In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Trinidad and Tobago’s *Express* newspaper, Cuban Ambassador Gustavo Veliz issued a sharp, unflinching rebuke of Washington’s decades-long economic, commercial, and financial embargo against his island nation, framing the policy as a deliberate crime that pushes ordinary Cubans toward a preventable humanitarian catastrophe. Veliz emphasized that any nation that amplifies the United States’ official narrative justifying the embargo is effectively complicit in a policy that directly endangers civilian lives, noting that every minute of the blockade’s enforcement risks avoidable deaths – including those of children – triggered by crippling electricity shortages, blocked access to life-saving medications, and widespread scarcity of basic daily necessities. The diplomat went on to accuse the U.S. of intentionally manufacturing a crisis in Cuba to weaponize it for political gain, while attempting to shift global attention away from the embargo’s catastrophic human toll by centering bad-faith debates about Cuba’s domestic political system and supposed democratic shortcomings. “This is never a genuine conversation about governance or human rights,” Veliz stressed. “It is a deliberate distraction to cover up the unjust energy siege and collective punishment being inflicted on 11 million Cuban people.” Veliz further rejected Washington’s self-assumed moral authority to lecture other nations on human rights, pointing to a litany of documented abuses within U.S. borders and beyond: extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean Sea, systemic police brutality targeting racial minorities, the growing militarization of domestic U.S. cities, inhumane treatment of migrant populations, and the relentless wave of mass school shootings that have killed thousands of American children in recent decades. He noted that these widespread, unaddressed violations completely strip the U.S. of any legitimate standing to criticize other sovereign nations’ human rights records. While Veliz declined to issue a direct public condemnation of the Trinidad and Tobago government’s recent decision to break with 50 years of longstanding regional diplomatic tradition and vote alongside the U.S. against a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding an immediate end to the Cuban embargo, he did not shy away from highlighting the deep, historic ties between Port of Spain and Havana. He recalled that Trinidad and Tobago was one of only four nations worldwide to formally establish full diplomatic relations with Cuba back in 1972, at the height of Washington’s efforts to isolate the island completely on the global stage. Even amid the diplomatic rift over the recent UN vote, Veliz extended warm gratitude to Trinidad and Tobago’s general public for their ongoing grassroots solidarity with the Cuban people, and expressed confidence that the decades-long fraternal bond between Cuba and the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc would persist despite temporary political divergences. Veliz framed the results of the Wednesday UN General Assembly vote as a sweeping, landmark victory for Cuba and international law: the non-binding resolution secured overwhelming support from 130 nations across every region of the globe, with only 17 countries voting in opposition and 25 choosing to abstain. The ambassador noted that the lopsided vote margin makes clear that Washington’s aggressive, decades-long campaign to isolate Cuba has left the U.S. itself increasingly diplomatically isolated on the world stage, despite extraordinary last-minute diplomatic pressure exerted by the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN to coerce smaller nations into switching their votes to oppose the resolution. Veliz emphasized that no amount of U.S. political coercion, intimidation, or economic pressure will ever silence the global community’s unified demand for an end to what he described as the genocidal, unjust blockade, and reaffirmed Cuba’s unwavering commitment to defending its national sovereignty as a sovereign independent state.
标签： Trinidad and Tobago
特立尼达和多巴哥
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PM defends Cuba stance
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has formally defended her administration’s unprecedented break from 30 years of established diplomatic practice, announcing that the twin-island nation cast a vote against a longstanding United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding an end to the U.S. economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. Persad-Bissessar framed the controversial decision as a non-negotiable stand for democratic principles, arguing that the decades-old global push to lift the U.S. blockade has been cynically weaponized to prop up a repressive military regime that exploits ordinary Cuban citizens to fund opulent, lavish lifestyles for ruling elites and their affiliated families. In a public statement shared across official government social media channels, the prime minister emphasized that her government would never lend legitimacy to Cuba’s authoritarian military governance structure, noting that widespread public suffering among ordinary Cubans persists while ruling circles enjoy unaccountable privilege. She pushed back against the long-running narrative that compassion for the Cuban population must automatically translate to support for the island’s totalitarian political system, arguing that the global community cannot credibly advocate for free and fair elections, freedom of expression, and fundamental political rights for citizens across the Caribbean while remaining willfully silent when those exact same freedoms are systematically denied to Cuban residents. Persad-Bissessar specifically endorsed the position of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a politician of Cuban heritage, who has repeatedly stated that Cuba’s long-term prosperity can only be unlocked through sweeping political reform and the full restoration of democratic self-determination for its people. She also pushed back against domestic critics of the vote, noting that local supporters of the Cuban government’s political system would never accept authoritarian rule in Trinidad and Tobago, and dismissing the framing of dictatorship as a romantic or idealistic revolutionary struggle as fundamentally misleading. The prime minister further affirmed Trinidad and Tobago’s sovereign right to set its own foreign policy priorities, noting that her administration respects the diplomatic positions of other UN member states and expects reciprocal respect for its independent choices. The landmark vote marks a complete break from Trinidad and Tobago’s three-decade pattern of supporting the annual UN Cuba embargo resolution, which the country had backed more than 30 times since the text was first introduced in 1992, with only a single abstention that inaugural year. The 2025 iteration of the resolution, formally titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”, passed with 130 nations voting in favor, 17 voting against, and 19 member states choosing to abstain. This represents a sharp drop in global support compared to the previous year’s tally, when over 160 countries backed the measure with just 12 abstentions. Trinidad and Tobago joins a small cohort of nations including Bosnia, Ecuador, Lithuania, Paraguay and Slovenia that cast votes against the resolution this year, many for the first time in the text’s 34-year history. Longstanding European backers of the resolution including Germany, Italy and Latvia also chose to abstain for the first time, while fellow CARICOM member states Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica opted to abstain rather than support the traditional measure. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz addressed reporters immediately following the vote at UN headquarters in New York City, noting that more work remained to advance democratic reform across Cuba. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and the rest of the Cuban diplomatic delegation were visibly present on the assembly floor as the vote results were announced, marking a notable shift in the decades-long global diplomatic conversation over the U.S.’s Cold War-era embargo policy targeting the island nation.
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Cops mum on suspects, motive in lawyer’s murder
Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement officials are navigating the early sensitive stages of a homicide investigation after 53-year-old Cunupia-based attorney Taradath Singh was gunned down in a public street in Charlieville on Tuesday evening, with no clear motive publicly confirmed as of yet.
Singh, a resident of Penn Trace, Cunupia, had just finished a workout at the Power House Gym located at the busy intersection of Caroni Savannah Road and ASJA Avenue when he was targeted at approximately 6:25 p.m. Witness accounts shared with homicide investigators indicate a masked assailant clad in a full blue coverall approached the unassuming attorney as he walked along the adjacent roadway, before opening fire multiple times at close range. Singh managed to flee a short distance toward the adjacent ASJA compound before succumbing to his injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.
Leading the active case probe is WPC Mohammed of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, with senior police leadership holding a press briefing at the Port of Spain Police Administration Building the following day to update the public on ongoing efforts, while withholding key operational details to avoid compromising the case. Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin confirmed that investigators are currently cross-referencing physical evidence and gathering on-the-ground intelligence, but declined to disclose whether any formal suspects have been identified, or if the killing is connected to legal cases Singh handled during his career.
When pressed by reporters about a prior reported threat against Singh’s life on September 28, where his BMW vehicle was shot at as he arrived at his Cunupia residence, Martin verified that the earlier incident was already the subject of an open active investigation, and that detectives are now exploring potential links between the two events. “The first 24 to 48 hours of any homicide probe are absolutely critical, as we work to verify sensitive tip information and validate intelligence leads that could be jeopardized by premature public disclosure,” Martin explained, noting that uniformed and plainclothes officers are deployed across the Charlieville and Cunupia areas to follow up on witness leads. She also declined to comment on whether Singh had formally requested police protective detail following the September shooting attempt, citing the force’s standardized, case-specific threat assessment protocol that tailors security support to verified risk levels and the consent of the at-risk individual.
The violent targeted killing has sent shockwaves through the local legal community, with the Assembly of Southern Lawyers releasing an official public statement condemning the brazen attack. The legal advocacy group called on the Commissioner of Police to allocate all necessary investigative resources to deliver a prompt, impartial, and thorough probe, emphasizing that legal practitioners must be able to execute their professional duties free from threats of violence or intimidation. The association noted that even without a confirmed public motive for the killing, the widespread anxiety sparked across the legal profession demands urgent attention from authorities, and stressed that Singh’s surviving family deserves full accountability for his death. The group added that a swift, resolute law enforcement response is critical to prevent further erosion of safety for legal professionals across the region. -
Murder at the spa
What was supposed to be a quiet morning of beauty treatments and relaxation at a popular Couva spa descended into unthinkable violence yesterday, when two women were fatally shot inside the Soho Beauty Haven located at Veneris Plaza, at the intersection of Southern Main Road and Charlotte Street. The victims were identified as 55-year-old spa proprietor Kavita Deosaran of Freeport, and 64-year-old regular spa patron Cheryl Dixon, a local resident from La Croix Street, Couva.
Law enforcement reports confirm the attack unfolded at approximately 9:20 a.m., roughly 17 minutes after both victims arrived at the plaza at 9:03 a.m. and entered the first-floor spa. Surveillance footage and witness accounts detail that a slim, dark-skinned male suspect clad in a blue coverall and ski mask walked into the business, exchanged brief words with both women before opening fire: he first shot Dixon, then chased Deosaran through the spa and fatally wounded her before fleeing the plaza on a waiting motorcycle. Responding officers from the Central Division Task Force Area South arrived within minutes of the E999 Police Command Centre receiving emergency calls, and interviewed a witness who had observed the full sequence of the attack. Crime scene technicians recovered 14 spent 9-millimetre shell casings and five projectiles from the premises, but found no usable fingerprints that could help identify the perpetrator. Notably, none of the spa’s on-duty staff – which included a pregnant employee – sustained injuries, and no cash or property was reported stolen from the business, leaving investigators with no clear established motive for the targeted, brazen attack.
The plaza’s anonymous landlord confirmed he has turned over all building security camera footage to homicide detectives, and shared that he was inside the property when the gunfire erupted. “I heard dozens of shots ring out – it was impossible to miss,” he told local reporters. “Kavita was a wonderful, long-standing tenant who ran a well-loved business here for three years, with a huge base of loyal clients. Cheryl was one of her regulars, a familiar face around the plaza.”
The shock of the killings has rippled far beyond the spa’s walls. A school serving children with special needs operates on the same first floor of the plaza, and one parent of a newly enrolled two-year-old student expressed profound distress, noting his child had only started attending the institution earlier that week. “My son’s teacher said he was unharmed and unaware of the chaos, but I am completely shaken,” the parent shared. “I cannot fathom how a shooting like this can happen in broad daylight, right when classes are in session. I am now questioning whether it is safe to keep sending him here.”
For Dixon’s family, the loss is compounded by the senseless nature of the attack. Her sister Susan Hospedales told reporters she could barely process the news of her sister’s death, explaining that Dixon was a hardworking, outspoken small business owner with a husband and two grown children, who had no known connections to criminal activity. “We have never experienced anything like this in our family before,” Hospedales said, standing on Southern Main Road after undertakers removed her sister’s body from the crime scene. “I was calling around asking which hospital she had been taken to, and that is when they told me she was gone. It is impossible to feel safe anywhere anymore – you go to get your hair done for a normal, nice day, and you get gunned down? That is unthinkable. I know my sister was not the intended target, and all we want is justice. No one has the right to take an innocent person’s life like that – that is not for any human to decide.”
Deosaran’s family shared a public statement via the Soho Beauty Haven social media page yesterday, thanking the community for the outpouring of support and requesting space to grieve privately. “It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the tragic events surrounding our Soho Beauty Haven family,” the post read. “During this incredibly difficult time, we ask for privacy, compassion, and understanding as we grieve this devastating loss. We sincerely appreciate your patience and ask that you keep everyone affected and their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”
The tragedy marks another violent chapter for Deosaran’s family, who have faced high-profile criminal targeting in years past. In 2004, an arson fire of unknown origin destroyed the 75-acre compound belonging to her father, prominent sanitation contractor Jawarhalal Deosaran, and in 2012, her son Rodney Deosaran was kidnapped and held for 42 days, with kidnappers issuing a $10 million ransom demand before he was eventually released unharmed.
Detective Constable Bhola of the Region Three Homicide Bureau of Investigations is leading the ongoing probe into the double murder. As of last night, the national murder toll for the current calendar year stood at 284, a marked decrease from the 306 recorded at the same point in the previous year.
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Contraband seized in prison
A targeted, intelligence-backed security sweep unfolded at Trinidad and Tobago’s Arouca Maximum Security Prison on Monday evening, resulting in the seizure of a wide range of unauthorized items that posed significant safety risks to correctional staff, incarcerated people, and surrounding communities. Executed by trained personnel from the Prison Service’s elite Emergency Response Unit (ERU), the operation ran precisely from 8:35 p.m. to 11:35 p.m., with teams focusing exclusively on pre-identified high-risk zones of the facility flagged by verified actionable intelligence, rather than conducting a random, facility-wide search. The exhaustive search uncovered a sprawling inventory of contraband: 10 mobile phones, 484 grams of a plant substance consistent with cannabis, 95 full packs of Lucky Strike cigarettes plus 102 individual loose cigarettes, 18 homemade improvised weapons, three banned switchblade knives, eight audio headsets, 16 mobile device data cables, 20 cigarette lighters, seven phone charging adapters, 100 sheets of wrapping paper often used to conceal illicit goods, two precision digital scales commonly used for substance distribution, one analog wristwatch, a handheld screwdriver, a portable LED display light, 22 sharp razor blades, TT$401 in unaccounted local cash, and a standalone cellphone battery. In an official public statement issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service in the wake of the operation, Acting Commissioner of Prisons Elvin Scanterbury offered formal praise to every ERU member who took part in the sweep, highlighting their exceptional professionalism, unwavering dedication, and rigorous adherence to protocols that helped avoid disruptions to regular prison operations while maximizing contraband recovery. Scanterbury further emphasized that intelligence-centric targeted operations are the cornerstone of the agency’s long-term security improvement roadmap, noting that regular, data-driven sweeps are designed to systematically cut off access to forbidden goods behind bars, reduce violent incident risks for both staff and inmates, and prevent contraband-linked illegal activity inside correctional facilities from spilling over to communities outside prison walls. He added that the service will continue rolling out similar targeted exercises in the coming months to close remaining security gaps across all of the nation’s correctional sites.
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Gonzales: Explain higher electricity bills
Marvin Gonzales, the elected Member of Parliament for the Arouca/Lopinot constituency in Trinidad and Tobago, has launched a formal public call for accountability from Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath, challenging the ruling administration over a series of unfulfilled pre-election pledges, unexplained rising electricity costs, persistent widespread power outages, and stalled critical water infrastructure upgrades. Gonzales laid out his demands in a detailed public statement shared via Facebook, framing the issue as a matter of basic fairness to ordinary citizens who bore the brunt of inconsistent public utility services while facing higher financial burdens. The MP highlighted a stark contradiction between Padarath’s vocal stance during his time as an Opposition lawmaker and his actions in ministerial office: ahead of the United National Congress (UNC) taking power, Padarath had repeatedly campaigned on a firm commitment to implement an immediate, full freeze on any water and electricity rate hikes, a promise he restated publicly during his May 2023 swearing-in ceremony. At that 2023 event, Padarath had told assembled reporters that the UNC government would block all rate increases for the duration of the Regulated Industries Commission’s ongoing formal rate review process, while also slamming longstanding practices where state ministries and public enterprises accumulated years of unpaid utility bills, forcing ordinary residents to face immediate disconnection if they fell behind on payments. He had also emphasized the need for greater compassion for low-income households struggling to cover their utility costs. Gonzales pointed out that the current government’s attempt to rebrand the new electricity cost increase as a “surcharge” does not reduce its tangible financial impact on households and small business owners, who are already grappling with repeated unplanned power cuts across Trinidad over recent weeks. These outages have disrupted daily family routines, spoiled perishable goods for small retailers, and halted productivity for many local enterprises, Gonzales noted, arguing that it is fundamentally unreasonable to demand consumers pay more for a service that fails to deliver consistent, reliable access. Beyond the electricity disputes, Gonzales is also pressing Padarath to provide full transparency on the status of a promised TTD $300 million water pipeline upgrade program earmarked for three major population centers: Port of Spain, Arima, and San Fernando. The MP first raised questions about the timeline and progress of this initiative during last year’s national budget debates, but has yet to receive any formal update on completed works, remaining milestones, or a clear date when residents will see improved water service. Many local residents across the three target areas now regularly draw brown, discolored water from their household taps, a situation that Gonzales noted Padarath previously defended in Parliament by claiming the discolored supply was safe for human consumption. Gonzales concluded his public statement by vowing to sustain his oversight efforts to hold the minister and the UNC administration fully accountable, stressing that the residents of Trinidad and Tobago are entitled to the reliable, affordable utility services and transparent governance that were promised to them during the election campaign.
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IT’S TOO MUCH
As Trinidad and Tobago’s national cost-of-living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets, a newly announced 50% across-the-board increase to parking fees at the country’s two major international airports has sparked widespread frustration from frequent travellers and airport staff, who say the unanticipated additional cost adds unnecessary strain to already stretched personal finances. The Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago formally published the revised parking tariff schedule in a public notice, confirming that the new rates will go into full effect on November 1, applying to both Piarco International Airport and ANR Robinson International Airport. Every tier of parking pricing has been raised by roughly 50%: the hourly rate for stays under six hours jumps from $10 to $15, the daily rate (applicable to any stay of six hours or longer, capped at a 24-hour window) climbs from $63 to $95, and the monthly long-term parking rate for users parking 12 or more consecutive days rises from $750 to $1,125. For context, a traveller leaving their vehicle at Piarco for a two-day trip will now face a $190 total parking bill, a $64 premium over the previous $126 charge. Interviews conducted on-site at Piarco International Airport this week captured the depth of public discontent with the policy. Simone Sam, a professional who travels to Tobago several times per month for work, described the hike as entirely unjustified. “$63 a day was already a steep cost, so there is no logical reason to push it even higher. Every single household expense is going up right now, and most of us have no extra income to cover these new charges, even if we have no choice but to pay them to get to work,” she noted. Michael Chan, another member of the public, called on the government to revisit the decision, highlighting that frontline airport employees have not received corresponding salary adjustments to offset the higher costs, and expressed concern that staff could be forced to absorb the new parking fees out of stagnant wages. Jesse Finbar echoed that frustration, pointing out that while private sector workers cannot demand instant pay raises from their employers to match rising costs, public-facing fees and service charges appear to be increased arbitrarily overnight, creating a growing financial burden that is taking a measurable toll on household stability. Occasional airport visitor Susan Harry added that a moderate 10% adjustment might have been reasonable, but the near 51% spike in daily parking charges is disproportionate and unfair, even if it fits a broader pattern of unrelenting price hikes across consumer goods and public services in the country.
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Angry Jeremie: Vieira crossed the line with budget criticism
A fiery, unplanned confrontation unfolded on the floor of Trinidad and Tobago’s Senate during late-night budget debate proceedings on Monday, as Attorney General John Jeremie forcefully pushed back against scathing allegations from Independent Senator Anthony Vieira that the ruling administration was shirking its parliamentary accountability duties and potentially distributing public funds along partisan lines.
Vieira, delivering a sharp, extended critique earlier in the sitting, voiced deep frustration that after nearly 11 hours of Senate proceedings that had opened at 10 a.m., every Opposition senator and all five Independent senators had already contributed to the debate, while government representatives had failed to offer substantive, detailed responses to pressing questions about the allocation of billions of dollars in public funds. He argued that the core purpose of the annual budget debate extended far beyond simply securing the partisan votes needed to pass the Appropriation Bill: it was a constitutional mechanism to hold the executive branch fully accountable for every financial decision it made.
The independent legislator went further to raise alarms over potential inequities in resource distribution across the country, noting that as a resident of western Trinidad, he had a direct stake in funding allocations for the Diego Martin Regional Corporation. He emphasized that the national treasury did not belong to the sitting government, but was held in sacred trust for every citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, regardless of their political affiliation, geographic location, or social status. He warned that even the perception that funding decisions were being guided by partisan loyalty rather than demonstrated community need would erode public trust in democratic institutions, and that the national budget should act as a unifying force for the country, not a source of division. “A government is elected by some of the people, but it is entrusted with responsibility for all of the people,” Vieira stated firmly, adding that there was a critical line between governing with a legitimate electoral mandate and governing with a narrow, partisan mentality that disenfranchised entire communities.
The remarks drew an immediate interjection from Government Senator Anil Roberts, who accused Vieira of levelling unsubstantiated improper motives against the administration and using insulting language, but the Senate Vice-President ruled that Vieira be permitted to continue his address without interruption. Undeterred, Vieira pressed for clear, documented justifications for all high-value spending decisions, noting that a simple legislative majority did not absolve the government of its duty to explain and defend its budget priorities to the public.
It was these comments that prompted a rare, visibly angry response from Attorney General Jeremie, who noted that he was famously slow to anger but found Vieira’s accusations of government lawmakers being lazy and unengaged completely indefensible and far over acceptable parliamentary lines. “For the senator to sit on his derriere over there today for the first time, and to accuse those of us on this side of sloth, I reject that,” Jeremie declared, pushing back against claims that government legislators had skipped meaningful budget scrutiny. He explained that the country’s Constitution clearly delineates separate roles for the House of Representatives and the Senate when reviewing money bills, noting that the Appropriation Bill is legally required to undergo full line-by-line committee stage review in the lower chamber. Jeremie confirmed that he and multiple other government senators had participated in five consecutive days of exhaustive committee deliberations on the budget, and that he had only left the Parliament building late on the preceding Saturday, moments after the bill successfully passed its committee review stage.
Jeremie went on to flatly dismiss all allegations of inequitable resource distribution, stating that the 2024 budget represented the most fair and geographically balanced allocation of national resources in the country’s recorded history, with every line item vetted and approved during the extended House of Representatives review process. He clarified that he had no intention of descending into a shouting match across the Senate floor, but had chosen to speak up formally to place the government’s official position on public record to counter the unsubstantiated criticisms. -
Gunned down leaving gym
A 53-year-old former police officer turned prominent criminal defence lawyer, Taradath Singh, was gunned down in a brazen public ambush in Charlieville, Trinidad, on Wednesday evening, exactly one month after he evaded a targeted shooting at his Cunupia residence. According to official police accounts, Singh had just finished a workout at a nearby local gym and was walking toward his parked vehicle shortly before 7 p.m. when unidentified gunmen opened fire on him multiple times directly outside the Charlieville Early Childhood Care and Education Centre. The seasoned legal practitioner was pronounced dead at the scene, sending immediate shockwaves through the local legal community and law enforcement circles. The fatal shooting pushes the nation’s 2024 year-to-date murder toll to 281 as of press time last night, a marginal decrease from the 305 recorded over the exact same 10-month period in 2023. The timing of Singh’s killing falls precisely 30 days after the September 28 targeted attack on his Penn Trace, Cunupia property, a coincidence that has triggered active lines of inquiry for homicide investigators probing potential links between the two violent incidents. In the prior attempt, Singh was reversing his white BMW iX into his residential driveway at around 7:35 p.m. when a suspect dressed in blue coveralls and a baseball cap emerged from adjacent roadside bushes and opened fire at him. Singh escaped the earlier incident completely unharmed, and the assailant fled the scene on foot before officers could respond. As of late Wednesday night, multi-agency law enforcement teams including the Crime Scene Unit and Region Three Homicide Bureau of Investigations remained deployed at the Charlieville murder site, where forensics teams recovered multiple spent bullet casings for ballistic analysis. Investigators confirmed that the prior September assassination attempt had remained an open active case with zero arrests made prior to Singh’s killing, and that no definitive motive has yet been established to explain why the well-known attorney was targeted. Kiel Taklalsingh, chairman of the Assembly of Central Legal Practitioners, expressed profound shock and grief when contacted by local media following news of the murder. “Our deepest condolences go out to Taradath’s loved ones and personal circle,” Taklalsingh stated. “He was an exceptionally well-respected, widely liked member of the Central Trinidad legal community, and on behalf of every attorney in our association, we are offering full cooperation and any support needed to ensure those responsible for this senseless, heinous act are swiftly apprehended and brought before the courts.”
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‘Crime hits business confidence, trade’
A growing coalition of Trinidad and Tobago’s leading business advocacy groups has joined the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) to issue a collective urgent warning that surging criminal activity is exacerbating severe economic strains already weighing on the country’s commercial sector.
As Chief Strategic Officer of the Confederation of Regional Business Chambers (CRBC) Angie Jairam outlined, local enterprises were already navigating a landscape of heightened operational costs, supply chain frictions, and constrained consumer spending before the recent spike in security concerns. A pervasive atmosphere of public insecurity now risks triggering cascading harm across the entire economy: wary residents may avoid non-essential travel, cut back on in-person shopping, restrict their hours of operation, or skip discretionary outings entirely. This shift in public behavior ripples outward, eroding business revenues, forcing layoffs, undermining consumer confidence, and threatening the livelihoods of thousands of households that rely on commercial and retail activity for income.
Jairam is calling on the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to step up targeted interventions to curb rising criminality, emphasizing that consistent, highly visible police patrols across residential neighborhoods and high-traffic commercial districts are non-negotiable. She also highlighted the need for more proactive intelligence gathering, rapid response to public safety reports, and rigorous, transparent investigations that ensure perpetrators are brought swiftly to justice to rebuild public trust in law enforcement systems. Beyond formal police action, Jairam urged ordinary citizens and business operators to adopt heightened vigilance: individuals handling large cash sums should avoid drawing unwanted attention, vary their regular routines, and engage licensed, reputable security services for high-risk cash transport when necessary. Businesses that process large volumes of cash transactions are advised to conduct full audits of their existing security protocols, and adopt secure, audited cash handling and banking practices to reduce vulnerability. For residential households, Jairam recommended reinforcing all entry points, staying alert for suspicious activity, and refraining from sharing public details about personal travel plans or high-value possessions online. Anyone who suspects they are being followed or encounters a dangerous scenario is advised to prioritize personal safety, avoid direct confrontation, and contact law enforcement immediately once they are in a secure location. Jairam also cautioned the public against taking vigilante action or circulating unsubstantiated safety claims on social media, urging all community members to report unusual activity exclusively through official, verified police channels. She stressed that crime reduction is a shared responsibility spanning private security firms, community nonprofits, business associations, and ordinary residents: coordinated collaboration, responsible information sharing, and timely reporting will help law enforcement identify emerging threats far faster and deploy resources more effectively. Crucially, Jairam emphasized that public safety is no longer a narrow law enforcement issue, but a cross-cutting national priority that shapes Trinidad and Tobago’s social cohesion, long-term economic stability, and overall quality of life. She rejected the normalization of fear and daily insecurity, calling for urgent, coordinated action from the TTPS, national security authorities, the private security industry, business operators, and ordinary citizens to safeguard communities and restore confidence that people can live and run enterprises safely across the country.
Kiran Singh, President of the Greater San Fernando Area Chamber of Commerce, echoed this framing, arguing that public safety must be treated as a core economic priority rather than a secondary law and order concern. Singh noted that rising crime has already driven a sharp shift in public behavior, with most residents now reluctant to leave their homes after dark. When consumers feel unsafe, they cut back on visits to downtown shopping districts, shift more purchases to online platforms, and only frequent locations they perceive as low-risk. This exodus of foot traffic hits small family-owned businesses, local restaurants, and neighborhood service providers the hardest. Singh added that persistent common crimes including armed robberies, shoplifting, commercial break-ins, and vehicle theft are creating cascading secondary costs for local enterprises: business owners are now forced to divert limited operating budgets to security guards, surveillance camera systems, and physical property reinforcements, further squeezing margins at a time when energy, rent, and supply chain costs are already rising. Many operators also report deep anxiety for the safety of their frontline staff, particularly employees who open stores early in the morning or lock up after closing late at night. Singh proposed that deploying permanent, staffed police posts at high-traffic strategic locations across commercial zones would create a visible deterrent to push criminal elements out of retail districts.
Baldath Maharaj, President of the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce, noted that even as consumers still need to purchase essential goods and complete routine errands, they have become far more cautious during in-person trips, rushing to complete their shopping before dark and avoiding all non-essential evening outings. This sharp drop in foot traffic during traditionally high-revenue peak evening hours has dealt a major blow to the local retail, food service, and personal service sectors. Maharaj described the cumulative cost of security upgrades as an “invisible tax” on local business owners: the large sums enterprises now spend on private security patrols, high-definition CCTV systems, and reinforced storefronts directly eat into profit margins, with many businesses forced to pass those extra costs on to consumers to stay operational. While local shoppers have not stopped visiting commercial areas entirely, pervasive fear of crime has clearly suppressed commercial activity and shortened the traditional operating hours for most local businesses. Maharaj added that persistent street-level snatch-and-grab thefts, armed robberies targeting staff and patrons during opening and closing shifts, and after-hours commercial break-ins remain top concerns for merchants, alongside a rising pattern of extortion demands for “protection money” that has created a pervasive culture of intimidation discouraging new entrepreneurs from launching ventures in the area. Many local businesses are now adopting digital point-of-sale payment systems to reduce the volume of cash stored on premises, a measure that has provided a small measure of reassurance but cannot fully eliminate security risks. To address these overlapping challenges, Maharaj called for expanded sustained police patrols, citywide upgraded CCTV coverage across all busy shopping hubs, and formalized, ongoing partnerships between law enforcement and local business associations to keep commercial districts safe for patrons, staff, and operators.
Abrahim Ali, President of the San Juan Business Association, reported a measurable recent surge in petty criminal offenses including theft and after-hours commercial break-ins across the San Juan business district. Ali noted that an existing collaborative initiative between the San Juan Business Association and the Northeastern Division of the TTPS already maintains visible daytime police patrols across the area, and the recent revival of the San Juan Police Council has created a formal structured space for two-way dialogue between community members, business operators, and law enforcement to share real-time safety information and prevent crime escalation. Ali urged other business districts across the country to replicate this community-law enforcement collaborative model to reduce local crime rates.