Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • Captain dies after rescue

    Captain dies after rescue

    An eight-day nightmare of being lost adrift in the open Atlantic ended in mixed tragedy and relief for the crew of the missing Trinidadian fishing vessel St Vincent VII, after the captain of the vessel died just hours after he and his five crewmates were pulled to safety by a passing commercial ship. The Ministry of Defence of Trinidad and Tobago confirmed the devastating turn of events in an official statement released Wednesday, just hours after a morning announcement that all six crew members had been found alive.

    The ordeal for the St Vincent VII’s crew began on July 6, when the vessel, carrying six yellowfin tuna fishermen employed by local operator Renita Enterprises Ltd, departed the Chaguaramas marine yard for a fishing expedition. On July 13, the vessel caught fire roughly 30 nautical miles off the maritime border of Suriname and French Guiana, disabling its power systems and cutting off all communication with shore. For more than a week, the vessel drifted aimlessly with the Atlantic’s trade winds and currents, leaving families in the dark and sparking a widespread regional search effort.

    The dramatic rescue unfolded at approximately 9 p.m. on Tuesday, when the Maritime Operations Command Centre received an unexpected report from the crew of the MV Marvel Kite, a cargo ship bound for the United States. While traveling west around 349 nautical miles east of Galeota, the Marvel Kite’s crew spotted the listing, disabled St Vincent VII in open water. After approaching the distressed vessel, they confirmed that all six missing fishermen were on board, alive. Early reports from the rescue team described the men as being in reasonably good health, a update that brought immediate waves of relief to anxious relatives who had spent more than a week pleading for help to locate the vessel.

    That hope quickly turned to grief, however, when 66-year-old captain Anthony Murray, a Trinidadian national, began experiencing severe respiratory distress just hours after being taken aboard the MV Marvel Kite. According to the Ministry’s statement, Murray initially showed no signs of pain or discomfort, but his breathing gradually became shallower, and he was pronounced lifeless before the rescue vessel could reach its planned rendezvous with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard’s CG25 vessel off the coast of St. Lucia.

    Following Murray’s passing, the decision was made to divert the MV Marvel Kite to St. Vincent, where local authorities will complete a formal death declaration, conduct a medical examination, and provide any required care for the five surviving crew members. Once cleared by medical teams, the remaining fishermen will be flown back to Trinidad by the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard.

    The Ministry of Defence has issued a formal apology for two separate delays in communicating updates to the public and the crew’s families. Officials first apologized for withholding the announcement of Murray’s death until after his immediate family had been notified, a step the ministry said was taken out of respect for the Murray family. In a signed statement, Defence Minister Wayne Sturge also extended the government’s gratitude to the crew of the MV Marvel Kite for their life-saving intervention, and offered sincere condolences to Murray’s family following his “untimely and unfortunate passing.”

    But the apology has not quelled frustration from the families of the surviving crew, who say they have been kept in the dark for days despite promises of immediate updates. Amanda Suraj, wife of crew member Shannon “Joey” Mohammed, told local reporters that while she was overjoyed to hear her husband had survived, she had yet to receive direct official notification from authorities or speak to her husband by phone, even after the Ministry of Defence published its initial rescue announcement to the media.

    Speaking from her family home in Claxton Bay Wednesday, Suraj criticized officials for prioritizing media statements over notifying next of kin, saying the ongoing uncertainty remains deeply traumatizing for waiting relatives. “I believe our prayers were answered because they were rescued, but I still haven’t heard my husband’s voice,” she said. “It is disrespectful that the Ministry of Defence issued a media release about the rescue, yet no one has contacted the families or allowed the crew members to call us.”

    Suraj added that conflicting rumors about the crew’s location have only heightened anxiety: reports have placed the rescued men in St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Vincent, with no official confirmation of their whereabouts. After eight days adrift on a disabled vessel following the fire, Suraj said her family has already endured enough sleepless nights. “We’re thankful they are alive, but we deserve to hear from them after all this uncertainty,” she said.

  • DEATH TOLL 65

    DEATH TOLL 65

    The tragic capsizing of the MV Barima off the coast of Guyana last weekend has seen its death toll climb to 65, official updates confirmed on Thursday, as multi-national rescue teams join ongoing efforts to refloat the 87-year-old vessel that sank en route from Georgetown to the remote inland village of Port Kaituma, located in Guyana’s Barima-Waini administrative region.

    Speaking at an official press briefing, Guyana Prime Minister Mark Phillips announced that five additional bodies had been recovered in 24 hours of search operations, bringing the total number of fatalities recovered since search and rescue work began to 65. Of the recovered remains, 44 have been formally identified by next of kin, and 23 of those identified have already been released to families to proceed with funeral arrangements, Phillips said.

    Regional government agencies, alongside the national Ministry of Health and Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, are working around the clock alongside bereaved relatives to streamline the process of releasing remains for funeral rites and burials, the prime minister confirmed. He added that the number of survivors who were rescued from the incident remains unchanged at 76.

    Phillips emphasized that the government’s top immediate priority remains twofold: supporting grieving families through this crisis and bringing the search and recovery operation to a complete conclusion. “Our focus right now is not on compensation,” he stated. “We are concentrated on recovering remaining victims, covering all costs for burials and funeral ceremonies, and delivering whatever immediate assistance families require to get through this tragedy.” He clarified that the emergency support being provided to families is not classified as compensation, but rather a core responsibility of the government during a national crisis. Once the recovery operation is wrapped up, the government plans to launch a formal public commission of inquiry into the disaster as quickly as possible, he said. Compensation claims will only be addressed after the commission completes its investigation and submits its findings and policy recommendations.

    In a boost to recovery efforts, specialized maritime assets and personnel from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Brazilian Navy have now arrived at the incident site and joined the search, rescue and recovery mission. Phillips noted that these international teams will support deep diving operations and other technical recovery work that local teams are not fully equipped to carry out. In total, 19 vessels and three aircraft are currently deployed to the operation, with smaller craft from the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Coast Guard and Maritime Administration Department searching inland waterways for any remaining passengers who may have been swept away from the main wreck site.

    Technical teams are currently conducting detailed structural assessments of the capsized vessel to identify the safest and most efficient strategy to improve access for diving teams working at the site. The current recovery plan calls for repositioning the vessel before deploying large marine salvage airbags around the hull. These buoyancy devices will restore enough buoyancy to refloat the MV Barima, after which the vessel will be towed closer to shore to allow for more thorough search and recovery of any remaining remains.

    To honor the lives lost in the disaster, the Guyanese government has declared three days of national mourning, which began Thursday. During the mourning period, all national flags will be flown at half-mast across the country, and Thursday was also designated a national day of prayer. Phillips announced that the public is invited to gather at the Kingston seawall at 6 p.m. local time for a national service of collective prayer and reflection. Additional prayer and reflection services will be held tomorrow in both Port Kaituma, the vessel’s destination, and Mabaruma, the regional capital.

    “The government remains fully committed to seeing the recovery effort through, supporting affected families in every way we can, and keeping every available resource deployed until the operation is fully complete,” Phillips said.

    As investigations into the cause of the disaster progress, law enforcement authorities have announced that a third person has been taken into custody for questioning. The latest detainee is the senior superintendent who oversaw the loading of cargo and passengers onto the MV Barima before the vessel departed Georgetown. According to Phillips, the superintendent voluntarily attended a questioning session with the Criminal Investigations Department alongside his legal representative, and was subsequently detained for further interrogation. Earlier this week, the vessel’s captain and a senior crew member were arrested after both failed mandatory post-incident drugs tests.

    Phillips cautioned that it is too early to confirm whether formal charges will be filed against any of the three detainees, noting that investigators are following standard legal procedure. “Investigators will collect all statements, the Director of Public Prosecutions will complete their technical legal review and submit recommendations,” he explained. “If investigators need additional time to build their case, they will request a 72-hour extension, as is allowed by law. We must follow due process every step of the way, and the public can be assured that we are adhering to all established protocols for police investigations.”

    Official records for the voyage list 116 passengers and a 17-member crew, but authorities estimate that as many as 179 passengers and crew were actually on board the vessel when it capsized.

  • For her ‘it was about service’

    For her ‘it was about service’

    A 28-year-old United States Army Sergeant with deep Trinidadian roots, who spent decades chasing her dream of military service, has been formally confirmed as the fourth American service member killed in an Iranian drone attack on a US military facility in Jordan. The Pentagon made the official identification of Angel Sarah Rampersad, a Queens, New York resident, on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the July 17 strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base that left three other US troops dead alongside her.

    Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Rampersad moved to New York with her mother when she was just two years old, but never cut the cultural and personal ties to her birth country. She retained a deep love for Trinidadian culture, returning frequently for summer breaks, Christmas and family vacations, and counted local Trini dishes like coconut bake and doubles among her favorite foods. Her aunt Sandra Cooke, who still resides in Trinidad’s Waterloo, recalled that Rampersad grew into a determined, passionate young woman who had dreamed of military service from a young age.

    When Rampersad turned 18, her mother Carol Acevedo refused to grant permission for her to enlist. Undeterred by the rejection, she waited three years until she reached the legal age of independent enlistment, and signed up for the Army at 21. Far from a political choice, Cooke emphasized that Rampersad’s enlistment was rooted in a deep personal commitment to service. A naturally talented and dedicated service member, she rose through the ranks rapidly, earning the rank of sergeant by age 28. Before her posting to Jordan, she had completed tours in Hawaii and Germany, assigned to the Germany-based First Battalion, 57th Air Defence Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defence Artillery Brigade, Tenth Army Air and Missile Defence Command.

    In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Rampersad was listed as missing, leaving her family clinging to hope for days. That hope faded when military personnel recovered her remains from the rubble of the damaged base tower, requiring DNA testing to formally confirm her identity. Cooke shared that the news of her confirmation of death shattered the extended family, with Rampersad’s mother struggling deeply to process the loss, her only request to get a final look at her daughter left unanswered by military officials. When the flag-draped caskets of the four fallen troops arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the entire family broke down crying at the solemn transfer ceremony.

    The tragic death of Rampersad has sparked an outpouring of grief and formal tributes from both the United States and Trinidad and Tobago. The solemn transfer ceremony at Dover was attended by US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who stood and saluted as the caskets were carried from the transport plane by fellow service members. Across New York, American flags were lowered to half-staff to honor the fallen troops. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani highlighted Rampersad’s deep ties to Queens, saying her courage and sacrifice would be remembered across all five boroughs, while New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the loss as “unimaginable” and extended her condolences to the family and her fellow soldiers.

    In Trinidad and Tobago, where Rampersad’s father is a national and her family still maintains deep roots, officials have also extended formal sympathies. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar offered condolences to the United States and noted that the nation mourned Rampersad’s passing with particular sorrow due to her Trinidadian heritage. “Though she served under the flag of the United States, Sergeant Rampersad also shared a meaningful connection with our nation through her Trinidad and Tobago heritage,” Persad-Bissessar said. The Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs confirmed that US authorities formally notified Trinidad and Tobago’s acting Vice Consulate in New York of the death. Foreign Minister Sean Sobers personally spoke with Rampersad’s father to extend the government and people’s condolences, and a consular team visited the family this week to offer support and sympathies. The ministry noted that Rampersad’s local heritage gives her loss a special resonance for the nation, saying “We extend our heartfelt sympathies to her parents and relatives, her fellow service members and all those whose lives she touched. May Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampersad and her fallen colleagues rest in eternal peace, and may their grieving families find strength and comfort.”

    Rampersad’s family in Trinidad says they take a small measure of comfort in the knowledge that she died doing the work she chose, work that gave her life deep purpose. She is remembered by loved ones for her relentless determination, her devotion to service, and her joyful love of Trinidad’s beaches, culture and community. The attack that killed Rampersad comes as part of an escalating conflict between the US and Iran that has now claimed the lives of 18 American service members, according to US officials.

  • Police burn 5,000 cannabis trees

    Police burn 5,000 cannabis trees

    Law enforcement agencies in Trinidad have completed a major eradication operation against illegal cannabis cultivation, destroying roughly 5,000 mature cannabis plants with an estimated street value of $5 million in the Moruga region earlier this week. The coordinated crackdown, launched under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner of Police Tewarie from the Criminal Investigations Branch, brought together multiple specialized units to target the unlicensed growing site hidden in remote terrain.

    Officers from three divisions – the elite Jungle Operations Team, the Southern Division Task Force, and local Moruga Police Station personnel – penetrated the dense La Lune forest to reach the plantation on Tuesday. To help locate the illicit growing plots that were intentionally tucked away in isolated woodland, the operation received critical support from the Police Aerial Unit, which deployed surveillance drones to map the area and spot the hidden fields from above.

    The aerial surveillance proved pivotal: it allowed teams to pinpoint two separate cannabis growing areas that spanned a combined total of roughly one and a half acres of forest land. Once located, officers confirmed that all 5,000 plants found on the site were fully grown and ready for distribution to the illegal drug market. Rather than removing the plants one by one, law enforcement carried out controlled burns to destroy the entire crop on site.

    Beyond the cannabis plants themselves, officers also disposed of a range of infrastructure used to sustain the illegal operation. This included multiple water containers that cultivators had set up to irrigate the plants, as well as assorted cultivation tools and equipment. As of the conclusion of the exercise, no suspects had been apprehended at the site, and police have not announced any updates on ongoing investigations to identify the operators of the plantation.

  • Hadeeds must stay in jail

    Hadeeds must stay in jail

    A high-stakes constitutional and national security legal battle has reached the Privy Council, where state attorneys have laid out three distinct legal arguments to reverse a Court of Appeal order that granted conditional release to wealthy businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife Genevieve. The State is being represented by a high-powered legal team led by prominent King’s Counsel Sir James Eadie and Tom Richards, alongside senior local counsel Gerald Ramdeen, signaling the gravity of the legal and national security issues at play in the appeal.

    The first core ground of the State’s challenge centers on a fundamental question of institutional authority: whether courts are legally entitled to override the executive branch’s national security assessments. State attorneys argue that the Court of Appeal explicitly recognized the long-standing legal principle that executive judgments on liberty restrictions for national security protection must be granted “very great weight” by judicial bodies. Even so, they contend the lower court failed to apply this principle in practice when it ruled the couple should be moved from prison detention to conditional house arrest.

    The State’s legal team emphasizes that the executive branch holds unique institutional advantages for making these sensitive national security determinations. Unlike courts, the executive has full access to classified intelligence, specialized national security expertise, and sensitive information that cannot be disclosed in open judicial proceedings for operational security reasons. Beyond practical capability, attorneys argue that national security decision-making carries an explicit constitutional weight: responsibility for protecting the state is constitutionally assigned to democratically accountable government officials, rather than unelected judges.

    According to the State’s argument, the Court of Appeal overstepped its constitutional mandate when it independently concluded that full imprisonment was unnecessary and house arrest would be sufficient to mitigate risks. Attorneys describe this move as an illegitimate overreach, noting that the Emergency Powers Regulations explicitly grant the responsible government minister the authority to decide whether preventive detention is necessary, as well as to determine the location and conditions of that detention. Courts, they argue, lack both the institutional capability and constitutional legitimacy to replace the minister’s assessment with their own judgment of how to manage the alleged threat.

    The State also pushes back against claims that the absence of criminal charges against the Hadeeds invalidates the minister’s detention order. Attorneys stress that preventive detention under emergency regulations operates entirely separate from the standard criminal justice process. The minister is not required to prove the allegations against the detainee on the balance of probabilities, nor is they required to demonstrate a realistic prospect of a future criminal conviction before issuing a preventive detention order (PDO). The minister’s assessment, they note, is rooted in classified intelligence, which cannot be disclosed publicly or to the detainee because such disclosure would compromise intelligence sources, ongoing national security operations, and critical international intelligence-sharing partnerships.

    A further procedural point raised by the State is that the Court of Appeal ordered the Hadeeds’ release before the State had even submitted its full evidence responding to the substantive judicial review challenge, which is not due until September 14, 2026. Attorneys argue that it was legally improper for the lower court to make binding findings on the validity of the intelligence underpinning the PDOs at this interim stage of proceedings. The State also confirmed that a separate statutory tribunal reviewing the lawfulness of the Hadeeds’ detention remains ongoing, and the minister has requested the hearing be reopened over allegations of procedural unfairness during earlier proceedings.

    The State’s second ground of appeal argues that the Court of Appeal made a clear error when it ruled the Hadeeds’ individual liberty interests outweigh the state’s obligation to manage the alleged national security threat. Attorneys point out that even the Court of Appeal itself acknowledged the severity of the national security risks at hand: if the allegations against the couple are proven true, their release could allow them to continue advancing the alleged conspiracy they are accused of, leading to horrendous, irreparable harm to public safety and national institutions. Having accepted the existence of this severe risk, the State argues, the only reasonable balancing of interests could ever have favored protecting public life and democratic institutions over individual liberty.

    The State also challenges the lower court’s weighing of the Hadeeds’ loss of liberty, noting that if the detention is ultimately found to be unlawful, the couple can be fully compensated with substantial financial damages. On the subject of the Hadeeds’ reported medical concerns that the Court of Appeal cited when supporting release, the State says the lower court failed to identify any specific medical condition that requires at-home treatment that cannot be adequately accommodated within a prison setting.

    The third and final ground of the State’s challenge questions the adequacy of the conditional house arrest terms imposed by the Court of Appeal, arguing the measures are far less effective at mitigating risk than continued prison detention. State attorneys outline multiple flaws in the proposed regime: even with a ban on personal communication devices, the Hadeeds would still be able to engage in unauthorized communication from their private residence. While all visitors would require police approval, once inside the property, visitors would be able to communicate freely with the couple without ongoing monitoring.

    Compounding these enforcement challenges is the physical layout of the Hadeeds’ proposed residence: a large sprawling seafront property made up of multiple separate buildings. State attorneys argue that effectively monitoring all activity across such a large site would create enormous practical challenges and draw heavily on limited police resources, making consistent enforcement of the house arrest conditions unfeasible. The State also warns that the layout creates a higher risk of the couple absconding, which would give them the opportunity to communicate completely unrestricted to advance their alleged activities. Ultimately, attorneys argue, there was no admissible evidence before the Court of Appeal that could support a finding that the proposed conditions were sufficient to mitigate the national security risks of release, and the lower court failed to acknowledge that switching from prison detention to house arrest would significantly reduce the level of public protection against the alleged threat.

  • Govt denies hidden AI project

    Govt denies hidden AI project

    A recent front-page report from local newspaper *Sunday Guardian* has drawn official pushback from Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence (MPAAI), which firmly debunks the outlet’s claim that the current government already has fully built advanced infrastructure for a national artificial intelligence data centre.

    In an official statement issued Wednesday, the ministry categorized the report’s core assertion as categorically inaccurate, stemming from a fundamental factual and conceptual confusion between two entirely separate projects. According to the explanation, the report incorrectly merged an uncompleted government data centre initiative inherited from the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration with a separate, still-planned commercial AI infrastructure project that the current administration is only in the exploratory phase of developing.

    Breaking down the two distinct initiatives, the ministry outlined that the Tier IV National Data Centre proposed by the former PNM government was approved by Cabinet in 2022 and earmarked for the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate. The stated goals of this project were to underpin national government digital services, boost the country’s cybersecurity posture, and cut the state’s long-term reliance on expensive third-party external data hosting services. Critically, however, the previous administration never finished building or activated the facility before leaving office. The ministry also clarified that the Tier IV classification of this facility only refers to its expected level of reliability and operational resilience, not its capacity for artificial intelligence workloads, further undermining the report’s conflation.

    In contrast, the commercial AI infrastructure referenced in the report refers to a proposed high-performance computing facility outlined in memoranda of understanding (MoUs) the current government signed with Ernst & Young LLP and Hummingbird AI Holdings. This project, designed to support private sector enterprise AI development and other advanced computing applications, has a fundamentally different technical design, financing and investment model, and core purpose than the inherited national data centre project.

    The ministry also pushed back against the report’s framing of procurement activities and signed MoUs as evidence that the AI data centre is already operational. It emphasized that active procurement processes do not equal a completed and commissioned facility, and that an MoU is neither a binding construction contract nor a final greenlight for full investment.

    Going further, the ministry criticized the decision to run the inaccurate story on the front page of a national publication, noting it lacked the technical rigor, factual balance, and source verification that the public has a right to expect from responsible journalism. It called for all future coverage of critical national technology and infrastructure projects to adhere to core journalistic standards of accuracy, fairness, contextual completeness, and proper fact-checking.

    Closing its statement, the MPAAI reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to transparent governance, the modernization of Trinidad and Tobago’s national digital infrastructure, and the responsible development of artificial intelligence tools that serve the national public interest. It added that it will continue to share verified, accurate information with the public, and will not hesitate to issue corrections whenever misinformation risks distorting public understanding of matters of national importance.

  • 800 MORE COMING

    800 MORE COMING

    Trinidad and Tobago’s national government has unveiled a multi-year recruitment plan to fill crippling staffing gaps in the country’s Prison Service, responding to urgent warnings from prison officer leadership that years of unaddressed attrition have pushed the institution to a breaking point.

    Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander confirmed last week that 800 new prison officers will be brought into the service between 2024 and 2027, in a bid to reverse the persistent staff exodus that has left the system short-staffed for more than a decade. The announcement comes after Prison Officers’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago (POATT) president Gerard Gordon raised public alarms about the growing crisis, noting that the service’s monthly departures have consistently outpaced new hires for years, with long-standing working condition issues driving officers to leave the profession.

    Gordon shared detailed data with local outlet the Express outlining the scope of the attrition crisis. Since 2018 and 2019, he explained, the service has lost more than 100 officers annually. When Gordon took office as association president in 2023, total POATT membership stood at just over 2,900 officers; today, that number has dropped to roughly 2,500, meaning 400 officers have left the service in just three years. Even prior proposals to add 500 new officers would not have been enough to keep up with the rate of departure, Gordon added.

    Beyond the staffing shortage, Gordon outlined a series of unaddressed problems facing frontline officers. One major long-standing issue is the difficulty for officers to obtain firearm user licenses, a debate that has been tied up in the court system for nearly a decade. Gordon clarified that the union is not calling for universal firearm issuance for all officers, but rather wants qualified officers who meet all regulatory requirements to be able to successfully obtain licenses. Currently, many applications are rejected on the grounds that officers do not face direct, documented threats to their lives or do not transport large cash sums — a standard that Gordon says ignores the inherent, well-documented dangers of correctional work and the post-traumatic risk officers face after losing colleagues to on-the-job violence.

    Gordon also called out major deficiencies in the country’s prison infrastructure. He pointed to the Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Centre, a facility first purchased by the government in 2011 for TT$235 million that has since undergone multiple rounds of additional construction work. More than a decade later, Gordon says the facility still does not meet global standards for correctional institutions. At the country’s Maximum Security Prison, long-running infrastructure failures persist, including crumbling structural systems, no backup power generator, broken security gates and inadequate lighting across the facility.

    In his response to these concerns, Alexander confirmed the government has a clear timeline to roll out new recruits, framing the plan as the first serious effort to fix a decade of neglect under the previous administration. The first 500 recruits will begin orientation in July and August, with formal training set to launch in September this year. An additional 300 recruits will be hired in early 2025, bringing the total new hires to 800 to address the backlog of vacant positions.

    “This Government has begun to fix the issues; we are fixing the attrition rate by recruiting 800 prison officers starting on the 27th of this month with 500 coming on board and another 300 in the new year,” Alexander told the Express. “I want to give the assurance that all the concerns of prisons officers past and present will be addressed. This is the first time in a long time they have a minister who cares and understands and a Prime Minister who has given instructions to clean up the mess left by the PNM.”

    Alexander, who took office last year, said he inherited a broken national security system with strained human resources and a dysfunctional security apparatus. “With the lack of attention given to the Prison Service for the past ten years it is clear as day to me that the People’s National Movement (PNM) was never interested in dealing with crime,” he said.

    The minister emphasized that the government recognizes the interconnected nature of a well-functioning Prison Service, the judicial system, and consistent public safety outcomes, noting that correctional services play a critical role in rehabilitating incarcerated people to reduce recidivism. Alexander added that the previous government left the correctional system starved of basic resources: “The institution responsible for rehabilitation of prisoners was left without manpower, resources, equipment, and a well-rounded structure to treat inmates. Instead, contracts were given out which resulted in incomplete arrangements for the alarm system, cameras and lighting.”

    The correctional staffing push is part of a broader government effort to strengthen all national law enforcement agencies in Trinidad and Tobago. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is also set to recruit hundreds of new officers in the coming months, and 800 Special Reserve Police officers have already been fully absorbed into the regular Police Service over the past year. Alexander acknowledged that all long-standing problems will not be resolved overnight, but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing every concern raised by POATT.

  • Ali declares 3 days of mourning

    Ali declares 3 days of mourning

    A devastating maritime disaster has shaken the South American nation of Guyana, after the passenger vessel MV Barima capsized on an inter-regional voyage, leaving at least 41 people dead and triggering an ongoing multinational search for remaining missing passengers. In response to the profound national loss, President Dr Irfaan Ali has officially proclaimed three days of national mourning to honor the victims and stand with grieving communities across the country.

    The tragedy unfolded on Saturday, when the MV Barima, carrying an estimated 179 passengers and crew, was traveling from the capital city of Georgetown to the remote village of Port Kaituma in Guyana’s Barima-Waini Administrative Region. Initial investigations suggest a large wave may have struck the vessel, causing it to capsize in open waters.

    As of a 1 p.m. update issued by the Government of Guyana on July 21, recovery teams had pulled 41 bodies from the disaster site, while 77 people who survived the capsizing have been rescued. Fourteen of the recovered bodies were retrieved on July 21 alone, with the first recovery of the day logged at 10:15 a.m.

    In the days following the incident, search and recovery operations have been significantly scaled up. A total of 16 vessels are currently deployed in the area around the sunken wreckage, and authorities have expanded the search perimeter by an additional 400 square miles, stretching search operations as far as Waini Point to increase the likelihood of locating any remaining missing people. French and local divers are also conducting sustained underwater search operations at the wreck site, while neighboring Trinidad and Tobago has committed critical support to the effort, deploying air and naval assets alongside a 27-person crew that includes seven specialized divers.

    On land, family members have been gathered at Suddie Hospital to begin the painful process of identifying recovered remains. Authorities have issued strict protocols for handling recovered bodies, requiring all remains found during operations to be transferred immediately to the custody of the Guyana Police Force at a dedicated facility at Charity River Dam to streamline identification and next-of-kin notification.

    Issued under the President’s hand and the official Seal of Guyana on July 21, the proclamation declares July 22, 23, and 24 of 2026 as three days of national mourning. The declaration notes that the massive loss of life has left the entire country in “profound and widespread sorrow and immeasurable grief.”

    President Ali explained that the mourning period is designed to honor the memory of those who died, express national solidarity with bereaved families, provide comfort to surviving victims, and highlight the collective compassion that unites Guyanese people through crisis. “At this time of deep national sadness, as we pause to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives, to stand with their families, to offer comfort to survivors, and to demonstrate our collective compassion and solidarity,” the proclamation reads.

    Throughout the three-day mourning period, national flags will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings, public institutions, and other official sites across the country as a mark of respect. July 22 has additionally been designated as a National Day of Prayer, with a large national gathering for prayer, reflection, and solidarity scheduled at the Kingston Seawall in Georgetown. Religious leaders, victim relatives, survivors, community representatives, and citizens from across Guyana are expected to attend the event.

    Regional remembrance events have also been organized across the affected regions. A Night of Reflection and Prayer will be held in Port Kaituma, the destination of the ill-fated voyage, on July 23, inviting residents of Port Kaituma and surrounding communities to gather to remember the lost and support one another. A second regional Night of Reflection and Prayer will take place in Mabaruma on July 24 for residents of the wider North-West District.

    President Ali has called on all Guyanese people, regardless of religious or cultural background, to come together as a unified nation in the wake of the disaster. He has encouraged churches, mosques, temples, all other houses of worship, and civic organizations across the country to host candlelight gatherings during the mourning period, framing these events as symbols of shared remembrance and national unity, and urging communities to begin vigils and moments of prayer as early as July 21 evening.

  • Captain, engineer test positive for drugs

    Captain, engineer test positive for drugs

    A devastating maritime disaster off the coast of Guyana has left at least 27 people dead and scores more unaccounted for, after the passenger and cargo ferry MV Barima capsized during a routine voyage last Saturday. The incident has sparked urgent search and rescue operations, while an unexpected twist has seen two senior crew members taken into police custody on narcotics charges.

  • Judge: Dad sent to St Ann’s illegally

    Judge: Dad sent to St Ann’s illegally

    In a landmark 30-page judgment delivered this week, Trinidad and Tobago’s High Court has overturned an unlawful order by a senior magistrate that saw an unrepresented father wrongfully detained at a state psychiatric hospital amid a civil child custody dispute. The ruling, penned by Justice Marcia Ayers-Caesar, exposes serious violations of constitutional rights and improper application of mental health law by a lower court judge, setting a new precedent for procedural safeguards in civil court proceedings.

    The case dates back to February 17, 2020, when the unnamed man appeared at the Point Fortin Magistrates’ Court for a hearing focused on paternity, child maintenance, and custody of his infant son. Tensions between the man and his son’s mother had created communication barriers, and a social worker had previously suggested he complete a voluntary psychiatric assessment as part of joint co-parenting counseling. No involuntary evaluation had been ordered at that stage of the proceedings.

    During the hearing, Senior Magistrate Alicia Chankar observed the man fidgeting and pressing his hands to his forehead, and labeled his behavior “erratic and concerning.” Acting on this observation, Chankar invoked Section 13 of the country’s Mental Health Act to order a 14-day involuntary remand to St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Justice Ayers-Caesar’s ruling makes clear that this application of the law was fundamentally incorrect: Section 13 is a legal provision designed exclusively for individuals facing criminal charges, not parties in civil custody disputes.

    In her written judgment, Ayers-Caesan emphasized that the magistrate had improperly redefined a tool intended for social support into a weapon of state authority over a private civil matter. Two independent psychiatrists later confirmed that the man’s outward nervousness was nothing more than a reaction to the stress of participating in a high-stakes court proceeding, not evidence of underlying mental illness.

    What followed the remand order was a sequence of degrading and unconstitutional treatment, the court found. After being handcuffed in the courtroom, the man was transferred to the Point Fortin Police Station, where officers subjected him to a forced strip search, verbally taunted him, and locked him in a cell with human feces smeared across the walls and floor alongside two other detainees. Approximately four hours later, he was restrained at his hands, waist, and ankles before being transported to St Ann’s Forensic Psychiatric Unit, Ward 27. Once admitted, he was held in unsanitary conditions alongside patients with severe acute psychiatric conditions, with broken toilets and non-functional showers in his living area.

    In total, the man spent 92 hours in involuntary detention before two consulting psychiatrists, Dr Dominic O Nwokolo and Dr Keshenee Ramnarine, cleared him of any mental illness or psychiatric disorder and authorized his release on February 21, 2020. The High Court found that throughout the entire process, the man was denied every basic safeguard of due process: he received no advance notice that the magistrate was considering involuntary committal, had no opportunity to contest the order before it was issued, and was already proceeding without legal representation at the civil hearing.

    Ayers-Caesar wrote that the mistreatment the man endured qualified as “grossly disproportionate, humiliating, degrading, and cruel”, and violated his constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. The man has alleged that the unlawful detention and associated record caused lasting harm to his personal reputation and ability to secure steady employment.

    The High Court formally ruled that the original committal order was unlawful, unconstitutional, and void from the moment it was issued, and ordered the state to cover all of the man’s legal costs related to the constitutional claim. The case has been adjourned until November 10, when a virtual hearing will be held to assess the full amount of compensatory, aggravated, exemplary, and vindicatory damages that the state is required to pay to the wrongfully detained man. Attorney Ted Roopnarine represented the claimant, while attorneys Keisha Prosper and Tenelle Hills appeared on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General, the named defendant in the constitutional claim.