not beenable to work to earn
an income, "what we gon do we gat to try.
We really happy for the foodstuff the people
bring. God must bless them; they really
B
An investigative report by the pointments, among other things, which was
Stabroek News far less than what that person would have
to pay to go backtrack. The man suggested
that if the person invested $3.6M in a busi-
acktracking to the United States and
ness, after five years assuming the venture
other countries continues to thrive
was successful he would be able to qualify
with Guyanese paying operators as
for a visitor's visa to the US.
much as $3.6M (Canadian $19,000) to se-
The former operator said that money had
cure false US, British or Canadian travel
never been a problem with the clients he
documents and one former operator admit-
dealt with in the past. He said that persons
ted that he had paid bribes to immigration

A
staff and other officials to facilitate his ille- were always ready to pay the fees, noting
give us a lot of things," one woman said. that many of his clients would get help from
gal trade.
fter three months the floods in Ma- Mahaica Creek residents said two weeks relatives in the US who assisted them in
The former operator who said that he quit
haica Creek are finally receding, but ago the water level had dropped to about coming up with the cash.
the business because of difficulties he had
they have taken residents to the brink of eight inches but with heavy rainfall over the
experienced in the past outlined to this
disaster. Residents of Grass Hook and Joe weekend it rose again by four inches. "Like Rent a passport, green card
newspaper the numerous ways in which
Hook, Mahaica are thankful that the rainy this flood playing a game with we," they
persons could obtain travel documents such
season is coming to an end even as they remarked. Mahendra Doodnauth, a father The ex-operator told Stabroek News that
as fake US and Canadian visas and travel
count the losses three months of flooding of four, of Joe Hook, said he was forced to he had not always used fake travel docu-
permits to Caribbean countries.
have caused. borrow money to provide for his family and ments to send his clients overseas, noting
He spoke of passengers switching during
With relief in their voices they said that currently has a debt of $52,000. The man that there was a thriving business involving
flights, persons travelling through Mexico
they aregrateful for the hampers and other said relatives from overseas have also as- persons renting their passports, green cards
on their way up to the US and also remi-
forms of assistance but are anxious about sistedhim but he worries about how he will and other documents. The informant ex-
grants from foreign countries renting and
paying debts and about their livelihoods as repay the loan. plained to this newspaper that there were
sometimes selling their green cards and for-
their farmlands, for many their only source His brother, Chetram Doodnauth, said he cases where persons might have their chil-
eign passports to backtrack operators.
of income, have been inundated for some too is finding it hard to provide for his wife dren on green cards which had been issued
"It doesn't matter what these people do,
time. Many said they have already ex- and two children. Chetram said the water several years previously. The children
there are persons out there studying the sys-
hausted all their savings and foodstuff and receded from some sections of his farm and would now be older and their features may
tem and finding ways to beat it," said the
are now "depending on whatever help we that during the last week he attempted to have changed. The parent's green card
former operator who spoke on condition of
get." start farming again, "But the land too soft would then be rented to someone locally
anonymity.
Early this month the Guyana Islamic Re- and me had to change me mind. This water who had children of similar appearance to
Acting Police Commis-sioner Henry
lief Organization (GIRO) donated hampers tek really long to draw off and me ain't cus- those in the photos so they could migrate.
Greene who is also the Chief Immigration
weighing about 45 lbs and valued at more tom to sit down so long and don't do noth- The former operator said this was one of
Officer admitted that there had been cases
than $4,000 to Mahaica and Mahaicony ing." the easiest ways, since many times immi-
of Guyanese using false travel documents
Creek residents. GIRO members Mohaid Residents said they are already seeing gration officials would not pay keen atten-
to get to the US and other countries.
Hameed and Muntaz Alli said that the head signs that the rainy season would soon be tion to children passing through, noting that
In an interview the former backtrack op-
of the organization, Shazaad Khan, visited over and cannot wait for the water to recede they would merely look at the children as
erator said that there were a number of peo-
Grass Hook and Joe Hook last month to as- completely. "But this is the worst stage of against the travel document and allow them
ple in Guyana who claimed to be involved
sess the situation. The men said Khan learnt the flood because when the water start fuh in. He explained that the owner of the green
in backtrack operations, but many of them
about the flooding through an SN report draw off it does smell stink and it can lead card would not travel with the children
were really con artists fleecing poor people
and it prompted him toreach out to the res- to sickness," they said. going back to the US, but in order to facil-
of their money. He said that there were a
idents and to solicit the business commu- Meanwhile, government recently allo- itate the process he would have to travel to
few genuine backtrack operators who had
nity for assistance. The men said the cated house lots at Hope, East Coast De- Georgetown to have his documents
proven track records of getting hundreds of
response was overwhelming and the group merara for Joe Hook and Grass Hook stamped before surrendering them to the
Guyanese to migrate to Canada, the US, the
then coordinated their efforts with the Civil residents. Many residents had told this backtrack operator. The ex-operator said
UK and other destinations. The man said
Defence Commission (CDC) which will- newspaper that they are waiting for the that in most cases he would not have al-
that a lot of the backtrack operations were
ingly provided a truck and a boat to trans- rainy season to end before they relocate but lowed the owner of the green card to travel
now based in Caribbean countries where
port the items to the areas. Regional Inderjeet Basdeo said he is ready to move with the children since because they did not
immigration rules were lax. He mentioned
Vice-Chairman Karran Persaud Deokarran right away because he cannot handle the sit- live together they might have difficulty re-
Suriname and Trinidad as two countries
and Regional Development Officer Govind uation. "Ah just waiting on government to lating. He went on to say that he had often
which Guyanese backtrack operators would
Singh accompanied the team on their mis- finish surveying the place and as soon as made arrangements with the airline for
use in order to fly their clients up to the US
sion. they finish ah getting out of here." someone to pick up the children when they
and Canada.
During the recent distribution the flood- Scores are being taken to court every year arrived in the US or where possible a rela-
Indians did not displace Africans on the plantations
L
on allegations of forgery of documents. tive of the children who had legal docu-
Many of these people would later tell the ments might travel with them.
etter writer Mithra Bhushan has challenged the often repeated charge that Indians dis- court that they had paid huge sums of
placed African workers on the plantations soon after slavery was abolished. Writing money to acquire the promised documents, Asked how widespread the renting of
in the Stabroek News, Bhushan refuted Melissa Ifill's "History this week" article on 'Cre- but ended up being tricked. documents was, the man replied that it was
ating and institutionalising ethnic difference' where she blamed the planter class for in- a flourishing business, since a number of re-
culcating and nurturing racial difference and racialism in Guyana. “Ms Ifill points out that Legal vs illegal migrants or persons who did not want to re-
one way of doing this by the planter class was by the propagation of false racial stereo- turn to the US because of family problems
types and historical misinformation. She Ifill falls squarely into the same planter class trap The actual cost one has to pay to migrate might wish to make money with their travel
she has to the US or Canada via the backtrack documents.
identified when she wrote "the indentured Indians were used to displace Africans on the method is more than what that person Another novel way was switching during
plantations." This statement is neither historically nor statistically true, he said. would pay if he or she used the legal route. flights, the former operator said. Operators
“The African ex-slaves struck in the early 1840's for better wages but the strikes failed. "But of course there is no guarantee that would solicit persons who had legitimate
Towards the end of the 1840's the freedmen made their exit from the plantations (the Vil- person would get through at the embassy so flights to the US to swap seats on aircraft
lage Movement) and they set up villages. Those comparatively few who remained on the they are more inclined to take a chance with that might have to make a stop in another
plantations and did not exit immediately, did so within the next decade or moved into the the backtrack operators," the informant Caribbean country. In this trick the person
towns. By 1858, there were few Africans engaged in field labour on the estates, the kind said. The backtrack operators charged who was leaving illegally would get a Cari-
of jobs the indentures were imported to do. US$18,000, (Canadian $19,140) which is com travel permit from the immigration de-
“In the 1840's up to the time of the African exodus, there were far more Portuguese, about $3.6M Guyana for one person. partment, but he would use a false name.
African indentures taken off slave ships, and West Indians (mostly Barbadians) than In- A regular traveller to the US said that it The individual would purchase a ticket for
dian indentures. Chinese came in the 1850's. Up to 1860 there were far more Portuguese, would cost just around $600,000 for one whichever Caribbean country the aircraft
Chinese, African and West Indian indentures on the estates than Indians and if therefore, person migrating permanently to the US by would transit.
there was any displacement of Africans, it was not by Indian indentures. Indian inden- legal means. This included expenses such
tures only started coming in numbers in the 1860's at a time that the African freedmen had as medical reports, airfare and visa ap- (CONTINUED ON PAGE 23)
long departed from the plantations.” Bhushan added.
Sub-prime mortgages Ram’s Roti Shop -
BUSINESS
may reveal hidden Canada’s first- marks
risks in later years 40th anniversary
By Ijaz Hosein
The week of July 23rd saw the Toronto
Stock Exchange fall by over 700 points. I
have been taking a lot of phone calls from
my clients as to why and what should they
do. No problem, since my clients know that
I am but a phone call away and if they are
concerned they can call me.
Understanding why the stock markets
rise and fall is essential as a financial advi-
sor. What are the factors involved and what
is the direction it is heading? We are all
hearing about the sub-prime mortgages in
the United States but what exactly is this
and why is it affecting the stock markets
this way?
Habeeb
Nearly Yusuf
everyone knows about the credit
card companies that offers the low intro-
ductory rate of 0.9% or 1.9% for six months
and invite the consumer to make large pur-
chases or transfer balances to that credit
card. At the end of the introductory period
the consumers feels the full force of the in-
terest and quite often feel the burden too
much to bear.
Sub-prime mortgages, though a little
more complex is basically the same. Over
the years property prices have gone up a lot
and lenders relaxed with the borrowing cri-
teria. Sub-prime lenders made too many
loans to borrowers who did not make
enough money to make the monthly pay-
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Indo-Caribbean Times
ments. In some cases, lenders did not even
bother to verify borrowers' incomes and/or
assets by using so-called "stated loans" and
loans which do not require verification of
income and/or assets. Borrowers have also
been criticized for entering into loan agree-
ments they could not meet.
It took a while for the problems to surface
because many of the sub-prime mortgages
carried artificially low interest rates during
the first few years of the loan. Some of this
trouble might have been avoided if home
prices had continued to climb like they did
between 2000 and 2005. As a home appre-
ciates, even borrowers who aren't paying
the principal loan amount build up more eq-
uity. That in turn would have made it easier
for sub-prime borrowers to refinance into
yet another loan with a low interest rate
Since home prices have weakened in
many parts of the United States and lenders
are being more vigilant, refinancing is not
an option for many sub-prime borrowers
facing dramatically higher payments. Some
of those borrowers could be facing interest
rates as high as 12 percent when the intro-
ductory period is over.
This is compounded when you have
Hedge Funds invested heavily in sub-prime
mortgages as evident in the closure of two
very large funds this week. Investors in
these funds are getting 9 cents on the dollar.
This is certainly a time to contact your ad-
visor and have a chat about your portfolio.
Understanding where you are invested and
why will help take a load off your mind.
Ijaz Hosein is a financial advisor with
BoosterLink Financial Inc. He can be
reached at 647-401-1608 or
ihosein@boosterlink.com
AUGUST 2007 Page 9
By Ruby Maharaj
I
t is now 40 years since my husband Ram
and I opened up this Roti Shop. We are
very grateful to the many people who have
supported us all these years, West Indian
people, Canadian people, American people,
all kinds of people. You don't know it, but
in the early days there was no roti shop in
the United States. When we had West In-
dian visitors coming from New York or
other parts of the US, they would come
straight to Ram's Roti Shop to taste my
hand.
You know what they wanted? It was the
taste of a good Caribbean masala, and there
is a story behind that masala. When I was
coming up to Canada in 1965 with my five
children, my husband write me to say that Ram and Ruby Maharaj
you can't get Indian spices in Canada.
So I bring an extra amount of masala, geera, Today things are different. You can go into
clove and all the things we need to cook In- any grocery and get ten kinds of masala,
dian style food. I never thought I would be curry, pepper and so on. Masala get re-
using that masala to cook in the roti shop. spectable now. Roti get respectable today
Without that masala and other spices I and I hear we have more than 50 roti shops
wouldn't be able to cook the food for the and restaurants in Toronto where they sell
shop. I didn't come up here to open any roti roti. I can tell you that a lot of the cus-
shop, but for opportunity for the family. tomers coming in for roti are white Cana-
dians. Some of them asking for hotter
When I reach I realize you really couldn't pepper than West Indians too.
get any thing to cook Indian food. We had
to go to the specialty section of the grocery One thing didn't change for the past 40
just to get garlic, and then you would buy years. Ram’s Roti Shop is still operating
two little garlic in a pack. I think it must be more like a family dining room than just a
God’s hand that make me bring up a big business. In the old days people used to
load of Indian spices, and especially come in to hear the news, and listen to Mo-
masala. hammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar and
Hemant Kumar records. Some of them
That masala also get me evicted from the would cry when they hear that music again.
first apartment we had, on 55 Boswell Av- A lot of West Indians say they find them-
enue. My husband had a hard time getting self in Ram's Roti Shop, and get the
an apartment for when we were coming up. courage to stay on in Canada. Just like us,
Nobody wanted to rent us an apartment they thought they were just visiting Canada
when they hear I was coming with five chil-
and would go back home one day.
dren. My husband was renting a small place
for $10 a week, and he begged the landlord Today people still come in to talk, and taste
to rent him the big family room in the the curry aloo and chicken. They don't cry
house. now when they hear the Indian music.
Canada is home now. This is Canadian roti
One cold February day I went down in the
you are eating now, in a Canadian roti shop.
basement and start cooking some spicy Thank you all for 40 years of support, from
masala. The smell full up the whole house my husband, my five children and all my
but there wasn't any ventilation from the
grandchildren.
basement. The landlord had to put his head
It pays to
outside the window. He couldn't take the
smell. He give us notice the same day that
advertise in the
we had to move out from the apartment. We
had to negotiate another two weeks in the
Indo-Caribbean
house until we could move out. When our
our house was finished, I could cook all the
Times
masala I wanted and smell up the whole
house.
INDO-CARIBBEANS IN CANADA
Robberies, targeting of foreign based Caribbeans a worrying trend
Do we need a new visitor safety code?
T
By Ram Jagessar
here was a time when visiting
Trinidad or Guyana was a happy
holiday occasion to be announced to
all and enjoyed by all. You went down with
suitcases crammed with gifts and electron-
ics, carrying heavy loads of cash, and
stayed with relatives for your few days or
weeks. Everybody knew you were coming
and you had a crammed agenda of visits to
relatives and friends, as well as the usual
visits to the beach, the sea wall, the doubles
man, the coconut vendor, Stabroek Market,
the temples and the fetes according to your
taste.
Today that kind of visit sounds foolish
and dangerous. Some recent accounts of vi-
cious robberies targeting foreign based vis-
itors, and reports by returning Trinis and
Guyanese suggest that today we need a dif-
ferent safety code for visiting those two
countries. People with guns are hunting us
when we visit the Caribbean. Robbers are
targeting us coming from the airport, at our
relative's homes, on the street, in public
places, even at the beach, for the foreign
currency we carry.
To avoid becoming victims we should
consider sneaking quietly into the country,
limiting information about our movements,
and acting as if we have targets painted on
our backs. Let’s face it- some people are
looking at us like ripe mangoes to be
picked.
“BUMP AND ROB” THE VISITOR
From the moment you step off the air-
plane you have to be on your guard, until
you are safely back on the way home again.
The robberies can start at the airport with
a fairly old “bump and rob”trick. Bandits
follow your car from the airport and delib-
erately create a little accident on the road.
When you stop your car and come out they
rob you.
There's a new twist recently. A robber
tout checks you out at the airport, where he
sees you coming out with bags with tags,
coat in hand, big bulging suitcases and
boxes with gifts. He may come up and ask
you if you want a taxi. You decline, saying
your family is coming for you. He calls his
bandit buddy on the cell phone, gives him
your relative's car number and description,
and they follow you for bump and rob or
house attack later.
Sometimes your family tells everybody
in the village their relative is coming home
for visit. You go around to see the family
and neighbours, talking openly about how it
feels to be back again. The children are
talking in their distinct Canadian accent.
People look at your clothes, and notice the
stream of visitors to the house. You visit the
temple, the neighbours and friends and tell
everybody you are back for a visit, and
where you are staying.
ROBBERS INTERESTED
The bottom line is that a ton load of peo-
ple find out you are visiting, and among
them are the robbers who can come for their
share of the goodies you are sharing out.
Street bandits, taxi robbers, break and
enter, armed robbery, even kidnapping are
all possibilities. There’s an amazing amount
of robberies going on in the Caribbean , that
people down there take for granted. Every-
body has a story of being robbed or know
someone who has been robbed, unlike us.
When you are identified as a visitor, some
locals start looking to see what they can get
from you.
It’s a good idea to sneak into the old
country like a spy, and keep a low profile
while you are there, until you are safely
back on the airplane heading home to
Canada. You are not going “home” to a
place you knew 20 years ago, but a visiting
what is in effect a foreign country. Mean-
ing you haven’t lived there for all these
years. It is effect a foreign country to you,
like visiting Mexico or Santo Domingo .
Do not advertise your visit to all your
family and friends, giving dates and times
in advance. You might just as well tell the
bandits through an advertisement in the
Guardian or the Stabroek News. Inform
only the person who is coming to pick you
up at the airport. Tell the rest of the family
after you have arrived, and ask them not to
spread around the information. If you have
to tell people you are coming keep it vague,
such as you may be coming in the first or
second week of September. You don’t have
to give out timetables.
At the airport, be aware that bandit eyes
may be upon you. Don’t ask a busload of
relatives to meet you there. Don’t talk to
strangers at the airport. Don’t come in with
clothes that scream visitor, with your coat
on your arm, camera handing around your
neck and so on. You want to look like a res-
ident Trini or Guyanese coming back from
a holiday abroad (without any foreign cur-
rency), not a visitor loaded with Canadian
or American dollars and gifts.
AIRPORT DANGERS
Do not talk to any taxi drivers at the air-
port. You are not using their taxis so you
don’t have to give them any information.
One of them could be touting for a bandit.
It might be wise to let your relative take
your baggage out to the car. You can follow
casually later, without hauling along bags
with travel tags, cameras, gifts and the like
that identify you as a visitor.
Do not lug along bait for bandits- cash
and gifts, expensive electronics, boxes full
of goodies.
Don’t carry along loads of cash, and
don’t keep much foreign currency or trav-
eller’s cheques at your relative’s house.
That’s what the bandits are looking for. I
would suggest using one credit card or debit
card, taking out money as you need it. Use
your cards only in a safe inside place like a
bank or shopping centre, and when visiting
leave them with a trusted friend or relative
at another house from the one where you
are staying.
As for the truckload of gifts, forget it.
Many of the relatives are doing quite well.
They can get everything that we can -
sometimes at better prices. There is no point
in carrying bulging suitcases. They now
seem to resent the patronizing attitude.
More important, relatives and friends
streaming in to see you and get their gifts is
a wonderful way to draw attention to your-
self as a Santa Clause visitor. Keep it low
keyed, remember.
SOMEBODY TALKED
The fact that some of the “visitor rob-
beries” have taken place days after the vis-
itor arrived points to one thing- bandits
discovered a visitor was in town. To avoid
Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 10
Don’t call me Ron
A poem
by Ram Jagessar
this happening to you, don’t behave like a
visitor. Don’t tell people in shops and the
market that you are visiting from Toronto When I meet some Canadians
or New York . Don’t ask them for directions A strange thing happens
or comment on how things have changed
since you last lived here. With their ears.
Wear clothes that look like what the lo-
cals are wearing, not clothes that spell out
you are from abroad. Don’t carry expensive I say my name is Ram,
jewelry, watches, cameras, different cell- And they say hello Ron!
phones down to the old country. Avoid
I say it’s Ram.
“rubbernecking”, looking around in won-
der and exclaiming on new things, which is They say pleased to meet you, Ron.
a dead giveaway for a visitor. Talk “Trinida-
dian” or “Guyanese” as much as you can
you can, and be aware that some Canadi- But they do know Ram
anisms or Americanisms can creep in your They know Dodge Ram,
language. Do not complain about the heat,
Battering ram,
the dust, the crazy way they drive, their
slowness in doing things to every Ramlal Computer RAM
and Sita in the street. Bandits get their in- Even goat ram.
formation from somebody and one of them
could be that same Ramlal. How come they don’t know Ram Ram?
SAFER IN A HOTEL
Don’t tell me
Consider staying somewhere other than It’s a cultural thing.
with your relatives, like a hotel or bed and
I don’t care.
breakfast. It may cost more but you will be
much safer than hanging out as the widely Just don’t call me Ron.
known visitor staying at your brother’s
house (with the foreign currency and for-
eign gifts). In a hotel you are just one of I know what I’ll do.
many guests, while at your relative’s home Next time I meet
you stand out like a light.
any Canadian named Ron,
Finally, do not rely on advice from rela-
tives for your security when visiting.. They I think I’ll call him Ram.
are not being targeted and they may not un-
derstand that your position is different. In
the end your security is your business and
you have to handle it yourself.
Clarica has become Sun Life Financial
Your trusted Clarica advisor remains your trusted
Sun Life Financial advisor
Ask us how these changes will benefit you
I’m Paul Louis
I have been your trusted Clarica advisor
and am now your Sun Life Financial advisor
Please call me at 416-412-0101 ext 276 so I
can talk about the benefits to you.
Advisors are contracted with Sun Life Financial Distributors (Canada) Inc.
Mutual funds are offered by Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc.
Janet Naidu is a poet, Steven Ramsankar
ACHIEVERS
writer, diversity leader changed education
J
anet Naidu is best known as a poet,
with two books “Winged Heart” and
“Rainwater” to her credit. But there is
much more to this energetic young woman
than a heart that beats for her Indo-
Caribbean community.
She is a writer of short stories, essays on
Indian Women of Guyana and Hinduism,
Retention and Transculturation in the
Caribbean, book reviews and profiles of
elderly Guyanese living in Toronto.
Janet has been involved in the Guyanese
Canadian Community for more than 20
years. She is a former Co-Chair of the
Guyana Festival and was instrumental in
the expansion of the festival that included
the first Cricket Games and the Cultural Ex-
travaganza. She is also a member of the
Association of Concerned Guyanese, an or-
ganization advocating for democracy in
Guyana and a member of the editorial com-
mittee of the Guyana Current, a monthly
newspaper published by the association..
Janet has been a key figure in the creation
of the newly-formed group called
Pakaraima, an Association of Guyanese
Canadian Writers and Artists located in
Toronto. She initiated the formation of the
group to function as a support system for
writers in the Guyanese Canadian commu-
nity.
Professionally, Janet is a Toronto leader
in diversity training, serving as Manager,
Diversity Management and Ombuds Office
LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario).
She works to create awareness of the value
and benefits of embracing a diverse work-
force at LCBO and promoting harmony in
the workplace.
Coming from the village of Covent Gar-
den, East Bank Demerara, Guyana, Janet
had an early interest in literature, and began
writing poetry as a young woman in 1973.
She was part of a group of young aspiring
writers which was organized by the late
poet and playwright, Rajkumari Singh.
Among the group included Rooplall Monar,
Henry Mootoo, Gora Singh, Elfrieda Bis-
sember (now Curator) and the late Mahadai
Das. Janet wrote two poems for the 1973
publication, Heritage.
She immigrated to Canada in 1975 at a
time when many Guyanese were moving
out to North America and Britain, joining
her brother who had already migrated. She
brought her cultural and social interests
with her.
“ I am interested in the development of
the Guyanese community and in Indo-
Caribbean history. Being involved in the
community often gives me an insight into
the development of our people in this part
of the world. I also love to reminisce about
our homeland, people and celebrate our rich
Indo-Caribbean Times
cultural heritage,” says Janet.
While pursuing a career in Human Re-
sources, Janet began writing and becoming
a community activist. Her first collection of
poems, Winged Heart (published in 1999)
was short-listed for the Guyana Prize for
Literature, Poetry Category. Her second
collection of poems, Rainwater, was pub-
lished in 2005 and was launched in Toronto,
New York and Guyana.
She is on the Editorial Board of the
Guyana Journal, published in New York,
and has written several pieces for the Jour-
nal, and for other publications in Canada,
including the Guyana Current and the Indo-
Caribbean Times.
Her future plans include “writing about
the successes of the Indo-Caribbean com-
munity in the diaspora, writing more pro-
files of our folks who immigrated here, who
are still a 'walking history' and have made
an important mark in Canada, our new
landscape. "
Janet is quietly gaining the reputation as
an outspoken voice for Indo-Caribbean
women in Canada.
“ I am helping to facilitate the formation
of a group of women of colour to network
and discuss issues affecting women of
colour with respect to their advancement in
their professions. Indo-Caribbean women
can benefit from being part of this forma-
tion, to share their experiences and express
their aspirations. We also want to be a sup-
port system for young people to gain from
our experiences, " she says.
She is one of the small group of Indo-
Caribbeans in Canada who take the time to
look at the progress of our community, and
try to chart a way forward towards a strong
and vibrant group. She wants to see Indo-
Caribbeans retain their culture and social
strength, and preserve the heritage passed
on by the our ancestors since 1838.
In her professional life Janet plans to
continue promiting diversity and equity at
the LCBO, where she has developed bar-
rier elimination provisions in employment
practices and produced an award-winning
“Working in Diversity” video-based educa-
tional program.
She knows quite well the problems faced
by visible minority immigrans in gaining
jobs in Canada, and breaking the many bar-
riers to promotion and success.
She has created a Workplace Diversity
Calendar , which showcases national holi-
days, religious observances, national and
international dates, and launched a “ Peace
Tree” diversity awareness initiative.
In her daily life Janet oversees the
LCBO’s Human Rights Policy and Pro-
gram. She is the lead Investigator into al-
legations of harassment and discrimination
and she provides educational programs to
help managers and employees understand
the meaning of/and prevent harassment and
discrimination in workplace. She is a fre-
quent speaker at Conferences on Workplace
Diversity, Equity, Investigations and Vio-
lence Prevention.
Janet has a BA in Political Science and
Caribbean Studies. She is a member of the
Human Rights Practitioners’ Forum and is a
former President of the Toronto Employ-
ment Equity Practitioners’ Association. She
is also Certified Life-Skills Coach.
AUGUST 2007
policy in Alberta
N
o Caribbean person in Edmonton was
better known and more respected than
educator Steven Ramsankar, and for good
reason. Trinidad born Stephen showed Ed-
monton and the world how to handle one of
the biggest problems in education- under-
achieving and unmotivated students in
inner city schools.
Stephen, who died in Trinidad last month,
was highly honoured for his achievement.
He received the Order of Canada, an hon-
orary doctorate from the University of Al-
berta, a Citizen of the Year award from the
Edmonton Journal, a Great Canadian award
from the Alberta government and a Global
Citizen award from the United Nations. A
Canadian magazine named him as one of
Canada's 50 Men of Influence.
Canadians understood the fact that an im-
migrant who came to Canada in 1954 as a
19 year old student could find a way to res-
cue students, parents, and schools that had
long been given up as a lost cause by North
American educators and school boards. He
showed how to make winners out of stu-
dents who had been losers, and how to get
parents and the community to connect pos-
itively with the schools. His model has been
extensively copied in Alberta, and through-
out North America and other parts of the
world..
After his studies, Stephen became a
teacher in Edmonton and moved up through
the system to become a school principal.
His first appointment as a principal in 1970
was to the rough, tough, underachieving
Alex Taylor School. It was one of the worst
inner city schools in the district, filled with
underachieving, problem students from
poor neighbourhoods, alienated parents, un-
motivated teachers, and a record of princi-
pals who had failed to turn around the
school.Nobody expected Steven to do any
better with this” “school from hell”
Stephen surprised everybody. Wiithin the
first year Stephen had begun to transform
Alex Taylor with a program he called
“School as a Loving Place”. Observing that
many students came to school hungry, he
realized that a hungry child cannot learn. A
month later a school breakfast program was
in place. It was one of many innovations
that reflected his belief that school must
meet the needs of the whole child.
As principal of Alex Taylor, he set out to
make the school a welcoming place not
only for its students but for the adults of the
community. He noticed that more immi-
grants were coming into Edmonton and
worked to integrate into the city. He ran a
hot- meal program for senior citizens,
started an English as a Second Language
program for students and their parents, plus
a child care service for before and after
school. He started a police liaison program
so students and their parents would not be
afraid of the police, and a summer school
for students to catch up on their studies.
Stephen also opened up a clothing pro-
gram for children and adults, started Cub
Scouts, Brownies, and Guides program that
operated during school hours (first in
Canada), and a senior citizens' drop in cen-
tre at the school.
"He was one of the first ones that really
Page 11
spread out into the community and made a
school more than a place to learn the cur-
riculum," said former colleague Karen Red-
head.
His program made the school a loving
and welcoming place for students and the
community. He believed in teaching chil-
dren respect, trust and self-esteem , so that
would have the motivation to do better in
their studies. He was renowned for his in-
terest in education and the welfare of West
Indian immigrants living in Canada.
Steven Ramsankar was “the epitome of
community school”, something he may
have learned during his own education in
Trinidad. He was perhaps recreating the
1950's community anchored Naparima
College in San Fernando,Trinidad in rough,
tough Alex Taylor School in Canada.
The results at Alex Taylor were spectacu-
lar. Steven transformed the school into a
place bursting with activity, highly sup-
ported by parents and the community, and
producing motivated, high performance
students. It is said that he gave thousands
of Edmonton’s inner city students a fight-
ing chance for success. Edmonton, Alberta
and Canada sat up and took notice.
He received national recognition for his
unique approach to student learning, and
schools all over North America started
copying his program. Steven attended con-
ferences talking about the Alex Taylor
Community School model throughout
Canada, the United States, and at confer-
ences in Japan, Holland, The West Indies,
Egypt, India, and the Netherlands.
About ten years ago he started visiting
schools in Alberta as part of an Open and
Caring Schools project organized by the
Alberta government.Using components
from the Alex Taylor School model, the
program focused on safe and caring
schools, native education and poverty. It
aimed to enhance student learning and to
make the classroom environment more en-
joyable. Stephen's program has become ed-
ucation policy in Alberta.
For an educator there can be no greater
achievement than bringing about a policy
that helps hundreds of thousands of people.
When that person is an immigrant who
grew up somewhere else, the achievement
is doubled. Like many other Caribbean im-
migrants, Steven Ramsankar gave so much
more to Canada than he took from this
country.
SAY IT IN PICTURES Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 12

Indian singer had the kids hopping at the hugely successful Summer Bash held at the Woodbridge Queen Yasmin was equally able to provoke the adults into dancing.
Fair Grounds.

At the Zeeburg Reunion were from left, Gulcharan Mohabir(Toronto), Somebody is cheating in the bag race but we’re not calling names. The children had a good time
Harnam Singh (Texas), Ajodhya Mahadeo (Winnipeg), and Ramlakhan at the Uitvlugt Picnic held at the Mine Dam grounds in Markham.
Dharamdial (Mississauga).

Indian army soldiers ferry rescued villagers by boat to safety. Millions of Indians, All present and active at the Summer Bash was the Anava Financing crew of Indra Her-
Bangladeshis and Nepalese have been driven from their homes by unusual floods. pal – Mortgage Agent, Rocky Seejatan – Mortgage Agent, Shanta Lochan & Rudy Lochan
– Broker Anava Financing, Paul Bacchus – Marketing Consultant
 Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 13

If you are thinking there’s not much to see in Toronto, a visit to the Rosetta McLain
Ram Maharaj gets a taste of a very special cake from wife Ruby at the 40th anniversary
Gardens in Scarborough will set you right.
celebration of the founding of the first roti shop in Canada in the year 1967.

When that chutney play, you just have to get away. Young people at the Leonora Pic- Diamond Cutz Tassa Band did the needful to warm up the crowd at the Taste of the Al-
nic give in to the catchy music on a perfect summer day. bion/Islington Festical held on the weekend. Members are Vishal Samraj, Akash Balgo-
bin, Roshan Balgobin, Sharad Dalipsingh. http://diamondcutztassacrew.tripod.com/

Children taking part in the Devi Mandir Summer Youth Camp put on a religious play.
Seen at the Taste of Albion/Islington Festival. Now where can I get one like that?
COMMUNITY
ANNOUNCEMENTS
INDO-CARIBBEAN GOLDENAGE AS-
SOCIATION celebrates their 15th an-
niversary, show, dinner & dance at
Woodbine Banquet Hall, 30 Vice Regent
Road, on Saturday August 25th. Cocktails
begin at 6 pm, with the show featuring Pop-
ular Swimmer, Terry Gajraj and D.J Splash
starting at 6.30 pm. Dinner and dancing
start at 8 pm. Tickets are $45.00 and can
be obtained by calling 905-827-0368.
VEDIC CULTURAL CENTRE holds its
11th Annual Maha Gayatri Yajna, an event
that coincides with the anniversary of the
opening of the mandir/cultural centre. This
year is our 11th anniversary. The public is
invited to attend the daily yajnas from
10:00 am to 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm to
9:00 pm. The program culminates with a
grand multi kunda yajna to be held under
the big tent on the lawns adjacent to the
mandir at 4345-14th Avenue, Markham on
Sunday, August 19, 2007 from 9:00 am to
12:00 noon.
HINDU HERITAGE DAY
The Federation of Hindu Temples and the
Hindu Sabha Mandir invite you to celebrate
Hindu Heritage Day 2007, on Sunday Au-
gust 19, from 12 pm to 7 pm. Venue is the
Hindu Sabha Mandir at 9225 The Gore
Road, Brampton. Admission and parking
are free. For info call the Mandir at 905-
794-4638 or the Federation at 1-866-827-
8439.
RAM MANDIR celebrates the birth an-
niversary of Pundit Roopnauth Sharma with
a yagna from August 21-25 at 270 Export
Blvd, Mississauga. Pooja begins at 6.30
pm each evening. For info call the mandir at
905-696-8886.
FESTIVAL OF INDIA
The Museum of Hindu Civilization holds
its Festival of India, from August 24-26
Opening hours are from 5.00 Pm on-
wards on 25th August, 10.00 Am –10.00
Indo-Caribbean Times
Pm on 26th& 27th, at 8640, Yonge Street,
Richmond Hill Ontario
BHARAT TEERATH YATRA
Discover Mother India in 22 days under the
giudance of Swami Askharananda, princi-
pal of Saraswati Vidya Niketan, Guyana ,
from Sept. 14 to October 5, 2007. Visit his-
torical sites including Kanyakumari,
Rameshwaram, Benares, Agra, Brindavan,
Agra, Haridwar, Rishikesh, and the famous
Kurusrhetra location of discourse between
Lord Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad-
gita.
There are a few seats remaining. To reserve
your place or for more info call Kishoree
Prashad at 905-794-4952.
BHAGVAD GITA FOR EACH HOME
Bulk distribution centres.
The Gita can be available in bulk at the fol-
lowing contacts: Donations are expected to
fund further copies; any individual or or-
ganization wishing to assist in this project
can contact us.
CANADA
Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton
Ramnarine Sahadeo 905 671 9233 e-mail
ramjihindu@rogers.com, Omesh Sharma
Omesh@flexomark.com, Chandan
Persaud at 416-754-2382, Gulcharan at
416 481-5777 gmohabir@hotmail.com,
Ram Jagessar at 416 289 9088 or
ram@eol.ca
RICHMOND HILL
Omo Persaud at omo@globalspectru-
minc.com 905-886-1724
WINNIPEG:
Ajodhya Mahadeo 204-661-6643
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Chameli Seegobin 604-945-9510, e-mail
address maylee34@hotmail.com, and
Naraine Mohabir at 604-274-8938
GUYANA: Saraswati Vidya Niketan ph.
2760013/14
AUGUST 2007
Diana is Miss Sari Guadeloupe
L
aw student Diana Ramassamy wore a
sari to perfection to win the fourth an-
nual Miss Sari Guadeloupe contest held in
the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe re-
cently.
“You don’t need to be Indian to wear this
marvelous garment that is the sari!” de-
clared the organizers of the contest, a view
that was widely endorsed by the public of
FKS OPTICAL
Guadeloupe. The warm and convivial aura
exuded by the contestants would have been
unimaginable twelve years ago.
FREDERICK K. SEEPERSAD R.O.
LICENSED OPTICIAN
CERTIFIED CONTACT LENS FITTER
Eye ExaminationsKeele Ingram
Keele Ingram Professional Centre
Suite #209, 2221 Keele Street, Toronto M6M 3Z5
Tel/Fax: 416-242-3595
Page 14
They have moved from an attitude of in-
tolerance to one of acceptance of them-
selves in the wider society
The 15 contestants came from Trinidad,
Martinique and Guadeloupe and ranged in
age from 16 to 20 years. They won the
hearts of the audience with their perform-
ance of traditional and Bollywood dances,
singing and offering of flowers.
Diana Ramassamy described by our cor-
respondent Jean Sahai as a “gracious Indo-
chabine” (dougla) is a 20 year old law
student who hopes to become a judge for
children.
The contest was held at the Hotel An-
chorage in Saint-Francois, Guadeloupe and
was organized by ADECOM, an associa-
tion which promotes the preservation of the
diverse culture of Guadeloupe and the
Caribbean.
The evening was enhanced by the pres-
entation by the Annick Raghouber School
of Dance of a traditional dance and by the
perfor.mance of three remarkable dances
from the Martiniquan Indian dance group
Surya Kantamani, directed by Madame
Suzy Manyri and her sister Babeth.

Warning: trickster coming-
CONSUMER WATCH
with $2000 vacuum cleaner
The mailbox can bring tricky gifts to the
innocent householder, as many immigrant
consumers have found out to their cost. A
little scratch card in the mail can offer you
a prize that leads you to a high pressure
sales pitch designed to relieve the consumer
of thousands of dollars of their hard earned
cash.
Today, we look at a consumer fraud that
is barely short of a felony, the $2,000 vac-
uum cleaner. Who would be so crazy to buy
a vacuum cleaner for $2,000? Tens of thou-
sands of Canadians have done so, as they
are tricked into buying an overpriced prod-
uct they could get much more cheaply else-
where.
The vacuum cleaner trick starts with a
card in your mail box inviting you to take a
chance for free. You always win a prize, and
are invited to call a number immediately to
claim it. They do offer a prize like a silver
serving set, or a very cheap holiday week-
end in Florida . But to get the prize, you
have to take part in a short product demon-
stration in your home, with your spouse
present.
On the appointed day a well dressed
salesman comes up and starts a well re-
hearsed pitch about protecting your health
and that of your children. Then he unpacks
a vacuum cleaner, sometimes with a water
container for the dust, and launches into a
hard sell that can last up to three hours. He
wants your spouse there so you cannot es-
cape by saying you have to consult before
buying.
His pitch is that his vacuum cleaner is
very powerful and can pick up a bowling
ball or 10 pounds of sand, and that it is a
health protection device. His trump card is
when he vacuums a spot on the carpet with
your vacuum cleaner, and then uses his vac-
uum with a paper filter on the same spot to
show it picked up dust yours left behind. So
your vacuum is not working well. He will
not reveal the price until the end of his pres-
entation, and then he tells you it is $2,000 or
some similar incredible sum.
When you gasp in shock he immediately
offers to buy your old vacuum for $500 if
you take his offer, cash or terms. He’s very
accommodating. He will arrange a payment
plan. Some of these salesmen will not leave
your house until you buy their product and
Indo-Caribbean Times
they stretch hospitality to the breaking point
just to make a sale. If you give in, he takes
away your old vacuum cleaner (so you
can’t compare it to the new one), and you
have bought yourself a $2000 vacuum
cleaner, minus the $500 trade in. His com-
mission on this sale can be over $400.
So what’s the trick? His vacuum cleaner
is good but it’s not worth $2000. Canadian
Tire will sell you a powerful vacuum
cleaner for $350, which is probably close to
the real cost of producing your new $2000
vacuum. There’s a good reason why the
new vacuum is not sold in stores- they
would have to sell it for close to the Cana-
dian Tire price. You’ve been ripped off
around $1150 on the $1500 you actually
paid out.
But isn’t the salesman’s vacuum cleaner
so much better than yours? What about the
test where he showed his cleaner picking
up dirt from a carpet yours had failed to
clean properly? It’s a trick, of course. No
vacuum cleaner picks up all the dust from a
carpet. If you take his vacuum and clean a
spot of carpet, and then try your old vac-
uum cleaner on the same spot with a paper
filter in the hose line, yours will pick up
dust the salesman’s vacuum left behind. But
you can’t compare, because he took away
your old vacuum cleaner when he left. The
$500 offer was just a trap for your greed.
You know your vacuum cost less than that
to buy! And you forgot that you were fork-
ing out $1500 for a vacuum you did not
need.
Many Caribbean immigrants do not
know about the vacuum cleaner trick, and
get caught. But knowledge is power, and
you can help others by telling them of this
old Canadian money trap.
Never grab for a prize in a contest that
you did not enter. The prizes are usually
junk or expensive to obtain. No company
will give out prizes just like that, and this
one is just a way to get into your house.
Never agree to a demonstration of an un-
known product. If you get caught, demand
to know the price of the product in the first
minute, and if the salesman will not com-
ply throw him out of your house. He is
nothing but a disguised robber anyway, so
you don’t owe him any politeness.
Nissan Altimas (2002/
AUGUST 2007
2003) may be Lemons
I
By Reynold Ramdial
f you own a 2002/2003 Nissan Altima
with 2.5 litre engine, you may have ex-
perienced all or part of the following
defects. These defects are listed in the
NHTSA (US) and Transport Canada web-
sites and affect hundreds of thousands of
2002 and 2003 Nissan Altimas. These de-
fects can cause injury and repair cost can be
very high. There are several other websites
that list cases from owners of these vehi-
cles.
I own a 2002 and I am experiencing
many of the listed defects. I was lucky
enough to have had the catalytic converter
replaced under warranty. The Air Bag prob-
lems, Gasoline storage tank, heavy oil con-
sumption, strange noises persist. I contacted
Nissan Canada at 1 800 xxx xxxx and spoke
to 3 people who have said to me that are
empowered to tell me that these are not
their problems.
Even though the problems exist in my
lemon (Altima), I was told by the last em-
powered person that the recalls do not apply
to my lemon (Altima). How could this be I
asked? Given the VIN number, he checked
and advised. One of the advisors told me
that Nissan would not honor warranties be-
cause I did not have the oil changes and
other services done by the usually expen-
sive and inconvenient dealerships. Will I
buy another Nissan? The answer is NO.
Will I discourage others from buying Nis-
sans? The answer is YES.
As consumers, we have to be protected
from this type of blatant disregard, arro-
gance and possible consequence. I will be
sending this article to the Ministry of Con-
sumers and urge you to do the same. I am
not saying that nothing has been done by
way of governmental representation but we
need to get positive action and results.
Owners of these lemons have spent lots of
money buying and repairing these lemons,
in many cases more than we could afford. It
is very obvious that NISSAN is not a con-
siderate corporation and will not own up to
the problems and do the right thing. We
should expect governmental interference to
correct this situation.
Air Bag: One of the sensors for the air bag
system does not work as well as expected
in high-speed off-set crash situations. The
air bag system does not work as expected.
Fuel System, Gasoline: Storage: Tank As-
semblyMoisture in the fuel tank could
freeze and form ice crystals, obstruct the
suction opening of the fuel pump, prevent
the supply of fuel to the engine and cause
the engine to stop, which could result in a
crash without warning.
Driver Air Bag: The driver air bag may
come loose. If the connector comes loose,
the supplemental air bag warning light
flashes intermittently. The driver side air
bag will not deploy in the event of a crash,
Tel: (905) 789-8990
Page 15
increasing the risk of personal injury.
Exhaust Pipe Hanger: The exhaust pipe
hanger pin may catch debris that could be
ignited by contact with the main catalyst
that could result in a fire
Engine and Engine Cooling: Defective
solder joint in the circuit board for the crank
position sensor or cam position sensor
could cause the "service engine soon"
warning light to come on, create a no start
condition, cause reduced engine power, or
cause the engine to stop running without
warning during vehicle operation, which
could result in a crash.
Notes:: Customers can also contact the na-
tional highway traffic safety administra-
tions auto safety hotline at
1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Transport Canada Recalls: The clock
spring electrical connector may not be fully
secured to the driver side air bag module If
it comes loose, the supplemental air bag
warning light will come on.the driver side
air bag will not deploy in the event of a
crash.
Transport Canada Recall: The exhaust
pipe hanger pin may catch debris which
could be ignited by contact with the main
catalyst. The pre-catalyst could overheat
and damage the catalyst substrate. Particles
entering the combustion chamber may
score the cylinder walls, resulting in in-
creased oil consumption. If the engine oil
level is not checked on a regular basis, en-
gine damage may occur which could result
in fire.
Transport Canada Recall: At extremely
cold temperatures, moisture in the fuel tank
may freeze. These ice crystals may obstruct
the suction opening of the fuel pump which
can prevent the supply of fuel to the engine
and cause the engine to stop.
Transport Canada Recall: The circuit
board for the crank position sensor may
have an improper solder joint. This could
cause the Service Engine Soon warning
light to come on, create a no start condition,
cause reduced engine power, or cause the
engine to stop running without warning
during vehicle operation.
Used vehicle prices vary depending on
factors such as general condition, odometer
reading, usage history and options fitted.
Always have a used vehicle checked by an
experienced auto technician before you buy.
For information on recalls, see Transport
Canada's web-site, www.tc.gc.ca, or the
U.S. National Highway Transportation Ad-
ministration (NHTSA) web-site,
www.nhtsa.dot.gov. For information on ve-
hicle service bulletins issued by the manu-
facturer, visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
The information in this article are based
on my personal experiences and those listed
in the websites listed above. I have also vis-
ited many other websites which list prob-
lems by countless number of unsatisfied
individuals.
Turning vegetarian
HEALTH AND FASHION
can be easy today
THOSE considering a vegetarian diet gen-
erally worry about getting enough nutrients,
since the belief that meat is a necessary part
of keeping strong and healthy is still ex-
tremely widespread.
Recently a group of eminent doctors
called the Physicians Committee for Re-
sponsible Medicine (PCRM), themselves
members of the American Medical Associ-
ation, have decided to change the US con-
sciousness on human nutrition, particularly
among the medical community.
The PCRM is a nonprofit organization
based in Washington, D.C., consisting of
doctors and laypersons working together
for compassionate and effective medical
practice, research and health promotion.
Founded in 1985, the PCRM is supported
by over 3,000 physicians and 50,000
laypersons.
PCRM president (and vegetarian) Neal
D. Barnard, M.D., is a popular speaker and
the author of “The Power of Your Plate”.
Armed with decades of nutritional research
data, PCRM addresses these dietary con-
cerns head-on:"The fact is, it is very easy to
have a well-balanced diet with vegetarian
foods. Vegetarian foods provide plenty of
protein.
Careful combining of foods is not neces-
sary. Any normal variety of plant foods pro-
vides more than enough protein for the
body's needs. Although there is somewhat
less protein in a vegetarian diet than a meat-
eater's diet, this is actually an advantage.
Excess protein has been linked to kidney
stones, osteoporosis, and possibly heart dis-
ease and some cancers. A diet focused on
beans, whole grains and vegetables con-
tains adequate amounts of protein without
the 'overdose' most meat-eaters get."
Other concerns are allayed by the PCRM
as follows:
1. Calcium is easy to find in a vegetarian
diet. Many dark, green leafy vegetables and
beans are loaded with calcium, and some
orange juices and cereals are calcium-forti-
fied. Iron is plentiful in whole grains, beans
and fruits.
2. Vitamin B12 There is a misconception
that without eating meat one cannot obtain
sufficient vitamin B12, which is an essen-
tial nutrient. This is simply not true. The
PCRM advises: "Although cases of B12 de-
ficiency are very uncommon, it is important
to make sure that one has a reliable source
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of the vitamin. Good sources include all
common multiple vitamins (including veg-
etarian vitamins), fortified cereals and soy
milk."
3. During pregnancy nutritional needs in-
crease. The American Dietetic Association
has found vegan diets adequate for fulfill-
ing nutritional needs during pregnancy, but
pregnant women and nursing mothers
should supplement their diets with vitamins
B12 and D.
4. Vegetarian children also have high nutri-
tional needs, but these, too, are met with a
vegetarian diet. A vegetarian menu is "life-
extending." As children, vegetarians may
grow more gradually, reach puberty some-
what later, and live substantially longer than
meat-eaters. Be sure to include a reliable
source of vitamin B12. Besides the fortified
cereals and soy milk mentioned above, vi-
tamin B12 is widely available in multiple
vitamins, brewers yeast and other potent di-
etary supplements.Those interested in sup-
porting or learning more about the work of
the Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine should visit: www.pcrm.org.
Converting to Vegetarianism
Making the transition from carnivore to
herbivore is not as hard as you might think.
According to the book,”The New Vegetar-
ians”, by Sonia Partridge and Paul Amato,
73% of vegetarian converts stated that the
transition was not difficult. It is easier for
people who do some homework on the sub-
ject and have a bit of cooking skill.
The time it takes for people to totally con-
vert varies greatly. About 70% of people
make the transition gradually, while 30%
stop all at once. A year is the most transi-
tion time to stop with red meat, which is al-
most always the first flesh to go, followed
more slowly by fowl and fish.One recom-
mended method for the transition is to set a
series of goals for yourself. Start simply
with getting through one day without meat.
Then, try one weekend, then one week.
Make a realistic timetable for reaching
them. Two to three months might be rea-
sonable for some people while six months
to a year might be better for others. Re-
wards can also help.
For a major accomplishment such as a
week without meat, treat yourself to a nice
vegetarian meal out.
AUGUST 20077
Finding a good- Choose that
weight loss plan summer bathing
Lowdiet!carb,
If you've decided to lose weight, suit carefully
high protein, the grapefruit
the options for doing so may seem over-
whelming. So how can you find a weight-
loss plan that is right for you?
Losing weight can be a daunting task -
which explains the appeal of programs that
promise to make weight loss easy. But all
too often, fad diets result not only in re-
gaining lost pounds, but in putting on extra
weight as well. That's because safe, effec-
tive and, most importantly, long-term
weight loss requires 2 important things:
* permanent changes in the way you eat
* making exercise a habit, not just some
thing you do on the rare occasion when
the mood strikes
And these are 2 things that many quick
fix diets fail to incorporate.
* *It promises unrealistic results.* Safe
weight loss means no more than 2 lbs. (1
kg) per week. If you lose weight any faster
than that, you body could compensate by
slowing down the rate at which it burns
calories, thereby slowing weight loss and
even making it easier to gain weight after
you return to your normal eating habits.
* *It requires you to purchase special
products, supplements, or foods.* The
foods you need to lose weight sensibly - a
balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains,
lean meats, and lower-fat dairy products -
are all available at the grocery store. It
doesn't have to be expensive.
* *It eliminates certain foods or even
whole food groups entirely.* By cutting out
certain foods from your diet, you risk com-
ing up short on all the vitamins and nutri-
ents you need.
* *It requires you to strictly follow a set
plan.* The less a diet plan takes into ac-
count your own personal likes and dislikes
as well as your lifestyle, the less likely you
are to stick to it.
Any diet plan you follow should also
account for your individual nutritional re-
quirements, which can vary depending on
age, activity level, and any medical condi-
tions.
*Here are some qualities of reliable diet
plans:*
* *They incorporate exercise.* Burning
energy through exercise means you can
achieve weight loss without having to cut
the number of calories you consume as
drastically. As well, studies have shown
regular exercise is one of the biggest pre-
dictors of keeping the weight off.
* *They make recommendations based
on sound science.* A safe weight-loss pro-
gram makes its claims based on large-scale
studies that have been reviewed by rep-
utable health care professionals.
* *They meet Health Canada's daily rec-
ommended intakes.* It's important to make
sure you are getting all the protein, vita-
mins, and minerals you need. Because it
can be difficult to meet your targets while
restricting calories, be sure to discuss nutri-
tional supplements with your doctor or di-
etitian.
* *They include plans for maintenance.*
Your program should help you form the
habits you need to make your weight loss
long-term.
Remember, healthy eating is a way of
life - not just a 2-week plan.
Page 16
Step One
Use blocks of color to divert attention
from wide hips or a belly bulge. Wear one-
piece suits with a dark-colored, solid lower
half and a lighter-colored or printed bodice.
Step Two
Choose suits with at least 15 percent
spandex to minimize flabby areas. If you
have wide hips, opt for styles that cut across
the hips rather than hanging below them.
Step Three
Enhance a small chest with a lightly
padded halter top or a demi cut with an un-
derwire; the demi cut resembles a bra, but
it's not a full cup. Also look for suits that
offer texture, like ruffles or smocking, and
material with a small print. These are guar-
anteed to deflect attention from your bust.
Step Four
Minimize a full chest with a dark, mono-
chromatic bodice that has a high or square-
cut neck. Make sure the suit offers your
bust ample support to resist drooping or
sagging, and choose a wider-cut bottom to
balance your overall look.
Step Five
Elongate a petite frame with a one-piece
suit that has thin vertical stripes. Lend short
legs length with a suit cut high on the hip.
Step Six
Give a square or boyish figure the ap-
pearance of a waist with a one-piece or
tankini (a bikini with a top shaped like a
tank top) that has a darker color from the
crotch to the middle ribs and a lighter color
over the chest. Consider a skort'a combina-
tion short and skirt'to conceal and divert at-
tention away from a too-round bottom.
Step Seven
If you have toned legs and sexy shoul-
ders, flaunt them in a string bikini or cutout
one-piece swimsuit.
Tips & Warnings
Nowadays, you can essentially create
your own two-piece suit. Look for compa-
nies that offer a variety of mix-and-match,
coordinated tops and bottoms.
Wear your swimsuit with a long sleeve-
less blouse, print sarong or wraparound
skirt if the thought of walking around in
your swimsuit makes you uncomfortable.
You generally can't return bathing suits.
Check restrictions prior to purchase.
RELIGION
Trinidad Catholics face
clergy, attendance crisis
R ecent headlines have not been good for
the Catholic church, both here and abroad.
A recent census revealed that only 17 per-
cent of Catholics attend Sunday Mass.
In Trinidad, a large virtually uninhab-
ited St Joseph de Cluny Convent, with
only three elderly nuns, is up for sale in
San Fernando. Selling price $50 M. The
Carmelite Order, now celebrating 100
years in this country is also facing a bleak
future with 53 of its present roll call of 75
nuns, all over the age of 60 and with few
young recruits in sight.
The St Joseph de Cluny nuns who have
been here for more than a century, still
have residences in Port-of-Spain, Arouca,
Belmont and other areas, and have con-
tributed greatly to education. But recruit-
ing new members is problematic.
The San Fernando Convent for example
covers a space of over 20,000 sq ft on
prime land and is occupied by three eld-
erly nuns. There is also simply no rush to
join the Carmelites who have been admin-
istering to sick and abused children, the
mentally challenged, and similarly disad-
vantaged people. The Rosary Monastery of
cloistered nuns which occupies acres of
prime real-estate land in St Ann's is also
largely a community of elderly women.
The historic Mt St Benedict, which sits
atop the slopes of the Northern Range
overlooking Central Trinidad, is also fac-
ing a dwindling number of priests with the
spectre of a shut down when the elderly
monks now resident there pass on.
“The situation is a bit bleak,” said the
monastery?s Abbott Fr John Perreira, “be-
cause there aren?t many young men join-
ing the priesthood now.”
But a slightly brighter picture is painted
by Archbishop of Port-of-Spain, Edward
Gilbert, who although he has problems of
his own with an archdiocesan shortage of
priests, points out that Mt St Benedict is
independent and related to other monas-
teries that are doing well and which could
help in its re-population.
In earlier years, Catholic priests were
imported from Ireland, France and Spain.
The Archdiocese of Port-of-Spain estab-
lished its own seminary at Mt St Benedict
some decades ago and began training
Caribbean men to fill the need as the ar-
rivals of foreign priests began to slow
down.
But the numbers have simply not been
enough and even after ordination some
have left the priesthood to pursue other ca-
reers. Today lay people run many parishes
where Mass is sometimes only available
on Sunday and then only if a visiting priest
can be rostered.
Selling or buying?
Is there a link between the recent census
that revealed that only 17 percent of the
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country?s 300,000 Catholics attend Mass
on Sunday and the shortage of priests? It
seems so. When they go to church,
Catholics want Mass not a service con-
ducted by someone who is not a priest.
Archbishop Gilbert offered some other
reasons: ?Secularisation, neo-paganism,
breakdown of family life, drugs and the sex
culture will answer why there is the fall
away from Mass,? he said, “but what is of
more concern is how to stop the slide. We
are beginning to pick apart the statistics to
find out exactly what they mean. Why only
17 percent?
It is relatively easy to analyse but not as
easy to solve. An immediate response is to
have two censuses a year in the hope that
tracking will reveal a pattern. We noticed
that people are making moves back to the
church at 45, and we are positively sur-
prised at the number of men that are wor-
shiping,” Gilbert said. “However we are
going into dialogue to analyse the issues
and address the problem. We have no magic
flags here but we are going to the schools
and we need to be more present to the peo-
ple,” Gilbert stated.
One of the popularly held reasons for the
lack of priests is the issue of celibacy, about
which the Catholic church is inflexible. But
Fr Jason Gordon, Administrator of the
Archdiocese, draws reference to the situa-
tion in the Anglican and Episcopal
churches, which allow priests to marry, but
who are facing the same crisis for clergy, so
Gordon does not seem to believe that
celibacy is the main issue and like Gilbert,
thinks it is the changing culture.
He said: “Secularism is the new culture
of the west unlike before. It is a different
way of experiencing life for them.
“But the world went through this before
when Rome was falling in the 400s and the
church went into monasteries when pagan-
ism was rampant. Eventually the church re-
emerged in new ways. Another factor is the
materialistic culture driven by money and
that unfortunately has presented itself as an
alternative to religious culture,” said Fr
Gordon.
He added that it is not a straightforward
simple thing, nor is it unique to Trinidad as
all over the world there is a decline in mass
attendance.
He then reckoned: “We have to become
a lot more imaginative and innovative in
listening to what the Spirit is saying to us
and responding to the needs of the people
and of the church.” There are those who be-
lieve the Catholic church could solve its
priests shortage by opening the still tightly
closed door to women.
But for an organisation with millions of
members worldwide the Catholic Church
has weathered many storms over the last
2000 years. And it still believes in miracles.
AUGUST 2007 Page 17
Canadians attend international
Arya Samaj meeting in Chicago
Mrs Ajit Wadhwa (third from left) sings a bhajan at the Chicago Arya Samaj samelan,
A
accompanied by from (left) Dr. Indra Pal , Dr. Shiv Pal, & Chetna Joshi
group of 25 representatives from Canada attended the international Arya Maha Sam-
melan (meeting) at Chicago recently, including members from the Toronto Arya
Samaj and Arya Samaj Markham. Shri Amar Chand Erry, president of Arya Samaj
Markham and Chairman of Vedic Cultural Centre who inaugurated the Mahasamelan by
reminding all that plan of action is required to help this organisation to progress.
The meeting was organized by the Arya Samaj Chicago and International Arya League
Delhi (India), attracted Arya Samajs from India, USA, Guyana, South Africa, Fiji, Suri-
nam, Holland, Germany and England.
There were presentations on Womens Role in Modern Arya Samaj, Arya Veer Dal.,
Aryuvedic and Herbal Alternatives to Medication, Yoga/Meditation and Pranayam, Past,
Present and Future of Arya Samaj Globally, Vedas & Satyarth Prakash.>All the participants
also paraded through Chicago with Arya Samaj flags and banners singing appropriate
bhajans (hymns), and were well received by curious and were supportive citizens.
Vedic Scholars and Bhajan Singers from all the countries represented took part in the
discussions and cultural programs. .Bhajan singers Dr. Shiv and Dr. Indra Pal, Ajit Wad-
hwa and Chetna Joshi made the Canadians proud.
The three day event closed with a stirring two hours Updesh from Swami Ram Dev Ji
on Yoga/Meditation & Pranayam and also on Arya Samaj.He noted that on Aastha TV he
has intiated the Sandhya and Havan Program, in addition to the Yoga Program that he con-
ducts. .He concluded by calling on the leadership to ensure that appropriate and standard
guidance is given to all Samajs, with Reading and Teaching of Vedas being an integral
part. Performing Social Deeds as an organisation has to be ncluded too. Arya Veer Dal
has to be created at all Samajs and Youth to be given the opportunity to get more involved.
He said this was the only way that Arya Samaj will make sure that disadvantaged people
are helped and children taught through DAV System of Schools.
Rukhminee offers
bers of the Princes Town Theatre Workshop
book of Hindu
recently Rukminee told her audience that
she is committed to the development of cul-
religious songs
ture in TT. She emphasises that one must
follow a religious path in life in order to
find true happiness.
Apart from compiling these religious
Well-known cultural activist Rukminee
texts, Rukminee is a school teacher by pro-
Beepath of Chaguanas has compiled her
fession. She has been in the teaching serv-
second book entitled, Janma Geet. Having
ice for more than 33 years. She also heads
scored big with her first book Vivaah Geet
the Sangeet Milan Cultural Promotions.
(compilation of wedding songs), Rukminee
Through this group she has been involved
set about to work on this book.
in teaching traditional Hindi songs that are
The book contains 108 songs in Hindi
a part of the ceremonies of the Hindu wed-
with the corresponding English translation.
dings. For more than 20 years Rukminee
Each of the songs chosen for this book is
has been involved in the teaching of tradi-
dedicated to the different aspect of Hin-
tional songs in many venues in the country.
duism. “As a singer myself I find it difficult
Speaking about the festive folk songs in
to get the appropriate song to go with the
the Hindu religion, she said that divinity
occasion that’s taking place. I am sure there
can go alongside festivity.
are lots of singers out there who will be in
the same situation. This is why I wanted to
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do this book,” she explained.
In the introduction of the book, Rukmi-
nee stated that it was her fervent desire to
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people of all walks of life. She quoted from
INDO-
the Ramayan (text of Hindus), saying, Lord
Rama’s teaching to his disciple is as fol-
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While launching her book for the mem-
YOUTH Page 18
Young tabla artiste Ramona
Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007
religious functions . This makes me want to

Sylvan one of Toronto’s best

be a good person and not want to get into
drugs and that sort of thing.
How do you manage your public perform-
ances? I haven't had that much exposure
but as time goes by and people are getting
to know me better. Randy and I go to shows
everywhere and if anyone wants me, they
ask Randy to contact me. If my guruji
wants me to perform, I make the time for
him.
What is the reaction to your playing? Peo-
ple appreciate my playing and pay me good
compliments. Those who know tabla come
up to me afterwards and give me tips. Other
professional tabla players older than me
and who were in my class at Tabla Kendra
think I am doing a good job.
Is there anything interesting about tabla
that you would like to share? Most people
don't know that you have to know mathe-
matics to play tabla. There are many crucial
You have to sit for long periods in the same
position when playing tabla. How do you
do this? You have to sit upright and keep
your arms straight to play properly. If you
don't sit upright in the proper posture it
could be painful. You still feel some pain
and your shoulders burn but you get used
to it.
What about the concentration demanded of
a tabla player? A tabla player cannot be
distracted when he or she is playing. It
could disrupt the music and disturb the
singer. You cannot even look around at the
audience so see them having fun and en-
joying your playing.
My guruji has brought me from where I was
to where I am now. I owe all this to him. He
is a great teacher. He takes his students
where they are and helps them to improve
and get better. He says I am here for you
to learn. Anytime you want to learn, come.

I
t's a rare thing to see young girls playing
tabla in Toronto. Their numbers could
probably be counted on one hand and
Ramona Sylvan numbers among those few
and certainly numbers among the best in
town. Ramona is a percussionist par excel-
lence. Her grandfather, the noted tassa
drummer Sylvan Bharath, founded the
Sylvan Bharath Tassa group in Trinidad,
and her father re-created the group here in
Toronto, thus making her a third generation
drummer.
Lineage aside, she credits her phenome-
nal success most of all to Guruji Mohan
Singh, cousins Randy and Raquel Ma-
hadeo, aunt Sheila Mahadeo, and of course
mathematic calculations for each beat in- Money is not a big issue with him. If you
volving dividing and multiplying to fit in do not have money, he will say don't worry,
the beat and every beat is like this. You come to class and pay me when you can.
could do your own calculations and come Everyone knows him. Our classes are sup-
whole family loves and respects me. He al-
up with any formation and that would be posed to be two hours but sometimes we
ways gives me a hug when we start and fin-
your own composition. But there is so could start at 7 pm and go on until 11 pm.
ish classes.)
much already calculated for you to practice Some students stay with Guruji for a long
Fave sport: Basketball
on, you don't have to compose your own. time. You really could play tabla forever.
Fave sport person: Kobe Bryant
Fave food: Roti and tomaties, roti and cur-
ried young green bananas
Fave colour: Red
Don Goertzen, CGA
Fave clothes: Casual. Jeans and top (but In-
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Fave actor: Shah Rukh Khan, Eddie Mur-
phy
2 Autumn Drive
Fave actress: Kajol and Rani Mukherjee
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Fave movie: New and old Umrao Jaan (the Quadrus Investment Services Ltd.
Office: 519-927-3937
music and songs are touching and show-
Fax: 519-927-3802
case the tabla.)

Mom and Dad. “Although tabla is my first
love, I also play drums sets like the dholak
and a bit of flute which I have not yet mas-
tered. I prefer to play than to sing. I recently
W intronic Computers
tksfinancial@sympatico.ca
First tabla certificate: December 1st, 1999
Tabla school: Tabla Kendra (I have been
here for 9 years. I became a tabla player
here. You can never learn enough tabla. I

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surprised my dad by playing tassa. Nobody would only leave here when my Guruji says
ever taught me to play tassa. I learned by I've learned everything I could from him.
watching my dad play. Dad was totally as- And then he might recommend some places

400 Dundas Street E. Unit 105A

tounded. I like to go with my dad when he where I could get further training.)

Tel: 905-281- 0204

is performing, in the daytime only, so I
could learn and get the experience. The
only thing that could count for teaching is
when last I went to Trinidad my Grandad
taught me a hand.”
Ramona is not all music, though. She has
My summer: Not thrilling, but OK so far.
My performance schedule is full for the
whole of August. I'm spending a lot of time
going out to perform.
My mom: She is not into music or singing.
She loves to keep house and hates it if she

WEST INDIAN CUISINE

a parallel life in sports. “I love sports and I
am good enough to be captain of all my
school sports teams. I play basketball, base-
ball, football, soccer, soft ball sports and
hockey. One of my teachers Mr Bruce
Alexander saw how good I was and he has
been very encouraging from Grade 5 to
now in Grade 8. My sports life is in no way
related to my music. I like to keep fit and
stay in shape. I do not believe in sitting in
front of the television eating junk food.”
She completes the trio of Randy, Raquel
and now Ramona, the three young R's of
music in the family.
Meet Ramona Bharath
Age: 14 years
First public performance: Age 6 ( I don't
remember much about that. I was nervous
but Randy was there and seeing the appre-
ciation and approval on the faces in the au-
dience comforted me and things became
easier after that.)
Grade: Completed middle school and going
on to Grade 9 in Sandalwood Heights
Fave teacher: My Guruji Mohan Singh.
(Guruji is like my second father. We have a
great father-daughter relationship. His
cooks food and we don't eat it and it goes to
waste.
My siblings: I have two sisters. Sarah is Take out Dine in Catering
seven and she prefers dancing. Four year
old Alyssa dabbles into everything- she
will imitate dances or play the tabla. She 1098 Peter Robertson Rd, Unit 10, Brampton
doesn't know her mind yet, I guess. All our meats are Halal
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Practicing tabla: This is very important. I
do two to four hours a day. Whenever I get
bored, I would go and practice my tabla, “This quaint, friendly family owned restaurant serves real home style food in
sometimes late at night but then this dis- a homely atmosphere. Service is courteous and friendly and is located just off
turbs my mom.when she wants to watch TV Torbram Rd. N of Bovaird”
or go to sleep, so I have to stop. Practice is
the key thing in playing tabla.
My favourite style: Classical, which has
depth. Film music does not touch me. A
solo really gets to me. I am into real classi-
cal like ghazals and bhajans.
Wannabe: I would like pursue sports to get
a basketball scholarship and study forensic
science eventially.
What it's like being a young girl playing
tabla? Being a girl, being young appeals to
people who know where I started and where
I am now. People respect me for it.
How has tabla playing changed your life?
Being a tabla player, I have to go to a lot of
ABUSE OF HINDU HUMAN RIGHTS IN TT
“Rampant harassment and abuse of the Indian and Hindu population is evident.” Hindu Anerica Foundation report on Trinidad
U.S. group warns of discrimination and rights abuses against Hindus in TT
Hindu Human Rights Issues
in Trinidad and Tobago, 2006
Since almost all Hindus are of Indian de-
scent, the major human rights issues affect-
ing Indians are also applicable to Hindus.
The Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago
guarantees the right to equality of treatment
and freedom of religious belief and obser-
vance. However, Hindus in Trinidad and
Tobago experience discrimination and vio-
lation of their human rights in religion, cul-
ture, politics, economics, education,
employment, housing, and health. Worse
yet, Hindus and Indians are targeted by or-
ganized gangs of kidnappers and murder-
ers.
Dr. Eric Williams, the country's first
Prime Minister referred to Indians as the
"recalcitrant minority." The non-Indian
population in Trinidad and Tobago seems
to be following Williams' racist stereotyp-
ing of Indians. The racial and religious an-
imosity between black (Christian and
Muslim) and brown (Hindu, Indian) has
been exacerbated over the years, and Hin-
dus are now targets of violence and dis-
crimination, egged on by evangelists and
White colonialists who brought the Indians
as indentured laborers.
"This year (2006) marks 50 years since
Trinidad and Tobago attained the right to
internal self government (1956-1986). Out
of this 50-year period an Indian-based po-
litical party held power for six years. The
People's National Movement (PNM) ruled
for 30 consecutive years without appoint-
ing a single Hindu as a government minis-
ter. The cry of rural neglect, alienation,
marginalisation and discrimination affected
the political psychology of Indians as they
lost hope of ever winning a general elec-
tion."
The concerted media attack against three
prominent Hindus (former Prime Minister
Basdeo Panday, Professor Vijay Narayns-
ingh, and Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma),
and the forced resignations of several top
Indian professionals are worrisome. Hindus
fear a systematized attempt to both degrade
Hindus in media and exclude them from
areas of influence. In the recently-formed
Caribbean Court of Justice there is not a
single judge of Indian origin.
In a recent Joint Select Committee of Par-
liament meeting chaired by Independent
Senator Parvatee Anmolsingh-Mahabir, the
National Social Development Programme
(NSDP) was exposed as a State agency that
is blatant in its discrimination against Hin-
dus, Muslims, Catholics and Anglicans.
Predominantly Afro-Trinidadian Christian
denominations are instead favored. Senator
Wade Mark lamented the fact that millions
of taxpayers' dollars had been spent on St
Peter's Baptist Church, the Jesus Elam Min-
istries, Febeau Open Bible, Revival Time
Assembly and other small politically affili-
ated churches. Senator Mark asked: "What
criteria was (sic) used to allocate money?
Are the Hindus excluded?"
Hindus tend to be the most direct victims
of religious intolerance and discrimination.
Hindus are prevented from holding Diwali
and Ramleela celebrations in several areas
of the country. For example, the head of the
Sugarcane Feeds Centre refused permission
for workers to hold their annual Diwali cel-
ebrations. In addition, Hindu Police officers
were prevented from celebrating Diwali at
their workplaces in South Trinidad. Popu-
lar Ramleela groups do not receive ade-
quate funding, especially in comparison to
Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 19
Christian events. The Tourism Develop-
ment Company has devoted millions to the
celebration of Gospelfest, for instance,
while neglecting Ramleela, the largest
open-air theatre in the country.
Allegations of institutional discrimina-
tion were recently directed at the Govern-
ment after several Indians and Hindus were
fired or denied well-deserved promotions.
Assistant Commissioner of Valuations
Ganga Persad Kissoon successfully sought
an interim injunction blocking the Prime
Minister from filling the post. In doing so,
he joined the ranks of NLCB marketing
manager Devant Maharaj, who successfully
took the Statutory Authorities Service Com-
mission (SASE) along with the Prime Min-
ister to court after he was bypassed for
promotion after the PM's veto of the SASE
recommendation that he be appointed
NLCB deputy director. Executive Foreign
Service Officer II Feroza Ramjohn, ap-
pointed in an emergency to replace diplo-
mat Bissoon Boodhai during the
investigation of cocaine in a diplomatic
pouch, found her own appointment re-
scinded and that matter is before the courts.
According to Indian leaders, "The work
ethic of the jahajis (Indian Indentured Im-
migrants) and their descendants, which
saved the country, turned out to be a dou-
ble-edged sword for them. The ability to
work hard and make personal sacrifices for
the economic and educational progress of
themselves and their family coupled with
their cultural practices made them a self-re-
liant sub-society," says Dr. Prakash Persad,
Chairman of SWAHA, a Hindu social serv-
ice organization in Trinidad.
In the Police Service, the Protective Serv-
ices, the Civil Service, the Statutory Boards
and Commissions, the High Commissions
and Diplomatic Missions abroad, the Cen-
tral bank, and recipients of National
Awards, Indians are systematically ex-
cluded.
According to one observer, the "Indo-
Trinidadian community is witnessing a
'shock and awe' programme with this state
sanctioned policy that directs significant
state resources to one ethnic group at the
exclusion of other groups. The lowering of
qualifications for state employment, house
padding, the establishment of the Univer-
sity of Trinidad and Tobago, the elevation
of criminal elements to community leaders,
the proposal of a political union with other
Caribbean islands without national consul-
tations and state-sponsored projects such as
CEPEP and HYPE are all examples of the
programme conceived to push the Indian
out of the space that is shared in Trinidad
and Tobago. Using the police force to raid
the Chief Justice's office and seize sensitive
legal documents while the Chief Justice
himself was representing our country in
Czechoslovakia is viewed by us as a clear
violation of the separation of powers prin-
ciple."
Photographs in tourism brochures depict
Trinidad and Tobago as a nation whose
population is of predominantly African de-
scent. The Indian image is virtually non-ex-
istent. Foreigners often express surprise that
Indians constitute the largest ethnic group.
Indians, especially the Indian male - rarely
appear in advertisements in radio, televi-
sion, and print media.
In many primary and secondary schools
and colleges, Hindu children are prevented
from practicing their religion and debarred
from wearing Hindu clothing, rakshas (pro-
tective amulet), and other accessories. "I
view ... with great concern, the growing
number of denominational schools which
are insisting that the raksha should be re-
moved or hidden under a watch. It is a pos-
itive symbol.... Certain denominational
schools are forcing all students to study the
religion of the school, without introducing
the appropriate religious instruction for stu-
dents of other religions .... The Ministry of
Education needs to correct these discrimi-
natory practices, especially in the denomi-
national school," said David Singh in a
letter to the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper."
The racial imbalance in the appointment of
top officials is also evident. New ambassa-
dors of the country do not include Indian
Trinidadians.
"At a state enterprise ... about eight em-
ployees of the same ethnicity come through
the door, before one of a different ethnicity
appeared. Last year, a client for whom I was
doing a discrimination case compiled a
racial pie chart of the most senior and pow-
erful offices in the public service (heads of
divisions, directors, chief technical officers,
heads of departments and permanent secre-
taries), using information supplied by serv-
ice commissions. Of the 105 names listed,
there were only 18 Indians. Today, there is
no Indo on the executive of our police serv-
ice and army."
Violence directed against Indians and Hin-
dus is also not uncommon. Indians and Hin-
dus are verbally and physically assaulted by
mobs of non-Indians from neighboring vil-
lages and from the northern urban areas of
Trinidad where the population is predomi-
nantly African. The Hindus of Felicity were
attacked by Afro-Trinidadians from the ad-
jacent village of Boot Hill. Residents of Fe-
licity were unable to commute to work and
schools after Afro-Trinidadians from Boot
Hill blocked the main road leading out of
Felicity with piles of burning debris and
broken bottles.
Instances of discrimination
against Hindu/Indian citizens of
Trinidad and Tobago in 2006
1. Tobago Mandir
Until recently, the Tobago House of As-
sembly refused to allow the Maha Sabha to
construct a mandir (temple) on land bought
on the island. Churches were funded and
the Assembly promoted a gospel concert on
the island while refusing to fund a kirtan
(Hindu religious concert). Letters to editors
complaining about the overt discrimination
against Hindus had little impact on the
racist and bigoted assemblymen.ccxxxiv
After a five-year struggle, the first Hindu
Mandir is to be constructed in Tobago with
a $250,000 grant from the National Com-
mission for Self Help Limited (NCSH).
2. Diwali/Deepavali - The Hindu
Festival of Lights
Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago face chal-
lenges each year when they attempt to or-
ganize and hold Diwali celebrations. In
October 2006, an Anglican School in Fyz-
abad, South Trinidad withdrew permission
previously granted to students for celebrat-
ing Diwali. Students were banned from
wearing rakhi (a religious symbol worn as
a wrist band) even though Diwali is a na-
tional holiday.
The largest Diwali celebrations are held
each year at the Diwali Nagar, Chaguanas,
in Trinidad. This event has grown from a
modest affair to an international fixture in
the Hindu calendar, attracting Hindus from
around the world. Each night, over a 14-day
period, thousands of Hindus and non-Hin-
dus congregate at this famous location to
enjoy and participate in pujas (sacred rit-
ual), concerts, art, craft, and social activi-
ties. In 2006, the police refused to provide
additional security unless they were paid.
During the first few nights when the police
stayed away, several vehicles were stolen
and vandalized. It was only after protests by
Hindus that security was increased.
This major event was granted a meager
$TT 200,000 (approximately U.S. $33,000)
by the Government. This is a small amount
compared to the millions given to non-
Hindu groups and organizations, as well as
to support "national" festivals and events.
3. Ramleela
Though Ramleela is the longest surviving
open-air theatre in the Caribbean and it has
grown in recent times, Trinidad and Tobago
refuses to embrace Ramleela as its own.
The festival, which is in the same category
as Tobago Heritage Festival, has hardly
been supported by the government and
media. The National Ramleela Council
(NRC) was informed by the Ministry of
Culture that the ten groups participating in
Carifesta IX would not be getting their an-
nual grant to stage Ramleela in their village.
Deosaran Sankar, vice-president of the
NRC, said the organization received
$28,500 (U.S. $4,500) from the Carifesta
IX committee to stage celebrations for Car-
ifesta. In contrast, he said government
grants other religious organizations hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars to defray ex-
penses in staging their religious activities.
The Ramleela festival has been targeted
by non-Hindus during the past few years.
In 2005, vandals desecrated religious items
and tore up props used in Ramleela cele-
brations at Mc Bean Village, Couva. The
sacred jhandi (flag to mark the completion
of puja or worship ceremony), tents, props
and fencing had been destroyed and Hindus
were afraid to go to celebrations in Mc
Bean because of the presence of hooligans
during celebrations. Ten years ago, this hap-
pened in Dow village in central village,
forcing it to discontinue Ramleela celebra-
tions.
4. Hindu Radio Station
After a long 7-year legal struggle, the
Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha of Trinidad
and Tobago (SDMS) was granted the li-
cense to broadcast as Radio Jaagriti on
102.7FM. SDMS initiated the application
in 1999 which languished for seven years,
while the government awarded another
group a radio frequency for its station. In
February 2004, the SDMS won its discrim-
ination case against the Government of
Trinidad and Tobago. Presiding San Fer-
nando High Court Justice Carlton Best
ruled that the SDMS was treated unequally
when the Cabinet bypassed its application,
stating that SDMS had been denied equal-
ity of treatment before the law by the State.
On July 04, 2006, SDMS was victorious
in its appeal to the Privy Council against the
government because of the government's
consistent refusal to award the organization
a radio license. In a landmark 19-page judg-
ment Lord Justice Mance said "in light of
the exceptional circumstances" of the dis-
crimination, the Privy Council would order
Trinidad and Tobago Attorney General John
Jeremie to do all that is necessary to ensure
that a license is issued forthwith to the
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Introducing the
ICTimes Book Club
Baganara Island Resort, Mick Jagger’s favourite hangout, is one of the stunning photo-
H
graphs from Hansib Publication’s “Guyana” edited by London based Arif Ali.
ave you read any good Caribbean
books recently? Maybe you didn’t
know that Indo-Caribbeans in Canada,
United States and Britain have been pro-
ducing dozens of books of quality writing
over the past few years.
Back in the Caribbean a steady stream of
books focusing on Indo-Caribbeans have
been coming out. They are writing about us,
about our history and heritage, about our
lives,our hopes and dreams and struggles.
We have to read these books. We have to
support these hard working and brilliant
writers. Some of the writers have been
labouring in the shadows, as they are shut
out of the big book stores. Often the li-
braries do not have their books. The large
Indo-Caribbean population in Canada does
not know them. Our young people are not
reading enough of such books that are
about them.
Today, we at the Indo-Caribbean Times
are taking a small step to change the situa-
tion, with the opening of the ICTimes Book
Club. We will be reviewing and recom-
mending good writing by Indo-Caribbean
writers or books about Indo-Caribbeans.
And since some of these books are not in
book stores or are not easily available, we
will be giving you a method of getting your
hands on some of our selections.
Just call us at 416-289-3898 or e-mail at
ictimes@rogers.com and we will arrange to
have the books delivered to your door.
Book Club Recommendations
Guyana. Editor Arif Ali, publisher Hansib
Hardback, 284 pages
$50.00 Canadian, postage in Canada $6
In Search of Justice, by Shakoor Manraj,
Hardback, 297 pages
$30.00 Canadian, including postage in
Canada. US .
Two books of poetry
Winged Heart, by Janet Naidu
$13 plus $2 postage
Rainwater, by Janet Naidu
$15, plus $2 postage
Layers of the Rainforest by Shirley
Najhram
Hardback, children’s book
$15, postage in Canada $2.55
To obtain a copy of any of these books,
call ICTimes Book Club at 416-289-3898
or e-mail ictimes@rogers.com
Indo-Caribbean Times
WE RECOMMEND
“GUYANA”
Arif Ali of Hansib Publications has pro-
duced a gem with “Guyana”, a big 238
page, coffee table heavyweight of a book.
But it’s more like a modern encyclopedia of
Guyana than a book of pretty pictures,
though it has dozes of stunning photographs
as well. If you think you know Guyana, this
book will put your in your place pretty
quick. Arif literally covers everything any-
one could want to know about Guyana,
with over 30 well written and up to date
sections. “Guyana” tells all about the facts
and figures,the history, culture, the people,
the literature, the attractions, the economy,
education, mass media and even a guide to
investing. Those dozens of eye candy pho-
tographs are probably the most attractive
feature of the book, sure to entrance the
newcomer and evoke sweet memories from
those who have walked on Guyana’s soil.
At $50 it’s more than we are used to pay-
ing for a Caribbean book, but it’s worth
every cent. Get your hands on “Guyana”
soon. For the price of a tank of gas you can
go a long, long way with this one.
“IN PURSUIT OF JUSTICE”
The author, Guyanese lawyer Shakoor
Manraj, makes it a point to say this is not a
law text book. It is instead that rare publi-
cation, a memoir of his adventures with the
law from an eminent Indo-Guyanese jurist.
He could have called it My Life with the
Law, 50 years as a criminal lawyer in 35 ju-
risdictions including Canada, Britain, the
United States, Trinidad, Suriname, and of
course Guyana itself.
It is an entertaining read for the most part,
and we do learn something about the law as
he goes through the more interesting cases
in his long career as a lawyer and Queen’s
Counsel. Among them are some of the in-
crediblen 350 murder trials he has fought
and won, battles won and lost with judges
wise and ignorant, and a host of memorable
characters. Like the old man always in
minor trouble with the law who repri-
manded the judge for spoiling his reputa-
tion by always being in court. Shakoor was
in Guyana during the race riots of the six-
ties and he gives first hand accounts of that
terrible time. Well written and easy to read,
“In Pursuit of Justice” would make a use-
ful addition to any Caribbean library, a rea-
sonably entertaining volume that can teach
you a useful thing or two about the law and
the Caribbean man.
AUGUST 2007 Page 20
Rasika Dindial takes song of the
year with “Matikoor Night”
C
Rasika Dindial receives the Song of the Year Award from President
George Maxwell Richards during the inaugural awards show
hutney singer Rasika Dindial grabbed two major awards at the inaugural National
Chutney awards show held in Trinidad last weekend. Dindial copped the Song of
the Year and Female Performer of the Year titles during the National Chutney Foun-
dation's awards show at the Hilton Trinidad, Port of Spain.
The Kelly Village-based singer won the Performer of the Year award ahead of Drupati
Ragoonai, Ramrajee Prabu and Molly Ramcharan. Her popular "Maticoor Night" beat out
former Chutney Monarch Heeralal Rampartap's "Dai Meh Family", Rooplal Gidhari's
Dam Dam Baje and Molly Ramcharan's "Arey Maan" for the song of the year title.
Dindial said she was surprised to be awarded the titles. "I didn't expect to win, but when
I am happy that they have recognised me and my music. I wrote the song so it's a proud
moment for me," she said during an interview following the presentation.
She said Maticoor night is one of the nights of an East Indian wedding. "Maticoor night
is ladies night at an Indian wedding. It's the night when the ladies of both sides of the mar-
riage get together to dance and do what they want and enjoy themselves," she explained.
A total of 29 awards were presented on the night as the Dr Vijay Ramlal-led National
Chutney Foundation honoured the top Chutney performers of the last year. President
George Maxwell Richards and Minister of Culture Joan Yuille Williams were both in at-
tendance.
President Richards presented Ramdeen "Falco" Maharaj with the $100,000 winner's
cheque and trophy for the 2006 National Chutney Monarch title. Former Chutney Monarch
Adesh Samaroo was named Male Chutney Artiste of the Year while Neeshan "Hitman"
Prabu's "Firewater" was adjudged Chutney Soca Song of the Year. Prabu was also named
Most Performed Chutney Artiste both locally and abroad.
Gasparillo-based orchestra Dil-E-Nadan was named the Most Performed Chutney Band
internationally while Karma received the local title in the same category. Controversial per-
former Nirmal "Massive" Gosine was awarded the best Political Chutney and Chutney
Parang titles.
Chutney Soca inventor Garfield "Ras Shorty I" Blackman and the first ever National
Hit Bollywood movie
Chutney Monarch Boyie Basdeo were both awarded posthumously for their contribution
to the art form.
becomes stage play
T
rinidadian dramatists from the Brave Heart Productions Theatre Company have
turned a Bollywood movie “Mujhse Dosti Karoge” (Will you be my friend) into a
successful stage play.
The play, which was put on for four days at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource
Centre,in Couva, featured the talents of Joel Joseph,Shunnell Roopchand, Eisha Duff and
veteran actor Errol Roberts. It was adapted from the Indian movie that was released in Au-
gust 2002 staring Bollywood heartthrobs Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Muk-
erji. The movie went on to be a global hit despite receiving an unfavourable response in
India because of its predictable story lines.
Brave Heart's Trini twist incorporated instances of local dialogue, humour and music
from the original movie including an energetic dance from cast members and the Kiss Na-
traj Dance Company to the famous medley of 18 Bollywood music tracks from the orig-
inal movie.
Joseph said Brave Heart has a number of plans under its belt for upcoming productions.
He said the company also plans to lobby the Ministry of Culture for some much needed
funding to this take play and other production out to the wider community in the near fu-
ture.
ABUSE OF HINDU HUMAN RIGHTS IN TT
U.S. group warns of discrimination against Hindus (Cont’d from Page 19)
Hindu organization. The State was also or-
dered to pay SDMS's legal costs in all the
courts.
5. Hindu Priest Accuses Police of
Beating and Torture
A Hindu nawh (priest's assistant) Ra-
bindranath Choon refused to go on a police
ID parade, saying he was scared of the of-
ficers who allegedly terrorized, tortured and
beat him. Choon had been riding home after
attending a Ramayan yagna (sacred ritual)
when he was stopped by police officers. It
is alleged that the officers knocked Choon
off his bicycle and began kicking him on
the ground. Several neighbors witnessed
the beating. The officers then took Choon
to the Oropouche police station where they
allegedly beat him. Choon said the police
poured kerosene on his head and stuffed his
pants and mouth with newspaper before
threatening to set him alight. They also
mocked him and forced him to sing bhajans
(religious songs).
6. Land, Housing, and Economic
Discrimination
Indo-Trinidadians have believed that
there is an ethnic agenda in the Govern-
ment's distribution of the largesse of the
State. This centers upon the distribution of
the homes under the National Housing Au-
thority (Home Development Corporation),
which seems to be predominantly allocated
to Afro-Trinidadians. In response to accu-
sations of discrimination against Indians in
allocation of public housing, Housing Min-
ister Dr. Rowley said, "This Government is
not anti Indian". He said 60% of applicants
on the Housing Ministry's database are of
African descent from the East/West Corri-
dor. He blamed propaganda from the Op-
position party for the fact that fewer
applications come from Indians in rural and
semi-rural areas.
There may also be inequities in the man-
ner in which aid and compensation are dis-
bursed after natural disasters. Their crops
are flooded out year after year with no help
from the authorities. Cooks - all of African
descent - at the Breakfast Shed in the capi-
tal city of Port-of-Spain were each given
$32,000 and new premises built for them
after flooding. Thirty-six million dollars
were given to the port retirees and the Toco
flood victims who got immediate help, but
nothing was provided for South or Central
farmers - almost 100% Hindus -- who lost
millions in flood damage. Cuban doctors
are imported to replace Hindu and Indian
doctors, Filipino nurses are brought in to re-
place Hindu and Indian nurses, and the
CSME trade agreement allows Jamaicans
and small islanders - almost 100% of
African descent -- into Trinidad to reduce
the Indian majority.
7. National Award of the Trinity
Cross
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pub-
lished a list of employees for service
awards that included very few Hindus or In-
dians. In addition, the process itself for
award granting is prejudiced. The highest
award for public service in Trinidad is the
titled the "Trinity Cross." In a June 2006
comment, Attorney Anand Ramlogan said,
"The Trinity Cross was perceived as a man-
ifestation or symptom of what was, in sub-
stance if not form, a Christian state that
tolerated non Christians. It was a powerful
psychological reminder of the fact that we
were merely 'tolerated.' The objection was
not purely religious; it had a political and
psychological dimension. It had to do with
the sense of belonging and being able to
identify with the newly adopted motherland
far away from India."
Justice Peter Jamadar, in reference to the
court case brought forth by Maha Sabha
and an Islamic group against the State re-
garding the Cross, stated "This general pro-
hibition against nondiscrimination thus
prohibits laws that differentiate between
people on the basis of their inherent per-
sonal characteristics and attributes. Such
discrimination undermines the dignity of
persons, severely fractures peace and
erodes freedom. Courts will not readily
allow laws to stand, which have the effect
of discriminating on the basis of the stated
personal characteristics." Unfortunately, no
action has yet been taken on the removal of
the title "Trinity Cross."
8. Crimes Against Hindus and
Indians
"All yuh Indian feel all yuh too smart!"
one man said as he raped and sodomized a
young Hindu woman he and his two ac-
complices had kidnapped and whose father
had refused to or delayed paying ransom.
Taking turns, two of them stood on her
hands while the third man raped her.
Throughout the country drug lords have
been targeting Indian/Hindu businessmen,
so that they could acquire their properties
at next-to-nothing prices, while the busi-
nessmen migrated. The police offer little
protection to law-abiding citizens.
"The details are well-known: a young
black man was killed in circumstances that
suggested that he and his friends were at-
tempting to kidnap a young Indian man.
The young man's family denies this. How-
ever, the result was a spontaneous explo-
sion of mainly black men who stopped cars,
dragged out the (Indian) drivers, and beat
them and burned their cars. One young
black man was caught on camera saying
that 'For every African dead, 20 Indians
have to go' -the quote has been repeated
many times, but the gist remains the same,
according to witness reports in November
2006."
Indo-Trinidadians have been raped, kid-
napped, and have had their homes vandal-
ized and businesses looted. "The
Indo-Trinidadian population feels espe-
cially naked and targeted, because the ma-
jority of kidnap victims have thus far been
Indian businessmen and women. The im-
plication of the idea that they are the 'nat-
ural targets' because Indians are the 'rich
businesspeople' is dangerous, and only in-
creases the anxiety and depression," said a
leading Indian attorney.ecxlv
"To make matters worse, it is a fact that
the vast majority of those kidnapped are of
Indian descent (just check the police statis-
tics). In what has become a country sharply
polarised along racial lines, is it not evident
that any apparent condoning specific crim-
inal conduct seemingly focused largely on
one group will further alienate that group?"
asked Senator Dana Seetahal.
9. Hindus and Indians from Felic-
ity Attacked by Afro-Trinidadians
Indo-Trinidadian community leaders,
Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 21
politicians, lawyers and businessmen have sented." Past information from the Service
pointed out that the severe racial-religious- Commissions Department found that there
ethnic imbalance in the police is one ofthe are only 18 Indians serving as department
main reasons why crime is out of control, heads in the nation, compared to 87 non-In-
and why Indo-Trinidadians are the target of dians. This historical data is emblematic of
much of the violence and crime. Writing the experience today.
about the violence in the (inaptly, it seems
now) named village of Felicity, lawyer Violations of Constitution and UN
Ramlogan wrote, "Several people from Fe- Covenants
licity (a predominantly Hindu village in
Trinidad) called and visited my office over
Trinidad and Tobago signed the UN's In-
the last few days in connection with the cri-
ternational Convention on the Elimination
sis. The horrors of racial slurs, physical
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination on
beatings, smashed windscreens, open abuse
June 7, 1967 and ratified it on October
and being physically blocked from going to
4,1973. Its accession to the UN's Interna-
work or school by gangs while the police
tional Covenant on Civil and Political
and army dilly-dally should not happen in a
Rights took place on December 21, 1978.
society based on law and order. Many of
Trinidad is a democratic state that "ac-
these people are too scared to even make a
knowledges[s] the supremacy of God [and]
report to the police. No one wants to come
faith in fundamental human rights and free-
out in the open and say it but the situation
doms." Chapter 1 of the Constitutionccxlix
amounted to open racial violence against
recognizes an individual's right to "equality
Indo-Trinidadian citizens."
before the law" and freedom of religion,
"People perceive the Indian population
thought, and expression. It also guarantees
to be wealthier. Most importantly, they are
the "freedom of the press" although it does
seen to be weak and soft targets who will
not expand upon what this freedom entails.
not fight back," says Kumar Mahabir, an
Furthermore, the Constitution states that
anthropologist at the University of Trinidad
and Tobago who has analyzed the kidnap-
Parliament may not "deprive a person of the
right to a fair hearing" nor deprive a person
pings. He points out that 75% of those kid-
of the right to be presumed innocent until
napped are of Indian origin.
proved guilty according to law."
10. Discrimination in Conclusion and
Employment Recommendations
Employment discrimination against In-
Rampant harassment and abuse of the In-
dians is prevalent in the Armed Forces, the
dian and Hindu population is evident. This
Public Service, State Companies, and
discrimination is on ethnic and religious
Board and executive membership at deci-
grounds, and constitutes both an infraction
sion-making levels of the State. This
of the country's Constitution as well as U.N.
change has occurred since the PNM took
covenants. Pressure from the international
office in 2002.
community should be brought to bear upon
Of the 31 senior First Division Officers
the government to enforce civil and crimi-
that were promoted in the police service
nal laws and to protect the Indian/Hindu, in
only seven were Indo-Trinidadians. Indi-
addition to all citizens.
ans are a minority in these services in a
Trinidadian leaders should discourage
country in which they comprise half of the
racial and religious stereotypes and hate
population. The last survey conducted by
speech, recognize Hindus and Indians as
the Centre for Ethnic Studies, found a glar-
equal partners in the rule and governance of
ing under-representation of Indians in the
the nation, and distance themselves from
protective services.
Christian fundamentalists promoting hatred
In a 1990s report the researchers con-
against Hindus and Hinduism, and Chris-
cluded that Indians were "heavily under-
tianization of the government.
represented, except in areas where merit
and technical criteria must prevail, as in the
The full HAF report can be found at
judicial and professional sector, where In-
http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/r
dians were more than adequately repre-
eports.htm
SPORTS
SPORTS Indo-Caribbean Times AUGUST 2007 Page 22
Shawn Singh cops outstanding Thrill-a-minute cricket here to stay
bats award at coaching clinic The impact of Twenty20

I
By Fazeer Mohammed
t's the new wave of the international
game, so we might as well get used to it.
Those who measure the quality of a
cricketer by his performances over the long
haul, and have grown to tolerate one-day-
ers as a necessary evil, will probably look
scornfully upon the two Twenty20 Interna-
tionals between the West Indies and Eng-
land.
Just as the 50 over version was ridiculed
in its fledgling years as "pyjama cricket"
with its coloured clothing and other gim-
micks, so too has the 20 overs-per-side hy-
brid been dismissed as a glorified whipping
session, where the subtleties and complex-
ities of the real thing are abandoned in the
quest to clear the boundary ropes almost
West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan presents most outstanding batsman
victory over Trinidad and Tobago.
It's all about instant gratification, so
there's no point griping about it lacking the
depth of the longer contest. That is not to
say, of course, that any fool can dash to the
nearest phone booth and be transformed
Clark Kent-style into a Twenty20 super-
hero.
Indeed, there is enough evidence to sug-
gest that the concentrated demands of this
extremely abbreviated style have con-
tributed to even sharper fielding, while
batsmen exposed to it on a regular basis are
nowmore inclined to attack much earlier
and with more clinical efficiency in both
Tests and one-dayers.
Still, it doesn't appeal to all players, de-
spite the financial rewards. Two years ago,
Brian Lara commented that he didn't enjoy

S
every delivery to the accompaniment of ear
Shawn Singh (right) with his autographed bat.
drum-puncturing noise from the resident
HAWN Singh, a 15-year-old right-handed batsman of Kingston Community High DJ.
School in the capital city copped the most outstanding batsman's prize at the conclu- Given their stubborn refusal to accept
sion of the Digicel Cricket Coaching Clinic at Bourda, yGuyana.. those ODI innovations in the immediate af-
Singh won himself an autographed bat as did the most outstanding bowler Jamal Tay- termath of Kerry Packer's revolutionary
lor and the most outstanding fielder Dayanand Roopnarine. World Series Cricket, it is more than a little
Dexter Solomon of South Sophia won the most outstanding wicketkeeper award and also ironic that this latest consumer-friendly va-
collected an autographed bat. riety has really taken off in England, as ev-
The bats were autographed by West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, wicketkeeper idenced by the overwhelming popularity of
Denesh Ramdin, legendary former off-spinner Lance Gibbs and former players-turned- the domestic version since it was intro-
coaches Kenny Benjamin and Keith Arthurton. duced to a very receptive audience four
Toronto Football years ago.
Club backs Marco They were not the first to experiment
Reda (left) and Adam with an even shorter form of one-day
Braz had their hands cricket, but it is fair to say that its instant
full on Sunday, as success convinced the ICC of the need to
they struggled to lose get in on the action, seeing as almost every
by three goals to the match, whether domestic or international,
New York Bulls at is played in front of capacity crowds that
the Giants Stadium. are representative of every strata of society,
from hardcore party animals to whole fam-
ilies enjoying an evening's entertainment.
And that's essentially what it is: enter-
tainment. Not a complex series of sub-plots
having to swing for the hills almost from
the word go when rain reduced an ODI
against South Africa at the Queen's Park
Oval effectively to a Twenty20 affair.
A number of Australia's senior players,
including skipper Ricky Ponting and 2007
World Cup final hero Adam Gilchrist, have
cautioned against exposing younger play-
ers too much to a form of the game that
could see them developing habits inimical
to ensuring the country's continued domi-
nance at Test level.
Still, Twenty20 has well and truly
claimed its place in the cricketing world
with the ICC approving the inaugural
World Cup in South Africa in September.
It is unlikely, however, given the increasing
complaints about squeezing more matches
into an already congested international
schedule, that Twenty20 will enjoy the un-
fettered growth of its 50-over relation.
Of course, as with anything else, it takes
some getting used to, and Sunday's 84-run
humiliation at the hands of Derbyshire is
not an encouraging sign for Chris Gayle's

Toronto lose (again) in New York

and individual skirmishes, all unfolding reconstituted side. Hopefully, the final
over time in a duel that has almost as many warm-up against the PCA Masters at Arun-

S
twists, turns and changes of pace as the
most complex scandal-laced soap opera.
occer is picking up tremendous support in Toronto, as fans line up behind the city’s In an era when those who have extra
firtst ever professional soccer team Toronto Football Club. But the team has a long money can't enjoy the luxury of much spare
way to go before it can can catch up to the speedy American teams. time, Twenty20 fills the breach almost per-
Another game, another loss, another 90 minutes without a goal for injury-hit Toronto fectly.
FC. Major League Soccer's newest team was dominated from start to finish, outshot 21- Most people were more preoccupied with
3 and dropping a 3-0 decision to a rested New York Red Bulls squad at Giants Stadium the staggering sums of money shovelled out
on Sunday evening. than the quality of the cricket played, but
New York striker Juan Pablo Angel notched his 10th tally of the season in the first half, Allen Stanford's ground-breaking
and running mate Jozy Altidore added a pair after the intermission for the home Caribbean version of the frenetic spectacle
team.Down three goals and a man, Toronto clearly was beaten and the game ended with- proved such a hit last August in Antigua
out the Reds seriously testing Red Bulls backup 'keeper Jon Conway. With the loss, TFC that, just for a moment, we almost believed
(5-10-5) remains in the Eastern Conference cellar with 20 points. his baseless boast that "West Indies cricket
del would have proven moreencouraging
ahead of their first clash with Paul Colling-
wood's England at The Oval in London.
In their only Twenty20 International be-
fore the upcoming matches, the West Indies
lost out in a tie-breaking bowl-out in Auck-
land at the start of their New Zealand tour
in February of last year. It was an enter-
taining experience with a thrilling finale,
but apart from the fact that it marked the
farewell of allrounder Chris Cairns to in-
ternational cricket, hardly anything else is
worth remembering.. But that's Twenty20
for you: gratification without any real

CHESS, DRAUGHT AND

is back on track!" just after Narsingh De- meaning, much like life in the 21st century.
onarine smashed a six off the penultimate It is very much a game for the times.
ball of the final to give Guyana a pulsating

DOMINO TOURNAMENTS India win test series against England

Players of all skill levels (beginners to advanced) are
invited to participate. Tournaments held every month
during the winter.
See schedule at www.horizoncricketclub.com or phone
905-794-5423. Also, adult and kids CHESS LESSONS
(beginners to advance). Learn to play the world’s best
board game.
Registration information at
www.horizoncricketclub.com
I ndia won their first series in England since 1986, albeit 1-0, after England held on for
a draw on the final day of the last Test at The Oval. It was a fitting denouement to a
hard fought and evenly contested series as India's bowlers seldom slackened in their ef-
fort to force a win whereas England's batsmen displayed remarkable application. Kevin
Pietersen helped himself to a workmanlike century and provided the backbone for Eng-
land's resistance as they ended on 369 for 6. On a day when wickets fell at regular
enough intervals to keep India interested till the very end, England held on, but Michael
Vaughan's unbeaten home record slipped from his grasp.
England had drawn the game, but India were still celebrating, for they'd just managed
a series win in England, just the third time ever by India on English soil and something
no-one in this team has ever tasted before.
India's 1-0 series victory in England has propelled them to third place in the ICC Test
Championship.They jumped up two places after their first away series victory against
England in 21 years while the home side managed to hold on to their spot at No. 2.
Sharad Pawar, the Indian cricket board president commended the team and announced a
bonus of Rs 1 crore (approx US$250,000) to all team members and the coaching staff.
GUYANA NEWS
Desperate Guyanese pay $3m
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
On the day of the flight he and the person
with the legal document would travel, but
when the flight reached the Caribbean des-
tination the man with the legal document
would come off the aircraft, surrendering
his documents, including his boarding pass,
to the backtracker who would then sit in his
seat.
The ex-operator said that he had sent a
number of persons to Canada and the US
via this method and it had been relatively
successful. He added that it was important
in these cases to have a contact at the Im-
migration Department in whichever coun-
try the person was migrating to, since if
there was any problem with identity the
contact could bail the person out. "In this
job you need to know a lot of people, not
just the small man; you need to know the
ones at the top and that is how it is being
done," the former operator said.
Makeovers
Asked to explain the process one had to
go through when soliciting the backtrack
service, the informant said that when a new
client requested the service he would first
ask them for their passport. He would then
enquire from the individual whether he had
ever been deported from any country or the
country he wanted to migrate to. This, the
former operator said, was usually done to
ensure the person was not caught, since
there was a database of deportees at the
Cheddi Jagan Airport.
A few other questions would follow to
find out whether the individual had family
ties in the country to which he hoped to mi-
grate, and whether he had the US$18,000
(G$3.6M) to pay. After the interview has
Indo-Caribbean Times
been completed an operator would collect
the person's passport and check his list of
travel documents to see whether he had
anyone in stock who resembled the indi-
vidual requesting the service.
The former operator said that there were
times when he would have travel docu-
ments which had been rented or sold to
him, and the persons in the photos might
have features similar to several others lo-
cally. He said that if a prospective back-
tracker had not closely resembled the
individual he had in stock he would recom-
mend face makeovers. This sometimes re-
quired the prospective backtracker to stay
out of the sun, trim his/her hair in a certain
way and sometimes eat certain foods to
achieve a closer correspondence to the
physical stature of the person he was im-
personating. "It could sometimes be a hard
process, but if the individual wants to get
through then he would do all of that and
there are plenty people who would actually
do it," the ex-backtrack operator said.
Further, he related that when all of this
had been done and he had been satisfied
that the person could make it through, he
would purchase the ticket and contact his
counterparts in the US to make arrange-
ments to receive the individual. The in-
formant said that at no point would he tell
his client when he was going to leave; this
was in order to prevent the backtracker call-
ing up his relatives in the country to which
he was migrating and telling them to pick
him up at the airport. Instead he said the
person would have been asked to pack his
suitcase and go to his house he would stay
several days before he decided suddenly
that they were leaving. The man said that
there had been a few cases where clients
AUGUST 2007
after reaching their destination linked up
with their families and refused to pay. He
said that he had people working in all of the
regular destinations who would receive the
clients and collect his fees.
He said that after this had been done, the
individual had been allowed to make con-
tact with his relatives to pick him up, but by
that time the persons who had received him
would have disappeared.
Asked about the future of his clients, the
operator said many of them would end up
becoming illegal aliens and were often de-
ported back to Georgetown after several
years in the US or Canada. However he said
that there were some who would eventually
get themselves regularized and become cit-
izens of the US.
Profits
The ex-backtrack operator said that the il-
legal trade was profitable, but he noted that
like any other business one had to make in-
vestments.
He said that there had been months when
he had sent up to the US close to 400
clients, each paying $3.6M. However, out
of that amount several persons had to be
paid, including officials at printing agen-
cies, airlines, immigration and other de-
partments. He admitted that thebusiness
had become difficult over the years, noting
that with the introduction of machine read-
able passports (MRP) in most of the-
Caribbean countries as well as in the
developed nations the forgery of documents
was not as easy as before. He said that the
introduction of MRP in Guyana would fur-
ther stifle the illegal business, but he said
that operators would still capitalize on the
old passports.
On the issue of the forgery of documents,
the one-time operator said that there had
been individuals manufacturing false US
Page 23
visas in Georgetown as well as copies of
letterheads, and certain features on the doc-
uments were often uplifted from corrupt of-
ficials working at national printing
companies and other places. He said that
acquiring the stamps of certain agencies
was not a difficult task as a backtrack oper-
ator would pay huge sums of money to cor-
rupt staff in order to get their work done.
He added that a number of copy and
printing shops in the city were engaged in
the manufacture of fake US visas and other
travel documents. The operator said that
Berbicians, especially those residing in the
far-flung communities, were the ones most
vulnerable to the illegal business and con-
men usually capitalized on this. He gave
an example where persons were making
false DPL number plates, putting them on
a shiny looking car, dressing in suits and
going into communities in the Corentyne
selling fake visas while pretending to be
diplomats working at the US embassy. He
said that scores of persons had been tricked
by this ploy since most of the time the con-
men would use a Caucasian to play the
US diplomat.
Economic hardship
Asked why so many persons were so keen
to leave the country, the former operator
said that the people he had spoken to com-
plained about economic hardship and their
inability to live comfortably with their earn-
ings. He said many saw the US and other
developed countries as the only way they
could survive and have a decent standard of
living. Thousands of Guyanese have left
these shores every year for different desti-
nations. Hundreds migrated to some of the
Caribbean islands such as Barbados,
Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua where
they found employment and would
eventually settle.

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