Armed members of the Defence Force yesterday took up temporary posting at the Chaguanas North Secondary School, after it was reported that the school would come under attack from gang members in the community.

The soldiers, who happened to be at the school on another matter yesterday, volunteered to offer the “extra security” after a report that a gun attack was to be executed on a teacher, security personnel and students. The attack was to be executed by warring gangs in the area who were dressed as students. The attackers had been asked by students of the school who were part of the gangs to carry out the attack as a planned act of revenge following a recent incident at the school.

After the police, Ministry of Education and T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) were notified, the school was dismissed at 9 am. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon was also notified of the situation and expressed deep concern. 

Ministers in the Ministry of Education, Anthony Garcia and Lovell Francis, and TTUTA members held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and held a press conference at Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, to discuss the matter.

TTUTA president Devanand Sinanan said a parent on her way to the school was flagged down by a student who alerted her to the situation. He said the day before a student had been charged by the police and another student was given a “buss head,” adding he believed revenge came into play and school uniforms were given out to “those not in the school” to carry out the deadly attack against the staff and students.

“The plan to execute a gun attack today on a teacher and security officers on the premises resulted in army presence on the compound and an early dismissal,” he said.

He said it was a mere coincidence that a parent who was a member of the Defence Force had also gone to the school to get a report card and was notified of the situation by the parent who was flagged down earlier. The soldier parent immediately volunteered, along with some of his colleagues who were also present, to provide security until the Chaguanas police were alerted.

Sinanan said classes at the school were also suspended this past week due to a spate of threats and violence perpetrated by students who had links to gang members. He said students who are members of gangs sprayed the wall with graffiti with the words “Rasta City” and “Muslims” and many of them scaled the wall, lined with razor wire, to gain access to the compound when they were not allowed through the gate.

Sinanan said there were also reports of drugs and guns being taken onto the compound by the students, and police have been called in continuously due to reports of physical and verbal abuse against the teachers and there were even parts of the compound where teachers were afraid to go. Furthermore, he said, the principal had been instructed by the police officers at the Chaguanas Police Station that she should not make any more reports there or take students involved in violence there.

He said security at the school was reduced over a year ago and this was the main reason for the increased indiscipline at the school. 

“They should install more cameras, the return of a second safety officer, more levels of support from the police and we are asking for the temporary removal of students displaying violent and indisciplined behaviour linked to gang activity and posing a threat,” he said.

Sinanan said the association would like to see some semblance of order restored and normalcy returned to the school.

He, however, said he admired the teachers who were there on a daily basis amidst the threats to their lives. 

“There is gang activity playing itself out and this gang activity is external to the school.”

He called for Out of School Suspension Centres in Caroni so the students would not just be sent home but ministry personnel could intervene.

“They are not getting the level of support when they should,” he said.

Minister Garcia said MTS security personnel will now be keeping a strong security presence at the school for as long as necessary. He described the issue as “frightening, an ugly scourge and serious,” adding the spate of indiscipline at schools was ongoing.

But Garcia pledged that students who did not behave would be facing the full brunt of the law and indiscipline would be dealt with.

“We will do everything to end this scourge in our schools. We have to put our heads together to eradicate indiscipline in our schools,” he said, adding schools should be places of safety and gang warfare at the school was a cause of great concern.

Garcia said he planned to visit the school on Tuesday at 9 am but classes would resume on Monday.

Contacted yesterday, Central Division head, Snr Supt Jayson Forde, said the information was new to him and he refused to comment on the issue. However, officers at the Chaguanas station last night confirmed they had received a report of the violence at the school.

Relatives of Central car dealer Sheron Sukhdeo were yesterday successful in their third attempt at securing bail for him.

Sukhdeo was released from prison shortly before midday after the paperwork for the bail postings were processed by a clerk of the peace.

Sukhdeo appeared before a Chaguanas magistrate at the Tunapuna Magistrates Court on Wednesday on assault charges. 

He was charged with assaulting his wife, Rachael Sukhdeo, on two occasions last week, after officers from the Chaguanas Police Station arrested him on Tuesday at his businessplace, then executed a search warrant at his home. 

Sukhdeo subsequently spent the past two nights in jail as bail was not processed.

Passengers on board the T&T Express yesterday thanked God they were able to arrive at the Scarborough Port in Tobago safely, after one of the vehicles on the car deck caught afire.

The incident occurred just over an hour into the voyage from Trinidad en route to Tobago.

The sailing was initially scheduled for 10 am but was postponed to 1.30 pm. But the vessel didn’t actually begin sailing to Tobago untill about 2.08 pm.

However, as the vessel hit open water an announcement was made on the PA System for the driver of PBW 7460, a BMW SUV, to attend to their vehicle immediately. That call was made again several minutes later, but this time for the driver to check in with the information desk.

It was not until shortly before 4 pm that boat workers were seen feverishly attempting to extinguish the blaze with a fire extinguisher. It is believed the fire started in the vehicle’s engine.

Just after 5 pm, as the boat was docking in the Tobago Port and drivers along with their accompanying passengers were asked to go down to the car deck, passengers close to the vehicle saw the BMW’s bonnet was scorched. The strong stench of smoke and burnt plastic dominated the deck, causing the passengers who were milling around to stop and look on curiously. The damaged vehicle was also under the watchful eyes of a port police officer.

It is not certain what caused the fire and the incident is said to be under investigation.

A worker, who wished not to be identified, subsequently said his colleagues did their best to contain the blaze and extinguish it before it caused an explosion.

“The lives of hundreds of people were saved and scores of vehicles saved also. We had very rough seas but we do not know what caused the BMW to catch on fire,” the worker said.

A passenger, who identified himself as Bob from Chaguanas, described the incident as frightening, but thanked God that no major disaster took place.

Efforts to reach an official from the TT Port Authority for comment were unsuccessful yesterday.

There may be widespread fear about the Zika virus among some 17,000 pregnant women in T&T who may be at risk due to the virus, now in T&T, Opposition MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh said in Parliament yesterday.

Gopeesingh gave the figure as he requested and obtained approval for MPs to debate the Zika issue as a matter of urgent national importance. 

The Zika virus is borne by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and is not related to influenza or “flu”, Dr David Bratt clarified yesterday. 

T&T’s first Zika case was confirmed on Wednesday. The patient is a 61-year-old Diego Martin woman who had travelled to New Zeland and returned home recently. 

Her residential neighbourhood was sprayed by Insect Vector Control Division units yesterday. There have been fears in Brazil and other countries that the virus might be linked to microcephaly (occurrence of abnormally small heads and brains in newborns) and possibly the Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which causes muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. But confirmed links are yet to be proved.

Gopeesingh requested the debate since he noted that Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh had described the issue as a public health emergency matter and that view had been echoed by Prime Minister Keith Rowley at the recent Caricom Inter-Sessional meeting in Belize. 

Gopeesingh said the situation required dedicated protocols and was of great public importance due to widespread fear, especially concerning the risk to T&T’s pregnant population.

House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George said she was satisfied the matter qualified for debate as a matter of urgent national importance. She called for all who supported debate on the matter to stand. All Opposition MPs present stood. But the Government MPs all remained seated.

Earlier in the session, Deyalsingh said total statistics from 2015 showed that 3,550 Caesarean sections were done by specialist medical officers (SMO) and consultants at public hospitals and 38 per cent were done by SMOs. 

He said no one was happy with the figures and the latter number had risen to 50 per cent under the current administration. He said the report of the Winston Welch team appointed to review regional health authorities would say if consultants have made an impact on the figures. That team reports in April.

Government is moving to amend legislation to impose stiffer fines and longer imprisonment time against citizens guilty of non-compliance with required protocols for Zika and other health issues.

This is according to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, during his contribution to yesterday's urgent debate in the House of Representatives on a motion by Opposition MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh on the Zika public health emergency in T&T.

Al-Rawi later told reporters that he had reviewed the existing regulations and proposes to increase the fine up to a maximum of $3,500. The current fine is $500, he added.

Al-Rawi said consideration is also being given to increasing the prison term for non-compliance of citizens.

“This is a matter which I intend to take to the Cabinet and once the Cabinet considers the position we will very shortly be bringing forward a policy which will become law,” he told reporters.

“We think it is important to look at all avenues to motivate compliance with the laws of T&T, particularly on an issue as serious as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever,” he said, adding that “it is about time that we use every bit of weaponry in our arsenal as a nation.”

Earlier during the urgent debate on Zika, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh in his contribution to the debate gave a detailed account of what had been done since the first Zika case was confirmed by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha) at 2.30 pm on Wednesday.

He said the County Medical Officer of Health visited the patient—a 61-year-old woman who lives in Diego Martin—and her immediate family. He said blood investigations were done on all her immediate family and family who did not live close to her.

He said the protocols also dictated “that we go to her work place, which we did, (and) no symptoms were displayed by any of her colleagues.”

Deyalsingh said insect vector officers visited the area in Diego Martin area at 6.30 am on Thursday. He said perifocal inspections were done at 252 houses. He said the 43 houses which were locked on that day were visited yesterday and the exercise was completed. He said three of the houses inspected were found to be positive for Aedes aegypti larvae. 

“Samples have been taken away for testing to see if the larvae are positive for Zika,” he told legislators.

Deyalsingh said the Government had implemented the full WHO (World Health Organization) protocols to deal with Zika. 

“The protocols to protect all citizens—man, woman, child—have been developed by the Ministry of Health since December 29, last year. They were practised in Bagatelle and in Penal and they are now into full swing.”

He said he could assure citizens that “no stone is being left unturned to protect all 1.3 million people against Zika.”

In presenting the urgent motion, Gopeesingh said he had information of two suspected cases of Zika in Central Trinidad.

The Police Service Commission (PSC) should examine the role of police officers undertaking multimedia presentations since this has serious consequences regarding discipline in the conduct of police duties, Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal says.

Moonilal did so in yesterday’s Parliament session, saying the PSC should examine the issue of police officers hosting television shows sponsored by the police. It appeared to be a reference to Tuesday’s clash between Beyond the Tape host Inspector Roger Alexander and Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne. The former ended up arresting the latter.

Moonilal also charged that a government minister had gone to an institution and attempted to influence the audit of a certain matter and “...the Attorney General is aware of it and does nothing....” he added. He said there is a “disquiet” in T&T on the “creeping way” Government was trying to control matters, even taking away the authority of the Parliament to see about its Red House building.

Moonilal was speaking in debate on the nomination of attorney Dinanath Ramkissoon (vice president - National Infrastructure Development Co) to the PSC. Ramkissoon, who began his career as a police detective, holds degrees in the field of law and associated fields, has fingerprint expertise, and was a state prosecutor, legal officer, and criminal law lecturer. Moonilal said Ramkissoon was highly qualified, but the Opposition had concerns that when such a person made the sacrifice to offer themselves for public office, the very executive that nominated them might undermine their role.

Calling for the government’s commitment to strengthening the PSC and providing it with resources, he also sought an explanation of the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) proposed Police Management Authority (PMA) and whether this might weaken the PSC, duplicate it, or supersede its authority. Moonilal said the planned PMA suggested lack of government confidence in the PSC. Finance Minister Colm Imbert, piloting Ramkissoon’s nomination, said he wouldn’t attach any credibility to Moonilal’s “sudden interest in police shows” since the Beyond the Tape programme had been aired under the former People’s Partnership administration. “You went on the programme,” he told Moonilal. 

Although they have been operating without formal paper retail marketing licences since 2010, service station operators are compliant with the laws of T&T.

This is the position of the T&T Petroleum Dealers’ Association (PDA) in response to statements by Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre that 136 service stations are operating illegally. 

The minister, who raised the issue at the official opening of the St Christopher’s Taxi Cab Co-Operative Service Station on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, on Thursday, said the State was giving the operators six months to regularise their status.

However, PDA president Derek Joseph, in a statement yesterday, rejected the minister’s claim that members of the group have been operating illegally. 

He said Olivierre’s statement implied that the T&T National Petroleum Marketing Company Limited (NP) “has been and continues to aid and abet operators who do not possess valid retail marketing licenses, in contravention of the Petroleum Act 1969 Chapter 62.01.”

Joseph said service station operators continued to pay the annual licence fees, as well as receive and pay for product invoices from NP. They also paid taxes, filed annual returns to the Ministry of Finance and continued to provide fuel to the motoring public, he added.

He referred to a July 2014 ruling by Justice Carol Gobin in a matter between service station operators Adesh and Prakash Maharaj and the minister of energy in which she determined that they did in fact have de facto retail petroleum marketing licences despite not being in possession of paper retail licences. 

“The learned judge in fact clarifies that petroleum filling station operators are not operating illegally,” he said.

Joseph also referred to an affidavit submitted to the High Court by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs in an ongoing matter which states: “In or about mid-2010, the then Minister of Energy and Energy Affairs determined that the terms and conditions of the retail marketing licences were inadequate to properly regulate the retail of petroleum products. 

“The Honourable Minister directed the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs to review and revise the licensing instrument. 

“As a result of this direction, applications for licences which were submitted to the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs were withheld pending the review exercise. 

“Service Station operators nevertheless continued to pay the fees and charge for the renewal of their retail marketing licences. In July 2013, the new form of the retail marketing licence was submitted to the Cabinet for approval. The Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs is still awaiting Cabinet approval.”

Joseph said the PDA was calling on the ministry to continue the consultation process and to issue the licences immediately in accordance with the Petroleum Act 1969 Chapter 62.01.

Samples from two other people, a mother and son, have been taken to determine if they are also carriers of the Zika virus.

The results are expected to be known by next Monday.

The announcement was made by Chief Medical Officer Dr Clive Tilluckdharry at a press briefing held by the Ministry of Health at its office in Park Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Tilluckdharry said the woman, a 60-year-old teacher, and her son, both from Central, had displayed symptoms of the virus.

Samples were taken on Wednesday and sent for testing.

“I myself had to take samples of two persons from the Freeport area to Carpha (Caribbean Public Health Agency) for testing.

“The person had headache, chills, rash which she got last Saturday...like measles on her face and abdomen because Zika in some cases presents like measles. I personally think it is more chikungunya than Zika but I am awaiting confirmation.

“One of her sons was ill the week before and had to get IV fluids by a GP (general practitioner). Within two days he returned and had to get another set of IV fluids,” Tilluckdharry said.

He said the private doctor who presented the sample which resulted in the first confirmed case of Zika in the country was well aware that the Aedes aegypti mosquito was also the carrier of the dengue and chikungunya viruses.

“The particular patient had joint pains followed by fever with a rash distributed mainly in the lower abdomen. You also get this with chikungunya,” Tilluckdharry added.

In giving an update on that patient who is from Diego Martin, he said the 61-year-old victim who had recently travelled to New Zealand was now “well and fully” recovered.

Other family members who had visited the home were also well and neighbours who were also checked were deemed free of the virus, Tilluckdharry said.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh yesterday corrected statements previously made that New Zealand was Zika free.

“In retrospect that is not exactly true. New Zealand is a country free from the Aedes aegypti mosquito. But they do have some cases of imported Zika from neighbouring Pacific islands,” Deyalsingh said

On whether the woman could have contracted the virus while in New Zealand, Tilluckdharry said the woman who had made stops in Chicago and Fort Lauderdale became symptomatic on February 10, which was about 16 days after she returned from New Zealand.

“Incubation period for the Zika virus is between three to 12 days so it is highly unlikely that this patient picked up the virus in New Zealand; so it is most likely a local case so there may be other cases,” Tilluckdharry said.

He said it was difficult to produce a vaccine for the Zika virus as the Aedes aegypti mosquito was also the carrier of dengue and chikungunya. 

“The Aedes aegypti is well distributed throughout T&T so we are well susceptible to the Zika virus.

“Just like dengue and chikungunya, Zika presents headache, fever, joint pain with a rash, in some cases red eyes, vomiting and diarrhoea. So it’s non-specific,” Tilluckdharry said.

He urged that all vector-borne diseases be gotten rid of by eradicating the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

On whether the ministry was warning women not to get pregnant, Deyalsingh said this remained a personal decision.

He said the ministry has ramped up its inspection and fogging exercises throughout the country.

Giving himself a performance rating of seven out of ten, Congress of the People (COP) leader Prakash Ramadhar says he will take to his grave the public perceptions that under his leadership the party lost its identity and confidence.

Ramadhar said this while explaining his decision to resign as COP leader on April 24.

He spoke to reporters in the lobby of the Parliament, Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain.

“So I take it (blame), I will carry it to my grave,” he stressed, adding that the People’s Partnership (PP) government brought many benefits to the people of T&T.

Ramadhar made it clear that he was not resigning as a member of the party and that he will continue to serve his St Augustine constituency. 

“So the issue of whether I should demit as MP for St Augustine, the constituents will determine that,” he said.

Asked whom would he take directions from on voting in Parliament, Ramadhar said while an MP takes directions from his party, the COP always allowed MPs to “act with what you consider best, taking the views of your party, but you must exercise your personal discretion and conscience on matters. So I remain open.”

He said he rejected calls for his resignation after the People's Partnership government was defeated in general elections on September 7 because he did not want it to appear that he was being chased out of office. 

“That must never happen,” adding that his decision to give up the leadership now was “a deliberate and voluntary exercise in my discretion as political leader to call early elections.”

Ramadhar was elected in 2015 and his term was constitutionally due to expire in 2017. His announcement to resign on Wednesday came a year ahead of the elections.

COP sources said Ramadhar had become disenchanted with the continuing criticism and “badgering” that dogged his tenure with the PP government and after the general election. Ramadhar had been the COP’s second leader since succeeding former COP leader Winston Dookeran in 2011 and gained a second term in 2014 in a battle with his former chairman Carolyn Seepersad, who had been supported by Dookeran.

Ramadhar said he was seeking to have not only elections for a new political leader of the party on April 24 but also national executive elections. He said he decided to tender his resignation now because there was need for the party to stabilise itself after the election defeat, with him being the only COP member who was re-elected on September 7.

He said despite criticisms by some while he was in the PP government, he remained to ensure the then government remained intact.

Ramadhar said he was “not abdicating my responsibility to my party or the country and therefore the COP will have a voice in the Parliament.”

He also said the COP “needed some level of change.”

Responding to claims from many that he was responsible for the party's defeat at the polls, Ramadhar said, “If that is so I will take that responsibility.”

He said, however, the last government did “tremendous good” during its term despite claims of corruption. He said there has been no evidence to support those claims.

Ramadhar said he did not have the full support of many of the COP membership. “It was a huge disappointment for me to see my party and members before the (Sept 7) elections campaigning for and with the PNM and celebrating on election night at Balisier House and calling themselves COP.”

He said he was not prepared to endorse any candidate for the position of political leader.

Although T&T continues to suffer low quarterly revenues, San Fernando West MP Faris Al-Rawi has signalled his intention to ensure that “San Fernando gets its turn at the table.”

Addressing the launch of Spanish and cuatro classes by the Venezuelan Embassy at the San Fernando City Hall on Thursday night, Al-Rawi, who is also the Attorney General, said San Fernando has waited too long to get what it deserves.

“I can say quite openly that I have made a huge plea to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and the Cabinet of T&T to allow San Fernando its turn at the table, because we have waited for a very long time, patiently and civilly, to get that which we deserve as a city to see.”

Al-Rawi also vowed to deliver on his election promises, which included work on the long-awaited San Fernando Waterfront Development Project. 

Al-Rawi said the glass was half full as he has already approached Rowley and the Cabinet on the possibilities for improved parking, health care and home ownership opportunities for southerners.

However, while promising exciting times in the months ahead, he expressed some caution, saying success would depend on the next fiscal year. A mid-year review of the budget is expected in March in the midst of continuing low-energy prices and higher costs of doing business with the US currency. 

He said a survey would be done to deal with unemployment and underemployment issues and very shortly a polling division by polling division consultation would take place on the ground in his San Fernando West constituency. 

“There are 55 polling divisions and we intend, on most Wednesdays, to be on the ground, in the communities, hearing from the communities to ascertain their needs and concerns.

“We intend to bring some significant life back to San Fernando. I can tell with great pleasure that the Waterfront Project is about to slingshot and that housing is fast on the ground. 

There are a number of housing projects earmarked for positioning and we are doing an in-depth social survey, trying to deal with the underemployment and unemployment issues in terms of connecting employment opportunities with unemployment and underemployment issues.”

He said high on the agenda was the San Fernando General Hospital, as well as its parking and circulation issues. 

He said the best way to weather the current economic environment was by cutting excess, while appreciating jobs and employment opportunities. He added that community spirit and volunteerism were also key to getting work done.

“There are a number of community projects that we are going to be driving, a number of local government issues that we are going to be driving, but to have ownership and success, it requires community participation. You don’t want to deliver something to a community that the community does not want or does not like and that is the intention behind the exercise.”

An official police report was yesterday made against the arresting officer in an incident which saw Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne being arrested outside the home of Central car dealer Sheron Sukhdeo.

Alleyne was arrested and charged last Tuesday by rival television presenter, Insp Roger Alexander, after Alleyne visited Sukhdeo’s Orchard Gardens, Chaguanas, home and attempted to go inside while police were about to conduct a search of the property.

The incident between Alleyne and Alexander was captured by a CNC3 cameraman and footage was shown of Alleyne being body-slammed against the businessman’s vehicle, which was parked at the side of the road.

Yesterday, Alleyne’s attorney, Gerald Ramdeen, after an hour-long meeting inside the Chaguanas Police Station, told reporters they felt “it was the proper thing to do. We encountered some challenges at first, but Mr Alleyne made a statement as to what transpired from the moment he was wrongfully arrested to the time he was charged,” stated Ramdeen, who was initially stopped outside the station by a uniformed police officer.

Ramdeen said they first had to indicate the reason for their visit before being allowed into the station. The officer, he said, indicated that he had been instructed to allow only people filing official reports.

“I and my client have attended numerous police stations across this country and I myself can say I have never encountered the public being barred to enter any station or being asked to state their business outside on the compound before being allowed in,” he said.

Initially, Ramdeen said his presence had been objected to by officers, but after an amicable meeting Alleyne’s report was taken by PC Moore. 

Also present during the station visit was Inspector Harry. Alleyne’s cameraman, Russel Basdeo, was also allowed in.

Ramdeen told the media that he objected to the involvement of a particular officer, as he was allegedly responsible for video-taping and uploading footage of Alleyne in a cell at the station on the day of his arrest.

That video also went viral on social media. Ramdeen said an official complaint was made to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) regarding those claims and the officer in question had been named.

Ramdeen also questioned the decision by the T&T Police Service (TTPS) not to launch an investigation. He, however, acknowledged that the PCA was statutorily barred from probing the matter while proceedings were before the courts. President of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Anand Ramesar, has since called for an investigation into the incident. Ramdeen said Alleyne would be using the entire incident to lobby against police brutality in the country.

When asked about additional footage making the rounds on social media, in which Alleyne could be heard using obscene language, the talk show host called for the public not to be “distracted” from the real issue.

“The real issue, regardless of video and footage, is police brutality. I am no different from the man on the Beetham, Gonzales, Arima, anywhere else in this country. I will make this my personal cause to make sure police brutality stops now. It’s me today, tomorrow it could be you, your son, your daughter, anyone,” Alleyne said.

Basdeo also meanwhile denied a media report that he was the only person who had a recording in which Alleyne was heard using obscene language.

“I have heard of this rumour and am in the process of taking legal action. What has been said is totally untrue and there is no evidence to support those statements,” Basdeo said.

Three police officers, including a woman police constable, have been transferred out of the Central Division’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in an apparent fallout over the recent arrest of businessman Sheron Sukhdeo.

The officers, two of whom were assigned to the CID for the past six years and the other who was recently assigned to the shift, were told of their transfer by the Division’s Snr Supt Jayson Forde at about 5 pm on Friday, the Sunday Guardian was told.

According to a senior police officer, the transfer stemmed from an allegation made by a police sergeant attached to the Court and Process staff, which was also backed up by an SRP sergeant from a Patrol Unit, in relation to how Sukhdeo was processed after his arrest.

The source said both sergeants apparently had objections to Sukhdeo being taken into the CID office subsequent to his arrest last Tuesday.

“Those officers allegedly formed the view that Sheron was given a certain treatment,” the source said.

When asked if it was special treatment to make Sukhdeo comfortable, all the police source would divulge was that the treatment was “just the process and general policing they (the three officers) were performing with Sheron.”

The police source said the decision to transfer the officers also strangely came hours after Sukhdeo was released on bail.

Sukhdeo, of Orchard Gardens, Chaguanas, was charged with assault after his wife, Rachael, posted photographs showing cuts and bruises she allegedly sustained due to an alleged recent domestic violence abuse incident.

On Wednesday, Sukhdeo appeared before a Chaguanas magistrate at the Tunapuna Magistrates Court. He was granted $85,000 bail, but his relatives were not able to get the final paperwork from the clerk of the peace until Friday. This delay cost Sukhdeo two nights behind prison walls.

When the news of the domestic violence abuse surfaced in the public domain, allegations also surfaced about Sukhdeo’s alleged close and friendly relations with some officers assigned to the Central Division, specifically the Chaguanas Police Station.

Meanwhile, Speak Out T&T yesterday expressed concern for the life of Sukhdeo’s wife after viewing a social media post which dealt with the issue.

The activist group said it had been monitoring social media activity and was disturbed by a post which featured comments under a photo of what looked like a semi-automatic gun in someone’s lap. 

Speak Out T&T called on people to share the post to make the police aware of it.

In this period of recession and economic downturn, the Government has to find $5.4 billion in the coming months to bring to completion four major health facilities that are under construction.

The task will be daunting, but chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott), Noel Garcia, asserts that completing these public health institutions is imperative in order to expand and improve the country’s healthcare services.

Of the four institutions—the National Oncology Centre (NOC), Point Fortin Hospital, Couva Children’s Hospital and the Arima Hospital—Garcia admitted that the long-awaited NOC, which comes with a $700 million price tag, was faced with problems.

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian alongside Udecott’s chief operating officer Abena Richards, Garcia recently gave an update on the NOC, which he said has been hindered by ongoing delays and issues.

Promising that this project will be completed next year, Garcia said one bugbear was implementing legislation to deal with radiation which will be administered to treat cancer patients. He said the Government has to bring special legislation “to deal with the radiation. There is the whole issue of the cyclotron (a machine used to accelerate charged particles to high energies). There is an issue of the cost of the equipment. There are a number of issues that we are working closely with the Ministry of Health, the contractor and Udecott to resolve. Hopefully we will resolve those very soon.”

Asked the overall cost of the NOC project, Richards replied, “My estimate is probably around $700 million.”

When the sod for the NOC was turned in 2007 under then minister of health John Rahael, the project was estimated to cost US$24 million ($144 million) by contractor EllisDon Consulting, a Canadian-based firm.

Nine years later, the project has ballooned to $700 million and is still outstanding. This is some $556 million more taxpayers will have to fork out.

Construction of the NOC is being undertaken by French contractor Bouygues Batiment T&T Construction Company (BBTTCC).

Garcia described the government’s health projects as “frightfully expensive.”

In outlining the cost of each health project under Udecott’s control, Garcia said the Point Fortin Hospital was estimated to cost $1.6 billion. Construction of the Arima Hospital comes with a price tag of $1.4 billion, while the Couva Children’s Hospital, which was budgeted at $1.7 billion, is expected to be wrapped up in March. Work at the Arima and Point Fortin hospitals had reached five per cent. He said the Couva Hospital was 97 per cent complete, adding that halting work on the facility “does not arise.” 

When Garcia tallied the expenditure for the four projects, the figure amounted to $5.4 billion.

“We are talking about $5.4 billion worth of health projects in a time of recession and economic downturn. That is posing as a real challenge to the minister of finance. 

“How do we carry through with these projects which we inherited? The question is where will the money come from? How do you prioritise? The minister of finance has no intention of stopping work on the Point Fortin Hospital. It is just that we have these budgetary constraints. What the minister is now doing is looking at innovative ways to make sure work on the hospital does not stop.”

He said once these facilities were opened to the public, the Government would also have to find money to operate and maintain them.

“It’s like a balancing act,” Garcia said.

Garcia said, however, that Udecott would trim whatever waste needed to be trimmed.

“This is not the first time we would have to balance the developmental needs to budgetary constraints. Udecott would have to adjust itself, in that where we would get more for less.”

Udecott: $205.4m budget for medical equipment

Udecott’s media, events and community outreach manager Roxanne Stapleton-Whyms, in response to questions about the NOC by the Sunday Guardian, stated that when Udecott took over the project in 2012, $152,339,414.63 had been disbursed to the design consultant and contractor Canada-based Farrow Partnership Architects, which was the initial company hired to design and consult on the project. In 2012, Farrow Partnership Architect was awarded a contract to resume work on NOC but the company subsequently went bankrupt, according to former health minister Dr Fuad Khan.

Stapleton-Whyms said although Udecott was yet to award a contract for the major medical equipment, a $205.4 million budgeted allocation in question was “based on an estimated budget.”

More info

On September 11, 2013, Bouygues Batiment T&T Construction Company (BBTTCC) was awarded the contract to build and outfit the NOC at a cost of $445,183,891 (VAT exclusive).

However, on February 27, 2015, BBTTCC took over responsibility and liability for the design, construction and outfit with minor medical equipment of the project at a revised contract sum of $465,059,791.

To outfit the health facility with major medical equipment was estimated at another $205,400,000, bringing the figure to $670,459,791. 

BBTTCC is the third company contracted to restart work on the NOC project.

NOC background

The NOC will serve as the country’s main treatment facility for cancer, offering a sustainable, comprehensive, state-of-the-art system of cancer control. 

It will offer diagnosis and treatment including a 21-station chemotherapy suite.

Some of the major and minor medical equipment will include linear accelerators and PET/CT scanners, imaging/MRI scanning, diagnostic, radiation with shielded treatment bunkers, HDR brachytherapy, a cyclotron facility, CT stimulation suite, planning, outpatient clinic services, same-day surgical services, biomedical engineering and pharmacy.

NOC features

The centre is a three-storey structure with four radiation treatment bunkers linked to the hospital via walkways. Features of the centre include:

• Establishment of a data bank for tumour reporting and effects of treatment

• Introduction of a quality assessment system for diagnosis, oncology surgery, medical oncology and radiotherapy

• A centralised quality-controlled outpatient unit for chemotherapy 

• Development of integrated psycho-social and palliative care. 

Presi­dent of the Pharmacy Board of T&T Andrew Rahaman claims the National Insurance Property Development Company Ltd (Nipdec) is owing 290 pharmacies millions of dollars for services rendered under the Chronic Disease Assistance Programme (CDAP).

The pharmacies, which have been awaiting payments for the past eight months, are now threatening to withhold services to thousands of CDAP patients until they are paid.

Yesterday, however, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said the issue was never brought to his attention by Rahaman and that the Sunday Guardian was the first to raise the issue. He described the situation as “very disturbing.” 

“I will get to the bottom of this issue. I do have a meeting with Nipdec’s chairman Michael Toney at 6 pm today, so I would certainly raise it with him,” Deyalsingh said.

Deyalsingh could not say how much the pharmacies were owed, however, since he needed to speak with the ministry’s permanent secretary, who would then have to obtain that information from the accounts department. He promised to do so tomorrow. 

However, Deyalsingh complained, “He (Rahaman) just runs to the media for every little thing.” 

Deyalsingh said that he found his ministry in a total mess and he had to fix things one by one.

“It’s a wreck. I am assuring that all matters in the Ministry of Health are sorted out, whether it is maternal deaths, H1N1, Zika. The ministry is just in shambles,” he said.

The minister gave the assurance he had received no formal request from the Pharmacy Board membership or its president on the matter. 

“All stakeholders that have issues to be resolved have always found the ministry ready and willing to meet around the conference table, to enter into meaningful dialogue in an atmosphere geared toward problem solving based on mutual trust, understanding and confidentiality, the hallmarks of successful negotiation,” he said.

Deyalsingh said it was therefore not his intention to enter into a public media discussion with Rahaman or the board’s membership, but he appealed for dialogue on the issue so their concerns could be addressed.

Told that pharmacies have also been dispensing CDAP drugs without signing a 2016 contract with Nipdec, Deyalsingh responded, “All that is news to me.” 

On Friday, Rahaman said collectively the pharmacies “are owed millions of dollars” but could not quantify the sum involved.

Asked what was causing the delay in payments, Rahaman said he believed that Nipdec was short of funds. 

For months, Rahaman said, “some pharmacies have been clamouring to stop dispensing CDAP until they are paid. 

“I have been pleading with them to act in good faith in the hope that the Government pays the money. However, some pharmacies have stopped dispensing CDAP until further notice, because eight months is a long time to be carrying the cost for the Government. I am not aware of any pharmacy that has been paid since June of last year for dispensing CDAP medication.”

In some instances, Rahaman said, “I am aware of pharmacies turning away CDAP patients because they are in somewhat of a protest, while others are on the verge of closure because of the quantity of monies being owed by Nipdec. 

“They (pharmacies) cannot continue to pay their staff. They are dependent on CDAP in providing the service.” Rahaman said despite their making enquiries about the non-payments, answers have not been forthcoming from Nipdec, which recently appointed a new board.

“There was a time a board was in place and the pharmacies were still not being paid,” he claimed, adding that pharmacies were supposed to be paid on a monthly basis.

He said the pharmacies that are contracted by Nipdec provide an essential service to citizens. Nipdec provides the CDAP medication to the pharmacies, which in turn fill the prescriptions for patients. The pharmacies are paid on the basis of the number of prescriptions filled, he explained. Rahaman said Nipdec procures medication for the ministry.

Rahaman also complained that there was a scarcity of drugs at health centres and hospitals by as much as 30 to 40 per cent.

“The quantity the pharmacies have been receiving is not the usual amount. This is always the problem. They never have 100 per cent.”

He said pharmacies have also been absorbing the cost of labelling CDAP medication, which should be paid for by Nipdec.

Owners feel pinch 

​The owner of a Sangre Grande pharmacy, who requested anonymity, yesterday admitted that he was owed a tidy sum.

“Yes, Nipdec owes us money. It’s a lot of money. I have not been paid for the past seven months but we are still filling CDAP prescriptions for CDAP patients,” the owner told the Sunday Guardian.

On a monthly basis, the pharmacy fills between 300 and 400 prescriptions for patients who live in far-flung areas of Sans Souci, Matelot and Toco, the owner said. 

The manager of a Couva-based pharmacy also disclosed that she too had not been paid. “I think Nipdec does not have the money to pay the pharmacies. That is the bottom line,” she said.

She also explained that pharmacies were contracted on a yearly basis by Nipdec, but for 2016 “there has been no binding agreement.” 

Up to late yesterday, Nipdec had not responded to several questions the Sunday Guardian had emailed on Friday. Established in 2003, CDAP provides citizens with free prescription drugs and other pharmaceutical items to combat diabetes, asthma, cardiac diseases, arthritis, glaucoma, mental illness, high blood pressure, enlarged prostate, thyroid diseases, epilepsy, hypercholesterolemia and Parkinson’s disease.

The object of the programme was to reduce the burden on the pharmacies and patients’ waiting time at the public health institutions. 

There are 47 drugs available through CDAP.

A National Gas Company (NGC) sub-contractor was found dead at her home on Friday afternoon by her husband, stabbed several times about the body. 

Angeline Ali, 56, of Papourie Road, Barrackpore, was discovered by her husband Raffick Ali lying motionless on the living room floor and covered in blood around 3 pm on Friday.

Raffick, 55, told police he had last seen his wife alive around 11 am when he went out to run some errands.

Police suspect it may have been a home invasion and robbery as $20,000 was also reported missing from the house. 

Angeline had had a sub-contract with NGC to maintain the grass around NGC pipelines for the past ten years.

Her eldest son, Alan Ali, told the Sunday Guardian yesterday that he was working as a tow-truck driver on Friday when he got the news. 

“I got the news and I came straight home to find out what happened, but I wasn’t allowed to go nowhere near the crime scene,” Alan recounted.

Asked about the suggested motive of robbery for his mother’s murder, Alan said: “It seems it was something like that, but the police are still doing their investigations and haven’t disclosed any information yet.”

He described his mother as an angel and a super mom for the way she took care of him and his two younger siblings. He said her murder had left him angry and scared.

“She was a very loving, caring person. She had no enemies and to know that she was at her home and something like this happened? I am very scared and angry...I hope the police find the people responsible before I do.”

An autopsy is expected to be done at the Forensic Science Centre in St James tomorrow. 

In an unrelated incident, a 29-year-old man was gunned down in Belmont on Friday night.

Police said Jamal George was walking along Joseph Trace, Upper Belmont Valley Road, moments after dropping off his girlfriend around 9.40 pm, when a gunman approached him and shot him several times. He died on the spot.

Meanwhile, a Jonestown, Arima man was killed yesterday. 

According to police, around 1 am residents of King Street, Arima, heard a gunshot but no one investigated. At about 7.30 am, however, the body of Makel Maljobe, 30, was discovered in a pool of blood by a man walking along a footpath near the King Street cemetery. 

The police were notified and a team of officers from the Arima CID, Northern Division Task Force and Homicide Bureau responded. The man appeared to have been shot in the head. Crime scene investigators recovered one spent shell at the scene. 

Investigations into all three incidents are continuing.

The murder toll for the year stood at 71 up to last evening.

A man exhibiting symptoms of the Zika virus was sent home from hospital even after being told by doctors that he may “unofficially” have the virus. 

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian yesterday, the Belmont resident, in his 40’s, said after having a persistent fever for the last two weeks and other symptoms, including a measles-like rash, red eyes and pain behind the eyeballs, he went to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital on Thursday evening.

The man said: “No blood samples were taken from me for testing. The doctors told me that they didn’t have the capabilities to test for the Zika virus, they can only test for dengue fever. They also cannot test for the chikungunya virus and the doctors said based on my symptoms, I obviously had the Zika virus.

“What they told me was that they were not too familiar with the virus as yet. The doctors said they knew that there is no treatment for the virus and they can only treat the symptoms.”

He said he was given Paracetamol, a pain reliever and fever reducer, and his blood pressure was also elevated. He said he was discharged from the hospital early Friday and was given Piriton for his rash, Norgesic for muscle pain and additional Paracetamol for his fever. 

He said the doctors told him his recovery time could be a week based on his health condition, since he had no health complications such as diabetes, was not elderly and his immune system was strong. 

The man said doctors might possibly be sending patients home even though they might have the Zika virus because they didn’t want the disease to spread in the hospital. He said he believed the doctors felt he had the Zika virus because he also contracted the chikungunya virus last year.

The man said this time around he had a high, persistent fever for which the Paracetamol only provided temporary relief. He said when he had the chikungunya virus, he didn’t have red eyes or pain behind the eyeballs, and now he has to take eye lotion every six hours. 

The man said a rash broke out with chikungunya but it was not severe and lasted three days; now he was taking fluids and the rash was clearing up. The man said he was also experiencing pain in his joints, muscles and knuckles, just like the chikungunya virus, with a lingering fever, dizziness and headaches. 

This incident follows confirmation this week of the first recorded case of the Zika virus in the country—a 61-year-old woman from Victoria Gardens, Diego Martin, who tested positive for the virus on Wednesday.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Clive Tilluckdharry announced on Friday that there were also two new suspected cases, a 60-year-old teacher and her son from the Freeport area, who both exhibited symptoms of the virus, including fever, headaches and a measles-like rash. 

Tilluckdharry said their blood samples had been taken for testing and the Ministry of Health was awaiting the results. 

Contacted by the Sunday Guardian yesterday, Dr Tilluckdharry said if the account was true, the patient should not have been sent home without samples taken for testing.

“The policy is blood samples have to be sent to Carpha (Caribbean Public Health Agency) through public health labs. You can’t say orally he has Zika without confirmation,” he said. 

He said at a media conference at the Health Ministry’s office on Friday that the Zika virus presented symptoms similar to dengue and chikungunya.

Tilluckdharry reiterated: “That’s why we need to do blood tests. No one should be going around saying that they have Zika without confirmation by Carpha.” 

Although Diego Martin was identified as “ground zero” for the Zika virus in T&T, having recorded the first official patient diagnosis on these shores, funds allocated to aid in the fight to eradicate its carrier, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, have not yet reached the Diego Martin Regional Corporation (DMRC). 

This was revealed by corporation chair Kathy Christopher yesterday. 

Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Franklin Khan announced last week that the Government had allocated $7 million to the 14 municipal corporations to combat Zika. The DMRC’s budgetary allocation from this was $500,000. 

But while the Ministry of Health’s Insect Vector Control Division started fogging and spraying in St George West areas on Friday, including the Victoria Gardens community of the first patient, a 61-year-old woman, Christopher said they were still waiting for that funding, which will now become more critical with residents in the region calling for more services to clean drains and other areas which are possible breeding sites. 

“We are still waiting for word regarding funding, but we already had plans in place for dealing with Zika since a national emergency was declared on the Zika virus by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh,” Christopher told the Sunday Guardian on Friday after the initial spraying exercise was completed. 

“When the Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Franklin Khan met with all the various corporation chairmen and CEOs at Kent House on January 29, along with the Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh to brief them, they were given a mandate to budget and initiate plans to combat the Zika virus and the corporation met and activated the EOC (Emergency Operation Centre) on January 30.

“The DMRC’s clean-up campaign to eliminate potential breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito includes cleaning and clearing of empty lots, watercourses, drains, collection of bulk waste and tyres and an education drive.”

She said the days from February 4 to 15 were scheduled for clean-up operations in the corporation’s jurisdiction, but they were a couple days behind schedule with the exercise. She said when the corporation executives made the initial schedule they thought funds would have been available to them during the period. She said due to the non-receipt of funds the drive was affected by a resource problem and it was postponed.

Despite this, Christopher said, the corporation expected to complete mopping-up operations of the entire region by Tuesday or Wednesday. She said the DMRC did major clean-ups periodically, such as during the Christmas season, and wished they could do it on a regular basis but they were hampered by a lack of resources. 

Asked about the situation where homeowners were not home when public health officials came to conduct inspections or to spray for Zika, Christopher said residents were concerned about the confirmed case and were now calling the DMRC frequently asking when their areas would be sprayed.

She said the insect vector unit would conduct spraying operations in the neighbourhoods from 4 to 5 am and prior to this residents would be notified by microphone crews the day before. She said they were trying to ensure their clean-up was in sync with the Vector Control Division’s spraying.

Bigger fines a good idea

Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Jehan Ali told the Sunday Guardian that the Government’s proposal to increase the penalties for littering for absentee landlords that let unused property become overrun with grass, as well as for people collecting old tyres and throwing appliances in watercourses that could create potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes, was a good one and could act as a deterrent. 

During his contribution to Friday’s debate in Parliament on the Zika public health emergency in T&T, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the Government was moving to amend legislation to impose stiffer fines and longer imprisonments on citizens guilty of breaching litter protocols for Zika and other health issues.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Al-Rawi said he had reviewed the existing regulations and proposed to increase the fine up to a maximum of $3,500 from the current fine of $500.

Ali, a former head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH), lauded this decision. He said there may be other conditions associated with the Zika virus, such as birth defects and neurological disorders. He said investigations were underway on claims of links with the Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an auto immune condition involving nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis and death and the cases of microcephaly in Brazil, with babies born with abnormally small heads and brains. 

Ali said there have been cases reported of the Zika virus being sexually tranmitted and also via blood transfusion; he said this was not a minor problem facing the country and could escalate. 

A last-minute decision by Vanessa Persad to leave her three-year-old son at home on Friday night may have saved his life.

Persad, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Friday, was supposed to take her son Elijah Aidan George out to dinner with her, but changed her mind at the last minute.

Persad’s boyfriend, a police officer attached to the Penal police station, lost control of his Nissan Frontier pickup and crashed into a concrete embankment as they were returning home from the restaurant. 

The accident took place shortly after 10 pm on Friday along the M1 Ring Road, Golconda. The truck flipped onto its side after hitting the embankment. No other vehicles were involved. The police officer’s name was not given.

The couple both sustained broken legs and Persad, the manager of a furniture store in Penal, has been bleeding internally since the accident.

Her mother, Hemwatie Lumlock, said it was fate that kept her grandson home that night.

“She was going to carry Elijah with them for dinner and last minute she came and told me she don’t think she should carry him again,” Lumlock said. 

“It was meant to be that way, because he so small and tiny I don’t think he would have survived that crash.”

Lumlock said Persad’s right leg was broken in the accident, while her boyfriend’s left leg was broken and his shoulder dislocated. 

Lumlock said she was waiting for an update from doctors at the San Fernando General Hospital on her daughter’s condition. (SR)

T&T internationals Daneil Cyrus and Hughtun Hector have returned to Digicel T&T Pro League club, DirecTV W Connection following stints in the USA and Vietnam, respectively. Cyrus was released from another MLS club Chicago Fire last October after his loan contract expired.

Fire later traded current T&T international and former W Connection star Joevin Jones to the MLS’s Seattle Sounders in January. It was the third stint abroad for Cyrus, an ex-T&T FIFA Under-17 and U-20 player, after representing MLS outfit Sporting Kansas City in 2011 and Vietnam League 1 side Ha Noi T&T in 2014.

Cyrus was available for Connection’s clash with Club Sando yesterday at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium as the Savonetta Boys attempted to capture their maiden Akeem Adams Trophy by winning Round Two of the Digicel Pro League championship. However, Hector, 31, who spent the last five years in Vietnam with spells at V League 1 sides Song lam Nghe An and Hanoi T&T, will not be a number in Connection’s squad today as his transfer is still being processed.

W Connection coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier said while he is happy to have Cyrus and Hector join his already “exceptional” squad of youngsters, he believes both players have the quality to return to the international leagues.

W Connection has already captured two major titles this season, the First Citizens Cup and Toyota Classic, and are two points ahead of rivals and defending league champions Central FC for the Akeem Adams Trophy, which was part of the Couva Sharks seven-title haul last season. Charles-Fevrier also utilised the January/February transfer window to acquire the services of defender/midfielder Paolo Santiago De la Guardia Alvarez of Panama.

The 25-year-old De la Guardia last represented SD Panama Oeste in the Panama Second Division and will help boost the Savonetta Boys roster for the remainder of the season including the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (SCCL) qualifiers.

W Connection launches its quest for a fifth SCCL qualification from Wednesday when it host CS Moulien (Guadeloupe), Inter Moengotapoe (Suriname), and Atletico San Cristobal (Dominican Republic) in Group One of the opening round of the 2016 Caribbean Club Championship at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.

Last season W Connection fell 2-1 in the final against rivals Central FC.

Central FC was initially scheduled to travel to Jamaica this weekend as well, to contest Group Three, but CFU was forced to switch the dates to March as a precautionary measure due to General Elections safety concerns in Jamaica according to Central FC’s director of operations Kevin Harrison.

...Guerra, Gomez seek USA moves
Central FC and T&T creative midfielder Ataulla Guerra, and 19-year-old W Connection right-back Shannon Gomez, are both currently on trials in the USA and are hoping to secure moves abroad.

The 28-year-old Guerra, who had a stint in Finland with Rovaniemen Palloseura (RoPS) in 2013, is seeking his second overseas move but first in North America with Charleston Battery of the US Soccer League (USL)—the third tier of football in USA.

Speaking on the possible move away by Guerra, Central FC Director of Operations, Harrison said, “We would surely miss Guerra if he does secure a deal because he has always been an integral part of the team and the success we have had. 

But we are not interested in standing in the way of any of our players moving abroad to better opportunities.” Gomez, T&T U-20 captain and recent senior team call-up, meanwhile is hoping to impress Arsenal and France legend Patrick Vieira, who serves as coach of Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit, New York City FC, which is co-owned by English Premier League giants Manchester City.

CFU Club Championship

Preliminary Round
Group 1 (Ato Boldon Stadium – Couva, Trinidad)
W Connection (T&T)
Club Sportif Moulien (Guadeloupe)
Inter Moengotapoe (Suriname)
Atletico San Cristobal (Dominican Republic)

February 24
Inter Moengotapoe vs Club Sportif Moulien
W Connection vs Atletico San Cristobal

February 26
Atletico San Cristobal vs Inter Moengo Tapoe
W Connection vs Club Sportif Moulien

February 28
Club Sportif Moulien vs Atletico San Cristobal
W Connection vs Inter Moengo Tapoe

Group 2 (Stade Sylvio Cato – Petion Ville, Haiti)
Don Bosco FC (Haiti)
Somerset Cricket Club (Bermuda)
La Gauloise de Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe)

February 24
Don Bosco FC vs Somerset Cricket Club

February 26
La Gauloise de Basse-Terre vs Somerset Cricket Club

February 28
Don Bosco FC vs La Gauloise de Basse-Terre

Group 4 (Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
Club Atletico Pantoja (Dominican Republic)
America FC (Haiti)
Arnett Gardens FC (Jamaica)
SV Notch (Suriname)

March 2
Arnett Gardens FC vs America FC
Club Atletico Pantoja vs SV Notch

March 4
SV Notch vs Arnett Gardens FC
Club Atletico Pantoja vs America FC

March 6
America FC vs SV Notch
Club Atletico Pantoja vs Arnett Gardens

Group 3 (Montego Bay Sports Complex – Montego Bay, Jamaica)
Montego Bay United (Jamaica)
Scholars International SC (Cayman Islands)
Central FC (T&T)

March 9
Montego Bay United vs Scholars International SC

March 11
Central FC vs Scholars International SC

March 13
Montego Bay United vs Central FC

Final Round: April 29 Semi-Final 1
Winners Group 1 vs Winners Group 4
Semi-Final 2
Winners Group 2 vs Winners Group 3
Finals
May 1

When Wayne Brown ran off the road early yesterday morning, he hit a lamp pole with so  much force, that the engine of his Nissan Medallist car detached and landed about 20 feet away from the vehicle itself. Brown, 24, died at the scene. 

The accident happened around 6.30 am along the Rochard Douglas Road in Barrackpore. Wayne reportedly ran off the road and into a gate and two lamp poles. 

When the T&T Guardian visited Brown’s Gunness Trace, Barrackpore home yesterday, his father, John Wayne Brown, said he had spoken to his eldest child on Saturday about the dangers of speeding on the roadways. There is no official word from police about speeding being the cause, but the elder Brown was sure that it was.

“Just the day before he came home to relax a little in the evening and I told him, ‘Boy you mustn’t drive so hard on the road, where you rushing to go?” Brown said. 

“He tell me he will take his time and drive and a little while later he left.”

He said neighbours who stopped at the scene as soon as the accident happened told him Wayne was alive for a few minutes after the crash.

“The neighbour saw it (accident) and said Wayne was moving his head a little and his feet were outside the car, like he was trying to get out. But the seatbelt was very tight on his neck and it looks as though it choked him...he was also bleeding from the nose.”

“A few minutes passed and the neighbour said he just saw Wayne’s foot go limp.” He said fire officers had to cut the seatbelt from his son’s body before removing his body from the mangled wreck. 

The elder Brown said his son had moved in with his girlfriend a few months ago, but would visit the family home every day.

“He wasn’t staying here right through, but he used to come every day. He leave by the girlfriend to come here this morning and he would have gone to work from here.”

Wayne was employed as a construction worker. His father said he did not know if his son’s car was modified for speed, but he sent out a warning to drivers about speeding.

“Slow down and drive...you are not in a hurry to go anywhere, your life is worth more than that.” He made a call for lawmakers to ban ‘fast’ engines from the roads of T&T. 

“I think they should ban all those fast engines, these roads are not for modified cars, we don’t have roads for that here.”

Brown said he had returned home from Canada, where he works as a grape farmer, on February 2 to spend some time with his family. 

“I only came back about two weeks ago, I don’t even know what bring me back home, it is such a coincidence this happened now.”

An autopsy is to be done this morning at the Forensic Science Centre in St James to determine the cause of death.