Carib Scope

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  • ‘Crime is bigger than race and colour’

    ‘Crime is bigger than race and colour’

    A public debate over race, crime and systemic inequality has erupted in Trinidad and Tobago after Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander made targeted comments calling on young Black men to reject a life of criminality. The remarks came in the immediate aftermath of a fatal police shooting of four Black men suspected of carrying out a string of home invasions, putting the long-simmering conversation over how to address crime and racial stereotyping back into the national spotlight.

    In his public address, Alexander urged young Black men to abandon criminal activity, framing collective action within the community as a path to national and familial pride. “To the young black men, life does not revolve around crime and criminality. We must not be seen as a threat to humanity. We can do better than that,” Alexander said, adding that young people should choose to build stable foundations rather than become part of troubling crime statistics.

    But community and academic leaders across the country have pushed back on the minister’s framing, arguing that the conversation about crime must extend far beyond racial targeting to address the underlying systemic and social conditions that drive violent offending.

    Reverend Kwame Clarke was among the first to respond, acknowledging that Alexander had every right to speak publicly on rising crime but emphasizing that the problem is far more complex than surface-level discussions about race allow. “I think that as a minister, it is within his purview to comment on the impact of crime on both the community and in the lives of those involved in criminal activity,” Clarke noted. However, he argued that concentrated economic disadvantage and failing social systems are the true catalysts for criminal behavior, noting that “the issue is more tied to economics and socialisation. It is a fact that communities which are considered oppressed by dysfunctional family structures, little to no income in the home, or insufficient social support infrastructure are the farm houses for gang culture and criminalisation.”

    Clarke added that solving the national crime crisis requires a collective “whole village approach” that brings together all segments of society to contribute resources and solutions to the multifaceted problem, rather than focusing on a single demographic.

    David Muhammed, founder and director of the Black Agenda Project, shared that while he understands the minister’s concern over rising violent crime, he worries that narrowly targeting Black youth reinforces harmful, unfounded stereotypes that paint an entire community as inherently dangerous. He compared the framing to unfair generalizations made against other ethnic groups, such as stereotypical assumptions linking Syrians to drug trafficking or Indo-Trinidadian men to domestic abuse.

    Muhammed also pointed out that the outsized focus on street crime committed by poor Black people often overshadows the far greater economic damage caused by white-collar crime, which is predominantly committed by non-Black Trinidadian citizens. “The impact of white-collar crime by non-Africans still has much more of a consequential effect on our economy than all the crimes committed by poor black people all put together,” he said. He further criticized the repeated politicization of Black youth, noting that politicians from all parties regularly deploy these comments to score cheap political points, with little sincerity behind the calls for change.

    Criminologist Kerron King added his expertise to the debate, arguing that crime statistics should be used to investigate root causes, not to stigmatize an entire group of people. He noted that while Black men are overrepresented as both perpetrators and victims of violent crime in national statistics, the vast majority of young Black men in Trinidad and Tobago never engage in criminal activity. “The vast majority of young black men in our nation are not involved in crime, and whilst it’s true that they are over-represented in violent crime statistics as both perpetrators and victims of violent crime, we must use this statistic to ask why,” King said.

    King outlined multiple well-documented social risk factors that push youth toward crime: poor academic performance, low civic engagement, association with criminally involved peers or family members, and a lack of consistent adult supervision during adolescence. To address these gaps, he called for a sweeping overhaul of the national education system, from primary to secondary school, with a core policy goal of ensuring every child completes secondary education. “We must adopt a policy that no child, boy or girl, must be left behind. Every child will graduate, every child will cross the stage. This should be our mantra. It’s such a low-hanging fruit with such great returns. We’re not too far gone—we just need to be smart on crime and not tough on crime,” King said.

    Rhondall Feeles, president of the Single Fathers Association of Trinidad and Tobago, echoed the critique of the minister’s broad comments, noting that the speech overgeneralized a problem that is specific to gang-related crime, not all Black communities. Feeles pointed out that every ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago is stereotypically linked to specific types of crime: gang-related murder is most often associated with Afro-Trinidadian communities, while domestic murder is more prevalent in Indo-Trinidadian communities, and drug and arms trafficking stereotypes are frequently attached to Syrian and Hispanic communities.

    Crucially, Feeles emphasized that no ethnicity is inherently predisposed to crime, arguing that environmental factors are the primary shaper of criminal behavior. “Someone is not born criminal. If you are in a location where gang affiliation is prominent and strong, and you don’t have the right mentorship and the right person to harness that young mind in a positive way, then you will end up with someone with gang affiliation,” Feeles said. He extended this logic to all types of crime, noting that exposure to domestic abuse cultivates domestic abusers, and growing up around corrupt unethical parents often produces people who engage in white-collar crime.

    Feeles also raised a critical underdiscussed point: the street-level gang members that are the focus of public attention are rarely the ones behind the large-scale importation of illegal weapons and narcotics that fuel gang violence. He argued that focusing solely on Black street gang members ignores the larger transnational criminal networks that supply the weapons driving the violence, many of which are led by people of other ethnicities.

    To truly eradicate crime, Feeles said, the country must focus on preventing the development of criminal minds by transforming vulnerable communities through a collaborative two-pronged approach that pairs state institutions with local non-governmental organizations. This strategy would center on empowering marginalized communities with critical skills: financial literacy, small business development, digital literacy, emotional and psychosocial support, and trade training, giving residents viable alternatives to criminal activity and reducing the systemic conditions that drive offending.

  • Faith and heartbreak on Mother’s Day

    Faith and heartbreak on Mother’s Day

    For Sharon Vasquez-Rochard, this Mother’s Day brings no quiet celebration—only a heavy heart, as she waits by the hospital bed of her 28-year-old son Christon Battersby, a Caribbean Airlines first officer who has remained on life support for nearly 14 months after a catastrophic diving accident. What began as a casual day out with friends in March 2025 turned into an ongoing battle for survival that has tested her family’s resilience, faith, and financial stability, prompting an urgent public appeal for support to access life-changing specialized care abroad.

    The fateful accident unfolded on March 15, 2025, at Tobago’s popular Pigeon Point Heritage Park. Battersby, a resident of Maracas Valley, St. Joseph, was socializing with friends near the jetty when he dove into shallow water and struck his head against an unseen submerged object. He was pulled unconscious from the water immediately by on-duty lifeguards, who began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) right away. Two visiting tourists—Sarah Persson from Sweden and Anna Hospedales from Canada—stepped in to assist with ongoing resuscitation efforts, a moment captured in a widely circulated video that spread across local social media. By the time emergency responders arrived, Battersby had already suffered a broken neck, cardiac arrest, and near-drowning; his heart had stopped beating, he had no pulse, and he was not breathing. Yet the quick action of bystanders saved him long enough to reach care, and he was first transported to Scarborough General Hospital before being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Port of Spain General Hospital, where he has remained ever since, dependent on a mechanical ventilator to breathe.

    In the 14 months that have followed the accident, Vasquez-Rochard says the entire experience has been an unrelenting ordeal that has strained her family in every possible way. “Watching my son fight for his life after such a devastating diving accident in Tobago has been the most painful experience we have ever faced,” she shared in an interview with the *Sunday Express* ahead of this year’s Mother’s Day. Despite the overwhelming severity of his injuries and the emotional drain of more than a year in the ICU, Battersby has never stopped fighting. Vasquez-Rochard says he has already shown small but meaningful signs of progress that keep the family’s hope alive. He can eat normally, shrug his shoulders, and make small voluntary movements of his neck. He remains fully mentally alert, with unimpaired brain function, and is deeply engaged in his own recovery process. “He is fully mentally alert and aware, and very knowledgeable about what is happening to him. He is like a doctor right now,” his mother said.

    Still, his condition remains extremely complex. Prolonged immobility has led to persistent nerve pain, frequent muscle spasms, and progressive muscle atrophy. The advanced, integrated neurological and physical rehabilitation he needs to make meaningful recovery is not available in any single local medical facility. Two specialized international centers—one in Panama and one in Colombia—have evaluated Battersby’s case and confirmed they can provide the comprehensive care he requires, including intensive physical therapy, respiratory rehabilitation, neurological therapy, and mobility training tailored specifically for high cervical spinal cord injuries. When factoring in treatment costs, travel, accommodation, medical equipment, and ongoing rehabilitation, the total price tag comes to more than US$400,000 (equivalent to roughly TT $2.72 million), a sum far beyond what Battersby’s family can cover on their own. Insurance coverage has not materialized as the family expected, forcing them to turn to public fundraising. Vasquez-Rochard launched a GoFundMe campaign, alongside a dedicated bank account for direct donations, to raise the required funds in time to begin treatment as soon as possible. “I believe timely, specialised care at an international institution can maximise his chances of recovery, independence and quality of life,” she said.

    For the family, every small improvement is a milestone worth celebrating. Battersby has already been able to speak briefly through a tracheostomy valve, shown improvements in sensory function, and demonstrated consistent small neurological responses to stimulation. “These are small steps, but they give us hope,” Vasquez-Rochard said. “Every small improvement is a victory for us and a reminder that progress is still possible. With God’s grace and mercy, anything is possible through faith.”

    This Mother’s Day marks 14 months since the accident, and Vasquez-Rochard acknowledged the emotional weight of the moment, noting that the crisis has impacted her family emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially. Still, she says faith has been the family’s anchor through the most uncertain moments. “There were many moments of fear and uncertainty, especially in the early months. But we have had to remain strong for Christon and continue encouraging him every single day,” she said. “We say to each other daily, ‘I love you,’ and we trust God completely.”

    The family has extended heartfelt gratitude to the many groups and individuals who have supported them since the accident. They thanked the medical staff at Port of Spain General Hospital for their consistent care, Christon’s colleagues at Caribbean Airlines, the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA), their local church community, and prayer groups across Trinidad and Tobago. They also reaffirmed their thanks to the tourists and bystanders who saved Battersby’s life on the day of the accident, whom Vasquez-Rochard has long called “angels.” “Angel Sarah, angel Anna, and the other angels who came and rescued, revived, and gave back life to my son—I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said.

    Just before the accident, Battersby had gained social media attention for sharing a video documenting his journey to become a commercial pilot at a young age, a dream he still holds onto today. Now, his family is asking the public to stand with them to give him a second chance to achieve that dream. Members of the public can contribute to Battersby’s recovery fund via the family’s GoFundMe campaign or through direct deposits to Republic Bank savings account 3500 2188 9031.

  • HDC official under scrutiny for collusion

    HDC official under scrutiny for collusion

    A corruption and conflict of interest scandal has thrown Trinidad and Tobago’s massive $3.4 billion public housing programme into limbo, after a whistleblower complaint prompted regulators to order an immediate halt to newly awarded contracts. The case centers on a senior official at the country’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC), who is alleged to have long-standing personal and private business ties to two of the 11 contractors that secured shares of the multi-billion public works package.

    Shortly after the HDC announced the list of winning contractors for the public-private partnership programme in early April, the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) received multiple formal and informal complaints. Acting on these submissions — which included a formal complaint filed on behalf of activist Wendell Eversley by attorney Randall Mitchell — the regulator ordered the state-owned housing agency to suspend all programme activities pending a full, independent review of the entire bidding and award process.

    Multiple independent sources with direct knowledge of the award process and the ongoing investigation have confirmed to local outlet the Sunday Express that the ties between the HDC official and the two contractors date back roughly a decade. The first contractor, a prominent local businessman who owns a popular chain of retail stores, previously purchased an entire chain of businesses from the HDC official. While the businessman’s company currently holds contracts with another state entity, multiple sources confirmed it has never led a large-scale residential construction project before this award.

    Records indicate the second contractor also shares a long personal and professional history with the HDC official. Around 10 years ago, the two partnered on a private housing development in Trinidad’s Freeport area, and the HDC official previously hired the second contractor to complete renovation and repair work on multiple commercial properties across the country. The second contractor also has well-documented business ties to the first contractor, and has assisted in constructing several of the first contractor’s commercial buildings over the years. Sources familiar with the investigation confirm these overlapping relationships will be a core focus of the OPR’s review.

    Public concerns about the integrity of the procurement process were first raised by opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) officials, including Member of Parliament Camille Robinson-Regis and former prime minister Stuart Young. Young publicly questioned the qualifications of multiple winning firms, noting that many of the awarded companies have little to no prior experience delivering large-scale housing construction projects. A check of the Ministry of Land and Legal Affairs’ Companies Registry Online System confirmed all winning companies have been legally registered in the country for multiple years, though that verification does not address their industry experience.

    When contacted for comment last Friday, HDC chairman Feeroz Khan declined to speak on the record about the allegations. “Given that the matters relating to the procurement process in question are currently engaging the attention of the Office of the Procurement Regulation, Senior Counsel has advised that the matter is sub judice, and hence it would be improper to comment on same,” Khan said.

  • Man offers ‘compensation’ to suppress HDC contracts story

    Man offers ‘compensation’ to suppress HDC contracts story

    An ongoing investigation into alleged bid-rigging and contract collusion within Trinidad and Tobago’s suspended $3.4 billion national housing program has taken an unexpected turn, after an intermediary claiming to represent a senior Housing Development Corporation (HDC) official under scrutiny offered a cash compensation bribe to the *Sunday Express* in exchange for scrapping the investigative story.

    The meeting took place last Thursday on Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook, with the intermediary — a well-connected figure with deep ties to local political circles — laying out a clear quid pro quo for the newsroom’s investigative team. If the outlet agreed to kill the story about the alleged collusion, the journalist behind the investigation would receive financial compensation, plus access to a cache of internal documents detailing claims of mismanagement that occurred at HDC during the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.

    “Bringing this kind of negative light on the HDC at this time is not what they want,” the 6-foot-tall intermediary told *Sunday Express* reporters. When pressed for clarification on the offer, he repeated the terms: dropping all coverage of the collusion allegations would result in the payout, plus additional documented scoops on other HDC controversies.

    The *Sunday Express* immediately rejected the bribe offer, noting that the contract awarding process under investigation is a matter of significant public interest, given the multi-billion-dollar scale of the housing program and the public funds allocated to it.

    The attempt at hush money came after the newspaper had spent the preceding week reaching out to the implicated HDC official and the two private contractors awarded the contested contracts, in response to formal complaints of collusion filed by whistleblowers. The intermediary first contacted the newsroom on Wednesday morning, the day before the in-person meeting, claiming the official was open to negotiating a discussion about the contract controversy. Since the bribe offer was made, the story has moved forward with new developments from the contractors involved.

    Within 24 hours of the meeting, Chaguanas-based attorney Denelle S Singh submitted a pre-action protocol letter to the *Sunday Express* on behalf of one contractor and his firm. The letter denied all collusion allegations and threatened immediate legal action if the contractor’s name is published in any upcoming coverage.

    The second contractor, who secured one of the multi-million-dollar HDC contracts under investigation, initially spoke briefly with the *Sunday Express* last Tuesday, before submitting a detailed formal response via WhatsApp late Friday evening. In his statement, the contractor emphasized that his company is barred from disclosing confidential client arrangements, commercial terms, or project-specific details unless required by law or explicitly authorized by involved parties.

    He firmly denied that his company has ever engaged in collusion with any HDC official related to housing projects in Freeport or any other location across the country, adding that all of the firm’s construction work has always been carried out in strict compliance with legal contractual and commercial standards. When asked directly about any personal or improper business relationship between his firm and the implicated HDC official, the contractor brushed the question aside, noting that like all construction firms operating in the country, his company interacts with dozens of industry stakeholders and public officials as part of routine commercial activity.

    “[Company name] has provided construction, renovation, and related contracting services for numerous commercial entities over time,” he said in response to questions about whether the firm had ever done work for businesses owned by the HDC official. “As a matter of company policy, we generally do not publicly disclose confidential client relationships, commercial arrangements, or project-specific details unless legally required to do so or authorised by the relevant parties. Any services provided by the company, where applicable, would have constituted legitimate commercial construction services performed at arm’s length and in the ordinary course of business.”

    The contractor “firmly and unequivocally” rejected all allegations, suggestions, or implications of collusion, noting that the company maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward bribery, corruption, and all forms of unethical business conduct. When asked about his relationship with the other contractor awarded a contested multi-million-dollar HDC contract, he repeated his policy of not disclosing confidential commercial arrangements, adding that the company has always acted properly, professionally, and in full compliance with the law throughout the entire contracting process for the HDC project.

    “We complied with the applicable procurement, tendering, and submission requirements as communicated by the relevant authorities,” he said. “We remain confident that our experience, technical capability, operational capacity, and performance record qualified us to participate in and be considered for such opportunities.”

    The $3.4 billion national housing program at the center of the allegations has already been suspended by authorities, and the bribery attempt has intensified questions about transparency and accountability in public infrastructure contracting across Trinidad and Tobago. The *Sunday Express* has confirmed it will continue its investigation into the collusion allegations, despite the bribe attempt and pending legal threat.

  • Kamla to honour ‘jahaji legacy’

    Kamla to honour ‘jahaji legacy’

    On a historic visit to a small island off the coast of Trinidad that holds deep meaning for the nation’s Indo-Trinidadian community, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has formally unveiled plans to rename Nelson Island, a landmark forever tied to the arrival of more than 140,000 Indian indentured labourers between 1845 and 1917. The announcement, made alongside India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, frames the renaming as a long-overdue act of historical reclamation that centers the stories of the people who gave the site its enduring cultural significance, rather than the colonial figures for which it was originally named.

    Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the island is far more than a geographic landmark: for descendants of indentured labourers, it is the sacred first touchpoint of their ancestors’ journey across the Kala Pani, the dark waters of the Atlantic that separated workers from their home country. The Prime Minister’s own family history is intertwined with this legacy; her maternal great-grandmother, 16-year-old Sumaria Seepersad, arrived at the island from Madras in the 1880s speaking only Bhojpuri, and went on to toil on south Trinidad’s sugarcane estates after being widowed young. “I do not believe Sumaria could ever have imagined that one day, upon the very shores where she first arrived, her great-granddaughter Kamla would stand as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,” Persad-Bissessar told the gathered crowd.

    In her remarks, the Prime Minister drew a clear line between the injustices of indentureship and the transatlantic slave trade that preceded it, calling the system a deliberate form of human trafficking designed to prop up the British colonial economy after emancipation. “Indentureship was a form of human trafficking, bearing many of the same labour controls, abuse and humiliation of the transatlantic slave trade that preceded it,” she said. Workers endured a grueling three-month voyage, often signed contracts they could not understand, and faced harsh, exploitative conditions on sugar plantations across the country. Despite this, Persad-Bissessar celebrated the resilience of the labourers, who built community and persevered through hardship out of hope for a better future for their descendants.

    Addressing the once-pejorative term “coolie” used to describe indentured labourers, a label that is still sometimes used against people of Indian descent today, Persad-Bissessar rejected any shame associated with the term. “I feel no shame at that. We were coolies, and I said the other day, it took a little coolie girl from a place down in Siparia to become the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said, drawing loud applause from attendees including government ministers and members of the Indian delegation.

    To guide the renaming process, Persad-Bissessar announced that a cross-institutional committee led by Natasha Barrow, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, in partnership with the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago, will oversee the project. A public-facing website will also be launched to collect name suggestions from communities across the country, making the renaming a collective, public-led process.

    Following the announcement, Persad-Bissessar and Jaishankar unveiled a commemorative plaque on the island to mark the occasion. The visit was the first of three official engagements for the day, which also included the launch of a new agro-processing facility at Brechin Castle and a national prosthetics center in Penal.

    Persad-Bissessar framed the renaming as part of a broader global movement of post-colonial self-definition, pointing to India’s renaming of colonial-era cities such as Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, and Calcutta to Kolkata as a precedent. “Such changes reflect historical reclamation, cultural dignity, and national self-definition by a free people,” she noted. She added that Trinidad and Tobago has a long history of renaming colonial sites after independence, from renaming King George V Park to Nelson Mandela Park to rebranding streets after national cultural icons including Janelle “Penny” Commissiong, Black Stalin, and Lord Kitchener.

    While the island’s legacy is most closely tied to Indian indentured labour, Persad-Bissessar also acknowledged its layered history: under British colonial rule, enslaved Africans were forced to build military fortifications on the site, and the name “Nelson Island” itself is derived from Thomas Neilsen, a British doctor who took ownership of the land after it was originally called Stephenson’s Island. The island also holds other important chapters of national history: in the 1930s, Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany were detained on the island, and prominent 20th century labour leaders Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler and George Weekes were once imprisoned there. Still, Persad-Bissessar argued, the island’s core identity is shaped by the tens of thousands of indentured labourers who first stepped onto its shores on their journey to building new lives in the Caribbean, and that identity deserves to be permanently enshrined in its name.

  • St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Wins ‘Programme of the Year’ and Three Other Awards at CIS 2026 – WIC News

    St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Wins ‘Programme of the Year’ and Three Other Awards at CIS 2026 – WIC News

    The Caribbean Investment Summit (CIS) 2026, held in Saint Lucia from May 6 to 9, has crowned St. Kitts and Nevis’ long-standing citizenship-by-investment (CBI) Programme as its 2026 Programme of the Year, capping a sweep of four prestigious industry awards that highlight the jurisdiction’s successful reforms and regional leadership.

    In addition to the summit’s highest honor, the federation took home three additional distinguished awards: the Caribbean Impact Award, the Sustainable Development Impact Award, and the Time to Citizenship Efficiency Award, marking the second consecutive year the CBI programme has claimed the efficiency honor.

    The accolades come less than two years after the St. Kitts and Nevis government restructured the CBI programme to operate under an independent statutory framework, a shift designed to strengthen regulatory oversight and reduce direct political interference in daily operations. Calvin St. Juste, Executive Chairman of the federation’s Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), accepted the awards on the government’s behalf, emphasizing that the recognition reflects the current administration’s sustained commitment to modernizing the jurisdiction’s CBI offering.

    Key reforms rolled out following the structural transition include enhanced, multi-layered due diligence protocols, mandatory biometric identity verification for all applicants, and updated global compliance procedures aligned with leading international regulatory standards. St. Juste noted that these changes were implemented with two core goals: boosting the programme’s overall integrity and transparency, while cutting processing timelines to improve operational efficiency. Those adjustments have successfully positioned St. Kitts and Nevis’ CBI programme as one of the most competitive and trusted offerings in the Caribbean, he added.

    The Sustainable Development Impact Award acknowledges the programme’s contributions to advancing the federation’s national Sustainable Island State agenda, which centers on building long-term climate resilience, expanding public infrastructure, and advancing inclusive economic growth across both islands. The Caribbean Impact Award, meanwhile, recognizes the jurisdiction’s work to elevate regional industry standards and drive shared economic development across the Caribbean bloc through cross-border cooperation in investment migration.

    Following the announcement, the CIU publicly celebrated the win on its official Facebook page, extending congratulations to its entire team for the work that delivered the milestone achievement.

    The 2026 CIS brought together hundreds of attendees, including senior government officials, CBI industry stakeholders, and global investment migration experts from across the Caribbean and beyond, to address key trends shaping the global citizenship-by-investment sector. Core discussion themes at this year’s summit included strengthening regional collaboration, raising global compliance benchmarks, integrating sustainability into CBI strategy, and unlocking new cross-regional investment opportunities.

    In a related announcement made during the summit, organizers confirmed that St. Kitts and Nevis will serve as the host nation for the 2027 Caribbean Investment Summit. Looking ahead to the coming months, the St. Kitts and Nevis CIU is also preparing to host its own standalone Investment Gateway Summit in the federation’s territory of St. Kitts, scheduled to run from June 17 to 20, 2026.

  • Nieuwe RvC Telesur onder leiding van Nagisch Algoe treedt maandag aan

    Nieuwe RvC Telesur onder leiding van Nagisch Algoe treedt maandag aan

    A major leadership shakeup is set to take place at Suriname’s state-owned telecommunications provider Telesur, with the entire current supervisory board (Raad van Commissarissen, RvC) set to be officially dismissed and a new five-member board appointed during the company’s upcoming Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (Algemene Vergadering van Aandeelhouders, AVA).

    The planned reshuffle, confirmed by the meeting’s official agenda and a formal memorandum from Suriname’s Council of Ministers, will be held on May 11 at the President’s Cabinet, chaired by President Jennifer Simons. The dismissal of the sitting supervisory board and the appointment of its replacement are among the core items on the meeting’s working schedule.

    According to the Council of Ministers’ document, dated May 7, 2026, the national government has formally approved the exit of the current board, with official gratitude extended to members for their past service to the company. The outgoing supervisory board was led by president-commissaris Sanjay Raghoebarsingh, and included six additional members: Richel Apinsa, Ferrucio Hira, Paulus Abena, Sonia Bron, Ravish Isrie and Remie Oosterwolde.

    The new supervisory board will be composed entirely of five male appointees. Nagish Algoe will take on the role of president-commissaris, with the remaining board seats filled by Luciano Wijdenbosch, Frans Eersteling, Alexander Deel and André Daal.

    This leadership transition at Telesur is not an isolated change. It forms part of a broader wave of governance restructuring across multiple state-owned enterprises in Suriname, implemented following the inauguration of the country’s new ruling government.

  • Surinamer en Guyanees opgepakt met ruim 45 kilo cocaïne en vuurwapen

    Surinamer en Guyanees opgepakt met ruim 45 kilo cocaïne en vuurwapen

    In a major anti-narcotics operation carried out in Guyana on Friday, law enforcement officers from the country’s Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) have seized more than 45 kilograms of cocaine and an unlicensed submachine gun, arresting two men – one Surinamese national and one Guyanese national – in connection with the international drug trafficking plot.

    The raid targeted a residential property in Springlands, a town located in the Corentyne region of eastern Guyana, along the country’s border with Suriname. According to official statements and local media reports, CANU agents launched the operation after receiving credible intelligence about illegal drug activity at the address. When officers arrived at the scene, they encountered the two suspects in the property’s yard, standing near two unmarked brown cardboard boxes.

    A subsequent search of the boxes uncovered 40 brick-shaped packages wrapped for smuggling. When law enforcement opened one of the packages for field testing, they discovered a white powdery substance that returned a positive result for cocaine. The entire seizure weighed approximately 45.6 kilograms. CANU officials estimate that this cocaine shipment has an approximate street value of 1.575 million euros, equal to nearly 1.9 million U.S. dollars, if it had reached illegal markets in Europe. The seizure was originally reported by local Guyanese outlet Demerara Waves, with additional details confirmed by Suriname-based media Starnieuws.

    A follow-up search of the entire residential property turned up an illegal firearm: a black Uzi submachine gun, along with a stock of ammunition. Neither suspect was able to produce a valid license for the weapon, a requirement under Guyanese gun control laws.

    Preliminary investigations into the smuggling network have outlined the alleged structure of the operation. Investigators say the 35-year-old Surinamese suspect, identified as Amrishkoemar Mathoera from Nickerie, a Surinamese district on the shared border with Guyana, transported the cocaine shipment across the border into Guyana. The 32-year-old Guyanese suspect, named Ravindra Sanakumar, received the drugs and stored them at his Springlands residence ahead of onward shipment to Europe, according to initial findings.

    Following their arrest, both suspects were transported to CANU headquarters for processing. The entire cocaine shipment, collected drug evidence samples, and the unlicensed firearm have been confiscated as evidence for the ongoing investigation.

    In a statement following the operation, CANU emphasized that this seizure is part of the agency’s ongoing, sustained campaign to disrupt transnational drug trafficking and crack down on the illicit arms trade in the country. The agency noted that actionable intelligence gathering and cross-border regional cooperation remain critical tools to protect Guyana’s borders and preserve the country’s national security, as criminal networks continue to use South American border territories as transit routes for cocaine destined for European consumer markets.

  • Fuel consumers to receive subsidy from government

    Fuel consumers to receive subsidy from government

    Against a backdrop of skyrocketing global crude oil markets, the Commonwealth of Dominica is rolling out targeted consumer relief through a new fuel subsidy program designed to soften the blow of steep price increases for local motorists and businesses. As of May 7, 2026, unsubsidized fuel prices across the island stand at $17.98 per gallon for regular gasoline, $19.23 per gallon for high sulfur diesel, $20.53 per gallon for ultra-low sulfur diesel, and $18.23 per gallon for kerosene.

    In an official press briefing, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit outlined the context driving the policy: global crude prices have spiked by more than 30% in recent months, creating unavoidable upward pressure on local retail fuel costs that threatened household budgets and small business viability. To counter this trend, the Dominican government will roll out per-gallon subsidies ranging between $1.50 and $2.00 starting at the next monthly fuel price review cycle, scheduled for the end of May. The subsidy will be delivered through a targeted reduction in domestic fuel taxes.

    While the relief package will come at a net cost of more than $500,000 to public funds each month, Skerrit emphasized that the support is critical for low- and middle-income households, public transportation operators, commercial fishing crews, and small and medium-sized enterprises across the island. At the same time, the Prime Minister was transparent about the significant tradeoffs the policy requires for public finances. Every dollar allocated to fuel subsidies represents forgone government revenue at a moment when public spending is already rising rapidly. Higher operating costs for core public services including public schools and hospitals, coupled with ongoing post-disaster recovery efforts in the flood-hit eastern and northeastern regions of the country, have stretched public budgets thin.

    Skerrit added that diesel prices alone have jumped 48% since the start of February 2026, and ongoing volatility in global crude markets through 2026 means these subsidies will become an increasingly heavy burden on the Dominican national treasury. This sustained pressure, in turn, limits the government’s ability to allocate funding to other core priorities, including public health initiatives, public education upgrades, infrastructure development, and long-term disaster resilience programming.

    Moving forward, the government will maintain a monthly fuel price review process to strike a balance between protecting consumers from sudden price shocks and upholding responsible fiscal management that preserves long-term public service capacity. Looking beyond short-term relief, Skerrit reaffirmed that the only sustainable path to long-term energy security for Dominica is accelerating the country’s transition from fossil fuels to domestic renewable energy sources.

  • 150 appointments to strengthen health institutions in Nippes, Haiti

    150 appointments to strengthen health institutions in Nippes, Haiti

    After years of chronic understaffing and administrative stagnation, the public health system of Haiti’s Nippes department has achieved a long-awaited turning point: between April and early May 2026, more than 150 formal appointment letters have been distributed to a wide range of healthcare and support staff across regional health facilities. This large-scale personnel regularization operation, carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé in alignment with the Ministry of Public Health’s strategic vision, addresses staffing gaps that have undermined local healthcare delivery for nearly a decade.

    Notably, this is the first mass appointment initiative for the Nippes health sector since 2017. For years, regional health institutions were forced to operate with underpaid contract workers, unpaid volunteers, and temporary staff funded by external development partners. As many donor-funded projects wrapped up, thousands of committed healthcare workers were left without formal job security, consistent salaries, or administrative recognition, despite their continuous service to local communities. This new initiative resolves long-pending applications, with some beneficiaries having waited 10, 15, or even more than 20 years for formal appointment to their roles.

    The first round of appointments covers workers across nearly every role in the public health system: attending physicians, registered nurses, laboratory technicians, administrative personnel, logistics and maintenance staff, security guards, and health system managers. Additional applications remain under review at the national level, with a second round of appointment distribution already underway. More healthcare professionals are expected to receive their formal confirmation in the coming weeks.

    The staffing boost has already delivered tangible improvements across multiple facilities. Sainte-Thérèse Hospital in Miragoâne, one of the largest regional care centers, has resolved dozens of pending staffing cases, allowing new professionals to fill long-vacant posts across clinical and administrative departments. Facilities across the department, including sites in Asile, Arnaud, Carrefour-Honoré, Grand-Boucan, Plaisance, and Anse-à-Veau, have also seen their rosters reinforced through the initiative.

    Haitian authorities designed the program to deliver sustainable, long-term strengthening of the country’s fragmented public health system. By formalizing worker appointments and creating a more stable, well-managed healthcare workforce, the government aims to expand equitable access to care and raise the overall quality of health services for residents of Nippes. The initiative is part of a broader national effort to shore up public health institutions across Haiti, with similar mass appointment campaigns already launched in the country’s West department.