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Liat mum on call to axe management

Published: 4 April 2017

LIALPA President Captain Carl Burke (OBSERVER media photo)

The union representing Liat pilots is calling for the immediate removal of the airline’s top managers, amidst the implementation of a salary deferral system that was rejected by staff and the union, among other issues.

Yesterday, the airline’s communications department shied away from the media when asked to respond to the public call by the Leeward Islands Airlines Pilots Association’s (LIALPA’s) for its senior management team – led by acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Julie Reifer-Jones – to be sacked.

When OBSERVER media reached out to the airline for comment we were told that Liat would issue a response either today or later in the week.

In the meantime, in a press release dated April 2, 2017 LIALPA stated, “Unfortunately it has no other choice but to call on the shareholder governments to remove the current Liat management”.

Then, speaking on OBSERVER Radio on Monday, President of LIALPA Carl Burke said his union was also making a “cry to the public” for what the release termed “public pressure” to be put on the Board of Directors to fire the management.

LIALPA’s ire was, according to it, raised by the fact that the company did not pay salaries on time. The union stated, “When a company cannot pay salaries on time, then management must accept that they have failed and they should be removed.”

Burke said, “It’s not that I can say they can’t pay the staff, but they’ve moved so far down the priority list in terms of who should be paid when and at what time, that the staff is now at the bottom of the priority list.”

The union chief added, “Management refuses to accept responsibility for the sad state of the airline’s affairs, and instead is focusing on making the crew the scapegoats.”

LIALPA also used its release to disassociate itself from what Liat termed as “industrial unrest” that allegedly took place on Sunday. LIALPA’s release stated that the unrest “has nothing to do with LIALPA and we are not involved at all”.

He was referring to an earlier April 2, 2017 release in which Liat said the airline was “currently experiencing a number of delays and cancellations” due to the unrest.

Crime/Justice, News, Regional News

Alleged shooter denied bail

Published: 4 April 2017

Source: winnfm.com

The Greenbay man accused of opening fire on a fellow villager last Friday was denied bail in the St John’s Magistrates’ Court when he was taken there yesterday on several charges.

Andre ‘Belly Man’ Henry appeared before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh charged with two counts of shooting with intent to murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of seven .380 rounds of ammunition, discharging a firearm in a public place and malicious damage to a vehicle which was parked in the area.

The charges were laid against 22-year-old Henry who was said to have resorted to shooting at the male villager moments after an altercation with the man’s son.

Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Inspector Frankie Thomas said no one was injured during the incident.

However, one of the bullets fired struck a silver Toyota Celica that was parked on the side of the road, mere moments after the driver had pulled up outside of his home and exited the car.

Henry was taken into custody around 8:30 am on Friday and spent the weekend assisting law enforcement officers with their investigation.

The Greenbay man has been remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison.

Committal proceedings are set for June 26, 2017.

International news, Local news, News, Politics, Regional News

US Ambassador Offers Advice To Caribbean States

Published: 3 April 2017

St Kitts and Nevis (WINN): St Kitts and Nevis and other Caribbean nations are getting some advice on measures that should be taken in their quest to strengthen their economies.

US Ambassador Linda Taglialatela, who heads the American Embassy in Bridgetown, says regional states are having a hard time like the rest of the world.

She is of the view however, that there are measures that can be taken to help islands she labels very proud Caribbean nations move forward economically despite existing hardships.

“Each island needs to have a long term plan, I think first they need to not only look at building additional hotels and attracting more tourism but look at infrastructure. Work on their roads, work on their schools, look at ways to diversify out of the tourism sector. I realize that’s probably the biggest and primary source of revenue but they need to look beyond that. I know that St Kitts and Nevis is looking at geothermal energy, I think they do need to diversify to get their energy costs down and they need to find ways to attract business, both private and foreign investors in their country. There are some issues with youth unemployment which leads to the risk of youths turning to crime, I think you need to address how we’re going to deal with it but I think on a whole, each of them has a plan it’s just a matter getting to the point of implementing.”

Ambassador Taglialatela is expecting continued good relations between the Caribbean and the United States.

“I think that the Caribbean has a lot to offer to the world and has a lot to offer the United States as far as a partnership goes. I think that we will continue to have a good relationship and I think that there has to be a good partnership and collaboration between the United States and the Caribbean. We have over 2 million Americans coming to the Caribbean every year and a number of dual citizens living both in the United States and here in the Caribbean and there will always be a close tie between the two areas.”

Crime/Justice, News, Regional News

United Nations Warns Staff in Barbados About Crime

Published: 3 April 2017

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Monday April 3, 2017 – The United Nations (UN) has its eye on the crime situation in Barbados, and has issued a security advisory to its staff in the island following a string of recent robberies.

The UN’s Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) has advised personnel to increase their vigilance following “credible reports that a number of recent robberies are believed to be committed by a group of five armed men”.

It is believed the men are travelling in one vehicle and targeting both businesses and individuals. They attempt to trick victims into stopping or exiting their vehicles by driving behind them and flicking their headlights.

“All UN personnel and family members are reminded to always lock your car doors, keep your windows up, only pull over in well-lit populated areas, and to remain aware of your surroundings at all times. Avoid driving alone at night,” the UNDSS advisory added.

It offered UN employees further advice on how to deal with any such encounter.

“If you detect that you are being watched or followed do not panic and drive to your nearest ‘safe haven’ (UN office, police station…). Try to collect as much information on any suspect vehicle such as make, colour, licence plate, identifying marks, description of occupants, etc. If someone tries to bump your car, honk the horn, put on hazard lights and continue driving quickly,” the UNDSS urged staff.

“If you are hit from behind and have to stop, do not get out of the vehicle or unlock it until you have called the police. Check the mirrors to observe the situation and if you see something suspicious like a pair or group of men descending all at the same time, try to rush to a ‘safe haven’. If you have a driver, instruct him accordingly. It is illegal to leave the spot of an accident but safer to go away straight to the closest police station. The CSFP [Common Foreign and Security Policy] and UNDSS will assist you with the police if necessary.”

Last month, the Royal Barbados Police Force confirmed that it was investigating several crimes which may have been committed by a group of five men travelling in a vehicle.

Crime/Justice, News, Regional News

Cloud of Suspicion Hangs Over Death of Trinidad Soldier

Published: 3 April 2017

Warrant Officer Omar Samaroo was found slumped in a dormitory at Camp Cumuto, Wallerfield with a gunshot wound to the head. (Photo. Trinidad Express)

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Monday April 3, 2017 – Questions are being raised and a call for an investigation has been made along with a threat of legal action, following the death of a Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) soldier.

Warrant Officer Omar Samaroo, 47, was found slumped in a dormitory at Camp Cumuto, Wallerfield with a gunshot wound to the head last Tuesday, and died hours later at hospital.

His death was ruled a suicide. But some people aren’t so sure that’s what it was, and Opposition Senator Wayne Sturge says he intends to take legal action if the TTDF does not investigate the circumstances surrounding Samaroo’s death.

In a letter to Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Rodney Smart and copied to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Sturge said Samaroo’s death was suspicious, based on his injuries – which he claimed included broken ribs – and how he was found.

He said the public and Samaroo’s family had a right to know whether there was any wrongdoing in his death.

“There should be an effective official investigation when individuals such as officer Samaroo have lost their lives in suspicious circumstances while on duty as a servant and or agent of the State. This officer lost his life while on duty at an army base under your command,” Sturge’s letter to Brigadier General Smart stated, adding that the matter was of “great public importance” that the requires “expeditious action” on the part of the State.

“Should there be no action on the part of the Defense Force and the State in this matter I hereby formally give notice that I shall be challenging the failure of the State to initiate a proper investigation in accordance with my request herein in the High Court in the public interest. I wish to emphasize that the request for the investigation into the death of this officer is not one which ought to be triggered by anyone but one which should have been commenced forthwith by the State in the fulfillment of it substantive and procedural constitutional obligation to the deceased officer.”

However, the TTDF has called on Sturge and other members of the public to desist from making “false and unsubstantiated remarks” about Samaroo’s tragic massing and allow his friends and family members to grieve in peace.

The Defence Force said it “vigorously denounces the flow of misinformation being purported by some conspiracy theorists, in particular by certain ‘responsible’ individuals in society”.

The TTDF also dismissed claims that Samaroo’s body was bruised and that three of his ribs were broken. It said an autopsy confirmed that the soldier, who was a member of the Defence Force for 27 years, died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head and there were no other marks of violence on his body.