SMELTER SHOCKER
PM blames drug elements for protests
Juhel Browne jbrowne@trinidadexpress.com
Friday, February 9th 2007
Drug elements have been fuelling some of the opposition to the smelter that had been proposed for Cap-de-ville/Chatham, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said yesterday.
As such, Manning said the Government "retains an open mind" to rethinking its decision to relocate that proposed smelter from Chatham to Otaheite Bank, as it remains committed to establishing a smelting industry in Trinidad and Tobago.
During yesterday's post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Port of Spain, Manning said he met with a pro-smelter delegation from Chatham sometime last month and was provided with new information about the opposition to the smelter.
"We have had to reluctantly come to the conclusion that some of the drug elements operating in that part of the country have gotten involved in this whole smelter thing and we are trying to determine exactly to what extent that has taken place," Manning said
Yesterday was the first time Manning faced reporters at the weekly press conference since November 2, 2006, when he announced Cabinet's approval of a symposium on smelting which was held in early December, 2006.
During his trip to Ethiopia last week Manning said that the Government expected construction of a smelter to begin this year.
It was while responding to a question on this statement that he spoke of the drug elements being involved in the anti-smelter movement.
He was asked if he really expected people to believe that drug elements would be involved in an environmental issue to which he replied: "It's not an environmental issue at all but if you have that level of activity in Chatham then it precludes further drug activities taking place, well, that is what it is. So it is not environmental at all. It is for them interfering in their business activity."
He said one member of the pro-smelter Chatham delegation, who originally opposed the plant, spoke of being intimidated after he returned from a trip to Brazil where he visited Alcoa's smelting facilities there and became a "convert".
"And in seeking to convert some of his colleagues, several things happened. One, his wife was raped. His house was broken into and his wife was raped, ladies and gentlemen," Manning said.
Manning further said that just before the ruling People's National Movement special convention on industrialisation in Vessigny last month, the smelter supporter received a phone call and was asked about the whereabouts of his dog.
"When he eventually found his dog, the dog was poisoned, his dog was dead and the phone caller told him that if you attended that conference on Saturday then that is what will happen to you. In other words, my dear friends, there is something else that is involved in that," Manning said.
Referring to his meeting with the Chatham pro-smelter group, Manning said the Government heard certain things for the first time "and, therefore, it was clear that our decision making on that matter was not informed by a totality of the facts and therefore subject to review."
Ah have to say dis man think that TnT stupid or something...If this smelter ever get built we as ah nation should be ashamed to fall for what is being fed to us. Could you see drugs men really doing this?
Why not let de smelter get built and den place your drugs ppl to cargo the product through de dam smelter using dat as ah screen??? Manning really thing ppl stupid. Another thing, if dat area is such ah hot bed for de drug trading den why the fu*k yu doh put ah Coast Guard out post dey and have dem patrol all de time?? Manning really think dat we are cacaholes.......Let me hear alyu
