标签： Trinidad and Tobago

In a heartbreaking series of events, two infants lost their lives under tragic circumstances in Trinidad and Tobago, prompting police investigations. On Tuesday evening, a 47-day-old baby boy was pronounced dead at the Chaguanas Health Facility. Authorities were alerted to the sudden death around 5 pm, where they discovered the infant’s body lying on a bed with visible bruises. An autopsy has been ordered, and the body has been transferred to a funeral home for safekeeping. Earlier that same day, a 20-month-old girl was found unresponsive at her home in Lowkey Trace, Penal. The child’s grandmother recounted that her daughter had left her three children in her care over the weekend. On October 6, the toddler developed a slight fever, and despite attempts to feed her baby formula at 11:30 pm, she refused to drink and fell asleep. The grandmother placed the child on her stomach on a living room mattress before retiring to bed. Upon checking at 3 am, she found the girl unresponsive. Emergency health personnel were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead by a district medical officer. An autopsy has also been ordered in this case, with no visible signs of violence reported. Police are actively investigating both incidents to determine the circumstances surrounding these tragic deaths.

In a decisive early-morning raid on October 9, heavily armed police dismantled a sophisticated illegal quarrying operation in Manuel Congo, Guanapo, east Trinidad. The operation, which had been under surveillance for over a year, was described as one of the most environmentally devastating and financially lucrative illegal activities in the region. The raid resulted in the arrest of 19 individuals, including the quarry owner, who police identified as a major figure in the illegal quarrying industry with operations spanning two decades. The site, which had been previously shut down in July, had quietly resumed operations before being permanently closed during the raid. The quarry, equipped with advanced machinery and a fully air-conditioned administrative building, was responsible for clearing acres of virgin forest, mining hills, and processing minerals into construction materials like red sand, sharp sand, and gravel. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro condemned the operation as a theft of national resources, emphasizing its ecological and financial toll. The investigation will now focus on the financial networks and real estate portfolios linked to the quarrying profits, with police vowing to prosecute those involved rigorously.

The legal proceedings surrounding the 2022 Paria diving tragedy have reached a critical juncture, with Deputy Chief Magistrate Brian Dabideen emphasizing the need to resolve the limitation period issue before further progress can be made. The case, involving charges under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, stems from the deaths of four divers employed by Land and Marine Construction Services Ltd (LMCS), who were trapped in an underwater pipeline at Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd’s Pointe-a-Pierre facility. A recent Privy Council ruling on September 16, addressing the limitation period under Sections 93 and 97B of the OSH Act, could determine whether the case proceeds or is dismissed. Dabideen stressed the importance of addressing this ruling first, noting that if the claims are deemed out of time, the case will end. However, if they are within the permissible period, the court will proceed to disclosure and trial. Senior Counsel Pamela Elder, representing the OSH Agency (OSHA), argued that the limitation period begins after the release of the Commission of Enquiry report, which was published on November 30, 2023. OSHA maintains that its complaint, filed on December 13, 2023, remains valid as it was initiated within six months of the report’s release. The Privy Council’s ruling clarified that the six-month limitation period applies to all criminal offences under the OSH Act, resolving a long-standing legal debate. This decision is expected to impact hundreds of pending cases, with Industrial Court President Heather Seale noting that approximately 400 OSH complaints had been stayed pending the judgment. The case also involves Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd, represented by Senior Counsel Sophia Chote, and LMCS managing director Kazim Ali, represented by attorneys Dinesh Rambally and Renuka Rambhajan. Dabideen is expected to rule on submissions regarding the limitation period on December 12.