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pioneer wrote:As yuh say this, i does wonder if our ministry of tourism dead?
Jus look at wheel of fortune and you see ad's for barbados and jamaica runnin right through, you would swear is some tropical paradise somewhere...even i does be moved by those ad's. Yet you see NOTHING on trinidad...if they do...dey say yeh we in trinidad and eatin ah bake n shark...thaz it not. No ad's for hotels...cruises...not one thing
Rory Phoulorie wrote:pioneer wrote:As yuh say this, i does wonder if our ministry of tourism dead?
Jus look at wheel of fortune and you see ad's for barbados and jamaica runnin right through, you would swear is some tropical paradise somewhere...even i does be moved by those ad's. Yet you see NOTHING on trinidad...if they do...dey say yeh we in trinidad and eatin ah bake n shark...thaz it not. No ad's for hotels...cruises...not one thing
Who needs tourism when we have an "infinite" supply of natural gas?
PNM, NAR, UNC, PP...all of them have the same short-sightedness.
Politicians can't get kickbacks from promoting tourism. Energy based contract deals...now that's another story.
pioneer wrote:Rory Phoulorie wrote:pioneer wrote:As yuh say this, i does wonder if our ministry of tourism dead?
Jus look at wheel of fortune and you see ad's for barbados and jamaica runnin right through, you would swear is some tropical paradise somewhere...even i does be moved by those ad's. Yet you see NOTHING on trinidad...if they do...dey say yeh we in trinidad and eatin ah bake n shark...thaz it not. No ad's for hotels...cruises...not one thing
Who needs tourism when we have an "infinite" supply of natural gas?
PNM, NAR, UNC, PP...all of them have the same short-sightedness.
Politicians can't get kickbacks from promoting tourism. Energy based contract deals...now that's another story.
Agree with you there, makes you wonder if politicians have any vision at all. They seem to never want to exploit tourism for some dotish reason. Only thing we hear bout trinidad is carnival, we highly depend on it for that one time in the year then they sweep trinidad under the mat.
M_2NR wrote:Rooki3 is his namesake... island... country? you think i give a crap? crime is crime hoss. We need to stop it.
'I am trying 2 work out a deal for you'll on the house and land'
Story Created: Dec 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM ECT
Story Updated: Dec 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM ECT
Some of the correspondence between the Green family and former Tourism and Industrial Development Company (TIDCO) director Farid Hinds:
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:35:09
From: Farid Hinds
To: Martin Green
The government will not purchase the property, You'll would have to consider selling it to someone. The compensation I am still trying to work out, due to the Christmas season everyone is busy. will let u know by weekend via phone. Give my regards to your parents for me.
On Wed, 12/9/09, Martin Green wrote:
Dear Farid,
Please could you confirm what the offer on compensation is, if any? as well as the property and land?
Thanks for the reply Farid. What about an offer on the property and land from the government and compensation?
From: Farid Hinds
To: Martin Green
I hope everything is Ok with yourself and your parents. I will need to get the invoices for the stuff if possible.
From: Martin Green
Dear Farid,
I look forward to hearing from you in regards to:
1. The list of costs the family have incurred during and after the attack.
2. The government making a gesture of goodwill in buying the land and property and land.
3. Compensation for their injuries, both mentally and physically.
From: Martin Green
Dear Farid,
Glad to hear you are now feeling better. Please find below a list of items that were stolen from the house while my parents were in the UK.
Video Camera £499. Purchased UK
Dewalt Skill saw $3,500. Purchased T&T
Jigsaw $300. Purchased T&T
Power Drill $900. Purchased T&T
Music centre $950. Purchased T&T
Water Pump $4,500. Estimate for replacement
Stainless Steel cooking knives and block £80. Purchased UK
CDs £50. Purchased UK.
Torch £10. Purchased UK
Bins x two pair £99. Purchased on Virgin Atlantic flight
Other pair purchased UK £45.
2,000 TT$ stolen from purse
£20 stolen from purse
Total sterling £803.
Total TT$ 12,150 equals in sterling £1,162.
I also sent you a list of the following costs that had been occurred after our return to the UK, if I sent you the receipts, will these also be paid?
flights for Anne back to Canada
new Glasses
Dental work for my Dad
Car parking at the hospital
Glasses for Peter
Glasses for Murium
Repair to bars at bacolet property
This itemised list of stolen goods as requested by your good self does not constitute a full and final statement as the contents can only be checked and verified accurately when Mr & Mrs Green return to Tobago.
From: Farid Hinds
Hi Martin,
i received the email that was very nice of your parents. I is very much appreciated by the minister and the people of Trinidad and Tobago. I am trying 2 work out a deal for you'll on the house and land. Give my regards 2 your aunt and parents.
On Wed, 10/7/09, Martin Green wrote:
Hi Farid,
I hope you are well. I have attached the magazine article me parents have done for Womens Own in the UK. They both send their regards to you. Can you confirm if your received my last email? To bring this to a conclusion, if there is something in return we can do for you, please let me know.
From: Martin Green
Hi Farid,
I hope you and your family are keeping well. My Dad returned home yesterday and is having home care by the nurses.
Thank you for your reply and my parents would like an offer made on the land and property. The reason for this is not because they won't be returning to your beautiful islands but cannot return to their home and land. When they do return they will stay with friends or stay at a hotel.
An offer of £350,000 would be an conservative estimate of the property/land and if you feel that you would like to offer a compensation package to the both of them that would be at your discretion.
At the moment my parents expenses due to the horrific incident includes:
flights for Anne back to Canada
new Glasses
Dental work for my Dad
Car parking at the hospital
Please let me know if you would be kind enough to assist my parents on the above expenses.
They will also need to move to a ground floor property as my Dad cannot manage the stairs and as soon as possible my Mums cosmetic surgery on her face.
My parents have not and will not say anything negative about Trinidad and Tobago and will continue to get their strength back to be able to visit the islands again.
If you wish to contact me directly, please do so.
We continue to thank you for all your help.
I really do hope to meet with you again next year.
To: Martin Green
It is sad 2 hear that, let me know how much they want 4 the land anda I will see what can be done. As I always tell you if it is anything we can do 2 make you parents more comfortable just let me know.
On Mon, 9/28/09, Martin Green wrote:
Hi Farid,
I spoke to my parents tonight and they thank you for your offer to attend the carnival in February but will decline.
Since the robbery they feel very let down and since the attack they both have nightmares and flashbacks and with stress it gets worse.
We found out last week, that my Dad will not regain his full sight in his left eye and still needs assistance in walking and doing the simple things that we do.
We are currently compiling a list of what has gone missing at their home in Bacolet, but it is turning into a comprehensive list.
I don't believe they will return, which is a shame as they did truly love Tobago.
Obviously, to sell the property will take time, due to what happened there, and they have some land in Canaan, is there an option that the government will buy their property and land as well as offer a compensation package for the both of them?
Greens strike back
English couple to protest outside T&T embassy in London for THA $$
By Elizabeth Williams Tobago Bureau
Story Created: Dec 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM ECT
Story Updated: Dec 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM ECT
ENGLISH nationals Peter and Murium Green plan to demonstrate outside the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London as they seek to have concerns about compensation from the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) for their medical bills addressed.
In e-mail communication with the Express yesterday, the couple indicated their intended plan of action after complaining they were now being given the runaround by the THA, having been promised such financial help after they were brutally attacked in Tobago on August 1, 2009. The British couple communicated with the Express after a story in yesterday's paper, reproduced in part from the Daily Mail, first highlighted the problem.
In the e-mail, Peter Green wrote: "In the event that the Trinidad and Tobago government do not contact me by the new year, I, with the help of family and friends, intend to strike back at Tobago with a campaign. I intend to demonstrate outside your embassy in London.
"There is no one who will not be shocked by our facial disfigurement. I will be sending my case to Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs and outlining information that links other individuals that know who did this heinous attack on us and are hiding here in the UK after being allowed to flee Tobago. This is just a sample of what we have in way of evidence."
Green said he was promised compensation from THA Chief Secretary Orville London, the Tobago Tourist Board and the Criminal Compensation Board, following the August 1 attack perpetrated on them by a bandit at their Bacolet home. However, he said the only thing they have received so far is a small replica pan, mounted on a wooden base, and two beach wraps from a representative of the Tobago Tourist Board.
"You may feel I am becoming paranoiac, but we have learnt so much about T&T politicians these past 16 months; nothing will surprise me. Their inhuman actions does not adhere me with confidence," Green said.
On August 1, 2009, the Greens were attacked by a man armed with a cutlass while they slept on the back patio of their holiday home. They had only returned to Tobago from their home in Somerset, England, the day before as Peter had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had decided, on the spur of the moment, to take a two-week break before starting radiation treatment. The attacker reportedly strolled into the garden and, without reason or warning, hacked them almost to death.
Murium, 61, suffered wounds to her face and jaw while Peter suffered wounds to his face and head. The couple were taken to the Scarborough Regional Hospital where they both received preliminary treatment before being airlifted to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mount Hope.Yesterday, Green said he has health-related problems since the attack, including a problem with one eye, which also affects his balance; a hearing problem; headaches; and he has also lost his sense of smell. His wife, also, has similar concerns, he said.
"My wife has undergone 23 hours of reconstructive surgery and her facial scars, although improved, are still very visible unless she wears darkened sunglasses. In a nutshell, we have dreadful facial scars. From the very first day , your Government requested us not to give negative reports on Tobago travel. Up until today, we have kept our word. Sadly, Orville London and his ministers have not been worthy of their own promises," Green said.
Green yesterday again raised the issue of the "inhumane treatment" meted out to him by nurses at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope.
"A family member visited me while I was in the high-dependency ward, in a medically induced coma, and witnessed a nurse washing my face and open head wound with a flannel impregnated by human faeces. Considering I had a blood clot on my brain, I realise I survived by God's will and not the standard of nursing care. I was threatened by staff and tied to my bed with bandages for the whole time of my stay and often laid in my own toilet for hours on end."
He added, "I only know that if I had spoken and used names such as the staff used against me, I would have been jailed for racial violence. I must point out at this stage that all the doctors who supported me were of the highest standard and never were they racially rude to me."
Yesterday, however, former Ministry of Tourism director Farid Hinds denied claims by the Greens that when he visited the family in England, he invited them back to Trinidad to take part in Carnival and to promote the island. He said while he did give them gifts and invited them to come for Carnival, he was doing so as a friend, having built a relationship with the family in the months after the attack.
"I was totally shocked when I saw the article. I have e-mailed the Greens since on the matter and await a response from them," Hinds said in a telephone interview.
Hinds also forwarded e-mailed correspondence between himself and the Greens as proof of his claim (see story below).
Contacted yesterday, THA Tourism Secretary Oswald Williams said he could not comment on the matter as he did not have all the information. However, he said he told his staff to compile a comprehensive report on the matter involving the Greens, which he hopes will be available by today.
Also contacted yesterday, president of the Hotel and Tourism Association Carol Ann Birchwood-James said when incidents such as these occur, they must learn from them.
"This is a sad situation, but we need to move from this sad situation to one more comfortable as well, for locals as well as tourists. A balance must be worked out. This is not a simple tourist being attacked on the beach; talks with security for locals and tourists must be looked at. I intend to speak with the Tourism Development Company, Tourism Secretary Oswald Williams and Tourism Minister Rupert Griffith on the matter," Birchwood-James said.
The Greens also said they were not properly informed of their court date and of information surrounding Clint Alexis, who has been charged with their attack. Asked to comment on the matter yesterday, investigating officer Sergeant Earl Arthur said contrary to the Greens' claims, he has been in contact with them via e-mail on the reasons for delay in the case and updates on the matter.
"I have e-mailed conversations between the Greens and myself, showing that I have been keeping them abreast on the case. At each hearing, I have also supplied the Scarborough Magistrates' Court with copies of these data, so the magistrate is properly apprised. The reason the case has been adjourned for so long is because we were awaiting word on their recovery, so the Greens could be present in court themselves," Arthur said.
THA Chief Secretary Orville London could not be reached for comment on the matter. Calls to his mobile and home phones were not returned.
Greens surprised by angry reaction to Tobago attack report
By Aabida Allaham aabida.allaham@trinidadexpress.com
Story Created: Dec 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM ECT
Story Updated: Dec 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM ECT
BRITISH national Peter Green says he is surprised at this country's angry reaction following the attack on him and his wife in August last year.
"I was very surprised by the local reaction regarding our attack and very saddened. Tobago still has a place in our heart and our recent United Kingdom article is not directed at the average Trinidad and Tobago person," Green said in an e-mail to the Express yesterday.
"What I do see is that this has brought out a renewed passion for justice by the working man and woman in Trinidad and Tobago and I wish the people of Trinidad and Tobago only peace and harmony in the coming New Year and beyond."
He was referring to an article which was first published in the Daily Mail in England and represented in yesterday's Express, in which the Greens called on nationals of their country to boycott the island because of the crime concerns and failure of the Tobago House of Assembly to deliver on promises made to them in the wake of the attack that left both of them scarred for life.
Peter, 66, and his wife Murium, 61, were attacked by a man armed with a cutlass while they slept on the back patio of their holiday home in Bacolet Tobago on August 1, 2009. They had only returned to Tobago from their home in Somerset, England, the day before as Peter had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had decided on the spur of the moment to take a two-week break before starting radiation treatment.
The couple suffered various wounds about the face and head.
To date, Peter says he is unable to do basic tasks and has no feeling in the left side of his body.
Additionally, the couple, who say they have yet to be compensated for their injuries as promised by Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, Orville London, took their claims of mistreatment by Tobagonian nationals and medical officials at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mount Hope (EWMSC) to the English media in an attempt to sway other British nationals from visiting Tobago.
In an interview with the Express yesterday, however, Peter said there was more to their story than the Daily Mail published.
He said, "I would like to point out to your readers that any person from any part of the world can be a victim of crime in the United Kingdom and gets full compensation from the United Kingdom government. Regarding our hospital treatment, I do remember a fear of Negro nurses but that was after being threatened. As for the nurse who was verbally abusive to me, she had been overheard and banished from the ward by who I believe was a doctor."
Peter went on to add that his sister, who had flown in from Canada to be at his bedside at the EWMSC, was asked to purchase drugs after the hospital said they were out of stock.
"My sister was told that the drugs I was on had run out. My sister asked where we could purchase more and she was directed to a very dangerous part of Port of Spain where she bought them. On returning to the hospital she was asked by a doctor what she had and she told him. (The doctor) said that the drugs are available and the drugs my sister had bought would have been taken and sold on the black market," he said.
Following their return to England, the Greens said they were in touch with the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate about the investigations and about being compensated but they have not received a reply.
"My wife and I have been left to our own device in the slow road to recovery. Other than the visit from a tourist minister we have heard nothing," he said.
"I did contact my consulate asking for a more precise update only to receive an e-mail from the investigating officer accusing me of being deceitful. This does not install me with confidence. I do have the copies of the e-mails. In fact I have the e-mail a tourist minister sent us by mistake inferring that if they waited long enough and remembering I had cancer and could well die, problem solved."
He added, "I did outline my dissatisfaction to your consulate in London, stating what my actions would be if they did not contact me by the new year. They did not acknowledge my communication. My wife and I will be interviewed on the BBC this Thursday and I hope to place more pressure on the people who visited my wife during her stay in hospital promising help and assistance in our recovery.
"Sadly until we get justice for ourselves we do not intend to give up. Our next move is to demonstrate outside your consulate (in England) with friends bringing again the dangers of travel in T&T to the UK public."
Skanky wrote:This has nothing to do with crime in tobago and everything to do with the brits being a bunch of spoilt sore losers for not being awarded the world cup.
Expect more negative media out of england in the coming years.
GEEK wrote:N**gga ppl again!...i too of east indian decent, have experienced racialism in tobago and i will never go back there again.
Went with the girlfriend there for a weekend and we went to the beach, and a woman selling drinks refused to serve us. I kept asking for some drinks and she completely ignored us and continued serving black ppl only....
I cuss she mudda stink and walk off.
I will never go tobago again. I really feel sorry for these people. Tobago only have a set of dotish niggas in black suits feeling all important and dumb as firetruck!
noshownogo wrote:GEEK your statement seems hypocritical and unfortunately you met with one bad apple in the bunch so to speak. You shouldn't chastise Tobago for one ignorant person's actions.
GEEK wrote:N**gga ppl again!...i too of east indian decent, have experienced racialism in tobago and i will never go back there again.
Went with the girlfriend there for a weekend and we went to the beach, and a woman selling drinks refused to serve us. I kept asking for some drinks and she completely ignored us and continued serving black ppl only....
I cuss she mudda stink and walk off.
I will never go tobago again. I really feel sorry for these people. Tobago only have a set of dotish niggas in black suits feeling all important and dumb as firetruck!
GEEK wrote:N**gga ppl again!...i too of east indian decent, have experienced racialism in tobago and i will never go back there again.
Went with the girlfriend there for a weekend and we went to the beach, and a woman selling drinks refused to serve us. I kept asking for some drinks and she completely ignored us and continued serving black ppl only....
I cuss she mudda stink and walk off.
I will never go tobago again. I really feel sorry for these people. Tobago only have a set of dotish niggas in black suits feeling all important and dumb as firetruck!
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