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Offline asylumseeker

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #60 on: February 07, 2016, 07:24:04 PM »
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/gfKJUyrLaU4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/gfKJUyrLaU4</a>

Offline kounty

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #61 on: February 07, 2016, 07:36:52 PM »
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/gfKJUyrLaU4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/gfKJUyrLaU4</a>
usually I don't have no comment on the political correctness of things, but I cringe watching this one in Dimanche Gras. I wonder if it have songs like these going on in Poland, Hungary etc? I wonder what I would think about those songs?

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #62 on: February 07, 2016, 09:19:39 PM »
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/gfKJUyrLaU4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/gfKJUyrLaU4</a>
usually I don't have no comment on the political correctness of things, but I cringe watching this one in Dimanche Gras. I wonder if it have songs like these going on in Poland, Hungary etc? I wonder what I would think about those songs?

Fair.

I din cringe, but I share the concern.  That stated, he "definitely" was unlikely to find Chinese collaborators to aid in the stage presentation ... which might have contributed to exaggerated depictions.

Nonetheless, the tenure of the song does not suggest discriminatory intent (although intent is not needed to indict him on the grounds you suggest), but a political concern.

Kudos to him for contrasting the comparative plight of fellow Caribbean citizens. Still ringing in my ear is the immigration officer I heard asking a CARICOM national, "why yuh come here for?"

The calypso itself addresses an issue that is worthy of scrutiny, and is a topic that is on the minds of many in the population - not to mention an occasional subject of media (and law enforcement) inquiry.

Many of the other renditions highlighted on this thread (partially for the very reason you cite) share similar features. I would be curious what others think.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2016, 09:25:21 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline R45

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #63 on: February 08, 2016, 10:23:12 AM »
It's an incredibly racist song, you can't make excuses for someone making fun of an entire ethnic group.

What the hell is a "fellow" Caribbean/Caricom citizen? Only black and east indian people are "true" Caribbean people? Chinese people have been in T&T in numbers for over 150 years. This song is full of ignorance and blatant racism - had someone done something similar about a different ethnic group, the uproar would be tremendous.

That songs deserves no stage on a national platform.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #64 on: February 08, 2016, 10:39:57 AM »
It's an incredibly racist song, you can't make excuses for someone making fun of an entire ethnic group.

What the hell is a "fellow" Caribbean/Caricom citizen? Only black and east indian people are "true" Caribbean people? Chinese people have been in T&T in numbers for over 150 years. This song is full of ignorance and blatant racism - had someone done something similar about a different ethnic group, the uproar would be tremendous.

That songs deserves no stage on a national platform.

I shall respond only to the item in bold (at least for now).

Since yuh decided to narrow the category on your own ... in the face of obvious evidence to the contrary ... please leave me out of the presumption.


Offline R45

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #65 on: February 08, 2016, 11:41:00 AM »

I shall respond only to the item in bold (at least for now).

Since yuh decided to narrow the category on your own ... in the face of obvious evidence to the contrary ... please leave me out of the presumption.


You are not even making sense. You said

Quote
Kudos to him for contrasting the comparative plight of fellow Caribbean citizens. Still ringing in my ear is the immigration officer I heard asking a CARICOM national, "why yuh come here for?"

Aren't people of Chinese descent possibly Caribbean citizens too? It's a stupid generalizing comment that is as ignorant as the song. If that's what you takeaway from the song and give kudos for, then I feel sorry for you.

Frankly this whole topic is ridiculous in the first place and suffers the same ignorance as that song since the title says "The Chinese in T&T" and 80% of the posts are about people eating dogs.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #66 on: February 08, 2016, 01:35:56 PM »
R45, let me try to walk you through this gently; I'll even hold your hand.

In part, the calypso casts a contrast between the perceived accommodating immigration policy that pertains to the NEWLY ARRIVED Chinese in the country and the less than efficacious immigration policy that commonly visits all sorts of torturous and ridiculous outcomes on CARICOM nationals.

I made no reference to the ethnicity of the CARICOM nationals because that is irrelevant. Ostensibly, the disconnects regarding intra-CARICOM travel by CARICOM nationals apply to all nationals without regard to race or ethnicity. (Frankly, when I typed that sentence, although I considered that someone might offer your sophomoric (or perhaps emotive) reasoning, I decided not to clarify it further because there's only a modicum of time that I can dedicate to thought formulation of the lowest common denominator ... and because as to CARICOM nationals, immigration policy in Trinidad & Tobago does not make any distinctions based on race or ethnicity (at least of which I am aware, despite contributions on this very forum that alleged the contrary under the previous administration).

There is a notable and undeniable rise in the population of NEWLY ARRIVED persons of Chinese descent in Trinidad & Tobago. However this phenomenon has occurred, it is clear that the FORMAL mechanisms under/through which it has occurred (likely bilateral agreements) have not been clearly articulated and explicitly communicated to the populace at large. As such, there is a foment of opinion on ground level with respect to the ease with which the newly emergent group (largely a merchant class) has cemented a prominent position within an economy that has a significant underclass and struggling lower middle class, and a comprehensive body of persons whose relationship to the economy is through the public sector or as functionaries within the service economy, and to whom minimal avenues of incentivized entrepreneurship have been granted. It is a juxtaposition that presents predictable outcomes and predictable comment.

Coupled with the reality that illegal immigration and human trafficking are documented facets of the growing permanence of the "new group" within the society, the issue is ripe for social and political comment (long the domain of calypsonians). Therefore, to dismiss the relevance of Skatie's calypso (and the foundations on which it stands) is absolute nonsense. One has to recognize that this is a multi-faceted issue that contains some elements that are certainly repugnant, but other elements that are meritorious for public ventilation.

The depiction of the situation (via his stage presentation) was lacking. I say that without reservation. There were unfortunate stereotypical representations that reflect a lack of cultural sensitivity and that nakedly had nothing to do with the principal tenet of the calypso. However, as lamentable as that is, the calypso fits into a political narrative that is properly the domain of calypsonians (and any other social commentator for that matter). To put that in context, last night Cro Cro's second rendition was off the mark, but it was based on a substantive matter that recently occupied the attention of Caribbean society and a larger global audience.

Perhaps it's lost on you that as you read this thread, a similar debate exists in Europe with respect to the "immigrant presence'.

What else? It IS possible to have this conversation without sublimating the NEWLY ARRIVED with those that arrived two centures ago. You seem hellbent on not accepting that bifurcation or possibility.

Moreover, although I have not heard our fellow citizens from the latter group make public pronouncements regarding the former group, there are several anecdotal perspectives regarding what the actual relationship is between both groups.

None of this topicality is particularly unique to T&T. In 2016, newly arrived Chinese communities are arriving all across the globe, many to places with a significant historical presence of a Chinese populace.

In closing, as I was posting those old 'kaiso', I encountered songs from Dominica and Guyana that echoed the changing environment, but which in their rendition reflect the intersection of our ole mas culture with the insensitivity that comes from isolation. Although all of us are "the people who came", we are not immune from broaching the shores of xenophobia.

Racism is not the necessary ghost in the room. Thus my initial comment re: discriminatory intent ... would more properly have read "racial discriminatory intent" than merely discriminatory intent.

I first heard the song a couple hours before Dimanche Gras. My immediate thought was: I haven't heard any public comment on this song. I later found out why: many people heard it for the first time last night. It was the hearing of the song yesterday ... that prompted me to post other representations in calypso with respect to "Chinese" and Trinidad & Tobago.

Funny might be "Chinese Accident", funny is not this calypso.

(With respect to the dog issue: if you scroll up, you'll see that I am on record as holding the view that the threads should be distinct. However, although it is within my present discretion to "do something about that", I have considered that the issue stemmed from a resonant matter that captured the attention of a broad swathe of the populace for both compelling reasons and less sustainable motives. I can agree to disagree.

You'll note that I made that comment in contributing a circumstance that occurred outside the shores of Trinidad & Tobago (roadkill deer "consumption" on the premises at a restaurant in North Carolina), because at times some of us are only able to render dispassionate comment when the public policy of  "somewhere else" is implicated).

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #67 on: March 14, 2016, 03:53:25 PM »
Donald Trump and us
Amery Browne, Op-Ed, Trinidad & Tobago Guardian.


Much of the US campaign season has been dominated by Donald Trump and his pronouncements. There are frequent expressions of concern over the intolerance that characterises his rhetoric, and over the possibility, no matter how remote, that he could become the next so-called Leader of the Free World.

The easy part would be to engage in hand-wringing over the rise of Trump and what it says about the people of the United States; the more important challenge would be to look within ourselves in the Trinidad and Tobago society and identify traits and tendencies that we might actually share with that alleged standard-bearer of intolerance.

We are certainly not as immune to xenophobia as some of us might think. Just think back to the popular reactions to the circulation of photos that suggested that persons of Chinese origin were indulging in some canine cuisine. Numerous people including the then Minister of Health were open and comfortable with utterances that blatantly contributed to the further stigmatisation of “those persons sneaking in here from China.”   

Let us not forget the enduring sentiment that associates some crime and most poverty with “small island” immigrants to Trinidad and Tobago. If we ignore the obvious irony of any of us pontificating on the nature of people from small islands we are still left to confront a disturbingly Trump-like propensity to blame our problems on “them”; on those we perceive as outsiders and outliers.

Consider as well the negative reaction of many of our fellow citizens to the protests against perceived nightclub discrimination. Surely we should have matured enough as a society to recognise that in a democracy there will always be people who would express concerns that are vastly different to your own concerns.

The fact that the same things that move them do not move you does not negate their right or even duty to address injustice as they see it. But yet we expend so much energy in railing against such expressions, and in shouting rhetoric that includes why don’t you instead protest against x or y.

It may not be your personal cause of choice, but at the end of the day isn’t every one of us entitled to feel respected and at home in this place, notwithstanding whether or not someone choses to wear what our police service might refer to as a pants-like substance.

If you still think the Trinbago nexus to “trump” is limited only to the local game of All Fours, give some consideration to the manner in which some of us use Facebook (maybe in our jurisdiction it could be labelled as Racebook). There is the phenomenon of several FB groups of various political affiliations, some of which are closed or secret, whose membership is comprised of people who share a philosophy that is sometimes expressed as raw racism.

This spills over into the general engagement and participation, but it is within such groups that the most provocative photos, memes, myths, anecdotes and affirmations of prejudice are shared and digested.

Large groups, feeding daily on the most empty rhetoric designed to rally the most basal and hostile emotions with talk of Rowley going south to engage in “necromancy” and Kamla spraying “blood and religious fluids” from helicopters. I don’t know about you, but that reminds me of some of the rhetoric spewed by a certain ambitious billionaire.

There’s much more to be explored on the topic, but consider as well Trump’s consistent and pernicious focus on people of the Islamic faith. While many of us here carry a facade of religious tolerance, this is often belied by our quiet conversations amongst ourselves when people of like mind are gathered.

That is when the vicious anti-small church, and anti-Hindu, and anti-Muslim and anti-Catholic and anti-Baptist inter alia rhetoric emerges. Such characteristics do not require a tan and a bad hair piece in order to take root.

Perhaps a real test of our society’s religious tolerance or intolerance would be to consider our reaction to the prospect of one day a Member of Parliament being sworn in live on television, but in a ceremony with a difference. He or she would begin by being covered with paint and feathers, then after self-inducing vomiting would swear an oath to “zemi”, dancing all the while on legs covered with shells.

Would we warmly embrace such traditional expression of the beliefs of the First Peoples of this land in which we live, or would we recoil in horror and shout (and I quote) “get them out of here”? Honestly.


Offline Flex

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #68 on: August 06, 2017, 04:43:30 AM »
CHEAP CHINESE LABOUR
By COREY CONNELLY (NEWSDAY).


Human trafficking at its worst.

This is how businessman Emile Elias described the discovery of eight Chinese men at an unfinished building on Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, on Monday.

He also said the people responsible for the men’s illegal presence in Trinidad and Tobago, presumably to perform menial tasks, should be arrested.

Speaking in his capacity as a founding member of the TT Contractors Association, an outspoken Elias said the trafficking of Chinese labour has been an ongoing problem for many years, one which he contends is “obviously supported by certain persons at a high level.” “These men were found in a building so the owner of the building should have been arrested. The alleged contractor who was using them should have been arrested.

“The person who met them at the airport when they landed - and there is always someone meeting them at the airport because they cannot speak a word of English.

“They (Chinese) lie on the form and say that they have come for the allowed 90 days, and then they do not go back.” Elias, who is also executive chairman of NH International (Caribbean) Limited, called on the authorities to quickly implement the laws that were already in place.

“We have labour laws. We have the OSH Act. We have immigration laws. How come all these people are being allowed into this country?” he asked.

“Who is the human trafficker? Who is the contractor of the job and who is the owner of the building? Let’s name and shame them.” Elias claimed the men are made to “work and break every labour law in the country.” He told Sunday Newsday: “They break the OSH and labour laws in respect of hours of work. They break every law regarding the payment of taxes, no PAYE. All of these laws are being broken and the persons are known and we have to go to the source of who exactly recruited these people in China.” Currently detained at the Immigration Detention Centre, Aripo, the eight Chinese men were reportedly brought into the country to do menial, contract labour.

They were held on Monday by officers of the Port-of-Spain City Police and Immigration Division during an exercise on Charlotte Street.

Saying the Chinese were taking food out of the mouths of citizens, Elias said those jobs could have easily gone to locals “so they could feed their children.” “And the authorities should be ashamed of themselves that they talk about arresting these people.

But they didn’t arrest the person who is feeding them, who was employing them, who was paying them? On whose property they were living - all illegal acts.” He added: “This is human trafficking at its worst because what they are doing is bringing these people here. They work 60 hours a week without overtime. They don’t pay local taxes.

“They are fed (sic) meagre amounts of money at the job site.

They sleep and live on the job site in filthy conditions and then they are sent back to China. The reason they do this is that they perceive that this is cheaper than using local labour.” Elias said the law enforcement agencies, including the Immigration Division, should have been more proactive in addressing the problem of illegal immigrants over the years.

“Don’t tell me you are investigating.

Fifty per cent of the issue with them is that they are victims. So they are also breaking the law and they are victims,” he said.

“But the culprit is the human trafficker who brought them to Piarco in the first place. All of them should be arrested without any delay and charged with harbouring illegal immigrants and bringing them into the country, because none of them have a work permit.” Elias asked: “How could they get a work permit for construction skills that we have in surplus in Trinidad and Tobago? We are already in a recession. Plenty of people are looking for work.

This criminal behaviour has to be stopped with some urgent arrests.

Otherwise, it will continue as it has in the past. Now is the time.” Elias also said the conditions at the detention centre were like the Hilton Trinidad compared to the environment in which the Chinese nationals lived on the building site.

“It can’t be difficult to know who is the building owner, the contractor in charge and who met them at Piarco and met them inside with landing cards. Who is the immigration officer who allowed these people in?” he asked.

“We stop Jamaican from landing and there is always a lot of publicity when that happens. How come we did not stop them (Chinese)?” Former president of the TT Contractors Association Mikey Joseph echoed Elias’ views, saying the owner of the Charlotte Street building and the contractor who brought the Chinese men into the country, in the first place, should be investigated and charged.

“The fact that you have illegal immigrants found on a construction site, they have to be working for somebody,” he told Sunday Newsday.

“And the police should have continued their investigations and charged the owner and the contractor who would have had these people there and have them account for the illegal migrants and how they came into contact with them.

“I think they (police) have a very good foundation to start with because they are working on a project and it must have had a main contractor.” Regarding the apparent difficulties in bringing such perpetrators to justice, Joseph said: “Sometimes, you have the culture of the brown paper bag. So that people who might have been influenced improperly, would want to cover their tracks. That is why the action of the police in charging the individuals heading up the line will reveal all of the players.” Saying the police and immigration did a good job in unearthing the Chinese immigrants, Joseph reasoned that the next course of action should be to determine the basis upon which they arrived in the country. He said the media had a pivotal role to play in keeping this issue on the front burner.

“There are deeper and more fundamental issues that we must follow up on to call people to account.

If you drop it and look for the next sensational story, nothing will not happen.” Joseph said the police too must must continue their probe.

“Charging the illegal immigrants themselves is not good enough.

The police has to follow through and bring to book all who facilitate them (Chinese) in being here.” Counter Trafficking Unit deputy director Alana Wheeler said she was not in office and was unable to answer Sunday Newsday’s questions when contacted on the issue yesterday.

Over the past decade, Chinese workers have been employed on major multi-million dollar State construction projects, such as the National Academies for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain and San Fernando, which were awarded to Chinese firms. Their hiring were also conditions of government- to-government loans from China.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #69 on: February 02, 2020, 06:34:20 PM »
Mixed moods over Chinatown
By Peter Christopher (Guardian)


As the re­brand­ing of Char­lotte Street has be­gun, the Chi­na­town arch just off the cor­ner of Char­lotte and Park streets has di­vid­ed pub­lic opin­ion.

Yes­ter­day, many ques­tioned the in­stal­la­tion of the arch­way, which was un­veiled on Thurs­day evening, with some even com­par­ing it to a sym­bol of colo­nial­ism by the Chi­nese.

“This is un­ac­cept­able, this is an in­ter­na­tion­al scan­dal. How can we have Char­lotte Street be­ing what it is? Chi­na­town,” said Don Phillip to Guardian Me­dia yes­ter­day, adding, “This is not Chi­na­town, this is Char­lotte Street. I’m call­ing on the Gov­ern­ment of Trinidad and To­ba­go to re­move this sign or the peo­ple will take it down.”

How­ev­er, Phillip was im­me­di­ate­ly chal­lenged by an­oth­er passer­by on Char­lotte Street, who ques­tioned why the arch­way should be re­moved.

A few ven­dors who were sell­ing items a short dis­tance away from the arch­way al­so ques­tioned the in­stal­la­tion of the Chi­na­town brand­ing, as they felt it did not re­flect the cur­rent make up of Char­lotte Street.

There was much talk about the arch­way as the work­ers put it up, with peo­ple ei­ther chastis­ing the Chi­nese sym­bol­ism or prais­ing it for chang­ing the vi­su­al of Char­lotte Street. One pedes­tri­an of Chi­nese de­scent praised the work, as she felt it was a good homage to the Chi­nese com­mu­ni­ty in Trinidad.

How­ev­er while many had a lot to say as they passed the arch­way, very few were will­ing to speak di­rect­ly to the Guardian on the mat­ter.

Some Char­lotte Street ven­dors, even those who were not in favour of the change, how­ev­er, took the op­por­tu­ni­ty to mar­ket their items as “Chi­nese prod­ucts” as a re­sult.

On so­cial me­dia there were sim­i­lar ex­pres­sions of dis­con­tent, which were of­ten buffered by ar­gu­ments that there were sev­er­al Chi­na­towns in var­i­ous cities across the world.

Port-of-Spain May­or Joel Mar­tinez, in a state­ment late yes­ter­day de­fend­ed the arch­way.

He said, “The Chi­nese have a rich cul­ture which is sup­port­ed by many per­sons in Trinidad and To­ba­go and they have worked hard to­wards the de­vel­op­ment of not just the Char­lotte Street area but all of our coun­try. Fur­ther­more, they have a deep her­itage in the East Port-of-Spain area in­clud­ing George Street, Char­lotte Street and Nel­son Street with es­tab­lish­ments in the 1960s like Yet Ming, Ng Chow, Chooquan Su­per­mar­ket, Chee­wah, Tam Pack, Ale­ong’s and Chin’s Gro­cery.”

Mar­tinez al­so re­mind­ed that the Chi­na­town ini­tia­tive was dis­cussed over two years ago, and al­so ex­plained the ra­tio­nale of choos­ing Char­lotte Street.

“There are five Chi­nese as­so­ci­a­tions on Char­lotte Street, with four with­in the bound­aries of the des­ig­nat­ed Chi­na­town area. They are the Chi­nese Civic As­so­ci­a­tion, Toy Shan As­so­ci­a­tion, The Fui Toong On As­so­ci­a­tion and The Chi­na So­ci­ety. Clos­er to Ox­ford Street, the Chung Shan As­so­ci­a­tion has had a long ex­is­tence. Just off Char­lotte Street, ex­ists the Sun Wai As­so­ci­a­tion on Queen Janelle Com­mis­siong Street,” Mar­tinez said.

In Sep­tem­ber, a stake­hold­er meet­ing was held con­cern­ing the de­vel­op­ment of Chi­na­town on Char­lotte Street. Fol­low­ing that stake­hold­ers’ meet­ing, Port-of-Spain North/St Ann’s MP Stu­art Young ex­pressed his dis­ap­point­ment over the poor at­ten­dance at the meet­ing.

Mar­tinez al­so ex­plained that the arch was part of this coun­try’s at­tempt to twin Port-of-Spain with Chi­nese City Shangai. He said the move has many po­ten­tial eco­nom­ic and tourism ben­e­fits for the city.

He added, “Chi­na­town sym­bol­is­es a space that has an in­ter­na­tion­al pres­ence. Oth­er met­ro­pol­i­tan cities have all ben­e­fit­ed from the pres­ence of a Chi­na­town as part of their City’s stature. The city of Port-of-Spain has been con­sid­ered for many years to lack in­no­va­tion. As such, the arch­es of Char­lotte Street’s Chi­na­town rep­re­sent more than just a phys­i­cal beau­ti­fi­ca­tion mea­sure, but a sym­bol of a deep­en­ing, bright re­la­tion­ship be­tween one grow­ing city and one of the world’s top cities.”

Guardian Me­dia at­tempt­ed to con­tact Down­town Own­ers and Mer­chants As­so­ci­a­tion Pres­i­dent Gre­go­ry Aboud for com­ment on Chi­na­town, but he did not re­spond to us up to press time.

Second Chinatown arch goes up
By Rishard Khan (Guardian)


Port-of-Spain May­or Joel Mar­tinez said they would con­tin­ue with the Chi­na­town project, de­spite the crit­i­cisms com­ing from some mem­bers of the pub­lic.

He be­lieves naysay­ers would come around to the idea with time.

“It would be his­tor­i­cal for us,” Mar­tinez told jour­nal­ists at the cor­ner of Char­lotte Street and In­de­pen­dence Square as the sec­ond arch was be­ing in­stalled.

“And not on­ly that, we will now be added to the list of Chi­na­towns around the world...you have an op­por­tu­ni­ty to see his­to­ry in the mak­ing...it’s the first time a Caribbean coun­try would have had an op­por­tu­ni­ty like this.”

He sug­gest­ed that those who may not agree with the project may just be hes­i­tant to ac­cept change but would come around to the idea in time.

“In every­thing that you do, in every­thing in life, change is in­evitable. The thing about change is not every­body would ac­cept change as eas­i­ly as you would want them to and not every­body see the ben­e­fits of an item as you see it...it will take them a lit­tle while to come around, some peo­ple would have got­ten it al­ready.”

He said that the arch­es are on­ly the be­gin­ning of the project and as it pro­gress­es, the pub­lic can look for­ward to more ben­e­fits. He ex­plained that the project would bring with it im­prove­ments and en­hance­ments to the area’s in­fra­struc­ture and, in the long run, can lead to the al­le­vi­a­tion of many prob­lems across the city.

Guardian Me­dia at­tempt­ed to reach the Chi­nese As­so­ci­a­tion for a com­ment on the po­lar­ized dis­cus­sion sur­round­ing the Chi­na­town project, how­ev­er, up to press time, we were un­able to. Asked whether he re­ceived any feed­back from them, Mar­tinez said he has “not been in touch with any of the as­so­ci­a­tions as yet.” But he said he has re­ceived com­men­da­tions from oth­er or­gan­i­sa­tions such as the Trinidad and To­ba­go Cham­ber of In­dus­try and Com­merce, mem­bers of the busi­ness com­mu­ni­ty and “Trinida­di­ans who saw it as a ben­e­fit.”

When Guardian Me­dia vis­it­ed Char­lotte Street yes­ter­day, the Shang­hai Con­struc­tion Group along with City Cor­po­ra­tion work­ers were in­stalling the sec­ond of two arch­es. The first arch was in­stalled at the cor­ner of Park and Char­lotte Street last Thurs­day. How­ev­er, this was met by heavy crit­i­cisms from mem­bers of the pub­lic who ac­cused the Cor­po­ra­tion of “wast­ing tax-pay­er dol­lars” and “sell­ing out to Chi­na” among oth­er com­ments.

In a re­lease on Fri­day, May­or Mar­tinez said: “Oth­er met­ro­pol­i­tan cities have all ben­e­fit­ed from the pres­ence of a Chi­na­town as part of their City’s stature. The city of Port-of-Spain has been con­sid­ered for many years to lack in­no­va­tion. As such, the arch­es of Char­lotte Street’s Chi­na­town rep­re­sent more than just a phys­i­cal beau­ti­fi­ca­tion mea­sure, but a sym­bol of a deep­en­ing, bright re­la­tion­ship be­tween one grow­ing city and one of the world’s top cities.”

“It is there­fore be­lieved that Chi­na­town will add val­ue to Port-of-Spain’s de­vel­op­ment in­clud­ing a pos­i­tive im­pact on the eco­nom­ic, cul­tur­al and ed­u­ca­tion­al wel­fare of its cit­i­zens.”


A woman takes a picture of the Chinatown arch just off the corner of Charlotte and Park streets, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. - Anisto Alves

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Re: The Chinese in T&T Thread.
« Reply #70 on: February 04, 2020, 10:57:56 AM »
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Re: Chinese in T&T Thread
« Reply #71 on: September 03, 2020, 05:09:54 PM »
6 charged for murder of Chinese national
T&T Express Reports.


Four locals and two Venezuelans have been charged with the murder of Chinese national Xiangong Phang during a break-in at the Happiness Grocery at the corner of Eastern Main Road and Sixth Avenue, Barataria, on August 23.

The six have also been charged with robbery with violence and burglary.

The decision to charge the suspects followed a meeting with Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC and advice received last Friday, police said in a statement yesterday.

They will appear before a Port of Spain magistrate via virtual hearing today.

The six are:

• Malik Kyle Jack, 21, of Pelican Extension, Morvant;

• Hudson “Hugo” Phillip (a Venezuelan), 21, who lives in Morvant and Laventille;

• Oswaldo Anton Marano, (a Venezuelan), 25, who lives Morvant and Laventille;

• Lindon Williams, 24, of Laventille;

• Kenneth Dabreo, 27, of Belmont;

• Emmanuel Phillip, 28, of Pelican Extension, Morvant.

Around 3.45 a.m. on August 23, several people broke into the Happiness Grocery and proceeded to the upper floor where seven Chinese nationals lived.

The intruders were armed with knives and cutlasses.

During the incident, several people were chopped and wounded.

Members of the North-Eastern Division Task Force as well as other police officers responded and held eight people.

Two of the suspects were later released.

One of the injured people, Xiangong Phang, was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where he died.

The others were treated and discharged.

The intruders were handed over the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (HBI) where investigations were carried out.

The investigation was spearheaded by Senior Supt Joseph Chandool, ASP Douglas and assisted by Insp Maharaj.

WPC Mohammed of the HBI Region 2 laid the charges.



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Re: Chinese in T&T Thread
« Reply #72 on: October 14, 2020, 12:13:48 AM »
Sinanan denies Chinese firm chosen to take over PoS port
SEAN DOUGLAS (NEWSDAY).


MINISTER of Works And Transport Rohan Sinanan denied claims by Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh that the Government favours a named Chinese firm to take over the running of the Port of Port of Spain.

Newsday spoke to Sinanan on Tuesday after Indarsingh made the claim when speaking on the budget in the House of Representatives on Monday and reiterating his points in a statement on Tuesday.

Indarsingh named the firm as Orient Overseas Container Line of Hong Kong, while saying a French firm, CMA CGM, from Marseilles, was also interested.

Sinanan said, “If Rudy Indarsingh has that information, he has more information than I have. You should ask him for that. I have no information or no knowledge of what he said.”

Indarsingh also criticised the Government’s recent purchase of a $17 million gantry crane, just ahead of the privatisation.

Sinanan responded, “I wouldn’t comment on Mr Indarsingh.

"What I can tell you is the port has a programme going forward. If you listen to my speech today on the budget, I said a lot about the port.”

He said his speech contradicted much of what Indarsingh said.

On Indarsingh’s complaint about the Government not specifying its proposed business model for the port, Sinanan said he had also addressed that in his budget speech.

Newsday asked about Indarsingh’s claim the Government in recent years and just before the budget had ignored the views of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) on reforming the port.

Sinanan said after the recent general election Indarsingh was still in campaign mode.

“We have a country to run. I’ll not waste time in petty politics.”

On Indarsingh’s query as to whether port privatisation had been an item in the People's National Movement’s election manifesto, Sinanan said previously it had constituted a couple of full paragraphs in the 2015 manifesto, and he was glad Indarsingh was reading it.

RELATED NEWS

Indarsingh: Chinese, French eyeing Port of Port of Spain
SEAN DOUGLAS (NEWSDAY).


COUVA South MP Rudranath Indarsingh asked whether the privatisation of the Port of Port of Spain was “a done deal” with a preferred bidder, perhaps a Chinese firm. He was speaking on the budget on Monday in the House of Representatives.

“I want to ask the Minister of Finance (Colm Imbert) or the Minister of Works and Transport (Rohan Sinanan), if he is brave enough to join this debate, whether the Government has already made up its mind in terms of the business model and who will be the business partner as relates to the Port of Port of Spain.

“I am getting news on the grapevine that a Chinese entity by the name of Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), a container shipping and logistics service company with a track record of being involved in over 70 countries, based in Hong Kong, has its eyes on the port.

“There are probably those in the Government who are facilitating their entry.”

Indarsingh claimed a firm CMA CGM, based in Marseilles, France, also wanted to become a partner at the port.

He said if it was a done deal, it would be "a total disrespect by the Government" to announce it in the budget speech without first telling the port's majority-recognised union, the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union.

Indarsingh asked if the Prime Minister’s freeze on public-sector recruitment, announced in his televised address last Saturday, would include the teaching service, health sector and protective services. He said it had taken seven months of the pandemic for Dr Rowley to realise the alleged high absenteeism of public servants who are now on rotation in reporting for duty.

“Is the Prime Minister attacking the head of the Public Service? Is the Prime Minister attacking all permanent secretaries and heads of department?”

Indarsingh accused Finance Minister Colm Imbert of “playing dead to catch corbeaux alive” by floating the idea of pushing the retirement age from 60 to 65, while not revealing he had allegedly seen the National Insurance Board’s tenth actuarial review which he said contained this recommendation.

Indarsingh said, “If you access your pension between 64 to 60, you will lose six per cent of your entitlement on an annual basis if you exercise the option of an early retirement.” He called on Imbert to say if he agreed with that report.

He then alleged discrimination by the Government against his constituency.

“Based on the track record of this PNM Government, no road, no school, no health issues, nothing will be addressed in the constituency of Couva South.

“They will continue their policy of discrimination and treating the Opposition constituencies as second class.”

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Re: Chinese in T&T Thread
« Reply #73 on: February 12, 2021, 02:39:56 AM »
Aboud notes concerns over China's involvement in T&T
SHANE SUPERVILLE (T&T NEWSDAY).


Amidst the festive atmosphere at the unveiling of two stone lions in Port of Spain to celebrate the Chinese New Year on Wednesday, there were concerns about China's growing involvement in T&T's affairs.

Speaking at the ceremony, on the corner of Charlotte Street and Independence Square, president of the Downtown Owners' and Merchants Association (DOMA) Gregory Aboud said the Chinese community has made invaluable contributions to T&T's culture and economy over the years, but there was some unease that China's diplomatic involvement could come at a high price later on.

Noting China's growing economy and influence in the region, he said some people were concerned that Chinatown could extend from Charlotte Street to other parts of Trinidad.

"Given the fact that your country now rivals the US in terms of economic power, given the very small fragile state of our country, there are concerns that we are dancing with too big a partner with China, and...that China's involvement in T&T will one day cause perhaps Chinatown to spread way outside of Port of Spain to other areas of the country.

"I do have a great deal of respect – we all do – for your accomplishments and your culture, and we ask the same of you in return.

"After all, true friendship, which we believe you are offering us, asks nothing in return for your contribution of friendship. And so on that note I would like to thank you on behalf of Port of Spain and on behalf of the mayor of Port of Spain."

Last week former US ambassador to T&T Joseph Mondello, in an interview with US media, alleged that in a newspaper article the Prime Minister had said the US was a trade partner of the past and China was this country's new partner.

Dr Rowley has since denied he made any such comments and Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne maintained that T&T was a friend to both China and the US.

In his address, Chinese ambassador Fang Qiu said the two countries had a long and prosperous history of relations and hoped the new year would enhance the mutually beneficial ties.Qiu said TT and China had a lot of similarities and was confident the two could work together to build a better future.

"The national motto of T&T, "Together we aspire, together we achieve," speaks to building a community of a shared vision.

A vision by Chinese residents in T&T.

"Both countries share the same vision, and that is a better life for people and a better world for all. We have been working out our shared vision especially in this extraordinary new year of 2021, in true friendship in solidarity we supported each other with morale and material to fight the pandemic."

Port of Spain mayor Joel Martinez said the unveiling of the lions was only one step in the development of Chinatown, as there were plans to have cobblestones placed on the road and giving the street a "general facelift" with the removal of overhead wires.In October 2019 the city corporation put up arches with the word "Chinatown" on Charlotte Street. The arches were set up by the Shanghai Construction Group.

The decision to rename the street met with some resistance from some people, who
questioned why the street needed to be renamed.

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Re: Chinese in T&T Thread
« Reply #74 on: March 17, 2021, 01:14:43 AM »
Sinanan denies Aboud's claim of land sold to China
SHANE SUPERVILLE(T&T NEWSDAY).


Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan has dismissed claims by environmental activist Gary Aboud that state lands were being sold to China as part of ongoing infrastructural work, and accused him of trying to hold back the country's development.

At a media conference at his ministry in Port of Spain on Tuesday, Sinanan referred to videos posted by Aboud in which he claimed the governments of T&T and China were involved in a partnership that would involve the sale of state lands without proper oversight.

Aboud also claimed there was some malfeasance surrounding the transaction and called for clarity from the authorities over the specifics.

In response, Sinanan said work on the Diego Martin overpass was not a government-to-government partnership, but a partnership between China Railway Construction Company (CRCC) and Junior Sammy Construction Company (Jusamco).

"Number one, the government has nothing to do with the sale of port lands. And two, the aspect of the sale of state lands remains under the purview of the procurement regulator. This is total misinformation and lies being put out by Mr Aboud.

"He indicated the government and the Chinese are in a government-to-government arrangement. This project was a public tender where anybody could have entered for this project. This is not a government-to-government project. The government has given no land to the Chinese on this project."

Sinanan said Aboud's claim that the land for the CRCC's site office near the worksite for the Diego Martin overpass had been sold to the Chinese government was unfounded, and the office was temporary and would be taken down once the project was completed.

He also accused Aboud of deliberately peddling misinformation and trying to hold back TT's infrastructural development, noting his objection to the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway's extension from Cumuto to Sangre Grande.

He also referred to the proposed Sandals hotel and resort in Tobago which was withdrawn in 2019, and questioned whether critics took infrastructural development seriously.

"The advancement for our community will not take place if we continue to accept these lies. In simple terms, look at what happened to Sandals in Tobago.

"Those who want to keep us where we are and pull us back with lies they make, we need to call them out."

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Re: Chinese in T&T Thread
« Reply #75 on: March 17, 2021, 01:15:51 AM »
China promises to help Trinidad and Tobago with covid19 vaccines
SEAN DOUGLAS (T&T NEWSDAY).


A virtual meeting on Tuesday between the Prime Minister and China President Xi Jinping set the stage for Trinidad and Tobago to receive covid19 vaccines from China, amid uncertainties over other sources of vaccines.

A statement by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said Dr Rowley received a call from Xi via teleconference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's. The office said their discussions centred on several matters of mutual interest.

Also at the meeting were Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne, Minister of National Security and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh and Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister Maurice Suite.

Browne, in a text message to Newsday, said: "The meeting with President Xi was very productive."

He said the meeting included specific dialogue on covid19 and both nations' efforts to control the infection and keep their respective populations safe.

"President Xi thanked the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for our provision of a consignment of PPE (personal protective equipment) to China early in the year 2020, and took the opportunity to indicate that China would respectfully assist our national efforts to access approved covid19 vaccines in the near future.”

Browne said Rowley reaffirmed the critical importance of equitable access to approved vaccines for TT, the region, and the world and noted that the Sinopharm vaccine is currently being considered for approval by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The ambassador of China has been an excellent and proactive partner helping TT to organise the meeting, Browne added.

He said the talks were enhanced by TT's strong history of good relations with China, and by the friendship of Xi and Rowley over the years.

Deyalsingh opted not to comment, advising Newsday to seek details from the OPM.

A Chinese Embassy official promised to seek replies to queries about Xi's enthusiasm to help TT.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram told Newsday TT has signed bilateral agreements with non-disclosure clauses, but also said it was public knowledge that the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines were now candidates before the WHO for emergency use authorisation (EUA) status.

"They haven't got it as yet, but we hope in the near future they shall," Parasram said.

"Countries have been purchasing vaccines outside of the emergency use authorisation – even countries like the US and UK. They have gone through their own regulatory process."

Parasram said some countries including the US and UK have purchased these vaccines outside of those being approved for EUA status, but TT's policy will continue, that is, to only use vaccines approved by the WHO. He said a whole-of-government approach is used to source vaccines, involving several ministries.

"Traditionally the CMO is responsible, chairs the Drug Advisory Committee which is responsible for making a recommendation to the (health) minister for actual registration of new vaccines into the country. My main other role is to chair the national technical advisory group for vaccines." He said this group decides which population groups to vaccinate.

Parasram said the CMO's role as the health ministry's main technical officer is to look at the technical details presented by any vaccine manufacturer and then make a recommendation.

Elsewhere, Reuters has reported Sinopharm's unit in Wuhan presented a 72 per cent efficacy rate in phase III (large scale) clinical trials. German news agency DW reported a 79 per cent efficacy but rising to 86 per cent in the United Arab Emirates, but with a patient in Peru suffering arm paralysis after getting the jab.

The Sinopharm website carries an interview in January with company chairman Liu Jingzhen who said ten million doses were administered across China. Sinopharm produced 100 million doses last year, and aimed for a billion doses this year, the interview added.

The Sinovac vaccine’s efficacy ranged from 91 per cent in Indonesia, 65 per cent in Turkey, and 50-78 per cent in Brazil. Other efficacies were: AstraZeneca (62-90 per cent), Moderna (95 per cent), Pfizer (95 per cent) and Sputnick (92 per cent.)

On July 24 last year, China offered Latin America and the Caribbean a US$1 billion loan facility to buy vaccines.

Sinopharm vaccines are used in China, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan, Serbia and Peru, and Sinova vaccines in China, Bolivia, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil and Chile.

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Re: Chinese in T&T Thread
« Reply #76 on: March 17, 2021, 02:53:14 PM »
Chinese Embassy: Our vaccines are safe, effective
SEAN DOUGLAS (T&T NEWSDAY).


IN light of news of Tuesday's virtual meeting between the Prime Minister and China President Xi Jinping, when the latter promised to help TT to access covid19 vaccines, the Chinese Embassy later told Newsday that vaccines produced by Chinese firms were safe and effective.

The embassy said that under Xi's strong leadership, China has succeeded in bringing covid19 under control at home, while actively contributing to international anti-epidemic co-operation.

"Recently China has been providing or exporting vaccines to dozens of countries, especially developing countries, in concrete steps to implement President Xi's commitment of making vaccines a global public good.

"Chinese vaccines have been proven safe and effective."

The embassy said China and TT have shared morale and material to fight in solidarity against the pandemic, further testimony to the robust and strong partnership between the two countries.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had a very productive phone call today (Tuesday) and exchanged views on further anti-pandemic co-operation including vaccines accessibility. China stands ready to assist and facilitate the efforts of TT to mitigate this pandemic and safeguard the health of its people."

The embassy promised to stay in touch with the relevant parties in TT so as to advance co-operation on the subject.

Newsday understands that China's two top candidate vaccines seeking World Health Organization (WHO) approval are Sinopharm (already sent to Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Guyana and Dominica) and Sinovac (sent to or due for Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador.)

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

 

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