Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar yesterday apologised to members of the local media after reports that they were debarred by officials from the Chinese delegation.
She spoke to the media at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, St Ann’s following a luncheon hosted by the President of China Xi Jinping who was on a three-day visit to the country.
Following the luncheon the Prime Minister came out and promptly apologised: “My apologies but this luncheon was hosted by His Excellency it is not our doing in terms of who could attend and who could not attend. We did not mean to keep you outside.”
Persad-Bissessar’s apology came after reports that a local videographer was denied entry to the luncheon despite other regional and international media houses gaining full access. The videographer was reportedly told that no “Third World reporters” were allowed to enter.
Moments later Director of Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Communications, Gideon Hanoomansingh told members of the media that what was really said was no “Third Party” was allowed.
Later at President Xi’s departure at Piarco International Airport a Chinese videographer had to be physically removed from the red carpet after ignoring directions which barred him from walking along the red carpet.
While the official visit saw heads of state interacting with each other with diplomacy and respect, the media saw an entirely different setting. Chinese and local photographers jostled each other for the best shot with one local photographer saying he had to “elbow one” in order to get his job done.
President Xi and his wife First Lady Madame Peng Liyuan however left the country at 6.35 p.m. without a glitch.
At 6.21 p.m. the front door of the Chinese B-2472 plane was closed. Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force marched off to the instrumentals of Bunji Garlin’s “Differentology”.
At 6.35 p.m. President Xi, his wife and entourage said zai jian (goodbye) to Trinidad and Tobago as they set off to Costa Rica then Mexico and finally the US.
Source-TEN
