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00:00:00Well, a very good morning Trinidad and Tobago. I'm Urvashi Tomori-Rupner and welcome to the
00:00:25Morning Edition. That song is just apt to bring us into our show this morning, bring
00:00:30back the old time days. Maybe if that was so, we wouldn't be waking up to a news headline
00:00:35on the express that says, Bloody Monday, triple murder rocks Tobago and a hard working individual
00:00:42Carlson Field, home invasion, son killed, father critical. Could you imagine that? Hard
00:00:48working people, butchers, farm owners got up early, took out their Bible, ready to pray
00:00:55and criminals invaded their homes. Criminals invaded their homes, had a scuffle with the
00:01:03family when they realized that they would get no money, they just shot them dead. So
00:01:09we have a hard working individual who would go sell his meat at the St. James market,
00:01:16that 27 year old who contributed to the GDP of our country is now dead and his father
00:01:22who's also a butcher is fighting for his life. So when we want to talk about farming
00:01:28and we need to buy local and eat local and plant local, this is what happens to hard
00:01:34working people of this country. Bloody Tobago, well that also took the headline on the express
00:01:41newspaper, triple murder rocks Tobago, but interestingly it's a gang related murder,
00:01:46so you kind of wonder how a gang related murder trumps innocent people being killed
00:01:53daily. Hangings must resume in this country, so said the relative of Anselm Douglas, one
00:01:59of the three murder victims shot multiple times on Sunday night. This was a triple murder,
00:02:05the first of its kind to rock the island, which took Tobago's murder toll to 15, one
00:02:11more than the entire of 2023. So we had three persons killed, police have determined the
00:02:18triple murder is gang related. So, Chamberhead, stop blaming Trinidad because we keep on hearing
00:02:26that Trinidadian criminals are migrating to Tobago to commit these crimes. Back to the
00:02:32Carlson Field situation, Carlson Field residents are being besieged by criminals, the situation
00:02:40has been ongoing for quite a while. Interestingly, I got a call from the Juningham Farmers Association
00:02:46over the weekend, Marlon Matura, who did tell me Carlson Field needs help. So even before
00:02:54this murder, they have been crying out for help. There have been a series of home invasions,
00:02:59robberies, and they have been targeted by criminals. Farmers and Carlson Field farmers,
00:03:05hardworking persons contributing to the GDP, putting food on our tables, they are being
00:03:10targeted by criminals. Joint Select Committee of Parliament yesterday heard that the TTPS
00:03:15fails to meet the murder mark. And of course, I'm reading here, the Prime Minister meets
00:03:22with national security heads today to discuss crime. We can only wonder what will come out
00:03:29of that meeting. Of course, we did have a whole CARICOM initiative held to tackle crime
00:03:35and we did have crime being labelled as a public health issue, public health concern.
00:03:42Where have we come since that was declared so? A little later on in our show, we will
00:03:50be talking to some of the Carlson Field farmers. They will be joining us and interestingly,
00:03:57the Carlson Field Farmers Revival Committee, when we contacted them, a lot of them are
00:04:01very fearful for speaking out. They have been threatened. So in addition to killing and
00:04:07murdering, plundering, they are being threatened not to speak. So be killed, be robbed, be
00:04:12murdered, but just don't say anything. So we do have one brave individual, Umar Abdullah,
00:04:18who will be joining us in a short bit, who has been elected by the Carlson Field Farmers
00:04:23Revival Committee to speak on their behalf. As I mentioned, the rest of them are fearful
00:04:28of speaking out as they have been threatened. So that's a look at what's happening in the
00:04:33front pages of the Express Newspaper. Getting back to the murder toll, murder toll this
00:04:38year is 299, too shy of what it was last year at 301. Is it better to you? Well, we have
00:04:47year upon year, we have so many persons, so many families left grieving. We have so many
00:04:53people traumatized by not just crime, not just being robbed, but of murders. People
00:04:59are coming into your homes and they are murdering you. The back page now, let's find out what's
00:05:06happening in sport. Let it rip. Straight sets win. Latvia, Jelena Osterpenko strikes a forehand
00:05:14during the ladies' singles round of 16 clash yesterday at the Wimbledon Championships in
00:05:19London, England. And of course, our boys, Beryl is on their minds. West Indies all-rounder
00:05:26Jason Holder is looking forward to being a part of something special as the Caribbean
00:05:32side prepares to face England in the first test of a three-match series bowling off tomorrow
00:05:37at Lourdes. And the West Indies are using the recent weather setback in the region as
00:05:44motivation. Holder and fast bowler Jaden Seals spoke with the media and they said when they
00:05:50take the field tomorrow, they will have the Caribbean people in their minds following
00:05:54the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl last week. Let me quote, we are not doing
00:05:59it for ourselves, we are doing it for the people back home who support us. So if you
00:06:04want to get the details of all these stories and so much more, head down to your newsstands.
00:06:09Why not log on to www.trinidadexpress.com where you'll be able to read in detail some
00:06:16of the devastation and possibly some good things happening in our country. Well, it's
00:06:20time to remind you of our Trinbago Unite feature to participate. It's very, very easy. WhatsApp
00:06:26your videos and images to that number on your screen, 737-3778, and we get to share it with
00:06:33the rest of TNT. Some beautiful lilies there. Stay with us. We'll be right back. We've got
00:06:40a packed show up ahead. As I mentioned, we'll be talking about the attack of Carlson Field
00:06:46Farmers. We'll be right back.
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00:11:17Welcome back to Nerd and Tobago. Well, an early morning murder in Carlson Field has
00:11:21left one man dead and another in critical condition at hospital following an attempted
00:11:27robbery. Now, farmers in Carlson Field are saying they feel like they're being targeted
00:11:32like criminals. They say while they have suffered for years from incidents of larceny, they
00:11:37now fear that their lives are at risk. Joining us via Zoom is Omar Abdullah and Wendell Allen,
00:11:44representative of the Carlson Field Revival Committee. Good morning. As-salamu alaykum,
00:11:48Mr. Abdullah and a very good morning to you as well, Mr. Allen. Thank you so much for
00:11:53joining us. Good morning. I want to say a very good morning to all your viewers. Alrighty.
00:12:02So, Mr. Allen, I understand that you are familiar with the family which would have suffered.
00:12:10That would be Christopher Christian, the 27-year-old. Yes, the Christian family. Christopher Christian,
00:12:17the 27-year-old who was shot and killed and his father, Matthew 66, who is also injured
00:12:24and remains in critical condition. Can you tell us a little bit about the family? Well,
00:12:31the families are very quiet, easygoing family. They are such people that, you know, everybody
00:12:39they give a wave and a smile to. A very quiet family, nothing into anything as such, you
00:12:44know, and it's people that they really like to be with and be around. Yeah, but of course
00:12:52we are hearing that. Well, first off, tell us what you know of the incident yesterday.
00:12:57What exactly happened as far as you understand? Okay, so around 5.45 a.m., the perpetrators
00:13:06have entered the farm of the family from the southern side of the farm. So that would be
00:13:14at the back of the farm. The road in front of the farm runs in an east-west direction.
00:13:20So when Mr. Perez would have come out of his home through the back door to come out and
00:13:27start his daily routine, I would have went back inside. The guys would have been there
00:13:33so they punched on him and he tried to run back inside to lock the door. And the guy
00:13:39managed to get the door open and a struggling student, him and the bandits, and he was shot.
00:13:46His son, Christopher, heard the commotion and ran out with a cutlass and tried to assist
00:13:53possibly what was happening and he was shot as well. Single shot to the chest and fell
00:13:59to the ground, succumbed to his injuries, right there on the spot. You're feeling this
00:14:04morning having to relate an incident like that. I mean, you would have known the young
00:14:10man, the 27-year-old Christopher Christian. Yes, of course, of course. Personally, for
00:14:18me, last night's sleep wasn't good, yesterday's whole day wasn't good. This morning, I'm still
00:14:24in a state of emotional state such that it's very heart-rendering. As a matter of fact,
00:14:30I just came back home and I passed in front of the house and passing there will be such
00:14:37that you'll always have this memory in your mind of what happened to the family.
00:14:42And Mr. Abdullah, to bring you into the conversation, we're seeing a 27-year-old here. How many
00:14:4927-year-olds do you know who are productive, who are invested in agriculture, in farming,
00:14:57who would go to the market? So to see someone like this being shot and killed, doing what
00:15:02they do, going about their daily routine, I mean, what signal does this send?
00:15:08That's just the thing. There are not much young people in Trinidad and Tobago that is
00:15:13focused on agriculture. And when we see the youth in our communities gravitating to agriculture,
00:15:22we understand that they understand the importance of food security and the importance of divesting
00:15:29into this profession. When we look at what has transpired in Castlefield, it was just
00:15:41a matter of time because, you know, quite some time the Castlefield farmers has been clamoring
00:15:50and expressing concern about the security and so on in that particular area.
00:16:00There were high-level meetings between the Revival Committee and other stakeholders,
00:16:08Freeport Police Station, the Larceny Squad, Mr. Hass Modine from the Larceny Squad.
00:16:18Hats off to him. He has been doing a tremendous work with very little resources he has.
00:16:23Imagine the Larceny Squad just has one vehicle to patrol the entire Castlefield, Rio Claro,
00:16:31the carcass area. And it's really amazing to know that every time you call on Hass Modine,
00:16:41he responds. And if he cannot make that patrol himself, he would call on the Freeport Police Station
00:16:49to do so. So here we see the agencies of the state who is willing to come forward and deliver
00:16:57as promised, but because of the lack of resources. And it's, you know, I would say this morning
00:17:05it's a simple case of neglect. The Castlefield farmers have been neglected for quite some time.
00:17:12This Revival Committee has been born out of a need and a necessity.
00:17:20They were having a lot of problems with the water supply and they decided to come together.
00:17:27I was part of that initial meeting. And when we discussed the matter, we decided to go and engage with WASA
00:17:34and to find out what can be done to increase the water supply for these farmers in that particular area.
00:17:40We did have a meeting with WASA and things are going pretty well now. We've had two meetings with them
00:17:47and they are improving that water supply within the Castlefield area.
00:17:53We have the other issue which has been cited by the farmers, the squatting problem within that community.
00:18:00State land is yet to respond favorably to the many complaints that has been made to them.
00:18:08And we can see why the squatting issue can perhaps pose a security threat to that area.
00:18:15All, you know, most of the residents in Castlefield, not all of them are farmers
00:18:21and they are farming their lands and before they even do anything on their land, they have to seek the state's approval.
00:18:32And they go through this process, get all the approvals needed before they, you know, go ahead and tend to their crops and their animals and so on.
00:18:41Here we see a farmer, a very young gentleman who has been in the business with his father,
00:18:47has died at the hands of these criminals.
00:18:51Now one of the things that we also have to recognize is, you know,
00:19:00even though this is widespread throughout Trinidad and Tobago, we can positively see
00:19:08wherever crime has increased to that level where citizens have become disgusted and fearful for their lives,
00:19:17we've seen out of this situation, even the members of this revival committee that has been formed
00:19:25to represent the interests of the farmers, to represent the welfare of the farmers,
00:19:30they are scared to come forward because of fear.
00:19:33And when fear sets in, it gives the state now another,
00:19:40it puts them in a position to create draconian laws that affects law-abiding citizens in this country.
00:19:51And that is something that we have to recognize.
00:19:54Today the Prime Minister is having a security meeting and I hope this is one of the issues that comes up.
00:20:00When you neglect societies, when you neglect your society and the, you know, areas like Carson Field,
00:20:10remember Carson Field is a farming community.
00:20:15Now, Mr. Abdullah, I hear you and I hear you, you know, kudos to the Freeport police station and all of that,
00:20:22but you know, is it now time to stop thinking about the safety and security of farmers
00:20:27as simply pretty a larceny?
00:20:31Because clearly these farmers have been targeted.
00:20:35I'm reading here this article by Kim Boodram,
00:20:40News of a murderous home invasion had dawned yesterday, not only agonized a close-knit community,
00:20:45but brought back nightmares of their own ordeals at the hands of criminals.
00:20:50These residents spoke with the express and they expressed horror and shock,
00:20:54as well as extreme fear following that fatal killing.
00:20:59Now, they are saying that they have been utterly besieged by criminals of all ilk within the past two years.
00:21:09Of course, it was much worse yesterday, but this is a community that they have been born and raised in.
00:21:16They invested heavily into their agriculture.
00:21:19And now one woman is saying she got more dogs, invest in security, you do this, you do that,
00:21:25but there are no patrols, no police patrols.
00:21:28The police are saying roads are bad. They don't want to come in.
00:21:31We need more patrols, more street lighting, more cameras around the place.
00:21:35They're also saying rapes and carjackings have heightened.
00:21:39Now, I want to ask Mr. Allen, Mr. Allen, can you share with us some of the events prior to yesterday's murder
00:21:46that would have, you know, have this community in such fear?
00:21:51Well, actually, every single week for the past few months, different homes have been broken into.
00:21:59Different farmers have been experiencing this sort of thing.
00:22:03I mean, every time they come, it's a group of five.
00:22:09One person stays with the car and four persons enter the person's homes or premises.
00:22:12And that's the acts of robbery, the violence, the beating of the farmers.
00:22:17You know, they move in such a way that they man themselves in such a way that you find it kind of hard.
00:22:23So the police themselves now have to really step up their game to get these guys
00:22:28because they are moving throughout the entire Carson Field area.
00:22:31And the Carson Field area is a big area.
00:22:33The farms, some close, some, the houses that are, they are close or some may be far apart.
00:22:39And it's like, the houses the guys are operating, they're moving throughout.
00:22:46So one minute they'll be hitting, let's say, this side of Connector Road.
00:22:49Next side, they'll be hitting the area where the big farmers, they may be hitting the East Road.
00:22:54So, I mean, it's a big area and they're moving at different times.
00:22:58Sometimes they're moving early in the morning.
00:23:00Sometimes, like yesterday, I mean, they move at that time, sunrise.
00:23:05So it's, they're moving at different times and different places.
00:23:07And moving throughout the Carson Field area.
00:23:10And, of course, they would have come with intent because it's, as I mentioned, about four and five of them.
00:23:17They come with firearms.
00:23:19They are not fearful of killing and murdering anymore, as we understand.
00:23:25Yes, of course.
00:23:27So farmers need to get some sort of protection.
00:23:29I mean, it's hard for the police themselves to man this Carson Field area.
00:23:33And they have the whole of Central to deal with as well.
00:23:35Because the entire area is an area where violence and crime is widespread now.
00:23:42There's no community now in the Central area that is without violence and crime.
00:23:47So farmers need to get some sort of protection.
00:23:50As you speak about that, just yesterday, Shiraz Khan, of course, a fellow farmer,
00:23:55he was suggesting that farmers ought to be given firearms.
00:23:59And they ought to be able to arm themselves to fight off these criminals.
00:24:04How do you feel about that?
00:24:06I feel very strongly with that.
00:24:09And it should be done.
00:24:11Long ago, farmers used to be given shotguns to have on their farms to protect themselves and livestock and stuff.
00:24:19Now it's a big problem for even a normal businessman to get a firearm.
00:24:24He has to go through so much red tape.
00:24:26And then there's the allegation of having to pay bribes and stuff.
00:24:30So this thing needs to be dealt with properly because police can't do all the protecting.
00:24:36So farmers should be given the ability to protect themselves,
00:24:40to also be in such a way that they can be given a firearm,
00:24:44so they can protect their home, their families, and their livestock.
00:24:47In a situation such as yesterday's,
00:24:51do you feel as though if the Christian family were armed,
00:24:57they would have been able to protect themselves?
00:25:00Of course. Of course.
00:25:03Because Christian also has a smaller brother, Noah, and he was there.
00:25:09And what happens is that when the guys shot Christian,
00:25:12one of the bandits said to him,
00:25:14shoot him, shoot him.
00:25:16But it so happened that they ran out of bullets.
00:25:18Had they been in possession of a firearm,
00:25:19they would have been able to use it.
00:25:22So instead of Christopher coming outside to help his father with the cutlass,
00:25:26he would have been able to come outside with the firearm
00:25:29and use it against the bandits.
00:25:31So it's a great need that the farmers should be given
00:25:36firearms to protect themselves.
00:25:38Now, Mr. Abdullah, you're a man of the cloth.
00:25:41How do you feel about something like this?
00:25:43When I got the news, when I first got the news,
00:25:47I was thinking about it seriously,
00:25:51because as we've said earlier,
00:25:53for quite some time, there has been a lot of, you know,
00:25:58previous larceny against these farmers in Castlefield,
00:26:02and it led to home invasions.
00:26:04I'm sure Askan was a victim of one of those home invasions,
00:26:08his wife, if you could recall.
00:26:09There was also another person where there was one such incident
00:26:15where the woman was practically placed on the bonnet of the vehicle
00:26:20and the vehicle drove off with the woman, you know,
00:26:23and, you know, it just escalated, you know,
00:26:26and to hear that this is where it has reached,
00:26:30you know, where it's going to head after this,
00:26:33what are we going to hear next, you know,
00:26:36as a result of what is happening now?
00:26:39And, you know, when you think about, you know,
00:26:43these poor souls, they get up in the morning,
00:26:45they worship their maker,
00:26:48and they go out to their fields,
00:26:51and they tend to their animals and so on.
00:26:53It's pretty hard work.
00:26:55It's a lot of sacrifice.
00:26:57We don't get up that early in the morning.
00:26:59Some of these farmers have to wake up at 3 o'clock,
00:27:01you know, 2 o'clock in the morning
00:27:03to get their day started,
00:27:05in order to get things organized, to go to the market,
00:27:07you know, stuff like that.
00:27:09I mean, who would want to hurt people like this?
00:27:14And when we have a society where prisons have resorted to,
00:27:18you know, this type of violence
00:27:22and hurting our fellow citizens,
00:27:25we tend to ask the question, where is God?
00:27:27Where is Almighty God in all of this?
00:27:30Where is Almighty God in the minds of our leaders,
00:27:34persons who are responsible to respond?
00:27:38Mr. Abdullah, would God be upset
00:27:42if farmers armed themselves
00:27:45in order to fight off these criminals?
00:27:48Of course not.
00:27:50We see a rose garden,
00:27:52and the roses are so beautiful,
00:27:55yet you can't walk amongst them,
00:27:57because they have thorns.
00:27:59Alright?
00:28:01We have the inalienable right to protect ourselves.
00:28:04As the gentleman rightly said a little while ago,
00:28:07Mr. Wendell Allen,
00:28:09if that young man
00:28:12was to have responded with a gun and not a cutlass,
00:28:16we would have been having a different conversation this morning.
00:28:19A different conversation.
00:28:21Entirely different conversation.
00:28:23And it's sad, I'm telling you it's sad.
00:28:25Alright?
00:28:27Carson Field is a victim of neglect.
00:28:29Alright?
00:28:31And the Land Settlement Agency needs to respond,
00:28:34you know, with urgency,
00:28:36as regards to this situation that is plaguing Carson Field.
00:28:40The other state agencies
00:28:42must respond with urgencies.
00:28:44If you leave a house
00:28:47abandoned,
00:28:49right,
00:28:51that house will eventually be,
00:28:53you know,
00:28:55used for criminal activity.
00:28:57Right?
00:28:59Criminals are going to start using these abandoned
00:29:01houses, the abandoned lots, and so on.
00:29:04As a community,
00:29:06this is exactly what is going to happen.
00:29:09You think the bandits don't know how easy it is to pounce,
00:29:12to pounce upon these farmers now?
00:29:14There's no response from the police?
00:29:16There's little or no,
00:29:18you know,
00:29:19equipment or,
00:29:21or,
00:29:23or resources for the police
00:29:25to use in apprehending these criminals and so on and so forth?
00:29:29Have there been any arrests since
00:29:31the home invasion of
00:29:32Brother Suresh Khan, his wife?
00:29:34No, there has not been no arrests.
00:29:36How many arrests has been taken,
00:29:38has taken place since the Carson Field farmers
00:29:41have been going through what they have been going through?
00:29:43None!
00:29:45And they've been threatened on top of that.
00:29:47The Prime Minister is going into a meeting this morning,
00:29:50and I don't know what those discussions is going to be,
00:29:52is going to reflect.
00:29:54Right?
00:29:55But we see recently
00:29:57a consultant,
00:29:59a former commissioner of police,
00:30:00who was a,
00:30:01who was also a failure,
00:30:03who was also a failure.
00:30:05All right?
00:30:07Is a consultant now
00:30:09to another commissioner
00:30:11who has proven to be a failure.
00:30:13Where are we heading in Trinidad and Tobago?
00:30:15Are we about optics?
00:30:17Is that what we are all about?
00:30:19Are we all about big conferences?
00:30:21And we had just,
00:30:23just,
00:30:24just recent in recent times,
00:30:26we had a criminal conference,
00:30:28a crime conference
00:30:30in Trinidad and Tobago
00:30:32where all the criminal minds,
00:30:34the agencies,
00:30:36right,
00:30:37were brought into Trinidad and Tobago
00:30:39and there were discussions.
00:30:41Millions of dollars were spent in that conference.
00:30:43What changed for the people in Carson Field?
00:30:46What changed for the young man
00:30:48who lost his life?
00:30:50What has changed for the father
00:30:52who is fighting for his life
00:30:53right now in the hospital?
00:30:55What has changed?
00:30:57It has gotten worse.
00:30:58You never thought that farmers,
00:31:00you never thought that something like this
00:31:02would have happened to these farmers in Carson Field.
00:31:04We would have thought constantly,
00:31:06we would have heard from them,
00:31:08oh,
00:31:09my crops was raided last night.
00:31:11My animals were stolen,
00:31:13et cetera, et cetera.
00:31:15These are the kinds of complaints
00:31:17we were expecting to hear from farmers
00:31:19from time to time.
00:31:21Not murder.
00:31:22Correct.
00:31:23So let me just interject a bit
00:31:25to recount two more incidents
00:31:26that we visited that area yesterday.
00:31:29So she spoke with a resident
00:31:32who said she was deeply traumatized.
00:31:34The woman said she was surprised
00:31:36by the bandits as she made her way
00:31:38through her front gates one evening.
00:31:40So she's recounting her own incident.
00:31:42The masked man stole her vehicle,
00:31:44her cash and valuables
00:31:46and also attempted to take,
00:31:48kidnap a family member.
00:31:50Terrified to speak of the incident,
00:31:52the woman said members of her family
00:31:54fought with the bandits
00:31:56while she was being beaten.
00:31:58Thankfully,
00:32:00she and her family escaped with their lives
00:32:02although she expressed
00:32:04lots of grief
00:32:06due to the loss by the Christian family.
00:32:08In another incident,
00:32:10a resident said
00:32:12rapes are happening again
00:32:14with women attacked in daylight.
00:32:16People are being attacked
00:32:18as they work in their gardens
00:32:20and their home, she said.
00:32:22She was among several residents
00:32:24who claimed gangs were being formed
00:32:26who lived in the surrounding communities.
00:32:28We are definitely being targeted.
00:32:30People here work hard.
00:32:32Now they are afraid to go out
00:32:34and come back into their own homes.
00:32:36Mr. Allen.
00:32:40Yes.
00:32:42What would you like to see?
00:32:44Because the guys, as I said,
00:32:46I would like to see that farmers
00:32:48get the means of getting a firearm
00:32:50to protect themselves
00:32:52and their families and their livestock
00:32:54because no longer again,
00:32:56do they have the last nail of animals
00:32:58or the last nail of food crops
00:33:00or anything like that.
00:33:02They come in straight to the homes
00:33:04to do home invasions
00:33:06to take person's property
00:33:08and now we see life on them.
00:33:10It has to be done.
00:33:12If you had the ear of the Prime Minister
00:33:14this morning,
00:33:16if he is listening to our show
00:33:18by any stroke of luck,
00:33:20what would you say to him?
00:33:22That he needs
00:33:24to be concerned more
00:33:26because agriculture
00:33:28plays a big, big role
00:33:30in breaking down the deficit
00:33:32of the GDP of a country.
00:33:34And the farmers,
00:33:36just the subsidies are awarded to farmers
00:33:38is very negligible.
00:33:40So basically farmers
00:33:42are putting out from their pockets
00:33:44everything for themselves
00:33:46and they are getting nothing in return
00:33:48because the prices of everything,
00:33:50chemicals, fertilizers,
00:33:52feed,
00:33:54medication for animals,
00:33:56and the price for animals
00:33:58staying at the same
00:34:00and you can't get good price
00:34:02and then again now
00:34:04we have the influx of animals
00:34:06coming from Venezuela
00:34:08that is threatening the animals
00:34:10with respect to diseases
00:34:12and also the prices
00:34:14that they are bringing in
00:34:16and being sold at.
00:34:18So the farmers here
00:34:20have a very, very big disadvantage.
00:34:22And on top of that
00:34:24your lives are being threatened.
00:34:26So something needs to be done.
00:34:28Mr. Abdullah, you have the final word
00:34:30in this interview.
00:34:32What would you like to say?
00:34:34What would you like the citizens to know?
00:34:36What I would like to...
00:34:38First of all,
00:34:40I would like to send a message
00:34:42to the Prime Minister.
00:34:44Your friends didn't get you
00:34:46where you are.
00:34:48It's the citizens of this country
00:34:50that voted for you.
00:34:52You need to pay more attention
00:34:54to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:34:56We have to recognize
00:34:58the power that we have
00:35:00in our hands
00:35:02and how much we can do
00:35:04if we unite and come together.
00:35:06We have an excellent opportunity
00:35:08in the Carlson Peel area
00:35:10for not just the farmers
00:35:12but the citizens
00:35:14and all those persons
00:35:16who are living in the Carlson Peel area
00:35:18to come together
00:35:20with the Revival Committee
00:35:22and to put their heads together
00:35:24how best they can negotiate
00:35:26and respond responsibly
00:35:28with a genuine sense of care.
00:35:31All right?
00:35:33And that's just all
00:35:35that we need in this country.
00:35:37Our state agency,
00:35:39people who are responsible
00:35:41for duty, for the care
00:35:43of our citizens
00:35:45to respond with genuine care.
00:35:47That's all.
00:35:49We have too much,
00:35:51you know,
00:35:53these negative things
00:35:54happening in our communities.
00:35:56And like I said,
00:35:58it's just a pure case of neglect.
00:36:00And when communities
00:36:02are neglected,
00:36:04when the youth are neglected,
00:36:06when, you know,
00:36:08the concerns and the plight
00:36:10and the cries of people
00:36:12are neglected,
00:36:13this is what we have to face with.
00:36:15And we cannot no longer
00:36:17allow our communities
00:36:19to go down the path
00:36:21that it's going down.
00:36:22Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
00:36:24We really do hope
00:36:26for some level of resolve
00:36:28to the murder rate
00:36:30in this country.
00:36:31Of course, we had Omar Abdullah,
00:36:33a representative of the Carson Field
00:36:35Farmers Revival Committee,
00:36:36and Wendell Allen,
00:36:38who himself is a farmer,
00:36:40making a call for farmers
00:36:42to be able to access firearms
00:36:44much better so they can get
00:36:46a fighting chance.
00:36:47And now time for a quick break.
00:36:49But first, let's check out
00:36:50a footage of a sunset
00:36:52sent in by one of our viewers.
00:36:54We'll be right back.
00:37:17Chef Laurel Elliott here,
00:37:18Director of Culinary Consulting
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00:37:22at Integra Procurement Services
00:37:24North America.
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00:37:27Manufacturers Association
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00:37:46Gangs and gang activity
00:37:48destroy homes, communities,
00:37:49our country.
00:37:51A gang is a group of
00:37:52two or more persons
00:37:53that engages in any
00:37:54criminal activity
00:37:55considered to be
00:37:56a gang-related offense
00:37:57under the Anti-Gang Act.
00:37:59Report gang activity
00:38:00anonymously through
00:38:01Crimestoppers.
00:38:02You can call,
00:38:03go online,
00:38:05or use their new free
00:38:06internationally acclaimed
00:38:07P3 Tips app.
00:38:09Crimestoppers is an
00:38:10international program
00:38:11and no caller's identity
00:38:12has ever been revealed.
00:38:14Crimestoppers.
00:38:15It's safe and it works.
00:38:25Shut up!
00:38:27I've had enough of all of you!
00:38:29You ungrateful...
00:38:30I've had enough of you!
00:38:31You took us from our countries
00:38:32and now false pretends
00:38:33have us working
00:38:34day and night like slaves
00:38:36and expect us to be grateful?
00:38:46Just allow us to leave,
00:38:47please.
00:38:48Give us our passports
00:38:50and allow us to leave.
00:38:52You confirm our things
00:38:53are free to leave?
00:38:55If you step
00:38:56one foot
00:38:58out of here,
00:38:59I will cede that
00:39:00immigration
00:39:02sends you back
00:39:03to whatever hell
00:39:04you came from.
00:39:07If you know of
00:39:08or suspect
00:39:09human trafficking activity,
00:39:10call the
00:39:11Counter-Trafficking Hotline
00:39:12or call the
00:39:13Crime Stoppers
00:39:14or the
00:39:15Counter-Trafficking Hotline
00:39:16at 804-CTU
00:39:17or 804-288.
00:39:20Human trafficking
00:39:21is a crime.
00:39:22Identify it.
00:39:23Report it.
00:39:24Stop it.
00:39:25A message
00:39:26from the
00:39:27Counter-Trafficking Unit
00:39:28of the Ministry
00:39:29of National Security.
00:39:44Welcome back.
00:39:45Trinidad and Tobago
00:39:46are now joined
00:39:47by Sgt.
00:39:48Ford
00:39:49of the TTPS.
00:39:50That's Sgt.
00:39:51Ansel Ford
00:39:52as it's time
00:39:53for weekly tips
00:39:54and advice
00:39:55from the TTPS.
00:39:56But of course,
00:39:57you know,
00:39:58he'll be talking
00:39:59about children's
00:40:00safety
00:40:01across this period
00:40:02as the vacation
00:40:03has officially
00:40:04begun.
00:40:05So,
00:40:06welcome back
00:40:07to TTPS.
00:40:08We're joined
00:40:09by Sgt.
00:40:10Ford
00:40:11of the TTPS.
00:40:12That's Sgt.
00:40:13Ford
00:40:14with us now.
00:40:15As I said before,
00:40:16the period
00:40:17of vacation
00:40:18has,
00:40:19of course,
00:40:20started.
00:40:21But,
00:40:22Sgt.
00:40:23Ford,
00:40:24before we get
00:40:25straight into it,
00:40:26we did have
00:40:27an interview
00:40:28before,
00:40:29where,
00:40:30well,
00:40:31according to
00:40:32the Express,
00:40:33it's a Bloody
00:40:34Monday,
00:40:35a Murderous
00:40:36Monday.
00:40:37Yesterday,
00:40:38we had a
00:40:39series
00:40:40of killings
00:40:41and
00:40:42Farmers are calling to be better equipped.
00:40:46They are calling for firearms, easier access to firearms
00:40:50so they can defend themselves.
00:40:52They also complained about police patrols
00:40:55or lack thereof in their community.
00:40:57Police don't have enough resources,
00:40:59and the city roads are bad, so it's difficult.
00:41:02Some city roads are horrible.
00:41:04I would agree with them.
00:41:06But can you give any comfort to those farmers this morning?
00:41:11Okay.
00:41:13Urvashi, not being aware of the particular circumstances
00:41:17in terms of the home invasion you spoke of, right,
00:41:20but from the perspective of crime in general,
00:41:23murders in particular, right,
00:41:25we are working assiduously in terms of trying to deal
00:41:30with the number of murders, right?
00:41:33Currently, we know that the figure for last year
00:41:37is almost at the same this year,
00:41:40and it's not the result that we are looking for.
00:41:44But what we tried to do, right,
00:41:49for as long as I can speak about it,
00:41:51is to advise members of the public
00:41:54in terms of how they can go about
00:41:57to make themselves less of a target
00:41:59in terms of how to be a bit more safe, right?
00:42:02As it is, we as police, we have a responsibility.
00:42:06A lot of the times, members of the public
00:42:09seem to move around, I want to say,
00:42:12somewhat unaware of the risk
00:42:16that they themselves may put themselves,
00:42:19let us say, exposed to.
00:42:22And we try to take a proactive approach through education,
00:42:26such as these programs to sensitize members of the public
00:42:29as to some of the risk factors
00:42:31and what you can and probably ought not to do.
00:42:35But yet still, some persons,
00:42:37they fail to take the advice, right?
00:42:41But what we can say in terms of the persons in Carson Field,
00:42:46that would be within Central Division,
00:42:48and you can try to build that relationship
00:42:53with the divisional commander
00:42:56and the station within your immediate district
00:42:59so that where you recognize that there is a risk factor,
00:43:04that you can report it to the officers there.
00:43:07And as much as the routes are bad,
00:43:09they would be able to strategize, right,
00:43:12to see how best they could reduce, let us say,
00:43:16that fear or the risk that you would have reported to them.
00:43:20Because you, the farmer,
00:43:22you, better than anybody else,
00:43:25understand your particular risk, right?
00:43:28Sometimes you might be going out there
00:43:30in the wee hours of the morning to tend to your crops.
00:43:33Sometimes you're there late in the evening to tend to your crops.
00:43:36When you go to harvest,
00:43:38the police officers may not be aware, right?
00:43:40But there are persons who are monitoring you
00:43:42and they may see it as an opportunity, right?
00:43:44So what you can do simply is to, I want to say,
00:43:48communicate more with the police in your particular area
00:43:52so that they can increase the patrols
00:43:55and probably identify the persons
00:43:57who may be involved in whatever aspect of crime
00:44:01that is targeted towards you, yeah?
00:44:04Okay, well, we certainly do appreciate that.
00:44:06But to be fair to the farmers, according to them,
00:44:08they have been reporting all these rapes,
00:44:10the informed invasions,
00:44:12which has been occurring for some months well.
00:44:15TTPS fails to meet the murder mark that JSC has.
00:44:18ULA fails again on crime.
00:44:20Instead of recognizing or achieving
00:44:24a 10% decrease in murders,
00:44:26it was a dismal 1% reduction.
00:44:30All right, well, it is consistent
00:44:33with what I just said in relation to the murder rate.
00:44:36And I know that the commissioner and the executive,
00:44:39that they are strategizing in terms of
00:44:42how to best approach the murders as it is in particular.
00:44:48All right, so let's get straight to
00:44:50what you actually came here to talk about,
00:44:52which is tips for parents, for guardians,
00:44:55caregivers of children.
00:44:56Children will be home for this vacation period.
00:44:58What do we need to know?
00:44:59All right, well, firstly, this is not the first time
00:45:02that we would have dealt with this issue.
00:45:04But it is necessary that we continue to speak to parents
00:45:08because every year you have children
00:45:12going on school vacation.
00:45:14Some children finish in school,
00:45:16but they are still under the age of 18 years.
00:45:19They are still a child.
00:45:20You still have the situation where parents,
00:45:22although the school vacation is here,
00:45:24they still have to go to work.
00:45:25Some of them don't have the necessary support structure
00:45:29as, let's say, the extended family to have grandparents
00:45:32or brothers or sisters living within the same household.
00:45:36And they have to attend to work at the same time.
00:45:39They have a responsibility by law
00:45:43in relation to the safety and security of their children.
00:45:46And when I say parents, it's not just limited to biological.
00:45:51We are also looking at the issue of persons
00:45:54who are guardians, legal guardians,
00:45:57and those persons who, by way of having control of their child,
00:46:03bears the responsibility to ensure that the child is safe.
00:46:07So when we speak about responsibility,
00:46:10we speak to the persons who have custody, charge, care,
00:46:16and control of a person who is under the age of 18 years.
00:46:22So now that we identify that this is your responsibility,
00:46:28what the Children's Act, Chapter 4601, says
00:46:35that we need to prevent children from being exposed to cruelty.
00:46:40And this is under Section 4.
00:46:42So basically it is saying that where a person has responsibility for a child
00:46:46and that person willfully assaults, ill-treats, neglects,
00:46:51abandons, or exposes the child or causes or procures the child
00:46:56to be assaulted, ill-treated, neglected, abandoned, or exposed
00:47:00in a manner likely to cause a child suffering or injury
00:47:05to his physical, mental, or emotional health,
00:47:08that person commits an offense.
00:47:11So it is very broad in terms of what we need to protect the child from.
00:47:17And it speaks to all I just spoke of as being cruelty to a child.
00:47:22So the penalty if someone commits that offense is,
00:47:26under summary conviction, a fine of $10,000
00:47:29and to imprisonment for 6 years.
00:47:32On conviction on indictment, to a fine of $100,000
00:47:36and to imprisonment for 10 years.
00:47:38Now the mention of the penalty is not to scare persons,
00:47:45but it's to let them understand how serious the issue is
00:47:49in terms of dealing with the safety of children.
00:47:52So we understand that you have to go to work.
00:47:56We are saying that you know you have to go to work.
00:48:00You know you don't have anybody to assist you at home.
00:48:04You know that your children are underage.
00:48:06Therefore, you cannot leave them home alone.
00:48:09The sad thing is that some parents still take that chance.
00:48:14Where they believe that because the child is home,
00:48:18the place is probably secure, that that child is safe.
00:48:22But it's that child.
00:48:24And because of the state of the mind,
00:48:26you cannot simply take it for granted that the child can take care of him or herself.
00:48:31In the event of a fire, say a child would not be able to respond as an adult,
00:48:36may be able to respond.
00:48:39I remember a colleague I used to work with,
00:48:43she had a daughter who was at home studying for exams.
00:48:45So she felt while she went to work, child in secondary school,
00:48:48she was okay at home until apparently these criminals
00:48:52know your movements better than you.
00:48:54So there her child was at home and somebody was knocking at her door.
00:48:58We know you're inside. We know you're inside.
00:49:00Open up. Open up.
00:49:01Yes.
00:49:02What do you do?
00:49:03You can put a spade and your child in a room or wherever.
00:49:05And you cannot get to the child.
00:49:07And the child now is placed in a certain situation
00:49:12that causes that child to be fearful.
00:49:16And not to mention that persons can break into your home in your absence.
00:49:22So you don't want to leave your child home alone at all.
00:49:25Mr. Ford, I have a question.
00:49:27Now, quite recently, a caregiver of a toddler, I believe,
00:49:31was charged with the child's murder
00:49:33because the father left his two children in her care when he came back.
00:49:37I don't know if you remember the case.
00:49:39I don't remember specifically the names.
00:49:41But when he came to retrieve his children,
00:49:44his toddler was on the bed.
00:49:47He was dead already.
00:49:49That caregiver was charged.
00:49:51How do parents or guardians vet these babysitters
00:49:56or childcare places or caregivers?
00:50:01How do you know who is legitimate, who is not?
00:50:05All right.
00:50:06Now, there isn't any particular measure or standard that I can really identify.
00:50:13But to the person, you have to do your due diligence.
00:50:16One, if it is that is a total stranger to you,
00:50:20you have to, I want to say, inquire, investigate.
00:50:24Do your own little investigation within the area that the person has the,
00:50:29I want to say, the home or whatever place where they are.
00:50:36Do your own little investigation.
00:50:38Speak to neighbors.
00:50:40Speak to other persons who you may recognize carry their children there.
00:50:44Inquire in terms of how is the treatment of the person's children.
00:50:50You visit the place.
00:50:52Do your own inspection.
00:50:54Satisfy yourself that the environment is one that you believe your child can be a part of.
00:51:03And if it is that you pick up anything that you are uncomfortable with,
00:51:09then you should not entertain or even consider having your child there.
00:51:13But what you also want to identify is how many children this person is taking care of.
00:51:21And if there's plenty of children, could this person really take care of my child as well?
00:51:28How many persons are assisting?
00:51:29So that's the ratio.
00:51:31Well, the ratio.
00:51:32How many other persons work at the home to assist this person?
00:51:36And be particular in terms of the age of your child.
00:51:41If it is that it's a baby, what experience this person has treating with babies?
00:51:48Also, like a baby, just to add, a baby can't tell you,
00:51:51hey, mommy, she did this or he did that to me.
00:51:54So that child will not be able to say if any harm was brought onto them.
00:51:58And if I'm not mistaken, there's no registry just yet.
00:52:02I think the Children's Authority is in the process of compiling a registry.
00:52:05I stand to be corrected.
00:52:07All right.
00:52:08I can't speak clearly in terms of the Children's Authority and a registry.
00:52:15I can't speak clearly on this.
00:52:16I won't endeavor to do so.
00:52:18But in terms of that vetting, as you would have asked,
00:52:22these are some of the things that the parent should undertake to satisfy themselves.
00:52:28It doesn't mean that there isn't any risk because sometimes situations do happen,
00:52:35notwithstanding the efforts of the person who is caregiving.
00:52:39But once you do your due diligence, I think that the risk factor would be reduced considerably.
00:52:46Because we just have about a minute again, I would ask you to sort of speed through as best as you can.
00:52:53We would continue the conversation because it is important that we send the message clearly.
00:53:00So I will just continue until the time goes.
00:53:04So you need to speak to your children about their safety.
00:53:10You need to sensitize them in terms of what is permissible, what is not.
00:53:15For instance, when you come in, they say, what is a good touch?
00:53:17What is a bad touch?
00:53:19Have that open from where your children can tell you anything that would have happened to them in your absence.
00:53:27Now, when you are looking at someone to take care of your children,
00:53:31that person has to be someone who is responsible, someone who you can trust.
00:53:37Why is it that you still cannot be absolutely sure?
00:53:42You have to do all the necessary work to ascertain that this person, if it's a stranger,
00:53:50is someone that I can leave my children with.
00:53:53And if it is that your child reports anything to you that you believe needs to come to the attention of the police,
00:54:03we want to encourage you to report it immediately.
00:54:07You, the parent, also have to be observant, pay particular attention to your child or children.
00:54:15Any marks on their skin, ask them about it to understand how did they get that and so forth.
00:54:21So if it's abuse, for instance, you might be able to nip it at an early stage by reporting to the police.
00:54:28So I think we may be running out of time.
00:54:32And also, you know, by reporting, you can save other children from any harm or hazard that can be brought onto them.
00:54:39Sergeant Ansel Ford, I want to thank you so much for joining us this morning for our weekly tips and advice.
00:54:45Parents out there, take everything that Sergeant Ford has said as it came, just take it as it came from the Bible.
00:54:53You know, he is really astute with, you know, all his warnings, his tips and his advice.
00:54:59And we can never be too careful when it comes to our children.
00:55:03So thank you again, Sergeant Ford, for joining us.
00:55:06Of course, media ambassador with the TTPS.
00:55:09It's now time for a quick break.
00:55:11We're heading off to the 7 a.m. news.
00:55:13But before we leave you, check out this image sent to us by our very own in studio, Ivan de Oliveira.
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00:57:40But how does vitamin D3 relate to diabetes, you wonder?
00:57:43Let's delve deeper into this mystery.
00:57:45Vitamin D3 is a crucial factor when it comes to insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, two key in the diabetes equation.
00:57:53What is insulin, you ask?
00:57:55It's a hormone that keeps a tab on the glucose in our bloodstream.
00:57:58Any impairment in its operation can result in escalated blood sugar levels, creating an environment conducive to diabetes.
00:58:04Vitamin D3 is seen as a game-changer here.
00:58:07It enhances the body's response to insulin, leading to improved regulation of blood sugar.
00:58:12Additionally, it bolsters the functioning of the pancreas, an organ where insulin is manufactured, thus contributing to the maintenance of stable blood sugar levels.
00:58:21An adequate intake of vitamin D3, therefore, can go a long way in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes.
00:58:28But the benefits don't stop at prevention.
00:58:31For those tackling diabetes, balanced vitamin D3 levels are crucial.
00:58:35Research reveals that those with sufficient vitamin D3 have improved blood sugar control and lower diabetes-associated complications.
00:58:43So, what's the key takeaway?
00:58:45Vitamin D3 is more than a vitamin.
00:58:48It's our body's crucial ally against diabetes for prevention and control.
00:58:53Ensuring we consume enough of this sunshine vitamin, either through sunlight, diet, or supplements, is an effective move towards improved health.
00:59:01In conclusion, vitamin D3 holds a significant role in our health, particularly for conditions like diabetes.
00:59:09This underrated vitamin is a potent force in our body's defense system, with roles extending far beyond mere bone health.
00:59:16It's influence across a broad sphere of our bodily functions, highlighting its importance in our overall wellness.
00:59:22Of particular note is its effect on our body's ability to regulate insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism.
00:59:28These functions are crucial in preventing and managing diabetes, a condition that affects millions.
00:59:33It's fascinating how this simple nutrient, often overshadowed, plays such a crucial role in our health.
00:59:39Basking in the sun or partaking in a meal rich in vitamin D3 not only feels good, but it's also wonders for our health.
00:59:46So, the next time you enjoy some sunshine or a vitamin D3-rich meal, remember the incredible work this humble vitamin is doing for your body.
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01:02:50Welcome back Trinidad and Tobago.
01:02:53Well, the biggest party in sport is back and it's back with a big bang.
01:02:58We're talking ticket sales with a head of PR and communications for CPL Peter Miller.
01:03:04Tickets for the Republic Bank CPL Caribbean Premier League, including the playoffs and the final, are on sale to Visa customers right now.
01:03:13Well, a very good morning to you, Mr. Miller.
01:03:15Thank you so much for joining us.
01:03:18Thank you very much for having me.
01:03:19So let's just start off with the basics of CPL.
01:03:23What do we need to know?
01:03:24It's, of course, starting.
01:03:26It's set to get underway on the 29th of August.
01:03:28And we've got games taking place.
01:03:31Antigua Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, and right here in TNT.
01:03:38Yeah, absolutely.
01:03:39We're going to be with you guys from the 18th of September through to the 27th.
01:03:43So it's always great to be back.
01:03:45It's going to be games taking place at Queen's Park Oval right in the middle of Port of Spain, which always brings an absolutely amazing atmosphere.
01:03:51And then what I think is probably the best cricket stadium in the Caribbean, having been fortunate enough to be to a lockdown at Queen's Park Oval.
01:03:57So, yeah, really excited for the men's CPL to be coming.
01:04:00And, of course, the women's CPL will be with you guys as well from the 21st of August to the 27th of August.
01:04:06There's going to be doubleheaders taking place there as well with men's internationals, which is going to be really exciting.
01:04:13Tickets for those will be on sale now, but tickets for the men's games to everyone, not just the customers, to everybody, is on sale now on our website at cplt20.com.
01:04:20And, of course, let's talk about the teams and all the big names that will be playing for the different franchises.
01:04:28Yeah, the TKR team this year looks absolutely ridiculous.
01:04:31Obviously, they made the final last year.
01:04:33And I think if anything, they're stronger.
01:04:35You know, they brought in Jason Roy.
01:04:38They're going to have Tim David playing for them, the fantastic Australian finisher.
01:04:42And then, of course, all those Trini greats that they've got in that side.
01:04:45And then, of course, just to finish things off, they have a certain Jamaican called Andre Russell, who is potentially still the most destructive T20 batter in the world.
01:04:54So, yeah, I think, obviously, the success that the TKR side has had over the years has been phenomenal.
01:05:01And you guys have another opportunity to potentially claim another crown in 2024.
01:05:06And hopefully, if we make it to the finals, you know, Andrew Russell has that side gig.
01:05:11So, you're probably seeing his recent release for us while here, right?
01:05:18Yeah, he's obviously a multi-talented guy.
01:05:20I mean, there's so many of these cricketers that have got so many strings to their bows, right?
01:05:24Of course, there's Dwayne Bravo.
01:05:25He's got his fantastic music career as well.
01:05:27You know, it's great to see what entertainers these guys are and the entertainment they bring when we're in matches.
01:05:33It's fantastic.
01:05:34And, of course, that is what really makes CPL.
01:05:37It's not just, you know, cricket.
01:05:39We don't just sit in these stands and clap like Wimbledon.
01:05:42You know, it's the party of sport.
01:05:45Tell us what sets CPL apart from these other leagues.
01:05:52I think the difference for me is what you guys in the Caribbean bring.
01:05:55You know, I'm so grateful.
01:05:56It's been so important to me for my career and the last eight years that I'm involved in this tournament
01:06:01to come and enjoy what the Caribbean offers and the vibes that you guys bring,
01:06:04especially in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:06:06It's just absolutely unbelievable.
01:06:07One of my favorite places to visit.
01:06:09And that vibe and that fun in the crowd that the players bring, that the fans bring.
01:06:14You know, a full Queen's Park Oval with, you know, the Trini Posse going off
01:06:19and all the, you know, the smoke machines and the dancers and everything else that comes with it.
01:06:24You know, I think what has made CPL so special for me is it isn't just the cricket.
01:06:28You know, it's the place that you want to be.
01:06:30It's the place that you go to to be at the water cooler the next day to say to people in the office,
01:06:34oh my goodness, were you at the Oval last night?
01:06:36Were you at Brian Lara last night?
01:06:38And that's, I think, what makes it so special.
01:06:40And that's why I'm really excited that we're going to have evening games for the women's matches as well.
01:06:43So potentially we're going to have even that.
01:06:45But the women's games as well in Trinidad.
01:06:47And I know you guys will come out and support that tournament as well.
01:06:50And let's not forget those miniature pools that, you know, if it's too hot,
01:06:54as it tends to be in the Caribbean, you could just take a quick dip.
01:06:59Yeah, I mean, all of that stuff.
01:07:01It just brings so much.
01:07:02It's one of those things that I've never been at a CPL game where I haven't been working, unfortunately.
01:07:08But it does look like that people have lots of fun.
01:07:10I tend to spend my time walking around looking at my phone being stressed out.
01:07:13But people do tend to have a lot of fun.
01:07:16And it's great to be seeing people.
01:07:18You know, one of my favorite CPL memories has been when the game's been rained off and the party hasn't stopped.
01:07:23You know, that's been absolutely fantastic.
01:07:25I remember there was a final, I think, in 2018 where we had a big spot of rain
01:07:29and nobody stopped cheering, partying.
01:07:31The music was playing.
01:07:32The DJ was entertaining everybody.
01:07:34The dancers were dancing.
01:07:35And I think, for me, that's what makes it so special.
01:07:38And the fact that we've been able to, you know, kind of bring that vibe to the rest of the world
01:07:44and encourage people to come and visit the Caribbean is really important to all of us.
01:07:47You know, I'd like to think everybody who works for CPL is a real advocate for the Caribbean
01:07:52and what a wonderful place it is to visit.
01:07:54I kind of think of it as my second home and I'm always very happy there.
01:07:57Mr. Miller, one thing that we see in the Caribbean is the only thing rain does stop is cricket.
01:08:02So cricket might have stopped that final, but the party, I am certain, just went on.
01:08:10Yeah, absolutely.
01:08:11You know, it's been such a pleasure to be there for so many of these great moments, you know.
01:08:16And I think, you know, looking back and watching the highlights brings so many smiles to people's faces.
01:08:21And I know one of the things for me, being a big sports fan,
01:08:24one of the things is you kind of say, you know, I was there.
01:08:26You know, I was there when these things happened.
01:08:28It makes such an important, massive memory that you can be talking about for years to come.
01:08:31So that's why we're so excited that we're sure we're going to have absolutely fantastic support
01:08:35for the games in Trinidad at Queen's Park Oval and down south in Brian Lowry.
01:08:39But of course, to be there, you've got to have tickets.
01:08:42Let's talk about tickets.
01:08:44The initial batch I'm reading for all games will be available exclusively to Visa customers from July 3rd.
01:08:52Tickets can be purchased by all cardholders from July 8th.
01:08:56Tell us about that and this partnership with Visa to make this possible.
01:09:02Yeah, I think, you know, obviously a big commercial partner for us recently.
01:09:05And it was really great to be able to reward their customers with that initial period.
01:09:08And we're very thankful for them and the support they've given us.
01:09:11We're now past that now.
01:09:12So the tickets are now on sale for everybody, which is absolutely fantastic.
01:09:15The tickets, again, you know, we always try and keep the tickets as reasonable as possible.
01:09:19We don't want people to be paying hundreds of dollars.
01:09:21Well, thousands of dollars to be coming to the cricket.
01:09:23So the tickets start at just 190 TT dollars for you to come.
01:09:27So less than 30 US for you to come and enjoy world class cricket.
01:09:31I think the players that we've got coming this year, I was talking with some of the pundits
01:09:34who are going to be coming and commentating on the CPL when it comes around.
01:09:39And they were saying that they can't remember a better lineup of overseas players.
01:09:43So the opportunity is there to watch, you know, one of the biggest cricket tournaments
01:09:47in the world in your backyard with some of the absolute best players.
01:09:50And hopefully support Trinidad team going on and being as successful as they've always been.
01:09:55You know, they've only ever missed out on the playoffs once,
01:09:58and I don't think they ever want to do that again.
01:10:00So talking about affordable prices, but I'm reading here,
01:10:05tickets are priced to be affordable for everyone with early bird tickets now on sale.
01:10:10Savings at many locations if you buy early.
01:10:14What do the savings look like? Are ticket prices set to increase?
01:10:17What will it look like if you wait to buy your ticket the day before the match,
01:10:21if you even get one available?
01:10:25Yeah, I think the big problem more so with Trinidad rather than in other places
01:10:28is that the games will sell out, right?
01:10:30That's the thing is, you know, that game against Guyana,
01:10:32the tickets aren't going to hang around forever.
01:10:34You know, the games that we've got taking place down at Bryan-Lara,
01:10:37we've seen absolutely unprecedented demand.
01:10:39We've had the biggest crowd that there's ever been for a cricket game in the Caribbean
01:10:43at Bryan-Lara at a CPL game.
01:10:45So the ticket prices in Trinidad will stay the same up until the day of the price of the tickets.
01:10:50But what you want to do is you want to secure those as soon as you can, really.
01:10:53You don't want to be missing out.
01:10:55So yeah, they sit there at $190 Trinidad starting,
01:10:58and we're looking forward to welcoming as many people as possible.
01:11:01And of course, tickets are on sale for all the matches, including the final.
01:11:06Yeah, yeah.
01:11:07And that's one of the great things that we've seen with TKR fans
01:11:10is that we've seen so many people travel to the different games.
01:11:13I mean, the final in Guyana, obviously not the result that Trini fans would have wanted
01:11:18in that final last year.
01:11:20The celebrations in Guyana, as I'm sure you can imagine, having waited so long,
01:11:23were just unbelievable.
01:11:24No one left after that game finished.
01:11:26But yeah, I mean, one of the things that we've seen is so many people travel
01:11:29around the Caribbean and will take in the games in St. Lucia,
01:11:33the games in St. Kitts, the games in Guyana.
01:11:36So yeah, the tickets are available for all of the games,
01:11:39including the finals and the playoffs.
01:11:41That final will sell out 100%.
01:11:43There'll be a lot of people that's coming in.
01:11:45So yeah, by putting the tickets on sale as early as possible,
01:11:48it means that people, if they do want to travel, can secure their hotels and flights
01:11:51and all the other stuff that comes along.
01:11:53And hopefully, fans from other countries, people will be popping over from Guyana
01:11:56into Trinidad, which hopefully then has a big boost for you guys
01:11:59in terms of your economy and filling hotel rooms,
01:12:02people spending money in restaurants and everywhere else.
01:12:04Yes, sport tourism.
01:12:06So I'm reading here that tickets for the final will be released in batches
01:12:10to manage the demand.
01:12:12A huge amount held back for sale from the box office.
01:12:15What is the thinking behind that?
01:12:19The big thing for us is that we want to make sure that it's local people
01:12:22that are getting to come along and watch those games.
01:12:24And as well, what we don't want to happen is that you have lots of people
01:12:27coming along and buying thousands of tickets and then it not being fans
01:12:30who are paying it or people taking advantage of the demand
01:12:33that you have for those ticket prices.
01:12:35So we manage that really carefully.
01:12:37We want to make sure that it's fans who are buying those tickets,
01:12:40not people that are going to be buying the tickets trying to profit out of it
01:12:42and all that other stuff.
01:12:44So one of the big things we brought in this year is that we brought in
01:12:47a new ticket wallet, which is going to be really exciting for people to use
01:12:51that will make it even easier for you to buy tickets online
01:12:54and transfer them between different people on the app
01:12:56and make it even easier for you if you have bought your tickets online.
01:12:59But those tickets are going to be on sale at the box office as well.
01:13:02What we don't want to happen is some people don't always necessarily
01:13:05have a credit card they can use online.
01:13:07And we want to make sure that everybody has the opportunity
01:13:09to buy tickets and experience CPL.
01:13:11So there will be tickets available for all games from box offices.
01:13:14So Mr. Miller, we've decided to have the CPL August to September.
01:13:18Of course, the National Hurricane Center, they've predicted a hyperactive
01:13:23hurricane season here, lots of rain.
01:13:26If not, weather system, storms or hurricanes.
01:13:30What happens in the event that there is, let's say, a storm, a depression,
01:13:35a hurricane?
01:13:38Yeah, I mean, it's something we've talked about a lot.
01:13:40We kind of want to try and be as proactive as possible.
01:13:42And it's a discussion that we have actually had in terms of what the process
01:13:46you need to go through if, say, you needed to move games or move legs
01:13:52and that kind of stuff.
01:13:53We always try and be as proactive as possible.
01:13:57But I think the key within that is making sure that remembering that the CPL
01:14:00is a sporting competition and that it wouldn't be fair that certain teams
01:14:04are given an advantage in terms of the potential of missing games
01:14:07or not missing games.
01:14:08What we've been hugely fortunate with the CPL over the years is that
01:14:11we haven't had a lot of games lost to rain.
01:14:15We have been hugely lucky.
01:14:16I think last year was potentially our worst year ever,
01:14:18and that was only four games that we lost to rain.
01:14:20So it's always very difficult to plan for something that may happen,
01:14:25but it's certainly discussions that our fantastic operations team have been
01:14:28talking about in terms of how we go about having a contingency plan
01:14:32to make sure that our tournament can still go ahead.
01:14:34But fingers crossed, when we get to August and September,
01:14:38any of those really nasty bits of weather miss the Caribbean.
01:14:41I think everybody at CPL wants to send our thoughts and prayers to anybody
01:14:45that's been affected by Beryl as she made her way through the Caribbean.
01:14:48We were really touched by the way that the Caribbean always comes together
01:14:53in all of these things.
01:14:54We're talking about what we can do as an organization to try and support
01:14:57those people as they try and recover from any damage that's been done
01:15:00by that particular storm.
01:15:01Just really skimming through the locations, Antigua, Barbuda, Barbados,
01:15:08St. Kitts, St. Lucia and TNT.
01:15:10I don't think Barbados may be the only one, but from your reports,
01:15:15has any of these islands been affected by Beryl, the stadiums at least?
01:15:22No, I don't believe so.
01:15:24Barbados just got a little bit of a touch of it.
01:15:28St. Lucia got really lucky in terms of the path that it had.
01:15:31I know I've lots of friends in Jamaica that have been without power
01:15:34and had flooded roads and stuff, but obviously we won't be in Jamaica
01:15:37this year.
01:15:38Hopefully that's not a situation that will stay because we'd all love
01:15:40to be back in Jamaica as soon as possible.
01:15:42But as things stand at the moment, we're a fair of a long way out
01:15:45and I've certainly not heard any reports of there being big impacts
01:15:47on where we're planning on playing cricket.
01:15:50So for this particular storm, I think from us personally,
01:15:53we should be fine.
01:15:54But as I said, I hope everybody who has been affected is doing okay.
01:15:57Yes, that's great news.
01:15:58As you mentioned Jamaica, can we see Jamaica, have there been talks,
01:16:02can we see Jamaica re-entering CPL next year?
01:16:08I hope so.
01:16:09A question that's slightly above my pay grade, I'm afraid.
01:16:12So I very much hope that Jamaica will be back.
01:16:17Certainly it wasn't ever a conversation where we closed the door
01:16:20on Jamaica coming back to CPL.
01:16:22We've got some absolutely fantastic memories of being in Jamaica
01:16:25and we'd love to be back there sooner rather than later.
01:16:27So hopefully that's 2025.
01:16:29The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.
01:16:31I love watching cricket at Sabina Park and I'd love to be back there tomorrow.
01:16:34So fingers crossed.
01:16:36I know that people are working very hard to make that happen.
01:16:39So yeah, I really hope it's sooner rather than later.
01:16:41Same here, same here.
01:16:42Some of my favourite players are from Jamaica.
01:16:46So Mr. Miller, do you have any particular team, a favourite to win?
01:16:50And I hope you won't say TKR because you're talking to us.
01:16:53Then when you go to talk to Antigua, Barbuda, you'll say the Falcons.
01:16:56Or when you talk to Barbados, you'll say the Royals.
01:16:59Any favourite?
01:17:00We won't hold it against you.
01:17:01You're asking me to tell you which of my children is my favourite.
01:17:05I'm not sure I can do that.
01:17:07I love them all equally.
01:17:09No, I mean, the big thing for me is the more time I spend in cricket,
01:17:12the more it's about players that I really like and admire doing well.
01:17:15And I think that's what, for me, is what I tend to enjoy really
01:17:19rather than any particular team winning.
01:17:21I know that sounds like a really political answer, but it is the truth.
01:17:24I promise you.
01:17:25But what would be really nice, you know, we're now in a position
01:17:27where we've only got two teams that haven't won a CPL.
01:17:29So I'd love it if one of those two teams, Antigua and Barbuda Falcons,
01:17:32or St. Lucia Kings, got that albatross away from around their neck
01:17:37and ended up winning the tournament.
01:17:39But yeah, as long as we have a good tournament and everyone enjoys
01:17:42and we achieve what we need to achieve in terms of people having fun
01:17:45when they come to our grounds and watching on TV, I'm a very happy man.
01:17:49So, Mr. Miller, I want to thank you so much for joining us
01:17:51and, of course, sharing with us.
01:17:53As we close, could you just let our viewers know
01:17:55how they can get more information on these tickets?
01:17:59Sure. The place to go to is our website, cplt20.com.
01:18:03Be very, very clear where you need to go to try and buy your tickets.
01:18:06All of the fixture information is there.
01:18:08All of the details of where we're going to be.
01:18:10And then we'll be coming back with more information about buying tickets
01:18:13for WCPL games very, very soon.
01:18:15So, yeah, I'm really hoping everybody comes and supports both tournaments.
01:18:18And we're really looking forward to having two trips
01:18:20to Trinidad and Tobago this year.
01:18:22So, of course, Peter Miller, CPL Head of PR and Communications.
01:18:26Thank you so much for joining us.
01:18:28Thank you so much for, you know, all the efforts that you're making
01:18:31to ensure that, you know, as a Caribbean,
01:18:33we have the biggest party in sports.
01:18:35So, thank you so much for that.
01:18:37All the best to you, and I look forward to seeing you
01:18:39when you do reach our shores.
01:18:41Thank you very much. Bye now.
01:18:43All righty.
01:18:44Well, viewers, it's now time for a quick break.
01:18:46Up next, we're going to be taking your calls.
01:18:48We definitely want to hear from you.
01:18:50That number to call is 623-1711, extension 1995.
01:18:55We'll be right back.
01:18:58♪
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01:21:21no, I'm not fine.
01:21:23Please, someone, just help me.
01:21:39Children have rights.
01:21:49I'm not fine.
01:22:08So we talk in man-to-man,
01:22:10but what is the measure of a man?
01:22:13Is it about strength and power
01:22:15and all that macho business?
01:22:18Or is it about honor, dignity, courage,
01:22:22and the conviction to do what is right,
01:22:24no matter the consequences,
01:22:26and respect?
01:22:27Yes, respect in all its forms,
01:22:29including respect for women,
01:22:31and not just the women we know and love and care for,
01:22:35but all women, everywhere,
01:22:38for they are our equals,
01:22:40working hand-in-hand,
01:22:42stride for stride,
01:22:44to build a better home, a better community,
01:22:47a better country, a better world.
01:22:50So let's end this culture of abuse and humiliation
01:22:54and senseless violence towards women and girls.
01:22:58Man-to-man, let's learn to become real men.
01:23:17Welcome back, Trinidad and Tobago.
01:23:30Well, it's now time for our call-in segment.
01:23:33We would love to hear from you.
01:23:35You can call us on that number on your screen,
01:23:38623-1711, extension 1995.
01:23:42We'd love to hear from you,
01:23:44you know, your thoughts on current affairs,
01:23:47events, day-to-day events in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:23:50Of course, a big talking point is the spread of dengue,
01:23:55and, of course, dengue deaths.
01:23:57Yesterday on our show, we spoke with Gautam Maharaj,
01:24:01who is chairman of the Pinal Debir Regional Corporation,
01:24:05speaking about his efforts,
01:24:07spraying some 1,000, well,
01:24:09targeted 1,000 houses per day
01:24:12throughout their communities.
01:24:14And, of course, crime is also very topical
01:24:17with Bloody Tobago record.
01:24:20Its first triple murder for the year,
01:24:23three men, Gregory Hamlet, Samuel McKean,
01:24:27and Sam Douglas were shot and killed on Sunday night.
01:24:32And then, of course, son is dead, dad is critical,
01:24:38and that would be the Carlson Field incident.
01:24:41We've got Tabakit on the line.
01:24:42Tabakit, good morning to you.
01:24:44Good morning to you, Ms. Overshishwari.
01:24:47Yes, what's up, Tabakit?
01:24:49What are your thoughts?
01:24:51Well, we have so much army personnel that is this large.
01:24:58As we take these army personnel,
01:25:04these men is there shining.
01:25:09These are the guys that have been farming.
01:25:14You have them there.
01:25:19They're lying around.
01:25:21And I'm saying, I think this is where the National Security Council
01:25:26would say, let's have a limited state of emergency.
01:25:32Because what you have is life on them.
01:25:35If 10 people is being killed,
01:25:39the army personnel, they're sitting and drinking.
01:25:44Why not utilize them?
01:25:46And that's the billion-dollar question.
01:25:48I thank you.
01:25:50Thank you very much, Tabakit.
01:25:52The call was a little bit sketchy there,
01:25:54but I did manage to pick up, you know,
01:25:56you're asking that army personnel be activated to conduct patrols
01:26:01alongside with police.
01:26:03And you call for a limited SOE saying that it is about time
01:26:09that we do something regarding crime.
01:26:12And we believe a limited SOE may be necessary.
01:26:18So we've got Shagwanis on the line.
01:26:20Shagwanis, good morning to you.
01:26:22Hello, good morning, Overshishwari.
01:26:24Good morning to Trinidad and Tobago.
01:26:26Yes, you can go right ahead.
01:26:28I am calling in connection with the finance minister in fiscal 2019-2020
01:26:37mentioned the pension for governmentally paid workers.
01:26:42And since then, we know COVID hit and did itself,
01:26:46and everything seems to have taken a back room, a back shelf,
01:26:50whatever we're going to call it.
01:26:52So I'm trying to find out, would you use your good office
01:26:55to find out for all those who work and are still trying to find out
01:27:01what is up with that budget after,
01:27:04but we are not getting anything concrete since.
01:27:09And that is pension for which group of workers?
01:27:13Governmentally paid workers.
01:27:15Governmentally paid workers.
01:27:17Yes.
01:27:19All right. Is there anything else you'd like to add, Shagwanis?
01:27:23Not really.
01:27:27All righty. Thank you so much.
01:27:29So, of course, Shagwanis would like to find out
01:27:32and would like to get an update on the pension for government's daily paid workers
01:27:38as promised by Finance Minister Cormenbert in 2019.
01:27:46So, oh, yes, I was reading about this.
01:27:49Ministry of National Security pins hopes on call to order initiative.
01:27:55In launching the program yesterday,
01:27:57National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines acknowledged
01:27:59that Trinidad and Tobago citizens age 10 to 35
01:28:02numbered just under half a million
01:28:05and were most affected by crime as victims and perpetrators.
01:28:09We're going to take a call from Arpun,
01:28:11and I'll tell you more about that call to order initiative in a short bit.
01:28:14Arpun, good morning to you.
01:28:16Hi, good morning.
01:28:18I'm calling about the crime situation and how it's going in the country.
01:28:23I'm watching the size of Tobago.
01:28:26Tobago is a very small place, and only half of it is really populated.
01:28:31If the government of the state cannot get that right,
01:28:35then we are no hope for Trinidadians.
01:28:40So you would pin Tobago's crime situation on central government
01:28:45as opposed to the THA and their efforts?
01:28:48Yeah, because what I'm saying is that
01:28:51the THA is very much limited to what they can do.
01:28:56When you check the funding that they get each year,
01:28:59what they're asking for, what it is they're getting,
01:29:01and the work force is over there.
01:29:04So the money that they get for most of it
01:29:07going back to pay workers for services and these things,
01:29:11they cannot fight that escalating crime situation in that country.
01:29:18And I'm saying that central government,
01:29:21if you cannot go across and get that right,
01:29:25just that little country that only half of it is populated
01:29:30that you cannot control,
01:29:32what is the hope for Trinidad?
01:29:37What do you feel about the call to order initiative?
01:29:40This initiative, let me just...
01:29:44The call was led by Marvin Mr. King-Lewis,
01:29:46which included other reggae artists,
01:29:48to use song to combat the negativity and crime in society.
01:29:53Do you believe song and music can combat crime?
01:29:58I mean, it is a good initiative.
01:30:00It's something good, and we all expect something positive.
01:30:05Right?
01:30:06But that alone cannot do it.
01:30:09Right?
01:30:10The government needs to get serious with crime
01:30:12and supplant political football with it.
01:30:15These people lie to us.
01:30:17Every time we...
01:30:19Social media, we do news,
01:30:21it's from home invasion,
01:30:22some people getting injured,
01:30:24some people getting killed.
01:30:25Almost on a weekly basis, this is happening.
01:30:28We're not feeling safe.
01:30:30And whenever we look at the parliament channel,
01:30:33it's like we're going back years.
01:30:36As I said, they're fixing the parliament.
01:30:38It's been there, it's gone,
01:30:40it's good, good, it's good.
01:30:41That's an extra gain.
01:30:43People are losing their lives daily.
01:30:47People are losing their lives daily.
01:30:49Oropun, thank you so much for sharing with us this morning.
01:30:53You could actually hear the pain in his voice.
01:30:56Thank you so much for sharing with us, Oropun.
01:30:59So, this call to order initiative will see artists
01:31:05visiting at-risk communities using the song
01:31:09as a bridge to reach out to young people
01:31:12to make better decisions in their lives
01:31:14and to quote-unquote put down the gun.
01:31:18Heinz also said government has been doing its part
01:31:21to find alternatives for young people
01:31:24in the place of violence.
01:31:28We've got Valencia on the line.
01:31:30Valencia, good morning to you.
01:31:32Good morning to you.
01:31:33You have a nice program going on,
01:31:35but I just want to shift metal a little bit.
01:31:37Sure.
01:31:38Since 1995, since 1995,
01:31:42URP is owing Guardian Emergency Grant
01:31:46extra duty money.
01:31:48I was part of that.
01:31:49And I retire five years now,
01:31:52and URP is not paying Guardian Emergency,
01:31:54which is a part of the police service,
01:31:56the extra duty money.
01:31:59And when we talk about economy,
01:32:02economics, our health,
01:32:04and 4% and to go to the grocery,
01:32:07we who do these extra duties as police officers
01:32:11deserve to get paid.
01:32:13And nobody is looking at us.
01:32:16And I just want to highlight it this morning
01:32:18that URP needs to pay Guardian Emergency Branch
01:32:23their extra duty money from since 1995.
01:32:26I'm a retiree from that section.
01:32:28I'm a former police officer.
01:32:30And five years now,
01:32:32I am waiting for that money.
01:32:33I'm 60.
01:32:34I leave this service at the age of 55.
01:32:36It is unfair to me.
01:32:37Look, I have a heart condition.
01:32:39And I need my money.
01:32:41That's all I want.
01:32:43It's not you alone, right, Valencia?
01:32:45There are other persons as well?
01:32:47Yes.
01:32:48It is about 80 of us
01:32:52who work that extra duty.
01:32:54You know when people used to go
01:32:56and commit crime in URP,
01:32:59people would go and shoot them.
01:33:01They take Guardian Emergency Branch
01:33:03to work in all URP offices.
01:33:06In all URP offices.
01:33:08So today you can work in your URP office
01:33:11and you are comfortable to work.
01:33:13You are comfortable to go there
01:33:15and do whatever business you have to do.
01:33:17But we need our money.
01:33:19And those monies were owed, Valencia,
01:33:21those monies were owed by URP
01:33:24as opposed to the TTPS?
01:33:26Yes.
01:33:27URP hired Guardian Emergency Branch
01:33:29to do extra duty.
01:33:31Like you want police to come to the police station,
01:33:33you pay for four police
01:33:35to come to do extra duty home by you.
01:33:37And you have to pay the police that money,
01:33:40not the police service.
01:33:42So it's about 80 of you all.
01:33:44And how much money would you estimate,
01:33:47maybe an individual or as a whole,
01:33:49that you will be owed?
01:33:51Okay, for instance me,
01:33:52I owe about $80,000 in extra duty money.
01:33:56Could you repeat that?
01:33:58I owe about $80,000 in extra duty money
01:34:01because every day when you're off,
01:34:03you go to extra duty
01:34:05and you spend 12 hours a day.
01:34:0812 hours a day.
01:34:12Valencia, are you there?
01:34:16Alrighty, so Valencia is expressing
01:34:20some distrust there over monies
01:34:22owed to not just him,
01:34:24but about 80 Guardian Emergency Branch officers
01:34:28who would have served in 1995
01:34:31and they were owed extra duty monies,
01:34:35one person, tens of thousands of dollars.
01:34:38So 80 of them, you could just imagine.
01:34:41And that was when, according to Valencia,
01:34:45those Guardian Emergency Branch officers
01:34:50worked with the URP to secure their offices.
01:34:53And so on.
01:34:54So he's calling for them to be repaid those monies.
01:35:00So Trinidad and Tobago,
01:35:02what's your pet peeve this morning?
01:35:04What is bothering you?
01:35:06Is it crime?
01:35:07The murder toll is $299 to date.
01:35:11It would have been $301 last year
01:35:14around the same time.
01:35:15We've got Faizabad on the line.
01:35:17Faizabad, good morning to you.
01:35:19Good morning, Obashe.
01:35:20Good morning to Trinidad and Tobago.
01:35:22Clearly, we are living in a failed state.
01:35:25All the independent institutions
01:35:28have been tampered with by this regime.
01:35:31Everyone from the judiciary,
01:35:33go back to the integrity commission.
01:35:36I think it's about high time
01:35:39the government called the elections.
01:35:42Clearly, they cannot deal with the issues
01:35:45and problems of the country.
01:35:47So I think we need elections ASAP
01:35:51as soon as yesterday.
01:35:52Have a good day, my lady.
01:35:54Thank you, Faizabad.
01:35:56Faizabad is calling for an early election.
01:35:59He does not want to wait until 2025.
01:36:03He says independent offices have been tampered with
01:36:07and the government in place,
01:36:08according to Faizabad,
01:36:09has failed to address the concerns
01:36:12and issues of the public.
01:36:16So Chamber Head, interestingly, of Tobago,
01:36:19Tobago Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Martin George,
01:36:22yesterday called on Tobago Unions
01:36:24to stop saying that Trinidad gangs
01:36:26were infiltrating Tobago
01:36:27and accept that, quote-unquote,
01:36:29we are raising and breeding
01:36:31our own homegrown bandits.
01:36:35Cashew Gardens, good morning to you.
01:36:37You're our last caller.
01:36:38What do you have to say?
01:36:40Well, this morning,
01:36:41my pet peeve this morning is the road.
01:36:45I pay all for my house, $318,000,
01:36:50and the road in Cashew Gardens is terrible.
01:36:53That is within the housing area?
01:36:57Yes, it is.
01:36:58They came for election
01:36:59and they're paving from the TNTX substation
01:37:02and that's it.
01:37:03The Edinburgh Road is horrible.
01:37:08People transfers there every day.
01:37:10We have a bus
01:37:11that has to navigate those potholes
01:37:13even into the new phase in front.
01:37:17We have disabled people there.
01:37:19How did the roads get so bad
01:37:21because Cashew Gardens would be
01:37:23like a fairly new community?
01:37:26Because they put roads,
01:37:28no proper drainage.
01:37:30The councillor only comes,
01:37:31they put rubble and that's it.
01:37:33It's always a bickering between,
01:37:36this is part is UNC, part is PNM,
01:37:38and nobody does anything.
01:37:41You go to the agency
01:37:42and make complaints,
01:37:43you write letters,
01:37:44you go to these councillors
01:37:45and nothing is being done.
01:37:47We've brought in TV,
01:37:49people came,
01:37:50they put on the TV and nothing.
01:37:54I am so fed up.
01:37:55Every month, every other month,
01:37:57I have to be changing car parts.
01:37:59We had residents, I'm fed up.
01:38:02I'm literally hearing it in your voice,
01:38:04the frustration.
01:38:07Cashew Gardens,
01:38:08thank you so much for sharing with us.
01:38:10She's calling for the roads
01:38:12in her community to be repaired.
01:38:15As she says,
01:38:16it is absolutely distressing
01:38:18to be driving on those roads
01:38:21within Cashew Gardens,
01:38:22within that housing development.
01:38:24And she's reported to authorities,
01:38:26called in media,
01:38:27yet nothing is done.
01:38:30To our viewers,
01:38:31thank you so much for calling in
01:38:32and of course sharing with us
01:38:34your concerns,
01:38:35your opinions,
01:38:36your thoughts.
01:38:37It's now time for a quick break.
01:38:38We'll be right back with much more.
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01:39:39Do you remember?
01:39:49Yeah.
01:39:50Yeah.
01:39:51Yeah.
01:39:52Yeah.
01:39:54Yeah.
01:39:55Yeah.
01:39:56Yeah.
01:39:57Yeah.
01:39:58Yeah.
01:39:59Yeah.
01:40:00Yeah.
01:40:01Yeah.
01:40:02Yeah.
01:40:03Yeah.
01:40:04Yeah.
01:40:05Yeah.
01:40:06Yeah.
01:40:07Yeah.
01:40:08Yeah.
01:40:09Yeah.
01:40:10Yeah.
01:40:11Yeah.
01:40:12Yeah.
01:40:13Yeah.
01:40:14Yeah.
01:40:15Yeah.
01:40:16Yeah.
01:40:17Yeah.
01:40:18Yeah.
01:40:19Yeah.
01:40:20Yeah.
01:40:21Yeah.
01:40:22Yeah.
01:40:23Yeah.
01:40:24Yeah.
01:40:25Yeah.
01:40:26Yeah.
01:40:27Yeah.
01:40:28Yeah.
01:40:29Yeah.
01:40:30Yeah.
01:40:31Yeah.
01:40:32Yeah.
01:40:33Yeah.
01:40:34Yeah.
01:40:35Yeah.
01:40:36Yeah.
01:40:37Yeah.
01:40:38Yeah.
01:40:39Yeah.
01:40:40Yeah.
01:40:41Yeah.
01:40:42Yeah.
01:40:43Yeah.
01:40:44Yeah.
01:40:45Yeah.
01:40:46Yeah.
01:40:47Yeah.
01:40:48Yeah.
01:40:49Yeah.
01:40:50Yeah.
01:40:51Yeah.
01:40:52Yeah.
01:40:53Yeah.
01:40:54Yeah.
01:40:55Yeah.
01:40:56Yeah.
01:40:57Yeah.
01:40:58Yeah.
01:40:59Yeah.
01:41:00Yeah.
01:41:01Yeah.
01:41:02Yeah.
01:41:03Yeah.
01:41:04Yeah.
01:41:05Yeah.
01:41:06Yeah.
01:41:07After two tickets, Mary just isn't paying attention to her speed.
01:41:08You see this thing you have used, this thing is correct 15 kilometres.
01:41:11It has to taste a bit.
01:41:1315 years' gun test.
01:41:14It's a short hour test, man.
01:41:15Don't be like Mary, obey the laws of the road, a message from the TTPS.
01:41:45Welcome back, Trinidad and Tobago, La Casa de Fusión celebrated its 10th milestone last
01:41:57weekend with the launch of the Latin Fusion Music Festival by La Casa de Fusión under
01:42:03the directorship of one who has been called the First Lady of Parang and the reigning
01:42:10Parang Queen, Alicia Jagasar.
01:42:13We're now joined via Zoom by Ms. Jagasar, she's co-founder of the Power Media Hub or
01:42:20the Hub House Media, to tell us more about this event.
01:42:23A very good morning to you and welcome.
01:42:25Good morning and good morning to the entire Trinidad and Tobago and all the international
01:42:32listeners out there, thank you so much for having me.
01:42:36So for those of us who missed the event last Saturday, that is July 6th at S8101, we know
01:42:44it starts at 7pm, tell us about that groundbreaking event.
01:42:50It was, I felt so happy to be seeing my young paraderos on stage, you know, presenting different
01:43:02Latin music.
01:43:04It was a treat to see after 10 years, you know, of bringing this fusion music, our Calypso
01:43:11and Soca, where we take that and bring it into Latin styles and do it in both Spanish
01:43:16and English.
01:43:17I've been doing this for quite some time and it really was an appreciation that, I don't
01:43:26know, words couldn't explain how I felt about seeing it, you know, happening finally at
01:43:33the inaugural Latin Fusion Music Festival.
01:43:37So it was really good, the patrons, everybody had a wonderful time.
01:43:42We didn't have a huge crowd, you know, but, you know, it's something that we expect that
01:43:46will build over the years.
01:43:49So of course we know at that event, you know, it was, it celebrated two significant milestones,
01:43:56that is of course the 10 year anniversary of La Casa de Fusion and your 50th birthday,
01:44:01so happy belated birthday to you, you're a July buddy like so many of us here at TV6.
01:44:09Actually no, I wasn't a July buddy, what happened is that I turned 50 in February, on the 6th
01:44:14of February, and everybody was saying that, you're not having anything, this is 50, this
01:44:18is a big thing, and I'm like, no, I will have my celebration at my yearly concert, and that
01:44:25is how it was supposed to be, a combination of the both, you know, but thank you anyway,
01:44:31because I always say that the whole year is my birthday until the next one.
01:44:34Yes, yes, yes, so congratulations to you, of course, on that milestone.
01:44:39So why don't you share with us some of, a little bit about some of the artists who shared
01:44:42that stage with you last Saturday?
01:44:46Well, it was EFX, the band, was led by Emil Fortune, we had Sonia Chase from the band
01:44:52Los Unidos, we had Chantelle Skeet from the band La Mansión, we had Mario Conga from
01:45:01the band La Bendición, we also had America Mutru, one of our Soca Calypso stars, and
01:45:10we had Baron, the sweet Soca man, and I also did some performances, right, so it was a
01:45:18cast of entertainers, and all of them shined, they would shine, shine, shine.
01:45:25And it would not have been possible without that live music, and that's something that
01:45:30I really enjoy, is the live musicians, because it sort of, it adds a sort of feeling, you
01:45:37feel the vibrations of those instruments, and so on.
01:45:42Yes, it is different when you have a live band performing, and my band, it was, I had
01:45:48about a nine-piece band, Michelle Farfan, Ansel Daniel, we had Miss James, we had Rodney
01:45:57Thomas, Rodney Alexander, we had Nicholas Thomas, we had Coyote, Michael, we had, oh my,
01:46:06Jason Bishop, you know, Emmanuel Joseph, we had a combination of young, middle-aged,
01:46:12a lot of youth, we had a combination. And the most important thing is that it was a
01:46:17fundraiser, and that, I was really heartened by the support. Those who couldn't come, they
01:46:25bought a ticket, or just made a contribution, which I was happy about. We still accept,
01:46:32we're still accepting donations towards the institute, which this is all about, these
01:46:40fundraisers, is all about, the launch of my institute, which is called El Alma de Parranda.
01:46:49Which translates into Soul of Parang.
01:46:53That's it. So it's El Alma de Parranda, that is where, over 30 years I've been working
01:46:59with youths and schools around Trinidad and Tobago, and a lot of them do not have the means,
01:47:04and being a full-time musician, it's difficult to sustain them and sustain myself. So every
01:47:11year I have these concerts, and this year it has come to, like, this is it, this is what we're
01:47:17going to have every year now, to raise funds, and also to show off the La Casa de Fusión brand
01:47:25of the calypso and the soca being merged with Latin music and also in Spanish.
01:47:32For me, the institute is all about learning, but also learning the language, the second language,
01:47:39which is Spanish, but in a fun way. So you're looking to draw the youths into the language by
01:47:45immersing them in Parang music, which is also under the umbrella of Latin, and other Latin
01:47:51styles, so that they could get, you know, the students could get more involved in the Spanish
01:47:56and the urge to want to speak the language. So that's, and in the institute, you're supposed
01:48:02to be getting everything, learning everything that I have learned about Parang at the institute.
01:48:07So you can come and play a little cuatro. So you could learn music, and you could also
01:48:13learn to sing, you could learn a language, you could learn song, you could learn Parang.
01:48:17Tell us about, I am very interested in that part, working with youth. So you go into schools,
01:48:22select schools, I'm assuming. How do you select them? Do you have to have a minimum
01:48:28number of students? How do you select them, that kind of thing?
01:48:33Well, I work with schools that a lot of them reach out to me, and when they do, I don't know how to
01:48:40say no, you know. A lot of them want to take part in the Junior Parang Festival. So sometimes I have
01:48:48about 10 primary schools, and about, sometimes I try to limit my secondary schools, because there's
01:48:55only that much I can do, going from one, sometimes I go from Arima, to Port of Spain, to Chaguanas,
01:49:02to South, you know. And so they kind of choose me, you know, instead of me kind of going out,
01:49:10looking for them. So that is to maintain some level of control, because you only have from
01:49:16Monday to Friday to get into those schools within a specific time, within a specific period,
01:49:23to get them ready for competition, whether it be Sandfest, whether it be
01:49:29Music Festival, whether it be the National Parang Association, whether it's for graduations,
01:49:34whether it's for concerts. So that has been happening for quite some time for me, yeah.
01:49:40So Ms. Jagessa, for those who could not come, could not contribute to your event,
01:49:46but they are still interested in helping you continue to do all that you do, how can they
01:49:51contribute to this institute? Well, you can, one, we have an account number, you can make
01:50:00contributions to La Casa de Fusion, that is La Casa, L-A, and then C-A-S-A, de Fusion, for you,
01:50:08you will say Fusion. It's a Republic Bank account, 440-801-302-201, and it's a checking account,
01:50:20it's in Starlight Shopping Plaza in Tegel Martin, so you could still make
01:50:25contributions, so you could call 785-0248 if you want to make a donation. 785-0248.
01:50:33So 440-801-302-201, Republic Bank checkings account. That might be a little bit much for
01:50:41viewers to take down, but I would repeat your number, 785-0248, so they can call you to get
01:50:48that information. So as we close, is there anything else you'd like to add, Ms. Jagsar?
01:50:55Well, I would like to thank everyone, everyone, family, friends, the musicians, the artists,
01:51:02thank everyone who came on board. Ms. Roma Spencer, who was our host,
01:51:09based in Canada now, I would like to say thank you. I would really like to thank,
01:51:13because everybody pulled it together, Estate 101, everybody. I just want to thank everybody
01:51:18for making it happen and making a dream a reality. Thank you to the media for having me also,
01:51:25and for, you know, letting the world out there. Thank you so much. So Ms. Jagsar, we did manage
01:51:31to get the number on your screen in time, 785-0248. Anybody who's interested, you know,
01:51:37you can contribute to this Parang Institute, headed by Ms. Jagsar, the reigning Parang Queen.
01:51:43Now, I want to thank you so much for joining us this morning, and you know, my wish is that
01:51:48God certainly blesses you, so you continue doing all that you do. Amen. Thank you so very much.
01:51:56It's now time for a quick break. To our viewers, we'll be right back.
01:52:26Johnny, just fix it. And while you're doing that, remember the roof is leaking. The house
01:52:32need painting. All those kitchen tiles need changing. So tell me, Johnny, what about the
01:52:36plumbing? The driveway needs paving. Plus, you promised to add a new room to the house. I find
01:52:41it's about time. Johnny, fix it. There has never been a better time for a TBLA Home Improvement
01:52:49Loan. Call us today at 623-1501, or visit us at tbla-mortgages.com. In 2023 in Pune, India,
01:52:58we won TNT's first international crown in 25 years, best talent for the steel pan, and we
01:53:04embraced the environment. Now, we dedicate our platform to the well-being of Earth, as Team Miss
01:53:12and Mrs. Representatives compete for three crowns and raise awareness on climate change.
01:53:18This is pageantry for the planet. The Miss India Worldwide TNT Pageant 2024,
01:53:26Trinidad and Tobago, July 14th. Presented by the Meena House and Neha Kareena.
01:53:37Welcome back, Trinidad and Tobago. This, of course, brings us to the end of our show. But
01:53:42before we leave you, we share with you this beautiful image. Top of the morning to you, TNT.