Police deny Chinese singled out for criminal attack

Police officials have denied claims that Chinese nationals are being targeted by criminals. Responding to questions at the daily media briefing at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, Sgt Wayne Mystar said there is no evidence to support this.

He said while crimes continue to be perpetrated against both locals and non-nationals, the Police Service “remained committed to investigating all criminal activities involving nationals, as well as people from other countries that reside here.” Assuring that all investigations are conducted in a fair manner, Mystar said based on police records, there were no official statistics to prove that the Chinese community was under siege.

The questions were raised following concerns expressed by the Chinese Ambassador in the wake of last Thursday’s murder of two Chinese nationals at their business place in Cunupia. Questioned about the large immigrant population in Trinidad, Mystar appealed to the public to report people whom they know to be in the country illegally.

Mystar said the police are working with the Immigration Division to deal with the problem. He called on the public to utilise the 555 or 800-TIPS telephone hotline to report criminal activity. “The police service cannot do it by ourselves and we need the public to act as our eyes and ears in this effort.”

Following the shooting at Tiger’s Chinese Restaurant and Bar, Southern Main Road, Cunupia on July 12, during which Chinese-born businesswoman Wu Xia Hua, 60 and her husband Yang Jiang Hua, 59 were both killed, Mystar said the police had increased patrols and were looking at other ways to improve existing crime-fighting techniques.