Year 55 NO. 03BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, W.I. FRIDAY, JUNE15TH, 2012 EC$2.00 At The Pumps This Weekend Maximum Price ULG per gal 12/06/12 DELTA $15.58 / SOL $15.79 / TEXACO $16.17 PrimePrime MinisterMinister EC$8 million at Development Bank for small DouglasDouglas toto assumeassume hotels and restaurants BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, ChairmanshipChairmanship ofof thethe JUNE 14TH 2012 (CUOPM) – Small hotels and restaurants in St. Kitts and Nevis can access over EC$8 million to refurbish their properties. 73rd73rd MeetingMeeting ofof thethe Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF), MonetaryMonetary CouncilCouncil Mr. Terrence Crossman said BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, recently that the Foundation (CUOPM) – The Federation’s remains committed to the Prime Minister and Minister of transformation of the Federation’s (cont’d on page 10) (cont’d on page 10) Brimstone Hill tour bus robbers BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (CUOPM) – Five men charged in plead guilty on crime connection with robbing cruise Lee Moore Court Complex ship passengers on the road to Rt. Hon. PM Douglas Sir K Dwight Venner Brimstone Hill in November 2010 have pleaded guilty when they re- appeared in Court on Wednesday. PAGE 03 COMMENTARY BY The guilty pleas, which saved A “big catch” for 2 * THE THINKING CITIZEN the court’s time, have been * VIEW POINT welcomed by law enforcement young fishermen in * REV.CANON PERCIVAL officials who remain firm in their Old Road * FROM WHERE I SIT relentless attack on crime and the * SO TELL ME mission to protect all residents and visitors to St. Kitts and Nevis. Tameka Williams Elroy Williams, Junior Sobratie, wins gold medal Curtis Long, George Welsh of in Moscow, Russia (cont’d on page 2) 2 - OPINION / LOCAL NEWS - The Labour Spokesman FRIDAY, JUNE 15TH 2012 LABOUR PARTY NOTICE The West Basseterre Labour Branch will be holding its Monthly General Meeting For residents in the areas from West Farm – Palmetto Point THE SPOKESMAN - ESTABLISHED MAY 1957 On Tuesday, 19th June, 2012At the Bronte Welsh Primary School at 7:00 p.m. The Hon. Sam Condor, Parliamentary Representative will be in attendance, Published by: The St. Kitts-Nevis Trades & Labour Union all are invited and asked to be punctual. Ag. Managing Editor: Dawud Byron Masses House, Church Street the brainchild of Ronald Webster and a prominent shoot down the country, not just Bradshaws P.O Box 239 . Basseterre . St. Kitts . West Indies Kittitian. Atlin Harrigan, one of the leaders of the Government. Tel: (1 869) 465-2229 <> Fa: (1 869) 466-9866 Anguilla Revolution advised Webster that he was The explosives at Camp Springfield would have Email: [email protected] making a mistake but Webster strongly believed that killed everybody in Frys Village, half of the people Bradshaws Government could have been toppled by in Greenlands including the home where the Website: www.labourspokesman.com armed force. He was misled by political personalities present leader of PAM in laws live; Government in St.. Kitts into believing that a majority of Kittitians House would have been blown up, half of were prepared to take up arms the Government. This Springfield would have been desecrated, La Guerite illusion compelled him to join forces with Bradshaws and St. Johnston Village would have disappeared Editorial political enemy in St. Kitts in an effort to oust and if these people had gotten their way, not one Bradshaw. police officer in Basseterre would have been alive Another paragraph read: The plan for toppling that morning, said Astaphan, who added that by Politics makes the Government included the destruction of the exploding the Shell bulk the whole of Basseterre Defense Force Camp, the capture of Police would have been decimated as most of the home in Headquarters and the destruction of the Power 1967 were made of wood. Station, all located in the St. Kitts capital of Ponds Pasture, Ponds Extension, New Town, strange Basseterre. In addition, the Revenue Cutter (Customs Irish Town, Mc Knight, all of Basseterre would have Launch) was to be captured and the men taken been flattened and 90 percent of the people killed, prisoner. A crucial aspect of the plan called for the pointed out Minister Astaphan. destruction of the islands fuel depot situated in Eastern They decided that if the people are not going to bedfellows Basseterre. The intention was to set the gasoline tanks give him power by the ballot, he will take power by on fire and cause the police, the Fire Brigade and the the bullet. Madam Speaker, I am speaking about Last Sunday 10th June, 2012 marked the 45th anniversary of the people of Basseterre to concentrate all their efforts people and an organisation, who and which have failed armed invasion of St. Kitts by the People’s Action Movement and resources on preventing a major catastrophe. The utter contempt and disregard for law and propriety, (PAM) and their cohorts in Anguilla, to overthrow the lawfully elected situation it was felt would have left Basseterre utter disregard and contempt for democracy and and popular Labour Party Government of Premier Robert Llewelyn unprotected thus making it easier for the Anguillians for people and humanity and for God, said Bradshaw. to occupy and control it. Premier Bradshaw was to be Astaphan.” On the eve of the 38th anniversary of this treasonous crime, the then captured alive and brought to Anguilla and Reuben During his 15 years as a Government Minister, Minister of National Security in the Denzil Douglas Labour Party Gumbs, better know as Rubie was to go on the Mr. Astaphan was the chief spokeman for the Labour Administration, Hon. G. A. Dwyer Astaphan made a statement in the government owned Radio Station ZIZ in St. Kitts and Party on the 10th of June affair and the role PAM National Assembly here, calling on the people of the twin – island announce that a prominent Kittitian was the new played in their desperate attempt to gain power at all Federation to be on their guard, admonishing them strongly “to remember Premier. and any costs. and never forget the 10th of June, 1967.” Astaphan read another excerpt from the book And he was very passionate about it. The following is the full text of the statement made by Minister which indicated that the boat which left Anguilla for He was also the Government and Party’s fiercest Astaphan on Thursday, 4thJune 2005: - St. Kitts on June 9th 1967 had on board two machine critic of the PAM party and was very brutal in his “Madame Speaker, I want to issue a word of caution to the people guns, two submachine guns, four M1 rifles, four attack on the PAM misleaders, past and present, of this country. Be on your guard. And I mean all the people of this carbines, six .25 pistols, three .32 pistols, thirty .6 including Billy Herbert, Kennedy Simmonds, Richard country, St. Kitts and Nevis, because if St. Kitts sneezes, Nevis is going rifles and six 303 rifles, teargas, teargas guns, masks, “Massa” Caines, Consie Mitcham, Lindsay Grant, to catch a cold and if Nevis sneezes, St. Kitts is going to catch a cold. a pretty fair amount of dynamite and detonators and Shawn Richards and Eugene Hamilton. We are talking about a people, whose traditions are steeped in the Anguillians took along extra guns and ammunition He said PAM is an organization which has utter lawlessness and spoil bratishness and disrespect and take up what to give to their Kittitian counterparts. contempt and disregard for law and order; utter they want by not waiting for the time to get it, Astaphan told the Another paragraph said that the Peoples Action disregard and contempt for democracy and for lawmaking body. Movement collaborators in St. Kitts gave the people, humanity and for God. Madame Speaker, I am cautioning all of us; the police officers, the impression, we were going to meet half of St. Kitts And, he warned the country and workers to Defense Force, all of the people of this country who are the observers of there waiting on us to help them fight, but nothing beware of PAM. PAM was an anti – working class peace, said the Minister of National Security, who noted that a General like that took place. Thats the impression that we left organization whose modus operandi was “what we Election was held six months ago in October 2004. Anguilla with, but when we got to St. Kitts, there was can’t control, we’ll destroy.” People want to challenge some of the results, that is their right. The no evidence of local support. Labour supporters were encouraged by Mr. CARICOM and Commonwealth observers who came to monitor the The attackers at the Defense Force camp hurriedly Astaphan to shun PAM and stick with Douglas and elections, said the results reflected the will of the people of the country, make for its destruction when one of the leaders of the the Labour Party. said Astaphan, a third term Parliamentarian, who warned: Anyone coup, a Kittitian, who transported the men to the camp, He charged that PAM was an evil and power – who is contemplating any kind of treasonous or distabilising type of on loading the battery for igniting the dynamite, hungry gang and he exhorted all comrades to stay activity will have to understand that the consequences will be grave. exclaimed, Lord too many innocent souls going dead. in their lane and keep out of harm’s (PAM’S) way. I remember the fore day morning of the 10th June 1967 as if it This angered one of the American mercenaries who Today, Mr. Astaphan has as his deputy in his so happened this morning.