Watson Duke fined $1,200 for pulling fire alarm at 2017 Arima protest
Watson Duke -
Public Services Association (PSA) president and leader of the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) Watson Duke was fined $1,200 on Thursday for an incident involving a fire alarm at the Arima Borough Corporation in 2017.
Magistrate Avion Gill gave Duke a month to pay the fine – the maximum penalty under the Fire Services Act – but did not impose the three-month prison term because of his previous good character.
Last month, Duke was found guilty of making or causing a false report to be made to fire officials at Arima Fire Station by deliberately setting off a fire alarm at the corporation during a protest in 2017.
Progressive Democratic Patriots leader Watson Duke. -
Political leader of the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) Watson Duke has called on all “like-minded” Tobagonians in both Tobago and Trinidad to be prepared to surround the Red House and demand Tobago’s autonomy.
Duke, who retained the Roxborough/ Delaford seat in the January 25 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election, was speaking virtually. PDP assemblymen held a meeting to discuss the party’s latest developments and current events in the various constituencies and alternative divisions, titled Black Table Talks, on Wednesday evening.
The meeting which ran for just over an hour, focused on the joint select committee’s latest draft recommendations on the Tobago Self Government Bill, which has been put out for comment.
UNC MP takes Duke’s side in WASA fight
File Photo: Watson Duke. Photo by Roger Jacob
COUVA South MP Rudranath Indarsingh has taken the side of the embattled Watson Duke in his fight with Dr Lennox Sealy, executive director of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) over his tenure.
He called on Sealy to rescind the ultimatum to Duke and to adhere to the collective bargaining agreement.
He said failure to do so will set a dangerous precedent in how the State treats fairly with workers.
Indarsingh, a trade unionist, said what Sealy is trying to do shows flagrant disregard for proper industrial relations and sets a dangerous stage for restructuring at WASA.
Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis - THA
Two PNM assemblymen have received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, and two more are expected to get their jabs later this week.
THA Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development Tracy Davidson-Celestine made the disclosure as she responded to questions from Newsday on Monday.
On April 13, Trinidad and Tobago received a donation of 40,000 AstraZeneca doses from India, enough to vaccinate 20,000 people.
On March 31, TT collected a shipment of 33,600 in the first tranche from the World Health Organization’s Covax facility. Of that number, Tobago got 3,000 doses.
Tobago s vaccination rollout began in February, when the island got 200 doses, part of a gift of 2,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to TT from Barbados. These were offered to 100 healthcare professionals.
TEMA collects $225k in relief supplies for St Vincent
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TEMA s Stephan Mills, right, organises a shipment of water to be delivered to St Vincent and the Grenadines at its warehouse in Signal Hill, Tobago. - David Reid
The Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has received an estimated $225,000, so far, towards its relief drive for volcano-hit St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The La Soufriere volcano erupted on April 9, some 42 years after its last explosion.
More than 16,000 Vincentians have since been evacuated and scientists monitoring the volcano are warning that further seismic activity is likely to continue.
Caricom countries, including TT, are assisting the island with its immediate needs through various humanitarian initiatives.