Sailor, 71, also fought for human rights

THE EDITOR: The Sunday Newsday of February 4 carried an article Sailing the seas at 71 which described the maritime exploits of Peter Quentrall-Thomas. One of the things that must be numbered among his achievements is that he was the founder of a branch of Amnesty International which held weekly meetings in a small room in the Anglican church on Harris Promenade in San Fernando.

Amnesty International is a human rights organisation that operated by sending letters to the authorities in countries where people were imprisoned because of their ideological beliefs or for any cause that involved their rights.

Every week the group would receive a bundle of notices of prisoners of Conscience sent from the head office and members of the group would be allocated one or two cases. Then letters would be written to the authorities in that country, asking that the prisoner be released since there was no cause for imprisonment.

This was done by groups worldwide, so people held without hope in countries where human rights were trampled on would suddenly realise that hundreds of people from all parts of the world knew of them, as the authorities would suddenly receive torrents of letters enquiring after the particular prisoner.

In those days, the early 1980s, the Berlin wall was still up, and the conflict between communists and capitalists was deadly. Today, many have forgotten how dangerous that ideological struggle was.

The San Fernando group was very successful for a few years. Notable members were Sidi Streetly; who was even more dedicated than Quentrall-Thomas; Dr Allan Mackenzie, then Principal of Naparima Boys College; several students from Presentation College and St Joseph’s Convent; and others such as Sharon Bassarath.

The success of the group was the cause of its downfall. It fell because of people flooding in from outside, looking for positions.

Maybe others who were members of the group and who can recall names better than myself could write a better account of its achievement.

JEAN-ARMAND

DUPLESSIS

Tamana