- 1 year ago
Eight people were killed in Trinidad in a matter of hours
The Prime Minister expressed concern over escalating crime in Tobago
And the Ministry of Health confirmed 2 deaths from dengue
The Prime Minister expressed concern over escalating crime in Tobago
And the Ministry of Health confirmed 2 deaths from dengue
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six. I am Vanessa cutting as what
00:22made the news this past week. It's people were killed in Trinidad in a matter of hours.
00:28The prime minister expressed concern over escalating crime in Tobago and the Ministry
00:34of Health confirmed two deaths from dengue. As per usual, if it was happening, it was
00:39on six. Let's get right into it. Eight homicides were reported over a 24 hour period from Friday
00:47into Saturday. In one of the incidents, a 31 year old woman was opened fire upon by
00:52gunmen which also resulted in two men aged 62 and 66 both being injured after being struck
01:01by what police suspect to be stray bullets. The spate of murders began at 4 p.m. on Friday
01:06along Agostini Street in Belmont where 29-year-old Hassani Bonas of Rudolph Charles Link Road
01:13in Laventille and Jaheem Shallow, 19, of Rigsby Street in Belmont were fatally shot. They
01:19were said to be liming along the roadway when a white panel van, a white Nissan 80
01:24wagon and a silver Toyota Fielder pulled up next to them. Several men exited the cars
01:29and opened fire hitting Bonas and Shallow several times. Bonas died on the scene while
01:34Shallow was pronounced dead at 6.30 p.m. at the Port of Spain General Hospital where he
01:40was being treated. 32 spent 5.56mm shells were found at the scene of this shooting.
01:48Then at about 8.45 p.m. Jamarque Funrose, 20, and Kerwin McLeod, 44, were fatally shot
01:56along Mangrove Road in Laventille. The incident also resulted in a 66-year-old man being wounded.
02:03The three men were liming on the pavement when a silver Nissan Teeter pulled up next
02:06to them. Three masked men exited the car and opened fire on the group. They then returned
02:12to the vehicle and drove away. The three injured men were conveyed to the General
02:17Hospital. However, two died while undergoing treatment.
02:22In Sangre Grandi, 36-year-old Sean George of Foster Road was fatally shot in his home.
02:28The incident also resulted in a 62-year-old man being injured. TV6 was told that at about
02:3410 p.m. yesterday, relatives heard gunshots and upon investigating, they found George
02:40lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot several times in
02:45his chest. Then at about 3.50 a.m. today, Dwayne Richardson, 35, and his wife Latoya,
02:5331, were fatally shot at their home along Matarita Trace in Arima. Police were told
02:59that relatives at the home heard a series of loud explosions. They then heard the couple
03:04screaming in pain. They were found in their bedroom.
03:09Then at about 10 a.m. today, the body of missing rideshare driver Shakeem Charles was found
03:15in a bushy area off Sunrest Branch Road in Pinal. The body bore marks of violence. A
03:22post-mortem has been ordered to confirm the cause of death. Charles of Indian Walk was
03:27last seen alive on July 9th. He was last seen in Pinal at about 7.38 p.m. driving his white
03:34Toyota Cross. The vehicle was found abandoned on Wednesday along Imon Lane in Valencia.
03:42And two businessmen were shot and injured during a home invasion on Friday morning along
03:48Adutra Road in Bejucal. The two injured men, aged 40 and 41, are said to be the owners
03:56of Hadfab Steel Fabricators. The incident took place at about 2.55 a.m.
04:03Alexander Brizwal, TV6 News.
04:06Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley expressed disappointment with the crime situation in
04:11Tobago last week following a National Security Council meeting on the island. Minister of
04:17National Security Fitzgerald Hines, Chief Secretary of the THA Fahli Agustin, and Commissioner
04:23of Police Ulloa Christopher were also in attendance.
04:27Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said all efforts will be made to treat with the escalating
04:32crime situation in Tobago. This comes on the heels of a quadruple murder on the island.
04:38The quadruple murder, the first of its kind in the history of Tobago. The question was
04:44posed by TV6 News to Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, if the war on crime has been lost.
04:51Do you think we have lost the war on crime at this time?
04:54No, we have not lost it and we do not intend to lose it. And if you ask why I say that
05:01we have not lost it, the war on crime is a war on people's behavior. And it was never
05:11a situation of flicking a switch. It's a situation of being engaged for as long as is required
05:18to be engaged. So there is no day in the future when we will say there will be no crime in
05:26the country or there wouldn't be a person who is planning to execute a crime. We just
05:32have to be engaged permanently. And that is why from day one, the establishment of a constabulary
05:40even in the good old days, which is a long way from where we are now in terms of the
05:46killing and the shooting and so on, you had a constabulary to respond to whatever negative
05:52was coming from the behavior of the population.
05:55The Prime Minister then expressed extreme disappointment with the crime situation in
06:00Tobago. As he said, some have chosen criminality as a way of life.
06:05I am not happy at all and it diminishes me and I think it diminishes all of Tobago that
06:12we are making this kind of news or being out front for all the wrong reasons. I grew up
06:17in Tobago and as I was telling those of us who were in the room this morning, this is
06:23not the Tobago I knew or the Tobago I grew up in. The Tobago I knew, parents took responsibility,
06:30serious responsibility for instilling in their charges, their young children, the responsibility
06:38to be respectful, to be ambitious and to make something of yourself. Unfortunately, that
06:46is not happening now. The world has changed and people are choosing. This is not something
06:55happening to us accidentally. Some people are deliberately choosing criminal conduct
07:01as a way of life.
07:03Meantime, Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher said the escalating crime situation in Tobago
07:09has not gone unnoticed by the TTPS as additional boots are now on the ground.
07:17Proactively, what I would have done as commissioner, I would have deployed additional resources
07:26of the GEB and the ITF and that was to create and to facilitate a frontal approach against
07:34the criminal elements. Additionally, as of yesterday, I would have sent another group
07:48of officers to provide training to the frontline officers.
07:53The police commissioner said there will be a focus on increasing intelligence on the
07:57ground.
07:58Additionally, we will increase our intelligence focus on the island of Tobago. We will provide
08:08training to develop the capacity of the officers in terms of intelligence gathering and investigations.
08:21Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
08:25We enter a quick break. We'll have more news when we return.
08:32Thanks for staying with us. A 16-year-old girl and a 65-year-old man are the two confirmed
08:40dengue-related deaths for 2024. Both victims are from South Trinidad.
08:46Reporter Sindhu Raghubar Tickasingh visited relatives of the two victims last week and
08:51they told her more than anything else, the government needs to urgently clear clogged
08:56water courses, spray at-risk areas more frequently and educate the public.
09:03The father of a 16-year-old Form 4 female student who died two weeks ago after contracting
09:10dengue is tonight calling on the government to do more to educate the public about the
09:15current outbreak. He tells TV6 his daughter started complaining about flu-like symptoms
09:22on a Tuesday and by Saturday, she was dead.
09:26The 51-year-old Faisabad father of two says his child experienced headaches, fever and
09:33loss of appetite. And when she started getting dizziness, he took her to the Separa Health
09:38facility on June 21.
09:41The doctor, which was a Nigerian doctor, he explained, I said, well, you know your symptoms
09:46too. Explained to the doctor what we were feeling and we did. So, the dizziness, everything
09:53like that, what I said. Then proceeded, when she said her body was hurting a little bit,
10:01he then gave her my injection and amortisseur. He told me he was giving her amortisseur.
10:08He says she then appeared to go unresponsive and had to be revived. She was given two bags
10:14of drips and kept overnight to run some tests. But he says she was cleared and discharged
10:20the next morning. And on returning home, she ate a small meal and went to bed.
10:26They discharged her Saturday morning. I know she's tired. So, she went and took a rest
10:32about 12 o'clock or whatever, you know. She opened her phone, she was good. When you went
10:37to check on her, you found something was wrong with her. So, we called the ambulance
10:42and that is what, I don't know from there what went on.
10:47About 20 minutes after returning to the Separa Health facility that day, he was told his
10:52teenage daughter was dead. It's a series of events he never imagined would have unfolded.
11:00And while he could hardly find words of advice to other parents, he urged the government
11:05to inform and educate the public about the current dengue outbreak.
11:11What happened to me has already passed and gone. I can't do anything about it. But in
11:17future for other people, children and older people, I'd like the government to at least
11:25announce it, that there is something going wrong with mosquito bites and pandemic, not
11:31a pandemic, but say something about it and warn people at least.
11:36More than a week after her death, over in Barakpur, 65-year-old retired prisons officer
11:43Sunarayan Mahadev also died as a result of dengue. The father of two and grandfather
11:50of one had been hospitalized for about a week before being taken off life support on July
11:582nd. His relatives called for more spraying and the cleaning of clogged water courses
12:04and drains in their community, as more than a dozen people on their street have gotten
12:10dengue in the past few weeks. When we contacted Minister of Health Terence Dyalsing, he said
12:17dengue cases are on the increase worldwide due to a combination of factors including
12:23changing weather patterns associated to climate change. Minister Dyalsing says while spraying
12:30is done locally, over-spraying is dangerous as it can lead to the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
12:37building a resistance and the chemical can be harmful to human and animal health. He
12:43underscored the importance of source reduction, the role people have in eliminating breeding
12:49sites in and around their homes, schools and workplaces. He encouraged people to get rid
12:56of tyres, derelict vehicles, to clean guttering and get rid of plant and flower pot sources,
13:03all areas which store clean, clear, stagnant water, the preferred breeding locations for
13:10this particular type of mosquito. Cindy Raghuba Tika Singh, TV6 News. While the Ministry of
13:18Health has already issued a number of property owners with citation notices for having mosquito
13:24breeding sites on their premises and the Ministry warned that failure to rectify the
13:30issues could result in a whopping $3,500 fine. The Ministry would also like the public to
13:37know that health inspectors can't access your property without your expressed permission.
13:43But they're asking for the public's cooperation in this regard. Members of the public are
13:48reminded that they can't face a $3,500 fine if found to be negligent in eliminating breeding
13:55sites for mosquitoes. We will be getting very active in one, issuing the citations and then
14:03giving persons seven days to literally clean up their act. To date, we have issued 31 notices
14:15and these property owners currently have seven days to clean up their premises. And the Ministry
14:23of Health would like the public to know that public health inspectors do have the power to
14:27enter their properties. Like if we had a concern, a severe concern, I think we can even come with
14:33police if we needed to, right, to get some support in terms of entry. But it's something that we
14:37plan to work with the population, right? So it's not going to be some kind of aggressive approach,
14:40but public health inspectors specifically do have powers of entry to access or to gain access to
14:47property in the presence of the owners to then walk you through the environmental inspection,
14:52identify breeding sources and so on. Meantime, some opposition members and some municipal
14:57corporations are being heavily reprimanded by the health minister for allegedly encouraging
15:03members of the public to use harmful chemicals to kill mosquitoes. In an effort to gain political
15:09mileage, are encouraging their burgesses to risk their lives by playing cheap politics, by buying
15:19molybdenum and not giving them the protective gear. Dr. Fraser will have said and use the word
15:27ultra-low volume. These things have to be titrated and calculated accurately to make sure that human
15:39health is not compromised. The health minister is once again pleading with the public to focus on
15:45keeping their surroundings free of breeding sites. As he notes, spraying and over-spraying can lead
15:51to mosquitoes developing a resistance to the chemicals, among other risks. But dirty drains,
15:58that is not the preferred breeding site of the Aedes aegypti. This one cup in your yard could
16:07contain up to 1,000 eggs. A tyre therefore could contain a million eggs. They don't find a home
16:17in those mossy, green, dirty drains. Source reduction is primarily a domestic issue.
16:29Dengue cases have been increasing across the country, most notably in the counties of Karani,
16:35Victoria and St. Patrick. We're still at 229 confirmed cases and two confirmed deaths.
16:43We do not have hospitalization figures. We just know that hospitals have indicated that they're
16:49seeing more of these cases. We've taken note of that. Members of the public are advised to
16:54report to their nearest health facility if they develop dengue symptoms. Warning signs include
17:01severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, so you're vomiting but it's not just one-off anymore,
17:06it is continuous, breathing rapidly, bleeding, bleeding manifestations such as the gums or even
17:14bleeding from the nose or even elsewhere, fatigue, restlessness, blood in the vomit or even in the
17:21stool, feeling very thirsty, which tells us you are becoming dehydrated, having pale and
17:27cold skin, which tells us you might be going into shock, even feeling weak.
17:33While Trinidad and Tobago is not pursuing the acquisition of a dengue vaccine at this time,
17:39according to the Ministry of Health, there is a lot of controversy and technicalities
17:44surrounding dengue vaccination, which simply do not make it feasible. Health Minister Terence
17:50Eyalsing pointed to several concerns surrounding vaccination, particularly after the vaccine
17:56Dengvaxia was reported to significantly increase the risk of disease severity.
18:03The issue of vaccinations for dengue is controversial, very, very controversial.
18:13I will direct you to read the report on what happened in the Philippines,
18:19where they use the vaccines. That's all I will say.
18:24The Chief Medical Officer also noted that prior exposure to the virus
18:28makes a subsequent infection even more dangerous.
18:33If we were to give it to somebody that didn't have dengue, it primes their immune system and
18:36increases the likelihood of severe dengue. So there is a significant risk there. The other
18:41vaccine is called Pudenga, manufactured by a pharmaceutical company approved in the year
18:48Takeda, and that one is recommended for ages 4 to 16, again, in certain types,
18:54in certain epidemiological situations. So far, we haven't gone ahead and procured because
19:00of those controversial issues and those highly technical issues that we have to consider before
19:04we use it in our public. So it is under consideration at this point in time.
19:08So basically, what are you saying? If we have to use those vaccines,
19:12we have to serotype everybody, which is simply not possible.
19:18This is the past seven days on six. We'll be right back.
19:28Welcome back. The votes are in and the government's nominees are out.
19:33After a lively annual general meeting session last week, which resulted in a poll,
19:38government's two nominees for the OCM board were voted out by minority shareholders
19:43who came out in a show of support for democracy and the fourth estate.
19:48The little mouse has roared. That's how I would put it. The little mouse has roared because,
19:52as you know, the government has over 23 percent of the shareholding. And I think one of the other
19:58large institutions voted with them and they asked for a poll. And at the end of the poll,
20:06the votes didn't go in their favor. It went against the two nominees. And as I said,
20:11that speaks volumes to the power of minority shareholders.
20:15In what can be described as an historic event, OCM minority shareholders bonded together
20:22in a show of solidarity at today's 2024 AGM, voting decidedly against the government's
20:28nominees. When the votes were done and counted, favor was not on the side of the government's
20:33nominees, with insurance executive Dale McLeod securing roughly 49 percent of the votes
20:40and Shaka Subaru a mere 18 percent. The shareholders are not stupid. They understand.
20:46They understood the issues that were raised prior to the meeting and during the course of the
20:51meeting, because quite a number of people spoke at the meeting and clearly they understood the
20:57message and they voted accordingly. I think OCM has earned its reputation as being one of the
21:03fearless reporters of the news. And I think that is one of the things I want to ensure that was
21:09preserved, that you all must not be worried when you have to break a story as to whether there
21:15could be any possible retaliation for doing so. And I think based on the results, I think you all
21:22can rest assured that you all can continue with that fearless approach to reporting. OCM chairman
21:29Fareece Hossain noted that while a poll was requested by one shareholder, the meeting was
21:34carried out in a very professional and orderly manner. The process was overseen by an independent
21:40scrutineer. Meantime, the OCM group is reporting decent performance for 2023, despite some
21:47challenges. While group revenues declined by three percent, net profit before tax saw a conservative
21:55increase of one percent up to thirty seven point two million dollars. Of note, broadcast assets
22:02performed commendably with radio and television, with radio and television reporting profitability
22:08of 17 percent and 34 percent respectively. Group CEO Dawn Thomas says the journey ahead
22:15for the group looks promising. She adds management recognizes the important role that a free press
22:21plays in any democracy. And as such, the group is driven to ensure continued relevance with
22:27its audiences and create increased shareholder value. The National Investment Fund Holding
22:34Company Limited has since submitted a legal request for information on the vote at the OCM AGM.
22:44In other news, U.S.-based Frontier Airlines arrived in TNT with passengers for the first
22:50time last week. And while there was a recent travel advisory from the U.S. for this country,
22:56government ministers said that airlines like Frontier are doing their own research
23:01and see this country as a viable and lucrative destination. The first flight of U.S.-based
23:07Frontier Airlines to Piarco International Airport in Trinidad was greeted with a water cannon salute
23:14provided by the airport fire tenders of the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service. That customary
23:20greeting for a first-time flight to any airport by an airline was followed by the customary speeches.
23:26Frontier Airlines, which is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, was represented by the carrier's
23:31senior director of network planning, Jonathan Kaufman. I came down here in February and we knew
23:37this was an aggressive timeline, but we wanted the service to start in time for the summer peak.
23:42While folks aren't in school, people can take time off of work and can travel and experience
23:47everything that we want to bring to this beautiful twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago
23:51with our ultra-low fares, which we do by having being America's greenest airline, keeping the
23:57lowest fuel burn per seat of all the carriers in the U.S., and we're excited and want to invest
24:04long-term in this partnership. The arrival of the first Frontier Airlines flight to Trinidad and
24:09Tobago certainly marks a new chapter, not just for the aviation sector, but potentially also
24:16for the economies of Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico. Of course, today we're starting with
24:22non-stop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Very excited for the people of Trinidad and Tobago to
24:28experience what we call the island of enchantment, with great, with its shopping, its beaches, the
24:34ability to experience an old Spanish colonial city, to take cruises, in my opinion, a better
24:40destination than Miami, but also to be able to use San Juan as a gateway to a wealth of destinations
24:47that we serve along the eastern seaboard of the U.S., with seamless connections in both directions,
24:52New York, JFK, Newark, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Philadelphia, the list continues. The proceedings
24:58were interrupted as there was a call for passengers at the Piaco Airport to board the first
25:04Frontier flight out of Trinidad and Tobago. Works and Transport Minister Rohan Silanan spoke with
25:10the media after the inaugural flight ceremony for Frontier and said such developments begin with the
25:15signing of air services agreements, after which airlines do their homework. I can tell you that
25:21Trinidad is a very attractive destination. That is why Frontier would have, if you look at the
25:27flights that came in, the flight came in full, just like KLM who started with, I think it would
25:35have been one flight per week and now they're up to five or six flights per week. So Trinidad is a
25:40very attractive destination. Air services agreements take a long time to sign. The fact that everybody
25:48is interested now in signing with Trinidad tells you that there is an interest in Trinidad.
25:54Other speakers at the event included Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell. TV6 News spoke with him
25:59about the arrival of Frontier Airlines in the context of a recent travel advisory issued by the
26:05U.S. for Trinidad and Tobago. So I think the decision is really driven not by those travel
26:11advisories, not by the media reports of crime and criminality and so on that we have a challenge
26:18with that many countries in the Caribbean, many countries across the world, they do have challenges
26:22with that. I think it's really driven by solid market research, looking at the data and identifying
26:30Trinidad, Port of Spain, as a lucrative route, as one that is sustainable. The tourism minister said
26:37many other tourism destinations have what he called high and low seasons and Trinidad is
26:43quote always in season, unquote. The Christmas season is always a high one. The carnival season, well
26:51Frontier has indicated that they may wish to put on some more flights and even add
26:55another flight from Miami direct to Port of Spain for that carnival period and of course
27:01the August vacation period is also a high one. So I think it's really driven by market research.
27:07The Works and Transport Minister gave credit to the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
27:11for its role in the new flight service being provided by Frontier out of Piaco Airport.
27:17Jule Brown, TV6 News.
27:21Sport is up next, keep it here.
27:30In sport, the first test between the West Indies and England ended in a loss for the Windies
27:36with the West Indies all out for 136 giving England victory by an innings and 114 runs.
27:43Here's the action. West Indies resumed their innings on 79 for six needing 171 more to make
27:50England bat again. Alsari Joseph was still playing like the West Indies stood a chance
27:54at winning the T20 World Cup. His shots probably encouraged with England playing an attacking field
28:01with their fielders in the circle. Joshua Da Silva has struggled with the bat in this match
28:06and he was James Anderson's last wicket. Maybe the selector should consider opening with Gurakish
28:12Moti. He top scored with 31 and had the most runs for the West Indies in the match with 14 not out
28:18in the first innings to add to his second innings knock. Joseph was finally dismissed for eight
28:24giving Gus Atkinson another wicket and another reason to pat himself on the back.
28:29He took 12 wickets in the match five in the second innings.
28:33Number 11 for Gus Atkinson. Disappointment came for Anderson who dropped a sitter from the dangerous
28:40Moti. Given another life Moti punished the bowlers. They could not get him out in either innings
28:47before Jaden Seals got out for eight with the score on 136. England winning the first to test
28:52by an innings and 114 runs. The two teams meet again next week Thursday.
28:59And that's a wrap on the past seven days on six. I am Vanessa Cutting. If you didn't catch this
29:05segment in its entirety you can find it on our website www.tv6tnt.com and you can find all these
29:14stories and more on the TV6 mobile app. Thanks for choosing TV6 and do have a great evening.
29:28you
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