Opposition Leader, Tillman Thomas has labelled as very "unfortunate" statements made by Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Patrick Manning of a planned coup in Grenada in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

Thomas the Political Leader of the main opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC) also called on the T&T leader and Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell who made a similar claim to justify their statements on the alleged coup plot.

The allegations surfaced once again last week when Manning was delivering an address in New York where he received his Doctor of Laws degree from the Medgar Evers College.

He stated that there was a plot within the Congress party to overthrow the Mitchell's ruling New National Party (NNP) government following the passage of Ivan.

Stating that Trinidad and Tobago would continue to play a developmental role in the region including peace and stability, Manning told the gathering that the diplomatic intervention of Trinidad and Tobago prevented any thought of disrupting the democratic process on the island following Ivan's devastation.

"When there was talk in Grenada about a threatened coup, the diplomatic intervention that Trinidad and Tobago made notably cleared away those who might have had a hand in it," he told the gathering.

"But while we had no intentions of intervening in the internal affairs of Grenada, with 231 troops in Grenada, we were unlikely to stand idly by (to) see a democratically elected Government of a Caricom country moved by undemocratic means and that put all talk to an end," he said.

In response to the statements, Thomas said that his party is disappointed and shocked that Manning has chosen to make public remarks alleging that he single-handedly thwarted a coup attempt in Grenada three years ago.

The statement was first made public by Manning two years ago at a CARICOM Conference in St Lucia.

Thomas said the fact that Manning can repeat such a statement about a coup plot in Grenada might be a signal of his own anxiety at having "to fight a re-election battle of his own at home".

"It was Prime Minister Mitchell himself who first made the claim, even though the security forces in Grenada said the first time they heard about it was in the news", he added.

"Up to today they have not had reason to investigate any such matter, nor question any one. Simply put, the claim has no foundation, and it was from the start an outright lie by the disgraced Mitchell, that strangely has been only believed by one regional leader ­ Manning of Trinidad and Tobago", he said.

Mitchell had said then he was certain there were people on the island who had such intentions.

Thomas is convinced that Manning is just trying to justify the presence of the more than 200 military troops that were sent to Grenada in an effort to maintain law and order and part of Mitchell's attempt of undermining good governance in Grenada which he believe will eventually fail.

"The people would soon have their say. This long dark night will soon be over," Thomas said.

Prime Minister Mitchell has not responded to the late Manning statement on the issue.