Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • Cultural fraternity pays tribute to ‘Birdie’

    Cultural fraternity pays tribute to ‘Birdie’

    The global Caribbean cultural community is in mourning this week following the passing of legendary calypso trailblazer Slinger Francisco, universally known as The Mighty Sparrow, who died at the age of 91. Affectionately nicknamed “Birdie” by fans and peers alike, the icon leaves behind an unparalleled artistic legacy that transformed calypso from a local Trinidadian tradition into a globally recognized art form, drawing tributes from across the cultural, political and entertainment sectors.

    Veteran calypsonian Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins described the loss as surreal, saying he remains numb to the news of Sparrow’s passing. “As a small boy, my parents would pay to see him at Sparrow’s Hideaway. I ended up clashing with him on the Big Stage,” Rawlins recalled, noting that Sparrow paved the professional path for his own career, and he never disappointed the mentor’s faith in him. “It’s a sad day for Trinidad and Tobago and the entire cultural fraternity,” he added.

    Kenny De Silva, former chairman of Trinidad and Tobago’s National Carnival Commission (NCC) and a local Port of Spain businessman, recalled that no amount of praise could adequately capture the magnitude of Sparrow’s decades-long contribution to Caribbean culture. “He was a wonderful calypsonian and a talented singer. There are not enough superlatives to describe his illustrious contribution,” De Silva said, sharing a memory of a sold-out 1960s show he produced called *Kings Go Forth*, which paired Sparrow with the iconic Desperadoes Steel Orchestra at the Trinidad Hilton. De Silva also recounted an anecdote where he added 300 long-stemmed yellow roses to the event for attending women, which Sparrow helped distribute to the crowd.

    Veteran calypsonian and parang soca pioneer Edwin “Uncle Crazy” Ayoung said he learned of Sparrow’s passing moments after discussing the legend with a fellow musician, calling Sparrow’s work one of the most powerful influences on his own career. Ayoung often performed Sparrow’s iconic track *Education* at schools across the country, quoting its enduring message: “Children, go to school and learn well. Otherwise later on in life, you will catch real hell.” Echoing Sparrow’s own long-held belief echoed by former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Ayoung noted that education acts as a “passport out of poverty” and a core driver of social mobility. He recalled performing the track alongside another of Sparrow’s classics, *Tito Lara*, at the launch of journalist and author Donna Benny’s book *Sparrow Take Over: Essays on the Bard’s Art*, saying “Now Sparrow has gone to meet a great parandero Tito Lara. May they rest in peace.”

    Benny, who documented Sparrow’s decades-long career in her writing, said documenting Sparrow’s work was one of the greatest honors of her professional life. “Sparrow has blessed the world with his music. There will never be another Sparrow,” she said, thanking Sparrow’s daughter Karen Francisco and celebrated pannist Dane Gulston for their support throughout her research. “He was a phenomenal artiste and wordsmith. Fellow iconic calypsonian David Rudder sang, ‘When Slinger done with dey tail, dey bawling Sparrow don’t go.’ He immortalized Sparrow in Calypso. I can’t believe we will be singing Memories and remembering Sparrow. He will be sorely missed.”

    William Munro, a pioneering Soca Monarch promoter and fellow Grenada native, noted that Sparrow’s musical genius and magnetic stage presence captivated audiences far beyond the Caribbean. “He excited the world with his songs, dance moves and musical genius. Not only Trinidad and Tobago, but the globe. I heard former culture minister Dr Lincoln Douglas remark he heard people singing Sparrow’s songs in China,” Munro said, adding that Sparrow also created widespread employment for hundreds of performers, technicians and support staff through his iconic performance venue Sparrow’s Hideaway and his performance collective the Young Brigade. In his later years, Munro noted, Sparrow devoted his life to his faith, and “he lived a full 91 years,” he said, extending condolences to Sparrow’s wife Margaret and their three children Michelle, Karen and Sancho.

    Reigning 2026 Calypso Monarch Terri Lyons extended her condolences to the Francisco family, saying the Caribbean community has as much to celebrate in Sparrow’s legacy as it has to mourn in his passing. “He will be remembered. We must continue to acknowledge the contribution he has made to the Caribbean. Even though it’s sad, there’s a lot to celebrate,” Lyons said, naming the lighthearted, humorous classic *Bang Bang Lulu* as one of her personal favorite Sparrow tracks.

    Acclaimed Trinbagonian songstress Mavis John called the loss “overwhelming,” saying “We have lost a big one… He has given us a wealth of music. He was an unmatched talent.” Burt Marcellin, artistic director of Brass 2’ D World and celebrated saxophonist, said he and his wife Diane were devastated by the news, and the ensemble will honor Sparrow’s legacy with a full tribute performance as part of its 2027 production. “He was an icon. He gave us wonderful music. He was a social commentator and critical thinker,” Marcellin said, naming *Education*, *Both Ah Dem* and *Marajhin* as among his favorite works.

    Junia Regrello, manager of San Fernando’s iconic Skiffle Bunch steelband, noted that Sparrow’s melodic style shaped the childhood of everyone who grew up in 1970s Trinidad and Tobago, and his writing was uniquely tailored to work with steelpan arrangements. “For those of us who grew up in the 1970s, we would have gotten used to his Sparrow’s melodies… The way he and Kitchener structured their music allowed us to interpret it in a particular manner. His voice would have shaped our lives. He was our storyteller,” Regrello said, calling for a renewed effort to introduce younger generations to Sparrow’s work amid the rising popularity of fusion calypso styles.

    Veteran bass guitarist Vincent Rivers, who toured and performed alongside Sparrow for decades, called working with the icon a lifelong honor. “I have worked with him and I have toured with him. I enjoyed shows with him at Guadeloupe and Martinique. He spoke fluent French. He delivered all genres of music with superb showmanship,” Rivers said, naming *Lying Excuses* as his personal favorite Sparrow track.

    Steve “Ras Kommanda” Pascall, vice president of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO), called Sparrow one of the greatest Trinbagonian heroes of all time, noting that even though he was born in Grenada, he tirelessly promoted Trinidad and Tobago’s national identity across every continent he visited. “He was the consummate entertainer. He was one of the world’s greatest artists. There was a time in our history if ‘Sparrow say so, is so,’” Pascall recalled, sharing a personal memory of Sparrow’s kindness early in his own career, when the legend invited the emerging artist to join his car ahead of a 1995 calypso semi-final.

    Kevan Gibbs, deputy chairman of the NCC, grew up hearing stories of Sparrow’s legend from his parents, who called him “the Calypso King of the World” and said he had stepped away from competition voluntarily to give younger artists a chance after winning seven national crowns – including a historic three-peat between 1972 and 1974. Gibbs got to see that legend in person in 1992, when a 56-year-old Sparrow returned to competition after 18 years away and reclaimed the Calypso Monarch crown in an iconic performance at Queen’s Park Savannah. “I was 19, sitting in the North Stand, seeing him perform live for the first time… He sang *Both of Them* and *Survival* and simply took command of the Savannah. He worked both sides of that enormous stage as though it belonged to him. And, in truth, that night it did,” Gibbs recalled. “Today, as Deputy Chairman of the National Carnival Commission, I mourn him with an even deeper appreciation for what he gave to Carnival, calypso, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Caribbean. The man has left us. The voice has not. Rest well, Birdie. The Calypso King of the World.”

    Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a historian at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus and founder of International Men’s Day, noted that Sparrow was more than a musician – he was a sharp social commentator who addressed pressing colonial, political and economic inequalities with unparalleled grace and wit. “Sparrow was a quintessential Caribbean man. He made an immense contribution to our culture. He’s one of our cultural icons who transcended the 20th and 21st centuries,” Teelucksingh said, pointing to classics like *Capitalism Gone Mad* and *Slave* that tackled systemic injustice with clever lyricism. “He’s one of our country’s greatest ambassadors. He made Trinidad and Tobago and calypso a household name across the globe,” he added, noting that Sparrow was the last of a generation of iconic calypso greats that included the legendary Aldwyn “Lord Kitchener” Roberts, and he died in October – recognized annually as Calypso History Month. Teelucksingh called on younger generations raised on fast-paced ragga and soca to take the time to appreciate the profound artistic and political legacy of Sparrow and the calypso tradition.

  • Teen’s dad apologises to family

    Teen’s dad apologises to family

    A Trinidadian family is grappling with unfathomable grief and shock after 18-year-old Javon Hamilton was killed during an alleged home invasion last Thursday in Freeport. Javon’s father, Victor Hamilton, has broken his silence to share his family’s turmoil, extend an apology to the homeowner’s family, and push back against assumptions that his son had a history of criminal activity.

    Victor Hamilton told reporters that Javon left the family’s Princes Town home on St Croix Road the afternoon of the incident, telling his parents he planned to stay at his girlfriend’s residence in nearby Indian Walk. Before he left, Hamilton recalled warning Javon against driving the car the family had given him and urging him to stay put at his girlfriend’s. Later that day, Hamilton tried to reach Javon to share news of an upcoming car show in Moruga, but got no response. When Javon failed to return home that night, the family grew increasingly alarmed.

    Hamilton said he carried on to his job the next morning and kept attempting to contact his son, who worked full-time for a local catering company and had recently retaken his Mathematics and English Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams. It was only when an unknown person answered Javon’s phone that he received the devastating confirmation: “Pappy dead” — using the family nickname for Javon.

    Disoriented and overcome with emotion, Hamilton and his wife Vicky Daniel began a frantic search for answers. They first checked Javon’s girlfriend’s home, then visited local mortuaries and the San Fernando Police Station. A family member posted a missing person notice on social media, and the volunteer Hunters Search and Rescue Team joined the effort to locate the teen. Days later, police called the couple back to the station to identify a body. Hamilton said he could not immediately recognize his son in the photograph police showed him, and left the station in denial before his wife and her brother identified Javon by a distinctive mole on his face.

    According to official police accounts, the incident unfolded at approximately 6:50 p.m. on September 24, when four masked intruders forced their way into a residence on McLeod Trace. The home’s resident, a serving prison officer, heard noise from the intrusion, retrieved his service-issued pistol, and confronted the group. The officer told investigators one intruder — Javon, according to police — aimed what looked like a gun at him, prompting him to fire three shots. Javon was fatally hit, while the other three intruders managed to flee the scene.

    In a surprising move, Victor Hamilton has extended a public apology to the prison officer and his family, noting that he has been told the homeowner is a distant relative of his own. “I am very sorry. Please don’t hold no grudge,” he said, adding that he plans to meet with the family in person to discuss the tragedy. Hamilton emphasized that Javon had never shown any signs of criminal behavior, and that the family had provided him with stability: he owned a car gifted by his father, and received a plot of land from his grandfather. “Pappy had everything here. We do not know why he got involved in this,” Hamilton said, adding that he suspects Javon may have been unwittingly caught up in the scheme, and has pledged to help police identify the three fugitive intruders.

    Two of Javon’s cousins, Ayana Daniel and Aliyah Daniel — who have known Javon since birth — have urged the public to avoid rushing to judgment over the incident. “I believe that he got into a situation and this was the result. We will continue to trust God about this. He was a hard worker and Javon will be greatly missed,” Ayana said. Aliyah echoed the call for empathy: “Don’t pass judgment because it could be me today but it can be you tomorrow. Wish well for people and grieve with them. My cousin was supposed to grow old and we were not supposed to be grieving for him.”

    A post-mortem examination to confirm Javon’s cause of death is scheduled to take place this week at the Forensic Science Centre in Federation Park, as police continue their investigation into the home invasion and the search for the three remaining suspects.

  • Beckles: ‘Darkest times’ lie ahead

    Beckles: ‘Darkest times’ lie ahead

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has sounded a urgent alarm to the nation’s public, urging them to prepare to push back against what she claims is a premeditated power grab by the ruling United National Congress (UNC) scheduled to unfold when the sitting President’s current term concludes in 2028. Beckles has directly implicated Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as the mastermind of what she calls a deliberate push to establish UNC-backed authoritarian rule that would plunge the twin-island nation into its most turbulent political period in modern history.

    In a public statement released one day prior, Beckles framed the Prime Minister’s recent heated rhetoric as a predictable opening salvo in a larger coordinated plan. Her stark accusations come in direct response to recent verbal attacks launched by Persad-Bissessar against the Senate’s bloc of Independent senators, all nine of whom voted down the government’s proposed Special Operations Bill during a Senate vote the previous week.

    Beckles laid out her full allegations in clear, uncompromising terms, claiming the ruling party’s ultimate goal is to remove the sitting President in 2028 and install a hand-picked UNC-aligned so-called independent bench that would clear the way for Persad-Bissessar to consolidate power as an unchallenged supreme leader. Beyond the alleged long-term power plot, Beckles also condemned the Prime Minister’s recent remarks targeting the Independent Senate bloc, labeling the comments as overtly racist and inherently prejudicial.

    She did not hold back in her criticism of the current administration’s leadership, arguing that the behavior of Persad-Bissessar and her team amounts to a crude, unethical mockery of good governance that has stained the nation’s highest political offices. For Beckles, the racist undertones of the Prime Minister’s attacks on the independent bench were entirely predictable, given what she frames as the government’s broader disregard for democratic norms.

    At its core, Beckles argued, the entire sequence of events represents a deliberate attempt to erode the foundational principles of Trinidad and Tobago’s democracy. She contends that the UNC’s actions are designed to undermine national solidarity and demonize opposition to the government’s agenda. The recent conflict over the Independent Senate bloc, she emphasized, is not an isolated incident but a clear warning sign of what is to come if the ruling party’s plans are allowed to move forward.

    “While it appears on the surface to be only an attack on the current independent bench, this is actually a preview of what the UNC intends to deliver: a steady descent into full autocratic dictatorship,” Beckles explained. Closing her statement, she issued a direct call to action for all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, urging them to closely monitor the government’s policy and political moves heading into the 2028 timeline and prepare to defend the nation’s democratic institutions.

  • END OF AN ERA

    END OF AN ERA

    After more than two and a half centuries of operation, one of the Caribbean’s oldest correctional facilities is drawing to a close, as senior correctional officials frame the decommissioning of the Port of Spain Prison as a critical, long-overdue step toward building a 21st-century penal system for Trinidad and Tobago.

    Acting Commissioner of Prisons Elvin Scanterbury recently laid out the official rationale for the historic transition in comments to local outlet the Express, explaining that the aging Frederick Street facility can no longer meet the evolving security, rehabilitation and operational standards required of modern correctional institutions. For generations, the prison has stood as a cornerstone of Trinidad and Tobago’s penal history, opening its doors originally in 1757 and serving as a maximum-security site for remanded, convicted, and condemned inmates through centuries of social and political change. But its age has brought intractable challenges: in recent years, courts have ruled against the state over inhumane conditions at the facility, leading to millions of dollars in taxpayer compensation awarded to inmates for violations of their constitutional rights.

    The closure, first announced to Parliament in September 2025 by Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander as part of a broader government plan to modernize the national prison system, is far more than a simple symbolic shift. Scanterbury emphasized that the transition will deliver tangible improvements for both incarcerated people and correctional staff, moving both groups out of a crumbling, outdated infrastructure into purpose-built spaces that align with contemporary correctional best practices.

    “Moving away from this facility gives us an opportunity to create environments better suited to the security, rehabilitation, and general management of the people in our care, while also delivering far better working conditions for our officers,” Scanterbury told the Express. He framed the decommissioning as a key milestone in the ongoing evolution of the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service, noting that the institution must adapt to modern standards to serve the country effectively.

    To avoid disruption to daily correctional operations and mitigate security risks during the transition, the relocation of inmates is being carried out as a carefully planned, phased exercise. Scanterbury confirmed that extensive pre-planning and inter-agency coordination have already been completed, with comprehensive risk assessments carried out, operational requirements mapped out, and targeted strategies implemented to keep disruptions to a minimum throughout the process. This staged approach allows the Prison Service to address logistical and security challenges of the relocation while continuing to fulfill its core day-to-day duties across the country’s other correctional facilities.

    While the facility’s operational life is coming to an end, Scanterbury stressed that its unique place in Trinidad and Tobago’s national and correctional history should not be forgotten. He called for the site’s historical contributions to be formally preserved and documented, though he stopped short of proposing a specific future use for the prime centrally located property. Given its position in the heart of Port of Spain and deep historical roots, the future of the site is expected to become a major topic of public discussion once the decommissioning process is fully completed.

    Scanterbury also acknowledged that the transition will bring significant change for more than just the inmate population. Long-serving correctional officers who have spent years working at the historic facility will need support to adjust to their new placements and work environments, as the service closes this 268-year chapter of its history.

    In summing up the historic move, Scanterbury noted that while the Port of Spain Prison has served the nation faithfully for generations, the demands of a modern correctional system leave no alternative to the transition. “We have to continue evolving as a Prison Service, and this is part of that process,” he said.

  • Mighty Sparrow dead at 91

    Mighty Sparrow dead at 91

    The global Caribbean music community is mourning the loss of one of its most transformative figures: Slinger Francisco, universally known by his stage name The Mighty Sparrow, who passed away peacefully on Sunday at his home in New York at the age of 91. The beloved calypso pioneer died after a short illness, with his entire family gathered by his side, according to an official statement released Sunday afternoon by his family spokesperson Karen Francisco.

    “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso icon, Slinger Francisco, known to the world as ‘The Mighty Sparrow’,” the statement reads. Born in 1935 in the small coastal town of Grand Roy, Grenada, Francisco moved to Trinidad and Tobago during his childhood and grew up steeped in the island nation’s rich calypso traditions. Over a 70-plus year career, he rose from a young aspiring performer to become the genre’s most internationally recognizable face, reshaping calypso into a medium for sharp social and political commentary while earning the lasting adoration of audiences around the world.

    Francisco’s breakthrough came in 1956, when his hit single *Jean and Dinah* earned him his first Calypso King title, catapulting him to regional fame and cementing his status as a rising star in Caribbean music. The track would go on to become one of his most iconic recordings, still celebrated by calypso fans decades after its release. Throughout his long career, he composed and recorded hundreds of tracks, exploring themes ranging from global and national politics to pressing social issues, romantic relationships, and the quiet rhythms of everyday working life. Beyond his work as a performer and songwriter, he was widely revered as a mentor to generations of young Caribbean artists, leaving an indelible mark on the entire regional entertainment industry.

    In addition to his cultural legacy, the statement notes Francisco was a deeply loved patriarch: a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, life partner, and loyal friend to many. While the family is grieving his loss, they found comfort in his deep spiritual commitment in the final years of his life. “Before his death, Sparrow had ‘made his election sure by giving his heart to the Most High, Jesus Christ’, and had been baptised in the Seventh-day Adventist faith,” the statement reads.

    Plans are currently underway for a public memorial gathering to celebrate Francisco’s extraordinary life and decades-long contribution to global music. The family has invited his friends and millions of fans to share their tributes and memories on social media by tagging his official account @therealmightysparrow. In closing, the statement expressed the family’s gratitude for the widespread outpouring of support, and requested that they be allowed space to grieve privately in this difficult time. With Francisco’s passing, the world has lost one of the foundational figures who built calypso’s global reputation and cemented Trinidad and Tobago’s status as the heart of the beloved Caribbean genre.

  • Probe into plot to kill Govt minister

    Probe into plot to kill Govt minister

    During a heated Senate debate on the controversial Special Operations Bill 2026 late Wednesday, former Trinidad and Tobago government minister Foster Cummings has dropped a bombshell revelation: 18 heavily armed police officers executed a search warrant at one of his privately owned properties, as part of an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to assassinate a sitting government minister.

    Cummings, who previously served as Minister of Youth Development and National Service under the People’s National Movement administration, told the upper legislative chamber that law enforcement had also compiled a classified file of his personal activities labeled as official intelligence on police letterhead — a document that was later improperly leaked to national media outlets. The former minister stopped short of elaborating further on the document, noting the matter is already under judicial review.

    Recounting the day of the raid, Cummings said he was seated inside the Parliament building when he first received an alert on his mobile phone that armed officers had arrived at his property. Moments later, a sitting government legislator across the parliamentary floor confirmed the news to him directly. “I joked that they probably just wanted to stop by for a drink, but my colleague told me they were there for a far more serious reason,” Cummings told the Senate President.

    He went on to detail the origins of the police action: A high-ranking government official, who did not qualify for enhanced personal security under existing protocols, pushed claims of a murder conspiracy to prompt the police operation. Acting on the unconfirmed intelligence, officers secured a warrant from a court to search his property as part of the probe into the alleged plot. Without naming the minister making the claim, Cummings questioned why the official remained free to carry out official duties amid the allegations, contrasting the situation with the heavy police presence at his property. The country was previously under a national state of emergency when the original assassination claims first emerged publicly.

    The bombshell revelation lines up with an exclusive report published by the *Sunday Express* in July 2026, which detailed allegations that an unnamed ex-government minister offered a self-described gang member $250,000 to assassinate Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath. According to a sworn statement the detained man gave to Carenage Police Station officers on December 4, 2025 — excerpts of which were obtained by the outlet — the man was seeking high-paying work when he was taken to a club owned by the former minister in McBean in November 2025.

    In the statement, the man claimed the ex-minister told him he had “a bigger job” available: $250,000 to “get rid of” Padarath, whom the former minister described as a talkative “slim Indian fella with a hard face” who “hadda go.” The accuser alleged the former minister offered to supply all necessary weapons, vehicles, and target location details, even providing an upfront $3,000 “sweetener” to secure the deal and pushed for the assassination to be carried out as soon as possible. When asked what “get rid of” meant, the man told investigators it was clearly a reference to killing Padarath, noting the former minister had made a throat-slitting gesture to confirm the order.

    The man, who was already in custody on an unrelated charge when he gave the statement, told police he had never accepted a murder-for-hire job before, though he admitted to prior acts of assault and intimidation for other associates. He added he came forward with the allegations because he feared for his life if he spoke while at liberty, claiming he did not trust some members of the police force due to alleged corruption and links to the plotters.

    Following the July report, Padarath confirmed his security detail had been expanded to include protection from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Special Branch. He publicly expressed concern that the former minister implicated in the plot remained at liberty, but emphasized he retained confidence in the national police service and would not alter his daily activities out of fear.

    Cummings used his own experience tied to the high-profile murder plot investigation to frame broader objections to the Special Operations Bill, which seeks to expand law enforcement powers across the country. He warned that if a former legislator with access to parliamentary platforms could be subjected to such a sweeping, intelligence-driven search, ordinary citizens with no ability to speak out publicly would be even more vulnerable to overreach. “I have the privilege of standing in this chamber today to tell the country what happened to me. What happens to the average citizen who has no platform to push back when the state acts against them unjustly?” Cummings asked. Despite his objections and revelations, the Special Operations Bill has already secured passage in both the upper and lower houses of parliament.

  • PoS Prison set to close its gates for good

    PoS Prison set to close its gates for good

    After standing as a central institution of Trinidad and Tobago’s correctional system for more than two and a half centuries, the aging Port of Spain Prison located on Frederick Street is poised to close its doors permanently, wrapping up a historic chapter of the country’s penal history. The national government has launched a full decommissioning process for the facility, with inmate transfers already in progress and on track to wrap up by the end of November 2024.

    Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander confirmed the timeline and details of the shutdown in an exclusive interview with the *Sunday Express* on Saturday, noting that the multi-phase transfer operation first kicked off on September 21. The decommissioning project is structured in three distinct phases, and the first step — relocating high-risk inmates from the historic Port of Spain Prison to the country’s Remand Prison — has already been successfully completed.

    The remaining two phases will focus on reconfiguring inmate housing across the country’s correctional facilities to accommodate the full shutdown. Up next, the Remand Prison will absorb inmates currently held at the Extended Remand Facility (ERF), clearing space for death-row inmates from Port of Spain Prison. In the final phase, 150 convicted offenders will be moved from the closing facility to three existing institutions: the Maximum Security Prison, Carrera Convict Prison, and Golden Grove Prison.

    To accommodate the additional inmate population at the receiving facilities, upgrades and adjustments are already underway. At the Remand Prison, which currently has a maximum capacity of 750 inmates, crews are installing new beds and refurbishing cell locks to meet updated safety and security protocols, alongside other critical infrastructure improvements. Alexander confirmed that project leaders have advised the decommissioning will stay on schedule so long as all critical upgrades are addressed as planned.

    According to Alexander, the push to close the outdated facility came directly from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who directed the government to move forward with the shutdown in a timely manner. “All is well and going smoothly. We look forward to a new beginning for that place. As I said before…the Prime Minister…could not see the continuation of that place. She instructed us to make sure that this happens, and we were trying to do it in a timely manner,” Alexander stated.

    The Prime Minister and her cabinet will lead decisions on the future redevelopment of the prime Frederick Street site once decommissioning is complete. The closure of the old Port of Spain Prison is a core component of the government’s broader correctional system revitalization plan, which also includes constructing a new state-of-the-art correctional facility outside of Port of Spain, an initiative Alexander said he fully supports.

    When asked about widespread public concern that transferring inmates to existing facilities would exacerbate longstanding issues of prison overcrowding, Alexander noted that targeted mitigation measures are already being implemented to improve conditions across the system. Beyond infrastructure adjustments, he emphasized that the broader goal of the reform is to restore the correctional system’s role as a deterrent to crime, a function he said the outdated, mismanaged Port of Spain Prison had lost.

    Acknowledging public conversations about overcrowding, Alexander argued that the most effective long-term solution is discouraging people from committing crimes that lead to incarceration in the first place. “The prison must be a deterrent and the fact is, it is no longer that. The prisons are now like a home, a residential area, where you can do what you want, when you want, how you want, and we are stopping that,” he said.

    Discussions about closing the Port of Spain Prison have circulated among policymakers for decades, but Alexander emphasized that the current administration is the first to turn that decades-long talk into tangible action. He framed the facility as an outdated blight on the capital’s central urban core, saying, “This prison is an eyesore. To me, it has become a public nuisance and it is time for it to go. It is time for something new to be developed into the city.”

    Beyond the decommissioning plan, Alexander addressed two other pressing correctional sector issues during the interview: a recent high-profile incident involving a prison officer and renewed calls from the Prison Officers’ Association to issue firearms to all serving officers. He commended the actions of a prison officer who fatally shot a home invader while defending his family in a recent attack.

    On the question of issuing firearms to correctional officers, Alexander said he supports the idea of granting Firearm User’s Licences to all eligible public safety officers — including firefighters, coast guard members, and prison staff — but added that not all uniformed officers meet the strict integrity requirements for holding a licence. He noted that a small number of officers have abused their positions and access to help criminal actors carry out illegal activity.

    Alexander called on the Prison Officers’ Association to encourage all of its members to uphold high standards of ethical conduct in their roles. “If other persons are paying them outside of the service, well, that’s on them. All I ask is for brave men and women to serve with integrity, dignity, and an understanding that they are there to protect and serve persons, not to protect and serve themselves alone,” he said.

  • ‘Toxic’ relationship ends in tragedy

    ‘Toxic’ relationship ends in tragedy

    A quiet rural community in southern Trinidad is reeling from a devastating double fatality, after the bodies of 23-year-old Giselle Ougrah and her 27-year-old boyfriend Stefan Khandan were discovered in their rented Penal apartment on Friday night. For both grieving families, the tragedy was not entirely unforeseen: all relatives have confirmed they repeatedly warned the pair about their increasingly unstable, harmful relationship, and made multiple attempts to convince them to separate permanently.

    The couple had lived in their small apartment on Sundarsingh Trace, Batchiya Village, for approximately four months, after they were asked to leave Khandan’s family home due to frequent violent conflicts between the pair. Initial investigative findings from local law enforcement suggest Ougrah was killed by stabbing, with a 10-inch knife recovered as evidence from the crime scene, and Khandan is believed to have died by suicide shortly after. The couple were last confirmed to be alive on Wednesday, two days before their bodies were found.

    Concern grew after Ougrah failed to return home as expected, prompting her older sister and brother-in-law to travel to the apartment to conduct a welfare check just after 8 p.m. on Friday. After getting no response to knocks and calls, one of the pair scaled an exterior wall to look into the unit, spotting Khandan hanging and Ougrah motionless on a bed. They immediately contacted the Penal Police Station, and responding officers forced entry to confirm the deaths.

    Autopsies are scheduled to be carried out at the Forensic Science Centre in Federation Park in the coming days, and official causes of death will be released once examinations are complete. Law enforcement has confirmed that the full circumstances surrounding both deaths remain active under investigation.

    Family accounts have revealed the couple began their relationship roughly one year ago, shortly after Khandan was released from prison where he had served a sentence for robbery and home invasion. Both families spoke publicly to the *Sunday Express* about their repeated efforts to intervene.

    Speaking from her home in Torrib Trace, New Grant, Ougrah’s grieving mother Feroza Ali held a photo of her late daughter and described her as a devout, educated, ambitious young woman who had earned strong marks on her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, and had recently enrolled in an entrepreneurship training programme. Ali said she and multiple other family members repeatedly warned Ougrah about Khandan’s history and character, but Ougrah chose to continue the relationship despite their concerns. “Several times they broke up in the past and she knows she always welcomed by me, but then she goes back (to him),” Ali explained.

    Ali recalled that just days before the deaths, Ougrah had moved back home with her belongings after a breakup, but left on Wednesday evening after telling her mother she was going to a mall for dinner, and left with Khandan. Ali did not realize her daughter had not returned home until Friday, when her other daughters raised concerns about Ougrah’s silence. Initially, the elder sister contacted Penal Police to request a welfare check, but was unable to provide the exact apartment address, which is required for police to conduct a check. It was only after the pair drove to the neighbourhood themselves that they found the apartment and made the grim discovery.

    In the wake of losing her daughter, Ali issued a heartfelt warning to other young people about rushing into romantic relationships. “Take time and get to know the individual,” she said. “Do not get into something and then learn about the person. A relationship is not something to rush.”

    Khandan’s family is also grappling with grief, and confirmed they too saw the relationship as dangerous. Tony Khandan, Stefan’s father, said he last saw his son on Monday, when Stefan came to help with home repairs. Tony noticed his son seemed unwell and asked what was wrong, and Stefan told him “I am having real problems with that girl.” Tony asked his son to move back into the family home, but got no response, and Stefan left around 4:30 p.m. that day.

    Tony recalled that the couple fought constantly during the year they were together, and that he often had to step in to break up violent arguments when they were staying at his home in Boucard Trace, Penal. He eventually asked the couple to move out, leading them to rent the Batchiya Village apartment. “My son had his ignorant ways, but I did not expect it to reach so far,” Tony said, adding that Ougrah’s mother was the one who broke the news of the pair’s deaths to him. “I love my son. I love all of my children. I do my best for them.”

    Stacy Ann Khandan, Stefan’s sister, echoed the family’s description of the relationship as “toxic”, saying she had tried to provide counselling and guidance to the pair to help them end the relationship. She recalled that on Monday, just two days before the deaths, she and her brother cooked a meal together for the family, and he gave her a long goodbye hug before he left. “Everyone has faults, but I had a bond with my brother,” she said. “We are in mourning and we lost.”

    Local residents of Sundarsingh Trace said the couple kept to themselves, but were always polite when passing through the neighbourhood. Indrani Bhagoutie, a local resident, said she noticed the couple had not been around for a few days, but spotted Khandan carrying a pizza near her home on Wednesday. “She said she heard nothing from them in the next few days and was shocked to learn of the deaths of the young couple.

  • TSTT workers march: Pay 10% hike

    TSTT workers march: Pay 10% hike

    A bitter wage standoff between state-owned Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) and the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) has escalated in recent days, with union leaders openly questioning the company’s good faith in reaching a resolution and warning that frontline workers may be caught in the crossfire of the impasse.

    Following a lunchtime demonstration held by TSTT employees to demand answers over the rejected wage deal, CWU Secretary General Joanne Ogeer reiterated the union’s call for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to step in and break the deadlock that has frozen negotiations. The protest also centered on a demand for TSTT Chairman Kern Dass to publicly explain why a tentative 10% wage increase agreement, reached after months of back-and-forth between negotiating teams, was ultimately struck down by the company’s board of directors.

    Ogeer clarified that the demonstration was not organized in direct response to pre-action protocol letters issued by TSTT leadership and Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath. Instead, the core grievance centers on the unexplained rejection of a deal that was finalized by executive representatives from both sides. The 10% proposal, which would phase in the pay raise over a two to three-year period, was the only one of five initial offers the union found acceptable, after four other packages were rejected out of hand, Ogeer explained. Once both negotiating teams signed off on the terms, the plan was forwarded to TSTT’s board for final approval — only for the union to be notified weeks later that the deal had been turned down.

    The CWU leader’s questioning of the board’s decision carries extra weight given TSTT’s recent blockbuster financial results: the company reported a $214 million after-tax profit for the financial year ending March 31, 2026, a performance TSTT itself called the strongest it has posted in 17 years, dating back to 2009. Ogeer pushed back on the company’s long-standing claims of cash flow constraints that were previously used to justify wage freezes and low offers.

    “When the company repeatedly claimed before that it had cash flow problems, that it was not turning a profit, so it could not afford to pay workers more — but now you have announced a $214 million profit… what justification can you possibly give for saying no now?” Ogeer said in a press briefing after the protest. She also called for transparency around the sources of the windfall profit, asking whether the gains came from the government’s national laptop programme, a surplus in the company’s pension fund, or other operational gains. “It makes no sense for a company that has not received government subventions in recent years, and is now posting its highest profit ever, to claim it cannot or will not pay workers what they have agreed to,” she added.

    To back up the union’s claim that the 10% deal was properly negotiated and agreed, Ogeer said the union has already provided TSTT with two specific dates of the executive negotiating sessions and called on the company to review internal security footage to confirm that the meetings took place, who attended, and how long the negotiations lasted. “We are not making this claim out of thin air. The 10% agreement did not happen in a vacuum,” she said.

    Most strikingly, Ogeer admitted that the union has little confidence that TSTT will return to the negotiating table with a genuine commitment to reaching a fair deal. “What I can say clearly is that we are not optimistic that the company will come back to the table in good faith, and I want to stress that. We have no hope that the company will honor the agreement it made with the union,” she said. “As a matter of fact, we believe that TSTT workers will be weaponized even more as this dispute drags on.”

    Ogeer also raised questions about the independence of an ongoing internal investigation into TSTT’s former chief executive, noting that while the union does not oppose a proper probe into potential misconduct, it is demanding clarity over who is overseeing the process. “Who is guarding the guards at TSTT?” she asked. “Stakeholders are watching, investors are watching, citizens are watching, employees are watching… right now, TSTT does not look good.”

    In response to the pre-action protocol letters received from TSTT and the public utilities minister, Ogeer confirmed that the union has assembled a team of experienced legal representatives to handle the impending litigation, though she declined to share further details on the legal strategy. She made clear the union is confident in its position. “I am comfortable, and I am very confident with the representation that we have retained on the matter at hand,” she said.

    The protest drew support from other national labor groups, with Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) President Crystal Ashe and prominent activist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh in attendance. Ogeer noted that the demonstration marked a key moment for the labor movement, as it was the first major protest the union has been able to hold since the national state of emergency was lifted, giving workers the chance to publicly advocate for their rights once again.

  • BOMB THREATS SHUT SCHOOLS

    BOMB THREATS SHUT SCHOOLS

    False bomb threats targeting schools immediately after long weekends have emerged as a persistent, troubling issue in Trinidad and Tobago, according to the president of the island nation’s largest teachers’ union.

    The latest wave of disruptions unfolded this week, when four secondary schools—Arima North Secondary, El Dorado East Secondary, El Dorado West Secondary, and Tunapuna Secondary—received anonymous bomb threats in a single day, forcing the immediate evacuation of all students and staff on campus.

    In a statement shared with local media outlet *Trinidad Express* via WhatsApp, Crystal Ashe, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), emphasized that stronger action is urgently needed to track down and hold accountable the individuals behind these malicious pranks. Ashe noted that bomb threats against schools consistently spike in the days following extended public holidays, a pattern that suggests the threats are often carried out by bad actors seeking an unplanned extra day off from classes.

    “TTUTA, as a key stakeholder in the national education system, always takes any threat against school communities extremely seriously,” Ashe said. He added that while the Ministry of Education already has a formal bomb threat response policy in place for institutions to follow, the recurring nature of these incidents demands more proactive intervention to root out those responsible. “When teachers follow the established protocols, we are confident in the framework, but stopping the threats at their source is the only way to end these disruptions for good.”

    Following the receipt of the threats on the day in question, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) was immediately dispatched to the four affected campuses. The service’s Explosive Detection and Disposal Unit and Special Branch teams carried out full security sweeps of every building, classroom, and common area on school grounds, searching for any trace of explosive devices or suspicious items. After completing their thorough inspections, law enforcement officials confirmed that no dangerous materials were located, and the schools were officially cleared to resume normal operations.

    In an official media release issued the same day, the Ministry of Education confirmed that it had been notified of the threats immediately and had coordinated closely with law enforcement to respond. The statement noted that all established school safety and emergency protocols were followed throughout the incident, including structured coordination between school administrators and protective services, timely implementation of precautionary measures, and orderly accounting for all students and staff during the evacuation. “The safety and security of every student, teacher, and member of the school community remains our highest priority,” the ministry emphasized.

    The National Parent Teachers Association (NPTA) also issued a statement reacting to the incident, with NPTA president Walter Stewart sharing his perspective with *Trinidad Express* via telephone. Stewart voiced relief that the threats ultimately turned out to be false, but echoed the deep concern shared by TTUTA over the recurring pattern of these incidents. He reaffirmed that schools must remain safe, secure spaces for teaching and learning, and that all educators and students deserve to enter campus every day confident in their personal safety.

    Stewart pointed out that even when bomb threats are proven to be hoaxes, they inflict lasting harm on school communities. Beyond the immediate disruption to instructional time and delays to curriculum delivery, these false threats divert critical law enforcement and emergency response resources away from genuine public safety needs, he noted. They also spread unnecessary fear and anxiety among students, staff, parents, and the wider community, long after the all-clear is given. “These pranks are not harmless—they carry real costs for everyone involved, and it is past time that we crack down on those responsible,” Stewart added.